Legend by Marie Lu

Legend
by Marie Lu
Date Released: November 29, 2011
Pages: 305

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

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

My Review:

My goodness was this book amazing. Probably my favorite book of the year.

At first I was a little wary because the chapter format is a little different, but I was quickly swept up by the story and didn't care any longer.

Both of the main characters, June and Day, were fantastic. They had background stories and depth, and went against many stereotypes we have for the two main romantic leads. June was a military prodigy, something you may not expect from the girl. She scored a perfect score on The Trial, a placement test every citizen takes when the turn 10, the only person ever to do so. Or so people thought. Turns out Day also scored a perfect score and this is discovered by June when she is investigating Day's background.

That is another thing I liked about June. Normally when one character betrays another character I get really mad at said character. Especially when they are starting to become a possible shipping couple. But after June turned Day in she refused to just walk away and accept what Day was being accused of. Her love for him compelled her to clear his name even though it would go against everything she was raised to believe. And she succeeded.

I also really loved this quote: "Each day means a new twenty-four hours. Each day means everything’s possible again. You live in the moment, you die in the moment, you take it all one day at a time.” He looks toward the railway car’s open door, where streaks of dark water blanket the world. “You try to walk in the light" It is Day's response when June asks how he got his name, Day since his real name is Daniel.

The ending of Legend definitely set itself up for the sequel, which comes out later this year. I believe it is called Patriot.

My Rating:

Black Butler Vol. 1

Black Butler
by Yana Toboso
Date Released: January 26, 2010
Pages: 192

Summary:

When a terrible fire claims his parents, Ciel Phantomhive must step up as the head of his father's company and as Earl Phantomhive. It would be a lot for the young boy to handle were it not for his faithful butler, Sebastian. Ever at Ciel's side, it seems there's little Sebastian can't do, whether it's saving a dinner party gone awry or probing the dark secrets of London's underbelly. He's almost too good to be true...or at least, too good to be human..

My Review:

A small disclaimer before I start. I have never reviewed a manga before, so this is going to be quite different.

This is the first "real" manga I have read. I mean I have read all of the Maximum Ride mangas, but those are Americanized. You even have to read them from left to right. Whereas normal mangas are read from right to left, which took me a little while to get used to.

I really liked the characters. But why is there always an attractive guy in any manga or anime I see? I mean Sebastian wasn't all that bad looking, if ya know what I mean. And even Baldroy (Bardroy? I'm not sure how to spell that and don't have the book handy...) was pretty good looking. I really liked the twist that Ciel was only 12. Even though it wasn't really a twist since it told us that in the summary.

The pictures were also masterfully drawn. Some of them had much more detail than I would have expected. Example being in either chapter 3 or 4 when the Italian mobster guy, whose name I can't remember, was holding a gun. And let me tell you that. That gun was masterfully engraved, let me tell you.

I also liked the story line. It was just enough to keep me interested throughout the weekend when I read it. Elizabeth was a good addition, I really liked her. Especially after she put Sebastian in a dress.

My Rating:

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

The Near Witch
by Victoria Schwab
Date Released: August 2, 2011
Pages: 282

Summary:

The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.
If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.
There are no strangers in the town of Near.
These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.
But when an actual stranger--a boy who seems to fade like smoke--appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.
The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion.
As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi's need to know-- about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.
Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab's debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won't soon forget

My Review:

Throughout the whole book this movie would not get out of my head:
















And that is a good thing, because I loved (well, I still love it) this movie. But back to the book. I kept thinking about this movie because of how the kids kept walking out of their rooms at night because they were being drawn by the witch's powers was a theme in both of these stories.

This book was amazing. And it was awesome! Everything about this book was just the bee's knees, and yes I did just say that. My favorite part of it was Cole. He was an awesome and strong character. His character had depth and a story behind his actions. When he shied away from Lexi because he was afraid to let himself love again, that just made me love him anymore. I felt like he was protecting Lexi in a way by not endangering her by getting close to her....yeah that sentence didn't make much sense.

And the writing style was beautiful. I really felt like I had been reeled into the world of Near and was there as it was happening.

And the world of Near itself was masterfully crafted. It didn't sound like any world I had read about before. The idea that witches could be welcomed into society (or semi-welcomed) like Dreska and Magda were. Or they could be feared for generations after they had disappeared, like the Near witch was.

And Uncle Otto was such a good villain-who-wasn't-actually-the-villain. And of course I loved that Lexi would just completely ignore whatever he said and go sneak out to see Cole.

I could not put this book down. I read it in probably about 3 hours. It was so good! Everybody should read this book who likes YA fiction. It doesn't matter if you are a fantasy fan or not, you should read this book right now.

