Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan

Well here we go kiddies, another book gone and done. Read this one because of a recommendation from a nice lady at Chapters, and it was interesting enough. It got a lot of attention apparently, but I don’t see what makes it super special honestly.

 One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, Will Grayson crosses paths with . . . Will Grayson. Two teens with the same name, running in two very different circles, suddenly find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, and culminating in epic turns-of-heart and the most fabulous musical ever to grace the high school stage. Told in alternating voices from two YA superstars, this collaborative novel features a double helping of the heart and humour that have won them both legions of fans.

The best part about this story is the characters, especially the contrast between the two Will Graysons’ personalities. They are very different people despite having the same name. All of the characters are very realistic in how they interact with each other. Tiny Cooper was the most amusing person to read about and I liked viewing him through Will’s point of view, it took his enthusiasm to the extreme.

The writing style was funny, I loved the depressed (I don’t know what else to call him lol) Will Grayson’s attitude towards life and how he bluntly swore at people. I laughed out loud more than a couple times while reading this book, and if not that little giggles to myself. Through the humour though are very common problems not only teens but probably adults face as well. The ending didn’t sugar coat everything, two people didn’t end up together in a super romantic fantasy ending. It was real.

So I guess I have to give some credit to that, and to this duo of authors right here. http://johngreenbooks.com/ & http://www.davidlevithan.com/ . Ill give this one a 3 OUT OF 5. Not bad you guys, a funny story with some funny twists.

Chow for now,

MRR

Legend by Marie Lu

Nothing new happening since my last post, it’s only been a couple days because of how quick to read this book was (which was very refreshing by the way). So I suppose I’ll get right to it then.

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbours. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem. From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’ death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

The first thing that I have to comment on are the characters. Day and June – the two characters that are focused on – would be invincible if they didn’t have the weakness of their loved ones holding them back. Characters that are too perfect bother me because even the best soldier has their flaws. Flaws do not include a limp, or a family that could be used against them. Saying this though I realize this is the first book, and there will probably be lots of room for development as the story continues.

Although similar to other novels I’ve read like the Hunger Games or Divergent, Legend was still a captivating story for me nonetheless. The similar theme that I’ve seen in other novels made Legend less alluring than I think it would be if I read this one first. There were things that stood out as original. I liked the fighting in the bars and being able to see the street life, then flashing back to fancy uniforms and military protocol. The contrast in the story is obvious and keeps you wondering what is going on with Day as you read about June.

The romance between two characters that are complete opposites but seem to have quite a few things in common is adorable, and personally I wanted to see more of it. I guess they were a bit more intent on saving lives and defeating the government and all that stuff. Gets busy I suppose.

ANYWHO. Check out her website http://marielu.org/ . The second book came out January, greaaaaaaat gottta get on that. I’ll give this one a 3.5 OUT OF 5. A good book and fun to read, but not outstanding in my eyes. Toodles,

MRR

Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card

I wanted to get this done yesterday, but alas I didn’t finish the novel until 1:30 in the morning. Things going on with my life: applying to universities for next school year, trying to keep up with the current school year, and on top of all that liking a guy that butted his way into my life. Asshole, who does he think he is making my like more busy? ;)

A powerful secret. A dangerous path.Rigg is well trained at keeping secrets. Only his father knows the truth about Rigg''s strange talent for seeing the paths of people''s pasts. But when his father dies, Rigg is stunned to learn just how many secrets Father had kept from him--secrets about Rigg''s own past, his identity, and his destiny. And when Rigg discovers that he has the power not only to see the past, but also to change it, his future suddenly becomes anything but certain. Rigg's birthright sets him on a path that leaves him caught between two factions, one that wants him crowned and one that wants him dead. He will be forced to question everything he thinks he knows, choose who to trust, and push the limits of his talent…or forfeit control of his destiny.

Science fiction has never been one of the main genres that I’ve focused on when reading, but my first thought as I reached a couple chapters in was: This guy knows how to WRITE. I was almost immediately intrigued and surprised at how realistic Card managed to pull together the story from the start. When the characters in the story debate about how the  rules  of time travel works and what the effects, are I did seem to get a bit lost; I had no idea what was going on while they were experimenting. That is not to say that it impacted my reading negatively, it made me pay more attention as I tried to understand their speculations.

My favourite part of this book was the main character, Rigg. He was so real to me, and as you learned his character and read his thoughts on the page it felt like you could gain his knowledge, like you knew it too. Explaining Rigg’s thoughts as he analyzed and went through the story gave you a strong attachment and understanding of him. Everybody knows that characters in a book can only be as smart as the author and in this case it was obvious how well thought each part of the plot was.

This book is a fantasy mixed with sci-fi, and with the second story at the beginning of every chapter there is an air of mystery as well. VERY GOOD. Definitely deserving a big 5 OUT OF 5. I will recommend and recommend again. Check out his other books, because I know I will http://www.hatrack.com/

Have a good month of March everybody, I’ll be back with another review soon. Bye,

MRR