Short Book Reviews: Unwind and Divergent

These are my short, but sweet, thoughts on the books. I thought I'd review them in one post to make it a worthwhile read. I've tried not to give any significant spoilers away. Hopefully, my attempts have worked!

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

What is it about? 'In a society where unwanted teens are salvaged for their body parts, three runaways fight the system that would unwind them. Brought together by chance, and kept together by desperation, these unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey, knowing their lives hang in the balance. If they can survive until their eighteenth birthday, they can't be harmed - but when every piece of them, from their hands to their hearts, is wanted by a world gone mad, eighteen seems far, far away.'

This blurb sums up the book perfectly, so I don't need to explain it any further!

My thoughts: I liked it. It didn't leave me on the edge of my seat, holding my breath, but it was still a good read. As far as I'm aware, this book is not part of a series. Because of this, the ending was conclusive and answered most of the questions I had. I see this as both a good and bad aspect. Yes, it left me fairly satisfied, but it didn't leave me wanting more (I didn't mean to make that sound sexual, I promise). I read one review that said Unwind was too disturbing. I didn't find it disturbing at all! In fact, it could have done with a few more uneasy scenes, if you ask me. Some people are so fragile. So, yes, it gets a thumbs up from me.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

What is it about? 'When sixteen-year-old Tris makes her choice, she cannot foresee how drastically her life will change. Or that the perfect society in which she lives is about to unfold into a dystopian world of electrifying decisions, stunning consequences, heartbreaking betrayals and unexpected romance.' 

Within this future society, there are 'factions'. Factions are groups within the society which consist of people with the same characteristics. There are five factions: Abnegation (selfless), Dauntless (brave), Erudite (intelligent), Candor (honest) and Amity (peaceful). Once a teenager turns sixteen, they take a simulation test, which determines the faction best suited to them, and then they have to decide which faction they want to be apart of. Tris' test results show that she has characteristics suited for multiple factions. She's a Divergent. She has to decide how she would like to live her life. Once her decision is made, she is put through her paces to see if she can survive in the certain faction. Corruption then breaks out across society, and the decisions Tris makes from then on will determine who lives, and who doesn't.

My thoughts: I loved it. I loved it so much that as soon as I finished the book earlier, I ordered the second one, Insurgent, which was released two days ago. I thought that the majority of the book was going to be about Tris deciding which faction she would choose to be apart of, but the decision was made within a few chapters of the book. I could no longer predict what was going to happen, so curiosity engrossed me. Divergent contains romance, which I absolutely loved. In these moments, I felt like I was the one experiencing the intimacy of the story line. However, romance only makes up a small portion of the book. The majority of it is filled with action, so it's suited towards both genders. I thoroughly enjoyed it and cannot wait to read the next one.

New Look purchases!

The other day, New Look's sale went live. I didn't bother looking until the evening, so was surprised to see that the items I wanted had my sizes in stock! That rarely happens! Size eights and tens usually go first, leaving all the larger sizes. Not only did I get everything I wanted, it all fits! Woop.

Kelly Brook Lace Edge Pleated Bra £6 down from £14.99 and Lemon Two Tone Lace Balconette Bra £4 down from £11.99.

I love these bras! The Kelly Brook one is one of the prettiest bras I've ever owned. Kelly Brook, you beaut.

Multicoloured Tribal Print Scarf £4 down from £7.99.

This will look great over a plain white top :)

Formal Denim Shorts £5 down from £14.99.

I've been looking at buying these for about a year, and was very nearly going to order them a few weeks back. I'm glad I waited now! They fit perfectly.

Zip Pocket Cigarette Jeans £9 down from £22.99.

Along with the bras, these are my favourite item I ordered from the sale. I initially had a pair of size eights in my basket, but then the website froze. Once it was back up and working again, the size eights were out of stock! I wanted the jeans so much that I took a risk and ordered the tens. They fit like a well fitting glove! I'm so happy. They look really short when off, but the leg length is fine when you wear them. The material is soft and not like any of my other jeans.

Coral Panelled Gold Edge Purse £9.99.

I ordered this and the next item before the sale, but thought I may as well include them in this post. This purse is a lot bigger than my previous one, but I like it. I've just been on their website and found a blue one that I'm tempted to buy.

