Book: Cress (The Lunar Chronicles #3) by Marissa Meyer
ISBN13: 9780312642976
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.49 stars
My Rating: 5 out of 5 Japanese rock songs! (long story. One thing led to another on YouTube again)
Oh. My. God. If books were alcohol I would have the world's biggest hangover right now. I need Winter! Now! "expected publication date: November 10th 2015" NOOOO!
*Runs down steps of the palace sobbing and drops an android foot*
This book made me cry. Then again, I cry for almost everything but still! I can't explain why exactly because of spoilers but the end of chapter 53 hit me like the mutant love child of an atomic bomb and a hurricane. So I think in total my emotional outbursts were two sets of crying, a few giggles, and a countless number of awws.
Okay. So cue Cress. A Lunar shell who has been banished to live on a satellite out in space to serve as personal hacker to the Queen of Darkness, aka Queen Levana. She's a sweet, innocent girl that I always imagined as being childlike even though I don't think she was described as being so. But Cress is the kind of girl with a wild imagination and still believes in things like fate and fairytales. Basically she's the anti Cinder. But I think that was a good idea, since between Scarlet and Cinder there is too much 'Grrr! I'm a stone cold badass with lady testosterone up the wazoo' Then again we have Iko too but she's more comic relief and there's not enough of her! Seriously, I wouldn't mind a spin off with just Iko. I want an android bestie!
But anyway, back to Cress. I think her and Thorne may be my favorite couple in the book. Well... Kai and Cinder are pretty sweet. But oh the part about Scarlet being the brightest star in Wolf's sky! I can't choose! I love them all. But at the same time it seems a little too perfect that all the characters happily pair off together. I have a friend who has a strong displeasure to white, heterosexual romance (in books) and in some cases I can see where she comes from but at this point if one of my beloved power couples got 'unpaired' I would be a pathetic combination of livid and distraught.
In book two, I said that I was starting to think the plot was getting too complex and in this one I actually didn't feel that way. I don't know if the issue was resolved or I just got used to it. But I think it's because Meyer works all the old fashioned storybook characters into the book in a way that feels natural. Like all of the characters would be in the story anyway but she decided to make their personalities based off Cinderella, Little Red, Rapunzel, and in the future Snow White.
So checking in on Cinder! She's going through a pretty standard trope in YA. Which is "Omg. I'm so powerful now. I can do horrible things and it feels kinda good! But i'm still a good girl I swear! Gah. Life is complicated" She's worried about turning into her aunt Levana. By the way, do we get to learn about her mom Queen Channary? She's almost never mentioned her, or her father actually. There are lots of unanswered questions still going on in this series. So i'm dying to know what happens in part 4/ Winter! Erghh. Is there a support group for people waiting for a books to come out? There should be.
Thanks For Reading!
-R
Friday, April 24, 2015
Sunday, April 19, 2015
LA Times Bookfest
Los Angeles Times Festival of Books 2015!
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I had hoped to get more details about the movie for Miss Peregrine's House for Peculiar Children, since one panel was about turning books to movies and Ransom was there along with Janet Fitch, Don Winslow, and Richard Rayner. But he had said that he hadn't played a very big part in the movie making process. "I didn't adapt the screenplay [For Miss Peregrine] It would be like a surgeon operation on someone they loved. I don't think it's a very good idea." - RR
A main part of the conversation was about how people will always say the book is so much better than the movie. As authors, they thought that movies had to be different than the book because they are different types of media. They also said it's an accepted fact that things need to get cut from books in the movie making process. "Turning a book into a movie is like turning a cow into a beef bouillon cube. You want to capture the essence without taking the whole thing" -J Fitch. I guess all of this is true, but whenever I see a movie from a book I love, I always get the slightest bit upset if a sweet little detail is cut out. Example, Dauntless Cake.
Another panel, with Tahereh Mafi, Leigh Bardugo, EK Johnston, and Peter Hautman had the topic of Fantasy. The authors discussed the concept of world building and their method of how they add detail to the world within the book. Tahereh admitted that the Shatter Me world revolved mostly around the character of Juliette and how she came into her head first. In the case of Leigh Bardugo she thought of the dark Shadow Fold full of monsters when she was at home one day. The lights were off, she heard a sound in the dark and decided to make a whole story around that.
My favorite part of this panel was when the writers started giving advice to aspiring writes in the crowd. Peter Hautman didn't start writing until he was 20, and Leigh Bardugo waited a long time before she actually finished a story, and didn't think she could do it! That baffles me! She has oodles of talent and she wrote this amazing trilogy that almost never was. It makes me sad to think that there are so many awesome writers out there that don't know how good they are. Just think of all the books that never got published!
