Superheroes for the Uninitiated

Superheroes for the Uninitiated

Revolution

Jennifer Donelly's Blog (The author)

"Two girls, two centuries apart. One never knowing the other. But when Andi finds Alexandrine’s diary, she recognizes something in her words and is moved to the point of obsession. There’s comfort and distraction for Andi in the journal’s antique pages—until, on a midnight journey through the catacombs of Paris, Alexandrine’s words transcend paper and time, and the past becomes suddenly, terrifyingly present."

A very long book, and I loved it that way! It was really good.I'm almost done. I was taken inside the book almost instantly. She describes depression and loss perfectly. She puts in scientists, french history, teen confusion of where they stand in live and love.

 I thought that since in was in Teen Vogue and Seventeen in ads everywhere I looked that it wouldn't be the greatest French History Fiction ever ; But it is. It's seriously good. My best friend almost stole the whole dang thing out of my hands while I was reading it.

The author is Jennifer Donelly has other books and she's won a few major awards. She has a wonderful imagination. She won a award for "A Gathering Light" which I have not read yet but plan to.

The Passage (The Passage, #1) by Justin Cronin

The Passage (The Passage, #1) by Justin Cronin

Hardcover, 766 pages

Published June 8th 2010 by Ballantine Books

“It happened fast. Thirty-two minutes for one world to die, another to be born.”
First, the unthinkable: a security breach at a secret U.S. government facility unleashes the monstrous product of a chilling military experiment. Then, the unspeakable: a night of chaos and carnage gives way to sunrise on a nation, and ultimately a world, forever altered. All that remains for the stunned survivors is the long fight ahead and a future ruled by fear—of darkness, of death, of a fate far worse.
As civilization swiftly crumbles into a primal landscape of predators and prey, two people flee in search of sanctuary. FBI agent Brad Wolgast is a good man haunted by what he’s done in the line of duty. Six-year-old orphan Amy Harper Bellafonte is a refugee from the doomed scientific project that has triggered apocalypse. He is determined to protect her from the horror set loose by her captors. But for Amy, escaping the bloody fallout is only the beginning of a much longer odyssey—spanning miles and decades—towards the time and place where she must finish what should never have begun.
With The Passage, award-winning author Justin Cronin has written both a relentlessly suspenseful adventure and an epic chronicle of human endurance in the face of unprecedented catastrophe and unimaginable danger. Its inventive storytelling, masterful prose, and depth of human insight mark it as a crucial and transcendent work of modern fiction. – Goodreads

My Opinion: I think that this book is definitely something that takes time because of how long it is. Even if you listen to it on CD like I did.  The plot was something to be reckoned with. The book starts with Amy’s mother and ends with massacre. There are many locations  and it multiple perspectives. We see the perspective of Amy’s mother, Lesley, Peter, Amy, and many others. I thought that added to the story because we see more things of the setting and we see things that other characters don’t see.I also like the unique view of how the monsters were created.

Some of the character were really awesome. I think my favorite was Amy. Even though she doesn’t talk in almost 99% of the novel, she observe everyone and makes  a decision for them. Plus the whole because of who she is she can save everyone. Lisha is also really awesome. I love female protagonists that are self sufficient and reliable and can protect and handle themselves.

Something that I didn’t like about the audiobook was that sometimes it was difficult to distinguish when a new location/ character’s perspective started. in the book there are probably spaces or other paragraphs that distinguish it but in the audiobook… there was nothing.

This was a great novel and I can’t wait for the next one to come out. I would definitely recommend it.

Overall: 4 out of 5

The second novel in the series called The Twelve and it will come out on in 2012

Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison

Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison

Paperback, 208 pages

Expected publication: February 1st 2011 by Harlequin

“Heroine, Bridget Duke, rules her high school, but when she crashes her car and ends up in limbo, she must confront the people she has wronged, all of whom want her to go to hell. The outcome of these meetings will decide her final destination.” – Goodreads

My Opinion: Wow. Okay  the novel starts off right away with Bridget thinking about committing suicide and she is driving erratically and crying, and thinking about how everyone would be super sorry about how they acted towards her and how they would blame themselves for her death. And then she gets into a car accident. It was a great start, I was feeling the adrenaline that Bridget was experiencing.

I think that a theme in this book is that our actions have consequences and that Bridget looks back on her actions and tries to change the way things are in her life and the lives of those closest to her. I thought that she was a great person because she realized when she was wrong and tried to fix things.

I totally understand where she is coming from. But it felt as though all she cared about was herself until she “saw the light” and fixed it all. I loved the effect the flashbacks had on the novel and saw how she changed because of them in the process.

Something else that I really liked that was that the story only takes place in a manner of one to half a day. And I loved that because the novel’s time was so short we see a drastic change in Bridget’s personality because of the event that she goes through. And in real life, its the same. People need only a single moment to make them change.

Overall: 4 out of 5

Hunger (Horsemen of the Apocalypse #1) by Jackie Morse Kessler

Hunger (Horsemen of the Apocalypse #1) by Jackie Morse Kessler

Paperback, 180 pages

Published October 18th 2010 by Harcourt Graphia

“Thou art the Black Rider. Go thee out unto the world.”  Lisabeth Lewis has a black steed, a set of scales, and a new job: she’s been appointed Famine. How will an anorexic seventeen-year-old girl from the suburbs fare as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?
Traveling the world on her steed gives Lisa freedom from her troubles at home: her constant battle with hunger, and her struggle to hide it from the people who care about her. But being Famine forces her to go places where hunger is a painful part of everyday life, and to face the horrifying effects of her phenomenal power. Can Lisa find a way to harness that power — and the courage to battle her own inner demons? – Goodreads

My Opinion: This was an interesting and unique concept. I think that its interesting how the Horsemen are selected. I loved that the characters understood the what their roles were. I loved that because Lisabeth was anorexic she became Famine and I love that she actually understood food.

I really liked how the Lisa grew as a character and how she was willing to fight for herself and how she realized what it means to be hungry because she saw all the people that lived without food. I also really loved that she figures out how to use her power to help.

The plot is just awesome. The book starts with Lisa trying to kill herself and Death stopping her. from there we meet a lot of other characters, her friends who are healthy and trying to help her to a friend who is bulimic and trying to manipulate her. This was a good book and I would definitely recommend reading it because of the unique concept.

Overall: 4 out of 5

The second book in the series is called Rage and a review is coming soon.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Hardcover, 372 pages

Published December 2nd 2010 by Dutton

“Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris—until she meets Étienne St. Claire: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he’s taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.
As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near-misses end with the French kiss Anna—and readers—have long awaited?” – Goodreads

My Opinion: I have to say that I was surprised. I think that from all the reviews that I had read about this and how much buzz has been happen for the book that I automatically assumed it must have been really good. However, the book seemed to be a little superficial. But it was a cute book.

Anna seem very oblivious to her friends and it seemed as though she was trying to help her friends always resulted with her losing them and alienating her self. Especially with her friends. She also appears to be naive, especially with her relationships with Toph and Bridgette.

The Plot: I liked France, I also loved the St. Claire knew all these little facts about it and that there were certain French historical buildings in the scenes, instead of just at the boarding school. I also loved the drama between everyone. What I didn’t like about the drama was that it was only about love.

Overall: 4 out of 5

The Mockingbirds (The Mockingbirds #1) by Daisy Whitney

The Mockingbirds (The Mockingbirds, #1) by Daisy Whitney

Hardcover, 332 pages

Published November 2nd 2010 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

“Some schools have honor codes.
Others have handbooks.
Themis Academy has the Mockingbirds.Themis Academy is a quiet boarding school with an exceptional student body that the administration trusts to always behave the honorable way–the Themis Way. So when Alex is date raped during her junior year, she has two options: stay silent and hope someone helps her, or enlist the Mockingbirds–a secret society of students dedicated to righting the wrongs of their fellow peers.
In this honest, page-turning account of a teen girl’s struggle to stand up for herself, debut author Daisy Whitney reminds readers that if you love something or someone–especially yourself–you fight for it.” – Goodreads

My Opinion: Wow. This book was wow. I remember feeling like this when I first read Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. Both of these books talk about the effects of being raped. And what I really liked about the book was that the author actually experienced this. She was raped. I love it when authors write about their experiences because if it is something bad, for them its a healing process. However, for the reader, it makes the story so much better because we get to experience what she went through. We can feel what she went through. Alex was REAL. I laughed, I cried, I smiled. The book just connects with you.

Alex is a girl that experiences being raped and she goes through this whole process of remember little things and on top of that she knows the rapist and sees him everyday in her class. She decided to talk to the Mockingbirds. Now, I find that what the Mockingbirds represent is something that the school, Themis Academy, should have been responsible for. The school bugged me because of their inability to comprehend human behavior. Just be you expect it to be always good, doesn’t mean that it is. The should have been on top of things like this. I hope that an actual school doesn’t exist that is like Themis Academy in the real world.

I loved that Alex stood up for herself and talked about it even though it pained her, and I love that she was able to move on. I find it amazing that the only consequence though it that the thing you love gets taken away. What is to stop a person from continuing after the academy? I really loved that you can see what Alex’s mind goes through when she thinks that it could have been her fault, it just goes to show the genuineness of the feelings of a person that has been raped.

Thank you Daisy Whitney for writing such a  great novel. I can’t wait for the second one which comes out in the fall of 2011. I wonder what the new case will be.

Overall: 5+ out of 5

Hunger Games: The Movie

The movie Hunger Games is rumored to become a movie in the summer of 2012 and here is the unofficial trailer for it. It's very interesting to look at other people's view of how the movie should be made and their "Hunger Game" movies.

Here is the Movie's site.
http://mockingjay.net/

Inside Out (Inside Out #1) by Maria V. Snyder

Inside Out (Inside Out #1) by Maria V. Snyder

Paperback, 320 pages

Published April 1st 2010 by Harlequin

“Keep Your Head Down.
Don’t Get Noticed.
Or Else.
I’m Trella. I’m a scrub. A nobody. One of thousands who work the lower levels, keeping Inside clean for the Uppers. I’ve got one friend, do my job and try to avoid the Pop Cops. So what if I occasionally use the pipes to sneak around the Upper levels? The only neck at risk is my own…until I accidentally start a rebellion and become the go-to girl to lead a revolution.” – Goodreads

My Opinion: This is definitely a must read. There are so many twists and turns that totally enhanced the plot. There were so many moments where I was super excited to continue reading and couldn’t wait to turn the page.

Trella is an interesting character. It was interesting watching her change, in the way that she thinks, behaves, and speaks from the beginning of the novel to the end. We see her go from uncaring and unsociable to a very caring and responsible person, who happens to want to create a better world other than what she has now. She wants to have relationships with people and she understand them and she becomes more empathetic towards them. She also learns to trust and rely on others more. There are also plenty of other characters that use what they know to manipulate other characters.

The Plot! What can I say about the plot with out giving too much away. The setting is that of a box and Trella and her “friends” are trying to find a way out of the box. They go through all of these obstacles and they face many challenges from other characters and from the environment that they are situated in. The box is also separated in two levels, the uppers and the lowers. The Uppers are people that have blue eyes and they have more power (high class people). The lowers are the browned eyed workers (lower class) and they pretty keep “the box” aka Inside clean and they grow the food that the Uppers eat. The twists are a lot. Many, many twists. And the irony that neither the uppers nor the lowers know anything about the other class. The twists made me change my mind about what Inside actually was and then, the BIG TWIST was totally not what I expected. The book kept me guessing the whole time and I loved the different obstacles and the “treacherousness” of the leaders.
Overall: 5 out of 5
Book 2 in the Inside Out series is coming out on March 1st and Review will be coming soon the book is titled Outside In.

The Iron Queen (Iron Fey #3) by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Queen (Iron Fey #3) by Julie Kagawa

Paperback, 384 pages

Expected publication: January 25th 2011 by Harlequin Teen

“My name is Meghan Chase.I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who’s sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I’m not sure anyone can survive it.
This time, there will be no turning back.” – Goodreads

My opinion: I love love love loved this! There were some great things about this book. Meghan changes a lot in this novel. She learns more about her self and her magic as well as what kind of  a person she is. She figures out how to rely more on her self. Meghan also gets more responsibilities in this book than in any of the others because of what she has to do and how she accomplishes it in the end. I also love the her father (her human father) is brought back and how that makes her change and because of this I think she see how the Faery world messes humans and how humans are treated in general.
We also see a lot of character development from Ash and Puck. Ash becomes more open. Puck on the other hand becomes more reserved because of how the relationship between the trio is advancing.
The plot is outrageous. This is definitely one of my favorite series. There are so many amazing things happen from the twist with Puck, to who the false king is, and with even Ash’s family. The BIG TWIST has to be considered of who the false king is but the action and adventure and all the things that happen to them as every step and page through the novel. I LOVED THIS. I couldn’t put it down and it completely amazed me. I also loved the irony of after being exiled… they have to return because she is the only who can save them!
I can’t wait for The Iron Knight to come out! Thank you Julie Kagawa for writing! You just made this the beginning of a great New year for me!
Overall: 5+ out of 5