Insanity (Mad In Wonderland) Review

I am so confused... Utterly bewildered by this book. I'm not quite sure what I just read, all I know is

that I really did love it.

I just finished reading Insanity by Cameron Jace. It's a part of a series called Mad In Wonderland, and there's a sequel that was just released at the start of December, I think, which I just downloaded from the kindle store. I'm super-duper keen to get into that.

So Insanity is, as you probably gathered from the title, insane. It's possibly the most mental book you'll ever read. I personally would label it as a psychological thriller, paranormal fairytale retelling. Insanity is about Lewis Carroll's famous story of Alice In Wonderland. I was intrigued from the beginning, when it was recommended for me on goodreads (as you may know, I love young adult psychological thrillers so if you know any good ones let me know in the comments or via my various social media sites). Here's the goodreads synopsis-

After accidentally killing everyone in her class, Alice Wonder is now a patient in the Radcliffe Lunatic Asylum. No one doubts her insanity. Only a hookah-smoking professor believes otherwise; that he can prove her sanity by decoding Lewis Carroll's paintings, photographs, and find Wonderland's real whereabouts. Professor Caterpillar persuades the asylum that Alice can save lives and catch the wonderland monsters now reincarnated in modern day criminals. In order to do so, Alice leads a double life: an Oxford university student by day, a mad girl in an asylum by night. The line between sanity and insanity thins when she meets Jack Diamond, an arrogant college student who believes that nonsense is an actual science.

So as you may have already gathered, Insanity follows the story of Alice Plesance Wonder, a girl who now  lives in a mental asylum and cannot remember anything past a week before. Everyone tells her she's been there for two years, since killing all her classmates, including her boyfriend, on a bus. The only person who believes she isn't an insane maniac is a slightly mad serial killer professor, Carter Pillar. Together they try to solve the mystery in the outside world- a serial killer is on the loose, killing young girls. So Alice leads her double life, trying to solve the mystery and save the next victim of this strange killer.

I don't want to get too deep into the story in the non-spoilery section, so if it interests you, I would very much recommend it as a quick, maddening read. It's the type of story that sucks you in, spins you around and spits you out.

***SPOILERS***

disclaimer I have never read Alice In Wonderland so I may miss certain things due to this... feel free to leave a comment pointing out things I've missed/didn't interpret correctly

I can barely even process this book. It's so very odd that it was always keeping you on your toes, never actually knowing what's going on. In that respect, it really felt like Mara Dyer, which I loved. I read it in three sittings; the only thing that could tear me away from it was eating, sleeping and helping my cousin and sister make cookies.

Firstly, the characters. I liked almost all of them, but they were all so mad. Alice I found might've been an unreliable narrator. I was always reminding myself that anything she was doing could've been a hallucination, but it did end up appearing that she wasn't hallucinating. There were times where she scared me, though; she was so unpredictable! Particularly when she was escaping and when she was pretending to be mental in order to meet with Margaret Kent, when she said, "Insanity is so fun".

I did, however, find the synopsis to be a tad misleading. I expected Jack Diamonds to be a really, prominent character. I expected a much more heavy part of the storyline to focus on him and his relationship with Alice. But in actuality, Jack isn't in it all that much. He makes a few stalkery appearances, but appart from that, he isn't that involved until the end. I did like him, and possibly would've liked it even more had he been more heavily featured. I would've loved a Mara Dyer/Noah Shaw style relationship where they both kind of embrace their own and each other's madness, and they develop a sort of relationship where they're still very independent but at the same time, they need one another. Well, that's where I'd like them to end up at the finish of this series. I also called the plot twist, where we found out that he was possibly Adam, Alice's boyfriend who she "killed". Well, that's how I interpreted it, I'm still not quite sure what was real and what was not in this book. I had a feeling Jack might be Adam, and I was extremely pleased when we found out he was. I think it'll be great watching her rediscover Adam/Jack not in the way she first did but through this new character (Jack). I can't wait to see what Cameron Jace does with this.

Pillar was the sort of character I liked but didn't. He was sort of like a high, crazy, slightly sociopathic version of Dumbledore. Whenever I found myself liking him and his eccentric, sarcastic wit, I reminded myself that he too was a serial killer, that he really shouldn't be trusted. His character really divided me, and I am excited to see Pillar's further adventures in the next book.

Fabiola was just the perfect character. She was calm, graceful and lovely, but she also was super strong. One of my favourite parts of the book was when they were fighting the Reds and she whipped out that sword, and said, "I have to kill them fast, I have to attend prayers in a few". I loved that one minute, she was a beautiful, respected nun, and then the next, she was the White Queen, whipping out her sword and kicking butt.

