G is for Gosh

I'm sorry for not blogging in a while. I've been busy with my other blog.
writer-person.blogspot.com

You can check it out, you might like it.
Okay, so I've decided to remove this blog from the A to Z challenge. It shames me. Anyways, I should be back to my usual blogging in about a week or so. I'm still pretty busy, but I might be able to blog this weekend.
Have a good writing day!

F is for Fallen

This is a book about fallen angels. In my opinion, it's not as good as Hush, hush be Becca Fitzpatrick. I actually like the cover more than the book.
There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.
Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.
Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

Review: It was written in third person. So there went one star. I will say that the concept of fallen angels intrigues me. I just wish it described a little bit more on why they were fallen angels. Also, what exactly were Daniel and Cameron fighting about? They were on different sides, but what were the sides? (Here's a thought: they're fallen angels, how could one side be "good" and the other side "bad"?) I could've used a lot more details. Lauren Kate never actually tells you anything. She gives you a clueless protagonist. You don't learn anything. Also, Daniel and Luce are in love. Why? What caused that to happen? Who are they? why have they loved each other for centuries, etc. There was not enough. I'll finish the series. But only because I want to know. Lauren Kate took that from the readers in Fallen. (1.5)
Characters: The characters were okay. I liked Daniel. I guess. I honestly don't remember liking any of them so well. Daniel is the only one I liked. And even then, not a lot. He was too reluctant to share about his fallen angel status. There goes half a star. Luce, for being "smart", is actually not. She is so slow and passive. Things happen, and she's like whatever. Also, the most important part of the book? She wasn't even there! She could hear the fighting and everything, but she wasn't there! *Sigh.* (1/2)
Story: I liked the idea Lauren Kate had. It had potential. I didn't necessarily like how she wrote it. I think she could have written and described a bit better. (1)



Content: kissing
Stars: 3
Quotes: NONE!


Series:
Fallen
Torment
Rapture
TBA

E is for Every Soul a Star

Ahh... Such a nice story. Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass.


Review: Well, this is realistic fiction. I really liked it. It was wonderfully written. I liked, also the point of it. It had a message and I think Wendy Mass did a wonderful job. It was written in first person. So that automatically gave her a two. The other half is for being REALLY good, but not AMAZINGLY good. (2.5)


Characters: Like I said, it was in first person. What I especially liked about it though, was that the point of view switched between the three main characters: Ally, Jack, and Bree. I liked how they were distinct and different. They were all unique. But they were also similar. they were all trying to "find their place in the universe". And I agree with that. My favorite out of these three had to be Jack. There was just something I liked about him, though I can't exactly describe it. I also like the fact that he was able to "fly." I don't know how to explain it exactly, but I wish I could. It's really cool. (1)

Story: This book was about self-discovery. The three main characters are from totally different worlds. They come together to witness one thing: a total solar eclipse. It's this event that causes them to meet and become friends. They learn things about themselves, and each other, that they never knew before. It was a beautiful novel about friendship and growing up. (1)


Content: nothing
Stars: 4.5
Quotes:
"I am not plain, or average or - God forbid - vanilla. I am peanut butter rocky road with multicolored sprinkles, hot fudge and a cherry on top." - I found this quote on Goodreads, so I have no idea who said this. It's most likely Bree.
"So we stand there, part of a crowd a thousand people strong, beaming up at the sky with wonder. I knew with a sudden certainty that wherever I am in the future - up in my treehouse, alone in the school cafeteria, or trying to figure out what my teachers are talking about, a part of me will always be right here, right now, wish that giant eye in the sky shining down on me, telling me it's going to be alright." - Jack
And when he [the author of the universe] had compounded the whole, he divided it up into as many souls as there are stars, and allotted each soul to a star. And mounting them on their stars, as if on chariots, he showed them the nature of the universe and told them the laws of their destiny. - "Timaeus" by Plato 427-347 B.C.
Just as I suspected, my room does look different, post-eclipse. It looks smalled, like it can't contain me anymore.After all, I've got a whole new world to see. - Ally
My eyes are bright, my hair has come loose from its ribbon, and Stella's scarf is waving around my neck. But that's not what I see when I look at the picture. I see three unlikely friends holding hands. And Ryan, Kenny, and Melanie are standing behind us, rapt.And in the sky above us, I see a miracle. - Bree


More By This Author:
Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life (currently reading)
A Mango-Shaped Space
Leap Day
Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall
Finally
11 Birthdays

D is for Dead is the New Black

Dead is the New Black by Marlene Perez. This is another mysterious fantasy. There are psychics, vampires, werewolves, etc.

Review: I've only actually read the first one, so I'm going to have to get the next two soon. I've never been a big fan of mystery, so I liked the fantasy twist in this one. I mean, I like mysteries, you know, because it makes it interesting, but I don't necessarily like mystery books. It doesn't make sense, but that's me. The first person helped a bit too. So, thank you Marlene Perez. Also, it takes place in California. Yay! (2.5)

Characters: Daisy Giordano. I will admit that I forgot her name and had to look it up on Goodreads (goodreads.com). Okay, I'll admit I forgot all of their names. I do remember what it's about though, so I didn't forget everything. Anyway, the other main characters are Ryan (best friend/boyfriend), Rose and Poppy (her sisters). I do remember that Ryan was pretty cool and that is was obvious that he liked Daisy. I also remember that Daisy is the only one in her family that isn't psychic. I remember the characters at the end, but I don't remember the beginning too well. Oh. I do remember reading this book while I was at the dentist, back in January. Hm. Maybe that's why I don't remember. I did like the characters, though. I just can't tell you why because I don't remember. Why what a helpful review this is, huh? (1)

