Elemental (Elemental Trilogy Book #1)

So, I've been really busy with exams and a few side projects recently. I never got the chance to write on here. I'm going to continue to read an awful lot for the summer, so stay tuned! I kind of have to confess that I haven't finished this book yet but I'm at the very end.

Once again this book came from just really randomly browsing in the young adult's section. What's really cool is that one of my friends has read it and we once spent the whole day talking about it. Yes it was a little (if not very) annoying to hear two teenage girls talk about a fictional boy from a book. And not in the "I love him, I want to marry him" kind of way. In the "Did you see how Tom and Alice were able to sneak past the pirates on Hatteras island?" type way.

Here's the cover-

Thomas is the only one in his colony who doesn't have an Element. He and his younger brother only longingly watch their elder brother and father in the way they command fire to help the colony. Thomas' younger brother Griffin is deaf, but he is also a little crazy. In a prophetic sort of way. He can sense when tragedies happen. And he latches onto the person who is going to die, trying to stop them but they eventually die anyways. His older brother Aninas is the pride of the family. He is next in line to become the fire guardian when their father dies. 

When a horrible storm washes away their colony, the Guardians, the Apprentices and the children have to go to the hurricane shelter on Roanoke Island. But there is something strange about Roanoke Island. On one side is the Hurricane Shelter and on the other side is Skeleton Town. It is a ghost town filled with strange objects Thomas and his friends have never seen before. The Guardians warn them not to go there for fear that it will collapse. But could there be some other reason?

When Guardian Lora is sick, she asks Thomas to bring her a bottle from the drugstore in Skeleton Town that says "Aspirin" on it. Naturally, Thomas knows nothing about Aspirin, but when he tries to find the bottle, he can't. In the rain, Thomas comes back to the shelter to see that Lora is dead. He awakens the others and they perform the ritual for the deceased.

The next morning, pirates arrive. They are infamous to the colony for killing Thomas' mother. The Guardians and their apprentices leave to investigate. A day passes by and there is no word from them. Thomas and his friends are getting anxious. The pirates seem to have made camp on Hatteras island where their colony was. The children are forced to stay only on Roanoke. But they learn more secrets about themselves and the lies the Guardians have been feeding them. To save them from the real threat. That isn't the pirates but something more.

My thoughts-

I haven't reached the end, but it is very interesting. I thought the beginning was a little boring but I think that's just me. But apart from that, it was really good. The descriptions aren't so detailed that they overpower the story but are just enough to accent it.

What's really interesting is that this book is written in a very straightforward way. The language is very simple. In example, there is no extreme twist in the story or a hidden ending that was foretold in the most subtle way. There are no jokes, just plain writing. Which is a good and a bad thing. I think it fits John's style just right.

The way the book is written, the characters are all neatly laid out for you and they each present their own problems as time goes on. And each of their problems gets fixed. Well, some die before their problems can be solved and others never get their problems solved. That's where the other books come in.

((If you liked this one, there is a sequel called Firebrand and in November this year, there will be a third book called Renegade. I really can't wait.))

hush, hush (Hush, Hush Book #1)

This book was possibly the first supernatural love story I actually cared about. But that little alarm in the back of my brain kept on screaming "TWILIGHT! TWILIGHT!" I'm happy that this was a love story, but the romance was really kept to a minimum.

I just started randomly browsing in the Young Adults section and thought this one was interesting. I swear that in my library, the majority of the young adult section is useless garbage. Anyone who lives near me and goes to the same library can agree.

Here's the cover. I need to draw the person on the cover before I return the book. ((Hey, I'm too busy to draw anymore. It's a miracle that I can write on here at all))

Nora Grey has always lived a normal life. That is, until the day that the mysterious and elusive Patch waltzed into her life. He seems to know exactly what to say and do to attract and repel Nora. In an instant, her life is turned upside down. 

Turns out, this boy with a gambling addiction and a dark past has an even worse secret no one can ever know. And Nora holds the key to his heart where it lies. Unknowingly, she frees that side of him that he has kept suppressed for so long out of fear that he'd hurt someone again.

Nora's best friend Vee has made friends with two equally strange and elusive boys, one who transferred to their school and the other who still goes to a very exclusive school called Kinghorn Prep. She has hopes that they will notice her, but they seem to like Nora more, especially the one named Elliot.

After doing some research on Elliot, Nora comes to the conclusion that he was held responsible for the death of a girl at his school who was his girlfriend at the time. But he was eventually found innocent when police officers found a suicide note in her room. They just believed that the cause of death was suicide and let Elliot go.

Upon finally figuring out Patch's secret some days later, Nora is put into panic mode. Fallen angels have to sacrifice a girl Nephilim in order to get a human body. And a human body seems to be what Patch wants most, considering that he can't feel anything in his current body.

Will Nora survive the imminent danger of death and still be true to her one and true Patch?

My thoughts-

A really good read for fans of Twilight and The Mortal Instruments. I was never a Team Jacob or Team Edward person, but Jace always seemed cool to me.
There isn't really a love triangle until the second book, so I guess I won't be able to elaborate on that. And then, the love triangle is fairly one-sided, so it's quite obvious who Nora is going to end up with at the end of the series.
The book is fairly thick and the whole beginning is a little boring until it picks up speed with the introduction of Elliot and Jules.
There are no real flaws in the plot or the storytelling, but I found it a little weird at certain times when Patch would just pop out of nowhere and do amazing things to save Nora...

Okay, so this topic may be trivial and weird, but I found it a little strange how Nora's mom didn't really care where she was, who she was with or what she was doing. Any mom who had their husband brutally murdered would want to know every little detail about where their child is going and what she is doing. Although Nora does make smart choices all throughout, I just thought that her mom was always out of the way and basically let Nora do whatever she wanted.

If you enjoyed this one, there are three more books in the series- Crescendo, Silence and Finale. I highly recommend reading Crescendo and Silence, but I am currently in the process of reading Finale and don't know how the story will end...

Happy Reading!!

Life of Pi

This one I read because the movie was releasing into theaters and I wanted to read it because it seemed interesting. Well, there is no real story behind this one. I saw the movie trailer and thought it was cool, so I decided to read the book. And the movie is really good. It is super interesting and I loved it...

However, I have suggested it to some adult friends of mine. And they have read it and told me that it was really good.

Here's the cover-

In the former French colony of India, Pondicherry; a boy named Piscine Molitor Patel is born. He got his name from a close family friend (whom he refers to as his uncle) who regards the Piscine Molitor pool in France as the best pool to ever swim in. He told Pi's father that in order to have an amazing boy, he would have to have an amazing name. But eventually, the name was shortened to Pi for simplicity. He and his older brother Ravi grew up on their family's zoo where their daily chores involve feeding the animals and sweeping the zoo.

One day, the family receives a cage with a tiger inside. Their father warns the two boys not to go anywhere near the cage until the tiger is put in an enclosure, but Pi dares his brother to go near the cage and stick his hand inside the bar. When the brothers reach the cage, they are caught by their father and punished by watching a goat get brutally killed by the tiger. 

A few year later, economic struggles push the Patel family to move to an Indian area in Canada where they will operate a new zoo with even more exotic animals. But the only ship they can catch going to Canada is a cargo ship with a stern captain and an unfriendly crew. However, the family decides to ignore it in hopes of a better life in Canada.

One night during a storm, the ship sinks. Pi is the only survivor apart from the tiger, an orangutan a zebra and a hyena. Stranded on a lifeboat, he tries his hardest to stay alive and not get eaten by the animals on the boat with him.

Life becomes a struggle for him as he watches the animals tear each other apart and wonders if he will live to see the next sunrise.

My thoughts-

I love it to death. (Till my death, not Pi's...) Just about one of the best books I have ever read. Very descriptive (not in a bad way, but very descriptive. With emphasis on the very.) The beginning is a little strange. When Pi talks about his childhood, he is really on the lifeboat and is writing inside a survival journal. He wants his life to be documented, so in case he does die, the boat will wash ashore and someone will see his diary.

What I liked (for some odd twisted reason) was how Pi described the animals killing each other. First he gave the real story, but the reporters did not believe him. Then he used the same story, but put humans in the place of animals to make it more believable.

He said that the zebra with the broken leg was a Chinese sailor, the orangutan was his mother and the hyena was the cook. Where was he or the tiger in all of this?

When the boat sank, Pi swam towards a lifeboat. There he saw the sailor gripping his leg and screaming in pain, his mother worrying and fussing over him, and the cook brandishing a knife. A few days out at sea, the sailor's leg became infected and they were forced to amputate it. Without any proper tools or anesthesia, the sailor nearly tore himself apart in pain. Eventually the boy died and his body was thrown overboard. The next day, Pi's mother found the cook using the sailor's leg as bait. She screamed at him that what he was doing was inhumane and cannibalistic and he replied by killing her. When Pi saw his mother's dead body, he tried to resist, but couldn't help but pick up the same knife that had been used to kill his mother and killed the cook. He threw both of their bodies overboard so he would forget what had happened.

