TWILIGHT by Stephenie Meyer

“About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him – and I didn’t know how dominant that part might be – that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him. When Isabella Swan moves to the gloomy town of Forks and meets the mysterious, alluring Edward Cullen, her life takes a trilling and terrifying turn. With his porcelain skin, golden eyes, mesmerizing voice, and supernatural gifts, Edward is both irresistible and impenetrable. Up until now, he has managed to keep his true identity hidden, but Bella is determined to uncover his dark secret. What Bella doesn’t realize is that the closer she gets to him, the more she is putting herself and those around her at risk. And it might be too late to turn back…”

What is the book about?

Isabella Swan moves to Forks, where her Dad lives, and meets a mysterious and perfect boy named Edward Cullen. He seems to hate her at first, clearly wanting nothing to do with her, even though Bella didn’t do anything wrong. Bella is determined to find out more about him and uncover his dark secret. After discovering his true identity, Bella grows closer to Edward, developing a strong relationship with him. Bella doesn’t realise that as she grows closer to Edward and his family, she is putting herself and those around her in danger. She isn’t scared of who Edward really is, and doesn’t see the risks of being with him until it is too late.

What were your initial thoughts on the book?

I didn’t choose to purchase the book from a library or bookshop like all my other book, I was asked if I wanted to read it and I never turn down a book offer. The front cover isn’t necessarily appealing, but the picture is really pretty and red is a very aye catching colour. If I had been told to choose a book, I don’t think that I would have chosen this one as it wasn’t really my type of book. I don’t tend to read romance books however some of the books I have read before have had bits of romance, some a bit longer but this was certainly the one with the most. Although it was different, none of the romantic bits made be love the book any less and once I started reading, it was really hard to put it down.

Who was your favourite character and why?

My favourite character in Twilight was Bella because she wasn’t afraid to take some risks and do the things that no one else would ever do, hanging with a family of vampires every day is not something someone normal would do. I also really liked how much she cared about her family and friends; she would do anything for them and put their needs before hers no matter what. Her bravery and kindness was really tested in the book and I think that how she dealt with the constant life or death position she was in was one of the most powerful reasons affecting my choice. I do think that Bella had a few flaws and that there were some things that made me doubt her common sense. Bella didn’t want anyone she loved to get hurt and she didn’t want to drag her mum or dad into any of her dangerous situations yet she still kept hanging around with a family of vampires, it really made me consider what she was thinking. However I understood that no matter how much she wanted to protect her parents, she still loved Edward and wanted to stay with him.

What was your favourite part of the book and why?

I liked the whole book but my favourite part was the end few chapters especially chapter 22, Hide-and-Seek. I liked chapter 22 because it is the part where I was on the edge of my seat and where the story was at its most intense point. It was surprise to have such a big change and have the enemy so close to winning the battle; I was so desperate to read on and find out what happened that when I started reading that I had to go back because I had skipped some of it. I have read many books where the hero or main character has been cornered but there had always been a spark of hope, a missing piece that jumped in to save the day but having the chapter end like that was a huge shock. I knew immediately that nothing too bad could happened because the main character never dies but I was prepared for a twist, as I have read a few book where the main character has “died” but then come back to life by some strange miracle and, Twilight being a book with vampires, made me think nothing was impossible. I love the parts of a book with all the action and adventure and this was clearly one of them.

What was your overall impression of the book?

Overall the book was just as extraordinary as all the books I have ever loved before. I don’t think that it exceeds my favourite book but it was very close and I’m sure that once I read the rest of the books I will begin to love this book much more. One thing that I really like about the book was the cover. Initially I wasn’t sold on the idea of reading the book and the cover didn’t really help convince me, but after reading the book I saw the cover in a different light. I think that it is really effective to use red for this book because the colour red is generally associated with love yet also danger, which is a clear foreshadowing of what the book is going to be about. I looked ahead and saw that all the other books in this series have some red in the cover so I am really intrigued to know what happens in those. Stephenie Meyer also used other really affective ways to make me want to read the book. One that really stuck out was how the chapters were arranged, most of them ended with cliff-hangers. Although I am not really a fan of cliff-hangers at the end of books, having them at the end of chapters is a whole different story. They make a huge difference because if you are reading and something suddenly happens but it is carried on in the next chapter then you have no choice but to keep reading, unless you don’t really want to find out. The only bad thing about the cliff-hangers and I think the whole book is that if you have no time left to read then you have to put the book down at a very intense part of the book, and, in my experience it is impossible. I tend to read at night, before bed, so when I have to stop because it is really late I get really annoyed because it is always at a really good bit. Another thing that is also good and bad about Twilight is that I had to keep a dictionary handy at all times because a few of the words in the book were a bit difficult to understand. It was very frustrating but I did learn some new words which may be helpful at some time. I think that the book was great and nothing bad really affected my love for it, I can’t wait to read the 2^nd book.

