TREND: Paranormal Books

For the past three years or so, a lot of trends in the YA books have been sprouting up. Awhile ago, after Twilight, it was all about vampires. After a bunch of Twilight haters started showing up, the "in" genre turned to paranormal. For another year or so, this satisfied many YA readers. Then The Hunger Games made its debut. In the past year, I've been seeing many, many, many dystopian books.

There was so much of them that I had even written a post on dystopian cliches. Click here to read it.

But besides that, I'm here to discuss the pros/cons of the paranormal genre and to share my opinion on this old trend. Continue reading to find out more about what I think.
Paranormal Books:

The above are only examples. There are A LOT more paranormal books out there. If you check at your local Barnes & Noble, you'll a big section dedicated to YA paranormal romance. If you scroll by Goodreads, you can see that there's tons of lists for YA paranormal books.

I couldn't fit all the books onto a collage like that, so only six examples are featured so far.

But ignoring that, paranormal books are usually dealing with mythical creatures. Such as vampires (Vampire Academy, Twilight), angels (Fallen, Beautiful Creatures, A Fratured Light), myths (Everneath, Starcrossed, The Goddess Test), and werewolves (Shiver).

They also have their own cliches:

• Love triangles
• "Perfect" main character
• Good looking love interest
• Mythical creatures
• Some evil mythical creature

But while the cliches can sometimes bother me, there's a lot of pros and cons about paranormal books.

Pros:

• Usually quick to read
• Lots of action
• Easy to read (most of the time)
• Plot twists that interests you

Cons:

• Cliches
• Too predictable
• Poor characters (sometimes)
• Unoriginal

So really, in the end, it depends on the book you're reading. For me, some of my favorite paranormal books are Something Strange and Deadly and Everneath. There are also a handful that aren't my cup of tea. It just depends.

What do you think of this old trend?

BATCH! (2)

Batch is back! Being A Thursday Cover Hoard meme is actually quite hard to do. I feel like we're just doing books that we don't like and feel that the covers are misleading. Hopefully we'll have a different theme for the next batch as well as a picture motto we can use. :)

This BATCH we're doing a short rant about the book Breathe by Sarah Crossan.

First off, Breathe has a very pretty cover that's kind of symbolic in a way as well. It has a gigantic bubble (bubbles!) that symbolizes oxygen and cracked stones for the emptiness of the world around it. But do not be misleaded.

According to Nicole (who has read this book) Breathe was very disappointing. 

Nicole's words: About awhile ago, I was seeing Breathe on other bloggers' Waiting on Wednesday posts. There was a lot of hype about this book, in that the plot is frighteningly futuristic. Because of all the raves, I rushed to the library to get my copy. That was a big mistake; I didn't enjoy Breathe at all. Truth to be told, I fell asleep around the 100th page or so. No kidding. The characters were undeveloped. The change of POVs bothered me a lot, because we never really get to spend and/or get to know each character. The characters acted annoying. Alina, one of the main characters, seemed like a complete brat. Quinn, the other main character, was annoying. In the beginning, he had this crush on Alina because she was pretty, but he suddenly changed his mind halfway through. Instead, he started liking his best friend, Bea, who had been by his side all along. Ahem. Cliche much? But besides that, Bea was the only character I could actually stand. I felt slight sympathy for her, but she was a very 2-D character because she seemed weak. And on and on, the problems went. I don't even have that much space to write everything out. Needless to say, I didn't enjoy this book and I didn't finish it.

I think that explains what happened and the way she felt about this book. So I'm not sure what is floating around in Nicole's head currently, but be warned!

Are you Being A Thursday Cover Hoard? (Super cheesy line, I know)

REVIEW: Everneath

Book: Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Release Date: January 24th 2012 by HarperCollins/ Balzer + Bray

Pages: 370

Source: Library (Get used to seeing library here)
Goodreads Page: Click here

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she's returned--to her old life, her family, her boyfriend--before she's banished back to the underworld . . . this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these precious months forgetting the Everneath and trying to reconnect with her boyfriend, Jack, the person most devastated by her disappearance--and the one person she loves more than anything. But there's just one problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who enticed her to the Everneath in the first place, has followed Nikki home. Cole wants to take over the throne in the underworld and is convinced Nikki is the key to making it happen. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back, this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time on the Surface draws to a close and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's queen.