The Cheshire was creepy. It kind of ruined my perception of him from the film, the sort of cutesy, whimsical cat with a big grin. For a while, I hoped he was possessed or being forced to do what he was doing, but unfortunately not. His motive, however, was clear, if not a little separate from the story. The whole backstory of his family being thrown out of the window was very different from the rest of the story, but it might have something to do with the original Alice In Wonderland book, which, as I previously mentioned, I have never read.

I did suspect something odd was up with Waltraud and Ogier; they were just too creepy. But eventually, I just put it down to the fact that the whole asylum was a twisted place. I certainly didn't expect that the Cheshire would be Ogier.

All the other characters, Margaret Kent, Tom Truckle and etc were sort of just there for me. They didn't really have any long lasting impact on me, except for the fact I'd love to know Margaret's back story and Tom kind of reminded me of a corrupt cop, or something like that. I did, despite this, find myself rather liking Tom's character, oddly enough, and I really appreciated the dynamic between Tom and Pillar.

The actual story was really dark. I definitely preferred when she was outside of the asylum, doing the missions for Pillar. The whole idea of having all the characters from Wonderland recreated as modern-day people was really quite ingenious, and I kept wanting to meet more and more of them. I am extremely eager to see characters like the Red Queen, the White Rabbit and the Mad Hatter in future books.

I'm also very scared of what the Cheshire is going to do in the next few books, and whether we're going to end up seeing a full-fledged Wonderland War.

Then there's the issue of whether Alice is the "Real Alice", the one who Lewis Carroll wrote about. It's pretty clear she is, but the only one who seems to think so is Pillar. Until the end, when Fabiola confesses that she doesn't know whether Alice is the Real Alice, and we're back to speculation.

I think that Alice is the Real Alice. I think she has to be, and I can't think of anyone else who could be the Real Alice. For a short time, I thought it might be Constance, but it appears she is not. But to be perfectly honest, this book confused me so much I'm not even that sure...

I assume that once I read the next book I'll have more of a handle on this story and I'll be able to compose my thoughts more clearly... but until then, feel free to leave your opinions of Insanity in the comments, my twitter @lilypherondale (the link is up the top of the page) or my tumblr, sherlockcrumpets (the link is up the top of the page).

Have a great day!

Lily xoxo

This Shattered World- Recommendation

Hey! So today I will be recommending a book called This Shattered World by Aimee Kaufman and

Meagan Spooner.

This Shattered World is the sequel to These Broken Stars, which you may remember from a recommendation I did a while back (you can see it here).

TSW follows the story of two brand new characters, still living in the same world as Lilac and Tarver from TBS. These two characters, Jubilee Chase and Flynn Cormac, are sworn enemies, their people battling each other for the planet Avon. Here's the synopsis-

Jubilee Chase and Flynn Cormac should never have met.

Lee is captain of the forces sent to Avon to crush the terraformed planet's rebellious colonists, but she has her own reasons for hating the insurgents.

Rebellion is in Flynn's blood. Terraforming corporations make their fortune by recruiting colonists to make the inhospitable planets livable, with the promise of a better life for their children. But they never fulfilled their promise on Avon, and decades later, Flynn is leading the rebellion.

Desperate for any advantage in a bloody and unrelentingly war, Flynn does the only thing that makes sense when he and Lee cross paths: he returns to base with her as prisoner. But as his fellow rebels prepare to execute this tough-talking girl with nerves of steel, Flynn makes another choice that will change him forever. He and Lee escape the rebel base together, caught between two sides of a senseless war.

It's another sci-fi space romance, and it's fantastic. There's cameo appearances by both Lilac and Tarver, and both Jubilee and Flynn are amazing characters in their own right. They're also really different from Lilac and Tarver, which was something I was worried wouldn't happen. Where Lilac is a wealthy socialite, Jubilee is a broken, hard war-orphan and soldier. Where Tarver is a strong, survival-oriented soldier, Flynn is 

This book also built up on the world we'd previously explored in TBS, and it was so interesting seeing it through brand new eyes. The world building was fantastic and it's really easy to lose yourself in the book because of it.

If you've read These Broken Stars and you're hesitant to pick This Shattered World up, I highly recommend you do. You won't be disappointed.

If you've not read These Broken Stars, I would suggest you read it before you read this one, as there are just little spoilers here and there for TBS. Although, if you really wanted to, there's no real reason you couldn't read This Shattered World first.

Share your thoughts in the comments, to my twitter (@lilypherondale) or to my tumblr sherlockcrumpets. Like my facebook page to keep up with my posts and what I've been doing lately! You can also send me an email for business inquires or just to say hi and share your thoughts to mywordsarearrows@gmail.com.

See you next week for another post!

Lily xo

Isla And The Happily Ever After Review

I cannot do anything. I cannot do anything other than gush out how much I love this book and the

other two books in this series and Stephanie Perkins in general.