Honestly, I would love to be one of those famous writers one day but that kind of involves... allowing others to read your writing. Which is just a little horrifying! (Not very many people know this but i've written 2 books of my own but they have never been seen by eyes other than mine)
Finally, my last panel that I went to! It was called 'Love, Death, and the Lives in Between' It had Aaron Hartzler, Andrew Smith, Gayle Forman, Martha Brockenbrough, and Lance Rubin. It was actually Lance Rubin's first panel ever. He said that his first book came out last month or somthing and I kinda want to check him out he seemed like a cool guy with an interesting book idea.
I'm not entirely sure how the title of the panel related to the topic. Because all of the books had death and love in them but they couldn't actually talk about it because of spoilers. But I think the most interesting part was where the authors were talking about how real teenagers influenced their work. Martha was talking to a teenage girl who read her book about pregnancy (I think it was fiction, but I haven't read it) Originally they talked about writing but then it turned out the girl really was pregnant and she talked about her boyfriend... and I guess their love story led to another love story in one of her next books. I think that's such a crazy thing to have such a close relationship to an author that you like. I've met authors more than once (Tahereh Mafi, Veronica Roth, Lauren Oliver) but unfortunately while fangirling I'm not capable of forming complete sentences.
I actually really liked the idea of Martha Brockenbrough's book. It's about two teenagers of different races who fall in love. Which in today's time a biracial couple isn't that big of a deal but the story is set in 1937 Seattle. I always tell people that I don't like historical fiction but just the other day I kinda discovered that almost every book I've read labeled 'historical fiction' I've really loved! Plus my class learned about the Harlem Renaissance a while back in history class and just the image of smokey clubs and jazz music in the background seemed really cool. So I figured, hey why not? I bought her book and got it signed (It's not coming out officially until the 28th) But I felt so bad because Gayle Forman had this massive line of fans and I was literally the only person who came to get the other author's signature.
But hey! She may have made a new fan today and that's what the even was all about. Appreciating books, finding new things to read, doing cool stuff. So I think today was a great success!
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| (In order) Lance Rubin, Gayle Forman, Aaron Hartzler, Andrew Smith, Martha Brockenbrough |
Thanks for Reading! -R
Friday, April 17, 2015
Scarlet -Marissa Meyer (Lunar Chronicles #2)
Book: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (Lunar Chronicles series)
ISBN 13: 9780312642969
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.3 stars
My Rating: 4 out of 5 tube socks! (I'm running out of ideas here)
Hello all. I meant to write a post on Wednesday, but these last few days haven't been the best. My cat passed away from cancer yesterday, and all of us are still pretty upset. *sigh* But life goes on, and I have a book to review.
I was really worried that book two couldn't work in the story of 'Little Red Riding Hood' aka 'Scarlet' to the already semi-complex Alien/Terminator/Cinderella/ it has going on already. Cinder, our main character did return as promised. However I felt like the new girl 'Scarlet' ended up crushing her and stealing all the attention. The majority of the action was with Wolf and Scarlet, and Emperor Kai hardly showed up at all. So, sorry Cinder, no sexy love scenes for you in this one. Oh and by the way is there a love triangle forming? I didn't really get that vibe but Kai said his thing with Cinder was ''over'' (doubt it) and she was hanging out with another male. The mischievous bad boy Castwell Thorne makes his debut in this book and sadly in YA, a male and female within ten feet of each other automatically become soulmates about 90% of the time. So are Thorne/ Cinder shippers a thing?I think i'm rambling. My point was, I think the story is starting to get a little too busy. Cyborgs, aliens, princesses, werewolf-ish thingies, a possible love triangle, and *gasp* drama! It just feels like Marissa Meyer wasn't sure what to write about and said "Hey... what if I just do everything"
That's my major issue with the story. The book also has a minor case of the infamous 'second book syndrome' but overall I still really love the story! As a fan of both sci-fi and fairytales it's hard to avoid being intrigued by this series. Our new girl, Scarlet is a great character. How often do you get a girl to shoot her love interest in the shoulder and makeout with him a few hours later? Scar is very protective of her grandmother and all of those she loves, how endearing. She is able to hold her own in tense situations. Also, again. She's a version of little red riding hood who keeps a gun underneath that red hoodie and goes to save her grandmother from a ruthless gang. Where was that part of the story?
And for the romance... Wolf and Scar sure have a dysfunctional relationship especially since... nevermind. Spoiler. This love vs hate thing they have going on is pretty cheesy but it's also fun to watch. It seems to me their relationship is mostly *ahem* ...physical attraction, but near the very end Scalet shows that she does trust him despite {stuff}. She sees that he is trying to be a good person on the inside when nobody else will. How sweet.
