Dusk

Dusk by Eve Edwards

Paperback, 400 pages

Expected publication 6th June 2013 by Penguin

Shelves:  arc-or-review, better-than-expected, books-i-own, cover-appeal, historical, read, read-in-2013, realistic-fiction, really-good, series-or-companions, ww1, young-adult

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

Dusk by Eve Edwards is a beautiful love story set against the brutal back drop of WWI.

A love worth fighting for.

When Helen, a young hard-working nurse, meets aristocratic artist Sebastian, she doesn't expect to even like him, let alone fall in love. But against the troubled backdrop of wartime London, an unlikely but intense romance blossoms. And even the bloody trenches of the Somme, where they are both posted, cannot diminish their feelings for each other.

But Helen is concealing a secret and when a terrible crime is committed there are devastating consequences for them both.

When lives are being lost, can true love survive?

Upon hearing about Dusk, I was really eager to read it. It's no secret that I'm a huge geek when it comes to World War One. I've been to the actual battlefields  (including the Somme) about seven times, so to read a book with this interesting subject, set in a location that is well known to me was a real treat. I can't think of any WW1 young adult fiction off the top of my head, so I was really looking forward to this! 

The first thing to mention is that although I am quite knowledgeable on the subject of the First World War, I allowed myself to relax with this book - I was definitely not being analytical with all of the facts, dates etc. The book doesn't feel all that heavy on the history, yet we still get to learn a lot about the circumstances of those who worked in during the war, especially our main characters, a medic named Helen and a soldier named Sebastian. Rather than giving long descriptions of things, the reader learns about the surroundings through the characters, it's simple to get a feeling for where we are and what's happening. Though it's a difficult task, Edwards has managed to create a very gritty atmosphere in this book - she has managed to put so many emotions on paper and allowed us a glimpse into the mind of someone at war.

It did take me a little while to really get into this book and to adjust to the historical aspect, but that's normal for me when reading historical books. There is a reasonable amount of moving backwards and forwards through time and switching between narratives, both of which I often struggle with, but it felt natural in this book and everything seemed to flow well. All of my worries concerning possible confusion were gone when I was quarter of the way into the  novel and the more I read, the more I sunk deeply into the setting of pre-war England and the development of World War One.

As aforementioned, our main characters are Helen and Sebastian. Helen is a somewhat reserved girl with a troubled past, who seems to come to life when she meets Sebastian,  an aristocratic and very charming artist living in London. It doesn't take all that long for both Helen and Sebastian to become accustomed to each other, soon we both get to see deeper layers of both of the characters as a romantic bond forms between them and they start to become less reserved and more open. Unfortunately, that's when the War begins and threatens not only their relationship, but their lives. Helen and Sebastian are both very likeable characters, who I found only to become more endearing as the book progressed. Helen appears to be a little shy, but it's very clear that she's also determined and can become quite fiery and passionate. Sebastian was simply, in one word, charming. 

So, as I hope you can tell, I really enjoyed this book and I'm definitely looking forward to the next instalment, Dawn. I do have to warn you that there is a bit of a cliffhanger at the end of this one, so it's definitely going to be difficult to wait to see what happens!  I'd really recommend this to anyone who wants to get a feel for the Great War, or who is just interested in historical fiction. I think this would be a great book for anyone who is studying this particular period of history at school, too. It's great to read about the people at home and the people behind the front lines, as well as those who are right at the front.

Stacking the Shelves and Showcase Sunday (53)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews. Showcase Sunday is hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea.

These memes are a replacement of The Story Siren's In My Mailbox.

Stacking the Shelves and Showcase Sunday make a place to showcase your new books,

whether you obtained them through the post or otherwise.

I received three books this week, all adult books, all with a chick-lit feel about them! The first I received is the sequel to The Devil Wears Prada, aptly named Revenge Wears Prada. The second books I received were The Runaway Princess and Wonder Women. 

I hope that the sun is shining where you are and you all manage to get some reading done in the sun this weekend!

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From The Review Pile (54)

From the Review Pile is a meme hosted by Stepping Out of the Page every Thursday.

The aim of this meme is to showcase books that you've received for review (or if you don't receive review books, any book that you own and really want to read/review) but haven't yet got around to reading, in order to give the book some extra publicity.

