Showing posts with label Sarah's posts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sarah's posts. Show all posts

Saturday, June 1, 2013

House of Hades Cover RELEASED


Sorry. Just had to post this/share this with someone as I was so excited. Unfortunately, Nicole isn't as big of a Percy Jackson fan as I am. This is another AMAZING cover and I can't wait for the book to come out this fall! Just helping spreading the news around. :)

*Also, here is a video of one of my favorite Youtuber who reviews books and her reaction to the cover:


Thursday, April 4, 2013

Sea Of Monsters! :3

Hello! This is kinda random but has anyone here ever heard the Percy Jackson series? Pshhh, I'm kidding. Everyone has heard of it. At least I hope they do. :\ Well anyway, in case you don't know, I am a huge lover of PJ books but the movies not so much...

I was recently just browsing around on IMDb and guess what popped up? Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Sea of Monsters. Of course I was very interested so *click*. It was quite shocking in fact. There were quite a few reasons why and I tried listing them below. Hope you enjoy!



Its the trailer! Yay! Now I think this movie is going to be a bit better than the first movie because:
A). The plot of the movie actually kind of sounds like the book!
B). The style of the movie kind of sounds like Inception. You know, the part where its like dun... DUN... DUUUUUUNNNNN, you  know that right? Erm.. maybe its just me, hehe.

Look at the hair! They all changed! :(
Annabeth's (Alexandra Daddario) hair turned blond. I don't really mind that because her hair is actually blond in the book but then, why couldn't they have it turn blond in the first movie then?! Percy (Logan Lerman) also changed his look with a haircut. I don't know about you but his hair just turned a lot more uglier than before. Why? Of all the haircuts ;_;

The actors have changed too! Chiron from the Lightning Thief has switched along with Hermes and many characters have also been added. A new Chiron, Hermes and new characters Dionysus, Clarisse, Tyson and Chris Rodriguez have important roles. Unfortunately, Thalia still isn't included making me confused about the plot because Thalia is very important in this movie.

That's pretty much all I have to say about the new upcoming movie. I think I'll do a Movie + Book Review (like I did for I Am Number Four) for this once it comes out in August 16th. Make sure to subscribe, comment and share this with as many PJO fans as you possibly can. Pretty please? :)

Thursday, March 28, 2013

REVIEW: Fever Crumb

Book: Fever Crumb by Phillip Reeve
Release Date: May 5th 2009 by Scholastic
Pages: 326 pages
Source: Library Copy

Fever Crumb is a girl who has been adopted and raised by Dr. Crumb, a member of the order of Engineers, where she serves as apprentice. In a time and place where women are not seen as reasonable creatures, Fever is an anomaly, the only female to serve in the order.

Soon though, she must say goodbye to Dr. Crumb - nearly the only person she's ever known - to assist archeologist Kit Solent on a top-secret project. As her work begins, Fever is plagued by memories that are not her own and Kit seems to have a particular interest in finding out what they are. Fever has also been singled out by city-dwellers who declare her part Scriven.

The Scriveners, not human, ruled the city some years ago but were hunted down and killed in a victorious uprising by the people. If there are any remaining Scriven, they are to be eliminated.

All Fever knows is what she's been told: that she is an orphan. Is Fever a Scriven? Whose memories does she hold? Is the mystery of Fever, adopted daughter of Dr. Crumb, the key to the secret that lies at the heart of London?

Haunting, arresting, and astonishingly original, Fever Crumb will delight and surprise readers at every fast-paced, breathless turn

I have to mention something about the cover: WHY?
I just hate the cover. I got the paperback version which has a completely different cover. I really don't like it when they try to include a person into the cover (unless it's Percy Jackson).

Now that I got that over with, I found that this book was quite enjoyable. It was quite slow at first and I did get tempted a few times to put the book down when she kept on saying the word "logical" and "rational".  I had to reread the first few chapters a couple of times but once I got into the adventure part of the story, I was hooked.

Fever is a smart character unlike a lot of girls in dystopian novels. I do believe that this is dystopian as it mentions phrases of "from the past". There was this one moment that I found quite funny:

“Fever jumped aside just in time to dodge the shower of urine, and stumbled into the path of a religious procession - celebrants in robes and pointed hats whirling and clapping and chanting the name of some old-world prophet, 'Hari, Hari! Hari Potter!'”

When I read this paragraph I got this awesome feeling and just stayed in this expression :O for a very long time. Phillip Reeve is a genius for including Harry Potter.

What I find quite disturbing is Fever's hair. Apparently it is completely bald. I don't have anything against bald people but I just can't imagine her without hair, just like how in Legend, Day has long hair. Both are unthinkable.

Now for the story. There was some killing, some accidental, some purposeful and some just not actual killings. Confusing parts came up that I struggled with but it was still an easy-read book. Now that this topic came up, did anyone who read this book ever read the section about what a "stalker" is? I may have just accidentally skipped it but it seems to me as though the word popped up out of nowhere. Oh well. I later understood what it was but I never got the full definition.

The ending is a weird sort of twist. I mean that in a way where there is a twist but then there is a twist to the twist. It leaves you with several questions that I can't write here because of spoilers.

This story kept me wondering and amazed at Fever Crumb's world and was enjoyable. The story was alive once Fever realized that she shouldn't be so strict on herself. The story just kept on getting better and better from that point on.

Overall, the story was exciting and wonderful. I do have some issues about it like the speed but once you got through that problem it was a good book to read. I would recommend it on days that you just want to sit down, relax, and read a book.

Final Rank 
1     2     3    4     5

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Hehe...

Have you ever had one of those moments where you pronounce a word wrong and everyone looks at you like, whaaaaat? So you say it again and then after the fifth time they understand what word you are trying to say. Hehe.... so embarrassing. Nicole and I both have experienced this. This is a quick post about it. 

Anatomy: [uh-nat-uh-mee]
1. the science dealing with the structure of animals and plants.
2. the structure of an animal or plant, or of any of its parts.
3. dissection of all or part of an animal or plant in order to study its structure.
4. a plant or animal that has been or will be dissected, or a model of such a dissected organism.
5. a skeleton. 

Yeah, I pronounced this word wrong. Its a simple word to say, but you know, I just had to pronounce it [an-uh-tom-ee]. The people I was saying it to didn't even understand what I was saying. :[ I cringe whenever I think of that word. Thanks a lot books, thank you.

 Archive: [ahr-kahyv]
1. Usually, archives. documents or records relating to the activities, business dealings, etc., of a person, family, corporation, association, community, or nation.
2. archives, a place where public records or other historical documents are kept.
3. any extensive record or collection of data: The encyclopedia is an archive of world history. The experience was sealed in the archive of her memory.
4. Digital Technology .
   a. a long-term storage device, as a disk or magnetic tape, or a computer directory or folder that   contains copies of files for backup or future reference.
   b. a collection of digital data stored in this way.
   c. a computer file containing one or more compressed files.
   d. a collection of information permanently stored on the Internet: The magazine has its entire archive online, from 1923 to the present.

Nicole said this one wrong. She was talking about the book "The Archive" or something like that when she suddenly pronounced archive wrong. I was wondering what she was talking about, and once I figured it out, I immediately corrected her. She was pronouncing it [ar-cheeve]. But she remembers how to properly say it now!


Meme: [meem]

I think we all know what a meme is. The shame about this one is that Nicole and I used the word frequently but in writing so our pronunciations were all wrong. Nicole pronounced it [mem] and I pronounced it [me-me]. And the thing about this word is that it sounds exactly like it looks so Nicole and I both have no excuses. Hehe...
 
That's it! Hoped you like this really quick post!
 
 

Thursday, February 21, 2013

In My Mailbox (5)

IMM is a blog meme that Sarah and Nicole will sometimes do on Mondays. This meme will briefly explain what books they got over the week. There is no constant schedule for IMMs, because Sarah and Nicole don't always get new books. In My Mailbox is a meme created by Kristi at The Story Siren.

Well! I was planning on doing a BATCH but since my head was completely blank about an idea, I ditched that. I just recently went to my library and checked out some sort of random books. These are books that I thought could be interesting, but I know NOTHING about whether or not if they are good, if there is romance, etc. Hope you enjoy!


His life could change the world. His death could save it.

