SON OF NEPTUNE by Rick Riordan

October 4th, 2011 - Hyperion

Synopsis: In The Lost Hero, three demigods named Jason, Piper, and Leo made their first visit to Camp Half-Blood, where they inherited a blood-chilling quest:

Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,
To storm or fire the world must fall.
An oath to keep with a final breath,
And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.

Who are the other four mentioned in the prophesy? The answer may lie in another camp thousands of miles away, where a new camper has shown up and appears to be the son of Neptune, god of the sea. . .

With an ever-expanding cast of brave-hearted heroes and formidable foes, this second book in The Heroes of Olympus series offers all of the action, pathos, and humor that Rick Riordan fans crave.

Well, I wasn't able to post on Friday because I left for a Boy Scout camp out. Turned out pretty well, but it was, like always, dirty, and kind of annoying.

Anyway, this will be another quick review because I'm working on Biology exams tonight. LAST WEEK BEFORE WINTER BREAK! :D

Pretty simply put, this book is fantastico-amazing-ish-coolarific. So so so so so so so good!

I'm a HUGE fan of the Percy Jackson books and so, of course, I'm a huge fan of this continuation, the Heroes of Olympus series. This series is really quite awesome-especially since the first two books of this series start with demigods being claimed by their parents. Also, there's kind of the introduction to a place that plays a ginormous rule in this series (won't say what for those of you who haven't read THE LOST HERO).

Of course, Riordan's really fun humor is in this. Sometimes it comes in the form of an elephant, a hippy goddess with vegan snack bars, reptilian salespeople, and dumb/cute frost-giants. :DDDDDDDDDDDDDD

I totally and completely recommend this series to anyone who likes YA/Middle Grade.

Well, as I write this, work on Biology, and have Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland playing, I feel the beginning of a cold coming on....... Oh, gosh. It's the scene where she's jumping across the featureless gray, floating heads. Ewwwwwww.

Happy Frabjous Day,
-Aaron

LITTLE BEE by Chris Cleave

February 16th, 2010 - Simon & Schuster

Synopsis: We don't want to tell you too much about this book. It is a truly special story and we don't want to spoil it. Nevertheless, you need to know something, so we will just say this: It is extremely funny, but the African beach scene is horrific. The story starts there, but the book doesn't. And it's what happens afterward that is most important. Once you have read it, you'll want to tell everyone about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens either. The magic is in how it unfolds.

First of all, sorry it's been awhile since I posted. What with the climax of NaNo and it's finale, trying to finish up school, and, you know, life, I've been pretty busy. Also, my status on NaNo...... Drumroll, please.................................................................................. I failed miserably! :D

No, but really. I only got about 12k words in. Which is more than nothing, and at least it forced me to focus on finishing my novel-sticking to that darn outline and trying outlandish and crazy techniques. I wouldn't have given up the experience though.

Well, review time!

Kind of.

As the synopsis says, a lot shouldn't be said because they want to let it unfold. And.... Well, I'm not going to show much more than what the synopsis says.

If you open to the publication page, as I did because I always think it's funny, the words they list as "fiction" at the bottom (i.e., 'love-fiction, memory loss-fiction'). Anyway, if you read it mentions things like Nigerians, England, and immigration. And OMG. Was that African beach scene horrific, or what?

The only other thing I'll say about this is that I adore. Oh, I adore this so, so, so, so, so, so, so much! There's something I want to jot down in my book of quotes on every other page. I know it sounds cheesy to say this, but it's pure poetry. I mean, just listen to this:

'On the girl's brown legs there were many small white scars. I was thinking, Do those scars cover the whole of you, like the stars and the moons on your dress? I thought that would be pretty too, and I ask you right here please to agree with me that a scar is never ugly. That is what the scar makers want us to think. But you and I, we must make an agreement to defy them. We must see all scars as beauty. Okay? This will be our secret. Because take it from me, a scar does not form on the dying. A scar means, I survived.'

O_O Beautiful, isn't it?

Besides the god-like writing, the story is phenomenal. It's all so real. You know that feeling you get when an author writes something in their book that makes you go, "Woah. That's totally how I feel sometimes, completely captured in these words. I've never heard any other writer talk about that"? That's what this book does. Throughout the ENTIRE FREAKING THING.

Peace, unicorns, and lots and lots of egg rolls,

Aaron

BEHEMOTH by Scott Westerfeld

August 9th, 2011 - Simon Pulse
Synopsis: The behemoth is the fiercest creature in the British navy. It can swallow enemy battleships with one bite. The Darwinists will need it, now that they are at war with the Clanker Powers.

Deryn is a girl posing as a boy in the British Air Service, and Alek is the heir to an empire posing as a commoner. Finally together aboard the airship Leviathan, they hope to bring the war to a halt. But when disaster strikes the Leviathan's peacekeeping mission, they find themselves alone and hunted in enemy territory.

Alek and Deryn will need great skill, new allies, and brave hearts to face what’s ahead.

Well........ the SEQUEL!!!! BEHEMOTH has actually been out longer than the above publishing date, because the date I found was for the reprint edition.

Anyway, on to the review!

BEHEMOTH is everything I could have wished for, and more! LEVIATHAN was awesome, and this was only better!