Would you recommend this book?  

This book was amazing and I don’t know how anyone could not love it the second they open the cover so I would recommend this book without a doubt. I think that it would be most suitable for children 15 and up as it does include complicated language.

Summarise the book in one sentence. (Verdict) 

The most thrilling and action-packed vampire romance novel.

 Reviewed by Jimena Gutierrez Reviriego

THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL – ONE TRUE KING by Soman Chainani

“‘By my will, none shall be crowned until the Tournament is complete. The Tournament of Kings.’ A new king of Camelot has been named, but two claim the crown. Only one is the true king – but who? Tedros and his rival must face King Arthur’s last coronation test. Three trials. Three answers to find. A race to finish. The sword Excalibur will crown the winner – and take the loser’s head… Beyond Good and Evil. Beyond Ever Afters. To the End of the Ends. The tale of Sophie and Agatha comes to a dramatic conclusion in the sixth and final adventure in the bestselling School for Good and Evil series.”

What is the book about?

After receiving Camelot’s ring, the only remaining ring to stop the Snake from becoming the One True King, Tedros and his future queen, Agatha, go to Camelot to claim the throne. While there, King Arthur’s last coronation test is revealed, a tournament made up of 3 tests to determine who the True King really is. With Camelot’s crown up for grabs, Tedros, Agatha and their friends head off to complete the first trial, meanwhile Sophie is struggling to remember who she is and why she is the future queen of Camelot, but nothing can stop the witch inside her, and she manages to escape the Snake’s scims. Each test is harder than the next, designed to bring out the best king that Camelot has ever had. Nothing is as it seems, there are more twists than ever before and new clues at every corner. The race is dangerous and life-threatening, but is giving up even deadlier? With the future of the entire woods on the line, will Tedros, Agatha and Sophie be able to survive the End of the Ends?

What were your initial thoughts on the book?

As this was the final book of the School for Good and Evil series, I was really eager to find out what would happen at the End of the Ends. In spite of my enthusiasm, I was still a bit disappointed as I knew that this would be The End and that I would not have anymore magical adventures with Agatha, Sophie and Tedros, therefore I tried to read as calmly and slowly as I could to enjoy every last bit. The book was glue to my hands before I even finished reading the first page, I found the 2^nd chapter especially mysterious and really liked having the hundreds of questions running through my head. I really liked hearing from the Coven in the first chapter because in the fifth book, A Crystal of Time, once Reaper, Agatha’s cat, had assigned them their mission, I never read anything from them again, though they were mentioned quite often by everyone else. So as always I loved the beginning of the book and the action started as soon as I opened the front cover, pulling me back in to a world that I have grown very fond of.

Who was your favourite character and why?

My favourite character was Sophie because although she is always considered the Evil one in the School for Good and Evil series, I don’t really see how in the 6^th book she could have ever been the powerful, crazy witch she was in the first book. I liked Sophie because even though she may try to hide it, I know that she would do anything for her friends and that she really cares about them. What made Sophie my favourite character in this book was because she finally realised that she had been taking Hort for granted and that she really did care about him even though she had refused to think about that through the whole book series. To Sophie it took losing him to be able to recognise that she loved him and that he meant everything to her, I found this a bit unoriginal but really sweet, and a little predictable.

Who was your favourite character in the book series and why?

