Wednesday 30 May 2012

May wrap up



 Not a bad month, was hoping to add Wither to this list but ive been sick and not really in a reading mood. Hopefully ill squeeze a few more in next month.

I didnt do a review on Love is the higher law because not only did i really not enjoy it but i really had nothing to say about it so it would have been an extremely boring post.

:)


Monday 21 May 2012

Its kind of a funny story- Ned Vizzini


Publisher: Hyperion
Published: 2006
444 pages
Goodreads page
Goodreads synopsis:
Like many ambitious New York City teenagers, Craig Gilner sees entry into Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School as the ticket to his future. Determined to succeed at life -- getting into the right high school to get into the right college to get the right job -- Craig studies night and day to ace the entrance exam, and does. That's when things start to get crazy.
At his new school, Craig realizes that he's just average, and maybe not even that. He soon sees his once-perfect future crumbling away. The stress becomes unbearable and Craig stops eating and sleeping -- until, one night, he nearly kills himself.
Craig's suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his new neighbors include a transsexual sex addict, a girl who has scarred her own face with scissors, and the self-elected President Armelio. There, isolated from the crushing pressures of school and friends, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety.
Ned Vizzini, who himself spent time in a psychiatric hospital, has created a moving tale about depression, that's definitely a funny story.


Now im not really sure how to review this book because i don't really know what my opinion is. It wasnt bad..but it also wasn't that good, it was kind of just meh.
You get a good view on what things are like in a mental hospital and into the brain of a person with depression. The characters were interesting.
I didn't really feel any emotion while reading this and i found myself easily distracted from it so it took a while to get through, it wasn't really a book i could sit there and continuously read.
The ending was somewhat bland and i just found myself not really that interested in it.
I would probably say its worth a look at and there's definitely people who would enjoy this but it just wasn't really my thing

***
Three stars


Wednesday 16 May 2012

Heist Society- Ally Carter (Heist society #1)



Publisher: Hyperion Books
Published: Feb 9th, 2010
287 pages
Goodreads page

Goodreads Synopsis:
When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre…to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria…to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own—scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving “the life” for a normal life proves harder than she’d expected.

Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring Kat back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has a good reason: a powerful mobster has been robbed of his priceless art collection and wants to retrieve it. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat's father isn't just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.

For Kat, there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it's a spectacularly impossible job? She's got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family's history--and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way



When i first started reading this book i initially thought i wasn't going to enjoy it. It was a little slow to start but i ended up quite liking it.
There isn't a lot of character development and they don't really delve too much into the characters history, but as just a basic mystery type book it had all the essentials. The main characters overall don't seem to have a whole lot of personality but i actually found that it didn't bother me very much.
This genre typically doesn't interest me but it is very well written and flows really well. i surprisingly found myself unable to put it down.
I will eventually get around to reading the next book and hopefully we can learn more about Kat and her personality.
Overall a decent read.

***
Three stars






Saturday 12 May 2012

Pandemonium - Lauren Oliver


Publisher: Harper Teen
Published: Feb 28 , 2012
375 pages
Goodreads page
Goodreads Synopsis:
I'm pushing aside the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame
.





Well there's not a lot i can say about this book without giving away things from the first but i will start of with wow!
Lauren Oliver has taken us on another ride and what a ride it was, so many twists and turns and another cliffhanger.
We see Lena grow stronger and learn more about what is going on in this corrupt society, and we meet new characters who your both rooting for and unsure of. As well as the characters from book one.
You feel sadness, frustration, anger, and happiness throughout this book and the ending will leave you gobsmacked.
I know there has been a lot of mixed reviews on this series but i am definitely all for it.

*****
Five stars





Friday 11 May 2012

Books i read in April

Style-Lauren Conrad

Beauty Queens- Libba Bray

The Maze Runner- James Dashner

Paper towns- John  Green

The Scorch Trials- James  Dashner

Thursday 10 May 2012

The Scorch Trials (maze runner#2)- James Dashner


Publisher: Delacorte Press
Published: Oct 12,2010
360 pages
Goodreads page
Goodreads Synopsis:
Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.

In the Maze, life was easy. They had food, and shelter, and safety . . . until Teresa triggered the end. In the world outside the Maze, however, the end was triggered long ago.

Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, the earth is a wasteland. Government has disintegrated—and with it, order—and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim . . . and meal.

The Gladers are far from finished with running. Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.

Thomas can only wonder—does he hold the secret of freedom somewhere in his mind? Or will he forever be at the mercy of WICKED?







Picking up where the maze runner left off, i was really unsure of where he would take the story and what trials and suffering the characters would go through this time.
It was taken to a new level and i felt bad for the characters and actually wished i could reach in and save them all.
The characters are so strong and i admire them for how well they faced their tasks.
I always feel drawn into this world and find myself imagining if it were real.
There were a couple of slow parts but the rest of the book did make up for it. It wasnt as gripping as the maze runner but still a thrilling read.
I really want to knoe more about WICKED. I want to know are they good or bad!?
Hoping the Death Cure answers all my questions

****
four stars

The Maze Runner (maze runner#1)- James Dashner


Publisher: Delacorte Press
Published: Oct 6, 2009
384 pages
Goodreads page

Goodreads Synopsis:
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. 

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind



From the very start this book has you asking questions. Its so captivating i could not put it down. 
You just need to know, how and why and what and even when you get to the very end your still asking questions.
The world that has been created seems so real i felt everything Thomas and the other characters felt.
It really made me think and wonder how on earth i would be in that situation, and i tell you i would not be as calm and collected as those boys.
To see how they work together to make a life for themselves and move through their struggles was really amazing.
James Dashners writing style is flawless. The way he describes the maze and the creatures within it is perfect and the images is created in my head were scary and funny at the same time. I really enjoyed every second of this book.
My absolute favorite dystopian that ive read so far.

*****
Five stars




Delirium (Delirium #1)- Lauren Oliver



Publisher: Harperteen
Published: Feb 1, 2010
448 pages
Goodreads page

Goodreads Synopsis:
'Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love'




To start off meeting Lena you get the impression she is a bit bland. Shes excited to have the cure and she just blends in with the crowd. But after she meets Alex she really grows into a strong independent person and Alex helps her to find what she truly believes.
I enjoy watching her grow and fall in love it was really quite beautiful but not to the point where you get cheesy.
The other main characters Alex, who unfortunately you dont get to see too deeply into his personality but who still seems super cute just the same. Then theres hana who is super cool and rebellious, and i really just wanted her to be MY best friend.
The story line keeps you reading and i loved the way it was a different concept- love a disease.
I do however have to make mention of the ending, oh my god the ending! I had known something was going to happen because id seen a lot of people mention theres a big finish but oh, it kind of caught me off guard.
Overall i really enjoyed this book and im excited to see what Pandemonium has to offer.

****
four stars