Showing posts with label Favorite. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Favorite. Show all posts

Saturday, December 6, 2014

Saturday, December 6, 2014 - , , No comments

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage:

Rating: 5 Stars
Author: Haruki Murakami
Version: Hardback

 GoodReads:
Tsukuru Tazaki had four best friends at school. By chance all of their names contained a colour. The two boys were called Akamatsu, meaning ‘red pine', and Oumi, ‘blue sea', while the girls' names were Shirane, ‘white root', and Kurono, ‘black field'. Tazaki was the only last name with no colour in it.

One day Tsukuru Tazaki’s friends announced that they didn’t want to see him, or talk to him, ever again.

Since that day Tsukuru has been floating through life, unable to form intimate connections with anyone. But then he meets Sara, who tells him that the time has come to find out what happened all those years ago.

 Review:
Ok, so this book was absolutely amazing and I'm no doubt going to go ahead and call it the best read of 2014. Let's just start with the book design. It's unique, but an awesome unique! The size is a little smaller than your normal sized book, the colors are elegant, and when you remove the dust jacket it's a map!

 I'm sure you've heard of Colorless, it was highly, highly discussed by both book bloggers and just about every other type media you can imagine. In Japan alone, it sold over 1 million copies just one month after publication. As for me, I love all things Japan. So, I was super excited about reading this book and I remember putting this book on my TBR list, but it never seemed to get purchased. However, I was fortunate enough to have the book jump out at me when I was browsing my local Barnes & Noble bookstore. I cracked open the book, read the first page, and decided that I HAD TO HAVE IT!

 There were so many parts of this story that I could relate to that it was almost like Tsukuru was a personification of myself. In fact, this was the first book that ever made me want to highlight - physically.. with a highlighter - specific passages and quotes. The way Haruki Murakami tells this story is absolutely captivating. It's both elegant and simplistic, but so effortlessly done that you can't help but devour this book. Now, I had never read any of Murakami's previous works, but he quickly became a favorite author of mine and I plan on reading more of his publications very soon. 

 As for the plot, I believe the GoodReads summary does a well enough job, so I won't be elaborating any further. However, I just want to make it clear that this book was hyped for a reason. Usually, I tend to avoid books that are overhyped, simply because they typically don't live up to my expectations. Colorless not only lived up to, but surpassed my expectations in every way possible. Needless to say, I wanted to reread it as soon as I turned the last page, but I'm saving it for another day. 

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Thursday, November 27, 2014 - , , , No comments

I'll Give You the Sun

Rating: 5 stars
Author: Jandy Nelson
Version: Hardback

Goodreads:
A brilliant, luminous story of first love, family, loss, and betrayal for fans of John Green, David Levithan, and Rainbow Rowell 

 Jude and her twin brother, Noah, are incredibly close. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude cliff-dives and wears red-red lipstick and does the talking for both of them. But three years later, Jude and Noah are barely speaking. Something has happened to wreck the twins in different and dramatic ways . . . until Jude meets a cocky, broken, beautiful boy, as well as someone else—an even more unpredictable new force in her life. The early years are Noah's story to tell. The later years are Jude's. What the twins don't realize is that they each have only half the story, and if they could just find their way back to one another, they’d have a chance to remake their world.

 This radiant novel from the acclaimed, award-winning author of The Sky Is Everywhere will leave you breathless and teary and laughing—often all at once.

Review:
I’ll Give You the Sun wasn’t only a contemporary, but almost a mystery novel as well. The reason I say this is because as you progress through the story, you gain more clues as to why Jude and Noah’s relationship fell apart, as well as some shocking truths that escalated that separation. Also, on top of this being an extremely awesome story, Nelson tackles a few modern issues such as sexual identity; coping with death and grief; personal discovery and growth; and of course, love.  

This story was unique in it’s telling, because the chapters are told from not only alternating points of view, but also from different periods in time. For instance, one chapter might be coming from a 12 year old Noah, while the next will be told from a 16 year old Jude. However, the way she blended Jude and Noah’s story together seemed almost effortlessly done, since the story progressed very fluidly. Needless to say, this method of storytelling was very interesting, because to progress further into the book, you had to delve deeper into the past. 

