the book blog
Lock-In
When the wolf-kids get tired of people pushing them around they show their true-selves at the school lock-in. Jackie didn't think the lock-in would go well but she didn't think she'd have to fight to stay alive either. I gave this book 5/5 stars. It's exciting, but short. It leaves you wanting for more. Plus, there's werewovles, what more could you want?
Last Desserts
There's a new bakery in town, and while the cookies are amazing they also turn you into the most perfect person by definition of the bakery owner. But when Ella doesn't get a job working at the bakery, she decides that she won't eat the cookies. She starts noticing how everyone is becoming way too perfect, and she realizes that sometimes messy is the way to go, and that she has to save the day and get her town back! I gave the book 5 out of 5 stars, mostly because I love books about food, but it's short and it's fun.
The only Cinderella retelling I have ever liked
I have to get a few things out of the way before I start this book review. 1. While I adore fairy tale retellings, I have never enjoyed the story of Cinderella. I didn’t love the idea of a girl just hoping and waiting for outside influences to change her life. Before this book, that’s all I felt about Cinderella. 2. This book has completely changed my mind. The story of Cinderella is many of centuries old. Yet, Marissa Meyer found a way to reinvent this story into something new and exciting.
In this version, Cinder is a cyborg in futuristic New Beijing. Cyborgs in this world have metal infused into their bodies for medical reasons. Instead of organic transplants, the lower classes have to take metal ones for nerve and muscle replacements. Once a person has one of these transplants, they are seen as part of an even lower class. They are treated as something to be avoided in society. Cinder has been a cyborg for as long as she can remember. She was brought to live with her “family” at the age of 11 and has no memory before then. Her mechanic “Father” traveled to England for work and returned with her to become a part of his family. He is one of the men who worked on her to save her life. Cinder, now 16, works as a mechanic downtown to support her new family after her Father has died from the plague cursing the country. This could be enough to fuel this first book in the Lunar Chronicles.
However, there is so much more. The Emperor has the plague, the (very handsome)prince shows up at Cinder’s shop to have his android repaired, the colony on the Moon is prepared to wage war on the Earth, and Cinder is on a path that will lead her to find out the secrets of her past. I really liked this book. I read it in a little over a day and enjoyed each moment. Meyer did a great job of making this retelling wonderful and new but still keeping the underlying base story intact. I have only three critiques of this book. The first is that I wish there was more background information of how the world came to be as it is. The second is that 16 seems an unreasonable age for Cinder to be. I imagine her to be around 19 or 20. The third is that there is going to be a year between each new installment of the series. Waiting that long is as far from fun as I can imagine. If you like fairytale retellings, cyborgs, or just a good Sci-Fi novel, you are in for a treat.
Spent Every Extra Second I Had Reading!
Set in a future post-apocalyptic world, society has discovered a cure for all the problems of today. The root of every problem: love, or amor deliria nervosa (so called in the future society). When a citizen turns 18, they undergo an operation to make them not love at all. They are paired with a mate and lead boring lives with no real emotion except honor for their society. Lena is like any other girl at 17 - wanting to get her operation to lead her perfect, happy, little life. This all changes when she meets Alex, though. He makes her feel things that she has never felt before - things that are illegal in her society.This book exposes the truth of love and just how precious it is to life.
The author, Lauren Oliver, does a great job of keeping the reader guessing up until the very end (which is very realistic and a nice change from the fairytale ending of so many other books today). Delirium is the right edges of fun, sadness, happiness, fright, and danger. It far exceeded my expectations! Definitely one of my new favorite books!
A book told in two voices
This author did a great job of altering the old story by Robert Louis Stevenson called, "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" and making it a modern day romance! The book alternates between narrations of the two main characters, Jill and Tristen. Jill Jekel and Tristen Hyde fall in love in high school chemistry class. Jill is being raised by a single mom and Tristen is being raised by a single dad. They have a lot in common. It becomes more complicated when Tristen's dad (a psychiatrist) starts treating Jill's mom for depression. Another important character is Jill and Tristen's chemistry teacher who seems to have more than an ordinary fascination with these two young people. This book ends up with a dramatic ending.
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
As one of the most adorable books that I have ever read, I would highly recommend this book. When Hadley misses the flight from JFK to London for her father's wedding, she is stuck at the airport for several hours waiting on the next flight. In the meantime her path crosses with Oliver, a British boy waiting to take the same flight on a visit home to England. This casual meeting is only the beginning of their time together as they find themselves in seats 18A and 18C. Thinking the Oliver and Hadley are a young couple, the women between them switches to let them sit next to each other. The two spend most of the flight taking on their way to two very different but important life events. While this story is adorable and heart-warming it is also so much more. This is a story about family, love and forgiveness. Hadley does not feel like she fits into her father's new life in England and is dreading the entire weekend she will have to spend there. Covering the history of how she has come to this point in her life this is a well rounded story about how everything in our lives can lead us to find wonderful things, such as the possibility of love at first sight.