It all started with a book. The most boring book in the world! So boring that nobody would ever read it. The perfect place to hide a terrible secret. But now the book has emerged from its hiding place and the world may never be the same.
An action-packed adventure which will have readers on the edge of their seat
From the best-selling and award-winning author of The Tomorrow Code and Brainjack
Perfect for kids who love Alex Rider




HER WORLD IS CHANGED FOREVER

Callie lost her parents when the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty. She and her little brother, Tyler, go on the run, living as squatters with their friend Michael and fighting off renegades who would kill them for a cookie. Callie's only hope is Prime Destinations, a disturbing place in Beverly Hills run by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man.

He hires teens to rent their bodies to Enders—seniors who want to be young again. Callie, desperate for the money that will keep her, Tyler, and Michael alive, agrees to be a donor. But the neurochip they place in Callie's head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, and going out with a senator's grandson. It feels almost like a fairy tale, until Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party—and that Prime Destinations' plans are more evil than Callie could ever have imagined. . . .

On board the moletrain Medes, Sham Yes ap Soorap watches in awe as he witnesses his first moldywarpe hunt: the giant mole bursting from the earth, the harpoonists targeting their prey, the battle resulting in one’s death and the other’s glory. But no matter how spectacular it is, Sham can't shake the sense that there is more to life than traveling the endless rails of the railsea–even if his captain can think only of the hunt for the ivory-coloured mole she’s been chasing since it took her arm all those years ago. When they come across a wrecked train, at first it's a welcome distraction. But what Sham finds in the derelict—a series of pictures hinting at something, somewhere, that should be impossible—leads to considerably more than he'd bargained for. Soon he's hunted on all sides, by pirates, trainsfolk, monsters and salvage-scrabblers. And it might not be just Sham's life that's about to change. It could be the whole of the railsea.

From China Miéville comes a novel for readers of all ages, a gripping and brilliantly imagined take on Herman Melville's Moby-Dick that confirms his status as "the most original and talented voice to appear in several years." (Science Fiction Chronicle)
 Old ways are pitted against new horrors in this compellingly crafted dystopian tale about a girl who is both healer and seer.Two hundred years from now, blood has become the most valuable commodity on the planet—especially the blood of aboriginal peoples, for it contains antibodies that protect them from the Plague ravaging the rest of the world.

     Sixteen-year-old Cassandra Mercredi might be immune to Plague, but that doesn’t mean she’s safe—government forces are searching for those of aboriginal heritage to harvest their blood. When a search threatens Cassandra and her family, they flee to the Island: a mysterious and idyllic territory protected by the Band, a group of guerilla warriors—and by an enigmatic energy barrier that keeps outsiders out and the spirit world in. And though the village healer has taken her under her wing, and the tribal leader’s son into his heart, the creatures of the spirit world are angry, and they have chosen Cassandra to be their voice and instrument....

     Incorporating the traditions of the First Peoples as well as the more familiar stories of Greek mythology and Arthurian legend, Shadows Cast by Stars is a haunting, beautifully written story that breathes new life into ancient customs.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Blogspiration (3)



Blogspiration is a weekly meme hosted by GrowingUp YA & Saz101. The meme was created to help spark inspiration among bloggers, readers & writers alike. An inspirational quote/picture/video is posted weekly, on the day of the author’s choosing, so that it may inspire creativity, conversation & just a little SOMETHING.






This is just a quick fill-in post for Nicole. I had to think of a quote and so my first thought was Percy Jackson. So, guess where this quote came from...



And since my computer hates me, photobucket has a new confusing editing thing. Because life is so hard, the picture is taken from Google Images. The shaaaaame. Oh well. Hope you enjoy this quote and think about it.(:

Also, this is the last week of Blogspiration! Though Nicole and I have only been doing Blogspiration for past month or so, we will miss Blogspiration greatly. It has provided a lot of inspiring quotes to share you you guys! And since Blogspiration is ending, we both want to thank Kristin for coming up with such a great meme! We will miss Blogspiration!

Friday, February 15, 2013

Um...

This post is going to be a bit random and will be a special 1-time thing but I hope you'll enjoy reading this. By the way, most of my uncategorized posts will have some weird mumble-words as the title -in case you haven't noticed-. Here is the really random post:

Random Books With The Same Author Names As Us!


