Review: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Title: The fifth wave
Author: Rick Yancey
Published May 7th 2013 by Putnam Juvenile
Goodreads / Amazon
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Definitely a rollercoaster ride. Not unpleasant but not particularly comfortable. It lasted longer than I probably would have wanted it too, but once it got me going, I couldn't complain that much.

While I did read the whole thing, I must confess it took me quite a long time. Even though it was good, and things were happening lighting fast and nothing was ever dull; somehow I found my concentration slipping away. There were moments when I was completely hooked and then at the next second I’d be enthralled with Undercover Boss instead (but to be fair, that show always gets to me). And since I’m a nerd and I don’t know how to express my emotions, I’ll draw a graph:

 

See where I’m coming from? It was literally a roller-coaster, some highs some lows, the usual. I hated to be dissapointed though, because I wanted to love this book but guess I’m not cut for this kind of reads.

Although Cassie’s love for his baby brother Sammy, Ben Parish’s fear of losing his mind, Evan Walker’s struggle to stay loyal to what he’s supposed to be and to what he’s always known, Sammy’s fight against a world where he isn’t allowed to be a kid anymore, even if he is five years old; everything felt pretty darn real to me. Each story tugged at my heartstrings and I really became these guys’ own personal cheerleader.

That’s why I’m confused as to why I’m not in love with this story. I think it’s because things felt a little too roboty for me, as in everyone was this ultra-fast-strong-cold-minded terminator despite being super young. I’ve never been in a situation anywhere near as the one these kids are in (armaggedon and all that) but I suspect you don’t exactly become ruthless and an expert in combat and a killing machine instantly, at least I don’t think I would. I have a feeling I’ll be the same clumsy, clueless girl I am now (and that’s probably why I won’t survive).

So yeah I skipped a few pages of fighting and bombing and shooting and killing and when straight to the heart-felt moments of emotional turmoil, where to me, the real heart of this story is, because the prose was beautiful and I loved quite a few quotes, while some other parts didn’t really make much sense to me and I didn’t completely agree with some of the choices of words but that’s just a personal complain, and y’all have to read it and see if you’re buged too :)

 

 

 

Waiting On Wednesday: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

WoW is weekly meme created by Jill at Breaking The Spine in which bloggers can share books they're excited to get soon :)

 

 

 

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

 

 

 

After a year of hard labor in the Salt Mines of Endovier, eighteen-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien has won the king's contest to become the new royal assassin. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown – a secret she hides from even her most intimate confidantes.  

Keeping up the deadly charade—while pretending to do the king's bidding—will test her in frightening new ways, especially when she's given a task that could jeopardize everything she's come to care for. And there are far more dangerous forces gathering on the horizon -- forces that threaten to destroy her entire world, and will surely force Celaena to make a choice.   

Where do the assassin’s loyalties lie, and who is she most willing to fight for?

 

 

 

 

I'm actually torn about this one. I kind of want to know what happens next because I liked the world building and some characters (Chaol <3) but Celaena was kind of annoying and vain and I didn't agree with some of her attitudes but overall, I am trying to be positive and let's see how it turns out :)

Review: Dare You To by Katie McGarry

Title: Dare You To
Author: Katie McGarry
Expected publication: May 28th 2013 by Harlequin Teen
Goodreads / Amazon
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From my previous experience with Katie McGarry's debut I swore for sure that I wouldn't get near her second book. But then people started to get all up in my grill about how good it was and that I just HAD TO read. Well, I gave it a try.

Turns out they were partially right. The book didn't blow me away but it definitely left a better impression than its younger bro. Dare You To was just as action-packed as Pushing The Limits but it got less on my nerves. The characters were more relatable (at least Ryan) and in some level I could at least stand Beth. Katie has a way of making her main characters an over the top hot mess but this time Beth I was partially able to swallow her because she's a girl, and she wants what all of us wants, a good guy to fall for her.

I am not saying she welcomed Ryan with open arms, in fact she kept pushing him away to the point I would have slapped her to get some sense in her fake raven-colored head. Ryan went through a lot to get her to trust him but at the end she did trust him, and she learned that not everything was supposed to go wrong in her life.

