The Paige Turner

A blog for young adult book lovers

Showing posts with label book review. Show all posts

The Marriage Merger by Jennifer Probst

Synopsis from Goodreads: Her sisters have found wedded bliss with their wealthy,wonderful dream men, but not Julietta Conte. She’s stayed on terra firma as top executive of the family’s corporation, La Dolce Famiglia bakery. Work is her passion, and her trendy Milan apartment her sanctuary . . . until Sawyer Wells, a masculine masterpiece in a suit, lures her out of hiding with an irresistible offer: an exclusive partnership with his international chain of boutique hotels.
Julietta’s been burned before—and trusting her brother-in-law’s friend, whose powerful gaze alone has her rethinking the best use of a conference room, is the riskiest proposition. But with a once-in-a-career chance to take the bakery global, will she mix stone-cold business with red-hot seduction?Number of pages: 387

My review: This is the fourth book in the Marriage to a Billionaire series and I have not read the first three books. But I realized you don't need to! It's sort of like some of the Nora Roberts books where there are references to other characters and you find out who is together and married, but doesn't give away any major plot details from their previous novels. I mean you pretty much know that everyone ends up together.

Okay so this book was totally awesome. Really got me out of my reading slump and I finished it in about 2 days. It was very steamy and a bit erotic so I would definitely wait until college or you're over 18 to read this one. Nontheless I really enjoyed it.

I never felt that it was too long or that the story was unrealistic (well maybe only once). The story just flowed so nicely and everything worked well together. The writing was pretty simple so you can fly through this without any struggle whatsoever.

Sorry this is such a short review but I gotta run to do homework! Definitely check this out though!

See you soon,

The Royals of Cordina: Bennett & Camilla (The Playboy Prince & Cordina's Crown Jewel) by Nora Roberts

$Bennett & Camilla: The Playboy Prince\Cordina's Crown Jewel$

Synopsis from Goodreads: #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Nora Roberts presents two timeless stories of happily-ever-afters in these classic tales about Cordina's Royal FamilyThe Playboy Prince
When it comes to women, Prince Bennett has always enjoyed a challenge. So after meeting the quiet and beautiful Lady Hannah Rothchild, the dashing playboy cannot rest until he breaks through her careful reserve. Love had always been a game to Bennett, but with this elusive, mysterious woman he discovers his heart is on the line, and he's playing for keeps.…
Cordina's Crown Jewel
For a few precious weeks, Her Royal Highness Camilla de Cordina could be just plain Camilla MacGee. Working in rural Vermont for the devastatingly handsome and utterly cantankerous archaeologist Delaney Caine is the perfect refuge. But Camilla's irritation with the man soon turns into fascination, then desire, and the royal runaway knows she'll have to confess. Would Del see her as a woman to be loved, or dismiss her as a royal pain?

Number of pages: 475
My review: This was another Nora Roberts book that had two romance stories in one. So I’ll review them separately and then compare the two.

The first one “Bennett,” or, “The Playboy Prince” was not as good as “Camilla”, or, “Cordina’s Crown Jewel.” Both stories take place within a fictional country named Cordina and Bennet is a royal prince and Camilla is a royal princess. Bennett is Camilla’s uncle.

The Playboy Prince really confused me. The two love interests, Bennett and Hannah, didn’t suck me in as much as Camilla’s story, or even any other Nora Roberts romance. I was confused as to what Hannah’s purpose was within the Cordina palace. I wasn’t sure if she was on their side or not (Hannah is sort of an undercover agent who works for her country and also works as a double agent for the enemy, Deboque). However, it wasn’t until halfway through the story that I really realized she was not working solely for the enemy. However, that could have been my own incompetence. Harhar.

Overall, I liked Bennett’s story though. There was more action and adventure than I was used to in a Nora Roberts novel. It was sweet and not totally overdone. It didn’t feel like she was trying too hard.