We also start to see some internal conflict inside of Cinder. She is can feel herself becoming something inhuman. Her new abilities to control minds come so naturally. They feel so good, but she knows that she can never become abuse her power, to grow into someone like her aunt Levana. Cinder wants freedom in her life and always has. But she knows finding out about being an heir to the rule of another planet pretty much throws out that possibility. Cinder knows she needs to step up and help the people of Earth not just because it's 'right' but because she wants to save Kai. She would rather die than see the man she loves marry someone else, only to have her murder him.
The suspense is killing me. Does she stop Levana?! Can she rescue Earth?! Arghhh.
ISBN 13: 9780312642969
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.3 stars
My Rating: 4 out of 5 tube socks! (I'm running out of ideas here)
Hello all. I meant to write a post on Wednesday, but these last few days haven't been the best. My cat passed away from cancer yesterday, and all of us are still pretty upset. *sigh* But life goes on, and I have a book to review.
I was really worried that book two couldn't work in the story of 'Little Red Riding Hood' aka 'Scarlet' to the already semi-complex Alien/Terminator/Cinderella/ it has going on already. Cinder, our main character did return as promised. However I felt like the new girl 'Scarlet' ended up crushing her and stealing all the attention. The majority of the action was with Wolf and Scarlet, and Emperor Kai hardly showed up at all. So, sorry Cinder, no sexy love scenes for you in this one. Oh and by the way is there a love triangle forming? I didn't really get that vibe but Kai said his thing with Cinder was ''over'' (doubt it) and she was hanging out with another male. The mischievous bad boy Castwell Thorne makes his debut in this book and sadly in YA, a male and female within ten feet of each other automatically become soulmates about 90% of the time. So are Thorne/ Cinder shippers a thing?I think i'm rambling. My point was, I think the story is starting to get a little too busy. Cyborgs, aliens, princesses, werewolf-ish thingies, a possible love triangle, and *gasp* drama! It just feels like Marissa Meyer wasn't sure what to write about and said "Hey... what if I just do everything"
That's my major issue with the story. The book also has a minor case of the infamous 'second book syndrome' but overall I still really love the story! As a fan of both sci-fi and fairytales it's hard to avoid being intrigued by this series. Our new girl, Scarlet is a great character. How often do you get a girl to shoot her love interest in the shoulder and makeout with him a few hours later? Scar is very protective of her grandmother and all of those she loves, how endearing. She is able to hold her own in tense situations. Also, again. She's a version of little red riding hood who keeps a gun underneath that red hoodie and goes to save her grandmother from a ruthless gang. Where was that part of the story?
And for the romance... Wolf and Scar sure have a dysfunctional relationship especially since... nevermind. Spoiler. This love vs hate thing they have going on is pretty cheesy but it's also fun to watch. It seems to me their relationship is mostly *ahem* ...physical attraction, but near the very end Scalet shows that she does trust him despite {stuff}. She sees that he is trying to be a good person on the inside when nobody else will. How sweet.
We also start to see some internal conflict inside of Cinder. She is can feel herself becoming something inhuman. Her new abilities to control minds come so naturally. They feel so good, but she knows that she can never become abuse her power, to grow into someone like her aunt Levana. Cinder wants freedom in her life and always has. But she knows finding out about being an heir to the rule of another planet pretty much throws out that possibility. Cinder knows she needs to step up and help the people of Earth not just because it's 'right' but because she wants to save Kai. She would rather die than see the man she loves marry someone else, only to have her murder him.
The suspense is killing me. Does she stop Levana?! Can she rescue Earth?! Arghhh.
Thanks For Reading!
-R
Saturday, April 11, 2015
YALL West!
YALL WEST 2015!
*Updated 4/12
Signed: Cinder - Marissa Meyer
Shatter Me - Tahereh Mafi
Vanishing Girls - Lauren Oliver
Four- Veronica Roth
Prodigy and The Young Elites- Marie Lu
What I bought: We Were Liars - E Lockhart
Untie Me, Ignite Me, Unravel Me- Tahereh Mafi (Read them already, but I wanted the whole set)
Terminal - Brendan and Kathy Reichs
The Forest of Hands and Teeth- Carrie Ryan
Rooms - Lauren Oliver
" fiction is an endless hallway, a glass of wine, and an egg cup'' - Lauren Oliver
I thought I would open with my favorite quote of the afternoon! Today was a blast! There were so many great discussions and I got 3 books signed (with 3 more tomorrow; hopefully) All of the authors and teens were so nice! Standing in long lines I got a chance to talk to at least 3 other readers and had such interesting conversations. Reading can be such a solitary thing but today I felt like I was part of a community.
The first discussion I went to was moderated by Kami Garcia, with Libba Bray, Marie Lu, Alexander London, Tahereh Mafi and Nicola Yoon. The topic was all about how characters of books change with the times. This was a really perfect group of authors to be on this topic (so kudos to whoever designed this) All these people were very diverse; Black, White, Asian, gay, straight, Muslim, Christian, etc. I think this is definitely something that is relevant since our society is so much more accepting than it used to be. It's time to break down the walls we set between people because at the end of the day that's all we are...people. I'm considered bi-racial, two of my best friends are Chinese, one is Sinhalese, one is white. We are Atheist, Jewish, Christian, and Buddhist, we are straight, asexual, and pansexual. Between us we speak Spanish, Mandarin, Hebrew, Sinhalese, and English. My point is this is the new normal. We are all part of this incredible melting pot of a nation which I am so proud of (most of the time) My friends and I may not look the same but I consider this group a part of my family. I think one of the authors said it beautifully today; "Having a gay or black character does change the story. But that doesn't make the story any less ; only different" - Alexander London
*Updated 4/12
Signed: Cinder - Marissa Meyer
Shatter Me - Tahereh Mafi
Vanishing Girls - Lauren Oliver
Four- Veronica Roth
Prodigy and The Young Elites- Marie Lu
What I bought: We Were Liars - E Lockhart
Untie Me, Ignite Me, Unravel Me- Tahereh Mafi (Read them already, but I wanted the whole set)
Terminal - Brendan and Kathy Reichs
The Forest of Hands and Teeth- Carrie Ryan
Rooms - Lauren Oliver
" fiction is an endless hallway, a glass of wine, and an egg cup'' - Lauren Oliver
I thought I would open with my favorite quote of the afternoon! Today was a blast! There were so many great discussions and I got 3 books signed (with 3 more tomorrow; hopefully) All of the authors and teens were so nice! Standing in long lines I got a chance to talk to at least 3 other readers and had such interesting conversations. Reading can be such a solitary thing but today I felt like I was part of a community.
The first discussion I went to was moderated by Kami Garcia, with Libba Bray, Marie Lu, Alexander London, Tahereh Mafi and Nicola Yoon. The topic was all about how characters of books change with the times. This was a really perfect group of authors to be on this topic (so kudos to whoever designed this) All these people were very diverse; Black, White, Asian, gay, straight, Muslim, Christian, etc. I think this is definitely something that is relevant since our society is so much more accepting than it used to be. It's time to break down the walls we set between people because at the end of the day that's all we are...people. I'm considered bi-racial, two of my best friends are Chinese, one is Sinhalese, one is white. We are Atheist, Jewish, Christian, and Buddhist, we are straight, asexual, and pansexual. Between us we speak Spanish, Mandarin, Hebrew, Sinhalese, and English. My point is this is the new normal. We are all part of this incredible melting pot of a nation which I am so proud of (most of the time) My friends and I may not look the same but I consider this group a part of my family. I think one of the authors said it beautifully today; "Having a gay or black character does change the story. But that doesn't make the story any less ; only different" - Alexander London
I also wanted to fan-girl and just say that I am so excited for Veronica Roth's next books! Last month it was announced that she signed a deal with her publisher for a new series (at least 2 books) but! It won't be released until 2017 or 2018! *starts sobbing hysterically* Why?! I love Roth so much. Not just because of the books but she is so fun and quirky in the best of ways. I admit I was mad at her for the end of the Divergent trilogy but then I met her in person...it was hard to stay mad. Anyway! Her exact words on her next books:
"It's a space opera. Large scale sci-f in space... a la star wars. A man teams up with an enemy to get revenge. That's all I can say, I revise a lot. There may or may not be lasers. I cannot confirm."
-V Roth
I want those lasers! Ugh! I have to wait two years! But she actually did mention the end of Divergent in one panel and something hinting at it in another. In one she admitted that quite a few fans were pissed about the ending and some even sent her death threats. It got that bad, she admitted to having panic attacks over it. *Remembers scalding reviews I said about Allegiant* I feel so awful now! Roth said she had a good reason for doing what she did and that it wouldn't feel right if she did it any other way.Later on in a talk with Marie Lu she said; "I have planned deaths of major characters in advance since the first draft. The one all of you are thinking of... yes." My heart cracked into a thousand pieces when she said that... but of course I forgive her. -While I'm mentioning that discussion, Marie Lu compared Adelina (from The Young Elites) to Loki! (The Villain in Thor!) I must mention that because well, I'm madly in love with him. Too bad he's married, doesn't exist, and tries to destroy humanity... *sigh*-
Overall, I had so much fun today! Technically, the event is two days but tomorrow I'll just be getting stuff signed. No interesting panels or topics for me to discuss, so I thought I would just post this as is. I might update this post later and add some more photos.
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Book: Cinder by Marissa Meyer (Lunar Chronicles book 1)
ISBN 13: 9780312641894
Average Rating: 4.13
My Rating: 5 out of 5 cybernetic princesses!
Whoa! Marissa Meyer, I am impressed. None too shabby for a first novel. This was such a cool concept. A series that is all about old fashioned fairy tales with a sci-fi twist. Disney! Pleaase give us an alien princess! I didn't know how badly I wanted one until I read this.
I love Cinder! She feels so much more real than the protagonists I've been reading lately. A lot of the times in Young Adult novels it feels like the writer sits down and thinks ''I am an adult writing a teenage character. How do I write a teenage character?'' In reality, it's not that much of a difference. I felt like Marissa Meyer was thinking more along the lines of ''I am a person writing a person''. If only writers realized young adults are a lot more like adults than they think. My point is, that the character was very fluid. No awkward 'I am forcing this' vibe.
I liked the elements of culture she worked into the story. Most books are set in either America or Europe which I suppose makes sense since those are the places that speak English. The cultural elements of Asian countries especially China. Things like saying the last name first when formally introducing yourself, and using 'mèi' after someone's name. Coming from 'mèi mei' (妹妹) A lot of authors don't realize how important the tone mark is when typing in mandarin. And a lot of people say 'Chinese' when there is no language actually called Chinese. It's Mandarin, or Cantonese, or other dialects. I actually speak the tiniest bit of Mandarin Chinese. But my English and Spanish are much better. Anyway! I was just expressing my appreciation that she got the language element accurate.
Another really good element was that there was no excessive romance. It's supposed to be a Cinderella story so I mean, some swooning is unavoidable of Prince Gorgeous but I Cinder did a good job of keeping her head...for the most part. I can't judge though, when a guy says my name in school I just turn into a stuttery mess.
There was one part of the book that was really predictable but I can't really talk about it without giving so much away. I think it was obvious before Meyer revealed... The truth about Cinder's past. It was funny though since she was so shocked! Like ''Holy crap really?!'' But I think all the readers were glaring at the page like, ''Really girl, we all saw this coming.''
All in all, I thought this was really great! This book has been sitting in my 'To be read' pile for too long, I should have gotten around to it sooner. I'm just worried for the next book! Each book is supposed to be kind of a new story etc Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Snow White. And so new main characters come in? But I also saw Cinder does come back in the second book.I think that this whole introducing new major characters thing for every book could make the story overdone or confusing. Plus I developed an attachment to Cinder so I won't be happy if I see her only making cameo appearances. Argh! I'm not getting the second and third book for a few days and book 4! Isn't coming out until November! I feel like i'm being tortured! :(
But as always, Thanks For Reading!
-R
ISBN 13: 9780312641894
Average Rating: 4.13
My Rating: 5 out of 5 cybernetic princesses!
Whoa! Marissa Meyer, I am impressed. None too shabby for a first novel. This was such a cool concept. A series that is all about old fashioned fairy tales with a sci-fi twist. Disney! Pleaase give us an alien princess! I didn't know how badly I wanted one until I read this.
I love Cinder! She feels so much more real than the protagonists I've been reading lately. A lot of the times in Young Adult novels it feels like the writer sits down and thinks ''I am an adult writing a teenage character. How do I write a teenage character?'' In reality, it's not that much of a difference. I felt like Marissa Meyer was thinking more along the lines of ''I am a person writing a person''. If only writers realized young adults are a lot more like adults than they think. My point is, that the character was very fluid. No awkward 'I am forcing this' vibe.
I liked the elements of culture she worked into the story. Most books are set in either America or Europe which I suppose makes sense since those are the places that speak English. The cultural elements of Asian countries especially China. Things like saying the last name first when formally introducing yourself, and using 'mèi' after someone's name. Coming from 'mèi mei' (妹妹) A lot of authors don't realize how important the tone mark is when typing in mandarin. And a lot of people say 'Chinese' when there is no language actually called Chinese. It's Mandarin, or Cantonese, or other dialects. I actually speak the tiniest bit of Mandarin Chinese. But my English and Spanish are much better. Anyway! I was just expressing my appreciation that she got the language element accurate.
