The Fault In Our Stars by John Green- Review

 Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind. Blurb from Goodreads

*****

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
 
This is me right now:







I can't even. John Green. That man.

****

One of the things about me that can tell you if I really like a book or not, is if I've borrowed a book from the library, read it, but still want to buy it from the bookstore. The Fault In Our Stars is definitely those books. I am so in love with this book, that I am tempted to buy every single edition of this- paperback, hardcover, whatever- but such expenses is too much for my wallet.



John Green continues to baffle me with the way he writes his books; his prose, his characters, the plot- everything. He could make me laugh like a mental patient one minute, and then bawl like a five- year- old the next. The way he writes and the things he writes about is so relateable to any teenager out there and I love that he understands. I mean, trying not to sound like Patrick here during that chocolate selling episode in Spongebob, but I love that man. The amazingness is to much to describe.



Lord, and Augustus. And the metaphors. And Hazel and Gus together. I absolutely loved how their relationship was very real and nothing seemed fake or cheesy (not that I expected fake cheesyness from John Green). Such perfection. I loved it. I loved all the other characters as well, Isaac, Van Houten, Lidewij, and how they were all relevant to the story (because I hate useless characters).



There's nothing negative for me to say about this book. The Fault In Our Stars was pretty much perfect.

In the end, I loved, loved loved this book; it was hilarious, witty and insightful. It just made me loved John Green more and more excited to read his other and future books. So now, if you excuse me, I am off to the bookstore hopefully to find a copy of The Fault In Our Stars.

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) by Rick Riordan- Review

 

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

  Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school... again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus' master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect. Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus' stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves. (blurb taken from Goodreads)

****

I don't really know if people count the Percy Jackson books as YA, but I do, so here you go: 

I'm slightly ashamed to say that I watched the movie before I read the book. But I'm even more ashamed that I watched the movie only to experience the hotness that is Logan Lerman.
 



 But, come on! Someone tell me that this , is not hot:
 


Really. What did I tell you? (I do imagine that you probably won't read the rest of the review anf just stare at this gif instead, but that's no reason not to like my review! :D) But, I really have to thank Logan. I really do. Because without his unfreakingbelieveable hotness, I wouldn't have watched the movie, and I would've never read the awesomeness of The Lightning Thief. Yes, I loved the book. I've always taken an interest in Greek Mythology and I thought Rick Riordan's take on it was very unique, and unlike anything I've read before. I absolutely loved Camp- Halfblood. Well, it sure seemed better than the budget summer camps I've been to. RR seriously out did himself with writing the camp. I could imagine everything vividly and I like to think that I know the camp from back to front. The cabins would have to be my favourite feature of the camp, though. If only they were like that in the camps I've been to.
 
 

 Percy. What can I say? The guy has amazing underwater powers, is kick- ass and is a demigod. He's super loyal to his friends and family, is brave and has the looks (this is the part when you look at the gif of Logan Lerman again ;D). And he can make me laugh. Come on. You have to give a guy who make you laugh some credit. In short, the guy's the full package. Another thing I loved were the other characters. Especially Annabeth, who looks like Cinderella in Percy's words (am I right? I don't have the book on me, sorry. Stupid library fines). And I'm expecting something to develop between her and Percy, if you know what I mean...

 

So, yeah. I loved the book, it was exciting, fast- paced and humorous. Just one thing though, I'm kind of pissed that they didn't have cabins in the movie. Or Clarisse. Or the Oracle. Though it's hardly RR's fault. I just had to get it out there.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth- Review

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

One choice can transform you--or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves--and herself-while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable--and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so. (blurb from Goodreads)

****

I think this book should come with a sticker at the front saying: WARNING: this book contains intense surprises and mind- blowing suspense and may cause extreme cases of tears, laughter and severe heart-beat rates. Because for me it SO did.



Which is to say that I loved this book. Maybe more than Divergent, actually. It totally exceeded all expectations I had and ended that reputation of the second book in trilogies being the worst.