Camilla’s story on the other hand simply blew me away. I LOVED it. Basically Camilla takes a break from here palatial life and goes off on her own to try to tough out her own life. Moving from town to town until she gets into a car accident and the grouchy, yet sexy, Dr. Delaney Caine picks her up and gives her a place to stay until her car gets fixed. He also gives her a job and slowly they get to know each other even though Del stays grouchy and, at times, unresponsive. Obviously, they begin to develop feelings for one and other, but Del still doesn’t know that she is a princess. And the rest? Well read it to find out. I just loved their confrontations with each other and enjoyed reading about the two of them. There was never a dull moment.

If you love romance and royal prince and princesses than you should totally pick this up. These are actually the third and fourth books in the Royals of Cordina stories. I can’t wait to read the first two!

See you soon!

The 100 by Kass Morgan

Synopsis from Goodreads: In the future, humans live in city-like spaceships orbiting far above Earth's toxic atmosphere. No one knows when, or even if, the long-abandoned planet will be habitable again. But faced with dwindling resources and a growing populace, government leaders know they must reclaim their homeland... before it's too late.
Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents are being sent on a high-stakes mission to recolonize Earth. After a brutal crash landing, the teens arrive on a savagely beautiful planet they've only seen from space. Confronting the dangers of this rugged new world, they struggle to form a tentative community. But they're haunted by their past and uncertain about the future. To survive, they must learn to trust - and even love - again.

Publication Date: September 3rd, 2013
Number of pages: 277
My review: Hmmm. Lot's of conflicting emotions over this book. For the first 100 (no pun intended) pages I was bored with the story. But after that things really started to get rolling.
I also had some problems with a few other things, namely; too many switching viewpoints between characters. I was so confused as to who was who, and only started to really grasp it towards the middle/end of the book. But maybe that's my own incompetence.
Also, the names of the characters were all weird so this sort of aided in the not knowing who is who debacle.
Another thing I wasn't a fan of was the fact that there was constantly the switching between present day and then events from the past. I felt it just made everything more confusing. However, I understand and appreciate why it was written that way. There adds more mystery and more for the reader to keep guessing over until the end of the book. Which brings me to my next point...
The ending! What the heck! Such a cliffhanger! I want to know what happens next right now and the book hasn't even been published yet! So unfair.
There were some things I did like though! These include:
Clarke. She is such a badass and is definitely one of my all-time favorite characters. She's so smart! You don't find that very often in YA fiction, and she does what she wants. When her man treats her like crap she has no problem saying "see ya" and doing her own thing for awhile.
Also, I love the premise of the story. Just awesome. And the romance? Hello, love that!
After the staring at the cover for awhile though I'm still not sure how I feel about it. I like it, but then again I don't. Maybe it's the white background.
Anyways, if you're a fan of Across the Universe by Beth Revis then I would definitely recommend this. And give the book a chance it gets so much better towards the middle/end.
See you soon!

Cum Laude by Cecily von Ziegesar

Synopsis from Goodreads: They're here for a higher education . . . and you won't believe how far they'll go.

Dexter College is a small liberal arts college in the quiet town of Home, Maine. But it won't stay quiet for long with this group of freshmen. There's Shipley--blonde and beautiful, the object of envy and more than a little lust. Determined to assert herself and to shed her good-girl image, she buys cigarettes and condoms, because that's what every self-respecting college girl does. Her edgy roommate, Eliza, came to Dexter to get noticed, and she has the attitude and the mouth to prove it. Then there's Tom. Handsome, privileged, used to getting his own way, he's a jock-turned-artist who thinks his paintings will change the world. Sensitive Nick, Tom's wake-and-bake pot-smoking roommate, wants to follow in the footsteps of his boarding-school hero. And then there are brother and sister Adam and Tragedy Gatz. The freckle-faced farm boy lives at home with his parents and his little sister, who does all she can to stop him from being a wuss.

