Book Review: Perfect Chemistry

Perfect Chemistry
by Simone Elkeles

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I usually do not read romance YA, but I heard so many good reviews so I decided to give it a shot and I'm glad that I did! It was great!

Synopsis: When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created “perfect” life is about to unravel before her eyes. She’s forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked so hard for—her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect.

I did not expect this at all!  It was a really good book! I felt that not only was a romance, but something much more. There were life lessons learned and I think that's what makes it different. The characters were really awesome. When I first started reading about Brittany I thought, "Oh this is just going to be another pretty, perfect life, spoiled girl" but Brittany wasn't like that at all. I really started to like her throughout the book.  She was not flat or one dimensional at all. The other main character was Alex. Again there was the stereotype about him being bad, scary guy in a gang who likes to do drugs and shoot stuff. There was so much more to his character than people realize. Overall, I loved both characters and how they were really dimensional and real.

The writing in this book was done well. I liked how each chapter switched from Alex to Brittany and vice verso. Each chapter flowed into the next very nicely. Also, this book was so much more than  a romance. It made you think and had realistic problems. There were gangs in this book and it sounded very real. It was frightening!

The very end of the book was so cheesy  but so cute. It was a ironic way to end the book, but I liked it. :)

Overall, This book was so addicting!!!! I can't wait to read to ones that follow about the other Fuentes brothers. The only thing I don't really like is the covers of not just this one but the following books. I didn't want to read these books in public no matter how good they are!

Overall Rating:

9.6/10

Book Review: Divergent

Divergent
by Veronica Roth

Divergent is a debut novel from Veronica Roth who is only 22! I absolutely loved this book and could not put it down!

Synopsis: Set in dystopian Chicago, society is broken into 5 factions, Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), Candor (the honest), Erudite (the intelligent). When you are 16 you have to choice which faction you will belong to for the rest of your life. You can either change factions from which you born in or be a traitor and choose a different faction. For Beatrice Prior this is a tough decision.

I LOVED this book!!!! This is definitely one of my favorite books of all time. First lets start off with the characters. Beatrice, or Tris as she calls herself, is a great protagonist. You can really relate to her and she grows throughout the book. She was very realistic and could understand her thought process for different situations. Unlike some books she actually seemed real. Some of the other women in the book were also great characters. Tris' mother was a great multidimensional character and her story was really cool to learn about throughout the book. Tris' friends were also multidimensional especially Al. They were very fun to read about. My favorite character besides Tris was definitely Four! I loved him so much! His personality is what makes him so cool. Also, I loved how he and Tris made good, responsible decisions. Their relationship actually felt real and believable. I liked him as much as Tris did!! He is definitely one of my favorite male characters and I fangirled over him. :)

There was definitely a lot of action, which I enjoyed. There was some things that I was very surprised about pertaining to the training. Also, there were some cringe- worthy moments that were a bit gross. The only thing that was maybe not necessary was at the very end and Tris is faced with someone and has to make a big decision. I get why she had to do what she did, but it was sad to see that put in the book.

There was a very cool understory going on while every other story is. There was a cool mystery factor to it and it was cool to try to figure it out along the way.

Overall this was an amazing novel and I have very high hopes for the next novel, Insurgent. So excited for it!

Overall Rating

9.75/10

Book Review: Across The Universe

Across the Universe
by Beth Revis

Across the Universe was a great debut novel from Beth Revis.

Synopsis: 17 year old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo on the ship Godspeed which is scheduled to land in 300 years. 50 years before landing Amy is unexpectedly awoken and thrust into a very different life on a spaceship that is built of secrets and lies.

I really, really enjoyed this novel. It had science fiction, romance, dystopian, and mystery elements to it. The characters were well written and well developed throughout the novel. Amy and Elder were the main characters of the story. I liked how each chapter switched perspectives between the two characters. It kept the story interesting. Amy really brought a lot to the story. One moment she is frozen the next she is walking around the ship and getting a lot of whispers. She was a pretty strong character throughout the book and said what was true and what she thought was right. Elder was an interesting character too. He was really smart, but at some points really dumb too. It was amazing to see how much he was influenced by Eldest, the ship's leader, and by the "history" of Earth.

The concept of this book was new, fresh, and different. I really haven't read many stories about outer space, but this really got me more interested about space.  This was also a great dystopian novel. There are problems with the government and they way the ship is run. It is such a different place from Earth. Some of the policies and way of life is so crazy!  The mystery is also a huge part in the novel. It made the book very exciting and you can't put the book down! There were a lot of jaw dropping moments and moments were you went "Ah Ha!".

