Book Review: Replica

Replica by Lauren Oliver

Released: October 4, 2016

Read: September 2016

Publisher: HarperCollins

Format: ARC, 544 pages

Series: Replica #1

Description on Goodreads:
    Gemma has been in and out of hospitals since she was born. 'A sickly child', her lonely life to date has revolved around her home, school and one best friend, Alice. But when she discovers her father's connection to the top secret Haven research facility, currently hitting the headlines and under siege by religious fanatics, Gemma decides to leave the sanctuary she's always known to find the institute and determine what is going on there and why her father's name seems inextricably linked to it.
    Amidst the frenzy outside the institute's walls, Lyra - or number 24 as she is known as at Haven - and a fellow experimental subject known only as 72, manage to escape. Encountering a world they never knew existed outside the walls of their secluded upbringing , they meet Gemma and, as they try to understand Haven's purpose together, they uncover some earth-shattering secrets that will change the lives of both girls forever... 

Review: 

    When I started this book, I had two main theories:

1. Lyra was a clone version of Gemma. So when Gemma was born, her parents allowed Haven to extract part of her DNA and implant it into a willing mother to create Model 24.

2. Gemma herself was also a clone, and that's why she has heart problems (because the clones are still not perfected). She's called Frankenstein not for the reasons Gemma believes, but because she's unnatural and was created instead of born, just like Frankenstein. 

    Obviously I'm not going to say what happened with my theories, if one of them was true or if they were both failures. But I like the way it turned out. 

    Replica  by Lauren Oliver is not like other books. For one, the main plot is told through two different perspectives, each a separate story, that ends the same way. But the POV switch isn't every chapter or every three chapters. When holding a physical copy of the novel, let's say with Lyra's side on top, you could read until about halfway through the novel, and then the printing is upside down. If you reverse the book (as in physically flip it over), you could read Gemma's side of the story until halfway through the book where you yet again hit where the printing is upside down. It's literally two stories in one. 

    Now because of the two stories in one, you can read it many different ways:

1. All of one story and then all of the other.

2. One chapter of one story then one chapter of the other.

3. Like #2, but instead of only chapter by chapter, you could read multiple chapters of each at a time before switching. 

    As it turns out, I read three chapters of each before flipping, with the exception of reading a few extra chapters of one of them when I got distracted. It's really interesting that Lauren Oliver wrote Replica this way. I mean, it's never been done before and it can change the way you view the book by reading it a different way.
    The content itself I have a back and forth opinion on. I like the idea of the novel, the whole description, but the way it was written was kind of bland to me. I was left anticipating a huge revelation throughout the entire novel, but that feeling was never satisfied. I mean, come on, shouldn't all books end with a bang? Overall, it was worth reading, but I hope the sequel can grab (and hold on to) my attention. 

Favourite Quotes:

• "On very still nights sometimes we can hear them chanting, calling for us to die." -Lyra
• "Monsters, they call us. Demons. Sometimes, on sleepless nights, we wonder if they're right."   -Lyra
• "All the words she could ever want: words to stuff herself on until she was full, until her eyes burst." -Lyra
• "She wanted to say: We don't exist. She wanted to say: We have no choice. But even as she reached for the words, the cord tethering her thoughts snapped, and she was bobbing, wordless, mindless, into the dark." -Lyra
• "She didn't know what she was waiting for or looking for anymore. Only that out there, in the real world, there were no answers- nothing but vastness and things she'd never seen in real life and experiences she couldn't understand and strangers who didn't know what she was and would hate her if they did." -Lyra
• "Something leapt to life in her chest, a force beyond the guilt and the fear. It was like she'd been living in a cartoon, in two dimensions, her whole life, and had just fought free of the page." -Gemma
• "And in that second she knew, she truly understood, what Pete had said to her outside. Monsters weren't made, at least not by birth or fate or circumstance. Monsters chose to be monsters. That was the only terrible birth, the kind that happened again and again, every day."      -Gemma
• "All these people on their way to something, on their way from something. All these stories and lives, all of them orbiting temporarily around the same parking lot before spinning away from one another again." -Gemma

Rating: 6/10

Recommended if you like: fantasy, fiction, Lauren Oliver's Delirium trilogy, mystery 

Keep flipping pages,

Lauren 

Book Review: Lair of Dreams

Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray

Released: August 25th 2015
Read: May 2016
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover, 613 pages
Series: The Diviners #2, here's my review of the first book.