As Shipley, Eliza, Tom, Nick, and Adam find out, that first year of college is more than credits and cramming. Between the lust and the love, the secrecy and the scandal, they'll all receive an unexpected education. It's a time of shifting alliances, unrequited crushes, and coming of age. Find Yourself is Dexter's motto. And they are determined to do just that.

Number of pages: 259
My review: I love the Gossip Girl novels but I seriously hated this book.
I'm supposed to write about what was going on? Well I have no idea what was going on because it was just a bunch of word vomit throughout the book.
I hated the switching character viewpoints and how there was so many characters that I just didn't care about. They had no backstory, weren't interesting, and overall just annoyed me and seemed so fake.
I thought I'd like this because it's set in a small liberal arts college (which is the type of school I'll be attending in the fall) but come on. I didn't get why it was set in the 90's so I didn't understand half the references. Plus, it was all about sex and drugs which not only make me uncomfortable, but it's just set such a bad example for teens.
Let me show you a couple of lines from the book I just thought were laughable.
Page 103: "Drugs were his last and only hope."
Literally when I read this I said "What the hell!?" So I skipped ahead a few pages and landed here...
Page 174: "Meanwhile, Tom was getting ready for the play in the only way he knew how: drugs."
What the serious *%@$!
Half the time I was reading this I was having a succession of thoughts that sort of sounded like this:
"When is this going to be over?"
"Is this going to get interesting anytime soon?"
"How many pages do I have left?"
"Can I skip ahead 50 pages and still understand what's going on?"
"Screw it I'll just read the last couple chapters."
"Well, no idea what happened inbetween but now I have a little closure."
"What's for breakfast?"
I just didn't care! There was no point to the whole story! Give me something to latch onto and care about. Don't just spew random paragraphs! There was literally whole, big, chunks of paragraphs where there was a list of all the financial aid job options there were, or how the weather was for the whole month of November. I literally do not give a crap at all about the damn weather.
Also, what the hell kind of name is "Shipley"?? No.
Just skip this it's not worth your time or money. Unfortunately I wasted my time and $7.95 on it.
See you soon,

Losing It by Cora Carmack

Synopsis from Goodreads: Virginity.

Bliss Edwards is about to graduate from college and still has hers. Sick of being the only virgin among her friends, she decides the best way to deal with the problem is to lose it as quickly and simply as possible-- a one-night stand. But her plan turns out to be anything but simple when she freaks out and leaves a gorgeous guy alone and naked in her bed with an excuse that no one with half-a-brain would ever believe. And as if that weren’t embarrassing enough, when she arrives for her first class of her last college semester, she recognizes her new theatre professor. She’d left him naked in her bed about 8 hours earlier.

Number of pages: 288
My review: (Side note: totally wish I had the cover pictured here. I like it so much better than the one I have which is here:

This being the second New Adult (ugh I hate that phrase) book I've ever read I didn't have much to compare it to, but I digress. I still liked it! It just wasn't very though provoking or a very deep novel.
Don't get me wrong I loved this book I just had a couple...issues with it. I just felt the ending was sort of meh, and the whole thing felt so fake. Like it could never happen.
Of course it was very steamy and I liked the romance between the two, the passion. It just seemed like the way things worked out, it never would that way in the real world.
It was interesting to read a book from the point of a view of a girl who was graduating college. I'm not used to that (but then again I haven't read very many New Adult books). I liked the interaction between all the friends and how close everyone felt. Even though at times, it just seemed that Bliss was a little impossible to be friends with. Always blushing or moping and thinking "I'm not beautiful!"
So, I guess what made me like this so much despite the little things I just mentioned was the overall premise of the book. The overall plot and storyline.
There were just little blips along the way that caused me to have some issues with the characters. Irregardless it's one of those guilty pleasures and I can't wait to get my hands on Faking It.
Definitely think you should be a little older if you're going to be reading this one though (there's quite a bit of naughtiness and cursing in it!)
See you soon!

