Posts Categorized: Review

Monday, September 26, 2011

Review: The Host by Stephenie Meyer

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The Host (The Host, #1)
Stephenie Meyer
First published January 1st, 2000

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that takes over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed.

Wanderer, the invading “soul” who has been given Melanie’s body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too-vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn’t expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

Melanie fills Wanderer’s thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves – Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body’s desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she’s never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.

Wow, just amazing!

At first, I wasn’t sure about it because the sci-fi part is hard to grasp, but don’t worry, after the first 80 pages or so you won’t be able to stop reading (it has about 600 pages). It has to be the strangest book I’ve read, but also the best. It definitely ties in with Twilight, and the only reason I don’t think it beat it is because Twilight sucked me in for a longer period of time.

Meyer is an amazing author who is able to pull you into the story and allow you to feel like you’re actually there, experiencing what they experience and feeling what they feel. She paints a striking picture of the characters and the sinister world that they now live in, in the mind of everyone who is fortunate enough to be touched by it. The story is a real page turner. It’s so freakishly amazing how their world is changed and what they have to do to survive. It’s also incredibly unique and touching. I instantly fell in love with this book and all of it’s characters.

The characters in the story were very likable and I found them a lot more realistic than the ones in Twilight. The story was more adult and had a lot more depth to it. It’s original, exciting, scary, romantic, and thought-provoking. Stephenie really proved that she has more than one story to tell. If you loved Twilight, and especially if you’re a bit older – you will absolutely love this book.

5/5 hot espressos

Review: Wayward by Ashley Girardi

Posted by on 09/26/2011 • 8 Comments

Wayward (The Witch Wars Saga, #1) Ashley Girardi First published March 27th, 2011

Born without magic, seventeen-year-old Helena “Hex” Wayward is an embarrassment to her power-hungry relatives.

As the weakest member of the world’s most deadly magical family, Hex learns early how to avoid confrontation. There’s no defending herself against an errant curse or the pit-demon that her cousins like to summon during family reunions.

When the dark magic inside of her — magic that she never dreamt even existed — erupts in a violent display, it kills a member of a rival family. Now, Hex’s family hopes to use her magic for their own sinister purposes and their enemies just want her dead. Abandoning her magic will leave Hex defenseless but she’s seen how quickly power corrupts even…

Review: Angelfall by Susan Ee

Posted by on 09/24/2011 • 10 Comments

Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days, #1) Susan Ee First published May 21st, 2011

It’s been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels’ stronghold…

Review: The Willows: Haven by Hope Collier

Posted by on 09/23/2011 • 4 Comments

The Willows: Haven (The Willows, #1) Hope Collier First published September 13th, 2011

When tragedy strikes, seventeen year-old Ashton Blake sets out on a cross-country road trip, leaving the comforts of Malibu for the mountains of Kentucky. Along the way, she encounters Gabe Willoughby—the mysterious drifter with eyes like the sea and a knowing smile. Getting to know Gabe raises questions about her past. But no secret can be buried forever, and Ashton soon finders herself in a world where water is air and myth becomes reality.

Just as Ashton comes to accept her newfound heritage, she’s summoned to fulfill a treaty laid down centuries before — a treaty that will divide her love and test her loyalty. In the end, her future isn’t her biggest concern, her humanity is….

Review: First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones

Posted by on 09/23/2011 • 4 Comments

First Grave on the Right (Charley Davidson, #1) Darynda Jones First published February 1st, 2011

Charley sees dead people. That’s right, she sees dead people. And it’s her job to convince them to ‘go into the light’. But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (i.e. murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she’s been having about an Entity who has been following her all her life…and it turns out he might not be dead after all. In fact, he might be something else entirely.

“You rented the apartment with a dead guy in the corner?” I shrugged. “I wanted the apartment, and I figured I could cover him up with a…

Review: Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton

Posted by on 09/22/2011 • 7 Comments

Blood Magic (Blood Journals, #1)Tessa GrattonFirst published May 24th, 2011

For Nick Pardee and Silla Kennicot, the cemetery is the center of everything. 

Nick is a city boy angry at being forced to move back to the nowhere town of Yaleylah, Missouri where he grew up. He can’t help remembering his mom and the blood magic she practiced – memories he’s tried for five years to escape. Silla, though, doesn’t want to forget; her parents’ apparent murder-suicide left her numb and needing answers. When a book of magic spells in her dad’s handwriting appears on her doorstep, she sees her chance to unravel the mystery of their deaths.

Together they plunge into the world of dark magic, but when a hundred-year-old blood witch comes hunting for the bones of Silla’s…

Review: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Posted by on 09/20/2011 • 11 Comments

Thirteen Reasons WhyJay AsheyFirst published October 18th, 2007

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker—his classmate and crush—who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out how he made the list.

I absolutely loved this book. What an eye opener. In Thirteen Reasons Why we listen to audio tapes that was sent to 13 people by Hannah who committed suicide, to explain her reasons why.

First I want to mention that to all the reviewers who say that her reasons weren’t “good…

Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Posted by on 09/20/2011 • 15 Comments

Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1)Tahereh MafiRelease date: November 15th, 2011

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days. The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old-girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette…