Review: Switched by Amanda Hocking

Cover:

Synopsis: When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. Eleven years later, Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. She’s not the person she’s always believed herself to be, and her whole life begins to unravel—all because of Finn Holmes.

Finn is a mysterious guy who always seems to be watching her. Every encounter leaves her deeply shaken…though it has more to do with her fierce attraction to him than she’d ever admit. But it isn’t long before he reveals the truth: Wendy is a changeling who was switched at birth—and he’s come to take her home.

Now Wendy’s about to journey to a magical world she never knew existed, one that’s both beautiful and frightening. And where she must leave her old life behind to discover who she’s meant to become…

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Page Count: 318

Edition: Paperback

Rating: 3/5 stars

Review: This book was okay. It wasn't great, and it wasn't bad.
I'll start off with the things I liked in this book;

I really liked the unique plot. I haven't read a changeling book or a book about trolls before. Amanda Hocking did a great job building the world of the Trylle. I found myself understanding the world and the details really quickly. Mostly you don't get that in YA. In this book, it was really easy to understand. There was just enough back story and explaining in this book for me.

The writing in this book was really great. I loved the pacing and the way she described things. It wasn't heavily detailed. I really appreciated that because I do not like over detailing. It makes the story slow for me. But Amanda Hocking always gave just enough detail so you knew what it looked like. Sometimes I got a clear visual of what Hocking was describing.

Now to the things I didn't like;

The first half of this book was really good. Wendy was an okay character and seemed to be kind of strong. But the second half really bugged me.

The characters in this book really annoyed me. I hated Finn. He was such a jerk to Wendy. But of course she didn't mind because she "loves him and can't live without him." Just like all the other books in paranormal YA these days. Even though the plot was unique, I really thought the love was over-rated. I've seen it before and I hoped Amanda Hocking wouldn't take that route. I really hoped she would let the love build. But you could tell from the beginning when Wendy introduced Finn and immidiatly said he was attractive that it wouldn't. Oh well.

This book was easily forgettable. I put the book down and couldn't remember what happened. I could remember some things, and then I couldn't remember other things.
I also hated how Hocking made Wendy sleep every few pages just to pass time. I didn't think that was necessary. There are other ways for an author to pass time other than sleep. For some reason it just really annoyed me.

Review: Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel

Cover:


Synopsis: Love conquers all, so they say. But can Cupid’s arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead—or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie?

The year is 2195. The place is New Victoria—a high-tech nation modeled on the manners, mores, and fashions of an antique era. A teenager in high society, Nora Dearly is far more interested in military history and her country’s political unrest than in tea parties and debutante balls. But after her beloved parents die, Nora is left at the mercy of her domineering aunt, a social-climbing spendthrift who has squandered the family fortune and now plans to marry her niece off for money. For Nora, no fate could be more horrible—until she’s nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses.

But fate is just getting started with Nora. Catapulted from her world of drawing-room civility, she’s suddenly gunning down ravenous zombies alongside mysterious black-clad commandos and confronting “The Laz,” a fatal virus that raises the dead—and hell along with them. Hardly ideal circumstances. Then Nora meets Bram Griswold, a young soldier who is brave, handsome, noble . . . and dead. But as is the case with the rest of his special undead unit, luck and modern science have enabled Bram to hold on to his mind, his manners, and his body parts. And when his bond of trust with Nora turns to tenderness, there’s no turning back. Eventually, they know, the disease will win, separating the star-crossed lovers forever. But until then, beating or not, their hearts will have what they desire.

In Dearly, Departed, romance meets walking-dead thriller, spawning a madly imaginative novel of rip-roaring adventure, spine-tingling suspense, and macabre comedy that forever redefines the concept of undying love.


Publisher: Del Ray

Page count: 470

Edition: Hardcover

Rating: 4/5 stars

Review: This book was good, but slow. I loved the plot. Seriously, dystopian world with Victorian zombies? Who wasn't drawn in by that? But the first 300 pages was just back story. There was little to no action at all. It was just the characters describing how the world got to where it was. It's not that I don't mind, I love seeing how a world can turn into one like in Dearly, Departed, but at times it was really slow. It took me a while to read it. It could be that the font was small and the book was huge. Dearly, Departed was slow in the beginning. But the last hundred some pages totally made up for the slowness in the beginning and middle. There was so much action. I was like, "Yes! Finally!".

Another thing I wasn't a huge fan of was the alternating perspectives. Some chapters were completely unnecessary. One chapter could end with someone asking a question and the next chapter starts with another character with a different story. Then the chapter after that the question gets answered. If it were just Bram and Nora I would understand.

Another thing I wasn't huge on was Nora's character. I understand that you are surrounded by zombies. I understand that ,basically, your whole life was a lie. But seriously, Nora threw a hissy fit whenever she didn't get her own way. She screamed and threw stuff every where. I did not agree with most of the things she did in this book. I liked her for the first one hundred pages then she kind of went downhill for me.


But, Bram and Nora's relationship was really sweet and awesome. I loved it. Bram was my favorite character. :)

 

Army of Ten

I recently joined #TheArmyOfTen. Here is the link to Gretchen McNeil's video because she can explain it much more than I can. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9Sbuzg0G64&feature=plcp Be sure to sign up for totally cool prizes!

Review: Article 5 By Kristen Simmons

I'm baaaack!

Summary: New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have been abandoned.

The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.

There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested usually don't come back.

Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren't always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it's hard for her to forget that people weren't always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. It's hard to forget that life in the United States used to be different.

Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the military. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow.

That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings—the only boy Ember has ever loved.