The big plus this book has is the adorable Ryan Stone. Ryan is absolutely precious; the perfect southern gentlemen, driven and focused. He stands for what is right and he sees past the exterior (hello, hardcore punk named Beth). I love how he has the perfect amount of innocence but is not naive. I loved all his has perfect boy qualities and was instantly wooed. He was hands down the biggest highlight of the book.

So yeah, nowhere near the disappointment I was expecting, and all the baseball talk made it even more fun to me, so if you want to try this one then by all means do so, great read! (:

Waiting On Wednesday: The Boy on the Bridge by Natalie Standiford

The Boy on the Bridge
 by Natalie Standiford

A new breathtaking novel from Natalie Standiford about love and trust during the Cold War.

Laura Reid goes to Leningrad for a semester abroad as Cold War paranoia is peaking in 1982. She meets a young Russian artist named Alexei and soon, with Alexei as her guide, Laura immerses herself in the real Russia--a crazy world of wild parties, black-market books and music, and smuggled letters to dissidents. She must keep the relationship secret; associating with Americans is dangerous for Alexei, and if caught, Laura could be sent home and Alexei put under surveillance or worse. At the same time, she's been warned that Soviets often latch onto Americans in hopes of marrying them and thus escaping to the United States. But she knows Alexei loves her. Right?

As June approaches--when Laura must return to the United States--Alexei asks Laura to marry him. She's only nineteen and doesn't think she's ready to settle down. But what if Alexei is the love of her life? How can she leave him behind? If she has a chance to change his life, to rescue him from misery, shouldn't she take it?

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Historical fiction has always had an important place in my heart, I love it. Now add star-crossed lovers during the cold war and I'm in.

Also, now that I, myself, am going to be an Exchange student this summer(!) I am more amazed than ever about the cultural shock and the way less fortunate people in the world live, it's not good to live in a bubble, you know? Let's get educated :)

Review: Golden by Jessi Kirby

Title: Golden
Author: Jessi Kirby
Published May 14th 2013 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Goodreads / Amazon
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Golden is Jessi Kirby's sophomore novel. And while I thought In Honor, her debut, was actually pretty good and loved its concept. I loved Golden much more. In my opinion, it was much well structured and written, Kirby certainly improved a lot and you can immediately tell that.

Golden is about Parker, a shy, bookworm who by chance or fate finds an old journal from a girl who went missing 10 years ago. Parker, a high school senior, is in the run for a scholarship in honor of the missing girl and her boyfriend, so she starts reading the journal in the hopes of finding some inspiration for her speech and for her own boring life.

While I enjoyed Parker's growing process and was delighted to see her finally start to take the reins of her life and owning it, the real joy to me was getting to read Juliette (the missing girl)'s story.

I was utterly captivated by Juliette's quiet exterior and passionate interior. Her story really pulled my heartstrings and it was just so perfect in so many levels. The fact that she lived a secret summer affair was amazing, and the boy she lived it with was amazing too. I loved that scene at the secret beach, I could picture it like a movie in my head, and it made my toes curl.

Essentially, the book is two stories blending together masterfully, with great characters that you can relate to, and beautiful passages about standing up for yourself and for the things that you want in life. And I would encourage fans of Jessi Kirby and fans of contemporary to give it a chance because it was the perfect summer read.

 

 

Waiting On Wednesday: Remnants: Season of Wonder by Lisa Tawn Bergren

WoW is weekly meme created by Jill at Breaking The Spine in which bloggers can share books they're excited to get soon :)

 

 

 

Season of Wonder

by Lisa Tawn Bergren

 

The year is 2095. Gifted teens known as Remnants have been chosen and trained to act as humanity’s last hope to rectify the horrors that are now part of everyday life.

The Community has trained these teens as warriors and assigned them Knights of the Last Order as protectors. Together, they are a force that will be difficult to bring down.

But the Sons of Sheol, of course, are determined to do just that. As the Remnants begin their mission to course-correct humanity by saving and protecting key individuals, their enemies move to stop them, placing the entire world in peril.

