Check out Scott Reads It! for reviews, giveaways, & more! I had been longing to read Sick ever since I saw that it was being marketed as "Breakfast Check out Scott Reads It! for reviews, giveaways, & more! I had been longing to read Sick ever since I saw that it was being marketed as "Breakfast Club meets The Walking Dead". Sick was even one of my "Waiting On Wednesday" picks in July and I was dying to read it. Sick just might be my most disappointing book of 2013 by a long shot.
Don't believe Sick's description at all, the marketing for this book is built on false pretenses. When I read "Breakfast Club meets The Walking Dead", I should have known it was a gimmick because that comparison is too good to be true. Sick is nothing like The Breakfast Club at all and doesn't deserve to be compared to such a classic movie. The only element of Sick that remotely resembles The Breakfast Club is the fact that kids from different cliques and walks of life are stuck in the same room. That's where the similarities to The Breakfast Club start and end. Sick is NOT a coming-of-age story despite the comparison and the characters don't progress morally at all to justify the comparison.
I can definitely understand the comparisons to The Walking Dead and it's a pretty accurate comparison. There is a lot of survival aspects of this story and there are a ton of gory zombie moments in this book. I love gore in books, but Sick felt excessively gore to the point where I didn't feel so well. The zombie aspects of Sick are executed well for the most part. Leveen has created a new type of zombie, these buggers are hunched and have crystalline features. At one point in the story, the zombies were described as sparkling and I couldn't help but be reminded of Twilight. I appreciate Leveen's efforts to create a new type of zombie, but we have enough sparkling paranormal creatures, thank you very much. Zombies don't need to sparkle, it's unnecessary and I'm not ready for zombies to be ruined for me. Vampires were taboo for me for a long period of time and I refuse to let that happen to zombies.
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Sick has some of the least intelligent characters I've read about ever and they frustrated me to no end. In addition to this, some of the characters also enjoy racist jokes. Here are some lovely quotes from this glorious book:
Exhibition A: Let's be offensive and racist! I didn't know being a bigot was in season? "I didn't know a black kid could be pale, but Hollis is."
"Maybe they're bustin' him for somethin'" "Like what?" "Bein' black" "Good point"
"Are you, like one of those high-functioning retards?" he asks. "Because I'll kick your Mexican ass square into next week, ese."
"This is the United States of America," Kat says, pretty calm under the circumstances. "We're not in Rwanda here, you guys. Someone'll show up, we've just got to sit tight."
Exhibition B: Let the idiocy begin! "What the snap crackle fuck you talkin' about?"
"Let's go fuck this monkey"
"Say the world, and we're off like a prom dress."
"It's Chad o'clock, motherfuckers."
"Just out of curiousity, is there a Spanish word for zombie?" Jamie considers this a second before suggesting "Zombrero?"
[image] I wish I could say that these quotes made sense when in context, but that's not the case. This book gives teenagers a bad image and makes all teens look brain-dead. I kid you not, my e-ARC was filled with random quotes that made me want to weep for humanity. None of the characters are likeable at all and the MC never ceased to irritate me with his constant need to judge everyone. If you're questioning whether to read Sick or not, it really depends if you'll be offended by racism, prejudice, and mindlessness.
I wish I could say the plot makes up for the horrendous dialogue and frighteningly unlikable characters. The plot is nothing special at all and is an average zombie story. There is a lot of running around, panicking, planning to escape, and people trying to figure out how the zombies were created. Sick stoops lower and lower as the book goes on and even manages to use a bunch of cliches. The characters even made a Lord Of The Flies joke, how clever! Not to mention that I've seen this story countless times and I just couldn't really immerse myself in this book. Luckily, I read Sick pretty quickly considering how much I hated it. The plot is extremely fast-paced and it always seems like there is something going on. I may not have enjoyed Sick, but I give credit to Leveen for making sure there is never a lull in the plot.
Sick by Tom Leveen is definitely one of the worst books I've read all year. I honestly couldn't handle the excessive racism, offensive humor, and goriness. I'm not sure if I would recommend this one to anyone at all; I'm still not sure who the target audience for this one is because it manages to offend people from many different walks of life. Sick never ceases to be crude at all and I'm still questioning why this book is going to be published. Yikes!...more
Check out Scott Reads It! for giveaways, reviews & more! Parasite is one strange novel that will make your head spin and your heart pound with fear aCheck out Scott Reads It! for giveaways, reviews & more! Parasite is one strange novel that will make your head spin and your heart pound with fear and anticipation. I am at a loss for words to describe just how insane and terrifying this book is. Truthfully, I can't think of a similar title to compare this book to, but I have a feeling that fans of Michael Crichton will love this book. Parasite is a terrifying, real vision of the future of the world and it isn't a pretty sight. This book will give you nightmares, phobias, and will haunt your everyday thoughts, don't say I didn't warn you.
This book starts off a bit slow with tons of character development and background about SymboGen Corporation. I actually enjoyed this part because it helped delve deeper into the world of SymboGen and helped further my understand of who Sally truly is. Grant handles all of Sally's emotions and feelings in a way that helps the reader understand her plight.
I definitely felt for Sally, but I still felt like she acted like an insolent child who had to throw tantrums to get her way. The way Sally develops throughout the novel is truly remarkable; Sally changes from a heroine that I could barely tolerate to a character I could admire. I was so proud of Sally by the end of the novel when she finally put on her "big girl panties" and she finally acted like an adult.
Grant has a talent for making the scientific concepts easy to comprehend for laymen like me. All of the scientific concepts in Parasite are explained in a way that is both realistic and just absolutely frightening. I never felt like anything was too complicated for me to comprehend and I was fascinated by the science of parasitology. I might just have Parasitophobia; thanks to Mira Grant! I have a feeling readers of Parasite are going to need to join my unofficial Parasitophobia support group, those little suckers are terrifying!
Honestly Mira Grant is such an incredible author for crafting a story that is horrifying as it is realistic. I truly never saw that shocking plot twist around the 50% mark and it was just so odd. I felt as if Mira Grant enjoyed playing with her readers' emotions, because this book gave me all the feels. This is one action-packed, science heavy, book that will surprise at you at every twist and turn. I really love how Grant incorporated the media in this book incorporating snippets of fake interviews, and books.
After reading Parasite, I desperately need to read Feed and I can't wait to start it. Parasite was such a shocking read that is filled to the brim with tense action-packed scenes that will keep you turning the pages. This book is definitely one of the best adult books of 2013 by far! Parasite doesn't end on the last page; you'll be thinking about this book long after you finish....more
Check out Scott Reads It! Across A Star-Swept Sea is the companion to For Darkness Shows The Stars and I'm so glad that Peterfreund decided to revis Check out Scott Reads It! Across A Star-Swept Sea is the companion to For Darkness Shows The Stars and I'm so glad that Peterfreund decided to revisit the world of the Reduced. Across A Star-Swept Sea took me a while to read due it's extremely slow-pace and there were several times where I felt like abandoning it. I trudged through Across A Star-Swept Sea for a decent part of the book, but then suddenly I decided to put aside all of my books and focus only on this book. I quickly became addicted to Star-Swept Sea once I focused on it and I think my distaste of this novel originated in the fact that I wasn't really in the mood for this one when I first started it.
Across A Star-Swept Sea trudges a bit in the beginning and readers expecting to read an action-packed adventure will surely be disappointed. This is an extremely thought-provoking novel that discusses gender roles, prejudice and social classes. Peterfreund is clearly trying to make a statement with Across A Star-Swept Sea and Persis's story does come across as extremely powerful. This novel deals with so many classical struggles that are still relevant in today's society, making Across a must-read.
Most of the time whenever I read retellings, I'm usually familiar with the source material that the author is basing it on. I have never read The Scarlet Pimpernel nor I have read Persuasion (For Darkness Shows The Stars is based upon this Jane Austen novel) and yet I find myself in awe of these retellings. It's really a testament to Peterfreund's writing abilites that readers can pick up both of her For Darkness novels and still enjoy them without having any knowledge of the original novels they are based upon. My lack of familiarity with The Scarlet Pimpernel only enhanced my desire to continue reading Across A Star-Swept Sea because I was extremely curious to see what happens next.
I love the whole "gender swap" in Across A Star-Swept Sea because it really worked as an effective means to juxtapose Persis's true personality and the facade that she hides behind in the court. Persis is such an amazing character and it was intriguing to see her internally struggle with the two different identities she possesses. Her romance with Justen was perfectly crafted and I loved the scene with the two of them in the cove. Justen and Persis definitely give Kai and Elliot a run for their money, the romance in this companion suited me much better.
Diana Peterfreund has such a beautiful writing style and I absolutely love the descriptions she included in Across. Whenever Peterfreund described something, I was always mesmerized by the fact that her prose is so immersive and visual. New Pacifica read like such a beautiful, breath-taking location and it was a delight to take a literary vacation there.
