Top Ten Tuesday #6

This weekly event is hosted byThe Broke and The Bookish. This weeks theme is...

Top Ten Books I'd Play Hooky With

(Honestly, I'd play hooky with almost any book...but these are my favorites)

1) Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

    I have to say this because Im reading it right now and I've been having a lot of trouble paying attention in class with this book sitting on my desk so temptingly. Id rather be hanging out with Perry and Aria than learning physics any day.

2) Finnikin of The Rock by Melina Marchetta

    This book looks so good! I recently got it and I have to physically restrain myself from starting it. I'd skip school for this book in a minute Im sure. Going on an amazing is so much more interesting than homework.

3) The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

    Seeing the movie as intensified my obsession with this trilogy. I would rather spend hours in the Arena with Katniss and Peeta than in school...that sounds kinda bad if you think about it, but you know what I mean. The turmoil of Panem is more interesting than the drama of high school.

4) The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

    Is an explanation really necessary? Who wouldn't leave their boring muggle school for a day at Hogwarts?

5) The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

    This looks so adorable! Who wouldn't play hooky for a sweet bit of romance?

6) Bitterblue by Kristen Cashore

    I know that as soon as I get this book I will want to stop everything and just read it straight through. I can't wait!

7) Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

    I loved this book so much and practically skipped school while reading it because I was so caught up in Juliette's adventure. Plus I would skip class for Adam any day. :)

8) Graceling  by Kristen Cashore

   Do I really have to keep saying why I love Kristen Cashore's books so much? Of course I would play hooky for Graceling! It's awesome!

9) Divergent by Veronica Roth

    This book looks good, sounds good, and everyone says it's good. I'd love a day just to see how good it really is.

10) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

     Hey if your gonna play hooky might as well do it with some thing classy like Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. (Haha see what I did there? It's a classic and I called it classy. Haha...ok I'm done.)

In The Window Room by Steven J. Carroll Book Review

In The Window Room by Steven J. Carroll
US Release Date: August 19th 2011
Publisher: Globe Light Press
Author Info: Steven J. Carroll's Website
Source: Giveaway by The Book Vlogger
Genre: Middlegrade/Children's fantasy
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Buy It: Amazon / Barnes and Noble


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There are many... 
very secret, mysterious places in our world. Yet some of which, that hold no other foreseeable worth except that they are hidden, and those, by my judgement, should remain as such. However, there are certain other places, which if one can find them, that are both mysterious and immeasurably valuable. And it is of this latter kind that our story is concerned. 

More specifically, the room that Delany Calbefur found, hidden away in the undiscovered corner of an old house, one Fall while she attended the Mayfield School for Girls, and the story of her adventures there is a tale that well deserves retelling. And so, within the pages of this book, I shall try my best at it. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Plot: The plot for In The Window Room starts off very similar to Narnia and has a good premise. It's about a young girl named Delany who gets in trouble and as punishment is sent to live in this old house. In that old house she finds the window room which leads her to many magical adventures.
         The overall premise is good and sounds like a lot of fun but when it came down to it, it lacked a lot of development. The author skipped through many important plot points that would've given the book more depth and instead chose to claim it was too boring and summarize it in a few sentences. True, this might be more appealing to younger readers (which the book is marketed towards) but referencing books such as Narnia and Harry Potter, which were also for younger readers, those books did not skip over major points that would enhance the plot.


Pacing: The book itself is 112 pages long so it only took me a little over an hour to read but it also went very fast because, like I said above, it lacked a lot of development. It was one thing after another with very little connection and pace.


Characters: The main character, a young girl named Delany, did not stand out to me. Im not sure how old she is supposed to be, probably late grade school early middle school maybe, but she didn't really act like I thought a young girl would. Also, I often confused her with her best friend/enemy Mattie. Both girls were very similar in the aspect that they didn't have a distinct personality, they were just kinda there. The other characters kind of blended together as well. The evil king didn't seem very evil. The prince wasn't someone I connected to, and the animal friend was just kinda there.


