Crash Book Review

This is another one of my spring break book reviews... Here we go.

Jules lives with her family above their restaurant, which means she smells like pizza most of the time and drives their double-meatball-shaped food truck to school. It’s not a recipe for popularity, but she can handle that.

What she can’t handle is the recurring vision that haunts her. Over and over, Jules sees a careening truck hit a building and explode...and nine body bags in the snow.

The vision is everywhere—on billboards, television screens, windows—and she’s the only one who sees it. And the more she sees it, the more shesees. The vision is giving her clues, and soon Jules knows what she has to do. Because now she can see the face in one of the body bags, and it’s someone she knows. Someone she has been in love with for as long as she can remember.

In this riveting start to a gripping series from New York Times bestselling author Lisa McMann, Jules has to act—and act fast—to keep her vision from becoming reality.

Crash was not the best novel I have ever read by far. Maybe it just wasn't my thing, but to me it seemed slow and boring for the premiss that was explored. The reason why I wanted to pick this book up because of the visions aspect, but really, it was so light that I just wasn't as interested as I thought I would be. Also, I feel like there was a bit of repetition. For such a small book, I was really surprised at this, but I could totally see what was coming next because it had already happened before.

I liked the setting of this novel though. Having the two different restaurants was an interesting and unique thing to incorporate in a novel. I also liked the characters. There wasn't too much character development, there was still some, and I could understand the "lack" because of the shortness.

Maybe it was the time that I read this book. I think that this book is more of a summer read, and I read it during spring break. Now, looking back on it, I think I would have liked it a lot better if reading it on the beach.

This book wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great either. I gave it a 3 out of 5 stars, and I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a short, quick, beach read. Happy reading!

Gone Book Review

Title: Gone
Author: Michael Grant
# of Pages: 558
Reading Span: 20 Days :(
Rating: ***** (5 stars)

Before I start with this review, I would like to tell you a story...

Once upon a time in my car I was talking to my dad. At that time my dad was talking about science. Then he said something about sublimation, and I was like, "Wha-?" Then he explained that it is when a solid goes to a gas and skips the liquid stage. It we want to get all science-y with Gone, this is what happened.

Anyways, here's my review.

Gone was an enjoyable novel. The concept was very original. I especially liked how the synopsis on the back doesn't give anything away, and the action got started right from the first two sentences. Of course, the next few chapters were still part of the exposition, they were just more interesting to read about than the average introduction. Another thing that I really liked about this book was the characters and the perspectives of each of them. The main perspective is Sam who is our protagonist. He is an amazing person who feels most of the emtions that you and I would feel if we were in the situation that he is. People treat him like a leader, yet he doesn't want to be because he doesn't trust himself. He thinks that he may have started the uprising, and of course this leads to a lot of emotional feelings. He isn't the only one we hear from though. There are many different charter perspectives introduced which leaves us with a goos understanding of how being in different situations would make us feel. Lana, for example, experiences visits from animals and the phase that they are going through, and doesn't understand what is happening because she is isolated from people. Another perspective is Jack, who works for the bullies but is torn between the two sides. We also get a little bit of Drake (as well as some of the other bad guys) who is a natural killer who works for the evil side. Also, I really liked the violence that this novel provided. That sounds really bad, but it added to the mood, suspense and plot so much. There also wasn't really too much gore to make it overwhelming. Something else about the plot was the wolves. It wasn't my favourite thing to read about, but it gave the book that "little extra flavour". It was a cool aspect and especially enhanced the metamorphism that was contributing. If that was all I was considering, this book would be a 5 star read for me. All in all, a good novel. Sure, at the end I was left with some unanswered questions, but I'm sure that they were there (or, in lack of a better word: weren't there) to set up the rest of the series. That being said, I'm rewarding Gone by Michael Grant 5 out of 5 stars. I will defiantly be checking out the next book soon, and I recommend you read this book if you haven't already.

Later thoughts:
This book seemed very unrealistic as far as the romance goes, and the plot seemed a bit repetitive. I still really enjoyed it though, so my new rating is 4/5 stars.

Happy reading!

Altered Book Review

It's been a while since I've made a book review so I've decided that now's the time! I'm going to start writing my spring break book reviews... Better late then never, right?

Goodreads synopsis: When you can’t trust yourself, who can you believe?

Everything about Anna’s life is a secret. Her father works for the Branch at the helm of its latest project: monitoring and administering treatments to the four genetically altered boys in the lab below their farmhouse. There’s Nick, Cas, Trev . . . and Sam, who’s stolen Anna’s heart. When the Branch decides it’s time to take the boys, Sam stages an escape, killing the agents sent to retrieve them. 

Anna is torn between following Sam or staying behind in the safety of her everyday life. But her father pushes her to flee, making Sam promise to keep her away from the Branch, at all costs. There’s just one problem. Sam and the boys don’t remember anything before living in the lab—not even their true identities.

Now on the run, Anna soon discovers that she and Sam are connected in more ways than either of them expected. And if they’re both going to survive, they must piece together the clues of their past before the Branch catches up to them and steals it all away.

Altered was such a fantastic book! I was blown away by Jennifer's debut. The plot of this book is so crazy intense! I read this in the vehicle when I was travelling to a camping spot. I literally couldn't put it down. I almost missed dinner because of it! It's so creepy and mysterious with a whole bunch of plot twists I never saw coming. If you like fast-paced books, this one is for you!

The characters... Ah, the characters!!! Anna was such a strong character. I couldn't imagine how she must have felt after going through some tough times, but she was still strong and willing. I loved each of the altered boys as well. They were each special in their own way, and were very well developed. Cas was a great comic relief to the story when things became tense, and is super cute and funny. Nick was like that brother that really annoys you, but you love him anyways. Trev was also like a brother, but he was more of the wise one that always comforted you when you needed it. And Sam... the mysterious boy that you just fall for. He is brave and intelligent and will step in front of Anna in a moment to protect her.

There are simply no bad things about this novel, and I suggest that you go and pick this book right now and read it! Also, be on the lookout for a bit of an add-on review, as I'm reading this for the debut-a-thon this weekend. Happy reading!

Teaser Tuesdays - June 25th

Hello everyone! So today I am going to be doing something a little bit different. It's Teaser Tuesday!!! Teaser Tuesday was started on shouldbereading.wordpress.com and it is where you take 2 sentences from the book that you are currently reading and share it. Anyone can participate in this event, so if you would like to join just go to the creator's website. Also, be sure not to spoil anything!

For my first Teaser Tuesday I am taking my sentences from Die for Me by Amy Plum.

Goodreads synopsis: In the City of Lights, two star-crossed lovers battle a fate that is destined to tear them apart again and again for eternity.

When Kate Mercier's parents die in a tragic car accident, she leaves her life--and memories--behind to live with her grandparents in Paris. For Kate, the only way to survive her pain is escaping into the world of books and Parisian art. Until she meets Vincent.

Mysterious, charming, and devastatingly handsome, Vincent threatens to melt the ice around Kate's guarded heart with just his smile. As she begins to fall in love with Vincent, Kate discovers that he's a revenant--an undead being whose fate forces him to sacrifice himself over and over again to save the lives of others. Vincent and those like him are bound in a centuries-old war against a group of evil revenants who exist only to murder and betray. Kate soon realizes that if she follows her heart, she may never be safe again.

Teaser: Vincent cleared his throat to buy time. "Let's just say I'm not the kind of guy your mother would want you hanging around with." - pg. 63

Be sure to leave a link to your Teaser Tuesday below. Happy reading!

What Books Am I Bringing On Vacation? (4)

Hello Everyone! So, this weekend, I am going to be going camping this weekend. We're leaving Thursday night and coming back Sunday afternoon. I'm hoping to get a lot of reading done in the next few days. I'm here to tell you the books that I'm planning on bringing. All of these books, without even planning it, are green-ish. So that's my theme, I guess.

