What I'm Reading

I pre-ordered this book in February and it's finally here. Edda by Conor Kostick. Most of my readers have probably never heard of this series. It's perfect for gamers like myself, but it would still find a place in the hearts of science fiction readers. If you want to check the series out, the first book is called Epic, and the second is Saga. Edda is the final book of the trilogy, and once I find it (I already lost it -_-) I will definitely read and have a review up for you all soon.

Also, I started reading the book The Water Wars. I forget the author but in the book water is basically sacred and extremely valuable. I was reading this book while relaxing in the pool, which is a complete waste of water. I found that pretty ironic.

Happy Reading :)

Borders

Most people have probably heard that all Borders stores are closing now... When I heard the news I was extremely upset. That was the only bookstore nearby where I could wander through the shelves to find new undiscovered books. I went to the store this weekend and picked up a ton of books during the closing sale, so look for some new reviews soon.

Elemental

Elemental by Tiffany Dominguez
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

In a nutshell, Elemental was unique but not up to it's full potential. It's been a while since I read this book and I honestly don't remember the main character's name, but I can review the style and whatnot.

The story starts out great, original creations that are well explained so that I won't get lost along the way. Or so I thought. The characters are also well developed and I feel like we are going to become great friends xD. Cheesy, I know. But about halfway through, everything changed. The plot felt rushed while not getting anywhere at the same time. The action scenes are seemed the same and I found myself thinking, didn't this already happen? And the romance was definitely forced for me. All of a sudden the two characters went from mortal enemies to lovers destined to be together. Not exactly believable to me.

All in all, the story has potential. The author herself showed me this book, so I was extremely happy to write this review. I even look forward to a sequel to see any improvements of the fabulous idea.

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The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My favorite book. Hands down.

I read The Hunger Games for the first time in 7th grade, about 3 years ago. Even though I've grown and read many new books since then, this one always tops them. I finally decided to write a review and get it all out.

Katniss Everdeen lives in the country of Panem, built from the ruins of what was North America. Governed by the Capitol, 13 districts rose, each with a different job to perform. But when the displeased districts rebelled, they were shut down and the 13th district was destroyed for good. To remind them of the Capitol's power, every year a girl and boy between the ages 12 and 18 must be put into The Hunger Games, a fight to the death. In District 12, Katniss' home, going into these games is basically a death sentence. But the reaping has come once again...may the odds be ever in your favor.

I was captivated from the first page. Katniss was unlike any heroine I had ever read about. She was extremely independent and completely had the confidence that I hope to find in myself one day. I looked up to her and still do. The male leads each held their own as well. Peeta and his soft, tender ways. Gale and his determination and plain awesomeness. Even Haymitch and his drunk but wise personality made me fall in love. (And don't forget Cinna. Everyone loves a man with a sense of style.)

Collins' writing style had such variety and purpose that no scene felt unnecessary or boring. Even when they weren't packed with action, they were packed with emotion. For weeks after reading I couldn't stop thinking about where the plot could lead and even made up a few possibilities in my mind. I'm proud to say that I read this book right when it came out and that I've spread it's love to MANY of my friends. LOVE <3

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Update!

At the moment, I have a couple books that I plan to review. But I'm just not in the mood. I need to be inspired by a book right now. I have a ton of books on my shelves but none are really jumping out at me! If anyone has any suggestions for a book that will give me that amazing feeling that The Hunger Games gives me...hmm maybe I should read it again...let me know. I'm going to Borders this weekend and any fresh ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Summer's Crossing

Summer's Crossing by Julie Kagawa
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I didn't know it was possible for a series to improve with every book until I discovered the one and only Julie Kagawa. Even though this is just a novella, it is packed with enough action and emotion to be its own book. I would love to have this book as a hard copy to just hold in my hands and stare at for a long, long time.

Summer's Crossing kicks off with our main men. His royal iciness, Ash, and scheming jokester, Puck. they're on a search for the Grimalkin, who, unfortunately, is basically impossible to find unless he wants to be found. This task will require a good amount of time. Time they don't have. And Leanansidhe is about to take some of it away. She's calling in a favor from Ash. Her problem: Queen Titania has stolen her brand new "violin". And she wants Ash and Puck to steal it back.

Told from Puck's point of view, this story has an entirely different mood than the other books in the series. He uses jokes and sarcasm to keep the feeling light, but underneath he sometimes hides secrets that he will never share. Puck has a huge inner struggle throughout the novella. What's more important? His happiness with the woman he loves, or the complete happiness of the woman he loves when she is with the man who has vowed to kill him? I can see why the decision is a tough one. Let's just hope he makes the right one ;).

Reading Summer's Crossing was a great refresher of where Iron Queen left off, and it left me wanting to return to the world of Faery for more adventures. New environments were explored once again, and I feel like there's place I can wonder off to in my mind whenever I want. Everything is so vivid. It's one of my favorite things about these books.

Short book, short review, but it has definitely secured a long-term spot in my memory.

Update

Hey everyone! I've been missing for a few days but don't worry, I'll have 2 new reviews soon! The end of the school year rush with finals and everything has really been getting to me. Soon I'll have plenty of time to crank out those reviews. The upcoming reviews will be for Z (I'll have to check on the author) and Summer's Crossing by Julie Kagawa.

Girl in the Arena

Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

This is going to be one of my harsher reviews. I don't like it, but it has to be like this :(

In Girl in the Arena, the Roman gladiators from the past that now seem slightly like fantasy have become the reality of the future. When Lyn's 7th father is killed fighting an American title match, his opponent is allowed to take anything that belonged to the loser. Of all things, he picks up Lyn's dowry bracelet. Which means she has to marry him.

