Thursday, September 27, 2012

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment
By James Patterson

3.5 out of 5

Maximum Ride and her five friends/family members are pretty much the only people they have ever known. Being a mutant freak does that to one's social life. Max along with Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel look like normal humans, but with one big difference. They have wings. Ranging from 6-14 years old they live on their own after having escaped from the evil School where they were created by a team of scientists who viewed them only as experiments. They have lived completely alone since their escape, but one day when Angel gets captured and brought back to the school, it falls to the other five to come up with a way to save her. Will they be able to save Angel? And what will they discover at the School if they get there?

Years ago I had read this book with my family. I liked it and always wanted to continue on with the series, but I didn't. Then time got in the way, and I kind of forgot about Max and the others. Then a little while ago, I was over at a friends house, and she had a copy of one of the books hanging around. She told me how good they were and how I should definitely go back and read them. So I did. This book is good, and it lived up to my memory of the story. Once I get a little bit of free time, I will continue on, but right now there is a pile of ten library books in my room, that are all due back within the next month... so it might be a while. But I promise, I will get there. This is a good book, and I want to read more of Max's story.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Hide and Seek (The Lying Game #4)
By Sara Shepard

4 out of 5

Emma has identified a main suspect, Laurel her step-sister. As much as Emma doesn't want to believe it, all signs point to Laurel being the killer. Bu that's not the only thing that Emma has to deal with. Thayer is back in town, and he doesn't understand why Sutton has no interest in him. Mr. Mercer has been weirder than usual, and he's actually starting to scare us. And then there's the Devious Four, four freshman girls who seem to have forgotten who runs Hollier High. Plus Emma, and Ethan are the new it-couple, and they barely have anytime to themselves with the school watching, Thayer skulking, and their ongoing investigation. Will Emma uncover who her sister's murderer is? Or will she end up dead just like Sutton?

This book definitely redeemed the series for me. Two Truths and A Lie I didn't like, but this makes up for it. It's exciting, and enjoyable. I was reinvested in the story, and I am dying to know what happens next.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Equations of Life
By Simon Morden

3 out of 5

Twenty year old Samuil Petrovitch is a seemingly typical university student, with nothing to hide or worry about. That is until he intervenes in a kidnapping of a beautiful girl. A beautiful girl who is the daughter of the most powerful and dangerous man in the London Metrozone. Suddenly Petrovitch has something to hide, his head, and some thing to worry about, more than one thing. What will Petrovitch do? And how far will he really go to save the London Metrozone from total destruction?

In this dystopia, trilogy, with a love triangle (however no vampires, yet) the world is falling to bits, in a very weird way. The beginning of this book is very 1984/Brave New World, and I almost stopped because those books make me want to stab myself in the eye. But i soldiered on, and then the book took another weird turn. Imagine combining 1984, I, Robot, and The Matrix into one four hundred page book and you have the Equations of Life. Not even joking. The book was pretty good, if I have the time, I might consider reading the other two. Didn't like the fact that the book doesn't end, it just stops. Even if there are more books afterwards, I always like my books to end.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List
By Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

3.5 out of 5

Naomi is a straight girl, Ely is a gay boy. They live across the hall from each other in their New York apartment building and they have been best friends for as long as they can remember. They do everything together. They went to NYU together. They chose to live from home together. They have been through each others breakups and makeups as well as the scandal of their parents. It seems like nothing could come between Naomi and Ely. But there is one little problem. Naomi is in love with Ely. And Ely kissed Naomi's current boyfriend. Lets talk about drama.

This book is really cute, and funny, and so typical. Have you ever noticed that whenever there are best friends in books, one is always in love with the other, and the other is completely unaware? Really take a minute to notice. Hunger Games, City of Bones, I Am the Messenger, Virals, Why We Broke Up, and these are just the ones I can pick off the top of my head, and my older posts. It seems so odd to me that this is such a common occurrence. Especially with someone you grew up with. I don't think its going to happen to me. Naomi and Ely are the ultimate best friends, and I would love to be friends with them.

Monday, September 3, 2012

Where She Went
By Gayle Forman

4 out of 5

It has been three years since Mia Hall woke up from her coma to find that the rest of her family had died in the car crash that almost took her life. In those three years, Mia and Adam Wilde broke up, and went their separate ways. Adam, to become a emo-punk rock god, and Mia to become a celebrated cellist. This book, told from Adam's point of view--which shows Adam's world, and the self-made struggles of isolation and anger that Adam has to deal with--tells the tale of one night, where Mia and Adam are reunited, and the hidden pain that they both buried, resurfaces in hopes of closure. Will they get what they want? Or will things be left even more ragged and sharp than they had been?

 This is the sequel to If I Stay. I had read If I Stay maybe two years ago, at most, and really liked it. But being me, I did not immediately go out and find the sequel as I should have. So I spent much of the first few chapters, trying to remember exactly what had happened in If I Stay and whether or not I should be surprised and outraged by the things being mentioned in the book as I read. Having said that, I really love this book. It's funny, and sad, and you can just feel the anger, and frustration, and desperation that Adam feels about his life and his feelings for Mia. The emotions really make the story, because everyone has felt some range of everything Adam is feeling. I enjoyed the story, but was a little disappointed by the ending. I'm hoping another one comes out, so that I have some closure for the story.
I Am The Messenger
By Markus Zusak

4 out of 5

Ed Kennedy is a 19 year old cab driver going no where. He plays cards, drinks, drives his cab, and drinks late night coffee with his foul smelling dog.  He is a dead beat with no college education, and no plans for the future. That is until Ed interferes in a bank robbery. Ed enjoys his brief fame thinking that his life will go back to the way it was, but then the first card arrived in the mail. On each card, all Aces, there are three messages. Three people that need Ed's help. As Ed works his way through the card, he learns about the people of his community, his morals, and himself. Due to these cards, Ed's life will change forever, but only if he makes it to the end.

This book was my summer required reading book for school. I had, coincidentally read the book a few years ago, but thought that re-reading the book would be a good idea. As I re-read the book, I liked it more and more. This is the best summer reading book I have ever read, and as it is my last, I think it is fitting. This book is really good, and moving in a way few young adult books are. It makes you want to get up and change the world, to be more than you are. I highly enjoyed and am glad that I took the time to re-read this book, because my memory was lacking in it's awesomeness.