323 Pages

448 Pages

220 Pages

265 pages

Total Page Count: 1256 pages

Average # of Pages Per Day: 314

Both Revolution 19 and The Different Girl are very short (Altered isn't long either), so I think I will be able to finish all of these books. That's my goal, at least. =D

Top Ten Books On My Summer TBR List

Sorry this is up a bit late, but when I saw when it was I was really excited and wanted to do it. I had actually already made a list with the Library Event of 2013. Actually, I turned the list into a short story. I wasn't originally going to post it on here, for copyright reasons, but I have decided to go forward with it anyways. Enjoy! (The top ten are bolded.)

Top Ten Books On My Summer TBR List – June 18th

I kneel in front of The Iron King, the leader of Heist. He is wearing a Ruby Red robe, and stares down at me. It's of the friendly sort, not the kind you would expect from a King. But there it is.

"BZRK Motley. You are about to graduate, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"Mhmmm. Yes. Well. I think you know about The Scorpio Races then. It should have been in one of your year 10 classes."

I am stunned into silence. The Scorpio Races? What is that all about? I'm for sure not smart enough to be accepted into that debate race, and even if I was, I'm a Human.4. Nobody would want me and - My thoughts are cut off by his polite words.

"BZRK, you did learn about it, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well then. This year you have been invited by Mrs. Conally and I to join 19 other students in the race. This year the debate is on Going Vintage, and how technology has helped and/or hindered us. I will give you a week to make your decision on whther or not to take part. You may tell your parents, by no one else. Understood?" he finishes.

"Yes s-" I am cut off again by a loud knock on the royal doors.

"Oh, for heaven's sake. Who Could That Be At This Hour?" The King rolls his eyes, "Come in."

It turns out to be a slim lady, also dressed in a red robe. Must be the dress code. The mysterious girl walks straight up to the King, and starts wispering frantically. I pretend not to pay attention, but I do catch Fragments of their conversation.

"Candidates... Scorpio Races... Pushy..." Sighing, the King gets up from his throne and adresses me.

"Well, it was great speaking with you, Miss Motley, and I do wish I could stay, but duty calls. I do suggest you consider this though. Joust think about what you could do with the grand prize... The Moon and More is at your finger tips."

"I'll do it," I say suddenly and stand, "I'll do it, sir." He nods, as if I had done nothing wrong.

"Good choice, BZRK."

***

The room I enter is big. I feel uncomfortable here, in the midst of all these rich people. You got accepted just as much as they did, it's OK, I chant to myself. It's not working. Instead, I try distracting myself by staring down the furniture. There is a long glass table in the center, with 22 chairs seated around it. Other then that, there's me, 19 other kids, and woman who I can only guess is Mrs. Conally, and the King.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Scorpio Races. Please, take a seat." We all scramble for chairs. Then we listen to a short speech about the Scorpio Races and their effect on society.

"It's a way of getting everyone's opinion on a certain matter. I feel like often times the young people are ignored in a society, so I'm going to make the Heist Society different. The prize is just a bribe." A few moments later, we are introduced to our debate topic once again, and are asked to draw a slip of paper out of a hat.

"On each of these slips is either an "f" or an "a". An "f" means that you are going to be arguing for the matter, and an "a" means that you will be against." I pull out a sheet, unravelling it slowly. PLease let it be an f... I know a whole bunch of reasons why technology is good... Unfortunately, a big fat "a" stares back at me.

"Shoot," I mutter under my breath.

The King heard me, "What was that, Miss Motley?"

"Oh. It was nothing sir, just a cough."

"Well now, we don't want your cough to get any worse, now do we? Why don't you start? Please stand."Shoot. What are you going to do, BZRK? You have nothing to say! 

Knees shaking, I press to my feet. The first few moments are awkward, filled with a ton of "um's" and so's". But then, a miracle happens, and words start tumbling out of my mouth. I speak of the ways that technology isn't good for us like I had been studying it my whole life. I'm amazed at myself. Then I finish, out of breath.

"Well, thank you, Miss Motley. Next please." For the next hour and a half I watch each of the other students stand and makes their speeches. All of a sudden, it's over, and I feel numb inside. This could mean so so much, but it could also mean so so little.

Thank-you for joining us here today. Tomorrow, please come to Town Sqaure, promptly at 10 o'clock a.m. for the winner reveal. You are dismissed."

***

The silence kills me. It's like every student has died, and they're just corpses of the body they used to be. We stand in a straight like around the stage, waiting for the King. After what seems like an eternity, he enters. Mrs. Conelly is with him, holding a trophy.

"Thnaks for coming on time, everyone. I really appreciate it. Now, I'm not going to bore you with a long talk, as I'm sure you're all eager to see who won this massive prize. I'm just going to take a bit of your time and talk about what the prize consists of. Not only is this trophy made of real gold, but whoever wins gets 10 billion dollars and a chance to live in my palace with their family for 10 years." The crowd stirs.

"Now trust me on this, it was very difficult to choose a winner for this event. But, myself and Mrs. Conelly have come to the decision that BZRK Motley is the rightful owner." My ears ring. My breathing comes to a halt.

"M-m-me?" I stutter.

"Yes, you, Miss Motley. Congratulations, and welcome to my home."

Debut-a-Thon

Hello Everyone! Today I am going to be talking about the Debut-a-Thon that is hosted by Books of Amber and is going to take place from the 27th to the 30th of June. I have really been in the mood for some more debuts lately so I have decided to take part.

For more information about the Debut-a-Thon, please click here.

If you haven't already, I would recommend following me on goodreads, for that is where I will be posting my updates for this read-a-thon. I will also be doing a wrap-up at the end of the read-a-thon, so if you don't have goodreads than it's OK.

I have already read quite a few debuts already this year, a couple of which I really liked. If you are interested in joining, here are my recommendations of debuts to read.

 Now for my list... I have decided to challenge myself and read 4 books during this read-a-thon, meaning that I will have to read almost 1 book per day. I'm really excited to see whether or not I can complete this! There are so many debuts that I am wanting to read, so it was really hard to just pick 3, but I think that the books that I have chosen are good choices. Also, I was a bit limited because my library is currently half-closed.

I also have a few back-up books in case my selected books don't come in on time from the library, or just in case I don't feel like reading one of them at that moment.

Happy reading, and stay tuned for more updates as the day comes closer! =D

May Wrap-Up 2013

Here are a list of books that I have read in the duration of May, 2013. Sorry this is up so late!

1. Slide by Jill Hathaway: ***** (5 stars)
2. The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer: *** (3 stars)
3. Level 2 by Lenore Appalhans: ***/ (3.5 stars)
4. Lucinda's Secret by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi: *** (3 stars)
5. Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger: ****/ (4.5 stars)
6. The Ironwood Tree by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi: **** (4 stars)
7. The Wrath of Mulgrath by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi: *** (3 stars)
8. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick: ****/ (4.5 stars)
9. Partials by Dan Wells: ***** (5 stars)

In this post, I am also going to include my Book of the Month, since those posts tend to be quite short. So... The highlight of this month was Partials by Dan Wells. It's one of those few books that I wanted to pick up the next book straight after I read the first - and this one was close to 500 pages! I definatly recommend you pick this up if you haven't already. =D

Happy reading!

Summer TBR 2013

Hello everyone. For this TBR you may have noticed that I didn't do a viewers choice. I didn't do one because I feel so bad when I fail my TBR's, which happens every. Single. Time. Therefore, I have decided to make my own to I'm not so shameful about not finishing my TBR. This list will also be longer, so I will probably not going to be reading all of them for sure. Nonetheless, I will be doing a review for every book read on this list.

The topic for this summer is random. These are books that I've marked as to-read on my goodreads, but never really looked back at them. And before you scream, I know there are SO many books. It's crazy how many I have on my goodreads, and this still isn't anything close to all of my to-read books. What I'm probably going to do is choose the ones I really feel like reading. The rest will be chosen randomly using the random app on my iPod. Okay.. get ready.

1. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa (okay, maybe it's not so random but... still)
2. The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa
3. Heist Society by Ally Carter
4. Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter
5. Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier
6. Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier
7. Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt
8. Birthmarked by Caragh O' Brien
9. Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
10. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson
11. Rampant by Diana Peterfreund
12. When Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley
13. Epic by Conor Kostick
14. Ethereal by Addison Moore
15. Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky
16. A Spy in the House by Y. S. Lee
17. Split by Swati Avasthi
18. The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong
19. The Supernatiralist by Eoin Colfer
20. Eon by Alison Goodman
21. Legacies by Mercedes Lackey
22. Everlost by Neal Shusterman
23. The Forsaken by Lisa Stasse
24. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
25. Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright
26. The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney
27. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare by Blake
28. Bliss by Lauren Myracle
29. 1984 by George Orwell
30. Glitch by Heather by Anastasiu
31. Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
32. Heaven by V. C. Andrews
33. Paranormally by Kiersten White
34. The Mysterious Benedict Society
35. One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones
36. Books of Shadows by Cate Tiernan
37. Chosen by Ted Dekker
38. A Confusion of Princes Garth Nix
39. The Girl of Fire and Thorns
40. The Raft by S. A. Bodeen
41. Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas
42. Prince of Wolves by Quinn Loftis
43. Dust Girl by Sarah Zettel
44. Peaches by Jodi Anderson
45. The Teashop Girls by Laura Schaefer
46. Who Could That Be At This Hour by Lemony Snicket
47. 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass
48. Frozen by Melissa Cruz
49. Poison Princess
50. Dune by Frank Herbert
51. The Line by Teri Hall
52. Truth or Dare by Jacqueline Green
53. The Compound by S. A. Bodeen
54. Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
55. The Enemy by Charlie Higson
56. The Roar by Emma Clayton
57. Storm Glass by Maria Snyder
58. Wake by Lisa McMann
59. Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
60. The Wold Fey by Kailin Gow
61. Bitter Frost by Kailin Gow
62. Fractured Light by Rachel McClellan
63. Pure by Julianna Baggott
64. Otherkin by Nina Berry
65. The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Córdova
66. The Last Princess by Galaxy Craze
67. Time Between Us by Ireland Stone
68. X Isle by Steve Augarde
69. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
70. Julia by Melinda Metz
71. If I Stay by Gayle Forman
72. Speechless by Hannah Harrington
73. Betrayal by Mayandree Michel
74. Born at Midnight by C. C. Hunter
75. Beautiful Demons by Sarra Cannon
76. Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready
77. The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
78. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
79. Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel
80. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
81. Ashes by Iisa Bick
82. BZRK by Michael Grant
83. Starters by Lissa Price
84. Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough
85. The True Meaning of Smekday
86. Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements
87. The House of Power by Patrick Carman
88. Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne
89. Skinned by Robin Wasserman
90. The Pearl Wars by Nick James
91. The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe
92. The Other Life by Susanna Winnacker
93. Human.4 by Mike Lancaster
94. Neva by Sara Grant
95. Dark Eden by Patrick Carman
96. Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari
97. The Search for WondLa by Tony Diterlizzi
98. Revealing Eden by Victoria Foyt
99. The Predicteds by Christine Seifert
100. After the Snow by S. D. Crockett
101. The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

What books are you planning on reading? TBR's are my favourite thing to read, write, an watch. I would love to see yours! Leave a comment below telling me where to find it, and happy reading! :)