Matched by Ally Condie

Snippet from goodreads:

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow. 

There's an internal struggle between loving Xander, Cassia's friend since childhood, who she is matched with, or Ky, a mysterious boy she never really noticed until his face flashed on the screen. Cassia has lived her whole life unknown to the outside world, she trusts the society to decide for her life. The society tells her that Ky was not suppose to be in matching pool; he is someone the society doesn't accept: an Aberration. Aberrations will never be matched. However, when Cassia starts to find out more about Ky, the more intrigued she is about him. He knows more about the society than he admits. The safe choice or the risky one. To stay in the protected bubble the society created or risk to find out about more about the Outer Provinces. Almost everything she does is under watch. Everything she does is analyzed. One mistake can impact her future, her job, her family.  

I thought this book had a similar background to some other books, such as Delirium by Lauren Oliver. The background that there's a society controlling the characters lives. Also similar to Delirium, the main character's point of view of the world changes drastically throughout the book. I find that many YA romance books now have the background of a futuristic society that takes away the freedom of the people, willingly or unwillingly. Personally, I thought the book was well written. Easy to understand, captured the emotions of the character, and how the characters felt about others. The change in the way Cassia thought about the society was obvious throughout the book. Maybe it's because it's the first book, I found that there was so much background information explained throughout, there wasn't a lot of high points in the novel where I can't put the book down until the scene's over.  (Personal preference, but not enough action happening for me). Overall, a good read I would keep reading out of curiosity. 3.5/5 

Paper Towns - John Green

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life - dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge - he follows.

After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues - and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer Q gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew

This book was an amazing book. And can I just say it was so refreshing, that for once, the popular girl wasn't all perfect and was weird. But anyways. The plot was great, I found myself trying to figure out Margo's clues myself, and I am terrible at mysteries or any problem solving in general. The book also had alot of metaphors about life in general, that are rather uplifting. Or really depressing. As well through out the book, the term "Paper Towns" was mentioned alot, and it drove me mad, because its only explained near the end, and through out the book, I had this little picture of a town made out of toilet paper roles. I really liked the character development for Margo, because she disappears so early in the book, yet you learn so much about her, just through the comments Lacey and Q make, her clues, and even that little bit with her and Q in the beginning.  The book has an amazing message at the end. I would definitely recommend this for anyone feeling down.

Wither by Lauren Destefano

Goodreads Summery:



By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children. When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can’t bring herself to hate him as much as she’d like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband’s strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape--before her time runs out?

Together with one of Linden's servants, Gabriel, Rhine attempts to escape just before her seventeenth birthday. But in a world that continues to spiral into anarchy, is there any hope for freedom?







My Review:
What a gorgeous dress! That was my first thought when I picked up the book, it was also mostly the reason I decided to read it. The book cover is so beautiful! But what kept me turning pages was the amazing writing. Lauren brought out a simple idea to life and even though the story took place in the future, it felt like something you could relate to. The main character Rhine is taken from home and put into a totally different life where she has so much more, but the price being her freedom. The freedom she fights for all through the book, to try and get back to her brother. A stubborn, determined girl willing to break all the rules to fight for what she wants, a personality with traits many can relate to. What I love most was that even though this is written in a girls perspective, this isn't a love story! Yes, she finds a guy but every page doesn't have his name written on it with thoughts of him like in many books. 

 
This book was very fast paced, just in the first chapters the girls are all taken and the chosen ones brought home to there new husband, but because she is such an amazing author, she chose the key details to put in so you knew what was happening without the detail making it extremely boring. The pace of the story was perfect through out the book......till the end. The whole book went perfectly,not to fast, and not too slow. Not at all boring, but not so badly written that you couldn't imagine the scene. However at the very end, the grand escape, it happened so fast!!All books have action leading to this one main scene and in this book the scene went by too fast. Except that its a perfect book that should be read. It is the first in the Chemical Gardens series that will keep you turning pages. I'd rate it 4.5

PARTY!!!

Now that I have your attention...
Ok so, as any of you who were here last year know, last year we had a party as a bit of a finale to the summer reading club. I am quite sure that all of you will want to do this again this year. One small issue this year is that last year I was the guy that stepped up to organize it, set a date, etc. and I will be first on vacation, and then moving to Prince George for university starting on the 22nd of August. This means if we are to have a party either one of you will have to do the organizing or that we will have to do it early this year. Since I would very much like to attend again I am voting for the latter. The date I am suggesting for it is Friday August 16th. If this party is to be anything like last year's (I am open to suggestions for changes) there will be: food (everyone bring something), a scavenger hunt, twister, prizes, and a movie (we can either finish last yr's (Hanna) or choose something new for all the rookies on here).
So. Whaddya say?


Sidenote: In a recent study of Canadian cities, Vancouver was ranked #1 in number of book purchases, and Richmond was #15. Is that great or what?

Winners Week #4!

Each week the Richmond Public Library will be awarding prizes to teens who submit reviews. Each winner will receive a book of their choice and other fantastic prizes. This weeks winners are:

1.) Cathy H
2.) Ben Davis  - Librarian's choice for a fantastic review of The Chase!

Congratulations and we look forward to additional reviews throughout the summer!