Southpointe High is the last place Lucy wanted to wind up her senior year of school. Right up until she stumbles into Jude Ryder, a guy whose name has become its own verb, and synonymous with trouble. He's got a rap sheet that runs longer than a senior thesis, has had his name sighed, shouted, and cursed by more women than Lucy dares to ask, and lives at the local boys home where disturbed seems to be the status quo for the residents. Lucy had a stable at best, quirky at worst, upbringing. She lives for wearing the satin down on her ballet shoes, has her sights set on Juilliard, and has been careful to keep trouble out of her life. Up until now. 
Jude's everything she needs to stay away from if she wants to separate her past from her future. Staying away, she's about to find out, is the only thing she's incapable of. 
For Lucy Larson and Jude Ryder, love's about to become the thing that tears them apart.



If you didn't guess yet, this is Nicole's same-author-name book (last names are different). Anyway, this book popped up on Goodreads and this was where I got my fabulous idea for a random post. This book looks pretty interesting even though its not Nicole's or my type of book.


a long, hot summer...That's what Macy has to look forward to while her boyfriend, Jason, is away at Brain Camp. Days will be spent at a boring job in the library, evenings will be filled with vocabulary drills for the SATs, and spare time will be passed with her mother, the two of them sharing a silent grief at the traumatic loss of Macy's father. But sometimes unexpected things can happen—things such as the catering job at Wish, with its fun-loving, chaotic crew. Or her sister's project of renovating the neglected beach house, awakening long-buried memories. Things such as meeting Wes, a boy with a past, a taste for Truth-telling, and an amazing artistic talent, the kind of boy who could turn any girl's world upside down. As Macy ventures out of her shell, she begins to wonder, Is it really better to be safe than sorry?




I'm sure you have heard of this author at least once. Sarah Dessen is a very famous author and although I will never read one of her books, I'm sure there is a reason why she is famous. 

That's it to the super short post! Hope you enjoyed. :)

Thursday, February 14, 2013

BATCH (8)

Being A Thursday Cover Hoard   

BATCH (1) photo BATCH1_zps188fadc6.jpg


Being a Thursday Cover Hoard is an original meme hosted by Sarah and Nicole of the Umbrella Dreams book blog. This meme features all things related to covers, including cover changes, our favorite covers, and etc...



Oh hello! This week's BATCH is going to be about the cover of this book:


Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is more amazing than you would think. This book has a secret meaning to it that you won't understand until you read the entire book.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

REVIEW: Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children (Review+Journal)


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Book: Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Released Date: June 7th 2011 by Quirk
Pages: 352
Source: Library
A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. And a strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children who once lived here - one of whom was his own grandfather - were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a desolate island for good reason. And somehow - impossible though it seems - they may still be alive

  

Sarah's Journal:

Page 51: This is a pretty good book, and the pictures are the type to give you nightmares. Luckily I don't get nightmares. :)

Page 135: Getting kind of freaky in the book... sweaty hands and getting a bit nervous. This is a really good book. The photographs are amazing.

Page _____ (Not going to say): HUUUUUUUUUUH?! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO, REALLY?! WOW.

 

Sarah's Review:

This wasn't like ANYTHING I expected.

Okay, so in the summary, it says that something might be alive. Let me tell you, DUH, there is something alive. The story doesn't end there though. I thought it would be some dull story about how the guy finds the monsters/people/whatever and then he defeats/saves/kills/hides from them. But it doesn't end there. He discovers the peculiar people, but that's only HALF the story. I was really amazed when I find out what the story is actually about (why the O: HUUUUUUUUH?! part is there). I think I might have been overreacting because I was still a bit spooked out from the pictures.

Friday, February 8, 2013

REVIEW: Surviving Antartica Reality TV 2083

Book: Surviving Antartica: Reality TV 2083
Published: November 7th 2006 by HarperTeen
Pages: 448
Source: Library
The wind and snow blow so hard, you can't see your hand in front of your face. Your heating fuel is nearly gone, and so is your food. How do you survive?

Five fourteen-year-olds face this desperate situation on a deadly journey in Antarctica. It is 2083. They are contes-tants on a reality TV show, Antarctic Survivor, which is set up to re-create Robert F. Scott's 1912 doomed attempt to be the first to reach the South Pole.

