Across the Universe

#31: Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

Top 10 Reasons I HATED This Book:

10. I was not emotionally invested in any of the characters. All of them were either assholes or absurdly annoying.

9. Even though the characters speak perfectly normal English, they have the dumbest made up swear word called "frex". I understand that the 'F Word' may be frowned upon in YA lit, but there's a simply solution to that. DON'T SWEAR AT ALL. I wanted to chuck the book against the wall every time I read the fake word.

8. The beginning was deceiving. The first few chapters of this book were actually really good and got me super excited to read this! Then the rest was a huge disappointment.

7. The main boy in the story (Elder) was such a CREEP. His "love at first sight" theory made me almost as sick as his description of Amy's naked breasts. Grade A pedo.

6. It's going to be a trilogy.... REALLY?! That's just torture.

5. Here is a summary of the whole book: "oh, we're on a spaceship! ....still on a spaceship....... aaaand we're almost off the spaceship!..... just kidding, we're still on the spaceship." Nothing really happens.

4. "The Season": CREEPIEST SHIT OF MY LIFE. I just can't see how the work "fuck" can't be put in the book, but rape scenes can. Sorry for the spoiler, but really I'm just saving you time that would have otherwise been wasted on this awful story.

3. The "huge shock" at the end was completely obvious and easily predictable.

2. The author is a crappy writer. Here is a paragraph that my friend Traci and I got a good laugh out of:

"After Elder abandons me in the recorder hall, I stand there, alone in the dark. I'm not sure why Elder went with Eldest-- I trust Elder, but not Eldest, and I thought Elder agreed with me about Eldest." (318)

REALLY?! Did this lady not take Creative Writing 101?

I was also annoyed that she did not put nearly enough description into the ship. I mean, this thing is obviously huge to sustain life for hundreds of years and to supply inhabitants with all the crap they have. Why don;t we get detailed descriptions of these things?

1.Most people on Goodreads not only like but LOVE this crap. I have temporarily lost my faith in you guys and it may take awhile for that faith to be regained. I am disappointed as well as pissed off that you guys made me believe that this book would be worth my time in the slightest.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

#30: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Synopsis via Goodreads:

With his first foray into teen literature, acclaimed author Sherman Alexie packs a punch in this absorbing novel about a Native American boy searching for a brighter future. At once humorous and stirring, Alexie's novel follows Junior, a resident of the Spokane reservation who transfers out of the reservation's school -- and into a nearby rich, all-white farm school -- in order to nurture his desire to become a cartoonist. Junior encounters resistance there, a backlash at home, and numerous family problems -- all the while relaying his thoughts and feelings via amusing descriptions and drawings. Having already garnered a National Book Award for Young Adult Literature, this moving look at race and growing up is definitely one to pick up.

I really had no expectations for this book because I just sort of got it one day for no real reason. Good move! This book was funny, but real. I particularly liked the theme of leaving your comfort zone (in this case, an indian reservation) and seeking something greater. This is a subject that I visit often. You see, I plan to run away to Texas someday. We'll see how that turns out for me.

I apologize that this review is so short, but I actually read this like two weeks ago and have forgotten parts that I wanted to comment on. Oops! Just trust me when I say that it was a good read.

The Three Musketeers

#29: The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

Synopsis via Goodreads

D'Artagnan comes to Paris to join the King's Musketeers and soon finds himself caught up in high adventure and intrigue at the Royal Court.

The description isn't very descriptive, I know. :p I have really been wanting to read The Man in the Iron Mask by Dumas because 1) his book The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my all time favorites and 2) I love the movie version and have been wanting to read the text. Anyway, The Man in the Iron Mask is kind of like a sequel to The Three Musketeers, so I figured I'd better read this one first. Because of this, I didn't really have any expectations for this book at all.

It's pretty good! I was actually really surprised by how taken I was with the story. I thought that it was going to be lame and aimed more toward a male audience, but I was happy to find some romance and a bad ass female villain! d'Artagnan annoyed me at first, but grew on me more and more as I read. I am definitely an even bigger Dumas fan now :)

Unearthly

#28: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Synopsis via Goodreads

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.

Okay, okay, I know that I'm supposed to be reading a "classic" novel for every fourth book and that this is a fourth book, but I've heard so many good things about Unearthly that I just couldn't wait. The next four books that I read will go classic, new, new, classic to make up for this. Anyway, on to more important issues.

