Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday: Revenge and Zombies

 

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish


BOOKS I WISHED HAD SEQUELS


                                             



 The Crucible

Can you imagine a diabolical book where all the mean girls get the plague and pay for all their devastating lies? I can O_O

Heck, I volunteer to write it.
 Harry Potter

How about a spin-off with his children? The last scene introduced us to so many offsprings that the idea isn't too far fetched.
 Shades of Earth

The book ended with such a bang (I wish I could tell you but I don't believe in spoilers.) I do, however, believe in spin-offs.

The Fault in Our Stars

Hazel finds a secret cure and brings back Augustus from the dead. Yup, zombie love story.






Review: Requiem


Requiem marks the finale of the Delirium series for Lauren Oliver, and for us, the ending of cliffhanger madness. 

Taking place right where we left off, Lena and Julian arrive at the resistance camp to find Alex waiting for her, both surprised and hurt that she'd taken a new lover. The wilds no longer mean freedom now that the government is after them and the trio will have no choice but to join forces and fight. In fact, Requiem is packed with so much violence, leaving little space for dialogue: Alex fighting with Julian, Alex fighting with Lena, Lena fighting with Alex's new girlfriend. By the time the government finds them we've grown accustomed to all the fights. People start dying left and right, and like a typical war, no one has time to mourn.  

Then there is Hana, who Oliver attempts to give a suspenseful Bluebeard retelling twist, but fails due to her dull cured mind. Hana takes too long to ask the right questions about her future government leader husband, and when she does figure out the answers her response is a nonchalant ''oh, that isn't okay.'' 

When the cards are badly set up, it's no wonder that it all comes tumbling down into a big unresolved mess. Does the rebellion triumph? Who owns Lena's heart? I'm still waiting for Oliver to say. Perhaps she is planning a spin off series.  



Sunday, August 4, 2013

Caught my arrow # 21

Caught my Arrow is a meme similar to In my mailbox and  Stalking the Shelves featuring books that were purchased, borrowed or received that week.


I'm happy to say I finished my Goodreads Challenge of 85 books this year and am looking forward to reading many more.


Received for review
Shredded. Got some cool swag as well, thank you Karen Avivi.
Also received Mister Max from Netgalley.



Bought
Love me Tender by Audrey Couloumbis. A road trip book; this is what summer is all about. 


What are you reading this week?

Friday, August 2, 2013

Feature and Follow Friday: Crazy Glue

Parajunkee Alison Can Read


FEATURE & FOLLOW FRIDAY

Once you answer be sure to leave me your link so I can follow you back




Q: How do you handle a book you don't like?Do you DNF or do you power through?

Once I start, I have to finish. It seems unfair, as a blogger, not to. Imagine a film critic leaving in the middle of a movie.

No, I wouldn't be able to review something I didn't experience as a whole. Of course, I wouldn't sugarcoat the review either.



Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Review: The Summoning



Of all the super powers imaginable, summoning the dead ranks as the worst. No wonder Chloe Saunders prefers to think she is crazy and willingly checks into a clinic; filling her body with meds. But once the other patients start believing in her powers, she will have no choice than to investigate.

The book begins with such a gripping scene, that when Armstrong slows down the pace to introduce the characters, one can't help but get bored. Every teenager in Lyle house possesses an eerie quality -- extra-strength, telekinesis, fire-starter --  and yet Armstrong taunts us by drowning the story with awkward romantic scenes, making us choose between two brothers; a hot passive sweetheart and an ugly aggressive bad boy.

One reason why the book is worth reading is the ending. Bold and shocking, it will leave you running to the bookstore in the middle of the night to find out what happens in the sequel.


Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday: Blow it out of proportion

 

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish


ENDINGS THAT BLEW MY MIND


                                             












These books made me pull at my hair screaming
"What did you do to my favorite character?!?"





Both Life of Pi and My Sister's Keeper lead to believe one thing, but the last fifty pages turned the stories around in unsuspecting ways.



  

Children books can surprise too. 




Saturday, July 27, 2013

Review: The Universe versus Alex Woods


Ever felt underestimated?