The Shining by Stephen King

Synopsis from Goodreads: What of the penetrating cold terror of an old hotel, a haunted place of seductive evil with a malevolent will of its own - and a five-year-old boy of innocent beauty whose mind mirrors the nightmarish secrets of its past?

Behind every door of the Overlook's 110 empty rooms there is a chamber o horror. Little Danny knows of these things because he has the terrible power - The Shining.

Number of pages: 447
My review: REDRUM. REDRUM. This book not only thrilled me, but terrified me. I swear to you I had nightmares because I was reading it before bed.
So I (mistakenly) watched the movie before reading the book and it's so different! Which you all probably know because I think I'm like the only person who has never read/watched The Shining. Either way I loved both equally!
The Shining (book) was just soo...creepy! Never in my life have I read a book that has creeped me out so much. Stephen King's descriptions are so in depth and full of beautiful and deadly imagery.
I love how the book really builds up to the very end. We really see how the different characters descend into the madness of the Overlook Hotel and why each person is the way they are.
It really struck me how the dumbest things could suddenly seem terrifying. (The scene that scared me the most is when that dog is following Danny and is actually human. Oh gosh) It wasn't the blood and gore that scares you it's the mental stuff. The fact that a building could have its own thoughts and feelings or that past occupants could come back and take over your mind. Like our own bodies and minds turn against us and we become a separate human being.
I really like how The Shining delves into poor Danny's confusion about his power and ability to read other's thoughts and see past events. It put a whole other twist on the story and sort of showed how it wasn't the characters fault that they went crazy, it was more the spirits and past people of the hotel.
Overall, I think Stephen King is a friggin genius and I cannot wait to read The Stand (the next on my list!)
Sometimes it got a little slow or repetitive but I always felt in the end that it was necessary to really enunciate a point throughout the whole book so the whole thing worked really awesomely and fantastically and other words for cool and great!
See you soon!

P.S. My review does not do this book justice. Just go read it. Seriously

Anatomy of a Single Girl by Daria Snadowsky

Synopsis from Goodreads: With Judy Blume-like honesty and insight, this sequel toAnatomy of a Boyfriend is about life after first love--romance, sex, friendship, family, and the ups and downs of life as a single girl.

After everything that happened—my first boyfriend, my first time, my first breakup—jumping back into the dating game seemed like the least healthy thing I could do. It’s not that I didn’t want to fall in love again, since that’s about the best feeling ever. But as a busy college premed still raw from heartbreak, which is the worst feeling ever, I figured I’d lie low for a while. Of course, as soon as I stopped looking for someone, an impossibly amazing—and devastatingly cute—guy came along, and I learned that having a new boyfriend is the quickest way to recover from losing your old one.

The moment we got together, all my preconceptions about romance and sex were turned upside down. I discovered physical and emotional firsts I never knew existed. I learned to let go of my past by living in the present. It was thrilling. It was hot. It was just what the doctor ordered.

But I couldn’t avoid my future forever.

In Daria Snadowsky’s daring follow-up to Anatomy of a Boyfriend, eighteen-year-old Dominique explores the relationship between love and lust, and the friendships that see us through.