Across A Star-Swept Sea is slow-paced, but it makes up for it with a superb plot, thought-provoking themes, vivid imagery, and beautiful prose. I would re-read this again in the future after reading The Scarlet Pimpernel to compare the two and just so I can relive the amazing cameo made by two beloved characters from For Darkness Shows The Stars. ...more
Thank you to Bloomsbury USA for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a honest review.
"Knowledge is dangerous... Once you know something, you can't get rid of it. You have to carry it. Always."
The Bone Season is a strange novel unlike anything I've read recently. The author, Samantha Shannon has already been compared to J.K. Rowling; The Bone Season is the 1st book in a 7-book series. Truthfully, I can definitely see where the comparisons to Rowling are coming from, but The Bone Season resembles Shadow & Bone more, in my opinion. (That's a huge compliment from me because I absolutely love S&B and it is one of my all-time favorite books.) The Bone Season definitely lives up to the hype and I desperately NEED to read the sequel!
I'm not going to do a quick synopsis of the plot like I sometimes do because the plot is way too awesome for me to do it justice. You can definitely tell that Shannon put a ton of effort into the plot because it flows extremely well despite it's voluminous length. I loved how The Bone Season is one of those books where everything comes back eventually. Things that I found insignificant eventually turned into epic plot points and it was just so unexpected. I know this makes so little sense , but describing this book is such a daunting task.
The Bone Season is just complex, there's no way for me to properly explain my feelings in a coherent review (I'm doing my best to make this coherent, but I can't promise you it's going to turn out well). The plot is extremely original and was unlike anything I've read before. Shannon has created so much strange and peculiar mythology that provided so much depth to the novel. This book is just something so odd and yet so special at the same time.
Though The Bone Season started off a bit slow because I was just so confused, the plot quickly became so action-packed and spectacular. It definitely takes a bit of time to get into The Bone Season because it's so unusual and is packed with so much mythology and so many backstories. Once you get into The Bone Season, you will be so immersed in the magical world of the Scion that you may want to cancel everything else you have to do.
The Bone Season is a novel that is rich in well-done mythology and world-building. There's an unusually large surplus of world-building in this novel, so many books I read lack proper world-building. The world building in The Bone Season is so intricate and developed beyond comprehension that it's just mind blowing. I want to uncover all of the secrets the Scion had to offer and to see more of this vivid, dark world. The author answered any questions I had about the endless world of the Scion and there's just so much to explore in the next 6 books.
Paige is a complex, conflicted protagonist that just reminds me so much of Alina from the Grisha Trilogy. Paige is such a feisty character and I absolutely loved her kick-ass, stubborn nature. Paige is an enigma that I feel like is hiding so much and I feel there's more to her than it seems. I feel like Paige has layers of secrets that are just waiting to be unearthed. I also think there's more to Warden than meets-the-eye, he is the charming, yet despicable protagonist of the character. He definitely has the dark, supreme aura that surrounds the Darkling and I just can't describe the whirlwind of emotions I felt regarding Warden.
The Bone Season was a pleasant surprise and I can't recommend it enough! This is a book that I could definitely imagine re-reading and discovering layers that I overlooked in my 1st reading. Samantha Shannon is destined for great things and I know she will WOW me with the next Scion book! I am extremely confident in Shannon and I have a feeling that she won't disappoint me. I'm desperately awaiting the sequel and I can't wait to get my hands on it! Seriously, put everything aside and read The Bone Season, you won't be disappointed! ...more
Despite my best efforts to try to read The Uprising, I truly can't do it. It's tedious, I'm not a fan of the characters, and I really have no interestDespite my best efforts to try to read The Uprising, I truly can't do it. It's tedious, I'm not a fan of the characters, and I really have no interest in seeing what happens next. I expected this to be a stronger book than The Forsaken, but I have been let down.
Note: I have only read part of The Uprising, before abandoning it....more
This book was absolutely fantastic! I finished it in pretty much one sitting and I couldn't bear to tear myself from it. This book was absolutely fantastic! I finished it in pretty much one sitting and I couldn't bear to tear myself from it. ...more
Seen at my blog, Scott Reads It! I have absolutely zero self control when it comes to dystopian books. I just have this urge to read any dystopian bookSeen at my blog, Scott Reads It! I have absolutely zero self control when it comes to dystopian books. I just have this urge to read any dystopian book I can get my hands on and often I end up extremely disappointed. So many authors are trying to capitalize off the success of The Hunger Games and so their books turn out to be very mediocre. The Testing is essentially a wanna-be, it tries so hard to be the next Hunger Games yet it ultimately fails.
The Testing is about a test that will determine whether or not you can go to University. This sounds like an awesome idea but it turns out this extreme standardized test has already been done before and way better (ex: Legend). Next up we have a protagonist who is very one dimensional and suffers from lack of development. I was pretty apathetic and didn't care for Cia at all. Next up we have a love interest whose whole demeanor screamed "Peeta impostor" in my mind. Cia and Tomas's relationship was awfully similar to Katniss and Peeta's romance, there is even a moment that reminded me of the cave scene from The Hunger Games.
The problem with The Testing is that it's pretty tedious and at times it felt like a chore. It's not a good sign when all of your homework is done and you're avoiding the book you're reading. The first half of The Testing (or so) is literally dialogue and Cia taking written exams. The dialogue isn't even witty or entertaining, sometimes the reader wasn't even informed what actually was said. There were so many times in The Testing when instead of saying verbatim what the character said, Charbonneau just tells the reader what they were talking about. The dialogue that was in The Testing was pretty basic and was nothing special at all.
The relationships between the characters were extremely underdeveloped and I didn't care for any of the characters. I don't even remember any of the characters' names (except Cia) because they were so bland and unremarkable. I even had to look up what Cia's love interest was named which is very sad! I remember the characters from books that I read years and years ago, yet I couldn't remember the names of the characters from this book. Nothing stood out to me about these characters because they never really caught my attention.
The romance in this book is extremely awkward and badly done. Cia and Tomas's relationship is built on absolutely nothing and they have zero chemistry at all. The fact that they are from the same area and that they are both taking The Testing, doesn't mean that they have to fall in love with each other. I didn't even understand why Cia and Tomas even liked each other because there was no spark between them. I'm not sure why the author included a romance, my guess is to conform with the generic dystopian mold.
The Testing has some shoddy world-building and I had zero idea how The United Commonwealth was formed. The United Commonwealth was a total mystery to me and I feel like I knew nothing about it at all. To tell you the truth, if there was any world building I'm not sure I would have even cared because I was so bored with this book. I wanted to Charbonneau to make me care about the world she created but she never did.
The Testing isn't absolutely terrible, there a few good things about it. The ending of this book is actually executed surprisingly well and I loved the final action sequences. The author set up the sequel in an extremely interesting way but I don't really have any interest in reading the sequel. (I probably won't read it, but I'm not ruling out the possibility that I will read it). The only thing I didn't like about the ending was the extremely obvious setting up of a love triangle; does every book really need a love triangle? I'm getting sick and tired of all these love triangles because most of them are done so poorly.
I'm pretty confident that The Testing will become a popular book and will sell extremely well. The Testing already has received a starred from Publisher's Weekly and so many bloggers are obsessed with this book. I'm in the minority who didn't enjoy this book; maybe I have read way too many dystopian books. I feel like the dystopian genre can no longer surprise me because so many authors like Charbonneau are just recycling concepts that been done a thousand times over.
Bottom Line: If you're looking to read a great dystopian book, The Testing is not for you....more
Seen at my blog, Scott Reads It I expected The Panem Companion to be a quick, short fun analysis about Panem and The Hunger Games. I had already readSeen at my blog, Scott Reads It I expected The Panem Companion to be a quick, short fun analysis about Panem and The Hunger Games. I had already read The Girl On Fire and I was looking for something Hunger Games related to pass the time. Unfortunately The Panem Companion wasn't exactly a great book to read in my free time and it soon became a chore to read. If it wasn't so short, I would have DNFed faster than you can say Mississippi. There is spoilers for The Hunger Games in this review!
The Panem Companion's goal is to expand on The Hunger Games and provide further insight on it's world. The problem is that The Hunger Games is a pretty straight forward series and doesn't need much explanation. V. Arrow looks way too much into the text and is fishing for something deeper. For most of the book, Arrow was searching for meaning in such simplistic, obvious things that have no deeper meaning. It reminds me of when my English professor would ask us the significance of such arbitrary details. Not everything is a metaphor for something deeper, most things are supposed to be taken literally.
Did Suzanne Collins really write THG to discuss sexuality? I didn't think so yet the author spends pages discussing the importance of sexuality in this series. I think alot of the topics covered in this book are ridiculous and don't really pertain to this series. There is too much extrapolating and inferring on V. Arrow's part.