If I had to pick a favourite character for the whole School for Good and Evil book series then it would most likely be Sophie because in my point of view, I think that she is a really misunderstood character who just wanted to have someone special that loved her the way Tedros loved Agatha. She also wanted a better life than what her mother had, with someone who truly cared about her and wouldn’t abandon her for her best friend, which if you look back to the first book, there is a bit of irony as she wants Tedros to be her prince and then he leaves her for Agatha. She is someone who will do everything she can to get what she wants and she is not afraid to make herself heard, I admire her for this because I wish that I had her courage. Sophie’s courage is a great quality but I think that she can also take things to the extreme, there were times when she wasn’t the most lovable character but now that I have seen how she has changed from book 1 to book 6 I think that it is unlikely she will become her Evil self again.

What was your favourite part of the book and why?

The whole book was amazing and nothing really stood out to me, so I found this really hard to answer. After thinking about this and considering everything, I guess the best part of One True King was near the end chapters when the enemy is finally defeated. I liked this part because my favourite books are always the ones with adventure or mystery in them, and in these books there is always a challenge that the good characters have to face as well as some bad guys who they have to defeat, and the good ones always succeed, so I was glad that after all their work Sophie, Tedros and Agatha eventually achieve happiness. Before this there is an unpredictable change that made my thoughts about how the book would end impossible, so when the story got back on track it made me, as the reader, even happier for the characters and I think that, because Sophie, Tedros and Agatha are happy, this is what made the book the perfect ending to their fairy-tale.

What was your overall impression of the book?

The last book of the School for Good and Evil series, One True King was outstanding, it was just as I expected but with a lot more twists than I had expected. One thing that I really loved about the last few chapters was the fact that as always I was expecting Good to win, so Agatha, Sophie and Tedros, as their enemy the Snake was clearly Evil, however there was a twist in the story that made me shed a few tears (twice actually) an doubt my belief that Good always won. I found it really effective when the story took another path and proved my theory. There were also a lot of other good parts in the book and I think that Soman Chainani did a really good job in answering all of my questions not leaving anything out. The only thing that I would change is the ending, I felt as though it was a little vague, there was a lot left out that I really wished had been mentioned. I wasn’t left with any questions which was good, and I didn’t hate how the book finished but I didn’t like it either. I really wish that I had been able to read about Agatha and Tedros’ wedding and know what happened afterwards, I was especially frustrated with Hort and Sophie’s ending as I really wish they had gotten officially together but it was ok, at least Sophie realised she liked Hort even though I could see it from a mile away. It was really exciting and  dramatic and I loved every bit of it just liked all the other School for Good and Evil books, I am really sad to have no more adventures with Sophie and Agatha and I hope to at least get a bit more information about what is going to happen to the girls in the future.

What was your overall impression of the book series?

There are no words that can possibly describe how much I loved the School for Good and Evil book series; it is absolutely, 100%, unmistakably my favourite book series so far. This book series consist of 6 books; The School for Good and Evil, A World Without Princes, The Last Ever After, Quest for Glory, A Crystal of Time and One True King. The first three books have a marginally different storyline with The School for Good and Evil changing in each book.  The fourth, fifth and final book all have the same objective; make Tedros King again, although the forth one has a little bit more to it. One of the things that I found I really liked was that the books from the 1^st to the 5^th have opposites side by side: Good and Evil, Boys and Girls, Young and Old, Truth and Lies, and, Past and Present. Having opposites so close together showed me that one cannot live without the other, for example, Good cannot live without Evil. I think that what made this book series so much better than every other one I have read, is because of how effective Soman Chainani is at showing suspense throughout the books. All six books have different people showing their perspective of the story, although the first 3 only have Agatha and Sophie’s views, so when something bad or surprising happens to one person, Soman Chainani moves to someone else making you want to read on. The last thing that I think really affected my love for these books is that everything is a clue; everything that happens has meaning, so you have to put everything into play and never discard it or you will miss something. I found that this was really effective because Soman Chainani had something important happen in the first part of the story that would then later have a huge influence at the end, so you would never see it coming. There is only one thing that I think would have made the books perfect; mentioning that Agatha and Sophie were sisters more often. After reading that Agatha and Sophie were twins in The Last Ever After, the third book, I was shocked and found that that had been the first time that I have ever been stunned by something, because I usually see everything coming. However, this was never mentioned again in any of the books afterwards so it was a bit like Soman Chainani just put it in for the sake of it, it was really effective and he should have used it to make the book series even more astonishing.

