Finnikin of the Rock

#7: Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta


Synopsis via Goodreads :


At the age of nine, Finnikin is warned by the gods that he must sacrifice a pound of flesh in order to save the royal house of his homeland, Lumatere. 

And so he stands on the rock of three wonders with his childhood friend Prince Balthazar and the prince's cousin, Lucian, and together they mix their blood. And Lumatere is safe. 

Until the 'five days of the unspeakable', when the King and Queen and their children are slaughtered in the palace. And an imposter king takes the throne. 
And a curse is put on Lumatere, which traps those caught inside and forces thousands of others to roam the land as exiles, dying of fever and persecution in foreign camps. 

But ten years later Finnikin is led to another rock to meet the young novice, Evanjalin. A girl plagued by dark dreams, who holds the key to their return to the Land of light..

I was really excited to read this one because I had heard nothing but good reviews for it. Unfortunately, it didn't quiiiiite live up to my expectations. The writing had a classic fantasy novel feel to it and it kind of reminded me of The Lord of the Rings trilogy-- one of my all time favorite obsessions! The story itself, however, was nowhere near as outstanding as Tolkien's classic tale. Now, the story isn't bad. It's just very.... boring. Very boring. In fact, it was so dry and dull that I found myself flipping through the pages glossy-eyed and falling asleep. It wasn't until the last few chapters that it really started to get interesting for me. I mean, I know everyone wants to hump Melina Marchetta's leg because she's such an amazing writer or whatever, but based on what I have read in this book and in her Printz-winning Jellicoe Road, I think that she tries way too hard. Both of these stories were boring and hard to follow until the very end. This being said, the endings of both books really are excellent. I guess I'm just the type of girl who likes to enjoy an entire book rather than just the end. Must be a brunette thing.

Matched

#6: Matched by Ally Condie

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

I bought this book the day that it came out because I had heard that it was a dystopian love story (<3) and because I heard that the author got a $1,000,000 deal for it. A million dollars?! It has to be good, right?! Wrong. This book was a big fat RIP OFF. I hope that Condie shared her large sum of money with Lois Lowry and Suzanne Collins because those were the real authors of this book. The whole setting of the story was absurdly close to that of The Giver from the assignment banquet at the beginning to the whole hardcore strict government thing and the love plot was pretty dang close to the one in The Hunger Games. Also, at the end of the book I was left with a feeling that they were trying to make Cassia sound just like Katniss.

That being said, this book was not completely awful. I enjoyed some of the new ideas such as handwriting being extinct and poetry being lost and whatnot. These few factors that I enjoyed, however, were also very underdeveloped in the story and didn't convince me as much as I would have liked. Because of this, I was shocked to find that so many people on Goodreads gave this book 4 or 5 stars. I can only assume that these individuals either have not read The Giver or The Hunger Games or are complete idiots.

In short, I would have enjoyed this book much more if the ideas presented in it were original, but because The Giver and The Hunger Games are both as popular and as amazing as they are, I can only assume that the author stole her ideas from Lowry and Collins. I just couldn't get past my anger enough to enjoy the story much at all. Sorry, this review got a bit ranty.

Luna

#5: Luna by Julie Anne Peters

Synopsis via Goodreads:

For years, Regan's brother Liam has been nursing a secret. By day, he is Liam, a passably typical boy of his age; at night, he transforms himself into Luna, his true, female self. Regan loves and supports her brother and she keeps his Liam/Luna secret. Things change, though, when Luna decides to emerge from her cocoon. She begins dressing like a girl in public; first at the mall; then at school; then at home. Regan worries that her brother's transgender identity is threatening her own slippery hold on normalcy. This serious, powerful teen novel was a National Book Award finalist for Young People's Literature

This was a great book! I was drawn to it by the pretty girl and butterfly on the cover only to discover that the girl on the cover might be a boy! The story of Liam/Luna is touching and gives some insight into the life of a trans-gendered person.

I was particularly drawn in by the narrator. Liam/Luna may be going through all this gender crap, but his sister Regan has to deal with her brother/sister which takes a huge toll on her social life. I mean, come on! She has a totally hot boy after her and she can't hang out with him because she's so busy helping her brother/sister express her darn self! Poor Regan :( Anyway, the point is that I really loved the characterization in the book. It was all totally believable and I was hooked! I look forward to reading more Peters novels in the future.

