Eve

Eve
Author: Anna Carey
pages: 336
publication date: October 4 2011





Summary:
The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her.

Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust...and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life




Review:

Eve is yet another outstanding dystopian novel that I have read and loved!

I can’t help but love most dystopian novels I read. And it seems 2011 is the year that they became the most popular. Every time I go to sit down and read them I get this giddy feeling and I get all excited.

Eve is a spectacular book, I love the main character, she is so strong and a great female lead. She is one of my fictional inspirations. She went to the end of the world to save herself and others and she fought for what she believed in. There are so many characteristics of Eve I would love to have in myself. Strong and upbeat and willing to sacrifice herself for the ones she loves.

There was so much action and unexpected twists in this book I wish I could savor every moment.

I always look forward to see author’s intake on the future, and in dystopian novels they have the creativeness to create that future for us each and every time. It’s like look at the world different each and every time you dive into one.

Anna’s writing was so clean and fresh. She did a fantastic job in bringing the characters and dystopian world together. The world they live in is so scary and exciting; the plot really surprised me, especially near the end. I definitely did not see that coming. I’m almost disappointed in the ending because I wanted to know what would happen, but now we wait.

If you’re looking for a thrilling new romantic dystopian pick up Eve as soon as possible! I was hooked from the first few words down the very last word. Eve is one of many favorites of 2011!

5/5 stars

Awake at Dawn

Awake at Dawn
Author: C.C. Hunter
pages: 383
publication date: October 11 2011





Summary:
Now that she’s settled in at Shadow Falls Camp, Kylie Galen’s determined to discover the extent of her supernatural abilities. But with a ghost insisting someone Kylie loves is about die, a rogue vampire on a murdering rampage, and her sixth sense telling her someone is watching her, Kylie’s quest for answers is quickly put on hold.

To make matters worse, just when she’s about to give her heart to Derek, a half-fairy, he starts pulling away. When Lucas, a werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past, returns, Kylie’s feels more conflicted than ever. Her weekend with her mom should have been the just the break Kylie needs, but it turns out to be her breaking point. Someone from the dark side of the supernatural world has plans for Kylie--and it'll take all her resources to get back to Shadow Falls alive...




Review:

I am in love with the first book in this series “Born at Midnight” I just could not get enough of it. I had to have the second one. So when I got an ARC of the second one it took everything in me not to run out the middle of the street skipping and singing at the top of my lungs. That’s how much I loved the first one.

I immediately dug into the second one eager to start off where the first one started, but I had never been so disappointed in my life. I don’t know why I didn’t enjoy it as much. Maybe I was too excited for it, or maybe the first one was just too good ;)

In the first one we had that delicious love triangle where you were rooting for your favorite boy, but I felt like the boys were lacking in this book. I didn’t feel like there were enough of them. It was all focused on Kylie, and it lacked passion and that love triangle that we had in the first one.

And there wasn’t as much mystery in the second one. The second one pretty much solved all the mysteries of the first one and I thought that some of the mysteries should have stayed mysteries till the last book.

Awake at Dawn was a bit slow at time, then we would get to a faster paced part and then it got slow again. I am not just hating on this book, I did like it, just 50% less than the first book.

C.C. Hunter is a brilliant author, and even though this was a little disappointing, I am still highly anticipating the next book in the series. Can’t wait to see what unexpected twists will come next.

3/5 stars

And the winner is.........

The Winner of the Alternate Ending contest is.......

Charla!!!

I sent an email out, if she doesn't respond in 48 hours I will pick a new winner.


Thanks everyone for posting.

Alyssa
@thebookblogexperience

I will announce the winners...........

I am going out of town for the rest of this weekend wont be back till Sunday, I will post the winner of the alternate ending contest craze post on Sunday evening.


-Alyssa

Want to go private

Want to go Private
Author: Sarah Darer Littman
Pages:330
publication date: August 1 2011





Summary:
Abby and Luke chat online. They've never met. But they are going to. Soon.

Abby is starting high school—it should be exciting, so why doesn't she care? Everyone tells her to "make an effort," but why can't she just be herself? Abby quickly feels like she's losing a grip on her once-happy life. The only thing she cares about anymore is talking to Luke, a guy she met online, who understands. It feels dangerous and yet good to chat with Luke—he is her secret, and she's his. Then Luke asks her to meet him, and she does. But Luke isn't who he says he is. When Abby goes missing, everyone is left to put together the pieces. If they don't, they'll never see Abby again.




Review:

All I can say is WOW. Want to go Private is such an intense and heavy read; I couldn’t stop reading the tragic story that Sarah has created.

Want to go Private is about a girl who meets a boy online, on a website where her and her best friend like to go on and hang out with each other, Then one day she meets a boy and they start talking in private chats.

In the few months that she’s talking with Luke, her home life gets more frustrating; her best friend is making friends with another girl. She feels like she’s losing everyone she loves. That’s where Luke comes in. He sweet talks her and makes her feel special and beautiful. Soon they grow past the just chatting stage.

Luke wants to meet Abby, she agrees and they drive off together. Abby is then reported missing and it’s up to her family and friends to help get her.

This book was very uncomfortable to read; at times I just was like really?? But this is the most realistic book I have read in a long time. I think this book should be handed out to every teenager. This shows you the dangers of internet predators, what it’s really like. And how even though they sweet talk you and make you feel special, they are just trapping you. 

