Ashfall

By Mike Mullin

466 Pages

Published by Tanglewood Press

★★★★★

By Em

 

So, this is one of those books where when you first look at it, it sounds like a lot of fiction with a little bit of fact. But, this book is actually crazy realistic. Mike Mullin has spun a great story backed up by tons of scientific stuff. There are at least five, maybe six, pages at the end of the book where Mike talks about all of the facts he has to back up what he has happen to our hero and to the rest of the world. And as I read that end section, it got me thinking even more about that lovely little volcano under Yellowstone.

So, to clarify a bit. Yellowstone National Park gets its lovely geysers and boiling hot springs thanks to a gigantic super volcano underneath it. It's so large that you can only see the caldera from a plane or satellite photos. And in the beginning of this book, right after Alex Haprin's parents and younger sister leave for Illinois, this super volcano erupts. Soon, the world Alex knew is shrouded by darkness, blanketed in ash, and ridden with violence. Alex quickly begins a long and dangerous trip to find his family in Illinois. But even from Iowa, that is a long dangerous journey with many perils. Alex meets many people along the way, finding both friends and enemies, and he soon realizes it is going to be along journey to his family.

Now, the library at my school has recently had a spotlight on a bunch of Survival Guide books. Now, one we have enjoyed reading as a group is The Complete Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook. So far I have learned how to survive falling through the floor, how to properly avoid being attacked by a bear, and how to tell if my boyfriend is secretly an ax-murderer. But, that book has nothing about possible super volcano eruptions. That get's me nervous. What if a super volcano were to actually erupt? I think I might hang on to this book, just in case. There is tons of information in this book that could help if Yellowstone actually does erupt. The characters go through many different problems, and there are some good solutions that anyone might want to know. Like, how to build a greenhouse, how to make a cornpone grinder with a bike (though it may be difficult), and how to properly skin animals for their meat. Anyone else seeing the appeal in holding on to this?

MAY BE SPOLIERS!
Now, as I really do doubt Yellowstone is going to erupt anytime soon, I think I should get along with the actually story. I thought this book was great. It was completely realistic, and made you think. I mean, you wouldn't think that a two hour drive would take someone a couple months to complete on skis. Well, when you throw in ash, snow, murderers, wild pigs, and an evil FEMA camp, I guess it may take up some of your time. But I think the realism of all of these problems made the story rich and dangerous. 

I thought that Darla was, excuse the pun, a darling character! I loved her quirk and smarts when it comes to just about anything. She know mechanics and farming, and is able to solve nearly any problems if she really thinks about it. When Alex first sees her, he thinks she's an angel. Though a strange one, since apperantly angels aren't supposed to being wearing overalls. But then again, when her first see's her, he probably isn't quite right in his head. But I think they have a cute relationship and they become great traveling companions. 

I already have the sequal to this book on hold. I can't wait to find out what sorts of new problems they are going to run into in this apocalyptic world. I think this book was great, though maybe creepy and disturbing as well, and would definitely recommend it to people with strong stomachs. Now, I have a promise, from both me and Melanie. (Or at least, I promise.) With break only a week away, we will try to post more reviews. School has been a madhouse recently, what with tests, orchestra concerts, and reading Spider-Girl comics (yeah, you heard me right). But once break starts up, we'll have a lot more time, and promise to keep on posting reviews! 'Till then, have a nice pre-break week!

The Summoning

By Kelley (Oops, almost posted Jelley...) Armstrong

490 Pages

Published by HarperCollins

★★

By Em

So, I had the pleasure of reading this book for our school book club. For some reason, some of the people were just dying to read it, or reread it, or rereread it. And I can't help but ask, "WHY!?!?!?!" What do you people see in this book? Please, tell me. Maybe I missed something. But as far as I can comprehend, this book was terrible. I get it, yes. It is the beloved teenage paranormal genre, but just because you throw in a teenage girl, some teenage boys, a couple ghost, and a zombie here and there, that doesn't make it a good book. Now, by my little description there, some people might go, "Aww yeah! Zombies and ghosts! What doesn't she see in this book?" I would have reacted that way too. But listen to my tale and you shall quickly see the flaws in this sad little book.

The Summoning is about this girl named Chloe. When she was little, she saw ghosts in her basement. And I'm not talking bed sheet ghosts either. No, this little girl is seeing people who hanged themselves dangling behind the furnace. When I first read this, I thought this book could end up rather interesting. But then I started chapter two. Chloe lives with her rich father (or rather her rich father's maid) and goes to a fancy art school. And she's still seeing ghosts. Before she knows it she's placed in a home for "troubled" teens. But like her, these other teenagers aren't all that they seem.

MAY BE SPOILERS
So, problem numero uno with this book is that the pace is all askew. One minute were rushing through things so fast I feel like I'm reading a book hopped up on caffeine. And then the book hits that rut when all the coffee has run out of it's system. It would drag and drag and drag. The book either kept me frantically rereading to try and understand what is going on or going in slow motion.

Problem two; the main character is an idiot! I mean, I always thought it was a bit of a stereotype when privileged kids are portrayed as being rather stupid, but this privileged girl is D-U-M-B! Let me elaborate. One of the worst scenes in the entire book is the one where Chloe is sitting in pitch dark, locked in a cellar, and there is a possibility that zombies are closing in on her. And, she spends half of a page talking about how she doesn't know how to light a match. Are you kidding me?! You don't know how to light a match? I mean, the zombies are getting closer and you sit there going, "Now, how do I light these magical little matches?" I almost wish the zombies had gotten to her. Let's not forget her other reoccurring stupid move. We see Chloe as a rather quiet and shy gal. But, the one guy she decided to smart off to a lot happens to be the really giant guy who is in their troubled home for breaking a guy's back! Are you seriously telling me that he's the guy you're giving attitude to? Smart choice my friend...

One of my other problems was (SPOILER FOR THE END) that they tell us that while there are necromancers and sorcerers and all of that fun stuff, there were no vampires and werewolves. I started to think, "Oh yeah, at least this sad little book isn't going to take influence from a lot of other cliché teen paranormal novels." But oh no. In the end, we get the lovely little surprise that, yes, there are werewolves. It just can't be paranormal without grabbing characters right out of Twilight can it? That just makes me really sad.