Writing: The writing is why this book gets a 2.5 instead of a 1. I must say that Steven J. Carroll is a very talented writer. His style was very similar to C.S. Lewis or Charles Dickens in that it was very flowy with long sentences and complicated vocabulary. His writing also makes me think that it wouldn't work for younger readers because it is more complicated. But as someone with a higher reading level I really did appreciate that.


Overall: Considering that it is a children's novel and not meant for readers like me I would probably give this book a three. But in my opinion there were significant things lacking even for a Children's novel. The plot lacked a lot of development and the characters were very hard to connect to. Even the writing, as beautiful as it was, would make it more difficult for a younger reader to understand. Steven Carroll has very good writing skill but needs to work on his story-telling.

2.5 out of 5 stars

Should you read it?

It might be something nice to try with a younger reader 

to see if they appreciate it more.

Should you buy it?

no

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins Book Review

         IN HONOR OF THE MOVIE!!!




The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
US Release Date: October 31st 2008
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Author Info: Suzanne Collins' Website
Source: Borders  (This was... :'( before they went out of business)
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian
Series: #1 of The Hunger Games
Rating: 5 out of 5
Buy It: Amazon / Barnes and Noble


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. 

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Plot: Suzanne Collins creates a whole other reality flawlessly. The plot for The Hunger Games seems basic enough; a girl trying to win in a competition where kids kill each other, but there is so much more to that. If you have read the second books you know how well this sets up everything that happens with the Capitol and Katniss. You see how obviously corrupt this government is and how all Katniss is doing is trying to survive without completely losing herself. All the twists and turns while she's in the arcade just take your breath away and keep your eyes glued to the page and your mind intertwined with Katniss. It's amazing!


Pacing: Perfect, that's all I gotta say. Even reading it a second time I never got bored.


Characters: Katniss is one tough chick. She has been living in a life of poverty and is the only thing between her family and starvation. She knows what she has to do survive. She is strong and smart but she also has a soft side that she reserves for only a select few. Overall she is a fantastically dynamic and strong character. Peeta is so good! He is a nice guy despite all the horrors and near-death experiences he faces within the arena. He doesn't want the Capitol to change who he is and they don't. No matter what Peeta is caring and not to mention pretty clever. Haymitch and Effie are both fantastic characters that display both ends of what the Capitol can do to you. 
Suzanne Collins creates her characters so well that you even get a good feel for all the other tributes Katniss notices, even if you don't know their names. 


Writing: Suzanne Collins' writing is perfect for being inside Katniss' mind. It is not super flowery or romantic because that just isn't how Katniss thinks. However, it still allows you to feel everything that Katniss is feeling and truly become attached to her.
Also, through Katniss' eyes she manages to create a world that is almost real. Her writing allows the reader to feel the suspense of the arena to the over-flowing luxury of the Capitol to the harsh reality of District 12 as if you were there.


Overall:  5 out of 5, easy. Maybe it's just because Im super excited about the movie or maybe it's because I finally realize the awesomeness of this book but, I think I like the Hunger Games even more now than I did the first time I read it. Thanks to Suzanne's skill and attention to detail I understand things within the novel in a whole new light. In many ways it felt as if I was reading the novel for the first time in the way the twists and turns surprised me and every conflict Katniss encountered made me super tense. Suzanne Collins is a phenomenal storyteller and this epic trilogy about self-discovery, good, evil, and love is truely remarkable, even from the very beginning.

5 out of 5 stars

Should you read it?

YES! Especially before you see the movie!

Should you buy it?

YES! I would definitely say this is a must-have.

Waiting On Wednesday #4

Im participating in "Waiting On Wednesday." A weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine where I tell you about an upcoming book that I'm excited about. 

This week the book I'm waiting on is...

Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier 

Publication Date: September 11th, 2012

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sixteen-year-old Neryn is alone in the land of Alban, where the oppressive king has ordered anyone with magical strengths captured and brought before him. Eager to hide her own canny skill--a uniquely powerful ability to communicate with the fairy-like Good Folk--Neryn sets out for the legendary Shadowfell, a home and training ground for a secret rebel group determined to overthrow the evil King Keldec.

During her dangerous journey, she receives aid from the Good Folk, who tell her she must pass a series of tests in order to recognize her full potential. She also finds help from a handsome young man, Flint, who rescues her from certain death--but whose motives in doing so remain unclear. Neryn struggles to trust her only allies. They both hint that she alone may be the key to Alban's release from Keldec's rule. Homeless, unsure of who to trust, and trapped in an empire determined to crush her, Neryn must make it to Shadowfell not only to save herself, but to save Alban.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HELP A FELLOW BOOK BLOGGER!

    BREAKING NEWS!!! Lindsay Mead, an awesome book reviewer/vlogger wants to become a published author! She's written two novella's entitled The Vengence of Verona and Slipped and she's been working on a full blown novel named Exaulta. She's been working on these for a long time and is nearing the finish line. But she needs our help! As many of you may know, one needs financial aid to be able to finish and publish a book and that is what Lindsay is asking for.
     She is starting her project on this awesome website called Kickstarter. Kickstarter is this great site that allows artists to get funding from the world wide web for their projects. But there's a ketch. The only way for the artist to get that money is if they reach the goal they set within a certain number of days. If they do not reach that goal then the artist will not receive any funding what so ever and it'll be as if the campaign never existed. So! Lindsay Mead has set a goal of $5,000 dollars and she must reach that goal by May 5th. That is in 45 days people!
     How can you help? Well you can pledge any amount you want from $1 dollar to $2,000 or more. It's all up to you! And not only that, there are certain rewards that you can receive per the amount you choose to donate (but only if she reaches her goal). The rewards range from email update's on Exaulta's progress to a signed manuscript and so much more. I personally pledged and really hope Lindsay reaches her goal because Exaulta sounds like an amazing novel. I mean, who wouldn't want another fantastic book to read?
       Speaking of reading. On Lindsay Mead's campaign page you could read the first chapter of Exaulta for yourself. Read it! I know you'll love it!
       So come on people. Let's help Lindsay publish her book!

Link to Kickstarter campaign:
Exaulta, A Guardian Novel: Book One by Lindsay Mead

Link to Lindsay's blog:
Lindsay Mead blog

Link to Lindsay's Youtube Channel:
The Book Vlogger

Top Ten Tuesday #5

This weekly event is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. This weeks theme is...

Top Ten Books On My Spring To-Be-Read list

Although I will be doing some traveling over spring break I do hope I find time to read these. Luckily, I will have my handy dandy Kindle with me so I wont have to bring an entire suitcase dedicated to books.

1) Delirium by Lauren Oliver

    I'm mad at myself that I haven't read this yet. It's on my kindle and I am determined to read and review it soon...hopefully.

2) What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

    I love Sarah Dessen's novels and they are just the perfect spring/summer reads, at least for me. So I hope to find the time to get to this.

3) The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg

    I recently got this and it keeps calling out "Read Me! Read Me!" every time I look at it. Im going to have to read it soon or I might start to go insane.

4) The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima

    Once again, this is another book I am mad at myself for not having read yet. Though this is not exactly what you would call "travel ideal" with it being over 500 pages and hard cover. I will definitely find a way to stuff this in my bag and read it whenever possible.

5) Shooting Stars by Allison Rushby

    This book looks like a sweet, light read that is perfect for the spring time. Plus, I will have it on my kindle = hassel free!

6) In The Window Room by Steven J. Carroll

    This book looks light, fun, and adventurous. It's a children's novel so it shouldn't be too hard to get through not to mention it is super short and light. I could probably finish it on the trip and still have time to read something else.

