Thursday, April 26, 2012

Sunshine Award

Yay! First blog award! Actually, two different bloggers awarded this to us so does that count as two? 
Anyways, big thanks to Megan at The Book Babe. Go check out her blog. It's pretty awesome. She was our first follower. So yeah, big props to her. :) Also big thanks to Candi at Just Can't Beat Books. Again, awesome blog, so check it out. :D

So we're still new to the blogging community and when we got this "award" we were both kinda just like, "Huh? A blog award?" But this award is to help with new YA book bloggers that have a small amount of followers. (And hey! That's us!) It's pretty much perfect. 

The award requires that we answer some questions so here it goes:

1. Favorite Color? Witcha: Green
                            Zhanna: Orange2. Animal? Witcha: Wolf

                  Zhanna: I love puppies. 
3. Number? Witcha: 17
                  Zhanna: 9 
4. Non-alcoholic Drink? Witcha: Lemonade
                                     Zhanna: Iced Tea 
5. Facebook or Twitter? Witcha: Neither
                                     Zhanna: Facebook.  
6. My  Our Passions: Witcha: Reading
                                Zhanna: Reading! Sleeping! I love food. mmm yes. I do love food. 
7. Getting or Giving Presents: Witcha: Giving
                                             Zhanna: Giving 
8. Pattern: Witcha: Stripes
                Zhanna: Zebra... or Cheetah. Gaudy, huh? Too much reality T.V.9. Day of the Week: Witcha: Wednesday
                               Zhanna: Uh Friday, duh. 
10. Flower: Witcha: Orchid
                  Zhanna: ^ What she said. 
The award also says that we must award ten other blogs with this award. Honestly we haven't figured that out yet, but this post will soon be updated with the winners, and if you are one of the winners, we will tell you directly. 

Also, you might have noticed that we haven't been updating recently. We've been going through testing all week and it's been kind of insane. We've been reading a bunch though, and have books ready to be reviewed for y'all, so don't give up :)

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Paradise Lost (Private 9) By Kate Brian



Title: Paradise Lost
Author: Kate Brian
Pages: 256
Level: Young Adult
Published: February 24, 2009

( Spoilers if you haven't read the previous)

Paradise awaits.... Now that Cheyenne's murderer has been revealed and Reed knows the truth about who's been stalking her, she's ready to leave the heartache and turmoil of last semester behind. And what better way to recover than a five-star Caribbean vacation? Reed is reunited with former Billings Girls Kiran and Taylor, and she and her friends take over the exclusive island. They spend their days tanning on white-sand beaches and their nights partying on sixty-foot yachts. It's heaven on earth. But as they raise their champagne flutes to toast their friendship, Reed worries that it's all too good to be true. Because even in paradise, the Billings Girls are never far from trouble -- and nothing's more dangerous than the calm before the storm....

Review:

I really have no idea what to say about this book, it was another im-between in the series. I love the setting at Easton, so when this one was at some island, I was a little disapointed.

Overall, I guess it was an okay book, but no more than that. There wasn't this fabulous plot line ( it kind of sucked actually) it was a been there done that except in a different setting.

I also didn't like the new characters, there weren't any that were likable. It was kind of like it was pre-determined that you were going to have to dislike them because they were against Reed.

I'm just waiting for the setting to be back at Easton.

Cover: 1/5
Character Rating: 3/5
Style: 3/5
Development: 2/5
Overall:
** 3/4 

1984 by George Orwell

Title: 1984
Author: George Orwell
Pages: 266 (my version)
Level: Mature (there's sex)
Published: June 8, 1949

Winston Smith lives in a totalitarian society in which his every move is being watched, his every word being heard, and every flicker of his eyes speculated. You can't trust anyone in this world. Children will turn in their own parents if they suspect them to be traitors. Winston's job is to rewrite the past according to the present. Deleting names from documents, burning old newspaper, anything to keep control of the people. But Winston doesn't like being held down by this government. He wants to live life like he wants to live it. To do that is suicide, but he is willing to risk anything. 

Zhanna Review: 
Let's start at the beginning. No, I did not read this for school. I read this on my own account (well, kinda). My neighbor said I had to read it. She said that this book is the best dystopian novel as it illustrates very keen points that a dystopian novel should have. So I took it and began reading. 
This book took me about 30 pages to get into. It was slow, and it wasn't very clear but I kept on reading and...
This book scarred me for life. 
This book is so scary, I'm not even going to lie. I nearly pooped my pants a couple times. 

But it rocked. 
This book was so elegantly written and the setting was absolutely amazing. 

A few things that bothered me:
1. I felt like women were being downgraded. Orwell portrayed women as weak automatons and I got a little offended, honestly. 
2. Winston was super gullible and trusted too many people for my comfort. I thought he was smarter than that. 

