Pariah Issue #3 [BOOK REVIEW]

Pariah Issue #3
By: Aron Warner
Published: September 2011
Publisher: Sea Lion Books
Rating: 3/5 Stars

Again, this issue is told from a different perspective of the first and second issue. I'm guessing the author is trying to get the perspectives of all the different vitros that reside in their world. This also takes place in the future with the narrator Robert Maudsley. He has the ability to make people do what he wants them to do because he basically controls them "psychologically". All he needs to do is to figure out what makes them happy or gives them a happy emotion. I think that's a pretty awesome ability. But its also dangerous because he can also make them do dangerous things like convince them to rob a bank. He believes that he has the ability to control the world is he had the chance but he's too lazy to do any of that stuff. There are also people out on the hunt for him because he's a vitro. This issue was different from the first two issues because it was more on observing how the people would react psychologically.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a paranormal or psychological twist to society and what it can do to someone.

Pariah Issue #2 [BOOK REVIEW]

Pariah Issue #2
By: Aron Warner
Published: August 2011
Publisher: Sea Lion Books
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Well this second issue was a little better then the first.  I think that that's because it gave a little back-story as well into what actually happened. To be truthful, I was kinda surprised to see how the story didn't continue from the same perspective of Brent Marks from the first issue, but I guess this works too. It was also cool to see this from the perspective of a girl and one also controlling the entire pack of people when they were in trouble. The girl is called, Lila Ellerman. She was known as a genius vitro because she worked with government corporations in labs. I'm not really sure was her real job but they were experimenting different things and trying to find a working technique. And also since this issue is told from a girl's perspective, it had a touch of romance in there but it wasn't all that amazing. I'm not complaining about it, just saying it had a touch of it.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for paranormal stories with a touch of romance, and all out war between two different groups of people.

Pariah Issue #1 [BOOK REVIEW]

Pariah Issue #1
By: Aron Warner
Publisher: Sea Lion Books
Rating: 3/5 Stars

Ok. So this isn't like a normal stand alone book, it's more of a comic. To be honest, this book was only OK for me, because it was kinda confusing, especially in the beginning, I kept on having to re-read specific parts a couple of times, just so I could understand what they were trying to say to the reader. The story takes place in the future where some people are called "vitros". The first issue talks about a boy named Brent Marks and he is obviously a vitro. A virtro is basically someone with enhanced abilities which makes them smarter. Most of these vitros are wanted because they are known to bring "unnecessary things" into the human world. Brent is able to create things and he spends most of his time in his room doing just that. He wants to show the world what he can do and the benefits of the creation but like most people, he is ignored with his creations.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for any supernatural beings in a futuristic world. And, it's also a pretty quick read.

The Lost Saint [BOOK REVIEW]

The Lost Saint (2nd Book)
By: Bree Despain
Published: December 28, 2010
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Rating: 4/5 Stars

Summary: Grace Divine made the ultimate sacrifice to cure Daniel Kalbi. She was infected with the werewolf curse while trying to save him, and lost her beloved brother in the process. Desperate to fine Jude, Grace befriends Talbot, a newcomer to town. But as the two grow closer Grace's relationship with Daniel is put in danger - in more ways than one. Unaware of the dark path she is walking, Grace begins to give into the wolf inside of her - not realizing that an enemy has returned and a deadly trap is about to be sprung.


The characters were always kind of going at a steady pace. I didn't see any major character development in the story. But the characters were still good. I can't really say that Grace annoyed me cause most of the time, she didn't. I thought that Daniel was kinda annoying because all he ever did was hide things throughout the book. It got to a point where I didn't even care anymore because Talbot filled in the empty spots of where he was supposed to be. I think I liked Taylor's character the most. And Jude annoyed me. He was always acting so mysteriously throughout the book, I couldn't really know what was on his mind. And April! I'm so glad that she got mentioned a whole lot in this book. She wasn't much but she did a good break from all the paranormal guys throughout the story.

The plot was great. I didn't get bored of it all. I just got annoyed at some parts when it didn't really go the way that I wanted it to, but the ending was OK. There were some fighting scenes that was sprinkled in here and there and with some love tension between specific people. Also the had new terminology of the different species like Gelals, and Akhs, which I thought was interesting. Everything in this book was pretty unexpected especially the end.I'm just hoping that the thing that did happen doesn't stay that way. I won't say that this is my favorite wolf book, because it didn't really catch on me after I finished it.

I would still recommend this book to anyone looking for paranormal romance, and wolves, and with some action. This is the second installment to The Dark Divine.

Silence [BOOK REVIEW]

Silence (3rd Installment)
By: Becca Fitzpatrick
Published: October 4, 2011Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Rating: 5/5 Stars

Summary: When silence is all that's left, can the truth finally be told? Nora Grey can't remember the past five months of her life. After the initial shock of waking up in a cemetery and being told that she has been missing for weeks - with no one knowing where she was or who she was with - she tries to get her life back on track. Go to school, hand out with her best friend, Vee, and dodge her mom's creepy boy friend. But there is this voice in the back of her head, an idea that she can almost reach out and touch. Visions of angel wings and unearthly creatures that have nothing to do with the life she knows. And this unshakable feeling that a part of her is missing. Then Nora crosses path with a sexy stranger, whom she feels a mesmerizing connection to. He seems to hold all the answers . . . and her heart. Every minute she spends with him grows more and more intense until she realizes she could be falling in love. Again.

The characters are once so much better compared to that of Crescendo. I mean, Nora did not piss me off in this book and that was one thing that I got worried about when I started reading this book. She's still very irrational and she does alot of things without thinking about the consequences, but I guess after reading about her in two books, I kinda get that that is part of her personality and it would suck if she didn't have that trait. Then it would make the book kinda boring. And wow, Jev was totally unexpected. I didn't think of him as the person I thought him to be but you kinda get the hints, halfway through the story. He was very dark and mysterious and kinda pretty much the same. And he still cares about Nora, no matter what she decides to do. That was probably the sweetest part.And Vee. I thought that Vee wasn't mentioned as much and I don't know, it felt like she changed somehow, but I'm not sure how or what, but her character feels a little different.

The plot was absolutely amazing! I loved how there was a lot of dark elements, a lot of fighting and some action parts, and the idea of fallen angels against Nephilim. This story kinda plots together why things happened the way they did in the first and second book. The plot had so many different twists and turns that it kept me hooked. And I regret not reading this book at night cause I read the first half in the afternoon. But the perfect atmosphere would be at night while it was raining. Hahas. I also loved the bits of mystery parts mixed in. I wish that this book lasted longer because it was really good and I think that this is definitely going to be on my favorites list.

I really don't know why so many people are bashing this book just because of what they read in Crescendo and how Nora was so annoying, because I truly enjoyed this book. I'm just hoping that the fourth book comes out to be even better! That would be super awesome! Anyways I would recommend this book to anyone looking for paranormal romance, fallen angels, and a lot of the super-dark-elements that I enjoyed the most.

Birthmarked [BOOK REVIEW]

Birthmarked
By: Caragh M. O'Brien
Published: March 30, 2010
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Summary: In the future, in a world baked dry by the harsh sun, there are those who live inside the wall and those, like sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone, who live outside. Gaia has always believed it is her duty, with her mother, to hand over a small quota of babies to the Enclave. But when Gaia's mother and faher are arrested by the very people they so dutifully serve, Gaia is forced to question everything she has been taught to believe. Gaia's choice is now simple: enter the world of the Enclave to rescue her parents, or die trying.

The plot was very well thought out. It took place in a society where some of the poor people were living on the outside of the wall, and if you were one the the first 3 babies of each month to be born, then you would get to live on the inside of the wall. But then you wouldn't know about your parents anymore because you weren't allowed to meet any of the outside families once you were in. The story had a mix mystery and some "edge of the seat" parts cause you wouldn't know if this was going to happen or what's going to happen to them. I just wish that sometimes throughout the story, the Enclave wasn't so uptight about specific things and I think that was the part that annoyed me the most.


The characters were awesome. I absolutely loved Gaia's character. She was well developed and I think she was one of the most beautiful characters in the entire story. (Not physically, but on the inside). Even though she had a scar on her face, she didn't think about it that often. Not to say that she was outgoing and a confident person. But she was still very kind and she didn't show hatred towards the people that pitied her. Leon was also great. He had alot of character development throughout the story. He comes of as a very stoic person in the beginning but he slowly grows on you. And there are alot of other great characters like Gaia's parents, and the Enclave, which I hated because they are just evil and they seem so much more like stalkers.


I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a great dystopian/well-thought-out romance/mystery read.

SPOILER ALERT!

Towards the end of the book, it felt as if the concept of this book was very similar to that of Delirium's if you've read that one as well because of the "inside" group and "outside" group. And especially with the cliffhanger and what Leon did, it was exactly like what Alex did in Delirium, just in different story lines.

Storm Born Chapters 1-3 [Book Review]

Storm Born Chapters 1-3
By: Richelle Mead
Published: January 10, 2012
Publisher: Sea Lion Books
Rating: 4/5 Stars

Here's the summary from my point of view:
So the basic plot line of this book starts with a girl named Eugenie Markham and most people call her Odile from the Dark Swan. (There's a significance to her name). Her job is to send "spirits" or creatures back to the otherworld. And due to some prophecy, her name has been spread around the other world where it has made her the most popular bachelorette. That sends her into fighting unnecessary creatures all the time.

There wasn't a wide variety of characters in the first three chapters, so I hope that it's going to improve. However, Eugenie is a great main character. I love how she is such a strong female heroine because there isn't that much out there. There's also her mom and her dad and her dad is really carefree but that doesn't mean that he doesn't care about Eugenie. There was also Kiyo and I was not expecting him to be what he was. And also her helpers but they were also creatures. But I loved those characters. Volusian looked the most evil but I don't know, I think there's more to him then his goal of going free. Theres also other creatures that are the "evil-doers". But the seemed only ok to me because they didn't have the killing vibe in them and I think that's because they just want to "do" Eugenie.

The plot was great. There wasn't alot of story building, more like an introduction to the character of Eugenie and what she does, but I think that will improve in the next couple of books. There was also alot of action and fighting being done here and there and that was just the first 3 chapters so I can't wait to continue the series.

I'm kinda excited to find out what happens next because after the 3rd chapter, it left me on a big cliffhanger. I would also recommend this book to anyone looking for a strong female heroin, crazy-underworld-creatures, and fighting or action.

I received this from the publishing company (Sea Lion Books) to do a review, so thank you! I really enjoyed this series. (:

Fixing Delilah [Book Review]

Fixing Delilah
By: Sarah Ockler
Published: December 1, 2010
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Finished On: September 24, 2011

Summary: Things in Delilah Hannaford’s life have a tendency to fall apart. She used to be a good student, but she can’t seem to keep it together anymore. Her “boyfriend” isn’t much of a boyfriend. And her mother refuses to discuss the fight that divided their family eight years ago. Falling apart, it seems is a Hannaford tradition. Over a summer of new friendships, unexpected romance, and moments that test the complex bonds between mothers and daughters, Delilah must face her family’s painful past. Can even her most shattered relationships be pieced together again?

Everyone knows that it’s impossible to find a perfect family and it’s OK to not have one and this book portrays that concept beautifully. I loved this book. It definitely deserves a 5 star rating but I can’t say that it’s one of my favorite books. It brought out many different emotions going from confusion, sadness to happiness and from angry to crying. It was filled with emotion that anyone can relate to especially in Delilah’s life. This book did not have any boring moments at all. I was able to read this book at a reasonable pace without having to put it down for a long time just because it was boring. And there was also many quotes that were amazing.

The characters of the book were written very realistically. it felt as if I could see these people living in my world. There was a lot of character development from Delilah and her mother because they both learn to face their past and the secrets and problems that her mother has kept hidden. Delilah and Patrick were great characters and all but in the middle I found them to be a little annoying when they were together but I think that was because of their stubbornness. Emily was super nice and sweet and I never expected the secret that she spilled.

The plot was great and the secrets and relationships between all the characters developed slowly. The ending was good but somewhere between the middle and the end of the story made me cry. That was totally epic and unexpected. I think that Sarah Ockler did a great job in writing all of the characters and we were able to get a lot of them in just one book. Not a lot of authors are able to do it in one book. Though I did with that “CC” showed up in the story because I felt he was a pretty vague character but he had a huge impact in the story.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for quick, heartbreak to heartwarming summer read (even though summer is over), and also to anyone looking for romance and family issues. This book teaches a great lesson: Family. It’s not always a perfect fit.

The Maze Runner [Book Review]

The Maze Runner
By: James Dashner
Publication: October 6, 2009
Publisher: Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers
Rating: 4/5 Stars.
Finished on: September 17, 2011

Summary: When Thomas wakes up in the life, the only thing he can remember is his first name. He has no recollection of his parents, his home, or how he got where he is. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to eh Glade, a large expanse enclosed by stone walls. Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning, for as  long as anyone can remember, the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night, for just as long, they’ve closed tight. Every thirty days a new boy is delivered in the lift. And no one wants to be stuck in the Maze after dark. The Gladers were expecting Thomas’s arrival.