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I am probably the only YA reader that does NOT get excited about dystopian books...

 

 

However, there are three words that will sure ALWAYS get me excited:

 

Lisa Tawn Bergren

 

 

Review: The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston

Title: The Rules for Disappearing
Author: Ashley Elston
Contemporary YA
Expected publication: May 14th 2013 by Disney-Hyperion
Goodreads | Amazon
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I really enjoyed this one. For once the mysteries were kind of hard to deconstruct and the characters weren't half as whiny as I would have imagined for anyone in their situation.

I liked the approach the author took regarding the witness protection program and how it can destroy people's lives and sometimes it doesn't seem worth to live a life like that. And especially how devastating it is for a seventeen year old girl, you can't help but root for Meg right away, hoping everything turns out fine.

Now the romance was really cute (if a little instalove for my liking). It was a bit hard to believe a guy would put himself through so much danger for a girl he just met, but Ethan has a great heart and you can tell that from the start so maybe it's not that surprising that he fell for Meg so hard.

Really action packed, it kept me on my toes most of the time, I ended up really invested in the story and thoroughly enjoyed the ride it took me on.

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with the ending, though. I was a bit unsatisfied but also a whole lot curious. It felt like the easy way out, not cleared and kind of unfinished, and maybe to some people that would be part of this book's charm but for someone as obsessive as me it means I will wreck my brain trying to come up with theories and I already have too much going on in school.

But then I learned there was going to be a sequel, and then all was right in my world. Because I am nowhere near done with this story and this characters and I am anxiously waiting for our next meeting.

One last thing: that hog hunting scene! Awesome.

 

Review: Riptide by Lindsey Scheibe

Title: Riptide
Author: Lindsey Scheibe
Published May 8th 2013 by Flux
Goodreads | Amazon
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I had a very eloquent, and very emotional review for this book (and two more), but genius me pressed the reset button on my phone and they’re gone. So now you have to settle for this quick, not-nearly-as-awesome-but-trying-my-best review.

Riptide surprised me. I thought it was going to be a cute, summery, surfer-book, and it was so much more. Seriously, the depth went beyond just the sad story inside the walls of Grace’s home, which I am not going to spoil you because I want you to read this.

I loved Grace, she was tenacious, and sweet and I admire her courage and discipline when she surfs. Whoever said surfers were shallow potheads has obviously not met Grace and Ford.

Ford. Also known as Ferdinand Watson, the love of my life, or Grace’s best friend. You have to love him from page one, he is just the kind of guy that everyone loves because he is super smart, super handsome and super nice. He is a surfer guy but he is also doing an internship at Grace’s dad prestigious firm; he wants to be a lawyer, you see, and not just any lawyer, one dedicated to help immigrants. Now how mind-blowing is this? Sometimes we forget there are teenagers out there with passion for great causes, and I’m not saying it is bad to concentrate on winning the heart of your next crush, but sometimes YA novels forget to include awesome young leaders like Ford.

I love that this novel is also multicultural, Ford is half Mexican and he embraces his fiesta side. Mexican culture, or at least Mexican food, is included as a bid deal in this novel, which makes it even warmer. And then we have Ford’s Asian, hilariously awesome friends. Meeting foreign people is the only way to discover that these people are not criminals and it’s really sad some consider them so. I hope this novel opens people’s eyes about how much immigration laws kind of suck in the US, and it’s sad and disappointing considering it is a country that was founded by immigrants.

But on a lighter topic, Ford’s crush on Grace, their banter and their subtle, slow falling for each other was just so incredibly sweet; I loved every minute of it. I loved learning so much about surfing that I am even considering trying it, it sounds amazing and romantic, like a relationship with the ocean. Ford’s parents were another aspect of the book that I completely fell for, they had such a big part of the story, especially his mother, that I was like “is this really a YA?”.

So really, what a lovely read. Wish it was longer and wish you’d all give it a go.

