Review: A friend of mine recommended this book to me and she is a big reader so I thought it would be good. Boy was I wrong. Right from the start this book was very slow. It went into immense detail and showed the main character's every thought. Some people may like this, but I though it made the book boring. About halfway through the story started to pick up a little.
I was actually interested in finding out where the best friend had gone, with was the only reason I kept reading it. The whole book revolved around finding the main character's(Emily) best friend. Emily went on a spectacular goose chase looking for her friend and I was expecting just as a spectacular ending to it. But alas, the best friends return was as boring as it gets. I would have given this book a higher rating if it had a better ending. Overall I did not love this book and I wouldn't recommend it.
I was hesitant to read this book because of previous reviews I had read about it and I didn't think it was as bad as everyone said it was. It is a great book and very well written, but if you do plan on reading it then don't read the last 50 pages (They contribute next to nothing with the overall story and just cause lots of tears). The story itself is very, very good. Tris and Tobias have to escape the city and go past the fence. Only once they are out there they find that their whole city was just an experiment to try and fix a mistake made hundreds of years ago by people who didn't know any better.
Tris, and the group she came with, have to save the outside world before they can save their previous home. There is a lot of fighting and struggles because the world beyond the fence is vicious and cruel. Tobias is at odds with himself as he finds out secrets in his DNA, secrets he wasn't entirely ready to know.
Reviewer Grade: 8
Clary Fray is a completely normal girl, except that she saw three people brutally kill someone. Not only did she witness a vicious killing, but somehow no one else can see it but her. Then suddenly her mother is kidnapped and she is attacked by a demon. Clary gets sucked into a world full of monsters and shadowhunters, an elite group of people tasked with protecting humans. In order to save her mother from Valentine, the man who wants to murder downworlders and innocent children, she must team up with Jace Wayland, a very talented and young shadowhunter. I could absolutely not put this book down!!There was so much action and just enough romance that this book will probably always be one of my favorite books ever! I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys fiction.
Reviewer Grade: 8
A must read for dog lovers.
The One by Kiera Cass is the third book in the Selection series. In this book prince Maxon of Illea has to choose a princess and wife from the Elite. Will Maxon choose America or will he choose another?I would rate this book a four out of five because at some points it was a bit redundant, but the romance between America and Maxon was breathtaking and sucked me in. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes romance and dystonia. I am in eighth grade and I am 14.
I have to admit, I chose to read this book based on the title alone! I liked the title and I loved the book. Classic chick-lit. The main character of the book is the LBD (Little Black Dress) of the season. The dress that every woman, no matter her age or size, wants! The dress affects the lives of not only the nine women, but a few men too! If you are looking for an easy read, this book is for you! It made me laugh and smile. A fun read! I can't wait for Jane L. Rosen's next book.
This is an epic love story that spans, not only generations in Australia, but follows them around the world. Yes, it was made into a mini-series in the 1983 (worth watching), but you would be doing yourself a disservice if that is your only exposure to The Thorn Birds.
Queen of Shadows is the fifth book in the Throne of Glass series. It begins soon after Aelin Galathynius, the rightful Queen of Terrasen returns to Rifthold planning to kill the King of Adarlan. To do this and reclaim her birthright Aelin must go up against of an evil that is not of her world. As the plot thickens, there are more complications than Aelin can count.
Meanwhile, one of Aelin's closest friends must battle his own enemy; an enemy that lives inside him and controls him. This book is a great addition to the series, carrying on its legacy of great characters and fast-moving plot.
Queen of Shadows keeps many of the incredible characters from the previous books, and introduces many new ones. I thought that the internal struggles of these characters made this book even better. (If this was a movie, I would probably rate it PG-13 for some violence and a little romance.)
