Friday, June 29, 2012

Book Review: Shatter Me

"Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior."

                       Warning! This review is filled with spoilers! (especially in the "predictable" section)

Title: Shatter Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Year of Release: 2011
Genre: Dystopia, Romance, Paranormal
Sequel(s): Destroy Me (Novella between books 1 & 2), Unravel Me (book 2), & an untitled Book 3
What motivated you to read this book?: I saw an ad for it on Facebook last year I think. The cover caught my attention. I think I later saw it again on GoodReads. The story seemed interesting, and I decided to give it a try. Besides that, I saw it a lot on other book blogs, so I knew it was popular already, and I had a feeling it would be really good.
Book Version: Hardback
Where did you get the book?: Library
Orginal?: Yes, but there were parts that reminded me of other books, but overall it was very original. The who idea of a girl having skin that can kill---what a fabulous concept!
Preditable: A little bit, I knew Adam wasn't dead. Normally during parts like that I would panic, but I just knew he wasn't.
Recommended to: Delirium fans, Matched fans, Divergent fans, people who like Dystopia, and people who like romance
Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Review: This book was fantastic. It was definitely a page turner. I didn't want to put it down. Sometimes I had to force myself to, to do other things! This book is jam packed with action, suspense, and my favorite, romance. There was actually a lot more romance in this book than I thought there would be, so I think my favorite parts were the action scenes. Those parts were intense! Definitely made me a little nervous! Loved the romance, too though, because like I said, romance has always been my favorite part of books.

The characters were very, very well developed, too. I liked all of them, even Warner. I hate him, but I love hating him. I'm definitely Team Adam, though. I liked the history he and Juliette had long before the story even took place. He also seemed kind, gentle, and protective, too. I also enjoyed James and Kenji. James was adorable, and Kenji was hilarious. I laughed out loud a lot during many of the parts with him.

The writing in this book reminded me somewhat of Delirium. It was really well done and almost poetic. I really liked it a lot. It made me quite envious of Tahereh's talent.

All in all, I loved this book. It was quite enjoyable and I'm definitely looking forward to the sequels.


Thursday, June 28, 2012

Cover Reveal: Destroy Me & Unravel Me

I finished reading Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi less than an hour ago (review will be up soon) & I'm already looking forward to reading it's sequels, Destroy Me, which is a novella that takes place after Shatter Me but before Unravel Me, which is the second book in the series. Covers to both books were released just a few days ago!! Here they are! (WARNING: SPOILERS in summary of Destroy Me. Don't read if you haven't read Shatter Me!)

Destroy Me





"Perfect for the fans of Shatter Me who are desperately awaiting the release of Unravel Me, this novella-length digital original will bridge the gap between these two novels from the perspective of the villain we all love to hate, Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

In Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me, Juliette escaped from The Reestablishment by seducing Warner—and then putting a bullet in his shoulder. But as she’ll learn in Destroy Me, Warner is not that easy to get rid of. . . 

Back at the base and recovering from his near-fatal wound, Warner must do everything in his power to keep his soldiers in check and suppress any mention of a rebellion in the sector. Still as obsessed with Juliette as ever, his first priority is to find her, bring her back, and dispose of Adam and Kenji, the two traitors who helped her escape. But when Warner’s father, The Supreme Commander of The Reestablishment, arrives to correct his son’s mistakes, it’s clear that he has much different plans for Juliette. Plans Warner simply cannot allow. 

Set after Shatter Me and before its forthcoming sequel, Unravel Me, Destroy Me is a novella told from the perspective of Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45."


Release Date: October 2, 2012 

Unravel Me


Release Date: February 5, 2013

Personally, I think the cover of Unravel Me is prettier, but both covers are awesome!! I'm really looking forward to reading both books!! I think it will be very interesting to read Destroy Me from Warner's perspective. He is a very interesting character. You just love hating him!