Description from Goodreads:
After a supernatural showdown with a serial killer, Evie O’Neill has outed herself as a Diviner. With her uncanny ability to read people’s secrets, she’s become a media darling, earning the title “America’s Sweetheart Seer.” Everyone’s in love with the city’s newest It Girl…everyone except the other Diviners.
Piano-playing Henry DuBois and Chinatown resident Ling Chan are two Diviners struggling to keep their powers a secret—for they can walk in dreams. And while Evie is living the high life, victims of a mysterious sleeping sickness are turning up across New York City.
As Henry searches for a lost love and Ling strives to succeed in a world that shuns her, a malevolent force infects their dreams. And at the edges of it all lurks a man in a stovepipe hat who has plans that extend farther than anyone can guess…As the sickness spreads, can the Diviners descend into the dreamworld to save the city?


Review:
Holy cow! I thought that like most sequels, this one would fail to capture the magic that the first one did. I was happily proven wrong. This book (while not QUITE so scary) managed to keep the suspense from the reader until the very end. While I thought that it would be hard to follow the plot from the first book, she managed to create a mystery with the same excitement as the last one. In this novel, the old characters were developed upon, and new ones introduced. In many series, it sometimes feels like the existing characters are almost forgotten, or set aside. Not in this one. Although we got to know the new people, the old were still very much there. Goodness... this is actually such a good sequel! I couldn't stop gushing about it while I was reading, because there were many twists and turns that came from nowhere. The only thing that could've been improved was the "horror" element. It could've been scarier, like the first one was. But still an AMAZING read! And luckily there are still two more books to go!

Favorite Quote:
“We are made by what we are asked to bear, Ling Chan,” 

― Libba Bray, Lair of Dreams

Rating: 8/10

Recommended for people who love: mystery, horror, romance, suspense, supernatural, strong female leads, historical fiction

Happy reading!
Mari

Book Review: Illuminae

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Released: October 20th, 2015
Read: December 2015
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Format: Paperback ARC, 599 pages (borrowed from the lovely Ohana Reads)

Description from Goodreads:
This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.This afternoon, her planet was invaded.
The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.
But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

Review: Reading this book was unlike anything I've ever read before. This was such an interesting and refreshing take on the normal scifi genre. Instead of having the story be told by the protagonists, it took a multimedia approach. The plot was told through emails, reports, schematics, files, medical reports and interviews. It was exciting to turn the page, not knowing what would be on the other side. I have to say, I liked this book. Like a lot. Kady (one of the two main characters) is so ballsy and cool! She does what she wants, when she wants and doesn't care if she clashes with the people in charge. I loved reading the reports on her, where she breaks into secret rooms and then waves at the camera to the people watching. In a book that is ultimately about survival in the deep, dark space, reading about Kady was refreshing and a tension relief to say the least. Her relationship with Ezra was SO CUTE, and you were hoping that they'd rekindle their relationship by the end. The tension over "will Ezra get away from the infected crazies?" really kept the plot driving forward, and kept you turning the page to see what would happen. And don't get me started on AIDEN, the AI (artificial intelligence)  on the ship. Reading about what he was "thinking" was so incredibly unique, and it was a testament to the authors talent on how well they wrote his scenes. I would think that it's hard to write about a character who really isn't alive, but is still "feeling". The authors approach this with poise, and although this is a computer talking, it feels like a human voice. It was actually quite beautiful. Reading the scenes of his was almost like reading poetry turned into art. Confusing to write down, but if you read it, you'll understand. In a weird way, this book was basically a mash up of a "zombie survival" story (the infection that breaks out and that is SUPER contagious), a rouge computer (AIDEN) and a wild space adventure wrapped up into one. So cool... This novel ended on a cliffhanger, so I will definitely be watching for book two come October!  

Favorite Quotes:
 “I am frequently underestimated. I think it's because I'm short.” 

“The universe owes you nothing, Kady. It has already given you everything, after all. It was here long before you, and it will go on long after you. The only way it will remember you is to do something worth remembrance.” 