I found myself having a hard time getting into this book right from the start. The strange dialogue using dashes instead of quotes, the flat characters, and the slow pace turned me away.

Ex. -Are you all right? she asks, her voice raspy and urgent and I know she's been crying and chain smoking all night. -- There's even another dash in that same paragraph that doesn't lead to dialogue and I just can't follow it.

As for the flat characters, I didn't even care that her father was killed. He just seemed like a thing. Not a person. A disposable thing. I didn't know anything about him that made him who he was, and when he was gone, I didn't feel a thing. Normally I cry when my new-found friends are killed off...Nothing. *spoiler* Even the suicide of her mother who was Lyn's support didn't faze me. It wasn't even clear that she was dead at first. So I was just confused. *end spoiler*

The slow pace never improved. The attempts at "twists" in the plot were just unnecessary and also left me wondering why I was still reading the book. (The answer is that I hate leaving something without knowing what happens. No matter how terrible it is.) The unique premise made me think that there would be a lot of fast-paced action, but it all led up to one scene that just died out in the end.

So my suggestion--don't spend your time reading this book. If you feel compelled to know what happens, just read about it online.

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Eon: Dragoneye Reborn

Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I had high expectations for this book. Which made it all the more disappointing when I finally got around to reading it and turned out to be nothing special.

The main character, Eona (16 yrs old), must pretend to be a boy (12 yrs old) in order to be a candidate to be chosen by 1 of 12 dragons to be a Dragoneye. She uses the excuse of being a Moon Shadow, a boy who does not mature, as an excuse for looking feminine. She is also crippled, which helps her hide her womanly curves. This is because women are not allowed the special position of Dragoneye, but her special ability to see the dragons is enough for her new master to train her. Obviously, this secret will become a problem.

Throughout the entire book, I kept waiting for something spectacular and unexpected to happen. That moment never came. (It could be that I've just been amazing at predicting things these days so nothing surprises me.) The story was dragged out to a point where I had to go back and reread things because I kept skipping pages. Way too much time was spent on unnecessary description that did not contribute to your imaginative picture or the moving of the plotline. It was so slow going that I had to force myself to keep reading. The plot had so much potential. Hopefully it's carried out in a better way in the sequel, Eona. Yes, I will be reading it.

Most of the characters were forgettable, except for a select few such as Prince Kygo and Lady Dela. They had some nice outstanding features, but other than that, I got all the people confused.

Overall, I was glad I read the book for the sake of the creative plot and the battle action that takes place in the end. It was lacking in the romance that I always like, but not every book can have that so the action scene at the end was a nice replacement for me. I would actually give the book 2.5 stars, but decided it was closer to 3 than 2 since I can't give halves.

I'll probably pick up Eona soon because I need a definite conclusion to the books I read.

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Bumped

Bumped by Megan McCafferty
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Going into this book I expected it to be all about one thing. Sex. To my delight, it went much deeper than that.

The two main characters, Melody and Harmony, are twins who were separated and birth and finally reunited. At first the two names were interchangable to me. But as the book got going, there was a distinct difference between the personalities of the girls that made them easy to tell apart. The thing was, they were learning new things about themselves along with you. This made for a great read.

Melody lives in a world where teenage girls are bred to bump. Because of the Virus that has been quickly spreading, only girls teenagers are able to become pregnant and keep the world population stable instead of rapidly decreasing. Melody has an agent, has all of the right looks and talents, has a family to bump for, and is just waiting for the right guy to bump. A professional. Not an everythingbut.

Harmony was raised in a completely different way. Being a slightly sickly child at birth, she was sent to be raised by the church. They tought her what to think, and she was never allowed to question the teachings. She was due to be married at 13, but things didn't follow through. Now she has a new finace, Ram. Will things work out better the second time around?

When Harmony shows up on Melody's doorstep, everything changes. The girls discover things about themselves that they hadn't known before, and both of their worlds change.

The only thing the book was lacking was the need for a bit more detail. Not necessarily for the "business" scenes, but for the more friendly and playful ones. I would have liked to know more about Melody's friends and peers. And I definitely would have liked more interaction with Zen. He was such a great guy. One that everyone wants to have on their side.

I definitely recommend this book, but mostly for girls ages 13 and up.

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Divergent

Divergent by Veronica Roth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Hands down, the best book I've read since the Hunger Games. All of the advertisements were right on the money.

Divergent is a book unlike any other that I've read. It leaves you questioning who you are as a person and what's really important to you. It also shows why having a variety of traits and values shape the person you are.

Right away, the reader is taken into a new world in the Abnegation faction. It might as well be a crime to look at yourself in a mirror in the selfless place. But soon you are also introduced to the 4 other factions, each of which has one outstanding characteristic. And it is our main character's job, Beatrice, later known as Tris, to choose which one to spend the rest of her life in. But is it really a choice when the 5 options are predetermined?

For most teens, this decision is an easy one. Each person is given a test that will leave you will one result. Most pick this result as their faction. The test doesn't do it's job for Beatrice though. She could belong in one of three different factions. She is Divergent. And being Divergent could mean death.

Through triumph and loss, Tris has to realize who true self, and she has some help along the way. (This book definitely isn't lacking in the romance department either. Which is good because I need my hot imaginary men.) All of the characters were brilliantly written. I knew what each of them would say if I had a conversation with them.

I can't wait for the sequel that I'm expecting to be as breathtaking as the first. Veronica Roth, thank you for the gift of this book.



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