Since it's Valentine's Day, or it was yesterday, I thought I'd upload the final review in my Stephanie Perkins reviews.

If you don't know who Stephanie Perkins is, then I don't know how you've been spending the time since Anna And The French Kiss came out. Living without internet or access to a bookstore or something.

Anyways, Stephanie Perkins is, in my most humble opinion, the queen of contemporary romance. She writes love stories like a goddess and I think she is one of the most talented story writers in YA at the moment.

If you haven't ever heard of Stephanie or her two other books, then you can see my review for Anna And The French Kiss (book one) here, and my review for Lola And The Boy Next Door (book two) here. I loved both of them equally, and so it's no surprise that I adored Isla And The Happily Ever After.

I don't think I can accurately sum up this book, so here's the goodreads synopsis-

Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to confront the challenges every young couple must face, including family drama, uncertainty about their college futures, and the very real possibility of being apart. 

Just trust me that this book is every bit as perfect and cutesy as Anna and Lola, and that it is absolutely one of my essential reads of EVER. So please go read it if you haven't already, so that I don't spoil you, but you can always go back and read my reviews for Anna and Lola in the links above.

***SPOILERS***

Ohmyjace. This book is the epitome of a Stephanie Perkins novel. It's cutesy, adorable, heart-wrenching and so perfect it literally made me feel like I would cry. I also read the book in three sittings, and probably in just a few hours.

Firstly, let's start with my favourite thing about these books. The setting. For those who don't know, I desperately want to go to New York, Paris and London, and this book was set in two of those places. I love that Stephanie is able to set three different stories in three different places and still have everything so connected. The three storylines converged perfectly at the end of the book, which was just perfect. I should have realised that the Winter Olympics mention was foreshadowing for Calliope, Cricket and Lola making an appearance, but I didn't. It was a really, really sweet surprise.

Also Anna and Étienne at the end. I think my heart burst just a little. I did not see that coming, however I'm so glad it did. I now am desperate for a follow-on book where we can see Anna and Étienne's wedding and their life. Basically I just want a novella of cutesy, domestic Anna/Étienne fluff. But I'm sure many other people do as well, so, Stephanie, if you see this, please? Pretty please?

Now onto the actual story. I wasn't overly fond of Isla at the beginning. I adored the scene at Kismet, where Isla was still foggy from the drugs after her operation. Everything she said was just hilarious, and their interactions were adorable. I loved that our first experience with Isla was one where she could barely narrate, let alone talk with her long-time crush. It was so interesting seeing her un-drugged character after that.

Personally, I found Isla a bit needy, due to her insecurities. I understand that was her character, but the way she used things like Rashmi against Josh to try and convince herself that he didn't love her was just plain annoying and a bit ridiculous. I didn't find her as fun to read as Anna and Lola, at some points, but thankfully, her character developed significantly by the end of the book.

I did, however, like Josh. I couldn't profile him, couldn't file him under any of my pre-existing character indexes I have for YA male love interests. I expected him to file under "popular-but-actually-really-sweet-and-not-at-all-interested-in-school-politics/the-social-hierarchy" but then after actually reading more about him, he also filed under "bad-boy-who-has-little-regard-for-rules" and "nerdy-comic-obsessed-cutie-pie". And on top of that, he was also hilarious and an artist. Stephanie Perkins has once again created characters that are so unique and real that I cannot file them under pre-existing titles. But I'll gush more about Stephanie's expert character creation later on. Josh was a really interesting character, and I think he fit really well with Isla. Their differences, in the end, were the thing that bonded them.

Reading this book honestly made me feel like I was living in between Josh and Isla. The first half, when they were still newly dating and very much in their own protected, safe bubble of new love made me feel light and happy and carefree. Endless pages and chapters of cutesy fluff and adorably awkward first dates. I felt like Isla did, half in shock, half in a state of euphoria. The optimist in me (yes, she exists, she's just very small and often overpowered by Miss Pessimist), told me nothing could go wrong, the whole book would be perfect, happy, in love characters with no painful unrequited love, break-ups or struggles. But I knew it all had to come crashing down at some point, and crashing down it did come.

I physically could not put the book down during the scene at the party with Josh's parents and all those famous, high-profile people. I knew something was going to go wrong. Isla had already hinted that she wasn't fond of the "whole life Josh had without her", which is pretty much what she said. I knew, that with her insecure nature and her unease around "Television Josh", and the act he put on in front of the cameras and for the sake of his dad.

And, everything did go wrong. I wished Isla would just shut up. I knew she was winding him up, still stewing over what the head of school said about her and Josh (remember that comment where she basically implied that Isla's affections for Josh weren't requited in the same way?), and through what she had previously said about not being sure if he really loved her. It really did feel like she was trying to get him to break up with her, or trying to make excuses to break up with him.

I think her reaction to everything Rashmi was really unnecessary. When I say I found Isla to be a tad annoying at times, this is what I mean. She knew Josh and Rashmi were together for a long time, she knew that they were pretty serious. And so I found it irritating that Isla got so jealous that she basically downgraded herself to a "placecard", filling a place Josh wanted to fill with someone he could think he was in love with. But at the same time as being really, really frustrating, this was prefect writing and brilliantly crafted. Trying to understand and explain Isla's mentality and reasoning here is quite hard, but when I was reading it, I got it. I understood what Isla meant and I got her twisted, loop-the-loop logic. I don't think I would react that same way as Isla, I really don't, but what was so spectacular about this book was that even though I'm not a whole lot like Isla personality wise, I totally understood her and was able to relate to her. Stephanie Perkins has this wonderful way of completely humanizing all her characters, which automatically makes them super-easy to relate to.

Kurt was adorable, and I was so, so thankful this book didn't turn into a love triangle situation. Any sort of romantic interest between Kurt and Isla would've been forced and completely unnecessary, and I'm so glad that it didn't come to that. I really liked Kurt, and I loved that Josh was completely accepting of him, and that he made a legitimate effort to get to know him and to interact with him in a way that was beneficial to everyone.

I also loved the storyline of Isla and her two sisters. As the oldest of three girls, I can confirm that with a few changes, those three girls were pretty close to me and my sisters. The dynamic between the three of them is really similar to our own, and the struggles the three of them went through relationship wise were really relatable to me, as it was a dynamic I'm all too familiar with, and I loved seeing it through Isla's eyes.

The end was probably my favourite, where Étienne, Anna, Cricket, Lola, Isla, Josh and Meredith all had dinner together. Despite absolutely loving every minute of that scene, a lot of the time I was thinking, "poor Meredith". She was like, the seventh wheel and that might've sucked, seeing as though she used to be in love with Étienne. Besides that, I'm totally up for a novella focusing on either Cricket/Étienne/Josh or Lola/Anna/Isla. I would love to see their friendship develop and grow, and they're all so cute together. I honestly cannot believe Anna and Étienne are getting married. I honestly need a novella about it.

The end, where Isla was reading Josh's new graphic memoir was a really sweet ending. I loved that he knew her so well, he was able to predict how she'd be reading it and he actually drew it in there. It was pretty meta. I also want a copy of the graphic memoir. I loved the ending almost as much as the beginning, and I'm so sad to let this series go.

All in all, Isla And The Happily Ever After was just as incredible as I knew it would be. It was fun, cute and perfect. I would highly recommend it, but I'm sure that's not new to any of you.

Let me know what you though about Isla in the comments, to my twitter (@lilypherondale) or to my tumblr, sherlock crumpets (the link is in the bar at the top of the page). If you want to contact me for business or just to say hi and you need more than 140 characters, just send me an email at mywordsarearrows@gmail.com, I'd love to hear from you!

See you next week for another post!

Lily xoxo 

All The Bright Places- Recommendation

Hey! So it's that time again- time for a recommendation.

Since my reviews often have spoilers and I don't nearly buy enough books to do a bookhaul every second week, I am reintroducing my recommendations. For those who are new to My Words Are Arrows, recommendations are where I discuss a book with NO SPOILERS and say my feelings on it (which are mostly positive).

So this week I'm going to recommend All The Bright Places, by Jennifer Niven.

Here's the goodreads synopsis- 

Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.

Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.

When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.

It also says that this is like John Green's writing. It's not. It's so, so, so much better. Where John Green seems to use the same storylines over and over and the characters are basic and used purely as accessory to their love interest, Jennifer Niven's characters are well developed in their own right, and they're all brilliantly unique.

This book is heart-wrenching and beautiful and perfect. It's beautifully crafted and spectacularly written. It's a contemporary with almost four hundred words but they fly by, and you get sucked into this world with these wonderful characters.

It does have some pretty heavy themes of suicide and mental illness, so if you're not so good with that sort of stuff, I would caution you before you read this.

All in all, All The Bright Places is incredible. I really, really enjoyed it, and I would definitely recommend. A solid five-stars.

(Also I would recommend getting the hardback. I don't normally buy two copies of books, but I simply could not resist the hardcover version. It's beautiful.)

Share your thoughts (with no spoilers) in the comments below, or shoot me a tweet at @lilypherondale or a tumblr ask to my tumblr, sherlockcrumpets. You can also like my facebook page here to see what I'm reading and see my posts in your feed! If you want to chat about anything, like ARCs and other business things, or just to say hi, hit up my email address at mywordsarearrows@gmail.com :)

I also have a brand-new header with my logo! That's right, I finally have my own logo. Let me know what you think about the new logo and header!