“All he cares about here on the edge of forever, is her. He does not want to die. Not because he is afraid. Simply because he cannot bear the thought of leaving her behind.” 


Rating: 9/10

Recommended for people who enjoy: scifi, romance, adventure, survival stories

Happy Reading,
Mari

Book Review: Stonefield

Taken from Goodreads
(how pretty is this cover??)

Stonefield by Christy Lenzi

Released: March 29th, 2016
Read: February 2016
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Format: Paperback ARC, 320 pages
Series: N/A
Source: McNally Robinson Two Thumbs Up Program

Description from Goodreads:
In a small town on the brink of the Civil War, Catrina finds a man making strange patterns in her family’s sorghum crop. He’s mad with fever, naked, and strikingly beautiful. He has no memory of who he is or what he’s done before Catrina found him in Stone Field. But that doesn’t bother Catrina because she doesn’t like thinking about the things she’s done before either.
Catrina and Stonefield fall passionately, dangerously, in love. All they want is to live with each other, in harmony with the land and away from Cat’s protective brother, the new fanatical preacher, and the neighbors who are scandalized by their relationship. But Stonefield can’t escape the truth about who he is, and the conflict tearing apart the country demands that everyone take a side before the bloodbath reaches their doorstep.

Review:

I chose this book because I absolutely love retellings of classic novels. This one is a retelling of Wuthering Heights, but not in the here and now (as most retellings are), but during the Civil War. I was excited, and so eager to read the result. But I was disappointed. Although the plot was sort of already written, it felt mish-mashed, and a little overwhelming. You could tell that the author was trying to emulate the writing style of Bronte, but it came across as forced, and almost sarcastic. It was a struggle trying to interpret what was actually being said. Another thing, was that the characters had very little development, (especially the main character)  so you never really connected with Cat. I wasn’t rooting for her to be happy in the end. I also had a problem with the romance in it. I love reading books where the main characters fall slowly in love. But SLOWLY! They literally were totally in love by page 50. Not even kidding. It was so fast! It was way too quick, and then Bible verses were added to make it sound as if it was less promiscuous. It was weird.  I also didn’t like the fact that they were able to somehow speak telepathically. That was never really explained. It was a weird book, all in all and unfortunately, not my favorite.  

Rating: 4.5/10

Reccomended for people who enjoy: retellings, romance, lots of descriptive language

Happy Reading,

Mari

Doppelgänger Duels: Divergent vs the Hunger games

Hey, everyone!
   I'm sure every major book nerd out there has noticed that some books are a lot alike. Well, we have too. So we decided to dedicate a segment to book twins, or doppelgängers. Anyways, there are some more famous duplicates, and then there are the ones that are rarely noticed. We're going to try listing from both categories as much as we can. First things, first. Our first post is going to be an obvious one:

THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR BOTH NOVELS. 

Divergent vs. the Hunger Games

   Both set in dystopian worlds, Divergent and the Hunger Games have the same plot. The main female character has been used, or attempted to be killed, and must now overthrow her government to make their land safe again and to finally end their battling. In Divergent, Tris must take down Jeanine Matthews with the rebellion, while in the Hunger games Katniss has to kill President Snow, with her rebellion.
   Starting to sound like the same book? No? I haven't even started ranting about the factions/districts yet. Really, there's not much that can be said. They're the same thing, as easy as that. One of the only differences is that there are five factions while there are thirteen districts. Also, the factions and districts represent different things. The factions represent personality traits: Intelligence, Bravery,
Honesty,  Selflessness and Kindness. The Districts represent specific industries like electronics, fishing, electrical power, lumber, transportation, agriculture and mining.
   Another similarity is their personality and the fact that Tris and Katniss both make sacrifices for their family. In Divergent (the series in general), Tris consistently does whatever she thinks is right (even if it hurts Tobias) in order to help her friends and her family. She risks her life whenever needed, and is kinda reckless about it.
Katniss is partly the same way. She strategizes the best way to help her people and her family, then acts on it, even if her life is in the balance.
    And then there are the differences...
   Katniss Everdeen volunteers for the Hunger Games after her sister is picked. She must outwit and outlive all the other contestants in order to return to her family and get back to the life she was living. Tris Prior chooses to leave her family behind and find her true self. She is also tested, through the Initiation, but she does this for herself and not for her family.
  Then there's the economical point of view. The people living in futuristic Chicago get to choose their role in society: either to be a teacher or work for the police force. They get to pick what they want to do and who they want to be. Meanwhile in Panem, the civilians are forced to do the job allotted to their district: work in a field or a mine. This is an enormous difference! Where would you rather live: in the semi-free Chicago or in the communist Panem?

So that's that! Stay updated for the next Doppelgänger Duel!!

-Lauren

Book Review: H.E.A.R.

H.E.A.R by Robin Epstein

Release Date: December 29th, 2015
Read: January 2016
Publisher: Soho Teen
Format: Paperback ARC, 272 pages 

Description from Goodreads:
Expelled from high school months shy of graduation—her acceptance to Columbia revoked due to vigilante justice gone awry—Kassandra Black is sent to work in her great-uncle Brian’s lab at Henley University. She’s helping with his HEAR (Henley Engineering Anomalies Research) program, and hopefully getting him to put in a good word for her to attend Henley instead. She’s got to go somewhere, after all.But as she gets to know the other HEAR students, it becomes clear that she overlooked the “Anomalies” part of their acronym—these kids are here to help Brian run experiments that gauge ESP capacity. They’ve each been selected and recruited, including, to her astonishment, Kass herself. But ESP? She doesn’t buy any of it. And even if it were real, she definitely isn’t psychic.Yet with each new test, she finds herself more frightened. Kass really can communicate telepathically; she can even glimpse the future. When one of her fellow HEAR students is murdered, Kass must try to forget everything she knows about herself and her family and learn to trust those who share her remarkable gift.


Review:
What really got me into this book was the main character. Kassandra is strong, and doesn't care what anyone thinks of her. I loved the growth of her powers, and it feels realistic (well as realistic as supernatural powers can be!). I loved that she did what she wanted, when she wanted, and said what she wanted. She is the type of girl everyone wants to know, and everyone wants to be. This book was a refreshing break from the normal dystopian/supernatural genre. It wasn't just about saving the world. It had a deeper story line and plot to it. I really liked getting to know the other recruits of the program. It was almost like X-Men or something. It even had the history to it, about shady ex-colleagues and an untrustworthy government agency. Everyone's power was unique to them, and their character development was interesting, and never dull. Of course the romance between two of the characters (won't say which ones, spoilers!) is a great addition to the story, and adds depth to the characters involved. One of the best parts of the story was the twist at the end. It came out of nowhere, and finished the story perfectly! I can't wait to get my hands on book number two!

Favorite Quote: "Keep my mind open. Keep an open mind. How hard could it be?" -H.E.A.R. by Robin Epstein

Rating: 8/10 Stars

Recommended for people who enjoy: scifi, adventure, romance, strong female leads

Happy Reading,
Mari  

Book Review: On Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve by Ann M Martin

Release Date: October 1. 2006
Read: Christmas 2009 (a reaaaaally long time ago, but I've reread it since)
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Format: Paperback, 160 pages

Description from Goodreads:
Eight-year-old Tess is convinced this is the year she will finally meet Santa, and experience "the Christmas magic." She also wishes with all her heart that her best friend's ill father will recover. Tess' faith in the season results in a Christmas Eve so wondrous, so sparkling, readers won't be able to help but feel transformed. Like trimming the tree and "It's a Wonderful Life"; baking cookies and "White Christmas," ON CHRISTMAS EVE is sure to bring new holiday magic to readers' lives.

Review: 
Although this book is geared towards younger readers, I still feel like this book is applicable to all ages. Reading this book was uplifting to say the least. Hope and joy have big roles, which make it perfect for Christmas. This book was sparkling with that "Christmas magic." The main character (Tess) is so hopeful about every trial that comes her way. This book unfolds over an entire year (one Christmas to the other). This was a really good choice for telling the story, as it really gets you to care about the various characters. It was heartbreaking to see that interaction between her and Santa towards the end. The way he has to break to her that there is nothing he can do for certain people, that there are some gifts that can't be given, makes me tear up every time. Although it is at times very sad, you still come out with a renewed faith in Christmas. This is why I try to read this every year during the holiday season!

