BeTween the Lines

Everlost

2009-07-25T11:19:00.004-04:00

Wow, this book was beyond incredible. The same author of Unwind totally gained my respect back. Unwind and Everlost were so different.

I won't say too much on the story itself but pretty much follows Allie, Nick, and Mary Hightower. All three are dead. Nick and Allie had recently died in a car crash, they both had unfinished business. As the story progresses secrets are discovered, monsters thwarted, love found, and enemies made.

My Opinion
-Grossing story
-Just enough scare to haunt you without being cheesy.
- wonderful problematic characters
-The descriptions were breathtaking. Like I never have nor ever will read anything like it.
-WOW!

PS: Usually I hate this comparison just because books will be books and they shouldn't be compared to other books but compared to themselves and other books the same author had written but, in this story Neal Schusterman definitely had JK Rowling.

House of the Scorpion

2009-07-05T13:51:00.004-04:00

This book was great. It was one of those few amazing books I discovered on my own. The plot was fresh and haunting. Characters were unique and you were able to relate to them.

Yet again we find ourselves tossed into a futuristic society. A boy named Matt had found that the world was much, much bigger than his caretaker Cecilia had made it out to be. It's also much, much crueler.

Matteo Alacran is his full name. He is a clone to El Patron, a rich drug lord that rules the strip of land between America and what used to be Mexico. This means that when El Patron needs a spare organ. His clone is chopped to pieces.

Until his parts are needed Matt, unlike most clones enjoys a variety of activities like playing the piano and other such things. One thing Matt lacks is friends because to everyone else Matt being a clone means that he is a savage.

The time comes for Matt to be killed but he doesn't come willingly and with the help of his body guard, gets away and El Patron dies. Everyone want Matt dead but now that El Patron is dead an ancient law comes into play that just might be the best thing that ever happened to Matt.

The Good and the Bad
-Unique characters
-Rich plot
-Surprising Revolution
-It's not a quick read

PS:
I hadn't even realized 'till after I finished the book that it was written by one of my favorite authors Ms. Nancy Farmer she was the amazing creator of the Sea of Trolls and the Land of the Silver Apples. I loved both of those book but they were very long.

Unwind

2009-07-04T17:07:00.003-04:00

This book was disgusting and disturbing the whole way through. It was over done where it should be light and easy and under the bar where it should be intense. One word for this book would be HARD.

When I say hard, I do not mean reading level wise, I mean emotionally it was a very trying read.

The book follow just three kids for the most part. Lev, Risa, and Connor.

They live in a futuristic society where between the ages of 13 and 18 a parent has the right to unwind their child. This mean that if they no longer want their child they have the right to sign their child's life away.

Unwinding was compromise between Pro-Life and Pro-Choice activists after the 2nd civil war called the Heartland War. Unwinding satisfied Pro-Life activist because technically the child lived on (just in a bunch of little pieces that kept other people alive). It satisfied Pro-Choice activists because there was a choice present.

Connor's parents decide to Unwind him after he broke a series of rules and got in fights at school.

Risa is Unwound to make space at an orphanage.

Lev is a tithe, he is an Unwind to help the greater good by giving up parts and helping the population.

All 3 change, all 3 learn, All 3 live (sort of).

My Opinion
-Most characters were shallow minded and cliched
-The story didn't get me thinking like some do.
-It was made out to be better than it was
-Even my mother disliked the idea.

WARNING!
I read almost all books after they were recommended to me. This one was recommended by my librarian to me, I may have just had too high expectations.

Uglies

2009-07-03T09:03:00.003-04:00

Alright, this book was absolutely horrible at first. I was ready to throw it at the person who recommended it to me and forget about it. Instead I kept on going and suddenly it was fantastic. A completely different book.

Uglies is about a Tally, a 15 (16 later) year old girl who lives in a futuristic society where when you turn 16 you get an operation that makes you super gorgeous. Tally is the youngest of all the 15 year olds until she meets Shay a girl who shares her September 9th b-day. Everything about Shay is great until she disappears.

Tally leaves for the operation but when she gets there she is forced to go out to Special Circumstances, the group who takes care of all that goes wrong, Imagine a group of Twilight vampires with no mercy, that's SC. They're super strong, super fast, and super smart. They tell Tally that unless she tells them all they want to to know about Shay and where she went, she'll never become pretty.

Tally tells them about the set of directions Shay left in case she decided she wanted to go too. She also told them about the Smokies, an organization of Uglies who didn't want to become pretty.

SC sends Tally to find the location of the Smokey. When she finds it she meets David, Shay's crush and he falls for her. This causes the usual love triangle crud.

David introduces Tally to his parents who tell her their startling discovery about the pretty Operation. It doesn't just change the way you look, it changes the way you think.

The Good and the Bad
-Slow beginning
-Original plot
-Strong characters
-Has you thinking about your pretty Operation.
-Hard to follow at first
-Cool Gadgets.

The Hunger Games

2009-06-08T17:13:00.002-04:00

Today's Review: The Hunger Games

Katniss Everdeen belongs to a poor, under-privileged family. That's pretty common, but she lives in the future land of Panem in the 12th out of 12 districts that surround the Capitol. Each year a male and a female called tributes, are chosen to go to the Capitol to compete in a blood thirsty televised show called the Hunger Games. To lose is to die, to win is untold riches.

At the reaping, where the tributes are chosen, Katniss ends up being picked but not in the way you might expect. See, the tributes are chosen much like a number is chosen for Bingo or the lottery. Her little 12 year old sister is drawn and Katniss goes for her.

When Katniss arrives in the Capitol with fellow tribute, Peeta Mellark. She learns that the games might not just be kill or be killed.

Life, Love, Lies.

Death.

The story is told in Katniss's POV.

My Opinion

-Idea becoming used

-Well built characters

-too focused on Peeta and Katniss

-Gets you VERY involved

-Written with wonderful context and vocab.

-The land is described with extremely detailed descriptions, makes you feel like you should be worrying about the next reaping.

Other Books

(#2) Catching Fire (Not published: releases Sept. 1st)

Unannounced Title (#3)

Other Info

Movie releases 2010

author's website:http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

2009-06-08T16:05:00.000-04:00

Today's book review is: Percy Jackson.

Percy Jackson starts with the Lightning Thief. Percy Jackson is: a 12 year old dyslexic, ADHD, 6th grader who has been expelled form every school he's ever gone to. Percy Jackson sounds like one of those dumb educational books that our mom or dad makes us read. Honestly though the Greek Mythology is worked in quite well and the way it is narrated keeps it fresh and young.

Percy finds out he is the son of a Greek god and is accused of grand theft. No, he didn't steal a car, he stole a very, very powerful weapon from one of the Big Three: Zeus, Poseidon, or Hades. Percy goes on a quest to save his father's pride and to clear his name.

On the quest Percy is faced by many monsters from mythology. He has two friends Annabeth, a smart mouthed, know it all daughter of Athena (Hermione, basically) and Grover, a nature loving half goat man, who happens to be a wimp.

As the series goes on we meet many other complicated characters while Percy Jackson battles Kronos, a titan who is out to destroy the gods and a friend who betrayed Percy is the host of Kronos's soul.

Eventually there's a big show down at the end of the last book. The author nicely keeps it from being too predictable (or I'm easy to surprise).

My Opinion:
-The first book is incredible
-The language is child like
-It's easy to read
-much like Harry Potter
-I dislike Annabeth
-All the characters have flaws :D

Other Books
#1 The Lightning Thief
#2 Sea of Monsters
#3 Titan's Curse
#4 Battle of the Labyrinth
#5 The Last Olympian

Companions
the Demigod Files
Monsters and Demigods (or something like that)

Other Info
Second Camp Halblood Series expected
Movie comes out February 2010
see the author's blog at rickriordan.blogspot.com