Hi Birds!
I'm finally back with another roundup. I've been on vacation in Chicago for the last week so it's taken me awhile to get back on the ball. I read 11 books in September for a total of 138 so far this year.
Nightschool vol. 2 & 3 by Svetlana Chmakova ~ B+, A
- I started the month out with the second and third volume in this manga series. I won't say much because it would be spoilery if you haven't read the first volume (look for my review in last month's roundup). Alex and Teacher are both magical badasses. The only drawback is that there are a ton of characters so it's hard to keep their names straight. The action ramps up and each volume is better than the last.
Black Butler vol. 1 by Yana Toboso ~ B+
- I also started the Black Butler manga series. It's basically about a butler who is always saving his employer's ass in one way or another and has some kind of special ability to pull off the impossible. I enjoyed the relationship the Butler has with his master. He really seems to care for the kid even though he doesn't have to and probably shouldn't (for spoilery reasons). I was annoyed by the background characters and the different episodes were kind of incongruous. It'll be interesting to see if all of the volumes are told in this disparate manner or if it was just this first one. Looking forward to finding out more of the back story on these two characters and their unique arrangement.
Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick ~ C-
- This one was a real struggle for me. A girl with a brain tumor goes into the mountains to spread her parents ashes and the apocalypse begins. Super depressing from the word 'go.' It took me forever to get through this book. I thought it could have been a lot shorter. The characters could have been better developed. It felt like the author was trying to constantly one-up herself. Oh, you have inoperable brain cancer and your parents are dead, well here's the apocalypse. This can't possibly get any worse, can it? Sure it can and then proceeds to get more and more depressing. Did I mention this is a series? Yikes.
The Elite and The One by Kiera Cass ~ Both B+
- The Selection series books 2 and 3. I got a little annoyed with the main character America in the second book. She did way too much waffling between the guys. She finally picks Maxon. Like we didn't see that one coming. Both of their actions in this book were irrational but I kept reminding myself that they're just teenagers. I liked the twist with the king and the real background of the country's founder. The third book was a pretty decent end to the series. A lot of people die which is surprising since this is a YA romance series. Some of the deaths are a little puzzling and the main death's were a little bit of a cop-out to wrap the series up easily.
Library Wars: Love & War vol. 1 by Kuro Yumi ~ C-
- Forgettable and boring. The main character is a crappy librarian. She never pays attention in class and all of her reactions are crazy. She didn't even know the layout of the library and was basically just there because she's physically strong. How in the world did she get promoted to such an important squad? I won't be continuing this manga series.
The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die by April Henry ~ C+
- This was was just okay. I had to think a moment about what this book was actually about. It opens strong with a girl about to be murdered who is able to escape but then gets kind of boring while she tries to figure out what happened to her. She's no Nancy Drew. The science plot was alright. Overall just a meh book.
Eve & Adam by Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate ~ B+
- A quick, easy sci-fi read. Eve has an accident and while she's recovering she uses a program at her mom's facility to create her version of the perfect guy. Shenanigans ensue. Eve's a decent character but my favorite is Solo a guy she meets who works for her mom. He's got drive and smarts and a whole lot of courage.
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang ~ A+
- This was one of the best graphic novels I've ever read. The artwork was simple and colorful but fit the narrative perfectly. The author weaves three different storylines into a great lesson on how to accept and appreciate who you really are. The Monkey King was my favorite character. This was a great story of self-discovery and friendship that I highly recommend.
The Eye of Minds by James Dashner ~ D
-The description made it sound like Ready Player One by Ernest Cline which is one of my favorite books. Not so much for this one. I had to force myself to finish this book. I should've just given up but I enjoyed The Maze Runner by Dashner so I wanted to give it a shot. I just couldn't get into the writing style and the main character seemed so stiff and stilted. Every time he opened his mouth I thought, "A teenager wouldn't say that." It felt too forced and was a huge letdown.
So that's it for September. Let me know if you agree with my reviews in the comments below.
Showing posts with label reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reviews. Show all posts
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Review: Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder
Hi Birds!