THIS BOOK IS SO FN GOOD!!!!! I'm not sure if it's the whole angel mythology, the teen romance parts, or both (probably), but I flipped through this book fairly quickly wanting to know what happens next?! what happens next?! I was nervous that I wasn;t going to like the story at all because I'm such a huge fan of Cassandra Clare's angel series. Thankfully, this book stepped up!

I really loved everything about this book, but my favorite feature has to be the surprises. YA books are usually pretty predictable. I figured out some aspects of the storyline pretty quickly, but was pleased to find myself shouting out loud, "NO WAY! SHUT UP!" a couple of times. That's how you know it's good! Toward the end (as expected) some big action goes down and I was so emotionally involved that I felt sick to my stomach and even teared up a bit. This does not happen to me often!

Of course, since it's the first book in a series, I'm angry at the moment because I want to know what happens next but will probably have to wait about another year to find out. UUUUGH. Sometimes I wish that I could wait until the whole series is out before I start it. Anyway, this book is super good and you should read it. I don't even want to start another book right away because I just know that Unearthly will be the only thing on my mind!

Blue Bloods

#27: Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz

Synopsis via Goodreads:

When the Mayflower set sail in 1620, it carried on board the men and women who would shape America: Miles Standish; John Alden; Constance Hopkins. But some among the Pilgrims were not pure of heart; they were not escaping religious persecution. Indeed, they were not even human. They were vampires.The vampires assimilated quickly into the New World. Rising to levels of enormous power, wealth, and influence, they were the celebrated blue bloods of American society. 

The Blue Bloods vowed that their immortal status would remain a closely guarded secret. And they kept that secret for centuries. But now, in New York City, the secret is seeping out. Schuyler Van Alen is a sophomore at a prestigious private school. She prefers baggy, vintage clothes instead of the Prada and pearls worn by her classmates, and she lives with her reclusive grandmother in a dilapated mansion. Schuyler is a loner...and happy that way. Suddenly, when she turns fifteen, there is a visible mosaic of blue veins on her arm. She starts to crave raw food and she is having flashbacks to ancient times. Then a popular girl from her school is found dead... drained of all her blood. Schuyler doesn't know what to think, but she wants to find out the secrets the Blue Bloods are keeping. But is she herself in danger? 

I have been sooooo over vampires for a while now, but they aaaalways have pretty much every book in the series at Half Price Books and I haven't read a series in a while so I thought... what the heck?

The bad news is that the first half of this book royally sucked. All it was was an excruciatingly detailed description of the setting and how filthy stinkin rich all of the main characters are. I watch Gossip Girl. I don't need to hear this. They didn't even mention vampires until half way through the dang book.

The good news is that the second half of the book was great! Once they FINALLY started talking about vampires, I was sucked in. De la Cruz does a great job in giving the over-done mythology some exciting new twists, so now I'm actually looking forward to reading book #2!

The worst news is that I went back to Half Price Books to get me Masquerade and even though they ALWAYS have it... they don't. The one time I need it. Figures. I'm not too sad about it because I'm not dying to know what happens next, but I still plan on reading it so I'm a little bummed! I just don't want to forget what happened in the first book by the time I get to the second.

Anna and the French Kiss

#26: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris—until she meets Étienne St. Claire: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near-misses end with the French kiss Anna—and readers—have long awaited?

After reading the ending of Sea, I was feeling super girly. Fortunately, my friend Traci had been wanting me to read Anna and the French Kiss for a few weeks-- just what I needed! This book is cute and fun. It's complete with cool main girl character, loyal friends, bitchy arch nemesis girl, and dream boy with an English accent (drool).

I feel like I should maybe give this one 5 stars because it made me so very happy, but I just can't bring myself to rate it so highly for some reason that I can't quite put my paw on. I'm putting 4 bones down here, but it's really more like 4.5.

Wisconsin Blizzard of 2011

This is completely unrelated to books, but we had an absurd blizzard last night complete with unrelenting snow, ruthless winds, and even a thunderstorm! Here are some pictures of my doggies from the morning after (today).

Lilli! She likes to dunk her head in snowbanks. Don't judge.

Inside the kennel. Yeeeeah we can't even get the door closed.

Timber. The snow gets higher than Lilli every year, but I've never seen it higher than him!