Another really good element was that there was no excessive romance. It's supposed to be a Cinderella story so I mean, some swooning is unavoidable of Prince Gorgeous but I Cinder did a good job of keeping her head...for the most part. I can't judge though, when a guy says my name in school I just turn into a stuttery mess.
There was one part of the book that was really predictable but I can't really talk about it without giving so much away. I think it was obvious before Meyer revealed... The truth about Cinder's past. It was funny though since she was so shocked! Like ''Holy crap really?!'' But I think all the readers were glaring at the page like, ''Really girl, we all saw this coming.''
All in all, I thought this was really great! This book has been sitting in my 'To be read' pile for too long, I should have gotten around to it sooner. I'm just worried for the next book! Each book is supposed to be kind of a new story etc Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Snow White. And so new main characters come in? But I also saw Cinder does come back in the second book.I think that this whole introducing new major characters thing for every book could make the story overdone or confusing. Plus I developed an attachment to Cinder so I won't be happy if I see her only making cameo appearances. Argh! I'm not getting the second and third book for a few days and book 4! Isn't coming out until November! I feel like i'm being tortured! :(
But as always, Thanks For Reading!
-R
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Pure by Jennifer Armentrout
Book: Pure by Jennifer Armentrout (covenant series 2)
ISBN 13: 9780983157229
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.37 stars
My Rating: Ergh. This is a hard one. 2 out of 5 Nutella jars
These kinds of books are so hard to rate! I am entertained by them. The characters are fun and light but the plot is soo predictable. Do I like it? Yes. Is it well written? An actual 'good' book? No. That right there. Is my relationship with most YA books. I love them and hate them at the same time. It's like watching a crappy low budget TV show with good jokes, strategically placed explosions and just enough cliffhangers to ruin you life.
The first of many overused literary tropes in this novel was the dang love triangle! *long drawn out sigh* Boy meets girl. Girl and boy like each other. Boy is all like, 'bae I can't'. New Boy comes in like 'ayyyy'. *cut to make out scenes*Girl is like 'Oh mai gawd. Like...what do I do?' *Dirty Little Secret by the All American Rejects starts playing* <---- Every. Teen. Book or movie. Right there. When I read the back cover summary I was ever so slightly embarrassed for the species of teenagers. Here, I'll give you a taste:
ISBN 13: 9780983157229
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.37 stars
My Rating: Ergh. This is a hard one. 2 out of 5 Nutella jars
These kinds of books are so hard to rate! I am entertained by them. The characters are fun and light but the plot is soo predictable. Do I like it? Yes. Is it well written? An actual 'good' book? No. That right there. Is my relationship with most YA books. I love them and hate them at the same time. It's like watching a crappy low budget TV show with good jokes, strategically placed explosions and just enough cliffhangers to ruin you life.
The first of many overused literary tropes in this novel was the dang love triangle! *long drawn out sigh* Boy meets girl. Girl and boy like each other. Boy is all like, 'bae I can't'. New Boy comes in like 'ayyyy'. *cut to make out scenes*Girl is like 'Oh mai gawd. Like...what do I do?' *Dirty Little Secret by the All American Rejects starts playing* <---- Every. Teen. Book or movie. Right there. When I read the back cover summary I was ever so slightly embarrassed for the species of teenagers. Here, I'll give you a taste:
"Being destined to become some kind of supernatural electrical outlet isn't exactly awesome- especially when Alexandra's 'other half' is everywhere she goes. Seth's in her training room, outside her classes and keeps showing up in her bedroom -so not cool-[..] But it has no effect on what Alex feels for the forbidden, pure-blooded Aiden."
Please tell me some 18 year old, intern at the publishing company with a certain fondness of marijuana wrote that! Jennifer Armentrout if you wrote that you automatically lose 10 brownie points right there.
But at the same time the characters made me laugh. The tongue and cheek banter between Seth and Alex was amusing. The fast paced mix of drama and action made my inner teenage girl go all: O_O 'cute boys, demons, and forbidden love! Must continue.' Plus I have this extremely annoying habit that once a start a series I have to finish it even if I don't even like it. (Not just books. I watched all of Marvel's Agents of Shield on netflix in a day)
Anyway! I've been reading a lot of YA lately. There's two series's I want to finish but after that I think I'll read a couple 'grown up' books. I'm getting to a point where I can't just read YA anymore it gets boring.
Thanks For Reading!
