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The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.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

Review: Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Finally finished it. I had a lot of problems with this book.

Pros: 1. Kristin Cashore had this way with writing that made me want to read the book all night. Its the way she wrote it, not the content though. 2. Liked the characters. Especially Po and Bitterblue.

Cons: 1. Hated the twists. They were not creative what so ever. 2. The author just threw bits and pieces of stuff in there. 3. It felt like they were going in circles the whole book. 4. Katsa, oh God how I hated Katsa. 5. Kristin Cashore dragged out the story more than it should have. 6. Leck, Po's eyes(at the end), Po giving Katsa his ring, just twists like that were boring. I think I already said that.

Overall, it was an okay book. Had a good plotline and everything. I for one, just wasn't a fan of it. I don't think I'll read Fire, but I might read Bitterblue.        

Writing Wednesday(a day late, sorry!)

Today, on Thursday, is Writing Wednesday! Sorry this is a day late, I can't really tell what the days are when I'm not in school. Speaking of school, I'm going back to school in 11 days, so I won't be reading or vlogging or blogging as much as I want. OH, btw, I'm trying to reach 100 subscribers by October, so.....Help me?

Title: Rewritten by Alex

http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/277048-rewritten 

What if all of your favorite characters from your favorite fairy tales, had children? Four best friends. All cursed. A destiny forced upon generations, until one of them gets it right. Ella, Whit, Belly, and Rory are the bestest friends you can get. They've known eachother since they were born. All of them know what's coming when they are sixteen. The curse. Living out a fairytale's destiny, until someone gets it right. All of their ancestor's had to do it, now they will. None of them are willing to admit it, but they are secretly excited. Who doesn't want to live a princess's tale? But, some ...moreWhat if all of your favorite characters from your favorite fairy tales, had children? Four best friends. All cursed. A destiny forced upon generations, until one of them gets it right. Ella, Whit, Belly, and Rory are the bestest friends you can get. They've known eachother since they were born. All of them know what's coming when they are sixteen. The curse. Living out a fairytale's destiny, until someone gets it right. All of their ancestor's had to do it, now they will. None of them are willing to admit it, but they are secretly excited. Who doesn't want to live a princess's tale? But, some of those tales, don't have a happy ending. That is why the descendants of Cinderella, Belle, Snow White, and Aurora are supposed to rewrite that destiny. So far, no one has done it. These four besties are determined to do it though.

 

 

I hope you guys read it and like it!

Review: Wolfsbane (Nightshade #2) by Andrea Cremer

When Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemies, she’s certain her days are numbered. But then the Searchers make her an offer—one that gives her the chance to destroy her former masters and save the pack—and the man—she left behind. Is Ren worth the price of her freedom? And will Shay stand by her side no matter what? Now in control of her own destiny, Calla must decide which battles are worth fighting and how many trials true love can endure and still survive


Rating: 5/5 stars

DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW IF YOU HAVE NOT READ NIGHTSHADE OR WOLFSBANE. IT WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR THE FIRST ONE, AND MINOR SPOILERS FOR WOLFSBANE.



I loved this sooooooooo much. I am totally team Searcher. We were introduced to a whole new world in here, and I loved it! There was very little that I didn't like.

Pros:1. A whole new world is introduced, a very cool one at that. 2.I loved all of the new characters. Connor was a smart a**. Adne was tough, but still a girl on the inside. Ethan scarred from losing his brother, and almost killing someone elses brother (whom I will not say) while also having a teeny crush on a girl. 3. This was action packed from page one. 4. It had some romance in it. Always gotta love romance. 5. THE TWIST AT THE END! OMG, I was not expecting that.

Cons: 1.Shay was a jerk. Ren was kind of a jerk too, but then I kept on reading, and I understood. Shay had no excuse though. 2. Andrea Cremer kept on killing people! And she either made them depressed or took away their reason to live. I understand that this is a war, but couldn't she kill off my least favorite characters?