That's pretty much it. This book was disgusting, hard to look at, and I wanted to scream at it. 
It was one of the best books ever. 
I'm going back to my corner to cleanse my mind with YA for now though. I need a break.
Cover: 1/5 
Character Rating: 3/5
Style: 4/5
Development: 5/5
Overall: 
****



Thursday, April 19, 2012

Revelation (Private 8) By Kate Brian


Title: Revelation
Author: Kate Brian
Pages:288
Level: Young Adult
Published: September 16, 2008

(Spoilers if you haven't read the previous)

The biggest mystery of all...and Reed is dying to learn the truth. Two months after Cheyenne Martin was found dead in her Billings House dorm room, exclusive Easton Academy is rocked by another stunning revelation: Cheyenne was murdered. No one knows who the killer is, but everyone agrees that Reed Brennan, who took over Cheyenne's role as Billings's president, gained the most from her death. Once the most powerful girl on campus, Reed is now powerless to stop her classmates' accusing whispers. Rumors begin to swirl that she killed Cheyenne. And just like that, Reed is kicked out of Billings. She's lost everything -- her friends, her home, her boyfriend -- and Reed knows the only way to get it all back is to figure out who really murdered Cheyenne. And she has to do it fast because the killer is still out there. The more Reed investigates, the more she uncovers. And as any Billings Girl knows...secrets can be deadly.

Review:

Oh my good lord. I don't know what to say about this book, I guess I'll start from the beginning. So, I was mildly interested because I still wanted all the unresolved issues to finally be over and I was curious as to how Reed was going to work her "magic" this time.

I was so depressed reading this book. I felt everything that Reed was going through times ten. I was actually dreading reading it because it was making me so depressed to continue on.

Well, I sure am glad that I did, to some extent. The ending came out of no where, as if Kate realized that she needed to wrap up the book in ten pages and put the most dramatic ending in it. I actually liked it though because it was so out of no where that I was shocked along with the characters.

And, although the ending wasn't everything I hoped for, it's a start and I'm sure the next one will make everything good again.

Cover: 1/5
Character Rating : 3/5
Style: 3/5
Development: 3/5
Overall:
****

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Ambition (Private 7) By Kate Brian


Title: Ambition
Author: Kate Brian
Pages: 279
Level: Young Adult
Published: May 6, 2008

(Spoilers if you haven't read the previous)

The higher you climb, the farther you have to fall.... Reed Brennan knew being elected president of exclusive Billings Hall would change her life. What she didn't count on was being dumped by her boyfriend, Josh Hollis, or being held responsible for a fire that destroyed Easton Academy's oldest building. And now the administration wants to shut Billings down. Forever. As president, it's up to Reed to save Billings Hall. What better way to win over the head­master than to host a glam fund-raising event in New York City? Everyone needs a date, and the newly single Reed is the most eligible girl on campus. All of Easton's hottest boys are angling to take her out, and for once, Reed's biggest problem is which one to choose. Reed has never felt so popular or powerful -- until the police start asking questions about Cheyenne Martin's death. Excited party buzz quickly turns to whispered rumors and dark moods, and one thing becomes clear: There is someone who wants to see Billings, and Reed, go down. And they will do anything to make it happen.

Review: I didn't really like this book, not for the obvious reasons, it wasn't a bad book. I guess I just have so much empathy for everyone that it really takes a toll on me when the characters of a book are going through a rough time.

Well, that's to say the least. I hated the ending of the previous book because it botched up everything. I was so upset that that could happen that it made me not want to read this one.

I still feel that way after I read this one because nothing was resolved. Actually, there were just more issues added onto the pile. It actually kind of stressed me out.

The book wasn't bad, but I felt like it was an im-between book. Even though it had a clear plot that related well to the story, I felt that I often overlooked it because I didn't find it important. I wanted other problems to be solved (which they weren't ).

The plot did seem a little slow though, the only thing that motivated me was finding out what happened in one of the minor plots.

Cover: 1/5
Character Rating: 3/5
Style: 3/5
Development: 3/5
Overall:
***

eReaders

  I've been thinking lately about getting an eReader. I love reading real paper books, but I don't have a lot of money considering the only job I have other than being a teenager and going to high school (hey, it's tough work) is the occasional babysitting job. It would be beneficial to me (and my wallet) to have all my books in one place, for cheap. And of course, I would still go to the library. I just can't resist. <3 So to those of you who have an eReader, what my question is, is: Which one should I choose?
I've been going back and forth between three choices.