I don't mind theories as long as they are properly supported using evidence from the text. This book claims that Peeta's father could be Prim's baby daddy, I'm not even kidding! I couldn't make up something that ridiculous and nonsensical on my own. The author's proof was virtually non-existent and whatever proof the author had was pretty meaningless. I know it wasn't intentional but the whole Prim baby daddy gave me a good laugh.
I know everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I disagree with most of what Arrow said. He kept on alluding to the fact that Peeta is feminine, he doesn't say it exactly but he kind of casually indicates it. Sure Peeta isn't a killer but how does that make him feminine? The author also calls Finnick feminine multiple times which was pretty repetitive. V. Arrow is entitled to her own opinion but she needed to back up her ideas better because her evidence was weak and underdeveloped.
Then towards the end is where I felt like tossing my kindle across the room. The author claims that President Snow wasn't evil and that he was a product of his environment! That is such B.S., Snow killed thousands of people and didn't bother him in the slightest bit. The author instead places the blame for Prim's death on Katniss's shoulders for volunteering as a tribute. WTF! That makes no sense at all, that is so invalid!
Overall, The Panem Companion was way too academic and tedious for my taste. It can't help that V. Arrow's arguments are weakly supported, ridiculous, and just pointless. This book is supposed to be serious but it's hard to take such nonsense seriously (*cough cough* Prim's Baby Daddy!). Also this book was extremely repetitive, the author kept on mentioning how Katniss doesn't describe people thoroughly at least 100 times. If you've read The Girl On Fire, I wouldn't really bother with this companion because many of the topics in this book are duplicated. The Girl On Fire is a far better analysis of THG and it was way more entertaining. Thank you to Smart Pop for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review, this did not affect my opinion or rating of this book at all....more
I read this book with the only and only, Kristen from My Friends Are Fiction! You should definitely check out her review and leave a comment.
Reboot is one of the many dystopian books I've read this year. I thought I've read everything the dystopian genre had to offer but once again I'm wrong. Reboot is one of the most original books I've read this year and it completely surprised me. It's no surprise that Fox quickly optioned the film rights to Reboot.
Reboot is a fast-paced, action-packed rollercoaster of a novel. I didn't expect at all for the pages to fly by as fast as they did. If I wasn't reading this as part of a read-along, I probably would have devoured the whole book in a sitting or two. There's something so addictive about Reboot. Amy Tintera's superb prose draws the reader into the terrifying dystopian world of Texas.
I'll admit I don't usually like characters who are supposed to emotionless (clones, robots, etc.) Characters like this usually annoy the heck out of me yet Wren is an exception. Wren is written in such a way that you can't help but instantly form a connection with her. Wren may not be supposed to have emotions, but I couldn't help but empathize with her. Wren is such a kick-ass character that readers will, without a doubt, root for.
The best thing about Reboot in my opinion is the relationships between the characters. I'm not just talking about the relationship between Wren and Callum, I am also talking about Wren and Ever's friendship. I loved Callum and Wren's relationship because it was realistically paced (a.k.a. no insta-love) and it was kind of really sweet (I may be a male teen but I have a weak spot for well-done romances). This is definitely the best romance I've read this year so far!
Callum, thou art so awesome. Callum is one of the best male leads/romantic interests I've read about in YA. Usually I don't understand the hype behind most male leads but I can actually understand why so many reviewers love Callum. Callum's snarky personality added fun and humorous moments into Reboot. I really hope there is no love triangle introduced in book #2 because how could Wren like any other guy besides Callum.
Reboot is a pulse-raising, action-packed wildride. You won't be able to take your eyes off the page even for a split second because it is that intense. I love the concepts behind the Reboots because it was extremely interesting and well-developed. The world building in this book is extremely evident and was well-established.
After some thought, I decided to give Reboot 4.5 stars because it was that superb. I'm so excited to read book #2 and I would like to thank HarperTeen for giving me an ARC in exchange for a honest review. Reboot is one unforgettable book! Fox, what are you waiting for make this book a movie already! ...more
I wasn't the huge fan of Stormdancer--I really enjoyed, but there was just something missing from it. I really wanted to love Stormdancer, but it didn't really live up to my expectations. Kinslayer is a whole another story, I loved every single word and sentence. Kinslayer takes everything I loved about Stormdancer and reciprocates them tenfold in such an intriguing fashion. Few sequels surpass their predecessors and Kinslayer is DEFINITELY one of those sequels!
