The Rule of Thirds is the first in a series by Chantel Guertin. It was published by ECW Press, an independently owned Canadian publisher, in 2013. I was immediately drawn to this book, because of the fact that I share the same nickname, Pippa, with the protagonist! I think this is the first time I have ever come across a character sharing my name in a book! Straight away, I assumed that the book would be about photography, because of the title (the rule of thirds is an important element of photography) and the front cover of the book, which features someone with multiple cameras:
The book is written in first person, from the point of view of sixteen-year-old Philadelphia "Pippa" Greene, a talented photographer who is determined to win the photography competition, Vantage Point, as the prize is an invitation to a summer camp at Tisch, an arts school in New York. It is a realistic, witty and irresistible story about navigating life as a teenager, in the genre of YA fiction/realistic fiction. From the first page, the book is full of humour: ""Can you Photoshop this?" Dace asks. She strides into the school's photocopy room and tosses a paper at me. "Algebra test."" Those first lines really captured me and from then on I could hardly put the book down! I think I saw myself in Pippa's caring nature and sarcastic thoughts, which is why I loved this book so much. My favourite character is Dylan McCutter, one of Pippa's love interests in the book, because all he ever wants is to please Pippa and plus, their encounters are sometimes hilarious! (No spoilers, but the plot twist at the end will make you love him even more...). The characters feel so real and 3D, because over the course of the book, you get to know all their dreams, quirks and personalities. I really didn't like the character of Ben Baxter, but I can't tell you why without spoiling the story for you! You'll have to read it to find out... My favourite part of the book is the end, when everything ends okay for Pippa, and although there are questions still to be resolved, I loved the ending and can't wait to read the rest of the series! I think that the book improves as it proceeds, with the characters becoming more developed and the plot thickening. We come to realise why previous events in the book occurred, and little hints are dropped here and there that point towards the ending, even if you don't realise at the time (I know I didn't- when looking back, I realised that I missed a lot of clues, specifically about Dylan's predicament...). In my opinion, this book is suited to teenagers and young adults, especially those with an interest in photography! If you have read and liked John Green's books, I think you will like The Rule of Thirds. To conclude, I liked this book a lot and I definitely want to read the rest of the series, because there were a few unanswered questions that need addressing. It is set in a genre that I like and the characters are relatable and varied- everyone finds a bit of themselves in a book like this. I hope you have found this book review useful. Also, a big thanks to ECW Press for sending the book for me to review! Score: 9/10 Thanks for reading! Pip ISBN: 978-1-77041-159-3 Pages: 187 Price: $9.95 U.S./CDN (£6.93)
Published by Canongate Books in 2013, this is the 7th novel by British novelist and journalist Matt Haig. This review is of the paperback edition first published in 2014. The first line of a book is often the most important- it is your first impression and sets the tone for the rest of the book. In this case, the first line is: "I know that some of you reading this are convinced humans are a myth, but I am here to state that they do actually exist." Just what the title suggests, really; that this is written from the point of view of someone, or something, that isn't human. This first line definitely intrigued me... As well as a preface, the book is split into Part I, Part II and Part III. Part I introduces us to the characters, the story and the background. Part I is, in my opinion, the funniest part- "Andrew" is so new to everything human, so the mistakes he makes are pretty hilarious! Having said that, it's not all fun and games- there are some rather sombre moments. Generally, the further the book progresses, the more distressing the characters' plights become. Part II is definitely where the book gets more grown up. You get to know the characters better in this part... Finally, Part III. I'm not going to say much about this part, because I don't want to spoil it for you, but I will say that it will probably be the ending that you are hoping for. The author, Matt Haig, said, about the book, that "it is a love story and a murder story and a what-are-we-here-for? story". It is classified as contemporary fiction, but that is defined as stories set in modern-day times that don't have an element of fiction. However, without giving away any spoilers, depending on your stance regarding the debate on extra-terrestrial life, you might not agree with this genre. The book is written from a first person point of view. A main reason for writing from this perspective is for an immediate connection with the protagonist. I think this is effective in "The Humans", because we see the gradual change in the narrator and emotions and thoughts are not lost or filtered through a third-person narrator. The characters in this book are so varied, which makes it interesting, but I think sometimes they are a bit 2D- I want to know more about their past, which isn't delved deep enough into, in my opinion. My favourite character is "Andrew" (if you read the book, you will find out why I have put his name in quotation marks), because it is a rarity to find a protagonist whose view of our world is so distinctive. In conclusion, I did like this book, because it takes a fascinating stance on humans and our fragile society. The ending was the one that I was hoping for, which I was incredibly thankful for, because it would have broken my heart if things hadn't have gone the way that I wanted them to! I would recommend this book to people of a curious nature who want to explore different perspectives of our Earth. I think readers must have a mature mind, therefore I would suggest it for ages 14+. It is not categorised as a children's or teen novel. Thank you for reading my first book review. I hope you found this useful. Also, a massive thank you to Canongate for sending me the book to review! Score: 8/10 Thanks for reading! Pip ISBN: 978 0 85786 878 7 Pages: 291 Price: £8.99
Hello, fellow bookworms! Actually, I don't like the word bookworm, because I'm not a worm! So let's go with bookdragons instead! I have decided to start a book blog, because I want to share my obsession with reading with other people. I have loved to read for as far back as I can remember, and my love for books has never wavered. I think a good way to begin this blog would be with some bookish facts about me! 1) My all-time favourite book series is definitely Harry Potter. 2) I am a Gryffindor, a Daughter of Athena and I am Divergent! 3) My other favourite book series include Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Heroes of Olympus, The Mortal Instruments, The Hunger Games and Divergent. 4) Percabeth is one of my OTPs (NOT Perachel! Though I won't criticise anyone else's OTPs.) 5) Still waiting for my Hogwarts letter... It must have got lost in the mail... 6) I firmly believe that Draco could have been a good guy... (Click this link for a deleted HP7 scene that backs this up) 7) Saddest death? Sirius Black. 8) I will be cosplaying Bellatrix Lestrange for World Book Day 2016, which is in March! I will definitely be blogging about that! 9) In summer, I went to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios Orlando! It was so magical and amazing! It was a dream come true and it was all so realistic! I will do another post on this because there is too much to write about right here! 10) I don't have a favourite book character- there are too many amazing people to choose from! But... my favourites include Fred and George Weasley, Draco Malfoy, Sirius Black, Tris Prior, Johanna Mason, Finnick Odair, Nico di Angelo, Reyna Avila Ramirez Arellano, Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson. One last thing... As of now, I don't have a specific schedule for this blog, but I will aim to post several times a week. Content will include book reviews and book-related things I do (such as World Book Day). If you have any ideas for things I could include, please comment below (or on any of my future posts)! Thanks for reading! Pip