Favorite Quotes: 
"Christmas and Santa are all about hope.."
  - Ann M. Martin, On Christmas Eve

Rating:
4/5 Stars

Recommended for people who enjoy: hope, Christmas, fiction, best friend stories

Happy Reading,
Mari

Book Review: Anna and the French Kiss

Taken from Amazon.com

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Release Date: December 2. 2010
Read: November 2015
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Format: Paperback, 372 pages

Description from Goodreads:
Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend. 
But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?

Review: 
This book is just so cute! From the very first chapter I couldn't get enough. The way Perkins writes is so light and breezy it's a treat to read. Anna is portrayed realistically, as any student would be if they moved to Paris. She is a great protagonist, and the year she spends in Paris is great to follow. A great bonus is that her love interest is the guy that everyone wishes was in their lives. He's so romantic and swoon-worthy! I just wish that Anna would have "discovered" more of Paris, and that she would've seen more of the city. I felt like it was an opportunity wasted, that Perkins had a chance to write an epic "city tour" and didn't take it. However that is really my one complaint. This was simply a solid read through and through. I can't wait until I can get my hands on the next one, and I'm intrigued at how Perkins binds all three books together!

Favorite Quotes: “I mean, really. Who sends their kid to boarding school? It's so Hogwarts. Only mine doesn't have cute boy wizards or magic candy or flying lessons.” 
― Stephanie Perkins, Anna and the French Kiss

“I wish for the thing that is best for me.” 

― Stephanie Perkins, Anna and the French Kiss

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Recommended for people who enjoy: Sarah Dessen, romance, YA fiction, travel, funny heroines

Happy Reading,
Mari

Book Review: The Dream Thieves

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

Release Date: September 17th, 2013
Read: Oct/Nov 2015
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Format: Hardcover, 439 pages

Descriptions from GoodReads: Ronan Lynch has secrets. Some he keeps from others. Some he keeps from himself.
   One secret: Ronan can bring things out of his dreams.
And sometimes he's not the only one who wants those things.
   Ronan is one of the raven boys—a group of friends, practically brothers, searching for a dead king named Glendower, who they think is hidden somewhere in the hills by their elite private school, Aglionby Academy. The path to Glendower has long lived as an undercurrent beneath town. But now, like Ronan's secrets, it is beginning to rise to the surface—changing everything in its wake.

Review: Oh boy, oh boy did I love this book. This is the second book in the Raven Cycle series (which was also amazing), and it was just as surprisingly gritty and realistic as the first one. I'm glad the author decided to focus more on Ronan in this book, because I felt like his backstory was held together pretty loosely in The Raven Boys.

   One of my favourite things about this series is the intricate relationship between all of the raven boys. 

Quotable Quotes:

"In that moment, Blue was a little in love with all of them."

"And Ronan was everything that was left: molten eyes and a smile made for war."

"Dying's a boring side effect."- Joseph Kavinsky

Rating: 4.5/5

Read if you liked: the House of Anubis, the Diviners, Shiver, history, bromances (winks)

Optimistically yours, Ola <3

Book Review: All The Bright Places

Taken from Goodreads

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Release Date: January 6th 2015
Read: November 2015
Publisher: Knopf Publishers
Format: Hardcover, 388 pages


Description from Goodreads:
Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.
Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.
When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.

Review: 
I had heard a lot about this book in the blog-verse, so when I saw it in my school library I had to check it out. It started a little cliche, and felt slow to begin with, with development (which had to happen). I had to second guess myself on whether or not to continue reading. I'm glad I did. Once I got past page 50, it found itself.  The writing style (while slow to start) is great, and easy to follow. It felt as if Niven knew exactly what to say. Suicide and depression are hard topics to add to a romantic YA novel, but it works. Somehow this gives depth to both characters. Just thinking about Finch and how he struggles to keep his head above the water brings tears to my eyes. Violet and Finch are a beautifully broken couple, but they discover that together they make each other better. One of the hardest things to read is how Violet tries to help Finch, but somehow she can't reach him. Niven approaches these passages with poise, and it's beautifully written. I'm sure from the review so far, that it's clear that I finished this book crying- which I did. When I reached the ending I hated it, but the more I thought of it, the more I realized why it ended the way it did. But you decide your thoughts on the ending yourself. However, this is one of my favorite reads of 2015 (so far!).