I love Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder so I always keep my eye out for more of her books. About six months ago I picked up a paperback copy of the second book in the Insider duology, Outside In, at Goodwill for less than $1. I kept hoping to find the first book for cheap too but it never happened (story of my life) so I finally checked it out from the library.
Amazon.com Summary
Keep Your Head Down.
Don't Get Noticed.
Or Else.
I'm Trella. I'm a scrub. A nobody. One of thousands who work the lower levels, keeping Inside clean for the Uppers. I've got one friend, do my job and try to avoid the Pop Cops. So what if I occasionally use the pipes to sneak around the Upper levels? The only neck at risk is my own…until I accidentally start a rebellion and become the go-to girl to lead a revolution.
What I Thought - B+
The plot was the strongest part of the novel. The reader starts out with very little information about Inside and its population but what develops is truly awesome. Inside is literally a big box everyone is stuck in and nobody knows why. The lowers are slaves keeping everything from falling apart. It's like a giant maze and the main character, Trella, is the poor mouse scrambling around in the walls trying to get out.
Snyder captured being a teenager pretty well. Trella feels like she's different and she doesn't belong. She is surrounded by thousands of people but still feels like an outsider. She has only one friend and spends most of her time alone inside the pipes. Her friend sucks her into the search for a possible door to outside called Gateway. Nobody knows what it looks like or if it's even real.
I liked the sense of urgency and all of the action elements. Trella was go, go, go all the time and it kept the story exciting. Chomper scares the crap out of me. Who feeds bodies into a giant trash compacter? (oh right, Stephen King does. haha. Check out his short story The Mangler).
The description of Inside made me think they must be in some kind of underground bunker because of a nuclear war or something so I didn't see the twist coming. I can't say anymore about it but it will blow your mind. I am looking forward to finally getting to read Outside In.
Suggestions
Books ~ Incarceron by Catherine Fisher, City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau, Under the Dome by Stephen King, Gone by Michael Grant, Across the Universe by Beth Revis
TV ~ Under the Dome
Movies ~ Escape from Alcatraz, The Running Man, Cube, The Mangler, The Mist, The Poseidon Adventure, The Fog, Day of the Dead
COMMENT BELOW! Have you read Inside Out? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.
I love Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder so I always keep my eye out for more of her books. About six months ago I picked up a paperback copy of the second book in the Insider duology, Outside In, at Goodwill for less than $1. I kept hoping to find the first book for cheap too but it never happened (story of my life) so I finally checked it out from the library.
Amazon.com Summary
 |
| MariaVSnyder.com |
Don't Get Noticed.
Or Else.
I'm Trella. I'm a scrub. A nobody. One of thousands who work the lower levels, keeping Inside clean for the Uppers. I've got one friend, do my job and try to avoid the Pop Cops. So what if I occasionally use the pipes to sneak around the Upper levels? The only neck at risk is my own…until I accidentally start a rebellion and become the go-to girl to lead a revolution.
What I Thought - B+
The plot was the strongest part of the novel. The reader starts out with very little information about Inside and its population but what develops is truly awesome. Inside is literally a big box everyone is stuck in and nobody knows why. The lowers are slaves keeping everything from falling apart. It's like a giant maze and the main character, Trella, is the poor mouse scrambling around in the walls trying to get out.
Snyder captured being a teenager pretty well. Trella feels like she's different and she doesn't belong. She is surrounded by thousands of people but still feels like an outsider. She has only one friend and spends most of her time alone inside the pipes. Her friend sucks her into the search for a possible door to outside called Gateway. Nobody knows what it looks like or if it's even real.
I liked the sense of urgency and all of the action elements. Trella was go, go, go all the time and it kept the story exciting. Chomper scares the crap out of me. Who feeds bodies into a giant trash compacter? (oh right, Stephen King does. haha. Check out his short story The Mangler).
The description of Inside made me think they must be in some kind of underground bunker because of a nuclear war or something so I didn't see the twist coming. I can't say anymore about it but it will blow your mind. I am looking forward to finally getting to read Outside In.
