Book Review: Hollowland

Amanda Hocking
★★★★★
Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 344 KB

Nineteen-year-old Remy King is on a mission to get across the wasteland left of America to find her brother, and nothing will stand in her way - not violent marauders, a spoiled rock star, or an army of flesh-eating zombies.

I had gotten this book some time in September. I had fallen in love with Hocking’s concept and after reading the first few pages, I was hooked on this page. But with the massive amounts of homework from my AP classes I haven’t found any spare time to read lately.

Then, this weekend, I started and I could not stop. I ended up finishing the book in a day! A new record for me!(Sorry this review is so late). But enough about me.

 Hocking has a magnificent way with words. The writing is effortless and so personal, Remy and her companions come alive and are no longer words on paper.

Hollowland is the first in The Hollows series. It begins with zombies tearing down the walls and does not let up. The drive in this book follows Remy, a young girl who is searching for her younger brother, suggested to have been moved to a quarantine. Remy, determined to find him, sets off across a now zombie infest, wasteland of America in search for her brother. She encounters many fantastic and damn real events that will make you hold your breath in anticipation. Her friends are, individually, as crazy as awesome as crazy gets. Not one charcter is repeated and one can find it impossible not to love each one for who they are.
While these events happened (no, I will not tell you what they are), Remy never lost sight of her goal- which for me is a great thing because many books tend to focus on the love story more then the action and Hocking defiantly brought that action. Hocking writes through Remy’s perspective, in a voice unique and so personal, you almost wonder if the author herself has ever been in a zombie infest universe before. I felt the emotions through this book and I have to say it is definitely a new favorite of mine. And I mean look at the cover art- AMAZING!

If you love dystopian novels with powerful female characters and a lot of ass kicking mixed in, (plus a bit of romance to spice things up) you are going to love this book!

A DEFINITELY MUST READ!

Get the free Kindle version here: Hollowland

Where you can find Amanda Hocking: 
Her blog: Amanda Hocking’s Blog
Twitter: @Amanda_Hocking
Amazon: Amanda Hocking
Goodreads: Amanda Hocking

Book Review: POSSESS

Gretchen McNeil
★★★★★
Reading level:Ages 13 and up/ Young Adult
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (August 23, 2011)


After stressing over school work, I’ve found little time to read ANYTHING! But finally, after much homework and studying for mid-terms, I’VE FINISHED POSSESS!

So, this book follows 15-year-old Bridget Liu who just want to be left alone, by her mother, Matt Quinn, and the eerie voices and can suddenly hear- which are demons. And unfortunately for her, Bridget posses the power to banish them. After being enlisted by San-Francisco’s senior exorcist Monsignor Renault, she begins to come to terms with her new abilities. But then she receives a startling message from one of the demons, and one of her oldest friends is murdered, she realizes she is in farther than she thought. Now, she must unlock the secrets of the demon’s plan before it’s too late.

I have to say that there were many pros and cons to this book. Much like every book. Some things really bugged me (which I’ll get into in a sec) but I have to say this book was actually refreshing and a new twist I really enjoyed.

Let’s start with the cons (just because there isn’t much): I really didn’t care for Bridget’s attitude when she found out different aspects to her power. I mean, there was this one part, where she was freaked out that she could possibly hear angels and well as demons. It was just so baffling to her. Come on, you have to know that if you can hear DEMONS that angels are not that different. And then when Father Santos told her the story of how she came to be (meaning possessing her power and all) she just couldn’t accept it. If you could hear demons-DEMONS- why is the story of angels so hard to accept?But while those things bothered me, it’s not that bad especially when you compare it to how AWESOME the book was. I actually found that those things didn’t bother me after a while.

McNeil’s style of writing was somewhat unusual but flowed smooth and effortless. Written in third person, McNeil focuses on Bridget’s thoughts and does not stray. Bridget’s natural wit and sarcasm is utterly hilarious and fun to read. McNeil does not bore you with an abundance of description, nor does fail to bring the scene alive.

Her characters are absolutely perfect: Matt is hot and sweet, everything you want in a guy; Alexa is just evil; Bridget’s friends are comical; and the priests are like wow. McNeil’s plot flows effortlessly and even though you think you know who’s evil, she will just slap you in the face when you find out the truth. I kept guess and tripping over my own thoughts as I started to piece together the story just as Bridget did. There were points that were made that, at first, I thought she was just going to drop when she never mentioned them again, but then they came into play and it was just awesome. I literally had chills at some point in the book. I just freaked at the part with the doll shop, I mean scary, possessed dolls- crap my pant, that was horrifying!