Story: I do remember the story. It's about a girl (Daisy) in Nightshade, California. She is the only member in her family that is not psychic, except her father who has disappeared under mysterious circumstances a few years ago. I don't think you find out much about him in the first book. Well, in Daisy's junior year, there are attacks against teenage girls all over town. Her mother uses her psychic powers to help in investigations. This time, her mother asks her older sister (don't remember which one) to help with the investigation. Daisy feels left out, and she ends up finding some clues and taking matters into her own hands. It is a mystery, so you have to read it to find out what happens. :0 I did like it though. It's a bit more interesting than I made it sound, I'll assure you. (.5)

Content: kissing

Stars: 4

Quotes:

"She looked pretty lively for a girl obsessed with death. "

Series:

Dead is the New Black

Dead is a State of Mind

Dead is So Last Year

Dead is Just a Rumor - fall 2010

Dead is Not an Option - spring 2011

C is for City of Bones

Now, I love werewolves and vampires and faeries and things like that. Welcome to the perfect mix of everything I love. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare.

Review: Okay, so already this book hit my good side. I love vampires, werewolves, you know, the works. So, it was like the book of my dreams. I will say that the third person was a little disappointing. I would have preferred first person, but I could see how third person worked better for this book. So, yeah, I really liked it. (2.5)

Characters: I will say that Clary annoys me. Not too much, though, and only in some parts. So, she's good. I like her, but the characters I really like are Simon and Jace, especially when they're talking to each other. I like Jace because of his sarcasm and overall attitude. If you read some of the quotes, you'll know what I mean. I don't have any quotes with Simon, and that kind of sucks because I like him. He's Clary's best friend and really cares about her. I'll also mention that Jace is in love with her.I prefer Simon, but I don't mind Jace. I also think Maia and Luke (werewolves) are pretty cool. I don't really like the vampires, except for Simon. The faeries freak me out, but then again, all faeries do. (And if you think I'm spelling it wrong, I'm not. I do not read about fairies. I read about faeries. They're scarier and way cooler. ) The book mentions angels, but actual angels, not fallen angels or anything (as far as I know). I can't wait to read the CoFA or ID. There is definitely more in store. (1)

Story: Pretty much all fantasy species are here. Shadowhunters (created by an angel whose name I forgot) kill Downworlds (vamps, wolves, etc.). Well, this one Shadowhunter named Valentine (which I pronounce Valenteen, not Valentine, just because he's evil like that.) decides to go all crzy and he causes a whole mess in the Shadowhunter world. So the whole thing is about to defeat Valentine. Of course, there are many little mysteries here and there. Like: Why is Clary involved? Who's Jace, really? Why did Valentine do what he did? What did he do? So, it's a mysterious fantasy. It is compelling and totally worth reading. (1)

Content: kissing

Stars: 4.5

Quotes:

"...Have you fallen in love with the wrong person yet?" Jace said, "Unfortunately, Lady of the Haven, my one true love remains myself." ..."At least," she said, "you don't have to worry about rejection, Jace Wayland." "Not necessarily. I turn myself down occasionally, just to keep it interesting."

"Just because you call an electric eel a rubber duck doesn't make it a rubber duck, does it? And God help the poor bastard who decides they want to take a bath with the duckie."

"It wouldn't be my move," Jace agreed. "First the candy and flowers, then the apology letters, then the ravenous demon hordes. In that order."

"Don't order any of the faerie food," said Jace, looking at her over the top of his menu. "It tends to make humans a little crazy. One minute you're munching a faerie plum, the next minute you're running naked down Madison Avenue with antlers on your head. Not," he added hastily, "that this has ever happened to me."

"It's not gray," Clary felt compelled to point out. "It's green." "If there was such a thing as terminal literalism, you'd have died in childhood," said Jace."

"Investigation?" Isabelle laughed. "Now we're detectives? Maybe we should all have code names." "Good idea," said Jace. "I shall be Baron Hotschaft Von Hugenstein."

'I don't want tea,' said Clary, with muffled force. 'I want to find my mother. And then I want to find out who took her in the first place, and I want to kill them.' 'Unfortunately,' said Hodge, 'we're all out of bitter revenge at the moment, so it's either tea or nothing.'

Series:

City of Bones

City of Ashes

City of Glass

City of Fallen Angels 3-31-11 (CoFA)

Prequels: (Infernal Devices, ID)

The Clockwork Angel 8-31-2010

The Clockwork Prince

The Clockwork Princess

B is for Brave New World

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. If you've heard the song This is War by 30 Seconds to Mars, you'll probably hear that one of their lines is: "It's a brave new world from the last to the first." Now, listening to song (many times), I don't think it actually has anything to do with the book, except for that one line.

Review: So, I liked the book. It reminded me of 1984 (George Orwell). It was about a dystopia, which is basically the opposite of a utopia. I don't really know what else to say about it. It's a hard dystopia to explain. That, and I'm not really sure what to think about it. It was strange. I would recommend it to people who like classics. Also, people who've read George Orwell or like dystopias/utopias. I'm also going to say that if you've read books like The Giver (Lois Lowry), The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins), and/or Uglies (Scott Westerfeld), you might like this book or 1984. Just because they're all about dystopias. (2)
Characters: So, the main characters would be Bernard Marx, Lenina Crowne, and John the Savage. I don't really have much to say about them either. I do however, want to say something about John. He was from a Savage reservation. I think he is the one with the most humanity in the story. He believes in things like God and love and things like that. I think he's the only one (besides the others at the savage reservation) who knows what the really important things in life are. (1)
Story: So, this is a dystopian novel. That's really all I have to say. (1/2)

Content:
Stars: 3.5
Quotes:
"The Savage interrupted him. "But isn't it natural to feel there's a God?" "You might as well ask if it's natural to do up one's trousers with zippers," said the Controller sarcastically. "You remind me of another of those old fellows called Bradley. He defined philosophy as the finding of bad reason for what one believes by instinct. As if one believed anything by instinct! One believes things because one has been conditioned to believe them. Finding bad reasons for what one believes for other bad reasons–that's philosophy. People believe in God because they've been conditioned to."