So, now that I'm done with my little displeased rant, I can say with the utmost confidence that I shall not be continuing this series that is apparently "fabulous". There was little to no appeal in this for me, and the author just kept making things worse. She would through us through these "loops" where we'd go, "That was stupid," or, "Or that was a completely random twist that was unplanned and not well executed." I mean no disrespect to Kelley Armstrong or any crazy devoted fans, but that was just not good. I'm really hoping we get some better book club books in the future.

Hunger

By Michael Grant

Pages: 590

Published by Harper Teen

★★★★

By Mel

 After reading Gone I was skeptical about reading its sequel Hunger. I enjoyed reading Gone but I had feared that like many series the books would become worse. Luckily, that was not the case. In fact, I think Hunger was better than Gone. I felt more captivated by it and I by the end I had trouble putting the book down.

 

 WARNING: Spoiler Alert for Gone up ahead

To recap, in the first book, Gone everyone fifteen and older disappeared. Just like that, gone. Then, with only kids left, they all raided the stores for candy and chips. Eventually a leader had to step up and tell the kids what to do. At first, the hero Sam declined to becoming "mayor" so bullies took over. Then, the troubled kids from Coates Academy came and their leader, Caine gave his speech and took over Perdido Beach. Sam, who turned out to be Caine's long-lost twin brother, disagreed with what Caine was doing and was the only one who was powerful enough to stop him. The book ended with a huge battle between the brothers and Sam coming out on top. Also, Sam and Caine turned fifteen and time slowed down. They figured out how to stay in the FAYZ (Fallout Ally Youth Zone). All they had to do was say no to leaving which is easier said then done. 

 

Now, in Hunger, it is three months later and food has run out. After all the kids raided the stores for junk food, all the fresh produce has rotted, and the kids are surviving on dog food and hot dog relish. Everyone is starving and some are even thinking about cannibalism. Poor Sam is the new leader and he is becoming stressed out under all this pressure. Children are dieing and the rest are starving. Everyone is blaming Sam and asking him why he isn't doing anything to stop it. Meanwhile, they all sit back and watch DVDs and refuse to work. I love how realistic that is. It's hard to reason with six and seven year-old children. They don't want to work. That was their parents job. They can't understand the seriousness of their situation, at least not as well as Sam, Edilio, Albert, Astrid, or any of the older kids do.

 

Also, Caine is back. But this time there's something different about him. A new monster, the Darkness or Gaiaphage is corrupting multiple kids such as Lana, Caine, and Drake (although I don't think Drake's craziness came from the Darkness). This battle seems to involve more then just the Perdido Beach kids vs the Coates Acadamy kids. Something else is there too.

 

This is definitely a great book and now I'm excited to read the next book, Lies! It was super good and very interesting. It almost reminds me of the colonial times in America when the colonists were trying to make a new and improved government. That's what is happening in the FAYZ. They are trying to make a good government with rules and restrictions. But the only difference is that kids are the leaders and children are the only citizens. This obviously poses my complications.

 

Gone

By Michael Grant

Pages: 558

Published by Harper Teen

★★★★

By Mel

 

  First of all, I must apologize. School came in a whirl-wind of homework and all sorts of after-school activities. I barely find time to read anymore (a sad fact I am desperately trying to change) and thus I find it hard to write reviews for the books I do complete. So, I am sorry to admit that I am in fact not reviewing the many books I read in August, September, and October. There are just too many to find the time to review and some of them I have forgotten too much about to write a review for them. But (with much nagging from Emma) I am finally sitting at my computer and writing a review for the last book I read, Gone.

 

This book was recommended to me by Emma. You may have even read her earlier review of this story. I have not found Gone as exciting as Emma had. Don't get me wrong, I do still love this book. But, after reading Emma's review of it and then reading it myself I have to say that it was not at all what I expected.

In Gone, one seemingly random day everyone from fifteen and older just disappear in Perdido Beach, they 'poof' as Quinn says. At first all the children are confused. What happened to their teachers? But they quickly recover and run away from the school and raid the stores and gas stations for candy with no adults to stop them. Then, by night time they start to miss their mommies and daddies. They all become scared and don't know what to do. Everyone looks up to fourteen-year old Sam Temple for help and answers. A few years ago he earned the nick-name School-Bus Sam after saving a school-bus of children from a fatal plunge into the ocean off a cliff. Now with his hero status he could easily become mayor. When Sam declines, not wanting to be a leader, bullies take his place. In a world with no adults, bullies rule.

 Soon, even worse bullies from Coates Academy (the school for troubled kids) take over Perdido Beach. Caine is the new mayor with is superior powers and great speech. Not only are all the adults gone, but children are also developing special powers. Some can run at super speed, move objects with their minds, or shoot light beams from their hands. It's a crazy world of endless terror for these children and who's going to save them from a terrible leader? Where did the adults go? And what happens when you turn fifteen? The kids call it the FAYZ (Fallout Alley Youth Zone) but no one actually knows what this new world is and why it happened.

While I loved the book and its story line, it was a bit slow for me. It seemed to drag on. But, it is still a great book to read that I encourage others to give it a try. I am currently reading the second book, Hunger.

Between Shades of Gray

By Ruta Sepetys 

Pages: 338

Published by Philomel Books

★★★★★

By Mel

 

Just to get this straight, this book is not Fifty Shades of Gray. When I told my mom that I wanted to read Between Shades of Gray she freaked out and said that it was too inappropriate, thinking that I was referring to Fifty Shades of Gray. So I just had to make sure you understand that there is a HUGE difference between the two.

 

 This book was really good. I loved how it was written and the ending was satisfying. My friend/ cousin Sami suggested it to me about a year ago. It's very interesting. It's about a family from Lithuania in 1941. The Soviet police came in and arrested fifteen-year-old Lina and her ten-year-old brother Jonas, and their mom and dad. They are deported to Siberia in harsh conditions with a bunch of other prisoners. It's really sad.

 

 Between Shades of Grey takes you along with Lina and her family through the horrors that these prisoners faced. Its the story you rarely hear about. These people were not Jewish and weren't freed until after the Jews. Yet, their story is just as terrifying. I definitely encourage everyone to read this. I personally have an interest in WWII but I don't think you need to have that interest to enjoy this book.

Spell Bound

By Rachel Hawkins

327 Pages

Published by Hyperion Book CH

★★★

By Em 

 

I'm actually kind of sad to say that this book wasn't the ending I was hoping for for this series. All in all, it was pretty darn predictable. There were some nice surprises, sure, but it was a rather unexciting read and the ending in no way thrilled me. Which I am honestly quite sad about, because I was in love with the first two in the series. This one just felt dry and bland to me. 

Sophie had just gotten used to being a demon, when her powers were snatched out from under her by the Prodigium Council. Now she's powerless, and stuck with the Brannicks, a family of kick-butt women who hate Prodigium. But the Brannicks aren't the ones Sophie needs to be worried about. In truth, they know that an epic war is on its way, and their ready to fight along side her. They think she is the only one powerful enough to stop the end of the world. What does Sophie think? Definitely not that. 

So, like I said, this wasn't as good as I was hoping it would have been. But there were some elements that I liked. For one, that Brannicks. I will be the first to rave about an women who knows how to kick some serious butt. This family is so the one for me. With Aislinn, Izzy, and, my personal favorite, Finley, you have a bunch of tough chicas who are ready to take down and werewolf, vampire, or demon that stands in their way. (Which is why Sophie isn't really planning on doing that!) They live in a little compound in Tennessee, complete with barb wire and a magic mirror (with a little twist!). The addition of them was about the one real thing I solidly liked about this book.

 Beyond the occasional twist or turn in this book, I was able to predict most things that happened in this one. I'm not going to say what, for fear of ruining possible surprises for those who have yet to start this book, but some of it was, dare I say it, cliche. I really hate to use that word, but there were relationship problems and certain sections that I would not have expected from this author. I was expecting to be totally blown away by the ending of this, but my overall reaction as I closed the book was, 'Meh... Mom! Drive me to the library! I need something to read!' There wasn't much pause for me to think about what was so unbelievably great about it.

I also thought that the humor I so loved in the earlier two books wasn't very humorous at all. (The more I'm writing the more I'm contemplating my choice of three stars...) Reading other reviews, some people raved about how great the humor was, but I didn't see it at all. I thought the jokes were far and few, and when we did get one, it wasn't funny. It wasn't even corny-funny, which I will laugh at anyways. The whole humor section just passed by me. (I think there may have been one about a nun that I did like thought.)

Another thing I got form this was there were a few plot problems. The final battle. A little to easy? Yeah, I think so. I feel like a huge section of it was just lost, where Ms. Hawkins could have done a lot to make the book  more interesting. And, (Spoiler) whatever happened to the demon glass? They went and got it and then what? They in no case ever mention what they did with it, if they did anything with it at all. 

So, overall, I am sad. I think the author kind of ruined her really good series with a really crappy ending. I could have thought up something better than that! (Well, I know I could....but...I don't feel like it right now...) I just think that Ms. Hawkins should have spent a little more time on the story and really thought it through. Instead, I think she's more worried about this new possible spin-off novel she's going to work on. Save the spin-offs until you have a good ending honey! Please.

Fear

By Michael Grant

509 Pages

Published by Katherine Tegen Books

★★★★

By Em 

 

So, I have finally caught up with this series. And this final book, though strange, was really great. There were surprises and shocks, and one crazy twist at the end. Like always, going into this book, I'm going into this book thinking, 'Thing's can't possibly get any worse for these kids.' And once again, I was totally wrong. From one problem to the next, these kids face it all.

MAY BE SPOILERS FROM PLAGUE
Darkness has begun to take over. The dome is slowly being infected by black, and soon the kids will be plunged into utter darkness. Sam is leading a group of kids at Lake Tramonto, while King Caine now leads the others back at Perdido Beach. Drake and Brittney are given the challenge by the giaphage to get Diana's unborn child. Outside the dome, Connie Temple is learning that the military had been testing the strength of the wall, and that it is getting weaker. 

I enjoyed this book a very good amount. I'm not sure if I liked it more or less than Plague, but I know that I really did enjoy it. I liked the new setting of Lake Tramonto. A lot of the people get to live in boats on the lake, including Sam and the other leaders of the new settlement. (They call it The White Boat House!) With the help of Edilio, Sam has managed to deal with all of the problems they used to have at Perdido Beach; they have water and a garden for food, a place to "do their business" without contaminating their water, even a day where they get to reenact old Spongebob episodes. Life there is good for the kids.

Now, on the other hand, I laugh at the kids who decided to stay with "King" Caine. After everything that Caine has already done to them, why in the world would they think his leadership to be good? Children get thrown in jail and some get tortured by Penny, the crazy girl who can put images of whatever scares someone right into their mind.After learning that, I'd be buying a one way ticket to Lake Tramonto. I mean, seriously? Sure, the guy helped you out a little fighting the giant bugs, but so did Briana. She probably did a lot more actually. So why would you stay with a guy who wants to name himself King of the FAYZ and do all of these horrible things to people for crimes? Sorry, but I'm just a little confused.

I think there are some really awkward scenes in this one. A lot of it revolving around Diana. I feel for Sam when he has some discussions with her and all. It's like, I'm a girl and I get what's going on with her, but we don't necessarily need to here these things. Just saying. 

Edilio does not get a very big role in this book, which made me sad, because he's my favorite character. Though, he did get to give Sam and Dekka a serious tongue lashing at one point, which I enjoyed, because we got even  more depth in his character. Most of what we saw of him was him chilling out on the White Boat House or floating out in the lake on the White Boat House. He spent a lot of time there. 

The ending was really shocking in my opinion. It was a little bit of a twist in my opinion. I'm really curious to see how this ends in the final book, Light, which comes out in April. Emma's intrigued. There are so many questions to answer, and stories to wrap up. I can't wait to see ho Mr. Grant finishes it up.

Plague

By Michael Grant

497 Pages

Published by Katherine Tegen Books

★★★★

By Em

 

For some odd reason, this is one of my favorite books in the series after the first one. Now, I know what some people might be thinking. 'Her favorite one is about the seriously disgusting disease that kills tons and tons of people?' Well, yes, yes it is. It highlighted my favorite characters through out the whole story and I think that the overall plot was intriguing.I really liked this one.

