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Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Author: Ann Kelley
Release Date: July 10th, 2012
Publisher: Little Brown
Pages: 336
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Finished copy for review
Rating: ★★★
I really, really wanted for this book to be good. It was one I had really been looking forward to, but after reading it I feel really let down. The only thing that really stood out to me was Ann's writing, that was by far the most redeeming factor for this book. The story itself just felt so bland, and even boring at times. I loved the idea behind it though, I just wish it had been executed a little better than it was. But as I said, the writing in this book was amazing and was the strong point of the book for sure.
I don't even really know what to discuss when it comes to the story. You have these girls trapped on an island, trying to figure out a way to get off of it. Crazy things happen, people get hurt and some people don't even make it. I enjoy stories like this, it reminds me a lot of other books/movies/shows that share similar scenarios. Although I think it's safe to say that this is one of the first that consists of a group of teenage girls at least from a darker perspective. The story isn't all bland though, it does have it's strong points and there were quite a few moments where I did find myself really enjoying the book. I just feel as though the bland parts did outweigh the enjoyable parts.
The characters were actually pretty great too, I really fond myself enjoying the characters. Having a group of teenagers trapped on an island can get pretty crazy. There were a lot of moments where they would be arguing about how to do things and little things like that. I'm not going to go into a massive amount of detail though, the one thing I really liked was how Bonnie kept her journal and you got to read entries of it throughout the book.. Some of them got pretty gruesome though, I remember one talking about a head being split open... yeah that was a mental picture I would like to forget. When it comes down to it though, the cast of characters were really great and really helped carry this book for me.
The ending was another great part of the book, I was really pleased with the way things ended and Ann did a great job at providing closure for a lot of the events that took place throughout the book. Even though I found myself getting bored, I can't deny that the ending of this book was fantastic and really helped pull the story up.
In the end, I feel like this book does have potential. If it's something you think you'll like then by all means read it. As you can see from my review, it really does have some very good strong points. I don't think it's a book you should stay away from simply because I didn't enjoy it as much as I was hoping I would. If you have read this book though, I would love to hear what you thought about it. I don't really know what I would of liked to have seen changed, I just feel like things could of been played out a little better throughout the story.
Thank you to Little Brown for providing me with a copy of this book for review.
Release Date: July 10th, 2012
Publisher: Little Brown
Pages: 336
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Finished copy for review
Rating: ★★★
No parents. No rules. No way home.
Fourteen-year-old Bonnie MacDonald couldn't be more excited for a camping trip on an island off the coast of Thailand with her fellow Amelia Earhart Cadets-the daughters of the men and women stationed there during the Vietnam War. But when a strong current deposits the girls on what their boatman calls the "forbidden island," things take a turn for the worse: A powerful storm comes to destroy their campsite, the smallest of the junior cadets is found dead, and their boatman never returns. What once seemed like a vacation in paradise has become a battle against the elements.
Peppered with short, frantic entries from Bonnie's journal, Lost Girls is a page-turning, heart-pounding adventure story about a group of teen girls fighting for their lives.
I really, really wanted for this book to be good. It was one I had really been looking forward to, but after reading it I feel really let down. The only thing that really stood out to me was Ann's writing, that was by far the most redeeming factor for this book. The story itself just felt so bland, and even boring at times. I loved the idea behind it though, I just wish it had been executed a little better than it was. But as I said, the writing in this book was amazing and was the strong point of the book for sure.
I don't even really know what to discuss when it comes to the story. You have these girls trapped on an island, trying to figure out a way to get off of it. Crazy things happen, people get hurt and some people don't even make it. I enjoy stories like this, it reminds me a lot of other books/movies/shows that share similar scenarios. Although I think it's safe to say that this is one of the first that consists of a group of teenage girls at least from a darker perspective. The story isn't all bland though, it does have it's strong points and there were quite a few moments where I did find myself really enjoying the book. I just feel as though the bland parts did outweigh the enjoyable parts.
The characters were actually pretty great too, I really fond myself enjoying the characters. Having a group of teenagers trapped on an island can get pretty crazy. There were a lot of moments where they would be arguing about how to do things and little things like that. I'm not going to go into a massive amount of detail though, the one thing I really liked was how Bonnie kept her journal and you got to read entries of it throughout the book.. Some of them got pretty gruesome though, I remember one talking about a head being split open... yeah that was a mental picture I would like to forget. When it comes down to it though, the cast of characters were really great and really helped carry this book for me.
The ending was another great part of the book, I was really pleased with the way things ended and Ann did a great job at providing closure for a lot of the events that took place throughout the book. Even though I found myself getting bored, I can't deny that the ending of this book was fantastic and really helped pull the story up.
In the end, I feel like this book does have potential. If it's something you think you'll like then by all means read it. As you can see from my review, it really does have some very good strong points. I don't think it's a book you should stay away from simply because I didn't enjoy it as much as I was hoping I would. If you have read this book though, I would love to hear what you thought about it. I don't really know what I would of liked to have seen changed, I just feel like things could of been played out a little better throughout the story.
Thank you to Little Brown for providing me with a copy of this book for review.
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Sunday, July 29, 2012
I am so thrilled to have a brand new blog design. And all of the credit for it goes to my friend Evie who did such an amazing job creating it and was so helpful with setting it all up. With my first year of blogging coming to an end in a few weeks, I thought it was perfect timing to have a design upgrade right now and I love how it all turned out.
Here is what my old design looked like, just so you can see the transformation.
As you can see, it's a massive change from the old look. And one that I am really pleased with, and that I hope you all will enjoy.
This is the reason for the lack of posts lately, because I had every little thing on my blog backed up so if I had posted something I would of had to do a lot of it over again. But now that I am getting everything in working order, you can expect to see things get back to normal this week with this post starting things off.
I really hope you all like this new design, Evie put a lot of work into it and I am so appreciative to have it. I can't wait to hear what you all think about it.
Please make sure to check out Evie's Blog and follow her on Twitter, etc. Links below.
Blog: http://www.evie-bookish.blogspot.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SeoEvie
Please let me know what you think of the new design in the comments, there are a few things that I haven't finished yet such as the "Author Interviews" page up top on the nav bar, but that will be finished down the road. You will also notice that on some reviews you will see a white bar near the cover of the books, but I really can't remove all of them because I would have to go completely edit every single post. It's not that bad though, and shouldn't be an issue.
Can't wait to hear what you think! :)
Here is what my old design looked like, just so you can see the transformation.
As you can see, it's a massive change from the old look. And one that I am really pleased with, and that I hope you all will enjoy.
This is the reason for the lack of posts lately, because I had every little thing on my blog backed up so if I had posted something I would of had to do a lot of it over again. But now that I am getting everything in working order, you can expect to see things get back to normal this week with this post starting things off.
I really hope you all like this new design, Evie put a lot of work into it and I am so appreciative to have it. I can't wait to hear what you all think about it.
Please make sure to check out Evie's Blog and follow her on Twitter, etc. Links below.
Blog: http://www.evie-bookish.blogspot.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SeoEvie
Please let me know what you think of the new design in the comments, there are a few things that I haven't finished yet such as the "Author Interviews" page up top on the nav bar, but that will be finished down the road. You will also notice that on some reviews you will see a white bar near the cover of the books, but I really can't remove all of them because I would have to go completely edit every single post. It's not that bad though, and shouldn't be an issue.
Can't wait to hear what you think! :)
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Author: Clay Griffith & Susan Griffith
Release Date: September 20th, 2011
Publisher: Pyr
Pages: 399
Age Group: Adult
Source: Finished copy for review
Rating: ★★★★★
I enjoyed The Rift Walker much more than I did the first book in the series. I just felt liked things moved a lot quicker out of the gate. I would say my only argument against this book was that there was so much more politics involved in it than the prvious book, at least in my opinion. But I will get into that later on in the review. This is such a rich story, not only the settings but the characters also. Clay and Susan do an amazing job drawing you into the story, and getting you involved with everything that is going with the characters.
If you've read the first book, you will know how the story left off. I am not going to go into an extreme amount of detail as I don't want to spoil anything that happened up to this point. The story is extremely engrossing though, You're introduced to more vampire clans, and learn a lot more about what exactly is going on between the humans and vampires. But in book two you start to see some backstabbing going on and some deals being made that could really mess things up for the people of Equatoria. And it's up to Adele, Gareth, Anhalt and others to try and prevent things from happening. Because if things are allowed to play out like a few people would wish them to, it would ruin them all.
A lot of the characters from book one are back, even Cesare.. who I still hate. You learn more about Adele and Gareth, as you would expect. And as I mentioned above, you're introduced to some new vampires throughout the story, and quite honestly I didn't really care for them all that much. They are the type of vampires you can come to expect from this series, Clay and Susan really know how to write their vampires.. some of the darker ones you will come across. Which is a good thing though, because that is how I feel vampires should be written. There are also a few other characters which you learn quite a bit more about such as Simon who is Adeles brother. He plays a really important part in this book. You see Senator Clark, which is Adele's husband, or so he claims but there might be a few problems with that, which is all I will say. I really enjoy all of these characters, even the ones I dislike. They all add something awesome to the story and help make it an enjoyable read.
The ending was pretty epic, to say the least. I love how it wraps up focusing more on two characters in particular. One of which you might not be expecting, but I was pleased with how this book was wrapped up. And don't even get me started with the epilogue, I want to know what they are up to so badly. It's going to be really interesting to see where things go in The Kingmakers which is book three of the series. And just by the title, I expect that we will be seeing a lot more of the politics and drama. But with everything else that you have going on throughout the books that stuff easily becomes bearable.
I would highly suggest reading this series if you haven't though. Keep in mind that it is an adult series, considering the vast majority of my reviews are young adult. But I really feel like this series could easily appeal to young adult readers, at least older teens and up. It's a lot darker than most of the books you'd see in young adult, but I can think of a few that could be comparable so it's not bad by any means. I really hope that you'll decide to check it out though, make sure to check out my review of book one "The Greyfriar" if you haven't yet.
Thank you to Pyr for providing me with a copy of this book for review.
Release Date: September 20th, 2011
Publisher: Pyr
Pages: 399
Age Group: Adult
Source: Finished copy for review
Rating: ★★★★★
Princess Adele struggles with a life of marriage and obligation as her Equatorian Empire and their American Republic allies stand on the brink of war against the vampire clans of the north. However, the alliance's horrific strategy for total victory drives Adele to abandon her duty and embark on a desperate quest to keep her nation from staining its hands with genocide. Reunited with her great love, the mysterious adventurer known to the world as the Greyfriar, Adele is pursued by her own people as well as her vengeful husband, senator Clark. With the human alliance in disarrray, Prince Cesare, lord of the British vampire clan, seizes the initiative and strikes at the very heart of Equatoria.
As Adele labors to bring order to her world, she learns more about the strange powers she exhibited in the north. Her teacher, Mamoru, leads a secret cabal of geomancers who believe Adele is the one who can touch the vast power of the Earth that surges through ley lines and wells up at the rifts where the lines meet. These energies are the key to defeating the enemy of mankind, and if Princess Adele could ever bring this power under her command, she could be death to vampires. But such a victory will also cost the life of Adele's beloved Greyfriar. The Rift Walkeris the second book in a trilogy of high adventure and alternative history. Combining rousing pulp action with steampunk style, the Vampire Empire series brings epic politcal themes to life within a story of heartbreaking romance, sacrifice, and heroism.
