"Witchstruck" by Victoria Lamb (P2)

Not-Struck, It Sucked

Witchstruck

By Victoria Lamb



# Pgs: 320

_________________________________________________________________________________

Overview:



If she sink, she be no witch and shall be drowned.

If she float, she be a witch and must be hanged.

Meg Lytton has always known she is different—that she bears a dark and powerful gift. But in 1554 England, in service at Woodstock Palace to the banished Tudor princess Elizabeth, it has never been more dangerous to practise witchcraft. Meg knows she must guard her secret carefully from the many suspicious eyes watching over the princess and her companions. One wrong move could mean her life, and the life of Elizabeth, rightful heir to the English throne.

With witchfinder Marcus Dent determined to have Meg's hand in marriage, and Meg's own family conspiring against the English queen, there isn't a single person Meg can trust. Certainly not the enigmatic young Spanish priest Alejandro de Castillo, despite her undeniable feelings. But when all the world turns against her, Meg must open her heart to a dangerous choice.

The Secret Circle meets The Other Boleyn Girl in Witchstruck, the first book of the magical Tudor Witch trilogy.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Review:

I'm not quite sure that I liked this book actually. If you've read the book or even the overview above you'll understand that the setting takes place in the sixteenth century when witchcraft was punishable by death; through flames or drowning or hanging. Not quite the pleasant experience I'd imagine. However, while reading the book I didn't feel the torturous suspense or the sense of danger that should've been there regarding the fact that the main character is a witch.

The main character is Meg Lytton, and as I've stated previously, she's a witch. Not quite an experienced one yet as she's just an apprentice to her aunt. Meg is strong-headed, stubborn, careless about just what she has to hide, and at times rude. Her sudden desire for a Priest (who, as you could imagine, would not approve of her being a witch) escalates quickly, so it seems. I say this because throughout the entire book it seemed like the Priest and the Witch, although obviously attracted to eachother, didn't get along, or they were always saying the wrong things. And then at the end when the Priest asks her that ever important question, it just makes me wonder about what romance the author thinks there is. It just seems like desire the entire moment with little to no fluffiness that I think should've been there, if even in the slightest.

In a way I guess it's kind of ironic with, what I had originally thought of as a love triangle before I read the book, the fact that Meg's falling for Alejandro (the Priest) while a witch hunter (Marcus Dent) is trying to get her to marry him. And you might not understand this now, but regarding Marcus and Meg? It isn't what you think; he knows. Sorry, that might be a spoiler if you haven't read the book and can figure out just what I'm trying to say, but I'm not going to elaborate.

Elizabeth is a banished princess, and with every step of the book it becomes more and more obvious just how much she wants to be queen. I'd say she's greedy, but that's not quite it. It's more that Elizabeth hungers to get back that place of power that she could've once had. It's funny, I think, that if you were to consider other books with people of such power to Elizabeth; the desire to be free from the power to make their own decisions rather than decisions for their country versus the desire to be free from the control of someone in control and to take that position instead for yourself; aren't they the same thing? The situations, I think. What I'm trying to say, because I know that I'm a confusing enough person, is that Elizabeth wants to be free from her situation of being watched all the time and to be free to make her own decisions. Wouldn't she still be in the same situation if she were queen?

This book seemed like it was a little too fast paced for me to enjoy, and the setting seemed to jump a lot. One minute it would be now, for example, and the next it would be three months later. Not that there's that huge of a problem with that, it just got too all over the place. I began to wonder when exactly certain events happened and exactly how familiar Meg had gotten to the other characters. Another thing that bothered me was that if we were reading three months or so later after some event or other happened, then why was Meg still hung up over it? I mean, you'd think she'd forget about a little event or saying or something three or so months later, and yet she didn't. This bothered me because it made everything that happened seem repetitive. And repetitive.

I appreciated exactly how much Meg cares for her family, which often enough is problematic to what happens in Meg's life. And as Meg hides her own secrets, she begins to find out more and more just how much her family is hiding from her. Things that are detrimental to her life. Yet when her mother-figure was found out for who she is, Meg didn't seem to take a lot of time to grieve. In fact, after that event, the rest of the book just seemed to go go go- There wasn't enough time to take anything in, or for me as the reader to make a connection to what happened to what was happening. I didn't feel emotionally connected, and I wouldn't say that it was easy exactly, but it wasn't at all that difficult to put the book down and do something else for a time.

Younger teens might like this more than I, me thinks. I've just been learning how to be critical about everything I read after the fact. To me, this book just seemed not quite boring, but close enough that it almost bothered me to read it. Similarly, I'll admit that even with all the problems that I had with this book, I almost enjoyed it. It was almost a pleasure to read, but it wasn't. And in the end I guess "almost anything" doesn't really matter. Just 'cause it was "almost" something, doesn't mean anything about what it was. It's just to say what it wasn't in a gentler way.

Shush, now, me. Now is not the time to psychoanalyze myself.

In any case, I'd rate this book as somewhere between a two and a three out of five, though I'm leaning more towards the two. Thanks for reading, feel free to follow my blog or Twitter, or to just leave a comment below if you have something to say. I really won't mind~ :)

"The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken (P1)

Loved it~ 

The Darkest Minds

By Alexandra Bracken

The Darkest Minds Series, Book 1

# Pgs: 528

_________________________________________________________________________________

Overview:



When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government "rehabilitation camp." She might have survived the mysterious disease that's killed most of America's children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she's on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her-East River. She joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can't risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents.

When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Review:

It just so happened today as I was looking through my archive of blog posts that I created a book review for book two of The Darkest Minds series (Under 2013: October- "Oh My God"), but skipped a review for book one. So I thought that since I'm already a pretty backwards person, then there's no reason for me to not write a backwards blog. Honesty is my best policy, so I'm going to be honest.

I bought this book a year or so ago for my nook, not quite knowing what it was about. It was one of those things where I needed something to read, and it was there so I read it. And then I read it again. And then again. It's a year later, and I'm still rereading it now and again. As an avid bookworm, I'm not supposed to pick favorites. But I do, and The Darkest Minds is one of them. I'm in love with this series.

Now that you know that I already own the book for my nook, you should know that I had to buy the book an actual time as an actual book rather than a nook book. I'm so in love with this book that I thought if my nook ever crashed (it's come close), then I'll be prepared with one of my favorites. Plus, I figured it would be a lot easier to convince my mother and brother to read the book if I shoved it in their face.

The cover is interesting, simple, and to the point. Looking at it, you might not understand exactly what that symbol's about. You have to read the book for that. But the rest of it is fairly explanatory.

The setting takes place in the typical, nearly apocalyptic time period that I've been so into reading lately. Now, generally speaking, there are so many different ways that an author can write about a dystopian society. Fahrenheit 451, The Hunger Games, and Divergent are perfect examples of this. And while you might not think it at first, The Darkest Minds fits right into that category. Sure, in this there are telekinetic and other sorts of abstract mind powers, but each of these books has a scientific explanation to it. It's all about government and power, and each of these author's wrote their books with a well-developed history.

Alexandra Bracken fed me exactly what I wanted from reading this book. If I wanted action, she gave it to me. If I wanted to know more about how the world within the pages came to be, she told me. If I wanted the romance between Ruby and Liam to actually be a romance and not a typical "love at first sight" type of book, she knew exactly what I meant. Everything that I wanted from a dystopian book was here.

Bracken wrote this book cleanly, and it flowed smoothly. She drew me within the pages almost instantly, and as it seems to happen with authors of her caliber I couldn't put this book down. Her character, Ruby, struggled. The character wasn't just given everything, nothing was made easy. She had to fight for what she had, or to fight for what she didn't have, and sometimes she failed. The brilliant thing about that? Most authors forget it, but to err is human. Even though this book includes crazy mind-powers as the product of a deadly disease, it made everything believable. Too often I read a book where the main character is just handed everything and plays at being a hero. This book was the real deal.

This book, and even her second book, was written perfectly. It literally just makes me flabbergasted how anyone could be so creative about this. I'm slightly jealous.

There's greater beauty in the way Bracken developed her characters, each of them with their own kinds of personality. Ruby isn't a whiny, over-dramatic, 'pity me' kind of brat. She's careful, a little naive, but tough. To protect herself from others, and to protect others from herself, she keeps how powerful she really could be a secret from the rest of the world, and she doesn't dare to try to developed those powers herself.

And Liam is a knight in shining armor. The leader of a small rag-tag team of throw together, upon discovering a hideaway, he embraces the opportunity to protect a perfect stranger. He trusts others easily, is kind and sweet, and unconditionally loving. He's so open to the world, even with a huge number over his head, that we as the reader can't help but love him ourselves. Ruby's reluctant, but Liam is the kind of boy you can't refuse. Chubs is the exact opposite of Liam, and Zu's just adorable.

Having read this book numerous times, I feel like I know these characters as if they were sitting here next to me as I typed this.

