(At least in the US)
Is anyone else FREAKING OUT????
Friday, March 23, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Series and Book #: none
Pages: 313
Summary:
Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.
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I am a huge, huge fan of John Green's. I've read all his books (from Looking for Alaska to Will Grayson, Will Grayson) and this one was completely different. It was much darker than the others. There wasn't as much witty humor--it was all dark and depressing and centered around death. Although this is pretty much the central theme of the novel. Hazel's dying, Augustus had cancer, and everyone she knows has had cancer. She's been surrounded by death her entire life and she knows it's coming for her, so there's not much to laugh at. But Augustus was this bright figure that showed up and she learns that even through cancer and death, there can be laughter and happiness.
My favorite thing about John Green is that he takes these random, obscure things and puts them into his writing. Like the addition of An Imperial Affliction and Peter Van Houten. I mean, it doesn't exist, but I've never read another author who creates a fake book and makes it a central theme of his novel (unless you count books of spells from witch books, or encyclopedias of demons, etc). At first it was just an obsession of Hazel's but in the end it morphed into this connection between her and Augustus.
Overall, another excellent addition to John Green's writing. As always, his writing is thought consuming and real, and he creates characters that naturally draw you in. No matter what genre you like, I strongly suggest you read his books.
The Cover: This one's very plain. I like the one with all the writing surrounding the clouds better. But simplicity is key here, and the cover is spunky and clean.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Awaken by Katie Kacvinksy
Series and Book #: none
Pages: 309
Summary:
“Don’t be short term to me.” I stared at the words and my mind traveled to Justin and I wondered where he was, what he was doing.
Maddie lives in a world where everything is done on the computer. Whether going to school or on a date, no one ever leaves home. There’s really no need. And for the most part, Maddie’s okay with the solitary, digital life—until she meets Justin.
Justin likes being with people. He likes physical closeness and face-to-face conversations. People aren’t meant to be alone, he tells her.
Maddie is beginning to believe him. Maybe there is a different, better way to live, and perhaps Justin will be the one to help her start living it.
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"People, solid and living and breathing together in the same world, are not meant to be surrounded by that much darkness."
-Awaken by Katie Kacvinksy, pg 60
Maddie was a very strong teenage character. She was rebellious, had fights with her father, and didn't try to get close to anyone. I loved how she knew exactly what she wanted and knew exactly who she was. She didn't try to really fit into any mold that her father wanted her to be.
There was more interaction than I thought there would be. I figured that most everybody didn't leave their homes; therefore, I assumed there would be no sports, or shops, or clubs, or banquets. I was somewhat shocked when Justin took Maddie to the coffee place and when Maddie went to soccer. I think it took away from the original concept of there being so much technology that society was utterly consumed in it.
Overall, the message this novel tells is scary at how accurate it is to most of what people do today. Facebook, Tumblr, blogging...the Internet has taken over society and occupies most people's time. Kacvinsky's book predicts where we're headed in the near future, even if it is forty-eight years away. All of the relationships Kacvinsky wrote were excellent. When Maddie spoke with her friends and her parents, there was a slight feeling that she was disconnected from them. But when she was with Justin and his friends, there was warmth and friendliness. The distinction between those who were on the computer and those who weren't (not just between Justin and Maddie's friends, but throughout the novel) was very clear. They give a good look at how different life is when you're away from others and when you're not.
The Cover: I like how it's slightly pixilated and the flowers are behind the glass jar. Nothing is clear, just like a computer screen.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Series and Book #: unknown
Pages: 338
Summary:
“You can’t touch me,” I whisper.
I’m lying, is what I don’t tell him.
He can touch me, is what I’ll never tell him.
Please touch me, is what I want to tell him.
But things happened when people touch me.
Strange things.
Bad things.
Dead things.
No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal, but The Reestablishment has plans for her. Plans to use her as a weapon.
But Juliette has plans of her own.
My favorite part of this book was the setting and the politics that Juliette is surrounded by. With most post-apocalyptic novels, life is usually seen though the eyes of a main character that thinks everything is perfect. Juliette knows that her world is corrupt and disgusting. She's raw and truthful. I love how Tahereh Mafi doesn't try to cover that up. It's very original and I love it.
Admittedly, I kind of liked Warner, even if he was a psycho maniac who had a very creepy crush on Juliette. Adam was alright. He's not one of my favorite love interests ever but the romance (and history) between him and Juliette was excellently plotted.
Overall, this is one of my favorite books. Mafi's writing is excellent. The words flow so naturally that it really seems Juliette is speaking through them. The villains were deliciously creepy and the romance was wonderfully set up. The history between Adam and Juliette was definitely a great point of this novel, making the romance richer. The whole thing was dark, romantic, and psychologically thrilling. *Squee!* was pretty much my only thought throughout this entire book!
The Cover: Sharp and eye-catching. The whole image just grabs your attention.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Release: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick
Series and Book #: Hush, Hush Saga #3
Pages: 448
Summary:
When silence is all that's left, can the truth finally be heard?
Nora Grey can't remember the past five months of her life. After the initial shock of waking up in a cemetery and being told that she has been missing for weeks—with no one knowing where she was or who she was with—she tries to get her life back on track. Go to school, hang out with her best friend, Vee, and dodge her mom's creepy new boyfriend.
But there is this voice in the back of her head, an idea that she could almost reach out and touch. Visions of angel wings and unearthly creatures that have nothing to do with the life she knows.
And this unshakable feeling that a part of her is missing.
Then Nora crosses paths with a very sexy stranger, whom she feels a mesmerizing connection to. He seems to hold all the answers…and her heart. Every minute she spends with him grows more and more intense until she realizes she could be falling in love. Again.
I had seriously problems with Ms. Fitzpatrick in this novel because she turned everything upside down right after the shocking conclusion of Crescendo! I mean, honestly, do you have to take away Nora's memory, in which she can't remember Patch at all?? Through Nora's patchy (punny, right?) memory comebacks and her amnesia (when moments of her past were brought up and she had no clue what anyone was talking about) I thought that I'd never make it through the book. One of my greatest pet peeves of novels is retelling the entire series. Honestly, if you're reading the second novel without reading the first, GO READ THE FIRST! *Cough* Anyway, I was pushing myself through Nora's slow recovery to make it to the end when Patch came back and everything was hunky dory again!
Nora's stubbornness distressed me in this novel, especially towards the end. I know it wouldn't have made for an interesting novel if she just sat on her hands and waited for everyone else to figure things out, but she could at least have listened to Patch a bit? Especially towards the end when Hank was getting closer and the Danger-o-Meter was in the red range.
Four words to wrap up this novel: good, frustrating, twisty, dark.... The theme of all three of the Hush, Hush novels was darkness, and I thought it was mightily improved in this one. Nora's constant visions of black, black, black almost sent me over-the-edge! You know when a character doesn't know something, but you do, and so you just want to dive right in to the novel and help them? Yeah, that's pretty much a summary of what I was thinking throughout this entire book. It kept it interesting, surprising, and alluring. Once I put it down, I just wanted to pick it back up again!
The Cover: Not quite as impressive as the first two.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Release: Fever by Lauren DeStefano
Rhine and Gabriel may have escaped the beautiful prison of Wither’s mansion, but they are far from escaping danger. First they’re chased for stealing a getaway boat, and then the fleeing pair ends up in the eerie den of Madame, an old woman who collects girls and sells them to the highest bidders. Worst of all, Vaughn, Rhine’s sinister father-in-law, seems to be on her trail every step of the way. Rhine remains determined to get to her brother in Manhattan—but the road they are on is long and perilous.Now that Rhine has finally regained her freedom, what lengths will she need to go to in order to keep it?
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