But in 2083 reality TV is not just an act. Contestants literally relive - or die during - the simulations of events. Robert Scott and his team were experienced explorers and scientists, but their attempt to reach the Pole proved fatal. What chance does the Antarctic Survivor team have?

This action-packed, riveting adventure - full of fascinating direct quotes from Scott's journals and other accounts of the expedition - is both a heart-wrenching drama from the past and a disquieting glimpse into the future.

Sarah's Review:

 This book was kind of an ehhhh. This book was entertaining because it provided me with an idea of what the future would/might look like in 2083. What I like a lot is how they actually give a specific year. Most dystopian books are like: Oh, its happening somewhere in the future. But I am just like: BUT WHEN. 

This book was really interesting, but I wish there was more action. And it lasted longer. The people were in Antarctica for quite a while, but they didn't even make it to the first safe zone. /:

Thursday, February 7, 2013

WHOA!

I am in a state of excitement and also feeling pretty idiotic. I have JUST realized that the books I have been waiting for months have come out. I'm so excited to get my hands on them! Here are just a few I am super excited for:

June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place. With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the two join a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and offer passage to the Colonies. They have only one request—June and Day must assassinate the new Elector.
It’s their chance to change the nation, to give voice to a people silenced for too long.
But as June realizes this Elector is nothing like his father, she’s haunted by the choice ahead. What if Anden is a new beginning? What if revolution must be more than loss and vengeance, anger and blood—what if the Patriots are wrong?
In this highly-anticipated sequel, Lu delivers a breathtaking thriller with high stakes and cinematic action.


I can't believe I forgot about this book coming out! This is the sequel to Legend by Marie Lu. Gosh, that was one of my most favorite books! I recommended it to all of my friends and become obsessed over Prodigy for a short while. What's saddening is that since I forgot about this book coming out, I couldn't put my hold in the library as early as I hoped. :\


Nikki Beckett could only watch as her boyfriend, Jack, sacrificed himself to save her, taking her place in the Tunnels of the Everneath for eternity — a debt that should’ve been hers. She’s living a borrowed life, and she doesn’t know what to do with the guilt. And every night Jack appears in her dreams, lost and confused and wasting away.
Desperate for answers, Nikki turns to Cole, the immortal bad boy who wants to make her his queen — and the one person least likely to help. But his heart has been touched by everything about Nikki, and he agrees to assist her in the only way he can: by taking her to the Everneath himself.
Nikki and Cole descend into the Everneath, only to discover that their journey will be more difficult than they’d anticipated — and more deadly. But Nikki vows to stop at nothing to save Jack — even if it means making an incredible sacrifice of her own.
In this enthralling sequel to Everneath, Brodi Ashton tests the bonds of destiny and explores the lengths we’ll go to for the ones we love.
 
 Nicole and I have both been waiting for this book to come out. Let me tell you this: I am not looking forward to the romance. I am hoping that there is going to be more action in this book.  Since sequels are usually not as good as the original, I have high expectations for this book but do no expect it to be as good as the first.

Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.
Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.
Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often—violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.
Being a Keeper isn’t just dangerous—it’s a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da’s death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.
In this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit, unbearable loss and hard-won redemption.
Nicole and I have been waiting for this one to come out. Since this is the first book in a series, I have no idea how this book will turn out to be. I'm hoping for another awesome book because I haven't read any good books lately.
An exotic treat set in an entirely original, fantastical world brimming with deadly mystery, forbidden romance, and heart-stopping adventure.
Nisha was abandoned at the gates of the City of a Thousand Dolls when she was just a child. Now sixteen, she lives on the grounds of the isolated estate, where orphan girls apprentice as musicians, healers, courtesans, and, if the rumors are true, assassins. Nisha makes her way as Matron’s assistant, her closest companions the mysterious cats that trail her shadow. Only when she begins a forbidden flirtation with the city’s handsome young courier does she let herself imagine a life outside the walls. Until one by one, girls around her start to die.
Before she becomes the next victim, Nisha decides to uncover the secrets that surround the girls’ deaths. But by getting involved, Nisha jeopardizes not only her own future in the City of a Thousand Dolls—but her own life.
The City Of Dolls- such a dramatic name. I hope it actually has to do with the story. Honestly, I just found out about this book a few minutes ago. I was just browsing through Goodreads and this book reminded me of something. It looks interesting enough and I hope to read it soon!

 Jess has a secret: a mysterious glass flask she finds in an heirloom desk's hidden compartment. Its surface swirls with iridescent colors, like something's inside, something almost like a song, something with a soul. No one else sees anything under the shifting glass, but Jess is convinced there must be some kind of magic in there. And when her twin brothers are born critically ill, Jess begins to believe that the force within the flask just might hold the key to saving her brothers-and her family. In this emotionally rich novel, award-winning author Nicky Singer crafts a world of possibility that is steeped in hope and the power of love.




This is another book that I have just discovered from Goodreads. It looks interesting enough. The cover is very interesting but gives away a bit too much. I think I already know how its going to end. :\

Monday, February 4, 2013

New Template Coming Soon!

Hello guys! As you probably know, Nicole and I have been looking at templates for a really long time. We've had over a total of 3-4 temporary templates and the current sandy/brown theme isn't really working for us. We both quickly got tired of it so Nicole has been making a template (the reason why she hasn't posted for a couple of days). As for me, I have been kind of... designing it? Nicole is doing the real work with the codes and finding the pictures. I've been giving my opinions about it.

We are both REALLY excited about our template. Its coming out on Saturday because we haven't given it the finishing touches yet. Here is a hint for our new template!



 Ta-Da! Its our color palette. Honestly, we don't even have a reason to show you guys this. Nicole just made one for fun and wanted to show it off to you guys~

Let me just say: I'm really thankful to Nicole for spending so much time procrastinating on the new template. I was really surprised when I looked at it a few minutes ago and realized just how awesome it is. That is why we are going to start using it in April! Mwahahaha, just kidding :)

All credit for the template goes to Nicole! :)

Saturday, January 26, 2013

REVIEW: Throne Of Glass / The Selection (COMPARING)

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       Throne of Glass                                                                                      The Selection
                                                 
Book: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas                               Book: The Selection by Kiera Cass
Published: August 7th 2012 by Bloomsbury USA               Published: April 24th 2012 by HarperTeen
Pages: 404                                                                                 Pages: 327
Source: Library                                                                          Source: Library

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt                        For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the
mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old                         chance  of a lifetime. The opportunity to
assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before                             escape the life laid out for them since
 the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her                                 to be swept up in a world of glittering
 her freedom on one condition: she must act as                         gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a
 his champion in a competition to find a new                               and compete for the heart of gorgeous
 royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves                              Prince Maxon.
 and assassins and warriors from across the                         But for American Singer, being Selected is
empire, each sponsored by a member of the                            a nightmare. It mean turning her back on
king's council. If she beats her opponents in a                       her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste
 series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom                        below her. Leaving her home to enter a
 for three years and then be granted her freedom.                  fierce competition for a crown she doesn't
 Celaena finds her training sessions with the                          want. Living in a palace that is constantly
captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and                        threatened by violet rebel attacks.
exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life.                              Then America meets Prince Maxon.
Things get a little more interesting when the prince         Gradually she starts to question all the plans 
 starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff                 she's made for herself-- and realizes that the
Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.            life she's dreamed of may not compare to a
 Then one of the other contestants turns up dead...                future she never imagined.
quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure 
out who the killer is before she becomes a victim?
 As the young assassin investigates, her search
leads her to discover a greater destiny than she
could possibly have imagined.                                 


Sarah's Review:
Sorry for the messy introduction. In this review I am going to be comparing the two books the Throne of Glass and The Selection. Afterwards I'll do a quick graph comparing the main points that I favored and also the points I disliked. This will look very similar to the I Am Number Four review except this will (I'll try to make it) side by side!


Friday, January 25, 2013

REVIEW: The Angel Experiment

 photo 200px-Maximum_Ride1.jpgBook: Maximum Ride by James Patterson
Release Date:  May 1st 2006 by Warner Vision Books
Pages: 413 Pages
Source: Library
From the bestselling author James Patterson comes the stunning, breathtaking start to the blockbuster series! Six unforgettable kids—with no families, no homes—are running for their lives. Max Ride and her best friends have the ability to fly. And that's just the beginning of their amazing powers. But they don't know where they come from, who's hunting them, why they are different from all other humans... and if they're meant to save mankind—or destroy it.


Sarah's Review:

This is a humorous, action-filled, adventurous, dramatic, super geeky, not-that-lovey book. Its a lot of things, and its definitely the type of book that I love reading. But make no mistake, I was still disappointed by this book. 

I hate to say this but this reminds me a lot of Percy Jackson... maybe I'll do a COMPARE someday. They have a "crew" of kids on a mission. They are both action-filled and have characters who both have humorous voices. They both have special powers. And a little "twist" at the end.

The point of view is from a GIRL named Max. I have to say, I did enjoy the sarcastic remarks but then I soon found them kind of... redundant. They still made me laugh but I soon found myself to guess what the next joke was going to be. Its still a very enjoyable book though!

Somehow, this book got me bored. If I start reading a Percy Jackson book, I will sit down for HOURS and just read until later when I try to stand up and my entire body is asleep with only my hands and eyes moving. This book made me set it down a lot. It just wasn't as action-filled as I had hoped it to be. 

All those romance people out there~, you shall be disappointed. There was I think only one scene where its a tiny hug or so?

This book (in my opinion) has some extra stories that are not needed. This book just kind of jumps around randomly and has too many false ideas.

Overall, I did enjoy this book and was excited about it but soon became a bit "tired" of it. I still like it a lot though!

Rank:
1     2     3   3.5   4     5 
*Side Note:
DO NOT READ THE REST OF THE SERIES. THEY ARE JUST PLAIN WEIRD AND BORING.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

New Book Blogging "Theme"

Hello guys!

If you have been with us for a while, you would know that we used to do "ranks", but now we have some reasons to quit using them and start a new idea/theme that we are super excited to introduce to you. Nicole is a big-time Goodreads user and loves to post her reviews to Goodreads as well as our blog. Unfortunately, reviewing on Goodreads is hard to do when they don't let you color-code (OCD issues) and change text size so Nicole was the first to stop that. I however have COMPLETELY different reasons why I can't do ranks.

I have decided to try out a new technique for our blog. There are many different book blogs out there and I have been thinking a lot about how since Nicole and I don't have enough time to make it as fantastic as we wish it would be. SOO, to make our blog more special than all the other ones I have devised a different type of book reviews:

1). The Usual
This is the average book review where we'll give some likes/dislikes. Like the previous reviews, we'll do a quick "Final Rank" and will do a brief summary of why.

2). Book+Movie
Nicole and I both love movies and we often try to watch some interesting movies together. Nicole thought up of having a review about the book as well as a short review of the movie version, comparing it to the book and which one we thought was better.

3). Review+Journal
I was super excited when I thought of this one. I'm going to do a short/brief journal in the beginning of the review to show my reaction. I will only do reactions because I don't want to spoil anything for you guys. I'll do page numbers of where I stopped/got reaction and will record a short bit of information on my reaction.

4). Comparing
Nicole or I will be comparing two books that we find similar and basically just compare them. We'll do a "showdown" and the book that wins will get... better reviews? 

That's all me and Nicole have thought of so far and this is also on our "Book Review" tab where you can get some information about the memes and etc. We'll update it when we get new ideas for different type of book reviews. Feel free to use our ideas and comment if you think of a new type of book review! Remember to Subscribe as well!

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

REVIEW: Room

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Book: Room by Emma Donoghue
Release Date: September 13th 2010 by Little, Brown and Company
Pages:  321
Source: Friend

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, ROOM is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child, a brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another.
First word that comes to mind when I think about this: innocent.

If you read the description of the book, you'll know its from the point of a five year old. The way he narrated the book was very cutesy and creative but mostly innocent. He used many words that are very creative (meaning cute but not real words). His sentences have very bad grammar in that innocent way when you don't know any better. Not like those annoying people who think they are all that and purposely talk like a kindergartener. I think that the author was pretty good at making it sound like a five year old if you can ignore the spots where it gets frustratingly overboard with the lack of grammar. WARNING: NOT FOR A GRAMMAR NAZI.