I love McNeil’s spin on the whole fallen angels/ Nephilim, good vs. bad concept. It wasn’t that “Oh there were good ones and bad ones” she actually explained to us how they came about (and while I’d love to tell you how, you should read and fins out).

Plus, look at her cover design, is that now spooky and totally and awesomly sick! I just love it, one of the best cover arts I've ever seen!
This was a great debut novel that I am hoping will be the first in a fabulous series! A must read.

Other places to find Gretchen McNeil:
Twitter: @GertchenMcNeil
Amazon: Possess[Hardcover]
YouTube: Monday on YARebels
Facebook: Posses by Gretchen McNeil
GoodReads: Gretchen McNeil and Possess Book
Author WebSite: GretchenMcNeil

There's Only One Rule of Exorcism: The Spirits Lie

Book Review: The Replacement

Brenna Yovanoff

★★★★★

Reading level: Ages 12 and up
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Razorbill
Mackie Doyle is The Replacement - left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. He has been raised among us. But he is not one of us. Now, he must face the dark creatures of the slag heaps from which he came and find his rightful place - in our world or theirs.

This story made me smile, laugh, and at some point, I wanted to cry. Mackie is such a beautiful character, it made my heart hurt to see his predicament. (But then there would be no story). I loved this story of dark story with its unusual characters.

Unlike other books, this one reminded me of how teenagers actually acted. Mackie and is friends are funny and creative. This story teaches us that friends are not your friends by accident, but because they choose to be. I felt like Mackie kept whining about not fitting in, but it was worth it when he realized that he does and that his friends and family are true.

There is true meaning and love between the characters. Nothing false and out of the blue about it. This was a really sweet and strange story.

Book Review: Divergent

Veronica Roth

★★★★★

Reading level: Ages 14 and up

Hardcover: 496 pages

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

　

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.          During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her.

  I really enjoyed this novel! After all the hype about it, I bought the book, but I really did not expect all the book had to offer. I had my doubts about it being a thrilling dystopian, but I was proven wrong. With 2011 being the year for YA dystopian novels, some have fallen short. The book lagged in places and I felt at times that I knew what was going to happen (which turned out I was right about the things I guessed on) but Ms. Roth never failed in her writing.

The characters were fun and defiantly beyond the norm in YA fiction. I loved the concept the author portrayed and it showed how afraid people can be and how power is a ruling “drug” in a sense. The was fast pace and almost impossible to put down at times. I loved the heroic and brave qualities of Tris and just all in all the fact that she was no damsel in distress. Facing one’s fears has never been more enjoyable!

Ms. Roth created a world that made it so that I was not reading a story, but living and experience. I loved this story and I can’t wait for the next installment. Let’s hope the movie is just as great!

Book Review: Blood Red Road

Moira Young

★★★★★★/5

(The Extra star for being the best book I've ever read)

Reading level: Young Adult

Hardcover: 464 pages

Publisher:Margaret K. McElderry (June 7, 2011)

At first, I did not think I would enjoy this book like I enjoyed The Hunger Games, which at the time was my leading book. The writing was defiantly not like other books with perfect grammar and quotation marks. It was a turn off for me at first. But it took only the first few pages before I was hooked. It turns out that the way it was written added to the glamour on the book. All I could think about were these characters and their journey.

Blood Red Road tells the story of Saba as she tries to get her brother back after he was kidnapped by strange men. I was a bit intrigued with the fact that this story wasn’t about forbidden love or whatever else the YA brand has been selling lately.

I’ve said this before, that some characters seem real to me. But it was unlike any I’ve ever read about before. Moira Young’s characters are smart, cunning, funny, and just plain awesome. Usually the main female lead is all love struck and a damsel in distress type. But Saba was a strong and fierce fighter who had one thing on her mind: getting back her brother. Some people would say that she went overboard with her obsession to finding him, but I felt that it gave her a sense of purpose and throughout the novel, that was her aim. She never let that stray. Jack was just delicious. He was funny and cocky and just plain sexy! (He actually reminded me of one of my characters in the novel I’m writing.) The Free Hawks were the bravest and most thrilling fighters. Ike was just hilarious and intriguing. Emmi was bold and daring. These characters were like real people. Each were dynamic and rounded characters that I instantly fell in love with.