I enjoyed The Rift Walker much more than I did the first book in the series. I just felt liked things moved a lot quicker out of the gate. I would say my only argument against this book was that there was so much more politics involved in it than the prvious book, at least in my opinion. But I will get into that later on in the review. This is such a rich story, not only the settings but the characters also. Clay and Susan do an amazing job drawing you into the story, and getting you involved with everything that is going with the characters.
If you've read the first book, you will know how the story left off. I am not going to go into an extreme amount of detail as I don't want to spoil anything that happened up to this point. The story is extremely engrossing though, You're introduced to more vampire clans, and learn a lot more about what exactly is going on between the humans and vampires. But in book two you start to see some backstabbing going on and some deals being made that could really mess things up for the people of Equatoria. And it's up to Adele, Gareth, Anhalt and others to try and prevent things from happening. Because if things are allowed to play out like a few people would wish them to, it would ruin them all.
A lot of the characters from book one are back, even Cesare.. who I still hate. You learn more about Adele and Gareth, as you would expect. And as I mentioned above, you're introduced to some new vampires throughout the story, and quite honestly I didn't really care for them all that much. They are the type of vampires you can come to expect from this series, Clay and Susan really know how to write their vampires.. some of the darker ones you will come across. Which is a good thing though, because that is how I feel vampires should be written. There are also a few other characters which you learn quite a bit more about such as Simon who is Adeles brother. He plays a really important part in this book. You see Senator Clark, which is Adele's husband, or so he claims but there might be a few problems with that, which is all I will say. I really enjoy all of these characters, even the ones I dislike. They all add something awesome to the story and help make it an enjoyable read.
The ending was pretty epic, to say the least. I love how it wraps up focusing more on two characters in particular. One of which you might not be expecting, but I was pleased with how this book was wrapped up. And don't even get me started with the epilogue, I want to know what they are up to so badly. It's going to be really interesting to see where things go in The Kingmakers which is book three of the series. And just by the title, I expect that we will be seeing a lot more of the politics and drama. But with everything else that you have going on throughout the books that stuff easily becomes bearable.
I would highly suggest reading this series if you haven't though. Keep in mind that it is an adult series, considering the vast majority of my reviews are young adult. But I really feel like this series could easily appeal to young adult readers, at least older teens and up. It's a lot darker than most of the books you'd see in young adult, but I can think of a few that could be comparable so it's not bad by any means. I really hope that you'll decide to check it out though, make sure to check out my review of book one "The Greyfriar" if you haven't yet.
Thank you to Pyr for providing me with a copy of this book for review.
Monday, July 23, 2012
I’m a 28-year-old reader, writer, lover of animals, and eater of cookies. I used to be a marine biologist, but now I write novels. And not novels about fish either, but novels about kick-butt heroines and swoon-worthy rogues (I really like swoon-worthy rogues).
I live in Germany with my French husband and Irish setter, and you can learn more about my crazy thoughts and crippling cookie-addiction on twitter, facebook, orGoodreads.
My debut, Something Strange and Deadly, will be available from HarperCollins on July 24th, and you will never believe how happy this makes me!
JBB: What was the inspiration behind writing Something Strange and Deadly?
Susan: I always feel like such a tool when I answer this question because it's SO cliché… SS&D totally came from a dream--at least the initial premise. I dreamt my brother was missing and the only people who could help me were a ragtag team of outcasts. After a few days of this dream just HAUNTING me, I finally sat down and fleshed it out into a full story.
JBB: How would you describe what the process was like while you were writing the book? What was the easiest part for you? Hardest?
Susan: It was NOT easy--no book is for me. There's a saying by author Red Smith: "Writing is easy, you just sit down at the typewriter, open up a vein, and bleed it out drop by drop."
Truly, that's what writing feels like sometimes--painful, agonizing BLEEDING over my keyboard. Not because the words won't flow, per se, but because everything I pour out is terrible--and I know it's terrible, which just adds this gigantic element of self-doubt.
Honestly (as silly as this will sound), there are times I read SS&D or the sequel A DARKNESS STRANGE & LOVELY, and I literally think, "Wow! I wrote that?! Go Sooz!"
The easiest parts of the book were the romance or action scenes. Basically anytime Daniel was on the page, I found the words flowed out in a pretty polished state. :)
The hardest parts of the book were definitely the actual writing--the staying motivated and believing in myself. I would force myself to BICHOK (butt-in-chair, hands-on-keyboard) everyday with this distant dream that it would one day pay off. But by the time I reached the 12th (or more) rewrite/revision, I was finding it REALLY hard to keep BICHOKing. Fortunately, it all paid off in the end. I learned a lot with this first book, and my later books have been so much easier to write because of it!
JBB: If you could pick one character from the book that you'd say is your favorite, which would it be and why?
Susan: Oh dear--what a hard question! I think my actual favorite-favoritest character doesn't show up until book 2...but my other favorite is definitely Daniel. I identify with him probably even more than I do Eleanor. He's gruff because he's scared; he turns to his machines because they're easier than people; and he hugs his guilty conscience close--never willing to forgive himself. I definitely have a lot of that in myself!
Susan: It was NOT easy--no book is for me. There's a saying by author Red Smith: "Writing is easy, you just sit down at the typewriter, open up a vein, and bleed it out drop by drop."
Truly, that's what writing feels like sometimes--painful, agonizing BLEEDING over my keyboard. Not because the words won't flow, per se, but because everything I pour out is terrible--and I know it's terrible, which just adds this gigantic element of self-doubt.
Honestly (as silly as this will sound), there are times I read SS&D or the sequel A DARKNESS STRANGE & LOVELY, and I literally think, "Wow! I wrote that?! Go Sooz!"
The easiest parts of the book were the romance or action scenes. Basically anytime Daniel was on the page, I found the words flowed out in a pretty polished state. :)
The hardest parts of the book were definitely the actual writing--the staying motivated and believing in myself. I would force myself to BICHOK (butt-in-chair, hands-on-keyboard) everyday with this distant dream that it would one day pay off. But by the time I reached the 12th (or more) rewrite/revision, I was finding it REALLY hard to keep BICHOKing. Fortunately, it all paid off in the end. I learned a lot with this first book, and my later books have been so much easier to write because of it!
JBB: If you could pick one character from the book that you'd say is your favorite, which would it be and why?
Susan: Oh dear--what a hard question! I think my actual favorite-favoritest character doesn't show up until book 2...but my other favorite is definitely Daniel. I identify with him probably even more than I do Eleanor. He's gruff because he's scared; he turns to his machines because they're easier than people; and he hugs his guilty conscience close--never willing to forgive himself. I definitely have a lot of that in myself!
JBB: If you could describe Something Strange and Deadly and your protagonist Eleanor each in five words, what words would you use to describe them?
Susan: SS&D: A gothic adventure/steampunk with a dash of romance.
Eleanor: A stupidly-impulsive, overly-curious, high-society girl.
Okay, that was WAY more than 5 words. I fail. Sorry.
JBB: Why did you chose to make the second book take place in Paris?Susan: SS&D: A gothic adventure/steampunk with a dash of romance.
Eleanor: A stupidly-impulsive, overly-curious, high-society girl.
Okay, that was WAY more than 5 words. I fail. Sorry.
Susan: I originally thought I'd set it in Munich because I was living in the area, but then I realized that Paris had a LOT more to offer in terms of magical history and great settings. I loved the idea of Eleanor and the Spirit-Hunters traipsing through the catacombs and quarries beneath Paris. Plus, in my research, I discovered a very interesting grimoire supposedly written by a soldier in Napoleon's army. So, it just made sense to have Eleanor wind up there! Fortunately, my husband is Parisian, so researching it was pretty easy. I forced him to be my tour guide. ;)
JBB: Can we expect to see any new characters in A Darkness Strange and Deadly?
Susan: Yes! There are two new characters that will stay with us to the end of book 3. One is a young man (or IS he a young man? Mwuhahahaha) named Oliver, and the other is a feisty Frenchwoman named Laure. Oliver is that favorite-favoritest character I mentioned in #3.
Susan: Yes! There are two new characters that will stay with us to the end of book 3. One is a young man (or IS he a young man? Mwuhahahaha) named Oliver, and the other is a feisty Frenchwoman named Laure. Oliver is that favorite-favoritest character I mentioned in #3.
JBB: What is the one thing you're most looking forward to in regards to the release of Something Strange and Deadly? Susan: Finally being able to share my story! It has been amazing to have people read the ARC, but that's...probably 300 people total, you know? Now the book will be OUT THERE for everyone to read. Sure, some people won't enjoy it at all, but that's okay! Reading is so subjective, and I feel certain at least a few people will enjoy the story I'm trying to tell.
JBB: How many books do you plan for this series to be?
Susan: Right now, it's planned at 3 novels with 1-2 novellas in between.
JBB: Is there anything else that you'd like to say to add?
Susan: Um...thanks SO MUCH for having me, Justin! I am so thrilled for the book's release, and I loved getting the chance to talk about the series with you.
JBB: Where can people find you online, and find out more about Something Strange and Deadly?
Susan: The Something Strange and Deadly website (http://somethingstrangeanddeadly.com) is a great place to learn more about book 1--from the characters to the setting to the fashion. But if people want to keep up with me and other books, they should head to my main page (http://susandennard.com) or my blog (http://susandennard.com/blog-2). I absolutely LOVE hearing from readers and other writers, so feel free to email me (susan@susandennard.com) or tweet me (http://twitter.com/stdennard).
Susan: Right now, it's planned at 3 novels with 1-2 novellas in between.
JBB: Is there anything else that you'd like to say to add?
Susan: Um...thanks SO MUCH for having me, Justin! I am so thrilled for the book's release, and I loved getting the chance to talk about the series with you.
JBB: Where can people find you online, and find out more about Something Strange and Deadly?
Susan: The Something Strange and Deadly website (http://somethingstrangeanddeadly.com) is a great place to learn more about book 1--from the characters to the setting to the fashion. But if people want to keep up with me and other books, they should head to my main page (http://susandennard.com) or my blog (http://susandennard.com/blog-2). I absolutely LOVE hearing from readers and other writers, so feel free to email me (susan@susandennard.com) or tweet me (http://twitter.com/stdennard).
Please make sure to check out my review of Something Strange and Deadly, which will be out tomorrow July 24th, 2012 - Click Here
Giveaway:
I'm going to be hosting a giveaway for an ARC of Something Strange and Deadly. You will also be getting some swag with the book. Huge thank you to Susan for sending me an extra set of signed swag for me to include in this giveaway for you all.
Swag you will receive with the books - (All of character cards are signed by Susan on the back.)
Swag you will receive with the books - (All of character cards are signed by Susan on the back.)
Rules:
1. You must be 13 years or older to enter.
2. Open to US entries only.
3. Use the Rafflecopter below to enter.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren.
I had a really great mail week, and can't wait to read and review all of these books for you all.