Which was your favourite book in the School for Good and Evil series? (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6)

I have always had a clear answer for this question but thinking about the whole book series in the previous one really got me thinking. I really liked the fifth book, A Crystal of Time because all the characters had their own purpose during the story however in all the other books some people didn’t really do anything, they were just there, kind of like decorations, and they wouldn’t have been missed. Also a lot of the questions that I had on my mind for the fourth book were answered so the book was more important than any other. The thing that I liked the best was definitely Dean Dovey’s crystal ball because going to Crystal World sounded amazing and magical, way more magical than Agatha and Sophie’s usual world, so I really liked the idea and wished that something so sensational would happen to me. My other favourite book is the third one, The Last Ever After, because of the huge twist near the end. I know that in the previous reviews about The School for Good and Evil series I have mentioned this a lot, but I don’t think I will ever forget the feeling of surprise after finding out that Agatha and Sophie are twin sisters! All The School for Good and Evil books were amazing and of course they had something special about them that contributed to my love for this book series.

Would you recommend this book?  

I strongly recommend this book for children between over 13 but I have no doubt that anyone else who tries it will enjoy every second and will never want it to finish.

Summarise the book in one sentence. (Verdict) 

A breath-taking, emotional conclusion of The School for Good and Evil series.

 Reviewed by Jimena Gutierrez Reviriego

THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL – A CRYSTAL OF TIME by Soman Chainani

“‘Past is Present and Present is Past… The story repeats until you change it.’ A false kind has seized Camelot’s throne, sentencing the true king, Tedros, to death. While Tedros’s queen, Agatha, narrowly escapes, her best friend, Sophie, is caught in King Rhian’s trap. In the heart-pounding fifth adventure of the series, Agatha and the students of the School for Good and Evil must battle against time, and find a way to restore Tedros to the throne before all their fairy tales come to a lethal end…” 

What is the book about?

Tedros and all of their friends, including Dean Dovey, are imprisoned in Camelot’s dungeon and while they are locked up down below, Sophie is living in the castle as Rhian’s future queen. Although Sophie is roaming free she is constantly watched by one of the Snakes scims or a Camelot guard, feeling just as trapped as Tedros. Meanwhile Agatha is wanted in every kingdom in the Woods, has no plan and the only army she has is a school full of young, inexperienced first years and a few teachers with very little faith in her. They must find out what has happened in the past to solve the problems in the present, travelling to a mysterious new world to find the answers they need. Tedros, Sophie and Agatha must find a way to restore Tedros to his throne, but every time they think they are getting closer, their story takes another path, leading them closer to a deadly ending.

What were your initial thoughts on the book?

I was desperate to start this book, I didn’t hesitate to grab it and begin reading, the forth book, Quests for Glory, left me on a cliff hanger so it was crucial that I found out what happened next. Before starting, I had a quick glance at the back of the book and felt that it didn’t really make you want to read the book or encourage you to try it, I found that it was a bit of a let-down and that if that had been the blurb for the first book I would have never read it. However, I was pulled into the book as soon as I began reading it and found the first few chapters very engaging and a bit unusual; it was weird to have all 3 main characters in different dangerous situations. It was new to me to have Tedros, Agatha and Sophie separate and leading their own sections of the story because they are usually part of the same plan but also very refreshing as something unfamiliar was brought to the table.

Who was your favourite character and why?

During Quests for Glory we were given the perspective of many different characters so I found it impossible to pick a favourite one but in A Crystal of Time, although we were also given the point of view of more characters and it was a really difficult decision, I really liked Sophie and I think that she was my favourite character. In the opening chapters Sophie was like she always was, trying to get herself in a better situation, but she did give the others a few thoughts. However later on she proves how much she truly cares about all her friends and does something good which is very rare. Sophie puts herself before all of her friends always thinking that she is the most important person, but when she finds out that she is her friends’ last hope, she chooses to lose her chance to escape Rhian and get out of danger. She proves to herself, and everyone who ever doubted her, that she can do good, I think that this made her make a slightly crazy choice later on the book where she puts herself in jeopardy so that she can save the whole Woods and prove to them, Tedros especially, that she is more than just an Evil witch and that they were wrong about her.

