Fallout by Ellen Hopkins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Avg rating: 4.30

Goodreads Summary:
The riveting final chapter of the Crank trilogy, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Ellen Hopkins.

Hunter, Autumn, and Summer--three of Kristina Snow's five children--live in different homes, with different guardians and different last names. They share only a predisposition for addiction and a host of troubled feelings toward the mother who barely knows them, a mother who has been riding with the monster, crank, for twenty years.

As each teen searches for real love and true family, they find themselves pulled toward the one person who links them together--Kristina, Bree, mother, addict. But it is in each other, and in themselves, that they find the trust, the courage, the hope to break the cycle.

Told in three voices and punctuated by news articles chronicling the family's story, Fallout is the stunning conclusion to the trilogy begun by Crank and Glass, and a testament to the harsh reality that addiction is never just one person's problem.

Actual Rating: 5.0

WOW.... So good. I feel like a totally different person after reading this trilogy.. I fell in love with these characters in more ways than one. It was unlike any other book. By the end of it I felt like I was part of the family.

Fallout was my favorite book of the 3, written in the perspective of the children of Kristina, the addicted meth user.

I may not relate to the characters who have all lived through a quite dramatic upbringing but I didn't need to. The writing style never faltered. It was beautiful, poetic, and intense.

Ellen Hopkins is my new favorite author and I will be reading every one of her books. I highly highly recommend this book. It took me on an emotional roller coaster and when it was over I was quite sad.

I love books that make me feel feelings I don't normally feel in every day life... Go read it, be it, love it.

View all my reviews

Alternative Covers:

Crank by Ellen Hopkins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Avg rating: 4.15

Goodreads Summary:
In Crank, Ellen Hopkins chronicles the turbulent and often disturbing relationship between Kristina, a character based on her own daughter, and the "monster," the highly addictive drug crystal meth, or "crank." Kristina is introduced to the drug while visiting her largely absent and ne'er-do-well father. While under the influence of the monster, Kristina discovers her sexy alter-ego, Bree: "there is no perfect daughter, / no gifted high school junior, / no Kristina Georgia Snow. / There is only Bree." Bree will do all the things good girl Kristina won't, including attracting the attention of dangerous boys who can provide her with a steady flow of crank.

Actual Rating: 5.0

Such an eye opener! Life changing..

I grew up completely sheltered to the life style that evolves around drugs and drug addicts. My eyes were recently opened when two of my best friends slowly became strangers. I watched them turn from people I spent every waking moment with to people I didn't even WANT to know any more. I removed myself from their lives in fear of falling into the same trap they had. I knew I had too much to lose.

I resented them. I was hurt, broken, in need of a friend and they were too busy getting high, staying up for days, coloring nonsense pictures and having sex with random guys twice their age. But as the years past (2 years now) I began to open my eyes to the disease that is addiction. This book helped tons in that sense. Made me understand, a little. Made me think to myself "Oh.... It all makes sense."

At first I was a little weary of the writing style. Didn't understand why it was written the way it was.. lyrically, poetically, all over the page... But by the end of the book I was obsessed. So beautiful, so well written. So few words but such big meanings. I felt every wave of emotion while reading this book. I learned so much about so many different things. I'm thankful for the author for putting it all down on paper.

I will definitely be reading the next one.. And possibly other books about addiction. It helps me understand, helps me cope, helps soften my heart to those who have hurt me. Because I know it's not their intention... It's simply a result of the monster.

View all my reviews

Alternative Covers:

Gone by Michael Grant
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Avg rating: 3.86

Goodreads Summary:
The first in New York Times bestselling author Michael Grant's breathtaking dystopian, sci-fi saga, Gone is a page-turning thriller that invokes the classic The Lord of the Flies along with the horror of Stephen King.

In the blink of an eye, everyone disappears. Gone. Except for the young.

There are teens, but not one single adult. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened.

Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day. It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: On your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else...

Michael Grant's Gone as been praised for its compelling storytelling, multidimensional characters, and multiple points of view.

Supports the Common Core State Standards

Actual Rating: 3.2

I had high hopes for this book.. It started out good, really pulled me in. Then it slowed down a lot.. Spent a lot of time going into detail on unnecessary items, in my opinion.

There's something weird about the writing style that I can't quite put my finger on. I like how the author switches story perspectives multiple times in each chapter. And I liked how it counts down the hours until the "poof" and then the book ends..

To be honest I didn't end this book dying to read book two so that's a definite downfall. In a series of 3 (or is it 4?) books, I think there has to be a lot of unanswered questions to ensure the desire to read on and figure out the answer to these questions. But in this book, a lot of the questions are answered in the last chapter and then it's like "ughhh do I really want to read a new one with all these 14 year-olds and under kids as characters?"

So anyways... I doubt I'll continue on with this series, but the book is still worthy of 3 stars.

View all my reviews

Alternative Covers:

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Avg rating: 3.70

Goodreads Summary:
When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.
 
Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.

Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.

This book is intended for mature audiences.

Actual Rating: 3.9

Wow! I'm gonna start by saying THAT ENDING!! I can't even...

This was another one of those books that I put off and put off for ever even though I kept hearing sooooo much about it. I finally decided it was time to give in and try it out.

At first, I hated it. I found Ana very BLAH and as we learned more and more about Christian I realized I thought to myself why would anyone ever give this man the time of day. I felt that the writing style was structured to remind us on every turn of the page how wonderful, hot, & handsome Christina was and how boring and non-dimensional Anastasia was.

That was for about the first 200 pages. After that I was HOOKED. Couldn't stop. Read so much in one sitting because I just couldn't get enough. I thought "Oh!!! This is what all the hype is about" I've never really be into reading "sexual fantasy books" but there was so much more to this story. Once you really got to know the characters and see them develop, I fell in love with them and their romance.

I LOVE the playful emails sent between them and the sarcastic tone of some of their conversations.

I have heard a lot of rumors about this being made into a movie and I really don't think I like that idea. In my experience all movies made into books lose a lot of their power and I am sure that this one will follow in that direction.

Anyways, after THAT ending (yes I cried) there was no question in my mind that I must start reading the next one right away. So I shall start today.

Excited for the next two!

View all my reviews

Alternative Covers:

Insurgent by Veronica Roth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Avg rating: 4.15

Goodreads Summary:
Insurgent is a 2012 science fiction young adult novel by American novelist Veronica Roth, the second book in the Divergent trilogy. As the sequel to the 2011 bestseller Divergent, it continues the story of Tris Prior and the dystopian post-apocalyptic version of Chicago. Following the events of the previous novel, a war now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. While trying to save the people that she loves, Tris faces questions of grief, forgiveness, identity, loyalty, politics, and love.

The book was first published on May 1, 2012 by the HarperCollins imprints Katherine Tegen Books in the U.S. and HarperCollins Children's Books in the U.K, a "Collector's Edition" was published on October 30 in the United States. Insurgent received mostly positive reviews from critics, with reviewers praising Roth's writing.

My Rating: 5.0

Originally read: May 01, 2012
Re-read: October 01, 2013

Original rating: 4 stars

I'm re-reading this to prepare for Allegiant (book 3) and have decided this book deserves no less than 5 stars. I'm such a huge fan of the Divergent series and after taking a year off, watching to production of the movie, the cast, the author, the fandom, I realized just how good this series is to me. I've read a lot of books between then and now and I totally understand why this series has taken off like it has. The attachment to the characters is out of this world. The strength in the main character, the plot twists, the depth of the characters relationships to each other, it's all just too good for words.

I am counting down the hours till the third and final book comes out and I can't wait to see how it turns out. Thank you Veronica Roth for creating this story for us to live in vicariously.

View all my reviews

Alternative Covers:

Everneath by Brodi Ashton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Avg rating: 3.80

Goodreads Summary:
Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she’s returned—to her old life, her family, her boyfriend—before she’s banished back to the underworld . . . this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can’t find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these precious months forgetting the Everneath and trying to reconnect with her boyfriend, Jack, the person most devastated by her disappearance—and the one person she loves more than anything. But there’s just one problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who enticed her to the Everneath in the first place, has followed Nikki home. Cole wants to take over the throne in the underworld and is convinced Nikki is the key to making it happen. And he’ll do whatever it takes to bring her back, this time as his queen.

As Nikki’s time on the Surface draws to a close and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole’s queen.

Everneath is a captivating story of love, loss, and immortality from debut author Brodi Ashton.

Actual Rating: 4.5

This book was fantastic! I absolutely loved it...
I've never read a "paranormal" book or anything even close to this but it came up in my recommendations and the synopsis was just enough to spark my interest... I found myself trying to read pages while waiting for the stop light to turn green.. Even downloaded the pdf version so I could read off my computer at work..

The author says "niggling" alot which i find kinda funny. The characters are relateable from the get go..

The first chapter really grabs you and makes you wonder hmm what's going on here?! So many questions... Then, throughout the book, you get answers. Piece by piece it starts to make sense and then it all comes together in the end..

I heard there is going to be 3 books in this serious and I just can NOT wait to read the next one.

View all my reviews

Alternative Covers: