Review - Erin the Fire Goddess: The Beginning

Erin the Fire Goddess: The Beginning by Lavinia Urban

Read: February 31 2014

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Rating: 1/5 stars




Erin Tait is a 15 year old girl, who thinks of herself as a freak. She's moves to her parents home town of Galladale, where all is not what it seems On her first day at school, she meets Sean Jackson. Instantly she is besotted with him. But this results in her being targeted by a girl called Jessica Watson. She has one warning. Stay away from Sean! But he is everywhere she goes, even in her dreams. Which are soon taken over by Jessica's threats and actions against Erin are taken in school. Erin is scared, lonely and confused. Who can she turn to? Will Jessica stop this hate campaign? and can Erin control the fire within?


My Review:


Minor spoilers



It was my own fault for trying to read this book again. I was smarter the first time when I didn't bother getting past the first page.

Usually I don't bother with books that get on my nerves like this one, but I got complaints about how I received it to be negative after reading so little. So I figured that if they were going to be so passionate about it I should probably give it a chance - I really should know better by now. I mean it's usually a bad sign when the author names her characters after her kids. They'll most likely turn out unrealistically perfect or, I imagine, the actual children will be insulted by their character's faults.

Let me begin with the characters:

Erin Tait - She's the main character and the ugly duckling in the family because of her "hideous" birthmark. Despite her insecurities she manages to get the hottest guy around drooling after her. My main issue with her is her has to do mostly with Sean and her poorly explained powers. They had something to do with a rock...

Sean Jackson - The love interest.  His entire life revolves around his 'fire goddess,' Erin, who he decided he was in love with after an incredibly short period of time. He calls her beautiful even though she has the birthmark insecurities going on and doesn't seem to believe him (it really bugged me how she never got over this).

UNREALISTIC

UNREALISTIC

BLAHHH!!!

Review - Evan Burl and the Falling

Evan Burl and the Falling by Justin Blaney

Read: October the 2nd 2013

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Rating: 5/5 stars

My father abandoned me when I was an infant.
My friends have turned against me. 
My uncle beats me.
The most powerful people in the world want me dead.
They all have one thing in common.
They think I’m turning into a monster.

I’m starting to worry they’re right.

My Review:

Note to the author

I have not yet finished this book, I am only on Chapter Four so there is no need to take me seriously. But the "Note from the author on this Advanced Reader Copy," made me a bit sad. Mr. Justin Blaney there are so many different people in this world, no one is exactly the same and thus not everyone enjoys the same types of things. No one book will please everyone some people hate Twilight some people love it, the same goes for Shakespeare and his works. So not everyone will be pleased with cliffhanger endings like you have said your book has. Personally I would hate it if everyone loved every book, how would you know good books from bad ones if the world was like that? If you change things in your book to make the angry people happy there will still be others who will remain unsatisfied. So I think you should write Evan Burl and the Falling the way you envisioned it, not the way others do, I imagine it would make you happier in the long run. So far your book is reading like a masterpiece to me, I can easily see why some people might find themselves upset that it ends with questions unanswered since they love it so much and can't imagine waiting for the second book to be published.

After Reading

I loved this book. No seriously it was great. I liked Evan's confusion about the future and himself in general, not often do characters in YA novels feel uncertain in that way. He was brave in an honest kind of way, not because he wanted to prove anything to anyone but because he put others above himself. A lot of the main characters of books I read are brave to prove they can be, not that that's bad but its a nice change to find a book with a character who doesn't need to. Evan Burl and the Falling was an amazing book and I will probably end up pulling out some of my hair from having to wait for its sequel.

Review - Every Day

Every Day by David Levithan

Read: September 21 2013

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Rating: 5/5 stars






Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.

There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.

It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.


 My Review:


I loved this book. It seems to me that authors often use similar personalities for multiple characters because its easier to create a lot of them that way. David Levithan did not do this at all, for that I am grateful. Although the main character, A, kept the same personality no matter what body he was in, every body he inhabited had a clear and distinct personality. It amazed me how well this was done and I enjoyed watching A struggle to not lose himself/herself/itself(?) to the personalities of those people. I really wish more about A could have been revealed, the story intrigued me so much and I was incredibly sad to see it go. Does
Levithan want me to suffer? I really wish there were more books about A, but I guess that could take away from the magic of it.

Review - Twilight

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Read: 2011

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Rating: 2/5 stars




Isabella Swan's move to Forks, a perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. When she meets the mysterious, alluring Edward Cullen--a vampire--her life takes a thrilling and terrifying romantic turn.



 My Review:



Since everyone was raving about this book by the time I read it I was expecting it to be pretty good.

IT WASN'T

I know that some people did enjoy reading it but I wasn't one of them. So if you are the type of person who doesn't think that Bella Swan was a shallow, boring and unnecessary characters you might not want to read this review.

This book would have been better without the love story. A couple of vegetarian vampires living in a world where only they don't drink human blood. A story like that has great potential, although this one did to until it was written. It got two stars because it wasn't the worst book I have ever read but I most definitely didn't enjoy it.

It wasn't for me but don't let that discourage you from reading it if you don't mind the fact that it is poorly written and has an amazingly stupid main character. I will spare you all from a long drawn out rant about Bella's love interest. He got on my nerves just about as much as Bella did, and honestly I'm not in the mood to relive this book.

Review - Indeliable

 

 Indelible by Dawn Metcalf

Read: September 2nd 2013

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Rating: 3/5 stars










Some things are permanent.

Indelible.

And they cannot be changed back.

Joy Malone learns this the night she sees a stranger with all-black eyes across a crowded room—right before the mystery boy tries to cut out her eye. Instead, the wound accidentally marks her as property of Indelible Ink, and this dangerous mistake thrusts Joy into an incomprehensible world—a world of monsters at the window, glowing girls on the doorstep, and a life that will never be the same.

Now, Joy must pretend to be Ink’s chosen one—his helper, his love, his something for the foreseeable future...and failure to be convincing means a painful death for them both. Swept into a world of monsters, illusion, immortal honor and revenge, Joy discovers that sometimes, there are no mistakes.

Somewhere between reality and myth lies…

THE TWIXT




 My Review:


This book was originally on my 'must-read' list but I'm afraid it just fell a little short to me.

It's incredibly hard to love a book if you don't like its main character. Joy was immensely hard for me to like, I struggled to see where she was coming from time and time again. But her reliance on others and tendency to over react just got on my nerves. However I liked her "best friend," Monica, even less. What kind of friend best or otherwise abandons you right after you've experienced a traumatic event? I hope none of my friends ever do that to me, I cant even begin to express how unfriendly I would feel towards them. It would be exceptable, I suppose, if they had a good reason for doing so. Let me just say that Monica had just about the worst reason ever, and Joy just brushed it off! Ugh!

Ink and Inq were the only reason I ended up enjoying reading this book. Their unique perspectives were intriguing. I especially liked Ink because he saw everything involving humans through fresh eyes. Unfortunately his lack of experience with humans was probably what drove him to be interested in Joy who I imagine he would have been much better without. Inq I liked a little less than Ink because of some of her strange behaviors that I didn't particularly agree with. Overall I really enjoyed their opinions and ways of seeing things.

But just please. Please let me throw something heavy at Joy. Like refrigerator heavy or so. She reminded me just a little too much of Bella Swan.

Review - Incarceron

   

 Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Read: July 25th 2012

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Rating: 4.5/5 stars









Incarceron is a prison so vast that it contains not only cells and corridors, but metal forests, dilapidated cities, and wilderness. It has been sealed for centuries, and only one man has ever escaped. Finn has always been a prisoner here. Although he has no memory of his childhood, he is sure he came from Outside. His link to the Outside, his chance to break free, is Claudia, the warden's daughter, herself determined to escape an arranged marriage. They are up against impossible odds, but one thing looms above all: Incarceron itself is alive . . .

My Review:



Minor spoilers


  


I loved it! So very fascinating and oh so very mysterious. Incarceron is a prison that is alive with hopes and dreams of it's own. Claudia is trapped in a world where technology is illegal and she is in an arranged marriage with, Caspar, a boy who she absolutely despises. When Claudia meets Finn a boy who lives in Incarceron she is convinced that he is Giles, the Prince, who she was told had died. Finn doesn't believe much of what Claudia says, but in order to escape their own separate nightmares they join forces to help Finn and his friends escape.

I loved how Claudia had to save Finn instead of the other way around. Girl power! Yaahh! I also really enjoyed the contrast of the two character's lives. Claudia wants freedom so she doesn't have too marry Caspar, while Finn fights for freedom so he can both see the Outside and in the process save himself from what would ultimately end his life.

Some things I didn't like were:

-The Sapients who some of whom at least seemed to think they were the most important people you could find. I disliked how they were portrayed in that way when others showed more knowledge and comprehension than the all knowing Sapients did. The Sapients bothered me because it seemed knowledge, their supposed strongest feature didn't shine as brightly as some of their other traits.

-The end because the problem wasn't even close to resolved (in my opinion).

-And also I couldn't really decide if I thought Claudia was awesome or annoying which somehow bothers me.

Review/Rant - Alyzon Whitestarr

Alyzon Whitestarr by Isobelle Carmody

Read: Didn't finish

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Rating: 1/5 stars







Are Alyzon’s new abilities a blessing . . . or a curse?
Alyzon Whitestarr doesn't take after her musically talented father or her nocturnal, artistic mother. In fact, she’s the most normal member of a very eccentric family . . . until the day that an accident leaves her more unique than she ever could have dreamed. Suddenly colors are more vibrant to Alyzon; her memory is flawless; but strangest of all is Alyzon’s sense of smell. Her best friend smells of a comforting sea breeze. She registers her father’s contentment as the sweet scent of caramelized sugar. But why does the cutest guy in school smell so rancid?
With Alyzon’s extrasensory perception comes intrigue and danger, as she becomes aware of the dark secrets and hidden ambitions that threaten her family. In the end, being different might be less of a blessing than a curse....



My Review:

Me: Show don't tell. Show don't tell

Friends: Are you alright.

Me: Show don't tell. Show don't tell.

Friends: Uh...were the characters alright though?

Me: KILL ALYZON. KILL ALYZON. SO STUPID. MUST CLEANZE EYES WITH ACID.


So obviously I didn't like this book. The author had a really good idea going with the whole thing but it drove me crazy. I didn't even make it halfway before I decided to quit.

Some things I didn't like:

•Info dumps - the paragraphs and paragraphs of explanations drove me insane. Even what could have been good dialouge between characters turned into paragraphs and paragraphs where we were told what the characters said! To me this took away any chance there had been to properly get to know the characters.

•Alyzon - she's the typical heroine, her family is gorgeous yet somehow she looks incredibly dull and always seems to feel unappreciated. She also likes the cutest guy at school and continually ignores the many signs that say he isn't as good as he pretends to be and ignores problems in her family that quite obviously need to be addressed.

Also its weird how all of her siblings always refer to their father as "Da" even though a lot of them seem to have issues with him. It seems like they would greet him more formally if they are that annoyed with him.

What I liked:

The idea of senses becoming stronger.


Who I would recommend this book to:

Anyone who doesn't want to use their brain