Review: The Alchemyst by Michael Scott

title: The Alchemyst

written by: Michael Scott

series: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #1

genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy

page count: 375

publication date: May 20th, 2007

publisher: Delacorte Press

rating: 4/5

He holds the secret that can end the world.
The truth: Nicholas Flamel was born in Paris on September 28, 1330. Nearly 700 years later, he is acknowledged as the greatest Alchemyst of his day. It is said that he discovered the secret of eternal life.
The records show that he died in 1418.
But his tomb is empty.
The legend: Nicholas Flamel lives. But only because he has been making the elixir of life for centuries. The secret of eternal life is hidden within the book he protects—the Book of Abraham the Mage. It's the most powerful book that has ever existed. In the wrong hands, it will destroy the world. That's exactly what Dr. John Dee plans to do when he steals it. Humankind won't know what's happening until it's too late. And if the prophecy is right, Sophie and Josh Newman are the only ones with the power to save the world as we know it.
Sometimes legends are true.
And Sophie and Josh Newman are about to find themselves in the middle of the greatest legend of all time.

The Alchemyst was a book I was really looking forward to. I had heard amazing things about it from lots of friends, so I was sure I'd love it before I even started reading. And as always, high expectations only lead to enormous disappointment. I was expecting this would be one of my favorite books of all-time. But it surely wasn't...! I still liked it, it just didn't have that 'wow' effect on me.

The story begins with a short introduction to the normal life of Sophie and Josh Newman, just 2 ordinary twins living a normal life. But of course, as always when books start like that, there are some major changes about to take place. They find out who the owner of the book shop (Josh's boss) really is, and they discover both of them are special. They have pure aura's, one gold, the other silver. They set out on an epic adventure.

Scott's writing style was very pleasant to read. I can't really comment on the choice of vocab and all of that because I read the entire novel in Dutch. However, all events described in this book took place in only 2 days, which seems kind of incredible to me. Still, the novel was very fast-paced!

The plot of this novel was not as interesting as I expected it to be. Ever since I read the first Harry Potter novel, Nicholas Flamel  has beenone of the most interesting people in history to me, so I was hoping for a lot of Nicholas Flamel. I didn't get it, and to me that was the biggest disappointment of this entire novel. Too much of the twins. I have not many problems with the twins, I just prefer Nicholas Flamel... Still, the plot was really interesting, and this novel was a page-turner. I really liked it and think people slightly younger than I am will enjoy this one thoroughly!

I rate this book 4 stars and will recommend it to everyone who is looking for something like Harry Potter, 'cause I really feel like those two are very much alike. This novel was full of suspense and magic, two amazing things.

Love,

Mar

Giveaway (INT) + review: Florence by Ciye Cho

Today is the release day of Florence, a YA mermaid book written by Ciye Cho. You can read more about it in the blurb. Firstly I will review it, to give you a first impression of the book. Secondly. the author was so nice he wanted to do a giveaway of an ecopy of Florence. If you are interested, you can enter :) Enjoy!


title: Florence
written by: Ciye Cho
genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance
release date: July 1st, 2012

Seventeen-year-old Florence Waverley is out of her depth. Literally. Kidnapped and taken below the waves to the mer world of Niemela, she is the ultimate gift for merman Prince Kiren: a human familiar tied to his side. But nothing is what it seems amid the beauty and danger of a dark ocean.


Every Niemelan has a role to play, from the mermaids who weave towers out of kelp to the warriors who fight sea monsters. But in trying to survive, Florence will end up in the middle of a war between the mer and the Darkness. A conflict that will push her between two brothers: Kiren, the charmer inexplicably drawn to both her and the monsters; and Rolan, the loner who has been pushing her away since the day they met. But in order to take a stand--and find out where she belongs--Florence will have to risk it all: her life, her heart... and her very soul.

After reading the first two chapters to see whether I should accept the author´s review request or not, I was completely hooked into this story. The main character, Florence, is one I could relate to very easy, which is one of the best things about this book. Also, it was about mermaids. I just read my first mermaid book, and I just fell in love with the whole mermaid thing. Mermaids really are fascinating beings!