1. The iPad 3. (Granted, this is a picture of the iPad 2). $550, including tax. Like I said, I'm poor. I would definitely buy the iPad 3 if money wasn't a problem as it is far superior to any of the other tablets on the market. I love Apple as a company. I have the iPhone and a Mac laptop and I have no complaints thus far. I would get the iPad 2, but I want the newest possible technology, as I'm going to be using it for a long time. The iPad has both Kindle and Nook apps to buy books plus it's own store, iBooks. The iPad would definitely have a larger selection of books than any of the other tablets, but is getting an iPad worth it?




    2. The Nook Tablet. This tablet is definitely better for me financially (about half the price of an iPad!) I have a membership to B&N so the price is about $225 (not including tax). I've heard some good and not so good reviews about this. My friend has a Nook and she likes it, but she also has an iPad and she likes it more. I like the Nook because it has expendable storage. Then again, I don't like Barnes and Nobles. $25 bucks for a membership??? Please. But it's the only bookstore that is semi-near me. (I miss my Borders stores!)




Which brings me to my third choice. The Kindle Fire. Again, I have heard some good and bad reviews but it seems as if everyone in the blogging community has a Kindle of some sort. Amazon has tons of free and discount books and that's a pretty big pro in my eyes. I'll see blogs out there dedicated to peoples' Kindles, just raving about them. Price wise its about $200 not including tax, the cheapest of them all. The Kindle and the Nook are pretty much the same, except that with the Kindle, you can't expand your storage space. The Kindle can hold about 6,000 books (I believe), so who needs that extra storage. Like I said, I'm still planning on reading paper books.


What do you think? Do you own any of these electronics? 







Monday, April 16, 2012

Legacy (Private 6) By Kate Brian


Title: Legacy
Author: Kate Brian
Pages: 243
Level: Young Adult
Published: February 19, 2008

( Spoilers if you haven't read previous)

The price of power... After Cheyenne Martin's death, everyone at Easton Academy is struggling to recover from yet another tragedy--especially the girls of Billings Hall. With Cheyenne gone, they need to elect a new leader. And who better than Reed Brennan, the ultimate Billings Girls? As the new Billings president, Reed suddenly has access to power she never imagined. Gossip is reported to her immediately, she has first dibs on everything from dining tables to dorm rooms, and Billings's most powerful alumnae are at her beck and call. So when Easton's students discover they're the only prep school on the East Coast not invited to this year's all-inclusive Legacy party, everyone turns to Reed to get them back on the list. Reed is the most powerful girl at Easton. She revels in her newfound status, but knows better than anyone that the Bilings leaders have a tainted legacy: Ariana was institutionalized, Noelle was expelled, and Cheyenne just died. History has a way of repeating itself at Easton, and now that Reed has everything she's ever wanted, she has everything to lose.

Review:

I really liked this book. I guess because I am kind of materialistic so the idea of it being based around this amazing party really drew me in.

I liked the overall plot of the book. It was fast-paced and I was never bored of it.

One thing that really did bug me though was how much Reed was turning into one of the Billings Girls, which I can understand is supposed to happen, but it was supper annoying.

For example, Reed would be extremely rude to everyone just because one of the original Billings girls was around. So she blew off her boyfriend and was blowing off her friends because of this girl. I could not stand this because it was so annoying how much she thought it was okay. I wanted to walk into the book and slap her in the face.

The ending made me so upset I seriously could not deal. I need to go read the next one, like right away.

Cover: 1/5
Character Rating:3/5
Style: 3/5
Development: 4/5
Overall:
****

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Inner Circle (Private 5) By Kate Brian


Title: Inner Circle
Author: Kate Brian
Pages 224
Level: Young Adult
Published: August 28, 2007

(Spoilers if you haven't read the previous)

Reed Brennan arrived at Easton Academy expecting to find an idyllic private school experience -- challenging classes, adorably preppy boys, and a chance to create a new life for herself. Instead, she discovered lies, deception, blackmail, and...murder. But, thankfully, the killers were caught and the nightmare is finally over. Now, with a new school year ahead of her, Reed steps back on Easton's ivy-covered campus ready to start over. So when the headmaster announces that billings is forbidden from holding their traditional, secretive initiation, Reed is relieved. She champions the new rules and the six new girls the administration has picked to live in Billings Hall: Constance, Missy, Lorna, Kiki, Astrid, and newcomer Sabine. But Reed's fellow Billings resident and new nemesis, Cheyenne Martin, believes the changes are a mockery of Billings history. Despite the new rules, Cheyenne vows to keep the old ways alive, no matter what -- or who -- stands in her way...

Review:

I liked this book, based on the reviews I've read of it, not a lot of people did. I guess I liked it because the usual Billings girls weren't in the picture.

Although I hated Cheyenne, she bugged the crap out of me. I didn't like that she was the antagonist because she was so damn annoying.