See you next week with another post!

Lily xoxo

The Book Of Ivy Review

Wow. This book was pretty much everything I wanted and more.

Today I shall be reviewing The Book Of Ivy by Amy Engel. I picked this up in a fit of impulse in Dymocks. I read the back, and was vaguely interested, and the cover and title already had me intrigued. Then I looked it up on goodreads, and almost choked on my tongue. 4.25 stars. For a book like this that I'd never heard of, that was massive. So I bought it, and I've never made a better decision.

The Book Of Ivy was just brilliant. No cheesy, insta-love, no typical YA "bad boy", no boring bits. I could not put it down, not even if I tried. I think I said I'd stop reading at chapter thirteen, but then continued on to chapter twenty. It was enthralling, however the main character was a bit annoying. I'll elaborate on that later. For now, synopsis time!

Ivy Westfall is the granddaughter of the man who lost a huge nuclear war. And ever since, the girls from the losing side have been married off to the boys from the winning side at only sixteen years of age.

Ivy, however, is special. After unexpectedly taking her sister's place in marrying the son of the President, a huge responsibility is shifted onto her shoulders.

The responsibility of killing him.

But Bishop Lattimer is not what Ivy expected. He's not cruel, not mean. Nevertheless, that doesn't change Ivy's fate. Bishop has to die, and Ivy has to kill him.

It was highly entertaining and I recommend it to anyone. This is for sure a five star read.

***SPOILERS***

Why. That ending. Just why. Anyways.

I really, really loved this book. I was captured by it, and I read it in a few hours total. Really the only issue I had with this was Ivy and how annoying she was. She was constantly saying things, and throughout the book I was groaning and saying "shut your mouth", "please stop" and "Ivy, no!". She said and did things that made me want to punch her in the face, but I suppose that was her character, and in this book for some reason, I was able to get past that. I did find, however, that she was receiving special treatment at certain points, because some of the things that she were doing would have surely set some people, including the President and Mrs Lattimer, on edge. However, I suppose it's no secret she opposes their family, and she is the President's daughter-in-law, so it just depends on the way you look at it. But that was the only real issue I had with it, but it was pretty minor.

I've seen a lot of people complaining in their reviews that there was nothing between Ivy and Bishop. I don't quite agree with that, to be perfectly honest. I think that just because they didn't get together at the start of the book, doesn't mean they couldn't be falling towards one another gradually. I think being married to someone like that, spending so much time together, you eventually will begin to get along. And Ivy and Bishop were compatible. They have lots in common; the fact that both their fathers are power-hungry and they force Ivy and Bishop into what they believe. I think that they were compatible on the level that they're working out what they actually believe, despite the brainwashing from the fathers. So I do believe that they were in love, but then again, I don't necessarily believe in "true love".

But Bishop Lattimer. *decapitated walrus noises* You, sir, can join my Fictional Baes List.I knew Bishop was going to be set up so the reader would love him. But I didn't anticipate that he would be the way he was. Bishop was just, in general, a great guy. He was respectful and kind, and even though his parents had brought him up the way they did, even though he was slightly abandoned as a child, even though the world he lives in is extremely messed up, even though he has every reason to be bitter and twisted and the stereotypical YA "bad boy", he's not. Not only is he not bitter, he actively tries to help. And I found it a real change from most of the other books I've read. Also I really shipped Ivy/Bishop, you can't stop me.

The love story in this reminded me a bit of These Broken Stars; in fact the whole book did. So if you liked These Broken Stars, I think you'll like this, too (also, I'm definitely going to buy the sequel to These Broken Stars and I'm definitely going to do a review so look forward to that if you're a fan!).

The world this story is set in is pretty messed up, to be perfectly honest. As I said in the synopsis, the girls of the Westfall side (the losing side) are married to the sons of the Lattimer side (the winning side). The losing boys are also married to the winning girls, but that's not focused on as much (hmmm... maybe I'd like a novella on the story of one of those couples? Just a thought...). I didn't hate President Lattimer. He wasn't creepy or blatantly evil, like President Snow from The Hunger Games. In fact, he wasn't even really that evil at all. Of course, the whole arranged marriages thing is horrific, but considering that this nation was on its way to death, destruction and etc and he managed to save them all. So I suppose I didn't exactly dislike him. But I didn't like Ivy's father, either. Neither of them had the right idea about how to rule, and to be perfectly honest, I'd prefer if everyone just chilled the heck out until Bishop gets to be President. Although, that's not really fair on him...

I really didn't like Callie, and I was so, so thankful that it wasn't her Bishop was marrying. She wouldn't have hesitated in killing him; he'd be dead in a flash. She was obviously very loyal to her father and his cause, and it annoyed me that she was so blind and power hungry that she didn't even recognize that the ideals her father promoted were different from the ones he was planning to put into play. I found her cruel and heartless, and especially when she and her father happily threw Ivy under the bus at the end of the book. They really didn't care about her as much as they cared about the cause, Callie especially. It was heartbreaking. But it was time for Ivy to realise that she didn't owe her family anything, and she was able to make her own choices. And that the only person who really cared about her and would put her before himself was Bishop.

I really enjoyed The Book Of Ivy. It was fun, fast-paced and really enthralling. But I'd love to know your thoughts. Do you agree? Disagree? Feel free to let me know in the comments, with a tweet to @lilypherondale or a ask to my tumblr, sherlockcrumpets.

See you next week for another post!

Lily xoxo

The Clockwork Scarab Review

Hello! Today I will be reviewing a book called The Clockwork Scarab by Colleen Gleason. I have some mixed feelings about it, so this should be interesting...

The Clockwork Scarab seemed to be everything I wanted and more. It claimed to be a steampunk, Victorian London, crime-solving, supernatural book. Not only that, but it also features Sherlock Holmes's niece, Alvermina Holmes. If you didn't already know, I love Sherlock Holmes with a passion; see my review of The House Of Silk or my tumblr for evidence.

Anyways, I sort of felt that this book had so many different things going on that none of them could be done spectacularly. But I'll elaborate on that later, in the spoilery part of this review. For now, the synopsis-

Alvermina Holmes and Evaline Stoker never meant to get into the family business. But, as the sister of Bram Stoker and the niece of Sherlock Holmes, these things seem to be in their blood.

But as young girls are being abducted and killed, Mina and Evaline are called by Irene Adler to investigate in the name of the crown.

In addition to trying to solve a crime to which there is only one clue- a small, clockwork Egyptian scarab, they must sort out their feelings for three young gentlemen, learn to deal with each other and get over their rivalry and avoid being the next victims of this strange mystery.

I did enjoy this book, I really did. There were some things about it that were rather annoying, but all-in-all, it was fun and enjoyable, and I would recommend to anyone who likes mystery, history and girl power.

***SPOILERS***

Right. I'll first get the things I disliked about this book out of the way, and then I'll elaborate on why I still loved this book despite there being quite a few annoying elements.

Firstly, there was just too much going on. Time travel, supernatural summoning of long-lost goddesses, steampunk mechanics, a love triangle, vampire hunting and a weird cult. It was like a huge pot of all these different storylines that are all good individually, but together, there was just too much going on, and it was therefore not as good as it could've been.

I didn't really like the whole time travel element. Because Sherlock Holmes and his world has always been about facts and science to me, it was hard to believe that things like vampire hunting and time travel were even possible in that world. I felt like Dylan was just squeezed in there, like he was just an addition because there was so much going on. Hence, because he was barely involved, I found him to be quite a boring character. There was no room for character improvement, for him or anyone else, because there was just so much going on.

Then there was the issue of labeling this novel as a "steampunk". Now, I love steampunk, I really do. It's one of my favourite genres. I would not label this as a "steampunk" novel. Once again, the steampunk elements were sort of jammed in where ever they could be. It was mostly little things like robot-like machines that helped one train or do up corsets, and guns that fire steam. I think the only real thing that made it feel somewhat like a steampunk was the fact that electricity was banned, and steam was used to power everything, but overall, this was mostly just set in a more alternate London. It certainly didn't have that iconic steampunk feel.

The focus of this story was mostly on the Egyptian mythology and the whole Sekhmet Society, which is understandable considering that it was ultimately about the mystery/crime. I liked that there were elements of Egyptian mythology in there, but to be perfectly honest, I would've preferred that some other elements had been cut out to accommodate more of it. Although this part of the story was focused on the most, it still felt incomplete and rushed. And it was so incredibly infuriating that we never even found out who the Ankh was, or why she was doing what she was. The end felt very incomplete, and I'm hoping that everything gets tied up in the next book. Even more so, I'd love it if there was a big criminal mastermind behind it all, like the female parallel to Moriarty. That is what I want most in the world.

My main issue with this story, the main thing that made me groan and facepalm, was the romances. *shudders* I totally would've preferred that the story focused on the relationship between Mina and Evaline, and shown how they went from being apprehensive towards each other and merely tolerating each other to being pretty much friends. The amount of time spent on ridiculous romance could've been spent on developing Mina and Evaline's characters and relationship.