 

 

 

Waiting On Wednesday: Countdown by Michelle Rowen

WoW is weekly meme created by Jill at Breaking The Spine in which bloggers can share books they're excited to get soon :)


Countdown
by Michelle Rowen

3 seconds left to live. Once the countdown starts, it cannot be stopped. 
 
2 pawns thrown into a brutal underground reality game. 
 
Kira Jordan survived her family's murder and months on plague-devastated city streets with hard-won savvy and a low-level psi ability. She figures she can handle anything. Until she wakes up in a barren room, chained next to the notorious Rogan Ellis. 
 
1 reason Kira will never, ever trust Rogan. Even though both their lives depend on it. 
 
Their every move is controlled and televised for a vicious exclusive audience. And as Kira's psi skill unexpectedly grows and Rogan's secrets prove evermore deadly, Kira's only chance of survival is to risk trusting him as much as her instincts. Even if that means running head-on into the one trap she can't escape. 
 
GAME 0VER

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Basically,

 

Review: The S word by Chelsea Pitcher

Title: The S word 
Author: Chelsea Pitcher
Contemporary YA
Expected publication: May 7th 2013 by Gallery Books
Goodreads | Amazon
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I am really really sad because this book had so much potential. The synopsis is engaging enough to make you think you are in for an emotional, thrilling ride with bullies and suicide and lost friendships. But what it truly delivers is a twisted, amateurish novel.

The mystery felt too childish. And the characters were unreal; they were like 50-year-old actors trying to be teenagers. And the writing was just weird and awkward. And pretty much everything Angie did make me uncomfortable.

SPOILER IN THIS PARAGRAPH: Another thing I have yet to process is Angie and Jesse. Jesse is Angie’s classmate, who dresses in skirt and is the reason his school has a Gay-Straight Alliance, but yet, he fell for a girl, he always thought he was gay but then he fell in love with two girls; so hey, points for originality, I haven’t read that before. But still, I think both Jesse and me are confused by this sudden change of direction (or sexuality I guess). I wanted to really ship Jesse & Angie as a couple, but my head was still trying to wrap itself around the fact that: WHAT? He wears dresses and skirts with converse and Angie is like “it’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen”. I mean: ????????.

I was just too confused towards the end. Oh and the real person Lizzie was in love with? Who wouldn’t have seen that coming? I bet everyone did, so I was really mad they dragged it for so long.

So everyone was so psychotic it was hard to sympathize with any of them; but the one I hated the most was: Lizzie. She wasn’t even technically in the story yet she was unbelievably annoying. Every single entry in Lizzie’s diary made me pull my hair off of my skull. I don’t know what was happening, was the author trying to make us see she was oh so good, and nice and possibly the best girl in the world, or was it just that she doesn’t know teenagers don’t talk like that? Anyways, it was infuriating.

Oh my gosh, and the twist! That “twist” or whatever you call it. Did Angie have a split-personality disorder? Did she sleep-walk? What is going on?! Not one single clue was laid that Angie might have had something to do with it. It felt like the author pulled it out of her sleeve like a last resort or something.

The good thing and what kept me going was that there was some wit thrown in there and also, because I’m a sucker for novels with prom-queen-gone-emo. Also I have to confess I snorted/laughed out loud in some parts which are always a good sign for me.

So honestly, I can’t tell you not to read this one, or to read it. I have no way to advice you, but I can tell you that it ended up being not what I thought it would.

 

 

Waiting On Wednesday: Alienated by Melissa Landers

WoW is weekly meme created by Jill at Breaking The Spine in which bloggers can share books they're excited to get soon :)




ALIENATED
by Melissa Landers

Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them.
 
Handpicked to host the first-ever L’eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious L’eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about to skyrocket.
 
Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing, though: no human boy is this good-looking.
 
But when Cara's classmates get swept up by anti-L'eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn't safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara's locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class.
 
Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend; she's fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet.

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I am not a huge alien fan (except for that Katy Perry song, and this MCFLY song) but I not one to discriminate books, especially not when they sound as drama and romance-filled as this one.
Not to mention that Exchange students are always kind of hot thrilling to be around of.