The Immortal Rules

What I’m listening to right now: My fan blowing hot air around
What mood I’m in today: I’m Not Sure

Eeeeeeeeeee! I know, it’s not a word, but it’s what I said when I found out about this book. Of course, there was a big part of me that sighed and went, “Another vampire book? Really?” So although I was super excited for the new novel from one of my favorite authors, I was hesitant to find myself in another vampire story.

Vampires Suck (parody movie)

What the book is about:

Allison Sekemoto lives in an altered futuristic universe (I guess you could take out “altered.” Who knows? Vampires may someday rule the world). She’s a survivor, mixed up with a gang of other teenagers who are also parentless because they’ve all been killed, either by vampires or rabids (a subspecies of vampire, as you’ll find out in this book).

While making a daring attempt to gather food one night, most of Allison’s gang is killed by rabids. Even she is ready to die when Kanin, a vampire master (or something like that), asks her if she wants to live. The bad news, she’ll be a vampire forever. Her survival instincts kick in, and she’ll take being a bloodsucker over death, so she agrees.

Kanin Turns her, then trains her on how to live as a vampire. He tells her that she can only survive on human blood, and that one day, she’ll kill another human being. He assures her that she’s a monster, just like him, but that she has a choice of what kind of monster she’ll become. Though she doesn’t know what this means at first, she begins to figure it out.

After Kanin is captured by vampires, Allison runs for it. She’s on her own until she runs into a band of humans making their way toward a place called Eden, which may or may not exist. She meets Jeb, a hardened man who will do anything to get to this place, and Zeke, a seventeen year old boy who takes an interest in her. What the rest of the band doesn’t know is that something is trying to kill them.

What I liked about this book:

Great story line! A fantastic break from lovesick vampires and general smushiness, this book was a little more gritty and true to life. People are selfish, rotten and unpredictable, but it’s the fight Allison makes to prove she’s better than a blood-thirsty vampire that makes the story. Aren’t we all fighting our own little (or big) demons? I want to be good! I hope to be good, and to fight the natural demons that want to get out of me.

I love the connection between Zeke and Allison. It’s realistic, and it gives people a sense of hope throughout the book. I read a review that said the middle of the story was slow, but I didn’t think so because the middle of the book is where Zeke and Allie become acquainted. Yes, much of it is a back story, but a needed back story, kind of like the first Harry Potter.

What I didn’t like about this book:

Again, it’s too much foul language for me. That being said, it’s not like there was a lot of it. I’ve read books with much more. And Kagawa refrains from using the “eff” word in most of her books. It does appear in the beginning of The Iron King, to show the seriousness of the situation I think.

It was also a little lengthy for me. Not that I’m complaining; it was like reading two books. But it did take me an extra-long time to finish. I’m not a fast reader, and I’m a mother of three and a part-time business woman, so it leaves me with not a lot of free time.

Worth it though? Definitely.

Until next time, grab a good spooky book on this fabulously cloudy day (if it’s cloudy where you are), maybe one about vampires.

The Immortal Rules Official Website 
Thanks to Goodreads for the Cover pic
Thanks to http://2or3thingsiknowaboutfilm.blogspot.com/2011_11_01_archive.html for the Vampires Suck pic
Thanks to http://kristina-worldofbooks.blogspot.com/2012/04/immortal-rules-review.html for the wicked pic of Allie and her Katana blade (where you will also find another review of this book :)

Holes

What I’m listening to right now: Hallelujah, Rufus Wainwright

What mood I’m in today: Reading 

I can’t believe it took me so long to read this book. I saw the movie first, and loved it. And I loved the book too. The movie hardly strays from the book at all, with two differences I noticed: Stanley Yelnats starts out overweight in the book, and there is one scene from the book (lady in slippers) that wasn’t in the movie.

The first thing I loved about this book is the main character, Stanley. His first name is just his last name spelled backward. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and getting mixed up in a crime he didn’t commit, was sent to Camp Greenlake, a juvenile detention center for boys.

Here we meet Armpit, Squid, X-Ray, and most importantly, Zero. Every day they have to dig holes, five feet wide and five feet tall, all to build character, or at least that’s what they’re told. It doesn’t take long for Stanley to realize the warden is looking for something.

Louis Sachar does an excellent job with his flashbacks. They are timed right, and you begin to understand how all the stories are connected. It might take a couple of reads, and a little bit of movie watching, to really understand and get everything that’s going on. From the onions to the yellow-spotted lizards, the story keeps you intrigued to the end.

One of my favorite lines – from the book and the movie – is “I can fix that.” Sam is such a great character, and good man who falls in love with Katherine Barlow, the school teacher. This is a long time ago, of course. Back when Greenlake was actually a lake, and not a dessert. When Sam kisses Katherine, it’s such a beautiful moment, ruined by the peeking townspeople, who kill Sam for what he did. Why? Because he’s black, and Katherine’s white.

If you haven’t read this, or seen it, do it! It is a can’t miss opportunity to work your brain and enjoy at the same time. Clean and fun for the whole family. The “Aha!” moments never end, up until the very last lines.

Until next time! Enjoy your summer, and keep reading!

Shatter Me

What mood I'm in today: Writing
What I'm listening to right now: What Makes You Beautiful, One Direction (Yes, I'm a geek)

So I've been waiting to read Shatter Me for a while now, after hearing fantastic things about it. And I'm hear to tell you, they're all true.

First I'll get this out of the way: I'm not a big fan of lots of swearing (a few too many for me in this book) and it's a little violent in places, but the reason Tahereh Mafi gets away with this is the story is great!

From the get go, you have a mystery to figure out. Who is this girl in prison that can't touch people? And why can't she touch people? Well, it's because she can kill them. With her skin.

Juliette gets a roommate, someone she knows, who doesn't remember her. She is taken out of prison and sent to a place slightly worse: a big gray building owned by the Reestablishment and conducted by a nineteen-year-old psycho named Warner. (So many questions already, right? Who is the Reestablishment? Is this futuristic? Not telling.)

And Warner is seriously scary.

He wants Juliette in every way imaginable, but he wants her to torture people at his side. Not only this, but he resents having to force her to do it. He wants her to want to do it. He knows exactly what to say to get her mad and do what he wants her to do. He's cruel from the inside out, and he still has this weird thing about his mom that we have yet to discover.

Adam, gorgeous and protective lovely Adam, was the soldier assigned to her cell. He loves her, has since third grade, but she doesn't know this. He's super protective of her, tells her about the cameras in her room, and finally figures out he can touch her.

Adam can touch her, and it doesn't hurt him. How perfect is that?

Without giving away much more, I'll tell you what I love about this book. It was a challenge to read because of the writing style, (words crossed out, extremely poetic) but I loved it for this reason. It opened my brain up, and I could picture everything almost perfectly. I like the love story - it's a bit over-the-top for me, but a great story nonetheless. The end was fantastic and gives you a feeling of hope, even though it's not the end of the story. The book also keeps you interested. Great dialogue, not giving away too much at the beginning, and constant movement.

Can't wait for Unravel Me, out February 2013.

Until next time, Happy Reading!

Supernaturally Complicated

What I’m listening to right now: I’m Glad You Came, The Wanted
What mood I’m in today: Writing

Okay, so when I first started reading this book – months ago – I couldn’t get into it for some reason. Maybe it was just the place I was in at the time. Mentally. But I picked it up again a few days ago, and oh my bleep! It was awesomeness that I couldn’t put down. By the way, I was in the store the other day and when confronted with a problem actually said, “Oh bleep!” out loud. I’m pretty sure I got some weird looks for that. Not to mention when I said that the pants with the bling on them were “Uber-sparkly.” (yes, overly sparkly so much so that it was a little disturbing)

Supernaturally starts out with Evie at school, trying to play a game of soccer, which she’s terrible at. She describes her new “normal” life briefly, before being Raquel unexplainably checks her out of school and she is snatched by a sylph and dragged up into the clouds. Unable to fight him any other way, she steals some of his soul and starts to half-fall, half-float to the ground.

So the whole point of the story is how she starts working with IPCA again because she wants just a hint of her other life back, how she lies to Lend, a new boy from IPCA named Jack that’s mischievous with a wicked grin to match, and what she finds out about her past. WARNING – SPOILER ALERT! She actually has a father, a drunk faerie who Reth introduces her too, and a mother who she knows nothing about, except that she was probably human and probably dead.

I absolutely loved this book, and I think it was because I could relate so completely to Evie right now. She struggles with feeling a part of nothing, the fact that she belongs to no race whatsoever; not quite human, not quite faerie, and nowhere in between. Figuring out exactly what you’re supposed to be or who you are is a grueling, sometimes earth-shattering experience. I so know how that feels. And sometimes you round another corner and “Oh bleep!” It starts all over again. Four stars, definitely, better than Paranormalcy even, and a fun but empathetic reading experience.

I love Kiertsen White, and I love how she uses “bleep” to get away with no vulgarity in her books. Love it! And it’s also a happy little reminder of Lish. Oh Lish, we miss you. Anyway, I’m also super excited because the third book in the series, Endlessly, comes out July 24. May I direct you to her blog? http://kierstenwrites.blogspot.com/. Yep, so excited.

Until next time, Happy Reading!

A Wrinkle in Time

What I’m listening to right now: NPR

Mood I’m in today: reading

Meg Murry is a stubborn, out-of-place girl who spends most of time defending her youngest brother, Charles Wallace, with her fist. Her father disappeared a few years ago, and the town’s all-a-talk about how he abandoned his family and turned Meg and her brother into stupid kids.

Little does Meg know, her father’s been on another planet during most of this time. Along with her brother Charles Wallace, and her new friend Calvin, three mysterious ladies take them through the “Wrinkle” in time and space in order to face the Evil darkness that is consuming other planets, including earth.

Overall, I’m giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. It was a great read, and I really got into parts of it. Although this is considered a children’s book, I definitely wouldn’t rule out Young Adults as an appropriate audience. I love the instant friendship between Meg and Calvin, and how much they rely on each other throughout the book, how Meg is always reaching out for his hand. The character development – a realization that being stubborn can be a great strength, for example – is well done throughout the book.

I love the three ladies, especially Mrs. Whatsit, who you come to find out had an amazing past and gave up something she loved dearly to fight the Evil dark thing.

There was something about this story that bothered me, though I’m not exactly sure what. Maybe the waiting so long to find out what happened to Meg’s father? Of course, this did allow for some character development.

A good story, one to read with your entire family. Again, happy reading!