The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan

Rickriordan.com Summary:

Ever since the gods of Ancient Egypt were unleashed in the modern world, Carter Kane and his sister Sadie have been in trouble. As descendants of the House of Life, the Kanes have some powers at their command, but the devious gods haven't given them much time to master their skills at Brooklyn House, which has become a training ground for young magicians.And now their most threatening enemy yet - the chaos snake Apophis - is rising. If they don't prevent him from breaking free in a few days' time, the world will come to an end. In other words, it's a typical week for the Kane family.To have any chance of battling the Forces of Chaos, the Kanes must revive the sun god Ra. But that would be a feat more powerful than any magician has ever accomplished. First they have to search the world for the three sections of the Book of Ra, then they have to learn how to chant its spells. Oh, and did we mention that no one knows where Ra is exactly?Narrated in two different wisecracking voices, featuring a large cast of new and unforgettable characters, and with adventures spanning the globe, this second installment in the Kane Chronicles is nothing short of a thrill ride.

Review:

The book itself is exactly like the summary. If you think the summary is good, then the book is good, at least from your point of view. From my point of view, the summary isn't very interesting and didn't really grab my attention. But since I've already read the first book, I kept my finger crossed that Rick Riordan had written this book in a way that it would be as great or better than the first one. I was expecting just that, but unfortunately, Rick Riordan did not deliver. 

Just like the first book, I do enjoy how the author wrote his story from two characters. It helps the reader relate and understand both characters instead of just the one story teller. I like how the story circles around one major conflict, really describing the danger and the reason why it must be solved. Rick Riordan also added humor to his writing, like ever other book that he had written. The humor lightens up the gloomy mood surrounding the main conflict, so that's good.

That's enough of the "good" of this book. Now let's get to the "bad", shall we? I have a feeling the characters are mainly lucky, rather than actually skillful. For every of the problem along the way, they seems to have a simple solution that doesn't seem really realistic. Right off the start, the two characters receive gifts that would end up helping them later. They also got help often along the way, so it wasn't actually the characters solving it. And when they finally have a problem that they have to solve themselves, their solutions aren't very convincing or realistic, but Rick Riordan, through his magical writing, made it seem reasonable. At the end, there was a twist. Usually twists are good, but not this one. Instead of Sadie or Carter defeating the main antagonist, it was another character who did this. And that character was barely spoken about, not to mention well-described. If you read the book, you will know what I'm talking about.

Usually, I like books written by Rick Riordan, because they're usually quite interesting and full of electrifying moments. This was somehow not good enough. It felt as if Rick Riordan didn't spend an adequate amount of time on this book. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the third book of this series  different from this one. Different in a good in and different as in different in the conflicts and the plot, because those are the two main things that put this book below my expectation. Don't get me wrong here. I love Rick Riordan books, as well as the style of writing and various climatic events that would keep the reader doing their constant motion of flipping, but for reason, this book isn't one one of those ones.  

I was somewhat disappointed by this book and it did not fully meet my expectation. 3/5, and that's me being slightly generous.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Goodreads snippet: In a world where people born with an extreme skill—called a Grace—are feared and exploited, Katsa carries the burden of the skill even shedespises: the Grace of killing. She lives under the command of her uncle Randa, King of the Middluns, and is expected to execute his dirty work, punishing and torturing anyone who displeases him.

When she first meets Prince Po, who is Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change.

She never expects to become Po's friend.

She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away...a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

Review: I was a bit hesitant to read this at first, since the names of the kingdoms were more than confusing  but overcoming my fear of nonsensical names, I plunged right in. Overlooking the names thing, this book is downright awesome. It breaks all stereotypes with the main character a fearless, brave and violent girl. The love story in this only helps to shape the story line and is not typical at all. Where most love stories end in marriage, this one ends with the characters refusing to marry, wanting to retain their own freedom to do what they choose. Wow.

The plot was well thought out and brilliant, but the real treat lies in the ever changing Katsa, who seems to discover something new about herself every chapter. From standing up to a tyrant to lugging a ten year old girl over the mountains i the middle of winter, this girl does it all. Po, along with Katsa's other friends, was very interesting. Every character had their own role to play out.  

Po and Katsa's relationship was also very interesting to see develop. They start off as being strangers, quickly progressing to friends, combat buddies, and finally lovers. It's a very realistic relationship, not at all bubbly and carefree in regards to the things they go through.

The plot was twisty in all the right ways, with each twist developing perfectly. A lot of perfectly developed, but not overly present characters are in here so this is the perfect fanfiction base. Overall, I rate this book a 4.5/5.

I am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley

Goodreads snippet: Precocious Flavia de Luce — an eleven-year-old sleuth with a passion for chemistry and a penchant for crime-solving — is tucked away in her laboratory, whipping up a concoction to ensnare Saint Nick. Amid a blizzard, the village gathers at Buckshaw to watch famed Phyllis Wyvern perform. After midnight, a body is found strangled by film. Flavia investigates.

Review: We've all been there; caught red handed with a Christmas themed book in hand in the middle of July. But the regular rules don't apply to this book with its quick action, childish, but saucy humor, and a lovable-hateable cast of characters. To be honest, you don't notice it's Christmas at all if not for the snow. 

This is the fourth book in the Flavia de Luce series, and like the first three, it doesn't disappoint in terms of character. The plot, however, did not have quite as many turns as I would have liked. It was a very straightforward crime, the motive plain and simple. A few extra details spiced it up, but it was nowhere as complicated as the other books, which is a relief and an annoyance. 

Flavia de Luce is marvelous as usual. I swear, she's the smartest eleven year old I've ever met. Alan Bradley does a wonderful job in portraying her as both a child, testing the waters of the world, and as an adult, happily questioning the authority of the police and her older sisters. Both of her hobbies, chemistry/poison making and crime solving, were properly accentuated, each of them complementing the other. The cast of supporting characters, her sisters, Dogger the butler/friend, her father, the constabulary each had their own personalities. Each character, big or small, had quirks that made them pop off the page.

