The Fault in Our Stars Movie

This is not going to be a movie review or book review but those will come soon. I literally just came home from seeing this movie and it was absolutely amazing and I think that everyone should know. I saw this movie with my mom and brother and we all loved it but found it depressing at the same time. Both my mom and myself were crying throughout the entire movie because it was so sad but was only so because of the amazing performances done by all of the actors. Everyone needs to see this movie whether you have read this book or not.

Book Review: Thirteen Reasons Why

Title: Thirteen Reasons Why

Author: Jay Asher

Genre: Contemporary

Page Count: 288

Publication Date: June 14th, 2011 (first published 2007)

Publisher: Razorbill 

Awards: Georgia Peach Honor Book Award (2009),  South Carolina Book Award for Young Adult Book Award (2010), California Book Award, Abraham Lincoln Award (2013)

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*NO SPOILERS*

     Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher is about a high school boy, Clay Jensen, who finds a box of old cassette tapes on his front porch. He finds out that these tapes are from Hannah Baker who recently committed suicide. These tapes are of Hannah talking about thirteen people who influenced her to kill herself. The tapes get passed around to everyone who was on the list so they can hear what they had to do with her suicide. When Clay receives these tapes he starts to freak out because he has absolutely no idea of why he would be on that list. This story was very engaging and kept me enthralled the entire time. The whole time I was anxious to find out each reason and to see how each person's story ended. The cassette tape narration was captivating, Clay's reactions to the tapes were spot on, and the overall storyline was excellent.
     The cassette tape narration was excellent. Throughout the story we hear Hannah Baker talking about the people that caused her to take her life. I found it very interesting to hear this because it is not everyday that we get to hear what goes through a suicidal person's mind and what they're going through. Hannah seemed so relaxed and confident in what she was talking about which was not what I was expecting at all. Also, in the tapes you could really get a sense of what Hannah was feeling while she was recording the tapes because her emotion was so clear. You could really tell how she felt about each person she was talking about and how much she disliked them. It was very easy to empathize with Hannah because of this. At some points in the book I found myself getting teary-eyed over the situations Hannah was put through.
    Clay's reactions to the tapes were very realistic. If you were to randomly find a dead girl's audio recordings on your doorstep you would freak out right? Well, that's exactly what Clay did. When Clay found Hannah's cassette tapes on his front porch he went a little crazy about what it could possibly mean. I found this to be very realistic because being associated with a person who committed suicide is a very traumatic experience. Also, once Clay actually started listening to the tapes he felt guilty and his mind starting reeling with possibilities of why he was on the tapes. I don't know about you, but if I was put in that situation I would immediately start feeling a great deal of remorse and want to know how I could possibly be responsible for another person's death just like Clay. I feel that the author, Jay Asher, did an excellent job of displaying Clay's emotions.
     The whole storyline was outstanding. The author, Jay Asher, is so good at intriguing his readers with his descriptions of Hannah's life struggles and showing how she dealt with it. The way Hannah felt about each of the people that were on her list kept me totally engrossed to keep reading. Also, since Hannah's tapes were so well done, I constantly wanted to see what Clay would do and how he would react to each of the tapes. The back-and-forth narration between Hannah's tapes and Clay's perspective also absorbed my attention to keep me reading for hours.
     All in all, Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher is a magnificent book. Hannah Baker's cassette tape narration was excellent, Clay's reactions to the tapes were realistic, and just the overall story was marvelous. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a sad story that touches your heart.

Book Review/Book-to-Movie Adaptation: Flipped

Title: Flipped

Author: Wendelin Van Draanen

Genre: Contemporary

Page Count: 212

Publication Date: October 9th, 2001

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Awards: South Carolina Book Award for Junior Book Award (2004), Nevada Young Readers' Award, Virginia Young Readers' Award, South Carolina Children's Book Award, California Young Readers Medal, The Judy Lopez Memorial Award for Children's Literature Honor (2002)
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Flipped

Running Time: 90 minutes

Rating: PG

Release Date: October 22, 2010

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Director: Rob Reiner

Writers: Rob Reiner (screenplay), Andrew Scheinman (screenplay), Wendelin Van Draanen (novel)

Stars: Madeline Carrol, Callan McAuliffe, Rebecca De Mornay
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*WARNING: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

     Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen is about two complete opposite 8th graders who start to develop feelings for each other. In the 2nd grade, Bryce Loski moves in across the street from Julianne "Juli" Baker. Ever since, Juli is been crazy about Bryce. She always tries to talk him, play with him, and smell his hair. Bryce can't stand Juli and wants her out of his life. Then one day, everything changes when Bryce starts noticing things in Juli that he never did before. This story is very cute and easy to fly through. I devoured it in one sitting. While reading this, I felt like I was watching the movie because it was exactly the same. The two main characters, Bryce and Juli, were fantastic, relatable characters and the overall plot line was addicting. However, there were very few differnces between the book and movie.

     First of all, the characters were fabulous and relatable. Juli and Bryce's personalities both stood out but were also very different. Juli is the outgoing, smart girl who always is the first to raise her hand in class while Bryce is the shy guy who keeps to himself and is still trying to figure himself out. I liked seeing how Bryce changed from only seeing Juli's exterior to seeing her personality and kindheartedness. I think that this really built on Bryce's character and showed that he wasn't awful like his dad. Juli was obsessed with Bryce since the second grade for his dazzling blue eyes but realizes she doesn't really like him after really meeting him and getting to know him. This showed that people may not also be what they seem to be based on their apperances. I really enjoyed reading from each of their perspectives because you got to see how each of them looked at the same situation with a different view of how it happened. For example, Juli thinks that she is being neighborly but Bryce thinks she is trying to constantly trying to weasel her way into his life. I thought it was interesting to see how Bryce and Juli saw each other very differently than how they saw themselves. One of the worst parts of me seeing the movie before reading the book is that I kept imagining the movie actor instead of how the character was described in the book. In the book, Bryce has bright blue eyes and dark hair but in the movie he had blonde hair and dark eyes, so while I was reading I kept seeing this.