Things have finally reached a calm in the FAYZ. There are no battles, no struggles for power, nothing. There is food and water, for now, and everything is peaceful. But, they still have enemies. The Darkness has found its way into Petey's mind, as is controlling him through delusions and confusion. A seriously fatal, and dangerously contagious, disease is spreading throughout Perdido Beach. Insects that eat one from the inside out are terrorizing the children. Peoples' doubts of escaping the FAYZ are growing, and even the smallest of details are becoming hard to take care of. Water is growing scarce and Sam is responsible to find a new source. As if they all didn't have enough problems.

MAY BE SPOILERS FROM PLAGUE AND EARLIER BOOKS
Like I mentioned earlier, my favorite characters get some nice key parts in this book. Edilio has taken up the role that both Sam and Astrid have held, and quit. He's the new head honcho around Perdido beach. He's busy dealing with the water shortage and the new parasites and the deadly disease. What doesn't help, though, is that he hasn't been feeling very well himself. Dekka also gets a big role in this book. She, along with Sam and the awesome Computer Jack, were given the challenge of finding a new water source by Albert, the one with all of the real power in the FAYZ. They are traveling across the entire bubble to a massive lake which just might be the new water source they need. Except, Dekka and the others are facing a lot of big problems as well.

We also get a lot of insight on Caine in this book. It doesn't take long for us to realize that Caine needs to feel powerful. He can not just take the nice life has has on his island with Diana, and the disabled Penny, and be happy. Instead he has to worry about what is happening at Perdido Beach. He can't accept not being the one with power there. So, if someone were to come asking for help...

I think that the insect parasite things are really awesomely disgusting. They entered the body through slime that comes from the flying snakes that they call greenies. They start growing inside of your body and eventually eat their way through your skin. Yeah, gross right. And once they eat their way out of you, they grow bigger and bigger and bigger. And if having giant parasitic bugs that have a taste for human children wasn't enough, they have found a way to become immune to Sam's blasts of light. Problematic!

The disease is almost more terrifying. It's a form of the flu that is very contagious. It starts with a very strong cough, and the cough gets worse and worse. Suddenly people are coughing so hard their shaking houses and blowing themselves backwards the coughing was so strong. And then they end of breaking their back when it arches when they cough...  It's just crazy!

I thought this book was great. There was loads of drama and suspense that Mr. Grant always features in these books.. There was an interesting story that keeps you on your toes and worrying about your favorite characters. (I had my moments of panic attacks!) There are surprises that will leave you amazed and dieing for the next book, just as I was.  This was one of my favs in this series, and if you have a strong stomach, I think anyone can enjoy it.

The Last Thing I Remember

By Andrew Klavan

346 Pages

Published by Thomas Nelson Publishers

★★★

By Em 

 

So, this book started as a book to just kind of fill space. I was waiting for the next book in the Gone series, and this book had caught my eye when I was browsing the book stores. So I thought, 'Meh, why not?' I started it, and well, it kept my interest, so I stuck with it. It wasn't really all that bad.  

Charlie wakes up, strapped to a chair, in more or less a torture room, and all he remembers is going to bed last night, dreaming of the girl whose number is written on his hand. Now he must wonder just how long ago that was-and how in the word he is going to get out.

Now, yes, I get it. That's an insanely short and vague description of the book. But, in all honesty, that's about all the actual book cover gave me. And I was willing to give it a chance, wasn't I? In truth, the book was very interesting, and yes, those 346 pages had more than Charlie sitting there and pondering, "Now how am I going to get out of this one?" We get his life before hand fleshed out a whole lot, which is great because its not all just, "Hey there! I just woke up in this torture room and now I'm going to break out in crazy kung fu and beat up everyone and be this awesome hero guy." No, we get a real guy, in a really scary situation. Points for a bit of realism in there!

So, beyond that, the book isn't all that believable. I'm not going to lists things like I usually would, because this book is supposed to be a bit of a surprise (hence the rather vague book description) and I don't want to spoil any of it. But, there are some things that I can see being very real, and then there's that part where I'm just like, okay, yeah, right...

I did like how Charlie starts to think about the stuff that happened to him on the day leading up to the waking up in a torture room event. We get these kind of flash back chapters that explain his day, what happened and so on. And the author placed them at points where they seemed they would be relevant, which I liked. They tended to have something to do with what was happening, or tell us something we would need to know for something coming up soon. 

So, that's about all I'm going to leave you with. Like I said, I don't want to reveal to much, because this book is supposed to be one ol' big surprise! If you like suspense, I think you'd enjoy this book a lot. I recommend that anyone give this book a chance. It's unique and interesting. I'm curious to read the next one and see what other surprises are in store.

Lies

By Michael Grant

447 Pages

Published by HarperCollins

★★★★

By Em

 

So, it's been a bit since I read this, so please put up with my lack of knowledge of exactly everything that happened in this book. I'll do my best, but I actually finished this two weeks ago, and since then, I've been a busy reader. So, just put up with me. If I accidentally say something that wasn't in this one, ignore it, because I more or less likely got it mixed up with, well, the next one...

SPOILERS FROM HUNGER AND LIES
So, after seven months without adults, the kids of the FAYZ are managing. They're no longer hungry, they have water, someone to heal all of their cuts and bruises. You would think they'd be pretty well set. Nope. Astrid is battling the Town Council. The Human Crew is at large. Orsay, the prophetess, and her new companion Nerezza, are spreading the word that death is an escape from the FAYZ. And amid all of this, Caine brewing trouble, and Drake just might be back.

Now, this isn't one of my favorite books in the series. But there were certain factors that made this book good. First off, deception. The title of this book does not lie. (hee hee) Every character in the book seems to lie to someone at some point. Even the good guys-Sam, Edilio,Mary, Astrid-all tell a lie at one point. So, there are times when a character believes something, but we actually know that a character lied to them earlier, so their information is false. It creates this big web of lies and misinformation. Very interesting.

I thought that all in all, there wasn't a whole lot that I really liked about this book. We got a lot of Sam kind of wining and all about how he doesn't like not being in charge, so that was a bit annoying. And I think that Astrid is becoming a little too edgy that her character calls for. Trust me, I love a character with some edge and attitude, but when the girl wears a nightgown (what's up with that?), she can't be all that edgy. Sorry, I just don't think that's quite right...

Now, it's not like I'm giving this book a bad review. It got four stars, and it wouldn't have if I hadn't liked it. I love the series, so I think I just went a little easy on it. I loved the little teaser that they give us for the next book. If you know the title of the next one, I think you know what I'm talking about. But other wise, I think that the book was decent, but it didn't really add a whole lot to the overall story of the FAYZ. I think that they gave the Human Crew an interesting role in this story, and I think the new characters have a nice family relationship that I respect. There are some parts about their story that's a little convenient (cough cough, helicopter) so that was a little sketchy. So, you know I'm very much on the edge about this book.

What I am excited about is that Melanie is reading Gone, so I can't wait to see her review on it. (That is, once she catches up on everything else she has read...) What I'm not so happy about, is that Morgan started Gone and then decided that it was "boring". How in the world is this book boring? All of the adults disappear and they are living in a giant bubble? Boring? Puh-lease! Plague review on its way.

The Legacies

By Pittacus Lore

351 Pages

Published by HarperCollins

★★★★★

By Em 

 

Phew! So, here I am! I finally have some time to breath, and I am taking it quite happily. Volleyball season has just ended (until November when club starts up...), and I'm easing in to high school, so I can finally spend some time catching up. (Mel promises she will try to too.)  And though I did read this back about a month ago, I am so excited to get to write about it! Like I've said countless times, I LOVE this series, and this bonus material was outstanding! We got a recap of some things we knew, and a lot of things we had only imagined before. It was a great read giving great content and unexpected points of view.

Quick heads up, but there may be a few spoilers! The first story was Six's Legacy, where we got a little more info on what happened with her and her Cêpan. We were actually told this story in an early book, but we got more of a front row seat to everything Six had to go through. From responding to the online cry for help, to being hunted down by Mogs, to seeing Katarina, her Cêpan tortured and murdered in front of her very eyes. It adds some nice depth to what happened before Paradise.

The next story was Nine's Legacy, which was filled with a few more surprises. Everyone who's read the books knows that Nine is arrogant and hot-headed, a little vicious, and has obviously experienced some pain in his life. Now we know just why he is like that. Nine was a lot different that what he's like when John finds him in the caves. Nine and his Cêpen Sandor had taken a very different approach to the "blending in" tactic. They had been living in a penthouse in the John Hancock Center in Chicago for a long time. Nine has trained and trained, and thinks he's ready for anything. Sandor disagrees. So Nine trains, and trains, and, then, gets a touch of reality, when he falls head over heels for a girl named Maddie. But, it's natural for trouble to follow a Loric. Nine's in for more of a fight than he ever thought he was ready for. 

I found this story to be really, really sad. Now, I don't let my emotions out very often when I read (if I did, every book would have me bawling when my favorite characters always die), but I honestly got really sad at the end of this one. You remember Nine being a certain way in the second and third book, and then you read this, and finding out how different he was and what made him the way he is now? It's a sad tale. But an interesting one at that.

The third story was by far my favorite. It was called the The Fallen Legacies and we got a LOT of info. The story I was expecting was going to be the first three Lorics and how they lived and how they were captured and killed. WRONG! ( I know! Isn't Emma always right?) This story was actually told from the point of view of a Mogadorian named Adamus, Adam for short, who is the son of General Andrakkus Sutekh. The General and the many other Mogadorian who live in their small Mog neighborhood are the ones who originally killed One. But, once they have killed One, a scientist by the name of Dr. Lockam Anu melds Adam's and One's memories, so Adam can experience everything One did. And, once he does, he begins to question everything that his people stand for, and all that he has ever learned. 

Now, it actually took me a lot longer than it should have to realize that this was from a Mog's point of view. I probably should have caught on when Adam was talking about how someday he was going to rule all of the humans, but honestly, I didn't. So, mild confusion for Emma for a while. But I was really intrigued by how Mogadorians worked and how they searched for the Loric. I was also interested by all of One's memories that we got to relive, and how Adam interacted with numbers Two and Three. Ir was a very surprising installation to the Lorien Legacies story.

So, after doing a little bit of Wikipediaing these books to make sure I got the names right, I stumbled upon something else... In December, there is this lovely little book called The Lost Files: Search for Sam. I nearly fell off my swivel chair! A whole book dedicated to Sam! I feel like I'm dreaming. And I can't wait for that to come out. And then the fourth book sometime next year. I'm very excited, and sad that authors are such slow writers! Until December!

The Gray Wolf Throne

By Cinda Williams Chima

517 Pages

Published by Hyperion Book CH

★★★★

By Em

 

I have finally gotten around to reading the third book in Ms. Chima's Seven Realms series, and like I've said before, she doesn't disappoint.she has created a rich fantasy world that she builds every book. Her characters are getting more complex, and overall, these just keep getting better and better. 

Raisa ana'Marianna has escaped the clutches of Fiona and Micah Bayar, one of the kings fighting for control over Tamron, and is now on her way home with Edon Byrne and the rest of the Gray Wolves. But she quickly finds herself alone, on the run, attacked, and then, healed and rested at the Maris Pines Camp. Han is there as well, in much worse condition, and she knows that she'll have to tell him her secret sooner or later.

Han has been searching for his love interest Rebecca ever since she disappeared from Oden's Ford. His journey quickly finds her on the brink of death in the mountains, under attack by the Queen's military. He knows that all that matters to him is rescuing her, so using his limited magic he heals her as best he can and takes her to Willow, the healer at Marisa Pines. But the healing puts himself at the brink of death, and things don't get much better when he wakes to find that Rebecca isn't who he thought she was, and that he is going to have to uphold his deal with the Clans sooner than he thought. 

The beginning of this book is full of dramatic irony. (Ha, just learned that in English class. Who says you never learn anything at school?) What I mean is, that for a lot of time, Han will be wondering something, and we know the answer, because Raisa has already answered it for us. So we spends a lot of time of tome watching the characters work out questions and problems that we already know the answer to, thanks to another character. There's been a lot of this in this series, especially in the last book, and I think that's a great thing to have in a book, because it creates interest and gives the reader a feeling of superiority over the characters, because the already know! 

I think that this book is diving even more into intricate politics, and while normally I would find that boring, I think that Cinda finds wonderful ways to keep the intrigue up. Like  how Raisa must fight to get her throne back. Or the multiple attempts on her life. It makes you realize that politics aren't all that easy. There's fighting , deceiving, and even murdering, just to make sure the right person for you is sitting on that throne. And we get a lot of that in this book.

I think that this book has shown a lot of character growth since the beginning of the series. Han has dealt with a lot, and keeps getting hit by blows, and now, he has stopped hating the world for everything, but rather has used those who hurt him to benefit himself instead. Raisa has come form being a little princess who just wants to party and flirt with boys all the time. She has realized that being queen is coming sooner that she hopes, and that she's going to have to be ready when the time cones. Her life is a sacrifice for the greater good of everyone else. 

I'd like to close this review with something I don't think I've put into this review yet. You remember that guy, Crow, who was teaching Han in the dream world. Yeah, him? He becomes important again. And that Demon King guy, who nearly destroyed the world a while back. Yeah, he's important too. So don't forget about those guys. I'm very excited for the release of the fourth book in this series, The Crimson Crown, which comes out this October. Until then, I think I'll probably reread Cinda's other series, and let you guys know just how awesome those books are too!

The Rise of Nine

By Pittacus Lore

 360 Pages

Published by HarperCollins

★★★★★

By Em

I don't think anyone can fathom on how long I waited for this book to finally be released. The minute I finished The Power of Six, I scribbled down the date of this book's release, and had basically been counting down the days for months! Actually, to be specific, 362 days. So, practically a whole year. it was torture...

May contain spoilers from The Power of Six.
Six in on her way out of Spain, accompanied by Marina, Number Seven, Ella, the surprise Number Ten, and Ella's Cêpan, Crayton.They are headed towards India in search of another member of the Garde, much to Six's distaste, who wanted to head back to America as soon as possible to find John and Sam. India seems like it will hold plenty of promise, what with the supposed resurfacing of the Indian God Vishnu, and the military vehicles all printed with a massive Eight. But finding the Garde member may be more of a war then they ever expected. Literally. 

Meanwhile, John and Nine are recuperating from their last run in with the Mogadorians, back in their headquarters deep within a mountain. John is coming to terms with the loss of his friend Sam, and is constantly reliving that reality when he sees his best friend being tortured in his dreams. (Emma sad...) And what's even better is they quickly learn that the FBI is in cahoots (I love that word!) with the Mogadorians. Okay, never saw that one coming! Looks like life just got even harder for the Loric. 

So, let's just start with what I didn't like about this book. Do not get me wrong, this book is still one of the best books EVER! But you know what, there was not enough Sam. Not even close. And that makes Emma very angry. Because she waited a whole year for this book. And now she is going to have to wait even longer for her Sam-like needs to be fulfilled. She is not very happy about that. (And I think I just overused the whole third person thing...)

So, now what did I like? EVERYTHING ELSE!!!!! This books was chalk full of fighting and action, and alien super powers, that I can't even express how totally cool it was! There were multiple battles, plenty of mind boggling questions, and a whole big army of evil aliens! Now, you must admit that this beats out sappy love story any day!

This story really brought two new characters into perspective. We meet Nine last book, but we knew very little about him. How do you sum Nine up? Well, I think John put it perfect when he said,
 "He does enjoy pissing people off."
 I don't think I could have said it any better. Nine seems to live to get on anyone and everyone's nerves. His day isn't complete until he's dished out enough insults to make any teenage queen bee jealous.But, you know, there's a lot more to him that we learn about too. Like his Cêpan Sandor, who I will happily learn more about in my birthday present (see my earlier post Book Club (Among other recent events!) for more information.

We also meet Mr. Eight, who is just as much a mystery as Nine is to us at the very beginning of the book. He's developed many different Legacies already, and when Crayton meets him, he thinks he just may be the one who could rid them of the evil Mogadorian leader Setrakus Ra. But Eight knows things that makes him pray that isn't true. Because he knows that Setrakus Ra just may be who kills him in the end. 

 We see lots of Legacies develop, secrets of the Chests get solved, and many surprises unravel all throughout the book. I must say that the ending of this book is most definitely the best part, and is something you all should excitedly anticipate. Right at this very moment I am getting set to readThe Legacies, so expect that review to come soon! In conclusion, awesome book, one really long wait for the next...

The Power of Six

By Pittacus Lore

406 Pages

Published by HarperCollins

★★★★★

By Em 

 

I'm pretty sure this is my favorite book of the series. Don't get me wrong, I love I Am Number Four, but there is too much romance, and I love The Rise of Nine, but there isn't enough Sam. But this book? Ohhhhhhhhhhhh! This book is just too good! The Mogadorians are out for our main characters, and once again, they are on the run.

May be spoilers from I Am Number Four
So, John, Six, and Sam have left Paradise and are recuperating from their last run in with the Mogadorians. John is dealing with a lot of personal conflicts. Henri's death, leaving Sarah behind, his peculiar dreams, and now a bounty on his head for apparent terrorist acts back in Paradise. As if being an alien teenager wasn't enough stress? John and friends are on the run from the Mogs and the US government, and still, John can't help thinking about Sarah. And Six. And how Sam likes Six. Now his life seems a little bit like a teenage soap-opera. How in the world is he going to survive this?

Meanwhile, up in a mountain covenant full of nuns, Marina, Number Seven, is having problems as well. She's been following the news of John Smith, a supposed terrorist, who she thinks is like her. And she can't help thinking that she should be out there, using her Legacies, fighting Mogadorians, as well. But instead, she stuck inside a covenant until she's 18. And her Cêpan Adelina, no longer believes in their cause. She's hidden Marina's chest and believes in only the word of God. So, for now, Marina is stuck here. But it's not all bad. She has her cave full of paintings, and her friends Hector, the town drunk, and the new girl, Ella. And yet, she still doesn't feel safe.