7)The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

  Another book that isn't exactly "travel ideal" but it has begun to harmonize with The Catastrophic History of You and Me in it's cries to be read and I can't ignore it for much longer.

8) Divergent by Veronica Roth

    A paperback, action-packed adventure! What more can a girl want out of a spring break read?

9) Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

    All the adds and reviews I've been seeing for this book continue to taunt me and make me ask "why haven't I read this yet?" So I've made up my mind to stop those questions and read this awesome-looking book.

10) Everneath by Brodi Ashton

      This is another novel that I hope to purchase on my Kindle plus it looks just plain awesome and everything I've heard about it is so good.

Geez...so many books, so little time.

Birthday Book Haul / In My Mailbox #2

So my birthday was this past week and I got some awesome books that I'd love to show you! 

The books I received were...

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Waiting on Wednesday #3

Im participating "Waiting on Wednesday." A weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine where I tell you about an upcoming book that I'm excited about.

This week the book I'm waiting on is...

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Publication Date: June 5th 2012

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.
Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.
Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha…and the secrets of her heart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Top Ten Tuesday #4

This is a weekly event hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. This week's theme is...

Top Ten Fantasy Books

1) Graceling by Kristen Cashore

    I've put this book in my Top Ten several times....I just love it so much!

2) Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

    This was a favorite of mine in elementary school and I continue to adore the world and the characters that Cornelia Funke has created.

3) The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

    This is just self explanatory

4) The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima

    All the political intrigue and magic and characters really make this book something special. I feel like it hasn't received nearly as much acknowledgement as it deserves.

5)The Game of Throne by George R. R. Martin

    I love the show and the book! The characters are so deliciously evil and twisted and this book is just dripping with intrigue and mystery. Plus the whole world the Martin creates is so rich and full of life and history.

6) The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

    I'm usually not one for fairy books but this one changed my mind. I love the world and the characters that Julie creates and the conflict between nature and expansions in technology is just really interesting.

7) Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke

    This is an absolutely stunning conclusion to this marvelous trilogy.

8) Dreamdark: Blackbringer by Laini Taylor

    I never thought fairies could be so badass until this book. Seriously, the characters may be small but they seem so real and they really pack a punch.

9) The Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black and Toni DiTerlizzi

    I LOVED these books growing up. They made me wanted roam the woods searching for brownies and fairies.

10) Fire by Kristen Cashore

      With this companion novel Kristen Cashore adds another fantastic layer to the seven kingdoms and shows you characters you can't help but grow attached to.

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows Book Review

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

US Release Date: January 31st 2012

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Author Info: Jodi Meadows' website

Source: Amazon

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Series: #1 of Newsoul

Rating: 4 out of 5

Buy It: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Challenge: 2012 Debut Author Challenge

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

New soul

Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

No soul

Even Ana's own mother thinks she's a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she'll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

Heart

Sam believes Ana's new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana's enemies--human and creature alike--let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else's life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Jodi Meadows expertly weaves soul-deep romance, fantasy, and danger into an extraordinary tale of new life

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Onto the review!
(If you're too lazy to read my review you can just check out my video at CookieReadingCorner on youtube.)

Plot: The whole premise of reincarnation I personally think is very creative. I've never read anything involving it quiet like Jodi Meadows does it. That being said I went into this book with high expectations for the plot and I didn't get exactly what I wanted. The set up in the beginning is great. The way Meadows introduces Ana and how she meets Sam is fantastic. However, once we finally get to Heart the plot kind of falls apart. It's very disjointed and didn't connect well to what Ana was originally supposed to be doing. But in the end it finally comes together with some great plot development and a lot of surprises.

Pacing: Part way through the book the pacing kind of lagged a bit. It's in that middle section where Ana isn't doing very much. However once you get closer to the end the pacing picks up a lot and the action gets really involved.