Striped Sweatshirt £12.99.

Annoyingly, this went in the sale after I bought it for full price! I really like and will be wearing it a lot.

I would say that 60% of my wardrobe consists of New Look clothes now!

Beauty Buys and Banana Pajama Bottoms

Collection Lasting Perfection concealer £4.19 from Superdrug, 17 blush in China Pink £3.49 from Boots, Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze £4.99 from Boots, GOSH Soft 'n Shine lip balms in Passion Pink and Perfect Plum £3 each (on sale) from Superdrug.

I bought yet another Collection Lasting Perfection concealer! I must have had about 15 tubes of this wonderful product. Since they were released, I wasn't interested in the Maybelline Colour Tattoos, but found myself buying one yesterday! I'm going to use it on my lower lash line. Let me tell you, these things do not budge! My Superdrug had a huge basket full of discounted GOSH products, so I spent a good 10 minutes searching through everything. Out of the two shades I picked up, Perfect Plum is my favourite because it is more wearable and doesn't contain any shimmer. I kind of wish I picked up Barbie and Sweetheart now, but you only get 1.5g of product, so even at £3, they're overpriced. 

And from Primark, I purchased...

Banana pajama bottoms! They were £5. They're very... bold, but I love the quirkiness of them. Don't worry, these are only going to be worn inside the house!

Shoe Zone Shoes

Growing up, Shoe Zone was the place my family would go to for school shoes and trainers. I don't go in there as often these days, but I decided to have a browse whilst my mum was buying some shoes for my dad. I ended up buying two pairs of black dolly shoes, which will be great for when I wear black tights or want to dress more formal. The first pair were £9.99 and the second pair were £12.99. They also had quite a few other black dolly shoe designs, so I would definitely recommend Shoe Zone if you're on the look out for a pair :)

H&M perfumes

Whilst shopping in H&M today, I came across these perfumes. They smell delicious and are only £3.99 each, so I just had to share them with you! I don't know what notes they have, because they don't come with a description, but I'll try my best to describe them for you. Wildwood Flower is comforting to me, so I'm sure it has some vanilla notes in there. I also think it has some woody undertones (I'm probably getting that from the name!). Rising Sun is a lot more Summery, having a sweet, citrus scent to it. It reminds me of grapefruit. I find that some citrusy perfumes can smell too alcoholic, but this one doesn't. These perfumes come in cheap, plastic boxes, so I threw them away. 50ml of great smelling perfume (or eau de toilette, to be precise) for £3.99 - What's not to love?!

Nails of the Week

*short nails alert*

Natural light

Flash

Barry M Indigo and Deborah Lippmann Razzle Dazzle

I'm sorry for the messy application, but I just wanted to show you this pretty combination. Barry M Indigo is one of my all time favourite nail polishes. With Deborah Lippmann Razzle Dazzle applied over it, it reminds me of a galaxy (far, far away...). It's dark and very appropriate for the gloomy weather we've been having!

Enjoy your Sunday!

Lush Vanilla Puff Dusting Powder

Puddin' investigating Vanilla Puff

Price: £4.50

Vanilla Puff is my new favourite product from Lush. Although the bottle looks small, it contains a lot of product and will last you ages. It's vanilla scented, so of course I was going to like it! It's a 'grown up' vanilla, though, and isn't too sweet. I use this for many purposes: on my skin to make it soft and scented, on my duvet and pillows to make them smell comforting as I drift off to sleep, and as a dry shampoo. The powder is very fine, so doesn't leave you with grey hair! Lush actually have a dry shampoo, called No Drought, but I'm happy with this for the time being. Vanilla Puff holds the same amount of product as Batiste's Nude dry shampoo, so if you like that, but would prefer a scented version, this is the product for you. I've also heard of people sprinkling this on their carpets, like Shake 'n' Vac, and then hoovering it up, leaving their home smelling divine.

This bottle is going to last me a while, so I think the price is great.

Have you tried Lush's Dusting Powders? I've got my eye on Silky Underwear now. Also, have you tried their No Drought dry shampoo? The scent sounds delicious!