The movie is really awesome too. It made me cry (literally.). But the book is way better. Always.

13 Treasures (13 Treasures Trilogy Book #1)

I read this book nearly two or three years ago and it has been evading capture by my mind for a review. And that's funny because it's one of the bigger books in my room that sits on my desk and not on my bookshelf. I only remembered it because recently me and my friend were browsing through the school library and she found this book on the school catalog. It wasn't in the library, so I offered her that I'd give her the copy. That's how I remembered to write a review on it. I've read it multiple times out of boredom and loved it each time.

A picture of the cover-

Tanya thinks she's insane. The fairies only she can see torment and torture her. But the worst part is that no one ever believes her. It's okay to pretend until a certain age, but soon people think you're crazy. Her mother decides that Tanya needs a little time away from home and with her grandmother who lives in a secluded mansion in the middle of nowhere. At first, everything seems to be going well until Tanya finds a newspaper article dated back fifty years, explaining how a girl simply vanished off the face of the Earth. Neither her body, nor anything on her person was ever recovered.

Tanya and her cousin Fabian begin to suspect that the answer to this mystery lies inside the mansion somewhere. They begin by exploring the old servant's floor where no one is allowed; for fear that it will collapse. But could there be another reason no one is allowed on the second floor?

Tanya is given a bracelet by her grandmother who doesn't really explain much about it. When Tanya puts it on, she learns that she can talk to all kinds of interesting magical creatures, from trolls to the garden gnomes in her backyard. After reading a book about fairies in her grandmother's library, Tanya learns what the charms on her bracelet signify. Each charm represents one of the thirteen treasures, thirteen sacred items that help with ruling the fairy world.

One night, a stranger breaks into the house by way of secret tunnels leading from the church to the mansion. When Tanya begins to investigate, she finds an orphan girl who calls herself Red and claims to know a lot about fairies and what is going on. So they make a deal. Tanya will make sure Red has a place to stay (in secret of course) in the mansion and in exchange, Red will provide Tanya with information about the fairy world.

While investigating the manor, Tanya and Fabian learn the secret of the Elvesdens, the original owners of the mansion. Lady Elvesden could see fairies and wrote down the knowledge that they gave her in diaries. Once her husband found them, he destroyed them; so Lady Elvesden kept on writing more diaries and hiding them all over the house. Then Master Elvesden placed his wife in an asylum, so she would learn to embrace the real world and not her so-called fantasies. But, a week after she was placed in the asylum, Lady Elvesden died violently. People tried to find the cause of her death, but there was nothing around her that could have caused her to die. Her body wasn't poisoned and there was no evidence of suicide. It was as if her body had just simply imploded

Wherever they go, danger seems to be looming over them and specifically Tanya. It seems that she and her mother were used as bargaining tools for Tanya's grandmother to escape the wrath of her former best friend. Can Tanya put an end to this madness that has been engulfing her family? Or will only she be left to pay the price her grandmother couldn't pay fifty years ago?

My thoughts-

Incredibly well written. I have read a great many books that imply that there is another world next to our own, but very few have escalated to the level of this one. The twists and turns made perfect sense and despite how I wrote the summary up there, the plot is actually simple.

It is a very thick book, but don't put it down because of that. I swear that you will be hungrily turning the pages, wanting more.

Apart from the details and how they were written, I do have to say that I didn't understand how Red traded herself for Tanya at the last minute. Sure, she wanted to look for her brother in the fairy world, but it was a little sudden. And, how did she even know what was going on? And you don't even catch on to the mystery until the very end. Actually, you don't catch up until the climax is over and you are left with the falling action. How did Fabian even know that there was a lock of Morwenna's hair in his father's room? How did he know to destroy it?

((If you enjoy this book, look for 13 Secrets and 13 Curses in that order))

Graceling (Graceling Realm Book #1)

This book I finished just this morning because I was so bored and I woke up at 5:30 AM for some odd reason. I actually started it last Saturday because my family was driving to Quebec City for the Spring Break and I was getting bored in the car. I've been reading it continuously for I think two nights and then two hours this morning.