Number of pages: 227
My review: Daria Snadowsky does it again folks! Her writing is so deeply personal, almost as if she were giving me advice instead of writing a novel.
So, basically I loved the sequel as much as the first book Anatomy of a Boyfriend. Dom, our main character, is going through the motions again of heartbreak, confusion, and most importantly, love. Even after her senior year/first year in college she still feels inexperienced and confused as ever over what boys are thinking and how they feel about her. I love how Dom sort of struggles with her own inner feelings because let's face it, what woman doesn't do that?
Anyway, Dom was hilarious as ever in this novel, and I loved how she maintained her relationship with her friend Amy because I think too often in YA fiction we see friendships overlooked and pushed to the side. Through all of Dom's inner emotional confusion she always had her friend by her side. Super cool.
There was seriously never a dull moment in this book! I was flipping through the pages as fast as I could and I wanted to know what would happen next. It was sort of that guilty pleasure you get when you're reading someone else's diary (psh, no I have not done that. Insert guilty look here). You just couldn't believe what your eyes were reading!
I like how Daria Snadowsky never held back in both her novels. She definitely told things like they were and wasn't afraid to write "sex" or "orgasm" on every other page. Although, for that reason I think girls who are a little older should be reading this. Don't go handing this off to some innocent middle school kid.
Also, maybe it was just me because I'm going off to college in a little under 6 weeks (eep!) but I loved the setting of college and also coming home for break. It's just such a huge exciting part of anyone's life and Daria Snadowsky did a really good job of portraying the excitement of college but also the dread of going to school (I mean come on, school is school. Yuck).
Overall, loved both Anatomy of a Boyfriend and Anatomy of a Single Girl. I think they both portrayed really well what girls are feeling a lot of the time, and helped me understand more about myself actually and what I want to look for in a future spouse, and in life in general. If you love romance and contemporary then you'll love these books!
See you soon,

Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky

Synopsis from Goodreads: Before this all happened, the closest I'd ever come to getting physical with a guy was playing the board game Operation. Okay, so maybe that sounds pathetic, but it's not like there were any guys at my high school who I cared to share more than three words with, let alone my body.

Then I met Wes, a track star senior from across town. Maybe it was his soulful blue eyes, or maybe my hormones just started raging. Either way, I was hooked. And after a while, he was too. I couldn't believe how intense my feelings became, or the fact that I was seeing—and touching—parts of the body I'd only read about in my Gray's Anatomy textbook. You could say Wes and I experienced a lot of firsts together that spring. It was scary. It was fun. It was love.

And then came the fall.

An unflinching account of love, sex, and heartbreak—this generation's answer to Judy Blume's Forever.

Number of pages: 259
My review: I literally finished this book in 3 hours. Not even kidding.
I think what I loved most about this book (besides the cover!!) is that I could connect so deeply with the story. I really understood what Dom was going through and could relate to her struggles (mainly about her struggle with college "crapplications" and finding that first love and boyfriend. Also, how she juggled with deciding on where to go to college and not wanting to disappoint her friends/parents). So yeah I really loved this book.
But even if you couldn't connect with the story as deeply as someone like me you can really enjoy the novel. Pretty much everyone has read Forever by Judy Blume (yes, including me! But I didn't enjoy it...please don't hurt me!) and this novel is compared to that and with good reason. This coming of age novel really puts out there (without beating around the bush) what it's like to fall in love for the first time, and lot's of other scary firsts.
Daria Snadowsky writes about sensitive, and steamy, topics in such a way that you never feel uncomfortable and the book almost turns into a mini-manual which could be called "Falling in Love 101: Everything You Need to Know and Be Aware Of". Okay, I'm getting way ahead of myself.
But seriously! I think a lot of girls should read this so they know what's out there in the real world. What can happen, and how scary all those firsts can be. By the end of the novel, Dom had grown and matured so much and realized maybe it's not all about boys. Friendships and family are important, and will be there for you no matter what.
On top of all that goodness, this was just laugh out loud funny. I was reading at work, and had to stifle my giggles numerous times to keep from getting caught by the boss. And there was so many good quotes too. If you simply type in #anatomyofaboyfriend on Twitter, you'll sort of get the feel of what quotes abound in this novel.
Overall, it was so excellent and is definitely one of my favorites for the year. Huge thank you to Daria Snadowsky for sending me the book to read and review and I've already started the sequel Anatomy of A Single Girl.
See you soon,

Roses by Leila Meacham

Synopsis from Goodreads: Spanning the 20th century, the story of Roses takes place in a small East Texas town against the backdrop of the powerful timber and cotton industries, industries controlled by the scions of the town's founding families. Cotton tycoon Mary Toliver and timber magnate Percy Warwick should have married but unwisely did not, and now must deal with the deceit, secrets, and tragedies of their choice and the loss of what might have been--not just for themselves but for their children, and children's children. With expert, unabashed, big-canvas storytelling, Roses covers a hundred years, three generations of Texans and the explosive combination of passion for work and longing for love.