One of the things I would like to applaud Veronica Roth for was how she wrote Tris and Tobias's relationship. After that absolutely gorgeous way the two of them got together, I was worried about how Roth would continue their relationship. The obvious easy thing to do would just pop pointless make-out sessions in there that would suggest that they were still going strong, but, like in the first book, I was glad that their relationship remained real. In this book, the Tris and Tobias's trust and loyalty of each other are tested. Secrets are kept, lies are told, and yet, the two still somehow keeps it together with their faith and belief of one another. I love the way Tobias believes so much of Tris that it pains me that he is only a fictional character. It really does.



Roth's characters remain as one of my favourites. They were fantastic, and full of personality and definitely believable. The only thing I disliked about the characters was the fact that, yes, Roth introduced many great characters, but she killed them off in half a second when I would've liked to get to know them more. You know when you are successful at character writing when your readers mourn your characters deaths.



I know that in the first book, most of us had problems of believing the world that Roth created; how would a world with only five virtues work? Well, most of the questions were answered for me in this book. Obviously not all of them. If that were the case there would be no need for a third book. :) In Insurgent we get to visit all of the factions (which was great; I was always curious about how the Amity headquarters looked like) and more and more was revealed about how, exactly, Tris's world became the way it is. Which means that there was a whole lot of action, suspense and drama, and I know how much you all love this sort of stuff. :)

So. The things I liked: Tris and Tobias's romance, the other characters (and their relationships with each other *shh, Uriah and Marlene*), more information about this world, the action, the drama, the suspense and the surprises. The things I didn't like: the sudden deaths of my (beloved) characters and the fact that I did not buy this book.

But the latter can be easily fixed. Off to the bookshop I go...

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver- Review

So as promised, I took some time (or rather, the flu got to me and forced me to take a day off school) to go and write a review after Celine's and my long break. Here you go:

***


Rating:4 out of 5 stars

I'm pushing aside the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame. 
(blurb from Goodreads

***

My God. That ending. That had to be the most awkward "awkward moment" I've ever read in a book. EVER.









But then a bit later on, it hits me how hilarious the situation Lena's gotten herself in and the laughter starts.







Oh, Lena. You poor, poor girl.

But what a hell of a book. Where is the next one when I need it the most?

***

Before reading Pandemonium, I really doubted that this book could follow up to [book:Delirium|7686667] and its (tragic) ending. There had just been too many shitty sequels that could make me enthusiastic about reading them. But I really should've known better than to doubt Lauren Oliver.



In Pandemonium, Lena is having to survive in the Wilds with her new friends, is having to prove herself worthy to be in the resistance, and is having to forget the boy who made her rebel in the first place, infected her, Alex.

I know that in Delirium, a number of people didn't find Lena that "kick-ass" heroine that we all love (in her defense, all those rules would scare me too, into rebelling). But in Pandemonium, I feel that she definitely redeemed herself. Now without all those regulations and boundaries, Lena was able to unleash her inner survivalist, which wasn't a very easy thing to do, after all that she's been through. She even is deemed strong enough by her fellow rebels to be part of the resistance. I definitely saw more of Lena in action scenes (and winning) in this book than in the previous. So I definitely think of her as part of the "kick-ass heroine" club now.



I also know that a lot of you didn't really like the fact that Lena is "allegedly" going to fall in love with someone other than Alex, and I'm sorry to tell you guys, but that fact is true. If that is enough for you to run away screaming from this book, by all means, do, but let me just tell you now, you are missing out on a hell of a lot of goodies if you do that. I have to admit though, I did kind of dislike Lena's new love interest. It might be because he, for me, was a little naive or it could be plainly just because he wasn't Alex. Also, at times, I felt that their relationship was a little forced. The love interest, Julian, would say weird things like, "your hair smells like roses" or "your waist is so small" (yes), that not only creeped Lena out, but creeped me out too. I don't know if it was just lack of being around females that made him act this way (and trust me; I go to an all girls school and whenever a person of the opposite walks by, my beloved classmates throw themselves at him) or what, but I was pretty skeptical of him at first. After a while, though, and getting to know his character more, he grew on me, but of course, before it got more than that, the ending got in the way of everything (as expressed in the mini review above).



An aspect of the book I really enjoyed was Lena's life in the Wilds. In Delirium we didn't really get to experience the Wilds too much and that was something I was really looking forward to in this book. As cool as I thought it would be, living in the Wilds, it ended up not being the "paradise" that I was expecting. It was actually pretty brutal out there, and with the addition of Scavengers (Invalids that attack just for kicks) it became even harder to survive out there. I quite liked all the new characters too, Raven, Tack, Hunter. Loved them, and the fact that they gave birth to Lena in the woods, as Lena said about Raven in the book.