-R
Friday, April 3, 2015
The Bean Trees
Book: The Bean Trees
ISBN 13: 9780812474947 (or 9780060915544 for the alternate cover)
Average Rating: 3.91
My Rating: 5 out of 5 Bean Trees
This is the second book of Barbara Kingsolver's that I've had to read for school (the other being the Poisonwood Bible) Because obviously she's the only writer from the 21st century good enough to be taught in high school English class, in the eyes of the my school! Not that I mind of course,
I think Barbara Kingsolver has a really great style, when you read her books they have this deep southern feel to it and I think she captures it so well because she actually is from Kentucky. I always think of mason jars full of lemonade and farm houses when i'm reading -even though her descriptions aren't always positive-
Kingsolver is honest with her gritty descriptions of the things like Newt's death and poverty within Taylor's community. She also allows her life experiences to influence her writing. I know a lot of writers do this but she wrote this book right after a divorce and she just bottled up all of that 'I don't need a man to make me happy *head roll, snap*' and unleashed it into this novel.
And there's her obsession with palindromes! Are they in all of her books? This was written first and Taylor and Estevan discussed them pretty briefly in this book, but then they were all over the Poisonwood Bible in the mind of Adah Price. Is there some kind of significance to them?
Speaking of Estevan! I wanted to mention the whole Estevan/ Esperanza/ Taylor love triangle. I see badly written love triangles in YA books all the time so I think I have a right to say that this was the right way to do it. Allie Condie, Stephanie Meyer, take notes! Taylor obviously cared for Estevan but she respected the fact that he was married. She didn't resent Esperanza and came to support her when Esperanza almost killed herself. If Taylor did harbor some resentment or jealousy toward Esperanza it was because of her relationship with Turtle.
Turtle was such a strong character for a little kid. She was raped, beaten, abandoned in a strangers car -no offense to Taylor- all before the age of 3. And then months later she was attacked again in the park. But little Turtle bounces right back and learns to talk and laugh like any other child her age. I think that's why her and Taylor were such a great mother/ daughter match because Taylor didn't exactly have an easy life either. She grew up in a tiny town where there wasn't any opportunity for her to be anything more than a pregnant farmer's wife. But she hung on, graduated high school and got the courage to leave Kentucky. I think when Turtle grows up she's going to be just as stubborn as her mama is. Speaking of Taylor and Turtle growing up, there is a sequel to this called Pigs in Heaven that i'm considering reading. Maybe once I finish some other books I'll come back to it. Anyway!
Thanks for Reading!
- R
ISBN 13: 9780812474947 (or 9780060915544 for the alternate cover)
Average Rating: 3.91
My Rating: 5 out of 5 Bean Trees
This is the second book of Barbara Kingsolver's that I've had to read for school (the other being the Poisonwood Bible) Because obviously she's the only writer from the 21st century good enough to be taught in high school English class, in the eyes of the my school! Not that I mind of course,
I think Barbara Kingsolver has a really great style, when you read her books they have this deep southern feel to it and I think she captures it so well because she actually is from Kentucky. I always think of mason jars full of lemonade and farm houses when i'm reading -even though her descriptions aren't always positive-
Kingsolver is honest with her gritty descriptions of the things like Newt's death and poverty within Taylor's community. She also allows her life experiences to influence her writing. I know a lot of writers do this but she wrote this book right after a divorce and she just bottled up all of that 'I don't need a man to make me happy *head roll, snap*' and unleashed it into this novel.
And there's her obsession with palindromes! Are they in all of her books? This was written first and Taylor and Estevan discussed them pretty briefly in this book, but then they were all over the Poisonwood Bible in the mind of Adah Price. Is there some kind of significance to them?
Turtle was such a strong character for a little kid. She was raped, beaten, abandoned in a strangers car -no offense to Taylor- all before the age of 3. And then months later she was attacked again in the park. But little Turtle bounces right back and learns to talk and laugh like any other child her age. I think that's why her and Taylor were such a great mother/ daughter match because Taylor didn't exactly have an easy life either. She grew up in a tiny town where there wasn't any opportunity for her to be anything more than a pregnant farmer's wife. But she hung on, graduated high school and got the courage to leave Kentucky. I think when Turtle grows up she's going to be just as stubborn as her mama is. Speaking of Taylor and Turtle growing up, there is a sequel to this called Pigs in Heaven that i'm considering reading. Maybe once I finish some other books I'll come back to it. Anyway!
- R
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
The Young Elites by Marie Lu
Book: The Young Elites
ISBN 13: 9780399167836
Average Goodreads Rating: 3.96
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stuffed animals
*Note: The last paragraph my or may not contain spoilers! You are warned!!!*
Whew! This is my fourth book that I've read since Friday and it's... Wednesday. I think. Isn't spring break wonderful? So YALL Fest is 2 weeks away and I'm going to meet a couple authors I haven't read all of their books yet. Marie Lu was one of them but now since I finished this one I can check her off the list. I want to read The Lunar Chronicles series before I go (Marissa Meyer) and I have the first book i'm getting signed. So yeah! I'm using spring break to get all of the reading done.