Alex Woods was hit by a meteorite -- scarred for life and prone to epilepsy attacks -- but his wit and outstanding intelligence remained unscathed. Try telling people that. Poor Alex had no friends until he met Mr. Peterson. The only man to glance at him without pity and treat him like an average teen. So how could Alex, at seventeen, be found with Mr. Peterson's car, a bag full of pot and an urn full of ashes. What exactly did Mr. Peterson teach him?

To refer to this book as Gavin Extence's debut novel feels preposterous. His writing is beyond amateur level which explains why he's been getting so much praise. Not only did he tackle bullying, mother/teen relationships, overcoming shyness around girls; he also discussed euthanasia and faith in the unknown. He did it without being preachy. He did it with class. Teaching us new words, and how to dissect Kurt Vonnegut's novels along the way.

Instead of giving us a perfect Alex Woods, Extence also allowed us to see his bad side. Teenagers don't always appreciate what their mothers do for them. A lot can be learned from adults at that age if we learn to communicate, and this book is a fair example.


Friday, July 26, 2013

Feature and Follow Friday: Big Reveal

Parajunkee Alison Can Read


FEATURE & FOLLOW FRIDAY

Once you answer be sure to leave me your link so I can follow you back




Q: What do you do with your books after you're done reading them?

I store them in my bookcase. It's a lot more colorful in person. People have advise me to remove the book covers to make it ''nicer'' but in my opinion the covers really do protect from dust. What do you think? 

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Review: Burn for Burn


Don't believe in an eye for an eye. Well, neither does Lilia, Kat or Mary. These girls believe in something darker. They believe if you wrong them, they deserve the eye and every organ accountable for. 

Burn for Burn started up slow. The story cut from one perspective to the other, and the secrets remained secrets for too long. However, once they are revealed, it's hard not to get hooked.

Lilia is the over analytic popular girl, Kat the sexual vixen, and Mary the girl who was bullied for her weight and now suffers from anorexia. Together, they start off with so-so revenge methods that quickly spiral out of control when they realize how good it feels to take karma into their own hands. Topics like suicide, drugs, dead beat dads, family issues, and friendship, appear in the story. But for me it was the infatuation between Alex and Lilia that kept me turning the pages. 

Part two is expected August 2013.

Top Ten Tuesday: Arsenic and Dull Words

 



TOP WORDS YOU AVOID


As children we were all told to avoid one written word: Poison. Do not ingest it,  do not touch it. And do not test feed it to the plants to make them carnivorous. The word poison will eventually fade from our parents lectures to be replaced with drugs and herpes. But the stigma of reading poison anywhere will remain forever. Here are other words that turn me off when written on a back cover.



Journey usually implies lots of narration in which the main characters will over analyse the small issues in their lives and over over analyse the big ones. 








Teen Girls yurk. What if you aren't one? What if you are a boy or a mother that enjoys this type of YA literature -- must you be kept aside? This type of judgmental back cover is usually a sign for dull-witted narration.








I don't always avoid dual narratives. Although, I admit that aside from The Wolves of Mercy Falls I have yet to enjoy both narratives in a book.










   Too many buts can be confusing. 












Sunday, July 21, 2013

Review: Eve


Life in the wild or becoming a human breeding machine? Sounds like a women's liberation right. Thankfully, Eve made the right choice by running away. Women aren't objects, although I admit it was puzzling as to why they were taught how to read and write only to be enslaved afterwards. 

Anna Carey added several characters to keep us entertained throughout the novel. First Eve is forced to escape with her school nemesis, Arden. A girl who would beat you up rather than give you a hand. And then, of course, Caleb. A love interest that is both protective and sweet. Eve's school lessons gave her a charming "Wendy from Peter Pan likeness" when she reached the boys camp and learned to survive. 

Enough action scenes to anticipate a great sequel. 

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Caught my arrow # 20

Caught my Arrow is a meme similar to In my mailbox and  Stalking the Shelves featuring books that were purchased, borrowed or received that week.


You know that weird moment when you go from nothingness to a full platter in like a second. That's what I felt this week at the library as I went to scan a book and got told that all my reservations arrived at once.


Origin
The Madman's Daughter
The Boyfriend List
The Catastrophic History of You and Me
Clockwork Prince



A big thank you to Booksneeze for sending me a copy of Anomaly. It's a new Dystopia book and I can't wait to read it. 



Also, I purchased a copy of Summer and the City after watching the show. 


What are you reading this week?