Sunday, May 27, 2012
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Book Haul (1)
Books featured
Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Trial by Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
The Guild by Felicia Day
City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Friday, May 4, 2012
Book Review: Enchanted Ivy by Sarah Beth Durst
Enchanted Ivy by Sarah Beth Durst
Pages: 310
Published: October 12th 2010
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
All Lily Carter wants to do is get into Princeton University, because that's the only school away from home that she's allowed to attend. She now gets to visit the school when her grandfather's reunion comes around. She finds out that she can be granted automatic acceptance if she passes the Legacy Test. She needs to find the Ivy Key, but she doesn't know how, yet she's determined not to give up. She soon finds out that there's a lot more to the university than she initially thought. It turns out that there's another world hidden behind a gate.
Durst sets up a great plot that starts out a bit cliché but then turns into something a bit more unique. Mostly, the expectations I had of a good plot are met.
The problem, though, is that although there's a great story, the characters are very one-dimensional. They were simply just shells, with barely any trace of personalities. There's no better way to describe it than that they were vehicles for the plot.
On top of that, the dialogue was pretty bad. It lacked imagination, and any humor that was shown felt forced. The language is short and concise, and doesn't use much description, which in this case is a flaw. At some places it works, but that's not often.
As I said, the plot was good, but sometimes the events and plot points were all over the place. Things simply weren't elaborated on. Rather than showing, Durst does a lot of telling in this book. Nothing has an impact. I felt no emotions with this book.
To summarize, it's a really simple book that spells the most things out to the reader, so that any suspense is removed. It's an average book at best that can be considered enjoyable if you simply just want to pass the time. I wouldn't waste money on buying it though, if not for the fact that I already did.
Book Review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Pages: 391
Published: September 1st 2009
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Series: The Hunger Games, #2
For my review of the first book, The Hunger Games, click here.
Warning: Watch/read this review on your own risk. It contains spoilers for the first book in the series, The Hunger Games.
This book pretty much starts off where the
last book left us. Time has passed, though. Still, Katniss has won the Games.
She and Peeta are back in District 12, although not speaking to each other, and
she only sees Gale once a week. On top of that, she has to worry about the
upcoming victory tour, where she and Peeta will have to tour the districts, and
there’s been talk of uprisings in some of them. A rebellion is starting, and
it’s all because of Katniss and her one act of defiance. Now she has to convince
the whole population of how very much in love she is with Peeta. Otherwise
things will end badly.
Both The Hunger Games and Catching Fire are
incredibly good, so I do feel conflicted over which book I like the most.
This book is a true page-turner, although
possibly a bit slower than its predecessor. It’s hard to put down, even while
reading it for the fourth time. I was at a loss for words, that’s for sure.
The book has the ability to evoke a lot of
emotions in its reader (or at least me). You could say I’m emotionally attached
to this series, and so far, I just cannot let the story go.
I love basically everything that this book
is, including its messages, the storylines, the characters, you name it. One of
the main things I appreciate about this book is the relationships, and I’m not
talking about the love triangle. I’m talking about the different relationships
you didn’t quite get to explore in The Hunger Games.
I can’t find many faults with this, but of
course there are some. The one that I can think of is the beginning. The
victory tour, for instance, is kind of glossed over, when there was so much
that could have been explored about the districts. I get why it had to be done,
though.
In the end, though, this is forgotten, and
it’s one huge ride of suspense and action. I can’t help but love this book.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
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