tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91254348558325561702024-02-22T02:54:44.498-05:00Much Ado About BooksReviews by an autodidactic teen.Jane Spearehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971313664481244711noreply@blogger.comBlogger218125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9125434855832556170.post-55923778142629297392015-01-08T12:49:00.001-05:002015-01-08T12:59:19.547-05:00Red Rising: review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1369153188l/15839976.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1369153188l/15839976.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15839976-red-rising">Red Rising</a> (#1)</div>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6474348.Pierce_Brown">Pierce Brown</a><br />
(Just released in paperback, FYI.)<br />
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Goodreads summary:<br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Earth is dying. Darrow is a Red, a miner in the interior of Mars. His mission is to extract enough precious elements to one day tame the surface of the planet and allow humans to live on it. The Reds are humanity's last hope.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Or so it appears, until the day Darrow discovers it's all a lie. That Mars has been habitable - and inhabited - for generations, by a class of people calling themselves the Golds. A class of people who look down on Darrow and his fellows as slave labour, to be exploited and worked to death without a second thought.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Until the day that Darrow, with the help of a mysterious group of rebels, disguises himself as a Gold and infiltrates their command school, intent on taking down his oppressors from the inside. But the command school is a battlefield - and Darrow isn't the only student with an agenda.</span></i></div>
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Now comes the part where I try to write a coherent review of a book I adored and it just ends up with an awkward combination of exclamation marks and caps lock.</div>
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So let’s give it a try; I’ll basically list all the reasons I loved Red Rising. And it must be known that I paused in the middle of reading The Name of the Wind, to read this. I didn’t mean to, I just couldn’t stop. (And it’s about 600 pages shorter so.)</div>
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When I saw the blurb saying it’s like Ender’s Game meets The Hunger Games…yes, it helped me pick up the book in the first place. But through the entire book all I could think was yes yes yes that’s actually an accurate comparison. For *once* in the history of catchy blurbs.</div>
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Guys this book is so vibrantly brutal, and caught me by surprise at pretty much every turn. Even when I thought I figured it out, I don’t think I was correct in predicting a single thing that would happen. It just has a crisp and unconventional feel while reading, despite the rather simple description on the back. Sure it has elements of the books mentioned above, but don’t judge or compare it because Red Rising is a wicked smart space opera and OWNS it. </div>
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For the actual plot and setting of Red Rising, if you’ve read the synopsis, you know the basics. There’s a handy map in the front, which I referred to a lot. It takes place on MARS which is badass and please please let there be more books on my favorite planet. Many landforms are mentioned which you’ll recognize if you’re a space nerd. The game (which I don’t think should be capitalized?) takes place in Valles Marineris and takes about a year I think. The point is to sort of take control/conquer the map a la Age of Empires, and it’s specifically said the point of the exercise isn’t to just have everyone kill each other off. The players are of high-ranking-parents Gold children; the next generation’s rulers. It’s a game of war strategy and social behavior study. Technically it’s part of ‘school’ but these teens don’t know what they’re getting into. Alliances are always shifting, and the rules are grey all around. I would name all my favorite characters, but I fear butchering the spelling, and I’m sure everyone’ll have all their favorites. Prepare for ALL THE FEELS, my friends. ALL OF THEM. </div>
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An element that really caught me by surprise is how women were so equally represented in Red Rising. During the game at the Institute which is 80% of the book, there are just as many vicious girls as kindhearted boys involved. (As kindhearted as a Gold killer can be.) There’s really no mention of anything silly like women not being as strong etc, even in a physical sort of battle. Each individual plays to their strengths, no matter their gender. The key is non-mentioning, just make it so. And to my amazement, it worked. </div>
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Something I’m really picky about in sci-fi/futuristic books is the lingo. It’s normally a fine line between shit and brilliance. It did take me a few chapters to get used to reading it, but then all the words sounded so natural! Especially within different castes—from swear words to compliments, there’s a carefully crafted structure to the language that blends seamlessly with this world.</div>
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I’ve somehow managed to have the Red Rising hardcover on my bookshelf since last January, and while it was silly of me to wait so long to read it…I’m impossibly happy I waited because yesterday the second book, Golden Son, was released and I would have seriously injured someone in my wait for its release.<br />
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Wow I think I did pretty well with my caps lock self control.<br />
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-Jane<br />
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Jane Spearehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971313664481244711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9125434855832556170.post-90905783858479428782014-11-15T22:19:00.002-05:002014-11-15T22:19:32.841-05:00Trial by Fire: review<div style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px; text-indent: 36px;">
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20613491-trial-by-fire?ac=1">Trial by Fire</a></b> (Worldwalker #1) by <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3406550.Josephine_Angelini">Josephine Angelini</a></b></div>
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<b>Goodreads summary:</b></div>
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<i>This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying experiences that others in her hometown of Salem take for granted, which is why she is determined to enjoy her first high school party with her best friend and longtime crush, Tristan. But after a humiliating incident in front of half her graduating class, Lily wishes she could just disappear.</i></div>
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<i>Suddenly, Lily is in a different Salem—one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women called Crucibles. Strongest and cruelest of them all is Lillian . . . Lily's other self in this alternate universe.</i></div>
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<i>What makes Lily weak at home is what makes her extraordinary in New Salem. In this confusing world, Lily is torn between responsibilities she can't hope to shoulder alone and a love she never expected.</i></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My thoughts:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">First, since it's a must, let's look at that awesome cover for a minute. Maybe two. Wonderful and perfect, I hope the next one is that fitting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have read Josephine Angelini's <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9462795-starcrossed?ac=1">Starcrossed trilogy</a> before, and at the time I really liked them. (Back in 2011 when there was the initial slew of trilogy-debut-similar books being published.) Not bad for her first ones, but now after reading Trial by Fire, I can see her writing has changed very much. She's found her footing, and it's significantly better. I was surprised, and now delighted. I can easily hope it's just going to keep getting better, and she will keep growing as a writer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After racking my brain, I can't actually come up with any 'parallel/alternate' universe books I've read. To me, usually they're off-putting with the mirrored image cover, because I despise and avoid those. That's sheer shallowness on my part, and now I might have to close my eyes and pick another book in the genre, because this one exceeded my expectations. (Oh yes, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17234658-a-thousand-pieces-of-you?ac=1">A Thousand Pieces of You</a> by Claudia Gray is near the top of my pile. Again the cover, it's like they learned their lesson on the mirror thing.) But maybe what makes this stand out to me is once Lily gets pulled into this alternate universe, things aren't 'almost the same', it's 'holy crap my house turned into a castle' so the differences are more world-wide. A very different timeline having branched off long ago, rather than something Lily did differently that day. Does that make sense?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What did I love about this book? The correct question was what DIDN'T I like about this book? Yeah yeah, I had to say it. Literally the only thing I didn't like, was the very beginning. If you pick it up and start reading thinking, oh boy, this girl Lily is a little shallow regarding "The Boy" Tristin who's a total tool, and she's annoying. Well I can tell you, even by the 50 page mark (what chance I give books) she changes, along with the whole book's tone, which really took me by surprise. Also regarding Tristin…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The romance part of Trial by Fire was such a gulp of fresh air, I can't express to you enough. Without giving too much away, a love triangle is reasonably avoided, and Lily actually does things for HERSELF instead for her guy. It's more like she builds friendships and different kinds of relationships with about five close people. Whoa, like real life, then? Not solely wineing about who isn't falling in love with her? It felt natural and kind, a deep understanding in the most opposite form of insta-love as possible. Thank you Josephine Angelini, we need more female characters like Lily. (Not Lillian, please. That would just be terrifying.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Since the POV is third person, we mostly see Lily's side of things, but every once and again there's a glimpse into what's going on outside her sphere of knowing, and we see what's up back with Lillian at the castle, or Gideon, who is Mister Slimy Asshole. I think this arrangement of headspace really worked for the story, even though it's not something I'm used to enjoying in books.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I love the blend of science and magic in here. It's like when Whedon mixed westerns and science fiction. Everybody kinda pffft at it, (crazy people) and look how well it worked out. Trial by Fire's world building is beautiful and creative, with things from bioluminescent trees as street lamps, to spliced together creatures to help with different tasks in society. (Some didn't work out so well though.) When the magic is explained in detail, it transforms into an exquisite scientific topic, and the whole process was utterly bewitching. Pun intended. You'll see what I mean when the willstones come to play, there isn't a way to shortly describe it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Justification. That may be the theme to Trial by Fire. With many of the decisions made by Lily, Lillian, even Rowan and Juliet, I found myself really trying, and seeing, the motives behind their actions. -What was terrifying and well written about Lillian, was that yes, her argument actually makes sense, nuclear power is bad! But is it hang-thousands-of-school-children-who-are-learning-science bad? It is to her, but we're also missing some vital information to totally hate her at this point. (I'm kidding, there is no saving that bitch's soul.) And as the story unfolds, and Lily learns more about being in this new world, her actions become even more questionable, and you're wincing alongside her as she makes every important decision.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lastly, while I was left with an ending that kept me wanting more, it had enough of a sentence, a chapter, to leave me with an "Oohh I wonder what's going to happen next!" Rather than "What! That's not even a complete sentence!!" In other words, a tolerable cliffhanger. More like a ledge. …See this is why I don't do metaphors.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">~~~</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Need recs, any more great parallel universe or witchy books I can't miss?)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-Jane</span></div>
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Jane Spearehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971313664481244711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9125434855832556170.post-18069948823528866642014-10-01T13:22:00.001-04:002014-10-01T13:22:40.775-04:00Heir of Fire: review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20613470-heir-of-fire"><b>Heir of Fire</b></a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3433047.Sarah_J_Maas"><b>Sarah J Maas</b></a></div>
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Book three of the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/51288-throne-of-glass">Throne of Glass</a> series, so yes <b>SPOILERS</b> for the second two.</div>
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<b>Goodreads summary:</b></div>
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<i>Lost and broken, Celaena Sardothien’s only thought is to avenge the savage death of her dearest friend: as the King of Adarlan’s Assassin, she is bound to serve this tyrant, but he will pay for what he did. Any hope Celaena has of destroying the king lies in answers to be found in Wendlyn. Sacrificing his future, Chaol, the Captain of the King’s Guard, has sent Celaena there to protect her, but her darkest demons lay in that same place. If she can overcome them, she will be Adarlan’s biggest threat – and his own toughest enemy. </i></div>
