ANNOUNCEMENT!

I'd just like to let everyone know that this next week I will be on vacation and away from my computer. Im sorry, but I promise when I come back I will have a video (possibly two depending on how much time I have) and another book review for you guys! Also, I will try to keep up with my reading.

Until then hope everyone has a great week.

:D

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi Book Review

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
US Release Date: January 3rd 2012
Publisher: Harper Collins
Author Info: Veronica Rossi's Website
Source: I purchased it through Amazon
Genre: Young Adult Sci-fi/Fantasy
Rating: 4 out of 5
Buy It: Amazon / Barnes and Noble
Challenge: 2012 Debut Author Challenge
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Since she'd been on the outside, she'd survived an Aether storm, she'd had a knife held to her throat, and she'd seen men murdered. This was worse. 

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland - known as The Death Shop - are slim. If the cannibals don't get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She's been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild - a savage - and her only hope of staying alive. 

A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile - everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Plot: I really did like the basic plot of this story. The post-apocolyptic setting with the contrast between a very new way of living and a primitive way of living was really interesting. The premise of Aria trying to get her way back to the Pods was really engaging (and Perry made it interesting too :P ). However there were some plot points that didn't quite fit. Maybe with a bit more development they would have worked better but there were moments in the book when something would happen and...it didn't just feel quite right. However I believe that only shows that Veronica Rossi is still learning and as she grows in her skill im sure her plots will become more cohesive.


Pacing: The pacing was very well done. A lot of the book seemed to be Perry and Aria traveling through the wilderness but it was not boring in any way, shape, or form thanks to Veronica Rossi's skill. The alternative POVs also helped to move the book a long so that even as they were traveling there was still something new going on. However the ending was a bit rushed for my taste.


Characters: I really did like the characters. I liked Aria because even though she starts of weak and unsure she really grows. Because of her secluded life within the Realms she really doesn't know how to take care of herself in the wild but she isn't helpless. Despite her struggles she learns (with a minimum amount of whining) and eventually becomes strong enough to hold her own. Perry was really good. You really get to see his depth more fully in the POVs in his perspective than if Rossi had just kept the book in Aria's POV and I really appreciated that. Perry is a much more complex character and entertaining as well with all the struggles he has personally and with his clan. 
               The romance between them really worked. It was not insta-love. It grew slowly and over time as each character began to learn about the other. It was really sweet and engaging and a good bonus to the book.


Writing: The writing was good. Not blow your socks off amazing or tear the book to pieces awful, just good. It made the world easy to visualize and the characters easy to connect to. Veronica Rossi is a good story-teller and a good writer and the world she created was very vivid and adventurous.


Overall: This book is fun, exciting, full of adventure, with just the right touch of romance. The characters are developed and likeable and you really cheer them on in there adventures. However, there are some plot parts that need a bit more development and didn't quite connect with the novel as well as it could have. I did enjoy this book and the setting and the unique idea. It didn't excite me as much as other books have but I still am glad I read it.

4 out of 5 stars

Should you read it?

Yes, this book is fun, creative, and has a nice bit of romance. Plus the heroine isn't sappy or defenseless which is always a plus.

Should you buy it?

Personally, I would say it isn't a must buy.

Top Ten Tuesday #7

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

Top Ten Books I'd Read In One Day

1) Hawksong by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

    I've probably read this book more than any other book on my shelf because it is so short and so good. I can read it within a couple hours and still want to read it again.

2) Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

    The only reason I didn't read this in one day was because I had to get to bed at a semi-reasonable time (meaning about 2 in the morning) for this weird thing called school.

3) Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman

   I adored this book! It's short, sweet, and simple and made me oh so very happy.

4) The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

    John Green has this way of writing that just grabs your heart and wrenches you into the book and doesn't release you until you've read the last word and turned the last page. Intense, I know.

5) The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

    I love this book so much! It is so much fun and I would gladly dedicate an entire just to read this (and frankly the rest of the series).

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

    I haven't quite finished this book yet but I really wish I just had an entire day to read it. It is so adorable and witty and easy to get caught up in Im actually having trouble focusing on this right now because I want to read it.

7) The Summoning by Kelly Armstrong

    Loved everything about this book! From the bodies popping out of the ground to the very mysterious Derek. It had me glued to it's pages from dusk till dawn.

8) City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

    I remember I got this book in an airport and I didn't want to put it down even when I got to my destination. This book is full of so much action and mystery (and not to mention Jace) that I would gladly spend 24 hours just reading.

9) The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelso

    This book is heartbreaking and witty and beautiful. It needs just an entire day to contemplate the message that gives so you can truly understand its wonder.

10) The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger

      Everybody needs a day to call everyone (and everything) a phony and just be miserable/crazy and what better way to do that then with the Holden Caulfeild.

In My Mailbox #3

Sorry I didn't do an IMM last week. Theses past two weeks have been very busy which I why I haven't been doing much on my blog. But today I have managed to find the time for a short IMM. So these are (the few) books that I got last week and this week.

The books I received were...

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Embrace by Jessica Shirvington

Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

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.