The whole story starts with an introduction to Florence Waverly. She is not like the others, she doesn´t really look like they do, and above all, she doesn´t really feel ´home´. On a school trip, she gets kidnapped, and that´s where it gets interesting.

She is brought to Niemela, as a gift to Prince Kiren, but Kiren -and the other Niemelans- don't want her. After some time is is accepted, and she starts to live a normal life, except that it is under water. She finds out more and more about the world she now lives in, and about the Darkness, that might end the entire world under sea. She may even play a decisive role in the battle! 


Niemela is a wonderful world full of surprises, in which I'd love to live. Niemela, with every being living together in harmony, must be one of the greatest places you could possibly live. If only Niemela were a real life place, and I could breath underwater... 

The 2 boys in this book, Kiren and Rolan, both were extremely attractive, and if I were Florence I would be totally overwhelmed by them. The 'love triangle' , a phenomenon I usually don't like, was not annoying at all! It actually improved this book! Yay :)

The writing style of Ciye Cho is really nice to read. The book is not extremely difficult to read, but I still learned some English words from it, which I really like. It didn't take a very long time to read Florence. Actually, I was wishing for more when the book ended!

Altogether I give this book 4 stars, and I truly recommend you to buy it, or at least enter the giveaway to win it! A book everyone who likes paranormal romance, mermaids will love, and a fun read for all!

book trailer: 

the Giveaway

Do you want to read Florence, too? Please enter this giveaway. Don't leave your email address in the comments!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


about the author: 
Ciye Cho lives in Australia and works as a graphic designer. He writes YA novels in his free time--and his head is often lost in the clouds or some place far from reality...
Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook | youtube

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

title: Vampire Academy
written by: Richelle Mead
series: Vampire Academy #1
genres: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance
page count: 332
publication date: August 16th, 2007
publisher: Razorbill

St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger...


Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.

Oh my, I had heard so much about Vampire Academy. Everyone had read it and loved it. Still I was worrying, what if I didn't like it? What if I found it to be too much like Twilight or House of Night. And it was another vampire book. Still, when I entered the book store and found some very cheap copies of the first 3 installments in this series, I couldn't resist buying them. So here I am, reading Vampire Academy, and falling in love with this series. Yes, I fell for it. I fell hard.


The one thing I loved most about this book was Rose. Rose Hathaway is the most kick-butt character I have ever encountered while reading. Even more kick-butt than Katniss. And Katniss won the Hunger Games! Rose is the best protector ever. Hard from the outside, and caring from the inside. And I still am not sure which side of her I like best. Probably the kick-butt side of her :)


Secondly, all other characters were so amazing! Lissa, the Moroi princess and Rose's best friend, can be arrogant, but most of the times she is nice and herself. Her royality hasn't turned her into a royal bitch! Then there were all the other royal people, and they were royal bitches. All of them! And of course there was Dimitri *fangirl alert* Oh my gosh. Dimitri seems like the perfect boyfriend. Hot, good fighter, nice to girls, all of it. I just kept on forgetting that he was 7 years older than Rose, and that they shouldn't be together because they should.


The plot of Vampire Academy was interesting and full of suspence. First I had a hard time figuring out what exactely Moroi, Strigoi and Dhampirs were, but with my awesome reading skills (ahem) and Greek skills (yes, I have been taught some Ancient Greek) I quickly got it. No single use of vampire in this book -except the title- is a pro. I have read too much Vampire books, and they don't interest me anymore. More zombies please?


I can't really discuss the writing style with you because I read this book in Dutch (I should have read it in English, I know)


Altogether Vampire Academy is a great Young Adult novel all teen girls will like (even I liked it!), and I will definitely read the next books in this series.


I rate this book 4/5


Love, Mar

Manga Tuesdays; Heaven's Door

First of all I should say that I'm really sorry for not posting last week and for the short and late post of this week. I'm really busy and really lazy and I just forgot to do it last week, since I was too busy and didn't feel like doing it in the weekends and then I wanted to do it on wednesday, what I forgot, and well... okay I should stop with the excuses, I'm sorry for my laziness and stuff.

