The Butterfly Lion by Michael Morpurgo
Published May 1st 1997 by HarperCollins Children's Books
Pages: 128

After Bertie rescues an orphaned lion cub from the African veld, they are inseparable until Bertie is sent to boarding school far away in England and the lion is sold to a circus. Bertie swears that one day they will see another again, but it is the butterfly lion that ensures that their friendship will never be forgotten.

All my life I'll think of you,
I promise I will.
I won't ever forget you.

- Michael Morpurgo

Actual rating: 4.5

I started this book wondering why we had to read another book for school for nine and up. I didn't want to read a silly children's book. I wanted to read a real classic. After going back to what I was thinking before I started The Butterfly Lion, I now realise how dumb and judgmental I was. A book of which I didn't think I'd enjoy at all, is now one of my favourite children's stories.

The plot is simple and very easy to follow. You have to get used to the change of the points of view, but that's about it. Speaking of, can I say how much I loved how the story was put together? It all starts with a young boy listening to an old lady telling him a story of love and friendship, and in the end it's so much more than that. The change of the points of view are there for a reason, and I just love how it all connected.

Since The Butterfly Lion is a short book which I read on a sunny afternoon, I had no trouble with the pace. It went nice along with the story. It didn't have a big role after all, because the plot was just so lovely you can't put it down. You want to know everything there is to know, and you're trying to put certain pieces together. In the end, those pieces created an excellent novel. However, when I'm talking about the very end of this book, I have to say that I'm really sad about this. Not because the ending was sad with the memorial of the White Prince, but because it left me confused. I don't know what to make out of the end. Was the lady a ghost, or has the protagonist imagined everything? If so, I think none of the two would make actual sense. I would have  preferred it a lot more if it ended with the old lady having finished her story. Those last scentences she said were warm and gave me a happy feeling. I could say the ending ruined the entire book, yet I won't because before this I enjoyed it so much and I absolutely loved it.

With a perfect twist I'd have never seen coming, wonderful illustrations and a heartwarming plot, The Butterfly Lion is a book I'll remember.

Control (Control, #1) by Lydia Kang
Published December 26th 2013 by Dial Books for Young Readers
Pages: 393

When a crash kills their father and leaves them orphaned, Zel knows she needs to protect her sister, Dyl. But before Zel has a plan, Dyl is taken by strangers using bizarre sensory weapons, and Zel finds herself in a safe house for teens who aren't like any she's ever seen before - teens who shouldn't even exist. Using broken-down technology, her new friends peculiar gifts, and her own grit, Zel must find a way to get her sister back from the kidnappers who think a powerful secret is encoded in Dyl's DNA.

A spiraling, intense, romantic story set in 2150 - in a world of automatic cars, nightclubs with auditory ecstasy drugs, and guys with four arms - this is about the human genetic "mistakes" that society wants to forget, and the way that outcasts can turn out to be heroes.

"Trust no one, I scold myself. Even if they smell good."

- Lydia Kang, Control

Control is definitely one of the most difficult books for me to review. I had thought a long while about the rating, and then I came to the conclusion that I still had to write a review. Before you start panicking about why I didn't like this book, it's not that I didn't like it. I'd like to call it somwhere between a dissapointment and an interesting novel.

To start with the interesting aspect of the novel, Control is set in a dystopian world where there's a lot of focus on science and technology. As soon as I started reading, I got bombed with all sort of new inventions. Very cool, unless they're suddenly everywhere in the context without having an idea what they are. It was only after a couple of chapters I got to figure out what each thing was. Because of this I was kind of confused thoughout the beginning and it made me less caring for everything else. Further into the book, it were the two houses that grabbed my attention. The rivalry bewteen the two is special and a nice bonus to the overall world. The other elements of Lydia Kang's world however, didn't manage to grab me. It was hard to get into mainly because of the few explanations I got. I would like to see more details in the sequel, especially since it felt like the author rushed over these and went straight into the action and the actual plot.

The world usually says a lot about how the plot is going to be. As I mentioned that I liked the tentions between the two houses, I also really enjoyed the refreshing take on science. It's something not many YA books do. Thinking about it, it's actually not impossible for our society to head that way. The writing was at its best with the action scenes. I just flew throuh those. Despite all this, I also have to mention the little things that made it hard for me to finish. A big part of this book felt like a not so original novel with a rather predictable plot. From the moment we start getting hints on a specific topic, it's really not that hard to figure out the rest of the story. The only surprising twist was the romance. I didn't think there was going to be any until I actually got it 60 % in. Furthermore, I hope I'm not the only one who was annoyed by the slow pacing, despite the entertaining scenes and suspense. At times it was way too easy for me to put down, when I actually shouldn't have.

I can see a trilogy with potential with the characters introduced in Control. Reading about teens with a dark environment, you're sometimes in the need for a lighter scene and they're there to make you smile. They're entertaining and there conversations always kept me interested. When looking at every character, I can be honest and say that I didn't really care for a lot of them in the beginning of the book. I was still processing everything else (the world), and my love for them has come a tad later. This had a lot to do with the obvious lack of character development. Having finished the book, I still have this feeling that I don't know them very well. My love for Zelia wasn't really there in the beginning, and hasn't come when I read the last page. She, like every other character, came across as superficial. I did like her surprising relationship with a certain guy. Don't mind me, I was okay with the sweet moments and romantic talk. They're that couple I'll possibly add to my shipping list in the future.

The ending was expected, and yet the author managed to throw in multiple plot twists I could have never seen coming. In a way, they made sense when looking at everything as a whole. I do think the ending was good because we get what we want to happen throughout Control. With a certain plot twist there's a whole new storyline to continue in the sequels of the book. If only I hadn't lost interest when getting to the last page. For some reason I was relieved to having almost finished it that I  may rushed over the ending. However, I can't say the ending wasn't good because it leaves me wanting more.

Control is a book which felt like a let-down a lot of times while reading. I was expecting more, and I'm sad that I'm not statisfied. It turned out to be a story with surprising twists in both a positive and a negative way. The characters were the thing I enjoyed most, and I'm curious to see how they'll develop in the sequel. Talking about it, I have no idea if I'll eventually pick it up. I probably will because of the ending and most of all: peer pressure. Damn you, peer pressure.

Cress (The Lunar Chronicles, #3) by Marissa Meyer
Published: February 4th 2014 by Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 550
Rating: 5 stars

Rapunzel’s tower is a satellite. She can’t let down her hair—or her guard.

In this third book in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.

Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker—unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing stop her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only ones who can.


"Maybe there isn't such a thing as fate. Maybe it's just the opportunities we're given, and what we do with them. I'm beginning to think that maybe great, epic romances don't just happen. We have to make them ourselves."
-- Marissa Meyer, Cress 


I had my doubts if this book could be any better than its predecessors, because it didn't grab me on the first few pages. It may have taken a little longer to get into it all, but the wait was worth it. Cress is a rollercoaster with lots of romance, heartbreak, drama and unpredictability. Wow. Just, wow.

The new characters introduced are perfect, just as I expected them to be. As a character, Cress has all the elements a typical Rapunzel would have, yet there's something special about her I can't put my finger on. She's an adorable girl you just love more and more. The choices she made were never out of character, and her point of view was one of the highlights of the book. I'm so excited to have another book with her as a main protagonist. The development she made from a terrified girl to a brave one who's able to stand up for herself and the people she loves. Being the socially akward girl she is, I loved her interactions with the other characters. Especially the ones with Thorne. Cress' naitieve and Thorn's quirky comments fit so well, these two made me smile and want a relationship like theirs. Cress made Thorn realise he's not a bad person and brought out his good sides. I loved how their relationship began as Cress had the biggest crush on him, while he saw her as a fragile child. By the end of the book, their relationship has developped so much you're out of your element and have added them to your shipping list. The little extra I adored was Thorne's incident, which made him love her for who she truly is.

Besides Thorne and Cress, there are so many other characters to talk about! Every one of them developped in a certain way in this book, and I'm so thankful. For starters, Kai is clearly not the only character who's going through a lot, yet that doesn't mean I don't feel bad for him. The only way he can slightly express himself is through his scarcastic comments: a big thumbs up for that. On the other hand, I'm so happy with everything that happened at the near end of the book, and how he was kind of able to solve the Selene mystery for himself. With some help, he finally put the pieces together. If only he was smart enough to figure the entire thing out by himself. Nevertheless, I loved his focus on this throughout the book.

Moving on to Cinder, I realise that after reading Scarlet, I hoped to see more of her Lunar, princess side. One way or another, Meyer never fails to statisfy me. Not only did I get the badass Lunar bioelectricity, Cinder is growing slightly towards her new identity. I adored the people in the little African town who helped her. Her grow in confidence is because of this, because she knows she has people who support her actions. She has accepted her fate to steal Levena's throne as the rightful heir of Luna. So I definitely got what I wanted, although I think we'll get even more of this in Winter.

Speaking of Winter, the crazy girl has already won my heart. I swooned for her character. Her use of words and metaphors are well done and she is just this kind of character I will root for in the upcoming final book. While a certain character was being defensive and at times agressive, all Winter wanted was to have a new friend. The way she is portrayed is the perfect reason to already adore the little girl. Instead of the skin like snow and the perfect little face, Winter is black and has three scars running down her cheek. Besides, I have a feeling that there's definitely something going on between her and the supposed huntsman, Jacin. Something I'd love to read about.

Scarlet and Wolf are the proof of going through worse than Kai. We don't get to see a lot of them. The times we do, they're awful. Not in the sense of badly written, but scenes you can't cry at. This book has managed to get so much compassion from me already, and then we have these two. I was just so sad to see them like this. Hopefully they will have rescued her soon so they can be happy again and have their happily ever after.

Although I felt how long it was, the plot itself was perfection. I may have gotten rather minor chapters when the group was complete. Cress' rescue is the start of when things get twisted and people get separated. I was worried of how Meyer could possibly fix this mess. Having this read, I think I should stop worrying because she managed to do it again. How everything played out was fantastic. The plot tighter and overall very unpredictable. At a certain time in the book, everyone got their own part to play, yet everything was connected in a way I would have never seen coming. I loved the way they were reunited again, and everything else that came along with it. The focus of the story was mainly on Cress and Thorne, the part after Rapunzel is released from her tower. So we didn't get the typical Rapunzel storyline, thank the Gods for that. Meyer succeeded in creating a story with so many similar aspects to the original one. I'm utterly happy to say that this book was lovable as a whole.

To round this up because it was gotten way longer than I expected it to be, I'd like to talk about the little extra most people forgot about: how in this book, we get a more clear view regarding the world of Luna. Though the biggest part has to play out in Winter, I found it just very interesting how we learned about the shells, Luna's connection to letumosis, Cress' lifestyle before the rescue and Winter as a character. I would like to see more of it, but I have a slight feeling we will.

Cress is the first book of 2014 that I absolutely loved. I may have used the verb 'love' way too many times in this review. It's just that great. I strongly suggest you'd read this.