Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Hush, Hush

Hush, Hush

by Becca Fitzpatric

Falling in love has never been so easy...or so deadly...
For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.
But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life...

I love this book. Becca's writing in it is maybe not ubber technical or fancy but it gets her point across well and in terms that the targeted YA audience can understand and knows well making it easier to connect with the characters and story line. I have quite an over active imagination so when I read I see it like a movie where I am the MC, however this book surprised me it didn't do that for me and i didn't connect with it of the characters as much maybe that was partially because a fair portion of the stuff was stuff that never has happened to me or even come close to happening, and honestly not many people have had those experiences. However I think there was enough of a balance between the everyday stuff that everyone can relate to and the less everyday stuff that it didn't matter the characters' journeys are amazing to be able to fallow and this story is alluring and keeps you wanting more. I don't really know what to say about this book it is just plain beautiful, and yes for those of you that were wondering if this is a dark book it is but it has just enough light to make it perfect. It is 4 out of 5 stars for me. So maybe it wasn't WOW OH MY GOSH! but it was pretty darn amazing.

Briana

Friday, May 11, 2012

Divergent

Divergent

by Veronica Roth

"In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her."

Okay here is the thing about this book, nothing I can say that will even come close to doing this book justice it is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! One of the best books I have ever read! It was one of those books that you just can’t put down once you start and then go to bed thinking about the story trying to predict what will happen next and what you want to happen and find you are still daydreaming of later throughout the day. This is a great book to read to learn how to write well too, Veronica has all the skills of an amazing writer and blends techniques so it's not confusing to read but does everything all those techniques are supposed to do and hooks you in from beginning to end. This book makes you think things like "what would I be in a world like that?" "What if our world worked that way?" "Is their system good, bad? Does it work? Is it right?" and the mental list goes on and on. I could not get enough! The character development was amazing and kept going through the second book. Beatrice's relationships with her family and friends are intriguing and realistic so that you find yourself taking sides right along with them when the argue or have different opinions and you find yourself laughing and crying and flooded with anger or whatever emotions they feel too. It is interesting, thought provoking and suspenseful and just plain amazing for lack of better words. This is a must read it will intrigue and captivate all ages and genders it is just that awesome...I say 5 out of 5 stars! 
Briana


Princess of the Midnight Ball

Princess of the Midnight ball

by Jessica Day George                        

“A tale of twelve princesses doomed to dance until dawn…

Galen is a young soldier returning from war; Rose is one of twelve princesses condemned to dance each night for the King Under Stone. Together Galen and Rose will search for a way to break the curse that forces the princesses to dance at the midnight balls. All they need is one invisibility cloak, a black wool chain knit with enchanted silver needles, and that most critical ingredient of all—true love—to conquer their foes in the dark halls below. But malevolent forces are working against them above ground as well, and as cruel as the King Under Stone has seemed, his wrath is mere irritation compared to the evil that awaits Galen and Rose in the brighter world above.”

      Okay so to be honest when I first saw this book and read the synopsis I was a little underwhelmed and I was not expecting much from this book, I expected it to be boring and childish and simple. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was actually a quite entertaining, although short, story and was a great twist on the classic fairy tale. I was a little annoyed that as always the oldest princess is the center of attention and has the awesome guy that falls in love with her, but i suppose that could not have been avoided in order to keep true to the original outline. Although it was brief and not as detailed or developed as I would have liked and it did not have that much fancy or exciting technique wise, it was quite entertaining and good for a quick fun relaxed read.  I must mention I think readers up to early teens and pre-teens would enjoy this more than most older readers because of the reading level and writing style . This fun read gets a 3 out of 5 stars from me!
Briana

   

Monday, May 7, 2012

Fallen In Love







Fallen In Love

by Lauren Kate

Unexpected. Unrequited. Forbidden. Eternal. Everyone has their own love story.

And in a twist of fate, four extraordinary love stories combine over the course of a romantic Valentine's Day in Medieval England. Miles and Shelby find love where they least expect it. Roland learns a painful lesson about finding-and losing love. Arianne pays the price for a love so fierce it burns. And for the first -and last- time, Daniel and Luce will spend a night together like none other.

Lauren Kate's FALLEN IN LOVE is filled with love stories . . . the ones everyone has been waiting for.

True love never says goodbye . . .

This book's synopsis had me excited to read it especially after reading the rest of the series. However I was sadly underwhelmed, it was a novel of stories (and maybe that's just really not my thing) but I was not at all impressed with her writing or creativity. None of the stories interested me at all except Miles and Shelby's was mildly entertaining and I would have been happy to continue with that story however the other stories ended abruptly and each one had no plot movement or character development or detail. Each story was more like a brief summery of the character's love lives and to be totally honest it was quite boring I kept pushing through to see If their would be any inspiring words, more details or even a hook at the end to make me want to read the next one and was disappointed to find none of the above. The whole book was simple, short, and bland. I understand that it was a novel of stories but there are many ways to make each story interesting and still short even with out any plot or character development. I would highly recommend any of the other Fallen books but this one was nothing special and you would not be missing much by choosing not to read this one. I would give it 1 1/2 stars out of 5.
Briana