Antony and Cleopatra

#4: Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623. The plot is based on Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Life of Marcus Antonius and follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony from the time of the Parthian War to Cleopatra's suicide. The major antagonist is Octavius Caesar, one of Antony's fellow triumviri and the future first emperor of Rome. The tragedy is a Roman play characterized by swift, panoramic shifts in geographical locations and in registers, alternating between sensual, imaginative Alexandria and the more pragmatic, austere Rome.


Okay, so I decided that every fourth book that I read for this challenge will be a piece of "classic" literature because that stuff is important and I won't read it otherwise. I was super pumped to read Antony and Cleopatra because it was a piece of history that I had already known about, but one which I have never heard in story form. Egyptian queen? Hot Roman leader? Epic love story for the ages? YES, PLEASE. Boy was I let down. This story hardly has anything romantic in it at all! Cleopatra may be an Egyptian queen, but she's also a drama queen and completely annoyed me through the entire thing. Antony was just a total idiot and deserved what happened to him for being so. On top of the totally lame characters was the fact that the love plot was totally secondary to the stupid military thing. If you've read my review of Monsters of Men then you know how much I hate war stories. I have one word for this story: DISAPPOINTMENT.

Sold

#3: Sold by Patricia McCormick

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Lakshmi is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives with her family in a small hut on a mountain in Nepal. Though she is desperately poor, her life is full of simple pleasures, like playing hopscotch with her best friend from school, and having her mother brush her hair by the light of an oil lamp. But when the harsh Himalayan monsoons wash away all that remains of the family’s crops, Lakshmi’s stepfather says she must leave home and take a job to support her family.

He introduces her to a glamorous stranger who tells her she will find her a job as a maid in the city. Glad to be able to help, Lakshmi journeys to India and arrives at “Happiness House” full of hope. But she soon learns the unthinkable truth: she has been sold into prostitution.

An old woman named Mumtaz rules the brothel with cruelty and cunning. She tells Lakshmi that she is trapped there until she can pay off her family’s debt—then cheats Lakshmi of her meager earnings so that she can never leave.

Lakshmi’s life becomes a nightmare from which she cannot escape. Still, she lives by her mother’s words—Simply to endure is to triumph—and gradually, she forms friendships with the other girls that enable her to survive in this terrifying new world. Then the day comes when she must make a decision—will she risk everything for a chance to reclaim her life?

This book is hard-hitting from the very beginning. It's disturbing, but I couldn't help but want to read more and more. I almost finished it in one day. There were really only two things about the book that I did not like. First of all, it's written in free verse poetry. I have nothing against poetry. However, in the context of this story... I didn't get it. The writing itself was not particularly poetic and it just really didn't add anything to the story. It did, however, make it very quick and easy to read. The second thing about this book that annoyed me A LOT was the fact that it seems to suggest that Americans fix everything and that the United States is the greatest country in the world. ANNOYING. I was expecting it to be a little bit more about the triumph of the human spirit and whatnot, you know?

That being said, this book was pretty darn good and I would certainly read it again. Just keep in mind that it will make you cringe and that you're going to want to read the whole thing in one sitting.

It Sucked and Then I Cried

#2: It Sucked and Then I Cried: How I Had a Baby, a Breakdown, and a Much Needed Margarita by Heather B. Armstrong

Synopsis via Barnes and Noble:

Heather Armstrong gave up a lot of things when she and her husband, Jon, decided to have a baby: beer, small boobs, free time — and antidepressants. The eighteen months that followed were filled with anxiety, constipation, nacho cheese Doritos, and an unconditional love that threatened to make her heart explode. Still, as baby Leta grew and her husband, Jon, returned to work, Heather faced lonely days, sleepless nights, and endless screaming that sometimes made her wish she'd never become a mother. Just as she was poised to throw another gallon of milk at her husband's head, she committed herself for a short stay in a mental hospital — the best decision she ever made for her family.

To the dedicated millions who can't get enough of Heather's unforgettably unique style and hilarious stories on her hugely popular blog, there's little she won't share about her daily life as a recovering Mormon, liberal daughter of Republicans, wife of a charming geek, lover of television that exceeds at being really awful, and stay-at-home mom to five-year-old Leta and two willful dogs.

In It Sucked and Then I Cried, Heather tells, with trademark wit, the heartfelt, unrelentingly honest story of her battle with postpartum depression and all the other minor details of pregnancy and motherhood that no one cares to mention. Like how boring it can be to care for someone whose primary means of communication is through her bowels. And how long it canpossibly take to reconvene the procedure that got you into this whole parenthood mess in the first place. And how you sometimes think you can't possibly go five more minutes without breathing in that utterly irresistible and totally redeemable fresh baby smell.

It Sucked and Then I Cried is a brave cautionary tale about crossing over that invisible line to the other side (the parenting side), where everything changes and it only gets worse. But most of all, it's a celebration of a love so big it can break your heart into a million pieces.

This is a book that was originally a blog and it's basically just a bunch of the blog posts put together into this nice little collection. Well, I'll tell ya... I was pleasantly surprised! I thought that the story was going to be kind of lame, but it turned out to be pretty hilarious! The narrator's sarcasm and punk rock attitude was easy to relate to and fun to read.

Unfortunately, not the entire book was totally charming. At the end the focus turned more toward the author's battle with depression. I didn't so much care about that. I just wanted to hear about the human baby. And the dog! All in all this book gets high marks for humor, but not much in the way of deep content.

Monsters of Men

#1: Monsters of Men (Chaos Walking #3) by Patrick Ness

Synopsis via Barnes and Noble:
As a world-ending war surges to life around them, Todd and Viola face monstrous decisions. The indigenous Spackle, thinking and acting as one, have mobilized to avenge their murdered people. Ruthless human leaders prepare to defend their factions at all costs, even as a convoy of new settlers approaches. And as the ceaseless Noise lays all thoughts bare, the projected will of the few threatens to overwhelm the desperate desire of the many. The consequences of each action, each word, are unspeakably vast: To follow a tyrant or a terrorist? To save the life of the one you love most or thousands of strangers? To believe in redemption or assume it is lost? Becoming adults amid the turmoil, Todd and Viola question all they have known, racing through horror and outrage toward a shocking finale.

Before I review this book I'm gonna give you a little recap of what I thought of the other two.
***WARNING: SPOILERS***

The Knife of Never Letting Go: I LOVED this book. It was one of my favorites that I've read this year. The characters were wonderful and I found myself very attached to them and wanting them to succeed. It was a story full of mystery and adventure and I was particularly drawn to the main theme which was Todd's search to find himself and what it truly means to be a man. The best part about the book, of course, was the ever-loyal dog.

The Ask and the Answer: I HATED most of this book. The book was divided into 6 parts. The first 5 parts were depressing and boring and basically the complete opposite of the first book which was full of action. The point of view is written half in Todd's and half in Viola's which I was okay with since they are separated for most of it. Mostly I was just bored through the whole dang thing. Todd and Viola were still likable, but the plot was lame. The last part of the book, however, brought back my interest. Because of this, I had high hopes for the final book.

Monsters of Men: Laaaaaaaame. This is probably the most disappointing book series I've ever read because I loved the first one so completely and hated the other two. What's more troubling is that most of the reviews that I've read give high praise to all three books and a lot of people (since not many dogs read these days. shame.) actually like the second and third books better! Now, I'm not trying to completely bash these books because they are well-written and I can see why some people might like all three of them. But this is the big problem that I have with the books: I feel deceived. The first book, as I said, was about Todd finding out information about his past and discovering what it means to be a man. I loved this concept. The second and third books are about the horrors of war. I think that Ness does a great job depicting this topic, but I personally am not a fan of war stories. Had I known these books were going to end up being about war... well I probably would not have read them in the first place. So I guess I'm just annoyed that they took such a radical turn. And in the third book they tell the story from Todd, Viola, and the spackle 1017's point of view and 1017's point of view is annoying as poop. So yeah. Not a fan. My eyes were glazed over for almost the whole thing.

Announcement: 111 Book Challenge!

 Hey, hey! Today is 11/11/10 and I voted that that means it's time for a book challenge!

Starting today and ending in exactly one year (11/11/11) I'm gonna read 111 books! Cause all those ones are just really neat! I haven't been keeping track, but this year I have probably read around 70 or 80 books so 111 will be a challenge indeed. As always, I plan on reading one piece of classic literature for every three newer books. Also, my reviews for this challenge are going to be more in depth, and I'm probably going to end up slowly deleting all of my posts prior to this one (so read them now if you feel like it!). I'll be able to work on making my blog a little prettier around Christmas time, too! The first book of my challenge will be Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness which Imma gonna start right meow!