Manga: Heaven's door

Written by: Hongou Rango

Genres:  Comedy, drama, romance, shoujo

Volumes:  1

Anime: no, but it's actually based on a movie

own/ library/ borrowed/ read online

read online via the site(s): www.manga.animea.net and

completed/ ongoing

publisher: Shogaku Kan

Summary:Harumi has been in the hospital practically her whole life. She has a life-threatening disease, and is kept inside at all times. Her life is incredibly mundane until she meets Masato, a new patient. He isn't the best influence, being a heavy smoker and drinker, but since they've both got nothing better to do, they become friends. This humorous story follows their meeting and the night they spend together, talking about what it means to die early.source: http://manga.animea.net/heaven-s-door-hongou-ranko-.html

Review:

Heaven's door movie

Actually it was a pretty eye-opening story. I mean, both of these (young) people were about to die and you could feel that well. I also liked both of the characters. The art isn't really good, not too bad either, still really shoujo like. I also like the fact that it's definitely a tragedy, but it's really funny as well. Harumi doesn't know anything about the outside world while Masato is the kind of guy who has tried everything (at least, it seems that way).

Actually the whole story is about the last thing they want to do before they die, at least, before Harumi dies.

1. Kiss a cool guy

2. Go to the sea (she only wants that after she has talked about it with Masato)

The journey is hilarious, it's really the kind of journey you only can't afford to make if you are sure you die after it.

The ending is sad, but it's kind of predictable.

Rating:

4 stars

Some things about manga for non-manga readers :P :

Manga is a Japanese cartoon or comic. There are lots of them in all kind of different genres (really from porn to manga for little girls). Of most mangas there is a new chapter released every month, so that's why some are ongoing (it also can be that the translation group is a bit slow. DON'T EVER GET ANGRY BECAUSE OF THAT THOUGH! Manga's are translated by volunteers, and not very much people speak both English and Japanese well enough to translate them. If your bothered by it, join such a group! They are always looking for new members! Also editors and cleaners are needed!).

If you are too lazy to read, of most mangas there is an anime to watch ;)

If you consider reading manga pay attention! Manga is written from right to left!

some terms:

Shoujo= Manga for mostly teenage girls (it can be very childish, it can be really mature)

Shounen= Manga for mostly teenage boys (example: Naruto )

Josei= Manga for older women (the manga site says: late teenage and adult audiences, this is usually because the characters in the manga are not in high school anymore, this doesn't mean it's not fun to read if you are younger)

Seinen= Manga for older men (also for late teenage and adult audiences, also usually fun to read if you're younger)

School life= is sometimes quite interesting because the japanese school life seems very different than what I am used to

Shoujoai= girls love

Shounenai= boys love

Yuri = let's just say: the more advanced version of girls love

Yaoi= the more advanced version of boys love

Going Bovine by Libba Bray

book: Going Bovine
written by: Libba Bray
series? nope
genre: Young adult, humor
pages: 480
publication date: September 22nd, 2009
publisher: Delacorte books for Young Readers

Can Cameron find what he’s looking for?


All 16-year-old Cameron wants is to get through high school—and life in general—with a minimum of effort. It’s not a lot to ask. But that’s before he’s given some bad news: he’s sick and he’s going to die. Which totally sucks. Hope arrives in the winged form of Dulcie, a loopy punk angel/possible hallucination with a bad sugar habit. She tells Cam there is a cure—if he’s willing to go in search of it. With the help of a death-obsessed, video-gaming dwarf and a yard gnome, Cam sets off on the mother of all road trips through a twisted America into the heart of what matters most.

first thoughts:

Omigod that cover made me want to read this book sooo bad :o A cow and a yard gnome wearing sunglasses? This book must be freaking fantastic!

my review: 

Just a few minutes after starting this book I had already fallen in love with it. The simple amazingness of the characters and all of the strange things that happened for no appearant reason. They just happened. And that was this whole book. it just happened. And it was awesome. Hilarious.


Cameron, your not-so-special teenage boy that just wishes that the period of his life he is currently is living in can be ended soon. He is not popular, and he is not a geek. Then he gets a fatal disease. Life isn't fair, and this book made that perfectly clear. The mad cow disease shows Cam hallucinations. He sees an angel, Dulcie, a lovely creature. Only, she brings news that isn't happy at all. The world is in danger, and only Cam can save it! But, is cam seeing a hallucination or a real angel? Finally, he decides to go for it, and save the world. Companioned with a real midget, Gonzo, he leaves the hospital to save the world.