I liked that she brought new characters into the books though because it's going to make the series more interesting and it made the book more interesting.

Overall, the book was good the plotline wasn't slow and I was enticed to continue on reading. Though I liked that the Billings girls were not in the book, it didn't make sense to me considering the series was based around them. This book didn't really fit into the series well.

Cover: 1/5
Character Rating: 4/5
Style: 3/5
Development: 3/5
Overall:
*** 1/2

Confessions (Private 4) By Kate Brian


Title: Confessions
Author: Kate Brian
Pages: 240
Level: Young Adult
Published: April 24, 2007

(Spoilers if you haven't read the previous)

Sometimes the truth hurts.... Reed Brennan came to superposh Easton Academy to make a brand-new life for herself. At first it seemed as though her dream had come true-she was living in the ultraexclusive Billings Hall, hanging out with the all-powerful Billings Girls, and dating the very hot Thomas Pearson. But Thomas turned out to be different from what she thought...and then he turned up dead. And if that wasn't twisted enough, Reed's new boyfriend, Josh Hollis, was arrested for Thomas's murder. Now everyone is back to worrying about the regular stuff, like how to sneak to the boys' dorms at night, whether two-ply cashmere is warm enough for fall, and whether to fly to London or Barcelona for Thanksgiving break. Everyone except for Reed. Reed is convinced that Josh is innocent, which means the killer is still out there. Now it's up to Reed to uncover the truth. But the deeper she digs, the more secrets she unearths and the closer she gets to the confession that will change everything... if she's alive to hear it.

Review:

Well, let's see... I still hate the covers. They seriously need to be burned, they are so ugly and boring.

The plot was a bit slow, I felt like the one issue they were trying to revise didn't take too long to revise, but then there was a slow plot after that.

Also, I hated the main character in this book. She was very rude and disrespectful...just like the Billings girls, no surprise there. I guess I just thought since she was so nice at the beginning of the series she should continue to be that way. Her attitude did improve for the most part as time progressed.

Overall I guess I liked this book, there isn't much to say. I am a little wary though of the next books in the series because this is already the fourth one and there are fourteen so it's like how much more can she add to the overall plot line?

Cover: 1/5
Character Rating: 2/5
Style: 3/5
Development: 3/5
Overall:
***

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Untouchable (Private 3) By Kate Brian


Title: Untouchable
Author: Kate Brian
Pages: 236
Level: Young Adult
Published: December 25, 2006

(Spoilers if you haven't read the previous books in the series)

Cheating, partying, blackmail, and now...murder? Can the Billings Girls remain untouchable? Reed's boyfriend, Thomas Pearson -- the popular, easygoing, irresistibly handsome and charismatic boy she fell in love with -- is dead. No one knows how it happened, and everyone is after the truth. Or are they? Life at Easton Academy begins to feel very different. Taylor is acting like the poster child for Prozac, Kiran is spiking her cornflakes, Noelle is being kind of...nice, and Arianna keeps floating along as if nothing has happened. Thanksgiving break arrives and Reed and Josh find themselves alone on campus. They are forced to confront the feelings they've been hiding. Those feelings combined with an empty campus result in the hottest hookup Reed could possibly imagine. But when Reed breaks the news about Josh to the Billings Girls, there's no fun game of tell-all. Instead, Josh begins to look like suspect No. 1 in the murder of Thomas Pearson. The perfect life Reed has constructed as a Billings Girl begins to crumble. And as everyone becomes more convinced of Josh's guilt, Reed's private suspicions lead her somewhere she doesn't want to go.

Review:

I liked this book. It kept my attention more than the first two. I guess the main reason is because there were so many unanswered questions from the last cliff hanger.

The plot line was a little slow, she would resolve the questions and then later they would have to be re-resolved, which I thought was a little bogus.

I felt there were so many secrets between the girls and I didn't like that because I hate secrets. I'm so curious about everything, so when something isn't resolved right away or there are people doing sneaky things it bugs the crap out of me.

Otherwise this book was good, of course there was another cliff hanger so I'll probably start the next book right now to see what happens.

Cover: 1/5
Character Rating: 2/5
Style: 3/5
Development: 3/5
Overall:
***.3

The Knife of Never Letting Go by: Patrick Ness

Title: The Knife of Never Letting Go
Author: Patrick Ness
Pages: 496
Published: May 5th, 2008

Prentisstown isn't like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in an overwhelming, never-ending stream of Noise. Just a month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd and his dog, Manchee -- whose thoughts Todd can hear too, whether he wants to or not -- stumble upon an area of complete silence. They find that in a town where privacy is impossible, something terrible has been hidden -- a secret so awful that Todd and Manchee must run for their lives.
But how do you escape when your pursuers can hear your every thought?