As for the characters, I would probably say that Noah was my favorite. Although, I loved reading Jude’s journey as she rediscovered/reclaimed her former self, Noah and I could relate on so many different levels. As for Noah, he is not your typical child, he’s creative, funny, introverted, passionate, and a bit of an evil genius. Jude on the other hand, is bold, creative, superstitious, emotional, and extremely caring. Another one of my favorite characters was the grandmother, despite most of her appearances being in ghostly form. There’s no way you couldn’t like the grandmother, she had such an influential part in Jude’s life and the “Bible” she was infamously known for, was simply hilarious! The dad on the other hand was pretty terrible. I couldn’t believe some of the comments he made to his sonand I lost all respect for him when he fell apart when his children needed him most. Although, he does get a little redemption towards the end :). 


 I highly recommend this book to all my readers. It was one of the most touching and unique stories I’ve read all year. The connection between Jude and Noah, as well as both their journeys of self discovery are truly what make this book memorable. It’s so much more than just a contemporary novel and it will quickly become one of your favorites. Also, you can’t help but smile when you learn where the title comes from because it was so... moving.

Friday, November 21, 2014

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Girl On a Wire:

Rating: 4.5 Stars
Version: eBook
Author: Gwenda Bond

 GoodReads Summary:
A ballerina, twirling on a wire high above the crowd. Horses, prancing like salsa dancers. Trapeze artists, flying like somersaulting falcons. And magic crackling through the air. Welcome to the Cirque American!

Sixteen-year-old Jules Maroni’s dream is to follow in her father’s footsteps as a high-wire walker. When her family is offered a prestigious role in the new Cirque American, it seems that Jules and the Amazing Maronis will finally get the spotlight they deserve. But the presence of the Flying Garcias may derail her plans. For decades, the two rival families have avoided each other as sworn enemies.
Jules ignores the drama and focuses on the wire, skyrocketing to fame as the girl in a red tutu who dances across the wire at death-defying heights. But when she discovers a peacock feather—an infamous object of bad luck—planted on her costume, Jules nearly loses her footing. She has no choice but to seek help from the unlikeliest of people: Remy Garcia, son of the Garcia clan matriarch and the best trapeze artist in the Cirque.
As more mysterious talismans believed to possess unlucky magic appear, Jules and Remy unite to find the culprit. And if they don’t figure out what’s going on soon, Jules may be the first Maroni to do the unthinkable: fall. 


 Review:
This story is truly a modern day Romeo and Juliet retelling at its finest. This becomes even more apparent when you learn the true names of Remy and Jules later on in the book. Also strikingly similar to Shakespeare's cast of Montagues and Capulets, the Maronis and Garcias both possess a history of hating each other. However, the reason behind this hated remains a mystery for most of the book. Although you're given bits a pieces from different family members, you won't get the full story until it's forced out of the Grandmother, who is completely awesome by the way. The way Gwenda told the story not only kept me interested, but completely hooked me, so that I couldn't put the book down. 

 The setting of the story is forever changing, since the Maronis and Garcias are members of a traveling circus. How awesome is that? Honestly, this story is packed with a ton of circus lore and it was SO GREAT! Without going into too much detail, Jules makes a decision to better her family's financial situation, but at a cost of forcing them to cooperate with the Garcia's. Now as if that fact alone wasn't enough, just as in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the attraction between Remy Garcia and Jules Maroni is almost palpable. They fall in love and struggle to keep it a secret. This becomes increasingly more difficult as a mystery killer attempts to throw Jules, who is a tightrope walker, off her balance. What's so unique is that the mystery murder uses "mystical" possessions that date back to when the feud of family originally began. Now, it's left for the reader to decided if these objects are inherently magical or if it's the superstitions that give them strength. As for the mystery killer, can you figure out who it is before the story ends? I couldn't. 

Sunday, October 5, 2014

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IT'S OCTOBER!!!!

