Book Review: Perfect Ruin by Lauren Destefano

*Guys, just wanted to say sorry for being a bit late with this review - I went to see Divergent last night at the cinema (and it was AWESOME!) and by the time we got home, I just rolled into bed. On the plus side, I'll probably be doing a movie review on Divergent soon, so at least that's something else for you to read :)*

I downloaded Perfect Ruin on my Kindle after reading the description – a floating city in the clouds?! As a massive Studio Ghibli fan, all I could say was, sign me up!

Perfect Ruin tells the story of Morgan Stockhour and her life on Internment – a floating city in the sky. Although citizens are told never to get too close to the edge, in fear that they become 'Jumpers' (i.e. they try to jump off the edge and go a bit crazy for their efforts), life is otherwise pretty peachy. Until someone commits a murder – the first murder in a generation, and one which rocks the city to it's core. Morgan is drawn deeper and deeper into the mystery behind the crime, especially when she meets Judas – the boy accused of the murder, the victim of which also happened to be his 'betrothed'. Can Morgan uncover the dark secrets that lie at the heart of Internment, before they claim the lives of those she loves the most?

I thought Perfect Ruin was beautifully written – the descriptions of the city were simply fantastic, and I could really imagine how it would look – especially how the sunlight would fall on it during the sunrise/sunset (don't ask why this particular image stuck with me – I have no idea!). Lauren Destefano paints a vivid picture of life on Internment – from how life in the sky would work, to their annual Festival of Stars celebration – I almost wanted to run over to the window just to see if there really was an island in the sky that I could go to!

The characters in Perfect Ruin were well written and relatable – I really liked Morgan's best friend Pen and her attitude to life - she really made me smile, and I felt bad for her when some of her more troublesome demons were revealed. Although I can see why some people might think that Morgan steps back a little bit too much and maybe doesn't do as much as she could, I can understand her reasons for being so reserved, given her background (which I won't reveal here!). I also found this book refreshing due to the lack of insta-love/love triangle – Morgan stays true to her own betrothed, though I was initially a little bit suspicious of the chemistry between her and Judas. Thankfully, their relationship didn't develop in that sense – I'm just hoping it'll stay that way for the rest of the series.

Final Comments: Overall, Perfect Ruin was a fantastic read and I would definitely recommend it (I've already read it twice!) - I can't wait for the sequel to come out next year!

5/5 cupcakes

Book Review: Wool by Hugh Howey

When I first heard about Wool, I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical. The premise just sounded a bit..well, odd. But trust me, this book is well worth sticking with – it's amazing!

Wool is set in a post-apocalyptic future. The few survivors of mankind now live together in a giant underground silo, but their lives are controlled by rules, regulations and a strict hierarchy. If anyone chooses not to conform, they're sent outside the silo for the 'cleaning' – a job that there's no return from. When Jules is unexpectedly thrust into a prominent position within the silo, she slowly begins to realise how rotten those at the heart of their community are – but when you've been brought up to conform, will anyone be brave enough to stand with her? Or is she entirely on her own?

While the idea of an underground silo sounds interesting, I really wasn't sure how it would work in practice. But once all the mechanics of it was explained, and you see how everyone works together to keep the silo running, I was hooked – especially once you find out what happens 'outside' the silo, during the cleaning.

Jules is the strong, smart female protagonist who's not afraid to speak her mind and does what she thinks is right, even if it goes against everything the silo teaches her to believe. It's interesting to see how she copes with a situation that is essentially thrust on her when she didn't want it, and then how she deals with it when everything (and I mean everything!) goes horribly horribly wrong.

This book was exceptionally well written – there were a couple of occasions where the author seemed to go off on a slight tangent about the background of the silo, or someone's particular job etc, but it wasn't such a big deal that it detracted from the overall story. The big twist in the story is just...amazing – while I had my suspicions about what was going to happen, I was still shocked (and thrilled) when they were confirmed. Despite it's slightly slow start, I honestly couldn't put this book down; it was fast paced, full of surprises and I really felt for all of the character's situations – I even felt a limited amount of sympathy for the bad guy in all this (Bernard), as Hugh Howey does a great job of explaining the background/rationale behind all the character's motivations and desires. I've already bought the second book in the trilogy, Shift, and I can't wait to get my teeth into it!

Final comments: Although it might sound like a bit of an odd/niche story, Wool is an exceptionally well written debut novel from Hugh Howey and well worth checking out!

5/5 cupcakes