My Rating:

A Million Suns by Beth Revis

A Million Suns
by Beth Revis
Date Released: January 10, 2012
Pages: 386

Summary:

Godspeed was fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos.

It's been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. And everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceship Godspeed. But there may just be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He's finally free to enact his vision - no more Phydus, no more lies.

But when Elder discovers shocking news about the ship, he and Amy race to discover the truth behind life on Godspeed. They must work together to unlock a puzzle that was set in motion hundreds of years earlier, unable to fight the romance that's growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart.

In book two of the Across the Universe trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Beth Revis mesmerizes us again with a brilliantly crafted mystery filled with action, suspense, romance, and deep philosophical questions. And this time it all builds to one mind-bending conclusion: They have to get off this ship.

My Review:

This book really lived up to my expectations. I find it hard to find a sequel that is really on par or better than the original, but this one definitely was. I loved pretty much everything about it. Probably the only thing that could have been written a little better was the way Amy solved the clues that Orion left her. I liked how he left clues and the things she found out, but I felt like the author made it sound too much like a scavenger hunt that a little kid might do. I wasn't opposed to the fact of her solving a clue then finding the next and so on until we got to the big twist at the end of the book, but the way she presented it sounded a littler younger than Amy.

Other than this, I loved everything in this book.

One thing I liked was the way Amy was reserved about loving Elder because he was her only "option." In many other books I have read the girl would have been all over the guy because of her feelings, but Amy was hesitant. She wasn't sure whether what she was feeling was real, or if the feelings were produced because of the fact that Elder was the only person on the ship her age. This made me feel like she was more than just another whiny girl protagonist. It gave the character more depth, and it added a certain element of suspense to the romance. This is also a contributing factor to make Amy a more well developed character than many of the main characters of books are.

Another thing the author did that I felt was against what many others would have done was have the people resistant to Elder becoming the new leader. It could have been just so tempting as an author to make the people automatically bow down and obey Elder's every command. It certainly would have been easier to write a bunch of perfect law abiding citizens, but it wouldn't have been nearly as realistic. Going along with this is also many of the citizens of Godspeed's disgust at Amy. This, along with their reluctance to obey, in my opinion added to the citizens. I feel like we learned a lot more about them as a whole in this book than we did in the first one, and I liked it.

A third contributing factor of my love for this book was the excellent plot twist at the end of the novel. Whenever I read a book it is very rare for me to spot someone early on as being a traitor. I am almost always shocked to find out who the bad guy is. This book went right along with that. Some people don't understand how I don't pick up on the little hints here and there of someone's deception, but I think this makes reading the book that much more exciting. So not being able to figure out who the traitor is always a good sign for me. And let me tell you, I was in no way expecting Doc to be plotting against Elder. That really shocked me and left me wanting more and anxious for the third book to come out next year.

This book was a great read and if you are a fan of sci-fi or dystopian I highly recommend reading both this book and the first one.

My Rating:

Beautiful Creature by Kami Stohl, Margaret Garcia

Beautiful Creatures
by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Date Released: October 1, 2009
Pages: 563

Summary:

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

My Review:

I loved this book. When I first started to read it, I wasn't sure because I had started it once already as part of a buddy read, but soon abandoned in favor of the other book I was reading. But I am so glad I picked it up again.

One thing I loved about it was the southern location. I am a southern girl born and raised, so whenever I find a book that takes place in the south, that always gives it a couple brownie points. I especially love it when it takes place in a city I'm familiar with or a small town. Beautiful Creatures took place in small town called Gatlin.

Being the book nerd I am, another thing I loved was all of the different quotes that Marian would say when she would talk to people. Quite a few of those have been book marked for future use.

I also loved the character of Ethan. The entire story was told from the point of view of 16 year old Ethan, and I loved the way he broke different stereotypes. He showed the audience that guys can fall for someone just as much as any girl can. That they can be embarrassed about they way they feel and act nervous around girls. His personality and character were great in general, I especially like the way he would always wear the same Converse.

The one thing I didn't particularly like about the book was how the world of the Casters was so detailed and had so many parts to it. Yes, I realize that sounds really weird considering that was the point of the whole book, but it wasn't that I disliked the Casters, I just disliked the complexity, sometimes I would just have to stop and think for a second to sort it out, then keep reading. I still did like the general idea of the Casters, so that didn't take away from my rating of the book.

I would highly recommend this book to any fans of fantasy and paranormal romance.

My Rating:

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Leviathan
by Scott Westerfeld
Date Released: October 6, 2009
Pages: 440

Summary:

Prince Aleksander, would-be heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battletorn war machine and a loyal crew of men.

Deryn Sharp is a commoner, disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She's a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered.

