Showing posts with label action. Show all posts
Showing posts with label action. Show all posts

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Book Review: Glow

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Release Date:  September 27, 2011
Pages: 320
Source: ARC 

Thank you St. Martin's!

What if you were bound for a new world, about to pledge your life to someone you'd been promised to since birth, and one unexpected violent attack made survival—not love—the issue?

Out in the murky nebula lurks an unseen enemy: the New Horizon. On its way to populate a distant planet in the wake of Earth's collapse, the ship's crew has been unable to conceive a generation to continue its mission. They need young girls desperately, or their zealous leader's efforts will fail. Onboard their sister ship, the Empyrean, the unsuspecting families don't know an attack is being mounted that could claim the most important among them...

Fifteen-year-old Waverly is part of the first generation to be successfully conceived in deep space; she was born on the Empyrean, and the large farming vessel is all she knows. Her concerns are those of any teenager—until Kieran Alden proposes to her. The handsome captain-to-be has everything Waverly could ever want in a husband, and with the pressure to start having children, everyone is sure he's the best choice. Except for Waverly, who wants more from life than marriage—and is secretly intrigued by the shy, darkly brilliant Seth.

But when the Empyrean faces sudden attack by their assumed allies, they quickly find out that the enemies aren't all from the outside.

Glow is the most riveting series debut since The Hunger Games, and promises to thrill and challenge readers of all ages.

Summary Taken from Goodreads
Yani's Review:
Glow left me outside in and inside out. They aren't kidding in the book description when they compare the book to Hunger Games. I am a big YA reader, but I will not lie, most of the time the thing that draws me to the books is the romance. Rhe romance here is a side story, like in the Hunger Games, and the real story is survival. And like the Hunger Games, I REALLY enjoyed this book.

In the beginning we meet the two main characters, from whose view the story is told, Kieran and Waverly. They are cute couple, but are obsessed with labeling who the "best" person to be in a relationship with is. At first this threw me off, but then I realized life in space with such few peers must be difficult, and its the survival instinct to find and "mate" with "the best." You can tell there are some strong feelings between these two, but before we see too much of them together, their ship is attacked and they are separated. Both must do all they can to survive.

I didn't read the summary before starting the book and I was surprised by how deep this book is. You don't know who is good or evil, who to trust and who to love, and when you finally think the right person is the "right" person, you are thrown for a loop once again. Labels mean nothing. Good intentions don't lead to good actions, and vice-versa.

I read this book fairly quickly and I enjoyed every second of it. Excited to see what Amy will bring with the next book.
My Review in a Tweet: 
A tale about survival, deceit, and humanity, told from deep space. It's an adventure comparable to Across the Universe and Hunger Games. I couldn't help but write a GLOWing review of how much I liked it!

Ratings:
Plot: 4/5
Writing Style: 5/5
Uniqueness: 3/5
Characters: 4/5

Similar Titles:
Across the UniverseThe Hunger Games
Other Reviews:
Can't find many reviews on this book, maybe more closer to release date...
    Buy the book here!
    **commissions earned from sales are minimal and go towards giveaways!

    Saturday, June 4, 2011

    Book Review : Divergent

    Book: Divergent (Book #1)
    Author: Veronica Roth
    Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
    Date Published: May 3, 2011
    Pages: 487
    Source: Kindle and Bookshelf (yes so good I bought two copies)
    Date Read: May 3, 2011


    In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

    During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

    Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

    Summary Taken from Goodreads
    Yani's Review:
    Wow. I am pretty sure every blogger starts their review of Divergent with those words (well not every blogger but at least 90% of them do), because even if people had little complaints about the world building -which I didn’t- or the reason they where split into factions -I didn’t care why- this book packs a hell of a punch. I am not going to go into too much detail about what Divergent is about because I am sure by now you know, and if you don’t read the blurb above.

    So I am not going to write a long review, just something short about why I loved this book and why I think you should read it....

    First off, the world... now is it realistic that everyone would split into factions - Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent) - no not really, because how can someone be just one of these. And I think that is the main point of this book. These people are trained to believe it is better to be the best in one, than well-rounded in all. And it makes for a extremely intriguing story. Some of my favorite highlighted quotes comes from the different sayings of the faction, because in spite of it all there is some truth in their beliefs. One thing I wasn’t prepared for was how extremely they follow their faction and their beliefs...
    “Faction before blood.”
    I would have liked to learn more about how the factions came to be and how other cities work, but I guess time (and the other books) will reveal more.

    Second, which I probably should have listed first, I love Four! Like I am absolutely entranced by him. I love the way the romance was built, I love how vulnerable they are only with each other, and I love that there wasn’t a love triangle - if one comes in later I don’t know what I will do because no one can take Four’s place in my heart, NO ONE.

    Third, I love how things aren’t easy for Tris. I don’t know how better to explain this other than she had to struggle and fight for what she wanted and make tough decisions. I won’t say more, because if I keep writing I know I will give something away. But let me just say I can totally see how this will be an awesome movie as there are amazing stunts and nail-biting action sequences, along with hot and sweet loving moments.