Number of pages: 700
My review: Since Roses was so long I'm breaking this review down into four sections (one for each part in the book).
Part One: (this part of the review is based solely on part one of the book, and before I had finished the whole story)
Okay, I'm literally trying to write this as quickly as possible so I can get back to reading! Our main character, Mary Toliver, starts out in the 1980's and she is an old woman. Mary is meeting with her lawyer, Amos, and instructing him on who to give her plantation, Somerset, to. Once a few bombs have been dropped within the first chapter, and we are introduced to a few characters (only by name, most are not yet met) and then we are thrown back to the 1910's-1920's when Mary is a small child.
And oh the heartache! I fell so deeply in love with these characters and when they ached, I ached. the writing was impeccable, and flawless. It was, simply put, elegant.
All the blunders and situations Mary had to go through cut to me so deeply. And the romance! Steamy! But so heartfelt and instead of just telling and telling, Leila Meacham showed us how different characters were in love.
Often I was going through battles in my own head where I would be thinking, "What would I choose? The love of my life? Or my family's home and plantation?" These internal struggles helped me understand what Mary was going through. Plus, I was tearing up at many moments *sniff sniff* where are my tissues?
Then, BAM back to the present where we move onto part two from Mary's grandniece's perspective for a little bit (Okay I may have read ahead a little). I hope part two is just as good as part one!
The last 3 Parts: So the reason I didn’t separate these parts was because I was too excited to keep reading and couldn’t sit still long enough to write a review!

I cannot believe how many times I was grabbing for tissues through the course of this book.

The grief each character felt, resonated within me, and my heart was aching for all the characters who lost years of their lives due to misunderstandings and miscommunication.

However, that really shows that life is cruel. Too often these days, books are sugarcoated and things always work out in the end. It’s safe to say that’s not true for every character in Roses. And I was, surprisingly, okay with that.

I also want to take a second to talk about the cover. It’s gorgeous right? Good, I think so too. But then there’s that one line of text that says: “Like Gone with the Wind as gloriously entertaining as it is vast.”

Um. Honestly, the only similarities it has with Gone with the Wind (which, yes I have read) is the plantation aspect and stubborn women holding onto their land. I think the quote is a little misconstrued. Also, the gloriously entertaining and vast stuff is true too.

Although, I must say, the comparison to Gone with the Wind with that quote on the cover is what ultimately convinced me to buy Roses (since it is such a huge monstrosity of a book at 700 pages!). Either way I enjoyed it all the same.

If you like reading about love, romance, plantations, and the 1900’s, you should definitely pick this up!

See you soon,

A Beautiful Fate by Cat Mann

Synopsis from Goodreads: Obsessive and driven by nightmares, Ava Baio is uprooted from her Chicago home after the untimely and tragic death of her loving mother. Taken across country by her antagonistic grandmother and placed as a boarding student at a school in Dana Point, California, Ava struggles with isolation and the loss of her mother and her grandfather. Faced with having left her beloved brownstone behind and attending a new school, surrounded by new faces and unfamiliar scenery, she finds herself sorting through unfamiliar and uncharted feelings with a strange and beautiful boy, Ari – a modern day Adonis. After an unconventional start to their relationship, Ava becomes intensely absorbed by her love for Ari, and with his help and the help of his family, she discovers who she really is – a Fate descended from Atropos. She learns that the Greek mythology she grew up reading is not comprised of myth after all.
Ava faces constant challenges both in her relationship with Ari and with the fact that she is being hunted by six threatening and ruthless men who want nothing more than for her to die so that they can live forever. She has no choice but to stand up for those she has come to love. In doing so, she becomes something she hates, a killer.
A true page-turner, A Beautiful Fate is Part One of The Beautiful Fate Series. The novel is full of suspense, romance and the allure of ancient Greece. Ava and Ari will leave the reader hoping the story will never end.

