Friday, December 25, 2015

The Invention of Hugo Cabret - Brian Selznick - 5 stars

Wow another great piece of story telling buy Selznick. I actually just picked this book up for our local UBS and could not wait to read it. Brian Selznick is an auto buy and auto read for me. His stories, that are told in both illustrations and words, never cease to amaze me. They wrap me up and sweep me away every time I read one of them. His words and illustrations are always so engaging and exciting.

Synopsis
Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo's undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo's dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery.

The plot of the story of course is heartwarming, adventurous, exciting and even a bit mysterious. I can not think of anything else that could have been added to the story. I can guarantee it will sweep you away and you will be so completely enthralled with Hugo's world and lifestyle that you will never want to leave the beauty and excitement you find there. The illustrations are all done buy the author and they are such wonderful pencil sketches. The writing itself is so fluid and easy to follow while the illustrations also tell this beautiful story as well. Such a great experience every time I turn the pages.

The characters are fantastic and developed so well. They all have such great individual personality and when you meet them, you will feel as though you know them in real life. The illustrations make them all come to life so well. Hugo is now one of my all time favorite characters after reading this book. He just shines through and makes such a wonderful impression on those who get the pleasure of reading this book.

I recommend this book to EVERYONE! I feel like everyone should experience the world of Brian Selznick because if you don't you are really missing out on a true treasure. His works can affect everyone, every age. So if you have not read anything by Selznick please do.

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Above the Sky - Jenny Lynne - 4 stars

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I was not real sure about this books since it does have that Dystopian feel, but surprisingly I enjoy the book A LOT! I found it to be very engaging, and very fluid.
Synopsis
HER FIRST EIGHTEEN YEARS WERE FILLED WITH LIES.
SHE IS ABOUT TO DISCOVER THE TRUTH.

Eighteen-year-old Seven and her best friend, Ten, live where all is peaceful ... except for the violent war raging above the sky. Lifelike humanoid robots and self-operated drones tend to everyone's needs, leaving people free to spend their time stimulating their minds and enjoying life's pleasures. But there are strict rules and few choices.

Every year, on Assignment Day, the path of each eighteen-year-old's life is laid out. Some are given the jobs for which they have shown exceptional aptitude and are "paired" for mating. The others are sent off to fight in The War and never return.

When Assignment Day comes for Seven, the assignments shatter everything she's ever believed. The rules force everyone to accept their fates, but Seven decides to do something unprecedented: to go against the Decision Makers' wishes.

I really enjoyed the plot to this story, it had quite the different feel than most dystopian and that, to me, is a good thing. I also thought that the world building was good as well. There was some great imagery that allows the reader to place themselves in the story. There were some twists that were pretty awesome too. I have to say that it was pretty unpredictable because I did not expect where this story went to at all and I love that. I feel as though this was left off in a place where a sequel might come into play, so yea the story feels a bit unfinished but will be worth it if there is a sequel.

I really enjoyed the characters a lot as well, I found them to be pretty well developed and that is so important. Some of them surprised me quite a bit in the aspect of thinking that they would be different or would turn out differently than I thought they would initially. I think probably Seven and Ten were my favorite characters for obvious reasons. I think there are a lot of great characters though.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes Dystopian first off, but even if there are those who don't like dystopian may be able to enjoy this one. If there are to be anymore books to make this a series, I would definitely read any of them.

Monday, December 21, 2015

The Young Elites - Marie Lu - 4 stars

I decided to read this book so that I could finish my A-Z Challenge. I have had this book for awhile now on my kindle and I had recently heard really good things about it. I am glad that I finally got to this one because I really did enjoy it. It was pretty engaging and now that I did finally read it, I want to read the next one sooner rather than later.
Synopsis
I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside.

Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.

Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all.

Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen.

Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.

I really enjoyed the plot to this story. I thought that this was well thought out . I liked the world building to this one and also it has a medieval feel to the book which I thought I would not like, but I actually really did. Lots of action and excitement to wrap readers up in and get whisked away in the story. However, some of the events in this book I did not entirely agree with and it aggravated me a bit. I feel like essential elements were taken from the story.

I enjoyed most of the characters in this book. I think they were well developed and I only see them getting better with the next book. I did find that Adelina did play things very smart at times and that was really annoying to me. She made me wanna reach into the book and slap some common sense into her. I also did not really care for her poor pitiful me routine that she embraced for a lot of the story. I hope to see her use those flaws to better herself so we will see.

I recommend this to anyone who enjoys YA Fantasy, maybe even dystopian books. It is a good read and I feel like the story will improve even more over the next books and I look forward to reading them as soon as I can get them.

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Unsouled - Neal Shusterman - 5 stars

This series was recommend to me by a couple of people quite awhile ago and I am glad I decided to get started on it, I don't really care so much for Dystopian novels/series but WOW I feel like this series just gets better with each book I that read. I am loving this series so much and I am so glad that it was recommended to me. I hope to finish this series up by the end of this year. I have only one left.

I won't give a synopsis on this particular book since it is the third one in the series. This series is a Post Apocalyptic where parents are given the right to have their child unwound if they are troubled or they are not quite what the parent expect them to be up until the age of 17. Their parts are then given to people who need them. The children are told that they will not cease to exist but that they will exist in a divided state.

I love the plot of this story so much, it is told with so much depth. It is so different from normal dystopian books. I know I keep saying that but I want to stress how different it is. The storyline is very engaging, fluid, and easy to follow. The world building is amazing and the imagery really allows readers to put themselves in the story and live through the experiences that all these characters live through. I have to say that this story really makes me think, What if this could happen in reality, how would we deal with it.

I love the development of the characters as I go through each book. They transition so smoothly from one book to the next. There are plenty of characters to love and hate. I love Conner and Risa the most. I think they are strong and so motivated. They have so much on their plates to deal with right from the start, And I find myself rooting for them. Some of the characters transition in a way I o not expect and I think that keeps the story exciting.

I recommend this series to anyone who wants a little something different in the dystopian genre. I think this series is the perfect fit for that, And of course those who love dystopian would probably really enjoy this series as well. Even though I have been really enjoying this series and don't want I to end, I look forward to reading the last book and see how the author wraps things up. Pretty sure with his talent, I won't be disappointed at all. I look forward to more books by him in the future.

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Kiss - Ted Dekker - 4 stars

I decided on this book to go towards my A-Z challenge. I really enjoyed this one quite a bit. The book was really engaging and had me hooked right from the start. I do think it is more plot driven than anything and has a great plot line with lots of mystery thrown in.
Synopsis
Let me tell you all I know for sure. "My name. Shauna."

I woke up in a hospital bed missing six months of my memory. In the room was my loving boyfriend--how could I have forgotten him?--my uncle and my abusive stepmother. Everyone blames me for the tragic car accident that left me near death and my dear brother brain damaged. But what they say can't be true--can it?

I believe the medicine is doing strange things to my memory. I'm unsure who I can trust and who I should run from. And I'm starting to remember things I've never known. Things not about me. I think I'm going crazy.

"And even worse, I think they want to kill me."

But who? And for what? Is dying for the truth really better than living with a lie?

I found this plotline to be very exciting and also addicting. I could not put the book down. Is was very fluid and easy to follow. There was so much mystery in this story and I felt like I was Shauna trying to figure out exactly who to trust. It certainly did keep me glued to the pages. I did find though that it lacked the usual adrenalin pumping action that most of his other books have. I missed that in this one, but I think the mystery aspect is enough to make it a great story.

The characters were great. I loved Shauna and her drive, even at her lowest point she refused to give up and kept pushing forward. There are a lot of different characters to figure out in the story and plenty to both love and hate. I think they were developed well and I loved the mystery that surrounded them especially Shauna. When we go into this story we know nothing about her, then gradually we see who she is and who she becomes.

I recommend this to anyone who is a fan of Ted Dekker, likes Christian fiction (Not a 'shoved down your throat' kind of Christian fiction.), or anyone who likes Mystery like I do. Those readers are sure to enjoy this book. I look forward to more of Ted Dekker's work.

Monday, December 7, 2015

Just One Look - Harlan Coben - 4 stars

I decided on this book so I could use it for my A-Z challenge since I love Harlan Coben and I have not yet been disappointed by anything that he wrote. I really enjoyed this book just as much as other ones. I love the writing style and all the mystery. He is just a pleasure to read.

Synopsis
An ordinary snapshot causes a mother’s world to unravel in an instant. After picking up her two young children from school, Grace Lawson looks through a newly developed set of photographs. She finds an odd one in the pack: a mysterious picture from perhaps twenty years ago, showing four strangers she can’t identify. But there is one face she recognizes—that of her husband, from before she knew him. When her husband sees the photo that night, he leaves their home and drives off without explanation. She doesn’t know where he’s going, or why he’s leaving. Or if he’s ever coming back. Nor does she realize how dangerous the search for him will be. Because there are others interested in both her husband’s past and that photo, including Eric Wu: a fierce, silent killer who will not be stopped from finding his quarry, no matter who or what stands in his way. Her world turned upside down, filled with doubts about her herself and marriage, Grace must confront the dark corners of her own tragic past she struggles to learn the truth, find her husband, and save her family.

I loved the plotline of this story. I found it to be very interesting and the more I read, the more intriguing it got. This one did seem a bit more complex than other Coben books with all the characters to remember and the separate plotlines as well, but it still flowed pretty well. I only really had one complaint and that is that it seemed just a little unfinished when I reached the end because it ended on questions, questions I had no answers to. Other than that, I loved the story. Lots of great twists in this one too and I loved that.

I found a lot of the characters to be very intriguing. They were each developed very well. I also liked how some of them were rather mysterious and remained that way throughout the entire story. They were both relatable and realistic. Grace was probably my favorite character, and she one of the smarter ones. She used her head before making choices. I was on the fence about Carl Vespa who plays a large role in this story and I am still not too sure what to think about him.

Overall this was a great story by a very gifted author. I would recommend this one to anyone who likes mystery or anyone who enjoys Coben's writing style. This one is a real treat!

Thursday, December 3, 2015

X,Y, Z A Detective Story - Anna Katharine Green - 2 stars

I chose this short book to use for my A-Z Challenge since it would be a quick read, and it was a mystery, so I figured I would like it. But for me, it just ok really. I did not like the writing style at all, there were far too many run on sentences and that got annoying really quick. I also thought that the beginning was just a lot of nonsense and it made the story a bit confusing. It was wrote in the 1920's and I feel like writing was a lot different back then so that would explain that.

I thought that the plot was a good one and it did pick up a bit, but I found the story to be very predictable. I think the Author gave too much away throughout the story which allows readers to solve the mystery, what there was of it, rather quickly so there is no element of surprise with this one.

I did not like any of the characters. I found them to be underdeveloped and boring. This could be because it is a short book. Less than 100 pages and I could be expecting too much. I think the author could have take the story much further making the story been much better.


Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Enders - Lissa Price - 4 stars

I decided to read this book so that I could have an 'E' for my A-Z challenge. I was not sure how I would like this book since I found the first one was just ok for me. I have to say that I enjoyed this one much more than the first book, Starters, and that made me happy.

I wont give a synopsis of this book considering it is the sequel. In this series, there were 'spore Wars, which wiped out a lot of people. Teens, who are the Starters can rent their bodies out to Enders, older generation, to make some much needed money, Callie decided that she would so she could save her brother and this book goes on from there.

I really enjoyed the plot of this dystopian series because it was different from most others. I liked how the book flowed so much better than the first one did and it was also much more engaging. While the first book was still good, I found that this one had a lot more action and excitement. It kept me more glued top the pages.

I also liked the characters better in this book, I think they transitioned well. I felt like they were developed much better and were far more likable and realistic. Callie is probably my favorite character of all of them. I missed having Tyler in this book though. There are some great bad guys to hate as well. I think the author pulled this duology together well and I enjoyed the ending of this tale.