I will definitely be spending the day inside curled up with my dogs and my books :)

Nikki

Sea

#25: Sea by Heidi R. Kling

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Still haunted by nightmares of her mother's death, fifteen-year-old Sienna Jones reluctantly travels to Indonesia with her father's relief team to help tsunami orphans with their post traumatic stress disorder—something Sienna knows a lot about. Since her mother's plane went missing over the Indian Ocean three years before, Sienna doesn't do anything if it involves the ocean or planes, so this trip is a big step forward.

But the last thing she expects is to fall for Deni, a brooding Indonesian boy who lives at the orphanage, and just so happens to be HOT. When Deni hears a rumor that his father may be alive, Sienna doesn't think twice about running away with him to the epicenter of the disaster. Unfortunately, what they find there could break both their hearts.

What better way to escape from the epic Wisconsin blizzard of February 2011 than to curl up with a summer romance set in sticky, sweaty, hot Indonesia? I was excited about this book because I heard a lot of hype about it, but I didn't really know much about it until I actually started reading. Not gonna lie, I thought that it would be about mermaids or something like that. Not even close.

I'm typically not a big fan of romances, but this book wasn't strictly so. I loved getting a glimpse into Indonesian culture (assuming Kling's facts are straight since this is a work of fiction and all) and I loved how the author showed how a disaster (the death of a loved one and also a natural disaster-- a tsunami) could leave people scarred for years after its occurrence. I was lovinglovingloving the book until one part toward the very end. In the book description above where it says "Unfortunately, what they find there could break both their hearts." yeeeeah what they find there had me saying "WTF? SERIOUSLY?" and ready to stop reading altogether. Buuuut I was so close to finishing the book that I didn't see any sense in stopping... and boy am I glad that I didn't. 


I thought that that part was ruining the story, but the final chapter of the book was so lovely it had me saying "AW" out loud (this never happens). My mood went from disappointment to pure joy and girlyness (not sure that that's a real emotion). It was wonderful and made me forgive the little speed bump that had upset me so much. Definitely a good read.

The Return of the King

#24: The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

Synopsis via Goodreads:

As the Shadow of Mordor grows across the land, the Companions of the Ring have become involved in separate adventures. Aragorn, revealed as the hidden heir of the ancient Kings of the West, has joined with the Riders of Rohan against the forces of Isengard, and takes part in the desperate victory of the Hornburg. Merry and Pippin, captured by Orcs, escape into Fangorn Forest and there encounter the Ents. 

Gandalf has miraculously returned and defeated the evil wizard, Saruman. Sam has left his master for dead after a battle with the giant spider, Shelob; but Frodo is still alive -- now in the foul hands of the Orcs.

And all the while the armies of the Dark Lord are massing as the One Ring draws ever nearer to the Cracks of Doom.

"But do you remember Gandalf’s words: Even Gollum may have something yet to do? But for him, Sam, I could not have destroyed the Ring. The Quest would have been in vain, even at the bitter end. So let us forgive him! For the Quest is achieved, and now all is over. I am glad you are here with me. Here at the end of all things, Sam.”


It's supposed to snow 2 ft in the next couple of days... this definitely calls for some LOTR movie action :)

Sisters Red

#23: Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris--the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.

Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts ferociously alongside her. But even as more girls' bodies pile up in the city and the Fenris seem to be gaining power, Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves. She finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax and Scarlett's only friend--but does loving him mean betraying her sister and all that they've worked for?

I really liked this book! I have a feeling that Little Red Riding Hood is going to be big this Spring the way Alice in Wonderland was big last Spring (that new Little Red Riding Hood movie is coming out sometime this year). Hope I don't end up getting sick of it like I did after I read The Looking Glass Wars! Seriously, though. This one is pretty solid. It's really not toooo much like the classic children's tale. The only similarities are the big bad wolf, grandma's house, and the red capes that the girls wear. The rest is delightfully original.

Things I loved most: female characters that are strong and smart (NOT Bellas or Cleas!), a romance that is exciting and cute (a little predictable, but in a good way since I wanted it to happen :)  ), and some awesome action scenes.

The only thing I can thing of that kind of bugged me is that it was a bit predictable, but I found myself loving it anyway. Also, I didn't like how no one knew about these wolves except for these few people. How do you just not know about these things?! But they end up explaining it later-- phew! Valid read :)

P.S. I met the author at Twicon a couple of years ago and said she's super nice, so you should support her and get her book!

Elixir

#22: Elixir by Hilary Duff (with Elise Allen)

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Clea Raymond lives an extraordinary life. The daughter of renowned surgeon and a prominent Washington DC figure, she has been in the spotlight her entire life. Followed by the paparazzi, she resents the attention that is lavished on her for her looks alone because she has so much more to offer. 

Clea Raymond has a unique gift. A proficient photographer, in all her pictures, there is little something extra, and it's not just a result of her talented eye. There is always an extra photo that she didn't take. And, as she discovered at a young age, those photos always lead to a place where some tragedy is about to occur that Clea can prevent. 

Two years ago, her father disappeared while on a humanitarian mission and is presumed dead, but that doesn't stop Clea and her mother from continuing to do good throughout the world. On one such trip to Columbia, she meets Race, the guide for the trip. She feels a connection to him but cannot explain why. Was it something in their past or possibly in their past lives? Whatever has brought them together is threatning to tear them apart forever. As the mystery of her father's disappearance unravels, Clea discover that she has powers that are bigger than anything she could have anticipated.

Let me begin this "review" (more of a rant) by saying that I like Hilary Duff. I was a Lizzie McGuire fan and I think that Duff has grown into a bright and respectable star unlike what we have seen from Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan. That being said, her book is terrible.

I'm not sure how much of the book Hilary actually wrote herself and how much was written "with Elise Allen", but both of them suck immensely for even being part of the creation of this overly predictable novel. I'm just going to make a little list of the things in this story that made me want to bite a mailman:

1. IDIOT MAIN FEMALE CHARACTER: Clea was so stupid and I am SO tired of seeing stupid leading ladies. She has no personality at all and like idiot Bella from Twilight she is one of those "hopelessly in love" idiot girls who can't think of anyone other than her "soul mate" (whom she barely knows at all" and doesn't realize that her male BFF (CLEARLY the better choice between the two) has been in love with her throughout their entire friendship. STUPID STUPID STUPID. Nothing annoys me more.

2.IDIOT MAIN FEMALE CHARACTER'S IDIOT BEST FRIEND: I can't find myself to *completely* blame everything on Clea, because a girl needs a best gal pal and Clea has probably the crappiest one ever. Rayna is what some people would call a romantic, but what I call a skanky fool. Now, I happen to have a best gal pal who is a romantic. She, however, doesn't go around telling me to "follow my heart" by having sex with a guy I've known for a week in a car. FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS BE STUPID WHORES.

3. TOO FAST AND TOO CONVENIENT ACTION: The first couple of chapters were pretty okay, but once Sage was in the picture all of a sudden the plot was going a mile a minute and every time they had a little "mystery" to solve regarding Clea's missing father it would be solved pretty darn easily and quickly. Do these people really think that YA readers are that stupid?

I have many other smaller issues with this book, but I don;t want my rant to get ridiculously long. Read it if you must, but if you have any sense at all you will accept my warning that it is a huge waste of time. I am so disappointed, Hilary Duff. So disappointed.

Looking For Alaska

#21: Looking For Alaska by John Green

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Miles Halter is fascinated by famous last words and tired of his safe life at home. He leaves for boarding school to seek what the dying poet Francois Rabelais called the "Great Perhaps." Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young. Clever, funny, screwed-up, and dead sexy, Alaska will pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Perhaps. 

Looking for Alaska brilliantly chronicles the indelible impact one life can have on another. A stunning debut, it marks John Green's arrival as an important new voice in contemporary fiction.

I wasn't overly eager to read this book because my friend Traci is not a fan and I generally value her opinion quite a bit. However, I recently read Will Grayson, Will Grayson and began watching John and Hank Green youtube videos (search Vlog Brothers). Because I love both of these greatly, I decided to give Looking For Alaska a try. Boy, am I glad I did! Sorry Traci, but I think that this book is amazing, and John Green is now one of my favorite authors.

This book was a surprisingly quick read for me (considering there wasn't any paranormal romance involved) and I found myself flying through each page and soaking up each word. But what I really loved about this novel is that it really made me think. It deals with ideas of suicide, suffering, and the meaning of life... heavy topics for a YA story! I loved it and I love John Green's witty/funny writing style. <3