"Everneath" is a captivating story of love, loss, and immortality from debut author Brodi Ashton.

A quick list of stuff I have to type before I write the review:
-The cover looks kind of weird if you look at it closely (The legs crossing over)
-Yeah, its another Sarah review. Your probably sad that I'm not typing in third person. Whatever. Nicole is still behind. So hopefully if she stops procrastinating she'll start catching up. :\  I'm just kidding. :P
-The font and size of the texts will be a bit wacky as for some reason the font thing won't work with me
- I AM NOT THE DRAMATIC TYPE SO I AM NOT BEING BIASED RIGHT NOW

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.

Fortunately and unfortunately there is quite some romance. And by romance I mean drama. And by drama I mean love triangles. And by love triangles, I mean a whole bunch of crazy love things that will probably never happen in real life. But the plot isn't realistic anyway, so I guess it doesn't really matter. But a warning: Be prepared for some frustrating moments 

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.

Surprisingly, there was some action, but it was mostly adventure. And it was some GOOD adventure too. Not just some add-ons that the author felt were necessary to the story but actually just drags the plot. I liked it, and it kept you reading while you were reading (I don't think that makes very much sense, or maybe it does make sense. I don't know, it kind of looks wrong).

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.

This was surprisingly fast. At least in my head. This was one of those stories where I couldn't stop reading because I was deep into the book. Everneath was one of those rare stories that I can't put down and read until midnight. I absolutely loved how it was fast-paced even though there wasn't action on every corner.

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.

You already know the plot if you read the summary, so nothing much to say about that. It was a very good idea to use a Persephone story. The layout of the story was absolutely AMAZING. I loved how it went back and forth from present time to the past and how the story just kind of GREW from that point on. It was absolutely beautiful. The perspective came from a girl who, in a way, plays out the role of Persephone. Like other people said, they couldn't really connect with the girl but in my opinion (or excuse) I think to make it more realistic, since the girl is obviously traumatized, they made her very distant.

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.

I can't say much about this because I'll spoil it. But it is actually quite obvious how its going to end. But it was still absolutely beautiful. And sad. Be prepared for some light crying.

Final Rank: 

1     2     3     4     5

*Hall of Fame!

REVIEW: Hemlock

:

Book: Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock

Release Date: May 8th 2012 by Katherine Tegen Books

Pages: 416

Source: My awesome library :)

Goodreads Page: Click here

Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.

Since then, Mac's life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac's hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy's killer:

A white werewolf.

Lupine syndrome--also known as the werewolf virus--is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.

Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy's murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy's boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.

The Romance:

1     2     3  3.5   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.

Some. :\

The Action/ The Adventure:

1     2     3  3.5   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.

Wasn't as much as I had hope there would be. Some attacks. Car chasing. I think it was actually pretty well done, but if it was played out visually, like in a movie, it wouldn't be that exciting.

The Speed:

1     2     3  3.5   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.

I think it went by pretty fast. I finished the book in 2 days, and the speed was enough to make me keep reading. Its not as fast-paced as I would hope, but I don't think the story drags like some others do.

 The Plot/ The Perspective/ The Storytelling:

1     2     3     4  4.5   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 plot was a pretty good idea. The perspective was pretty good too. The perspective was from a girl, Mac. Honestly, I find her annoying, but the perspective itself was fine. The storytelling was a so-so. I just wish it would be more vivid. It kind of felt like a blur, and a good way to put this as an example is when in a movie, they focus on one thing only, and everything surrounding it is a blur (bad description)

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.

Its a cliffhanger. If you have read previous book reviews, you'll know that I do not like them that much. Almost hate them. But I admire them if they are well written, and aren't just a sudden, quick solution to everything in the book.

The Summary:

Pros ---

-Pretty good ending

-Speed wasn't slow

-Plot was a good idea

Cons ---

-Romance- Love Triangle

-Cliffhanger

-Not vivid enough

Final Rank: 

1     2     3     4  4.5   5

REVIEW: Glitch

Book: Glitch by Heather Anastasiu

Release Date: Published August 7th 2012 by St. Martin's Press

Pages: 308

Source: Library

Goodreads page: Click here

In the Community, there is no more pain or war. Implanted computer chips have wiped humanity clean of destructive emotions, and thoughts are replaced by a feed from the Link network.

When Zoe starts to malfunction (or “glitch”), she suddenly begins having her own thoughts, feelings, and identity. Any anomalies must be immediately reported and repaired, but Zoe has a secret so dark it will mean certain deactivation if she is caught: her glitches have given her uncontrollable telekinetic powers.

As Zoe struggles to control her abilities and stay hidden, she meets other glitchers including Max, who can disguise his appearance, and Adrien, who has visions of the future. Both boys introduce Zoe to feelings that are entirely new. Together, this growing band of glitchers must find a way to free themselves from the controlling hands of the Community before they’re caught and deactivated, or worse.

In this action-packed debut, Glitch begins an exciting new young adult trilogy.

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.

I guess its supposed to be entertaining and it is an important part of the plot, but the romance didn't really help me out here. It just made me annoyed. I'm not a fan of romance, so I might be a bit biased about this but this book has around 1/4 of the pages about romance and love and all the other annoying stuff. Don't get me wrong, the love was very important to the story, but I think its correct for me to say: its annoying and obvious. You know, it just doesn't help that there is a love triangle involved too...

The Action/ The Adventure:

1     2    2.9 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 was okay-ish. And I have to say the okay because its not good, its not bad. I have to say the ish because its slightly below the okay. Its just not that entertaining. Reading this book wasn't that bad of an experience, and I did manage the accomplishment of actually reading the entire story, but it is just-plain-obvious.

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.

Its so darn AVERAGE. I finally found the word for this story. Its average. The speed is average, the action/adventure is average, and the romance is average-ish. Its not bad, but its not good enough to be called good. The speed is, guess what, average. Its not slow enough to make me rage quit the book, but its not fast enough to make me reading and make me wonder what will happen next. As I was reading this, I kept looking up occasionally, just because it came to a particularly boring part.

 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 plot is actually pretty good. If not clishe. Its average as well. This is the basic dystopian novel, and reminds me of Match, Divergent, and etc. Its taking bits and pieces from each story and blending them all into this. But the thing is that instead of making it spectacular, its just made it a blur of a story. Plain. Dull. Clishe. This is probably a really good story if you haven't read those books that I listed before. Once you start reading dystopian, they all start to blend together. The perspective is forgetful. Its not good, not bad, but I have to say its more towards the good. The storytelling is fine. Just fine.

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.

ITS MY WORST ENEMY. A CLIFF-HANGER. Now I get a cliffhanger, but in my head, it doesn't really make sense to leave off at a really huge cliff-hanger when the next book comes out in a YEAR. Its wraps things up pretty well, and despite it being annoying along with many other things in the book, I have to say its not bad.

The Summary:

Pros ---

-Speed is pretty good

-Ending wraps things up

-Plot is a lot like other dystopian books, can be good or bad depending if you read dystopian books before

Cons ---

- Once you read other dystopian books, they all tend to blur together, not really making any new ideas

- Its a cliffhanger!!! X(

- Too much romance. I usually ignore the romance, but this bothers me. :/

Final Rank: 

1     2     3     4     5

In My Mailbox (4)

Recap: In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at the Story Siren! It is a way of sharing the new books you got over a week.

Sarah:

 Maximum Ride by James Patterson
 This will be Sarah's review! Expect the review to come up soon!

 Incarnate by Jodi Meadows This will also be Sarah's review!










Nicole:

 Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi This is Nicole's book. The review should be on Umbrella Dreams shortly!

 A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies
 This is another one of Nicole's books. A Beautiful Dark is also a re-read, as
 she has read it awhile ago but forgot most of it. The re-read will hopefully
 help, since Nicole currently plans on reading the newly released sequel.

Second Chance Summer by Morgan MatsonLastly, Nicole has gotten the book Second Chance Summer from the library. There were many praises on Goodreads about this novel, so Nicole plans to read/review it. As of 12/8/12, she has finished it, so expect the review to show up somewhere in the next week!

What books did you get this week? Let us know in comments!