Of course Liam and Ruby slowly, but surely, fall for each other. It's not as obvious at the beginning, which is what makes it beautiful as their love starts out simply as friendship and grows. Unlike Twilight, and some of the other books out there, this book doesn't revolve singularly around two characters and their undying love for each other. Sure, there's love there, and it influences their decisions, but it is not the soul that holds this book together.

 This author knew exactly how to write this book to make me smile, laugh, bite my lip, and cry. It was wonderfully written, and doesn't have the typical happy ending. It had a believable ending. I didn't know what I was going to read when I read this book, but once I started reading, I couldn't put the book down. And once I had no choice but to put the book down, I immediately looked up the next book. As it wasn't out at the time, I went into a slump. Then I reread The Darkest Minds and everything was alright for a while. Now that I've read the second book, I can honestly say that Bracken keeps surprising me with her talent. She knows how to write plot twists and use them to her advantage. I don't know how I can wait for the third book in the series. In fact, I don't think I can wait. I'm going to go insane with impatience, which if you know me is a tough thing to do.

This book wasn't pathetic, as I was expecting. It was an adventure-romance joyride. I keep thinking that I'm going to crash, but with every twist and turn within the pages I find I'm holding on tighter and tighter to its words. I am in love with this book, and maybe I didn't do a good job of convincing you to read this, but you should. You should read this book. Definitely read this book, because if you don't you won't know what you're missing. The pacing is perfect, the dialogue is perfect, the characters are perfect, the history behind it all is perfect, the plot line is perfect, the complications are perfect, and the plot twists are perfect... I can't think of one thing about this book that I don't like-

Well, maybe one thing...

You'll have to read the book to find out what it is.

If I had to rate this book... I can't. It's just too beautiful to give a number to. This is one of the best books that I've ever read. I'm honestly in love with this. This is something I'm going to hand onto for years without regret, and it's one of the books that months, years later, I haven't forgotten. It could be different for you, but you have to read it to find out for yourself.

You'll probably love it too.

Thanks for reading.

"Crossed" by Ally Condie (O2)

Forgettable

Crossed

By Ally Condie

The Matched Series, Book 2



# Pgs: 400

 

_________________________________________________________________________________

Overview:



The highly anticipated second book in the Matched trilogy!

Chasing down an uncertain future, Cassia makes her way to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky--taken by Society to his certain death--only to find that he has escaped into the majestic, but treacherous, canyons.  On this wild frontier are glimmers of a different life . . . and the enthralling promise of rebellion. But even as Cassia sacrifices everything to reunite with Ky, ingenious surprises from Xander may change the game.  On the edge of Society, nothing is as expected, and crosses and double crosses make Cassia's path more twisted than ever.

Look for the epic series finale, REACHED!

_________________________________________________________________________________

Review:

I wasn't anticipating the second book in the Matched trilogy.

I'm going to sound rude if I keep reviewing this book, but a review is a review.

When I read the first book in the series, I moderately enjoyed it. I mean, it wasn't a mind-blowing novel, but it wasn't boring either. It was a very... set book. However, it seemed unlike any other dystopian society books out there now, and my curiosity was eating at me. So I read this book, and now I'm just disappointed.

Whereas the first book in the series seemed somewhat unique, the second book in the series had so many facets in its plot and complications that made me think it copied Suzanne Collin's The Hunger Games trilogy and The Giver series by Lois Lowry. It wasn't at all original or stand-outish. In fact, the entire book made me feel like Condie was trying to bribe me into believing in a world that's just too unrealistic. I did not get drawn into the book at all, and I felt no emotional stipulation what so ever regarding the book. I didn't smile or laugh or frown or anything the entire time while reading this book. If anything, I'd just roll my eyes and flip the page.

Let's talk about the characters; Ky and Cassia are two individuals in love with each other. That's simple enough to understand. Unfortunately, both of these characters are just so overly dramatic it's unrealistic. And it's almost like they're carbon copies of each other, so similar are they in tone and voice. Almost like Romeo and Juliet, these are two characters who aren't supposed to be together, but who defy all odds to be. It's like reading this is a tragedy, because it had such potential to be great but their love didn't really go anywhere. It just flat lined. And the characters were too distracted with being breathlessly, I'LL DIE WITHOUT YOU, "You are the only one", in love to notice. Their love was fake.

The plot just went in circles. I don't know how else to describe it but like that. The characters went in circles seemingly for no important reasons. And then a bomb happened, but it wasn't an 'emotionally heart wrenching' plot twist, it was literally a bomb. It was very random, and not enough. If an author's going to write about a bomb, then make it interesting. Draw the reader in, make it impossible to put the book down, make us throw the book at the wall in devastation and bawl our eyes out. Don't make us just read the words about a bomb happening, some character or other dying, and yawn. I rolled my eyes at that part.

