Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

Hey guys, so there won’t be another review for a while because I’m reading the seventh Harry Potter book and I don’t like reviewing Harry Potter books because I can’t find anything wrong with them :P . So yeah. I’m still busy as fuck because of softball, I have a tournament every other week so it’s kind of hard. And finals are coming up. I don’t appreciate that because I know I’m not ready. I got 3/20 on my French test today and 65% on my science one. Yay I’m doing so well in my life.

 With the new Summer King and Queen, Leslie notices some changes in the way Aislinn has been behaving. But Leslie is closer to the faery world then she’ll ever know… until she decides to get a tattoo. A tattoo that will change her life forever. With the Dark Court losing it’s power thanks to the seasonal rulers, the Dark King – Irial – is looking for anyway to make sure that his fey are fed and safe… and Leslie is the perfect way to do that without starting war. She just wants there to be no more pain, no more worry, no more fear – and just to forget. Forget, forgive, and most importantly, survive.

 

I have to say, I didn’t have any trouble at all getting into this book. I don’t remember what I rated the first one, but there were parts of this book that actually made me like it better than Wicked Lovely. I really liked how more of the Dark Court was showed. I think that the way their court worked was a lot more interesting than it just revolving around the two seasonal ones.

The parts where Leslie had completed her ink exchange and was tied to Irial were kind of boring though. I mean, I think they were necessary to write but on my part it was kind of boring to read. All she did was black out and cling to Irial and black out again. And the parts where she couldn’t feel anything were just overwritten, I mean… I got it after the first couple times!!!

Overall though, I thought that this was an interesting book to read. I liked how the main character changed from the first one but it was still all in the same setting with the same people. That made it more fun because you knew a background story before you even started the book.

I’ll give Ink Exchange a 3.5  out of 5

An enjoyable book! I think the series is just going to go from here… isn’t there about 5 books out now? I have some catching up to do! http://www.melissa-marr.com/

Later Cheese Graters,

MRR

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I have to admit that it has been a busy month for me. Softball has been going full force, and there has been a couple other things that have made sure that I have no time for reading anymore. But rest assured, I will come back on track as soon as I can. My book pile is dwindling and I am ready for summer to come kick my ass in to motion and finish up all these books that I’ve wanted to finish reading for years. :P So. HERE WE GO THEN.

1939 in Nazi Germany: Liesel Meminger was dropped off my her mother at the house of two strangers, her new foster parents. A couple days after her little brother passed away, Liesel thinks that nothing could be worse. But with her first book already stolen, she is on her way into her new life. A life growing up on Himmel street, and the life of living in Nazi Germany with a Jew hiding in your basement. In love with words, Liesel takes to book stealing, whether in the mayor’s wife’s library, Nazi book burnings, or wherever there are books to be found. With the war and Hitler constantly at the back of everybody’s minds, it’s a dangerous time – especially for Liesel and the Hubermman’s, and anybody else that is hiding in their house.

After reading the prologue to this book, I was extremely confused. I started to doubt whether this book was at my level or not because I was having a hard time understanding the beginning part. But when I flipped to the first page of Liesel’s story, I knew that this book was going to be impossible to forget. The writing is beautiful from the very first page, and as I continued on my eyes grew wider because it just keeps getting better.

I absolutely loved how Death was the narrator throughout the story. The pieces of writing where Death put in what it was thinking and stuff, I was blow away. I thought it was such an interesting way to tell the story, and in this story in particular it worked perfectly with the subject. I loved how the story was told, instead of making a climax or creating mystery, it was just said like it was, if somebody died in the future of the book, Death just told you right away. No big deal. It happens.

Another thing I really appreciated about this story was the seriousness combined with just a story of a little girl’s life growing up. This book was a nice break from all the repetitive teen fiction that just piles up and up and up. I have to admit, this is one of the first books that I actually wanted to read again right after I finished it. I folded down the pages that I thought had amazing writing, and I do plan on reading this book over and over and over and over again. I LOVE THIS BOOK. The first book that I have actually loved.

