Top Ten Tuesday: Books that Feature Travel

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week has a different theme & you can find all the details about how to join in HERE.

Today's theme is Books that Feature Travel and I have to admit that I initially thought I was going to struggle to come up with 10 books to include. I haven't actually read many road trip books but when I sat down to think of it I managed to come up with plenty of stories that involve travel in some form or another.

Anyway, lets have a look at a few of my favourites (links will take you to my reviews):

The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien

You don't get many journeys more epic than the one that Bilbo Baggins takes with Gandalf and the dwarves when they travel across the mountains to take back their home! Full of adventure, magical creatures, dragons and treasure this is a book I've read many times over the years and I really enjoyed the recent film adaptation too. I'm looking forward to watching the next two movies.

The Clan of the Cave Bear - Jean M. Auel

Jean M. Auel's Earth's Children series has been one of my favourites since I was a teenager (the less said about the 6th and final book the better though!) and I've lost count of the number of times I've read them. The series is set around the time of the last ice age (35,000 years ago) and follows a young girl Ayla as she travels across whole continents in search of a place to call home. I love this series for the rich historical data but more for the emotional journey that Ayla goes on as she grows up and finds her place in the world.

From What I Remember - Stacy Kramer & Valerie Thomas

From What I Remember is a more traditional road trip story that shows how one of the school's hottest guys Max ends up in Mexico with geek girl Kylie. The book is absolutely hilarious and I loved every minute of it!

Tiger's Curse - Colleen Houck

Colleen Houck's Tiger series follows Kelsey on a journey across India as she tries to help brothers Ren and Kishan break a 300 year old curse. You get to visit various temples and the jungle, learn about some of the Indian gods and goddesses and fall in love with not one but two gorgeous Indian princes who have been cursed to spend the majority of their time living as tigers.

Between Shades of Gray - Ruta Sepetys

Between Shades of Gray is the heartbreaking story of a young Lithuanian girl called Lina and her family as they are captured by Soviet guards and forced to travel across Europe to a Siberian work camp in the Arctic circle. Set during WWII and based on true stories this book highlights the atrocities committed by Stalin and is an incredibly emotional read but it is a book that I can't recommend highly enough. If you haven't come across this book before take a few minutes to watch this video of the author Ruta Sepetys as she talks about the inspiration behind the story but make sure you have tissues to hand because you're sure to need them!


Ruta Sepetys discusses her upcoming novel, Between Shades of Gray from Penguin Young Readers Group on Vimeo.

A Conspiracy of Alchemists - Liesel Schwarz

Liesel Schwarz's steampunk adventure takes you across Europe stopping off at London, Paris, Venice and Constantinople. Main character Elle is a dirigible pilot so you'll get to fly in an airship but you also enjoy a luxury ride on the Orient Express!

Demons of the Ocean - Justin Somper

If you enjoy books aimed at a slightly younger audience or are looking for a fun family read then I'd definitely recommend Justin Somper's Vampirates series. Sail the seven seas with twins Grace and Connor in this futuristic world where the seas have risen and the waters are controlled by both pirates and vampirates (yes, you did read that right vampirates - vampires who are also pirates!)

Poison Princess - Kresley Cole

I love Kresley Cole's adult books so I was excited to get my hands on her first YA novel Poison Princess last year. Set in the future after an apocalyptic event that Evie had been having visions of before it happened this is a fab story and something that's really unique. Main characters are based on the Major Arcana cards found in a Tarot deck and each have different powers and abilities. Evie teams up with sexy Cajun Jack to try and search for answers and they travel across the country looking for the other main players.

Fire and Thorns - Rae Carson

Fire and Thorns is a fabulous fantasy adventure that follows princess Elisa when she is sent far from home to marry a man she has never met. Follow her epic journey across the desert as she fights to find a place for herself in a new country when she doesn't know who her enemies are.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

My last pick is a little bit of a cheat because although The Night Circus travels the world the focus of the story is much more on what is happening inside the circus than outside of it. It is such a beautiful novel that I couldn't resist including it anyway though and I can't recommend it highly enough!

So what books did you include on your list? Did we have any of the same picks? Leave me a link to your post in the comments and I'll stop by and check it out!

Review: Fire and Thorns - Rae Carson

Princess Elisa is a disappointment to her people.  Although she bears the Godstone in her navel. a sign that she has been chosen for an act of heroism, they see her has lazy, useless and fat.

On her sixteenth birthday she is bartered off in royal marriage and shipped away to a kingdom in turmoil, where her much older and extremely beautiful husband refuses to acknowledge her as his wife.  Devastated, Elisa decides to take charge of her fate and learn what it means to bear the Godstone.

As an invading army threatens to destroy her new home, and everyone at court manoeuvres to take advantage of the young princess, Elisa becomes convinced that not only is her own life in danger, but the whole world needs saving.  But how can a young girl who has never ridden on horseback, never played the game of politics, never attained the love of a man, save the world?  Elisa can't be sure, but she must try to uncover the Godstone's secret history before the enemy steals the destiny nestled in her core.

Fire and Thorns Series:
Fire and Thorns (Released in the US as The Girl of Fire and Thorns)
Crown of Embers (2012)
The Bitter Kingdom (2013)

Visit Rae Carson's website more information.

Review:
On her sixteenth birthday Princess Elisa must marry a complete stranger, Alejandro is the King of a far away kingdom and Elisa is taken to live with him in her new home.  She is expecting to be greeted as a Queen but her husband refuses to announce their marriage leaving Elisa confused and doubting everything she has been told.  Can Elisa find a place for herself in her new country?

Fire and Thorns is a fantastic debut with rich word building and strong characters.  Rae Carson takes you on a journey through dangerous jungles and across the harsh but beautiful desert, her writing is beautifully descriptive making it easy to picture your surroundings.  The story is one that draws you in from the first page and doesn't let you go until you've reached the end - this was definitely a read in one sitting book for me.

Elisa is a wonderful main character, she starts the story full of self doubt and with very little confidence, she is young and naive and it shows, but as the story progresses she blossoms into a confident and mature young woman.  Elisa is supported by a strong cast of characters, particularly ones that she meets in the second half of the book.  I was never a massive fan of Alejandro, he is too weak and indecisive for me, but I really liked Lord Hector and who could resist Humberto?

I have to give a slight spoiler warning here because there was just one thing that really bugged me about the story.  I was so pleased at the beginning of the book to finally read about an overweight heroine, that's something that you don't come across often enough in my opinion.  Elisa is a comfort eater and I found it so easy to relate to her as it's something I've done myself for years.  I had such high hopes as Elisa started to find her confidence and I even thought she was starting to win Alejandro's heart despite being overweight - finally I'm getting to read about a chubby heroine who wins the handsome boy's heart! - but unfortunately I was wrong.  As Elisa journeys through the desert she undergoes a dramatic transformation and arrives at her destination slim.  Now having undergone my own dramatic transformation this year (losing nearly 7 stone) I have to say that Elisa's feelings about her new figure were very realistic and I completely connected with the way she felt.  What I didn't like was the message that she had to lose weight to be worthy of her people, until her transformation she was looked down on by everyone and it wasn't until she'd lost weight that Alejandro really showed more than a passing friendly interest in her.  Perhaps I'm reading too much into it having struggled with my own weight issues for years but the whole thing made me feel uncomfortable and sad about what message this will give to teenagers with similar problems.  For once I'd have liked to have seen the fat girl get a happy ending without having to lose weight first.

Despite my issue with Elisa's weight loss I still think that Fire and Thorns is a wonderful debut, I was captivated from the beginning and didn't want the story to end.  The story is beautifully written, the plot is strong and full of shocking twists and turns and despite being the first in a trilogy the ending isn't a frustrating cliffhanger.  Yes it leaves you with questions and makes you keen to read the next book but it doesn't leave you screaming that you have to wait a whole year for answers.  I can't wait to see what happens to Elisa next and I'll be first in line to pick up a copy of Crown of Embers next year.

Source: Received from Gollancz in exchange for an honest review

Other reviews of this book:
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