Number of pages: 289
My review: Speaking of beautiful, just look at that cover! It's simple, yet striking! I think it's gorgeous.
Anyways, my first thoughts when I finished reading were, "What! But what about...!? Noooo!" Such a cliffhanger! (There better be a second one Ms. Cat Mann)
I finished this in about 3 days it was so good! I loved all the romance that dominated the book, but also loved how Greek mythology and action was peppered throughout the story as well.
Ava was such a bad ass! She had such a tender heart but also could kick the bad guy's butts!
Her supporting characters were hilarious too. Rory (Ari's cousin) was always making me laugh and I especially loved August (her tutor).
The descriptions of Ava being surrounded by Ari's family were some of my favorite scenes. I don't come from a huge family like Ari, but I still love being surrounded by laughing family members and good times with good food. The story made you want to be there; to experience everything right along with Ari and Ava. Not many novels can do that (you're more of in a by-stander approach) but A Beautiful Fate sucked you in as if you were in one of Ava's dreams yourself.
Like I said though I hope there will be a second one because A Beautiful Fate definitely left me hanging! What's going to happen!? If you love romance then you need to pick this up this summer!
See you soon,

The Selection by Kiera Cass

Synopsis from Goodreads: For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself—and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

Number of pages: 327
My review: PLEASE NOTE: This review was written disregarding the online drama surrounding it. Let's look at the story itself people.
What better way to celebrate Fourth of July than with a character named America!
Okay, I finished this book in two days because I just loved it so darn much! It was so sweet and girly and I just loved the descriptions of all the dress and the palace (I'm a huge sucker for prince/princess stories).
I will have to say I'm surprised about a few things though. First of all, I was surprised that there wasn't more emphasis on the whole tv show part of the Selection. Which, also surprisingly, I sort of liked! It wasn't as superficial that way. It focused more on what America was going through and her feelings surrounding not only the Selection, but the current state of her country, and much more.
I was also surprised by how much America grew on me. And Maxon as well. Starting out I was like okay here's another YA character that thinks she's sooo ugly and has no talent, but then as the story progressed, America herself became a better person. She fights for her caste, and the one's below her too. She's not prejudiced, knows right from wrong, and has a killer voice (or so I've been told haha!). Maxon I thought would be more stuck up and shallow (just like America thought) but really he's just a confused boy who's trying to choose a wife in this sick twisted game. He's never been in love and never ventured outside his palace so he's confused and intrigued by everything happening in his country.
I loved how Maxon and America teamed up and became friends. There was no beating around the bush. Right from the get-go America told Maxon that she didn't even want to be there to win. She was simply fighting for her family and running away from another dude. Speaking of which, I hate Aspen. He comes off as slimy to me. Gross. Team Maxon all the way.
At times the book seemed a wee bit repetitive (the attacks on the palace) but I loved the book overall. Definitely five out of five stars. And I absolutely can NOT wait to read The Elite! I want to see who stays and who goes! I want to see who wins and what America gets herself into next. She is so hilarious I was laughing out loud when I was reading this at work during one of my breaks and I was starting to get strange looks from people so I had to tone it down a few times.
Anyways, I loved it, and I can't wait to buy it for myself eventually! Also, the cover? Gorgeous! Even though if you stare at it long enough it sort of looks like she's sniffing her armpit...? Anyone else? No, just me okay.
See you soon,

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #2)

Synopsis from Goodreads: The heroic son of Poseidon makes an action-packed comeback in the second must-read installment of Rick Riordan's amazing young readers series. Starring Percy Jackson, a "half blood" whose mother is human and whose father is the God of the Sea, Riordan's series combines cliffhanger adventure and Greek mythology lessons that results in true page-turners that get better with each installment. In this episode, The Sea of Monsters, Percy sets out to retrieve the Golden Fleece before his summer camp is destroyed, surpassing the first book's drama and setting the stage for more thrills to come.