Characters: The two main characters, Sam and Ana, and their relationship is really one of the best parts about this book. I really admire how Jodi Meadows wrote Ana because she is very realistic. Ana is coming from an abusive home and you can really see that in the way she thinks and acts. But, as she spends more time away from that abusive situation you get to see her grow in confidence. Sam, I loved because he seemed absolutely genuine towards Ana and he had a couple flaws of his own. So he wasn't this perfect being showing Ana everything he knew about the world. Instead, he was very human in his actions and mistakes and flaws. So they were both equal in the relationship. There were times when Sam had to save Ana but also when Ana had to save Sam. 

Writing: Jodi Meadows' writing is good. It makes the world easy to visualize and understand through Ana's eyes and uses interesting descriptive tools to pinpoint what exactly Ana is looking at and feeling.

Overall: To be honest, while I was reading this book I thought I was only going to give it a 3 out of 5 stars. However, the "big finish" really redeemed the book for me and made me see Jodi Meadows' brilliance. Jodi Meadows shows her amazing potential in this novel of mystery and self-discovery. Although she may have some things she needs to develop a little more thoroughly I can't wait for the next book in this stunning series to see how everything plays out.

4 out of 5 stars

Should you read it?

yes

Should you buy it?

Sure, but it's not a must buy

Book Haul / In My Mailbox #1

This is my first every book haul/ In My Mailbox! (YAY!) This event is hosted by The Story Siren and all I have to do is tell you about all the wonderful books I've recently received/bought. 

The books I talk about are


Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg
The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
Divergent by Veronica Roth

Cinder by Marissa Meyer Book Review

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
US Release Date: January 3rd, 2012
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Author Info: Marissa Meyer's Blog
Source: Amazon Kindle Store
Genre: Young Adult Sci-fi/Fantasy
Series: #1 of the Lunar Chronicles
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Buy It: Amazon / Barnes and Noble
Challenge: 2012 Debut Author Challenge


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl... Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Onto the review!
(If you're too lazy to read my review you can just check out my video at CookieReadingCorner on youtube.)



Plot: This isn't your happily-ever-after Disney Cinderella. There is no singing mice of fairy godmothers. This book is much more complex then that. The are a lot of twists and turns and interesting storylines that all weave together beautifully. Cinder has a lot of surprising moments that either rip your heart out or make you scream for joy or just things that take you completely off guard. I loved the complexity of the plot and the way everything came together so well in the end.


Pacing: Perfect. The book is split up into 3 sections so that helps with the pacing. This book is not super fast nor is it super slow. It's perfectly in the middle. It keeps you moving but not so you're out of breath and exhausted at the end. Instead it leaves you wanting more.


Characters: All the characters were great. Cinder, the protagonist, is an awesome, tough-as-nails (haha get it?) chick who doesn't take crap from others. Despite all the hardship and cruelty she's faced and continues to face in the book, she keeps fighting and pushing for what she wants and what she believes she must do. Iko, her awesome sidekick, is a great addition to the novel. She adds some sassy humor and livens things up a bit. Prince Kai is magnificent. He is not the brooding and quiet love interest that you see too often in YA novels. Instead, he seemed real. You get to see his struggles at ruling a country at such a young age and trying to figure out what to do. But, you also get to see him smile and laugh (usually with Cinder) despite everything he's going through. Queen Levena is just flat out evil. You hate her and she knows it which, to be honest, I love.


Writing: Marissa Meyer's writing is not overly flowy or clever but neither is it lacking in anyway. It serves it's purpose in telling a story. She does an excellent job at describing the world around Cinder so it is easy for the reader to visualize and she really keeps you focused on the story and the characters.


Overall: I truly loved Cinder. Its a fantastic, complex, and adventurous read that was so much better then I thought it would be. Marissa Meyer took a bold step making Cinderella into a cyborg but she pulled it off masterfully. The world she created was unique and complex and was the perfect backdrop for this awesome story. I can't wait to see what's next.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Should you read it?

yes

Should you buy it?

Yes

The next book in the series is Scarlet and it will come out sometime next year, 2013.