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.

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. 

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.

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? 

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.