Searching for Sky is an incredibly unrealistic portrayal of a girl lived away from all civilization and brought back into the US. I'm not exactly an 'Searching for Sky is an incredibly unrealistic portrayal of a girl lived away from all civilization and brought back into the US. I'm not exactly an 'expert' in psychology or anything like that but even I could tell exactly how stupid Cantor's take on this 'reverse dystopia'.
I feel like all Sky's psychologists and doctors failed to do their job. This is a girl who was raised on an island almost all her life. She had no idea what a toilet was or even a door. There were no buildings on her island. Her psychologists didn't do a single thing to help her adjust to her new world. They didn't even tell her what a door was for gods sake. She spent quite a few pages calling it a 'coming in place' instead of a door.
If you take a look at When We Wake, Tegan's rehabilitation and introduction to the new futuristic society is slow and gradual but comprehensive. The doctors basically told her that "Here you go we've got different things here off the island. Here's a toilet. Figure out how to use it. Have fun, lmao."
That's not how anyone would do it and it completely ruined any immersion for me. I just felt like I was yanked out of the story every time Sky doesn't understand a concept. Do you really think no one would explain to her the concept of using money in exchange for goods, or even just bartering?? No one would just expect Sky to handle everything on her own!
Sky's characterization was incredibly weak. Her entire character was based off of the fact that she is from an island and knows nothing. Basically every page somehow talks about how 'Ohh! Poor Sky! She doesn't know anything!" I understand how hard it is to go from one environment to a radically different environment, and especially without any real help but having that as her only character trait isn't going to make me feel anything for Sky, regardless of her situation.
Her romantic relationship with her, for all practical purposes, step-brother was mildly disturbing and not romantic at all. I definitely viewed their relationship as more fraternal rather than romantic. Their parents were an item and it seemed like they were raised more as siblings than friends so when their relationship turned romantic I checked out.
Overall, the book wasn't impressive and I regret the time I spent on it. I definitely don't recommend it - nor am I planning on reading any other books by the author....more
There are just some books that you know are going to piss you off just by the summary. I had a nagging feeling that this would be one of those and I wThere are just some books that you know are going to piss you off just by the summary. I had a nagging feeling that this would be one of those and I was right. I was most certainly right. The summary wasn't wasn't even my only warning flag, honestly. The moment I saw that this book was written by a guy I should have run as fast as I could - but I didn't and now, at least, I have the chance to warn you before you read the book.
Becca Williamson destroys relationships for a living. People honestly fire her to destroy relationships - and Becca being an extremely cynical individual just does it for $100. It doesn't even seem to matter to her that these relationships could be healthy and perfectly normal.
I'm not a romantic person at all, but damn, no one comes near Becca when it comes to being cynical.
It's not like I don't understand why she feels this way. I would feel similar if I was in that position but that is no excuse for how Becca treats the other girls she claims to be doing this for.
Becca not only treats every girl who even insinuates attraction to [gasp] a boy as if they had caught a plague and need to be put down or something. Siegel wrote every female character, aside from our perfect main character of course, as horny idiots that can't see beyond their overwhelming need for a male figure in their life.
Even Becca's own 'best friend' isn't exempt from Becca's raging passive aggressive slut shaming and girl hating. I still can't believe Becca's friend didn't get the hell out of that toxic relationship before it was too late. Becca is not a good person and definitely not someone you want to be around.
The book is centered around love (to the book's credit, all types of love - not just romantic). Becca does not believe in romantic love, which is okay. There's nothing wrong with that in theory.
However, as one could expect, the ending does involve some romance therefore making the overall meaning of the book less about the importance of love and more like 'your life is not complete without a guy'.
The plot was really iffy. I wasn't wholly comfortable with any of the events in the book. It wasn't even a book that wasn't obviously meant to make the reader uncomfortable. I do think that the author meant for the readers to sympathize with Becca which is completely incomprehensible to me.
Overall, The Break-Up Artist was just not for me. I couldn't stand the outrageous slut shaming and girl hating. Becca was just way too holier-than-thou for my liking and the plot was drab at best. I do not recommend this book....more
Before I start the review, I want to make it clear that my review will be biased and I will not attempt hide this in any shape or form. I am not the iBefore I start the review, I want to make it clear that my review will be biased and I will not attempt hide this in any shape or form. I am not the intended audience for this novel (deeply, devout Christian teens). Despite how naïve this may be, I do not believe that religious novels should only be read and appreciated by religious people. I have read novels written to and by people of many faiths and have enjoyed some of them. I've seen that the main issue of these sorts of books is not the presence of religion but the fact that the authors seem to make religion a singular focus in a book that does not call for it. Dystopias, such as Anomaly, should not have God as the main focus.
Despite the genre, books should always have strong characterization and an engaging plot, not to mention being well-written. Anomaly has none of these three things. The characters are pitiful cardboard cutouts that bear little to no resemblance to actual people. The main character, Thalli, is the one of the only characters that actually has emotions yet it would be impossible to tell had it not been for her constant reminder of how superior she was. One of the supporting characters', John, only purpose in life is to preach to Thalli. The plot was one dimensional and boring. At all times, I felt like someone was shouting into my ear 'religion over science'.
Anomaly had a strong beginning, as far as dystopias go. It's set in a futuristic world, destroyed by a nuclear war. Thalli's society lives underground and is ruled by ten scientists. These scientists have genetically designed human beings to have no emotions, since they believed emotions were the downfall of civilization and the reason for the war. Not much background is given for the book nor any concrete world building. It seems like everyone is white, cisgendered, and heterosexual, though. Not that sexuality matters because neither romance nor sex occurs in these Pods (is pod the current dystopia buzzword?).
It wasn't perfect, but it was engaging enough. If the book continued the way it started, it could have easily gotten a decent 2.5 - 3. But alas, it was not meant to be and around 100 pages in, the dreaded preaching came in.
Religion is totally okay in books, I am completely fine with it. However, I cannot tolerate preaching in novels. The main reason I couldn't enjoy Warm Bodies was because of the overwhelming feelings of being lectured to. I cannot stand that. I don't want a book where I feel physically uncomfortable reading it because there isn't a page where a character isn't preaching about God.
If only McGee had more skill in writing, this book may have been saved. But, sadly, her writing is as bland and lifeless as her plot and characters. It's emotionless and boring. She has little skill in the art of storytelling.
Anomaly was an extremely disappointing way to start the new year with. I can't say I'll be reading any of McGee's books again, nor any subsequent books in the Anomaly series. ...more
Jesus Christ, The Complete Horowitz Horror is a complete mess. It's an absolutely atrocious excuse for a horror book. The only thing remotely scary abJesus Christ, The Complete Horowitz Horror is a complete mess. It's an absolutely atrocious excuse for a horror book. The only thing remotely scary about this book is how horrible it is. Horowitz has no idea how to write a proper short story and after this, I don't think I'll be reading any more of his books. I liked his The Gatekeepers series back when I read it (2010?) and thought it to be genuinely creepy but I'm sorry, The Complete put me off all and any of his books.
Granted, I am not scared by books easily (*cough* never *cough*) nor often truly disturbed, but I can appreciate scary books even if they do not scare me. The stories in this book were truly not scary. At all. In fact, I couldn't really tell which parts are meant to be scary - or if the book itself was even meant to be scary or if it was meant to be a 'so bad it's funny' book.
I'm going to be reviewing the Collection as a whole because, there are just too many stories that failed to leave an impact of any sort. The fact that almost every single story is identical makes it easier to write this review as well.
Almost every story follows a similar process which goes something like this:
- Introduce main character - share every last detail of said character - get weird object - have the main character reflect on said item - SCARY SURPRISE ENDING.