I know this kind of stuff happens all over the world every day but I honestly don’t know how kids can be so stupid, I got frustrated with Abby because she trusted this guy. After everything he made her do. I just think she was a huge fool. I guess I was just raised to never EVER talk to strangers online, but I don’t understand anyone could fall for his crap.

I guess I understand why she did it…. But it’s still sickening. Anyways, I think Sarah hit it on the dot. This book was real and can really show teens what kinds of people are out there, and I hope it helps kids to understand the danger in this.

4/5 stars

Wonderstruck

Wonderstruck
Author: Brian Selznick
Pages: 639
publication date: September 13 2011






Summary:
Set fifty years apart, two independent stories—Ben's told in words and Rose's in pictures—weave back and forth with mesmerizing symmetry. How they unfold and ultimately intertwine will surprise you, challenge you, and leave you breathless with wonder.

Ever since his mom died, Ben feels lost.
At home with her father, Rose feels alone.

He is searching for someone, but he is not sure who.
She is searching for something, but she is not sure what.

When Ben finds a mysterious clue hidden in his mom's room,
When a tempting opportunity presents itself to Rose

Both children risk everything to find what's missing.

With over 460 pages of original drawings and playing with the form he invented in his trailblazing debut novel, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Brian Selznick once again sails into uncharted territory and takes readers on an awe-inspiring journey. Rich, complex, affecting and beautiful, Wonderstruck is a stunning achievement from a uniquely gifted artist and visionary.


Review:

I can’t believe that Brian Selznick came out with another book! I was so excited to find out that another title of his was coming out soon. I was thankful to be able to get an ARC of it and I’m just as love with this one as I was The Inventions of Hugo Cabret.

Wonderstruck was so uniquely written and put together. There are the pictures and then words. Ben’s story is told in words and Rose’s in pictures. When I heard that that it was about two different people set 50 years apart I didn’t think I was going to enjoy it as much.

I think I loved it more than if it were all one story. I thought it was so amazing that he wrote about two different characters in two different times and it went together so smoothly. It all ran together smoothly and beautifully.

I have to give Brian major props; he put so much dedication and time into creating Wonderstruck. It took him 4 years to get this all together.

Even though this book had more than 600 pages, I completed it in a couple of hours. I was trapped inside the book and I loved every second of it. Even though these books are in the younger reader’s category, I think that kids and adults of all ages will enjoy this book. I’m now reading this to my younger brother and he loves it.

4/5 stars

Life,After

Life,After
Author:Sarah Darer Littman
Pages: 278
publication date: July 1 2011






Summary:
After a terrorist attack kills Dani’s aunt and unborn cousin, life in Argentina—private school, a boyfriend, a loving family—crumbles quickly. In order to escape a country that is sinking under their feet, Dani and her family move to the United States. It’s supposed to be a fresh start, but when you’re living in a cramped apartment and going to high school where all the classes are in another language—and not everyone is friendly—life in America is not all it’s cracked up to be. Dani misses her old friends, her life, Before.

But then Dani meets a boy named Jon, who isn’t like all the other students. Through him, she becomes friends with Jessica, one of the popular girls, who is harboring a secret of her own. And then there’s Brian, the boy who makes Dani’s pulse race. In her new life, the one After, Dani learns how to heal and forgive. She finds the courage to say goodbye and allows herself to love and be loved again.




Review:

This book was such and emotional read and I felt like it should get a lot more hype than it has, I really didn’t think I was going to like this, the synopsis sounded good but not a 5 star book, by the end I was crying and laughing at the same time and loving every minute of it. Life, After deserves more than 5 stars.

On page 92 Dani was in the airport bathroom and she’s only ever lived in a culture where all they spoke was Spanish so when she was in the bathroom she heard some English speaking girls come in and talk to each other and she said how fast she thought they talked, and I thought that was funny because whenever I’m somewhere and there are people speaking in Spanish I think they talk to fast to.

The first 100 pages were kind of slow, but without it the book wouldn’t be what it was. I expected her family to move to the US near the beginning but the first 100 pages were of her and her family in Argentina, explaining how bad it was over there and why they moved.

I didn’t like the father figure at all, well until the end. But for almost the whole book her dad was lazy, ill tempered and didn’t deserve the family that he had. The whole family was pulling together trying to make the hard times better but there dad was being a huge jerk about it. He could have helped or did something but instead he stayed in his depressed state sleeping or watching TV all day.

My favorite characters in the book were Jess and Jon. Jess acted like the spoiled rich brat that ruled the school in the beginning but Dani stuck up for Jess’s brother and from then on there they became friends. I think when it comes to bullies or snuck up snobs it’s really hard for people not to judge them or hate them. Reading this book actually gave me another outlook on bullies and people in different cultures.

At first it was hard to tell that anything was wrong with Jon, he was just incredibly smart and no social at all. Made me feel bad for him because I thought that he just didn’t have any friends but he actually had a disease.

The only thing I didn’t like was all the Spanish words in the book, I realize that it was part of the culture of the book, and that the girl spoke Spanish but I hardly know any Spanish and it was kind of annoying because I wanted to know what each word was.

Sarah created a book between the difference between cultures and people. After reading this I don’t think there’s going to be one dry eye. I don’t really know how to express my love for this book, just know that it’s well worth it to read!

5/5 stars