The cover is so pretty!! One of the best covers of any book! I love how it is reversible and it is a map of Godspeed which actually came in use.

Overall the book was very good, especially the end. The beginning is a little slower than the rest of the novel which was the only big fault.

Overall Rating:

9.5/10

Book Review: Liar

Liar
by Justine Larbalestier

 I finished Liar a few days ago and I really had to think about how to review this book. When I started this book I was like, "oh this book seems normal and interesting" but the further I got, the weirder it got.

    

Synopsis: Micah (girl) is a liar. She has fooled everyone over the years. But suddenly her boyfriend dies under brutal circumstances and her lies start to catch up with her.

 It felt like this book had a good concept, but was not executed well. Micah is a liar, her boyfriend is killed, and she has an illness. The illness, you don't find out what it is until later in the book, and feels irrelevant at first to the plot. It almost feels like three different stories going on at once. To top that off the book is split into 3 parts.Telling the Truth, Telling the True Truth, and The Actual Real Truth. In part 3 she (Micah) tells what is actually true because she lied about some plot points in the first 2 parts. It gets confusing because you forget what's the truth and what is a lie.

I liked how the writing was formatted though. There is Before and After. Telling a story before Zach (her boyfriend) died and after. Also there is History of Me which is some history of Micah and Family History which is some history of the family.

 I thought that the end had a pretty good message. Micah finds who she is and is comfortable with herself.

Overall this book was just odd. Some stories were drawn out too much and the illness should have been apart of the story in the beginning more. I do not know which genre this book would be considered though. If you read it you would understand.

Overall Rating

4.4/ 10

Book Review: The Wedding Girl

The Wedding Girl
by Madeleine Wickham

At age 18 Milly was up for anything, but now 10 years later she is a different person. She is about to marry a wealthy, serious. caring man, but a secret from her past comes back to cause her a great deal of trouble.

I have read the majority of works by Sophie Kinsella and have enjoyed them. I don't read many chick-lit books, but when I do I think these are a great choice. They are quick, fun reads that make you laugh! So when I saw that her real name is Madeleine Wickham I had to check out those books. This is the first Wickham book that I read and I thought the book would be a lot like the Kinsella books but I was wrong. There are elements that are a lot like Kinsella's books, but there are some major differences.

The Wedding Girl although funny at times is a lot more serious and deep than the Kinsella books. I liked this a lot because not all of the characters are flat! Also, this book isn't very predictable. When reading it I thought "Oh, well this will just happen and everything will be fine" but I was wrong! There are a lot more problems and conflicts that arise. Similar to the Kinsella books they do have a pretty happy ending which I'm not complaining about! It is good to have a perfect ending once in a while! :)

Unlike Kinsella's books The Wedding Girl switches perspectives of different characters. Also there are many different topics covered such as marriage,abortion, homosexual relationships, and family problems. They are discussed in depth and make you think.

Something that I absolutely loved was the shocking discoveries in this book. There were times that my mouth was hanging wide open! I had no idea what was coming in this novel. It was very neat that by the end of the book different character's stories were all connected and everything was connected in some way.

I really liked the cover of this book, but I didn't think it fit the book very well. I don't know, that's what I thought.

I was pleasantly surprised.

Overall Rating

9.3/ 10

*I have heard that this book is the best out of the other Madeleine Wickham books so maybe I just was lucky to buy this one! I'm sure I will check out some of her other novels though.

Book Review: Rules

Rules
by Cynthia Lord

Rules is mainly for 10- 12 year old, but anyone older can still enjoy it! It is a very quick read, but had a good message.

12 year old Catherine just wants her life to be normal. David, her brother, has autism and her family revolves around his disability. Catherine has spent many years making rules for David to remember, hence the title. Examples of these rules are "Don't stand in front of the TV when other people are watching it", "Saying you'll do something means you have to do it- unless you have a very good excuse", and my personal favorite "No toys in the fish tank".

The main plot line is Catherine struggling with herself and her surroundings. She wants people to accept her, even if her brother is autistic. This was a fresh read  for me because not many books (at least not many that I have read) are about people with disabilities and how they cope with them. Cynthia Lord writes and tells the readers about autism in a very tasteful and realistic way. This book is very believable and could be a true story for all I know.

I think that the interaction between Catherine and Jason was very beautiful. (not romantically) I loved how Catherine made new cards for Jason and felt comfortable talking to him.

At some parts of the book Catherine could get annoying. I mean I have to remember that she is only 12. Also, her new next door neighbor, Kristi, was not really likable in my point of view. She just didn't seem to acknowledge that Catherine's brother did have a disability and she kept hanging out with Ryan even though she knew that he was very rude to David. She just got on my nerves!

I loved the cover of this book! "No toys in the fish tank" was shown well on the cover.

Overall Rating
8.8/10

Book Review: Uninvited

To start off, honestly, this book was awful. Characters, plot line, mood, all of it. It is about a girl named Jordan who doesn't exactly do the right things. She drinks, partys, and does drugs. Her best friend Rachael is a lot worse. For the past 3 months Jordan is stalked by her ex boyfriend, who has just died and has come back as a vampire. He is at her window everynight and is just creepy.

All of the characters are one dimensional and are not written well. Jordan just complains and drinks all the time and Micheal, the ex boyfriend, doesn't make a good vampire at all. Most of the time I just want to yell at both Micheal and Jordan. They are both annoying, especially Micheal. Micheal is just plain creepy.

Plus I don't think that this book had a good plot line in the first place. It is very slow and boring for most of the book. There isn't a main focus either. It sort of goes all over the place.

The only kinda good thing about this book is that the last 50 pages are ok. It has a good ending, but that's about it.

Sorry this was sort of a rant about the book, but I have to be honest!

Overall rating
2.5/ 10

Book Vs. Movie: I Am Number Four

I read I Am Number 4 by Pittacus Lore a few months ago and really liked it! I thought it was a new concept and really one of the first alien books that I have ever read. I surprised me when I found out that they were coming out with a movie already! So I was very excited to see the movie. The movie followed the book very well, some minor changes, so that made me happy. Now about the actors and acting.... Well lets start with the acting. I thought that it was OK. There were definitely parts that the acting was awful. Sometimes during the serious moments I was just laughing. But overall I think they did the best that they could. Alex Pettyfer played Number 4 and he did a pretty good job. It also helped that he's very attractive. :) Sam, played by Callan McAuliffe, was not what I pictured at all! I pictured Sam as looking very nerdy, but the Sam in the movie didn't look like that at all. He did an OK job at acting and he brought some funny, light moments into the movie. Henri, Timothy Olyphant, was very good at acting. I also didn't picture Henri like he was portrayed in the movie, but that's OK. :) Bernie Kosar was so adorable in the movie!!! He was one of my favorites! Number Six, Teresa Palmer, kicked some butt! She was so cool and really showed how girls can really fight! On the other hand Mark James, Jake Abel, was awful. He didn't  remotely look like a football player and was just awkward. I laughed when he was on screen. Sarah Hart,played by Dianna Agron, was good. I really liked her outfits that she wore in the movie. Some characters that I thought were spot on were the Mogadorians. They were incredibly creepy and even had the long black jackets like in the book. They look like what I pictured in my head. Obviously the book was a lot better than the movie, but I still enjoyed the movie!

EBook Review: Summer's Crossing

Summer's Crossing
By Julie Kagawa
The Iron Fey #3.5

A new novella by Julie Kagawa! When I saw that she was writing a new novella I was excited! I enjoyed Winter's Passage a lot! I think I liked Summer's Crossing even better though!
Told in Puck's point of view it is about Ash and Puck's adventure into the Summer court to fulfill a promise.
I loved the point of view of Puck! It was funny and serious. Also his relationship with Ash is very interesting. It is so much different from the first book, The Iron King.
Overall this story was funny and I enjoyed Puck's point of view a lot! After reading it I wanted more. It definitely gets you ready for The Iron Knight. So excited for that book!
Overall rating
9.5/10

Book Covers!

Clockwork Prince
by Cassandra Clare
The Infernal Devices #2
December 6, 2011

I am sort of iffy about the cover. I like it and I don't. I was really excited to see Jem on the cover but where is his silver hair! That is one of his main physical qualities. I like the gray theme, like the first book. I think the image of Jem just annoys me because I didn't picture him like that.

 I am very excited to read the book!

The Iron Knight

by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Fey #4

I am so excited to read this book! It comes out sometime in 2011, hopefully very soon! It is quite odd not to see Meghan on the cover, but I really like the cover! I pictured Ash a little differently, but this is close enough!

Overall the covers are pretty awesome!

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