Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Book Review: The Dead and The Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer
            Website
            Blog
Series or Stand-alone: 
            Book 2 in The Last Survivors Series but can be read as a Stand Alone
How I got it:
             Bought it from Barnes and Noble
Pages: 321
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Genre: Young Adult / Dystopian
First Published: June 1 2008
Buy it from: Amazon
                  Barnes & Noble
Add to Goodreads

FIRST LINE(S): "At the moment when life as he had known it changed forever, Alex Morales was behind the counter at Joey's Pizza, slicing a spinach pesto pie into eight roughly equal pieces."

The GIST (From Goodreads):

Susan Beth Pfeffer’s Life as We Knew It enthralled and devastated readers with its brutal but hopeful look at an apocalyptic event--an asteroid hitting the moon, setting off a tailspin of horrific climate changes. Now this harrowing companion novel examines the same events as they unfold in New York City, revealed through the eyes of seventeen-year-old Puerto Rican Alex Morales. When Alex's parents disappear in the aftermath of tidal waves, he must care for his two younger sisters, even as Manhattan becomes a deadly wasteland, and food and aid dwindle.

With haunting themes of family, faith, personal change, and courage, this powerful new novel explores how a young man takes on unimaginable responsibilities.

OPINION: 

"The Dead and the Gone" is the second book of the Last Survivors series, however, it follows a completely different main character and thus can be read on it's own. What all three books are about is the aftermath of an asteriod hitting the moon and bringing it closer to Earth.

"The Dead and the Gone " follows Alex Morales a high school boy trying to protect his two sisters Julie and Bri after the whole world has gone into chaos. Alex and his sisters live alone in a New York City apartment; his mother never returned home from her job off the island, his father's in Puerto Rico which has been rumored to be underwater and his older brother is in the army, stationed somewhere in the south. Alex's family was poor before the disaster and in New York, the only people who can survive are the one's who can pay for it.

What I loved the most about Alex's story is the integration of his cultural and religious background. He is a Puerto Rican Catholic who is trying his best to find his faith in a world that's falling apart. He's just trying to do the best for his sister's and he feels their lives fall completely on his shoulders. The problem is his sister Julie doesn't listen to a word he says and his other sister Bri is too innocent and naive to make it on her own. A lot of Alex's choices revolve around his upbringing that instilled in him that as the man he is responsible  for his sisters. Although he loves his sisters, he thinks of taking care of them as the duty his parents left. Alex hardly ever considers his own happiness or well-fare.

Alex meets Kevin, a rich kid who helps him make money in a slightly disturbing way. Kevin is rich and helping Alex out of the goodness of his heart which is rare in this new world. I loved Kevin's and Alex's relationship and the way Alex starts to open up to this boy he never would have known had the world not gone to hell.

This story, like the first in the series, just felt so authentic. You feel like you are literally watching these people's lives unfold without any of the glamor that other books gives to a post-apocalyptic world. Although it merely follows the day-to-day life of a regular high school kid not for one second does it get boring. I think the hardest part is watching Alex lose his faith and watching him struggle with this burden he's put on himself. But the truth is that if he didn't protect his sisters, no one else would.

These are tough books to read because they are so real. Out of all post-apocalyptic novels I've ever read, these are probably the ones that come closest to what I think the reality of the world would be like. There's no quest. No way to save the world. All you can do is just survive day-to-day and hope that one day the world will get better. It shows that just a slight change to something so uncontrollable can cause this horrific ripple effect. It's a pretty scary thought.

OVERALL:

The most authentic post-apocalyptic world I've ever read. I highly recommend this book for all lovers of the genre.---10 out of 10.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Book Review: The Death Cure by James Dashner (Book 3 of the Maze Runner Series)

Author: James Dashner
             Website
             Blog
Series or Stand-alone: 
            Book 3 in The Maze Runner Series:
                                                   My Review of Book 1: The Maze Runner
                                                   My Review of Book 2: The Scorch Trials
How I got it:
             From my friend who works at Scholastic
Pages: 325
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Genre: Young Adult / Dystopian
First Published: October 23, 2011
Buy it from: Amazon
                  Barnes & Noble
Add to Goodreads
Book Trailer: 

FIRST LINE(S): "It was the smell that began to drive Thomas slightly mad."


The GIST (From Goodreads):

Thomas knows that Wicked can't be trusted, but they say the time for lies is over, that they've collected all they can from the Trials and now must rely on the Gladers, with full memories restored, to help them with their ultimate mission. It's up to the Gladers to complete the blueprint for the cure to the Flare with a final voluntary test.

What Wicked doesn't know is that something's happened that no Trial or Variable could have foreseen. Thomas has remembered far more than they think. And he knows that he can't believe a word of what Wicked says.

The time for lies is over. But the truth is more dangerous than Thomas could ever imagine.
Will anyone survive the Death Cure?

OPINION:
Warning: Mild Spoilers from Books 1 and 2

This ending was neither satisfying nor anger inducing. I didn't really feel that "OH that's what it's been all about!" moment where I looked back at the other books and said "now I understand. Now I get all the killing and the tests. There was such a great reason behind them." That didn't happen.

On the flip, I didn't throw the book against the wall screaming about a cop-out ending saying "That was it! What the Bleep @@@ Bleepin Bleep was that!" (Kind of like I did with Harry Potter but without the cursing. Harry is too innocent for such language.)

Instead, I merely felt okay with the ending. I enjoyed the series and I don't regret reading them, however, the secret of WICKED was a little of a let down as was the reason for the trials. I guess I thought the ending would be a bit more imaginative.
That being said, I was glad how it ended. I can't wait to read "The Kill Order" coming out soon.

OVERALL:

A decent ending to a good series. I wholeheartedly recommend the series.---7.0 out of 10.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Book Tour: Book Review: CIN by Christina Leigh Pritchard


 
 
Author: Christina Leigh Pritchard    
            Website
            Blog
Series or Stand-alone: 
            Stand Alone
 How I got it:
             For a Book Tour
Pages: 128
Publisher: Createspace
Genre: Young Adult / Paranormal
First Published: April 13, 201
Buy it from: Amazon
Book Trailer:
 
First Line(s): “Lisa, if you don't finish packing your things, I sweat you'll go with nothing.”

The GIST: 

Seventeen year old Lisa Brown’s life is falling apart. First, her mother and father divorce, then their house forecloses and now, her mother has decided to commit herself to a psychiatric hospital.

If that weren’t enough, she must leave sunny south Florida to attend a boarding school full of geniuses in cold, Lynn, Massachusetts. The city where the locals chant “Lynn, Lynn, city of sin; you never come out the way you went in.”

And, they aren’t kidding. Lisa must live in a tiny shack with two strange teenagers, a dog named Pig who growls when you look at him and a cat named Rat. “Mind the cat,” everyone says. What the heck is wrong with this place?

Lisa thinks she’s landed in her own house of horrors with the anti-social Alex and his facetious sister Ally. But, the real drama begins the day she is struck by lightning…

OPINION:*

C I N follows the story of Lisa, a high school senior who lives with her reckless mother in Florida but suddenly is forced to move with an estranged relative to Lynn, Massachusetts. Obviously Lisa is very upset about the idea of the move and even more upset when she is forced to live with reclusive geniuses Alex and Ally. Alex and Ally are two very strange kids who attend her new school but they don’t socialize much or at all. Alex hates being touched, and Lisa gets a pain when she accidentally does touch him, while Ally has socializing and jealousy issues.

I’ll start with what I did like. I liked Lisa’s back story and her relationship with her mother.  Lisa’s mother basically abandons her with a stranger after experiencing a lot of psychological issues. This part of the story felt authentic. I felt the author was also really creative with the world-building. I liked the idea of lightening giving you powers but, unfortunately, the logic of the paranormal aspect to the book was very confusing to follow and not explained well enough.

The major problem I had with this book was mostly in the writing and plotting. The writing felt really choppy and rough. For example, sometimes I had no idea what a sentence was supposed to mean or what the character was saying. A lot of the story felt repetitive because the sentence structure didn’t vary much.

With the book being only 128 pages long, I wish more time was spent on each segment of the story. The plot shot around like crazy and there are parts where the timing of things happening was off. In one part Michael, Lisa’s I just met you but you’re my new best friend, tells Lisa he’s going to meet up with her future roommate Donna but then mysteriously shows up the same day on a cruise ship with his other classmates.

The thing did save this book for me and the reason I finished it was that I was really interested in Alex, the love interest. He was mysterious and intriguing. I liked how Lisa kept thinking he was one way but discovering he was actually the opposite, kind of like a Pride and Prejudice thing but one sided. It was definitely insta-love but that didn’t bother me so much.  The way things wrapped up was confusing though. I didn’t understand Lisa’s sudden complacency towards everything she was fighting against for the last pages of the book.
 
OVERALL:

The story had some issues with plotting and writing I can't overlook overall. However, the premise and love interest were worth continuing reading for. I'm probably not interested in continuing the series.---2.0 out of 10.


*Whenever I give a book a negative review, I like to remind readers that I am only one opinion and they should make up their own minds about it. Maybe you'll like it when I didn't.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Book Review: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness and Siohan Dowd

Author: Patrick Ness (Writer)
             Website
            Siohan Dowd (Idea Based Off Of)
            Website
            Jim Kay (Illustrator)
            Website
Series or Stand-alone: 
            Stand Alone
 How I got it:
             Public library
Pages: 205
Publisher: Walker Books
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy/ Horror
First Published: September 27, 2011
Buy it from: Amazon
                  Barnes & Noble
Book Trailer:
First Line(s): “The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.”

The GIST (from Goodreads): 

The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.

But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting. He's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming... 

This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor. 

It wants the truth.

OPINION:

I didn't know what to except when I started to read "A Monster Calls" other than there would be some kind of twist.

And after a few pages you kind of know how it's going to end but that doesn't make it uninteresting--or easier. It was a tough read, especially for anyone whose ever lost somebody.

You kind of know where it’s going but it still knocks the breath out of you. Basically Conor is a thirteen year old boy dealing with the day to day life of having a mother going through chemo. He’s having two different nightmares. One I won’t talk about (because it will ruin the story) but the other is about the great yew tree in view from his backyard that comes to see him at night.

There’s not much I can say that won’t give the story away. There is a great lesson to be learned here about thoughts and people. Good and bad and the line in between.

OVERALL:

It was a quick read, but hits you right in the gut. I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time. ---10 out of 10.
 

Book Review: A Million Suns by Beth Revis (Book 2 of Across the Universe Series)


Author: Beth Revis
              Website
              Blog 
Series or Stand-alone: 
            Book 2 in the Across the Universe Series
                                  My Review of Book 1- Across the Universe
How I got it:
             Public library
Pages: 386
Publisher: Razorbill
Genre: Young Adult / Science Fiction
First Published: January 10, 2012
Buy it from: Amazon
                   Barnes & Noble

First Line(s): “This isn't going to be easy, I mutter, staring at the solid metal door that lead to the Engine room on the Shipper Level of Godspeed.”

The GIST (from Goodreads): 

Godspeed was once fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos. It’s been three months. In that time, Amy has learned to hide who she is. Elder is trying to be the leader he’s always wanted to be. But as the ship gets more and more out of control, only one thing is certain: They have to get off the ship.

OPINION:
Mild Spoilers from Across the Universe


"A Million Suns" leaves off after the death of Orion and Eldest. Elder is struggling with controlling the ship after taking everyone off Phydus. There are riots and revolts; the people are fighting against the Eldest system and the knowledge that they might not ever see Centri-Earth.

Amy is still dealing with her almost rape at the hands of Luthor. The people of Godspeed blame her for their misfortunes and she is constantly in physical danger. She feels alone and is still reeling after learning Elder is the reason is was unfrozen.

There is a bigger problem though. Godspeed isn’t just going slow. It’s not moving at all. There’s a trail of secrets Orion left for Amy about the ship and the fact it’s not stagnant. Maybe if she can find them, she can figure out a way to get to the planet and finally wake up her parents.

What I liked about this sequel is what I complained about the last book. Finally Amy’s and Elder’s relationship got developed and they spent some quality time together. Amy constantly wonders if there can be love without choice. Elder may be the only person around her age she’ll ever see again. So does she feel something for him because of that or because she actually likes him? It was a great moral question that propels a lot of her actions towards him.

I liked the idea of learning the secrets of the ship through Orion. I think it made you question a lot about what's true and what's not. The dynamics and politics of the ship were also interesting. Elder was born/ created/ engineered to lead the ship but he's also the youngest person on it and sometimes you can really see his age in his stubbornness. Like Amy, Elder starts to learn that everything isn't black or white. He begins to see Eldest and Orion in a new light while wondering if he's the best leader for the ship after all.

I thought the plotting was slow at times and although the mystery of the ship was intriguing, it didn’t move fast enough. Some of the scenes could have maybe been cut all together or sped up to bring on the urgency that Elder and Amy feel.

OVERALL:

It’s worth the wait to see what the big mystery is. I was not disappointed at all with the ending and I can’t wait for the next book to see how it all works out.---9.0 out of 10.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

ARC Book Review: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry



Author: Katie McGarry
             Website
             Blog
Series or Stand-alone: 
            Stand-Alone
How I got it:
             Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley!
Pages: 386
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Genre: Young Adult / Contemporary/ Romance
First Published: July 31, 2012
Buy it from: Amazon
                  Barnes & Noble
Add to Goodreads
Book Trailer: 



FIRST LINE(S): "My father is a control freak, I hate my step-mother, my brother is dead and my mother has...well...issues. How do you think I'm doing?"

The GIST (From Goodreads):

"I won't tell anyone, Echo. I promise." Noah tucked a curl behind my ear. It had been so long since someone touched me like he did. Why did it have to be Noah Hutchins? His dark brown eyes shifted to my covered arms. "You didn't do that-did you? It was done to you?" No one ever asked that question. They stared. They whispered. They laughed. But they never asked.