The character of Cam is not one I could relate to. Still, I liked him. He made me laugh with his strange actions. I understand that some people didn't like Cam because they couldn't relate to him at all, but it didn't bother me, actually. While he tries to save the world, an astonishing amount of crazy things happen to him. They were exactely like I expected after seeing the cover of the book. There even was a yard gnome that represented a Norse war god!


Dulcie -the angle- was a real anime girl, in my opinion. She's always being sarcastic. She is a real female heroine, bus the still is the cute girl you imagine while thinking about an angle. Gonzo is a midget, and he acts like one. He loves gaming, and doesn't have a lot of faith in the world. Then there was my favourite and most peculiar character, Balder. Balder is a talking and living yard gnome, but he also is a Norse war god :o How crazy must you be to think of such strange and amazing characters?!


Bray's sarcasm you could smell coming from the pages while standing metres away was my favourite thing about this book. Her writing style was nice, easy to read for me (so maybe too easy for American teens...). Still, it was pretty hard for me to finish this book. It took me almost a month! (I think that's a record) I read it chapter by chapter. She could have made this book a trilogy and then there would still be enough information to keep it all interesting.   It was just a little bit too much for my brains to process...


Altough there were lots of things happening, the main plot was that Cam had to save the world while fighting his disease. I forgot that from time to time, until I read a little about it and thought -Hey! He had to save the world, right?- The author really build too much of a story around the main plot, which I think is bad...


I would recommend this book to people who like randomness, lots of sarcasm, romance and long books.


rating:
4 stars ^^


xo Mar

How I live now by Meg Rosoff

book: How I live now
written by: Meg Rosoff
series: -
genres: ya, fiction
pages: 209
publication date: August 24th, 2004
publisher: Wendy Lamb books 

the book:
"Every war has turning points and every person too.”
Fifteen-year-old Daisy is sent from Manhattan to England to visit her aunt and cousins she’s never met: three boys near her age, and their little sister. Her aunt goes away on business soon after Daisy arrives. The next day bombs go off as London is attacked and occupied by an unnamed enemy.
As power fails, and systems fail, the farm becomes more isolated. Despite the war, it’s a kind of Eden, with no adults in charge and no rules, a place where Daisy’s uncanny bond with her cousins grows into something rare and extraordinary. But the war is everywhere, and Daisy and her cousins must lead each other into a world that is unknown in the scariest, most elemental way.

first thoughts:

I have already read another Meg Rosoff book, Just in Case, and decided that I wanted to read her debut, How I live now, too. Her writing style and the way her characters look at the world in her books is just so interesting, and I can't quite understand it...


my review:
During a (?) war, Daisy lives with her cousins on a farm, hiding for the war, and hoping that the moment the war will come for them is still far away. They build a happy life, even though the entire country is suffering. They are happy. Or at least, until the war arrives at the doorstep of their farm.
Daisy and her cousins now are forced to split up in groups, and they have only one thing they should do; stay alive. While the entire country is being destroyed, they are on the run for the mass destruction. But being on the run isn't that easy, you find out during this book.
The main character, Daisy, really have me the urge of trying to figure her out. But it was impossible to do that. In a positive way :) Daisy is a very complicated character at some points of the book, but she can also be just another teenage girl. She has a very strong will, and won't let the war or anything else take her down.
Then there are all cousins, each of them so different, and yet so alike. All of them are great and highly developed characters that you could see were really thought about by the author before she started writing the book.
Then there was the oh-so-confusing plot of this book. A new war present-time? I tried reading this book in a bus while I was distracted from everywhere, and that just didn't work. You really have to focus to understand this book, and even if you focus it is hard, or at least it was for me. You understand what is happening, but all the time it made me think - why would the author write about a fictional but so realistic war? What does she mean with the characters and the way they look at the world? etc. - and of course it's great if you have to think with a book, but it annoyed me a little that I couldn't find the answers to some of my questions :S
Meg Rosoff has a special writing style. No apostrophes are used during dialogues, no other reading signs (?) are used as well. Often this is very irritating, because you really have to pay attention to see who says what to whom.
This novel was very short, too short at some points, and the pace of the story was quick. Not too quick, but I would have preferred it slower, if you know what I mean.


An unique story about life during a war, with astonishing characters that have a different look on the world, which makes the whole book nothing like I have ever read before. A wonderful debut, which is not only for teens!


rating:
4 stars!


xo Mar

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

book: Shiver

written by: Maggie Stiefvater

series: Wolves of the Mercy Falls #1

genre: YA, Paranormal Romance

pages: 390

publication date: January 1st, 2009

publisher: Scholastic Press

first thoughts:

I read this book for the second time, and I still loved it, and decided to review it. Read it in 2 languages now, and I must say that English was the best one, as usual :) Also, there is a movie coming *hopefully...*^^ The cover of this book is so pretty! It's one of my all-time favourites :D I already reviewed #3 in the series, Forever.


the book: 
the cold.
Grace has spent years watching the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—watches back. He feels deeply familiar to her, but she doesn't know why.


the heat.
Sam has lived two lives. As a wolf, he keeps the silent company of the girl he loves. And then, for a short time each year, he is human, never daring to talk to Grace...until now.


the shiver.
For Grace and Sam, love has always been kept at a distance. But once it's spoken, it cannot be denied. Sam must fight to stay human—and Grace must fight to keep him—even if it means taking on the scars of the past, the fragility of the present, and the impossibility of the future.

my review:

This is one of those series that appears to have haters and super-lovers, but nothing in between of that. So I'm breaking that 'rule' and become one of those in-between'ers... 

The whole romantic love story totally kind of freaked me out at the beginning, when the girl is in love with a freaking wolf, but turned out to me ok when she fell in love with the boy. Actually, Grace was my main problem *and actually one of the only problems I had with this book* that bothered me. She seems Bella-ish in the first piece of the book. When you later find out that her character has depth and isn't annoying and whiny at all, she is a great character, but still... 

Sam, the wolf, is a totally loveable character, and I , of course, fell for him :s Really, he is one of those YA boys that isn't bad boyish, which is great. The best thing about the romance and characters in this book was that there is NO LOVE TRIANGLE *yeah, it's true, this book is truly amazing on that point* How great is that?! Thumbs up, Maggie Stiefvater!

The plot of this book includes something for everyone. It has action, romance and even something to laugh about. Still, there isn't happening a lot, but it didn't really matter to me, because the romance just totally made the story epic to me. And I don't even like romance :o

The plot of this story is nothing very special, but the way the story is told was just so good, that you could race through the pages. The story is almost poetic, and since some parts of Sam's POV are including song lyrics, they become even more poetic ^^ Too bad that it was impossible to translate it right :c Go English!

final thoughts:
A an amazing book filled with romance, some werewolves and important stuff about low temperatures in the colder part of America that is every teenage girls' dream


rating:
4 stars :)


movie news:
Check out the IMDb page of the movie for news *if there will be a movie etc.*:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1520490/


xo Mar

I'd tell you I love you, but then I'd have to kill you by Ally Carter

book: I'd tell you I love you, but then I'd have to kill you
written by: Ally Carter
series? Gallagher Girls #1
genres: young adult, romance, chicklit
pages: 284
own / library / netgalley
publication date: April 25th, 2006
publisher: Disney-Hyperion press


note: Thanks to Disney-Hiperion press and Netgalley for giving me the oppotunity to read this exiting book with an amazing but awfully long title. It had been on my TBR list for a very long time.

the book:
Cammie Morgan is a student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, a fairly typical all-girls school-that is, if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE and the latest in chemical warfare in science, and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class. The Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses but it's really a school for spies. Even though Cammie is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways, she has no idea what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she's an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, or track him through town with the skill of a real "pavement artist"-but can she maneuver a relationship with someone who can never know the truth about her?


Cammie Morgan may be an elite spy-in-training, but in her sophomore year, she's on her most dangerous mission-falling in love.

my review: 

This book is epic! Cammie Morgan is the teenage girl version of James Bond, or whatever awesome spy there is out there. She is super smart, can do about everything she wants. But what does she do? Fall in love, of course. The one and only thing she doesn't know everything about. The one thing that will put her into a series of awkward positions.

The Gallagher academy seems like this boarding school for rich girls. But nothing is like it appears to be. People from town think that every girl from Gallagher academy is spoiled, and that they all are daddy's girls. In some way, they are right. The girls from Gallagher academy are not normal... 

Cammie is a great character, or at least she is for about 90%. She is a genius, she has friends and a great sense of humor. But her love at the first sight really annoys me... *sigh* She turns into such a stupid little girl when she falls in love. Nothing matters to her anymore. And that while her whole relationship consists of lies. How can you lie to the person you love? To me it just seems impossible. Not that I never lie, just that I can't lie to the people I love most. Maybe it's just me, but still... And yes, I know that she was educated to be able to lie, like a spy. But whatever.
The pace was perfect, as was the writing style. Ally Carter didn't lose my interest once while I was reading this book! The plot is very intersting. A boarding school for geniuses that are going-to-be spies. Girls that can speak 14 languages, including Swahili :o And of course, a forbidden love...
I think the title is perfect for this book, only, it is so long :o I'd tell you I love you, but then I'd have to kill you. Seriously, it might be the longes title I've ever seen. *now I'm exaggerating... just a little :)* and the cover looks amazing and goes with the book very well!
I can't say how much I regret not picking up this book earlier. I really needed a book like this 2 years ago, so that I'd have never read Twilight... *sorry if you like Twilight...*


This book is full of humorous dialogues, action and girliness. A very interesting and funny book I'd recommend to every teenage girl that loves to read!


rating: 
4 stars


xo Mar

the statistical probability of love at first sight by Jennifer E. Smith

book: The statistical probability of love at first sight
written by: Jennifer E. Smith
series: -
genres: romance, young adult
pages: 256
own / library / borrowed
publication date: January 2nd, 2012
publisher: Poppy / Little Brown


note: Who wouldn't want to read a book with a title like this? And the cover is so cute! Only those things made me decide to pick this book up, which was a great decision!

the book: 
Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?


Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. She's stuck at JFK, late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon to be step-mother that Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's in seat 18C. Hadley's in 18A.

my review: 

After seeing John Green talking about the book, I knew for sure that I must read this book. Anything he recommends to his readers, I'll read *or at least 99% of it*
When I started reading it, I fell in love with the writing style of the author. It was very easy to read, and felt like you were flowing through the book. The pace of the story wasn't very high, and there didn't happen lots of things. But you can't expect lots of things from a book that only is about one day?
The characters in this book were great. There was Hadley, the main character. She was very much like a John Green character, with strange fears *mayo* and realistic thoughts. Then there was Oliver, the cute English boy that keeps on mocking American culture. Everything you expect an English boy to be like you can find back in him. Then there are some other characters, which I have honestly already forgotten about. They didn't intrigue me...
The family drama this book is about is nothing unusual. Some of my friends have been in the exact same position. *not the England-America thing, just the divorced and has a new girlfriend thing* I think the feelings of Hadley are represented very realistic, like any teen with seperated/divorced parents would feel after the divorce.
The romance in this book was great, but predictable. They meet in a terminal, have seats next to each other *what a coincidence!* and then find out that they really like each other. I am not one of those girls that believes in love at first sight... That's why I found some of the parts of this book rather boring.


full of hilarious dialogues, family drama and romance - a recommender for every teen girl that loves love :)


rating: 
4 stars

Fever by Lauren DeStefano

book: Fever
written by: Lauren DeStefano
genres: Dystopian, romance, young adult
pages: 341
own / library /.borrowed
release date: February 21st 2012
series? The Chemical Garden #2
publisher: Simon & Shuster


note: OMG I loved Wither, #1 in the series, and couldn't wait for part 2 to release. When I borrowed it I wanted to start reading it immediately, and actually I did do that :) this review is a spoil for Wither. Sorry.

the book:
Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but danger is never far behind.


Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.