Now, while the addition of the character Marina was most certainly necessary, I didn't like her. This is a huge debate that we Lorien Legacies fans have. Some think that Marina is a good character, others disagree. I just think she's kind of boring. She whines about things, but doesn't really do a whole lot to make things better for her self. I just kind of read her chapters because I knew that in a few pages I would get to read about what happened to John, Sam and Six, because their story is far more interesting to me than Marina's. Like I said, she's just a little bland.

In this book, I think they build Sam into an even better character. While John spends a lot of his time dealing with his romantic problems, Sam basically takes up Henri's role.

Sam (To Six and John): “You guys are ridiculous," he says, retreating back to the kitchen. "Your flirting just scared the hell out of me."

He researches and trains, and seems to care a lot more about what happens to Lorien than John does sometimes. He solves problems they stumble upon, and even learns about his past. Turns out, he's a whole lot more important than everyone thought in the first place. And that makes Emma very happy.

This book is filled with action and adventure. You never know where the Mogs are going to pop up next, and you have to be suspicious of everyone they run into. Not being grounded to one spot all of the time adds more depth to the characters, because we get to experience what John talked about so much in the last book, always being on the move. And having that whole terrorist thing going on means that there is no where safe for out characters. Everyone is out to get them. And I simply love that about this book.

Book Club (Among other recent events!)

Well, it has been quite a long time since I've gotten any posts up on this website, and I want to apologize. Life has just gotten a little hectic on my side. School just started up, and with volleyball practice, games, homework, clubs, and all that other fun stuff, I've barely been able to get on the computer. For the time being, I will probably only be able to get on the computer over the weekend, so, posts may be scarce or a while. I can't even guarantee that the weekends will be free. The volleyball had invites on Saturdays sometimes, so my whole week is booked occasionally. But Mel and I promise that we will get up new posts as soon as we can.

So, what has been going on in these hectic lives of ours? Well, Melanie and I both have celebrated birthdays within the month, so that has been very exciting! My parents got me The Legacies by none other than Pittacus Lore, which consists of three back stories in my favorite book series. I'm very excited to read it, and I'm sure Mel is too! Though I should probably review the other two before I start this one... sigh.............

Melanie and I, along with Cassidy, have all joined the book club at our school. So, I'm hoping that will be fun. We're reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky for October, and I've wanted to read that for a long time, so it should be exciting! Morgan didn't want to join though, because apparently she doesn't like being told what books to read. (And now she claims that is the reason she doesn't like anything that I recommend to her! I think she likes it all and just won't admit it!)

Our school has started a boycott! So Emma and friends are now rebels. That's right were rebellious teenagers making all sorts of mischief! We get into so much trouble becau.... Okay, I can't even write this without laughing. Me and my buds are probably some of the least troublesome people you will ever meet. But we are protesting. Peacefully. Our school lunches are over-priced and they have cut portion sizes ( which is a big thing if you eat lunch at 10:30, have the rest of the school day, volleyball practice from 4-6, and then don't get to eat anything until 7:30 because your brother is at football practice!) so over 50% of the students at the high school and middle school brought paper bag lunches in protest. So yeah, we're rebels. It's pretty cool.

So, now that I think about it. I haven't really been that busy. Just homework... lots and lots of homework... but new reviews are on their way. And once volleyball is over on October 13th, I promise to have a bunch more posts coming out! So, that's all I got for now! Keep reading! (Was it just me, or did that sound really dorky?)

<3 Em

Goddess of the Night

By Lynne Ewing

Pages: 294

Published by Hyperior New York

★★

By Mel

This book was very disappointing. I know that if it was written better the idea would have been amazing. But, the beginning was disappointing and didn’t grab my attention too well. I hoped it would get better but it didn’t. The climax was just as disappointing as the beginning. And worst of all it felt like it didn’t really have an ending. I tried reading the second book but it still never grabbed my attention. I ended up only reading a few chapters before I concluded that it wasn’t going to get better and began reading another book.

It’s basically about a teenage girl, Vanessa Cleveland, who has this inexplicable power to become invisible. Her best friend, Catty, also has the unique ability to travel through time. When Vanessa feels like someone has been following her she travels back in time with Catty to find out who it was. They return unsuccessfully. Later she notices that the new girl, Serena, seems to be looking at her a lot. Then one day she takes her to see this weird lady named Maggie. Maggie tells Vanessa that she and Catty are goddesses. Their job is to defend the humans against the Atrox who steal hope from their victims.

So, while the story could have been a good one, I really did not like the way it was written. But, if you still want to give it a try you might like it a little better. I just did not like it enough to read the full series (12 books!).

The Always War

By Margaret Haddix

Pages: 197

Published by Simon and Schuster

★★

By Mel

  When I was younger, Haddix was one of my favorite authors. I read this series called the Shadow Children by her when I was in fifth grade. That was my favorite series for awhile. So I found this book and it sounded like a great story. But, as I began reading it I was very disappointed. The idea was good but I did not enjoy Haddix's writing style. She wasn't descriptive enough, and I'm pretty sure she writes for younger readers (which explains why I loved her when I was younger, and don't anymore). Maybe if I was still in fifth grade I'd like it. But for now, I suggest you don't read it unless you are younger.

Anyways, this book was about a war known as The Always War. It has been going on for so long that even grandparents don't remember a time before it. But, one day Gideon Thrall is one stage to receive an award for bravery during the war. When he runs off stage saying he doesn't deserve the award, people are bewildered. Including Tessa, a normal girl who happens to live in the apartment next to Gideon. One night she follows this mysterious stranger and soon finds herself in a rouge plane and going into enemy territory. Soon Tessa and Gideon discover a secret that shakes the whole foundation of everything they have believed their whole life. Will they bring the truth to light? Will anyone believe them?

So, as you can see, it sounds like an okay book but when I read it, it wasn't that good. My sister Val just read the back cover and knew the ending. Of course she had to tell me it before I even finished the first page. That also kind of ruined the story for me. But if you feel the need to read it anyways, let me warn you: the book doesn't get any better towards the end.

Perception

By Kim Harrington

Pages: 275

Published by Point 

★★★★

By Mel

 

 This book was really interesting. It's a mystery that kept me glued until the last page. But the thing is, half way through reading this book I found out that it was the second in a series. Which was actually kind of funny because while I was reading it I kept thinking that they should write a prequel to it about the summer adventure she kept referring too. Sadly, my library only has this book and not the first, Clarity. 

This novel is about Clarity (Clare) and her small town's eery mysteries. The unique thing about Clare's family are their special abilities. Her mom can read minds, her brother can talk to the dead, and Clarity can touch an object and see what the person saw who last touched it. After some summer events, Clare is something of a celebrity in school. And she hates it.

But her new status at school is the least of her problems. She keeps finding gifts and notes from a secret admirer. At first they seem innocent and Clare is slightly flattered. But soon, they become sinister and a girl in town goes missing. Clare doesn't know what to do. She has no idea who is stalking her and feels the need to find out what happened to the girl who disappeared.

The ending came as a surprise to me. I never could have guessed what happened. It was crazy! I loved it and I really wish my library had the first book. I think I will try some other libraries.

The Trylle Trilogy

By Amanda Hocking

Pages: 293-295

Published by St. Martin’s Griffin  

★★★★★

By Mel

I’ve decided it would be much easier to just write one review for the whole Trylle Trilogy because I read them too fast to keep up with writing the reviews for them. They were so intriguing and full of mysteries with some romance as well, that I found myself staying up later into the night then I intended.

Now I realize that no matter how I word this it will sound weird. But, this story is about Trolls. Now they aren’t the creepy little monsters with colorful hair that sticks up straight or the ones that guard bridges or something. In this series trolls look like normal humans except that they have some very powerful powers. They can do things like move objects with their minds, heal people, and control the elements like wind or rain. They prefer to call themselves Trylle because humans think of trolls as I previously described them before. Trylle is actually just the name of their community in Minnesota. There are other tribes too, living right underneath our noses.

The first book Switched is about Wendy Everly’s discovery of her true identity. At age six her mother attacked her, telling her that she was a monster and not her child. Years later, with her mother now in a mental institution, Wendy never believed she might be right. She is a changeling who was switched at birth. In this book she discovers the magical world that she came from.

Torn is the second book in the Trylle Trilogy. Wendy Everly now knows the truth about her real mother and the world she was born into. In this book she learns a secret about the Vittra she never could have foreseen. The Vittra are the natural rivals of the Trylle. Wendy must make a choice between her love for her body guard, Finn; her affections for the Vittra prince, Loki; or to marry a friend that could help her end or win the war against the Vittra that is inevitable.

The final book of the series is Ascend. It was a great ending to an amazing series. Wendy now must either sacrifice herself to the Vittra, or watch her kingdom become destroyed by a war against the Vittra that they have no chance of winning. On top of this she now must make her final choice between Finn and Loki, the two loves of her life. She knows she must pick one and the choice becomes obvious soon. But, it might not matter anyways if her plan fails and their lives meet their ends.

I didn’t expect to like this series. My mom bought them for me when I informed her I needed a good book to read. I pushed off reading them for a few months and my sister ended up reading them. She told me how good they were and so I read the trilogy. And now I love this series too!

There You'll Find Me

By Jenny B. Jones

Pages: 303

Published by Thomas Nelson

★★★★

By Mel

 

This book is more realistic then previous books I have written reviews for. It is definitely more romancy too. But I still loved it and it was nice to take a break from the books I usually read.

This novel is about a girl named Finley Sinclair. Two years ago she lost her brother, Will, and her relationship with God plummeted. Now, it’s senior year and she goes to Ireland for an exchange program. Ireland is where her brother went and felt the closest to God. She hopes to find God there too. She uses her brother’s travel journal as a guide to different tourist attractions throughout Ireland.

On the plane ride to Ireland she finds herself sitting next to Beckett Rush, the famous actor in a vampire movie series. She clearly informs him that she wants nothing to do with “his type” but he refuses to leave her alone. Finally, he convinces her to be his assistant and in exchange he’ll be her tour guide and ride around Ireland. But soon Finley becomes too stressed with everything she is juggling in her crazy life. She misses her brother, Will, more than ever; she can’t find the right ending to her addition piece for the violin; she is confused by her feelings for Beckett; and she still feels like God is giving her the silent treatment. In the end she finally finds that maybe the answers were there all along and she was just looking in all the wrong places.

I loved this book. It was so touching and inspiring. I loved how Jenny Jones tied the prologue to the epilogue. It was interesting, creative, and satisfying enough.

Scorpia Rising

By Anthony Horowitz

402 Pages

Published by Putnam

★★★★★

By Mel

 

Throughout the series Anthony Horowitz was able to hold on to the factors that make his books so awesome, and keep them just as strong. The mystery is captivating, the suspense intriguing, the humor absorbing, and the surprises entrancing. O was sad to finish the final book of the Alex Rider adventures. They have brought so much entertainment to my summer and I know I will have to re-read them soon.

The Final Mission (as Anthony Horowitz has called it) is so... I'm not even sure how to describe it! The first couple chapters are in the point-of-view of Scorpia. The other 3/4 of the book is from Alex Rider's perspective. Scorpia is sent on another job, They must once again face the British intelligence and they are determined to make sure they do not fail for a third time; especially against the teenage boy, Alex Rider. This mission could either be the start of a new run for Scorpia, or the end of them. And the fate of this terrorist organization rests in the hands of the now 15-year-old boy, Alex Rider. 

Manipulated once again, Alex is thrown into this mission that will be his final adventure. With so many surprising twists I'd have to say Anthony Horowitz wrote another great book. Although, I'd also have to say that it's the saddest book in the series (and not just because I know it's the last one). In fact, I ifnihsed the book on the bus ride home from camp and I had to fight against the tears as I read about the horror that Alex was faced with.

The ending of the book was great. It left me with minimal questions, and was satisfying enough (although no matter what I always wish there is more to a book when it's the last one of a great series). After reading all the books in the Alex Rider Adventures I don't think Horowitz's books became worse and worse. They were amazing in their own way. i can't even say I really have a favorite! So if you have read this series, I promise you will not be disappointed with this final book.