Reviewer Grade: 9
The second book in the Throne of Glass series, The Crown of Midnight is a fantastic addition to the series. This book continues a few months after the Throne of Glass leaves off. Celaena Sardothien has been working for the King for a few months without any word from Elena. Although her job requires the King's trust, Celaena is far from loyal. She is always secretly plotting, planning. As a romance that Celaena never imagined starts to blossom, she realizes that there is more going on in Adarland than meets the eyes. Because Celaena is trying to not only protect those she loves, but also hide her own deadly secret, it is hard for her to do anything for the suffering people around her. This book is a great addition to the series, introducing the true conflict and clarifying many things from the last book. Celaena is still a great character, funny, proud, and clever, and truly unpredictable. I loved this book, and would recommend it to anyone that enjoyed the first installment in the series. The Crown of Midnight has a perfect balance of romance, action, and political intrigue. Full of new insights to Celaena's character, this book will pull you in and keep you reading long into the night. I would like to note that this is definitely a young adult book, and has some content that maybe not everyone is comfortable with. That being said this book is a great read and I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys reading fantasy.
Reviewer Grade: 9
Hold Me Like a Breath by Tiffany Schmidt tells the story of Penelope who is untouchable because her body destroys her platelets which causes her to bruise easily. Penelope's Family is in the black market for organ transplant, this makes Penelope's life more dangerous than it already is. All Penelope ever wanted was to be treated like everyone else, but when a brutal act thrusts her into New York alone and scared she finds there are bigger threats than bruises. This book tugged on my emotions, and made me feel what loss is like. I picked this book because a good friend of mine recommended it to me and I would recommend this book to people who like suspense and romance.
Reviewer Grade: 8
A Teen Book. Seventeen-year-old Hendrix is left to care for his Gpa, who is losing his memory due to Alzheimer's, in a senior facility. All his grandfather wants is to go home to Ithaca, New York, to remember his deceased wife, before he forgets her completely. Corrina, also seventeen, was adopted from Guatemala. She's a musician, feeling crowded and suffocated by circumstances in LA. One night, they decide combine forces, steal a car and Gpa and head for New York. The adventure is one of friendship, but mainly one of learning to love. Language and mature situations.
Meghan Chase has never been normal. She lives on a pig farm. Her father disappeared when she was just six. She is forgotten by everyone, even her stepfather. But as she nears her sixteenth birthday, extremely strange things begin to happen to her. First, she sees a mysterious stranger watching her, and her best friend, Robin, becomes strangely protective. Then, her half brother, Ethan tells her about the monsters that are always watching him.
Megan is soon drawn into a world that she never could've imagined. A world of magic, faeries that would kill you in an instant, and unbreakable pacts: The Nevernever. It is there that she realizes that her whole life has been a lie.
This book is a fantastic novel with tons of action, humor, and romance. The characters are well developed, and fun to read about. Many of the characters are from other stories such as Puck, King Oberon, the Big Bad Wolf, ext. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who likes books with fantasy, humor, and supernatural themes. It is the first book of an originally four book series (the author has added additional books with different characters as the focus of the story). There is, I believe, some slightly questionable language and topics, not to mention romance, so if that bothers you this might not be the book for you. Overall, this book is amazing, and very character driven, and I recommend it to lovers of The Mortal Instruments, and Julia Kagawa's other books.
Review Grade: 9
Lily is a hopeful songwriter who is struggling in chemistry. After her teacher bans her from having her notebook in class, she writes on the desk instead. This sparks an ongoing conversation through notes with an unknown pen pal. As the letters continue, more and more personal information is shared, and more feelings surface inspiring Lily to write lyrics. With a typical cast of characters – the best friend, the mean girls and boys, the crush(es) – P.S. I Like You isn’t anything too different from many of the other cute, light romances, but it’s still a quick, enjoyable read.
America Singer has been forced to enter in a competition to win Prince Maxon's heart. There's only one problem: she's in love with someone else. Marked by a brutal social class system, America either has the option to marry within her class or above it. She cannot marry her boyfriend Aspen Ledger, who is a class below her. So, she must enter "The Selection" to compete with a number of other girls for Prince Maxon's hand. Although the characters and plot were complex, I felt this book was lacking something - perhaps the conflict wasn't quite strong enough? I still recommend it for its excellent world-building and characters. (I'd rate this PG-13 for minor language and some romance)
Reviewer Grade: 9
Marked by P.C and Kristin Cast is genius. The story follows a young girl named Zoe whose life is turned around. After dumping her alcoholic boyfriend and living with her loser step dad, Zoe is turned into a vampire who must attend The House of Night, a school for students like her. She soon finds that being a vampire isn’t so bad. This story is a 4/5, and I recommend it to anyone willing to read, however it does include some mature things so if you are not able to handle swearing, or any other such things the book is not for you.
Reviewer Grade: 7
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is a perfect 5/5. 16 year old Hazel Grace wants to be normal when she meets Augustus Waters, someone who is anything but normal. The book drew me in with its beautiful love story. Not only that but it also with its realistic views on the world. The author is surprisingly good at getting into a teenage girl’s young mind. Everyone should read this book, you will never get bored when reading it.
Reviewer Grade: 7
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater is about a girl named Grace and a boy that is half human, half wolf named Sam. This story is about their adventure together, as they try to find a way to make Sam a full human. I would rate this book a 4 because I loved how surprising the ending was, but it was a little slow in the middle of the book. I picked this book because my language arts teacher recommended it to me. I would recommend this book to people who like the book Twilight.
Reviewer Grade: 8
Book 5 (Empire of Storms hereafter EoS) picks up right where book 4 left off, and the action quickly ramps up. At the beginning of EoS, most of our heroes are together after the events that unfolded at Rifthold, and, to a lesser extent, Morath. After defeating and destroying the King of Alderan, Aelin travels to Terrasen, and after receiving no help or support from the various Dukes/Earls or whatever, Aelin opts for some different kind of support. The kind of support that comes from pirates. So Aelin and her merry band of heroes (well, some of them are pretty angsty, actually) depart to get support from Aelin's old "friend", the Pirate Lord Rolfe.
I was kind of expecting to not like this book as I seem to only like every other Throne of Glass book (I really like 2 and 4 and didn't care much for 1 and 3), but this entry in the series defied my expectations in a good way. The action is fairly constant, and the characters continue to develop and act in ways consistent with their current development. Things that annoy me about Aelin continue to annoy me - she makes really key decisions without informing or soliciting advice from her much more seasoned travel companions/court, but a reveal at the end made Aelin a more compelling character (although still, girl, COMMUNICATE). The real fun in the books, for me at least, comes from Aelin's surrounding cast of characters. Even though many of them took a back seat to Aelin in this book (Chaol is unheard from) their interactions were delightful to read, and I will never be sorry spending time with my favorite, Manon. Lysandra also gets a time to shine, and Elide starts to come into her own as well. There are some new characters that wouldn't be new to those that read the prequel novellas, so if you have not read those yet, I strongly suggest reading them before you embark on the 700 pages of awesomeness that is EoS.
On the downside, there was a bit too much romance in the book for me. Like, EVERY character doesn't need to pair up. Especially since they are all hetero-normative (even though there is some discussion of characters being bi). Also, the sex scenes were fairly repetitive and at times unintentionally hilarious (a character literally BURSTS INTO FLAME). I mean, there was a ton of:
Claiming of mouths (what does that even mean and ew)
Going over the edge
"Maleness" (I'm not sure about this one either but probably ew)
Heating at one's core (I'm pretty sure your core is your abs, but whatever)
Nipping at necks
Right. So that all happens a lot.
Oh, and consider yourself warned, this book ends on a cliffhanger.
Anyway, overall, EoS was a great entry in the series and a strong fantasy story. I really really really cannot WAIT for the last one. 4 stars.
For my review I read the book Shinobi Life by Shoko Conami. This book is about a young girl who wants to die, but a boy her age saves her and she changes her mind. This boy is a ninja from the past who stumbles into the future. The girl falls for him, but he cannot fall for her. I really loved how funny and serious this book is.
Reviewer Grade:8
For my review I read the second book of the Shinobi Life series. In this book you find out that Kagetora and Beni have both fallen for each other. Sandy thought something stands in their way. Beni's father has already had an arranged marriage planned for her making Kagetora and Beni's love forbidden. I really loved this book, my favorite part about it is how Kagetora is so protective over Beni.
Reviewer Grade:8