Bryce Loski

I am kind of disappointed how in the book Juli is constantly talking about Bryce's perfect blue eyes but in the movie he has brown eyes.





     Secondly, the storyline was addicting. It was really cute to see Bryce and Juli's relationship grow throughout the years. In most stories, you only get to see the character's relationship for a short period of time, but in Flipped you get to see the characters grow over several years. Bryce and Juli had to overcome a few obstacles that came from them being awkward teenagers. I really liked the story because it was relatable. We all go through that stage in our life when you start developing feelings for others that you don't know what to do with. This book was just that. Bryce and Juli go through a series of awkward confrontations and conversations that were just very enjoyable to read. However, I wish there was more of an ending. The book seemed to end kind of abruptly, but I guess that's what happens with a book so short. Also, the movie was almost exactly the same as the book. This was awesome but I wish I had read the book before I watched the movie because I knew exactly what was going to happen next because the book was the exact same as the movie. I guess that's a good thing right?
     All in all, both the Flipped book and movie were excellent! The characters were cute and relatable and the story was addicting. I definetly recommend this book to anyone in the need of a fast, cute read.

Book Review: Extras

Title: Extras

Author: Scott Westerfeld

Genre: Dystopian/Sci-Fi

Page Count: 417

Publication Date: October 2nd, 2007

Publisher: Simon Pulse

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*NO SPOILERS*

     Extras by Scott Westerfeld is a companion novel to the Uglies trilogy, takes place three years after Tally Youngblood took down the Specials, and  follows a fifteen-year-old named Aya Fuse. Aya lives in a city where everyone is given face ranks instead of being classified as an ugly, pretty, or special. Face ranks are your popularity status. You can build your face rank by kicking, our modern day blogging, an interesting story that the whole world can see. The more people that see your story, the higher your face rank gets. Aya is an extra, meaning her face rank is 451,396 out of a city with a population on 1,000,000 people, and wants desperately to be popular. She tries to kick cool stories but no one ever notices them. While sneaking into a popular party, Aya stumbles upon the Sly Girls, a clique that does crazy stunts but tries their best to stay unnoticed. Aya decides to follow them, along with her hovercam, Moggle, to get shots of them in action so she can kick a never-before-seen story. This story is full of twists and turns and kept me hooked the entire time. I enjoyed the world, the characters, the storyline, and the references to characters from the original trilogy.

     First of all, I loved the world. I was fascinated by the idea of judging people based on how popular they were and how many times their name was mentioned. I think that this is somewhat relatable to our society today because we tend to judge people on their appearance and make assumptions about celebrities based on what we hear through gossip. This is shown in the story through kicks about famous people that aren't true but are popular because they're famous. Also, I, once again, really liked the technologies used in this world. I think that the hovercams were really cool and that they were able to follow you around anywhere you go and find you when it gets lost.

     Secondly, I appreciated the relatable characters. Let's face it; all of us have wanted to be famous or popular at some point in our life and Aya is just like that. Plus, she isn't just sitting around complaining that she wants to be famous like the rest of us, she actually puts forth the effort to become famous and takes risks. I really admired that in her. However, there were some times when she was whining and complaining that she would never be famous which annoyed me. Also, Aya was very persistent to kick a popular story and did anything and everything she had to do to do so. Another character that stood out to me was Frizz. Frizz is the creator of a new clique entitled Radical Honesty. In this clique, everyone tells the truth all of the time and doesn't have the ability to lie. Frizz is very pleased with his invention but his also frustrated by it a lot. The downside of telling the truth all of the time is that you can't keep any secrets which creates difficulties later on in the story. I found this aspect of Frizz's character made him strong and showed his wanting to be a better person.

     Thirdly, the storyline was thrilling and engaging. Throughout the story, Aya was constantly on the look out for something kickable. This led her to take a few risks to get to where she wanted to be. I loved reading about Aya's adventures and how the little things she did created a scenario much bigger than she ever would've imagined. The Sly Girls, a clique that Aya tries to get shots of to kick, do so many insane stunts that I was engaged in the story and couldn't stop reading. One example of these stunts is jumping onto a moving train. I was so worried for not only Aya, but the Sly Girls as well. This part reminded me a bit of the Dauntless from Divergent by Veronica Roth.

     Lastly, I enjoyed seeing the characters from the previous trilogy weave their way into this story. Tally, Shay, and Fausto come back to deal with the Special Circumstance that Aya has created. I really liked seeing Tally again because it was interesting to hear about her through another person's perspective. The people from Aya's city learn about Tally and the other Cutters in their history class and it was weird to see how Aya worshipped them. Also, it was cool to see how far Tally has grown into a strong and confident person. Although Tally still has trouble overcoming the brain damage she received from being a Special, she was still able to function properly without having any random fits of anger. 

     All in all, Extras by Scott Westerfeld was a wonderful read and I would definitely recommend it to everyone who has read the Uglies trilogy. The world was fantastic, the characters were relatable, and the story was full of action.

P.S  To make it easier to follow my blog, I created a Bloglovin' account. This is a fun way to follow blogs that you love. Plus, you don't have to have a blog to be a part of it. 