-E


Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Road Trip Wednesday--June 27, 2012


Road Trip Wednesday is a blog hop hosted the awesome people over at  YA Highway. Each Wednesday they ask a writing or reading related question that we can think about & discuss. It's fun! If you have a blog, feel free to participate. If not, post your answer in the comments!


This week's discussion topic is: 



What was the best book you read in June?

The Host was by far the best book I read in June. When I read it, I literally could not put it down. I spent an entire weekend doing  nothing but reading. It was so worth it because it was amazing! The storyline is so original and unique, and the love situation is the most interesting love situation I have ever read in a story. I also loved the message that not all of humanity is bad, there is still some good left in the world. I could go on and on about this book and how incredible it is for a long time. I would recommend it to anyone. Oh, and be sure to check out my review here.

So, without posting any spoilers, what was the best book you read in June?




Tuesday, June 26, 2012

The Character Who Reminds Me Of Myself

Top 10 Tuesday (#4)

Top 10 Tuesday is a blog hop hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. They post a Top 10 topic & other blogs participate & link their blog post to their website. It is a way to get to know your follow bloggers & get more traffic on your own blog! If you have a book blog, you can definitely participate! If not, you can still post your answers below in the comments! 


This week's topic for Top Ten Tuesday is: 


Top Ten Characters Who Remind Me Of Myself Or Someone I Know In Real Life


I feel bad about changing things a bit, but in all honesty, I cannot think of more than one character who I can relate to or who reminds me of someone else. I usually don't compare myself or other people to fictional characters. To me, that would be like comparing real people I know to other real people that I know. Fictional characters feel real to me. Know what I mean?


With that said, growing up, I could find that I could relate to Hermione Granger. Like I said, I typically don't compare myself or other people to fictional characters, but in this case, I did because I pretty much grew up with Harry Potter. Anyways, I definitely have a lot of things in common with Hermione. First of all, I have been told for many, many years that I look like Hermione. I take that as the biggest compliment because I think Emma Watson who plays Hermione is really gorgeous. Secondly, I am very studious. School always comes first. It has become a huge priority in my life. It has gotten to the point where I start stressing out if I have a lot of homework and studying to do because I want to earn the best grade possible. I also tend to do well in school too. I hate to brag, but I have never gotten a C before (for a final grade) in my life. (I still could get a C though, I have one year left of college before graduating.) Finally, growing up, I've always been known as a "goody-goody." I don't typically break the rules at school. I just never wanted to  get in trouble. To me, that's very similar to Hermione.

What character or characters can you relate to? Let me know in the comments below!

Monday, June 25, 2012

Book Review: Elsewhere




"Welcome to Elsewhere. It is warm, with a breeze, and the beaches are marvelous. It’s quiet and peaceful. You can’t get sick or any older. Curious to see new paintings by Picasso? Swing by one of Elsewhere’s museums. Need to talk to someone about your problems? Stop by Marilyn Monroe’s psychiatric practice.

Elsewhere is where fifteen-year-old Liz Hall ends up, after she has died. It is a place so like Earth, yet completely different. Here Liz will age backward from the day of her death until she becomes a baby again and returns to Earth. But Liz wants to turn sixteen, not fourteen again. She wants to get her driver’s license. She wants to graduate from high school and go to college. And now that she’s dead, Liz is being forced to live a life she doesn’t want with a grandmother she has only just met. And it is not going well. How can Liz let go of the only life she has ever known and embrace a new one? Is it possible that a life lived in reverse is no different from a life lived forward?"

Title: Elsewhere
Author:Gabrielle Zevin
Year of Release: 2005
What motivated you to read this book?: I saw an interview with Isabelle Fuhrman (Clove, from the Hunger Games) and she mentioned two books in it that she enjoyed a lot. Divergent was one, and Elsewhere was the other. She seemed quite interested in it, and the plot seemed interesting to me, so I wanted to check it out.
Book Version: Hardback
Where did you get the book?: Local Library
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Orginal?: Yes
Preditable: Somewhat
Review: Elsewhere is quite an unusual book. It had it's parts that I thought were completely random, but later on I realized why Gabrielle Zevin wrote it that way. For example, the first several chapters are from Liz's perspective, and then all of a sudden there are parts of chapters from other characters' perspective. It would be in Liz's perspective, and then all of a sudden it was in her grandmother's perspective. Then there was a chapter from a character's point of view who I knew nothing about. I thought that was a bit strange. However, later on, I liked how it changed point of views randomly, and how we knew what was going on when Liz wasn't around.