This book has some interesting 5-year old wisdom in it.

What I dislike about this book is how it has a lot of unnecessary parts (in my opinion). The last 1/4 of the book made me feel like the author was just dragging the story. It wasn't bad, it was just unnecessary. Sometimes making it boring.

What I like about this book is how it is really sweet. The mom is a bit confusing at times but its obvious that she loves her kid. It gets sad in some parts and happy in others. Since this is from a 5-year-old point of view, it does get frustrating at times when Jack acts bratty towards his mom.

The end, was pretty good. It ends like one of these types of books should. What I was kind of hoping for was *SPOILER ALERT* that when his mom got ill, she would pass away or have to be taken away from him and then 10 or so years later he reflects on those moments. Something like that. But *YOU CAN LOOK AGAIN* it doesn't include that. I think that would have ended better but the original ending fits well with the character.

Final Rank:

1     2     3   3.5  4     5

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

REVIEW: Unwind

Photobucket Book: Unwind by Neal Shusterman
Release Date: November 6th 2007 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Pages: 335
Source: Library Copy

Connor, Risa, and Lev are running for their lives.

The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive.

The Romance:
1     2     3     4     5

This scale is different than most. 1 means that there is no romance at all. 5 means this book was a very, very romantic based book. A 3 will be the most common, as YA books surround another plot while dealing with romance too. Below are my thoughts on the romance.

Not a lot, but some. There always has to be that one romance between two characters. It kind of bothers me because in reality, if two people were running for their life I do not think they would have time to fall in love.
The Action/ The Adventure:
1     2     3     4     5
The action scale is pretty obvious and it is just like the romance scale. 1 means there was no action. 5 means there was a lot of action. Whether or not the action was good, I'll tell you below.

The action and adventure is pretty good. There was a lot in my opinion. Although a good chunk of the book was them just surviving, action and adventure was included making the story exciting.

The Speed:
1     2     3     4     5
The speed scale tells how fast the story goes. For example, if the introduction is boring and the whole book is going at snail pace, it'll probably be a ranking of 1.

The speed was perfect. Not too fast that I don't know whats going on but not too slow to make me bored. It was on the faster side and it is one of those books that you can't put down once you start.

 The Plot/ The Perspective/ The Storytelling:
1     2     3     4     5
This isn't based on how much action shows up as the book progresses. It is based on the quality of the plot. Sometimes the plot is just unentertaining while others are the on-the-end-of-your-seat suspenseful. This is probably the scale that you should pay the most attention to.

The perspective comes from 3 points of views: Connor, Risa and Lev. I didn't like Lev. He was a spoiled, bratty, snob of a person but I understood why the author made him like that. It says in the beginning of the book that unwinding (the act of dissecting kids but them still technically living) was accepted in society. If a kid grew up with it being normal and knowing that was going to happen to him anyway, why shouldn't he think he's above everyone else? Connor and Risa's personalities match their background well. Connor was the pushed aside and was unfavored- he had a bad attitude but also a longing for some attention and for the good old days. Risa was just another extra, she learned how to be tough and survive.

The plot was EXCELLENT. It's creepy and it brings chills whenever I think about it too much. I have read other reviews about this book and they don't seem satisfied with the background because of the lack of information. I think it was enough because if the author put in everything about those times, it would make the story uninteresting. You can use your head to figure out what it might be like. He gives us enough information to understand the book, no more, no less.

The End:
1     2     3     4     5
This is going to be a limited scale as I don't want to spoil the ending. I promise I won't reveal any secrets, but if you want it to be a complete surprise,  STOP READING.

Great, I liked it a lot. Ending is creepy and yet satisfying making you anticipate for another book but not making you rip out your hair because of the cliff-hangar. If I had to say something bad about this, it would be that the ending is kind of cliche.

Final Rank: 

1     2     3     4     5
Summary:

Creepy and enchanting at the same time. I LOVED IT. I have waited a very long time for a good book like this and it seems as though every single detail was planned ahead and so nothing was left out. There was one specific chapter which I found really chilling and kind of scary. This book makes me think a lot and is great for people who want some thrills.

 *Hall of Fame

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