Link to cover: http://www.goodreads.com/book/photo/10677277-article-5

Review:

Okay. So, to start off, I got this book from the library. It was given to me in a "Blind Date". I chose two wrapped books and then went home to see what I got. One of them was this book.

This book had so much potential. Since the Dystopian genre has gotten so much hype in 2012-due to the Hunger Games, of course-you kind of expect a strong female protagonist, a very corrupt government, and a strong male lead. This book, however, lacked two of the three. Can you guess which two?

Yes, this book had a horrible protagonist. Ember Miller is very, very stupid. You can see that she tries to be brave all through out the book. But she fails epically. There is a very fine line between stupidity and bravery. Ember Miller crossed that line frequently. At first Ember seemed just like your normal Dystopian main character. Naive about her government and poverty stricken. But then, around page 19, you learn about Chase Jennings. The boy she does not shut up about through the whole book. "Chase, I love you!" "Chase, I hate you!" and so on. Ember could not make up her mind about him until fifty pages until the end. Ember was whiny and immature. She ruined every thing that came her way. She ruined others lives, just because she was trying to be brave. Running away because your old boyfriend was trying to protect you is not brave. It's immature. She really had potential. I just think the author was so focused on not making the romance the typical insta-love that has plagued most YA fiction now a days, that she forgot that her character needed character. I tried so hard to see why Ember did the things she did. But the only back story you got about her was her previous love life with Chase and her life with her reckless mother.

Another thing. Back story.

So, you know when you're reading a Dystopian novel and the world has gone to hell and the government is crazy? You know that amazing back story you get? You don't get that with ARTICLE 5. Ember keeps mentioning a President Scarboro-who is only mentioned twice!-and a War. What is this War that she keeps talking about? I have no freaking idea. Because Simmons never gave a back story. Again, she was so focused on the romance in this book, that she forgot to put important details in the story! I would have loved this book a lot more if I knew why the FBR did what they did. If I knew what the War was that ruined America as we know it. If I know why every one loves their morals now. But I never got that.

Aside from all the bad things in this book, the action in the first half was excellent. It kept me on the edge of my seat. I loved how the action tied together with the new Moral America.

One more thing. Did anyone else find Chase extremely abusive? He had the tendencies of an abusive man! I could understand Ember freaking out about him most of the time. I have a feeling Simmons was trying to make Chase be like Four in Divergent. But Four had character. Unlike all the characters in ARTICLE 5.

The only reason I may pick up BREAKING POINT (ARTICLE 5 #2) is if I have no other books to read or I am just curious.

If you are looking for yet another Dystopian book and don't mind the lack of all the above, ARTICLE 5 by Kristen Simmons is your book

Overall rating: 2/5 stars.

Review: Heaven looks a lot like the mall-Wendy Mass

Summary: When 16-year-old Tessa suffers a shocking accident in gym class, she finds herself in heaven (or what she "thinks "is heaven), which happens to bear a striking resemblance to her hometown mall. In the tradition of "It's a Wonderful Life" and "The Christmas Carol," Tessa starts reliving her life up until that moment. She sees some things she'd rather forget, learns some things about herself she'd rather not know, and ultimately must find the answer to one burning question--if only she knew what the question "was."
Written in sharp, witty verse, Wendy Mass crafts an extroardinary tale of a spunky heroine who hasn't always made the right choices, but needs to discover what makes life worth living.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Review: This was a very enjoyable read. I liked how Tessa was not like all girls in books. Normally, Young Adult girls would be a Miss Perfect and a goody two shoes. Tessa, on the other hand, wasn't. She did bad things and knew she did bad things. She accepted that she was bad in a sense. But she really wasn't that bad. In my opinion she was just like a normal teenager. She was bullied, she bullied others, she stole and lied. Admit it, all teenagers do that at some point in time. Even the goody two shoes. Tessa was a remarkable character that you found to love. She grew and developed, she became a better person. In most YA novels, the girl stays the same. Not in this one. Tessa wasn't beautiful either. But she tried for her mother. She showed a love for her family. Unlike most teenage girls do now.

Enough about the main character for now. :D Now let's get to the plot.

The plot was very interesting. Tessa "dies" in the beginning of the book. When she wakes up, she's in the mall she grew up in. She thinks it's her heaven. Then she meets a guy with a drill bit in his head. Nail Boy's name isn't told in this book. That leads to mystery. He hands her a bag with a ton of stuff in it. It turns out to be one thing for every year in her life up to when she gets hit with a dodge ball. They hold significance later in the story.

I found Tessa's life story interesting. She had a bad life and she knew it. All the things she did she thought was good at the time. Everyone has those moments.

Wendy Mass's book, Heaven Looks A Lot Like The Mall, is a book I'd reccomend to any growing up teenager. It has growth, development and a true life lesson.

Currently Reading #1

Right now I am reading Heaven looks a lot like the mall by Wendy Mass. It is in verse and it's very short. A review should be up tomorrow. I don't know what I'm going to read next though.

Review: Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Long time no post. Here's a review though :D

Title: Beauty Queens
Author: Libba Bray
Summary: The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and compete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea, crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eyeliner.

What's a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program - or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan - or learn to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up?

Welcome to the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Your tour guide? None other than Libba Bray, the hilarious, sensational, Printz Award-winning author of A Great and Terrible Beauty and Going Bovine. The result is a novel that will make you laugh, make you think, and make you never see beauty the same way again.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Review: I liked this book. The characters were shallow, but they developed. I loved the writing style. But, at points in this book I was embarassed to be a woman. Especially at the commercial breaks. It was still a great riveting read and it made me feel like I was there. I didn't get the whole wild girl thing with Mary Lou though. Or the Petra Sinjin situation.