Book Review: Specials

Title: Specials

Author: Scott Westerfeld

Genre: Dystopian/Sci-Fi

Page Count: 372

Publication Date: September 2007 (first published May 9th, 2006)

Publisher: Scholastic

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*WARNING: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

     Specials by Scott Westerfeld is the third and final book in the Uglies trilogy. This book follows Tally Youngblood's journey as a dreaded special. Specials are the equivalent to our modern day police. They have razor-sharp teeth, body modifications to make them lethal, and extremely high-tech technology. Dr. Cable has finally managed to turn Tally into a special so she can use her for her own purposes. As members of Special Circumstances, Tally and Shay must hunt down the New Smoke and stop them from curing the pretties. This book is action-packed, delivers a significant message, and is an excellent conclusion to the trilogy.

     First of all the story was action-packed. The beginning of the story starts off with Tally, Shay, and Fausto, the Cutters, running after some members of the New Smoke, a group of people who choose to live in the wild instead of living in the luxurious city. This opening scene instantly hooked me. Both the Cutters and the New Smoke were using a technology, called a sneak suit, to blend in with their surroundings so one couldn't see the other. As I have mentioned before, I love this technology! Also, throughout the story Tally and Shay are on a wild chase to capture the New Smoke and stop them from curing the pretties. During this journey, Tally tries to get over her ex-boyfriend, Zane, and move on to become a better special. I found this part very annoying. Tally was constantly watching Zane and questioning his wellness. She kept telling herself that she didn't need him but deep inside she really did. I kept thinking to myself,"Get over him already! Do what you need to do, you don't need to be so obsessed with him." Besides that, I liked how Tally went through, yet another, stage of finding her true identity during that adventure. I don't know why but I really love seeing characters build into fantastic people. Additionally, I enjoyed the city of Diego. I found it interesting how the people living there were constantly changing their style and trying out crazy fashion trends. I was really enthralled by the scene where Tally was locked up by the Diego doctors. I was in suspense to find out Tally's fate and how she was going to get out of the situation. In addition, I thought it was unrealistic that a small prank that Tally and Shay pulled could start a huge war between cities. I know that Dr. Cable took advantage of the situation to create the war, but in reality I don't think that people would be so stupid to go into waging a war. The war, however, was interesting to read about.

     Secondly, the story left an important message. The story ended with Tally defeating Special Circumstances and ending the rain of brain damage. Tally and David leave a letter behind stating that they don't think that anyone needs them to do the saving anymore and that the city civilians shouldn't be completely free because "freedom has a way of destroying things". I really appreciated the ending because it shows that people don't need to be dependent on others to do all of the heavy lifting for them and that people are fully able to survive and thrive on their own. I also believe that the phrase "freedom has a way of destroying things" is true because if you leave the population with no set of rules or laws and let them run free, they will find a way do stupid things and endanger the people around them. Also, the whole trilogy centers around how outer beauty is more important than inner beauty which is later proved false. This dystopian city gives everyone plastic surgery and messes with his/her brain when they turn sixteen to make them "pretty". Later on in this last book, Tally stops the city from doing this operation to prove that the world can survive without cosmetic surgeries and brain-dead people.

     All in all, this book was excellent! The story was very action-packed and left a significant message for readers. I am sad that this trilogy is over but I am looking forward to moving on the companion novel Extras. I recommend this series to people who like stories about alternate realities and science fiction.

Book Review: Pushing the Limits

Title: Pushing the Limits

Author: Katie McGarry

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Page Count: 416

Publication Date: July 31, 2012

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Awards: 2013 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers, RT Magazine's 2012 Reviewers Choice Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel, 2012 Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel
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*NO SPOILERS*

     Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry is about two complicated teenagers, Echo Emerson and Noah Hutchkins, who's lives intertwine in the most unexpected way. Echo has no memory of what happened one terrible night when she went from popular girl with a jock boyfriend to the school freak with gross scars on her arms. Also, her home life is very complicated. Her mom is bipolar while her dad and stepmom are very strict on her and don't allow her to do what she wants. Noah is the school bad boy who everyone tries too avoid. Noah has a reputation of using girls and being a druggie. One day after an intense session of therapy, Echo is forced to tutor Noah and their relationship builds from there. Noah and Echo go through a journey of self-discovery together and realize that their lives can be healed over time. This book had very well-thought-out characters, touched very deep topics, and a storyline that wouldn't let me put the book down and left me in awe. 

      First of all, this book had excellent well-thought-out characters. Echo struggles with depression after her brother died and her mom is placed under a restraining order. She has to live through the strict conditions of her dad and stepmom while trying to keep herself happy. Throughout the course of the story, Echo tries to remember what happened to her that awful night. I thought that this part of the story really helped show Echo's character by exposing her determination that she didn't even know she had. I found that Echo was a very insecure character but I liked it because I think that some people will be able to relate to her. Also, Echo competes with her inner conscience to decide whether to stay with her jerk boyfriend from her past or to trust her newfound feelings for the bad boy, Noah. This, I feel, helped build her self-trust and showed that she didn't care what the other students thought of her after hiding in the shadows for so long. Noah has a different, but at the same time similar, situation to deal with. He has a reputation he has to live with at school but he also has to face being a foster child and not being able to see his two younger brothers. This revealed Noah's love of his brothers and his persistence to get his brothers back. He is a very strong character who copes with his own lack of self-confidence as well as the pressure that others put him under. I think that Echo and Noah fit very well together and worked great together to conquer their issues.