I really don't want to pull a fanboy with these books, but they're just so good!!!!!

What I loved about BEHEMOTH is it's setting: Constantinople. It was such a festive and interesting place to put a story. The way eastern culture was combined with steampunk was fantastic! It was so cool to read (and see thanks to the gorgeous illustrations) about these amazing mechanical walkers that regulated the ghettos and about more Clanker machinery, secret uprisings, and more Darwinist fabricated beasts.

Well, sorry this review was so short! I need to get back to my NaNo novel! Also, I just changed the layout of the blog and I'm excited with it, so I might procrastinate by looking at the new pretty design.

Also, HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Eat turkey! Shop on Black Friday!

Peace, love, and unicorns,

-Aaron

p.s.~While writing this, I remembered this song from Mona Lisa Smile-which I recently watched. Anyway, this song is lots of fun, but it wasn't until I was almost done writing this and listening to this fifty times that I realized it was about Constantinople, which is where BEHEMOTH takes place. Weird.

Hunger Games Full Trailer

So, if you haven't seen it, watch it now. It's just phenomenal!!!!!!! It looks just like the book! I was talking with my best friend about it and we both agreed that it's not exactly how we imagined it, but as we talked about it more, we realized that it's JUST like the book because our visions were flawed. This, I think, is going to be one of the greatest book-to-film adaptions ever! Also, I was a little afraid with the girl they chose to play Katniss, and Josh Hutcherson's role as Peeta (I mean, Zathura, Journey to the Center of the Earth-really? Josh Hutcherson?!) but when I saw this my face was like "*_*". He's SO PEETA! AND SHE'S SO KATNISS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The way he says, "Die" and the way she says "There are 24 of us Gale and only one comes out," it's just SO KATNISS! SO PEETA! Don't even get me started on Seneca Crane's BA beard, the cool opera-glasses-magnification thing that the woman at the ceremony uses, Cato's cutting off of the mannequin head, the three-fingered salute, the golden cityscape of the Capital, every single thing about Effie (but especially the way she says, "Primrose Everdeen," and the way she twirls her hand around the glass bowl of tribute names), and, well, everything single freaking other thing about this! Me and my besty, though we live states apart, are going to both go to the midnight showings dressed as Capital citizens.

Totally dying my hair a weird color and cutting it oddly. Dress shoes, black button-down shirtIf I can get a mockingjay pin by then, my outfit would be complete.

THE WARRIOR HEIR by Cinda Williams Chima

February 27th, 2007 - Hyperion

Synopsis: Before he knew about the Roses, 16-year-old Jack lived an unremarkable life in the small Ohio town of Trinity. Only the medicine he has to take daily and the thick scar above his heart set him apart from the other high-schoolers. Then one day Jack skips his medicine. Suddenly, he is stronger, fiercer, and more confident than ever before. And it feels great—until he loses control of his own strength and nearly kills another player during soccer team tryouts.

Soon, Jack learns the startling truth about himself: He is Weirlind; part of an underground society of magical people who live among us. At the head of this magical society sit the feuding houses of the Red Rose and the White Rose, whose power is determined by playing The Game—a magical tournament in which each house sponsors a warrior to fight to the death. The winning house rules the Weir.

As if his bizarre magical heritage isn’t enough, Jack finds out that he’s not just another member of Weirlind—he’s one of the last of the warriors—at a time when both houses are scouting for a player.

Hiya! Sorry I didn't blog last week, but I should have warned that I would probably miss chances to blog several times this month because of the dreaded NaNo! Well, actually wonderful/dreaded NaNo.

Anyway, I was thinking about what to review this week when I thought about THE WARRIOR HEIR. I've seen a million reviews for Mrs. Chima's Seven Realms Series, but a very small amount of reviews for her first series, The Heir Trilogy (though it's not going to be a trilogy for much longer! Once she finishes the last book for the Seven Realms Series, which she's writing now, she's writing two more books, so now's the time to get into them if you haven't already!). Well, I've read a little of THE DEMON KING, but haven't bought it because I really want hardcovers when book-buying, unless the book is sold exclusively in paperback, but when I finally have the money, I keep on overlooking it when I go book-buying. Sounds fantastic and I've asked for it for Christmas, but still, The Heir Trilogy is just.... *sigh*....

I should actually tell you that I had all of these books read by 2010. I had and loved these books in 2010. I still love them, but I don't have them anymore. For no apparent reason, my mom came into my room one day, looked at my bookshelf, said that magic was demonic (which she'd said many times before that. No Harry Potter *hiss*, we's don't likes the Potters. *hiss*-well, I do, she doesn't). So she made me throw away several books-and guess what three of those books were? Yep, The Heir Trilogy.

Rabbit-trail: Although BEAUTIFUL CREATURES wasn't really for me, I liked the characters-Link's mom specifically. If you've read it, then you know how Link's mom is. If you haven't, just click on the highlighted link above and scroll down to the bottom of the review where I put a quote from the book describing Link's mom.

Well, if you know Link's mom, you know what my mom was like from me being 5 year old, to my being 12.

ANYWAY, THE WARRIOR HEIR follows Jackson Downey (which is weird because a doctor friend from my church is named Jackson Downey.... Does he have magic battle powers?) as he learns about the world of the Weir, those with opal-like stones behind their hearts which are the source of their magic.

This series is literally in my top ten favorite series EVER. LITERALLY. So, instead of letting myself gush about the awesome prose, the amazing plot, the so-so-so-so-so-so cool Guilds and go on for ever, I'll just tell you five of my favorite things from this book:

1. The Weir's society. You can use the Weir to mirror so many things about government and politics. First of all, their are two political parties, the White Rose, and the Red Rose (aren't those just friggin' COOL NAMES!?!??!?!), which are always run by Wizards, because most are pompous jerks who think because they're the most powerful that they are better than all the others and so they boss the lower Guilds around and use them as play things and servants, very much like white supremacy and slavery. Also, because of Mrs. Chima's writing style, you can just get drowned in her descriptions of grin-and-bear-it galas where the different party members-always covered in roses the same color as their party's-smile coyly and act nice when they're actually planning each other's demise.

2. The characters. Jack is so awesome. He's just awesome. He doesn't know everything that you know, since it's third person, but somehow you're not annoyed by it. Because somehow, he needs this info, but he doesn't at the same time. Also, I find that in a lot of paranormals, I'm annoyed sometimes when they can't use their powers in certain situations, or they can't tell anyone. But he never gets into situations like that.

3. The conflict. Every single situation Jack was in, there was some sort of conflict. Like I seriously can't think of any scene at all when there wasn't conflict. Even in Chapter One, when he's getting ready for his day, he's late and he's got to get his gear ready for soccer tryouts later that day.

4. Aunt Linda. Seriously, this woman is like the most awesome aunt in the history of like forever. She can kick butt, know's how to protect herself, has some BA magic, and just sounds really, really cool.

5. EVERYTHINGOHMYGOSHTHISBOOKISSOGOODREADITNOW!

-Aaron

NaNo-Fever

October is gone! Halloween has passed! November has began! But more importantly, NaNoWriMo has began!!!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPS.

I wrote some on Tuesday and Wednesday, but yesterday and today, I've been less than awesome with my writing.... So, that means that tonight, tomorrow, and Sunday, I'm going to have to write a lot. GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!

The NaNo-Fever is kicking in. And by that, I don't mean that lots of people are doing it (though there are tons of people doing it). What I mean is that I'm starting to show symptoms of a fever caused by NaNo: Slick mouse from sweaty hands, typing the wrong letters, circles under the eyes. And I haven't even written that much!

NaNoWriMo, NaNoWriMo, how I hate/love you!

I'm very excited about having more motivation and reasons and adrenaline too to write more. So, in the end, I know I'm going to be incredibly glad that I participated, but it doesn't mean I can't freak out!

Alright, see ya on Wednesday,

-Aaron

UGLIES by Scott Westerfield

February 8th, 2005 - Simon Pulse

Synopsis: Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license -- for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.

But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world -- and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.

Well, it's taken me long enough to review this.

This is probably going to turn out to be a short review. I'm excited about writing today because NaNoWriMo has started and so I'm trying to pump out my daily 1.67k words!

Anyway, I liked this book. Simple as that.

The plot was pretty interesting, with just enough characters so I didn't feel overwhelmed, but to where I felt like there still needed to be a lot of stuff explored. The prose is super fantabulistically fantastic! Or, should I say "pretty"? (+1 point goes to Aaron for a lame joke)

The writing is colorful and twisty and turny, and the way that everything blooms as you get deeper and deeper into the novel is awesome! The society was alright, not insanely inventive in my thoughts, but when thinking about what I liked best about it all, I keep going back to the writing itself. Scott Westerfeld really knows how to balance flowy descriptions with getting straight to the point.

But I wish he could have done the same with the plot. I kept wanting something "more" to happen-something excited and new. Also, he didn't make me feel sympathetic to the characters. I don't know why, but Tally, the protagonist, made me feel unsympathetic through the way she thought. She was just kind of annoying. 

So, all of this is to say that the book was not awesometabulous as LEVIATHAN, but at the same time is a great thing to look at when wondering how to balance poetic writing with straightforwardness in prose. I've now used "tabulous" at the end of two words in this post-my day is fulfilled.

See ya on Friday!

-Aaron

Sisters Red Soundtrack + NaNoWriMo!!!!!

Alrighty then! I honestly don't know why I've waited this long, but I've finally posted the rest of the Sisters Red Soundtrack onto Youtube. The last three songs are "Plato", "Scarlet's Theme", and "Rosie's Theme".

Here's "Plato":

Just visit my channel to see the rest. Also, again, sorry for the long spaces of emptiness afterwards. When I upload it, it's supposed to end when the song does, but it turns out like this. So, weird.

ANYWAY, NaNoWriMo is ALMOST HERE!!!!!!!!!

I'm spazzing! In case you don't know, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. The actual thing didn't start until a couple of years ago. NaNoWriMo.org has been going strong for some time, and thousands (maybe millions, I don't know) sign up to write an entire. Novel. In. A. Month. 50,000 words is the exact point, I think. No editing. No revising. A lot don't even read what they've written until they finish.