Hello everyone :)!

I know it's been a while.. I apologize, but school has been a priority and it will continue to be until around May of 2015. ANYWAYS, as the title of this post says.. IT'S OCTOBER, which is exciting for me for so many reasons! For starters, I love halloween, I love how the weather transitions from summer to fall, I love how the leaves change color, and yeah.. this time of year is amazing.



SOO, to try and get back into reading, I'm going to make a list of some of the books I plan to finish this month. Now of course since it's October, these books are going to be primarily magically themed. Let's begin:



1. The Book of Life - Deborah Harkness 
I read the first two books of the All Souls trilogy last year and I've been wanting to get my hands on the third  for a while. However, I have this thing about not reading books that are over hyped. Now don't get me wrong, Deborah Harkness's books are pretty awesome, but I wanted to wait until all the hype faded away.. maybe I'm weird, but yeah. Anyways, with Halloween approaching, I think it's time I finally time I see how this trilogy ends. I'm super excited :D


2. Girl on a Wire - Gwenda Bond
As far as I know this book doesn't contain magic, per se, but the cover was too appealing for me to not pick this book up. Plus, I think Girl on a Wire reminds me of The Night Circus, which is one of my most FAVORITE books ever, so reading this was a must. So far, I've really enjoyed what I've read and look forward to seeing how it ends :). 



3. Family Magic - Patti Larsen 
Not sure if I will be able to make it this far down the list, but if I do, well then this is the book I will be reading. I know nothing about this book besides what the summary gives me. However, I'm a little scared of books that sound cliche, but since the GoodReads rating isn't too bad, I'll give it a try and let you guys know how it goes. 


Recommendations for Others:
Now maybe you've already finished some of the books above, or perhaps you have no interest in reading them whatsoever. If that's the case, well here's what I recommend you read if you haven't already:

 1. A Discovery of Witches - Deborah Harkness 
2. The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern 
3. The Graveyard Book  - Neil Gaiman 

   



Monday, August 11, 2014

Monday, August 11, 2014 - , , , , No comments

The Good, The Bad, and the Undead:

Rating: 5 Stars
Author: Kim Harrison
Version: eBook

GoodReads:
Rachel Morgan, sexy witch, independent bounty hunter, prowls the downtown Cincinnati for criminal creatures of the night. She can handle leather-clad vamps and a cunning demon or two. But a serial killer who feeds on the experts in the most dangerous kind of black magic is an ancient, implacable evil that threatens her very soul.

Review:
The second book in Kim Harrison's "The Hollows" series entitled The Good, The Bad, and the Undead did not disappoint! The book continues right where the first left off, except now Rachel and Ivy are both owners and full time runners for their business Vampiric Charms. If you haven't read book one, well firstly you should, and secondly, a runner is someone who tracks down/arrests wanted criminals - not unlike Dog the Bounty Hunter. Anyways, just like every new business, Rachel and Ivy are having a difficult time establishing their name. However, much of the struggle falls into Rachel's lap, since Ivy is a well known and talented runner.

Speaking of Ivy, something major happens to her and it was heart wrenching to read. Obviously I can't tell you what is was, but needless to say, I didn't expect such a powerful, independent, and strong-willed character to be victimized. Furthermore, the first book underscores Ivy's struggle with accepting who she really is, but that struggle is intensified to the extreme in book two.

On the other hand, Rachel spends the majority of the book working on an FIB run that's seemingly connected to Trent Kalamack - the man she's determined to take down. I seriously hate the FIB, mainly because they treat Rachel like crap. Yes, Rachel is impulsively intuitive and a bit rash, but without her the FIB would be next to useless with Inderlander cases. I really wanted Rachel to show them just how useless they truly were, but instead she kept seeking their involvement.  In addition to dealing with the FIB, Rachel has some seriously close calls with a few powerful/influential characters, such as master vampires, a demon, Trent, and let's not forget the precarious situation with Ivy.