     Also, this book discusses some very deep and serious real-world problems. For example, Noah had to live with an abusive foster father. I think that issues, such as child abuse, don't get talked about a lot in young adult literature. Also, Echo's boyfriend, on several occasions, tried to pressure into having sex. This was a big issue Echo had to deal with throughout the story. She was conflicted with not doing it , upsetting her boyfriend and staying a virgin forever and doing it just for the sake of satisfying her boyfriend. This happens in the real-world and I don't think that people at such a young age should be pressured into having sex just for "bragging rights". 

     Lastly, this book had a storyline that hooked me and left me in awe. The relationship between Echo and Noah kept me engaged the whole time. Noah and Echo were an unlikely couple but worked perfectly. They comforted each other through each other's time of need and helped each other other find the secrets to their past. The dual perspectives really helped deliver the full effect of the story. Both Echo and Noah had very different train of thoughts and I really enjoyed reading from both of their perspectives. The beginning of the story was a little slow but it gradually picked up the pace. I think that the pacing of the story worked really well.

   Overall, Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry was amazing. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good contemporary novel. I went into this expecting a light fluffy romance, and there was a good majority of romance, but it wasn't completely focused on the romance and more on self-discovery. It still greatly satisfied me!

Friday Reads: April 11th

     First of all, I apologize for my absence the last two weeks. I went on a school trip and was unable to read anything or update my blog. As a little update I decided to do a Friday reads! As you may know, I was reading Specials by Scott Westerfeld, but when I came back from my trip I wasn't in the mood at all to continue that book and was in the mood for a contemporary. So, I decided to pick up Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry. Don't worry! As soon as I finish this I will be finishing Specials and reviewing it! From the inside flap, "No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with 'freaky' scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchkins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible. Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again,". I am currently on page 122 and so far, this book is pretty gripping! The story is deeper than I thought it was going to be. I'm anxious to see the romance pick up and how Echo and Noah resolve their problems.

Top 5 Most Anticipated Releases of Spring

*Organized by Release Date*

Title: Dorothy Must Die

Author: Danielle Paige

Release Date: April 1st

Synopsis: I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.

But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know?

Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still the yellow brick road, though—but even that's crumbling.

What happened?
Dorothy. They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.

My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas.
I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.
I've been trained to fight.
And I have a mission:
Remove the Tin Woodman's heart.
Steal the Scarecrow's brain.
Take the Lion's courage.
Then and only then—Dorothy must die!

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Title: Dear Killer

Author: Katherine Ewell

Release Date: April 1st

Synopsis: Rule One—Nothing is right, nothing is wrong.
Rule Two—Be careful.
Rule Three—Fight using your legs whenever possible, because they’re the strongest part of your body. Your arms are the weakest.
Rule Four—Hit to kill. The first blow should be the last, if at all possible.
Rule Five—The letters are the law.

Kit takes her role as London’s notorious “Perfect Killer” seriously. The letters and cash that come to her via a secret mailbox are not a game; choosing who to kill is not an impulse decision. Every letter she receives begins with “Dear Killer,” and every time Kit murders, she leaves a letter with the dead body. Her moral nihilism and thus her murders are a way of life—the only way of life she has ever known.

But when a letter appears in the mailbox that will have the power to topple Kit’s convictions as perfectly as she commits her murders, she must make a decision: follow the only rules she has ever known, or challenge Rule One, and go from there.

Katherine Ewell’s Dear Killer is a sinister psychological thriller that explores the thin line between good and evil, and the messiness of that inevitable moment when life contradicts everything you believe.

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Title: Free to Fall

Author: Lauren Miller

Release Date: May 13th 

Synopsis: What if there was an app that told you what song to listen to, what coffee to order, who to date, even what to do with your life—an app that could ensure your complete and utter happiness? What if you never had to fail or make a wrong choice?

What if you never had to fall?

Fast-forward to a time when Apple and Google have been replaced by Gnosis, a monolith corporation that has developed the most life-changing technology to ever hit the market: Lux, an app that flawlessly optimizes decision making for the best personal results. Just like everyone else, sixteen-year-old Rory Vaughn knows the key to a happy, healthy life is following what Lux recommends. When she’s accepted to the elite boarding school Theden Academy, her future happiness seems all the more assured. But once on campus, something feels wrong beneath the polished surface of her prestigious dream school. Then she meets North, a handsome townie who doesn’t use Lux, and begins to fall for him and his outsider way of life. Soon, Rory is going against Lux’s recommendations, listening instead to the inner voice that everyone has been taught to ignore — a choice that leads her to uncover a truth neither she nor the world ever saw coming.

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Title: Dangerous Creatures

Author: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Release Date: May 20th

Synopsis: A new series returns to the world of Beautiful Creatures. Some loves are cursed...others are dangerous.

Ridley Duchannes will be the first to tell you that she's a bad girl. She's Dark. She's a Siren. You can never trust her, or even yourself when she's around. Lucky for her, Wesley "Link" Lincoln can never seem to remember that; quarter Incubus or not, his heart is Mortal when it comes to Ridley. When Link heads to New York City to start a music career, Ridley goes along for the ride-and she has her own reasons. As if leaving small-town Gatlin for the big city, trying to form a band, and surviving life with a partially reformed Siren isn't hard enough already, Link soon learns he has a price on his head that no Caster or Mortal can ever pay.

Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, the #1 New York Times bestselling coauthors of Beautiful Creatures, are back and casting another magical spell. Their signature mixture of mystery, suspense, and romance, along with a dash of fun and danger, will pull fans in and leave them begging for more.

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Title: City of Heavenly Fire

Author: Cassandra Clare

Release Date: May 27th 

Synopsis: ΕRCHOMAI, SEBASTIAN HAD SAID. 

