Becky's Book Reviews

[ Disclaimer: This originally appeared as a Women24 book club newsletter . If you'd like to read more of these columns, and stand a chance of winning our book club's top 10 books, you can sign up here .] A few years ago, Charlaine Harris, author of the Southern Vampire Mysteries fame (True Blood for those who’ve been following the television of adaptation of the Sookie Stackhouse books) received death threats following the ending of the popular book series. Readers were unhappy with the way the book ended. Many felt the plot was lacking, the characters’ actions nonsensical and that the ending came out of left-field. I won’t go into detail about why the ending in particular was so upsetting (if you’re really curious and don’t mind spoilers, you can mail me and I’ll tell you), but what I can tell you is that I do, to a certain extent, understand why people got so upset. Not enough to warrant all that hatred, but I get it. When you spend time invested in a book, part...

Torture, branding and extreme bullying set in a society that places its value on perfection, is the focus of Cecelia Ahern’s (bestselling author of P.S. I Love You) new book. Disclaimer: Review originally appeared on Women24 . A copy of the book can be purchased via Raru.co.za . Flawed by Cecelia Ahern (published in 2016 by HarperCollins UK) Trigger warning: Torture Imagine living in a world where everything you do is under scrutiny and one bad decision, lie, action or choice could result in you being branded as an outcast. And imagine if this society places the ultimate standard of living in the upholding of morals, ethics and general conduct of its citizens. This is the world that our protagonist, Celestine, a young girl on the cusp of adulthood, inhabits. Here, you’re either model-perfect or you’re flawed, and the price and punishment for being the latter is living a life enforced with rules and regulations.  It’s one where public shaming is a blood-sport and one that means liv...

In today’s post, I’m highlighting The Glittering Court, the fabulous new book from bestselling author Richelle Mead. The book was released earlier this week and I, for one, can’t wait to read it. To celebrate the release, the publishers are offering readers a chance to win a hardback copy, as well as 25$ Sephora gift card. Below you can also find more information on the book.  Title: THE GLITTERING COURT Author: Richelle Mead Pub. Date: April 5, 2016 Publisher: Razorbill Format: Hardcover, eBook, & audiobook Find it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Goodreads The Selection meets Reign in this dazzling trilogy of interwoven novels about three girls on a quest for freedom and true love from #1 internationally bestselling author Richelle Mead. "Brilliant and original, Mead’s new series starts off with a bang and will leave readers on the edge of their seats until the very end." —School Library Journal For a select group of girls, the Glittering Court offers...

Today I’m very excited to be part of the global tour for Cecilia Ahern’s debut YA novel. As you probably know, Cecilia is no stranger to the world of literature. With a good series of best-selling rom-coms behind her back, she’s not only proven to be one of the most popular authors in the world, but some of her books have also been made into movies – most notably, P.S. I Love You. This time around, Cecilia ventures into YA dystopian territory with her new novel Flawed, which is absolutely brilliant, by the way (I read it in one sitting and my review will be up later this week). In today’s post, I’m sharing a list of Cecilia’s top 5 YA novels, but before I do, here’s some information about the book.  About the book: Celestine North lives a perfect life. She’s a model daughter and sister, she’s well-liked by her classmates and teachers, and she’s dating the impossibly charming Art Crevan. But then Celestine encounters a situation in which she makes an instinctive decision. She breaks...