For Review:
Populazzi by Elise Allen - Thank you to SparkPoints Studio
Cuttlefish by Dave Freer - Thank you to Pyr
Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry - Thank you to Media Masters Publicity/Harlequin Teen
The Forsaken by Lisa M. Stasse - Thank you to Simon and Schuster
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater - Thank you to Scholastic
Burn for Burn by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian - Thank you to Simon and Schuster
Choke by Diana Lopez - Thank you to Scholastic
Send by Patty Blount - Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire
The Key of Amatahns by Elisabeth Wheatley - Thank you to Elisabeth
The Secrets of the Vanmars by Elisabeth Wheatley - Thank you to Elisabeth
The Dark Light by Sarah Walsh - Thank you to Simon and Schuster
What did you get this week?
I had a really great mail week, and can't wait to read and review all of these books for you all.
For Review:
Populazzi by Elise Allen - Thank you to SparkPoints Studio
Cuttlefish by Dave Freer - Thank you to Pyr
Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry - Thank you to Media Masters Publicity/Harlequin Teen
The Forsaken by Lisa M. Stasse - Thank you to Simon and Schuster
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater - Thank you to Scholastic
Burn for Burn by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian - Thank you to Simon and Schuster
Choke by Diana Lopez - Thank you to Scholastic
Send by Patty Blount - Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire
The Key of Amatahns by Elisabeth Wheatley - Thank you to Elisabeth
The Secrets of the Vanmars by Elisabeth Wheatley - Thank you to Elisabeth
The Dark Light by Sarah Walsh - Thank you to Simon and Schuster
What did you get this week?
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Author: Jody French
Release Date: May 1st, 2012
Publisher: Neverland Publishing
Pages: 180
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Finished copy for review
Rating: ★★★★★
When you're reading a book you always look for that awesome connection with it. But that connection can come in so many different ways. Red Dirt Rocker is an amazing book, and it's truly an inspiration for young and older readers alike. When I was contacted by Jody, she had explained how this story was about her son and I found myself really interested in reading his story after having read the description of the book. I didn't know what to expect, because honestly you don't see Young Adult books like this every day.
As you would expect since this book is inspired by actual events, it feels extremely real. Everything about it, it's not like you're reading a biography though. I will admit that I had thought it might feel a little like that, but it doesn't. It has the life and fun feeling that you'd expect to see in your average Young Adult contemporary novel that is completely fictional. I think it's awesome that his mom wrote this book, and I imagine he played a huge part in helping write it. I just think it's so awesome that she was able to turn his story into a book that could be used to inspire teens and adults to not give up on their dreams and goals.
While this book is based on actual events that happened to Forrest, some of the characters, band name and other things are made up for the purpose of the book and also other reasons. But all of the major events that take place throughout the book, and all of them are quite incredible especially considering how young he was at the time. And just as it says at the the end of the synopsis, I think that it was so great that Forrest really didn't let everything that was going on get to his head. I actually found myself really impressed with how he handled certain situations throughout the book. I don't know if all of the minor things were all factual or not, but regardless of that he really had a great attitude about everything, which is something you don't really see to often with people that get that kind of attention at that age.
I've been following this book on Goodreads since I had spoke to Jody, and I really think it deserves so much more attention than it's getting now. I love coming across books like this, and it feels great to be able to get the word out there for people to check them out. This is honestly a book that I think any Young Adult book reader can enjoy and relate to. Everyone has dreams and goals they want to accomplish, and the hurtles you have to jump over to get there. And it's great to be able to read such an awesome story about a great person that was able to accomplish so much.
I really hope that you will check out this book after you've read this review. It was a great change of pace for me from everything else I had been reading, and I think it just deserves so much more attention than it's getting at the moment. I'd love to hear if you plan to try and get this book, and what you think of the story from what you've read in the synopsis and my review. And if you've read it, I would love to hear what you thought about it.
Thank you to Jody for providing me with a copy of this book for review.
Release Date: May 1st, 2012
Publisher: Neverland Publishing
Pages: 180
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Finished copy for review
Rating: ★★★★★
Red Dirt Rocker is a contemporary and inspirational American dream-come-true story geared toward a Young Adult audience. Based, in part, on the true and incredible adventures of teen MTV musician Forrest French, this hip and vibrant page-turner filled with pop culture references will draw the young reader in as they see the story unfold through the eyes of this straight-edge teenager from a tiny, hick, country town, whose life is about to change forever.
His strict dad raised him to be a football jock—his free spirited mama raised him on classic rock. Small town athlete and teen musician Forrest French finds himself torn, having to decide between public high school, sports and his simple, country life in Coweta, (aka Cow-Town) Oklahoma; his deep Southern roots and strong family ties, or the jet-setting life of an MTV rock star. While dealing with the team bully and facing the fickleness of teen dating relationships, Forrest depends on his faith to keep a cool head. In this story filled with teen angst and teen hopes, Forrest holds fast to his beliefs as he hangs on for the ride of his life in the upside-down, backward and thrilling world of rock-n-roll.
Red Dirt Rocker illustrates to its Young Adult audience that they can be accepted and successful with straight-edge flair, be they athlete, band geek, cheerleader, or aspiring rock star. Experience a shotgun ride right alongside Forrest as he embarks on his rock-n-roll dream and finds that a beautiful heart and strong values may just win over superficial beauty and popularity in the end.
When you're reading a book you always look for that awesome connection with it. But that connection can come in so many different ways. Red Dirt Rocker is an amazing book, and it's truly an inspiration for young and older readers alike. When I was contacted by Jody, she had explained how this story was about her son and I found myself really interested in reading his story after having read the description of the book. I didn't know what to expect, because honestly you don't see Young Adult books like this every day.
As you would expect since this book is inspired by actual events, it feels extremely real. Everything about it, it's not like you're reading a biography though. I will admit that I had thought it might feel a little like that, but it doesn't. It has the life and fun feeling that you'd expect to see in your average Young Adult contemporary novel that is completely fictional. I think it's awesome that his mom wrote this book, and I imagine he played a huge part in helping write it. I just think it's so awesome that she was able to turn his story into a book that could be used to inspire teens and adults to not give up on their dreams and goals.
While this book is based on actual events that happened to Forrest, some of the characters, band name and other things are made up for the purpose of the book and also other reasons. But all of the major events that take place throughout the book, and all of them are quite incredible especially considering how young he was at the time. And just as it says at the the end of the synopsis, I think that it was so great that Forrest really didn't let everything that was going on get to his head. I actually found myself really impressed with how he handled certain situations throughout the book. I don't know if all of the minor things were all factual or not, but regardless of that he really had a great attitude about everything, which is something you don't really see to often with people that get that kind of attention at that age.
I've been following this book on Goodreads since I had spoke to Jody, and I really think it deserves so much more attention than it's getting now. I love coming across books like this, and it feels great to be able to get the word out there for people to check them out. This is honestly a book that I think any Young Adult book reader can enjoy and relate to. Everyone has dreams and goals they want to accomplish, and the hurtles you have to jump over to get there. And it's great to be able to read such an awesome story about a great person that was able to accomplish so much.
I really hope that you will check out this book after you've read this review. It was a great change of pace for me from everything else I had been reading, and I think it just deserves so much more attention than it's getting at the moment. I'd love to hear if you plan to try and get this book, and what you think of the story from what you've read in the synopsis and my review. And if you've read it, I would love to hear what you thought about it.
Thank you to Jody for providing me with a copy of this book for review.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Author: Clay Griffith & Susan Griffith
Release Date: November 18th, 2010
Publisher: Pyr
Pages: 301
Age Group: Adult
Source: Finished copy for review
This book was a little different for me, as I don't really read a ton of Adult books. I do enjoy them though, so it wasn't something to far out there for me. As I have experienced with most adult books, it was a little slow starting out. Don't get me wrong, there is quite a bit that goes on towards the beginning of the book.. I guess it was just the way the start of the book was written that made it feel a little slower than I would of liked.
The story itself was very interesting though. The settings were amazing, I especially loved the Edinburgh Castle.. but I won't get into that and let you experience the settings for yourself. I've read several vampire YA books in the past, some of which have left me with somewhat of a negative outlook on vampire books. So I was hoping with this one being an adult novel things would be different, and I was so glad to see that it was. This story is extremely dark and gritty. If you're looking for the types of vampires that can actually be considered scary then this is the book for you. That's not to say all the vampires are bad though. I also really loved the whole idea of the separated. The tension between them is crazy, especially considering what happens with Adele.
There are a ton of characters in this book, so there is no possible way that I could cover all of them in this review. So I am just going to talk about the two main characters, and a character I really disliked. First let me talk about Cesare. This is a character that I completely despised. Everything about him made me hate him throughout this book. Now for the two main characters Gareth and Adele. These characters were amazing, I loved Adele's character, considering what she goes through It was great seeing how strong she was and really wasn't afraid of much even in the face of some pretty nasty vampires. Gareth is one of the more complex characters in the book, I think readers will really grow to like him as they read the book. And you end up learning a lot of really interesting stuff about him, just makes me wonder what we will learn in the next book about him. At least I am hoping him and Adele are as close in the second book. But I am sure we will be seeing a lot of new characters, so who knows.
I wish I was able to go into a lot more detail, but it really is such a complex story even for an adult novel. It's a beautiful one though, that I really feel like a lot of older Young Adult readers could really enjoy also. The ending of the story left a lot to the imagination, I mean you obviously get somewhat of a conclusion to some of the events from the first book but it really leaves you guessing as to where things are going to go with the next book. I can't wait to read the next book though, I am hoping it's just as exciting as this one was, once it picked up anyway.
I really hope you all will check out this book though, even if it's not something you might not normally read. I can honestly say I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I think what really helped me decide to read it was the fact that a friend of mine and also a young adult blogger had read the book and really enjoyed it. I am glad I gave it a chance though Can't wait to read book two whenever I get the chance to get to it.
Thank you to Pyr for providing me with a copy of this book for review.
Release Date: November 18th, 2010
Publisher: Pyr
Pages: 301
Age Group: Adult
Source: Finished copy for review
Rating: ★★★★
Vampire predators run wild in this exciting steampunk adventure, the first in an alternate history trilogy that is already attracting attention. In 1870, monsters rise up and conquer the northern lands, As great cities are swallowed up by carnage and disease, landowners and other elite flee south to escape their blood-thirsty wrath.
One hundred fifty years later, the great divide still exists; fangs on one side of the border, worried defenders on the other. This fragile equilibrium is threatened, then crumbles after a single young princess becomes almost hopelessly lost in the hostile territory. At first, she has only one defender—a mysterious Greyfriar who roams freely in dangerous vampire regions.
The story itself was very interesting though. The settings were amazing, I especially loved the Edinburgh Castle.. but I won't get into that and let you experience the settings for yourself. I've read several vampire YA books in the past, some of which have left me with somewhat of a negative outlook on vampire books. So I was hoping with this one being an adult novel things would be different, and I was so glad to see that it was. This story is extremely dark and gritty. If you're looking for the types of vampires that can actually be considered scary then this is the book for you. That's not to say all the vampires are bad though. I also really loved the whole idea of the separated. The tension between them is crazy, especially considering what happens with Adele.