I didn't feel the danger. I didn't get drawn in. The whole thing seemed to go in circles and to have copied other books. The characters had the exact same mindset that it was boring and confusing at parts to read. I could just keep going on and on about the problems that I had with the book, but I don't want to be mean. I feel guilty for writing a bad review about a book, because I understand just how difficult it is to write a book. But this was just... I don't know if there's an excuse for this catastrophe of bland and dispassionate proportions.

I don't even know if this book deserves a rating, it was just so tedious to read. They say curiosity killed the cat; well, it's safe to say that my cat's officially dead. And Satisfaction left the building, so it's not coming back. It's unfortunate I need to finish reading the series. It feels like a job rather than an actual wanting to read the next book in the series. I'm considering bringing the book back to the library.

It was just so disappointing. I'm not going to remember this book. There's no emotional connection I have to this book.

Sorry if you read this book and feel differently; to each their own. Don't let my review put you down too much. If you wanted to read this book before, then give it a chance. You might like it. It might just be me that feels this way.

Thanks for reading.

"The Brokenhearted" by Amelia Kahaney (O1)

It's Kinda Like Gotham

The Brokenhearted

By Amelia Kahaney

# Pgs: 352

_________________________________________________________________________________

Overview:



Amelia Kahaney's The Brokenhearted is a gorgeous, gritty, and imaginative take on the superhero story, perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer's Cinder and Marie Lu's Legend.

Anthem Fleet, talented ballerina and heir to the Fleet fortune, is closely guarded by her parents in their penthouse apartment. But when she goes to a dangerous party in the wrong part of town, she meets the handsome Gavin and is immediately drawn into his forbidden world. Then, in a tragic accident, Anthem falls to her death. She awakes in an underground lab, with a bionic heart ticking in her chest. As she negotiates her dangerous new life, she uncovers the sinister truth behind those she trusted the most.

Set in the ruined fictional landscape of Bedlam, a Gotham-like city, this tale of heartbreak and revenge is both gripping and cinematic—and is sure to sweep readers away.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Review:

Before we begin with the actual book review, I have a très importante question to ask you: Are you familiar with... Batman? Who am I kidding, of course you are! You know, by day he's playboy billionaire Bruce Wayne and by night he's The Dark Knight, Batman; a vigilante crusader who parades around in tights and a cape saving the day with a billion different expensive toys all with the prefix Bat-. His city is Gotham; overflowing with psychos and currupt officials who thrive on greed.

The only reasoning I'm mentioning this is because Amelia Kahaney's The Brokenhearted is set in a city that, from beginning to end, reminded me much of Gotham. Except, while reading this book, Bedlam seemed so much worse despite existing in a world that does not have the Joker.

You may not know this about me, but aside from my love of paranormal, sci-fi, historical, and fantasy fictions, I also am absolutely with anything "superhero". So, reading this book, of course I fell in love. But I'm going to have to be honest about it, being that this is a book review, and try my best to stay impartial.

Being that The Brokenhearted is set much in a world of it's own, the strange way that it's written is understandable. The book follows a different sort of timeline, and we're just the viewers. I'm a little unsure in exactly what setting this takes place, however. Sure, it takes place in a rough city named Bedlam, but where? I kinda wish Kahaney embellished on the city more.

You have to give this book props for having a somewhat original idea-the main character, Anthem Fleet, died-but kind of like Frankenstein she was revived and given a second chance at life with a new heart. Reading the overview and looking strictly at the cover makes her heart seem like it is completely cybertechnic, but actually reading the book I found that it's not. It's somewhat of a mix; part machine, part humming bird hybrid. I thought that was kinda cool. I've never thought of someone gaining their heroic powers through a humming bird before.

Anthem's character was strong and interesting, someone I could relate to despite not being a ballet dancer or, you know, dying. She's just herself, not Anthem Fleet, and certainly not her dead sister. But throughout the book, she grows in strength from someone unsure about who she is to someone who embraces her strengths and weaknesses and fights for the world despite them. She was, overall, a likeable character.

The book was very confusing at parts, as it seemed to jump from one bit of facto to the next in an almost rushed manner. I'm used to patiently reading books, so it was a relief to read one that was so easy to read without going to roundabout methods of discriptions. However, one example of details being too rushed, could be examined in the romance de facto of the book. Anthem jumped from one character to the next character to another character before going back to the first character while pining over the second character before finally settling on the last character. And two of those characters, at the beginning, seemed to be carbon copies of each other. It was somewhat ridiculous and overall exasperating to read.