It's the most insane, hardship of creative inspiration ever.... And I've never done it.

I actually just found out about it last year when several of the bloggers I'm subscribed to started talking about it. It was weird. I thought "What the booty does NaNoWriMo mean?" So I looked it up. I realized what it was, thought it was cool, but couldn't do it yet because it was already into November.

BUT THIS YEAR. I AM.

Lately I've been having trouble with my current novel, and so I've decided to take a break from it and write an entire other novel for November. I actually write best when I write a lot, then have a break, then write a lot, then have a break. I don't understand it. I guess it's like a so-so girlfriend/boyfriend relationship: "I think we just need some time alone."

What's also really cool is that people in your area actually have write-ins, where y'all can meet up at a Panera or Starbucks or whatever and discuss each other's books and write. They also track your progress, and with their word counter tool you can make goals for every day, and they have pep talks from great authors that they e-mail you to boost your spirits as you trudge through the Dreaded Middle.

Well, so long and thanks for all the fish! I'm off to work on my outline!

-Aaron

LEVIATHAN by Scott Westerfield

October 6th, 2009 - Simon Pulse

Synopsis: It is the cusp of World War I. The Austro-Hungarian and Germans have their Clankers, steam-driven iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition. The British Darwinists employ genetically fabricated animals as their weaponry. Their Leviathan is a whale airship, and the most masterful beast in the British air fleet.

Aleksander Ferdinand, a Clanker, and Deryn Sharp, a Darwinist, are on opposite sides of the war. But their paths cross in the most unexpected way, taking them both aboard the Leviathan on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure.... One that will change both their lives forever.

I was looking for something to review, and so was looking through my posts to see which ones I had read and reviewed and which ones I hadn't. I was really surprised to find that I'd never reviewed this, when I swear I did.

Anyway, I'm reviewing it now, and that's all that really matters.... ONTO TO THE REVIEW!

When this first came out, I was perusing through B&N, and saw this in a cardboard display with the words "Some war machines are run. Some are fed..." Or something along the lines of that. Either way, I was enthralled by the thought. So I ran to the display grabbed a book and read the back cover.

It sounded really boring.

So I didn't read it. Several months later, my best friend had read it, and he kept me pushing me to as well. Eventually I did, just because he said it was amazing. My reaction:

THIS BOOK IS FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The twist on how World War I started is so cool and the way Mr. Westerfeld takes Darwinism and makes it a giant scientific belief full of cool twisted creatures is so cool! Omg! Omg! Omg! I'm so gushing! This book is just really fantastic!

The characters are really interesting (although at times I wished the story were being told from Deryn's point of view more, though I know the parts where Alek picked up the story needed to be there in order to understand things better), the situations are fantastic (especially the battle scenes because there are either friggin amazing steam contraptions, or insanely cool hydrogen breathing Darwinist creatures), a fun story, and amazing illustrations to top it off.

I really should just stop talking because I'm gushing so much. This book is fantastic! Read this series, and you won't feel disappointed! The third and final book of the trilogy, GOLIATH, just recently came out, so now you can get all three and read without stopping.

I only wish the first edition synop hinted more at the cool creatures and cool machines in it, because it didn't do the book justice at all. It was like "This guy's a prince in hiding. This other person has a secret. There's a ship called the Leviathan. Read."

GO DARWINISTS!

Peace,

-Aaron

THE ESPRESSOLOGIST by Kristina Springer

October 27th, 2009 - Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Synopsis: What's your drink of choice? Is it a small pumpkin spice latte? Then you're lots of funand a bit sassy. Or a medium americano? You prefer simplicity in life. Or perhaps it's a small decaf soy sugar-free hazelnut caffe latte? Some might call you a yuppie. Seventeen-year-old barista Jane Turner has this theory that you can tell a lot about a person just by their regular coffee drink. She scribbles it all down in a notebook and calls it Espressology. So it's not a totally crazy idea when Jane starts hooking up some of her friends based on their coffee orders. Like her best friend, Em, a medium hot chocolate, and Cam, a toffee nut latte. But when her boss, Derek, gets wind of Janes Espressology, he makes it an in-store holiday promotion, promising customers their perfect match for the price of their favorite coffee. Things are going better than Derek could have hoped, so why is Jane so freaked out? Does it have anything to do with Em dating Cam? She's the who set them up! She should be happy for them, right?

Alllllllllllrighty then.

I'd been meaning to read this one for a while. It looked thin (ergo, this will be a short review), it looked cute, and I loved that cover!

So, I finally got it from the library.... And I read it. In one sitting. Like, I picked it up, and I didn't put it down. I just read it.

It wasn't even some profound, amazing novel that gripped me. It was very simple, a little predictable, but it was just a short, quick, fun read. It really made me want to tell Jane my favorite drink and see who she'd match me with.

The espressology itself, I think was my favorite part. It was what drove the entire novel, and it made it more fun and flirty, and teenager-y.

This is no deep Laurie Halse Anderson or Ellen Hopkins book, but it's a good cute read. I think I've said cute twice.... That's really the best way I can describe it. Just very cute. I could totally see this becoming a CUTE movie. It really was just so CUTE.

Alright, well y'all have a CUTE one, ya hear!

See ya tomorrow,

-Aaron

THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET by Brian Selznick

January 30th, 2007 - Scholastic

Synopsis: Orphan, clock-keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo's undercover life, and his most precious secret are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo's dead father from the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery.

So this is going to be a quick review. I'm tired.

Anyway, this is a great book. All the characters are fun, the story was fantastic, and the elements of the mystery and the secret were just great!

The only thing, which wasn't even that big, but the big secret that drives the entire novel, seems much bigger than it actually is. It's not a letdown though. So.... Yeah. It's still a great book. ESPECIALLY with all of the beautiful illustrations by Mr. Selznick and the pictures of silent films. :)))))

This made me want to research French train stations and 1930's movie magic.

He also just came out with a new book, WONDERSTRUCK, which I'm going to try to buy soon. (His books are like 20$ each! X_X)

Also, this book's coming to the big screen soon, so if you haven't seen the trailer, here it is:

Also, sorry I haven't been blogging for the past two weeks. I'm being swamped with insanely long biology papers. I was just barely able to poke my head out from the swamp of glucose, photosynthesis, and CO2 abbreviations to review this. So, to make up for it, I'm going to blog EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. next week. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!

See ya on Friday,

Aaron

INSURGENT Cover & 20 Things

Well, if you haven't seen it, then here it is. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The INSURGENT cover! *harps and angels singing*

Annnnnd boom goes the dynamite. (By the way, if you haven't seen that YouTube video, please search it now. Many minutes of laughs)

IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love how they went with the style of the first cover, but with the Amity faction's symbol. So be-a-utiful! Wonderful! Fantastic! Splendid! Unicornerific!

If you haven't, please go buy DIVERGENT now. It's oh so amazing! It's literally one of my favorite books. You can find my review of it here.

Now that I've gotten out my cover love *wipes drool away*, I'm putting something that I thought would be fun into this post.

So now, without further ado, here are 20 things I have done in life:

1. Broke my head open

2. Had a Central Park snowball fight in New York City

3. Pulled a redneck and ate fried chicken on the roof with my brother on Fourth of July to watch the fireworks around my house

4. Cried for half an hour when I was five because my brother walked into the room wearing a skeleton costume

5. Wore a disguise for a day and fooled all of my merit badge teachers at a Boy Scout camp

6. Played hide 'n' seek in a storage facility until 2 A.M.

7. Fallen asleep walking

8. Finished three months of homework in a week

9. Read a 500 page book in a day

10. Got a giant bag of Krystals with some friends and ate them while watching a movie at the local drive in theater

11. Starred as a sheep in a play

12. Sat on a swing while staring up at a sky full of shooting stars

13. Spent a day with my best friend talking about fantasy worlds and magic

14. Cried while reading THE LAST SONG by Nicholas Sparks

15. Almost gotten frostbite

16. Gotten hypothermia

17. Stayed up until 5 A.M. writing

18. Almost fallen off of a mountain

19. Played against a bunch of kids half my age in a state piano competition

20. Ran out of cool, fun, and/or weird things to write about....

Well, buh-bye. I'm off to listen to some music and read LIFE OF PI.

d-_-b Head-phones-wearing emoticon. :D

BEAUTIFUL CREATURES by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

December 1st, 2009 - Little, Brown
Synopsis: There were no surprises in Gatlin County. 
We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.
At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. WhenLena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.
First of all, sorry I missed last week's posts, but I'll make up for it with something that's awesome (if you haven't already seen it) on Friday.

Anyway, I liked this book. Main word here: "LIKED". I didn't love it.

I did like the love story in it, though I kind of felt that Ethan was a little unbelievable as a male in a relationship. He seemed to be kind of a conundrum. He liked hard rock, and watches a horror film marathon on Halloween, and he's on the basketball team, and yet, he's this really, really sensitive guy. I felt kind of like, "What?" when it came to him.

As a matter of fact, I kind of felt like that with the whole book. The ending left me with this "Whaaaaat?" feeling.

The characters were fun, the use of magic was cool, but some things went unexplained, were confusing, or just plain "Whaat?"

So, this book was "Whaaat?" in my opinion.

The one thing I did like about it was how multi-faceted it was. It never was boring and it kept on getting more in-depth. So, yep.

Also, I like this quote:

'Mrs. Lincoln was a rage-aholic, on a mission, with a network-a dangerous combination. When we were in the eighth grade, Mrs. Lincoln ripped the cable box out of the wall because she found Link watching a Harry Potter movie, a series she campaigned to ban from the Gatlin County Library because she thought it provoked witchcraft.' (I like this because it reminds me of my mom :D)

:)

See ya on Friday!

HUSH, HUSH by Becca Fitzpatrick

October 13th, 2009 - Simon & Schuster Summary: For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along.

With his easy smile and his eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgement.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For Nora is in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen-and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

Since on Wednesday I posted about something non-book review-ish, I'm posting my book review for HUSH, HUSH, tonight.

I'm going to say that HUSH, HUSH wasn't great, but it was really, really good!

Nora was a fantastic main character to read about, and, in fact, she's a really great main character-reminds me a little of Beatrice from DIVERGENT, how easy to understand and read about she was.

At first, Patch kind of ticked me off. He was a bit rude to Nora, and he acted as if that were sexy, which to me was just jerk-ish.

One thing that also annoyed me was how long it took for Patch to finally confess that he was a fallen angel, which I thought was pretty DUH, considering the cover, and the prologue, which has to do with Nephilim and fallen angels.

Ms. Fitzpatrick's writing style was really, really great. It reminded me a little of NEVERMORE by Kelly Creagh, what with how it surrounded a teenage girls who hangs out with a dark guy, and is alone a lot.

It's a really great read. One thing that I absolutely adored was Nora's best friend, Vee.... OMG! She was so absolutely, ridiculously funny! I'm not putting a quote up because anything she said, could be used as quote. ANYTHING. She was just hilarious! And then ending was a really great! There were some intense nail-biter scenes, and that was a huge one. Fantastic! I already bought CRESCENDO, and I'm just about to jump into it.

Anyway, happy reading!

-Aaron

The Sisters Red Soundtrack!!!

I did it!!! YESH!

I uploaded the first three tracks of the Sisters Red soundtrack to YouTube! Here's the link to my YouTube account, and the first song, "Strangers Never Walk Down This Road":

AaronMorris611

I hope you like it! Also-sorry for the pauses of emptiness at the ends of the videos. I don't know why they have those, and so I don't know how to fix them. Anyway, leave comments! :D

-Aaron

Late Post: THE HUNGER GAMES TEASER TRAILER!!!

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep! Rue's four-note whistle is at the end! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!!!!!!

http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/the-hunger-games/teaser-trailer

GO TO IT!

p.s. Sorry I didn't post yesterday! I was setting up for my grandparent's secret 50th anniversary party. :)

THE MAGNOLIA LEAGUE by Katie Crouch and BLUE BLOODS by Melissa de la Cruz

If you haven't seen the gorgeous covers for the BLUE BLOODS series, you've been deprived. I mean, just look at it! Beauty!

As is the cover of THE MAGNOLIA LEAGUE. Both, are beautiful. But they also have that same je ne sais quoi-that alluring feeling, mysterious.

I was disappointed to read them and find that the writing was not.

I decided to do the review for these books together because they're SO FREAKING SIMILAR!

-Both involve a main character who knows nothing about their dad.

-Who have lost their mom in some way.

-Have to live with their rich grandmother.

-Are ushered into a society that deals with paranormal rich kids.

-Both start having feelings for a fellow rich, society-member's older brother.

-Neither fit in.

-Both have a guy-friend who doesn't fit in.

And another thing: Both covers don't reflect the writing at all. Like I said, the covers are alluring and mysterious. The writing was short, snappy, and funny at times. Nothing like I would have thought.

I suppose I did like the humor in them, but I was kind of caught off guard, and so couldn't really receive it. I found myself thinking throughout either of them as I read about these posh lifestyles and female clones of Richie Rich, "This is totally unrealistic." And I still think that. The writing was just very... commercial, and, frankly, kind of annoying.

I liked how you got hints about what the societies were about, before the main characters were ushered into them, although I liked Katie Crouch's take on the Magnolia League, more than Melissa de la Cruz's take on the Committee because Mrs. Crouch's was more straightforward and more interesting. Melissa de la Cruz's hints at what the Committee was about kind of felt like she was saying, "Oh, the reader doesn't know they're vampires. I'm so sneaky," while she wrote it. I felt annoyed, because the characters wouldn't just come out and so "vampires" when it was obvious that that was what was going on. I mean, read the back, look at the cover, it's not hard to figure it out.

Another thing I didn't like was how the main characters were supposed to be these strong, independent girls who weren't going to let themselves become part of the status quo, and they just fell in love with the rich boys for absolutely no reason. If you've read them, please tell me why Schuyler from BLUE BLOODS, or Alex from THE MAGNOLIA LEAGUE fall for these guys. Really. Tell me? Because I don't remember any reason for them doing so. They were just like "He's hot," one minute, and the next, they were in this weird relationship.

Broken down for each novel, here are my thoughts:

THE MAGNOLIA LEAGUE's plot was fun, especially what with all the crazy characters in Savannah (by the way, if you've never been to Savannah, I suggest you do. Go to Paula Deen's restaurant and drink some big glasses of sweet tea. Yummy!) I really loved her picture of the South, and of the odd secrets of hoodoo that could be lurking behind any haint blue door.

The characters were a lot of fun. I loved how Alex was just plain and simple and she always said what was on her mind, and she was funny and fun, although I didn't like how unfazed she was that she grew up on a hippy commune and got high.

BLUE BLOOD's plot was a bit annoying to me, and I kept on feeling like I was just about to get to some amazing part, but it just kept on going, and going, and it didn't really capture me and anchor me. I felt like I was in the Dreaded Middle, the entire time. I did like some of the aspects of New York, and how Schuyler and her grandmother had memories of lavish hotels and how they were able to just go off and do expensive crap.

The characters were interesting, though like the plot, I thought I knew enough about them, to keep on reading, but not enough to actually think about them, wonder what they're part of the story is, wish that they're part was being told.

So, in the end, both books are very different from their covers, and their authors writing styles are alike in many ways, but I would still recommend THE MAGNOLIA LEAGUE over BLUE BLOODS, just because THE MAGNOLIA LEAGUE was more fun and it had more humor to compliment the short and snappy writing. It worked.

Well, here are the synops from the back covers:

THE MAGNOLIA LEAGUE - When her free-spirited mother dies in a tragic accident, sixteen-year-old Alexandria Lee is forced to leave her West Coast home and move in with a wealthy grandmother she's never known in Savannah, Georgia. By birth, Alex is a rightful, if unwilling member of the Magnolia League-Savannah's long-standing debutante society. But white gloves and silk gowns are a far cry from the vintage t-shirts and torn jeans shorts she's used to.

Alex is the first in decades to question the Magnolia Leagues intentions, yet even she becomes entangled in their seductive world. The members enjoy youth, beauty, power...but at what cost? As Alex discovers a pact between the Magnolias and the Buzzards, a legendary hoodoo family, she discovers secrets-some deadly-hidden beneath the glossy Southern veneer.

BLUE BLOODS - Schuyler Van Alen has never fit in at Duchesne, her prestigious New York City private school. She prefers baggy, vintage clothes, instead of the Prada and pearls worn by her classmates, and she lives with her grandmother in a dilapidated mansion. Schuyler is a loner-and happy that way.

But when she turns fifteen, Schuyler's life changes dramatically. She has a mosaic of blue veins on her arms, and craves raw meat. The death of a popular girl at Duchesne is surrounded by a mystery that haunts her. And strangest of all, Jack Force, the most popular boy in school, is showing a sudden interest in her.

Schuyler wants to find out the secrets the Blue Bloods are keeping. But is she herself in danger?

See ya Friday! :D

THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins

September 14th, 2008 - Scholastic

"May the odds be ever in your favor."

Well, I finally caved in.

I got THE HUNGER GAMES... and I'm so glad I did!!!

OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG!

This book was like being in the face by an angel! Awesome! I've obviously been hearing the hype over it for awhile. And I'd flipped through the first few pages, wondering what all the buzz was about and didn't feel interested. Well, after finally buying it, I still think the first thirty or so pages were a bit slow, though essential because it's the grand entrance into Ms. Collins's dystopian world.

Well, I won't even put the synopsis up, because I'm sure a word or two of it has already been breathed to you if you haven't read it already. The characters are amazing! The scenes are amazing! The descriptions are amazing!

Also, one thing I loved about it was that it wasn't like a lie detector, going back and forth, in and out of insane roller-coaster of emotions and then back into teen-angst turmoil, without warning of when it was going to happen. It stayed at a steady pace, and it felt like I could tell what was going to happen next, and yet still love it and be surprised because that's just how good Suzanne Collins writes.

Another thing I loved about it was how interesting the actual Hunger Games was. When picking it up for the first time, I was afraid that the entire thing would take place in the Hunger Games and just be some boring archaic thing about hunting rabbits and shooting lots of people.... Oh, how wrong you were, Past Self. Go run a lap.

Not only does a lot of the book take place out of the Hunger Games, but the parts that do take place in it, were really, really, really interesting. The way Katniss and Peeta have to survive was creative in itself, but its outcome, even more so.

Alright, so favorite characters: Katniss (what a BA. She's just awesome), Peeta (I don't even know why he was so... magnetic. He just was, but I still can't put my finger on why. Maybe because he was just sweet?), Rue (Oh, Rue. Rue, Rue, Rue, Rue. The way she describes being whipped for not working in her district, I really almost cried. "A twelve year old little girl!!!!" I screamed at the pages in blasphemy towards the Capitol), and Cinna (I won't give a reason. Cinna's just awesome. :D)

And, just because I can, look at some of the crazy mondo-insane things of popularity that have occurred since THE HUNGER GAMES was published:

*Since publication in 2008, THE HUNGER GAMES has spent more than 130 weeks on the NYT Bestsellers List.

*Suzanne Collins named as one of TIME's 100 of 2010.

*More than 5.4 million copies in print of THE HUNGER GAMES in America.

Suzanne Collins is living the writer's dream-which I think she totally deserves.

Now I'm off to get back to reading HUSH, HUSH by Becca Fitzpatrick. See ya Friday!

DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth

May 3rd, 2011 - Katherine Tegen Books
Summary: In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each one dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue-Candor (the honest), Abnegation (selfless), Dauntless (the brave, Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is-she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are-and where, exactly, where a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also that her secret might help her save those she loves... or it might destroy her.

I wish I could just write one sentence explaining my opinions of this novel and be done with this. Instead, I'll just write three:

DIVERGENT. Is. Amazing.

Veronica Roth pumped out a novel that didn't let me dip in a toe of her dystopian Chicago, get used to, and start wading in, but instead ripped me out of reality and tossed me onto the floor of a train bulleting over glass buildings forty feet below. And I'm so freaking glad it did.

I don't think I have to tell you the hype about DIVERGENT. It wasn't THE HUNGER GAMES or TWILIGHT kind of hype, obviously, but it was literary hype that sends up a signal shaped like a pen into the sky, summoning thousands of readers to take out their contacts and put on glasses to become what they truly are-YA book nerds. (We don't have capes but we do have imagination, which means we can imagine a cape!)

Anyway, this action-thriller was something I was a bit weary about. Yes, the summary is like being punched in the face by angel, it's so good, and yes that cover made me want to ask a Barnes & Noble store clerk if making out with it would be considered tampering with merchandise. But, I don't typically go for thrillers. I love movie thrillers, but books.... Thriller novels are a whole 'nother spectrum of thriller. They just feel different.

I eventually gave in, and let me repeat, I'm so glad I did. Holy. Friggin'. Amazin'.

The main character, Tris, was totally lovable, and I feel like any person on earth could adapt to her. The action was a bit hard to get through at times, though it was done in a really creative way. I don't know how, but Veronica Roth was able to pull out these really gruesome acts, and still let me keep my lunch in my stomach.

As I mentioned in my last post, Peter is a guy who's on my top ten "Love to hate" list. He was a total egotistical, pompous, jerk. He was perfect.

Tris was by far my favorite character. The thing I loved about it is that it seemed like the characters had the perfect amount of likability in them. The MC, Tris, was the most likable, to me, her possible-beau was the next, and then her best friend, etc. I didn't feel the same amount of sympathy for a minor character as I did for Tris, and I liked that because I think that means that the characters' personalities were balanced really, really well.

Now.... Four. Oh, Four. Four. Four. Four. Four. Four. How I wish I could get rid of 1, 2, and 3, just so we could skip to Four. No, really. Four was that amazing. He was brave and heroic and yet he was tender. Also, he's got a pretty cool tattoo. ;)

My favorite is a split between three-no spoilers, promise.

1. When Tris is in that parlor and she sees the drawing of the ravens and it causes her to do something.... I won't say what, because that's a bit of a spoiler. This scene was so poetic, and I felt so happy when Tris did this-er-"thing", because it was just so beautiful the way it happened. She was letting go, but still honoring.

2. When Tris and Four are on the ferris wheel. Oh, God. So freaking wonderful! Four's reaction was so surprising and yet it made him that much more likable! Also, I love the whole decaying rides and attractions, which I think was another great component to add to the already sad dystopian Chicago.

3. "Then everyone can call you Six." *Cheshire Cat grin* If you've read it, then you know the significance of this quote. It's big, and it's as awesome as Four's back tattoo.

Anyway, read it. It's wonderful. The writing is beautiful, the ending is gripping, and the chracters are perfectly crafted.

-Aaron

PARANORMALCY by Kiersten White

August 31st, 2010 - HarperTeen
Synopsis: Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie's always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she's falling for a shape-shifter, and she's the only one who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal.

Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of death. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal.

I first heard of Paranormalcy right before it came out-when there was hype over it and the ARC's were first being passed around. I liked the sound of it. I'm a sucker for secret agencies, and especially for magic.

But I kept forgetting about it once it finally hit the shelves. Firstly, I had already planned to read a bunch of other books, and also, I was broke. It would be a few months before it were on my nearest library's thin, cold metal shelves. And then I forgot about it. Last month, perusing the YA section, I stumbled on it, and remembered that it's sequel, Supernaturally, was coming out soon, and so I decided now would be a good time to read it.

Well, I won't linger on my crappy backstory anymore, but dive right in....

The beginning, especially the opening pages and first few chapters immediately grabbed me. I'm typically a snobby and rude critic with very low expectations, and so it's hard to get my attention in the first few pages. But Kiersten White's pulled me in and I was enthralled in Evie's world.

Her humor is really evenly placed throughout the novel. I don't know how, but she was able to effectively make even the most intense of scenes a little funny. (And how can it not be funny? The main character has a pink taser and throwing knives and screams, "Oh, bleep!"-literally-when she's frustrated.)

Her creepo stalker boyfriend, whom I won't name, because if you've read it, you know why I can't say his name, was... well... a creep. He made my skin crawl by how wicked he was. I absolutely adored hating him every bit. Said fearie ex-boyfriend is on my top ten list of villians I love to hate. Also on that list: Peter from Veronica Roth's DIVERGENT, which will be my next review.

Anyway, Evie was really easy to feel sympathy for. I liked how easy it was to cheer for her because of her mix of sassiness and vulnerability. Also, the people and things she faces make it really easy to do so, as well.

I don't know who my favorite character was! So many to choose from! I really loved Lend. He was so sweet, and I really enjoyed how he seemed to posses the same kind of mix of personalities that Evie had, except his were suave and awkward. And, of course, Evie was just a freaking awesome MC that I wouldn't mind spending a day with, talking about vampires and teenage soap-operas. But, still, I think my favorite character was either Evie's mermaid friend, Lish, or her boss, Raquel, who served as such a wonderful role. I think I'm leaning towards Raquel more, just because of her maternal protectiveness over Evie, even if she was a bit overprotective at times.

I couldn't find any writing problems with it. It flowed really well and all the characters had so many dimensions and Ms. White was great at showing all of them to the reader. Several chapters in, I was afraid that the story might be hard to read because it only took place in such a small facility such as that of the IPCA's, but Ms. White did it, and I'm very glad I read it! :)

-Aaron