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<i>While Celaena learns of her true destiny, and the eyes of Erilea are on Wendlyn, a brutal and beastly force is preparing to take to the skies. Will Celaena find the strength not only to win her own battles, but to fight a war that could pit her loyalties to her own people against those she has grown to love?</i></div>
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I really want to give this 5 stars…4.75 all right?</div>
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After the awesomeness of Crown of Midnight, and its awful cliffhanger, I wasn't sure what to expect from Heir of Fire. First of all it's like twice as long. There is no second of all. It's just really freaking long.</div>
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This installment follows three points of view. Celaena's voyage to the fae realm, introducing Manon the Iron Witch (is that what they're called?) being evil/up to no good in the far mountains, and Chaol and Dorian's goings on back in Adarlan's castle of glass. You see why this has to be so long, it's like three stories woven together. It was done excellently, I must say. </div>
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Celaena's story was the slowest, I think. At least through the entire middle of the book. You remember in the Eragon series where he goes and trains for ever and ever in the second book? That's like what it was. Celaena's so messed up right now with guilt, depression from her best friend's death, and oh this Queen of fae crown she's supposed to take on and save everybody with. It's a lot for her to handle, and her instructor, Rowan, is super obnoxious about helping her take control of her magic. Eventually, the relationship between Celaena and Rowan becomes one of the most interesting I've come across. It's slow building, but intensely deep and not in the way you might think. And her magical powers are outstanding and awesome. Once she stops incinerating everything within a mile of her.</div>
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When we meet Manon…well I wanted to run way screaming in the other direction. She and her people are so terrifying with their iron teeth and nails and bloodthirstiness, it's amazing. There's some real woman power here, and it's too bad these warriors are on the bad side. It's a sort of behind the scenes to what the king is planning, and a different perspective on the war.</div>
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Now for Chaol's and Dorian's perspective. Chaol is definitely becoming more complicated. As much as he loves Celaena, her fae powers scared him at the end of Crown of Midnight, and now he's a little unsure where his loyalties lie. Or I should say to whom his loyalties lie. Watching this internal struggle and the straining relationship with his friend and prince, Dorian, is hard, but very real. It's never black and white with these things like war and friendship. </div>
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Dorian on the other hand, is trying to control his newfound magic in secret as well as…yeah that's mostly it. At least from what I can remember, he's having an awful time of it, being prince and everything, and disagreeing with his evil dad, all that really fun stuff. I'm really proud of him for moving on from Celaena in the romantic sense though. I really didn't expect that maturity which started in the last book. It only strengthens in here, and he (successfully?) starts a new romantic relationship too. He isn't just 'that other guy'--that boat sailed long ago. Because this series is about so much more than Celaena and her badassery and fancy dresses.</div>
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I think my slight of loss stars is…there is no actual interaction between Celaena and Chaol. From a fangirling point of view, I was in a state of depression. I needed my sexual tension!!! Nope, character building it is, I guess. Kudos for that aspect (lack of romance whatsoever) and still making the book an incredibly enjoyable read.</div>
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Wait, I have to wait another year for the next one? Okay, I AM glad this story keeps going because it looks like this is just the beginning...</div>
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Jane Spearehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971313664481244711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9125434855832556170.post-3526148074713555692014-08-21T08:00:00.000-04:002014-08-22T10:31:21.103-04:00Beyond the Pale- anthology review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Available for purchase now: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Pale-A-Fantasy-Anthology/dp/0989448738/" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-<wbr></wbr>Pale-A-Fantasy-Anthology/dp/<wbr></wbr>0989448738/</a><br />
Add it on Goodreads! <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22701387-beyond-the-pale" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" target="_blank">https://www.goodreads.com/<wbr></wbr>book/show/22701387-beyond-the-<wbr></wbr>pale</a><br />
To learn more about Beyond the Pale- <a href="http://www.birchtreepub.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" target="_blank">www.birchtreepub.com</a><br />
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Here's a new collection of short stories; many of you will recognize at least a handful of the authors. The stories vary quite a lot, so I think there's something in it for every kind of reader.<br />
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My overall rating is three out of five stars!</div>
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<b>This is an added update.</b> After posting this review, I was told by the editor to please not share my rating anywhere like Amazon or Goodreads because it was only 3/5 stars. Well, you see, that's not how reviewing works. In my review I haven't said anywhere to not buy it, or it sucks, anything like that, I just put my honest opinions in it like I always do. As an author you're going to have to deal with that sort of thing. So I'm going to share this review far and wide.<br />
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<b>Hooves and the Hovel of Abdel Jameela by Saladin Ahmed:</b><br />
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Not my cup of tea. I tried a few pages but couldn't get into it.<br />
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<b>Children of the Shark God by Peter S. Beagle:</b><br />
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I'm not sure how to categorize this one. I haven't read any of his books before, but I've definitely heard about them. This story brings the classic moral-fairytale-esque idea and twists it all around for a completely original tale. There's something about the way he writes, like a true ancient storyteller with a vivid imagination. It's impressively creative, and now I really should get to reading <i>The Last Unicorn</i>...<br />
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<b>Misery by Heather Brewer:</b><br />
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I've only read Heather's work in other anthologies, not her actual books, so I know I like her writing style. She's also an incredibly nice person. Misery, one of her two stories in here, is probably my favorite. It reads like a true black-and-white Twilight Zone episode, with almost a touch of The Giver. This story had me in goosebumps from the first sentence, and ended differently than I expected.<br />
(Also I realized I'd read this one in another anthology before, no wonder I liked it! Again!)<br />
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<b>Shadow Children by Heather Brewer:</b><br />
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It's okay, but nothing original and sort of predictable…also too short to succeed in grabbing me.<br />
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<b>Red Run by Kami Garcia</b><br />
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Supernatural fan? It's like a condensed version of an episode. Twisty turny creepy.<br />
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<b>Pale Rider by Nancy Holder</b><br />
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Halfway through I realized I'd read this one before too. Its difference stands out--unique paranormal/dystopian combination.<br />
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<b>Frost Child by Gillian Philip</b><br />
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Not a fan. Read a few pages but couldn't get into it, but it also had to do with one of her stories, like a prequel. So maybe that's why I just didn't understand.<br />
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<b>South by Gillian Philip</b><br />
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One of the shortest stories, but in my top three favorite. Reads like an old tale of the north, but all I could gather was it's at an icy island in the middle of nowhere. Similar to Peter Beagle's story from near the beginning. Both have that older-story feel.<br />
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<b>A Knot of Toads by Jane Yolen</b><br />
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Second favorite! If I remember correctly, it took place in Scotland in the early 1900s. Witches and curses and despite it's grossness, I totally enjoyed it. Don't miss this one!<br />
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<b>The Adventures of Lightning Merriemouse-Jones by Nancy and Belle Holder</b><br />
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This is a retelling of Dracula….with mice as characters.<br />
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I think I'll leave you with that.<br />
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-Jane<br />
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Thank you to the editor for sending me a copy of this book to review; receiving a free copy has in no way influenced my opinions of the book. This is a review without bias.Jane Spearehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971313664481244711noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9125434855832556170.post-34967906884025281012014-07-14T08:00:00.000-04:002014-07-14T08:00:09.338-04:00Hush, Hush: review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1T4Du1Jgj-fxtyxvuysQ5gBSbkC8XvAKnmFIUPnjr0T3LpiBehNg9PAIBmUaJ-_V-4OlLbE2QA7jcRgkWKYPjff8l6F7Hqy8_kUN6PlJQ6yk0nKHS4wDoFsoCGP0p2ynOiDYhl4iy1zs/s1600/HushHushCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1T4Du1Jgj-fxtyxvuysQ5gBSbkC8XvAKnmFIUPnjr0T3LpiBehNg9PAIBmUaJ-_V-4OlLbE2QA7jcRgkWKYPjff8l6F7Hqy8_kUN6PlJQ6yk0nKHS4wDoFsoCGP0p2ynOiDYhl4iy1zs/s1600/HushHushCover.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6339664-hush-hush?from_choice=false&from_home_module=false">Hush, Hush</a></b> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2876763.Becca_Fitzpatrick">Becca Fitzpatrick</a></div>
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<b>Rating:</b> 3 stars</div>
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<b>Summary:</b> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;"><i>Romance was not part of Nora Grey's plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.</i></span></div>
<i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.</span></i><br />
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<b>My review:</b></div>
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Pretty mixed feelings in this one. First of all, wow, throwback before the dystopian craze, eh? Kind of a nice break there! </div>
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There isn't much substance, and that's where the stars disappear. There's like 300 whole pages of biology-homework-related-googley-eyes-after-mysterious-hot-guy. Then the last 80 pages or so something exciting/supernatural actually happens! So that took a while.</div>
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What I didn't get. Nora didn't like Patch. Yeah there's that "he's dangerous but I feel drawn to him!!" thing going on. But I never even felt their chemistry!! And she kept bugging him and everything. He wasn't the stalker it seemed, she was. I didn't even like Patch all that much: he wasn't as witty/snarky as Jace, but not smexy enough to be like Daemon. So it was a definite "eh" for me. </div>
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As far as angel-genre books go, pretty good! although I only have just the barest glimpse of this lore, it's fascinating and I'd like to learn more about it. Points for that.</div>
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Nora is a good character, not too cookie cutter, but sort of flat still...I mean, I couldn't even name any hobbies she has? She's pretty independent, but also falls to the trope of "drawn to dark and dangerous (and says that exact thing in her narration) but what can you do?" After all, Nora is even more masochistic in my eyes than Bella, and that's impressive. (Almost so bad it's good, kinda thing?) For every good aspect I can think about her, I remember something just as annoying sooo that wasn't helpful at all. Oh she does have an awesome tropey best friend Vee who has some hilarious lines. </div>
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Hush, hush is a pretty fun book. It's not going on my shelf, but I don't regret reading it. Good for an escape read. I, personally, won't be continuing the series. Too many other awesome books out there.</div>
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Jane :)</div>
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Jane Spearehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971313664481244711noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9125434855832556170.post-30389771976542112632014-07-12T08:00:00.000-04:002014-07-12T08:00:01.599-04:00Picture books you just have to take ten minutes to read.I'm working a lot in the children's section of my bookstore, and I have found that picture books, a genre previously unexplored to me, are freaking awesome. Here are a few that I sat down and read and absolutely loved. I won't really review them, because I'm picking them because I like them. I'll just put summaries and links.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295821-the-adventures-of-beekle?from_choice=false&from_home_module=false">The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1251403.Dan_Santat">Dan Santat</a></div>
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This magical story begins on an island far away where an imaginary friend is born. He patiently waits his turn to be chosen by a real child, but when he is overlooked time and again, he sets off on an incredible journey to the bustling city, where he finally meets his perfect match and-at long last-is given his special name: Beekle.</div>
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<i>New York Time</i>s bestselling and award-winning author and illustrator Dan Santat combines classic storytelling with breathtaking art, creating an unforgettable tale about friendship, imagination, and the courage to find one's place in the world.</div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9762805-the-boy-who-cried-ninja?from_choice=false&from_home_module=false">The Boy Who Cried Ninja</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4477665.Alex_Latimer">Alex Latimer</a></span></span></div>
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In this quirky twist on The Boy Who Cried Wolf, a boy's excuses turn out to have an unexpected element of truth.</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17471114-sparky?from_choice=false&from_home_module=false">Sparky!</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/33794.Jenny_Offill">Jenny Offill</a> and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/150816.Chris_Appelhans">Chris Appelhans</a></div>
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The ingenious author of <i>17 Things I'm Not Allowed to Do Anymore</i> and a brilliant illustrator and production designer of the <i>Coraline</i> movie have created a hilarious, touching picture book perfect for young animal lovers. Like the Caldecott Medal-winning <i>Officer Buckle and Gloria, Sparky</i> stars a pet who has more to offer than meets the eye. When our narrator orders a sloth through the mail, the creature that arrives isn't good at tricks or hide-and-seek . . . or much of anything. Still, there's something about Sparky that is irresistible.</div>
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<br />Jane Spearehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971313664481244711noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9125434855832556170.post-31553918373936018612014-07-09T08:00:00.000-04:002014-07-09T08:00:00.184-04:00The Maze Runner: book review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6186357-the-maze-runner?from_choice=false&from_home_module=false">The Maze Runner (#1)</a></b> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/348878.James_Dashner">James Dashner</a></div>
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<b>Rating:</b> 3 stars</div>
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<b>Summary:</b> <i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;">"If you ain't scared, you ain't human."</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;"> </span></i></div>
<i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He's surrounded by strangers--boys whose memories are also gone.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It's the only way out--and no one's ever made it through alive.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.</span></i><br />
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<b>My review:</b></div>
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Pretty mixed feels here.</div>
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Yes, I read this finally for the sole reason that a movie is coming out. Also, I did listen to the audiobook, I didn't read it. (I hope I spell things right.)</div>
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When Thomas wakes up in the box and enters the Glade…..a hundred pages later something interesting happens. If you like lord of the flies, or are a 14 year old boy, you will probably love this book. For me, as I fall into neither of those categories, this is not my kind of book. I really don't like to put gender labels on books but this felt like a boy book to me. I seem to be in the minority in not liking it though, so I'll try not to rant.</div>
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The narrator wasn't my favorite, but I tried not to let that influence my opinions too much. He did al the accents really distinctly, so that was much help. If I was reading this book myself, I would have put it down probably 50 pages in from boredom and confusing slang. So it does have a slow start, but for the last maybe third of the book, things get super exciting, and I really enjoyed it. Unfortunately the fall-flat parts for me were that the writing was very predictable and simple, and the only girl character was in a coma the entire time, and wasn't remarked upon unless Thomas said she smelled like flowers (which makes no freaking sense) or to mention four whole times that she has black hair, pale skin, and blue blue eyes. I guess you can't say much more about a character who goes into a coma after blurting out one creepy sentence.</div>
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For the other boys, it was a strange set up, some boys having been there the two years, and lots of newer ones joining. I feel like the older boys (been there longer, ages were vague) were a little bullheaded, and close-minded to Thomas's suggestions. Whereas I was like yes yes! when he had an idea, there's like, lets lock up the girl for no good reason! Huh? C'mon you guys, you really want to be stuck in that maze forever? Why not keep grabbing onto new ideas? Boys...</div>
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Now, really near the ending, things took some unexpected turns so I was finally surprised with some events…and so maybe maybe I'll read the second one sometime. I can tell it'd be really different from this first one.</div>
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I never say this, but the movie looks way more awesome than the book, so I am really excited to see it!</div>
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Jane Spearehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971313664481244711noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9125434855832556170.post-51035142412789147192014-07-07T08:00:00.000-04:002014-07-07T08:00:07.203-04:00Mini reviews: McMann & Plum<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18621651-gasp?from_choice=false&from_home_module=false"><b>Gasp (Visions #3)</b></a> by Lisa McMann</div>
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<b>Rating:</b> 5 stars</div>
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<b>Summary:</b> <i>After narrowly surviving two harrowing tragedies, Jules now fully understands the importance of the visions that she and people around her are experiencing. She’s convinced that if the visions passed from her to Sawyer after she saved him, then they must now have passed from Sawyer to one of the people he saved.</i></div>
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<i>That means it’s up to Jules to figure out which of the school shooting survivors is now suffering from visions of another crisis. And once she realizes who it is, she has to convince that survivor that this isn't all crazy—that the images are of something real. Something imminent.</i></div>
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<i>As the danger escalates more than ever before in the conclusion to the Visions series, Jules wonders if she'll finally find out why and how this is happening—before it's too late to prevent disaster.</i></div>
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<i>For an ending to a trilogy, this is great and I will venture to say it's better than the last one (it's not fair to compare though because it's so different.) It's a literal page-turner with the aid of short chapters and I couldn't put it down till I knew how it all ended. The stakes are at an all time high in Gasp; with an outside source to the visions and a high possible body count. Thankfully the Scoobies now have a system down to figuring out these premonition disasters.</i></div>
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<b>My review: </b></div>
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I think what I love most in these three books are the sibling relationships. It's not done enough in YA. Jules has an older brother (who is gay and not a single family member blinks to this and so that is just amazing) and a younger sister, and between the three of them it's hilarious to watch them interact just with the small things, as in rushing to take the bathroom first before school in the morning. Though this is a thriller story, she manages to keep a balance of actual present-family- going ons in play and not in the backseat like a leftover thought. Her parents are alive, and the five of them are very close. There was also a non-vision-related twice that really caught me off guard, and was necessary for some side-character development which didn't happen in the first two books. All in all, I'll miss these characters but it was a wonderful, if heart-stopping farewell.</div>
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13601681-after-the-end?from_choice=false&from_home_module=false">After the End</a></b> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3353516.Amy_Plum">Amy Plum</a></div>
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<b>Rating:</b> 5 stars</div>
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<b>Summary: </b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;"><i>World War III has left the world ravaged by nuclear radiation. A lucky few escaped to the Alaskan wilderness. They've survived for the last thirty years by living off the land, being one with nature, and hiding from whoever else might still be out there.</i></span></div>
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<i>At least, this is what Juneau has been told her entire life.</i></div>
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<i>When Juneau returns from a hunting trip to discover that everyone in her clan has vanished, she sets off to find them. Leaving the boundaries of their land for the very first time, she learns something horrifying: There never was a war. Cities were never destroyed. The world is intact. Everything was a lie.</i></div>
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<i>Now Juneau is adrift in a modern-day world she never knew existed. But while she's trying to find a way to rescue her friends and family, someone else is looking for her. Someone who knows the extraordinary truth about the secrets of her past.</i></div>
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<b>My review:</b></div>
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Should I dare say dystopians are getting better again? This doesn't really count though. It's pseudo-dystopian. I'm not even sure what genre to classify it, but it's super unique and awesome. If I didn't know the author, I would never have recognized Amy Plum's writing; it's good but completely different than her Die For Me series. (don't get wrong, I liked those!)</div>
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If you're looking for a one-stop adventure/spiritual journey, you've gotta read After the End. Juneau is a character I immediately felt for, and she's strong. Juneau believes her whole life that she lives in a post apocalyptic world (from WWIII in 1984,) when suddenly she finds herself stepping into the streets of Seattle with a fully functioning modern society. Her whole way of thinking is turned around. I admire her talent to adapt, she's smart and a quick learner, and her naiveness is hilarious from a present-day point of view.</div>
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The chapters alternate between Juneau and Miles, the new friend she picks up along the way. I think the dual third person storytelling is well done--I could definitely tell the difference between the two. Especially when Miles gives her a hard time for blanching at practically everything from the modern world.</div>
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The spiritual aspect, the "Yara" fascinates me. It's so normal for her to connect to the universe and manipulate things, even as normal people think it magic. Hell, I think it's magic. (it's not magic.) And what a cliffhanger. I would really love the next one right now please!</div>
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Jane :)</div>
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Jane Spearehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971313664481244711noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9125434855832556170.post-9586788538358252082014-07-03T08:00:00.000-04:002014-07-03T08:00:04.438-04:00Mini review set Gaiman & Zevin style<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f7/Ocean_at_the_End_of_the_Lane_US_Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f7/Ocean_at_the_End_of_the_Lane_US_Cover.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15783514-the-ocean-at-the-end-of-the-lane?from_choice=false&from_home_module=false">The Ocean at the End of the Lane</a></b> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1221698.Neil_Gaiman">Neil Gaiman</a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;"><b>3 stars because of creepiness. 5 stars for awesomeness.</b></span></div>
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<b>Summary:</b></div>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;">Sussex, England. A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock, and her mother and grandmother. He hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet as he sits by the pond (a pond that she'd claimed was an ocean) behind the ramshackle old farmhouse, the unremembered past comes flooding back. And it is a past too strange, too frightening, too dangerous to have happened to anyone, let alone a small boy.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;">Forty years earlier, a man committed suicide in a stolen car at this farm at the end of the road. Like a fuse on a firework, his death lit a touchpaper and resonated in unimaginable ways. The darkness was unleashed, something scary and thoroughly incomprehensible to a little boy. And Lettie—magical, comforting, wise beyond her years—promised to protect him, no matter what.</span></i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;"><b>My thoughts:</b></span></div>
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Okay what did I just read? I *think* I liked it? Maybe? Perhaps I loved it? I know it creeped me out. A lot. But it was also brilliant in the usual Gaiman way and I was entranced the whole time, terrified or not. I also listened to it, in his voice. Mhm. I'd like to give it four stars, but I can't quite do it right now. Very…mind bending and interesting. It's 'childhood' in the form of a book. I didn't know that was possible.</div>
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<a href="http://media.npr.org/assets/bakertaylor/covers/t/the-storied-life-of-a-j-fikry/9781616203214_custom-1248f47d7cb47c8f90ffeacbcdc3bf065de3f59b-s6-c30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://media.npr.org/assets/bakertaylor/covers/t/the-storied-life-of-a-j-fikry/9781616203214_custom-1248f47d7cb47c8f90ffeacbcdc3bf065de3f59b-s6-c30.jpg" height="320" width="216" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18293427-the-storied-life-of-a-j-fikry?from_choice=false&from_home_module=false">The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry</a></b> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/40593.Gabrielle_Zevin">Gabrielle Zevin</a></div>
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<b>5 stars</b></div>
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<b>Summary:</b> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;"><i>On the faded Island Books sign hanging over the porch of the Victorian cottage is the motto "No Man Is an Island; Every Book Is a World." A. J. Fikry, the irascible owner, is about to discover just what that truly means.</i></span></div>
<i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">A. J. Fikry's life is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. Slowly but surely, he is isolating himself from all the people of Alice Island-from Lambiase, the well-intentioned police officer who's always felt kindly toward Fikry; from Ismay, his sister-in-law who is hell-bent on saving him from his dreary self; from Amelia, the lovely and idealistic (if eccentric) Knightley Press sales rep who keeps on taking the ferry over to Alice Island, refusing to be deterred by A.J.'s bad attitude. Even the books in his store have stopped holding pleasure for him. These days, A.J. can only see them as a sign of a world that is changing too rapidly.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">And then a mysterious package appears at the bookstore. It's a small package, but large in weight. It's that unexpected arrival that gives A. J. Fikry the opportunity to make his life over, the ability to see everything anew. It doesn't take long for the locals to notice the change overcoming A.J.; or for that determined sales rep, Amelia, to see her curmudgeonly client in a new light; or for the wisdom of all those books to become again the lifeblood of A.J.'s world; or for everything to twist again into a version of his life that he didn't see coming.</span></i><div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I went into this pretty blind; all I remember when adding this is ooh a book about a bookstore and a cool cover! I haven't liked any of Zevin's young adult books, but I was sure this book would be awesome, and it was. It is sentimental, but not over the top, and hit all the right heartstrings. And it's about a bookstore and bookish people with bookish references all over the place, so really how can any bibliophile not like it? Reading it was like the author was in my head, describing things as I do, and I could probably read this book again right now, and still enjoy it as much as the first. It's a fantastic piece of work; the dialogue is sharp and the people are flawed. Prepare to be delighted when you read about Island Books, and its quirky short-story-loving owner who finds love and community on Alice Island for a second time later in his life. I highly recommend.</span><i style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </i></div>
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Jane Spearehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971313664481244711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9125434855832556170.post-43017990724143333862014-07-01T14:57:00.000-04:002015-01-08T12:50:11.087-05:00Old ARCs- need to go<br />
UPDATE: ALL have found good homes!<br />
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<strike>I have an overwhelming amount of ARCs for books that've been released. They need homes. Pick as many as you want--please, and I'll just charge (paypal) you what it costs to ship them. (or if you wanted to trade) Otherwise they'll be donated.</strike><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8oRbseBqSIASoONZsIaG3ZH7vcmDqaK2RcQBc5RBhyOj161kxt3aAIowpzvYMdrdXopAedAVXUjhogRju1jqNPNSubcPwcxyzavNLRDjmZ2u5rpFKp7qVK07dcjmRXCyBqVZQCH0T3H4/s1600/arcs+to+go.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8oRbseBqSIASoONZsIaG3ZH7vcmDqaK2RcQBc5RBhyOj161kxt3aAIowpzvYMdrdXopAedAVXUjhogRju1jqNPNSubcPwcxyzavNLRDjmZ2u5rpFKp7qVK07dcjmRXCyBqVZQCH0T3H4/s1600/arcs+to+go.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<strike>Email me if you want any!</strike>Jane Spearehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971313664481244711noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9125434855832556170.post-607795717513750142014-07-01T02:13:00.002-04:002014-07-01T02:13:55.674-04:00The Taking: review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH067tAOE23OZPHwInVkM8l7zmimVCFgeHTR59kbOUTwBou8JRnyfv7h4eQaPrdtu7El3QWt2AVHpAwFspnfu_KytfMAHkwh1lQd4fD_Ym2BctTgSGdk1d4q5fd-Lh65fSd2qvQ4eSKZo/s1600/17838475_thumb%5B7%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH067tAOE23OZPHwInVkM8l7zmimVCFgeHTR59kbOUTwBou8JRnyfv7h4eQaPrdtu7El3QWt2AVHpAwFspnfu_KytfMAHkwh1lQd4fD_Ym2BctTgSGdk1d4q5fd-Lh65fSd2qvQ4eSKZo/s1600/17838475_thumb%5B7%5D.jpg" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17838475-the-taking?from_choice=false&from_home_module=false"><b>The Taking</b></a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2755160.Kimberly_Derting">Kimberly Derting</a><br />
<b>My rating:</b> 2.5 stars<br />
Released April 29, 2014<br />
<b>Summary:</b> <i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">When sixteen-year-old Kyra Agnew wakes up behind a Dumpster at the Gas ’n’ Sip, she has no memory of how she got there. With a terrible headache and a major case of déjà vu, she heads home only to discover that five years have passed . . . yet she hasn’t aged a day.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span></i><br />
<i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Everything else about Kyra’s old life is different. Her parents are divorced, her boyfriend, Austin, is in college and dating her best friend, and her dad has changed from an uptight neat-freak to a drunken conspiracy theorist who blames her five-year disappearance on little green men. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Confused and lost, Kyra isn’t sure how to move forward unless she uncovers the truth. With Austin gone, she turns to Tyler, Austin’s annoying kid brother, who is now seventeen and who she has a sudden undeniable attraction to. As Tyler and Kyra retrace her steps from the fateful night of her disappearance, they discover strange phenomena that no one can explain, and they begin to wonder if Kyra’s father is not as crazy as he seems. There are others like her who have been taken . . . and returned. Kyra races to find an explanation and reclaim the life she once had, but what if the life she wants back is not her own?</span></i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Rant warning. It's not bad things, I just have some things to say that probably aren't very constructive.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Hm, this is a trilogy, not a duo? Could have been a standalone, had potential.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">While I liked The Taking all right, I didn't like it as much as <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10637748-the-pledge">The Pledge</a> trilogy. But ALIENS. Seriously that just bumps up the points a lot, because there aren't an overwhelming amount of ya books on that subject right now. Abductions are awesome.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I had a hard time getting to like Kyra, our main character. It took quite a long while, especially since she keeps saying things like "grown ups" and not ironically, like I do. All the sudden 16 sounds so freaking young to me. And the boy-next-door (who is actually across the street) is of the wise old age of 17, which is how old my younger brother is, which totally creeped me out. So, personally, I think I've about had it with young adult, but for people who don't mind reading about gushy feelings with some aliens on the side, I'm sure you'll love it. And I eventually did feel sorry for Kyra, because I thought, if I was gone for five years and came back but it was only yesterday to me, yeah, it would totally suck. BUT I would understand that everybody moved on. I mean, I wouldn't want my family to be miserable forever. She's just kinda whiny about it. And she doesn't swear enough. You can tell she wants to though. But that might be too grown-up for her.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Mostly, the story focused on the mushy things too much, she could have made this real hard core, but nope, mushy. I suppose that sums up what that last huge paragraph said.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">It is a fast read; everything happens very precisely on time, (Kyra has an obsession of looking at the clock a lot) and I think the book spans six days. Which GUYS IT'S NOT ENOUGH TIME TO FALL IN LOVE sorry. That bothered me. There was a good amount of suspense, but the mushy part overwhelmed it juuust over the border for my tastes.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">If you a fan of Kimberly Derting, you will like it. If you like fireflies, or corrupt government agencies with off the grid work, then you will like it. If you like alien abductions and mysterious circumstances, you'll like it. If you need a cliffhanger, this one has it.</span>Jane Spearehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971313664481244711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9125434855832556170.post-23539722635404314382014-05-01T15:14:00.000-04:002014-05-01T15:14:12.203-04:00The Stepford Wives and other mini reviews<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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I think these mini-reviews are a great way to find a book if you're stuck in a book-slump and NEED something to read. You just can't find anything good, and those 200 sitting in your room just don't sound fun. So here are a variety of books I've read in the past month and all of them got me out of reading slumps so I'd like to share:</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17349203-fortunately-the-milk?ac=1">Fortunately, The Milk</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1221698.Neil_Gaiman">Neil Gaiman</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">September 2013, (this book doesn't need reviews because Neil Gaiman.) kids book, with pictures</span><br />
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Soooo funny! Really, Neil Gaiman can't write a bad book. Great one-sitting read, and those illustrations were out of this world…(heh see what I did there?) This is an incredibly creative story that will appeal to pretty much anyone who loves an adventure.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7094569-feed">Feed</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3153776.Mira_Grant">Mira Grant</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">May 2010 release (Hugo nominee)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">horror, zombies, lots of blood and gore and nerd-speak and swearing.</span><br />
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Bloggers. Zombies. If either of those words catch your interest, you'll like Feed. Siblings Shaun and Georgia write and run one of the leading news sites in 2040. We've cured cancer and the common cold, but are left with the side effects of a zombie apocalypse. The zombies are controlled relatively well though, and they are just a part of dealing with daily life and hoping there isn't an outbreak near you. There's a presidential election coming up and Shaun and Georgia, along with their techy friend Buffy, have been picked to cover the entire campaign. The narrative is sharp and intelligent, and you'll warm up quickly to these siblings who are closer than twins. Georgia and Shaun are willing to sacrifice anything to keep the signal going, and let the truth rise up. Things get more interesting than I anticipated, and I was glued to every one of these 600 pages like it was the last book in the world. Feed is filled with conspiracy, corrupt politicians, and more detailed world building and technological inventions than I've seen in ages.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52350.The_Stepford_Wives">The Stepford Wives</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8050.Ira_Levin">Ira Levin</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">mystery, horror, adult, wouldn't recommend for younger audiences.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You've probably seen the movie. I've seen the more recent one, but there's the original 1975 version that I still have to track down. I liked the movie a whole lot, and didn't notice till the end credits that it was based off a book. (grrr) So probably now three years later, I read this book in about one sitting. It felt like watching the movie, or a movie, since his writing is very clear-cut and simple, like you're reading a script, so I can see how this was easily adapted to the screen. It's like the 1970's feminist satire you've been looking for. If you're at all a fan of The Twilight Zone episodes from way back, you'll probably love this. I didn't realize till halfway through that there aren't any chapter breaks, and that's probably why I read it from cover to cover in one breath. There's pretty much a 'part two' and an epilogue, and the rest in one shot. I was also surprised to look up the author and see it was a man. Just from a glance, I thought Ira sounded like a woman, but I've never seen that name before, so what do I know. This book is one of those that I don't think you'd be able to tell if it was written by a man or woman. And I wonder why I haven't heard of the name Ira Levin before in all my bookish habits. The Stepford Wives is definitely a horror novel, perfectly unsettling with no beating around the bush, and it's a great thrill. I recommend.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13518102-salvage">Salvage</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5768905.Alexandra_Duncan">Alaxandra Duncan</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Released April 1, 2014 (debut novel for this author)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">ya futuristic, space travel, firefly fans, no central love-interest</span><br />
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Salvage is a stellar spring debut not to miss. It's a rare ya bildungsroman piece of work, and I was hooked at the first "right so." It's a non-stop adventure from there out. Ava is likable and relatable, and I forgave her immediately for her naiveness that's necessary for the story. She's true to herself and has a kind heart; you'll be rooting for her prevail. The world building is beautiful, extensive and imaginable. Futuristic Mumbai a sea of colors and cultures, and the space stations are exciting in their own way. Salvage will appeal to fans of Beth Revis' Across the Universe series, as well as Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. Think of it as if you merged them into one, and added some of Meyer's Cinder in as well because we all love us an outsider mechanic. I'll definitely be keeping my eye on this author for future stories.</div>
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and also, <a href="http://alexandra-duncan.com/alexandraduncanlit/2014/4/15/slutshelf-giveaway">THIS</a>. Slutshelf Giveaway is so great.</div>
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So there are some of my recent reads. Not all required me to rant on for four paragraphs, so I thought I'd fit them into one nice viewing area. I've been trying to read a variety of genres lately, and it sure shows here. Read anything unusual/off the main chatter recently?</div>
Jane Spearehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971313664481244711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9125434855832556170.post-9669407724869584822014-04-11T23:29:00.000-04:002014-04-11T23:29:11.587-04:00The Winner's Curse: review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16069030-the-winner-s-curse"><b>The Winner's Curse</b></a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1238111.Marie_Rutkoski">Marie Rutkoski</a> (Winner's Curse #1)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Released:</b> March 4th 2014</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>My rating:</b> 5 stars</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Goodreads summary:</b> </span><i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #181818;">As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.</span><span style="color: #181818;"> </span></span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>My thoughts:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The Winner's Curse is one of my favorite books this year so far. Especially after reading a handful of mediocre YA books lately, this book was able to get me out of my slump. I haven't read any of Rutkoski's books before, but her writing is very nice to read, so I will go track down my copy of The Shadow Society and read it asap. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">With a great opening line and eye-catching sideways page-numbers (because I notice these things) you can tell right away it's going to be a good book. Now, the story flows steadily, but there isn't much fighting-action for much of the book, so don't expect it. Kestrel plays the game of politics, which is her strength and natural talent. There's plenty of time for relationships to form, secrets to build, and people to manipulate, and there isn't a dull chapter in here. There is some actual action toward the end, but since Kestrel isn't an outstanding fighter or leader, she is not in the midst of war. Her independence annoyed me. As a character I mean. She kept making choices that, no matter how many times I yelled at her "Kestrel, you REALLY shouldn't do that" she chose to ignore me again and again. That, my friends, isn't a stupid character, it's a CONSISTENT one. I admire that she wasn't written to do things and made decisions just to please her readers. No, there will be some non-proud moments for her in there. That's awesome and makes her realistic, in my opinion.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This story is told in dual POVs, Kestrel, along with Arin. Normally I find this style annoying, but since it's also third person, and these two characters have a ton of secrets, I liked reading both a lot. Also, the voices are distinct, thank the gods. So I was never in doubt as to who we were reading about. Arin, unlike Kestrel, is a fighter (for himself and his people) so he's in the middle of whatever action/violence is happening at the moment. I like his history, learning it little by little, and see him as one of the most fleshed out counterparts I've read in a while. He isn't just "the guy", he's as much a part of the storyline as Kestrel is.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Kestrel and Arin are very different people, yes. They're also on opposites sides of a decade-ago won war. Kestrel is a Valdorian and her people are the rich once-savages who won the war and enslaved the Herrani, Arin's people. You can see why they're not immediately friends. But for some reason unknown to even Kestrel, she buys Arin at the auction and eventually, they become friends. Sort of. Neither is fond of the other for quite a good portion of the book, and neither trusts the other completely, and for good reason. For Kestrel and Arin each have their own ulterior motive in this so-called peace after wartime. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I love the two languages are mentioned realistically with the Herrani and Valorian cultures meshing together. (While the book is written in English for all us non-fictional folks obviously, the mention of language switching/knowledge kept up well.) I would consider this book fantasy since all the places sounded made up, and not weirdly dystopian at all (frankly my dear, i've had enough of those lately) but a good and true fantasy, in my book, has maps. Maps of these lands we're learning about and seeing conquered. Maps for picturing out the strategies. If I had read an advanced copy I would assume immediately there would be maps included in the finished copy. Alas, there were not. But possibly some could be added to the second one? Unlikely, but I can hope?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Reading this book was surprising and interesting, I can't wait to see what's to come; I feel the story and world can only develop and get more interesting from here on out. And was that ending REALLY necessary? The one time I actually read a hype-book when it comes out…I have to wait anxiously for a whole year for the next one, along with every else. For any fans of Cashore's Graceling trilogy, or Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone, I can't recommend this book enough. This is your next fantasy read.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Jane</span>Jane Spearehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971313664481244711noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9125434855832556170.post-89646583419670661872014-04-08T21:50:00.001-04:002014-04-08T21:50:41.110-04:00Arclight: review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Arclight</b> by<b> Joslin McQuein</b><br />
Release Date: April 3, 2013<br />
<b>Rating:</b> 3 stars<br />
<b>Goodreads Summary:</b><i> </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 19px;">No one crosses the wall of light . . . except for one girl who doesn’t remember who she is, where she came from, or how she survived. A harrowing, powerful debut thriller about finding yourself and protecting your future—no matter how short and uncertain it may be.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 19px;"> </span><br />
<i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The Arclight is the last defense. The Fade can’t get in. Outside the Arclight’s border of high-powered beams is the Dark. And between the Light and the Dark is the Grey, a narrow, barren no-man’s-land. That’s where the rescue team finds Marina, a lone teenage girl with no memory of the horrors she faced or the family she lost. Marina is the only person who has ever survived an encounter with the Fade. She’s the first hope humanity has had in generations, but she could also be the catalyst for their final destruction. Because the Fade will stop at nothing to get her back. Marina knows it. Tobin, who’s determined to take his revenge on the Fade, knows it. Anne-Marie, who just wishes it were all over, knows it.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">When one of the Fade infiltrates the Arclight and Marina recognizes it, she will begin to unlock secrets she didn’t even know she had. Who will Marina become? Who can she never be again?</span></i><br />
<b>My thoughts:</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I think a solid 3.5 here. I liked it. But it took me three quarters of the way through to realize I really have some issues, so that's something?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In theory, this story has great potential. It's creepy and mysterious and has an isolated colony of people protected from some unknown scariness. And on the back it says "for fans of Stephen King and Veronica Roth" ….um not quite. Those wouldn't be the two authors I'd pick. More like if you like Anne Aguirre's Enclave series and Carrie Ryan's The Forest of Hands and Teeth, maybe. (Those two series are a lot more violent though.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Marina is our MC, and I did like her for most of the book. She's missing some of her memory, so she doesn't know much about herself…which is so convenient. She's not particularly strong willed or annoying. My problem with Marina is her inconsistent behavior. One page she's all "I'm going to follow this Fade into the Dark because I need to find out more about them." Then two pages later "Shoot them! Shoot them! I don't like the Fade and they have their creepy crawlies all over!" What? Really. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sure there's some romance, if you can call it that. To me though Tobin is such a flat character. I never felt anything for him, sympathy or otherwise, and I didn't understand Marina's attachment to him considering they hate each other (apparently) for the first 80 pages. It's all very fuzzy and when things do happen between them it's without ANY discussion or even any WORDS between them, even internal dialogue to let us reader know what Marina feels. Just, like, a few passionate moments that made me roll my eyes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">And (without spoilers) the whole thing with Cherish and Rue…didn't see that coming. I'm a little irked because the whole last hundred pages were written so strangely that I had no idea what the heck was going on, I would have connected the dots excitedly instead of turning the page to see this thing revealed and think…where did that come from? I actually stopped chewing mid bite (yes i eat when I read) in shock and confusion. If someone asked me to recap a lot of the book, I wouldn't be able to explain because all the creation of the Fade and Dark isn't easily explained and a bit inconsistent, I couldn't keep track.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The general pacing is a little scattered, unsure. Annie is my favorite character just because of her consistency and realistic personality.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">If I didn't already own the second book, I might not continue this series immediately. Arclight is a good book, not my favorite, but I'm not sorry I read it. What really kept me going is that I needed to know what happened, and that's usually a good sign even if the characters are intolerable.</span><br />
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-Jane</div>
Jane Spearehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971313664481244711noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9125434855832556170.post-86902272420277994962014-04-04T07:00:00.000-04:002014-04-04T07:00:01.963-04:00The Book Thief: movie review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yes I know this came out six months ago. But it was only limited release, at least where I live, and I never got the chance to find a place to see it, so I had to wait for the library to get it.<br />
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I like this poster, but the movie-cover is good too, even though the original book cover is the best.<br />
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There are so many good things about this movie, and really nothing I can complain about, so I'll list them, and hopefully you'll feel the need to see/read it after reading this, if you haven't already.<br />
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This is one of the rare times I didn't reread the book before seeing the movie, which is too bad because according to Goodreads I read The Book Thief back in November of 2010. And that was back before I actually wrote any thoughts/reviews so all I have to go on is from a conversation my friend were having on there.<br />
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So: "it was very emotional…and good." is what I told her. She responded "glad you liked it." But I <i>know</i> I felt so much more than that!! Oh well, when I'm feeling in the mood to cry a lot, I'll pick it up again.<br />
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<b>Why The Book Thief is a brilliant movie</b></div>
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<li>You don't have to have read <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19063.The_Book_Thief">the book</a> to still admire the wonderful and heart-wrenching story. </li>
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<li>For those who have read it, Death narrating? YES. The narrator has a great narrating voice too, sort of like Lemony Snicket. It was done well and I'm so glad they didn't leave it out! Essential to the uniqueness of it!</li>
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<li>The score. The thing I am most critical about in movies. John Williams guys. He did this score and I loved it so very much and you will too because John Williams.</li>
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<li>I don't remember, but I'm sure I cried in the book. Well I cried in here. A lot. During the book burnings, and the dying (people die, it was WWII so that is not a spoiler) and pretty much every emotional scene happy or sad.</li>
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<li>The acting is excellent. I'm a big fan of Geoffery Rush and he was perfect for the role of Liesel's new father, and of course did especially well with the accent. Liesel herself is so perfectly as I pictured her in the book, and I wanted Rudy to be my best friend too. </li>
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<li>Yes the one thing I cannot account for is what was different than the book (as mentioned above), so maybe it's a very different experience from the book? Maybe it's not? Either way the movie is as good (as in quality) as <i>a movie</i> so I'm not comparing it to the book as much as usual.</li>
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I'm actually sticking with these few, short facts because the movie is so well done and I honestly don't have anything to rant about or complain about. Boring, I know. I'm so relieved though! For those who did read it more recently, or didn't read it until after, what did you think?<br />
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-Jane<br />
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<br />Jane Spearehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971313664481244711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9125434855832556170.post-19174352577253293682014-03-30T07:00:00.000-04:002014-03-30T07:00:00.426-04:00Divergent: movie review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://static2.hypable.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/divergent-poster-full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://static2.hypable.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/divergent-poster-full.jpg" height="640" width="408" /></a></div>
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(<a href="http://www.themarysue.com/tauriel-legolas-hobbit-butt-pose-poster/">Butt pose</a> poster. Because it makes me laugh.)</div>
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I just went and saw Divergent with my friends. Well, it wasn't a disaster, I can assure you that at the very least. If you want to read my review of the book from forever ago <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/137584306?book_show_action=false">here</a>, and that doesn't have any spoilers…(I think?) But from here on out THIS review WILL have ALL THE SPOILERS FROM THE BOOK AND MOVIE. :)<br />
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You have been cautioned.</div>
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(And I'm sorry but there is bad language in here.)</div>
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And as always, I'll try to make this organized, but you know how that doesn't ever actually work. I try. There will be word vomits.<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Final rating: </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4 out of 5 stars for fans of the book.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3 out of 5 for those who haven't read the book.</span></b></div>
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<b>What was changed/left out/added:</b><br />
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<li>A lot. There were in fact many of the same scenes, but they sort of mixed them up weirdly sometimes, which I didn't think was necessary. Not BAD per say, but…why. The order they were written in…were written in that order for a reason.</li>
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<li>Visiting Day did not exist. And that's one of my favorite scenes in the book! Damn. There was a made-up scene that became a weak <i>weak</i> replacement for it, but okay fine.</li>
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<li>Why our rating is lower for people who haven't read the book. Well, SO much of what Tris explains about the WHYS of things make the story about ten times as rich. Yes I know it's a movie and is different than the book, but even small things like why she got her tattoos of three hawks along her collarbone because they symbolized her family members dear to her heart…see there wasn't an easy way to convey that, and I understand? But it's more than just "ooh I'm a badass and 16 so I'll get a tattoo!" because it's NOT just that. That's one example.</li>
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<li>Hm the end zombie-Dauntless part. When in the book, Tris goes into the control room and the scene's with just her and Four where he's under the new drug? Well they completely reinvented that. I didn't mind the change, because they did something good with it and made it more visually appealing and lasted about 30 minutes longer, but that may have bothered some people. It was completely different though.</li>
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<b>Liked:</b><br />
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<li>The romance between Four and Tris didn't overwhelm the actual plot. *claps* and that is why I loved the book so much. If you remember, Four isn't even mentioned in the book blurb at all. Because this story is about HER and her character developing. Ohh tangent coming I can't stop it: I saw quite a few reviews claiming how it's "all about her finding herself so stupid" (that's slightly paraphrased) and I'm thinking while watching…well yes it's all about her finding herself, it's a fucking young adult novel and that is what that whole genre is for. Finding an identity and having an adventure and learning about yourself. Being a young adult is a very self-oriented lifestyle. (Assuming you're not Abnegation.)</li>
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<li>Two of the three of us agreed on this point: The Pit was very different than we pictured. I'm not sure, I guess I just imagined it HUGE and made of a real 'chasm' and 'waterfall thing' not an indoor rock climbing gym. I'm sorry that was harsh. It wasn't bad. Overall all the sets and scenes were very authentic, and you can tell this movie actually had a budget. *coughthehostcough* Very impressed, there was no "um that's totally a stage" feeling. For me at least.</li>
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<li>I loved the training scenes/initiation section of the book. Awesome! The training took a large amount of the book and movie and I'm glad they didn't cut much at all from that part. All the people looked greatly beat up, and also, realistically, not looking awesome and stable the whole time. Good Determined-Tris montage too in there. Initiation is almost 90% of the book, so thank you movie-people, for paying attention! (Yes, it could have been expanded upon, I know I wouldn't have minded watching a four hour Divergent movie if I got to see more fight practices.)</li>
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<li>The fear simulations. They were well done and gave great insight. That's basically it. Especially Four's regarding his past. And Tris's last fear on her final test…..YES. I could watch that again.</li>
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<li>Erudite. We just get a glimpse, but I remember from Insurgent I loved how we finally get to see a lot more of the other factions and lifestyles. The costumes/designs were great from what little we see, and I can tell it's going to be pretty awesome when there's more Candor and Amity.</li>
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<b>Neutral opinions about:</b><br />
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<li>Caleb. Could have been expanded. Wasn't in the trailer at all? I think he has potential though, because the actor isn't bad. Also where's his Erudite glasses (which according to the the general consensus of two people: it is pronounced ErUdite. Not ERUdite.) (we're probably wrong.) I look forward to seeing his character grow because his relationship with Tris is very…<i>essential</i> to certain things in the second and third book. Seriously. Just think on that for a sec. Caleb had better become more three dimensional. He has potential. I feel the need to say that twice to convey that did I like it.</li>
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<li>I wish Tris talked with her friends more. I didn't get to know them as well as I'd have liked to. They're there and she does converse, and I am so thankful there wasn't an overwhelming amount of googley eyes between her and Four, but they (Christina, Will, Al, esp Peter) are still borderline for depth.</li>
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<li>Parents dying. Not as heroic as it sounded in the book? It was all right? I didn't shed any tears. But when her mom died, damn she did some great acting.</li>
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<li>Paintball! Okay. It was paintball in the book, but in the movie, they shot these wicked not-bullets that felt like you actually got shot, but only lasted a few hours. Very cool. That whole scene from the ferris wheel to the flag catching, I really liked. It showed how much everyone had improved, and set the skills from theory to actual use.</li>
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<li>Last scene/ending. Sort of abrupt. But so was the book! </li>
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<li>Quotes. I'm always torn when quotes verbatim are used in movies. I reread Divergent the day before seeing it, so many lines of explanation rang bells in my head. For the most parts it was okay, there were only a couple lines, and I think they were Four's, that I thought were stupid. Oh! And near the end when Tris shoots Peter? Remember? Well in here she just kind of says something snarky and shoots him in the side, but in the book she shoots him in the hand and when Caleb asks if that was necessary, she responds neutrally (paraphrasing) "well I didn't shoot his leg, he can still walk to show us" which I liked much better. (again that's an extremely small peeve)</li>
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<b>Disliked:</b><br />
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<li>Opening scene…."<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">CHICAGO"</span></li>
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…wait what. We are not told that. There are many references during the series to the Sears Tower and huge lima bean statue, etc (O'Hara), but Tris does not know her city is named Chicago. And now the audience knows. Not necessary. On the related subject on why they're in such a secluded city, some things were said which will alter the storyline a bit? (but that's more in later books so never mind for now.)<br />
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<li>I'd say 80% of the music (because I'm a complete score/soundtrack critic snob) was <i>okay</i>. It wasn't as bad as the music for The Host. I only really noticed it because when a dramatic scene happened: (and hello action movie when <i>isn't</i> there a dramatic scene) there came this sort of epic Avatar music! Cut to scene for tattoo area: Futuristic Night Club Music! And then: Leftover Twilight Soundtrack! WTF.</li>
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<li>Personally, I hated the aptitude test. This is near the beginning of the movie, and it was completely different than the book! So different!!! I hated all those weird mirrors and what what what. And Tori was an inconsistent character throughout, so none of it sat well with me. Unfortunately. The aptitude scene in the book was just as easy to make (coming from the person who can't upload something onto youtube) as the actual fear simulation, so I'm not sure why they decided to screw that up so badly.</li>
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<b>Any specific character notes:</b><br />
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<li>Let's see am I missing anything….OH RIGHT WHERE THE FUCK DID URIAH GO. If you look on the cast list, there isn't a Uriah. Did the writers read the second two books? Do they know how essential to the story he is and his friendship to Tris? They had his name on the board, so I'm now positive they will randomly add him in the second movie like oh yeah he was here the whole time. But he's so essential to gahhh I need to stop. My point is made.</li>
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<li>So I found this slightly amusing. Shailene Woodley is in three different movies. This one she plays sister to Ansel Elgort. TFiOS they play lovers. In Divergent, she and Miles Teller are enemies and in The Spectacular now they're lovers. She is a great actress, and I'm now discovering she can play diverse characters, and isn't boxing herself into a genre. Go Shailene!</li>
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<li>Second amusing thing I discovered during my late night pondering. What is it with the trend of YA books-to-movies where the lead love interest guy (actor) is English but plays American? Do you need examples? </li>
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Twilight: yes<br />
The Host: yes<br />
Divergent: yes<br />
City of Bones: yes<br />
And I'm sure that's only the recent obvious ones. Well this fact made me laugh a little. Let's end on that happy note. Because I won't be the one to complain about the abundance of hot English dudes.<br />
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What are your thoughts? Besides commenting to complain how freaking long my movie rants are, because I know those thoughts are there. Did you enjoy the movie? How will the next one be...<br />
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And thanks for putting up with my (parenthesis addiction.)<br />