"In a properly organized society like ours, nobody has any oppurtunities for being noble or heroic. Conditions have got to be thouroughly unstable before the occasion can arise. When there are wars, where there are divided allegiances, where there are temptations to be resisted, objects of love to be fought for or defended - there, obviously, nobility and heroism have some sense. But there aren't any wars nowadays. The greatest care is taken to prevent you from loving anyone too much. There's no such thing as a divided allegiance; you're so conditioned that you can't help doing what you ought to do. And what you ought to do is on the whole so pleasant, so many of the natural impulses are allowed free paly, that there really aren't any temptations ro resist. And if ever, by some unlucky chance, anything unpleasant should somehow happen, why, there's always soma to give you a holiday from the facts. And there's always soma to calm your anger, to reconcile you to your enemies, to make you patient and long-suffering. In the past you could only accomplish these things by making a great effort and after years of hard moral training. now, you swallow two or three half-gramme tablets, and there you are. Anybody can be virtous now. You can carry at least half your mortality about in a bottle. Christianity without tears - that's what soma is."

""Pain's a delusion." "Oh, is it?" said the Savage and, picking up a thick hzel switch, strode forward. The man from the The Fordian Science Monitor made a dash for his helicopter."

More By This Author:
The Doors of Perception
Heaven and Hell
Island

He has more than that, but those are the only ones I know.

A is for Animal Farm

So, I've entered both of my blogs in the Blogging From A to Z April Challenge. I'm a little behind, but I'll be catching up. For each entry, I'm going to review a book with the letter for the day. So, to start of, I'm going to review Animal Farm by George Orwell for A.
(The picture is the cover of the version I read.)
Review: Now, this book is more symbolic than anything else. It has a point, a reason for being written. It's literally about an animal farm. The thing is, the animals symbolize humans. In a way, the book is comparing animals to humans. The pigs would symbolize some form of government; the horses (mainly Boxer), would symbolize a sort of working class; the sheep could symbolize how naive some people are; the dogs would symbolize law enforcement, they keep the animals in check and make sure they don't question the pigs; etc. That's how this book works. You have to dig under what the story is literally saying and see what the point of it is. I, personally, thought it was pretty darn good. I loved it and the way he used this symbolism. (3)
Characters: In my review, I mentioned what some of the animals symbolized. I'd like to make a few comments on the pigs and two others, Clover (a horse) and Benjamin (a donkey). The pigs are the ones who hold all the power. After the animals chased the humans off of the farm, they assumed power. The thing I find interesting is how, after the defeat of the humans, the pigs ended up turning into humans. That reminds me of this one quote: "He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." (It's Friedrich Nietzsche. I actually got this quote from a music video. It's a long story, so I'll write about it later.) Well, the pigs were like that. They "fought the monsters" and ended up becoming "monsters". The abyss part, well, I don't know how that would play in the story. But if you've read it, I'd want to know what you think. So, onto Clover and Benjamin. Clover, throughout the story, is remembering things that "didn't happen". In the beginning, there were Seven Commandments of Animalism. As the pigs slowly "become monsters", she realizes that the Commandments are changing. Of course, she has no proof and the pigs merely dismiss the idea. Benjamin is quite. He probably knew, the whole time, what was happening to the pigs. He most likely knew everything that was going on. He didn't tell anybody, though. He kept to himself. (1)
Story: Now, I've said many times before, that this story is all about symbolism. But what exactly does it symbolize? In my mind, it symbolizes the human nature. The pigs especially show this. They get the power, and special privileges. By the end of the story, the Seven Commandments are only one phrase: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." (1)





Content: it's an animal farm!
Stars: 5
Quotes: (The last sentence in the book)
"The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which."


Now, if you don't understand it, this sentence is saying how the pigs turned so much into humans that is was impossible to tell them apart.


More Books By This Author:
1984


I know he has more books, but I'm sorry to say I have no idea what they are. The most famous ones are 1984 and Animal Farm.

Burned

I finished Burned by Ellen Hopkins yesterday, around 9:00 PM. Not only did I finish this book, but I also finished Turnabout by Margaret Peterson Haddix and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney.

Review: Whoa, whoa, whoa, wow. I did not expect the last few pages. As I've said a few times, I hate happy endings. This is the one time where I wished it ended happily. But, that's what I like about sad or messed-up endings. I like wishing they were happy. Wishing a happy ending was sad makes me feel evil. Therefore, I like sad or messed-up endings. This was both. It was so heartbreaking, and so GOOD. The book was amazing. I though Impulse was good, I'm wondering if Burned was better. I don't know. They were both really good. WOW! I don't know what to say, it was that good. WOW! I think it made the top ten for my stand-alone list. I have a stand-alone and series list. So, I think this made the top ten for stand-alone. Wow. (3)
Characters: Pattyn was an amazing character. I don't really know how to describe her, though. I also don't know how to describe Ethan., other than to say that he did not deserve what happened to him. Neither of them deserved what happened. The only wrong thing they ever did was fall in love. Aunt J was a cool character too, filled with her own wisdom and knowledge. She deserved love. The character I did not like was Stephen. I hated him. He was Aunt J's brother and Pattyn's father. He had no right to do what he did to either of them. *SPOILER ALERT* He had no right to hit his daughters, his wife; no right to threaten Kevin (Aunt J's love) or kill Ethan. He may not have been the direct cause of his death, but he sure as heck had a big part in it. In Impulse, *SPOILER ALERT* I blamed Conner's death on his mother, because if she had loved him just a little bit, he probably would never have jumped of that cliff. If Pattyn's dad had cared more about his daughters than his "church", Ethan would probably not have died. (1)