I was a little unsure in the book exactly what the history behind everything was. Is it a somewhat post-apocalyptic era? Why was every other building so run down or taken over or stuffed with secret, deadly things when it seemed like the state of the world was still strong enough where it shouldn't have been that way? I'm just confused by some aspects of the book, and other aspects were too predictable. I knew just after a certain nameless event happened exactly what was going to happen for the rest of the book. I didn't understand the importance of one of the characters at all other than a source of distraction from all the heroism that took place at night. I kind of with the relationship between the main character, Anthem, and her parents or Serge or her cook (whose name escapes me) were better developed than they were. Her parents were a key reason for taking the actions that she did, but so few times we actually interacted with them through Anthem. They were just there, kind of like one of the other distracting characters.

With all the little complications and wishes I had with this book considered, I still enjoyed it. I just wish it were better developed because it is such an interesting idea, even if it doesn't entirely make sense. So, in my personal opinion, I'd rate this book a three of five. It was good, just not enough. Still, I'm interested in reading the next book in the series, because this was very intriguing.

What do you think?

Movies Based off of Frankenstein

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

_________________________________________________________________________________

• Young Frankenstein (1974) by Mel Brooks

 

_________________________________________________________________________________

• Frankenstein (1931) by Boris Karloff

_________________________________________________________________________________

•  I, Frankenstein (2014) by Stuart Beattie

________________________________________________________________________

Each of the three movies above are Frankenstein inspired films; each just a little different than the next because some movies are a lot like books. Each wants to be known for something original, even if it is based off of another idea.

I've personally only watched Young Frankenstein, and I thought it was hilarious.

"Legend" by Marie Lu (N2)

This is a Legend?

Legend

By Marie Lu

 

# Pgs: 336

_________________________________________________________________________________

Overview:

A New York Times bestseller!

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Review:

Over warm cups of hot chocolate and under the cozy covers of many blankets, I settled down to read Marie Lu's Legend. As a book that recommended to me by fellow book-readers, I must admit that once again I underestimated the power that words can have if used properly. Marie Lu certainly proved that to me throughout the story of Day and June; the two main characters on very opposite sides of the law, but who nonetheless found something worthwhile.

While personally I thought the "romance" aspect of the book seemed to jump from nonexistent to suddenly, irrevocably In Love, the individuality of the characters seemed to breach boundaries and the plotline stayed strong and consistent throughout the first book in the Legend series. The book was absolutely addictive with such passionately strong emotions, at moments it had me smiling and laughing right along with it, and at others I felt absolute rage and miserable (read the book yourself to see why-).

This book, in a few hundred pages, has captured my complete attention and curiosity. The truth that is revealed about Day and June's government perhaps reveals the heart of what we all worry about regarding our own politics. Or, perhaps, of what could happen. So is shown in the complications of this intricately written novel, the adventure and underhanded tricks of power, can be (much like this book) completely addictive.

Once you get started in abusing a position of power (or in reading this book) it becomes difficult to stop.

While the plotline did remain strong and concise from beginning to end of this first book, the ending was predictable. And, one thing I've found with books is, Marie Lu's Legend didn't answer the 'how' and the 'why' certain... event... happened. The best books always dangle what you don't know on a hook right in front of your face in the last couple pages, or the best books reveal a sudden, dramatic plot twist (on a hook) to make you take the bait. When I get something that I don't know shoved in my face, or I'm faced with a dramatic twist, I generally find that I need to find out the answer. Marie Lu, however, seemed to downplay the how and why to a point where, while I'm still interested (because I'm an extremely curious person), I became distracted with information that wasn't at all important. The information wasn't even all that "wasn't at all important" in a good way that's meant to distract for a purpose (usually leading up to a big plot-twist at the end). The downplayed, distracting information was just... there.

This is a dystopian, sci-fi, adventure, romance fiction. All in all, I'd rate this book a three and a half out of five. The plot was strong (but predictable), the words within the pages drew me in (and became very addictive), the romance faction wasn't all that plausible (I didn't like how she wrote that part out), and I'm still entirely curious as to the how and why the government did just what it did. With all that in mind, I need to read the next book in the series, which I believe is Prodigy.

Hope this was helpful (and I'm sorry in that way that I'm really not all that sorry for writing with an excessive use of parenthesis; I found I couldn't help myself after a friend made a comment in class today about it).