Krysta

First of all I want to say that I am not part of this book group, in fact 4 years ago I used to be part of a different book group. Of course 2 years ago we all split up and only two of us are left at school now. Thing is, even though we all split up it never stopped my love for reading in fact it expanded it because now I’m also a writer. Actually I’m much more than a writer but nevertheless I will always miss my old book group because even though we carried on like crazy we would always commit to reading and reviewing the books we were given. This page is dedicated to everything I write/read/quote/do.

What do I do?

Basically I’m a writer, co-writer, editor, film maker, blogger, cover maker. To go in detail I write for magazines, my own stories, I co-write other stories, I’m officially an editor, I make films and I design covers but I also blog.

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In Love We Fear

Cara was 18 when she met Jay. She fell in love like any normal person would , except she fell in love with a monster

http://www.wattpad.com/story/3436224-in-love-we-fear-redraft

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The Monster Inside Me

First Draft -Jay Russel wasn’t always like this, he was normal, but now he was a monster , a monster who destroyed the life of the one he loved.

http://www.wattpad.com/story/3710879-the-monster-inside-me

Redraft – Jay wasn’t like this, he wasn’t a monster , yet he killed her, hurt her , watched her die, but why?

http://www.wattpad.com/story/4356980-the-monster-inside-me-redraft

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVE7MLRdYWQ

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Child Vs Monster – Sarah’s Story

First Draft – Sarah was 5 when her parents died, she was alone, drugs and drink were her only friends. When she meets her uncle she finally feels safe, until that night…

http://www.wattpad.com/story/3590352-child-vs-monster-sarahs-story

Redraft -For years Sarah has been alone , she had no family , no friends, no one. What happens when she meets an Uncle she never knew about? Is this a whole new beginning or a nightmare?

http://www.wattpad.com/story/5329223-child-vs-monster-sarah%27s-story-redrafted

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Sunrise

Have you ever lived your life away from others, alone in a cold empty cell, imprisoned for seven years? Do you think you could survive? Do you really know what it’s like? Here’s a story from a prisoners point of view.

http://www.wattpad.com/story/5344217-sunrise

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Till Death Parts Us

Linda was diagnosed with Cancer when she gave birth to Lola, now Lola is 16 and must deal with being a teenager but also looking after her mum. As she struggles day by day , will Lola be able to cope?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbmLFkXAmvo

Soundtrack coming soon!

http://www.wattpad.com/story/3502349-till-death-parts-us

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ngu4HxCzWj8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhmTCLsCe7c

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Darkness Within Me

http://www.wattpad.com/21314492-poetry-darkness-within-me

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One Year Old Today

http://www.wattpad.com/21450068-poetry-one-year-old-today

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Homeless

http://www.wattpad.com/21749963-poetry-homeless

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http://www.wattpad.com/26039955-poetry-rain
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http://www.wattpad.com/26055911-poetry-strike

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http://www.wattpad.com/26251551-poetry-burn?d=ud
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http://www.wattpad.com/27093247-poetry-fall
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Book Reviews

As I explained above I am officially an editor. This means that every month Penguin will send me two books of theirs which I choose from a list to read and review, I will also create a creative piece to go with it and publish it all to the website 😀

Septemeber

This month I have chosen to read..

The Fallen by Charlie Higson

First the sickness rotted the adults’ minds. Then their bodies. Now they stalk the streets, hunting human flesh.

The Holloway crew are survivors. They’ve fought their way across London and made it to the Natural History Museum alive – just. But the fight will never end while the Enemy lives, unless there’s another way. . .

The kids at the museum are looking for a cure. All they need are medical supplies. To get them means a journey down unknown roads. Roads where not only crazed, hungry sickos hide in the shadows.

SUDDENLY IT’S NOT SO CLEAR WHO – OR WHAT – THEY’RE FIGHTING.

Listening for Lucca – Suzanne LaFleur

Summer on the beach, a sprinkling of magic and a ghostly mystery of the past intertwine in an irresistible and compelling story from the author of the acclaimed Love, Aubrey.

‘We’re moving to your house – the one from your dream’.

Siena sees what isn’t there; collects what’s left behind.

‘Lucca led me to his room, and then just stood in the middle, waiting for me to notice something’.

Her brother Lucca is three and hasn’t spoken for over a year.

The doctors think he needs a fresh start, that’s why her family left Brooklyn. But their new home feels hauntingly familiar – and when Siena finds an old pen, the story she writes is not her own . . .

Can Siena’s discovery of past secrets help break her brother’s silence in the present?

Review

“I’m obsessed with abandoned things.”
This sentence is what brings the book together as a whole. The idea of ‘abandoned’ things creates the mystery of the story behind them. For example say you found an old pen? What if when you used it you weren’t writing as yourself, someone was writing for you? Sienna learns this when she finds an old pen with the initials ‘SEA’. Where did the pen come from? What year? Decade? Who did it belong to? All these questions are what makes this story mysterious because when Sienna finds out she soon realises that this pen holds the answers to her brother’s unexplained loss of voice.