This is Marie Lu's fourth book so far came out late last year I think, and her Legend trilogy pretty much came out in rapid succession and I hear this book has a sequel coming in October. My point being, she's pretty fast! I think she has a lot of potential and Legend got a lot of attention with rumors of a movie floating around. She isn't my favorite author right now but I think she's good.
My issue with Marie Lu is that her books, and characters especially feel very... rigid. What I mean by that is that they are all tough military people -Like June in Legend- There isn't a lot of jokes going on and they all act very formal. Which, granted is expected in high stakes kind of situations all of her books have that action, sci-fi, spy movie feel. But she's writing about teenagers and when I read them I always picture adults and teenagers are obviously very silly people! *starts strutting around the room in a chicken suit singing show tunes*
What I did like about this book was the unconventional approach. The protagonist, Adelina is more of an anti hero that an actual hero. She has the power to raise illusions and creepy demon-y things and kill people with her mind. Adelina was mistreated for many years by her father and holds a deep resentment inside of her but at the same time she's feeling guilty for being responsible for his death. She's sick of being used and being an outcast and it's clear she wants revenge instead of offering forgiveness, all this is fueling the 'darkness' inside of her. It's pretty much the backstory of a comic book villain! Seriously, part of me expected batman to run in like ''Ay! Wassup? This isn't Kenettra it's Gotham city everybody!'' Or maybe not. But my point is clear!
This book reminded me a lot of the Shatter Me series by Tehereh Mafi and the beginning. A young girl in a prison cell, who kills someone on accident. Someone who is fighting with the good and evil within them. Except Juliette runs from her power and Adelina runs straight into it. That would be an awesome crossover... if the two of them met! Who would win in a fight Juliette Ferrars vs Adelina Amouteru!? Lol sorry I nerded out for a second.
And the cliffhanger! Man! So... there's a woman who can bring people back from the dead. Aand... someone had died. Normally I would just come out and say who dies but someone accidentally spoiled it for me when I was still on chapter one and it ruined everything! My heart was broken! But hey! Are they going to bring him/her/it back? I hope so, because he/she/it was one of my favorites. ''The Rose Society'' book 2 is coming out on October 6th 2015 but I hear that's it's also subject to change. I guess we'll just have to wait and see!
Thanks For Reading -R
ISBN 13: 9780399167836
Average Goodreads Rating: 3.96
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stuffed animals
*Note: The last paragraph my or may not contain spoilers! You are warned!!!*
Whew! This is my fourth book that I've read since Friday and it's... Wednesday. I think. Isn't spring break wonderful? So YALL Fest is 2 weeks away and I'm going to meet a couple authors I haven't read all of their books yet. Marie Lu was one of them but now since I finished this one I can check her off the list. I want to read The Lunar Chronicles series before I go (Marissa Meyer) and I have the first book i'm getting signed. So yeah! I'm using spring break to get all of the reading done.
This is Marie Lu's fourth book so far came out late last year I think, and her Legend trilogy pretty much came out in rapid succession and I hear this book has a sequel coming in October. My point being, she's pretty fast! I think she has a lot of potential and Legend got a lot of attention with rumors of a movie floating around. She isn't my favorite author right now but I think she's good.
My issue with Marie Lu is that her books, and characters especially feel very... rigid. What I mean by that is that they are all tough military people -Like June in Legend- There isn't a lot of jokes going on and they all act very formal. Which, granted is expected in high stakes kind of situations all of her books have that action, sci-fi, spy movie feel. But she's writing about teenagers and when I read them I always picture adults and teenagers are obviously very silly people! *starts strutting around the room in a chicken suit singing show tunes*
What I did like about this book was the unconventional approach. The protagonist, Adelina is more of an anti hero that an actual hero. She has the power to raise illusions and creepy demon-y things and kill people with her mind. Adelina was mistreated for many years by her father and holds a deep resentment inside of her but at the same time she's feeling guilty for being responsible for his death. She's sick of being used and being an outcast and it's clear she wants revenge instead of offering forgiveness, all this is fueling the 'darkness' inside of her. It's pretty much the backstory of a comic book villain! Seriously, part of me expected batman to run in like ''Ay! Wassup? This isn't Kenettra it's Gotham city everybody!'' Or maybe not. But my point is clear!
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