Review:
When Todd is forced to leave his town, the world he knows is flipped upside down. Especially when he finds a mysterious girl in the woods. How is this possible? The entire female race was obliterated by the Spackle, an evil alien race. All Todd knows though, is that people are after him and that he has to outrun them. 

I think I know where The Maze Runner got it's inspiration. 
I liked The Knife of Never Letting Go. It was a good book. The plot was well thought out and kept me interested. It took me a while to get into it though, but it soon became fast paced. 
One thing that bothered me was that the girl refused to talk for about half the book. Seriously, why? Todd is obviously having a hard time, and you aren't making it any better by not talking. 
Another thing that bothered me was Todd's temper. He pretty much lost it about 30 times. I found myself skimming those parts. 
I think the next book will be better, only because I was confused for most of the book. There were many secrets that were revealed at the end that made me understand better and the second book will probably play off those revealed secrets a lot more. 
I'm excited to finish reading this series, and I'm glad I don't have to wait for the next book. 
Cover: 2/5
Character Rating: 3/5
Style: 4/5
Development: 4/5
Overall: 
****

Oh! I almost forgot. This book has a lot of cursing. I'm not opposed to a good placed curse, so it didn't bother me. 

Friday, April 13, 2012

Invitation Only By Kate Brian


Title: Invitation Only
Author: Kate Brian
Pages: 272
Level: Young Adult
Published: November 7, 2006

( I don't like posting the summary because if you haven't read the previous one then some things get spoiled. So, if you don't want any spoilers, just skip to the review.)

Reed Brennan's future is looking as bright as the two-karat diamonds in her new housemates' ears. Being accepted to the most prestigious private boarding school in the country wasn't enough for Reed. She had to break every rule to do it, but she has accomplished the impossible: Reed is a Billings Girl now. And with her new status come respect, envy, and, most important, opportunity. Not to mention the parties. Unfortunately, at the next illicit party in the Easton campus woods, her roommate snaps some pictures of Reed in more than one compromising position. She uses the photos to blackmail Reed: Dig up dirt on the most powerful and popular Billings Girls or she will have Reed expelled. And speaking of parties, the Legacy is coming up. It's the invitation-only Halloween party in NYC and it's rumored that Thomas -- Reed's MIA boyfriend -- will be making an appearance there. Too bad Reed isn't even close to invited. Life as a Billings Girl is every bit as glamorous as Reed imagined. What she didn't bargain for is the tangled web of private lies these girls weave.

Review:

Well, let's start with the fact that I hate these covers. They are absolutely ridiculous and I cannot stand them. How are they supposed to entice anyone to buy the book if they look like crap?

This book was better than the first though. Even though I still hated the Billings girls I was more used to their extreme lack of kindness. I liked it.

To be honest this series is kind of pulling me in, not for the great writing style, but just because I want to know what happens so badly. Which I guess is what makes a good book.

The only problem I had with it is that the main guy, is super disgusting to me. I cringed every time he was in the story. So, it was kind of bogus.

Oh, and another thing. I enjoy books that are bigger. So, when I picked up the first one in this series, it was small. I just think that the author could have combined some books so that there weren't so many. Just to warn you if you do plan to read this series, but hate when it seems never ending, there are FOURTEEN books in the series. Yes, I know.

Otherwise I liked the book, the plot line picked up since the last book and there was actually a main theme to focus on.

Cover: 1/5
Character Rating: 2/5
Style: 3/5
Development: 4/5
Overall:
***

Private By Kate Brian

Title: Private
Author: Kate Brian
Pages: 227
Level: Young Adult
Published: June 27, 2006

Tradition, Honor, Excellence...and secrets so dark they're almost invisible Fifteen-year-old Reed Brennan wins a scholarship to Easton Academy -- the golden ticket away from her pill-popping mother and run-of-the-mill suburban life. But when she arrives on the beautiful, tradition-steeped campus of Easton, everyone is just a bit more sophisticated, a bit more gorgeous, and a lot wealthier than she ever thought possible. Reed realizes that even though she has been accepted to Easton, Easton has not accepted her. She feels like she's on the outside, looking in. Until she meets the Billings Girls. They are the most beautiful, intelligent, and intensely confident girls on campus. And they know it. They hold all the power in a world where power is fleeting but means everything. Reed vows to do whatever it takes to be accepted into their inner circle. Reed uses every part of herself -- the good, the bad, the beautiful -- to get closer to the Billings Girls. She quickly discovers that inside their secret parties and mountains of attitude, hanging in their designer clothing-packed closets the Billings Girls have skeletons. And they'll do anything to keep their secrets private.

