The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Avg rating: 4.31
Goodreads Summary:
When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something frightening enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that got her sent to Thurmond, a government 'rehabilitation camp'. Ruby might have survived the mysterious disease that killed most of America's children, but she and the others had emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they could not control. Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones. When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now on the run, she is desperate to find East River, the only safe haven left for kids like her, and she joins a group of other runaways who have escaped their own camps. Liam, their brave leader, is falling for Ruby, but she can't risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents. When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all Liam. But there are also other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice - and one that may mean giving up her only chance at having a life worth living.
Actual Rating: 3.9
This book has an interesting back story, setting, dystopian world etc. The characters are lovable and the parts of this book that were good, were REALLY good! Unfortunately, that was at the beginning and the end only.
**SPOILER**
I trusted Cate, the doctor from the very beginning and I didn't know why Ruby insisted on not.. I can understand how her journey with Liam to the East River was so monumental but I was bored at times.
However, the last few chapters GOT me.. It's really what changed my review from a 3 to 4 star review. Chubs dying (well maybe, maybe not) Ruby pressing the button (WHY WHY WHY?!?!?!?!) and then her erasing all of Liam's memories!! I couldn't even believe she did that.
Anyways, I'm interested to find out what happens with the kids and the revolution so I will be reading on!
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Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Avg rating: 4.31
Goodreads Summary:
Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.
In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.
And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.
Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.
When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?
Actual Rating: 3.5
Okay so this book definitely deserved that extra .5 over the 3 star rating.. I didn't hate it but I definitely didn't love it.
I am starting to draw the fine line between what I do and do not like about Fantasy novels. The line really comes down to the type of characters in the novel. In this book, there was too much fantasy that I had a hard time wrapping my head around it.
I liked the main character Karou in the beginning but I started to lose interest in her fast. I actually like her human best friend Zusannah more than I like her!
Anyways... when we finally met Akiva I was too confused about who he was and where he came from (what relm, what time, what story?) to even think of him as a love interest for Karou.
The book didn't flow very well and I kept loosing track and having to re-read parts because of all the "fantasy-made-up" words.
By the end of the book I was happy to have some answers but didn't care enough to think it was a cliff-hanger.. I probably won't be reading the next one.
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Cress by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Avg rating: 4.48
Goodreads Summary:
In this third book in the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.
Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl imprisoned on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.
When a daring rescue of Cress goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has.
Actual Rating: 4.8
NOOOOO the fact that I have to wait till Feb of 2015 for the next one is just earth shattering and not okay
.
Marissa Meyer has the ability to make you fall in love with EVERY. SINGLE. CHARACTER. she writes.. It's amazing!
I usually hate when a book jumps around from perspective to perspective but this author writes in a way that it really couldn't go any other way. I'm really happy with the way the characters have progressed and the story has tied together. I feel like I waited SOOO long for a Kai and Cinder reunion and it finally happened (at the very end) but it was perfect.. LJflkasdjflkahdfl;kasdjl;fahdsl;f
Iko is my favorite character and Thorne is a close second.. Every new charter that is introduced is interesting and intriguing and I can't wait to meet and journey with Winter <3
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It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Avg rating: 4.15
Goodreads Summary:
Ambitious New York City teenager Craig Gilner is determined to succeed at life - which means getting into the right high school to get into the right job. But once Craig aces his way into Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School, the pressure becomes unbearable. He stops eating and sleeping until, one night, he nearly kills himself.
Craig's suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his new neighbors include a transsexual sex addict, a girl who has scarred her own face with scissors, and the self-elected President Armelio. There, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety.
Ned Vizzini, who himself spent time in a psychiatric hospital, has created a remarkably moving tale about the sometimes unexpected road to happiness.
Actual Rating: 4
First off I want to say how great I think the cover is for this story. If you don't/haven't read the book, you'll never understand the cover. But once you get started you start to figure it out and by the time you get to the end you have a totally different understanding and appreciation for the cover art, the meaning behind it is extraordinary.