I also thought the writing style was too simplistic. It didn't go into much detail at all. I got used to it, though.

This book is really sad, too. I can't imagine things happening in my life the way it happened in this book. I felt so sorry for Liz, and for Owen, too. It made me realize though, that life doesn't always go your way. You have to make the most of what you have and accept it and be grateful for it. You may have something someone else may never have. I really liked that message. I also liked the message of forgiveness.

Overall, this book was a bit different, but that's okay. It's very unique, and it definitely makes you think about life in an entirely new way. Although this book was strange, I still enjoyed it, it was really cute.

Musing Mondays (#2)

Musing Mondays is a blog hop hosted by Should be Reading. They post a question for people to discuss & "muse" over. If you have a book blog, you can definitely participate! If not, you can still post your answers below in the comments!


This week's musing asks...


Do you set goals for yourself, while reading? For example, “want to get this book finished this weekend," or "I will read __ pages today," etc. Why, or why not?


Yes and no. Sometimes while in the middle of a book, I'll be like "I would like to finish this by the end of the week." But if I don't finish it, I don't panic or anything. Reading is something I do for fun, not something I want to rush through. Sometimes though, I do feel as though I want to finish a book because I want to start another book that I think will be better than the book I'm currently reading. 


I also don't usually set a page goal either. Again, like I said, I read for fun. If I don't want to read that day, then I don't (doesn't happen often). However, I do update my page status on Goodreads on a nightly basis, and I'll notice if I have read a lot that day or not. I'll admit that sometimes I do end up a little upset if I hadn't read that much, but I don't dwell on it. It's not something to worry about. 


What about you? Do you set goals while you're reading? Feel free to post your answers below in the comments!



Sunday, June 24, 2012

Ship Sunday--June 24, 2012


Ship Sunday is a weekly blog hop hosted & created by Emily @ Emily Hearts Books. Each week a book or a book series will be listed & I will discuss my favorite "ship" from that book or book series.Everyone else is welcome to participate each week. If you don't have a blog feel free to comment or if you have a blog & decide to participate,please link back to Emily Hearts Books & post a link to your blog post in the comments! Thanks! For more information check out the features page.




This week's book or book series:



               
                                                  My Favorite Couple from Matched:
                                                                Xander & Cassia

My favorite ship from Matched is the one least likely to end up together: Xander & Cassia. It's not that I don't like Ky, I do like Ky. I also don't like Xander that much more than Ky (I like both guys), it's just that I like the whole "ending up with your best friend" type of thing. It's what I want in real life. I want a guy who becomes my best friend to become my boyfriend, and then we end up married. I think that sounds so cute. 


What's your favorite ship from the Matched Trilogy? Comment below, or if you have a blog, post your link!
                     

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Liebster Award

This morning I received a comment notifying me that I have won an award! My blog's first award! The Liebster Award, given to me by Kit Katz at Kitty Korner Library. Thank you Kitty! That was so kind of you! 

The Liebster Blog Award is given to upcoming bloggers who have less than 200 followers and Liebster is a German word which means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing and welcome. 


If you were notified by me, saying that you were given a Liebster Blog Award, here is what you must do to participate: 

  1. Each person must post 11 facts about themselves.
  2. Answer 11 questions the tagger has given you and ask 11 questions for the people you tag.
  3. Tag 11 more bloggers!
  4. Tell them you tagged them.
  5. No tag backs!!!

