Monday, December 26, 2011

Ohana Means Family...

...Family means no one gets left behind. 

Starcrossed (Starcrossed, #1)Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Songs for this book: Hey Summer by The Bigger Lights , Only Place I Call Home by Every Avenue, Dark Blue by Jack's Mannequin


Wow, so how to write a review after an ending like that?

So at first I didn't know how I felt about Helen. In the first chapter she was so shy and self conscious it was so irritating. The the next few chapters she was a bitchy, self contained, zombie girl and that was probably even more annoying. Then we finally found some middle ground when Lucas stepped up to the plate. Let's all take this time to take a large inhale an then let it out in a gigantic group sigh for Lucas. Ready? Ohhh Lucas! *sigh* he is quite the dream boy.
But it's not jut Lucas I'm in love with I adore the whole Delos family. honestly I'm infatuated with this family. Ari is the kindest person, Jason is all sauve but so gentle hearted, hector had to grow on my bit he is kinda the perfect older brother. Cassie also took some getting used to but she just loves her brother and doesn't want to see him get hurt. Plus she has got a lot on her plate for 13 years old.
This whole story is pretty heart wrenching. But kinda in the best way possible. The story is full of ups and downs which give it so much dynamic you can never be bored. Once you finish this story it is so difficult to then look back and see that the beginning is the same book. The characters grow so much. I also want to give kudos here, this book must have taken so much research and it shows. Really a killer job.
As with any good book of this genre, the ending left me hanging on to the tiniest sense of hope, City of Bones style. In the awful way where part of you wants to throw the book against the wall in frustration ( which would be a bad idea since I read this on my kindle) and the other is immediately scanning the Internet for the release date for the next book and any kind of spoilers you can find. All that said it truly was a beautiful ending, and while I didn't see it coming (should have paid more attention to my percent finished tracker), Where it ends only makes me all the more excited in anticipation  for the coming book. I have been trying to think of possible outcomes and loop holes and coming up blank. I can't wait to see what ends up coming to be.
This book definitely made it on my favorites for this year, I completely recommend it. But if you don't handle cliffhangers very well, suffer from fiction boyfriend obsessions, or are a really impatient reader when it comes to sequels, I suggest you proceed with caution and anticipate your possible side effect from reading this book. But read it cause it's totally worth it!


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Thursday, December 22, 2011

Dead Wrong


Dead Beautiful
Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Songs for this book: (... hmm let me think of some songs i hate...)
Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not by Thompson Square (i hate this song, ill explain why i chose it in the review)
 Two is Better than One- by Boys Like Girls ft. Taylor Swift. (I don't actually hate this song, It's just fitting.)




Definitely some SPOILER type stuff. Including a list about the failure of the ending. But since i didn't even like this book, I entreat you to read on and learn all the reasons not to read this book. 

This book had so much potential: Boarding school, forbidden romance, the undead. Yet by the end I was extremely disappointed. The book was beautifully written. The words really flowed off the paper, and i guess that is why even though I wasn't totally enjoying the plot that I continued reading.

Let me begin with Dante. *cringe*. I never really liked him as a character. I suppose he was intended to be strikingly attractive and built with hair "like an Italian model" and brooding and sexy. Well he wasn't. All I could imagine him as was a husky kid in dire need of a hair cut and was totally sketch. Plus, I mean his name is Dante.. ick. I'm not usually prejudiced with characters names, I can usually get over them if I dont like it cause I fall for the character and can forgive them of their unfortunate name. But Dante really just wasn't working for me. I chose "are you gonna kiss me or not" because throughout the whole book thats pretty much what Renee is asking him and guess what? he never does. How romantic! (that was sarcasm)

The whole book is really repetitive. Renee goes to class, Renee gets in trouble, Renee goes to her room, Renee complains about Dante to Eleanor, Renee sneaks out, Renee gets in trouble, Renee complains about a conspiracy, Renee gets nasty sappy about Dante. Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