This book was a total roller coaster. Craig, the main character has clinical depression even though he hasn't been through some big dramatic event. He's just a 15 year old kid whose brain never sleeps. This is something I feel like a lot of people can relate to.
Craig has such an interesting way of thinking and the way it is portrayed into Ned's writing style is really extraordinary. I came to care a lot about Craig and his recovery. He really opened up my mind and made me think about thinking, if that makes sense. I was so happy with the way the book ended but then I heard something devastating about the author. I would like to think that this character, my Craig, didn't go on to do what the author had done in real life but considering it's based on a true story, I guess that answers that question.
Here are some of my favorite quotes:
"A person's relationship with food is one of their most important relationships."
"The only thing I had done that people said was kind of like smoking pot was go really hard on the swings, and Aaron had told me that anyone who said that was probably high when they were on the swings."
"I don't know how much of it is really chemical. Sometimes I just think depression's one way of coping with the world. Like, some people get drunk, some people do drugs, some people get depressed. Because there's so much stuff out there that you have to do something to deal with it."
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Enders by Lissa Price
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Avg rating: 3.73
Goodreads Summary:
Someone is after Starters like Callie and Michael—teens with chips in their brains. They want to experiment on anyone left over from Prime Destinations—Starters who can be controlled and manipulated. With the body bank destroyed, Callie no longer has to rent herself out to creepy Enders. But Enders can still get inside her mind and make her do things she doesn't want to do. Like hurt someone she loves. Having the chip removed could save her life—but it could also silence the voice in her head that might belong to her father. Callie has flashes of her ex-renter Helena's memories, too . . . and the Old Man is back, filling her with fear. Who is real and who is masquerading in a teen body?
No one is ever who they appear to be, not even the Old Man. Determined to find out who he really is and grasping at the hope of a normal life for herself and her younger brother, Callie is ready to fight for the truth. Even if it kills her.
Actual Rating: 4.0
The best part about any dystopian novel is the world that the author creates. In Starters/Enders, Lissa Price has created a world where Enders (Old people) rent out Starters (young people) bodies to use to do whatever they want.
The main character Calli is an interesting main character who doesn't seem to really think out her actions. In books there is usually a long train of thought leading to any plot changing action but not so much in this book. Calli doesn't sit around and feel sorry for herself and her loved ones that are in this situation, she takes action to fix the problems created by this type of messed up world.
I enjoyed this book but I wasn't in love with it. The middle got boring and some of the plot twists were a bit predictable. It finally started to pick up at about 80% when the big plot twist came.
I was kinda annoyed because there was no presence of my favorite character from Starters in this one, Enders.
***SPOILER***
I shipped Blake & Calli in Starters and when I found out Blake was actually the old man I was kinda grossed out. But then the big plot twist in Enders is that Hyden is the Old Man.. I can deal with that. Oh of course I loved that happy moment when she's reunited with her dad!
This book was lacking romance at times, and not enough action to get away with it. But I enjoyed it nonetheless and am interested to see what happens next in the wonderful world of Calli Woodland.
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The Death Cure by James Dashner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Avg rating: 3.80
Goodreads Summary:
It’s the end of the line.
WICKED has taken everything from Thomas: his life, his memories, and now his only friends—the Gladers. But it’s finally over. The trials are complete, after one final test.
Will anyone survive?
What WICKED doesn’t know is that Thomas remembers far more than they think. And it’s enough to prove that he can’t believe a word of what they say.
The truth will be terrifying.
Thomas beat the Maze. He survived the Scorch. He’ll risk anything to save his friends. But the truth might be what ends it all.
The time for lies is over.
Actual Rating: 4.7
Amazing! A fantastic wrap up of a great series.
This author really impressed me! It takes some serious creativity and skill to work a story around a conclusion like this. I have never been more CONFUSED in my life though! The s one but the confusion was OKAY! It was a big part of what kept me interested. I wanted, no, NEEDED to find out the WHO's and WHEN's and WHY's. Each book individually was different in it's own way. Each started with an appropriate amount of confusion, then proceeded to a good amount of action and finished with a few answers to our confusion from the beginning.