So there you have it. I don’t care if you think this book is overrated or whatever, because I think it’s amazing, and I recommend it to anybody, even if you usually don’t like historic fiction like me.

THIS IS A 6 OUT OF 5. So yeah, no graph thing sorry. :P I don’t know if this is his website exactly, but you can get some info on Markus Zusak from here. http://www.randomhouse.com/features/markuszusak/

Later Cheese Graters,

MRR

The Alchemyst by Michael Scott

Have had an eventful past couple of weeks, and an interesting night last night. Yay. No more spring break for me, school is back in swing, and the softball season is starting up! Spring is the best season in my opinion. :P

 Stuck in San Francisco while their parents are on another expedition for their work, Sophie and Josh witness something that will change their lives forever. Everything that is supposed to be fantasy – magic, immortals, and alien creatures – all become reality when Dr. Dee comes to the bookshop and steals the Codex – a book that Nicholas Flamel kept safe and hidden, and will now be used to end the world as they know it. There is no turning back now, but Sophie and Josh are more a part of it then they think. Part of an ancient prophecy made before anything human lived on earth, Sophie and Josh both might be the key to defeating the last of the Dark Elders and saving humankind.

Well, I actually had pretty high expectations for this series, I thought it would be really amazing. It’s not that I was disappointed after I finished I just thought that the book would have more than it did.

The characters were really good, I liked the ongoing dilemma that Josh was having was having with the whole uneven twin thing, that is something that I know will carry on to the next book. He was an in depth character that at least made a little drama in the plot line. The rest of the characters were kind of meh, then again, there are 3 or 4 other books that can be added in but I’m just not feeling it with the characters. The bad guys didn’t even seem evil at all!

Another thing that was interesting but I don’t know if I liked it or not, was the fact that the whole book happened in only 2 or 3 days. I think that that is sort of unrealistic. Even though things do happen fast and stuff, it seemed to me like it should have been a sort of week long thing, again, I don’t know what to think about that.

I really liked how it would zoom in on one person’s feelings at the time though. It was in third person but on some chapters it would focus on Josh, sometimes the wife in the prison and etc etc. I didn’t like how childish Josh and Sophie were though. They were 15 in the book but I feel like their characters acted like they were 1 or 2 years younger.

Anyway, I’ll give this one a 3.5 because it was interesting and I enjoyed reading it.

Check out the other books in the series, and the website. http://www.dillonscott.com/ . I have no idea why it’s called dillonscott but that’s okay

Later Cheese Graters,

MRR

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

So this is the last day of Spring Break, on which I also had my last softball practice until the the first game of the season! Even so, I’m not looking forward to school, even though there were some lonely hours where I was bored out of my mind. XD. I don’t think that I’m going to be doing a review on the next book I read, so you might have to wait a couple weeks unless I read quickly this week. ANYWAY, HERE WE GOOOO.

Back home in District 12 after the horrors of the last Hunger Games, Katniss thinks that everything is over, and that things will return back to normal. But it starts to look like nothing will ever be normal again – President Snow is watching her very closely, uprisings are starting up in the other districts, and worst of all her family and friends are all in danger of being killed – all because of Katniss. As she and the Mockingjay both become symbols of rebellion against the Capitol, and all 12 districts’ compressed fury finally bubbles, Peeta and Katniss have to literally face their worst nightmares – which become their reality.

WELL. I don’t know why I didn’t read this sooner, I should have read all 3 of them right away, but that’s okay. I don’t know if I liked this book better than the first one, it was of course really amazing, EVERYBODY KNOWS THIS SERIES IS AMAZING. It still had the adventure that the first one had, and same with the love problems. I think that it wasn’t necessarily better or worse than the first one, but it instead they each had their own things that made them great.

I loved the ending to this book because I liked knowing what Katniss thought was going and then speculating what was happening for myself. The second last chapter was really intense as well as perfectly confusing, and the last chapter was just BAM. You didn’t know what was happening unless you were psychic, and then AND THEN. Aaahhh. Nice ending. I really liked how Haymitch was in on everything, he’s one of my favourite characters.