What was your favourite part of the book and why?

My favourite part is when Agatha, Tedros and Sophie go into the world inside Dean Dovey’s crystal ball, like the ball was broken they were able to go inside and see some old memories and a few future ones. I think the best part of the crystal ball was when Sophie and Agatha go into the Blood Crystal, learning about how Rhian and Japeth came to be was a key part in the story and without it the book would have been much less enjoyable. I really liked learning about the Crystal World and I love the idea of being able to relive your memories see the ones you care about even when they are gone. Another thing I liked about this is being able to see the future and get some kind of warning, although all the crystal balls predictions seemed so bizarre that Agatha, Sophie and Tedros didn’t believe them. However, being able to see the future also caused some trouble as some of the predictions made Tedros believe that Sophie was disloyal so I think that the future is best left alone.

What was your overall impression of the book?

As a whole the book was unbelievable, there was nothing in the book that made it seem the less amazing. The ending was, once more, a cliff hanger however; this didn’t ruin the book or make it worse as it didn’t really have much suspense because I didn’t really have many unanswered questions. I really liked having Tedros, Agatha and Sophie separate in some of the chapters because when something strange happened it then moved on to someone else, so I was always on the edge of my seat wanting to read more. I loved meeting new characters, like the new first year students of the School for Good and Evil because there aren’t many new characters introduced in the previous books. I also found that the teachers were more important in this book than in the others and that they were really important this time. Although there were some sad parts in A Crystal of Time, I really loved the book and found that there were also a lot of happy moments that made the story much better.

Which book did you like better: 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5?

I think that my favourite book in the School for Good and Evil series is now the fifth book, A Crystal of Time. I liked this book best because all the characters had their own mission in the story and they all had a reason to why they were there, however in all the other books I felt that some of the characters didn’t really do much, they contributed to the story but they could have easily been replaced. In the previous book, Quests for Glory, the question that had been on my mind throughout the whole book was “Who is the Snake?”, so when this question was finally answered it was really helpful and very important for me. Another great part of the book was when we saw the future in Dean Dovey’s crystal ball. I really liked it because as they were really weird predictions and none of the characters believed them, I felt that they weren’t relevant so I also overlooked them, later on, when they came true,  it was really effective, and I know now that nothing in the School for Good and Evil books is insignificant.

Would you recommend this book?  

I really loved the book and think that this can be an amazing book for other people as well. If you have read any other School for Good and Evil books, which you really should, then there is no doubt that you will enjoy the book. I think it would be best for someone around the age of 13 but I’m sure that others will love it too.

Summarise the book in one sentence. (Verdict) 

An extraordinary, new experience with Agatha, Sophie, Tedros and all of their friends.

 Reviewed by Jimena Gutierrez Reviriego

THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL – QUESTS FOR GLORY by Soman Chainani

“‘Something out there is hurting our students and your quest is to find it…’ Before they can graduate, the students at the School for Good and Evil must complete a Quest for Glory, leaving the bounds of school on the biggest adventure of their lives. The quests are dangerous and unpredictable, and the stakes are high. If Good and Evil can’t find a way to work together, can either side survive? Agatha, Tedros and Sophie are back in this action-packed fourth adventure in the School for Good and Evil series.”

What is the book about?

During their fourth year at the School for Good and Evil each student is assigned a quest by the Deans that they must complete to be able to graduate. Strangely, all students are mysteriously failing their quests and many Ever and Never kingdoms are being attacked. These invasions are not random as it seems that this unknown attacker is surrounding Camelot, clearly on its way to attack Tedros’ kingdom. The Dean for Good has decided to change all students’ quests so they now must complete together a new quest to find out who is responsible for causing panic throughout the Woods. But this isn’t an ordinary quest as the fate of Good and Evil depends on them working together to survive, this is like no Evil anyone has ever seen before, Good and Evil must work together to stop it from taking over the Woods and changing their lives forever.

What were your initial thoughts on the book?