With World War I brewing, Alek and Deryn's paths cross in the most unexpected way…taking them on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure that will change both their lives forever.

My Review:


My friend told me to read this book a while ago so she could have someone to fangirl over it with. And because Christmas was near approaching and I had yet to acquire a copy to read, she gave it to me for Christmas. I read it in about a day and a half and as soon as I finished, I went and got the second one on my Nook. Needless to say, I loved this book.

It took me a couple of chapters to warm up to the idea of the Clanker machines and the Darwinist fabs, but ultimately I share Alek’s feeling for the fabs, they kind of weird me out a little. I like the Clanker machines much better. The idea of flying around in the belly of a mutated beast is just a little too weird, though I did like the Huxleys. But I would much rather walk around in a Stormwalker.

Also, the idea of a girl disguising herself as a guy to do what she wants is not a theme I am unfamiliar with having read the Bloody Jack series, and it is one that I like to read. It always gets interesting when the girl realizes that she might be developing something resembling feelings towards one of the guys, only problem is everything thinks she is a guy too. I am anxious to see how this will play out in the remaining two books.

The art was another part of the book that I loved. While some people may say that a YA book should not have pictures, I think they really add to the dynamic of the book. I probably would not have been able to visualize the machines or fabs the way the author had without the help of the pictures.

This book was also one of those books that you can read quickly, and not because of lack of quality, it is just because of the way the author writes. His other book series, Uglies, read the same way.

All in all, this book was probably one of the best steampunk I have read in a while. I would recommend it for anyone who like steampunk, sci fi, or history.

My Rating:

Eragon by: Christopher Paolini

Eragon
by Christopher Paolini
Date Released: August 26, 2003
Pages: 503

Summary:

When young Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his adopted family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself. Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of inescapable destiny, magical forces, and powerful people. With only an ancient sword and the instruction of an old,mysterious, hermit storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a Emperor whose evil and power knows no bounds. Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands…

My Review:

So I just finished Eragon and I was reading some of the reviews people wrote on Goodreads and the majority of the ones written by people who gave the book 1 star, made me really mad. Let's just get one thing straight. ERAGON SHOULD NOT BE COMPARED TO LORD OF THE RINGS. So many people were pointing out the similarities between these two books. So I am going to address some of these right now that I find ridiculous, but before I do, I am going to go ahead and make a list of the similarities I found when reading the book.
1. Aragorn and Eragon (the names not the characters)
2. Arwen and Arya
and 3. they presence of elves, men, and dwarves all together in one story
That is it, I found nothing else. So onto the silly comparisons:

1: They are both trilogies. Okay seriously. That is the first thing you list, that are both trilogies. I can list so many other trilogies. The Hunger Games series, The Darkest Powers series, The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy, The Modern Faerie Tales, His Dark Materials, I could go on. So having this as a basis for a comparison between Eragon and Lord of the Rings is just showing that you really have no argument.

2. Main character Aragorn/Eragon. This argument is a much stronger argument than the previous one, but if some one asked me: Who are the main characters in these two books my immediate answers would be; Eragon: Eragon and Saphira. LOTR: Frodo and Gandalf. My immediate response would not be 'Well the main characters are Eragon, and OMG Aragorn. Look at that, Paolini obviously copied Tolkein.

3. Bad flying things Ra'zac/Ringwraiths. Okay, so I'm not going to mention the wording of this one (bad flying things, seriously?) but if this is their comparison they obviously aren't as familiar with LOTR as they think because Ringwraiths isn't their actual name. So their comparison should say 'Bad flying things Ra'zac/Nazgul. And come on, we can all say that isn't a good comparison.

4. There is a big fight in the troll dungeons. I'm sorry, but there aren't even trolls in Eragon so how in the world would there be a big fight in the troll dungeons? And I will admit, there are trolls in Lord of the Rings, so *snaps* for getting that part right, but (and my friend, an avid fan of both of these books, agrees with me) I have no memory of any fight in a troll dungeons, I don't even think troll dungeons were mentioned in the book. I mean there was that kind of medium sized fight in the Mines of Moria, but that was where the dwarves lived.

Some people also complained about the way Paolini wrote and other things like that but one thing that someone said really made me mad. One reviewer was going on about why it was so horrible that he put the map in three different languages. They didn't understand why someone would do that because our maps in the real world are all in one language, not multiple (they used the example that ours don't say The United States and then in parenthesis Los Estados Unidos, they just say The United States). Well if you think about the only thing in consistently in one language on our maps are country names, but the city stay in their native language. For example, the capital of Bolivia is La Paz. For an American map, they aren't going to translate the city names so it says Peace instead of La Paz. That's just stupid.

So, if you haven't read Eragon, ignore the bad reviews because it is an amazing book.

My Rating: