Monday, March 31, 2014

Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

12753231Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne
Series: Monument 14, #1
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 294
Source: Won


"Your mother hollers that you're going to miss the bus. She can see it coming down the street. You don't stop and hug her and tell her you love her. You don't thank her for being a good, kind, patient mother. Of course not--you launch yourself down the stairs and make a run for the corner.
""Only, if it's the last time you'll ever see your mother, you sort of start to wish you'd stopped and did those things. Maybe even missed the bus.
""But the bus was barreling down our street, so I ran.
"Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong.
In Emmy Laybourne's action-packed debut novel, six high school kids (some popular, some not), two eighth graders (one a tech genius), and six little kids trapped together in a chain superstore build a refuge for themselves inside. While outside, a series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a chemical weapons spill, seems to be tearing the world--as they know it--apart.

 
This book was not as awesome as I thought it would be. I expected a lot more action than there was and honestly Dean's love for Astrid really took away from the story. Usually I'm all for a little romance but it wasn't even really romance since he's pretty much just loving her from afar.
 

These children are trapped in a store with disasters happening constantly and all Dean can think of is how pretty Astrid is or how much he liked her. And honestly I really didn't find myself caring too much about any of the characters. The little kids were adorable but at the same time I couldn't relate to a bunch of 5-6 year olds.

I just could not connect with this book. I found myself not being drawn in and honestly I was more than a little bored with the story. Not much happens, and in a dystopian/post apocalyptic/disaster book more things should be happening than what occurred in this book.

Even with all of the issues I had with this one, it was a quick read. When there is action going on the story does move nicely, however not enough happened to really have me interested in reading the rest of the trilogy.


Friday, March 28, 2014

The Devouring by Simon Holt

6440512The Devouring by Simon Holt
Series: The Devouring, #1
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Format: Paperback
Pages: 231
Source: Purchased
When Reggie finds an old journal and reads about the Vours, supernatural creatures who feast on fear and attack on the eve of the winter solstice, she assumes they are just the musings of some lunatic author. But soon, they become a terrifying reality when she begins to suspect that her timid younger brother might be one of their victims.

Risking her life and her sanity, Reggie enters a living nightmare to save the people she loves. Can she devour own her fears before they devour her?

Bone-chilling, terrifying, thrilling...what are you waiting for?

 
When dark creeps in and eats the light,
Bury your fears on Sorry Night.
For in the winter's blackest hours
Comes the feasting of the Vours.
No one can see it, the life they stole,
Your body's here but not your soul...
-Page 4
 
This book was creepy. Which is exactly what I was hoping for and expecting when going into it. That little rhyme up there, yeah that was on page four. It really set the tone for the entire book and believe me it definitely lived up to the creep factor portrayed in the little rhyme.
 
The vours were creepy. They honestly freaked me out. And then there were some of the scenes, like the one with the clown that had me to the point where I had to close the book for a few minutes. As someone who loves scary things, I was quite satisfied with this one. I kept reading this one well into the night, which wasn't such a smart idea.
 
There's so much happening in this book, Reggie had to deal with a lot which her brother becoming a little frightening just added to all of the stress she was under. And the whole having to live the nightmare's thing? That was awesome and freaky and if that wasn't enough, throw in a clown and spiders crawling all over Reggie and I found myself squirming in my seat.
 
The book kept a steady pace which really held my attention, the only thing that really seemed to be an issue is that the book read like something written for a much younger audience. Besides that I was very pleasantly surprised and will be reading the rest of this trilogy.
 
 
 



Friday, March 21, 2014

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

10264464Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
Series: N/A
Publisher: Ember
Format: Paperback
Pages: 260
Source: Purchased


"I've left some clues for you.
If you want them, turn the page.
If you don't, put the book back on the shelf, please."

So begins the latest whirlwind romance from the bestselling authors of Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a cosmic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

 
I was attempting to write the story of my life. It wasn't so much about plot. It was much more about character.
-page 198
 
This book was cute. The whole idea surrounding the notebook and the dares was really cool and quite adorable, but I didn't love this as much I thought I would. On the plus side it was an extremely quick read and left me feeling quite satisfied with how it ended.
 
With how closely Lily's grandfather supposedly keeps an eye on her why would he just go down to Florida while her parents are gone and leave her slightly older brother in charge? It didn't make much sense, I mean sure he wanted to see his girlfriend but really if he's that protective he would never have left her like that.
 
And Lily, I really was not a fan of her. She thought Dash was the coolest thing in the beginning and then when she does something that has him second guessing who she is she has the nerve to say that he's illogical when really he was nice enough to take her home? What was up with this girl? She wanted to be dangerous and go off with another guy yet when Dash finds her it's his fault he doesn't do something she wants him to the next day. She really got on my nerves and she was definitely not relatable, at least not to me.
 
"I find I very rarely live up to my words. And since you know me primarily through my words, there are oh so many ways I can disappoint."
-Dash page 219
 
Dash on the other hand was my favorite. He's bookish and well spoken and all around a good guy. No matter how disappointed he was with Lily when he first met her he still did the right thing and made sure she got home safely and then even went so far as to give her the benefit of the doubt.
 
If you want a fluffy romance I'd recommend this one, even though it wasn't the best book I've ever read it was still worth it and left me entertained and satisfied.



Friday, March 14, 2014

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

17347389The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater
Series: The Raven Cycle, #2
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 437
Source: Purchased

Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same.

Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life.

Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after...

 
I've had this book sitting on my shelf for a while now and I wasn't too keen on starting it right away. The first book wasn't exactly my favorite having gotten 3 stars but I found myself enjoying this installment much more. I think the whole difference between this one and the first is that it starts right where the previous left off and isn't slow in the beginning like the first one was.
 
I loved the fact that it was told from Ronan's point of view, which various chapter's told in other character's points of view. Ronan was an interesting character for me, he comes across and withdrawn and kind of a jerk yet deep down he really cares about his group of friends and his family.
 
So much happened in this book that I don't even know where to begin, it was fast paced and had adventure and creepy things. And the dreams, they were pretty cool, I found myself highly enjoying that aspect.
 
Blue really seemed to develop more in this book which was fantastic, I'm really starting to like her more and more. She's a fun character who brings wit and sensibility to the group dynamic. And then there's Gansey. I wasn't a huge fan of him in the first one but it's safe to say I pretty much adore him now, I'm really hoping something happens between him and Blue. Adam's a strange one. His story is a sad one and we get to see a lot of what he's feeling in this book. I felt bad for him yet at the same time he has so many people who want to help him but he continuously shoves them away. Noah, I don't know what to say about him without just talking about how much I love him for the rest of the review. There's one scene that is really sweet and adorable with him and at the same time really made me sad. He's one of my favorite characters and I wish he had been in the book more than he was.
 
The ending of this installment was like the last, it left off with a major cliffhanger and left me wanting even more of the story. I can't wait for the next book to see what happens with Blue and Gansey and the rest of their group.
 



Monday, March 10, 2014

Divergent by Veronica Roth

13335037Divergent by Veronica Roth
Series: Divergent, #1
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Format: Paperback
Pages: 487
Source: Purchased

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of 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 alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating 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 unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

 
I really enjoyed this one. I was not convinced that I would since I had attempted it a while ago, back before I began my blog and just couldn't even finish it. I'm glad that this time I was able to finish it and really enjoy the story.
 
The action in this had me on the edge of my seat hoping that Tris and Four would be able to get out of the sticky situations they found themselves in. The romance was another fantastic part of the story, and thankfully it did not take over the entire plot. The romance takes time and it's really sweet but not cheesy at all.
 
As far as the characters go I liked Tris at times. She made some good decisions but then she would do something that was extremely hypocritical (like think Al was pathetic for crying when she herself was crying silently at night) that left me liking her less. In the end I found myself liking her more than I disliked her though. I loved Four. He was tough yet vulnerable at the same time. He was relatable and completely swoon worthy.
 
I cannot wait to continue on with this series and if you haven't started this one yet I highly recommend you go out and get yourself a copy.