It seemed unlikely that over the course of the book, one character would find herself in the middle of a love triangle (however, if I had to pick a side, I think I lean more towards Grayling) and the other with some strange, slightly stalkery man who's obviously not of solid morals. I just generally disliked the romance in this book. It's obviously not a stand-alone, so there will be time for romance in future books. I felt it was unnecessary in this one.

The storyline really wasn't too complex (probably because there was no space for it), which was a shame because that's something I really love about the Sherlock Holmes world. Things were easy to guess and nothing was really too much of a surprise. In addition to the simple storyline, the characters were also simple. They were both basic and undeveloped throughout the story, however I'm hoping that in the next few books, they will develop and become deeper and more complex.

Despite all of this, this book was incredibly fun, it really was. Even though it was easy to guess, it was still fun reading through and watching things unfurl. It was exactly what I needed to get me out of this reading slump I'm stuck in- it was easy, fun and quick. I genuinely enjoyed it, and I have ordered the next book so I can continue this series and see where it goes.

I loved the Egyptian mythology, the Victorian setting, the chemistry between these two girls who are obviously fighting their own prejudices and preconceptions to come together as friends and companions, Irene Adler making an appearance and the all-round girl power feel to it. Most of the main characters in this are girls, even down to Irene Adler being their mentor and that they work for Princess Alexandria. The girls are not the typical Victorian girl; they're not submissive, Evaline is physically strong and Mina is incredibly intelligent. But at the same time as showing that these girls aren't the archetypal female of the time, the story doesn't inaccurately portray the social construct at the time.

Overall, this was a really fun read, but it was by no means perfect. I would probably rate it 3.5 stars out of five.

What are your thoughts? Do you agree, or disagree? Want to recommend me another book? Leave a comment below, send a tweet to @lilypherondale or an ask to my tumblr, sherlockcrumpets. Or send me an email to mywordsarearrows@gmail.com for business or just to say hi!

See you next week with another post!

Lily xoxo

My First Official Bookhaul!

I have succumbed to the curse of booklovers everywhere. I have bought so many books over the last few weeks and so I have compiled them here in my first official bookhaul for you to look at. I think bookhauls will be a valuable addition to my blog, so you can see what books you can look forward to reviews for and even check out some suggestions of books you might like to read. It also gives you a chance to let me know what books you've loved that you think I might also like, so I can give them a read and then put up a review dedicated to you... so let's get started!

The Clockwork Scarab by Colleen Gleason

STATUS: read

BOUGHT: received for Christmas

This book I got for Christmas, as it had been on my wishlist for a while. You can see my review for it here. It's about the niece of Sherlock Holmes and the sister of Bram Stoker solving crimes under the guidance of Miss Irene Adler. You can check it out on goodreads here.

The Book Of Ivy by Amy Engel

STATUS: read

BOUGHT: 29th December, from Dymocks

This book was one of the best impulse buys I've ever bought. It here.
ad spectacular reviews on goodreads and the blurb and cover really intrigued me so I bought it and absolutely loved it. It's about a girl, Ivy, who has to marry her worst enemy. But that's not the hardest part. She also has to kill him. You can check out my review for it here and on goodreads

The Strange And Beautiful Sorrows Of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

STATUS: read

BOUGHT: 29th December, from Dymocks

I bought this with The Book Of Ivy, mainly due to it's beautiful cover. It was the weirdest, most unique book I have ever read, and I say this with absolutely no doubt. It's about this girl and her family, and how unlucky in love they are. It's a beautifully written, historical and spectacular piece of writing, and I recommend it. You can find it on goodreads here.

Isla And The Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins
STATUS: read
BOUGHT: 1st January, from Bookworld
If you've spent any time on my blog, you know that I adore Stephanie Perkins. Isla is the last book in a sort-of-series by her and I loved it. There should be a review coming soon... If you're into cutesy, YA romantic contemporaries, you should love this one! You can investigate it further here.


Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld
STATUS: haven't read
BOUGHT: 1st of January, from Bookworld
I don't know a lot about this book, but I've heard it's about a girl who wants to get her book published, and the chapters alternate between her life and the story she's writing. It sounds really intriguing and knowing Scott Westerfeld, wonderfully crafted, so I picked it up. If it interests you, you can check it out here.

The Spiritglass Charade by Colleen Gleason
STATUS: haven't read
BOUGHT: 1st of January, from Bookworld
This is the sequel to The Clockwork Scarab, which is a steampunk story about the niece of Sherlock Holmes and the sister of Bram Stoker. The first one was pretty good, not fantastic, but I am interested to see what this one will be like. You can check out The Clockwork Scarab and The Spiritglass Charade here and here respectively. 