The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary.

my review: 

This was... not what I expected. Not that it wasn't good, just that it was completely different from Wither. Again, that's not a bad thing. I liked Wither, and I liked Fever, too.
Some characters are lost, while new ones come in. Rhine and Gabriel are on the run, and they end up at all places they never wanted to be. Their life at the mainsion probably was better, even with Vaugh around. On their way to New York lots of unfortunate events happen, sometimes so unfortunate it seems unthinkable and unrealistic, but since it's dystopia it doesn't really matter :) Some of the characters (Rhine, most of all) developed a lot, and became complete different persons. Also, some of my facourite characters completely disappeared, which made me sad.
The dystopian world where Fever is set is so cruel, with everybody dying so young, after a short life they barely lived. The young girls becoming mothers, and the old people having so much power that it seems unthinkable. The selling of women as if they are nothing, and, above all, the normality of death. When someone dies you are expected to get over it immediately, or at least in a few weeks. Then you should just forget the dead, as if they never were there. This seems unthinkable to me...
The pace of this book was slow sometimes, but not annoyingly slow. I will understand it when people say that they found it slow, because it wasn't full of action or something. It were the small things that happened that mattered to me!
The writing style of Lauren DeStefano is not very special. It's nice but not new. I like to read it, it's easy to read and you can read it without having to repeat full paragraphs. Still, I prefer different writing styles, that are new to me. It doesn't really matter, but the writing style is one of the things that annoys you when it's bad, and you remark when it's good, but when it's normal you don't remark at all.
And now I'm going to talk about the plot *spoiler free*. It was pretty interesting, but I didn't fall in love with it entirely, probably because my favourite characters were not in this book. The thing I loved most about Wither were the love 'triangle', but there was no 'triangle' in Fever. It had been a long time since I'd read a book without a love 'triangle' in it, and it showed me that an author can write a good book without using the love 'triangle' btw, I put triangle in quotations b/c I don't really think there was a real triangle, but there were 2 love interests, so triangle seems like the best word to describe it...
And after looking at the cover, and before reading the blurb, I wanted to read the book. It's beautiful! The cover is worth the book!


You will not be disappointed by the story, characters or romance inside it. A must for all young adults that love dystopia


rating: 4 stars


xo Mar

Tour stop: The secret life of Copernicus H. Stringfellow by Lorin K. Barber

!TOUR STOP!

book: the secret life of Copernicus H. Stringfellow
written by: Lorin K. Barber
genre: Young Adult, humor
pages: 304
own / library / ARC
release date: March 13th, 2012
series? nope
publisher: Sweetwater books

note:
this is my first tour stop I have ever hosted *exiting* so I hope I don't mess up... Thank you Sweetwater Press for giving me this book to read and review. I loved it!

the book:
Copernicus H. Stringfellow, a.k.a. Nick, is not your run-of-the-mill genius. His mind is so powerful it can stop a speeding automobile or stem internal bleeding. As Nick goes about quietly doing good, he discovers that his powers are greatly enhanced by the nutrients present in Twinkies. (summary from GoodReads)


my review:
This book was hilarious! Nick is this hero that could also be your best friend. He is the smartest guy you'll ever meet, but he is also the one of the nicest people alive. He could be multimillionair, but prefers to spend his money on people he doesn't know. Also, he can, just like Roald Dahl's Mathilda, move things with telekinesis *move things w/ his thoughts*, and that is just epic awesomeness! With his superpowers he does not become evil or something. He decides to make this world a better place.
Then you find out that his superpowers come from twinkies, and the first thing I wanted to do after I found that out was put away the book and eat a twinkie to test if it worked with me. But too bad, in the Netherlands we don't have twinkies ;c
The story is told from numerous points of view, and that kept the story interesting, but it made the story also a little bit confusing. I sometimes had no idea why some parts were written there, I did not know what they had to do with the main story. Later it all became clear. 