         11 Facts about me: 
  1. I love the color purple.
  2. I would love to be a published author one day.
  3. I may no longer be a teenager, but I still love reading books about teenagers. I love YA!
  4. I love raspberries and blueberries. 
  5. I went to Chicago last summer and loved it! When I found out that Divergent takes place in Chicago, it made me love it even more!
  6. I'm not a big fan of Twilight, but I absolutely love Stephenie Meyer's The Host!
  7. I have loved Harry Potter for more than ten years!
  8. The Hunger Games is far behind Harry Potter--I've been a fan for an entire year.
  9. I have huge crushes on fictional characters.
  10. I never took German, but I took 2 years of French in high school, & a year and a half in college.
  11. I took a creative writing class this past quarter of college & enjoyed it a lot.
11 Bloggers I'm Tagging:

Questions to answer:
  1. Why did you start blogging?
  2. What's your favorite element in a book?
  3. How did you come up with your blog name?
  4. What are your hopes for your blog?
  5. What's your favorite book?
  6. How many books are in your to-read pile?
  7. How many books do you read a year?
  8. When did you start blogging?
  9. Do you review every book you read?
  10. How do you pick a book?
  11. What would you like to tell your followers? They will probably be reading this...

Answers to Kitty's Questions:
1. I wanted to start blogging to express my opinions on books. I thought it would be a lot of fun, and I enjoy it a lot. I'm definitely glad that I did start a blog.
2. Romance is definitely my favorite element of a book. To me, a book will be boring and dull, without romance.
3. Good question! I was trying to come up with an original name for my blog, and I knew of a website for one of favorite actresses called iheartwatson, & wanted to stick with something like that so I chose Emily Hearts Books. 
4. I honestly hope to get a larger following. I hope to one day, far off in the future, use my blog as a way to promote my novel. But for now, I just would like more of a following. It would be very cool if I got an ARC from a book publisher for free!
5. I have many different favorite books! I love Harry Potter, The Hunger Games,  Divergent, Delirium, and The Host. Those are my favorites right now.
6. A few. Currently, I'm reading Elsewhere, but I also have Wither & Shatter Me in my "To Read Pile".
7. I hope to read 35 this year. That's my goal. I actually posted about that recently in a Monday Musing.
8. I started blogging March of this year. I created it March 4th, but my first post wasn't until March 5th.
9. No, I haven't reviewed every book I have read since March, but almost all of them. 
10. There are so many different factors that go into selecting a book. It really all depends. If you ask me "why did you read ABC?" I can tell you, but I don't know if there is a specific way on how I select a book.
11. I want to thank my followers for following me. It really means a lot to me. I appreciate it so much.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Book Review: Touch of Power


"Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan absorbs their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Fifteen Realms, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.

Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader, an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own, is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince—leader of a campaign against her people. As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for. Because the price of peace may well be her life..."

Title: Touch of Power
Author: Maria V. Snyder
Year of Release: 2012
Genre: Fantasy
Part of a Series?: Yes, it will have two sequels
Sequel(s): According to Maria's blog they are: Scent of Magic & Taste of Death
What motivated you to read this book?: I read Maria V. Snyder's Inside Out & Outside In and LOVED both books very much, so when I heard she wrote other books I wanted to try them out.
Book Version: Paperback, First edition
Where did you get the book?: My school's library
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Orginal?: Yes
Preditable: Somewhat
Review: Having read and loved Inside Out & Outside In, I expected Touch of Power to be out of this world amazing. Unfortunately, that was not the case. I found it to be remarkably boring, dull, and uninteresting. I had to take a break from it for about a week. When I came back to it, I enjoyed it a lot more. I cared for the characters more than I had before I took a break from it. I still didn't love it, but at least it was enjoyable.

I think the part or fact that bored me the most was the fact that they were on a road trip and nothing seemed to really occur during it. I mean, things did happen, but not things that excited me to no end. Once things happened that interested me, I was able to read faster and finish the book. All in all, I liked the book, and I'm glad that I finished it, but I found the ending to be quite random. I would have liked a better ending. I wouldn't call it a cliff hanger or anything, just a random ending. Oh well. I did like this book enough to want to read the sequels, but I'm not going to rush out and buy them. I'll probably read them several months after they come out.