Find a pen, write your name, and is that correct? Or did you just write someone else’s? Now what are you writing? Is that a story? Who’s Sarah and why are you writing about WW2? Sarah has a story, a story only Sienna can write, a story told through a pen. Sienna has dreams, dreams of the past, dreams she can’t understand, she dreams standing up, she dreams in her sleep but what do they mean? The interesting connection between both characters is what made this story truly intriguing as Sienna dreamt of Sarah’s house many times before. It’s as though her answers lay in the one place she never knew existed till she moved there.

The interesting theme of this novel is the ghostly past that draws the reader in. You feel connected to the characters, you feel connected to the story Sarah writes through the pen and the dreams Sienna has. The effectiveness of Lucca not speaking really builds the tension of the book of when he will actually speak. This draws you in even more to the connection between both Lucca and Sarah although they are similar they both lived in separate decades.

I rated this novel a 4 basically because the age for it is 9+ and felt it is more directed to younger readers. The plot of the story as a whole is interesting and really draws the reader in to read more. Overall there’s a lot of mystery behind it, a lot of past and a lot of searching for answers which makes you want to continue to find out what happens in the end. The story is great and I would definitely recommend it.

Ladies and gentlemen, the picture below is my book review (literally BOOK) that I have created and let me tell you I stressed so much to make this perfect 🙂 Hope you like it! Enjoy!

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The Fallen

Summary

The fifth terrifying part of Charlie Higson’s bestselling Enemy series. The Enemy is closer than you think . . .

First the sickness rotted the adults’ minds. Then their bodies. Now they stalk the streets, hunting human flesh.

The Holloway crew are survivors. They’ve fought their way across London and made it to the Natural History Museum alive – just. But the fight will never end while the Enemy lives, unless there’s another way. . .

The kids at the museum are looking for a cure. All they need are medical supplies. To get them means a journey down unknown roads. Roads where not only crazed, hungry sickos hide in the shadows.

SUDDENLY IT’S NOT SO CLEAR WHO – OR WHAT – THEY’RE FIGHTING.

Review

Unfortunately I haven’t had the chance to read the previous four books, but from what I’ve read ‘The Fallen’ felt like a race against time.

The Enemy is coming after you, you don’t know where to go, you have to find a cure , what do you do? This story from what I’ve read reminded very much of World War Z starring Brad Pitt. The storyline most definitely as it felt like another zombie apocalypse in which one person or a group of people must search for this one cure which could save their lives while killing themselves in the process. The similarities are endless although so are many other zombie movies/books. I must award the author for this story as although it felt like a repeat it did give a thrill of the ‘Will they die?’ ‘Will they get caught?’ ‘Will they find the cure?’

I must rate this a 3 mainly because I’ve seen way too many zombie movies to feel a repeat of the same similar plot. Overall it is a good book and I would recommend it.

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Picture Me Gone

Summary

Mila is on a roadtrip in the USA with her father. They are trying to solve the mystery of his best friend’s disappearance but Mila discovers a more important truth. Sometimes the act of searching reveals more than the final discovery can. Adults do not have all the answers. It all depends what questions you ask.

Review

The title of course explains the book in a whole ‘ Picture Me Gone’. For a twelve year old girl Mila is certainly different and acts very mature for her age. In this book we see Meg Rosoff demonstrate her writing in many different ways which helps draw the reader in to find out the outcome of Gil’s best friend.

The extraordinary thing about this book is that it revolves around a 12 year old girl wise beyond her years who learns something very important that most 12 year old girls wouldn’t. It’s mysterious, fascinating, and adventurous which excites the reader to continue.

I found it exciting that it’s Mila telling the story which brings the reader in more because it feels almost real, as though it’s not just another creative story but something where you can feel the emotions from Mila and other characters.

Overall the story intrigued me and the rating I am giving it is a four. It would have received a five but I feel Mila’s character should be older than what she is said to be as she is very mature for her age. I recommend this story for any age.

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Let It Snow

Summary

An ill-timed storm on Christmas Eve buries the residents of Gracetown under multiple feet of snow and causes quite a bit of chaos. One brave soul ventures out into the storm from her stranded train and sets off a chain of events that will change quite a few lives. Over the next three days one girl takes a risky shortcut with an adorable stranger, three friends set out to win a race to the Waffle House (and the hash brown spoils), and the fate of a teacup pig falls into the hands of a lovesick barista.

Review

I only wish it was Christmas right now after reading this book. Christmas is a wonderful time to be festive, it’s beautiful, magical and I only wish it could last longer. The best part about this book is the fact it was written by 3 authors, which means 3 different stories, styles, main characters, setting, all revolving around the one theme, love.

All 3 stories have a connection which I think makes this book strong as they don’t separate or lose focus of the true theme. Each author brings about their creativity and humour as they spread the Christmas joy.

These stories are a perfect gift for any child 12+ to receive on Christmas, although I recommend them more for girls. They spread Christmas beautifully through words and overall it is a fantastic book.