Number of pages: 279
My review: PLEASE NOTE: This review does not contain any spoilers if you have not read the first book The Lightening Thief.
I am completely and 100% thrilled with the second installment of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series. It got me out of my recent (and unfortunate) reading slump so that's always a huge plus in my book!
There was so much adventure and action and of course, *insert angels singing* mythology! I couldn't put the darn book down and I couldn't pick it up fast enough later (I will admit I snuck in a little reading time here and there at work)!
Anyways back to the point! Action! Adventure! Mythology, oh my! Just like The Lightening Thief, Rick Riordan starts the adventure from the very first chapter. I know these books are really meant for middle schoolers but I don't care. There's a sort of fun innocence about them while still managing to teach valuable lessons about friendship and loyalty, not to mention teaching us about different myths, all while we follow Percy and his gang on their crazy adventures.
I might have like The Sea of Monsters better than The Lightening Thief because we had established who Percy was and what he was capable of, and all the conflicting emotions he was going through. Usually, sequels fall short behind their predecessor novel, but The Sea of Monsters definitely shines on its own. Plus, for some reason I just loved how Percy and Annabeth would hop from island to island and boat to boat. Something big is definitely coming for this pair and I can't wait to see exactly what that is in the next novels!
These books are so perfect for summer, they just make you want to kick back on a beach and watch the ocean and wonder if Percy is out there somewhere fighting off monsters. I can't wait to get my hands on the third book (which unfortunately is at my parents house). But I will get to it!
See you soon,

Zoo by James Patterson

Synopsis from Goodreads: Once in a lifetime, a writer puts it all together. This is James Patterson's best book ever.

TotalFor 36 years, James Patterson has written unputdownable, pulse-racing novels. Now, he has written a book that surpasses all of them. ZOO is the thriller he was born to write.

World

All over the world, brutal attacks are crippling entire cities. Jackson Oz, a young biologist, watches the escalating events with an increasing sense of dread. When he witnesses a coordinated lion ambush in Africa, the enormity of the violence to come becomes terrifyingly clear.

Destruction

With the help of ecologist Chloe Tousignant, Oz races to warn world leaders before it's too late. The attacks are growing in ferocity, cunning, and planning, and soon there will be no place left for humans to hide. With wildly inventive imagination and white-knuckle suspense that rivals Stephen King at his very best, James Patterson's ZOO is an epic, non-stop thrill-ride from "One of the best of the best."

Number of pages: 395
My review: I've read James Patterson's Maximum Ride series which is for Young Adults, but I've never read one of his adult books. Honestly I thought it would be a little more terrifying. It was right on the edge of "oh my gosh what if this really happened!?" and "nahh this would never happen" so I was confused on how I really felt about the whole situation.
Of course it's absolutely terrifying that animals would take over in such a way as this, but to have it happen to the whole world? That's what I found a little too unbelievable. Plot aside though, I liked his writing style. Extremely simple, sometimes graphic, and I liked the way the story shifted from Oz's first person point of view to an animal's point of view, or another individual experiencing attacks somewhere in the world.
When the point of view was switched to the animals, especially Oz's ape, I felt so sorry for them. They didn't know what was happening to their bodies or why they were acting a certain way, and it was almost as if they didn't want to hurt the humans. Like a puppy dog tearing up your carpet then looking at you with complete adoration like "I'm so sorry please still love me."
I liked how different topics were explored of a large mass of time; like not only the social side of the attacks but also the politics, and the scientific explanation behind the whole thing. I still felt like it could have been bigger though! MORE fierce! MORE scary! MORE destruction! That's what would have pushed this over to a five star rating for me. The animal attacks were scary the way I imagined them but the overall attack on the world itself could have been done up to an even higher level.
It was a good novel don't get me wrong, but not one of James Patterson's best (I'm basing this fact on other people's reviews I saw on Goodreads).
Definitely a good quick read! If you're a fan of scares or animals then come check this out!
See you soon,