There is absolutely no tension building, unless you count some mildly odd things happening. The beginnings are almost always awful and pointless. Why should give a fuck that the main character's parents are getting divorced or that he's rich. It doesn't add anything to the story. It doesn't make the character more real. It really only bogs down the flow of the story.
Almost every single sorry has something to do with "the mystical item of doooooooooooom" which gets old after a while because it's clear the author has run out of ideas. I mean, a bathtub haunted by a (view spoiler)[serial killer (hide spoiler)]? Really?
The endings are almost always over the top and idiotic in their attempts to scare the reader. While, in some cases, the stories had the potential to be scary ones, Horowitz's absolutely awful writing shattered any hopes of redemption.
Before I finish off this short review, I need to address one thing. One of the stories was a retelling of the Monkey's Paw. Now, I have never read the original story but I know enough about it to know it's good. However, the retelling, however, was pathetic and horrible. In fact, you could barely tell the story was ever good.
Anthony Horowitz may be good at writing horror stories but he is certainly not a good short story writer. I honestly hope that he never writes another short story, much less a whole book full of short stories. ...more
THE FALL is a short story narrated by a middle-aged man who received a call from an old friend saying how tActual Rating: .5
MINI SPOILER FILLED REVIEW
THE FALL is a short story narrated by a middle-aged man who received a call from an old friend saying how their middle school/high school friend has passed. This accounts for around 10% of the story, the rest being a flashback.
My main problem with THE FALL is there isn't really a central plot, it's just a seemingly random and uneventful few weeks in this guy's life. These weeks supposedly changed his life forever but from what I can see, there are no life changing moments in THE FALL.
I've read some really amazing short stories in which the world building, plot, and characters were well defined and beautiful. As a consequence, I have started to expect only the best from my short stories. This one however broke that streak with its utterly terrible prose and story.
What really made THE FALL the worst short I've read is the lack of finesse to it. The writing felt like a really bad 6th grader's homework assignment. It was choppy, bland, and forced. I'm just glad that there were only around 100 - 150 pages otherwise I would have DNF'ed it.
The blurb promises a "dark and rebellious read" but in fact, there was nothing neither dark nor rebellious about this book. The plot was uneventful and basically revolved around how amazing this one guy, Chris is. There are around two chapters that are solely devoted to how everyone worships Chris.
[image]
After those few chapters, we get to see how the main character, who's name I am uncertain of (Mog I think), does everything for Chris and even though Chris is rude to him, they're besets buds forever. Erm, okay then. The other chapters are about how Chris really wants to pick up his big brother's crossbow and for a few chapters, they're just debating whether or not to pick it up. In the end, they decide to go out to the woods with the crossbow and Mog accidentally kills a fox. The end.
... oook then. In the epilogue, it is stated that killing the fox ruined Mog's life forever but how? How did any of the events in the story ruin his life? They're not life-ruining things! He killed a fox. That's sad and all but does killing a fox ruin your life? In any way? Nope, not really.
The characters were undefined blobs really. I couldn't tell the difference between them. There's the popular-not-popular kid and then a bunch on nobodies with no personality or defining qualities.
Yes, I understand that in 150 pages (or so), it's hard to define your characters but um, how do lower MG books do it? Or other short stories? It is possible to have a short story with well-rounded characters.
The writing was simplistic to an extent that it was basically "Bob walked down the stairs. Bob said hi. Bob walked away." That's really how it felt but it in the short, it was more like: "Bob walked down the stairs. Bob said "HI motherfucker!!” Bob walked away.
Cursing does not equal intelligent, mature writing. I'm sorry.
I wouldn't recommend this short story to anyone because it's physically painful to read. I can't really recommend any other shorts at this reading level but definitely not this one.
Where do I start? AN INFIDEL IN PARADISE is about a girl who has moved to Pakistan and has to adjust to living there which basically means it's a highWhere do I start? AN INFIDEL IN PARADISE is about a girl who has moved to Pakistan and has to adjust to living there which basically means it's a high school drama set in well, Pakistan. That's really at AN INFIDEL IN PARADISE was - a high school drama. The plot promises a YA political thriller. I mean, it actually says this in the plot summary:
an increasingly tense political situation that becomes dangerous with alarming speed
But then again it says this in the plot summary...
an enigmatic Muslim classmate
And everyone knows when a plot has the word "enigmatic" in it, it's usually about a romance not what it actually promises. In fact, I don't think I've read one books with the word "enigmatic" in the plot summary that didn't have romance as the main focus... (seriously guys, if you can find one non-romance focused book with the word "enigmatic" in the summary, I'll send you some chocolate).
My biggest overall complaint is the simple fact that AN INFIDEL IN PARADISE glorified cheating. I don't think this is the intent since (view spoiler)[the main character does not end up with the love interest (hide spoiler)] but even so, it was there.
The love interest, Mustapha, is engaged to Aisha. Emma comes in and starts flirting with Mustapha, trying to get him to leave Aisha (who he admitted to loving). That's what the main story is about. Aisha is portrayed as the jealous bitch even though she's just trying to get Emma to stop. Emma even acknowledges that she is flirting with Mustapha but she continues throughout the book.
Cheating is not okay. I don't give a damn if it's because you love her (you don't). Cheating will never be ok. Mustapha is also to blame since he seems to want the best of both worlds, both Aisha and Emma.
[image]
Characters
The main character in the novel is where many of my complaints center since she's so infuriating. I really wanted to strangle her around twenty times, which isn't really that much but I restrained myself - a lot. Emma hates every person with boobs really.
If the girl looks at her the wrong way, she giving her death glares. If a girl dresses a certain way, she has to be an idiot. There's one character where Emma takes one look at her and nicknames her Hip-Hop Barbie. The little adjectives here and there make it very obvious that she thinks that everyone is an idiot to her genius.
[image]
Emma seems to think that the world revolves around her. Everyone in her family is mad? Obviously, the only reason they could be annoyed is because of her. I mean, it couldn't be any other reason!
The other characters were stereotypes. There was the ice queen bitch who hates the main character, the amazing handsome wonderful love interest, the idiot friends who don't know as much as the amazing wonderful main character, the angsty little brother who hates the main character, the understanding teacher, the parent who is like totes annoying and doesn't understand our main character ... I could go on and on.
The only character I'll go over is Aisha, or better known as ice queen (she was seriously called Ice Queen). Aisha was that bitch who takes one look at Emma and WAAHH I HATES YOU AND I WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE MISERABLE 4EVER. Except, in this one, I totally agree with that sentiment. Sure, it was weird that she immediately hated Emma but the first time she met Emma, Emma flirted with her fiancé and disrespected Aisha's country. I would hate her too , oh wait I do.
Plot and Writing Plot As I said, the plot is very disappointing. The only "political tension" in the book is at say 75% and it's only mentioned a bit before forgotten in favour of the romance. The "political tension" comes back at the very end in an odd and sudden terrorist attack but that's it.
The summary says that ...her life and those of her sister and brother depend on her resourcefulness and the unexpected help of an enigmatic Muslim classmate. but honestly Emma's life is not in danger and Mustapha isn't really doing any helping.
The plot summary is a LIAR.
Writing The one positive thing in this book is the writing. Though, childish and mediocre at times (well most of the time but who's counting right?), some of the descriptions for the places were truly amazing. I felt like I was right there with Emma at times. That was awesome.
Likes and Dislikes Likes: - Writing
Dislikes: - Everything else
In conclusion I really hated AN INFIDEL IN PARADISE and wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
Being that first reviewer on Goodreads is a lot of pressure. Well, at least that's what I feel. It's just kind of scary knowing that you're the firstBeing that first reviewer on Goodreads is a lot of pressure. Well, at least that's what I feel. It's just kind of scary knowing that you're the first out of every person on Goodreads. I don't mean to sound full of myself but it's kind of like I have the opportunity to make or break an author's book.
While I enjoy writing rants about books I hate, there's always this little part of me that says: "This isn't who you are. These aren't the reviews you write". And it's true. When I write rants, I'm bitchy, crude, and honestly, not very good.
I'll admit it to everyone: I write rants for the views. My rant of FROM ASHES is one of my most liked and commented on reviews of all time and I like that. Who doesn't like the attention? I certainly cannot say I don't like being popular for a few meager moments.
However, I never feel that my purposely ranty-reviews are my favorite or my best. They're just not as good as my other reviews. My favorite review out of all that I've written is actually a favorable review (five stars and all that).
So, even though this book is definitely among the books I hate, I will not be ranting in this review - or at least I will not be purposely ranty. I will be expressing my honest opinions, which aren't really favorable.
Now, with that out of the way, let's get on to the actual review.
LAST CUT is a book that I normally would never pick up but it was on NetGalley and it's physically impossible for me not to request everything and anything from that site because well it's free and this is me on a day to day basis:
[image]
So, I requested it and got approved because everyone loves me there and promptly forgot about it because I do that - a lot. However, I soon remembered it and picked it up. LAST CUT is an extremely fast book to read since it's smaller than my 7-year-old brother's chapter books.
My main problem was with the MC, as I'll be covering in the next segment.
Characters Caitlin Myer isn't the worst heroine I've ever encountered but she definitely is pretty high on my I-really-hate-you list (and yes, I really have one). Caitlin is a pretty generic heroine - for the most part at least. I could go over her "generic qualities" but I'd rather go with the one worded explanation: Mary-Sue.
What I really hated about her was her tendency to slut shaming. If you don't know this about me, I really really hate slut shaming and her overall hate of girls. Caitlin just seems to hate every female that she meets - including her "friends". Some examples for you:
What does she have that I don't? Other than a tiny waist and gigantic breasts. And she acts so innocent, like she has no idea that her tank top is three sizes too small.
"Book?" "Ender's Game..." "Didn't you say that if there wasn't a love triangle in it, you weren't interested?" "That was two years ago," Hannah says defensively and I shrug. She's probably just trying to seem smart for some guy.
Seriously? This is what the whole book was like. I could go on but honestly? It's physically painful to go over these again. The other characters were lifeless and the only real character in this was Caitlin. The other characters really just were there to pamper Caitlin and tell her how amahzing she is.
Plot and Writing Plot The plot is basically a caution tale except it was done horribly. The plot to this is basically Caitlin applies for a job in a movie, gets the job but needed to lie about her age, has to take of her shirt for boob shot, people find out she's sixteen and is kicked from the movie, and the ending? Everyone leaves her. I'm serious. The last scene is her boyfriend walking away after Caitlin's friends had walked away.
I think Handman was trying to say something with this. Maybe it was "don't lie" or something to that key but in the end? It failed terribly. It didn't teach me anything. It didn't do anything except leave me thinking "Did I really waste half an hour reading this?".
Writing By the 5%, I was sure this was fan fiction or written by a twelve year old. I'm sorry but the writing was atrocious. I really don't think that Wren Handman had an editor because there were so many grammatical errors and poorly phrased sentences (and don't say that's because this is an ARC, it's not - LAST CUT is a republished book since it was originally published August 13th, 2012).
Likes and Dislikes Likes: N/A
Dislikes: - Characters - Plot - Writing
In conclusion LAST CUT is a really bad book and I do not recommend it to any one.
While looking through the numerous reviews for THE RULES, I came about a review calling this "THE HUNGER GAMES meets THE HOST". I found thOh... eurgh.
While looking through the numerous reviews for THE RULES, I came about a review calling this "THE HUNGER GAMES meets THE HOST". I found this hard to believe since pretty much every book is marketed as THE HUNGER GAMES nowadays. But, hey, she had to have come from somewhere right?
[image]
Yeah... no. Not at all. I don't think I'll ever get how this is close to THE HUNGER GAMES, or THE HOST for that matter, unless they suddenly morphed into a teen drama sitcom contemporary with alien elements. Ok, so I get THE HOST (well, not really). THE HOST has aliens and THE RULES has aliens. But what about THE HUNGER GAMES?
Did THE RULES turn into a book about an arena where teenagers kill each other for foodfun because they're forced to? Yeah, must've missed that memo and obviously I didn't read this book very well.
The real plot has absolutely nothing to do with THE HUNGER GAMES or THE HOST. It's about a girl, whose DNA had been mixed with some alien DNA in a genetics lab, where she was created. She grew up in a very sheltered world (pun intended) and apparently took all our slang/phrases literally.
What I really hated about this book is that the summary gives the impression that the story is sort of like the Maximum Ride series. The beginning of the book was. Ariane's guardian was sort of like the kids' guardian in the first book ((view spoiler)[Max's father (hide spoiler)]
Then, it stops being like that and starts to fall under the trap most of the books I read do. They turn into teen dramas, which is something I have very little interest in.
Maybe this teenage drama with a tiny hint of paranormal appeals to people, and at times it does to me. Yes, I know I'm contradicting myself but well done high school dramas with an awesome plot, characters and a hint of paranormal can be really good.
This book had neither a great plot nor an amazing cast of characters.
Characters If there is one aspect of THE RULES that really stands out to me, it is Ariane and her lack of personality. She's so infuriatingly bland, it's crazy.
Ariane was so... BELLA. She doesn't ever do anything, well other than fawn over the love interest, Zane Bradshaw who she can't have because y'know Romeo and Juliet. Much of the book is her swooning over Zane and acting like a freaking idiot in front of him because that's what girls do.
[image]
Why does every author think this? I don't have much any experience with this but I'm pretty sure you don't fall on people when you have a crush. Stuttering every damn word? Probably not every word. Blush like your face is on fire? Maybe but I just don't see every girl doing that especially the "strong, brave" ones.
I don't even know why I try anymore. It seems like I can't find a well-rounded, badass heroine or hero anymore. It's either a meh or an I'm going to kill you one.
[image]
Why does this happen to me? What did I do to deserve all these terrible heroines and heroes? I demand an answer!
This is not fair.
Alright, rant over...
Zane was pretty forgettable. It took me all day just to remember his name. He's that classic nice guy which basically means he's sweet but has no real personality. His POV was mostly him fawning over Ariane, who he can't have because apparently Ariane's dad (guardian) works for a place that Zane's dad hates.
No, I'm serious.
[image]
Plot* The plot is boring, very boring. I was not very attached to the story. It relied on the old plot ideas, some of which include evil mean girl who hates the main character, nice boy who everyone loves even though his BFF is evil girl, and loner girl with no friends.
Though the story wasn't really bad, it just wasn't either interesting or engaging. I didn't connect with the story except when (view spoiler)[there was a scene where Ariane was forced to kill her pet rat :( (hide spoiler)] which made me feel really bad for Ariane.
I wish that the whole "being half alien" thing was more prominent in the story. It was very much a side thing, something that wasn't too important other than being a reason for Ariane to be a loner. I just thought it would be a bigger thing in the book. FALSE ADVERTISING.
Likes and Dislikes Likes: - ALIENS
Dislikes: - Plot - Characters
In conclusion I was really disappointed in this book. I'm the black sheep with this book though, so maybe you'll like it but I can't recommend it to you.
*The writing segment has been skipped since this review is a month late and I don't remember :( ...more
This review rant will not be in normal format, instead it will be in freehand along with unmarked major spoilers.
I really shouldn't review this book. This review rant will not be in normal format, instead it will be in freehand along with unmarked major spoilers.