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-Jane<br />
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<br />Jane Spearehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971313664481244711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9125434855832556170.post-66857698726585592232014-03-28T12:18:00.000-04:002014-03-28T12:18:22.874-04:00North and South: review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156538.North_and_South?ac=1">North and South</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1413437.Elizabeth_Gaskell">Elizabeth Gaskell</a><br />
<b>Published:</b> 1855<br />
<b>Summary: </b><i><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 14px;">When her father leaves the Church in a crisis of conscience, Margaret Hale is uprooted from her comfortable home in Hampshire to move with her family to the north of England. Initially repulsed by the ugliness of her new surroundings in the industrial town of Milton, Margaret becomes aware of the poverty and suffering of the local mill workers and develops a passionate sense of social justice. This is intensified by her tempestuous relationship with the mill-owner and self-made man, John Thornton, as their fierce opposition over his treatment of his employees masks a deeper attraction. In </span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 14px;">North and South</span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 14px;">, Elizabeth Gaskell skillfully fuses individual feeling with social concern, and in Margaret Hale creates one of the most original heroines of Victorian literature.</span></i><br />
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<b>My thoughts</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">For the most part, that was pretty awesome.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Margaret Hale is an interesting character. I like how when she moves to the factory town of Milton she is able to 'befriend' people from both classes. The workers like Mr Higgins and his daughters show her how wealthy and privileged she is. Mr Thornton's view of 'master' to these hundreds of workers was news to me. How the Irish were hired sometimes because they didn't charge as much to do the work, which in turn made the English workers even more mad. Master and worker didn't communicate enough WHY maybe he couldn't pay them as bountifully as they would have liked. There's two sides to everything, and Margaret's position allowed us to see both. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Since this book was originally printed periodically in the newspapers, there are parts where it seems episodic. Maybe that's why I read it so quickly. Near the end especially was…melodramatic? There was 50 pages nearing the end where Margaret was annoying and couldn't decide what she wanted with ANYTHING. When the last chapter came, then the book finally took a turn to the interesting and ended rather suddenly. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This is my first book of Gaskell's and I do like her writing. Besides the overly dramatic parts, which are probably only caused by the actual character of Margaret. It's neither sad or happy, rather gloomy like the setting. While reading I could sort of feel put down by the smoky town and floating particles of cotton. There isn't much of Society as I'm used to reading in Austen's work, so that was different for me. Not as many dances or gossip. Anyway, I definitely recommend getting to this classic if you have the chance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">-Jane :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Post script- The BBC mini series was amazing, and they did tweak some events near the end, which was good and I ended up liking the ending in the show better than in the book.</span></div>
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Jane Spearehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971313664481244711noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9125434855832556170.post-5072845759462651812014-03-25T00:27:00.001-04:002014-03-25T00:27:47.247-04:00Lux: Beginnings- cover reveal!Here it is,<i> Lux: Beginnings</i> is <i>Obsidian</i> & <i>Onyx</i> in one binding, and it looks pretty cool! (keep scrolling!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhZzoRHzdqH5YXFuMnLNhrNYKugxKQyLBawnBlGKoewgesOAGrnxAv-pacWuKvQ6ocbwlgExKRU7tzPFuDFuneU305VpjVmnc1hgijE10YEAf4umz_0yObtHNAZYAPLL6oAOEM8VBd6kQ-/s1600/Lux+Beginnings+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhZzoRHzdqH5YXFuMnLNhrNYKugxKQyLBawnBlGKoewgesOAGrnxAv-pacWuKvQ6ocbwlgExKRU7tzPFuDFuneU305VpjVmnc1hgijE10YEAf4umz_0yObtHNAZYAPLL6oAOEM8VBd6kQ-/s1600/Lux+Beginnings+cover.jpg" height="640" width="412" /></a></div>
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For the two books that make up <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19081403-beginnings">Lux: Beginnings</a></i>,<br />
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Obsidian: <span style="font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="color: #232323; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><i>There's an alien next door. And with his looming height and eerie green eyes, he's hot...until he opens his mouth. He's infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, he lights me up with a big fat bulls-eye. Turns out he has a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal his abilities and the only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to him until my alien mojo fades. If I don’t kill him first, that is.</i></span><br />
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Onyx: <span style="font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="color: #232323; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><i>Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro alien connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems. I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?</i></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwjayyfIbJK7ukYCMSTVuJ1dg02DNP4LIv5jxNQVkxT95sZydnwHCflkoydWbgNjGftKoGK11gu1vqcaAEObYZxGpmjgON_j_3Nj1DSKnQhy0pmUykUBYoN3iOPeRxcXUO3v8TvMhj14I/s1600/JLA+author+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwjayyfIbJK7ukYCMSTVuJ1dg02DNP4LIv5jxNQVkxT95sZydnwHCflkoydWbgNjGftKoGK11gu1vqcaAEObYZxGpmjgON_j_3Nj1DSKnQhy0pmUykUBYoN3iOPeRxcXUO3v8TvMhj14I/s1600/JLA+author+photo.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #232323; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"># 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer Armentrout lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell, Loki.</span><br />
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Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen.</div>
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She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.</div>
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You can find her on <a href="https://twitter.com/jlarmentrout">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/JenniferLArmentrout">Facebook</a> and <a href="http://www.jenniferarmentrout.com/">her website</a>.</div>
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Also, don't forget to enter this awesome raffle for chances to win two fan inspired artwork from fans of the Lux series sent from Jennifer L. Armentrout herself!</div>
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/1cb554301/" id="rc-1cb554301" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br />
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<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>Jane Spearehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971313664481244711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9125434855832556170.post-64346749138541032922014-03-20T08:00:00.000-04:002014-03-23T02:25:35.718-04:00Don't Look Back: review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1380803368l/13418925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1380803368l/13418925.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18296030-don-t-look-back">Don't Look Back</a><br />
by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4476934.Jennifer_L_Armentrout">Jennifer L Armentrout</a><br />
<b>Release Date:</b> April 15, 2014<br />
<b>My Rating:</b> 5 stars<br />
<b>Goodreads Summary:</b> <i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Samantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all-popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span></i><br />
<i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it's one she no longer wants any part of. The old Sam took "mean girl" to a whole new level, and it's clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies. Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery. She's getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she's falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her-even if the old Sam treated him like trash. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">But Cassie is still missing, and the facts about what happened to her that night isn't just buried deep inside of Sam's memory-someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet. All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on. But what if </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">not</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive?</span></i><br />
<b>Review:</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Oh no, I was thinking, not another amnesiac teenager story. But then, there's murder involved. And it's Jennifer Armentrout. I'll at least get a few hot guys in the story, that's a given. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Guys, I was initially skeptical, but yes, Jennifer Armentrout can write contemporary. According to this post, this was her first contemp written (but I think not first published, including her J Lynn works?) and I think it's done really well. I wasn't missing any aliens or supernatural things. Mostly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I'd classify this novel as a mystery/thriller and it's one that keeps you on your toes. Sure a lost memory is always hard to deal with, but then wondering if you're a murderer to top it? And don't forget, you were an absolute bitch to the world before you went missing a few days ago. Even your parents seem to be hiding things. Great, you get a chance to start over, but there are also people who'd take advantage to that in a second.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">These are Sam's problems. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sam, or Insanity Sam as her friends call her now, is desperately trying to remember what happened that night in the woods. Appearing on the side of the road after missing for four days; with mysterious injuries and a missing best friend, everybody is just glad to have Sam back. And not so worried about finding Cassie. But Sam is a different person now, without her memories and Cassie's horrible influence. Most aren't happy about the development, but why could that be?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Don't Look Back does have a high school setting, but we're more in the point of view of the clique-who-rules-the-school this time. Sam used to be the rich popular bitch queen co-ruling with Cassie, but now Sam sees things differently…and not all of it is real. Memories are surfacing in bursts; people are lying to her, almost everyone in some way or another. And the more memories she grasps, the more she wonders, did she do it? Could she, kill her best friend?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Trust your instincts on this mystery; don't trust anyone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">And watch your back for an absolutely killer ending.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">-Jane :)</span><br />
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Jane Spearehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971313664481244711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9125434855832556170.post-47501842244891231012014-03-18T00:51:00.000-04:002014-03-18T00:51:00.228-04:00Mortal Gods book cover is heeere! <div style="text-align: center;">
In which I jump with glee. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtadRGRD6FTXepD8Uwhmxf1z-ngVC2chcHSuwWOnzFWZR67EelHemEqaSSWz0xBMs7ZDKFgN7Q6yhr7UPVMhfsvFkC3RfuEQIe-uFLIA86sYFJf8UJR2yvPSTsLUK7TaFqWO65QpRyOMGU/s1600/MortalGodscover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtadRGRD6FTXepD8Uwhmxf1z-ngVC2chcHSuwWOnzFWZR67EelHemEqaSSWz0xBMs7ZDKFgN7Q6yhr7UPVMhfsvFkC3RfuEQIe-uFLIA86sYFJf8UJR2yvPSTsLUK7TaFqWO65QpRyOMGU/s1600/MortalGodscover.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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In case you haven't seen it yet, the second Goddess War book cover now exists! The book, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17561810-mortal-gods?ac=1">Mortal Gods</a> by Kendare Blake, comes out on September 1st! (great scott that's so damn far away I just realized)<br />
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Well you have a whole 6 months or so to read the first, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13246736-antigoddess">Antigoddess</a>, if you haven't yet. There isn't even a synopsis of Mortal Gods yet, but keep an eye out and don't forget to add the book on Goodreads.<br />
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(Speaking of, if someone plans on rereading Antigoddess it's not up on the <a href="http://recaptains.blogspot.com/">Recaptains</a> site yet, and I can't remember the details so much, it's been so long! I hope there's a recap on there before September! :))<br />
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While we're talking about Kendare's work, click to see my reviews for her other series, <a href="http://much-ado-about-books.blogspot.com/2012/02/anna-dressed-in-blood-review.html">Anna Dressed in Blood</a> (#1), and <a href="http://much-ado-about-books.blogspot.com/2012/10/girl-of-nightmares-review.html">Girl of Nightmares</a> (#2) if you're looking for something wicked cool and creepy as hell to tide you over till autumn.<br />
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Thanks for stopping by!<br />
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Jane :)<br />