I am coming.

Darkness returns to the Shadowhunter world. As their society falls apart around them, Clary, Jace, Simon and their friends must band together to fight the greatest evil the Nephilim have ever faced: Clary’s own brother. Nothing in the world can defeat him — must they journey to another world to find the chance? Lives will be lost, love sacrificed, and the whole world changed in the sixth and last installment of the Mortal Instruments series!

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Book Review: Pretties

Title: Pretties

Author: Scott Westerfeld

Genre: Dystopian/Science Fiction

Page Count: 370

Publication Date: November 1, 2005

Publisher: Simon Pulse




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*WARNING: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

     Pretties by Scott Westerfeld is the sequel to Uglies. This sequel centers around Tally Youngblood who is now pretty. She lives in New Pretty Town with the rest of the new pretties and loves spending her days with Peris and Shay. Tally, Peris, and Shay are all apart of the Crims, a very popular clique in New Pretty Town. All she has to worry about is having fun all of the time and making sure she is wearing the correct attire for parties. One day, Tally and the rest of the Crims attend a costume party and someone from Tally's past arrives. Tally must try to remember her past and decide whether she wants to stay in New Pretty Town and have fun all of the time or rejoin her friends from her past and fight for her life. This book was satisfactory. The first of half of the story was boring and nothing much happened but the second half of the story was more fast-paced and reminded me a lot of the first book. There is new lingo, a promising plot, decent characters, and an interesting view on humanity.

     First, there is a lot of new lingo. Since pretties basically have brain damage, they tend to use different vocabulary and new,"cool" slang. Some of this slang includes "Crims", short for criminals, and "surge", short for surgery. At the beginning of the story, I was very confused on what these words meant. They are somewhat obvious and I may just be bad at catching on to these things, but the way the characters used this slang was very unclear to me. Eventually, Westerfeld explained what each word was short for, then I understood. There is also new terminology, which consisted of "bubbly" and "bogus". The new pretties use these two terms so many times it was driving me crazy. I swear, every sentence they were saying, "That's so bubbly," or "That's bogus,". It was honestly so annoying. I understand that the purpose of this language was to show how contorted the pretties minds were but it really got on my nerves.

     Secondly, the plot was okay. The story had great promise to be a book full of action and betrayal, and at some points there was, but overall the story was bland. All that happened the first half of the story was Tally and Zane trying to figure out their past memories and them wandering around to find the cure for being pretty-minded. There were some scenes of action such as the trouble at Valentino Mansion and the revelation of the pills that contained the cure, but other than that the story was boring. The second half of the book, I feel, definitely made up for the first half. In the second half, Tally and Zane began to become cured and realized what an awful place New Pretty Town is. They find out secrets about Shay and how she is trying to find her own cure so she can be level-headed like the two of them. The most intense part begins when Tally, Zane, and the rest of the Crims decide to break away from the city and venture out into the wild to find the New Smoke. This is the part that reminded me of the first book Uglies. This part had the same ideas of Tally struggling to survive out in the wild on her own and her wondering if she will ever find her friends again. The end of the story was very interesting and left me in need of the last book in the trilogy Specials. 

     Thirdly, the characters were decent. Tally was very pretty-minded at the beginning of the story and was very dependent on the technology inside her home. Eventually, she became more like her normal self and was in desperate need for answers. She tried her best to do what was right for her faltering society and herself. Tally was an overall brave character. Zane is the leader of the Crims and is interested in Tally. He has been theorizing for a long time that there was something wrong pretties. When he meets Tally, he knows that all of his absurd ideas are true. He is very comforting towards Tally and wants what is best for her well-being.

     Fourthly, Scott Westerfeld had a very interesting view on humanity. This story has a lot of scenes in which the characters make spiteful comments on our present day selves. These characters who live in this high-tech world think of us as these ugly monsters that destroy our environment and try to kill each other. I found these little comments very interesting because they are to some extent true. The characters described what we know as anorexic people as these people who are contaminated with some awful disease to make ourselves overly skinny. I especially enjoyed reading this part because it's true that people nowadays are so obsessed as becoming "pretty" when in reality all they're doing is making themselves sick and grotesquely unattractive. This story has made me think about our human nature and how horrible we really are.

    In conclusion, Pretties by Scott Westerfeld was a pleasurable read. Although the plot wasn't at it's fullest, it left me in contemplation. I will, without a doubt, be continuing on with this series. I'm looking forward to see how this trilogy wraps up.

Book-to-Movie Adaptation: Divergent

Divergent

Running Time: 139 minutes

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: March 21, 2014

Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Director: Neil Burger

Writers: Evan Daugherty (screenplay), Vanessa Taylor (screenplay), Veronica Roth (book)

Stars: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet
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*WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR BOOK AND MOVIE*

     Last night, I was fortunate enough to see Divergent on opening day. I am a huge fan of the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth and I was very excited to see the movie. Luckily, this movie served the book justice. Although there were a few scenes that were either cut out of the movie or changed, the overall movie was very similar to the book. The actors were phenomenal, the story was fast-paced and almost straight from the book, but there were some differences between the book and movie.

     First of all, the actors were phenomenal. Shailene Woodley, who plays Tris Prior, was very believable as Tris. While I was reading the book, I pictured Tris as a small, weak girl and Shailene delivered that image perfectly. Even though Tris, in the movie, wasn't shorter than the other initiates, she still looked and acted like she was so much smaller than them. I have to admit, when I fist saw that Shailene was casted casted as Tris I wasn't to thrilled because she didn't look exactly the part. I thought that her hair was to brunette and she looked way younger than Four, her love interest. I was reading the People magazine exclusive Divergent edition, and saw that Shailene actually was inside a tank full of water and she really had to stand on the ledge of the tall building that she first jumped of during Dauntless initiation. Also, during the scene in which Tris's mother dies, Tris looked so sad and was bawling which made me want to cry and I did not feel this while I was reading the book. This proves what an exceptional actress Shailene Woodley is. Also, Theo James played a very believable Four. I thought that Theo was much too

old for the role of Four when I first saw him in the trailer, but when I saw him act on the big screen he seemed so much younger and more convincing. Theo had a very good connection with Shailene which made their romance in the movie so fun to watch. Also, he was very good at looking robotic during the simulation scene. This definitely came in handy when Four was under the simulation Jeanine put on him and he looked terrifying while he was trying to attack Tris. Theo James is a fairly new British actor and he was very good at hiding his accent which is probably very hard to do. The main antagonist Jeanine Matthews

was also played very will by Kate Winslet. Kate looked exactly like how I pictured Jeanine. She appeared very sophisticated but also had an evil look to her. Jeanine, in the movie, acted like she wanted to help the Prior children pick their faction wisely, but in reality she really wanted them to be controlled and have no say in the matter. Kate also looked very much like an Erudite leader. She had that intelligent look that every Erudite member has. Also, for Kate's first time playing an evil character, she did an excellent job.


     Next, the plot was action-packed and almost straight from the book. This is the part that

pleased me the most from the film. Some of the scenes were almost directly from the book. I was going to tell which scenes I liked the best, but I love them all too much and it would be impossible for me to pick just one. One of the scenes that was almost exactly from the book was the capture the flag scene. In this scene, we get to see Tris and Four climb the Ferris wheel in order to get a better view of the other team. I loved this part because the screenwriters kept some of the same dialogue between Four and Tris. Also, we get to see some action between the two teams. It was interesting to see the initiates become better soldiers and see how they applied their skills to a realistic battle. Also, the movie was good at transitioning from a slow-moving scene to a fast-paced, adrenaline-pumping scene. The action scenes in this movie were awesome! My heart was pounding for all of the characters that I grew even more attached to after seeing this movie.
     Even though I enjoyed a lot of the scenes from the movie, there were some parts that were cut out from the book and some parts that were changed to fit the movie better. One key part that was

missing from the movie was the butter knife scene. In the book, Peter stabs Edward's eye out with a butter knife in the middle of the night. I know this part isn't really important, but I feel it should have been added to the movie to show the evilness of Peter. For me, this is one of the big parts that made me hate Peter. Also, the movie left out Al's crush on Tris. This was one of the main parts that led to Al committing suicide. Visiting Day was also left out from the movie, but was replaced with a different scene. This scene was very similar to the Visiting Day scene but it occurred after Tris had already visited Caleb at Erudite headquarters which led it to leave out the part when Tris's mother tells her to see Caleb to ask him about the serum. I'm sure there are a few other changes that I forgot to mention but I feel that the rest of the movie stuck to the move pretty well.
     All in all, the Divergent movie was spectacular. If you have read the book, but are afraid to see the movie because you think it will ruin the book for you, I recommend that you still see the movie, you won't be disappointed. For those who have not read the book, I think that you should still give to movie a try because it is full of action and leaves you begging for the sequel.

Book Review: Panic

Title: Panic

Author: Lauren Oliver

Genre: Contemporary 

Page Count: 408

Publication Date: March 4th, 2014

Publisher: HarperCollins

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*Note: Since this is a new release, I will try my best to not include spoilers.*

     Panic by Lauren Oliver takes place in a small town in New York called Carp. Nothing ever happens in this small town, so the high school seniors from several years ago started a game called Panic. Panic is a high-risk game in which the contestants have to face some of their worst fears. Each year, the seniors pitch in a dollar a day to form the prize for the game. Normally, the pot adds up to about $50,000 but this year, it's up to $67,000. Two hopeful teenagers, Heather and Dodge, decide to join in on the game for two very different reasons. Dodge plays for revenge and Heather decides to play after her boyfriend dumps her. This book is full of action, suspense, romance, and anything else you could ask for. I found myself eager to see what happens next and the story left me with a pit inside of my stomach from my nervousness for the characters. The plot was very engaging, the characters were compelling, and the game was jaw-dropping.
     First of all, the plot was very engaging. Throughout the story, the contestants of Panic had to face numerous challenges to get to the final challenge and win the prize. These challenges kept me so on edge and nervous for the characters' fates. Some of the challenges were so dangerous that I literally had a pit in my stomach from the anticipation to see what happened. The romance between the main protagonists was also remarkable. I usually don't read books with a lot of romance in them, and this book doesn't completely surround the romance either, but this book left me rooting for the characters to fall in love. The way Lauren Oliver described the interactions between two of the characters made me feel that they truly loved each other and they didn't even realize it. Lauren Oliver also kept a good balance between the jaw-dropping game and the main characters' everyday lives.
     Secondly, the characters were compelling. Heather, one of the two main protagonists, comes from a crappy family in which her mother is an alcoholic and drug-addict. Heather is ultimately left to take care of her younger sister, Lily, as well as herself. Heather has a low self-esteem but learns to build it after she finds a job that she actually likes. Her two best friends, Nat and Bishop, are always there for her and will support her through whatever troubles she's facing. Dodge is the other main protagonist who also comes from a ragged family. He, on the other hand, has a sister, Dayna, who has become paralyzed after playing Panic a few years before. This leads his family to become poor from the multiple doctor appointments she has to attend. Dodge decides to play Panic as revenge for what happened to Dayna. Dodge is constantly looking over Dayna so she doesn't feel too lonely. I found Dodge to be very likable. I grew attached to him and sympathized for him very early in the story. Dodge and Heather think that they are very different but they are really similar due to their broken family life. The story is written in third person and switches from Heather and Dodge's point of view. I think that the third person point of view helped decipher the different perspectives unlike Allegiant by Veronica Roth.
    Overall, Panic was a marvelous read. The plot was very engaging and suspenseful and the characters were compelling. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a thrilling or realistic read.

P.S: I participated in the BOOKSPLOSION Read-Along on Goodreads, so check it out my thoughts while I was reading this story.

     

     

Lauren Oliver and Jay Asher Vlog

     This past Sunday I was fortunate enough to go see Lauren Oliver, bestselling author of the Delirium trilogy, and Jay Asher, bestselling author of Thirteen Reasons Why, discuss Oliver's new book Panic. I found it very interesting to hear the authors talk about their own books and see how they react to others' comments on them. Unfortunately, my video was not able to upload onto this blog so it is up on Youtube. http://youtu.be/movXhww55Sw  Here are some pictures from the event.

Book Review: Uglies

Sorry for not posting anything yesterday for my weekly blog post. I will make it up for you guys by doing a review!

Title: Uglies

Author: Scott Westerfeld

Genre: Dystopian/Science Fiction

Page Count: 425

Publication Date: June 30th, 2005

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Awards: South Carolina Book Award Nominee for Young Adult Book Award (2008), Georgia Peach Honor Book Award (2008), Abraham Lincoln Award (2007)

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*WARNING MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

     Uglies by Scott Westerfeld is about a girl named Tally Youngblood who is very excited to turn sixteen. Most sixteen-year-olds now are normally looking forward to getting their driver's license, but in this world, sixteen-year-olds look forward to becoming pretty. Becoming pretty basically means getting plastic surgery all over your body to remove all of your blemishes and sucking out all of your extra fat and your only job is to have fun all day. Tally desperately wants to become pretty, but then she meets Shay who doesn't want to become pretty and eventually runs away leading Tally to question the true meaning of becoming pretty. This book was very good! The plot made me want to keep reading to see what would happen next and there was a ton of cool technology in this world that left me wanting a hover board. The characters were somewhat interesting but were also a little dull.

     Firstly, the plot was very captivating. Tally really wants to become pretty and is willing to do anything to do so. So, when Tally's new best friend, Shay, runs away, the authorities leave her with the decision of either finding Shay and turning her in and then Tally can become pretty or Tally can refuse to find and capture Shay and be ugly forever. Tally chooses to find Shay so she can become pretty which prompts her to go on wild quest to find Shay, wherever she may be. This quest is full of twists and turns! I loved reading about Tally going through these obstacles which included fires, a crazy roller-coaster ride, and solving a puzzling note. I thought that Tally may have gotten through these obstacles a bit too easily and it seemed unrealistic how fast she was able to get to her destination. However, this little adventure intrigued me and left me wanting to see how she got through her challenges. But, the fun didn't end there! Once Tally reached her journey's end there were more conflicts she had to meet head on. When Tally met up with her best friend, she had to immediately start lying to Shay so she wouldn't know that she was a spy for the authorities. As soon as Tally got a feel for Shay's new camp and everyone living there, she decided that she no longer wanted to turn Shay in but she still kept her secret to herself. I did not like how Tally took so long to tell Shay about the truth of her being spy. I feel that if Tally already had her mind made up, she should have told Shay the truth immediately. On the other hand, I did enjoy reading about Tally going through the mess she created for herself. Also, the end had a big plot twist that I did not see coming at all!

     Secondly, I enjoyed all of the cool technology there was in this world. There were hover boards, hover cars, crash bracelets, interface rings, and food maker machines. I think that all of these technologies helped put together the book because it let you know how futuristic this world is how advanced they are from us. I loved how Scott Westerfeld took the idea of flying cars and adding them in here to add to that futuristic feel. I also loved the idea of the crash bracelets. I think that they are absolutely brilliant! The crash bracelets stop you from falling onto the ground when your up high in the air by yanking on your wrists and pulling you upwards. I really liked this idea because it shows how our society feels that it should try to protect our youth from anything that ever tries to harm them. Also, the food maker machine is definitely on the list of things that I want. Now, I don't know the official name for this machine but it is awesome. All you do is type in what you want and open the door then the food you typed in would be there. Not only does the food magically appear, it also comes out at the perfect temperature so you don't burn your tongue or it doesn't come out too cold. These technologies, I feel, helped put together the world because it helped show how dependent the characters became on these machines to do everything for them.

     Thirdly, the characters were somewhat interesting. Tally was your stereotypical teenage girl who just wants to fit in and be like everybody else. She is very cautious and careful, but still manages pull a few tricks. Tally becomes very dependent on all of the technologies that I listed earlier and realizes it when she is left to camp out in the wild to look for Shay. She is very clever and is good at persuading people so she can get what she wants. While she is telling lies about who she really is, she still wants people to trust her which I found annoying. I think if you want someone to trust you, you should be completely honest with them from the start and not wait a while before telling them a secret about yourself. Shay was one of the characters that I found to be dull. In the beginning of the book, I liked Shay because she wanted to be different from everybody else and had her own opinions about things. She was also daring and wasn't afraid to fall when she rode her hover board at high speed. Throughout the book, Shay had the same opinions but she blended in with the characters that were at her camp. She was stubborn and unwilling to forgive Tally after her so-called boyfriend began to take interest in her. Overall, the characters were decent.

     All in all, Uglies was an enjoyable read. The plot was engaging, the technology was spectacular, and the characters were mediocre. I would recommend this book to people who like science fiction novels and futuristic worlds. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this series because this one ended on a cliffhanger.

Book Discussion: Ebooks vs. Physical Books

    

      There is much controversy over the development of ebooks and people question their ability to live up to the original print books. Both ebooks and print books share many similarities but they also differ in many ways.

     Ebooks are a new, exciting technology that allow people to store numerous amounts of books into one small device. They still allow you to read the same words, view the same cover of the book and go to a virtual bookstore with the same books as the regular bookstore, so why the controversy? Well, although ereaders deliver the same story and allow you to access virtual bookstores, there are many differences between ebooks and print books. Ebooks store your entire book collection into one small device. Some people appreciate this amazing feature, as do I, but other book lovers, like me, dislike it because it doesn't let you own the physical copies of the books for you to display on your shelves. Also, certain ereaders  make it difficult to read in the sunlight because of its glare on the screen. I don't know about you, but when I'm outdoors trying to read, the screen of my kindle fire often appears black from the sunlight making it impossible to see the words. This is why during the summer, I try to buy books or borrow them from the local library so that I can actually see the words I'm reading. Additionally, print books are durable and made to last while ereaders can easily crack or lose its storage. Print books can be dropped multiple times without being damaged, unless it's a paperback then it can bent, but ereaders can be dropped once and the screen would be cracked or possibly permanently damaged. Also, you could leave books out in the rain or get them wet and you would still be able to read them if you let them dry. Ereaders, on the ohther hand, could be shorted out and lose its memory. Those are just a few ways ebooks differ from physcal books.

     Although ebooks differ from print books and can cause some difficulties, they can be also be very resourceful. For example, one of the perks of having dozens of books on one device is it takes a lot less room than having dozens of printed books. This can come in handy when you travel or need to pack light. Instead of having a suitcase full of case, you can store it all in one small device that is thinner than one printed book! Also, ereaders let you read in the dark. I like to stay up late when I'm really into a book and it's easier to do this with an ereader because you don't have to have on a million lights to see the page of your book. On top of that, ereaders provide easy access to note-taking supplies such as highlighting, bookmarking your favorite scenes, and it allows you to further research your favorite character and the book series. I enjoy this feature because it makes it easier for me to mark things for my reviews since I review every book I read. A minor thing that I also really love about kindles is the ability to download the kindle app onto other devices and sync my books from my kindle onto my phone or tablet. I enjoy this because sometimes I will forget my kindle at home when I go to school and I can easily sync my book and progress onto my phone then read immediately.

    In conclusion, ebooks can differ from printed books and be a pain, but can also be resouceful. I personally prefer printed books over ebooks. I will occasionally buy ebooks because they are so much cheaper than printed books, but I overall use printed books more. I love collecting books and having them on display in my bedroom. However, both are wonderful.

Book Review: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You

Title: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You

Author: Ally Carter

Genre: Young Adult Romance/Spy Thriller 

Page Count: 284

Publication Date: April 25th, 2006

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Awards: Georgia Peach Honor Book Award (2007), Abraham Lincoln Award Nominee (2010)

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     I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You (gosh that's a mouthful!) by Ally Carter is about a teenage girl named Cammie Morgan who attends the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women. Although from the outside this school seems like your everyday all-girls boarding school, it's really a school for spies. Cammie knows how to speak 14 different languages and is able to kill someone in 7 different ways but when she meets a normal boy who thinks she's a normal girl she has no idea what to do. I found this book to be very enjoyable. The characters were likable and the plot was gripping, however there were a few thinks that I didn't like about the writing style.

     One of the things I appreciated about the story were the characters. All of the characters seemed very realistic and understandable. The three main characters, Cammie, Bex and Liz, were very entertaining. Cammie is a genius and is able to use super, spy equipment to track people and go on missions. I liked how she was so determined to venture outside of the school to meet with her charming boyfriend and learn more about him with her spy skills. This proved her to be an intelligent, persistent young lady who I came to love. Bex is one of Cammie's best friends and is always there for her. She will do anything to help her friend out when she is in need. Liz, Cammie's other best friend, is also always there for Cammie. Liz is a major brainiac and is always preparing for tests and pop quizzes that never seem to come. She helps Cammie hack computers and find information that she wants to know.

     Another one of the things I appreciated about the story was the plot. I found the story to be very intriguing which let me read through it really fast. I adored all of the spy aspects the author put into the story. I loved learning about these girls who never left their school, except for summer break, and how they reacted to gossip and rumors. I was awestruck by the amazing things the students did and were capable of. I was fascinated by the missions Cammie, Bex, and Liz went on and how they were able to accomplish their missions. I loved the relationship between Cammie and Josh. They were the cutest couple! Their story of how they met was adorable and their relationship grew into something splendid enough for Cammie to sneak out every night to see him. 

     Although there were many things I loved about the story, there were still a few things I disliked about the writing style. I was very annoyed by the many side notes that were put into the story. They seemed unnecessary to the plot and were just a pain to try to read over. I understand that the book was written from the point of view of a nearly sixteen-year-old girl, but the remarks she made were very bothersome. Also, the Summary of Surveillance reports Cammie, Bex, and Liz wrote seemed unprofessional. I know that they weren't for anything important, but for girls who attend a school for genius spies it seemed amateurish.

     All in all,  I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You was a quality read. The characters and plot line were excellent! I'm looking forward to eventually reading the rest of the series.