The action was appropriately paced, fast periods with a lull between them. Each stage of crime solving was written beautifully, with all evidence plausible and the result realistic. Overall, this was a great book; fully earning my score of 4.5/5.

Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins

I wrote a review for this last year, but I wanted to give it a shot again. This is more of a rant than a review as well. Sorry.

SPOILER ALERT.

My name is Katniss Everdeen. Why am I not dead? I should be dead.

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans - except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. she must become the rebels' Mockingjay - no matter what the personal cost.

I had really high expectations for this book, mostly because of how amazing The Hunger Games and Catching Fire was, but I was very disappointed. The book just had too much going on, I couldn't keep up with it at all. One second they were here, next second they were there. It probably was an okay book, but because there was so much happening I got confused reguarly. And there were also so many new characters, like Jackson, Leeg 1 and Leeg 2, that died off like something that dies off really fast, so it was basically "Here meet this guy here and watch him die 2 chapters later in a very gory way,". I feel that there were alot of unnecessary deaths as well. I mean I understand Boggs death was necessary for Katniss to get the pod, but Finnick Odair? And Prim's death was completely pointless and she didn't even get a good death. I mean Rue, who we only knew for a good 5 chapters had half a chapter dedicated to her death, and Prim, the reason behind the entire revolution was killed in one sentence. I feel I would have enjoyed the book more if it was split into 2 books, because there really was too much happening.

Overall I think this book would get a 6/10 because I still am not quite sure that I fully understand the book.

The summary I got off Goodreads.

Fake Boyfriend by Kate Brian

Hey first sorry, guys I've been super busy during most of July, but I'm back and ready to start with the blog again even though I'm super late! Well anyways here's my review on Fake Boyfriend by Kate Brian :)

Summary: He's absolutely perfect. 

If only he were real. 

Lane and Vivi have had it with Isabelle Hunter's boyfriend, Shawn Littig (a.k.a. Sluttig). He is the only person who can turn their smart, confident best friend into a complete mess. When Shawn Sluttig cheats on and dumps Izzy just months before the prom she's been planning since the ninth grade, Lane and Vivi decide to take action. 

With a few quick keystrokes, they create a MySpace page for "Brandon," the perfect guy to get Izzy out of her revolving-door relationship with Shawn. Too bad he's totally fake. Vivi's younger brother, Marshall, who they hire to be the "man" behind the profile, is way too into being Izzy's fake boyfriend. So they turn to cute, prep-school Jonathan to be the face of Brandon. But when Vivi falls for Jonathan, and Sluttig tries to wedge his way back into Izzy's prom picture, the whole plan starts to go south faster than you can say "fake boyfriend."

Review: So I was actually really surprised with this book. The summary kind of gives you the "I already know whats going to happen idea" but trust me its not. I don't even know why I picked this book up, maybe because I'm used to Kate Brian always filling her book with surprises, and in this book there were a lot of surprises. Even though I knew it'd be full of surprises, I was still very much surprised with everything that happened. Its like watching a scary movie you know it'll be scary, but you still jump in your seat when the main character closes their bathroom mirror and someone appears behind them.  This book might have that "Cheesy High School" feel, but it sort of mixed it with sarcastic comedy, to make it less of a cheesy boring high school drama and more of a "Why am I laughing at everything their saying" drama. The main characters were also very likable, and for me that always makes the book a lot better. Relating to or generally just liking the main characters is always a huge deal breaker for me. You can try and read the book and figure out how it ends, but I guarantee you, you won't even have the slightest idea of how it will end until maybe later in the middle of the book. If you just want a laugh, or a quick, intriguing, and maybe relatable book to read, I definitely suggest this one. 

It feels great blogging again! Tell me what you think if you've already read this book, or read any of Kate Brians other books! Also how many times did I say 'Surprises' or 'Surprising' LOL

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

Goodreads Summery:
Who is the real McLean?

Since her parents' bitter divorce, McLean and her dad, a restaurant consultant, have been on the move-four towns in two years. Estranged from her mother and her mother's new family, McLean has followed her dad in leaving the unhappy past behind. And each new place gives her a chance to try out a new persona: from cheerleader to drama diva. But now, for the first time, McLean discovers a desire to stay in one place and just be herself, whoever that is. Perhaps Dave, the guy next door, can help her find out.

Combining Sarah Dessen's trademark graceful writing, great characters, and compelling storytelling, What Happened to Goodbye is irresistible reading.


My Review:

    I can very well relate to a book like this since I have been moving all my life. Another thing I can relate this book to is her other book lock and key. Sarah Dessen is an amazing and compelling author but what I noticed while reading this book is that, it is a lot like her other one. The stories are two very different ones but the main character is so similar that you can tell whats going to happen next in there life of one if you have read the other book.


   Main character McLean doesn't get to close to anyone. She has her walls up and a guarded personality, like Ruby in lock and key and from what I have come to hear from friends, like some of the other characters in her other books. If the main character in her books have the same personality it makes it too predictable, too boring. I can understand why it can be hard to write about real life situations that can happen to common everyday people but as an author she can make how the situations are dealt with a lot more interesting then she actually did. I felt as it the book was going too slow, half the books were flashbacks, and some of the flashbacks were pointless to the plot of the book. I have to admit, some of them were amazingly written, and truly showed how the divorce between her parents effected her, and how much love she received from them, but in others it was just a waste of paper.

   Sarah Dessen in a great author who can captivate young audiences by writing beautiful stories that they can relate to...if its there first time reading a novel from her. After that, her stories somewhat combine and while some people find it intriguing, I think that when she writing about the lives of different girls ,there personalities shouldn't be so similar. I personally wouldn't recommend someone to read this if they have read lock and key by her because it feels like the same book, just written in a different way. My rating for this book cant be more the 3/5

Timepiece by Myra McEntire

Goodreads snippet: A threat from the past could destroy the future. And the clock is ticking...

Kaleb Ballard was never supposed to be able to see ripples - cracks in time. Are his powers expanding, or is something very wrong? Before he can find out, Jonathan landers, the man who tried to murder is father, reappears. Why is he back, and what, or whom, does he want?

In the wake of Landers' return, the Hourglass organization is given an ultimatum. Either they find Jack and the research he's stolen on the people who might carry the time gene, or time will be altered - with devastating results for the people Kaleb loves most. 

Now Kaleb, Emerson, Michael, and the other Hourglass recruits have no choice but to use their unusual powers to find Landers. But where do they even start? And when? And even if they succeed, it may not be enough...

Review: This book got a lot of crap on Goodreads due to the change in POV from the first book, Hourglass, as well as for the confusing cast of characters and the not-so-thought-out plot. But, in my opinion, this was a really good sequel. The POV was funny enough, the action was fast paced and the main character was fairly well developed, making this an acceptable read. However, I was awfully disappointed to find out that Emerson, the head strong, and quick thinking heroine from the first book, was reduced to nothing more than a love struck, weak and, for some reason, violent minor character. Oh, the tragedies of young love. 

The new hero, Kaleb, is hilarious and charming. It's very interesting to see him change throughout the book, maturing into his powers and his responsibilities. Too bad he has these weird, messed up periods of uncontrollable anger. Another thing I don't get about him is why the author chose to include so many interactions with his past one night stands, when one of the plot lines involve a real romantic interest for him. We get he's a player, but if you keep bringing it up, it's going to get annoying real fast. 

Let's move on to plot, shall we? The plot, overall, is acceptable, albeit unrealistic. The ending was very, very disappointing. Without going into details, let's just say that it is the classic, baby-ish happily ever after kind of ending; where everyone is happy. The disappointing part comes in when you realize, according to the plot, that there will be another book. But for what? Everyone's happy. Props to the author for not breaking our hearts, but sometimes, the appropriate thing to do is just rip out the reader's soul. You still have more books to repair it.  

Overall, only read this book if you read the first or are looking for a mindless chick flick with a sci-fi twist. 3.5/5

The Chase by Clive Cussler

Goodreads.com Summary:
April 1950: The rusting hulk of a steam locomotive rises from the deep waters of a Montana lake. Inside is all that remains of three men who died forty-four years before. But it is not the engine or its grisly contents that interest the people watching nearby. It is what is about to come next . . .
1906: For two years, the western states of America have been suffering an extraordinary crime spree: a string of bank robberies by a single man who cold- bloodedly murders any and all witnesses and then vanishes without a trace. Fed up by the depredations of the "Butcher Bandit," the U.S. government brings in the best man they can find-a tall, lean, no-nonsense detective named Isaac Bell, who has caught thieves and killers coast to coast.
But Bell has never had a challenge like this one. From Arizona to Colorado to the streets of San Francisco during its calamitous earthquake and fire, he pursues what is quickly becoming clear to him is the sharpest criminal mind he has ever encountered, and the woman who seems to hold the key to the bandit's identity. Using science, deduction, and intuition, Bell repeatedly draws near only to grasp at thin air, but at least he knows his pursuit is having an effect. Because his quarry is getting angry now, and has turned the chase back on him. The hunter has become the hunted. And soon it will take all of Isaac Bell's skills not merely to prevail . . . but to survive. 
Review:
Despite the lukewarm/meh-ness of Golden Buddha, I decided to press on and try another Cussler series. The premise of the Isaac Bell series is ripe with potential - that of the historical detective thriller. While many have written in the historical fiction or mystery genres, few have tried combining the two, making this premise quite original indeed. The question is, did it live up to its potential? The answer is... sort of.
First the bad news... 
This book suffers from 2 key flaws - problems with its characters and problems with it's plot.
1. Characters - Cussler always seems to make his characters unidimensional and larger than life - as if the entire world is black or white. The men are all tall, strong and handsome, and the women are always slim and beautiful; the protagonist is always infallible and the antagonist is always blackhearted, you get the picture. Together this can make a story fairly boring and limit the twists one can work into the plot. Also, Cussler seems to love his protagonists far too much - he tends to always make them wealthy and never truly makes them suffer, which lessens the emotional connection one can have with the story. The good thing about the Fargo couple in the Fargo Adventures is that they play off of one another so well and do actually suffer at times, which gives those books a major boost in that regard.
2. Plot - the plot in The Chase is so straightforward and lacking in twists that at times it's frustrating to say the least. Also, it doesn't include enough of the standard mystery novel plot points to hold true to the genre, which is also frustrating. And then there's the things that make no sense like going to haul a guy in when you have no evidence to do so, etc. which weaken the plot even more. The whole mid-century segment is interesting, but it would've been cooler to have 2 parallel and intense plotlines like Alex Scarrow tends to do and thereby amp up the intensity, instead of just using those segments as bookends.
...And then the good news...
Even so, Cussler's historical detail and description is well thought out and meticulously researched. The inclusion of the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 in the plot was interesting, and a nice touch (although a disaster novel/movie all it's own could and should be dedicated to that event), and it was pity it didn't take up a larger portion of the plot. While the pacing and intensity do drag on occasion, as soon as Cussler shifts into race-against-time mode (something that happens a couple times during the book), both hit a very enjoyable and heart-pumping level (the problem is though, that neither chase/race against time ends in an incredibly satisfying way). Like in the Fargo Adventures, Cussler works himself into the story, but since the reference is only in passing it becomes more of a funny "I see what you did there" moment than an annoying gimmick. One thing that puts this book well above Golden Buddha is that things DON'T always go according to plan for Bell and co., something that shores up The Chase's somewhat poor plotting and elevates the average intensity at least somewhat.
All in all, in terms of quality, The Chase falls midway between Golden Buddha and the Fargo Adventures. Therefore, after much thought, I have decided to drop Golden Buddha's rating half a star (from 3.5-3) to make room for The Chase.
The Chase is hardly an amazing book, rather, it's one of those books you hate yourself for liking - kinda like one of those greasy popcorn movies that you like in the moment but feel disgusting after watching because then you realize that it wasn't actually that good, or healthy. Either way, I still must say that I do recommend that anyone who is fine with books that lack proper substance (like most of teen fiction today does) read The Chase, specifically those who are fans of history or adventure stories. Hopefully in one of Isaac Bell's later adventures this series will live up to its potential, because when it does, it will be one heckuva book.
3.5/5 stars

Winner Week #3!

Each week the Richmond Public Library will be awarding prizes to teens who submit reviews. Each winner will receive a book of their choice and other fantastic prizes. This weeks winners are:

1.) Charles Van
2.) Ayesha  - Librarian's choice for a fantastic review of I am Number Four!

Congratulations and we look forward to additional reviews throughout the summer!

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

Rickriordan.com Summary:


Since their mother’s death, Carter and Sadie have become near strangers. While Sadie has lived with her grandparents in London, her brother has traveled the world with their father, the brilliant Egyptologist, Dr. Julius Kane. One night, Dr. Kane brings the siblings together for a "research experiment" at the British Museum, where he hopes to set things right for his family. Instead, he unleashes the Egyptian god Set, who banishes him to oblivion and forces the children to flee for their lives. Soon, Sadie and Carter discover that the gods of Egypt are waking, and the worst of them--Set--has his sights on the Kanes. To stop him, the siblings embark on a dangerous journey across the globe--a quest that brings them ever closer to the truth about their family, and their links to a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs.


Review:

I never thought I would like Egyptian  mythology, but this book just broke the rules. I have always enjoyed the book written by Rick Riordan. In fact, "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series is my favorite series of all time. In this book, Rick Riordan found a way to combine humor, nonstop action and suspense in a tale of heroism and breath-taking adventure. 

I like the way he had chosen the point of view for this book, or points of view. He had taken both characters, Carter and Sadie Kane, and told his story through both of them, really allowing the reader to relate and understand the characters . I thought  that is really creative, and make this book stand out from other Rick Riordan's book I've read. When I first pick up this book, I didn't really like the way it starts.  But as I read on, the start didn't seem so bad. It linked with the ending, which I really liked, because it works as an introduction to the next book in the "Kane Chronicles".

I found the plot very interesting, with two siblings, separated at the age of six, for the good of humanity. I like the twists of the story, because I can't guess what will happen next. The whole plot circles around the two main characters, with their main goal to stop Set, the god of chaos. Rick Riordan had repeated the goal through many characters, made it obvious that Set must be killed. But it the end, the two Kanes freed Set, trusting him to not mess up again, as there is a bigger problem to be dealt with: Apophis is escaping. 

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

Goodreads Summery:

Nine of us came here. We look like you. We talk like you. We live among you. But we are not you. We can do things you dream of doing. We have powers you dream of having. We are stronger and faster than anything you have ever seen. We are the superheroes you worship in movies and comic books - but we are real.

Our plan was to grow, and train, and become strong, and become one, and fight them. But they found us 

and started hunting us first. Now all of us are running. Spending our lives in shadows, in places where no one would look, blending in. We have lived among you without you knowing.

But they know.

They caught Number One in Malaysia.

Number Two in England.

And Number Three in Kenya.

They killed them all.

I am Number Four.


I am next

My Review:

Just reading the summery sends shivers down my spine.It sounds VERY interesting.....well its not. I had very high expectations for this book, everyone I talked to said it was great. Plus it had been turned into a movie so someone must have thought the plot line was interesting right? However it was far from even reaching my expectations. Starting with the cover, except for the name of the nothing on it screamed,'Pick me up, I'm worth it.' The cover image was boring and the tittle not very mysterious. I do love the authors name though....wish my parents named me Picttacus. The book itself was written at a very slow pace. It took so long for something exciting to happen, and when it did, it was over way to soon! There was nothing mysterious in any characters behavior  or in any of the places they visited. There was way to much foreshadowing, half of the book basically had four,or his caretaker Henri, saying they had a,'bad feeling' but not taking precautions!That makes it too obvious that something will happen.....at the very end of the book in this one sadly. The plot wasn't very exciting.The basic outline of the plot was, an alien on the run and in hiding, falling in love with a human...just by that very brief description  much you can take a very good guess at whats it about because it wasn't to out of the ordinary,being marked as a book,that is suppose to be like. The book also frustrated me a lot because the main character, Four, seem to lack ALOT of common sense in many parts of the book and even then, the stupidity did not lead to much action, or anything exciting for that matter, even the ending was too boring and normal for a book on an alien! Maybe it was because my expectations were really high on this book or maybe the plot really is too ordinary, either way I can't give this book more then a 2.5 out of 5.

Wake (Dream Catcher #1) by Lisa McMann

Goodreads synopsis: For seventeen-year-old Janie, getting sucked into other people's dreams is getting old. Especially the falling dreams, the naked-but-nobody-notices dreams, and the sex-crazed dreams. Janie's seen enough fantasy booty to last her a lifetime.
She can't tell anybody about what she does they'd never believe her, or worse, they'd think she's a freak. So Janie lives on the fringe, cursed with an ability she doesn't want and can’t control.
Then she falls into a gruesome nightmare, one that chills her to the bone. For the first time, Janie is more than a witness to someone else's twisted psyche. She is a participant.

Review: Well...doesn't the summary seem rather interesting. Believe me, it's not. The book itself had a very ingenious idea, but the plot, the characters, and the writing did not seem to live up to that of the idea the author had come up with. The content of the novel was rather inappropriate for teen readers and I would definitely not recommend this book to anyone, as a result of the vulgar language, nudity, smoking, alcohol, and other inappropriate behavior. One of the main characters herself was a very bad role model, having the novel revolve around her just didn't seem to be the best idea. I must say, this was another one of those books whether you love it or hate it, and I personally agree with the other readers out there that despise the novel. Oh, and I must warn you, if you do not like choppy sentences then you would absolutely loathe the writing style of this novel. This writing technique would stand out to some audiences, but again, it did not appeal to me as it did to a few others...just not effective, but I liked how it was simple in that format. All in all, I am not a fan of this book nor it's content so I would not recommend it to ANYONE. Rating: 1/5 *the one is for the creative idea behind the whole mess of everything else. 

Ashfall by Mike Mullin

Ashfall is an amazingly written novel by Mike Mullin, about two lovers, both struggling to survive the apocalypse. No, not the one with zombies, but more realistic than that. The violent volcanic eruption from Yellowstone had left the state of Iowa buried in the ash. Every single human being was striving toward the one goal: survive.

Humans were no longer humans. We lost our root, the root that had separated us from other species. Humanity. Sure the eruption took away everything, destroyed the old world, the world of food and electronics, but our root was given up by us. We were no longer considerate, caring human beings that we used to be. We are no different from scavengers, from animals. We are all struggling to survive. Yes, but wouldn’t it be easier to put our brains together, consider the predicament, and work it out? But no. We lost our brains. We’d given up our humanity. What do we have to be fond of now?

“For the first time ever, I felt ashamed of my species. The volcano had taken our homes, our food, our automobiles, and our airplanes, but it hadn’t taken our humanity. No, we’d given that up on our own.”


Mike Mullin has an interesting way of writing. He really doesn’t describe the settings or characters that much, but as you read on, you can really sense that you know the characters or the settings and could relate. This book was full of non-stop action, with conflicts and problems around every corner. You can never guess the next situation, because the story is full of twists and action, enough for two books even. Not a single page bored me, and I was totally addicted before the first two chapters even ended. He was also able to add humor once in awhile to lighten up the gloomy mood.


A great book needs great characters to go along with it. Mike Mullin had done just that. He had created two very intelligent characters, both in different ways. Both are mentally strong, though both of their families are missing. One died, and the other was in a different city. Overall, both characters are relatable, easy to understand, and very carefully described.


Ashfall is way too real, especially under the great writing and description of the author. It will be a long time before we smell the reeking odor of sulfur, but Mike Mullin made the story feels as if it could happen any minute, any second. The scariest part ? It could occur some day.

Winners Week 2!

Each week the Richmond Public Library will be awarding prizes to teens who submit reviews. Each winner will receive a book of their choice and other fantastic prizes. This weeks winners are:

1.) Bendavis
2.) Ashini  - Librarian's choice for a fantastic review of the Book Thief!

Congratulations and we look forward to additional reviews throughout the summer!

Golden Buddha by Clive Cussler

Amazon.com Summary:
Clive Cussler, creator of the bestselling NUMA and Dirk Pitt series, presents his latest and most intriguing high seas action hero: the enigmatic captain of the Oregon, Juan Cabrillo.
In his first feature-length adventure, it's up to Cabrillo and his crew of expert intelligence and Naval men to put Tibet back in the hands of the Dalai Lama by striking a deal with the Russians and the Chinese. His gambling chip is a golden Buddha containing records of vast oil reserves in the disputed land.
But first, he'll have to locate--and steal--the all-important artifact. And there are certain people who would do anything in their power to see him fail...
Review:
So after reading all the books as of yet available in Cussler's Fargo Adventures I decided to branch out and give his other series (plural) a try. The Oregon Files is the first of these other series that I decided to try, with Golden Buddha being the first in that series.
The concept of this series is essentially The A Team (as in, the original TV show, not the stupid movie they made of it) on the high seas and on steroids - a group of mercenaries who take on projects they see as representing good causes and who always seem to have a perfect plan all laid out. The Corporation (the group that runs the Oregon) even has a cigar smoking leader (a la Hannibal Smith)! Fortunately, the similarities stop before one can deduct points for originality. Unfortunately though, the book still has some key problems.
First and foremost - plot/plotting. The biggest issue here is that, in this book, or at least when it comes to The Corporation, Murphy's Law does not seem to exist! This is because nothing major in there plans goes wrong in the entirety of the book! This is just not realistic! And besides, things going WRONG is what makes thrillers fun! Without these complications and twists to the plot, its impossible to truly get major intensity going, and as a result the book has a bit of a "meh" taste to it. The characters don't face any true adversity so they can't really be developed well, and so things just aren't as good as they could have been. Part of the reason for this is that The Corporation is just too good to be true. They seem to have people literally everywhere, as opposed to just being a team aboard the Oregon - which would have been more fun. Also, there is no true antagonist. There are a few people that The Corporation runs circles around to complete their mission, but no one that is anything close to a match for them. That brings me to the second major problem...
Characters - Despite the list of characters given at the start of the book for one's reference,  so many are introduced so quickly that it becomes very difficult to figure out who's who. Also, despite the protagonist having a Hispanic name like "Juan Cabrillo", his looks are not Hispanic in the least (blond hair, blue eyes, etc.) - but that's more of a pet peeve thing than anything else.
Beyond all that, the pacing is reasonable, but the intensity suffers due to what I mentioned above. I still kinda liked the book, but it's hardly Cussler at his best.
All in all, as I just said, Golden Buddha is not incredibly good, but I'd still recommend it to fans of the The A Team or heist movies/stories (a la Ocean's Eleven). This series has A LOT of potential, it just doesn't live up to that potential here.
3/5 stars

The Recruit (CHERUB SERIES BOOK 1)

James Choke's life is on a downward slide- picking fights constantly during school and getting beat up badly after classes. Living with his criminal mom, sister, and his mom's terrible boyfriend, he doesn't think his life could get any worse before his mom dies of alcohol consumption. He is sent to the Nebraska house foster home where he shares a room with a tall lanky kid named Kyle Blueman. Kyle turns out to be a CHERUB agent on a recruiting mission and decides that James is a valid CHERUB agent. CHERUB chairman McAfferty puts James through a number of tests before he is admitted into CHERUB. Though James is eager to become a valid field agent, he must complete 100 days of basic training. To enter basic training, James must overcome his fear of water and learn how to swim. He is taught by a 16 year old Amy Collins, a senior Cherub Agent. Amy, with the help of 2 other senior agents, eventually gets James to swim.

During basic training, he meets a more experienced trainee - Kerry Chang and they form a friendship while being harassed by training instructor Mr. Large. James passes basic training thanks to Kerry.

Slightly after basic training, James gets briefed on his first mission. He must pose as Amy Collins' little brother and the two must go to Fort Harmony, a village full of hippies, to uncover more about a possible terrorist attack. 

SPOILER ALERT

James and Amy successfully infiltrate the terrorists lair and discover a plot to target  PETROCON 2004 with an anthrax virus. A sudden call from the mission coordinator takes James to the hospital because he is thought to have the virus. He is treated at the hospital but Fort Harmony is destroyed by police.

Comments: This book is great for the fans of Alex Rider and Young Samurai series. Packed with action, this book keeps your eyes glued to every page. You can reread this book and not get bored.

Rating: 4.5/5

p.s. Please comment on this blog. (Tell me how I can improve it!)

By: Nate    

Pretties (Uglies #2) by Scott Westerfeld

Synopsis from Goodreads:

"Gorgeous. Popular. Perfect. Perfectly wrong.

Tally has finally become pretty. Now her looks are beyond perfect, her clothes are awesome, her boyfriend is totally hot, and she's completely popular. It's everything she's ever wanted.

But beneath all the fun -- the nonstop parties, the high-tech luxury, the total freedom -- is a nagging sense that something's wrong. Something important. Then a message from Tally's ugly past arrives. Reading it, Tally remembers what's wrong with pretty life, and the fun stops cold.

Now she has to choose between fghting to forget what she knows and fighting for her life -- because the authorities don't intend to let anyone with this information survive."

Review: Tally wanted this in the first place and she got it. It's not as simple as just being pretty now because after she has successfully transformed herself into a pretty, she wants to be a crim. Remember her past and knowing more information than she already knew had created Tally as a more complex and round character so I found that more interesting to read since the novel was from her perspective. But then again, the novel's pacing was slow...even slower than the first book in my opinion. The whole plot seemed repetitive though because Tally changes into a pretty, but then she wants to change again, and then she gets lost again. Although this time, Tally meets a guy called Zane..but what will she do with David? Everyone is going to all have different opinions upon this but I thought that the love triangle entices the plot and makes it more appealing. (This idea is overused by so many authors that readers may not like it because a love triangle is pretty common.) Some moments of the story just felt too long and those were the times when I just wanted to put the book down and stop reading. I do not think I am willing to give the last book a try because the second book just kind of lost my interest. 

Rating: 3/5

Caught by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Goodreads Summary:

Jonah and Katherine are accustomed to traveling through time, but when learn they next have to return Albert Einstein’s daughter to history, they think it’s a joke—they’ve only heard of his sons. But it turns out that Albert Einstein really did have a daughter, Lieserl, whose 1902 birth and subsequent disappearance was shrouded in mystery. Lieserl was presumed to have died of scarlet fever as an infant. But when Jonah and Katherine return to the early 1900s to fix history, one of Lieserl’s parents seems to understand entirely too much about time travel and what Jonah and Katherine are doing. It’s not Lieserl’s father, either—it’s her mother, Mileva. And Mileva has no intention of letting her daughter disappear.

Review:

This author is amazing! I have to say that this book, Caught, was the best book that I've read from her. She has an outstanding imagination. This book takes you to the future, where secrets of time travel unravel. We might all have thought of time as a straight line, with the left side as the past and the right side as the future. That's what everyone thought about time travel, before it was invented. But Haddix has thought differently. In this book, through the characters, I found out that Haddix had illustrated a picture of time. Time is circular, in which the past can change the future, and the future can affect the past. For example, a man might go back in time and somehow stopped his mother's marriage. If he stopped his mother's marriage, then how could he have been born in the first place, not to mention growing up and going back in time to stop the marriage? Time is perplexing, expecially with time travel involved.

Overall, I love this book. It's imaginary. That's true. But somehow, Haddix thought of all these factors of time travel, and they all seem very logical. This is a book that will totally get you hooked. It's amazing how Jonah and Katherine was living so normally, and when time travel gets involved, it messed up everything. This entire series, The Missing, is all based on future technology. Science fiction has always been my favorite genre to read. 

It's amazing how Jonah and Katherine was living so normally, and when time travel gets involved, it messed up everything. Time professionals rely on the two 21st kids to fix all the mess. They have been brought back to Albert Einstein and his family to fix the 1903. Can Jonah and Katherine somehow fix all the problems that Second, their once-friend-now-enemy has made, purposely, to ruin time? Can they fix time before it's too late?  

Tricks by Ellen Hopkins

                                                                  Goodreads Summery:
Five teenagers from different parts of the country. Three girls. Two guys. Four straight. One gay. Some rich. Some poor. Some from great families. Some with no one at all. All living their lives as best they can, but all searching...for freedom, safety, community, family, love. What they don't expect, though, is all that can happen when those powerful little words "I love you" are said for all the wrong reasons.

Five moving stories remain separate at first, then interweave to tell a larger, powerful story -- a story about making choices, taking leaps of faith, falling down, and growing up. A story about kids figuring out what sex and love are all about, at all costs, while asking themselves, "Can I ever feel okay about myself?"


                                                            My Review:

Ellen Hopkins is an amazing writer! This is not the first book I have read by her but it was just as amazing as the others. She isn't scared to write about bold topics and talk of the bad parts of religion and broken families . This book talks about lives of teenagers just like me. The only difference is that there families couldn't except them. Didn't care enough...


"Necessity is a motherf*****" -Tricks, Ellen Hopkins. This is probably my favourite quote in the entire book. All these teens, are doing what they have to do. There choices have been taken from them. The story takes place in Las Vagas, sin city for the crimes they're committing to survive  I think it was very clever of her to choose Las Vagas out of everywhere else because she's trying to raise awareness for a certain cause I wont say...don't wanna give away to much! Anyways, its a book that will totally get you hooked. This is real life. There are people that have stories just like these five have, the only thing that separates many of us, keeps us from jumping the edge, from leaving home, or in one case getting kicked out, is that we are loved. Tricks really opened my eyes to all that I have and how life can change just in a snap. How happiness comes in so many ways and how love can be so hard to find. The overall message of this book is so touching and the writing so captivation I have to give it a 5/5.

The Tombs by Clive Cussler

Amazon.com Summary:
Sam and Remi Fargo return in this astonishing new thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Clive Cussler—and embark on their most daring quest to date.
When an archeologist friend requests their help to excavate a top-secret historical site, the Fargos are intrigued. But they have no idea that their discoveries will set them on a hunt for a prize beyond all imagination.
The clues point to the hidden tomb of Attila the Hun, who was reportedly buried with a vast fortune of gold, jewels, and plunder: a bounty that has never been found.
As they follow a trail throughout Europe, it leads them not to one tomb, but five. The Fargos also find themselves pitted against a thieving group of treasure hunters, a cunning Russian businessman, and a ruthless Hungarian who claims direct descent from Attila himself—and will stop at nothing to achieve his destiny…
Review:
So at the end of last summer I first decided to give Clive Cussler a try, and read the first book in his Fargo Adventures  - Spartan Gold. With that, I was hooked. I loved Spartan Gold, and the following books in the series, Lost Empire and The Kingdom. They were fast paced, fairly intense, good ol' rollicking treasure hunt adventures reminiscent of Indiana Jones or National Treasure. So, how does The Tombs - the fourth book in the series - stack up? Time to find out...
I'm going to say right off the bat that yes, it does. Although I'd have to say Spartan Gold is still the best book in the series, The Tombs definitely comes in second place. It's fast paced, and actually gets more intense than any of the previous books. It also explores a part of history that you don't really learn much about in school - the rise of the Huns and the twilight of the Roman Empire. This makes it extra interesting because I always find it really exciting to learn about parts of history that I hadn't before (not to mention I'd heard of Attila the Hun in Night at the Museum and since have wondered who exactly he was and what made him so important). Characteristically of the rest of the books in the series, The Tombs are also free of verbal obscenity and sex scenes. Why is this a benefit? I've found that sex scenes often mean going on a tangent/taking a break from the plot of a suspense novel, killing the intensity. Clive Cussler himself once said that "sex kills suspense". As for swearing, too much jarring language can also prevent one from being able to totally engage in the plot, making for a less fun read. Unfortunately, though, this book isn't perfect...
First and foremost, the characters are all very caricatured. As a result, they aren't especially deep or incredibly well developed, although throughout the series one does get to know Sam and Remi fairly well. Regardless, the villains are evil (and a little dumb) at almost comic book levels - which can get a tad cheesy on occasion.
Secondly, the plot takes a few turns that can throw one for a loop, not to mention some of the history is a little confusing unless someone already has a basic understanding of Attila the Hun (don't let that turn you away though, this is a really good read). Also, the climax doesn't take place when the final treasure is found, which is good in that it breaks from the formula set by the previous books but bad in that it makes the book a bit anticlimactic.
Finally, Cussler always makes a cameo appearance in these books. It's minor, but to me its an annoying gimmick which takes away from the realism of the book.
In any event, this is a really fun book by a bestselling author that can actually write fairly well (unlike James Patterson). Highly recommended to lovers of history or suspense, or fans of Indiana Jones, National Treasure, or any other kind of good ol' treasure hunt!
4.5/5 stars