I wasn’t too desperate to start this book because as The Last Ever After was meant to be the last book the ending was quite good and it didn’t leave me waiting for the next book. Of course, I still wanted to read the fourth book because Agatha and Sophie’s adventures are always so interesting so I was glad there was another one, I knew without doubt I would love this book like all the other School for Good and Evil books. As soon as I started reading I already had 100 questions, with about 60% of them about the coronation, I liked how it started because it immediately began with action and there wasn’t anything explaining what happened in the first 3 books and the adventure started just like that. The beginning of the book instantly hooks the reader and all of a sudden you are back in Agatha and Sophie’s world with another war beginning.

Who was your favourite character and why?

In this book, as there were a lot more important characters, who were more than just Sophie and Agatha’s friends, or random students at the School for Good and Evil, it was impossible to pick a favourite character, I found that a lot of people had bigger roles and were in more than just a couple of chapters. Like in the other 3 books, I liked Agatha and Sophie because of their bravery and leadership, even though other characters had bigger roles, the girls still had the biggest roles and were the most important characters, always helping the other get out of trouble, though a lot of other people were essential. One character that really surprised me was Tedros, usually he is just another boy in the story and has role that has a huge effect on Agatha and Sophie but in Quests for Glory he turns out to be as significant as the girls maybe even more, as this story involves his family and his kingdom. I also really liked the Coven because even though in the books they do prove that they are important, they never seemed like the friendly type that will be there for each other but in the fourth book they show that they are best friends just like Agatha and Sophie, and care about each other just as much.

What was your favourite part of the book and why?

Everything in the book was great but nothing really stood out to me so I don’t thing I really had a favourite part in Quests for Glory. I liked the last chapter a little more because in a part of it everyone was happy and they all though they had succeeded with their quest. This book is a little different from all the others because I think that it is a joint book with the fifth as they haven’t yet finished their quest and the book doesn’t really end happily. I also liked the beginning because I learnt about how Agatha, Sophie and Tedros were dealing with their Final Ever After. I found it a little weird that in this book they didn’t really spend much time at the School for Good and Evil but I really like meeting a few of the new students at the school and the fact that one of them has an important part in the story.

What was your overall impression of the book?

Overall the book was absolutely incredible, I loved everything about it and I don’t think that there is anything that I hated or specifically disliked about it. One thing that really made it stand out is the fact that in Quests for Glory there are more people who get parts of the story told in their perspective. This really helped me get to know other people more and know what they were thinking about the quest and everything that had happened. I got to know more about the Coven and Tedros; I even found out a bit about Hort and got to see things from his point of view. This was something new to the School for Good and Evil series and I think that it made the book much better and without it the book would have been really confusing, I think that if it had been added into the other 3 books it would have also been helpful. The only thing that I found a bit annoying is the ending as it was very suspenseful and I was left with questions unanswered. I knew that it would end a bit like that because I had seen the 5^th book and had also seen it coming but it still annoyed me a little because I have to read another book to find out what happened to the Snake and everyone else, but I am not too worried because as these books tend to start right away I should find out soon enough.

Which book did you like better: 1, 2, 3 or 4?

My favourite book is still The Last Ever After because of the huge twist in the story; I think that is forever going to remain the biggest shock I have ever gotten. All the School for Good and Evil books were amazing and of course they all had twists and turns but I saw them all coming so when they were mentioned I wasn’t at all surprised and they seemed a bit like old news. The ending of Quests for Glory made me love The Last Ever After even more because as the fourth book was very suspenseful and was a huge cliff-hanger, the perfect ending the third book had seemed even more unbelievable, this really influenced my choice a lot because everyone was happy and they all got the right ending for them, instead of having an unhappy ending with everyone in the wrong place. I wonder what the fifth book will be like and if everyone will finally be able to defeat the enemy.

Would you recommend this book?  

There are no words that can describe how much I love the book, it could easily be one of the best books I have ever read and if you have read any other School for Good and Evil books then you should read it. I absolutely recommend the book and I think anyone around the age of 13 will love it.

Summarise the book in one sentence. (Verdict) 

An enchanting action-packed, dangerous fourth adventure with Agatha, Sophie and Tedros.

 Reviewed by Jimena Gutierrez Reviriego