Extremely captivating. I remember being late for something and I was trying to finish the book on time but NO. I had to stop right before the last chapter. IT TORTURED ME UNTIL THE END OF THE DAY! Seriously. I could barely handle it.

OH, and this one had a lot of emotional stuff in it, I cried once and almost cried another time. :P Just a warning!

Suzanne Collins’ website. http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/ I’ll give this one  4.5, because it doesn’t QUITE have the ‘Wow’ the first one had, but let me tell you it was pretty damn close.

Later Cheese Graters,

MRR

Daniel X: Watch the Skies by James Patterson

Hooray for Spring Break! Now I’m almost done the first week. I’ve had tons of sleepovers and today I’m going to the mall to buy the tons of presents I’m going to need for the tons of birthday parties next week! God things cost to much money. XD GET OUT OF SPRING BREAK BIRTHDAYS. Jeez.

 Lately there hasn’t been even a little break in between the exterminations, and Daniel has to face his biggest enemy yet, an Alien that is in single digits on the wanted List. Number 5. Extremely powerful, and very intelligent, Daniel is going to have to put all his strength and powers into making sure that Number 5 doesn’t go through with his ‘endertainment’. The whole town of Hollisworth is in danger of being vaporized, and are completely cut off from the rest of the world. If Daniel fails and Number 5’s plan succeeds, the world will be taken over within a matter of months.

I don’t remember what I said when I reviewed the first book in this series, but it was probably close to what I’m saying now, Even though this book was interesting, and I like the idea behind it and the alien – alien hunter deal I just am not feeling wowed by this series.

The chapters are only a couple pages long usually, and the story line for each book isn’t that great. I think that the first one was a little bit better than this one, but I think these books are just a way to get a little extra money. Then again, they’re a nice easy read, and again I like the whole defeating aliens thing, but this book is for more of a younger teenage, or a lower reading level I guess.

I really don’t know what else to say about this book, I still enjoyed it, and I thought that the parts where he was with Judy interesting, but it didn’t have the same sort of dangerous feeling that it had in the first one, I mean, it just wasn’t as exciting. I don’t know if it was because of the new co –author or because this is just a dying series, but still.

Anyway, lets just call this one a 2.5

Websito, http://www.jamespatterson.com/books_daniel_x.php. There is a manga thing now instead of an actual book. I think that’s a good choice.

Later Cheese Graters,

MRR

Soulstice by Simon Holt

Spring break everybody! I’m not going to feel like it’s actually the break until I wake up on Monday morning realize that I don’t have to go to school. I’m so glad that we have two weeks this year, and that I’m staying at home. I love just being able to sleep in a laze around, go out at random times and get things done. Plus, LOT’S OF READING TIME. Which is slightly exciting for moi.

It has been six long months since Reggie learned and had her first terrifying encounter with the Vours. After freeing her brother Henry from the Vour inside of him, and gaining the power to enter other people’s fearscapes and save their souls from these evil creatures, Reggie finds that she’s caught up once again the horrors of the Vours. With so much going on, it’s hard to know if you’re trusting the right person, but the Vours were up to something, and Reggie will do anything in her power to stop them – no matter how high the stakes are.

 

Everybody knows that one you are in love with a book and when you know the sequel is going to come out, that you want to read the next book so badly, but it usually doesn’t turn out as good as the first one. Well it was the opposite with this book. I thought that Book 2 in The Devouring sequel was SO MUCH BETTER than the first. Maybe it was just my mood, but seriously. I enjoyed reading this book so much.

I think I remember ranting on about how there was a bit too much description used in the writing, but while I was reading Soulstice I just ate it all up. This was an amazing horror book to read, and it captivated me all the way through to the very last page, unlike the first book in the series.

There were some parts where it was really easy to tell what was going to happen next, and the author must of realized because he found ways to mix it all up. The plotline was a more interesting and thick, I found that because we had the background story of what happened in the first book, and we had this amazing terrible horrific idea of events going on in this one – it made everything so much better!!!

AND THEN THERE IS THE END. The very end. I probably should have expected that it would happen but OMG. I think I have a fear of going insane and people strapping me down, so that just freaked me out. But it was amazing all the same, and I applaud Simon Holt for this work of ART.

4.5. Hmm. Must be in a damn good mood.

Website as usual everybody, http://www.thedevouring.com/about-the-book/ The Third book is out now, I’m curious about how good it will be judging from The Devouring and Soulstice

On another note, I would like to say a congratulations to myself and my 4 lovely followers, (three of which are probably unactive. But that’s okay, because it makes me look popular.). Around this time of the month a year ago, I was doing my first review on here, for the first book in this series. HAPPY ONE YEAR FOR INSUBSTANTIAL YAYYAYAAYYAYAYA.

Read now, party later,

I’m a nerd sometimes,

but that’s okay,

MRR

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

I didn’t think that I would get this book finished by today for my goal thing, but I managed! I’m just a really cool speed reader that way, what can I say! I got some new books from Taylor… I’ve been trying not to add more to my huge ass pile but I JUST COULDN’T HELP IT THIS TIME.

While Alek is forced to become a fugitive in his own country because of his parent’s assassination, Deryn is perfecting the art of being a boy – so she can join the Air Service and become a Middie just like she’s dreamed of since she was a little girl. The countries around them are on the brink of war, and they come from opposite worlds. One full of heavy machinery and Clankers, and the other tied into fabricated beasts full of hydrogen and life; but somehow they manage to end up on the same ship. Forced to work together to escape from the German’s Alek and Deryn make enemies turn to allies: On the great airbeast Levaithan.

I didn’t know what this book was even about at all when I bought it. I wanted to read it because I loved Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies series, and even though this book has a completely different writing style and is different than Uglies in so many ways, I enjoyed it just as much. I have to say though, if I didn’t know the author of this book and you wanted me to guess I would have never guessed Westerfeld at all.

Even though I think this book was meant for a younger teen audience, I still really enjoyed it. I loved the moments between Alek and Deryn, it was really predictable that she would end up liking him, but it only happened at the end of the book so now I have to read Behemoth or whatever the hell it’s called!!!

Another thing I really liked, and will always like about Westerfeld’s books is the vast amount of originality. I mean, his novel ideas are always brilliant. I wish I could step into his mind and just take a nice tour of his ideas and thoughts. That would be very nice.

I’m going to have to give this one a nice big 4.

Check out his website http://scottwesterfeld.com/blog/ The third book in this series is already being somewhat released.

Later Cheese Graters,

MRR

Bounce by Natasha Friend

This one was an easy one, and I’m pretty sure that I bought it in Grade 7. But that’s alright, because i finally got to reading it so no big deal. Another busy week, another book read! Voila.

After living in Maine with just dorky brother, and her pretty awesome dad – Birdie – for pretty much all of her 13 years, Evyn is not ready to change anything, anytime soon. But before she knows it, Evyn is enrolled in a new school in Boston, sharing a room with two crazy twin ‘sisters’, and there is nothing in the world she can do about it. Evyn had had it all in her old city, and now she has to deal with everything and everybody in her life changing for what seems like the worst. She knows that she’s supposed to just bounce along with the changes, but what if she can’t?

 

I bought this book a long time ago, and I sort of wish right now that I read it back when I bought it, because it wasn’t that great to read at the age I am now. This book is of course a really easy read, and I just want to finish it because it was in my book pile and it is short. But I wouldn’t really suggest it for most teens… just saying.

There were some points were I could really relate to Evyn and what she was going through, but most of what was happening in the book and how Evyn was taking it pissed me off. I kept on thinking things that can only come from the opinion of somebody older. Which was sort of bothersome if you know what I mean.

The idea is really good though, as are most of Friend’s novel plotlines. It focuses on the problems of a tween girl who is having the normal problems that a teen girl goes through. Yay.

I probably made this book sound extremely horrible. Yay.

This is not really a young adult sort of thing, but whatever. You know the dealio. http://www.natashafriend.com/ . This book isn’t that bad. Until next week…

Later Cheese Graters,

MRR