    I can’t stress how much I loved this book and I am DYING to read more! I know I said I would keep this short but I couldn't help it =D

    Ratings:
    Plot: 5/5
    Writing Style: 5/5
    Uniqueness: 5/5
    Characters: 5/5

    Similar Titles:
    The Hunger GamesDelirium

    Memorable Quotes:
    It must require bravery to be honest all the time. I wouldn't know. - Tris
    and another one...
    Human reason can excuse any evil; this is why it's so important we don't rely on it. -Tri's father

    Saturday, March 19, 2011

    Review: Forest of Hands and Teeth

    Book: Forest of Hands and Teeth (Book 1)
    Author: Carrie Ryan
    Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

    Release Date: March 5, 2009
    Pages: 320
    Source: Borrowed
    Date Read: March 15, 2011

    Summary:

    In Mary's world there are simple truths.

    The Sisterhood always knows best.
    The Guardians will protect and serve.
    The Unconsecrated will never relent.
    And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth.

    But, slowly, Mary's truths are failing her. She's learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future-between the one she loves and the one who loves her.

    And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

    Yani's Analysis:
    WOW, just wow wow wow. I have been thinking about this book since I finished it, trying to come up with a way to explain the awesomeness of this book. It was so true, as in while things might not be really this way, there was truth behind people motives, actions, and this world that was created after life lost some of its meaning.

    This is the first book in a series that will depict what it is like to live in a world where zombies (or something like them) exist. The other books are in different people's point of view, which is interesting but kind of makes me sad that I won't here more on the lives of these people I had grown to know and love.Everything about this book was so interesting from the town and it's leadership, to the children and their curiosity on what lies outside the fences built to keep the dead out, but also caging them in.
    "I think about how fragile we are here - like fish in a glass bowl with darkness pressing in on every side" Mary

    The mythology and the back story are great. With the sisters as the secret keepers, the ones who fight for the good of all. At first you might see them as the evil ones, trying to control everyone, but as the book progresses you understand where they are coming from. And Mary, oh Mary...Mary is a really strong female protagonist, which I admire but at the same time feel it causes her to be a bit selfish and a little foolish. I won't go into why, but it was probably the only thing I didn't like about the novel, but at the same time I can't help but respect her for making decisions and caring about herself and her happiness above all.

    In the end, you might not agree with all the choices made, but you understand them all. If you grew up in a world such as this and where desparate for a different life, one with possibility and hope, how would you find it?
    "And I wonder if there ever was a crueler world, than this one that forces us to kill the people we love most."
    This is a dark and twisted tale, and I highly encourage reading this, but heed my warning, even at the end one is left with little hope and happiness for the future of these people that are living in the time after The Return. 



    Ratings:
    Plot: 5/5
    Writing Style: 5/5
    Uniqueness: 5/5
    Characters: 4/5

    I haven't heard that many great things about the second book, and it is for that reason and that I was a little disappointed with Mary, that I could not give the book 5 hoots. Still this has been one of the best books I have read in a while and I think everyone should at least read it once.

    Other Memorable Quotes:
    "...and I realized that sometimes death comes before you expect it. That while we are rarely prepared for our friends, family, and loved ones to die, we are never prepared for our own deaths. Never prepared to reconcile our own regrets."

    Monday, January 3, 2011

    Review: Heist Society

    Book: Heist Society
    Author: Ally Carter
    Publisher: Hyperion Book
    Pages: 304
    Date Read: 1/1/2010


    From Amazon: 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 her back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has 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 history--or at least her family's (very crooked) history.

    Yani's Analysis:

    I have been an Ally Carter fan since I first read I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You (Gallagher Girls). I fell in love with the kick-ass Gallagher Girls right then and there. Her books are action packed with a hint of romance. Now I must say that, for her last couple of books, the romance side of it has been staggering. Which each novel there is less and less. However, even without the physical romance, you can't help but fall in love with her male lead's simple gestures and charismatic personalities. Such as this book's male lead, Hale. SPOILER ALERT (highlight): Everything he did and said hinted his admiration/crush for Kat. Yet the only action we get is some hand holding and looks from across the room. Now this is a great build up, but it didn't leave me satisfied, so I am definitely looking forward to part 2 more for the need to see Kat and Hale together than for the action of another heist.


    My issue with this book was more of the back story development. It took me a while to understand her background, who everyone was, and what was happening. Because of that, I didn't get into to book right away. However, once I started to understand, I couldn't put it down.

    The main character Kat has experienced a lot in the short amount of time she has been alive. Planning the biggest heist of all time is only part of that. You can tell because of all this she is very mature. But just like any teenager, all she wants in life is to be normal and fit in. Things never seem to work out that way for her and she realizes that as long as she has family and people who love her she doesn't need anything else.

    As improbable as this story is, Katarina was very real to me and I hope to read more about her in the future.


    Ratings:

    Plot: 3/5
    Writing Style: 4/5
    Characters: 4/5
    Uniqueness: 3/5
     
    Similar Titles:
    Memorable Quotes:
    "Either we're a team or we aren't. Either you trust me or you don't." Hale took a step toward her. "What's it going to be, Kat?"
    It is an occupational hazard that anyone who has spent her life learning how to lie eventually becomes bad at telling the truth; in that moment Kat didn't have a clue what to say. I can't do this with out you sounded trite. What they were doing was to big for a simple please.
    Hale I-"
    You know what? Never mind. Either way, I'm in Kat." He seemed utterly resloved as he slipped on his sunglasses. "I'm all in"


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