'The Fault in Our Stars' and 'The Hobbit' Review!

Hello everybody! This week has been completely manic for me, I seem to have managed to squeeze six weeks worth of plans into 5 days, needless to say, I'm exhausted, and frustrated that I've only read another 100 pages or so of 'Dreams and Shadows' but I'm getting there. However I did have another couple of books on the go that I've managed to finish this week, 'The Hobbit' and 'The Fault in Our Stars.' Admittedly, I have read TFIOS before, but despite having read the Lord of the Rings series before (about seven times) I had never read The Hobbit.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

'In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.'

I loved this book, it did take a little while to get into but 'The Hobbit' totally confirmed my theory that Tolkien's writing style was decades ahead of it's time. Part of me still expected it to contain stuffy, old fashioned language, but instead, it's genuinely laugh out loud funny. I feel a very personal connection to Bilbo's desire to spend his life in the comfort of his own home, drinking tea. And I certainly will never turn down the offer of 'second' breakfast. I can't fault Tolkien's writing, so I'm just going to say that if you start this, and feel like the plot is taking a while to develop, then persevere  because you'll have a much, much better view of the book and of the LOTRs series once you finish it. 

Characters: 9/10

Plot: 8/10

Overall: 9/10

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

'Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.'

The highest praise I can give this book is that I genuinely set out prepared to hate it, I had read both Looking for Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines, and I loved both- so the idea of a book so much better than the others, by the very same author, made me irrationally angry. How dare this book have such a good reputation? Frustratingly, TFIOS is undeniably brilliant, wonderful, heartbreaking, horrendously sad and ridiculously funny. It's the closest I've come to crying at a book in recent years, you will laugh and most probably cry. Not to be read if you enjoy extremely happy endings however. Augustus and Hazel are the perfect couple, in that- they aren't perfect, they're both a little messed up, but they make it work. I can't praise this enough and I'm SO excited for the movie. 

Plot:10/10

Characters:9/10
Overall: 10/10

I will definitely try to get another couple of books read and reviewed this week, as I already have a lifestyle post written and ready to post (which is a huge deal since I'm normally stuck writing at 5 to midnight just to make my 'set day' posts.) Yay for organisation eh? Have a wonderful week!