Book Review: The Sun Trail

The Sun Trail by Erin Hunter


Released: April 10th, 2014
Read: February 2016
Publisher: HarperCollins
Format: Paperback, 368 pages
Series: Warriors: Dawn of the Clans (#1)

Source: Purchased

Description from GoodReads: Before Rusty left his kittypet home...

   Before Bluestar ruled ThunderClan...
   Before Crookedstar made his fateful promise...
   The warrior Clans were born.
   Find out how it all came to be in this brand-new arc that reveals the origins of the four Clans. Featuring a new cast of characters, a richly developed world, and a never-before-seen look at the history of the warrior cats, this prologue arc is perfect for existing fans and for those new to the Warriors world. With over thirteen million copies sold and each new title hitting the New York Times bestseller list, the Warriors series is a true phenomenon that will continue to take readers by storm.

Review: First things first, these are not children's novels. They're much too gory and heart-breaking to be. Even if they were, they are amazing.

   The new set of characters in this book is so refreshing. After 4 arcs worth of the same 40 characters (an estimation, but yes, that is a lot), it was so nice to get to know new cats, with new issues and different relationships.

   One thing that never changes, or, always changes, are sibling relationships. They always fail. Someone dies, or leaves, or betrays the other. Grey Wing and Clear Sky are no different (spoiler? not really, though), and although Grey Wing gives up so many things for his brothers happiness, he gets nothing in return. It was a sad story that almost seems familiar. Hopefully in the end, Grey Wing gets his own happiness, and doesn't die a martyr, like other siblings have.

   It was also really weird to see the original forest from the point of view of newcomers. When we were introduced to it in the original series, it was already well worn and working, whereas here it's untouched and intimidating. 

   I liked the storyline and issues that the characters face, and the deaths were sad, as the ones who died were probably more memorable than the ones who survived.

Quotable Quotes:

“I love you too much for that. For my sake, go.”

“Dreams? What’s the point of that?”

Rating: 7/10

Read if You Liked: Narnia, Lord of the Rings, cats, adventures, failing sibling relationships

Optimistically yours, Ola <3

Book Review: The Vampire Diaries

Taken from mybooksmylife.com

The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening by L.J. Smith

Release Date: 1. March. 1999
Read: July 2013
Publisher: HarperCollins Publisher
Format: Paperback, 311 pages

Description from Goodreads:
A Love Triangle of Unspeakable Horror...
Elena
Searching for the ultimate thrill, she vowed to have Stefan.
Stefan
Haunted by his tragic past, he struggled to resist her passion.
Damon
Driven by revenge, he hunted the brother who betrayed him.
The terrifying story of two vampire brothers and the beautiful girl torn between them.

Review: 
This book was very different than the show, let me say that much. It shocked me at the liberties that the show took from the book. They changed the personalities of quite a few characters, and took others out completely. One of my favorite parts of the book was Meredith, someone who didn't make it into the show, despite the fact that she is a strong female character. I thought that as a whole, the book was a really fun read. The action was exciting, and most of the characters were extremely fun to read about. While reading, the biggest casting fail that I found was Bonnie. In the book, she is of Irish decent with red hair and freckles. In the show, she is the complete opposite. 
However, the show did succeed in one regard. I felt like in the book, Elena (the main character) was at times acting like a certain other human who falls in love with a vampire. She was strangely oblivious to Stefans odd behavior. There was too much obsession in her, which was cringe-worthy. However, since the summer of 2013, I have read the entire series and I am now searching like crazy for the first book in the Returned series.

Favorite Quote: “Evil will never find peace. It may triumph, but it will never find peace” 
― L.J. Smith, The Awakening
Rating: 3.25/5 Stars

Recommended for people who like: supernatural, romance, YA, adventure

Happy Reading,
Mari