This book is a quick, easy and hilarious read everyone will love. I seriously need some twinkies now...


rating:
4 stars :D


about the author:Lorin has 6 children, 1 wife and 8 grandchildren. He spent most of his adult life as a manufacturing executive. He's been to 45 states and 19 foreign countries. With the loss of a business in the bad economy he's trying to turn a hobby of writing into a new career.

a few (no, a lot :D ) linkys:
Author Website: http://lorinbarber.com/
Author Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/lorinbarber
Book Poster page: http://copernicushstringfellow.com
Publisher Blog http://www.cedarfortbooks.com/
Publisher Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cedarfortbooks
Publisher Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/cedarfortbooks
Publisher GoodReads http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4202252-cedar-fort

Before I go to sleep by S.J. Watson

book: Before I go to sleep

written by: S.J. Watson

genre: psychological, amnesia, adult

pages: 364

own / library / borrowed

release date: 14th of June, 2011

series? nope

publisher: Harper

note: This cover is gorgeous! I love covers with eyes on them, and this one is one of the best I have ever seen!!

the book: 

after a mysterious accident, Christine gets amnesia. Every day she wakes up, without knowing who she is, what happened to her and who is lying next to her. Everything she has done in her past is erased by her memory. She thinks she's young, but finds out she's older. She is married with someone she does not remember, has forgotten all of her friends and does not even know her own name. And what if the only person in her life that she could trust is not telling her the truth? 

my review:

This was epic awesomeness! I would call this 50 first dates meets suspense. You are guessing all the time what´s going to happen next, it keeps on surprising you. Altough the ending of the book was not unexpected, the beginning of this book was great.

Sometimes I think this book used too many pages, because you could easily skip a few pages without missing anything, but it was beautifully written so I did not really care. 

Also, the main character, Christine, was a strong character. Most of the people would not fight agains their amnesia as long as she does. Sometimes she acted unrealistic, but most of the times it was all right!

This book is classified as Adult, but it is not more complicated than a Young Adult novel. Actually, this was a pretty easy read, so I could read it when it was late, too :)

Some parts of the plot were predictable, and some were not, as I stated above. You will start to believe everything in the beginning, and then you see that all the others and Christine's mind are fooling you, so you never know what is true and what isn't.

This is a great debut novel and I will sure read more of S.J. Watson's books! A must-read for people who love to read a non-fantasy/paranormal/sci-fi book sometimes, and like suspense. 

my rating:

4/5 stars

xo Mar

If I stay by Gayle Forman

book: If I stay
written by: Gayle Forman
genres: death, young adult
pages: 210
own / library / borrowed
release date: april 9th, 2009
publisher: Random House children's books


note: This book looked so thin, I thought this would be a quick and easy-to-read book. But reading it took longer than expected, it made me think. What would I choose?

the book: 
Everybody has to make choices. Some might break you. For seventeen-year-old Mia, surrounded by a wonderful family, friends and a gorgeous boyfriend decisions might seem tough, but they're all about a future full of music and love, a future that's brimming with hope. 


In a horrible accident, Mia's parents die. But that's not all. She herself is severely wounded and ends up in the hospital. Only, there is something strange happening. Why does nobody hear her when she screams, and why can she see her own body lying a few feet away from her? That's when she finds out that she is a ghost. She gets to choose: Will she choose to stay alive, or will she die, leaving behind her best friend, boyfriend and what's left of her family. How valuable is her life?

my review:
This book was nothing like I expected it to be. It was way better! The characters were great, and easy to relate to. Their love for music was awesome, since I love music, too. This book made me want to listen to classical music, something I have never ever wanted to do before.
The plot was very interesting. I have never read anything like this before, which means it's quite original :)
The book was written in a few present-time pieces and a lot of flashbacks, which I totally love. Flashbacks make the story look way longer than it actually is.
The love in this book *only in flashbacks* was great, it was not like boy meets girl and BOOM! love, but more like boy and girl are friends and fall in love slowly. That is so much better than most YA romance!
This book was a fantasy novel, but it was so realistic. It made me wonder if we all have to make this choice someday, and that made me think about it until I got a headache *which took pretty long*, and I think that the realism in this book contributed in the popularity of this book. If she were a 'ghosty' ghost flying around and walking through walls no-one could have related to her as much as you could when she was just a 'normal' girl.
The way the family of Mia and her friends deal with the accident seems realistic, like the author has experienced it herself.
Of course there were the few things that annoyed me, like the shortness of the story and the continuous 'should I stay or should I go' and a few minor other things, but overall it was a quick, great and most of all moving book with lots of almost-cry-moments. *yes, almost, I have not cried, only almost*


overall rating:
3.8 stars!!