So wrong for each other...and yet so right.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

"An edgy romance that pulls you in and never lets go. I was hooked!"-Gena Showalter,  New York Times bestselling author of the Intertwined series.

OPINION:

I don’t remember the last contemporary novel I read but after hearing all the hype for this book, I had to give it a try. I mean can you beat a girl with scars hiding emotional baggage and a bad boy who is sensitive on the inside? Sounds good to me.

Basically, this novel is told in alternating chapters by Noah and Echo. Echo is trying to remember the incident that caused the scars that marred her arms. Ever since that day, she’s been having nightmares, lost the majority of her friends and has not seen her mother. Noah is a foster kid who is forced away from his brothers after an incident with a previous foster parent. All he wants is his family put back together again. Can Noah and Echo try to find the solution to their problems in each other?

Now, I’ve always liked the alternating boy/ girl chapters. It’s refreshing to get a male’s perspective but sometimes you just know there is a woman behind that POV. So it’s not surprising that I felt like Noah’s voice was forced. He said and thought things that I couldn’t believe a boy his age would. He was constantly calling Echo his siren or his Goddess which was beyond corny. He would also call her his world and his everything which, again, was a little gag worthy. Now I know boys say things like that to girls when they think no one is listening, but the way he kept calling her his in front of his guy friend? I just don't see that happening in real life.

As for Echo, I felt she was inconsistent. She would say what a pushover she was, how she felt like she had to follow authority figures but then she would stand up for herself and get in your face. It didn’t seem to make sense. Noah was constantly pointing out how she could match him wit for wit but I really didn’t see that either. It felt more like the author was trying to tell you what he sees in her, instead of showing you.

I did love Echo’s relationship with her brother, father, mother and stepmother. It felt authentic to me. As did Noah’s relationship with his foster parents, brothers and friends. The relationship that felt forced and faked was Noah’s and Echo’s. Although I felt his lust and his basic attraction to her, I didn’t see how they got attached so quickly. There is one overly sexual scene in the whole book and I had no idea what even happened. I re-read it five times but still couldn't understand.

The other thing that annoyed me was the stereotypical representation of high school. Let me tell you that seniors in their last semester of high school don’t give a crap about anything, least of all their standing on the popular scale in high school. The way people threw around the word popular sounded like it was a power or something. I felt like the author isn’t too much in sync with what high school is really like. For example, if the popular person even spoke to someone who wasn’t popular, it would ruin their whole reputation. I don’t think people are as cut and dry as the author made them out to be.

I do have to say that the plot was interesting and entertaining. I was never bored by what was going on in the story. I really did want to know what happened to Noah and Echo. The way the author spliced the knowledge throughout the story was very well done. You never got too many answers at one time.

I expected this to be very emotional read. I did get all teary-eyed up at one point with Noah but I didn’t feel too many overwhelming emotions towards the characters. I felt like this was suppose to be edgy and emotional but it fell flat for me. Maybe it was the hype or maybe I just don't get as sensitive as others. Who can say?

OVERALL:

This story lacked luster for me. Although the plot was interesting, I didn't come to care about the characters or their relationship. I felt like it didn't even get near the limits, let alone push them.---5.0 out of 10

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

W.I.P. Wednesday: How to NOT write a novel



Here is how the thoroughly screwed myself while writing this book.

I’ve been writing my current and only WIP for 5 years on and off…but we’ve been a lot more off then on. Five years does a lot to a person and a manuscript. It’s changed considerably since I started, it's almost nothing like my original idea. I’ve probably written at least 200,000 words in total. Only 79,000 are in my current revision. At first the book was third person following one singular character. Now it is first person alternating between two characters.

Here’s the major issue: 
I wrote most scenes out of order. For some people this works, however, I have a lot of little things going on in the book (subplots, characters, etc.). So when I have to start at the beginning to connect all the scenes, most don’t fit or have to be completely rewritten.

In this draft I’ve had upwards of 87,000 words and cut out at least 10,000 because the scenes didn’t make sense anymore. I didn't even use to have a major plot (???) until I recently outlined the story.

Basically I’ve had to rewrite or plain old write the entire book again and I still have a lot of scenes to finish. Sometimes I want to cry when I think of all the wasted time and energy I’ve put in this thing. And I know people says it’s not wasted because you’re learning to write, but God it feels wasted.

So here’s my advice:  
If you’re going to write scenes out of order, have a basic outline so you’re just not writing willy nilly. For my next project, I’m going to write in sequence because there is not enough aspirin in the world to help with this headache WIP.