There are a ton of characters in this book, so there is no possible way that I could cover all of them in this review. So I am just going to talk about the two main characters, and a character I really disliked. First let me talk about Cesare. This is a character that I completely despised. Everything about him made me hate him throughout this book. Now for the two main characters Gareth and Adele. These characters were amazing, I loved Adele's character, considering what she goes through It was great seeing how strong she was and really wasn't afraid of much even in the face of some pretty nasty vampires. Gareth is one of the more complex characters in the book, I think readers will really grow to like him as they read the book. And you end up learning a lot of really interesting stuff about him, just makes me wonder what we will learn in the next book about him. At least I am hoping him and Adele are as close in the second book. But I am sure we will be seeing a lot of new characters, so who knows.
I wish I was able to go into a lot more detail, but it really is such a complex story even for an adult novel. It's a beautiful one though, that I really feel like a lot of older Young Adult readers could really enjoy also. The ending of the story left a lot to the imagination, I mean you obviously get somewhat of a conclusion to some of the events from the first book but it really leaves you guessing as to where things are going to go with the next book. I can't wait to read the next book though, I am hoping it's just as exciting as this one was, once it picked up anyway.
I really hope you all will check out this book though, even if it's not something you might not normally read. I can honestly say I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I think what really helped me decide to read it was the fact that a friend of mine and also a young adult blogger had read the book and really enjoyed it. I am glad I gave it a chance though Can't wait to read book two whenever I get the chance to get to it.
Thank you to Pyr for providing me with a copy of this book for review.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and she remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings and reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.
Writing has given Katie an excuse to pursue her passions. Research for her books has provided her with the amazing opportunity to train with baseball players, ride along in a drag car at ninety-six miles per hour and experience boxing and mixed martial arts. Katie loves to visit schools and talk to teenagers about her research, writing and the truth that no dream is out of reach.
What was your inspiration for writing Pushing the Limits?
I had two main inspirations: One, I knew from the beginning that I wanted to write a story in which my characters felt strong enough to leave their pasts behind and create new futures for themselves. The first scene I ever saw in my mind was Echo and Noah leaving town after graduation. Two, I wanted to write two characters who were facing overwhelming issues and who, through battling these issues, found hope at the end of their journey.
How did you come up with Echo’s name?
Echo went through several name changes as I wrote the manuscript. For a while, she had a very normal name, but it always felt off. It wasn’t until I looked at Echo from her mother’s point of view that I found her name. Echo’s mother loved Greek mythology so it made perfect sense that she would name her children after the myths. I read several Greek myths and the moment I found Echo’s, I fell in love. Echo, to me, was the girl who lost her voice. Thankfully, she finds it by the end.
Which character is the most “like” you?
All of them. I gave each character a piece of me (though some have larger slices of me than others). Overall, I’d say I’m a strange combination of Echo, Lila and Beth. Echo has my need to please, Lila has my unfailing loyalty to my friends and Beth encompasses my insecurities.
Did you experience friendships with Grace types when you were in high school?
Yes. And the more people have read this story, the more this question comes up. Grace has struck a stronger nerve in people than I ever would have imagined. It seems most of us have unfortunately experienced a relationship where a person wants to “like” you and wants “be your friend,” but only if it serves their needs. In case anyone is wondering, that isn’t friendship.
Are there any parts of the story you feel particularly close to?
Yes. The relationship between Noah, Isaiah and Beth. Beyond my parents and sister, my nearest family members were over fourteen hours away. My friends became my family. The people I grew up with were more than people I watched movies with or talked to occasionally on the phone. These were people with whom I shared life’s most devastating moments, but also my hardest laughs. These were people who I would have willingly died for and I know they would have done the same for me. They shared my triumphs with smiles on their faces and congratulatory hugs. They held me when I cried and offered to beat up whoever hurt my feelings. These were also the same people who were more than happy to get in my face if they thought I was making a wrong decision.
Did anything that happens to Echo happen to you?
Sort of. I was bitten by a dog when I was in second grade and repressed the memory. It felt very strange to have no memory of an incident that other people knew about. It was even stranger to have injuries and not have an inkling where they came from. In college, I finally remembered the incident when a dog lunged at me. I relived the horrible event and sort of “woke up” a few minutes later to find myself surrounded by people I loved. Even though I “remember” the incident, I still don’t remember the whole thing. I only see still frames in my mind and there is no blood in any of the memories.
Giveaway:
This giveaway is open to US and Canada entries only, and is for one copy of Pushing the Limits. Use the rafflecopter below to enter. I am not going to be the one sending out the book to the winner, this is all being done through Media Masters Publicity and Harelquin Teen.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Author: Susan Dennard
Release Date: July 24th, 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 400
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: ARC for review
Rating: ★★★★★
Without a doubt, Something Strange and Deadly is one of if not the best debut of 2012. Susan has truly created a masterpiece. The beautiful writing, extremely rich setting and characters. An insanely crazy plot, and yes I mean that in a good way. This book has all the makings of a perfect novel. It's just such a different book, and really stands out from the crowd when it comes to the books that we've seen released so far in 2012. I know it's still a little early, but I strongly expect to see this book in the fighting for best book of 2012.
As I mentioned above, this story is so different. We have seen zombies and such in YA before, but the spin Susan takes on it just seems very unique. And to be quite honest, I didn't feel like the zombies were a huge focus in this book. I really enjoyed the character relationships, both good and bad. And I also enjoyed Elanor's journey to find her brother. This book gets extremely dark, much darker than I ever thought it would when I knew it would be dealing with the undead. The Spirit Hunters are a really awesome part of the story to, I will go into a little more detail about them when I discuss the characters. I will just say that this story is quite explosive, literally.
Character building is key to a good book. I've said it a million times, and I will continue to bring it up whenever I feel like it's necessary. Susan was able to write some characters that are beyond amazing, saying they are good characters would be doing the characters and Susan an injustice. I was blown away by these characters, you have Eleanor that really turns out to be an amazingly strong character, no matter how much her mom attempts to hold her back. Which reminds me, let me just go ahead and say that I strongly disliked Elanor's mom. That is all I will say about her. Elanor is an amazing protagonist though, probably one of the best protagonists I have seen this year. Elijah, who is Elanor's brother and the one that went missing, plays a huge part in this book as you can probably imagine since Elanor is out to find him. But I think readers will really be surprised by just how big of a role he plays. I know I was.
The final characters I want to discuss are Clarence and The Spirit Hunters which are Daniel, Jie and Joseph. Clarence was another of those characters I really didn't care for. I can't really go into much detail as to why that is since I don't want to spoil anything.. so that is all I will say. As for The Spirit Hunters, they were an explosive bunch. Once you've read the book, I think you will get the joke there. I really liked the friendly relationship between Elanor and Daniel, even though her mother didn't approve of her being around him or any of the Spirit Hunters because they were of a lower class. It was quite silly really that her mom tried to enforce so much control over her. The Spirit Hunters were really a great backbone to the story though, they were always part of some of my favorite scenes in the book. Oh, and did I mention there is a Necromancer in the book? Yeah, I will leave that one for you to find out about when you read it.
The ending was just as crazy as the rest of the book. Susan didn't turn things down at the end, which I applaud. Things were action packed and exciting up until the very last pages, and you're still left with a very fitting ending that stars to set the book for the second book in the series, which I am already dying to read by the way. I really can't wait to see where thing go for Elanor and The Spirit Hunters, especially after the last few pages because you are left with a few questions at the end. All in all Susan did an amazing wrapping this book up and I can't wait to see where she takes things in A Darkness Strange and Lovely.
I really, really hope you all will check out this book. I wouldn't of talked so highly about it if there wasn't a very good reason for it. This book is amazing, and I really think that you all will enjoy it just as much as I did. And luckily, you don't have long to wait before you can read it. So make sure to pick up a copy of it whenever you get a chance, and you will get to see for yourself why I loved this book so much.
Thank you to HarperCollins for providing me with a copy of this book for review.
Release Date: July 24th, 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 400
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: ARC for review
Rating: ★★★★★
The year is 1876, and there’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…
Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—
The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.
And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.
Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.
Without a doubt, Something Strange and Deadly is one of if not the best debut of 2012. Susan has truly created a masterpiece. The beautiful writing, extremely rich setting and characters. An insanely crazy plot, and yes I mean that in a good way. This book has all the makings of a perfect novel. It's just such a different book, and really stands out from the crowd when it comes to the books that we've seen released so far in 2012. I know it's still a little early, but I strongly expect to see this book in the fighting for best book of 2012.
As I mentioned above, this story is so different. We have seen zombies and such in YA before, but the spin Susan takes on it just seems very unique. And to be quite honest, I didn't feel like the zombies were a huge focus in this book. I really enjoyed the character relationships, both good and bad. And I also enjoyed Elanor's journey to find her brother. This book gets extremely dark, much darker than I ever thought it would when I knew it would be dealing with the undead. The Spirit Hunters are a really awesome part of the story to, I will go into a little more detail about them when I discuss the characters. I will just say that this story is quite explosive, literally.
Character building is key to a good book. I've said it a million times, and I will continue to bring it up whenever I feel like it's necessary. Susan was able to write some characters that are beyond amazing, saying they are good characters would be doing the characters and Susan an injustice. I was blown away by these characters, you have Eleanor that really turns out to be an amazingly strong character, no matter how much her mom attempts to hold her back. Which reminds me, let me just go ahead and say that I strongly disliked Elanor's mom. That is all I will say about her. Elanor is an amazing protagonist though, probably one of the best protagonists I have seen this year. Elijah, who is Elanor's brother and the one that went missing, plays a huge part in this book as you can probably imagine since Elanor is out to find him. But I think readers will really be surprised by just how big of a role he plays. I know I was.
The final characters I want to discuss are Clarence and The Spirit Hunters which are Daniel, Jie and Joseph. Clarence was another of those characters I really didn't care for. I can't really go into much detail as to why that is since I don't want to spoil anything.. so that is all I will say. As for The Spirit Hunters, they were an explosive bunch. Once you've read the book, I think you will get the joke there. I really liked the friendly relationship between Elanor and Daniel, even though her mother didn't approve of her being around him or any of the Spirit Hunters because they were of a lower class. It was quite silly really that her mom tried to enforce so much control over her. The Spirit Hunters were really a great backbone to the story though, they were always part of some of my favorite scenes in the book. Oh, and did I mention there is a Necromancer in the book? Yeah, I will leave that one for you to find out about when you read it.
The ending was just as crazy as the rest of the book. Susan didn't turn things down at the end, which I applaud. Things were action packed and exciting up until the very last pages, and you're still left with a very fitting ending that stars to set the book for the second book in the series, which I am already dying to read by the way. I really can't wait to see where thing go for Elanor and The Spirit Hunters, especially after the last few pages because you are left with a few questions at the end. All in all Susan did an amazing wrapping this book up and I can't wait to see where she takes things in A Darkness Strange and Lovely.
I really, really hope you all will check out this book. I wouldn't of talked so highly about it if there wasn't a very good reason for it. This book is amazing, and I really think that you all will enjoy it just as much as I did. And luckily, you don't have long to wait before you can read it. So make sure to pick up a copy of it whenever you get a chance, and you will get to see for yourself why I loved this book so much.
Thank you to HarperCollins for providing me with a copy of this book for review.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Author: James Patterson
Release Date: February 14th, 2011
Publisher: Little Brown
Pages: 291
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Finished copy for review
Rating: ★★★★★
Where do I begin? I would have to say that Angel is right up there with book six, as far as how good it is. I think I actually might of liked Angel a little bit more. It seems like things are just getting so much more exciting as the series comes to a close, which is somewhat surprising because you would expect that with the next to last book things would be starting to wind down and start leading to the conclusion of the series. You just don't really see that in my opinion. There are some huge changes that take place in this book that leaves you questioning how the series could possibly be wrapped up in book eight.
This book probably has the most plot twists out of all of them, which as I mentioned was a little surprising because you would figure James would want to start trying to bring everything to a close. As you know in book six, some major changes happen to the flock at the very end and Fang has to make a really tough choice that he feels is the right thing to do. After doing that, Max is left trying to keep everything together and make sure the flock is alright. I'm not going to go into to much detail with what happens with Fang and the people he meets, simply because I don't want to spoil anything in this book but I will say that things get pretty crazy. And the Doomsday Group in this book is insane, I don't even know where to begin trying to explain how insane these people are. They aren't very happy when the flock gets involved though, and I think you all might be surprised with who else gets involved and helps the flock.
It's going to be really tough to talk about the new characters in this book, because they are very spoiler heavy. I wish I could talk about them, because there are a few great ones. And a old face is back again in this book to, I think readers will be really surprised with who it is. The new characters are really interesting though, especially considering some of the things they can do. Let's just say one of them is quite strong.. and there are also some other interesting abilities mixed in there. As the title suggests, there is a ton of focus on Angel in this book. I have been skeptical of her for several books now, but she is one of those characters that you really can't help but like. It's just really amazing to see how far she has come as a character, and all the new abilities she has gained over time and then the ones she already had which have really enhanced. I am really curious to see how exactly things will work out for her in the end of the series. I really underestimated her in the beginning of the series because at the start she is pretty quiet. It wasn't until about half way in that she really started becoming more pronounced within the series.
Things between Max and Dylan also start to get pretty interesting. You're dropped with a pretty big question to. Is it possible that the people that got the avian genes were matched with another person that got the genes? And if so, what could that mean? Max and Dylan are never extremely close, they are friends but you can really tell that Max still has strong feelings for Fang. I like how that question came up in the book though, because it really makes you wonder who is meant to be together. Not that this book is really about the romance, it's just a nice little touch I guess. And it's all made more interesting with the returning character that I mentioned above. And I am almost positive that it's probably not who you're thinking it is, I was really surprised when the video scene came up and I saw who it was.
As I mentioned above, I was somewhat expecting this book to start wrapping some things up. But in all honesty, there isn't much of anything that is wrapped up. If anything, you're just left with a lot more questions. Especially after the epilogue involving Angel, I mean seriously... what was going on there? It was extremely vague, and has me really wanting to get my hands on the final book to figure out exactly what is going on. I am really excited to see how the series is concluded, but I am also nervous because I really don't want to be left with unanswered questions. And it's not like the questions I have are obscure, they all surround the main plot line. I just really hope that James pulls through with Nevermore and ends this already epic series in an amazing way that only he could pull off.
I've really, really enjoyed reading and reviewing these books for you all. And I really hope you all have enjoyed reading my thoughts about this series. I will be reading the final book for sure once it's released, so you can expect to see that as soon as I am able to read it. I can't wait to wrap this up though, while I really love this series we all know that the last book can be an extremely crucial point. I trust that James will pull through though, and give everyone that amazing ending that they've all been looking for. There isn't much long to wait though, so we will just have to wait and see. Please make sure to check out my reviews of the rest of the series if you haven't yet.
Thank you to Little Brown for providing me with a copy of this book for review.
Release Date: February 14th, 2011
Publisher: Little Brown
Pages: 291
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Finished copy for review
Rating: ★★★★★
In the seventh book in the bestselling series, evil scientists are still trying to convince Max that she needs to save the world, this time by providing the genetic link in speeding up the pace of evolution. Worse, they're trying to convince her that her perfect mate is Dylan, the newest addition to the flock. The problem is that, despite herself, Max is starting tobelieve it.NOTE: This review will contain information from previous books in the series, so please keep that in mind when you read it.
Fang travels the country collecting his own gang of evolved humans, but the two separate flocks must unite to defeat a frightening doomsday cult whose motto is Save the Planet: Kill the Humans. And this time, the true heroine, for once, might just be little Angel.
Where do I begin? I would have to say that Angel is right up there with book six, as far as how good it is. I think I actually might of liked Angel a little bit more. It seems like things are just getting so much more exciting as the series comes to a close, which is somewhat surprising because you would expect that with the next to last book things would be starting to wind down and start leading to the conclusion of the series. You just don't really see that in my opinion. There are some huge changes that take place in this book that leaves you questioning how the series could possibly be wrapped up in book eight.
This book probably has the most plot twists out of all of them, which as I mentioned was a little surprising because you would figure James would want to start trying to bring everything to a close. As you know in book six, some major changes happen to the flock at the very end and Fang has to make a really tough choice that he feels is the right thing to do. After doing that, Max is left trying to keep everything together and make sure the flock is alright. I'm not going to go into to much detail with what happens with Fang and the people he meets, simply because I don't want to spoil anything in this book but I will say that things get pretty crazy. And the Doomsday Group in this book is insane, I don't even know where to begin trying to explain how insane these people are. They aren't very happy when the flock gets involved though, and I think you all might be surprised with who else gets involved and helps the flock.
It's going to be really tough to talk about the new characters in this book, because they are very spoiler heavy. I wish I could talk about them, because there are a few great ones. And a old face is back again in this book to, I think readers will be really surprised with who it is. The new characters are really interesting though, especially considering some of the things they can do. Let's just say one of them is quite strong.. and there are also some other interesting abilities mixed in there. As the title suggests, there is a ton of focus on Angel in this book. I have been skeptical of her for several books now, but she is one of those characters that you really can't help but like. It's just really amazing to see how far she has come as a character, and all the new abilities she has gained over time and then the ones she already had which have really enhanced. I am really curious to see how exactly things will work out for her in the end of the series. I really underestimated her in the beginning of the series because at the start she is pretty quiet. It wasn't until about half way in that she really started becoming more pronounced within the series.
Things between Max and Dylan also start to get pretty interesting. You're dropped with a pretty big question to. Is it possible that the people that got the avian genes were matched with another person that got the genes? And if so, what could that mean? Max and Dylan are never extremely close, they are friends but you can really tell that Max still has strong feelings for Fang. I like how that question came up in the book though, because it really makes you wonder who is meant to be together. Not that this book is really about the romance, it's just a nice little touch I guess. And it's all made more interesting with the returning character that I mentioned above. And I am almost positive that it's probably not who you're thinking it is, I was really surprised when the video scene came up and I saw who it was.
As I mentioned above, I was somewhat expecting this book to start wrapping some things up. But in all honesty, there isn't much of anything that is wrapped up. If anything, you're just left with a lot more questions. Especially after the epilogue involving Angel, I mean seriously... what was going on there? It was extremely vague, and has me really wanting to get my hands on the final book to figure out exactly what is going on. I am really excited to see how the series is concluded, but I am also nervous because I really don't want to be left with unanswered questions. And it's not like the questions I have are obscure, they all surround the main plot line. I just really hope that James pulls through with Nevermore and ends this already epic series in an amazing way that only he could pull off.
I've really, really enjoyed reading and reviewing these books for you all. And I really hope you all have enjoyed reading my thoughts about this series. I will be reading the final book for sure once it's released, so you can expect to see that as soon as I am able to read it. I can't wait to wrap this up though, while I really love this series we all know that the last book can be an extremely crucial point. I trust that James will pull through though, and give everyone that amazing ending that they've all been looking for. There isn't much long to wait though, so we will just have to wait and see. Please make sure to check out my reviews of the rest of the series if you haven't yet.
Thank you to Little Brown for providing me with a copy of this book for review.
Since the car crash that took her father’s life three years ago, Emma’s life has been a freaky—and unending—lesson in caution. Surviving “accidents” has taken priority over being a normal seventeen-year-old, so Emma spends her days taking pictures of life instead of living it. Falling in love with a boy was never part of the plan. Falling for a reaper who makes her chest ache and her head spin? Not an option.
It’s not easy being dead, especially for a reaper in love with a girl fate has put on his list not once, but twice. Finn’s fellow reapers give him hell about spending time with Emma, but Finn couldn’t let her die before, and he’s not about to let her die now. He will protect the girl he loves from the evil he accidentally unleashed, even if it means sacrificing the only thing he has left...his soul.
This is the first cover reveal I have taken part in on my blog. But I have been really excited to read this book, so I couldn't pass up the chance to take part in this one. I love this new cover though, it's nothing to extreme but the colors and everything are really great and I just really like the simplicity of it. What do you think of the cover, are you excited to read this book?
Also, make sure to check out the trailer for Inbetween. It's been updated to include the new cover. I will have the video below.
Want to learn more about the author and her book? I will put some of her links below, make sure to go check them out.
Tara Fuller writes novels. Some about grim reapers. Some about witches. All of course are delightfully full of teen angst and kissing. Tara grew up in a one stop light town in Oklahoma where once upon a time she stayed up with a flash light reading RL Stine novels and only dreamed of becoming a writer. She has a slight obsession with music and a shameless addiction for zombie fiction, Mystery Science Theater, and black and white mochas. Tara no longer lives in a one stop light town. Now she lives with her family in a slightly larger town in North Carolina where they have at least three stoplights.
Tara's Website: http://www.tarafuller.com/#!home/c2df
Tara's Blog: http://tara-fuller.blogspot.com/
Tara's Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tara25Fuller
Tara's Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tara25fuller
Inbetween Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13055677-inbetween
Inbetween will be out on August 14th, 2012 so make sure to keep an eye out for it.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Author: James Patterson
This is arguably the best book in the series, at least in my opinion. You have a lot of the elements that made the first two books so amazing, plus some added plot twists that are pretty insane to say the least. If I had any doubts about where this series was going to go after some of the problems I have had with it, this book completely demolished any doubts I had. I can't say it enough, James is such a fantastic writer. He proves it over and over again. There might be times where I have disagreed with the way he has taken things, but I have never been disappointed by his writing.
There is so much going on in this book, I feel like there is even more going on in this book than when they were dealing with Itex in the first few books. There are some major, major plot twists though. I was expecting, well I was hoping.. for something big to happen. And you do get some pretty big surprises. I really liked it though, because it feels as though he is already laying out the groundwork for the finale even though there is still two books to go.
The characters are probably the biggest part of this book, and they really drive the story more than they have in the previous books. Angel is still one of those characters that you really find yourself questioning. You want to like her, but there is just something about her that can really bug you. And you can't forget all the crazy and reckless stuff she likes to do that always tends to put the rest of the flock in danger to. You're introduced to a new character in this book named Dylan, I am not going to go into detail since everything about Dylan.. other than his name and the fact that he shows up, is a huge spoiler. So I will just leave it to you to find out what his story is. You have a new Doctor in this book to, and lets just say he is quite the crazy one.. and that is putting it lightly. Max and Fang have become really close, and it's actually starting to cause some problems for the flock. Things will get pretty heated between the flock as they try and figure out where everyone's allegiance lies.
There is so much I could discuss about this book, but it's also one of the more spoiler heavy of the series so it's a little difficult to pick and choose what I want to talk about. I really did enjoy it though, and I am pumped to start Angel and then read the final book in August. The ending in this book will blow you away though, there are some MAJOR changes that take place. And it's not all happy and fun things either. And that is something I really applaud James for, I want there to be some tough choices I don't want to see everything work out perfectly all the time. That is all I am going to say about it though, to find out what happens you will have to read the book, just trust me when I say that it's totally worth it.