Kinslayer is filled with non-stop, pulse-raising action scenes that are beyond epic. The plot is constantly moving at an incredibly fast pace and Kristoff never wastes a single second on frivolous details. Never did I get distracted or lose interest in Kinslayer and I was absolutely glued to the pages. Though Kinslayer looks like extremely long and voluminous, it's really a quick, entertaining read. I was completely and utterly addicted to Kinslayer and I'm really upset that I have to wait so long to read book #3.
I love Yuikiko. I love how kick-ass and loyal she is to Burruu and her other friends. Personally I think the best relationship in The Lotus War is Burruu and Yukiko. No offense to Kin, but Burruu will always be my favorite character in this series. The strange, unique bond that Yukiko and Burruu share is unparalleled and they are truly one interesting duo. I really want my own Thunder Tiger and I really love how Kristoff brought these creatures to life. I assure you that I'm not alone in my desire to have a Thunder Tiger, I can assure you that readers everywhere are coveting these creatures after reading Kristoff's books.
Burruu. I really think that Burruu deserves his own Lotus War spin-off because who wouldn't want to read about everyone's favorite arashitora? Every single piece of dialogue that Burruu is absolutely genius, I kid you not. Burruu made me laugh out loud so many times and his character is definitely one of the major highlights of the book. I was not kidding when I said Burruu deserves his own book; we got a taste of what Burruu is like with the other arashitora in this book, I really want to see more of his backstory. Basically I need more of a Burruu fix in book #2 because I can't get enough of him.
Another extremely interesting and well-done tactic in Kinslayer is the alternating 3rd person point-of-views. I loved reading about the dynamics of the Kage and their rebellion again the Shima Imperium. There is one character that really sticks out in my mind when I talk about the Kage and it's Hana. I have no idea if Hana was in book #1 because my memory is failing me right now. Hana progresses so much as a character in Kinslayer and it was incredible seeing her transform into such a bad-ass character.
Kinslayer is a perfect sequel filled with tons of actions and thrilling moments. Even if you were tepid about Stormdancer, I'd definitely recommend reading Kinslayer because it really improves on book #1's faults. I am 100% certain that I need to re-read Stormdancer and Kinslayer as soon as I can get my hands on book #3. I am in awe of Jay Kristoff's incredible writing abilities and I'm still recovering from that spectacular ending... Be prepared to read one of the best steampunk books ever written!...more
I had so much fun discussing this book and comparing our opinions! I look forward to reading more books with these two and I definitely would recommend checking out their reviews.
Prior to reading Gameboard Of The Gods, I had never read a Richelle Mead book. Before you get your pitchforks and turn this into a witch hunt, hear me out! I have heard such great things about Mead's books but I was afraid of being disappointed because of all of the hype surrounding her books. After reading Gameboard, I'll definitely be picking up Vampire Academy soon.
Gameboard Of The Gods is one incredibly hard book to review because it's just so complex. The first half of the book is strictly character development and world building. I'll admit it, the first half of this book wasn't too thrilling. Frankly, I was bored at the half-way point yet I had this urge to continue reading. I'm really glad that I'm didn't quit because the 2nd half was so much better. After finishing Gameboard, I realized that the first half is truly essential to the book; I just wish Mead edited the exposition a bit better.
The characters in Gameboard definitely grew on me, especially Justin. While I was reading the first half of Gameboard, I wasn't too thrilled with most of the characters. In the 2nd half, we learned why the characters act the way they do. It took a decent amount of time but I was eventually able to empathize with our main characters. I have seen characters like Justin plenty of times yet Mead managed to keep his character fresh and interesting.
Mae is the main character of Gameboard and she's one kick-ass heroine. One of my first judgements regarding Mae was that she sounded like a total robot. She was completely devoid of emotion which really bothered me. The thing is that Mead created backstories which perfectly explain the nature of Mae. Mae's attitude was a bit annoying in the beginning of the novel but she quickly grew on me.
The pacing in Gameboard of The Gods is extremely uneven, some parts are extremely fast paced while others are awfully slow-paced. This book takes way too long to reach it's climax and by then many readers will have lost interest. The last 30% of the book truly is worth the wait because it was just so compelling. The ending of this book was just one of those endings that I should have seen coming, yet I didn't. The ending wasn't a cliff-hanger but it was just such a sweet note to end on.
The world-building in this book is definitely one of it's strongest points. Mead clearly defines the world of Gameboard and it's social class system. I loved reading about the castal differences but I think it was a bit too overwhelming at times. Despite the fact that I feel like Mead spent a little too much time on world-building, the world of RUNA was one interesting place. The way Mead integrated mythology into the world-building was extremely ingenious and effective.