Double Identity Book Review
Double Identity is a science fiction book about a girl named Bethany. Lately, her parents have been acting weird. Her father is really concerned about her safety and her mom never stops crying. One day her father gets them all in a car and drives them all to an aunt she never even knew existed. They leave her there with not even an emergency phone number. While she is there she encounters a person who thinks Bethany looks familiar, even though she has never seen her before. As more and more unexplained events happen, she is trying to figure it all out and the only hint is about someone named Elizabeth. Since a man keeps following her around she realizes she isn’t the only one trying to figure everything out.
I give this book 4 stars out of five!
Mudshark
Mudshark is about a boy by the name of Lyle Williams. He is also known as Mudshark. The story takes place at school. Mudshark is the boy at school who pays attention to everything around him. When things go missing, he is the person everyone asks for help in finding it. He usually knows just where everything is and likes the fact that everyone comes to him. It makes him feel good. Then he thinks that he has met his match with a talking parrot in the library. Mudshark is up against the parrot in finding things and wants to be on top. The school seems to be missing several things. The principal asks Mudshark to help in finding where the missing things are. Can Mudshark help to find out who keeps taking things? Will the parrot tell? Will anyone get into trouble? Will Mudshark out smart the parrot and remain on top?
I recommend that you read this book . It made me wanting to find out what happens in the end. All of Gary Paulsen’s books are really good. He writes about silly things that really can happen to kids. He also writes books about the outdoors. His books will keep you wanting to read more and some will even make you laugh.
I give this book at 3 star rating out of 5 stars.
Intriguing historical fantasy by Wisconsin author
Set in the mythical country of Hytanica, this fantasy story centers around the princess of a kingdom that was once at war with a ruthless country, Cokyri. As Alera is the crown princess and nearing her 18th birthday, she is being pressured to chose a man to marry with all the traits that will suit the next ruler of the country. While Alera attempts to find any suitor to her liking that her father will approve of more than his choice for succession, the arrogant Lord Steldor, a young man, Narian, who was stolen from his home country of Hytanica as a baby to be raised in Cokyi returns to his birth place to find his family and captures Alera's attention. With an impending war ensuing over Narian's return the choices that Alera make became even more important as heir to the throne. Struggling to deal with growing up while balancing her wishes, her father's wishes and what is best for the kingdom, this is also a coming of age story for a young girl. While the writing style is a somewhat unrefined in the first novel of this series, the story is captivating to the point that I couldn't stop reading and the writing definitely improves in the second book of the series.
With the second title in the series, Allegiance having been published this February and the third book in the series, Sacrifice, being released late 2012, this is the perfect time to start up this trilogy. Fans of historical fiction, romance and fantasy will enjoy this series, although the endearing characters and enticing story will captivate even casual YA readers.
Along for the Ride
I have always appreciated Sarah Dessen for her great character development. I fall in love with the characters and wish they really existed. This book is no exception. Dessen really knows how to make her creations believable, but with just a little extra romanticism thrown in. This book is focused on a girl named Auden. Her parents are both professors who bring an intellectual, if not abnormally social tone to her life. Auden didn’t have a normal childhood. She spent her evenings at her mother’s grad student dinners and her days waiting for her father to take a break from writing his never ending book. Her parents are now divorced and Auden lives with her mother while her father has a new family in a beach town a couple of hours away. It’s the summer before she leaves for college and she decides to take a break from her routine life to spend the next couple of months with her new step family.
During the summer, Auden meets Eli. An insomniac like herself, they spend their nights exploring the town and trying to recreate the childhood she never had. Eli opens up about his past as he helps Auden try to make new memories. Auden learns to give people chances, even her family, and ends up making true friends along the way. This is a book about self discovery, love, patience, and the ability to change your life. Dessen will not disappoint with this. You will find yourself rooting for your favorite characters and yelling at the ones who just don’t get it. You won’t want the book to end. Definitely 4/5 stars.
This dystopic book is the second in a trilogy
This book takes up where 'Birthmarked' left off. Gaia has run away with her newborn sister, Maya. They are captured and taken to a society called Sylum where women are in charge and their leader is called the Matrarc. Gaia is glad to be there when she confirms that this is where her grandmother lived. However, rapidly the cruelty and unfairness of this place become apparent. We are glad to see Gaia reunited with Leon. However, that reunion is also fraught with complications. Gaia grapples, throughout the book, with being true to herself and to midwifery. She also faces enormous responsibilities of helping a society plan for how to survive and how to change successfully. The politics, consequences, and challenges of change are very much apparent in the book. Can't wait for book three! (Working title: Promised) Also, I just discovered a free Kindle book called Tortured which is from Leon's point of view and is a bridge between Birthmarked and Prized (for those of you who want more! ;) )