I really shouldn't review this book. I really shouldn't. It's just going to make me angry, plus I have other books to review. But, books that make me so angry like FROM ASHES, I need to review, no matter how bad it is for my sanity.
FROM ASHES is pretty much the worst book I have ever read. I know I'm going to say it again and probably will till the end of time but at this time, I cannot imagine a worse book. The only reason I finished this piece of utter shit is because FROM ASHES is the most readable book ever.
Yes, I know, that makes no sense since I mentioned (once or twice) that I HATE this book but it's true. Molly McAdams has succeeded in making a book you hate to love to read (I'm pretty sure that's the first of its kind). I wanted to know what happened next even though I was literally screaming at the book. (view spoiler)[I'm serious about that. I was screaming expletives at my kindle. (hide spoiler)]
The characters in this book are just terrible. I could go on forever but here is a basic summary:
Cassidy: Cheating, bitchy, judgmental girl who thinks she's better than everyone. One of the main characters whose only problems in life are: trying to decide which guy (out of 5 guys) she loves, handling a real life job, and being unable to have sex 10 times a day.
Gage: Boring, possessive, and bland all describe Gage. Me no like.
Tyler: THIS GUY IS WORSE THAN TRAVIS MADDOX. He is one of the worst love interests - no characters - I've ever encountered. Ever.
The plot of FROM ASHES makes absolutely no sense, at all. It was just terrible. In fact, I will recap the book's plot for your enjoyment/torture. Get ready guys because this is one messed up book.
The books starts off with Cassidy recounting how she's so scared and has so many problems. These problems range from bad to not being bad at all. The worst being her parents abusing her as a kid not being able to decide if she loves Tyler or Gage this week and the least being that she's too pretty.
I know, I know, it's so horrible.
Somehow, these abusive parents allow Cassidy to leave her home and travel to Texas. Note, this is realistic fiction and everyone knows that this is all very plausible. Anyway, she moves to Texas with her hot best friend (but he doesn't have aaanny romantic feeling towards her). There, she meets his even hotter (I know, I know, how is this possible?) cousin Gage. Let's examine some quotes now.
What with Tyler's possessiveness and all no one even attempted to get close enough to me. Not that it bothered me...
Cassidy says this after stating how Tyler could never like her romantically. Also, how can you be okay with this amount of obsessiveness.
Gage was like a brother to him [Tyler] and Tyler hadn't seen him in a few years, so their sharing an apartment would be good for Ty.
HAHA you can guess how long Tyler thinks of Gage as a brother instead of a rival.
Tyler dropped my hand, only to put his on the small of my back as he led me over to Mr. New [Gage] and the leggy blonde.
You just met Gage and you're already calling his girlfriend a "leggy blonde".
"I'm Brynn [this is the leggy blonde], Gage's girlfriend." Her eyes narrowed.
Woah, already jealous huh? Now the next few quotes are from Gage's point of view.
All I could think about was closing the distance between us [Gage and Cassidy].
You just met this girl a few hours ago. Slooooww down cowboy.
I was frozen in place, taking in the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen.
DUUDE you met her a few minutes ago.
I couldn't even stop the growl that came from my throat when I saw it [Tyler holding Cassidy's hand].
WHY ARE YOU GROWLING MAN? Staph kthanks.
And yeah, I'm not gonna lie, I'd already pictures her beneath me.
GAGE
WHAT
THE
FUCK
DUDE
"She's mine Gage, Let's get that clear right now." [said Tyler]
Dude, no. She's not.
"Damn, when you said your cousin was bringing a chick, I wasn't expecting her to be so hot," Jake said. "Jake, touch her again.... see what fucking happens." [said Gage]
Ok, so Gage is already threatening people to lay off "his woman". At 3%.
How was I already so into this girl that it physically hurt to think of her being with Ty?
Trying to figure that one out myself honestly.
"she's been cooking for herself since she was six" [Ty on Cassidy]
Why does the main female character always have to know how to cook and seem to be the only one who does?
Anyway, a bit more plot and then we'll go over quotes because I have the whole book highlighted (well pretty much all of it). The next 10% or so is Cassidy lusting over Gage's body while sincerely denying that Ty could ever love her all while Ty continually tells Gage that Cassidy is "his". At 10% in, Tyler forces himself onto Cassidy.
Before he does that, Tyler visits Gage.
I already hated thinking about what happened between Tyler and Cassidy, but having Tyler tell me he was about to go screw her made it that much worse. I'm sorry, not screw her, bang her. Like it was no big deal, just announced "I'm gonna go bang my girl." [from Gage's POV]
God, what is wrong with Tyler? How could anyone like this guy? This is disgusting especially since this is coming from a guy who supposedly loves Cassidy like a sister. Just disgusting.
After that, Cassidy smartly decides not to sleep in Ty's room like she always did before. So what does she do? She sleeps on the couch and then lets Gage pick her up and put her on his bed. She's not even scared when she wakes up on the bed of some guy she met a few weeks ago.
A bunch of random and un-noteworthy things happen (including Cassidy's eighteenth birthday). Let's examine some of these quotes shall we?
... there was no doubt in my mind I was in love with Cassidy. [Gage's POV]
First of all, what kind of sentence is that? I mean, does it make any sense to you? The second thing is that this is 12% into the book. Twelve percent and Gage is confessing his love.
I loved everything about him. I loved him.
[image]
Sometimes, Sassy Gay Friend is the only way to express my feelings... *sigh*
I cook for six ridiculously obnoxious college guys while they take turns playing Xbox.
Why? Why the fuck do you do is Cassidy? You say hate doing it yet you do.
Ok, back to boring plot summaries. Gage and Cassidy sort of, kind of get together then Cassidy does something and Gage gets all macho man angry and dumps her. Cassidy gets all depressed cause "O NOES HE DON'T LIKE MEH".
Then Cassidy meets Gage again and they make up. Somehow. I really have no idea how that happened. If anyone figured this out, I'd be happy to add it in. One chapter Gage is like "RAWR SHE HATE ME" and Cassidy is practically mirroring that feeling, and in the next?
"Cassidy," I breathed. She launched herself at me and wrapped her arms around my neck, whispering into y ear. "I missed you so much, Gage."
Uhhh.... kthen.
In a few pages, Cassidy has already attracted another guy who tries to force her into having sex. All I can say is, girl get yo rape whistle out. Doing his Travis Maddox thing, Gage goes and breaks Max's nose. Why do love interests need to break people's noses? Is that cool or something?
Gage's pants get tighter a few dozen times and then Tyler tells Gage that Cassidy preformed oral sex to him and Gage goes insane. I think Tyler and Cassidy get together in this time but I'm not sure because Tyler kisses Cassidy all the time.
Like, pretty much every page but DON'T WORRY GUYS HE HAS NO ROMANTIC FEELINGS TOWARDS CASSIDY.
-.-
Cassidy get's a job and everything is quiet for a bit before (yep there's always a before...) TYLER TRIES TO FUCKING RAPE HER. This part made me so angry. It wasn't the worst part in the book but, god, it was close. This time, he doesn't do anything that bad, but just wait ok?
Gage gets pissed and goes out whoring. He brings home a couple of girls and has sex with them (but there was this funny moment when he screamed out CASSIDY during sex and got slapped). What happens on the next page?
Tyler tries to, more forcefully this time, rape her. This is where I'm going to share a few of the GRRRR quotes.
"You'll enjoy it, Cassi. I promise."
Dear Tyler and other men out there, just because it's sex, doesn't mean people enjoy it. You are forcing yourself upon a girl and just because you think, "she'll like it", doesn't mean it's not RAPE. R. A. P. E. RAPE.