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<br />Jane Spearehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971313664481244711noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9125434855832556170.post-33926413787156483262014-03-04T15:05:00.001-05:002014-03-04T15:05:46.087-05:00Spring Cleaning Part Two (and three)Guys. I need my bookshelf space. :)<br />
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I have almost 60 or so. There has to be something you're looking for. All my books are listed on the exchange. 90 percent are available, anything published 2013 or before. They're YOURS if you paypal me the $4.00 for shipping (or if you're trying to get rid of some old books...) First come first serve when you email me!<br />
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Here they are: <a href="http://www.yabookexchange.com/search/label/Jane?max-results=15">http://www.yabookexchange.com/search/label/Jane?max-results=15</a><br />
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Part two of my post. I am on the search for a co-reviewer. Anybody interested in helping me out with this site? I would love another opinion on here, and maybe a little revamp if they have coding skills. Mine are in rudimentary training still.<br />
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Please go to my contact tab if you're interested in either of these things, books or reviewing!<br />
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Happy reading!<br />
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JaneJane Spearehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971313664481244711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9125434855832556170.post-58279144037738295242014-03-01T07:00:00.000-05:002014-03-01T07:00:07.184-05:00Spring Cleaning '14<br />
I have a number of ARCs I'd like to get rid of. Listed below, and they're YOURS if you paypal me the $4.00 for shipping (or if you're trying to get rid of some old books...) First come first serve when you email me! Hope there's at least a few desirable ones in the batch!<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13401993-dualed?from_search=true">Dualed by Elise Chapman</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13414964-velveteen?from_search=true">Velveteen by Daniel Marks</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13513071-the-innocents?from_search=true">The Innocents by Lili Peloquin</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13455508-death-of-a-kleptomaniac?from_search=true">Death of a Kleptomaniac by Kristen Tracy</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11861715-icons?from_search=true">Icons by Margaret Stohl</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11808950-sweet-evil?from_search=true">Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins</a></div>
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I know it's still winter-like where most people are, but it's spring where I live, so happy March!</div>
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-Jane</div>
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(and if these all go, I have more collecting dust on my shelf.)</div>
Jane Spearehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971313664481244711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9125434855832556170.post-50735907937644933302014-02-28T07:00:00.000-05:002014-02-28T07:00:01.831-05:00Panic: review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Title: </b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17565845-panic?ac=1">Panic</a><br />
<b>Author:</b> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2936493.Lauren_Oliver">Lauren Oliver</a><br />
<b>Release Date:</b> March 4th 2014<br />
<b>Summary:</b> <i>Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.</i><br />
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<i>Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.</i><br />
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<i>Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.</i><br />
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<i>For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.</i><br />
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<b>My Review:</b><br />
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First, to clear the air: This is not like Hunger Games. Not one tiny bit.<br />
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Okay! In the small town of Crap-I mean Carp, New York, a game is played every summer called Panic. No one knows who started it, but as tradition goes, it goes on. Many of the graduated seniors play it; only, but not all. Everyone in the town kind of knows it's going on, and even though the police try to prevent it at every corner, there's always around. When I first picked it up, I thought Panic was some sort of sci-fi or dystopian, at least futuristic small town. But Heather immediately says "New York" and "some legos" (not meaning some ancient thing) and I thought wait a second, this is completely contemporary. Cool!<br />
And as far as how the actual game works, it's explained very well and pretty early in the story, so I won't bother trying to sum it up.<br />
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Does anyone remember what a standalone book is? No? Well you see it usually doesn't have a stupid love triangle, the plot actually finishes in 400 pages or so, AND you don't have to wait for three years to see how the characters you struggle to remember, end up. Panic is a standalone, and quite a good one at that. I found the beginning sort of choppy and disorienting with all the new characters suddenly being introduced, because you're kind of <i>jumping</i> in to the story…pun intended.<br />
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A surprise. The book is told in dual POV between Heather ad Dodge, but even though they are the two narrators, they are not the main couple. So that stands out. And I want to mention that Heather is described to be very tall, broad shouldered, and has an ass. Dodge has dark skin. Let's have a round for not cookie-cutter protags, shall we? Thank you Lauren Oliver.<br />
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I've read The Delirium trilogy, and Before I Fall, but I'm not sure how to rank which one is best, or even if this new one is her best. It's definitely a great story and shows some extremely real people and problems, (great, great character development.) And in that way, it's more like Before I Fall, but I don't think it should be compared to her others, because it's different. Don't try to compare. I think Oliver's signature writing style is there though, and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.<br />
<br />Jane Spearehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971313664481244711noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9125434855832556170.post-5212465276290089192014-02-25T07:00:00.000-05:002014-02-25T07:00:01.121-05:00We Were Liars: review<a href="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1384302412l/16143347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1384302412l/16143347.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16143347-we-were-liars?from_search=true">We Were Liars</a><br />
<b>by</b> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/173491.E_Lockhart">E. Lockhart</a><br />
<b>Released:</b> May 13th 2014<br />
<b>My Rating:</b> 4 stars<br />
<b>Goodreads Summary:</b><br />
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">A beautiful and distinguished family.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">A private island.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">A revolution. An accident. A secret.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Lies upon lies.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">True love.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The truth.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">We Were Liars </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Read it.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>My Review:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">I picked this book up with one thought: "oooh John Green blurb!" And that's about it.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">I'll admit. I did not like most of the book. The prose is very weird. Especially in the beginning I got so confused, my friend had to read a chapter and explain it to me. But that's my fault because I got excited when Candence's dad turned around and shot her in the chest and her heart rolled into the flower bed.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Oh. Not literally? ...I knew that. </span></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">The only reason I kept going (since usually I have no patience for books) was because within a week, four friends recommended it to me and said it was awesome, so I knew there had to be some sort of twist etc; and also it's super short. (okay two reasons.)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Near the middle-end...I started to guess what this twist could be. No, really! But I think I only had that spark in my head because I've read one book before with something similar. Not saying there is a twist. And I didn't guess it completely right anyway.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So since this is not a negative review, you can guess I ended up liking it. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The writing managed to be so very concrete and dreamlike at the same time and upon finishing the book, I'm impressed. </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I feel like this book will be one that wins an award for being awesome. But with a more official award name obviously. Incandescent. And incandescent award.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Don't you love my ambiguity? It must be burning you up inside.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Bottom line is to go in blind, and do what the book suggests: read it. And if anyone asks you how it ends, just lie.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">-Jane</span></span>Jane Spearehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971313664481244711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9125434855832556170.post-26640056876806194102014-02-21T09:29:00.003-05:002014-02-21T09:29:43.893-05:00Cress: review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1379083526l/13206828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1379083526l/13206828.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Title:</b> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13206828-cress">Cress</a> (Lunar Chronicles #3)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Author:</b> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4684322.Marissa_Meyer">Marissa Meyer</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Release Date:</b> February 4th 2014</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Source:</b> bought at <a href="http://www.changinghands.com/">CHB</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Goodreads Summary:</b> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Rapunzel’s tower is a satellite. She can’t let down her hair—or her guard.</i></span><br />
<i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">In this third book in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker—unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">When a daring rescue goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing stop her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only ones who can.</span></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><b>My Review:</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I just, well, didn't think her books could get awesome (yes I said awesomer) BUT EACH BOOK JUST GETS MORE FANTASTIC. Unlike any series I've read, the way all the POVs rotate with such a diverse cast that none of them are boring? Really, there isn't a dull page. That's why I zipped through this book in almost one sitting. (Scarlet did have a slower start for me, but Cress just jumped right into interesting.)</span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I don't feel like making this a coherent analysis review, mostly I feel like *squeeee* and then all the sudden I remember I have to wait a freaking YEAR for the story to end….and then I become sad for a moment…</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">THEN I remember that last awesome scene in Cress and I smile all over again.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Cress is an excellent Rapunzel-computer-hacker-person. Very impressed (and initially surprised) because Cinder and Scarlet are both pretty literally tough characters, Cress is so sweet and small and has romance adventures in her head. Of course she still manages to be bad-ass in the correct way: via good writing and with a strong personality (like Kaylee! :)). And I would never have guessed Thorne would become a romantic interest, but there is a new light (ha.ha.) to his character throughout Cress, and I like him significantly more in here than Scarlet. He grows to be more than just comic relief. And yes, I completely 'ship Cress and Thorne. It fits so perfectly.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">One chapter was particularly stressful to read, and after it was done, I realized I hadn't blinked for like five whole minutes while reading. And my whole body was tense from the stress. Gripping indeed!! You'll probably know which chapter, it was in Cress's POV in the middle. Much confusion. One I will for sure be rereading.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">So in the last 50 pages we get a small chapter-and-a-half glimpse of Winter, our next Snow White heroine. And I can tell the last book is going to be…well I actually can't tell what the last book is going to be like, because Winter is sort of mental. And I mean that kindly. What her mind will be like, I have no idea, and that's exciting and frustrating (see above for release-date-induced-sadness) but I'm sure it'll be awesome.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Queen Levana is so evil, I just feel the need to punch something. I can't wait till someone kills that bitch.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">-Jane</span>Jane Spearehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10971313664481244711noreply@blogger.com1