Suggestions
Books ~ Incarceron by Catherine Fisher, City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau, Under the Dome by Stephen King, Gone by Michael Grant, Across the Universe by Beth Revis
TV ~ Under the Dome
Movies ~ Escape from Alcatraz, The Running Man, Cube, The Mangler, The Mist, The Poseidon Adventure, The Fog, Day of the Dead
COMMENT BELOW! Have you read Inside Out? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.
Friday, August 29, 2014
Review: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
Hi Birds!
I love me some post-apocalypse/dystopian novels so when I heard about The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey I had to get my hands on it. Fast forward a year and my lazy butt finally checked it out from the library.
Amazon.com Summary
After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.
Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother Sam--or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.
What I Thought - A
This was a great example of a YA post-apocalyptic novel. The main character 16-year-old, Cassie Sullivan, is pretty much kick-ass. She's on her own in this world gone completely batsh*t crazy and she survives like a trooper. Under that kind of pressure, most people (myself included) would completely fall apart but Cassie thrives.
I liked that the book switched perspectives between Cassie, Evan, Sam and Cassie's other love interest, Ben. It helped round out the story and kept things exciting.
The waves were an interesting plot mechanic. They helped build a back story and also helped the reader feel the panic and desperation in Cassie's search to find her brother. The 5th wave was especially tricky and demoralizing for the human population. I kind of had an idea in the back of my mind about what the 5th wave was as soon as I saw who was in Ben's group at the base but the full plan was still pretty mind-blowing. The cliff-hanger ending was terrifying and paved the way for the sequel which comes out September 16 and is called The Infinite Sea.
Suggestions
If you have read this book and liked it, or if you're just interested in stuff that's similar, check out:
Books ~ The Passage by Justin Cronin, Swan Song by Robert R. McCammon, Dies the Fire by S.M. Stirling, School's Out Forever by Scott Andrews, Aftertime by Sophie Littlefield, Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry, The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
TV ~ Falling Skies, Defiance, Battlestar Galactica, Roswell
Movies ~ the Alien franchise, Independence Day, District 9, The Thing, Mars Attacks!, Invasion of the Body Snatchers
COMMENT BELOW! Let me know if you've read The 5th Wave and what you thought of it!
I love me some post-apocalypse/dystopian novels so when I heard about The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey I had to get my hands on it. Fast forward a year and my lazy butt finally checked it out from the library.
Amazon.com Summary
 |
| RickYancey.com |
Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother Sam--or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.
What I Thought - A
This was a great example of a YA post-apocalyptic novel. The main character 16-year-old, Cassie Sullivan, is pretty much kick-ass. She's on her own in this world gone completely batsh*t crazy and she survives like a trooper. Under that kind of pressure, most people (myself included) would completely fall apart but Cassie thrives.
I liked that the book switched perspectives between Cassie, Evan, Sam and Cassie's other love interest, Ben. It helped round out the story and kept things exciting.
The waves were an interesting plot mechanic. They helped build a back story and also helped the reader feel the panic and desperation in Cassie's search to find her brother. The 5th wave was especially tricky and demoralizing for the human population. I kind of had an idea in the back of my mind about what the 5th wave was as soon as I saw who was in Ben's group at the base but the full plan was still pretty mind-blowing. The cliff-hanger ending was terrifying and paved the way for the sequel which comes out September 16 and is called The Infinite Sea.
Suggestions
If you have read this book and liked it, or if you're just interested in stuff that's similar, check out:
Books ~ The Passage by Justin Cronin, Swan Song by Robert R. McCammon, Dies the Fire by S.M. Stirling, School's Out Forever by Scott Andrews, Aftertime by Sophie Littlefield, Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry, The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
TV ~ Falling Skies, Defiance, Battlestar Galactica, Roswell
Movies ~ the Alien franchise, Independence Day, District 9, The Thing, Mars Attacks!, Invasion of the Body Snatchers
COMMENT BELOW! Let me know if you've read The 5th Wave and what you thought of it!
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