Road Trip Wednesday--June 20, 2012

Road Trip Wednesday is a blog hop hosted the awesome people over at  YA Highway. Each Wednesday they ask a writing or reading related question that we can think about & discuss. It's very similar to Musing Mondays. But hey, I like talking about reading & writing! It's fun! If you have a blog, feel free to participate. If not, post your answer in the comments!

This week's discussion topic is: 
How did you spend/how will you spend the summer after graduation?



Excellent question! Well, I'm not sure how this question has to do with reading or writing, but I'm not complaining. The summer after I graduated high school, I actually started writing a book. I never finished it, but I came pretty close to doing so. Even though I never plan on finishing it, I am definitely glad I had the experience. Writing is better than not writing at all! Besides writing that summer, I also remember going to my cousin's wedding that August. It had been several years since I had been to a wedding, so I was really happy to be able to go to one because I love weddings.

As for the summer after I graduate from college (which happens to be next summer!!), I plan on going to Florida with my mother and checking out the Harry Potter theme park! Hopefully it will all work out and I'll get to go! I've wanted to go to the Universal  Park for several years now.


Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Road Trip Wednesday--June 13, 2012

Road Trip Wednesday is a blog hop hosted the awesome people over at  YA Highway. Each Wednesday they ask a writing or reading related question that we can think about & discuss. It's very similar to Musing Mondays. But hey, I like talking about reading & writing! It's fun! If you have a blog, feel free to participate. If not, post your answer in the comments!

This week's discussion topic is: 



If you could go on a writing retreat anywhere, where would you go & who would you bring? If time and money were no object, where would you shut yourself away to write the great American novel? And what friends, crit partners, or inspiring authors (living or dead!) would you bring along?


Source


Love this question! If I could go anywhere to just write, I would go to the Caribbean Islands. The setting of my novel takes place on an island quite similar to the Caribbean, so I would want to take full advantage and go there so I would be able to describe what it is like there in my novel. As for who I would bring along, I'd bring my future husband with me. I wouldn't want many other people there with me to distract me from my writing, so I would only bring the love of my life with me.


Tuesday, June 12, 2012

You Know You're Reading a Great Book When...

I started thinking about this when I was reading The Host (View review here). I came up with a lot of things.

So...


You Know You're Reading a Great Book When...

... you become emotionally attached to the characters. You're happy when they're happy. You're sad when they're sad. You're in pain when they're in pain. The list goes on...
...you start panicking when the characters put themselves into difficult situations even when they aren't panicking.
... you find yourself attracted to one of the characters.
...you would love to have one or more of the characters as your  friend.
... you literally do nothing but read all day.
...you can't stop thinking about it when you're not reading.
...you get upset when someone spoils parts of it for you.
...you cry whenever a character you love dies.
...you cry when you finish.
...you talk about the characters as if they are real people.
...the wait for the sequel becomes excruciating for you.
...you want the characters to be real.
...you stay up later than you intend too & you have to force yourself to stop reading. (I literally had to say "Stop Emily" when reading The Host late one night.)
...you can't sleep after forcing yourself to stop reading it because you are unable to stop thinking about it.
...you want to live in the world the story takes place in.
... you become envious of the author's writing style.
...you look ahead even when you are extremely against doing so. (I did this with The Hunger Games & The Host.)
...you start comparing everything in real life to it.
...you get all giddy inside whenever you meet a person in real life who has the same name as a character.
...you laugh out loud when thinking about a part in the story and everyone looks at you like you're a freak.
...you can't stop reading! (From Facebook Friend, Vani)
...you go to the kitchen and try to fix a meal with one hand because your other  hand is holding the book. (From Facebook Friend, Amiesha)
...you time travel into the book and think it's real life and happening to you as you read, and then something jars you out of your fantasy and you realize it is in fact not real life. (From Facebook Friend, Jessy)
...you start rereading parts of it the same day you finished it.
...you start rereading it less than a week after finishing it.

Thanks to some of my Facebook friends for their input! I would also like to hear what others have to say! Please comment your thoughts below! If I get a lot of comments, I'll post a part II.

Top Ten Tuesday--June 12, 2012

Top 10 Tuesday (#3)


Top 10 Tuesday is a blog hop hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. They post a Top 10 topic & other blogs participate & link their blog post to their website. It is a way to get to know your follow bloggers & get more traffic on your own blog! If you have a book blog, you can definitely participate! If not, you can still post your answers below in the comments!

This week's topic for Top Ten Tuesday is: 

Top Ten Books I'd Recommend As Good Beach Reads

Nice topic for the beginning of the summer! Here's my list in no order:

1. The Hunger Games


2. The Host


3. Delirium

4. Matched


5. Inside Out


6. Divergent


7. Harry Potter


8. The Scorpio Races


9. A Kiss in Time


10. The Last Song

So what about you? What are your Top Ten Books You'd Recommend As Good Beach Reads?

Monday, June 11, 2012

Book Review: The Host




Book Description from Goodreads:

"Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. Our world has been invaded by an unseen enemy. Humans become hosts for these invaders, their minds taken over while their bodies remain intact and continue their lives apparently unchanged. Most of humanity has succumbed.

When Melanie, one of the few remaining "wild" humans, is captured, she is certain it is her end. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, was warned about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the glut of senses, the too-vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

Wanderer probes Melanie's thoughts, hoping to discover the whereabouts of the remaining human resistance. Instead, Melanie fills Wanderer's mind with visions of the man Melanie loves - Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she has been tasked with exposing. When outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off on a dangerous and uncertain search for the man they both love."

Warning! This review is filled with spoilers!

Title: The Host
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Year of Release: 2008
Genre: Science Fiction & Romance
Part of a Series?: Possibly, Stephenie said that she might write two sequels. I definitely hope so! I think she will!
Sequel(s): According to Goodreads, the sequels would be called The Soul & The Seeker
Recommended by: My friend Brittany
What motivated you to read this book?: I saw the book on Goodreads back in January when I first got an account. I knew of the book from several years ago, but prior to actually reading about it on Goodreads, I had no intention of reading it because I thought the concept of aliens invading humans' bodies seemed creepy and disturbing. However, when I saw it on Goodreads, I thought it seemed interesting and figured I would read it eventually. Then approximately 3 weeks ago, my friend Brittany told me that I should read it. She told me a little bit about it & I was intrigued even more than I had originally had been. Therefore, I decided to read it sooner than I thought I would.
Book Version: Hardback, First edition
Where did you get the book?: My school's library
Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Orginal?: Yes, very original
Preditable: For the most part, no
Review: I honestly don't know where to begin, but must I say that it was not what I expected at all. I thought it would be really good, but it ended up being so much better than that. Words cannot describe how much I loved it. I literally could not put it down for days, and whenever I wasn't reading it, it was continuously on my mind. (And still is.)

Throughout the story, I was constantly conflicted about whether I felt sorry for Wanderer or Melanie. Being human, my heart felt for Melanie who was no longer in charge of her own body. That would be very frustrating, living trapped inside your own body, but without a say in what it did. Her memories of when she was on the run with Jared and Jamie were heart wrenching for me to read because I wanted so badly for her to be with the two of them when she couldn't be. I also felt pain for Wanderer, most commonly known as Wanda, as well. As much as I wanted Melanie to be in control of her own body, I grew to love Wanda & was nearly in tears when Wanda had made her choice at the end of the story.

Stephenie Meyer was able to describe emotion so powerfully, that I felt many emotions while reading this book. I was filled with complete happiness, giddiness, sorrow, pain, anger, frustration and annoyance. One moment I was laughing out loud, and the next I was on the verge of tears.