There were a lot of Gladers in the story but there were only a couple of main ones. Thomas was or is the bravest of them all because of the actions that he chooses to do for others. I also like Minho, Newt, and Alby but I didn’t like how they were always keeping so many secrets in the beginning of the story. It got to the point where I was so bored because there was no “new” information that kept me interested. And I felt so sad for what happened to Alby and Chuck. Chuck was probably my most favorite character. His ramblings even though they were stuck in the maze seemed like he was a normal kid trying to make conversations.

The overall plot was amazing. I just wished that they would have release little by little info throughout the beginning, and middle of the story because it was just really slow for me in the beginning. I think according to most people, it would be considered a “reasonable pace” but I like books where it just grabs me into the whole story. Or it was probably because I had my hopes too high since many people said it was super good. However, after you get through the beginning, the rest of it is just awesome.

My only problem was the pacing in the beginning of the book. But this book had a lot of thrillers, and fighting and action and scary monsters, and killing, so if you like those things, go for it! xD

Divergent [Book Review]

Divergent
By: Veronica Roth
Published: May 3,2011
Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Finished on: September 6, 2011

Summary: 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 chose. 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.

Ok so I had to put this book a couple of times before I actually gave it the chance of being a good book because the first time I picked it up, I couldn’t even get through the 1st paragraph. But truly, this book is super good and I never thought that the plot would be what it is. (: I’m giving this a 5 stars <3

The plot of this book was absolutely amazing because it kept me interested enough to keep on turning the pages and onto the next chapter. There was never a dull moment in the story. There are always new twists and turns and there were probably only a couple of predictable parts but other than that, it was great.
The characters were amazing as well. I really do believe that when Tris is selfless, that that is when she is the bravest otherwise, she wouldn’t fall into the selfless factor. And oh my gosh … I loved Four’s character. He comes off as mysterious because he only lets certain people see who he really is and there are also secrets that he hides (you have to find that out for yourself. Sometimes when Four comes out I, I thought that it was the number four and not that name which confused me only in the first couple chapters. But you get used to it really quickly. And I felt soooo sorry for Al. I felt like crying when Tris did what she did before he’s … you know. And also Will and Christina, I wonder how Christina is going to react in the end. And Peter! He’s your typical annoying-bad-boy and I don’t like him. But yes.

And the romance tension in this book was awesome but I don’t wanna say who it was because I was spoiled with that. I really want to read the 2nd book now.

I would recommend this book to anyone that liked the Hunger games, and also anyone that likes dystopian with a mix of romance that just cranks up the entire story.

Stolen: A Letter to my Captor [Book Review]

Stolen: A Letter To My Captor
By: Lucy Christopher
Published: May 4, 2009
Publisher: Chicken House Ltd
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Finished on: August 29, 2011

Summary: A Girl: Gemma, at the airport, on her way to a family vacation. A guy: Ty, rugged, tan, too old, oddly familiar, eyes blue as ice. She steps away. For just a second. He pays for her drink. And drugs it. He takes her, before she even knows what’s happening. To sand and heat. To emptiness and isolation. To nowhere. And expects her to love him. Written as a letter from a victim to her captor, this is Gemma’s desperate story of survival. Ty has stolen her body. Against every instinct screaming inside her, will he also steal Gemma’s heart?

I think this book deserves a 4/5 stars. i don’t know cause I feel like the ending could have ended differently but I’m also satisfied with the ending.

OK. so I love Lucy Christopher’s writing style of putting it into first person and also into a kind of letter which made it really easy to connect with the main character which was Gemma. Only Gemma always said “you” instead of “Ty” which I thought got confusing sometimes. But you get used to it after a couple of pages.

The characters were amazing. I actually really loved Ty’s character because throughout the story, you slowly get to understand his background and where he comes from and why he does the things he did. It’s not like other stories where they pour everything into the last 20 pages. He spills a little about himself throughout the story so you won’t get bored easily. Gemma’s character was understandable because I think if I was in her situation, I would have probably done the same thing. And her choice at the end of the book, wasn’t what I would have expected but it’s a really “mature” choice and she does have a lot of growth development throughout the story.

The plot went at a reasonable pace where it kept me interested because most books get me bored easily in the beginning probably because of the story building. But this book started with a great beginning and finished with a great ending. I also love the concept of it taking place in Australia but I didn’t feel the vibe, probably because it was in a desert.

But I would recommend this book to people that are find with the concept of kidnapping and with a little bit of romance in it.