The plot of the story was always held in front. This I especially like, because I hate when the main purpose of the story is pushed aside and then the character goes off on their little adventure to find themselves and then finish off the book in the last few pages with a bit of action and a happily ever after. This novel was not like that. The main purpose was always first and the characters grew from that. There was a bit of romance in here as well, but is didn’t get all twilight on us, which is just what I like.

Moira Young has defiantly written an amazing book! My favorite book. If I was ever so lucky to meet her I would bow at her feet. This books is just…perfect. A MUST MUST read!Now, all my life, I’ve never really found a book that was my favorite. There were defiantly those I treasure most and would read over and over, but never could I find one that was THE best. Until now. Blood Red Road is my perfect novel. It is a dystopian dream!

Book Review: Across the Universe

Beth Revis

Reading level: Young Adult

Hardcover: 416 pages

Publisher: Razorbill; (January 11, 2011)

As the spaceship Godspeed travels toward a new earth, the lives of 100 cryogenically frozen settlers hang in the balance after someone endeavors to quietly murder them. The other passengers aboard the ship have never known life outside its walls and are enslaved by the machinations of Eldest, their tyrannical leader, who divides them into three distinct classes. When Amy, a frozen settler from earth, survives being thawed in a murder attempt, she immediately bonds with Elder, Godspeed's lone teen and future leader. Amy’s individuality, her rebellion, and her fierce desire for freedom, inspire Elder to act on his own doubts and defy Eldest--his mentor and keeper--with shocking results. Eldest’s methods of twisting history and altering the lives of this captive community are a frightening echo of tyrants in our own history, and Across the Universe challenges readers to consider the impact of unchecked power, blind trust, and the ability of one dissenting voice to make a difference.

　

This story was very different from most YA novels that I’ve been reading. First: it was set on a spaceship in the future. I don’t read much sci-fi so I was a bit skeptical about this book. But it actually turns out I kinda liked it. The story started slow and the main problem of the story- trying to figure out who is killing the frozens- is pushed to the back burner as the “dystopian” aspect of the story kicks in. The author sends a lot of messages about differences and individuality. God is a fictional character to those on the ship and Sol-Earth’s history is changed to feel like Hitler was a great leader, and that all differences are bad.

The characters weren’t flat, but they weren’t my favorite. Elder is madly in love with Amy, while Amy is stuck in the past. Eldest is an evil tyrant. The entire ship is loony, and the loony ones seem to be the only normal ones. The only character I really liked was Harley.

And, maybe this was just me, but I kind of figured out most of the lot twists before the author told us in the end. I can’t say it was completely obvious, but I guessed most it…

All in all this book was rather different and I like different. Ms. Revis did an amazing job of creating a sci-fi- dystopian world. I would have liked to see more action, but it was a great book altogether. Creative and entertaining, you may experience a few nightmares of being frozen alive…

Critique Partners

Everyone needs a someone who will tell them what’s wrong with ________(enter problem here). Same is true when writing a novel! Now, I’m still just a writer. I haven’t actually finished a novel, least of all published one, but from some research I’ve done, here’s one thing I know to be true: Get A Critique Partner!

Critique partners are your best friend in writing. This might be someone who has a knowledge of writing or just someone who loves to read and can tell you what you might be doing right or wrong.

No matter what anyone tells you, your writing may be good or bad-people have different opinions. However a critique partner is that one person who can keep you on track.

It is a long and traitorous road ahead for young writers, so why not have someone to tag along?

Amanda Hocking and Self Publishing

For those of you who have the words "Self-Publishing" on your mind or on your Google search history, here's a video of one author who has made it BIG in both YA fiction and the self publishing world. Amanda Hocking! Gives one a second opinion on the choice-but then every story is differnet. Check it out!

Book Review: Matched

Ally Condie 　
★★★★★

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher:Dutton Juvenile
　
　
I really enjoyed this book. It was a great story that I think Ally did an amazing job of creating. I was a bit saddened by some of the characters at first. There seemed to be little character development throughout some of the book, but as the story finished off and Cassia, the heroine of the story, found her true path, the story really caught my attention.
I loved the idea of this dystopian world and the way that Cassia and Ky fell in love. It was gradual and as the story unfolds, you won’t want to put it down.

Book Review: Beautiful Creatures

Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
★★☆☆☆
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 592 pages

Publisher:Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Beautiful Creatures is the first novel in the Beautiful Creatures series. Being a lover of gothic styled love stories and a fanatic for fantasy, I thought this would be right up my ally. However, early on in the book, I realize my mistake. The authors put every cliché remake about the south in this 600 page book of ridiculous, unedited mess of a novel.
First, the characters are unreal. Ethan is not like any sixteen year old boy I have ever met- I’m sixteen, I should know what I’m talking about. He has no hormones, I swear. I’m not saying that every teenage boy is a hound dog, but he’s just lacking in that field. Lena was a bit boring. Amma could have been a good character, but failed. And every kid in Jackson High School fit every high school cliché ever written.
I was still in my “I’ll finish a book no matter what” phase when I read this book, and it may have been the reason that I stop reading a book as soon as I start to lose interest. I really tried to finish it, I did. But page after page of droning on and on I just couldn’t do it.
I have to say sorry to the authors. You have amazing fans, but I am just not one of them.

Book Review: Die for Me

Amy Plum
★★★★★
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 341
Publisher: Harper Teen 2011

I completely devoured this novel. Die for me, tells the story of a girl named Kate as she moves with her sister to Paris to live with her grandparents after her parents die. Kate is enveloped with sadness because of this, and spends most of her summer losing herself in art and novels at cafes. When she meets Vincent, a handsome and mysterious young man, she finds herself wanting to open up to love again, but there are secrets about Vincent will put her life-and her family's- in jeopardy.

The characters in this novel was a bit refreshing. Kate, although is intensely attracted to these handsome beings, she keeps knows of the danger this could mean for her life and her heart. Vincent deservingly earns the title hero, and has the looks to match.

I’ve never heard of a revenant before and after some research on the subject I loved the story even more. It was a great tale on an old folklore.
Just brilliant!

Book Review: Halo

Alexandra Adornetto　
★★ ☆☆☆

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 496 pages

Publisher:Feiwel & Friends
　Halo, sadly to say, was painfully flat. First off, it’s a massive book, just under 500 pages, that moves at a slow pace and goes practically nowhere. Adornetto tries hard to sound professional, but comes across like a dictionary that was blended up, swallowed by an alien, and vomited onto the pages. Yes, details are important, but 100 pages about the set up- although very important to a fantasy novel- is a bit over the top, don’t you think?
Then there is Bethany, the main character. Bethany's naiveté about life on Earth is amusing in the beginning but as the story progresses it begins to sounds…false. Everything seems to come easily to the angels: they are preternaturally good looking, they inevitably excel at everything they do, they glow- literally. And yet, Bethany can't figure out how to talk to other teenagers when they use slang or reference pop culture? She finds herself tongue-tied and completely obsessed by the first (literally the first, I'm serious) good looking boy she sees. What?
On top of that, everything about Halo felt very contrived.
As a teen writer myself I get that she’s trying, but has she read her own book? It sucks!
I had high hopes for this book. I liked the concept of the story and the cover art is amazing. If it had been delivered properly, this would have been an amazing book. It felt clique and… just bad, just really bad. I couldn’t finish it. I got half way and just had to put it down. If it takes forever to get to the main idea of the story, then there is no reason to read the book at all.
Sorry to all of you who loved the book and to Alexandra Adornetto. I wish her the best, but I will not be reading the sequel.
Be warned.

Book Review: The Hunger Games Trilogy

Suzanne Collins
★★★★★Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: ---
Publisher: Scholastic Press
It's a bit hard to summarize this entire series, so check it out here: http://www.thehungergames.co.uk/about_the_book

This series was a hauntingly delicious tale that I could not put down. YA fiction has found a new crown jewel that must be adorned on gold immediately. I know that practically everyone has read these books, or is just waiting for the movie, but I’ve read all these books a while back now and I must say, if I had to choose my favorite series, it would be this. I absorbed every word of Suzanne Collins. The story was thrilling and adventurous.

The only thing bad about it was Katniss. I found that she was just… detached from people, almost undeveloped, but is also something about her that I liked. She was brave yet still human through the horrors she endured. It was not my usual fantasy high and yet it was still brilliant. The second book -Catching Fire- lagged a bit for me, basically a remake of book one, but still kept me reading. Mockingjay was the greatest conclusion to any serise I have ever read. There are no words to express the emotions I went through in the few short hours it took me to read this marvelous book.
Collins is not afraid to shed some blood. Exciting, thrilling, and just plain brilliant, this is a series you do not want to miss!

Book Review: Sisters Red

Jackson Pearce
★★★★★Reading Level: Young Adult
Paperback:  368 pages
Publisher: Hodder Childrens June 2010
　

I love Jackson Pearce. Sisters Red follows Rosie and Scarlet March, sisters who fight werewolves. When a new wolf is about to be turned, the sisters find that things are changing and will never be the same.

I really enjoyed this retelling of Red Riding Hood. It was original and creative. The book switches from the perspectives of Rosie and Scarlet, a perk of the story. We can see how different these sisters are, how one event can be different for any person.

There were some parts where I thought the story lagged in anticipation, but Jackson never failed to bring the excitement back. I think it was because I was really looking for just fight after fight, but I still loved this novel.

Different and exciting, Sisters Red is action packed with a spicy romance thrown in. I found myself lost in Jackson’s words.
A must read!

Book Review: Beastly

Alex Flinn
★★★★★
Reading Level: Young Adult
Paperback: 304
Publisher: Harper Teen 2007

Let me start off by saying that I LOVE Beauty and the Beast! Beastly is a remake of that story, however it is set in modern day New York. Instead of a prince we have Kyle Kingsbury, a spoiled rotten private school hottie who gets turned into a beast by a witch and must find true love to break the curse.
Beastly did a marvelous job or recreating the story. It was a sweet love story that had more to it than the usual YA novels. You can see how Kyle changed throughout the story and truly became a prince. Having had the book for well over 2 years now, I can still go back and fall in love with the story the same way I did the first time. The love is gradual and blooms like a rose.
I really liked the chat room idea in the beginning. It made it more real that all the other tales we grew up with were just as real as this one.
Amazing story. My only complaint was that I wished it was longer so it wouldn't end so fast. A definite must read!

Book Review: Hush Hush

Becca Fitzpatrick
 ★ ★ ★ ★☆
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher:Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing 2009

Hush Hush was awesome, but very predictable. It has your basic YA ingredients: hot-mysterious-bad boy, pretty-yet-naive-heroine, and crazy romance-drama. Very easy to slip into and get lost in. I admit the only reason I kept going was in vain hope it would all pan out into something good through a cool plot twist or stellar character growth. But Nora just made me want to slap her, and it was obvious who the villain was…ugh hem the guy who’s never around when all the major stuff happened.

Patch is the typical "twilight era" YA hero. He's smart-mouthed, mysterious, and dangerous, and despite blatantly lacking qualities, he attracts the heroine like a bees to honey. Yep, Nora just has to wade through all his crap, because something is telling her that beneath all of Patch's jerk wad facade, there's a heart of romantic gold. How else to explain why she pursues him? Patch is one of those types that immediately rubs the heroine - and this reader - raw. He's constantly insulting Nora, and uncooperative in their typical science lab partnership. He leads her on the craziest dance I've ever seen, meanwhile Nora following behind, picking up his crumb trail of crazy as if it was honey. I say honey because even though she is highly suspicious of him, as well as wary and guarded against him, she does eventually go on to love him. How? WHY? Never once do these two have a scene worthy of igniting a romance. They only trade insults, argue and mistrust. Yet, she falls for him. Don’t get me wrong, if he had a personality, I’d fall for him too. It was love at fist argument.
I'm all for the air of forbidden desire and the excitement it can bring to a growing romantic relationship, but this wasn't romance. A hero does not prey on the heroine's fears, enjoying it all the while and then suddenly the two are "in love". Had Patch stopped being such a jerk, and Nora such an nauseating twit, perhaps a more believable romance could've risen from the ashes.
Becca Fitzpatrick creates a story that you want to read, all the while knowing what’s about to happen, then makes you curse yourself for wanting to read the damn book in the first place. It sent me on a roller-costar ride of emotions and once it let me off, I was a bit disappointed on the drop.
Still sexy fallen angels are fun to read about. If you love Twilight-ish books, you'd love this one...

Book Review: Cut

Patricia McCormick
★★★☆☆
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 151 pages
Publisher:Front Street imprint of Boyds Mills Press 2000
　Fifteen-year-old Callie has a rare problem. She's not anorexic, she's not on drugs, and she's not bulimic. She cuts herself. She finds herself at a "residential treatment facility", Sea Pines- or "Sick Minds", as she calls it- and her hurt shows its face when she refuses to talk.
I really expected this novel to be different. Don’t get me wrong, I liked it, I just didn’t love it. I thought it would have been more…profound? I knew when I picked it up, it was not going to be a fantasy/fiction filled with witches and fairies (which I usually like to read) but I really expected more. I enjoyed how Callie's family life and her reasons for "cutting" were slowly explored and explained in a very natural and empathetic way, without being contrite. It presents a hopeful ending that leaves us with the feeling that Callie has emerged from her treatment stronger, wiser, and able to overcome the temptation to cut herself.
However, Cut is not a novel about the issue of cutting. It’s just about an adolescent girl’s stay at a psychiatric ward. With very little effort, this book could be rewritten as a story of a girl with an eating disorder or a substance abuse problem- to me the type of mental-health issue is unimportant to the plot. It was just a reason for her to be there- which is why I say it can easily be rewritten.
Still, it is a well written novel that presents us with an author who has an interesting voice.