I really love the character development of all of my favorite characters: Wanda, Melanie, Jared & Ian. None of these characters were the way they were at the beginning of the story. Wanda went from hating the fact that Melanie was still within her body and doing everything she could to annoy her and push her out (She almost got a new host!) to loving Melanie, worrying about her, and even willing to sacrifice herself for her. Melanie was the same. She went from hating and annoying Wanda to loving and caring for Wanda. She didn't want Wanda to sacrifice herself for her. Jared went from wanting Wanda dead on the spot to tolerating her to caring and loving for her. Finally, my favorite character Ian, went from being extremely murderous to a compassionate, loving individual who truly accepted Wanda for who she really is. (I found his change of heart the most surprising.) It was also interesting how he went from being a minor character to a main character as the story went on. Most importantly, I really liked how the characters all grew to love one another. Wanda, who originally hated humans, thinking that they are murderous, unkind, and violent, ended up in a community of humans who grew to love her the way she loved them.

Ultimately, my favorite part of the novel was the romance. I really liked Jared right from the start. The way he smiled and always held Melanie's hand (in her memories). It was really cute. It made me so sad though that Melanie couldn't be with him anymore. However, I did think it was kind of funny and strange that he kissed her within minutes of realizing that she was human. I guess, though, with it being the end of the world and your own species becoming extinct, you never know when you are going to die, so you have to make the most of everything. But still, the things he told her about how he would rather die than leave her after only knowing her for four weeks seemed kind of strange. I still thought they were good together though, despite their 9 year age difference. Then, of course, when Wanda shows up at the cave, Jared hates her and wants to kill her. That justified his feelings for Melanie. (However, it was over four years later I believe.) I understood completely. I'd have difficulties too if someone I loved had been invaded by an alien.

Ian. I loved Ian. I was really surprised with his sudden change of heart when it came to Wanda. He was one of the first people to accept her into the human community, much earlier than Jared did. His protectiveness of her, in addition to his extreme kindness made me like him before I realized that he was going to be a love interest for Wanda. (I was like "add him to my list of fictional crushes!".) I was starting to think that he liked her, especially when he kissed her forehead! That was so cute! I really liked how after he admitted his feelings for Wanda that he was so patient and understanding when Wanda was confused about how she felt towards him. I also thought it was adorable when he sobbed when he realized Wanda's decision about leaving. The exchange between the two of them during that part was one of my favorite parts of the novel.

I did have one problem though with the romance. It felt as though Wanda chose Ian only because Jared already had Melanie. Like Ian was a rebound or something. Whenever he touched her she simply thought it was nice, but whenever Jared touched her, she described it as being like fire. Later on though, she described his touches and kisses with more feeling. So, perhaps, he was not her rebound. No, I don't think so.

This book really made me think about humanity. Humans really are cruel, deceptive, nasty, and even murderous. However, as shown in the book, some humans are caring, compassionate, loving, honest, and moral.

All in all, I loved this book and I highly recommend it.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Ship Sunday--June 10th

Ship Sunday is a new weekly blog hop hosted & created by Emily @ Emily Hearts Books. Each week a book or a book series will be listed & I will discuss my favorite "ship" from that book or book series. For more information check out the features page.


Warning: There are spoilers in this post!
This week's book or book series:


Delirium
By Lauren Oliver 

                     
            
                   
                                                     My favorite ship from Delirium:
                                                                Alex & Lena


I love Alex & Lena together. I knew almost instantly that Alex was going to be the one she ended up with as soon as Lena saw him in the lab when she was getting tested. They are really good together. Alex has helped Lena so much in learning that love is not a disease. If it weren't for him, she would still be in Portland, cured, & stoic. I definitely think that the two of them will end up together at the end of Requiem. I can't wait to read that book!


What's your favorite ship from Delirium? Comment below, or if you have a blog, post your link!
                     

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Road Trip Wednesday--June 6, 2012

Road Trip Wednesday is a blog hop hosted the awesome people over at  YA Highway. Each Wednesday they ask a writing or reading related question that we can think about & discuss. It's very similar to Musing Mondays. But hey, I like talking about reading & writing! It's fun! If you have a blog, feel free to participate. If not, post your answer in the comments!