A few other characters I want to touch on are Jinx and Trent. Jinx, the pixy, is still awesome. Enough said. However, Trent is a more complicated story. It's pretty obvious that he's dangerous and possibly evil. notice how I chose the word possibly? Well, that's the problem, because the ending had me questioning where Trent lies on the good vs. evil indicator. At the moment he's straddling the middle somewhere and it doesnt help that the author makes him such a likable character.

Overall, I throughly enjoyed reading The Good, The Bad, and the Undead and I plan to continue reading the series. Truly, it's been a while since I've been able to fully immerse myself in a book and and I'm looking forward to seeing wherever Harrison's writing takes me.

Monday, August 4, 2014

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Dead Witch Walking

Rating: 5 Stars
Author: Kim Harrison
Version: eBook

GoodReads:
All the creatures of the night gather in "the Hollows" of Cincinnati, to hide, to prowl, to party ... and to feed.
Vampires rule the darkness in a predator-eat-predator world rife with dangers beyond imagining -- and it's Rachel Morgan's job to keep that world civilized.

A bounty hunter and witch with serious sex appeal and an attitude, she'll bring 'em back alive, dead ... or undead.

Review:
I was very skeptical about starting Dead Witch Walking after first viewing the cover - Yes, I do judge books by their covers. However, after seeing that over 71,000 people gave the book a combined rating of over 4 stars I decided to give it a shot.

Now I've said it before, but I love books with witches and magic. With this restated, I was a little disappointed in the type of magic Rachel practices. To give some background, there are three categories of witches in this book:

  1. White Earth - Witches who use plants to make potions and amulets. The theory is that the plants dilute and store ley line magic. Requires a small amount of blood (finger prick).
  2. Black Earth - Witches who use animals/people as sacrifices. 
  3. Ley Line - Witches who tap directly into the "ever after", which is where demons are believed to live. This type of magic doesn't use blood, but instead feeds off the user's/victim's soul. 
Rachel is a white earth witch, so she relies primarily on charms, potions, and amulets as source of magic. One thing that irked me was the difficulty level assigned to creating potions and spells, despite some only having a few simple instructions (referencing Rachel's mink transmutation spell). In fact, most witches in this book have to rely on purchasing their charms, which was a little lame. However, towards the end of the story, Rachel has to rely on making her own charms and the lameness started to fade away. 

In terms of action and suspense, this book is packed full of it!  A death threat was placed on Rachel by her former boss and he goes to the extreme in an attempt to kill her. So, much of the book involves fighting off/eluding hired Vampire, Were, and Fairy assassins. There were honestly times that I just couldn't put the book down. 

I also found Dead Witch Walking to contain quite a bit of humor. The banter between Jinx (an awesome pixy), Ivy (Rachel's partner and living vampire), and Rachel had me literally laughing out loud. One particular instance I can recall was when Rachel suffered major blood loss and became delusional. Some of the things said were not unlike the videos you see on YouTube of people after being released from Dental surgery (example)

This book seems to be fairly well known, but if you haven't given it a chance yet, I recommend doing so. 

Monday, July 28, 2014

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We Were Liars

Rating: 5 Stars
Author: E. Lockhart
Version: eBook

GoodReads:
A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart. 

Read it.

And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

Review:
I went into reading We Were Liars pretty much blind, since all I knew was that it was a contemporary and about a group of kids. Throughout the book, what I thought the story was about changed not once, not twice, but THREE times. I'll try to explain what I mean without giving away too much:

At first I believed the story was about the narrators's childhood. Since most of the content was memories and her experiences on their private island. For this reason, I was disinterested in the first 30-40% of the book. Yet, as I continued reading, the story changed into a manipulation game and power struggle between family members. My interest level spiked. Then, the final part of the book blew me out of the water and became something I didn't expect entirely!

One thing I found unique was the narrator's use of graphic metaphors. For this reason, the opening of this story was a bit of a shocker. Even more so shocking, is that she doesn't give you any indication it's a metaphor until you keep reading and realize not to take it literal. Here's what I  mean:
That June, summer fifteen, Dad announced he was leaving… My father put a last suitcase into the backseat of the Mercedes… Then he pulled out a handgun and shot me in the chest. I was standing on the lawn and I fell. The bullet hole opened wide and my heart rolled out of my rib cage and down into a flower bed. Blood gushed rhythmically from my open wood,then from my eyes,my ears,my mouth. 