                                

Well, I found out about it because a friend of mine (the same friend who recommended me a lot of books on this blog ((I think she should write this instead of me...))) had told me about it, but she said it was boring. I looked at the cover and then read the summary. It seemed like a good story. I didn't know what could be so boring about it. I have yet to ask her about why she found it boring, but to me it seemed quite interesting. Then one day I requested it from the library. It took me a long time, but finally I got to read it.

Here's the cover (I have written it in my to do list to draw the sword on the cover since I liked it so much)-

In the seven kingdoms, the Graced are either exploited or completely shunned by society. Enter Katsa, a girl Graced with killing who has been used by her uncle King Randa to do his dirty work in killing people and going on rescue missions. One day, the prince of the neighboring kingdom Lienid visits Randa's castle to have him aid the boy in his search for his missing grandfather Prince Tealiff. Prince Greening or Po as he is called is Graced with the talent of fighting. Katsa brings Po to his grandfather who is living with one of Katsa's friends in Randa City. Po really had no need to go through all the trouble of finding him because only a few days before, Katsa and her friend Oll had rescued him from the dungeons of a kingdom far away.

The problem is that Tealiff can't remember who kidnapped him. Katsa and Po come up with a list of suspects and narrow it down to King Murgon of Sunder or King Leck of Monsea. On their adventures, Katsa and Po find Leck and try to kill him. It ends badly with Katsa's mind getting warped when she tried to shoot Leck.

They meet Princess Bitterblue, the daughter of Leck, who is scared of them at first. Po and Katsa determine that she could be useful in their killing of Leck. When they fight Leck again, Po hits his head and receives amnesia. He can't seem to remember what they were doing in the forest.

Bitterblue and Katsa have to cross through the treacherous mountains to reach Sunder where they will catch a ship to go to Monport where Leck's castle is.

My thoughts-

A very good first novel. It is interesting and I can't wait to read the sequel and the companion book. I have to admit that the beginning is a little boring and it doesn't pick up speed until page one hundred where Katsa and Po set out on their adventure.

I was pretty happy to see their goal acheived and Leck dead. Actually, I liked how Katsa was only spared from Leck's mind-ensnaring Grace for a moment and she threw her dagger at him. It hit him not in the heart, but went through his mouth and pinned him to the wall with his mouth open. I thought that was quite interesting for some very odd reason.

Honestly, this was a good first novel for someone who is quite new to the writing profession. Hey, I'm a real newbie. I've only been seriously writing since about fourth grade which was three years ago.

((If you like this one, read the sequel Bitterblue and the companion novel Fire))

This Dark Endeavor (The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein Book #1)

Unlike Dead End in Norvelt, I read this book just last summer but the story is still fresh in my mind as if I read it yesterday.

I came across this book all thanks to the Survivor Book Club at my school. This is a book club dedicated to discussing books about you guessed it, surviving mental issues more than physical ones. This was actually the June 2013 book, but I didn't read it until sometime in July (yes, I bothered remembering the name for about a month before I requested it). Now recently, one of my best friends has taken a liking to it because she loves the idea of raising the dead and alchemy. Since she doesn't go to the library often, I got both this book and its sequel for her to read, so I naturally started reading bits and pieces to refresh my memory. That's what compelled me to write a review on it.

Here's the cover (hopefully I can find the one I read, but there is a newer version of it too that I just came to know in the beginning of the school year)-

Wrong picture, I guess I saved the Spanish version... It's supposed to say This Dark Endeavor, The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein. I guess this is good if you know Spanish. Or maybe I shouldn't have added the translation. Oh whatever, moving on to the summary.

The story begins with Victor, Konrad and Elizabeth Frankenstein who discover a secret library connected to the basement of the Frankenstein manor. When they enter the library, they are scolded by Victor and Konrad's father who warns them not to dabble in alchemy or else it will lead them nowhere.

So the three children do not enter the library again.

Some months later, Victor notices that Konrad has been hiding a fever and tells his dad, who calls a doctor. The doctor does all he can, but Konrad seems to be getting more and more sick. This leaves Victor to begin to dabble in alchemy. With the help of a former alchemist who claims that he can help them, Victor and Elizabeth try to create the Elixir of Life which seems to be the only thing that can cure Konrad.