This book could have used some serious Character Development. By the end of the book I still felt like a barely knew any of these characters. Speaking of the "end" of the book lets talk about how this one didn't really have one. First of all I still have no clue really went on at the end. There was some creeptastic mind switch thing and Renee became Dante or something icky like that. Then with absolutely no resolution to the prior events of the book, Dante essentially kills himself. umm okkk.
He is what I'm missing. In list form:
1. Why? ....... Why did Gideon do it? why did he kill the head mistress?
2. Nathaniel. is he undead or not? does he know he is? does he die?
3. What happens to poor little Eleanor? And how will her brother handle this?
4. Did we ever figure out how Renee's parents died?
5. what happens now that the headmistress is dead?
6. How does Renee live with herself and knowing she sorta killed her sorta boyfriend?
7. are we just going to let Minnie keep thinking she is crazy?

I have more, this are just a few that come to mind. SO to sum this up, this book is a 456 pages of wasted potential, and creepy ugly men. (Am i the only one who was grossed out by the fact that Dante was essentially 34? ICKKK!!) So while the words were nice to read the plot did nothing for me.




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Sunday, December 11, 2011

Et Tu, Brute!


Clockwork Prince
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Songs for this book: Paper-cut (bonus Track)- By the Summer Set, The way I loved you- By Taylor Swift, All I Know-By Parachute



This is the Second book is the Infernal Devices series, and prequel series to the Mortal Instruments series. If you haven't read either I highly suggest you do. If you happen to have read Clockwork Angel (the first in this series) and not found it quite up to par for you I highly suggest you give Clockwork another chance and pick this book up. I can almost Guarantee satisfaction and  that you will change your mind about these books. I sure did (even though I liked them in the first place, but I like them a whole lot more. and less... at the same time. Its complicated).

So I dont really know what to put here. I liked the book, I really, really did. There was a point where I thought I liked it more than any Cassie Clare book yet. I mean everything was going pretty good, a few hiccups but things seemed to be going my way. But then pg 431 snuck up on me and sucker punched me in the gut. WILLLLLL!!! What will become of his poor lonesome heart? How could you be so cruel Tessa? YEt even then I could laugh at the Demon Pox jokes. (seriously histericalllll). But im still depressed. And what worse, its over and I'm having Will withdrawal. And Will withdrawal can be even worse than Jace withdrawal because Will has such amazing Character development and this new innocent cuteness to him.

Yet through all my pain I press onward. As I did with Clary and Jace. For even when there seemed to be no hope, Cassie made a way for them. And I have faith in a similar miracle for Tessa and Will. I mean come on, Will is a Herondale! they always get the girl :) (knock on wood.)


Here is my reactions as posted on tumblr:
(note: raw emotions here. posted seconds after finishing the book and no rational thought was possible.)

I was reallllly happy at first like if you saw me reading it you would think i was insane.I would stop all the sudden and just giggle like an idiot.
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And then when every star was aligning page 431 came and CRUSHED me. I thought I could not go on.
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But then I chose to continue to hope….
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only to have that Tease, Tessa lead me on. Bitch.
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But I didn’t give up on Jace and Clary even when their situation seemed more than impossible (if not revolting… and yeah i did sorta give up for like a month but then I gave in and read city of ashes… never doubt true love again *swoons*) so I chose to continue holding out for Will and Tessa. 
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P.S. I love Magnus - I did this weird little happy dance when ever he showed up. which is strange cause I never really liked him that much in TMI but he is so awesome here. 
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P.P.S. I loveeeee William Herondale. 
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Also Charlotte and Henry are a-dork-able!

So yep, this book was crazyyyy. I had to get up and take a break ever now and then cause I was so over stimulated. There were points (pg 431) where i literally almost had a panic attack. Truly until that point I was biding my time, trying to make this book last because I never wanted it to end. But once that went down I admit I kinda just skimmed for Will's name and had to go bad and read the rest later. Some of that Jem stuff I couldn't stomach and so I still haven't fully read it.




{if you haven't guessed I'm team Will. I tried to like Jem. I really did. but as with the Hunger Games, it is hard to be civil with the Peeta character ( jem in this case) when he is heartlessly tearing her away from her soul mate  Gale. (Will, as it would be.).}






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