Book Review: First Love

Joyce Carol Oates
★★★★★
Reading level: Young Adult
Publisher: Ecco (August 1, 1997)
Paperback: 86 pages

First Love tells the tale of Josie, a young girl who has ran away with her mother to family she has never met before. This tale of twisted nightmares, vividly traces a child’s enchantment with her tormentor. A psychological tale of misinterpreted love and abuse.

I have to, I don’t usually read books like this. I first read this book back in 2008 just around the time Twilight became big. I had read the books and I really need something else- a change from the vampire romances. After browsing around Amazon for a long time, somehow, I ended up on the page for First love. Like I said before, I’m not one for gushy romances, so I really didn’t jump at it and say, “Hey, I have to read this!”. I liked the cover-art which led me to read the summary. I’m a big psychology nerd and usually all psychology related books are more like crime books that are just boring to me. But then I found this amazingly-amazing-awesomely-awesome book. There is just no other way to describe it.

It took me a short time to read it- hello it’s a novella- and I enjoyed every word. It was different and mysterious and strange. I’ve read it several times since then and I still can’t put it down.I love the way JCO presents these characters and the almost sickening, yet captivating ways she illustrates the stark landscape of family secrets, religious fervor, violations of trust, psychological manipulation, and sexual obsession.
I didn’t really like the obscurity of Josie’s POV, but it’s also something I love about the book.
A tale that makes you think. Highly recommended!

Book Review: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

F. Scott Fitzgerald
★★★☆☆
Reading level: --
Paperback: 52 pages
Publisher:P.F. Collier & Sons co.

I’m not a huge fan of short stories, but I kinda liked this one. It was a cute story of a man who aged backwards. I’ve never seen the movie, but I heard it’s REALLY long. This book took me less than an hour to read. It’s not super detailed, but just gives you a brief glimpse of the story, then moves on to a different part of Benjamin’s life. Fast pace, it goes through the points of the story quickly, but honestly, I wished it had a little more to it.

The cover it really amazing, and truthfully it was the only reason I picked it up to begin with. It’s really cool with all the different kind of circles and what looks like fairy dust.
I didn’t like that Benjamin was so mean to his wife as he got younger and she got older. Or that as he got younger, his son basically disrespected him.

Although a great concept to a story, it just felt unreal. I couldn’t see any of it really happening. It just went through the motions of a fiction story, nothing more to it. Nothing about it made me want to jump into the world and live there- and to when, when that happens, that’s a great story.

Yes, I know it’s an old book- different styles, like different types of art works- I get it, but seriously? Couldn’t it have just a little more spice. Cute story to read while waiting to get your teeth drilled by a dentist maybe, but not something to take on a trip.

I like reading the books before I see the movie, but after reading the book, I really can’t see why I would want to see it. I mean, how much can one person be inspired to make a three-hour long movie out of. Ok, a person can get a lot of inspiration, but still, not the point!

Great for a quick read, but not satisfying as watching Brad Pitt.

Book Review: Looking After Lily

Cindy Bonner
★★★★☆
Reading Level:  Young Adult
Paperback: 320 pages

Publisher:Signet; Reprint edition (June 1, 1995)

I can’t say that I loved this novel. Sometimes, sequels are pretty amazing, like the Toy Story movies, better every time. This was not one of those toppers. I did enjoy this novel, just not as much as the first book, Lily. Still, it keeps you reading. For me, it was really just hoping to hear more about Lily or Marion. Honestly, I really didn’t care much about Haywood.
This story follows Haywood, one of Marion’s older brothers. It takes place after Marion gets sentenced to jail, while is pregnant wife, Lily, is under the watch of Haywood, who falls in love with Lily and whom we rarely hear of throughout the book.
I really wished that Cindy Bonner would writer a book about Lily, Marion, and Haywood. That would have been more interesting. Still the cover art is amazing. It tells us part of the story.
Cindy is still an amazing writer and it kept me reading to the last page. The characters are real and believable that it was if they sat next to me telling me their stories.
Still a great read!