I was not expecting a love triangle and I was NOT expecting a certain main character to die at the end but I'm not upset about it. It was necessary and meaningful, as are most fictional character deaths.
Throughout the series the main character is kind of all over the place but in the end he is able to gather all the details he has learned and can remember to figure out what is going on and save himself and his friends.
I can't wait to see the Maze Runner movie but I don't know that it will do well enough to continue on through this book.
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The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Avg rating: 3.94
Goodreads Summary:
Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.
When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.
But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil, no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.
Actual Rating: 2.3
Boy am I glad that book is over.. I almost didn't finish it. I really wanted to know what was gonna happen when she got back to the "real world" and that turned out to be pretty anti-climactic as well.
I think maybe this book had too much fantasy and not enough realism in it.. The only person who can get away with this much fantasy is Cassandra Clare or C.S. Lewis.
This book was full of mythical creatures and in my opinion, was not descriptive enough for my imagination to do what it needs to do. The romance aspect was not believable or enjoyable. There were lots of chapters full of nothingness.
My favorite part was Gremalkin Kitty which was obviously a play on the Cheshire Cat.
I won't be back for more, that's for sure.
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Frozen by Melissa de la Cruz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Avg rating: 3.60
Goodreads Summary:
From New York Times bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz and Michael Johnston comes this remarkable first book in a spellbinding new series about the dawn of a new kind of magic.
Welcome to New Vegas, a city once covered in bling, now blanketed in ice. Like much of the destroyed planet, the place knows only one temperature—freezing. But some things never change. The diamond in the ice desert is still a 24-hour hedonistic playground and nothing keeps the crowds away from the casino floors, never mind the rumors about sinister sorcery in its shadows.
At the heart of this city is Natasha Kestal, a young blackjack dealer looking for a way out. Like many, she's heard of a mythical land simply called “the Blue.” They say it’s a paradise, where the sun still shines and the waters are turquoise. More importantly, it’s a place where Nat won’t be persecuted, even if her darkest secret comes to light.
But passage to the Blue is treacherous, if not impossible, and her only shot is to bet on a ragtag crew of mercenaries led by a cocky runner named Ryan Wesson to take her there. Danger and deceit await on every corner, even as Nat and Wes find themselves inexorably drawn to each other. But can true love survive the lies? Fiery hearts collide in this fantastic tale of the evil men do and the awesome power within us all.
Actual Rating : 3.4
Mehhhhhhh. Again, not impressed with this authors story telling. I don't know what it is about it.. She definitely has a "style" that she writes in and I don't much like it.
I think the perspective is a little all over the place.. She has two main characters and she sorta switches perspective between the two of em but isn't clear enough with the details form that person's perspective.. Does that even make sense? I don't know. I just think she takes the easy way out when it comes to perspective.
***SPOILER***
Anyways, about the story. It reminded me of Finding Nemo in the sense that all the main characters died and came back to life more times then I can count, okay exaggerating but still
I didn't feel any emotional connection with the characters, their love story seemed forced and not realistic.
I did like the dystopian part of it, the Martial Law and the Frozen planet and "New Vegas" and food in an aerosol can EW!
Anyways, it got a little too piratey for me.. I probably won't continue on with the series.
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Cinder by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Avg rating: 4.12
Goodreads Summary:
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.
Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.
Actual Rating: 4.5
Yes yes yes! A new series for me to obsess over.
This was perfect. Disney Princess Fairytale meets Dystopian Wonderland. What more could you ask for?
Cinder is funny and interesting and in touch with her self which makes for a really good main character. She's been oppressed for so long it was fun to watch her turn into so much more than she has been.
Adri is the PERFECT wicked step-mother and Pearl plays a great evil step sister.
Oh and.... Prince Kai is just...
no words...
The ending gave me just enough hope to hold me over to the next one, but I will definitely be continuing on with the series.
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