Overall, Gameboard Of The Gods is a great start to the Age Of X series. I loved the way Mead combined science and mythology in this book. Though the pacing is a bit of a problem, I definitely still would recommend reading this book. I have a feeling that book #2 will be even better and I'm extremely eager to read it! Gameboard Of The Gods has reassured me that I will definitely be reading Vampire Academy in the near future. Gameboard Of The Gods is truly like nothing I've ever read! Thank you to Dutton for providing me with an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review....more
Sometimes book blurbs reveal way too little to the reader and the reader really has no idea what to expect from the book. Check out Scott Reads It!
Sometimes book blurbs reveal way too little to the reader and the reader really has no idea what to expect from the book. Then there are books like After Eden, where you read the description and you have the entire plot mapped out clearly for the reader. I really feel as if the blurb for After Eden revealed way too much and that it should have been more ambiguous and enigmatic. There's really no fun in reading a book where the reader knows almost every plot element and there is little to be revealed.
After Eden is a quick, light read that I was immediately drawn into because of it's easy, accessible plot. Though it's about time travel, After Eden isn't overly scientific, complicated, and difficult to comprehend. After Eden is fun and fluffy, but I really don't think it's for science fiction aficionados because everything is extremely simplistic and pretty basic. There's truly nothing new in After Eden and it basically follows the basic plot outlines of most YA books.
We have the mysterious bad boy who comes to town and of course rumors circulate in this small town. Everyone wants to know who he is, why is he here, and if he'll go out with them. Obviously, this guy is drop dead handsome and insanely attractive because what YA male character isn't. Since this is a YA book, there are clearly more popular and attractive characters than our protagonist who are all vying for the attention of Ryan.
I really don't understand the significance of the love triangle in After Eden at all, it clearly doesn't work and it feels forced. The only legitimate reason that the love triangle was there was to challenge Eden because the girl who breaks Connor's heart will help usher in the destruction of Earth. Having a love triangle could have been ingenious if it had actually created some tension between Ryan and Eden. It seems like Eden has zero remorse that she could destroy Earth by having a crush on Ryan because the lives of 7 billion people isn't more important than some ridiculous infatuation! I would have expected that Eden to be slightly conflicted that she could cause an apocalypse.
After Eden lacks a bit of believability and I found it hard to put credence in Eden and Ryan's story. One of the clues that leads Eden to come to the conclusion that Ryan is not from modern times is that he has never heard of pizza and Adolf Hitler. What. I found it hard to believe that someone around a 100 or so years in the future will have never heard of Hitler, especially when the aforementioned person is supposed to be some genius. Adolf Hitler killed over 6 million people and yet, in the future, our protagonist knows nothing of the most evil man in history. Consider that in school, I have studied ancient history that's 1000s of years old, I find it hard to believe that Ryan has never heard of Hitler. There were plenty of other clues that made it evident that Ryan wasn't from modern times and so including the whole name dropping of Hitler felt extraneous.
After Eden has one of the most predictable story lines I've read recently and I figured out the plot without even reading the spoilery blurb. I hoped that the ending would be mindblowing or something worth while to interest me in the sequel, but the ending is just as bland as the rest of the book. Despite my ambivalent feelings toward this book, it was refreshing to read something that was light and extremely easy to read. ...more
Check out my blog and my other reviews! Ready Player One has been on my "to-read" list for awhile. Why did I wait so long to read this book? I'm totallCheck out my blog and my other reviews! Ready Player One has been on my "to-read" list for awhile. Why did I wait so long to read this book? I'm totally convinced that Ernest Cline wrote Ready Player One for me specifically because it had everything I love in a book. Basically Ready Player One was the perfect book for me.
You can't call yourself nerdy unless you've read Ready Player One because this book is a nerd's heaven. I loved all of the video game, and 80's movie references that Cline included in this book. Even though I wasn't alive during the 80's, I still really appreciated the pop culture references included in this book. This book brought back so many fond memories from my childhood.
Cline created such a vivid and spectacular world that I could easily picture. Though this book was sci-fi, I feel like the events in this book could happen. The world has made so many advances, it would surprise me if something like OASIS was invented. I would love to use the OASIS in moderation, I fear that I would become addicted to the OASIS. It probably would be better if OASIS was never invented because people would lose sense of reality.
Ready Player One is an extremely entertaining and fun book. I know that this book has been optioned to become a movie and that is terrific news. Warner Brothers better not mess this movie up, seriously this movie needs to be true to the book. It's definitely going to be hard to squeeze all of the plot elements into a movie but I have faith that the movie will turn out spectacular.
Ready Player One is by far one of the best dystopian books I've ever. This book was unlike anything I've ever read before. I can't wait to read Armada, the movie rights have been already sold to Universal Pictures. I can't recommend Ready Player One enough!...more
I really enjoyed Quarantine: The Loners, it had a perfect blend of gore and action that I seemed to devour. Quarantine: The Saints delivers a sequel that most readers will consider worthy, but I can't help but feel underwhelmed. I'm not sure if it's because I have read so many dystopian titles since I first read Quarantine or if I was tired of reading a rehash of The Loners with a few new elements. The Saints is everything I would expect from Lex Thomas, but this time around, I didn't have such an enjoyable reading experience.
Part of my irritation with The Saints stemmed from the fact that I really expected the kids to have left the school by now. I really thought that I would learn more about the world in chaos that caused the kids to be quarantined in McKinley. The reader is given a few tidbits of information from the new visitors, but nothing impressive is ever expressed to the reader.
The Saints relies on the same exact formula as The Loners and it doesn't feel so fresh anymore. How many food scavenging and drama could I handle as a reader? The answer is not too much because I quickly became irritated with the same-old McKinley nonsense. It was interesting to read about a couple of times, but to be bombarded with the same plot elements over and again. No thanks! Not to mention the fact that this book is mostly concerned with Will and Lucy didn't help at all. I missed reading about David and his lack of presence really hurt this novel.
The ending of this book was so obvious and I just knew it was going to end like that. Some people may consider it a cliffhanger, but I have never seen through a plot so easily. A cliffhanger should surprise the reader and make them want to read them more, not irritate them endlessly. Part of the reason why I kept reading was to see how it ended and the fact that the ending was such a poor conclusion didn't bode well at all.
The Loners isn't a terrible sequel at all, but I expected Thomas to switch it up a bit. I wanted something new and refreshing, instead of all of this filler shenanigans. I believe if I had read this around the time that I had read The Loners, I would have enjoyed this far more. I will be reading book #3 in hopes that isn't as uneven as The Saints was. I can only hope that book #3 is a step up and isn't a total dud....more
Check out my blog! After reading tons of positive reviews for The Rules, I decided I should pick it up. It definitely surprised me because it was noCheck out my blog! After reading tons of positive reviews for The Rules, I decided I should pick it up. It definitely surprised me because it was nothing like I expected. I expected a sci-fi government conspiracy novel (à la Mila 2.0) but instead I read a sci-fi book about high school drama. Even though The Rules wasn't what I expected, I really enjoyed reading it!
The Rules is told from the point-of-views of both Zane and Ariane. The alternating point-of-view is a very effective plot device in this book. I really liked reading from Zane's point of view and I loved watching Zane evolve as a character. Zane is truly a very different person by the end of The Rules.
This is a book that is extremely focused on character development. The reader definitely establishes emotional attachments with all of the characters especially Zane. I praise Stacey Kade for making Zane's relationship with his father an extremely realistic portrayal of parent-child relationship. Kade isn't afraid of tackling a controversial topic and she does a stellar job of exploring this topic.
All of the characters in The Rules are accurate interpretations of high school students. I feel like I could find each of the characters in The Rules in my high school even Ariane (There are no aliens in my high school or so I think) . There have been numerous occasions where the teenagers don't act like teenagers at all, so I give Kade kudos for making her teenagers extremely realistic.
The Rules was an extremely entertaining and fun book to read. The plot moved at a fast-pace and was pretty original. My favorite scenes in this book were definitely Ariane's flashbacks. The plot twist at the end of The Rules was fantastically done and it completely caught me off-guard.
The Rules has a huge focus on the romance between Ariane and Zane. I was extremely glad that Ariane and Zane didn't fall in love immediately. I absolutely loathe insta-love because it's so cliche. The romance between Ariane and Zane slowly develops at a realistic pace as opposed to the instant love that's common in YA novels. In case you were wondering there is not a love triangle in this book and the romance isn't cheesy at all! I actually really enjoyed the romance in this book and it was perfectly done.
If you're looking for a fun, fast-paced sci-fi book I'd definitely recommend reading The Rules. I can't wait to read the next book and I hope I enjoy it as much I enjoyed The Rules. Thanks to Disney-Hyperion for providing me with an ARC of The Rules in exchange for a honest review! ...more
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