Four Houses by Victoria Scott

STATUS: read

BOUGHT: 4th of January, from the Kindle Store

This book was recommended to me by one of my goodreads friends, Gabrielle. Thank you so much, Gabrielle, I love getting recommendations! :) This short story is about the paths we choose and is quite unique. So much was in this rather short story, and I really loved it. It follows the story of a girl who is given a choice of four houses. The story moves backwards, and will leave you wondering and mystified until the very end. You can see it on goodreads here.

Insanity (Mad In Wonderland) by Cameron Jace

STATUS: read

BOUGHT: 5th of January, from the Kindle Store

This was the weirdest, most insane book I've ever read. It's intriguing and messed-up, and I loved it. It's a retelling of Alice In Wonderland, and it follows the story of a girl who accidentally killed all her classmates and who might just be the Real Alice, the one from Lewis Carroll's stories. It's weird and wonderful. You can check it out on goodreads here.

Figment (Mad In Wonderland #2) by Cameron Jace

STATUS: haven't read

BOUGHT: 6th of January, from the Kindle Store

This is the sequel to Insanity, and I'm super keen to get into it! You can look it up on goodreads here.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

STATUS: haven't read

BOUGHT: 6th of January, from Book Depository

I've heard so many good things about this book, and it has crazy good ratings on goodreads, so I decided I'd give it a go. It's a dystopian, and I think it's about a society where everything is virtual? I don't know that much about it, yet, but if you're intrigued, go check it out on goodreads here!

I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson

STATUS: haven't read

BOUGHT: 6th of January, from Book Depository

I bought this because everyone who I've heard talk about this has raved about how heartwarming it is, and how much of an essential read it is. I think it's about twins, and how different they are and it's sort of a coming-of-age contemporary. I'm so looking forward to picking it up; I bet it'll be the first one I read when the order arrives. You can investigate further on goodreads here.

Amy And Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

STATUS: haven't read

BOUGHT: 6th of January, from Book Depository

This was sort of an impulse buy, but I don't think I'll regret it. It's another contemporary, about two kids who go on a big road trip together. I think it's a coming-of-age, discovering yourself sort of story. You can check it out here.

The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

STATUS: haven't read

BOUGHT: 6th of January, from Book Depository

I didn't even know this series existed, and so when I found out it did, I knew I must have it. This series is by the author who wrote the Iron Trial series. The world is just so beautiful and fun, and so I knew I had to get it. It's about Meghan's younger brother, Ethan, and his adventures with the fae. I don't know all that much about it, but I imagine it's going to be pretty great. You can check it out further on goodreads here.

This Shattered World by Aimee Kaufer and Meghan Spooner
STATUS: haven't read
BOUGHT: 9th of January, from Dymocks
After reading These Broken Stars this time last year, I knew I'd have to pick up the sequel as well. I don't know too much about it, only that it's a sci-fi romance, so I'm very excited to read it. They also have the prettiest covers known to man and they look really good on my bookshelf next to one another. You can check out These Broken Stars and This Shattered World here and here respectively.

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
STATUS: read
BOUGHT: 9th of January, from Big W
This book was sort of an impulse buy, but the cover and blurb were so great I couldn't resist. This here.
book is about a girl who's forgotten how to live and a boy who wants to die, and their adventures together. It's heart-wrenching, adorable and all-round wonderful. I would definitely recommend. If you're interested, hit it up

All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin
STATUS: haven't read
BOUGHT: 18th of January, from Book Depository
I saw this in a booktuber's book haul, and it really intrigued me. It's a dystopian, I believe, where things like chocolate and coffee are banned. But the main character's family own an underground chocolate business, I think, and I was pretty sold. Also, the cover is really nice and I got the pretty hardcover version. I can't wait to read it, to be perfectly honest. If you want to know more, click this here link.

The Duff by Kody Keplinger
STATUS: haven't read
BOUGHT: 18th of January, from the iBooks store
To be brutally honest, I don't really want to read this book. From the synopsis and the trailer for the upcoming movie, it seems totally not my sort of thing. It sounds like a wattpad story, and we all know about my feelings for wattpad. But because there's a movie coming out, and I'm meant to be a reliable book informant, I have decided it is my duty to at least give it a go. I will probably review it, and if I enjoy it, I will maybe go see the movie and review that, too. But I don't want to put you off reading it, so go check it out here if you want to.

So that's it for now. But I do think I have a problem, because that's seventeen books in twenty four days! Jace help us all. My TBR pile is at an all-time-high, but I'm really glad I have so many wonderful books to read.

If you follow my facebook page, you would've seen the picture of my new bookshelf and the time-lapse video of me building it. Might I just say, the almost-six-hours of work (all by myself, mind you) was totally worth it because my bookshelf looks amazing. If you haven't seen it yet, follow this link to my facebook page and check it out! Also feel free to like my page so you can be informed as to what I'm reading and when I post :)

Have a lovely day and see you next week!

Lily xoxo