If you've been following my reviews of this series so far, you will know that I have had both good and negative things to say about it. But if there is one thing that I can say, it's that I am really happy that I gave this series a chance. The positive things far out weigh the negative and I can't wait to read Angel and Nevermore to see if the conclusion to this series is as epic as I am hoping it will be. As always, if this is the first time you're seeing one of my reviews for this series please make sure to check out all my previous reviews of the other books in this series. If you haven't started this series, I highly suggest doing so.
Thank you to Little Brown for providing me with a copy of this book for review.
Release Date: March 15th, 2010
Publisher: Little Brown
Pages: 309
Publisher: Little Brown
Pages: 309
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Finished copy for review
Source: Finished copy for review
Rating: ★★★★★
Being a kid with wings--constantly on the run--has never been easy, and Max and her flock are getting tenser than ever. First, on a trip to Africa, they meet a mysterious billionaire whose intense scrutiny of the Flock makes her fear the worst. And as if an impending apocalypse weren't bad enough, canny birdkid Angel makes a dire prophecy about Max's soul mate: Fang will be the first to die. Max's desperate desire to protect Fang brings the two closer than ever. But can the team weather the storm, or will the turmoil rip them apart for the last time?
This is arguably the best book in the series, at least in my opinion. You have a lot of the elements that made the first two books so amazing, plus some added plot twists that are pretty insane to say the least. If I had any doubts about where this series was going to go after some of the problems I have had with it, this book completely demolished any doubts I had. I can't say it enough, James is such a fantastic writer. He proves it over and over again. There might be times where I have disagreed with the way he has taken things, but I have never been disappointed by his writing.
There is so much going on in this book, I feel like there is even more going on in this book than when they were dealing with Itex in the first few books. There are some major, major plot twists though. I was expecting, well I was hoping.. for something big to happen. And you do get some pretty big surprises. I really liked it though, because it feels as though he is already laying out the groundwork for the finale even though there is still two books to go.
The characters are probably the biggest part of this book, and they really drive the story more than they have in the previous books. Angel is still one of those characters that you really find yourself questioning. You want to like her, but there is just something about her that can really bug you. And you can't forget all the crazy and reckless stuff she likes to do that always tends to put the rest of the flock in danger to. You're introduced to a new character in this book named Dylan, I am not going to go into detail since everything about Dylan.. other than his name and the fact that he shows up, is a huge spoiler. So I will just leave it to you to find out what his story is. You have a new Doctor in this book to, and lets just say he is quite the crazy one.. and that is putting it lightly. Max and Fang have become really close, and it's actually starting to cause some problems for the flock. Things will get pretty heated between the flock as they try and figure out where everyone's allegiance lies.
There is so much I could discuss about this book, but it's also one of the more spoiler heavy of the series so it's a little difficult to pick and choose what I want to talk about. I really did enjoy it though, and I am pumped to start Angel and then read the final book in August. The ending in this book will blow you away though, there are some MAJOR changes that take place. And it's not all happy and fun things either. And that is something I really applaud James for, I want there to be some tough choices I don't want to see everything work out perfectly all the time. That is all I am going to say about it though, to find out what happens you will have to read the book, just trust me when I say that it's totally worth it.
If you've been following my reviews of this series so far, you will know that I have had both good and negative things to say about it. But if there is one thing that I can say, it's that I am really happy that I gave this series a chance. The positive things far out weigh the negative and I can't wait to read Angel and Nevermore to see if the conclusion to this series is as epic as I am hoping it will be. As always, if this is the first time you're seeing one of my reviews for this series please make sure to check out all my previous reviews of the other books in this series. If you haven't started this series, I highly suggest doing so.
Thank you to Little Brown for providing me with a copy of this book for review.
In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren.
For Review:
Amber House by Kelly Moore, Tucker Reed & Larkin Reed - Thanks to Scholastic.
Quantum Coin by E.C. Myers - Thanks to Pyr
Bought:
Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Lee
What did you get this week?
For Review:
Amber House by Kelly Moore, Tucker Reed & Larkin Reed - Thanks to Scholastic.
Quantum Coin by E.C. Myers - Thanks to Pyr
Bought:
Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Lee
What did you get this week?
Friday, July 13, 2012
Author: James Patterson
Release Date: September 15th, 2009
Publisher: Little Brown
Pages: 352
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Finished copy for review
Rating: ★★★★
Thankfully, things really start to pick back up in this book. After the fourth, I was really hoping for that. It still follows along the lines of protecting the environment like the fourth book did, but there is a lot more action and interesting plot twists. Which was what I felt the series really needed again, after pretty much dropping off the deep end with book four. James did a great job turning things around though.
With the flock, or protectors.. whichever you chose to call them being in Hawaii you would think it would be all fun and games for them, but that is far from the truth. As you can probably guess there is some crazy stuff going on. The Chu Corporation is introduced in this book, and lets just say that what they are doing isn't good for the environment or humans/animals. It's not made exactly clear what they are doing early on, but if you're use to these books you know that Max and her crew are amazing at figuring things out or at least helping others out. In this case, they are partnered up with the Navy to try and figure everything out. And one of the more interesting things about this book compared to the others is that this is one of the few times in the series that you see normal humans actually trying to save the lives of Max and crew. I don't really want to go into to much though, because this book does get pretty crazy.. reminded me a lot of the first two.
There are a few new characters, it is mostly the people in the Navy that are along for the ride with Max and crew as they try and figure out exactly what is going on. Other than that, there really wasn't anyone new. There was John, but I am pretty sure he was mentioned at one point before. I might be wrong though. As far as the flock, there really isn't a whole lot going on that you're not use to seeing in the previous books. Angel is back to her ways of getting herself and others into trouble, and of course you have Max coming to her aid. I actually kind of like how daring and crazy Angel can be at time she has really come to be one of the more enjoyable characters. Brigid is back in this book, which obviously makes the tension between her and Fang resurface. But now you have that building tension between Fang and Max.. so things get pretty interesting. Total makes some pretty interesting decisions later on in the book to, that is all I will give you about that though.
I got a feeling we will be learning a lot more about Mr. Chu later on in the series, maybe even in the next book. With the way things have been jumping around it's really difficult to tell where exactly things will go.It's also going to be interesting to see what goes on between Max and Fang, especially with the not so surprising events that take place in this book. I also feel like Angel is going to be a character to really start watching, especially after what I mentioned above with the trouble she tends to cause. It's going to be interesting to see how things play out with her and the rest of the flock.
I still can't recommend this series enough, sure it's had it's ups and downs.. but as a whole it really is an enjoyable series. I am still really enjoying reading it and writing these reviews for you all, and I still really hope that you're enjoying reading them. Make sure to check out my reviews of the rest of the series if you're interested in reading them. I highly suggest doing so though, it's a long series.. don't get me wrong, but it is pretty epic. I only got a few books left to read in the series, and I am already wishing there was more.
Thank you to Little Brown for providing me with a copy of this book for review.
Release Date: September 15th, 2009
Publisher: Little Brown
Pages: 352
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Finished copy for review
Rating: ★★★★
James Patterson's bestselling Maximum Ride series is back, with Max and the gang as The Protectors. Someone--or something--is decimating ships and sea life off Hawaii's coast, and Max and her flock find themselves sucked into the Navy's top-secret investigation of the catastrophe. Their objective: Rescue Max's activist mom from a wicked subterranean enemy. The hitch: They must dive deep into dark waters, where gruesome evil dwells... and for high-flying Maximum Ride, could there be anything more terrifying than being trapped in the great abyss? Now in paperback, this soaring new adventure takes Maximum Ride and the Flock into terrifying new territory--fans, hold your breath!
Thankfully, things really start to pick back up in this book. After the fourth, I was really hoping for that. It still follows along the lines of protecting the environment like the fourth book did, but there is a lot more action and interesting plot twists. Which was what I felt the series really needed again, after pretty much dropping off the deep end with book four. James did a great job turning things around though.
With the flock, or protectors.. whichever you chose to call them being in Hawaii you would think it would be all fun and games for them, but that is far from the truth. As you can probably guess there is some crazy stuff going on. The Chu Corporation is introduced in this book, and lets just say that what they are doing isn't good for the environment or humans/animals. It's not made exactly clear what they are doing early on, but if you're use to these books you know that Max and her crew are amazing at figuring things out or at least helping others out. In this case, they are partnered up with the Navy to try and figure everything out. And one of the more interesting things about this book compared to the others is that this is one of the few times in the series that you see normal humans actually trying to save the lives of Max and crew. I don't really want to go into to much though, because this book does get pretty crazy.. reminded me a lot of the first two.
There are a few new characters, it is mostly the people in the Navy that are along for the ride with Max and crew as they try and figure out exactly what is going on. Other than that, there really wasn't anyone new. There was John, but I am pretty sure he was mentioned at one point before. I might be wrong though. As far as the flock, there really isn't a whole lot going on that you're not use to seeing in the previous books. Angel is back to her ways of getting herself and others into trouble, and of course you have Max coming to her aid. I actually kind of like how daring and crazy Angel can be at time she has really come to be one of the more enjoyable characters. Brigid is back in this book, which obviously makes the tension between her and Fang resurface. But now you have that building tension between Fang and Max.. so things get pretty interesting. Total makes some pretty interesting decisions later on in the book to, that is all I will give you about that though.
I got a feeling we will be learning a lot more about Mr. Chu later on in the series, maybe even in the next book. With the way things have been jumping around it's really difficult to tell where exactly things will go.It's also going to be interesting to see what goes on between Max and Fang, especially with the not so surprising events that take place in this book. I also feel like Angel is going to be a character to really start watching, especially after what I mentioned above with the trouble she tends to cause. It's going to be interesting to see how things play out with her and the rest of the flock.
I still can't recommend this series enough, sure it's had it's ups and downs.. but as a whole it really is an enjoyable series. I am still really enjoying reading it and writing these reviews for you all, and I still really hope that you're enjoying reading them. Make sure to check out my reviews of the rest of the series if you're interested in reading them. I highly suggest doing so though, it's a long series.. don't get me wrong, but it is pretty epic. I only got a few books left to read in the series, and I am already wishing there was more.
Thank you to Little Brown for providing me with a copy of this book for review.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Author: James Patterson
Release Date: September 1st, 2008
Publisher: Little Brown
Pages: 304
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Finished copy for review
Rating: ★★★
The Final Warning takes such an odd turn from the rest of the series. I still found it to be enjoyable, but I feel like the massive changes that were made really slowed down the story and that disappointed me a little. It doesn't really change my overall picture of the series, but I really would have liked to see things continue at the pace they were going. The plot change just felt a little to out there.
After all the crazy battles and all of the stuff with Itex in the first book The Final Warning feels much more tame. I can understand it being kind of a relaxation point, so to speak. But I really didn't think the Global Warming spin off really did anything exciting for the story. Granted you do still have an "Enemy" but for the most part the story felt extremely slow, as they were just doing research in Antarctica. I do like some of the messages this book carries though, and I am sure James's intention was to try and open up this issue to younger people through these books, and I think that is a great thing. I just really can't see where it did much for the series as a whole.
There are several new characters, which I have come to notice you can pretty much expect in each of these books. Most of them were mainly just the researchers in the Antarctica. One of which is a girl who is just a little older than Fang.. Yeah, I am sure you could imagine where Fang's mind is throughout this book. There isn't really a whole lot to talk about in regards to the Flock though, since this book was so much more tame than the others have been. I am really hoping things pick back up in the next book though.
You do learn a few crazy pieces of information though, especially towards the beginning. One of which involves Max's voice. Yeah, that part really surprised me. Now I am not really sure what I know, and what I don't. I'm hoping a lot of the bigger questions I have will start to be answered though, now that I am getting pretty far into the series. I was just really bummed that this book didn't feel nearly as epic as the others so far.
Things really didn't start to get interesting until the end, when the "Enemy" really comes into play. I just wish everything would of been more involved, not that I like seeing all the negative stuff happen.. it's just much more enjoyable to have more action in there like we've seen in the past two books in particular. The way things are going though, I got a feeling we can expect to see quite a bit more action in the future. It's just a matter of when and where, considering all the different places they have been and for the fact that they pretty much have enemies in every corner of the globe.
Don't let this review shy you away from the series though. I thought the first three books were fantastic, and I am really hoping the rest will pick back up. This book does have some great messages though, as I mentioned. Especially for younger readers that might not understand exactly what Global Warming is. Being able to have it explained to them through the characters who are also quite young is a great thing, and James does a great job writing about it. Looking at it from that perspective this book is great also. But when it comes down to my personal opinion, I really would of liked to see the book be much more fast paced and exciting like past books have been.
Thank you to Little Brown for providing me with a copy of this book for review.
Release Date: September 1st, 2008
Publisher: Little Brown
Pages: 304
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Finished copy for review
Rating: ★★★
Fourteen-year-old Maximum Ride and the other members of "Flock"--Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman and Angel--are just like ordinary kids--only they have wings and can fly. It seems like a dream come true--except that they're still being hunted by new threats at every turn.
This time, the US government wants to keep the Flock under observation, offering a safe haven and schooling in return. But after their incredible adventures in books 1-3, Max and Flock have grown to love freedom- -after all, haven't grown-ups always found a way to ruin their lives? After escaping the control of the feds, they are surprised to find themselves allied with a group of environmental scientists who just might be trustworthy. Besides, what enemy could find them in one of the remotest locations on earth--Antarctica--on an expedition studying the effects of global warming up close?
The Final Warning takes such an odd turn from the rest of the series. I still found it to be enjoyable, but I feel like the massive changes that were made really slowed down the story and that disappointed me a little. It doesn't really change my overall picture of the series, but I really would have liked to see things continue at the pace they were going. The plot change just felt a little to out there.
After all the crazy battles and all of the stuff with Itex in the first book The Final Warning feels much more tame. I can understand it being kind of a relaxation point, so to speak. But I really didn't think the Global Warming spin off really did anything exciting for the story. Granted you do still have an "Enemy" but for the most part the story felt extremely slow, as they were just doing research in Antarctica. I do like some of the messages this book carries though, and I am sure James's intention was to try and open up this issue to younger people through these books, and I think that is a great thing. I just really can't see where it did much for the series as a whole.
There are several new characters, which I have come to notice you can pretty much expect in each of these books. Most of them were mainly just the researchers in the Antarctica. One of which is a girl who is just a little older than Fang.. Yeah, I am sure you could imagine where Fang's mind is throughout this book. There isn't really a whole lot to talk about in regards to the Flock though, since this book was so much more tame than the others have been. I am really hoping things pick back up in the next book though.
You do learn a few crazy pieces of information though, especially towards the beginning. One of which involves Max's voice. Yeah, that part really surprised me. Now I am not really sure what I know, and what I don't. I'm hoping a lot of the bigger questions I have will start to be answered though, now that I am getting pretty far into the series. I was just really bummed that this book didn't feel nearly as epic as the others so far.
Things really didn't start to get interesting until the end, when the "Enemy" really comes into play. I just wish everything would of been more involved, not that I like seeing all the negative stuff happen.. it's just much more enjoyable to have more action in there like we've seen in the past two books in particular. The way things are going though, I got a feeling we can expect to see quite a bit more action in the future. It's just a matter of when and where, considering all the different places they have been and for the fact that they pretty much have enemies in every corner of the globe.
Don't let this review shy you away from the series though. I thought the first three books were fantastic, and I am really hoping the rest will pick back up. This book does have some great messages though, as I mentioned. Especially for younger readers that might not understand exactly what Global Warming is. Being able to have it explained to them through the characters who are also quite young is a great thing, and James does a great job writing about it. Looking at it from that perspective this book is great also. But when it comes down to my personal opinion, I really would of liked to see the book be much more fast paced and exciting like past books have been.
Thank you to Little Brown for providing me with a copy of this book for review.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Author: James Patterson
Release Date: May 29th, 2007
Publisher: Little Brown
Pages: 432
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Finished copy for review
Rating: ★★★★★
Note: Please keep in mind that as I get deeper into this series I will be pulling things from the previous books to help with my reviews of the current book in the series that I am reviewing.
Release Date: May 29th, 2007
Publisher: Little Brown
Pages: 432
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Finished copy for review
Rating: ★★★★★
In MAXIMUM RIDE: SAVING THE WORLD AND OTHER EXTREME SPORTS, the time has arrived for Max and her winged "Flock" to face their ultimate enemy and discover their original purpose: to defeat the takeover of "Re-evolution", a sinister experiment to re-engineer a select population into a scientifically superior master race...and to terminate the rest. Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman, and Angel have always worked together to defeat the forces working against them--but can they save the world when they are torn apart, living in hiding and captivity, halfway across the globe from one another?
Note: Please keep in mind that as I get deeper into this series I will be pulling things from the previous books to help with my reviews of the current book in the series that I am reviewing.
I feel as though by now it's safe to say that I am becoming a huge fan of this series. I mean it's just such an enjoyable series to read, and James does such an amazing job at adding really cool twists into each book to really keep you interested. I am also really glad that book three kept the pace of book two, after being a little disappointed with the pace of the first book. All around though, I am really enjoying everything about this series.
When you leave off in the second book, you're not really sure what exactly is going to happen. With that said, things pick back up really quickly in book three. Having been in Florida, they pick up a lot of helpful information that is now going to lead them all over the world.. So to speak. With the group being split up into two different flocks, things really start to get pretty crazy. Fang puts his blog to a lot of use, and it does actually play a major role later on in the book that I think readers will enjoy. And then you have Max and her flock, I am not going to go into much detail about what happens with them but I will say that the Director and Jeb are involved. And don't even get me started with Angel, she plays a big role in this book and some of the things that happen surrounding her are pretty surprising.
There aren't really a lot of new characters in this third book.. Dr Martinez is probably the most prominent one, and plays a huge part in this book which I can't really go into sadly. But I think readers will find some of the information they have been looking for as you read and learn more about her. You also have Omega, although he doesn't really come into play until later on. He is pretty interesting though, to say the least. You will also be learning quite a lot about Jeb in this book, some of which will be quite surprising to you. And you finally get to find out what Max's "Voice" is. If you've read this book, where you able to figure it out before it was all explained? I know I wasn't able to, but it seemed to make sense once I did know. I am just curious to see where all that leads.
They're still on the quest to save the world, but they have a lot of things going for them now. And I don't think Itex is to happy considering everything that happened towards the end of the book. Seems like Max was wrong about Fangs blog after all. I'm excited to see where things go from here though, with everything they've been able to learn and everything that I imagine they could still learn. You don't really know what is going to be thrown at the Flock next, but having gotten use to James's writing. I imagine things will end up getting pretty crazy.
I really hope you're all enjoying my reviews of this series so far though, I am really enjoying reading them and sharing my thoughts with you all. And I hope I am helping to persuade those of you that have not read this series to pick them up and start them. It's a fantastic series, that I feel like anyone could really enjoy. I would love to know if you've been enjoying these reviews, or if I have been able to help persuade you into reading these books.
Thank you to Little Brown for providing me with a copy of this book for review.
When you leave off in the second book, you're not really sure what exactly is going to happen. With that said, things pick back up really quickly in book three. Having been in Florida, they pick up a lot of helpful information that is now going to lead them all over the world.. So to speak. With the group being split up into two different flocks, things really start to get pretty crazy. Fang puts his blog to a lot of use, and it does actually play a major role later on in the book that I think readers will enjoy. And then you have Max and her flock, I am not going to go into much detail about what happens with them but I will say that the Director and Jeb are involved. And don't even get me started with Angel, she plays a big role in this book and some of the things that happen surrounding her are pretty surprising.
There aren't really a lot of new characters in this third book.. Dr Martinez is probably the most prominent one, and plays a huge part in this book which I can't really go into sadly. But I think readers will find some of the information they have been looking for as you read and learn more about her. You also have Omega, although he doesn't really come into play until later on. He is pretty interesting though, to say the least. You will also be learning quite a lot about Jeb in this book, some of which will be quite surprising to you. And you finally get to find out what Max's "Voice" is. If you've read this book, where you able to figure it out before it was all explained? I know I wasn't able to, but it seemed to make sense once I did know. I am just curious to see where all that leads.
They're still on the quest to save the world, but they have a lot of things going for them now. And I don't think Itex is to happy considering everything that happened towards the end of the book. Seems like Max was wrong about Fangs blog after all. I'm excited to see where things go from here though, with everything they've been able to learn and everything that I imagine they could still learn. You don't really know what is going to be thrown at the Flock next, but having gotten use to James's writing. I imagine things will end up getting pretty crazy.
I really hope you're all enjoying my reviews of this series so far though, I am really enjoying reading them and sharing my thoughts with you all. And I hope I am helping to persuade those of you that have not read this series to pick them up and start them. It's a fantastic series, that I feel like anyone could really enjoy. I would love to know if you've been enjoying these reviews, or if I have been able to help persuade you into reading these books.
Thank you to Little Brown for providing me with a copy of this book for review.
Monday, July 9, 2012
JBB: Why did you decide to become a writer?
Melina: I don’t think writers decide to become a writer at any age. I think that if you’re writing novels in your head, you’ve already started your career as a writer and I started doing that when I was very young. But I didn’t really put pen to paper until I was about sixteen. I wrote a very very awful story about a girl named Genevieve who lived in a coastal town with her mum during her last year of high school, and how she meets her father for the first time. By the time I was twenty one I wrote a better novel about a girl named Josie who lives in Sydney with her mum during her last year of school, and how she meets her father for the first time. That became my first novel, Looking For Alibrandi.
JBB: What made you decide to dive into the world of High Fantasy with the Lumatere Chronicles series?
Melina: The Lumatere Chronicles aren’t that different from my contemporary work. They’re about identity and displacement and questions about homeland and where we fit in the world. But there were things I wanted to write about in FofRock that would have seemed too political and close to home if I kept them in the contemporary world. Also, everything is allowed to be so epic in fantasy and I really love epic. Epic emotions. Epic language. I love reading fantasy novels and I think I avoided writing them for a long time because I didn’t think people who read Alibrandi or Francesca would take me seriously as a fantasy writer.