I know that a lot of you have a huge pile of books that you want to read/review, but it understandably takes a while to get around to reading them all - here you can give a book (or two!) some of the publicity that it deserves, even if you haven't read it yet!

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This week, I'm going to showcase The 5th Wave!

There has been so much hype surrounding this book, the first in the Fifth Wave series, so I feel like I'm really missing out having not read it yet! It definitely sounds different, and I'd like to see what I think of it. I really hope it lives up to all of the rave reviews that I've seen!

The 5th Wave

457 Pages

Published 7th May 2013 by Puffin

The Passage meets The Hunger Games in a gripping new series from Carnegie-shortlisted Rick Yancey. After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one. Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave. On a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, until Cassie meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan may be her only hope for rescuing her brother and even saving herself. Now she must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up. Cassie Sullivan gets up. 

The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Paperback, 202 pages

Published 1992 by Abacus (First published 1925)

Shelves: 1001-books, adult-fiction, better-than-expected, books-i-own, classics, historical, movies-or-tv, read, read-in-2013, realistic-fiction, really-good

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

Jay Gatsby is the man who has everything. But one thing will always be out of his reach ...

Everybody who is anybody is seen at his glittering parties. Day and night his Long Island mansion buzzes with bright young things drinking, dancing and debating his mysterious character. For Gatsby - young, handsome, fabulously rich - always seems alone in the crowd, watching and waiting, though no one knows what for. 

Beneath the shimmering surface of his life he is hiding a secret: a silent longing that can never be fulfilled. And soon this destructive obsession will force his world to unravel.

After leaving school, I've always put off reading classics, most probably because of all of the essays I had to write about them in English classes. However, The Great Gatsby is a classic that I did want to read due to all of the good things I've heard about it, plus as it's relatively short, the idea of picking it up wasn't so daunting. Seeing as the the latest film adaptation of The Great Gatsby is now out in the cinemas and gaining a lot of attention, I thought it was time to finally get the book off the shelf and read it!

When I first picked the book up, I only had a (very) vague idea of what it was about - well, actually, I hardly knew anything about it at all. The copy I have doesn't have a very descriptive blurb, so I basically went into the book only knowing to expect lots of 1920's glitz and glamour. Whilst there is some, this is not all fancy parties and cocktails - it's multilayered. It is hard to describe the plot of this book because it does encompass so many different things, including some more complex themes which are apparent even if you're not deeply analysing the story. The Great Gatsby is a story of passion, of sadness, of envy, of loss, of greed, of wealth of all kinds, of the American dream, or the problems facing it. 

Though there is so much you could take from this novel, it never seems overwhelming. I certainly did get caught up in the 1920's, but in the best way - I found it very easy to get absorbed into the whole atmosphere of this book, it didn't take me all that long to start enjoying the story. It's very easy to follow yet it still has good complexity. The setting is very easy to imagine - from the extravagant parties at Gatsby's house, to the bleaker highways of everyday, post First World War America. 

I especially enjoyed meeting all of the characters in this novel - For me, it was Gatsby himself that was certainly the most interesting, though not the most likeable character throughout. Gatsby was probably one of the most intriguing characters that I have read about. There is a depth to him that seemed never ending, there always seemed to be something else to know, another layer to peel away to get to the true Gatsby. I loved reading about his relationship with Daisy, along with his relationship with every other character, seeing how he interacted with everyone really helped us to get a little insight into who Gatsby was, or at least how he wanted to portray himself. Like aforementioned, I did really like reading about the other characters too, and I especially had a fondness for our narrator, Nick, who was perhaps the only person I could connect with, or who I (and he) felt was honest in this book. Nick was a contrast to all of the other characters, he was... just Nick. He felt like he could be any one of us, at any time, which is something amazing to achieve.

Overall, I'm glad that I finally managed to pick this book up and give it a go. I would urge anyone to pick this up - young adults, adults, those who love classics, those who haven't had much experience with them - this is a book which has, and hopefully will continue to appeal to a wide audience. I have tried to be quite vague with my review, as I think that is a positive way to go into this book - don't expect anything, just pick it up, devour and enjoy.