"You want this, Cassi, don't tell me you don't. Your little moans and sighs, and damn it, Cassi, you're met as fuck. So why are you telling me to stop?" Tyler searched my face and shook his head slightly. "I swear to God, if you say you don't want this...."
THIS IS A LOVE INTEREST PEOPLE. HE'S NOT THE ANTAGONIST, HE'S THE FREAKING LOVE INTEREST. This is just sick, ok? There is absolutely no excuse for rape, and out of all the ones people tell the victim, this is the worst.
No. Just no.
Now, what does our favorite love interest do after he stops humping her? He goes out, gets drunk, and brings home a girl to have sex with. WHAT WHAT WHAT. NO. This is NOT ok. Ever. NO. Why are these guys going all Travis on me?
Cassidy goes into a rage and Tyler kicks her out of the house without phone or proper clothes. Cassidy almost dies of hypothermia before being saved by the amazing, strong, wonderful Gage. Once she warms up, Gage yells at her telling her that he's mad at her for being kicked out and almost dying.
ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!?
Nothing happens for a while (except for Cassidy's friend trying to get her to date someone even though she's stringing along two other guys). Gage tells Cassidy that he loves her and she goes too. They go through that "OMG I THOUGHT YOU WOULD NEVA WANT MEH?" conversation.
Gage and Cassidy have lots and lots of sex everywhere (bed, shower, couch, and the kitchen table) and he calls Cassidy his girl around 15 times. Jesse is introduced and he's in lurve with Cassidy as well. I'm still trying to figure out what they all see in her.
Cassidy cooks for some guys and this is what one of them say to her:
"I want a damn SMB too! Doesn't matter if she thinks it's 'nothing fancy' or not, thee isn't another SMB out there like Cassi. That's it, I'm kidnapping and keeping her." Jake sounded exasperated. "What the hell is a SMB?" Ethan asked, but we all looked confused. Jake looked at us like we should know this already. "SMB? Sandwich-Making Bitch."
What. The. Fuck.
[image]
But, wait, it gets better.
Cassidy was wiping tears from her eyes when her laughs turned into soft giggles ... "And I didn't take it as offensive. It's like that whole women-belong-in-the-kitchen-barefoot-and-pregnant thing; it's funny."
GRRRRRR NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO IT'S NOT FUNNY AT ALL. IT'S DEMEANING AND ENTIRELY UN-FUNNY.
After that, Cassidy basically turns into a sex addict and has sex everywhere. Gage hits some more people and accidentally hits Cassidy. She then finds out her old house had been burned down - yes, parent's house got burned down with them in it.
She leaves and meets Connor Green who she has an affair with. She then has the gall to confront Gage about his one night stand a few months ago. Whaaaa? Cassidy is also the one who says she doesn't trust guys.
Gage and Cassidy get together and Connor comes to ask Cassidy to go live with him. She declines and moves in with Gage. Turns out he made her a house and what do they do the moment they enter? Have sex. Then have more sex (ON THE KITCHEN ISLAND PEOPLE).
They get married; Cassidy almost dies (twice - scorpion bite and labor issues) and has three kids. The end. All I could get out by the end of the book was RAWR I HATE THIS. It was just terrible. Never, ever recommend. In fact run away.
Just so everyone knows, I'm trying to limit my cursing in this review because someone *glares accusingly at that someone who knows who she is* told meJust so everyone knows, I'm trying to limit my cursing in this review because someone *glares accusingly at that someone who knows who she is* told me that I do that too much. I'll be substituting every expletive with the name of a fruit or vegetable.
THE DEAD AND BURIED is a book that I had really high hopes for since at that time, I seemed to think that I have pretty good luck with these sorts of books (I don't really have that good luck with mystery ghost books actually - I have no idea what I was thinking). However, THE DEAD AND BURIED really disappointed me.
The book actually started off really well, like many of the evil books do. The main character Jade was interesting and compelling. I really liked her gemstone hobby and the fact that she knew useless things about practically every gemstone was awesome. In case you don't know, I collect useless facts so this was right up my alley.
So, I had this crazy idea that maybe, just maybe, the rest of the book might be great too.
[image]
Crazy idea, I know. I have no idea what I was thinking at the time. Obviously, not much.
The main problem I had with the book has the romance plot. It was just URGH no. Horrible. I suppose the best thing I can say about the romance was that the two loves interests weren't total mushrooms but that wasn't because they were nice and cute.
It was because they were nothing.
No, what I hated about the romance was Jade. Jade turned into a complete orange when it came to the two guys. Minor spoilers ahead but nothing major really since the whole cheating scandal is treated like it wasn't cheating at all. I'll put the summary in spoilers for those who are really don't want to be spoiled.
(view spoiler)[Jade enters a non-relationship with Kane. Non-relationship because she tries to tell her dad that she's not dating him even though they go on numerous dates - I mean non-dates. Kane however thinks they're dating and so does everyone. I think Harrington was trying to excuse what Jade did by saying that the dates are "non-dates" even though she makes it clear that Kane thinks they are and so does every pickle-ing person in the whole town (even the dad).
She then cheats on Kane and with Donovan who insists that they not tell anyone. Donovan and Jade have numerous make out sessions all while Kane and Jade go on their "non-dates". On one of these non-dates, Jade goes to the bathroom to make out with Donovan before returning to Kane who calls her "his girl" and gives her hot chocolate. She accepts without feeling bad that she cheated on her boyfriend.
Next is a spoiler for the rest of the plot, not just romance so I'll put it in a separate spoiler tag. (view spoiler)[It turns out that the dead girl, Kayla, was cheating on her boyfriend with Kane and guess who is the boyfriend? That's right: Donovan.
[image]
DONOVAN. The guy that broke up with his girlfriend because she was cheating on him is making Jade cheat on her boyfriend for him.
... I'm speechless. I'm banana-ing speechless.
AND GUESS WHAT THE BEST THING IS?
Jade ends up with the apple Donovan. So guess what girls? It's ok to cheat as long as your cheating for a hot guy. (hide spoiler)](hide spoiler)]
Ok, I've spent long enough detailing the romance. Onto the characters.
Characters Jade started off really awesome but that awesomeness tapered until it hit rock bottom and didn't work on climbing back up - at all. After about 40%, Jade as an awesome character slipped further and further until I could barely remember that Jade was an awesome character at one point.
I've already detailed why I hate her somewhat so this will be a fairly short part but there are some other parts which made me see red.
Number one, she was hypocritical. She was saying how horrible a person Kayla the dead person was even though she copied some of those qualities in her own actions. As everyone says, actions speak louder than words. Judging everyone? Check. Cheating? Check.
The next part I hated was the slut shaming. Jade was saying how horrible it was that she slept around. It was obvious that Kayla wasn't a virgin and personally, I found Jade's words to have a minor slut-shaming feel to it.
The rest are simple, everyday YA heroine occurrence which honestly, most of you know about already and there's no reason to talk about them. Pick pretty much any of my reviews and take the qualities from there.
The other characters were unoriginal and bland. I found no personality to them and didn't hate any of them really. Just disliking. No need to cover that really.
Plot and Writing Plot The plot mirrored the standard plot of basically every murder paranormal mystery there is - ever.
- Girl moves into haunted house. - Girl goes to school and everyone is like "OMG she moved into zeh haunted house". - Girl gets scared. - Someone (usually little sibling) gets possessed. - Girl needs to find out who killed ghosty. - Ouija board. - Kissing. - More kissing. - OMG THAT'S WHO KILLED GIRL?
Yup. That's it. Except sometimes, this can be done really well sometimes.
THE DEAD AND BURIED was not one of those cases however. It was done really really badly. And the murderer exposed scene? One of the worst I've ever read. Just terrible and I can't see the person's motive. Seriously people. It's like Harrington said "Umm... we gotta wrap this up quickly so... yeah, that person works. Let's make up some random backstory to it. And we're done." I’m not even overreacting.
Writing Not terrible, but not fantastic either. Horrible tension building and very little plot twisting. However I have to say that writing is engaging enough to keep me reading. I finished the book in one day because I just had to keep reading!
Likes and Dislikes Liked: - The beginning
Disliked: - Jade - Plot - Writing - Everything
In conclusion Definite not recommend. In fact, unless you're Ade and can't resist it, don't read it.
ps I made it through a review without any cursing. *party*
This book is not suitable for those younger than 13. YA Fifty Shades of Grey here (minus 50 something sex scenes).
Last note, to the family member who I know is reading, I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS ADULT. D:
~~~
I've begun to say this a lot: this book is horrible. It's the worst book I've read this year. The sad thing is, I've said that at least 4 times this year. The phrase is sort of becoming overused and has no real meaning anymore. But, please allow me to say it one that time, just for the sake of it.
This. Book. Is. The. Worst. Book. I. Have. Ever. Read.
Fade tricked me into thinking that it would be filled with an interesting plot and great characters. I know, it's very rare for that to happen today in YA literature. I didn't actually read all the summary. I only read the second paragraph and the first sentence of the third. If I had only read all the plot, maybe my expectations wouldn't have been so high.
To quote Oceana:
10% into FADE and I knew I wasn't going to like this. 40% and I felt like burning my shitty Nook to melted plastic. 70% and I was begging for the end to come.
The review will contain spoilers, but then again, why would anyone want to read this?
Characters: Arionna, or Bella-bot, was the main character of this book. She seemed very similar to what I've read about Anastasia Steele. Spineless, horny, stupid, and whiny. She was extremely dependent on Dace, her rapist lover. She was college age, yet seemed at most 15. Bella-bot was incredibly stupid and vapid. Her friend was brutally murdered by a pack of wolves to which Bella-bot's brilliant reply was, "Oh, well that sure sucks."
Can't you feel her immense and soulcrushing pain?
One of the most annoying clichés in books is the might as well be you heroine. The one where the reader is supposed to go, that sounds just like me. Little old boring me who has no life (many authors seem to assume this about us). I don't read books to for the might as well be you heroine. I like reading about exciting, realistic but not stick in the mud characters. Bella-bot was the personification of this cliché.
Let's examine some quotes, shall we?
What's happening to me? [Arionna thought] Mine, he [Dace] said in my head as if in response to my question. You belong to me. The words were little more than a growl, but they shot through me like an arrow. ... I belonged to him, perhaps more fully than I belongs to myself. - 4% into the ARC
This was her first meeting with him. First meeting with Dace. Nuff said. Next is a collection of quotes all on the same Kindle page (10% in during their second meeting).
...an absolutely predatory gleam...
...desire brushed across my thoughts...
He wanted me, wanted to claim me.
I was a virgin, but I wanted him to claim me.
The animal strained hard to get to me, growling audibly.
I did belong to him.
Second meeting people. Second meeting. FKAJDHKADFKLHDKADHF
Dace. THIS GUY PEOPLE. He's Jace from City of Bones, Patch from Hush, Hush, Edward from Twilight, and Dexter from Dexter. So basically, a controlling, possessive asshole. He's said "You belong to me." (or something with belong referring to Arionna) six flipping in the book (which is nothing compared to the fourteen - yes one four - times Arionna says it referring to her belonging to him).
I don't think I have ever met a worse love interest. Ever. For once, my words escape me and I cannot find the right words to describe him without having an extremely excessively vulgar review which honestly is funny to read but give you no insight to the book.
The words in [brackets] are mine.
I'd never had a desire to be rid of my virginity [of course you haven't -_-], but thinking back over our encounter, the way Dace held me prisoner [how is this sexy?] and the way feeling my pleasure and his combined... well, had the wolf not been so eager, I wasn't sure I'd still be a virgin.
Please understand how this happened. He pushed her onto a picnic table and then pushed his leg between hers and then started humping her on the table. Another Oceana quote here (I love being the last one to write a review):
Arionna, honey-boo, INNOCENT PEOPLE EAT THERE, YOU KNOW. THEY DO NOT NEED TO KNOW WHAT THAT SUSPICIOUS LIQUID ON THE FUCKING TABLE IS. THEY'RE PUTTING THEIR FUCKING FOOD THERE.
Oh, god, EWWWWW.
And random Zulezza quote (just 'cause):
Me: .......Uh, right. And then he held you gaze, an absolutely predatory gleam in his eyes. Nothing human reflected in that look, but something complete male did. His desire brushed across your thoughts like a caress. He wanted you, wanted to claim you. You was a virgin, but you wanted him to claim you?
Arionna: *Nods sheepishly*
Me: Tell me, girl. Which part of the word 'rape' that you don't understand?
(The Lack of) Plot: Plot Outline: 0 - 20%: Make out scenes 20 - 40%: Make out scenes 40 - 60%: Make out scenes 60 - 80%: Lore and make out scenes 80 - 95%: LOOOOOOTS OF PLOT 95 - 100%: Last make out scenes
The part in between, the 80 - 95, was a huge infodump. After brain numbing nothingness, the sudden plot was a rush. I don't remember 70% of what happened there because there was just too much too fast. It's like Morgen tried to fit all the plot she missed in the rest of the book into that little time period. It's impossible to not be half asleep and miss a lot of the plot because all you're used to is kissing.
The real story in that little space is interesting. The lore was fun, granted it needs a bit of working on. The sad this is all that A. K. Morgen focused on was the unnecessary, abusive relationships which Arionna and Dace shared. It would have made this book a mediocre read instead of a trashy, terrible one.
I've been really wondering if I read the right book or if I somehow got sent a different book on accident. It's seems like the most logical explanatioI've been really wondering if I read the right book or if I somehow got sent a different book on accident. It's seems like the most logical explanation for this failure I read. The real INK just can't be this bad, right?
... right?
[image]
The reason INK was so bad was because it was so average. There wasn't anything unique about it other than the premise of paper gods. It's a very standard YA paranormal romance that deviates very little from the set of "rules" that much of the genre follows. Y'know, this stuff:
- someone moves into new town This step is a must because how else are you going to find an awesome, mysterious guy that the heroine doesn't know? While the love interest can be the one to move to the town, it is much preferred to have the heroine move as to add to her outcasty, uniqueness. durh
- girl has trouble at school This is also a must. The girl must have enemies so add a popular girl and get some stupid and silly reason for her to utterly despise the main character. Sometimes there isn't even a reason really.
- "best friends" These "best friends" usually have zero personality and are used as filler material. There isn't any real reason for them other than nice and cheap plot and character development. Often they are used to push the heroine into the love interest.
- the heroine must bump into a hot paranormal dude The sad part about this is that when I say, "bumps into", I mean quite literally as the heroine usually falls into the love interest. I'm quite certain that every one of these guys have the power to somehow make the force of gravity stronger on these heroines.
Well, they don't call them "paranormal dudes" for nothing. (view spoiler)[Ok, I'm the only one who calls them this. BUT STILL. (hide spoiler)]
---
INK fits into every one of these categories and more. It's like Amanda Sun had a pile of clichés and very poorly stitched them together. The main character, Katie, not only moves into a new town, she moves into a new country and continent.
Wow, way to take that nice and far.
While you can't often escape clichés and tropes, I really hate when the entire book is such walking cliché like INK is. There isn't a single point that makes this book even sort of redeemable unless you count the fact that it's set in Japan. Katie is an extremely annoying character and the romance is so insta that you just need to add water.
Katie is, for the most part, a bland Mary Sue. She can't lie at all. This character point is actually really depressing if you count the fact that it's one of the first things that come to mind when I think of her. She loves to endanger her life - y'know because you obviously it's a perfect idea to stalk a guy who supposedly beat up his best friend. She often morphs into possessive stalker a la Lucinda Price. She's also got a habit of being incredibly overdramatic:
I stared at him, my hands shaking. I'd been standing until then, but my legs buckled under me and I sank down to my knees beside him. I opened and closed my mouth, but no sound. - 21% in ARC
[image]
What elicited this response? He told her that his mother is dead. She was having a completely normal conversation and then all of a sudden, she just falls to the ground. Guys, read the passage in a really dramatic voice and picture that. It's so hilarious.
Tomo is pretty bland as a character. He's supposed to be this awesome hunk with an equally awesome personality but tbh, he's more of a hot guy than anything else. He doesn't have any qualities that jump out at you, whether they are positive or negative. He's a nonentity that I really don't care about.
The one fairly redeeming quality that saved this book from a disgusted DNF was the setting and the lore. I am the biggest lore sucker there ever was. I live for it. The lore behind the paranormal aspect of INK was interesting enough to keep me reading. If Sun had focused on this aspect instead of the romance, the book would have been so much better and actually would have lived up to the hype.
The writing was fairly average for the most part but I really enjoyed the sequences that described Tomo's art. They really felt like what I thought the book would be like. The (view spoiler)[dragon sequence (hide spoiler)] was so magical and really, truly awesome. It was moments like this that kept me turning the pages quickly.
This book has so much wasted potential that it almost makes me sad to think about it. It could have been so amazing if it weren't for the averageness of the story, it could have gotten a much higher rating. I cannot recommend this to anyone and I won't be reading the sequel. (view spoiler)[lol we all know I will. (hide spoiler)]...more
This book had so much lost potential that it's almost sad. The plot promises to be the next Lord of the Flies, it promises hints of The Hunger Games aThis book had so much lost potential that it's almost sad. The plot promises to be the next Lord of the Flies, it promises hints of The Hunger Games and The Giver. Sadly, it does not live up to huge expectations. It doesn't even begin to touch any of my smaller ones (such as a passable plot, good world building, and likable characters).
The Forsaken is an odd sort of read. It's a exciting boring novel - which doesn't make any sense I'm sure but once read, what I mean is quite clear. The Forsaken is a fast paced read that no matter how much you hate the book, you just can't stop reading till the very last page. Once I closed the book, I realized two things.
1. I had finished the book in 2 hours. 2. I hated the book.
I didn't realize the second point till around the last 50 pages really. I was too involved with the plot to pick up on the fact that what I was reading was complete crap. My face upon realizing this:
[image]
I guess The Forsaken wasn't too bad of a book. But as the first book of the year, I sort of wanted it to be better than it was. I wanted an amazing book to start the year off, which sadly I didn't get and here's why.
Characters The main character Alenna was a complete idiot who was lucky to survive a few hours on the island. I seriously wanted to strangle the bitch. Alenna seems to believe everything goddamn thing she hears. She finds another prisoner on the island and immediately believes everything he says. Whaaa?
She falls in love with a guy after around 7 hours (new record) and spends most of the book describing him and then moaning on how they could never be together.
[image]
Oh but let's not forget about why she can't have him. Liam used to be her new BFF's boyfriend, Gayda. Gayda has to be the biggest bitch in the history of books. She has severe mood swings which center around Liam and Alenna. Example:
Gayda: HI BEST FRIEND ALENNA!!!!1!!! Alenna; Hey... *looks at Liam* Gayda: GET THE HELL AWAY FROM MY LIAM-Y YOU MAN-STEALING BITCH SLUT. Alenna: Ok... *looks away* Gayda: Sorry, friends again? You're my bestest best friend Alenna.
and repeat.
Gayda literally says "friends again?" around four times during the book.
[image]
Just no. This is not acceptable in any shape. Why did you turn a completely capable character into a plot device bitch.
Liam was that guy. That guy who acts he's all cool but really is no more interesting than a brick. He had no personality, no anything other than his amahzing looks.
Plot and Writing Plot: The plot of The Forsaken is basically a bunch of kids are sent to a prison island because of a difference in how they think. Interesting but cliched. It turns out there are two warring factions on the island: a group of unnamed people who are our "good guys" and the Monk's clan.
I had a lot of problems with the plot which I'll address individually.
1. Cliche The Forsaken is very much a "cookie cutter book". There are no different takes on old topics here. No, the plot and the turns are very overdone and unoriginal. It's pathetic really. Even Gayda is a cliche element really.
2. Clans The clans idea was fun but I think that there needed to be a) more clans and b) more backstory and developing of the clans. And I'm not alone in this idea. Many reviewers before me have mentioned that there needed to be more clans. The clans were also a bit under described - like the rest of the book really.
3. Why? It's not really explained why they are sent there. I know it's a difference in the way they think but that's so overused and bland. I wanted more on why and how they pick it out.
4. Rushed I had no idea what happened by the end really. I mean, it doesn't make any sense really. (view spoiler)[How did she get Liam out and how did the AI get turned on again? (hide spoiler)]
Writing The writing wasn't bad but Alenna had a tendency to make everything boring. I don't know how or why but her descriptions made things seem less exciting than they were. It was very bland writing really, not bad but not good either.
What I liked and didn't: Liked: * The Beginning which was interesting enough to keep me reading and get me out of a bad slump * David * Engaging enough to keep me reading
Disliked: * Everything else really
In conclusion: The Forsaken is not a book I'd recommend. In fact, it was quite bad. One star for getting me out of a slump and one star for everything I mentioned in the "Like" section. ...more
I really feel like going: This is bad. Why? BECAUSE IT IS! But I can't do that since it's bad and all. ... I think.
The idea was interesting. The heat I really feel like going: This is bad. Why? BECAUSE IT IS! But I can't do that since it's bad and all. ... I think.
The idea was interesting. The heat didn't seem to be such a big thing though. It was more about Eden and beast-man. Even the saving father seemed like a subplot.
This book was painful. I finished it because I wanted to see if there would be a she-cat. There was. But there was no description so it was a waste of time.
Characters: Eden was vain, selfish, and stupid (not to mention all the things I want to call her). From the moment she really looked at the mutated Bramford (who turned into Jaguar Man - yes they actually called him that) she kep calling him sexy and handsome, though she continued to comment on how much she hated his attitude.
Magically, they're in love by the end.
I'm still trying to figure that one out.
I did like how she knew all the animal's scientific names. I found that interesting and unique.
Bramford was a jerk, a power-hungry jerk. There wasn't anything I found good about him other than the obvious awesomeness of having some jaguar DNA. Other than that, he was less than great.
The father was an entertaining character, but nothing special. He seemed to not care about his daughter til around the last 20 pages.
Plot and Writing: Plot: The plot was interesting in the beginning, I wanted to see how Foyt managed the segregation idea and jaguar DNA thing was cool. Then the book turned out to be Eden finding someone to mate with. And I mean it. She kept commenting on how she needed to mate and she'd never do it and was bound to live a sad, lonely life.
The author didn't seem to know what she was writing at times. The FFP are "a militant organization of Coals [darker skinned people] that vowed to rid the planet of Pearls." Then, a few pages later:
"Most Pearls [light-skinned people] would give anything to be on my team." A FFP officer
That was the biggest problem with continuity I found.
Writing: The writing was simple. She said, he said, they did, blah. Pretty basic.