Story: The story was enthralling. I could not put the book down. It had to do with love, abuse, God. Things like that. And it was absolutely WOW! I think Ellen Hopkins wrote it wonderfully perfect. It was sad and heartbreaking, but it had many good points. It made you think about your own beliefs. It made you think about love. It made you think about how luckky you are not to be in the situations Pattyn went through. But it made you wish it had a happy ending. If anything, after all the crud she's been through, Pattyn deserved everything she didn't get. She shouldn't have had to make the desicion she did.

But, it shows you

that life isn't

fair.

And to hold on to

what you have while

you have it.

Because, it's

kind of funny. How

it could take

forever to

build something, but

only an instant, a

quick second, an

undeniable moment, to

tear it all

down.

(1)

Content: kissing, sex, drinking. The books recommends 14 and up. So do I.

Stars: 5

Quotes:

Well, the book was written in verse. It makes it hard to quote, but I loved this part:

Heart breaking,

I think that if Dad, staring down the sight of a 10mm,

would only tell me he loves me,

I could easily change my mind...

... but he won't.

It was just so sad. :'(

More books by the author:

Impulse (read)

Identical

Tricks

Crank

Glass

Fallout

The Hunger Games

I'm venturing into the sci-fi for today. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I've only actually read this book once, but considering I bought the second one (Catching Fire), I'm going to have to buy it eventually. I probably just made it sound like a burden, or something, huh? Well, I love the book. It's actually one of my favorites. I'm not just talking one of my favorites, I mean like top ten. I haven't actually decided what my top ten are, or in what order, but I'm pretty sure it's up there. Anyways, back to the review.

Review: Well, this book was amazing. I loved it. It was all sci-fi and futuristic. But I have to say, that it was the name more than anything else that caught my attention. "The Hunger Games". What were they? Why are they called "The Hunger Games"? Why are they "Games"? You know, things like that. That and the cover. I thought the cover was cool. I still do. So, when I finally was able to read the book, I pretty much zoomed through it. I probably read it in less than two days, which is the average amount of time for me to read a book. And by the time I finished, I was like !!!!!!. (I didn't know what word to use, so I figured a bunch of ! would sum up how I felt when I finished the book.) I was good. Really REALLY good. AMAZING! The ending was sad; a bit of a cliff-hanger, but not as big as the Catching Fire cliff-hanger. That's how I like books though. Because now, ANYTHING can happen. WOW! (3)

Characters: Katniss Everdeen is definitely a strong character. She's cautious, but she would anything for the people she loves. She's a survivor and a very interesting character. She's only annoyed me two or three times in the first two books. Now, most books I've read have had two (or more... ZOEY ;) ) guys. In The Hunger Games, it is between Gale and Peeta. Gale, a long-time best friend. Peeta, a boy who's had a crush on her for years. I really can't say who I like more. Other books are easy for me: *SPOILER ALERT* Rose and Adrain, Dimitri's gone; Zoey and Stark, Heath is dead and Erik's a jerk and Kalona is evil; Schuyler and Jack, Oliver's human and he can't do much; etc. etc. So The Hunger Games really got me there. I liked Peeta at the end of The Hunger Games, but by the end of Catching Fire, I really didn't know. (1)

Story: Now, the storyline (or plot or whatever) was both simple and complex. Simplified: A girl gets chosen to be in The Hunger Games. She has to fight to the death with 23 other contestants. Not much there. But really, it's so much more difficult than that. First of all, she doesn't get chosen. She volunteers in order to replace her younger sister, Primrose. Okay, not complex. Peeta does get chosen. Still not there yet. They do the publicity stuff required of them, blah blah blah, then the interviews. *dun dun dun* This is where it starts. After that, the Hunger Games take a whole new meaning. And it gets REALLY good. It pretty much started really good and ended even better. (1)

Content: kissing, a little bit of drinking because of Haymitch

Stars: 5

Quotes: (I don't know who says them, because as I said, I don't own the book)

"Remember, we're madly in love, so it's all right to kiss me anytime you feel like it." - I think this is Peeta

"I don't want to lose the boy with the bread." - Katniss

"Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor." - I think this is Effie Trinket

"So it's you and a syringe against the Capitol? See, this is why no one lets you make the plans." - I really don't know
"I take his hand, holding on tightly, preparing for the cameras, and dreading the moment when I will finally have to let go." - Katniss

Series: (Trilogy)

The Hunger Games

Catching Fire

Mockingjay

Weekly Update

Okay, so yesterday I went to the library.

I got:

Turnabout - Margaret Peterson Haddix

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - Seth Grahame-Smith

It's Kind of a Funny Story - Ned Vizzini

Bloom - Elizabeth Scott

Double Helix - Nancy Werlin

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life - Wendy Mass

On my list, I was supossed to get:

The Dead Girls' Dance - Rachel Caine (Woops)

Rebel Angels - Libba Bray (Woops)

The Prophet of Yonwood - Jeanne DuPrau (Woops)

Something by Elizabeth Scott (YAY!)

Something by Nancy Werlin (YAY!)

Something by Wendy Mass (YAY!)

Update:

Burned (Ellen Hopkins) - pg 138

Turnabout (Margaret Peterson Haddix) - pg 73

Also, since my birthday was yesterday, I got some monies. On Saturday I'm having a get-together with my other side of the family. They always give my money, so yeah. I've decided to put aside some of it. But the rest will be spent on books.

I would get:

The Forest of Hands and Teeth - Carrie Ryan $10

The Dead-Tossed Waves $17

The Adoration of Jenna Fox -Mary E. Pearson $10

Before I Fall - Lauren Oliver $18

Then either:

Shadow Kiss - Richelle Mead $10

North of Beautiful - Justina Chen Headly $10

---OR---

Because I am Furniture - Thalia Chaltas $10

Interview with PC Cast:

http://ra.okstate.edu/osu_tulsa/WritingOutLoud/PCCast2010/video.htm

Not much else to say. Have a good reading day!

The Truth About Forever

So, I've been talking a lot about fantasy books. I've finished talking about vampires for now. The only other vampire series I read was Chibi Vampires (manga). I've only read the first four and I forgot everything but the very basics. It's almost as if I never read it. That's scary. I never thought I'd forget a book like that. Quick fact: I forgot most of Wake, but not as bad as Chibi Vampries. I remember every other book perfectly, but Wake (Lisa McMann) and Chibi Vampires seemed to have fled my mind.

Anyways, back to realistic fiction! Yay! Okay, I'll admit it: I like realistic fiction (especially Sarah Dessen and Nicholas Sparks), but it is NOTHING compared to my love for fantasy. Oh well. Sorry realistic fiction. Well, this happens to be one of my favorite realistic fiction books: The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen.

Review: Well, I'm pretty sure I first read this is the summer of '09. I've read it all the way through twice, but every now and then I'll flip through it, read pages here and there. There are some pages I especially like. I have many quotes. I find Sarah Dessen's books to be REAL and inspirational. She writes YA and her characters are high school or college age. They learn something in the books. She has morals. It's not cheesy or anything, though. Her books are about self-discovery, almost. She writes really well. I also like how she hints at things from some of her other books. Like, in TTAF, Macy meets a character named Stella. When Macy meets her, Stella is reading a book called The Choice by Barbara Starr. Barbara Starr is the mother of Remy in This Lullaby. I think that's kind of cool, but that's just me. (3)
Characters: Macy Queen is the protagonist of The Truth About Forever. I find her to be strong and independent, even when she really doesn't need to be. She hasn't annoyed me too much. Wes is cool. Not werewolf cool. If Sarah Dessen was fantasy.... Well, Wes is cool. You know, as cool as humans ever get. He's honest, kind, HOT! *laughter* It's no surprise Macy falls for him, even if she doesn't realize it. I really like Kristy though. She's so mature for her age, but she's also young and fun. (1)

Story: In this story, you learn to live. It sounds weird, but after thinking about it, that's kind of the lesson here. Life could end, for you, at any moment. You don't want to have regrets or wish you had done something when it's too late. Everybody has a forever and you can choose to live it like you want to. So, I loved it. It's my favorite novel by Sarah Dessen. (1)

Content: kissing, language (not much)

Stars: 5

Quotes:

"It's all in the view, Macy. That's what I mean about forever, too. For any one of us our forever could end in an hour, or a hundred years from now. You can never know for sure, so you'd better make every second count." - Kristy

"It was just one of those things. You know, that just happen. You don't think or plan. You just do it." - Macy (and later Monica)

"It's never too later." - Monica

"That was the thing. You just never knew. Forever was so many different things. It was always changing, it was what everything was really all about. It was twenty minutes, or a hundred years, or just this instant, or any instant I wished would last and last. But there was only one truth about forever that really mattered, and that was this: it was happening. Right then, as I ran with Wes into that bright sun, and every moment afterwards. Look, there. Now. Now. Now."

More by the Author:

Just Listen

Someone Like You

That Summer

Lock and Key

This Lullaby

Dreamland

Along for the Ride

Keeping the Moon

All of her books are written in first-person. YAY! (I own a copy of TTAF!)

Shiver

This book was absolutely AMAZING! I finished it yesterday. I started it on Friday, but didn't get to read on Saturday because I was out all day. So, I read it on Friday and Sunday. It's a little over 300 pages. AMAZING! It was- WOW! Wow.

Review: So, if I haven't said is enough times for you: WOW! AMAZING! There you go. I loved it SO much. Maybe because I love werewolves? I don't know. But Shiver was fantastic. I loved the first-person perspective. It switched off every now and then between the two main characters: Grace and Sam. Like I said, I love werewolves. I don't mean love, I mean LOVE, as in very creepy. They don't exist, but I kind of wish they did. That's just how much I love them. So Maggie Stiefvater hit a 3 just by writing a book about werewolves. AND this time there were no vampires. Now, I love vampires, but in this story, it would have killed it. It's all about werewolves. YAY!
Characters: The characters are one more star. Grace isn't bad. She kind of reminds me of Rose from VA. Not that they're anything alike. *VA SPOILER ALERT* It's just that Rose would do anything to have Dimitri back. In that way, she's like Grace. Grace did what she could to keep Sam a werewolf. Sam, being a werewolf, caught my heart right away. It sounds weird (and believe me, it is) and I don't really know why werewolves get that reaction from me. Well: werewolf + awesomeness= good character x 1,000,000. So, he'd still be cool if he wasn't a werewolf, but I wouldn't love him the way I do now.
Story:Shiver has the right amount of love, suspense, action. Because Sam's a werewolf (in Shiver, this means he's wolf during the winter and is human during the summer), they only have a certain amount of time before he's a wolf for the winter (and probably the rest of his life). Ohhhh, drama. Love: Sam and Grace relationship. It's funny because Grave actually fell in love with Sam while he was a wolf. Action: There are tons of action parts. I mean, the book's about werewolves. What did you expect? Suspense: If you get to the ending, you'll know. WOW!

Content: kissing, make-out scenes, sex scene (One, but it's not especially inappropriate. If you've read the Twilight series, you're good.)

Stars: 5

Quotes:

"'What do you eat?'

'Baby bunnies.' She narrowed her eyes, so I grinned and said, 'Adult bunnies, too. I'm an equal-opportunity bunny-eater.'" - Grace, Sam

"'Sensitive,' I tried.

Sam translated: 'Squishy.'

'Creative.'

'Dangerously emo.'

'Thoughtful.'

'Feng shui.'" - Grace, Sam

"'You're the girl, aren't you? The girl who was in my house?'

'Yes.'

'Do you have a name?'

'Do you?'

'I think I like you. I'm Beck.'" - Beck, Grace

Series (Trilogy):
Shiver
Linger 7-20-10
Forever 7-??-11

Glass Houses

I figured to just keep on going with my vampire book reviews. This should be it for a while, considering I've only read so many vampire books. I just finished Glass Houses by Rachel Caine a few days ago. This is the first book in the Morganville Vampires series.

Review: I thought it was pretty good. In the beginning, it was kind of hard to read, but that might have been because I wanted to read other books. Anyways, by the end I was really glad that I read it. I don't quite understand what happened at the end though. If you've read it, can you please shed some light? I thought the book was funny in some parts. It was serious when it needed to be. I like the characters (meaning that none of them had annoyed me ;-) ). I would have preferred it to be in first person, but things are the way they are.
Characters: Like I said before, none of them have annoyed me. Yet. I had to put that in. I'm just that pessimistic. I like how Claire is stubborn and won't take no for an answer. Because I can't, personally, be like that, I either admire it or hate it when others are. In this case, I admire Claire for that. She's still stupid though. Stubbornness is not that great of a quality. Shane and Michael are both pretty cool. It makes me wish guys like them existed in the world. They probably do, but not in my part of the world. Eve is also cool. It's kind of ironic that she's Goth but her name's Eve. Maybe not ironic (still trying to figure out how to use that word correctly), but it's funny. Both in the ha-ha and weird way.
Story: The storyline was pretty good. It had drama, action, the first whispers of romance. It was a little bit of a mystery, but sometimes the characters just have to be clueless (of course, clueless works better in a first-person perspective, just saying). I'll definitely be reading the rest of the series.

Content: kissing, major make-out scene

Stars: 4

Series:
Glass Houses
The Dead Girls' Dance
Midnight Alley
Feast of Fools
Lord of Misrule
Carpe Corpus
Fade Out
Kiss of Death
Ghost Town

This Week's Playlist

So, I've been thinking about what songs I could use for this week's playlist. I have come up with:

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

Explanation:
Be My Escape - This song kind of reminds me of Beastly by Alex Flinn. Adrian (the "Beast") is locked inside and he can't get out. He's asking Linda ("Beauty") to be his escape. Or maybe he's asking the witch. It can go either way, because there are parts for either of them.
Hero - Vampire Academy. It's an amazing song for Rose and Dimitri. <3
Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This - The parts where it says "Some of them want to abuse you. Some of them want to be abused by you./Some of them want to use you. Some of them want to be used by you." That reminds me of Impulse by Ellen Hopkins. It kind of has to do with the main characters' lives, especially Tony and Conner.
Unwell - This is another song for Impulse. They all get sent to Aspen Springs because they all attempted suicide. The song says "I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell. I know right now you can't tell. But stay a while and maybe then you'll see a different side of me." Tony, Conner and Vanessa aren't necessarily crazy, but they're "Unwell". (Get it?)
Soul Meets Body - The Host for the whole "soul meets body" thing. The song doesn't really go with the book, though. Still, it's a cool song.
How Far We've Come - This could go with any end-of-the-world book. It could go with Life as We Knew It (Susan Beth Pfeffer) and Terra Nova: The Search (Nathan Charlton) or even books like The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins) and The Giver (Lois Lowry) because their uptopias/distopias that were created after an end-of-the-world event.
If Today Was Your Last Day - I haven't read Before I Fall or Before I Die, but I would imagine that this song could be really good for either of them.
Electric Feel - This is that song I talked about in one of the latest posts. It is my current favorite song. It's held that position for about two weeks tops. A few more weeks and it'll pass Savior by Rise Against (stayed my favorite for about a month).

The Host

So I'm continuing my reviews. Today is: The Host by Stephenie Meyer. Now, I want to say that Stephenie Meyer annoys me slightly. Most authors do, for one reason of another, so don't feel bad Stephenie Meyer. The thing is that they usually annoy me for stupid reasons, so it's really no big deal. So, what about Stephenie Meyer annoys me? Well, Twilight. The happy ending.
The Host is not one of them. I happen to LOVE The Host. I thought it was amazing. It's been over a year and I still love it. I started hating Twilight a few months after I read Breaking Dawn. The Host? My second favorite book of all time. At least for now. There are tons of promising books out there... but The Host hasn't been replaced yet.

Review: So, yeah, I love this book. It's the only reason I still like Stephenie Meyer. I really hope she continues the series and gets over the whole Midnight Sun thing so that she could start writing. Not that I don't understand. I'd be pretty mad and hurt, too, if somebody decided to post my copyrighted story on the Internet without my permission. I get it. Anyways, I liked how this book was written. The ending wasn't too happy. I like that. I'm all for not-too-happy endings, especially when the characters went through some heck. Of course, I prefer not-happy endings. They just make it seem so sad and real. I love sad books and it seems real because the story will continue even if the book ends. So, if the book ends sad, it doesn't necessarily mean the story ends sad. I don't know if that makes sense, but to me, it does.
Characters: I like Wanda. I found it VERY interesting seeing the world and humans and everything like that through her eyes. You can tell that there's a BIG difference between souls and humans, but they're mostly the same (at least, while souls are in human hosts). They both feel the same emotions, desires, etc (again, when souls are in human hosts). The difference between REAL souls and humans, is that souls are pure. They're so nice, innocent, peaceful. That doesn't excuse them of taking over our planet, though. That would be something humans do; taking over someone else's planet (Avatar). So, souls and humans are similar and different. Wanda was especially different. She was like a soul, but she felt human. It's hard to describe. It's like: She was a soul and she was a human at the same time. Wanda was pure and kind, but she felt real love, desire. She felt hatred, sorrow. I don't know. You really have to read it.
Story: I have to admit it. The beginning of The Host is extremely boring. But I wouldn't be recommending this book if it didn't end amazingly. Maybe it's just me, but I can read through half of the book just to get to the good part. Well, I can read through anything. If it's boring though, it takes me forever to read. The beginning, for me at least, went by fast enough. Before I knew it, the book was so good and I couldn't put it down. The ending, especially. It was unexpected, yet so predictable (Another, makes sense/doesn't make sense). Well, I would say that if you could read through Twilight, you could read through this. Skip through the first part, then go back and read it. That way, you know that it gets better and you can understand what you didn't the first time. I would suggest skipping about 150 pages. The next chapter after that is where you should start.


Content: kissing, major make-out scenes (2)

Stars: 5

Series:
If Stephenie Meyer continues (and I hope she does), the sequels will most likely be:
The Soul
The Seeker

As you probably know, The Host is in the process of being made into a movie. I think it will be incredibly suck-y compared to the book. Otherwise, it'll probably be really good, you know, when not compared to the book. That's just how book movies are.

YA and Adult booklist

Marley and Me - John Grogan
The Host - Stephenie Meyer
The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire
Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
New Moon
Eclipse
Breaking Dawn
Vampire Academy - Richelle Mead
Frost Bite
Shadow Kiss
Blood Promise
Blue Bloods - Melissa de la Cruz
Masquerade
Revelations
The Van Alen Legacy
Marked - PC and Kristin Cast
Betrayed
Chosen
Untamed
Hunted
Tempted
Beastly - Alex Flinn
The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
Life as we Knew It - Susan Beth Pfeffer
My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult
Evermore - Alyson Noel
Blue Moon
Shadowland
Tithe - Holly Black
Valiant
Ironside
The Truth About Forever - Sarah Dessen
Just Listen
This Lullaby
Along for the Ride
Dreamland
Keeping the Moon
Some Like You
That Summer
Lock and Key
The Secret Between Us - Barbara Delinsky
Wake - Lisa McMann
Fade
Gone
Uglies - Scott Westerfeld
Pretties
Specials
Extras
Midnighters: The Secret Hour
Midnighters: Touching Darkness
Midnighters: Blue Noon
Peeps
The Last Days
The Risen Empire
The Killing of Worlds
Premonitions - Jude Watson
Disappearance
Wicked Lovely - Melissa Marr
Ink Exchange
Fragile Eternity
Bones of Faerie - Janni Lee Simner
Chibi Vampire Vol1
Chibi Vampire Vol2
Chibi Vampire Vol3
Chibi Vampire Vol4
13 Reasons Why - Jay Asher
A Walk to Remember - Nicholas Sparks
The Last Song
The Looking Glass Wars - Frank Beddor
Seeing Redd
ArchEnemy
A Certain Slant of Light - Laura Witcomb
Hush, hush - Becca Fitzpatrick
The Rules of Survival - Nancy Werlin
Impossible
Every Soul a Star - Wendy Mass
ttyl - Lauren Myracle
ttfn
l8r, g8r
Bliss
Fallen - Lauren Kate
City of Bones - Cassandra Clare
City of Ashes
City of Glass
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

Elsewhere - Gabrielle Zevin
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac
Everlost - Neal Shusterman
A Great and Terrible Beauty - Libba Bray
Runaway - Wendelin Van Draanen
Flipped

Impulse - Ellen Hopkins
Dead is the New Black - Marlene Perez
What My Mother Doesn't Know - Sonya Sones
Luna - Julie Anne Peters
Devil's Kiss - Sarwat Chadda
The Memory of Water - Karen White
Wings - Aprilynne Pike
Wintergirls - Laurie Halse Anderson
Speak
The Strange Power - L.J. Smith
The Possessed
The Passion
The Killing Circle - Andrew Pyper
The Summoning - Kelley Armstrong
The Awakening
Song of the Sparrow - Lisa Ann Sandell
Tantalize - Cynthia Leitich Smith
Animal Farm - George Orwell
1984
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
Little Women - Louis May Alcott
Where the Red Fern Grows - Wilson Rawls
Terra Nova: The Search - Nathan Charlton*
The Strand Phrophecy - JBB Winner
Glass Houses - Rachel Caine (just finished TODAY!)

Currently Reading:
Burned - Ellen Hopkins: pg 33
The War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells: pg 57
Shiver - Maggie Stiefvater: 32

* I happened to have met this author. I've talked to him a few times. Anyways, I liked the book. It's Sci-fi. Just thought I would "advertise" him a little bit. You can get his book at Amazon or his website: http://www.charltonbooks.com/.
Unfortunately, I'm not in any of the pictures. Go figure. Anyways, I was there. I didn't buy the book because I was broke at the time (kind of like I am now). Oh well. I'm trying to catch up on some reading anyways. I want to read:
The Dead Girls' Dance - Rachel Caine
Rebel Angels - Libba Bray
The Prophet of Yonwood - Jeanne DuPrau
Something by Elizabeth Scott
Something by Nancy Werlin
Something by Wendy Mass

Sorry it keeps changing. I can't really rely on the library or friends anymore. The library always seems to have the books I want checked out, or my friends forget to bring the book. Hopefully I'll at least finish three or four books next week. I should have time for it. Anyways, have a nice Spring Break and if you already had yours, I hope it was interesting. Bye!

House of Night

I know, I know. So many vampires, right? Sorry about that. Just getting started. It'll be over soon enough for those of you who don't like vamps too much. I only hate Twilight vamps (go figure), but every other kind of vamp? LOVE THEM!
So, back to the House of Night.

Review: So, I thought the first book was okay. Betrayed and Chosen were good. Untamed, Hunted, and Tempted? *screams* But I wouldn't really do that in real life. I'd probably jump up and down, singing my current favorite song: Electric Feel by MGMT. so, *jumps up and down singing Electric Feel, evens though it has nothing to do with the book*. Yeah. I loved the last three. First three: good. Last three: AWESOME! It brings a whole new meaning to Vampyres. That's right. Vampyres. With a Y, not the typical I. VA brought a new idea about vamps: three races: Moroi (live, magic), Dhampir (half-human), and Strigoi (undead, soul-less). HoN brings a whole new idea. They all believe in the goddess Nyx. They attend a school called House of Night. They have "tattoos" on them. The special ones have an affinity for something.
Characters: The main character would be Zoey Redbird. I don't like her too much. I like her character (no pun intended), but I don't her, if that makes sense. She's annoyed me on many occasions. Mostly with the multiple guys. She has a thing for that. So, Zoey mildly annoys me. I do think she's cool though. She does have affinities for all of the elements. I like Stevie Rae. I LOVE Stark (Untamed). The others are okay. I hate all the guys but Stark and (kinda) Heath. but he's human and really doesn't belong.
Story: It's definitely interesting. It has many twists, and turns. You think one thing, and then you find out something that changes everything. I would say the main points are: trying to save the world while simultaneously juggling a few guys. Not that she's, well, you know. She doesn't mean for it to happen. It's not her fault she doesn't have time to sort out her feelings. Everything happens quickly. Anyways, good plot. I liked it a lot, if that counts for anything. There are some really sad parts, some really messed-up parts. I felt like crying in some parts, but for some reason Vampire books (including VA, etc.) don't make me cry. Everything but vampire books.

Content: make-out scenes, kissing, sex-scene (1) [whole series]

Stars: whole series- 5
Marked- 3.5

Quotes:
"So I was beginning my new life as a anomaly, which figured about as much as it sucked." Zoey Redbird
"You are old beyond your years Zoeybird. Believe in yourself and you will find a way. But remember darkness does not always equate to evil just like light does not always bring good."
"Before I could cry or scream I whirled around and stalked to my bedroom,slamming the door behind me. I hope they all drown. "Zoey your mother and I need to speak with you." Great. Clearly they didn't drown."
“Hey, which one of them is supposed to be your boyfriend?” Stark asked me. Even in the terrible shape he was in, he caught my glance with his. His voice was scratchy, and he sounded scarily weak, but his eyes sparkled with humor. “I am!” Heath and Erik said together.

Series:
Marked
Betrayed
Chosen
Untamed
Hunted
Tempted
Burned 4-27-10
Awakened ??-??-??

I hear that there's most likely going to be nine books. I really don't know.

I <3 STARK!!!

Vampire Academy

Well, I've read quite a few books, in the past two years, especially. So, I'm trying to catch my blog up. I've decided to start with one of my favs: Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead.

Review: This book caught me and was able to hold on pretty tightly. I would say that I either read this right before or right after I read Twilight. It made Twilight look so... not good. Overrated. So Twilight-lovers HAVE to read this. Just to compare the books.
Characters: Rose is a pretty strong character, and not just because she's a dhampir. Her personality is.... her. She's strong and independent. Of course, that can only go so far when she's in love with this hot Russian guy... who happens to be her instructor... Rose would do anything for her best friend, Lissa. She's sarcastic, witty, but she has a depth to her. She's not just surface. She has depth. But she's also a teenager. It is called Vampire Academy for a reason. It makes it more interesting too. She's still young, but she's growing up. You could tell that throughout the series. She hasn't annoyed me yet. Not like other protagonists have, anyway.
Story: I thought it had a pretty good story line. I don't know what I could compare it to. I could compare it to Blue Bloods, but don't take that the wrong way. They're almost nothing alike (except they're both awesome). The only reason they're similar is because of vampires feeding off of vampires. In Vampire Academy, it's the Strigoi; in Blue Bloods, it's the Silver Bloods. That's pretty much it. I liked how it was written. There's a little bit of everything: drama, suspense, action, romance, horror (if you count soul-less creatures). I would recommend it to girls, but guys could read it too. There's enough action for that, in my opinion. It's not just a love story *cough* (like Twilight).
The series definitely gets better. I CANNOT wait until May. Spirit Bound will be AMAZING! I just know it.

Stars: 5

Content: an almost-sex scene, drugs (book 1)

Quotes:
"Only a true best friend can protect you from your immortal enemies."
"A ghostly smile flickered across his face. "If you weren't so psychotic, you'd be fun to hang around.” "Funny, I feel that way about you too.” He didn't say anything else, but the smile grew, and he walked away. (Rose & Christian)"

Series:
Vampire Academy
Frost Bite
Shadow Kiss
Blood Promise
Spirit Bound 5-18-10
Last Sacrifice 6-14-10


Still taking requests. Go read VA!