Monday 28 January 2013

Book Q & A

I realize that I haven't been keeping up with book reviews lately, so I am going to catch up using this post. In this post I will be answering questions that my peers have asked me. I also have made up some questions for some of the books that were lacking them. The books that will be included in this Q & A include:
So... Without further ado. Book Q & A!!!!

The Uglies Series
What was your favourite book in the series? asked by Danika
Hmmm... Tough questions, although I think I would say Uglies or Extras. Probably Extras though. I didn't like how in Extras the main characters changed, but I liked the plot better than the one in Uglies.

Did you like it? Why or why not? asked by a friend
Overall, I think that this series was a 4.99999997 stars... possibly even 5. Pretties put the series down for me, but I still rated it a 4.5. The rest of the series was 5 stars. Scott Westerfeld wrote interesting plots, used descriptive writing, and never let a dull moment it.

Uglies: Graphic Novels
Team Tally or Shay? asked by Danika
Such a hard question!!! I see both sides of their story. Well, at first I was for Tally, all the way (in the Uglies series, the novels). Then in Shay's Story I found her to be quite ignorant and annoying, putting myself on Shay's side. Then came Cutters, leaving me with an impossible decision. Tally, the one who can be ignorant and cruel to her comrades or Shay, who is unkind to Tally and not seeing her through.

How well did they relate to the novels?
Very well. The graphic novels followed the exact same plot as in Uglies and Pretties, they are just in Shay's perspective. I never came across a part in the graphic novels where I was like, "What? Shay did that while Tally was there?"

The Trylle Trilogy
How did the mature content effect the book?
It gave me the tingles, and often times it made me want to go to the washroom and forget about it. It was so gripping so I didn't, but it was still a bit disturbing for me. I think this is just because of the age group though, and the way I was brought up.

How fast-paced was the book on a scale of 1-10 (1 being a slow plot, 10 being fast)?
7 maybe? 8? It's really hard to say. There were parts in the book that were slow, but were still very interesting, and there were only a couple cases where I would come across a good action-moment. Very good still though. :D

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares
This is a winter book... but do I have to read it in December, January, or February?
No! Of course not! I didn't read this book in that time-frame, and I still really liked it. That being said, I think that you would get more out of it if you read it in the snowy mouths. I think that you would embrace the story more, while as when I was reading it, I was just reading it. Does that make sense? Let me put it this way: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares is an excellent wintery read, but only a good summer read.

The Inside Duology
Before I even start answering questions, let me say that you should go and get Maria V. Snyder's work, because holy man, she's AMAZING!!!!!! Hallelujah for good authors. ;)

Maria V. Snyder is best known for her Study Series. Do you think that is a good representative, or should the Inside Duology be the one?
For one thing, I don't blame Poison Study and them books to be the ones that readers point at when talking about Maria V. Snyder, but that wasn't the question. The question was: Would the Inside Duology be a good book for Snyder to be known for. And the answer is yes. I loved the series so very much! The first book was a 4 or 4.5, the second book a 5 for sure. The storyline was gripping, the characters were likeable, and the society was interesting and easy to understand. I don't think that Maria V. Snyder gets enough credit for these books.

How well did this book "captivate" you? asked by a relative
Very well. This book is a real charm. As I mentioned in my last answer, the book never had a dull moment. What would Trella find? How would she overcome the Pop Cops? I became embraced in the story, and Maria V. Snyder held me in there until it was done.

Variant & Feedback
How is the uniquity of the book?
Have you ever heard of a book about a school in which children are trapped? If you have and it isn't Variant then please leave a comment below telling me this magic, because I thought that these two books were one of a kind. Especially when you find out the twist.... One of my personal favourites.

I noticed that you rated Feedback lower than Variant. What caused you to do this?
I don't really know. They were both extremely amazing, but I just didn't seem to get as embraced in the second one as I did the first. After I got over the cliffhanger that Variant left me with, I found myself not liking it as much. It was still really good, it just wasn't as mysterious as the first book was. Benson quit looking for a place to escape and relationships were rushed. I missed the way Benson and Jane were connected. :(

Divergent & Insurgent
Did you trust Markus? Did you trust Four's mother?
I never trusted Four's mother, and I got extremely angry when Four did. Not only did I trust Tris' instincts, but I also thought that she was a bit cocky, which caused my disbelief. As for Markus, I didn't trust him in the first book, no way. Not even in the first half of Insurgent was I convinced, but after I was introduced to Four's mom I started to gain faith.

Who was your favourite character? asked by Paige
In the first book I was all over Four, as well as Will and Tris. I thought he was sweet and smart, a good guy. He was also a good teacher, and I adored that. In the second book though, he changed. He became cocky like his mother was, and I do not like that trait. Instead I liked Tris, as she ended up being the smart one, and any girl that kick's butt is pretty awesome as it is.

Blood Red Road
What did you think of Saba and Emmi's relationship? asked by Danika
I enjoyed this part of the book. I thought that the growth that happened between the two was a really great addition to the story, although I did get frustrated when Saba was being mean to Emmi. I didn't mind when Emmi not being nice, as I understood why - Saba was such a jerk to her sometimes! Scratch that. All the time, at least until Jack. <3

Now that Rebel Heart has come out, what are your before thoughts on it?
One, the synopsis kills me. What? Jack a TRAITOR!!!! :( :( :( I hope that the third book of the Dust Land series resolves that issue. Two, I've been hearing that it isn't as good as the first, and that really upsets me. I loved the first book, and it would kill me for Moira Young to loose her "oomf". Lastly, my friend made a review about how her feelings and thoughts twisted and turned. I love books that do that in the right way, but from what I know, this is in the wrong way. Still really excited though!

Cinder
How did the story connect to Cinderella and what did you think of the tie-in?
I thought that it was a very good connection. The story was not based too securely around the modern fairytale that we know today, but it there enough to know that that is what Marissa Meyer was trying to get at. I was actually quite pleased. The story was extremely unique, and portrayed a good idea of the future just like a good science-fiction novel should be.  It was enough like Cinderella that you could connect the two together, but it was different enough to be considered its own.

Do you think that this is a good book to get me out of a reading slump?
No. Defiantly not. Don't get me wrong, I really liked the book, but just don't do that. I found that the writing style was weird, and not in a very obvious way. In fact, after I read the first chapter I debated on quitting, but as I looked over it I thought, "Wow, that was actually really good." So why did I not like it while I was reading it? I think that it is because of the writing style. When I looked it over, my brain probably turned it into my own language that I like to use, so I liked it. Therefore, read this book... but do it after your slump. If you are in a slump, try reading a book you really loved again, or a light John Green book (like An Abundance of Katherines or Let it Snow) or something by Sarah Dessen.

An Abundance of Katherines
John Green! How did you like his writing?
For me it didn't stand out. Yes, it was very good, but it was no different than Scott Westerfeld or Robison Wells. I was actually a bit disappointed. I was hearing all this hype about how amazing his writing style was, but then it turns out to be the same as some others. Just my personal opinion. ;)

How did you like the plot?
John Green is truly unique, and I know that sounds hypocritical. But I can explain. I do not think that he is unique in his writing style, but I think that he is unique in his plot ideas. I mean, come on. Who would think of creating a story about a math formula for love? I'll tell you, John Green. He is extremely creative in THAT way, by making a modern day-read into something enjoyable that you might not see everyday, but making it realistic.

Entwined
When reading the synopsis, it sounds like a fairy-tale retelling. Is it? If so, did you like it?
When I went into this book, I thought the same thing, and I was right!!! Entwined is actually based off of the fairytale, "The Twelve Dancing Princess'", but the only reason I know this is because I watched Elle Fowler's review. I went into this book blind, thinking that it was fairy-tale retelling but unsure of which it was based off of. I also haven't read "The Twelve Dancing Princess'", so I am unsure on how well it connects and how it connects. I really liked the plot though. It was interesting a mysterious, with a little bit of thrill mixed in at places. 

The Hunger Games Trilogy
Instead of asking what was good, how about the bad things (since everyone supposedly loved it)?
My main problem with the trilogy was the last book, Mockingjay. It was defiantly the worst in the series for me. I felt like the plot was forced, SPOILER ALERT and I didn't like how they were in District 13, SPOILER OVER although I thought it was a good idea. The other two were really good. I gave them both 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. I read Catching Fire in a day, and I'm pretty sure I did that for The Hunger Games as well. I had nothing wrong with those ones, the last one though... :'( It had so much potential!

If you have any other questions about the books on my Goodreads, leave a comment below! I would be happy to answer them.

2 comments:

  1. Awesome q&a! I really liked hearing your ideas. Just realized... You changed your background to the same as mine!

    One thing I disagree with: John Green's books are generally not "light" books. Sure Let it Snow was, and maybe An Abundance of Katherine's, but definitely not Looking for Alaska, The Fault in Our Stars, or Paper Towns.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ya, I thought of that two. What I MEANT by that statement was a book like Let it Snow or AAOK. The Fault in Our Stars a light read? Haha... funny joke.

      Delete