This week's discussion topic is:

What was the best book you read in May?

I put my head down in shame when I say this, but I only read one book in May. I am normally very busy during the school year & don't have much time to read. With that said though, the book I read, Insurgent, would have topped any other book that I would have read in May. Insurgent was phenomenal! I loved it. I highly recommend it to, well, everyone! You need to read it if you haven't read it yet. Read my review of it here.

So, without posting any spoilers, what was the best book you read in May?


Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday--June 5, 2012

Top 10 Tuesday (#2)

 Top 10 Tuesday is a blog hop hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. They post a Top 10 topic & other blogs participate & link their blog post to their website. It is a way to get to know your follow bloggers & get more traffic on your own blog! If you have a book blog, you can definitely participate! If not, you can still post your answers below in the comments!

Warning: This post has spoilers in it from Delirium Trilogy & The Scorpio Races (Major Spoilers in #'s 3, 6 & 7)


This week's Top Ten Tuesday is: 

Rewind. Pick any past topic. 

Well, when looking through their past topics, their Top Ten Fictional Crushes Topic stood out to me. I definitely have a lot of crushes on fictional characters. Here is my list:


1. Peeta-The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins- I loved Peeta ever since he helped Katniss on the train ride to the Capitol in the first book. I simply adore him. There isn't one thing I don't like about him. He is so kind and so sweet. Oh my goodness. I just love him. Plus, the fact that he was willing to die for Katniss numerous times throughout the series. *sigh* He's perfect. Probably too perfect.

2. Tobias-Divergent by Veronica Roth-Surprisingly, I didn't like Tobias at all when he was first introduced to the story. I thought he was rude & a complete jerk. He definitely grew on me when the romance started. He's very romantic. Definitely the type of guy I would love to date.  I especially like how he is portrayed as not being perfect. It's totally realistic. The best thing about him though, is that he likes Tris because she is strong. I love that.

3. Alex-Delirium by Lauren Oliver-I love Alex. He is so sweet. I love how he helped Lena realize that love is not a disease, that it's good. I would definitely say that my favorite thing about him was when he caught Lena with her match & he didn't get mad at her like she thought he would. He was compltely understanding about it. Let's just hope that he is just as understanding in Requiem after he caught Lena with Julian!!

4. Riley-Inside Out by Maria Snyder-Riley is definitely a likable character. He is sweet, romantic, and protective. Like Tobias from Divergent, he knows that his girlfriend, Trella, is strong and capable of being a good leader, even when she doesn't see it herself.

5. Sam-Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater-Sam. Oh, Sam. A sweet, kind guy, who also plays the guitar and writes poetry. I don't know any guys in real life who write poetry. Seems pretty romantic if you ask me.

6. Sean- The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater-Who doesn't like a mysterious guy? Not only that, but what he does for Puck in the end is very selfless.

7. Julian-Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver- For the first time ever, I actually like both guys in a love triangle. Although, I'm Team Alex, I'll feel sorry for Julian if he doesn't end up with Lena. He seems like a very nice guy. I like how he changed so much in Pandemonium.

8. Xander-Matched by Ally Condie-Again, I like both guys in this love triangle. I liked Xander because he seemed like the "Guy Next Door" type of guy who you grow up with and is your best friend. I also love the idea of a girl ending up with her guy best friend. 

9. Ky-Matched by Allie Condie-I like Ky in addition to Xander. I read somewhere that Ally Condie who wrote Matched took her husband's characteristics and split the two of them between Ky & Xander. Man, her husband must be the perfect guy, because both Ky & Xander have great characteristics.

10. Ron Weasley- Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling-I always loved Ron. He's hilarious. I love his sense of humor. He was my favorite Harry Potter character for years.

That is my list of current fictional crushes. The top three are my all time favorites right now. It will be interesting to see which characters stand out to me in the books I read this summer.

Now it's your turn! Who are your fictional crushes? Let me know in the comments!
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