Favorite Quotes:
 “We do not remember days, we remember moments.” 
“You have been in every way all that anyone could be.… If anybody could have saved me it would have been you.” 
“I learned that there is good in this world, if you look hard enough for it. I learned that not everyone is disappointing, including me, and that a 1,257 bump in the ground can feel higher than a bell tower if you’re standing next to the right person.”
-Jennifer Niven, All the Bright Places
(Sorry for so many, I just loved them all)

Rating: 5/5 Stars (very rare!)

Recommended for people who enjoy: YA lit, John Green, romance, sad books, bittersweet endings

Happy Reading,
Mari

Book review: The House

The House, by Christina Lauren

Release date: October 27, 2015

Read: November 11, 2015
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books
Format: ARC, 400 pages.

Description from Good Reads:

Gavin tells Delilah he's hers-completely-but whatever lives inside that house with him disagrees, After seven years tucked away at an East coast boarding school. Delilah Blue returns to her small Kansas hometown to find that not much has changed, Her parents are still uptight and disinterested, her bedroom is exactly the way she left it, and the outcast Gavin Timothy still looks like he's crawled out of one of her dark, twisted drawings. Delilah is instantly smitten. Gavin has always lived in the strange house: an odd building isolated in a stand of trees where the town gives in to mild wilderness. The house is an irresistible lure for Delilah, but the tall fence surrounding it exists for good reason, and Gavin urges Delilah to be careful. Whatever lives with him there isn't human, and isn't afraid of hurting her to keep her away.

Review: The first impression I had of Delilah, was that she was a stalker. Really, what kind of girl, whether boy-crazed or not, follows a guy to his house? And it doesn't end there, she also had to have a peek inside through his front window. But it was a nice change to read a book with a courageous female lead (however impulsive) and an anti-social boy, instead of the other way around, which most books are. And the house! The moment this odd looking house came into play, I knew something paranormal was going on there. My guess was that there was some sort of soul-sucking demon living inside who was keeping Gavin captive, not that something was wrong with the actual house. Kudos to Christina Lauren for pulling that one off, and not writing what was expected.

Favourite Quotes: 
" What a pair they must make standing beside each other. Her fire so huge it spilled out of her and onto the pavement. His entire world so small she couldn't even see it with him looming over her." -Christina Lauren

Rating: 8/10

Recommended if you like: Monster House (the movie), Thrillers, any books/movies that just creep you out in general.

A recipe for disaster,


Lauren

Book Review: Rules For 50/50 Chances

Taken from Goodreads

Rules for 50/50 Chances by Kate McGovern

Release Date: November 2015
Read: October 2015 (I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this novel)
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Format: Paperback ARC, 342 pages

Description from Goodreads
A heartrending but ultimately uplifting debut novel about learning to accept life's uncertainties; a perfect fit for the current trend in contemporary realistic novels that confront issues about life, death, and love.
Seventeen-year-old Rose Levenson has a decision to make: Does she want to know how she’s going to die? Because when Rose turns eighteen, she can take the test that will tell her if she carries the genetic mutation for Huntington’s disease, the degenerative condition that is slowly killing her mother. With a fifty-fifty shot at inheriting her family’s genetic curse, Rose is skeptical about pursuing anything that presumes she’ll live to be a healthy adult—including going to ballet school and the possibility of falling in love. But when she meets a boy from a similarly flawed genetic pool, and gets an audition for a dance scholarship in California, Rose begins to question her carefully-laid rules.

Review: 
This book was a great number of things. At times it's light and at others it hits a little deeper. Rose (our main character) has tough decision to make - whether or not to find out if she will get her mothers Huntington's disease. It's a touchy and hard subject, but McGovern approaches it with a gentle touch, really showing all the sides to this disease. She tries and shows the good in it, and through Rose we see that the illness is not all there is to life. With Rose we see her flourish during the bad times, whether being with Caleb (her potential boyfriend) or dancing ballet. It's hard for Rose to see her mother deteriorating, but for such a (at times) sad subject, McGovern really shines a light on it. 