Review:

When I read the back to this book, I was excited to read it. I love realistic fiction, so it was perfect for me. Well, I don't think it lived up to my standards. One, it's one of those books where its small (like The A-List series) and there are like 10 to 15 in the series. I can't stand that because it seems like the author is just stringing it along to make as much money as possible.

Another thing, she is trying to be friends with these girls that aren't that great. They're stuck up brats and it was annoying because she was practically fawning over them. I was thinking the entire time, "They aren't your real friends! Stop trying!!".

I guess other than that it wasn't a bad book. I'm still going to read the rest of the series. I really liked the setting too, I would love to go to school at a large beautiful boarding school.

Cover: 2/5
Character Rating: 1/5
Style: 4/5
Development: 3/5
Overall:
***


Thursday, April 12, 2012

J.K. Rowling's New Book?!?

Why must you be a genius as well as pretty????

If you want to see an article concerning her new book, please go here.

Oh my god. 
I am so flipping excited right now. 
So flipping excited. 

I respect Rowling so much. She is such a poster woman for all authors and writers out there. She is not the least bit corrupted by all the money and fame that she has received. She still loves to write. She has loved and still loves her fans. 

I don't know what else to say except that she's amazing. 

There are so many people out there who write just for the money but  Ms. Rowling writes because she loves it (and her fans haha). 

A true entertainer, a true author, a true writer. 
This woman. 

*goes and fangirls in a corner*


Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Contact

If you would like to contact us please email:
amatchmadeinyafiction@yahoo.com

We will get back to you asap. :)


Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Hunger Games Movie Review (with spoilers)

I am a Hunger Games fanatic. I love the books so much. If you have read my review on Article 5, you know my views on dystopia and what it means to me and yadda yadda yadda. I love The Hunger Games so much, I've even reread it. I never reread books. 
Never. 
Anyways, I went to the midnight premiere of the movie and I have to say, I was kind of disappointed. 
Let me explain; I am a very by-the-book person. 
I think this is why I loved the Harry Potter movies, because they did everything so close to the book, keeping all the fans and the author in mind. 
I mean, The Hunger Games movie was close to the book, but there were too many things that bothered me. 
First thing that bothered me (and probably the most major)
The mockingjay pin. 
I mean come on, you took out three characters right there! 
1. The mayor 
2. The mayor's wife 
3. Madge
In the book, Madge was the one who gave the pin to Katniss. Madge pretty much started the revolutions (without meaning to). Madge was also Katniss's only friend other than Gale. How do you take her out? 
 Taking out the mayor was also major to me. In the first book, it talked about how Katniss and Gale would sell him strawberries.  He came in the story more in the second book, but I'm still frustrated that he wasn't there. 
The mayor's wife wasn't very major in the books, so I can see why they didn't even consider putting her in. She did though, have an interesting back story and was disappointed that we won't get to see it in the other movies. 

Secondly, 
The Capitol. It's not what I imagined. I pictured it more like New York City, and this is way too tiny. It's also way too natural. I thought the Capitol was supposed to be more extravagant. 


I hated the Capitol people. I pictured them way more extreme. They don't look weird enough.  In the book, it describes people having green skin, cat whiskers, and tails. I was looking forward to seeing these details. Yet another detail overlooked, unfortunately. 
Okay, this is a big one. I was disappointed in how the relationships of Katniss and the other characters were portrayed. The movie could have used another 5-10 minutes making the relationships more dramatic. 
Katniss and Rue's relationship, I felt, was cut off. Katniss thought of Rue as her sister in the arena and I didn't get that from the movie. 
Katniss and Peeta's relationship was definitely ruined. The movie did nothing to explain how Katniss and Peeta's relationship was a fake. It needed more time. 


Speaking of Peeta, I missed the bread scene. I wish they would have filmed the scene where Peeta talks about the different types of bread with Katniss. In the movie, you couldn't tell that District 11 sent Katniss bread. That was a really touching part in the book that was super symbolic of the revolution.

Lastly, I wanted to see the scene where Katniss was dying of dehydration. It showed the characteristics of Haymitch (and Katniss). I thought that was a major part in the book as well and it needed to be shown. 

I'm kind of nit-picking at the movie, I'm sorry, but I was really looking forward to seeing these things. 

***.8












Monday, April 9, 2012

Fever By Lauren DeStefano

Title: Fever
Author: Lauren DeStefano
Pages: 341
Level: Young Adult
Published: February 21, 2012

Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but they’re still in danger. Outside, they find a world even more disquieting than the one they left behind. Determined to get to Manhattan and to find Rhine’s twin brother Rowan, the two press forward, amidst threats of being captured again . . . or worse.
The road they are on is long and perilous—and in a world where young women only live to age 20 and men die at age 25, time is precious. In this sequel to Lauren DeStefano’s harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price—now that she has more to lose than ever.