Yeah... upon first reading this, my jaw dropped. Oh and by the way, metaphors not unlike the one above, are selectively placed throughout the whole of the story.

Another detail unique to the narrator is the incorporation of fairy tales, which help to illustrate current situations and foreshadow future ones. The first few tellings I took lightly, but by the third or so I started to read further into the lines and decrypt what she truly meant. It was fun to say the least.

As I said earlier, the ending of the book was mind blowing! It had me questioning SO many things. Who/what are the group of Liars? Why didn't they plan their actions logically? Is this even a contemporary? Seriously, read this book, but go into it blind or without knowing anymore than what I've written above.

Monday, July 21, 2014

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Landline

Rating: 4 Stars
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Version: Hardcover

 GoodReads:
Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble. That it’s been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply — but that almost seems besides the point now.

Maybe that was always besides the point.

Two days before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her — Neal is always a little upset with Georgie — but she doesn’t expect to him to pack up the kids and go home without her.

When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally done it. If she’s ruined everything.

That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts . . .

Is that what she’s supposed to do?

Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?


Review:
Hmm.. I'm not really sure where to start with this one. I guess I could say I liked the book, but it might be the least favorite of my Rainbow Rowell collection - right behind Attachments. Speaking of Attachments, Landline definitely shared some similarities. For instance, Neal was very reminiscent of Lincoln and likewise with Georgie and Beth. Furthermore, the two stories seem to be paced similarly by progressing rather slowly at first and then sucking you in later. 

Don't get me wrong, after all I’m giving Landline a 4 star rating, but the story seemed a bit slow and I got a little tired of hearing Georgie ramble about Neal. I feel like that sentence is wrong since the Neal situation is a major plot theme, but yeah.. Sometimes it just got a little too "Neal, Neal, Neal..." for me. Also, I had a problem with the way the ending didn’t address the show, which was a huge part of the book. I really wanted to know if became a success and if Georgie and Seth made it big.

Now that the major negatives are out of the way, let me address some of the things I enjoyed. For starters, I love the way Rainbow Rowell writes and the way she tells a story. I don't really know how to describe it, but it always feels so... Warm? It's like sitting in front of a fireplace, while reading in a big comfy chair. Is that weird? If so, then let me adjust my sentence and say that her writing style is warm and comforting. Regardless, I liked the majority of characters in landline, but there were two that didn't seem developed enough. The two children, Alice and Noomie, came across as something that didn't quite fit or were perhaps misplaced. Maybe I was just thrown by Noomie's insistence on being a green kitty and her meowing habit that was never addressed, or maybe they just didn't get mentioned enough for me to like them. Whatever the reason, I feel that they didn't fit. The rest of the characters I enjoyed. For example, I liked Seth's personality, Scotty's humor, Neal's straightforwardness, Georgie's wit, the mother's flamboyant sexuality, and Heather's playful humor. Additionally I really enjoyed the crazy situations Georgie finds herself in. For those who haven't read Landline yet, you can look forward to a weird, but touching pug, dryer incident; a hellacious trip to Omaha; and of course a magic phone.

Overall, I liked the book and would definitely recommend it. I would especially recommend it to those who enjoyed reading any of Rainbow Rowell's earlier works and to those craving a good book that mixes contemporary with bits of fantasy. 





Wednesday, July 16, 2014

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Crazy

Rating: 5 Stars
Author: Han Nolan
Version: eBook

 Goodreads:
Fifteen-year-old Jason has fallen upon bad times—his mother has died and his father has succumbed to mental illness. As he tries to hold his crazy father and their crumbling home together, Jason relies on a host of imaginary friends for guidance as he stumbles along trying not to draw attention to his father’s deteriorating condition.