Favorite Quotes: "... the music starts, and then I give in to it, and nothing else matters. And then I'm soaring." -Page 262

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Recommended for people who enjoy: Sarah Dessen, romance, YA, fiction, contemporary literature

Happy Reading,
Mari

Book Review: Graceling

Taken from Goodreads

Graceling by Kristen Cashore

Release Date: October 1. 2008.
Read: Fall. 2012
Publisher: Harcourt

Format: Paperback, 471 pages

Description from Goodreads:
Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight - she's a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king's thug. When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. She never expects to become Po's friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace - or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away... 

Review: I was told to read this because of my love for high fantasy. I was a little skeptical, but I decided to read it anyway. What I got was a mixed bag. The idea that some people have "Graces" (where they have a special power) is very interesting and unique. But I sorta had a small problem with Katsa (the main character). She seemed a little whiny at times, and it made me hard to feel sympathetic for her. But the story line made up for it. It was exciting, and took many twists and turns. Her counterpart Po is a great gentleman, willing to protect Katsa and his niece Bitterblue at all costs. It's a great adventure story line, but personally I like the sequel/prequel Fire better.

Favorite Quotes: “When a monster stopped behaving like a monster, did it stop being a monster? Did it become something else?” 
― Kristin Cashore, Graceling

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Recommended for people who like: YA, fantasy, fiction, romance, adventure

Happy Reading,
Mari

Book Review: The Sea of Monsters

Percy Jackson and the Olympians the Sea of Monsters, by Rick Riordan

Release date: April 1, 2006
Read: Mid-July, 2015 and many times before that
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Format: Paperback, 279 pages
Series: Book #2 in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series

Description from Goodreads: 
   The heroic son of Poseidon makes an action-packed comeback in the second must-read installment of Rick Riordan's amazing young readers series. Starring Percy Jackson, a "half blood" whose mother is human and whose father is the God of the Sea, Riordan's series combines cliffhanger adventure and Greek mythology lessons that results in true page-turners that get better with each installment. In this episode, The Sea of Monsters, Percy sets out to retrieve the Golden Fleece before his summer camp is destroyed, surpassing the first book's drama and setting the stage for more thrills to come.

Review: Eventful, enticing, and downright funny. These are the first three words that come to mind when I think about this book. The none-stop rolling plot, the hidden meanings, the otherworldly places they visit. It all fits together perfectly. The first time I read the Sea of Monsters, I have to admit, I kind of hated Tyson. He seemed so needy, but the more I read about him, the more I realized that he was okay. My favourite scene is tied between Circe's island and Annabeth swimming to the Sirens. Both involve great sorcery: Circe herself, and the veil the Siren's put over people when they hear their music. The Son of Neptune, also by Rick Riordan, references the Island, which intrigues me, and I have always heard about evil mermaids, Sirens, who control their victims with their powerful voices. But to read about them with great detail in a more realistic perspective is a whole 'nother story.

Favourite Quotes:

• "THAT Perseus always won. That's why my mom had named me after him, even if he was a son of Zeus and I was a son of Poseidon. The original Perseus was one of the only heroes in greek myths that got a happy ending. The others died- betrayed, mauled, mutilated, poisoned or cursed by the gods. My mom hoped I would inherit Perseus's luck. Judging by how my life was going so far, I wasn't too optimistic." -Rick Riordan
• "Mythologically speaking, if there's anything I hate worse than trios of old ladies, it's bulls. Last summer, I fought the Minotaur on top of Half-Blood Hill. This time what I saw up there was even worse: two bulls. And not just regular bulls- bronze ones the size of elephants. And even that wasn't bad enough. Naturally they had to breath fire, too." -Rick Riordan
• "Annabeth: My fatal flaw. That's what the Sirens showed me. My fatal flaw is hubris. Percy: The brown stuff they spread on veggie sandwiches? Annabeth: No, Seaweed Brain. That's HUMMUS. Hubris is worse. Percy: What could be worse than hummus? Annabeth: Hubris means deadly pride, Percy. Thinking you can do things better than anyone else... even the gods." -Rick Riordan

Rating: 8/10

Recommended if you like: constant adventure, travel, fantasy, mythology, destiny, fate, short reads, kid novels

A recipe for disaster,

Lauren