Other than creepy Julian and the random add of Scavengers (and the possible future love triangle as hinted in the ending of Pandemonium), I very, very much enjoyed this book, and you have no idea how much I'm craving for the next and final book. But I guess after that killer cliff-hanger, who wouldn't?

The Help by Kathryn Stockett- Review

 

 Three women, Aibileen, a black maid and raising her seventeenth child; Minny, Aibileen's best friend whose cooking is wanted all over town but whose sass is not; and white Miss Skeeter who had just come home from college and is in search for the maid who raised her, all come together to tell their story. Little do they know, what they are planning are more dangerous than they thought.

Rating: 5 out of 5

I'd wanted to read The Help for a while, but that massive queue for this book at the library was pretty detracting. I can tell you now that this was my first time being number 243 on a reserves list. Not even for Twilight, did I end up having to wait for so long. Four months I had to wait. And I wasn't even sure if I could finish the whole book and three weeks didn't seem like enough.



Turns out, the wait was worth it and I didn't even need the whole three weeks, I finished well within the return date.

The topic that this focuses on was a topic I was unaware of. I mean, I was aware that discrimination was happening in the world, but I never knew it was ever this bad. Plus I think Kathryn Stockett did a fantastic job at this. I was amazed at how simple her style of writing was and yet she could excel at describing an environment like this one. And this is her first novel! Goodness…




One of the things I loved most about the book was the strong narrative voice. Even with three points- of view, I could flick to a random page and be able to tell who exactly was speaking. There would never be a time where I’d sigh with relief when a particular person’s chapter ended, in fact, I dreaded that moment because I desperately wanted to know what happened to Minny when Johnny came home. Which resulted to me reading on, and on, until, before I knew it, I’d finished.



Another thing I liked was the fact that the one word of which was the name of the characters oozed personality. It’s like you can just say, “Skeeter”, and I’d be able to tell you what she’s like on the spot. I would do it now, of course, but you’re here to read about how great The Help was, not so that you can admire my many talents. And another thing I liked was that all three main characters, Aibileen, Minny and Skeeter’s lives were linked in some way and so were the other ones. Nothing annoys me more than useless characters.



I loved, loved loved, The Help. It was easy yet informative. Serious yet humorous. So go read it now! While I’m off in search of the movie…

Ela's note: Okay, so I know that this isn't exactly a young adult book but, I thought this book would teach you a lot about what happened in the past as it did me. Plus it's just a good read :)

Delirium by Lauren Oliver- Review

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I have to admit, I'm a curious person. So when I heard that people were saying this book was very similar to Matched (which I loved), I just had to find out. Because I was absolutely, absolutely sure that no dystopian book would top Matched.



After finishing, I could see the similarity between the two books, as both books focus on the aspect of love as a forbidden thing. But each of the two authors had very different takes on it.

Basically, in Lena's world, love is thought of as a disease. So when she falls in love with a boy called Alex, she has to hide it from her family and her society, who would ultimately imprison her like her mother.

This plot, love as a disease, I think is a very hard topic to pull off and make believable because love is very much welcomed in our world. But Lauren Oliver did a fantastic job at it. Each idea was backed up by information, such as The Book of Shh. Her writing had a "pretty" prose and was engaging, something that I always look for in a book.

I loved all the characters, all were very fitting as relevant to tell the story. Though, I have to say, I didn't like Lena in the beginning of the book. She wasn't that strong confident, "I don't give a damn about you, I'm gonna fall in love and deal with it" type of person but when the book hit the middle, I could see her transitioning into just that. I can tell she'll be lick- ass in the next book (especially after what the poor girl had to endure at the end).



The romance isn't what I would call Instalove. Okay, so there was the instant attraction as soon as they met (which is normal, I think, as a teenager myself), but the rest was fine. No indescribable pull. No "I can't live without you" cliches (though the next book would finalise that for me). Nope. It was cute, in that cute "first love" type of way.

I am very, very much looking forward to the next book, as I think it would give us a better view on Lena's character, whether she weaken or strengthen despite her circumstances. But, Alex. I will miss those amber eyes of yours.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi- Review

Juliette can't touch anyone. She won't. Because when she does, bad things happens. Dead things. The Reestablishment has her locked up, away from anyone she can harm. But when they think Juliette may be what they need now, what they need in a dying world, Juliette has to make a decision. To be a weapon, or to be her own person.
___________________________________________________

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Mixed feelings for this one, I must say. The plot itself was promising; the writing mostly executed well, but then there was the problem of the main character: Juliette.

In the beginning, I really didn’t understand why people bagged on her so much, or why they said she was a whinner, or why they said she didn’t make any sense. I mean, cut her some slack, she’s been in this prison for what- nearly a year? Without anyone to talk to? I’d be pretty messed up by then too, if I were her (especially for my poor impatient, talkative self). I’d thought that the writing just added further to show that she was, going crazy (even though Juliette denied it, time and time again).

But then there came the escape. I’ve read a lot of books where, at this point of the book, at the point of possible freedom, the main character would unleash their inner heroine and rule the world (well, not really, but you know what I mean) and I really thought Juliette would step it up.

Then it got to the part where she really, really pissed me off. It was when her and Adam were basically running for their lives with about a hundred soldiers with guns behind them, and then Juliette basically goes and says, "I can't run because I'm a broken girl, Adam!". Puh-lease. You can't go around saying that when just a few hours ago you broke a concrete wall with your bare, I repeat, bare hands. No, you just cannot.

But with that said, I remembered what Mrs. Evans told us in English about seeing whether the main character has changed in the beginning of your story and at the end, and if it did, then you have a story (I am, actually, quite appalled that I remembered all this; by the end of fifty minutes worth of English with Evans, you'd be a zombie. She's THAT boring). And I guess Juliette did change by the end, saying that she was "ready", though ready for what, I have no idea.

I liked Adam enough, but I still do not understand why he likes Juliette so much. Sure, she's "good" and "still gives a damn about the world", but she doubts his love for her all the time. I swear she asked him about ten times why he cared about her so much, doubtingly, only to have Adam reply back a sweet answer that should set any girl's mind at ease. But apparently not Juliette. And then there was the fact that, until they got to Omega, there were no female characters apart from Juliette. Do I need to say more? I don't think so.

I really don't know how to move on without going on about Juliette again (that should say something about my feelings about her), so I'll just conclude now.

Well I liked the plot; I don't think I've read anything like it before, and the writing had the "pretty" prose that I love but Juliette was just a massive downer for me. But I will be reading the sequel. Hopefully that will change my mind about Juliette.

Divergent by Veronica Roth- Review

In Tris Prior's world, every person is sorted into one of the following faction: Candor, for the honest, Erudite, for the intelligent, Abnegation, for the selfless, Amity, for the peaceful and Dauntless, for the brave. Tris is currently in Abnegation, a place where she feels like she'd never really belonged and with her sixteenth birthday nearing, she will finally be able to switch factions. But with the pressure of looking after her parents and her brother making an unexpected decision, Tris isn't sure if her choice should benefit her family- or herself.
___________________________________________________

Rating: 5 out of 5

It was one of those times of the year I was having, when it was summer and everybody was off on vacation except for me, when all of the good T.V shows have ended and the movies out at the cinemas were either too kiddie, or needed an I.D (which I didn't have), and when I didn't have anything good to read (stupid library).



Divergent was a book I'd wanted to read for a long time but I didn't have enough money (it's not my fault the malls have "End of Spring" sales) and the library kept on cancelling my request (I guess they didn't have enough money either). But my mother, thankfully noticing my pouty face, gave me Divergent as a late birthday present. And then I did a little happy dance because it meant not spending the rest of my summer like a zombie. You know, if the book was as good as everyone's been saying.



And it was. To me, Divergent was my cure to my post- Hunger Games hangover. Yes, it was really that good. It had all the things I crave for in a book: kick- ass characters, an easy to follow but elaborate plot, non- cliche romance, and humor, of course.

Why yes, there is a romance, and no, it is not Instalove (I can just hear your sighs of relief). It's a nice cute type of romance, not rushed, and it didn't include those rapey, stalker types of guys (not naming names *coughs*). Nope, just Four/Tobias, whom I like very much. So, I approve!