Both heartbreaking and funny, Crazy lives up to the intense and compelling characters Han Nolan is praised for. As Jason himself teeters on the edge of insanity, Nolan uncovers the clever coping system he develops for himself and throws him a lifeline in the guise of friendship.

Review:
I read “It’s Kind of a Funny Story: by Ned Vizzini not to long ago and really enjoyed it. So, recently I’ve been trying to find something that was remotely similar, which is where Crazy by Han Nolan comes in. 

For starters, I loved how the author puts you into the story on the very first page. Here’s an excerpt: 
"Ever since the fifth grade, I’ve had this imaginary audience in my head who follow me around and watch me like I’m the star in a movie. I talk to them, and yeah, they talk to me…. So now you’re here.”

It doesn’t stop there. The author continues to include the reader by even allowing the separate personalities in Jason’s head to address the reader. Of these personalities there are: Crazy Glue, Laugh Track, Aunt Bee, Sexy Lady, and FBG (Fat bald guy) with a mustache. Each of these personalities serves there own separate purpose. For instance, Aunt Bee is kind and compassionate, Sexy Lady is a self esteem booster, FBG with a mustache seems the be the realist, Laugh Track is an attempt to make light of a touch situation, and Crazy Glue is the childish/negative part of his mind. Here’s an except from Sexy Lady:
"SEXY LADY: Come on over here, You, and sit next to me. Make yourself comfortable. Don’t worry if you’re a little confused. Jason will explain everything. He narrates his life as he goes along.”

This interaction between the story and the reader continues throughout the whole of the book. Sometimes the personalities explain Jason’s past and sometimes they have to convince Jason to tell the You in his mind about his past. It’s a highly unique and fun reading experience and it’s weird to say, but I actually missed the “cast” at the end of the book. 

Throughout the story, Jason has to confront the feelings of losing his mother, care for his insane father, and question his own sanity. I became super frustrated by how Jason took to caring for his father all by himself and I really just wanted to shake his father back into reality. The man is so far gone that at one point in Jason’s childhood he tried to literally bury him alive to protect him from the furries (a mythological Greek enemy). However, it was really touching to read the friendship and witness the support system Jason developed after being alone for so long. 

Maybe it’s just me, but I found this book to be extremely relatable. I feel like my mind is constantly crammed with thoughts, questions, concerns, etc…. I’ve been told numerous times that I overanalyze situations and read too far into other peoples comments, but maybe that’s just me? I mean honestly who doesn’t question their sanity at some point in time. Who doesn’t have that little negative voice in their head calling them crazy or affirming their worst fears, not unlike Crazy Glue? 
"FBG with a mustache: Jason likes to keep his mind busy because he’s afraid of mental silences. Disturbing thoughts lurk just beneath the surface and he knows it. Keep up the mental chatter, my boy.” 

All in all, I really loved this book. The reading experience was extremely unique, fun, and refreshing; and the story was insanely good (pun intended)! Seriously, go read this now. 




Thursday, July 3, 2014

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Steel Lily

Rating: 5 Stars
Author: Megan Curd
Version: eBook

 Goodreads:
AVERY PIKE is a commodity. No, more than a commodity. Her existence is guarded at all costs.

She’s a water Elementalist, the strongest of her dwindling kind. She creates steam to provide energy to fuel Dome Four: the only thing standing between humanity and an earth ravaged by World War III. No steam, no Dome. No Dome, no life.

Or so she thinks.

That is, until a mysterious man offers her a way out of having to donate steam. A way to escape the corrupt government of Dome Four. While the offer seems too good to be true, Avery is intrigued. But when she arrives to her new home, she realizes the grass isn’t any less dead on this side of the fence. Instead, the lies are just hidden better.

…Which means digging deeper.


When Avery enlists the help of her friends to uncover the truth, she learns that while some secrets are better left concealed, humankind was never meant to live in a cage. And when you can control the most sought after resource, you can learn to control anything…including the fate of your world.

Review:
This book was honestly amazing. I went into it not expecting much and boy was I blown away. The story just had everything I wanted: a lot of action, a bit of mystery, a huge plot twist, and just enough romance so that it doesn't become overbearing. 

For starters, the plot of Steel Lily was just so unique - WWIII, radiation mutations, zombie like soldiers, and elementalists!! Wait, let me take a second to explain since The GoodReads summary doesn’t mention much about what I just wrote. The setting is post World War III, where radiation levels are so high that human kind is forced to live in Domes. Avery, the main character, is a rare kind of elementalist who resides in Dome 4.  Her parents were taken from here, she has very few friends, people seriously take advantage of her power for personal use, and the government cannot afford to lose her. 

In terms of elementalist, I kept relating their abilities to that of Avatar the Last Airbender, which is a show I use to love when I was younger. As the name suggests, elementalists are those who have the ability to manipulate the element(s) of earth, air, fire, and water. Those lucky enough to have that ability are coveted by the government, while ordinary humans, termed Traditionalists, are treated poorly. 

As for the war, I was never really clear on what the alliance and resistance wanted. I remember reading pieces about a universal government, but it’s definitely something that I wanted clarified. I also encountered a bit of confusion towards the end of the book, but I can’t explain without giving away some spoilers. However, at it’s vaguest, I don’t understand how an organization can treat it’s people terribly in the beginning, then be shown as the “good guys” in the end. 

On the other hand, I loved the characters! I thought the bond Avery, Alice, and Sari had, as well as their survivor personalities really made the story. Similarily, I enjoyed reading Jaxon’s sarcasm, which in my opinion was done better than Jace’s from The Mortal Instruments Series. Even more so, I really enjoyed reading the witty banter between Alice and Jaxon and found it funny how Avery struggled to stay on their level. 


In short, I LOVED this book and it’s definitely become one of my most favorite reads this year. Be aware that the story does contain a minimum amount of typos, but its nothing to distract the reader from the story. After all, I did give Steel Lily 5 Stars!!

Sunday, June 29, 2014

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Panic:

Rating: 5 Stars
Author: Lauren Oliver
Version: Hardcover

 GoodReads:
Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

 Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.
Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.
For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.


 Review:
This is one of my all time favorite contemporary reads and if you haven’t read it yet, you need to do so ASAP. Literally, go purchase this book now. 

The hook for this story is extremely enticing, or it is to me anyways. Part of this probably stems from the fact that I grew up in a small town in the middle of nowhere, not too unlike Carp - the story’s setting. I can honestly see something like Panic being a real thing at my old high school, but thankfully it wasn’t. 

The challenges of Panic were extremely intense! The players know nothing of the challenges beforehand, except for receiving a small riddle detailing the location and hint of whats to come. As such, the reader goes into the challenge with as much knowledge as the players, which really adds to the mystery and suspense. My jaw literally dropped when I finally figured out what some of the challenges where. Personally, the second challenge was my favorite… I mean honestly, there’s no way I would have made it. 

The characters of Panic came across as being very real. Most of them come from a poor family and horrible situations, which drive them to win Panic ($$$$$). I don’t want to give away anything, but Heather’s situation truly sucked and you couldn’t help but root for her to win. I don’t think I could pick a favorite character, but maybe Heather or Ann? 


 Anyways, I literally could not put this book down and wanted to reread it as soon as I finished. I managed to push aside that want for two weeks before I read it again.. the story is just that good!

Monday, June 23, 2014

Monday, June 23, 2014 - , , , No comments

Eleanor and Park:

Rating: 5 Stars
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Version: Hardcover

 GoodReads:
Two misfits.
One extraordinary love.

Eleanor... Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough...Eleanor.

Park... He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises...Park.


Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.

 Review:

 I absolutely loved this book - as I do with all of Rainbow Rowells’s works! 

If you’ve ever changed schools or been to high school in general, then you’ll be able to relate to Eleanor. She’s just transferred schools and is met with a less than welcoming environment to say the least. Things aren’t better at home either, because her stepdad makes life a living hell and he’s the financial backbone of the household. Eleanor shares a small room with her siblings, who cling to each other for support, especially when hearing their “parents” fight. 

This book bothered me, simply because I could relate to Eleanor. I also had a step parent who made my life a living hell. However, that’s all in the past. Yet, like then, I can’t understand why Eleanor’s mom couldn’t escape her situation or why she CHOSE to allow situations to happen. It’s really hard to say what I mean without giving away spoilers, but Eleanor’s mom allowed Richie (the stepdad), to treat her like trash. She even forced Eleanor and her children in the car when Richie was driving drunk. There are plenty of other instances that are up for discussion, but I’ll stop here. 

The ending of this book was a huge WOW factor. I caught a little bit of foreshadowing when Maisie and Richie were watching TV together, but I honestly didn’t connect that to Eleanor’s situation. Another part of the ending I really enjoyed was seeing Eleanor’s ‘enemies’ helping her in her time of need, it was truly heart touching. 

I realized I haven’t said a word about Park yet. For Eleanor, Park seems to be the light at the end of the tunnel or the sole thing keeping her alive. Without Park, Eleanor would be in hell 24/7 and the little bits of time they can schedule together: bus rides home, “Tina’s” house, etc… are why she keeps preserving through. It was nice being able to see how their relationship grew and changed from each’s perspective, Rainbow Rowell is just fantastic at doing this.  As for Park, I disliked him at first, but he slowly grew on me. HIs family on the other hand, I still don’t particularly like his dad, but his mom was awesome. 


Let me know what you think of Eleanor and Park when you read it, because you’re definitely going to, right? Of course you are :D. 

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Tuesday, February 18, 2014 - , , , , , , No comments

Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble



Rating: 5 Stars
Version: eBook
Author: H.P. Mallory

 Summary:
Life isn't bad for psychic Jolie Wilkins. True, she doesn't have a love life to speak of, but she has a cute house in the suburbs of Los Angeles, a cat and a quirky best friend.
Enter Rand Balfour, a sinfully attractive warlock who insists she's a witch and who just might turn her life upside down. Rand hires her to help him solve a mystery regarding the death of his client who also happens to be a ghost. Jolie not only uncovers the cause of the ghost's demise but, in the process, she brings him back to life!

Word of Jolie’s incredible ability to bring back the dead spreads like wildfire, putting her at the top of the underworld’s most wanted list. Consequently, she finds herself at the center of a custody battle between a villainous witch, a dangerous but oh-so-sexy vampire, and her warlock boss, Rand.

 Review:
I read this book in December of 2013 and yes it’s been 2 months, but this book definitely deserves a mention and I regret putting it off.  For starters, I received this book from Pixel of Ink for free and was EXTREMELY surprised by how much I loved reading it. At the time, I had just finished reading the first two books of the All Souls Trilogy (A discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night), both of which I have yet to review, and noted several similarities. For instance, you have a witch/vampire attraction, a witch who was unaware of her potential, and a full out species war that resides on the protagonist choices. However, Mallory and Harnkess’s books have enough differences to not feel like you’re rereading the same material with a different twist.

If I had to decide on which work I liked best, I would probably choose Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble, because Jolie (the main character) isn’t afraid to use her powers and is a bit more aggressive than Diana Bishop (the All Souls protagonist). Also, this book seemed to progress at a much faster pace, with less time spent wondering “when is this chapter going to be over with?” Another thing, which is unrelated to the content the book, but is something that I loved, is the cover art. The cover art appeals to my sense of Halloween and what a book about a witch should look like. It is so much more attractive than any of the All Souls dust jackets - The reason I say dust jackets is because, the hardcover editions of the All Souls trilogy are black with gold/orange star decorations, which are amazing.

As for the story, It was fast paced, action packed, and contained an ideal amount of romance. As I’ve said before, I’m not one for stories that rely heavily on romance, so it was nice to be able to read without cringing. 


I didn’t intend to mention the All Souls trilogy so much in this review, but because the concepts were similar, I find it hard not to compare them. As I said before, the concepts are unique in and of themselves and are easily distinguishable. Please give this book a chance and read it, because you won’t be disappointed. 

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