Review:

This is the second installment of The Chemical Garden Trilogy. When I first started, probably 40 pages in, I hated it. It was not what I had imagined it to be. I did not like the plot line. It was kind of boring, and the "carnival" (you'll know what I'm talking about when you get to it) was so depressing, I was like "is this seriously going to be what the book is about?"

I guess I just wasn't open-minded to what other plots could be since I had already made up my own. WELL, I was wrong. This book was pretty dang fabulous. I LOVED the cover, you seriously have no idea. I want to go to Kinko's and make a giant life-sized copy of it to hang on my wall, yes, it's that wonderful.

I also liked the new characters, they were so fresh and I felt that if I was in the book, that I would be friends with them as well.

The plot line was so quick I had to keep reading to see what was going to happen. I mean Vaughn scared the hell out of me so I was freaking out for them.

The only complaint I have is the ending. I thought that she was trying to wrap the book up so quickly, I guess so that she could have the rest of the good stuff in the third, but to me anyway there could have been another hundred pages.

Otherwise... It was absolutely freakin' amazing.
image
Cover: 5/5
Character Rating: 4/5
Style: 5/5
Development: 4/5
Overall:
****

Just a thought...

Have you ever had one of those odd coincidences with books? You know, those ones where something in the main character's life just happened to you?



This happens to me all the time. When I was reading Perfect, part of the story was set in the Spring break/ Easter time frame. I couldn't help it, I got so excited!



The time setting isn't the only thing that coincidences are limited to for me. For example, if the main character says, " I jumped in the shower, threw on some clothes, and ran down the stairs..." I'm probably freaking out because I had taken a shower just five minutes ago. 

or...

If the characters went out for burgers or something, I will probably be flabbergasted because that's what I had for dinner or something. 

Anyways, has this ever happened to you? 



Sunday, April 8, 2012

Perfect by Ellen Hopkins

Title: Perfect
Author: Ellen Hopkins
Pages: 622
Published: September 13, 2011

Everyone has something, someone, somewhere else that they’d rather be. For four high-school seniors, their goals of perfection are just as different as the paths they take to get there. Cara’s parents’ unrealistic expectations have already sent her twin brother Conner spiraling toward suicide. For her, perfect means rejecting their ideals to take a chance on a new kind of love. Kendra covets the perfect face and body—no matter what surgeries and drugs she needs to get there. To score his perfect home run—on the field and off—Sean will sacrifice more than he can ever win back. And Andre realizes that to follow his heart and achieve his perfect performance, he’ll be living a life his ancestors would never have understood. Everyone wants to be perfect, but when perfection loses its meaning, how far will you go? What would you give up to be perfect?


Review: 
So I've been down in the book dumps lately, if you couldn't tell from a couple of my previous reviews. I haven't been able to get in to them as the writing was bad, or the plot wasn't able to hold my attention. You know, the usual. 
I've read all of Ellen Hopkins's books before Perfect and I love all of them. They aren't exactly light reads per say, but they are always very real, uncensored. 
I love Ellen Hopkins because she understands so many different types of teenagers so well. I often have to stop and wonder who this woman is and what she must have gone through. 


I have different views on poetry. Most of the poems that I will have to read in class, I won't understand until the teacher has gone over it. I won't catch the symbolism or theme or even what's going on. 
With Ellen Hopkins though, she makes poetry so easy to understand and simple to read between the lines to get what she is actually saying. 
The stories are so heartfelt and painful that it's almost as if you are inside the person's head. 


I think this book was exactly what I needed. I needed a book that I knew was going to be good no matter what. It's given me more confidence to pick up another dystopia novel and to try again even though the ones that I have read lately totally sucked. 
So yeah, I really loved this book. The characters were all so different so I wasn't bored. WITCHA, yesterday, asked me, "So, who are your favorite characters?" I couldn't really answer right away because they were all so interesting to read about. 


If you're thinking about reading this book, I definitely suggest reading Impluse by Ellen first. You get more background on Connor (a major part in Perfect)
Cover: 5/5 (definitely my favorite out of all her book covers)
Character Rating(s): 5/5 (as always)
Style: 5/5
Development: 4/5
Overall:
****.5

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Paranormalcy By Kiersten White


Title: Paranormalcy
Author: Kiersten White
Pages: 352
Level: Young Adult
Published: August 31, 2010

Sixteen-year-old Evie's job is bagging and tagging paranormals. Possessing the strange ability to see through their glamours, she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency. But when someone—or something—starts taking out the vamps, werewolves, and other odd beasties she's worked hard to help become productive members of society, she's got to figure it out before they all disappear and the world becomes utterly normal.
Normal is so overrated.

Review:

I've read a lot of reviews on this book and they all thought the book was just absolutely magnificent. Well... I wouldn't go that far.

It was good, I'll admit that, but it certainly wasn't worth all the hype. I didn't find a lot of faults in the book. It was pretty good, the plot might have been a little slow, but it picked up somewhat after. I don't really know what to say, it didn't stand out. I mean, I'm not going to be jumping up and down to read the next one.

It's just so hard to write a review on a book that didn't stand out to me. Evie was a good character I liked that she was able to stand up for herself and wasn't one of those damsels in distress.

I guess that's really all to say, it seems like the last two books I have read (including this one) just haven't been that good to me because I'm holding them up to such high standards.

Maybe you'll like it better though.

Cover: 4/5 ( I really liked the dress)
Character Rating: 3/5
Style: 4/5
Development: 3/5
Overall:
***

Friday, April 6, 2012

Out of Sight, Out of Time By Ally Carter


Title: Out of Sight, Out of Time
Author: Ally Carter
Pages: 294
Level: Young Adult
Published: March 13, 2012

"The last thing Cammie Morgan remembers is leaving the Gallagher Academy to protect her friends and family. But when Cammie wakes up in an alpine convent and discovers months have passed, her memory is a black hole. The only traces left of Cammie’s summer vacation are the bruises on her body and dirt under her nails. All she wants is to go home. But even the Gallagher Academy now holds more questions than answers as Cammie and her friends face their most difficult challenge yet. With only their training and a few clues to guide them, the girls go in search of answers on the other side of the world. But the Circle is hot on their trail and will stop at nothing to prevent Cammie from remembering what she did last summer."

Review:

I don't really know what to say about this book. It didn't really stand out to me for being good or bad. The plot was good, it wasn't slow paced, which it never is in this series anyways. I guess I liked it. The only issue I have is that the period from when Ally Carter publishes one and when she publishes the next one is SO long that by the time the newest book comes out, I have completely forgot what happened in the other books. Even though I don't remember anything, the plot is still easy to follow, and that is a definite plus.

Cover: 4/5
Character Rating: 4/5
Style: 4/5
Development: 5/5
Overall:
****

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Awaken By Katie Kacvinsky


Title: Awaken
Author: Katie Kavinsky
Pages: 310
Level: Young Adult
Published: May 23, 2011

"In the year 2060, everything is done digitally. Kids no longer go to schools. They stay home and take classes online. Adults work from home, too. Even dating is no longer done in person. Why walk on a real beach when you can stroll down a digitally remastered one instead? No bad weather, no seagulls, nothing real to ruin a perfectly fine time. Though she's grown up in this digital world, something about being cut off from everyone doesn't sit right with seventeen-year-old Madeline. Her favorite activity--the only one she does off line--is soccer. She likes the physicality of it and the comradery with the other girls. Then she meets Justin. He, too, prefers life off line. It's all he talks about. He even takes her out to a real coffee shop and an underground club. Maybe it's his attentiveness, or the physical closeness of actually being with someone, or just that he's very good looking, Madie is definitely drawn to him. But there's also something very aloof about him, like perhaps he's hiding something. When Madie uncovers the truth, she's faced with the question: What's more important, fighting for what you believe in or love?"

Review:

I picked up this book probably 8 months ago and I really wanted to read it so I put it on my plan to read list and forgot about it. Man, do I wish that I would have bought it that day. This book was extremely good. I started at about 10PM last night and I could not stop reading it. It was so good, I think I finally finished at 3 AM and I was kind of mindblown.

The plot was so different from anything that I have read so it was refreshing to read something that hadn't already been done 50 billion times. And, I am a hopeless romantic so when I met a sexy,brilliant, mysterious heartthrob, I was even more mesmerized to continue reading it.

One of the characteristics of a really good book, at least to me anyway, is when the book really makes you think or it makes you want to change your ways. The main storyline of this book was about how digitalized everything had become and how no one was interacting with each other or spending time outdoors. It really made me want to go take a walk outside or touch the grass. I was really considering putting down the computer, and even books for a while because I need to spend more time outside. I can't do that though, so whatever.

I also didn't mind the characters either. I really liked Justin, if I had met him in real life I definitely would have been swooning.

I think being that this was her debut novel, she deserves a standing O because it was really good. I do have some minor things that bugged me though.

First off, the main character, Madeline, took forever to chose what side she was going to be on. She was so wishy-washy I was screaming pick a side! Another thing, the romance was so generic, there wasn't anything new to it. And the ending was so cheesy, not the very ending, but the "action" parts. I was laughing at how stupid it was, but maybe that was just me.

Otherwise this book was really good and if you want to breathe a breath of fresh air, this book will make you do it for the most part.

Cover: 4/5
Character Rating: 3/5
Style: 4/5
Development: 4/5
Overall:
****