I loved all the characters; they were all relevant to the story and all had a legit relationship with each other, not just dangling uselessly in the novel (I refuse to name names *ahem*). Tris wasn't annoying to me at all, she was definitely "Dauntless" . Better than the whinny "heroines" we get now... And I liked Will. No, me liking him doesn't relate to the fact that he has the name of one of my top YA crushes (yes, I'm talking to you, Mr. Herondale). No, he's funny, okay? Humor's a good enough reason to like someone, you know. Sheesh. ;)

Roth's writing was very descriptive, which made Tris's world become very real. There was an actual story behind this world unlike in some other books (still not naming names....).

So, yeah. I loved Divergent. I am very much looking forward to the sequel, because after that killer of a cliff- hanger in the end, who wouldn't?

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver- Teaser

Only a few more weeks to go 'till the release, but here's a teaser anyway. Enjoy!!

****

The next morning I wrap my toes in cloth, stuff my feet into my shoes, and run again. If you can... just a little bit farther... just a little bit faster... you'll see, you'll see, you'll see. Alex is alive.

****

Oh, man. The deathly question. Is Alex really alive? I NEED the copy. NOW!

The Scorpio Races- Review

On the island of Thisby, the Scorpio Races occur on the beginning of every November where riders struggle to keep their waterhorses, or rather, capaill uisce, to the finish line.

Puck Connolly's parents have died from a capaill uisce attack. Now, her and her brothers live alone. Money is scarce, and with the eldest off to the mainland, they are in desperate need of money more than ever. She enters the race in attempt to win cash- and to keep her family together.

Sean Kendrick has won the races four times, and is predicted to win the next. Through the races, a romance blossoms between Puck and Sean, and he seems willing enough to help her win the money. The only thing is, Sean needs to win the races in order to save the thing he loves most in the world.


__________________________________


When I first heard that Maggie Stiefvater was going to write another book, I was like, "Yesh!!! Another book!!!". Then when I heard that the book was to contain water horses, I was basically like:



And then , I heard that The Scorpio Races had a romance in it, and I was like:



I MUST HAVE THIS BOOK!!!!

So after I issued this book out of the library, merrily skipped all the way home and channeled all quietness out of the room (which meant a whole lot of bribing to my sister) to experience the predicted awesomeness of The Scorpio Races , I sat down on the comfy Lazy-Boy and finally began to read.

As I read, I waited, and expected, and waited some more. But... nothing.

After a number of pages (and, some flicking to the back pages- one of my annoying traits, blossomed by my impatience), I realised that the whole book was just a build- up to the end, the actual Scorpio Races. And then I got annoyed. And sad. And disappointed.



And bored.

But this is the part where I want to applaud Maggie Stiefvater. Because without the way she has written Thisby and all the people that came with it, and, not to mention, the capaill uisce I wouldn’t have read on, and I wouldn’t have read the amazingness that is The Scorpio Races.

The way Stiefvater writes her characters, with so much soul and so much personality, it makes her characters seem so real. Every character, whether major or minor, seem like she's invested so much time in creating them, that they're effortlessly believable.

I have to say I liked Puck the best though. I liked her from the moment I read the part where she told Brian Carroll that she'd spit on his grave if he died. Enough said.

And Sean Kendrick.



Ah. His devotion to the horses and his love for Corr.... Lordy. Who does not want a guy like that?

The entertaining cast of characters would make every single reader welcome to Thisby, despite the warning of killer water horses. I could actually go on about the characters for forever, but I won't and instead I shall move on to the world building.

Sweet and short, the world building was perfect. Thisby is... comfy to me, and living there would make me very certain about what I'd do every single day. I'd go to mass in St Columba's with Father Mooneyham then go have lunch at Palsson's then look around at Fathom and Sons. Which is to say, while reading The Scorpio Races , I felt like I lived there.

In conclusion- ooh. I sound like I'm writing an essay for English-, the charming characters and the spot on world building over-powered the- what would otherwise be a boring- build up to the Scorpio Races. So, according to the Goodreads rating system, I "really liked it".

I'd also like to say that I am quite upset that there is no sequel to this book. Would very much like to know what happens to Puck and Sean and Finn and George Holly. Please, Maggie! I want a sequel!!