What I liked and disliked: Liked: ◘ Interesting plot idea ◘ Fun setting ◘ there's a jaguar dude in idiot
Dislike: ◘ Characters ◘ Failed plot ◘ the jaguar dude is an ◘ insta love
In conclusion: I didn't like this book (not by a long shot). I really don't recommend this book unless you like damsels in distress, jerk love interest, boring plot...
————————————————————————
Favorite Character: N/A Favorite Quote:
In that moment, Eden understood that despite his dramatic physical, deep down Ronson Bramford hadn't changed one bit. He was still the same arrogant bastard. - Eden
This may not be the most accurate review, because I read this book around two months ago. But I'll do my best. This is a fluffy ghost story. Well it aThis may not be the most accurate review, because I read this book around two months ago. But I'll do my best. This is a fluffy ghost story. Well it actually has more fluff than ghost. There was one ghost than appears fairly late in the book. It's more about the guy across the street than the scary ghost tunnel. The reason this scared me a bit more is because my mother had something like that in her school.
I don't know why Rinn had to be bipolar because she's not. She's a really normal person who takes medicine. Yes, I get that the medicine has a big part in the plot, but why does it have to be bipolar? RINN IS NOT BIPOLAR; SHE IS A NORMAL PERSON!
The book wasn't the best book in the world :\.
Characters: Rinn was annoying from what I remembered. She was constantly complaining about her life. Yet, she was instantly popular with tons of friends. Instantly. Can I say jealous?!? She was a Mary Sue, with a slight, tiny twist. She has all the friends, is super-duper nice and pwetty, and has the PERFECT boyfriend. I don't think so.
Nate, the love interest, was nice, perfect, and wonderful. And I quote: I hated him the moment I saw him. Just change "saw" to "read about".
Rinn's friends were annoying from what I remember. I don't remember much about them other than they were all cruel, unkind, and airheads. The author could have done much, much better with them. I really couldn't stand them. There was one who the readers had to hate. She was so stereotyped it wasn't even funny.
Plot: The blurb made it sound like it was a ghost story. It's a high school story with a hint of paranormal activity. It wasn't exactly AMAAZHING or anything. It was OK, I guess. I liked it at first, I really did. Then I thought more about it. It's not as good as it was at first. It was predictable at times and had a lot of boring moments. It had too little ghost, and too much snogging.
The medicine thing could have been better. There would be more than two people who take similar medicine. ADHD anyone? Yeah... I'm pretty sure more than one person has ADHD in a school.
What I liked and disliked: Liked: The Ghost Elements
Disliked: * Characters * The Non-Ghost Elements * Rinn!!! * Perfectness of everything
In conclusion: I honestly don't see what I saw in it a few months ago. I definitely don't recommend it. Sorry again for the shorter post, I don't remember every detail from this book. Just... no.
Contrary to my rating, ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS is not a bad book. It's really not. How could a bad book have such a huge fan base (unless we're talkiContrary to my rating, ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS is not a bad book. It's really not. How could a bad book have such a huge fan base (unless we're talking about FSOG)? Reviewers and readers alike have given ANNA a high rating. ANNA has a 4.2 average rating on GR and my friends have given it an average of 4.45. And for the reviewers I follow? Almost all fours and fives.
So, why didn't I like it?
I really should like the book. ANNA is adorable. Well, it's by Stephanie Perkins who is universally known as one of the cutest people ever! ANNA is funny and sweet. However, even with all that's going for it, ANNA didn't meet my colossal expectations set by my coblogger and my other friends.
Personally, the biggest problem with ANNA is fairly simple. I know I'm going to have fangirls attack me for saying this but my biggest problem is that...
I hate St. Clair and Anna.
There, I said it. *pulls out shield* Almost everyone loves St. Clair. He's in almost everyone's book boyfriend list. I do get why people like him. He can be funny and sweet. My problem with him is that he's a huge asshole.
Before you start sharpening your weapons, hear me out. I'll admit, there are times where I can see where the ANNA lovers are coming from. Like I said, he's cute. My biggest problem with him lies with how he was leading on Anna - even though he's "taken".
[image]
How am I supposed to like a guy blatantly flirts with another girl even though he's supposedly madly in love with his girlfriend? Anna rather plainly shows interest in him and St. Clair does nothing to stop her or even tell her that he's not interested.
St. Clair even goes as far as to discourage guys who show any interest in Anna.
St. Clair doesn't make one move to break up with his current girlfriend, hoping to get the best of both worlds. This isn't a character I can find romantic, despite the fact that he's cute and funny. I wish I could love him as much as everyone else does but sadly, I don't.
Characters Anna. Anna freaking Oliphant. This girl guys...
To be nice, I'll start of with a positive thing. Anna, when not being an annoying bitch, is pretty funny. Her humor reminded me a lot of Katy from Obsidian except she wasn't nearly as awesome as Katy was.
Ok, I'm done with being nice for now.
Anna hated any girl who looked at St. Clair. I didn't know you could be a possessive imaginary girlfriend but good job Anna, you did the impossible. Go get a gold star.
Most girls were painted in a negative light. Every girl eventually morphed into a jealous bitch. Even Mer, Anna's bff, was reduced to an angry bitch by the end.
A major gripe with Anna was her tendency to slut shamed. To tell you the truth, I sometimes find it hard to find slut shaming - even when it's pretty easy to see. But this example wasn't exactly subtle:
"Arse. She's not going as a slutty nurse." "Just a regular one?" I ask innocently. "With alow cut dress and really big breasts?"
[image]
Could she have been any less subtle? I think not.
Anna was also incredibly stupid at times. Apparently she was not only bad at French, she couldn't tell what a French word sounds like. Guys, even if you never learned any French, couldn't you tell that something like tout pourvoir is French just by looking at the word? No, our smart Anna had no clue that tout pourvoir is French.
With all that said, Anna isn’t a terrible character all the time. She’s sarcastic and humorous. I did like her sometimes but for the most part, she annoyed me with all her whining and complaining.
As I said earlier, I really hate St. Clair. I also gave you my reason for saying that so I'll just cover the positive aspects (because there are some) and move on with the review.
St. Clair can be unbelievably cute at times. I don't see how he's the best guy in the world but I don't think I ever will. He's definitely not perfect, which necessarily isn't a bad thing. It is a bad thing when these imperfections involve being a insufferable asshole.
Another big problem with the MCs was the common trope where everyone thinks the MC is the most gorg gurl ever (and the MC doesn't realize it) and everyone in the world lusts over the love interest.
As for the side characters, my problem was that their only personality trait was funny. They were used to add humor into the book.
Now, I like funny just as much as the next guy but I do hate when characters are only used for comedic effect and for furthering the plot and nothing else. There weren't any minor characters I really loved. I don't know if this makes any sense but I didn't like them but their humor.
Plot and Writing Plot Plotwise, ANNA isn't so strong (because the characters are obviously amazing). It is quite obvious that ANNA is a very character driven book. It follows a very routine story outline in which the main character moves to a new city and joins a new school.
There is no definite plot to ANNA, more of a series of events leading up to the big kiss. I can’t really dock any points for the lack of plot because in many purely contemporary YA romances, there isn’t much of a plot unless it’s a “girl is in horrible accident, recovers, and finds love” story.
Writing No one can say that Perkins is a bad writer. She's got a lot of talent, if only she used that to tell the story of two better characters.
Her writing is adorable. It can make me smile even when I really didn't want to find the scenes adorable. Even despite how much I hate Anna as a character, her narrative voice was engaging and entertaining.
Likes and Dislikes Likes - writing - humor
Dislikes - characters
Conclusion There are a lot of fans for this book but I’m definitely not one of them. I can’t recommend this book and after this, I’m not sure if I’ll try another Perkins book. ...more
Lisbeth Avery {Domus Libri}
>
Books:
one-star
(52)
Loading...