JBB: How did you come up with the plot lines for the Lumatere Chronicles? There is so much detail in your books, did it take a lot of planning or did it come to you pretty easily?
Melina: Nothing comes easy for me. Trust me. But my mum has always said I’m a “slow and steady wins the race” sort of person, so I know that if I take my time and don’t become lazy I can deliver. There was not much planning to begin with except that Finnikin was in exile and he was searching for a way to unite his people. Evanjalin was in my head at the same time, but I knew it would not be her emotional journey. Finnikin is the one who changes in the course of that novel. Evanjalin knows who she is and what she wants from the very beginning. There was no way I was going to give her a point of view because I would have been forced to reveal too much to the reader.
It’s rare that I have everything worked out first draft, of course, so I keep on writing drafts and the more I re-write, the more I get to know my characters and the world they live in and how everything ties together. It’s why I think (other’s might not) that Froi is a better novel than Finnikin and that doesn’t mean I love Finnikin less. It just means that by the time I wrote Froi, I knew more about that land and world, so I sort of hit the ground running.
JBB: those that have read the first two books, is there anything you can share about the third book Quintana of Charyn, without giving much away?
Melina: Although it’s called Quintana of Charyn, she doesn’t have the main point of view. She’s more the subject of the novel. The reader will be in Froi’s head for at least sixty percent of it. That doesn’t mean you don’t get inside Quintana’s head or that we don’t see her through another character’s point of view (who I won’t mention, because it’s a spoiler from Froi). There’s a lot of Quintana in this novel. Also, it’s 530 pages, so a little shorter than FotExiles and longer than FotheRock. And I’m not going to say more than this, but the Queen of Lumatere and the Princess of Charyn come face to face twice and they are pretty violent and emotional scenes. The women are scary in this novel.
JBB: How many books do you plan to have in the Lumatere Chronicles? Will it end with Quintana?
Melina: This particular story will end with Quintana. There are no cliffhangers and nothing is really left up in the air. I can’t imagine not writing about another kingdom of the land down the track and I can’t imagine keeping the Lumaterans and Charynites out of it because they are such good characters to have in my head. But I don’t think they’ll ever be the main characters again. I’ve written a 15,000-word short story featuring Lady Celie in Belegonia, so perhaps more of her. But there are so many characters to choose. Perhaps one day I’ll write a short story about what happened inside Lumatere during the curse from Beatriss and Tesadora’s point of view. But nothing in the short term.JBB: How much different was it for you when it comes to writing High Fantasy, versus some of the other genres you have written in?
Melina: Well I live in the city and it looks nothing like a medieval world so I find there’s more research to do be done. I can’t write these novels without travelling to a place that looks remotely like Lumatere and Charyn (Italy, France, England, Turkey). They’re also plot driven unlike my contemporary Sydney novels (Alibrandi, Francesca, The Piper’s Son) which are very much character and relationship driven.
JBB: Where can people find you online, and find out more about all of your books?
Melina: Most of my information is on www.melinamarchetta.com.au.
Check out my reviews of the two books mentioned in this interview. Links will be below. Would love to hear what you think about the books in the comment section of the reviews.
Finnikin of the Rock - http://www.justinsbookblog.com/2012/02/book-review-finnikin-of-rock-by-melina.html
Froi of the Exiles - http://www.justinsbookblog.com/2012/03/book-review-froi-of-exiles-by-melina.html
Giveaway:
I am going to be giving away a hardback copy of Finnikin of the Rock which is the first book in the Lumatere Chronicles.
Rules:
1. You must be 13 or older to enter.
2. Open to US entries only.
3. Use the Rafflecopter below to enter the giveaway.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren.
For Review:
Red Dirt Rocker by Jody French (Signed by her and her son, which is who the book is about) - Thanks to Jody.
London Eye by Tim Lebbon - Thanks to Pyr
Lost Girls by Ann Kelley - Thanks to Little Brown
Perfect Escape by Jennifer Brown - Thanks to Little Brown
What did you get this week?
For Review:
Red Dirt Rocker by Jody French (Signed by her and her son, which is who the book is about) - Thanks to Jody.
London Eye by Tim Lebbon - Thanks to Pyr
Lost Girls by Ann Kelley - Thanks to Little Brown
Perfect Escape by Jennifer Brown - Thanks to Little Brown
What did you get this week?
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Author: James Patterson
Release Date: May 23rd, 2006
Publisher: Little Brown
Pages: 409
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Finished copy for review
Rating: ★★★★★
Things really start to pick up in School's Out - Forever. I really enjoyed it much more than I did the first book. Maybe it's just because I already had a lot of the background information of the characters, so I was able to focus more on the current state of things instead of trying to figure out everything about them. To say that this book give you all the answers you might of had after reading the first book is stretching it though. You do get some answers, and you learn about some pretty groundbreaking things that put some huge twists on the story. James does such an amazing job writing these books, I found myself bored at points in the first book, but I was really impressed with how things went in this second book.
The story picks up right where you left off in the first. There was very little time in-between, once they figured out where they needed to go at the end of book one, you see them heading there at the start of this book. The files they have could lead to a massive amount of information about a lot of different things, and they really want to figure it all out. So it was really fun getting to follow them not only to the place they had planned to go at the end of book one but also a place that is quite sunny, although sometimes rainy and has lots of palm trees. As to why they chose to go there? I will leave that to you to figure out, it's pretty important though. But those aren't the only places they go. You will see quite a few different living arrangements throughout this book.
You're introduced to several new characters in this book. Of course you have the flock, there really isn't much to say about them other than that I really liked the fact that Max had kind of assumed leadership of the group. And oh, the tension between Fang and Max is pretty intense. I am curious to see where that goes, especially after what happened between Max and one of the new characters you're introduced to. I'm not going to dive to deep into explaining the new characters.. Anne was interesting, being an FBI agent it took awhile for the Flock to be able to trust her, but you seem to get a feeling that they never really do fully trust her. Which you can't blame them. She plays a somewhat important role though, and it was interesting to see what happened between her and the Flock. My favorite new character, which happens to be a dog that can talk is Total. I am sure he will be in book three, considering how things ended but he is just such a fun character to have added into the mix. And did I mention that you see more of Jeb in this book? Let's just say some questions will be answered, and so many more will come into play with him around.
The ending was decent, it felt very similar to the first book though. That really wasn't a bad thing, I don't really know what to expecting. It has me really excited to jump into book three, which I will be doing soon after this review goes up. I'm just so pumped to see where things go from here, they got some of the answers they wanted, but there is still so much that they have to learn. I'm still left wondering what Max's "Voice" actually knows, and what exactly Jeb is up to. I got a feeling I can expect the same pattern in book three, having them solve a few things only to open up yet another mystery. But I think that makes these books enjoyable, makes you feel like you're actually trying to figure this all out with them. And I've really been enjoying all the extra stuff at the end where you have images of all these different things related to the story, and you have to see if you can figure if it helps to answer anything.
These books are extremely enjoyable, considering they have been out for quite awhile I would imagine a lot of you have probably read them but if you haven't, I highly suggest doing so. James is an amazing author, and really knows how to make his story interesting. I am really excited to get to the end of this series, and figure out exactly what happens. And with the last book (#8) coming out I don't have long to wait. But for now, I have the next five books in the series to read. Make sure to check out my review of the first book (The Angel Experiment) if you haven't. This is really a series you need to check out if you haven't yet.
Thank you to Little Brown for providing me with a copy of this book for review.
Release Date: May 23rd, 2006
Publisher: Little Brown
Pages: 409
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Finished copy for review
Rating: ★★★★★
Fourteen-year-old Maximum Ride and the other members of the "Flock"--Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman and Angel--are just like ordinary kids--only they have wings and can fly. It seems like a dream come true--except that they're being hunted by half-human, half-wolf "Erasers" who can fly, too.
In Book 2 of the series, the Flock members are taken under the wing of an FBI agent and try to live "normal" lives by going to school, making friends--and continuing their relentless search for their parents. But the Erasers return, forcing the Flock to abandon their search and make their escape once again. The voice inside Max's head keeps telling her that it's up to her to save the world, but this is especially challenging to do when she is faced with her ultimate match: a newer and better version of herself, Maximum Ride II. Max's heart-stopping quest to investigate the mind-blowing mystery of her ultimate destiny continues in the scariest, strangest, and funniest James Patterson novel yet.
Things really start to pick up in School's Out - Forever. I really enjoyed it much more than I did the first book. Maybe it's just because I already had a lot of the background information of the characters, so I was able to focus more on the current state of things instead of trying to figure out everything about them. To say that this book give you all the answers you might of had after reading the first book is stretching it though. You do get some answers, and you learn about some pretty groundbreaking things that put some huge twists on the story. James does such an amazing job writing these books, I found myself bored at points in the first book, but I was really impressed with how things went in this second book.
The story picks up right where you left off in the first. There was very little time in-between, once they figured out where they needed to go at the end of book one, you see them heading there at the start of this book. The files they have could lead to a massive amount of information about a lot of different things, and they really want to figure it all out. So it was really fun getting to follow them not only to the place they had planned to go at the end of book one but also a place that is quite sunny, although sometimes rainy and has lots of palm trees. As to why they chose to go there? I will leave that to you to figure out, it's pretty important though. But those aren't the only places they go. You will see quite a few different living arrangements throughout this book.
You're introduced to several new characters in this book. Of course you have the flock, there really isn't much to say about them other than that I really liked the fact that Max had kind of assumed leadership of the group. And oh, the tension between Fang and Max is pretty intense. I am curious to see where that goes, especially after what happened between Max and one of the new characters you're introduced to. I'm not going to dive to deep into explaining the new characters.. Anne was interesting, being an FBI agent it took awhile for the Flock to be able to trust her, but you seem to get a feeling that they never really do fully trust her. Which you can't blame them. She plays a somewhat important role though, and it was interesting to see what happened between her and the Flock. My favorite new character, which happens to be a dog that can talk is Total. I am sure he will be in book three, considering how things ended but he is just such a fun character to have added into the mix. And did I mention that you see more of Jeb in this book? Let's just say some questions will be answered, and so many more will come into play with him around.
The ending was decent, it felt very similar to the first book though. That really wasn't a bad thing, I don't really know what to expecting. It has me really excited to jump into book three, which I will be doing soon after this review goes up. I'm just so pumped to see where things go from here, they got some of the answers they wanted, but there is still so much that they have to learn. I'm still left wondering what Max's "Voice" actually knows, and what exactly Jeb is up to. I got a feeling I can expect the same pattern in book three, having them solve a few things only to open up yet another mystery. But I think that makes these books enjoyable, makes you feel like you're actually trying to figure this all out with them. And I've really been enjoying all the extra stuff at the end where you have images of all these different things related to the story, and you have to see if you can figure if it helps to answer anything.
These books are extremely enjoyable, considering they have been out for quite awhile I would imagine a lot of you have probably read them but if you haven't, I highly suggest doing so. James is an amazing author, and really knows how to make his story interesting. I am really excited to get to the end of this series, and figure out exactly what happens. And with the last book (#8) coming out I don't have long to wait. But for now, I have the next five books in the series to read. Make sure to check out my review of the first book (The Angel Experiment) if you haven't. This is really a series you need to check out if you haven't yet.
Thank you to Little Brown for providing me with a copy of this book for review.
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