While deciphering a mysterious alphabet system whose letters switch every thirteen years, climbing giant trees and cave jumping, Victor and Elizabeth need only one more ingredient to add to the elixir. The blood of a man who cares for the drinker of the elixir. Victor steps ahead to give up his two fingers to be added to the elixir. But during the operation, the former alchemist suddenly turns on the two teenagers and tries to steal the elixir and drink it himself. After fighting and killing him and his pet mountain lion, Victor and Elizabeth finally have the elixir in their hands. But what will happen to Konrad when they give him the potion? Will he get better, or will he die like he was destined to when he contracted the disease?

My thoughts-

It was very well written. I nearly cried because the ending was just so sad.

Honestly, the ending is not what you think it should be. But that's where the second book comes into play. But that also has a strange ending where the main characters don't accomplish what they ultimately wanted to do because everything has a price. The moral in my opinion is that everything, even happiness has a price. Nothing comes free. And if you aren't willing to pay that price, you'll just have to keep on suffering. It cost Victor and Elizabeth so much to try and bring Konrad back to health. Even though the results weren't what they desired, the two of them risked so much to at least try.

A very well written bit of prose. I think that anyone will learn some very hard life lessons from this. I know I did.

And the sequel Such Wicked Intent explores Victor's utter obsession over alchemy and how it ultimately destroyed him from the inside because he was so drawn to it. A final question to think on- "When does obsession become madness?"

Dead End in Norvelt

After reviewing a dark and sinister story like Incarceron, I decided to write a review for a rather humorous novel that I must say left me smiling many years after reading it.

The story behind this- I don't remember much, but I know that I lived in another town and was also quite fond of going to the library. I was in fifth grade at the time and that was the year we moved, so I would read for nearly four hours every Sunday because we had to drive two hours north to the place we'd be living at. This time, I had missed school for half a day just so we could look at houses. So, I laid in the back seat of our minivan and was reading this while everyone around me was talking about what is the best kind of house and so on.

Why I remembered it- Me and my friend were browsing through the school library and she saw this book. She liked it and we got it from the English teacher's classroom. Now she holds it against me that the reason I liked this book is because it involves an Indian pony and Japanese army weapons. Hey, I didn't even remember the pony right then, but I didn't even know what anime was at the time I read it.

Here's the cover-

The story starts with Jack, the hero, the main character, the protagonist, whatever you want to call him.

For Jack, this is a pretty uneventful summer in the small town of Norvelt. He just wants to get away from his fighting parents and his nose that spews blood whenever he gets startled or scared. So when Jack finds a shotgun in the basement and accidentally fires it because he didn't know it was loaded, he gets "grounded for life" by his parents.

So he gets sold out by his mom who thinks he should engage in community service and have a proper summer job to this crazy lady who needs him to write obituaries for her because she has arthritis and her fingers are too stiff. And Jack spends his days writing obituaries about the people who founded Norvelt. Little does he know that this will possibly be the best summer of his life.

My thoughts- (Do I even have to say that it contains spoilers anymore, I think you get the idea)

It was hilarious. In fact I still laugh at the part where Jack had to dress up as the grim reaper and sneak into an old lady's house because the person he was working for (sorry but I don't remember her name) wanted to know if the lady was dead or not. I like how Jack remarks that 'If she wasn't dead, I may have scared her into believing that she was dead'.

Even know after thinking about it for a while, I wonder where the Hell's Angels fit into all this. I know they were a small subdivision of this, but you see tattoo clad motorbike riders everywhere. What was so special about them? Although I do remember that a former Hell's Angel came once a week to Jack's house to take care of his horse, but that was it.

And I do recall that it was actually Jack's deranged uncle who fired the shot that broke the window. Or I may be thinking about something completely different. Honestly after reading so many books and then remembering one you read a long time ago, you get a little confused and mess up some of the details.

What's a little confusing about this book is that there is no clear problem or solution, but a series of adventures that add up to a main point. I guess the problem is that Jack's summer is really boring and that he wants to do something exciting before the school year starts. I can't blame him either because summer does get a little boring after a while. I mean, all I do is read, draw and play tennis all day long and then I read and draw all night long during the summer. Also what made me a little confused was that there was no clear antagonist and that Jack really has no enemies. He's just a normal kid. Nobody cares about the normal kids.

In short, this may be the funniest young adult book I have read to this day. It combines the wit of a thirteen year old kid with the sarcasm of adults to produce a crazy story filled with twists and turns that make you want to laugh and scream at the same time.

Incarceron (Incarceron Book #1)

This time I have decided to review a rather dark and sinister tale of belief and hate. But I must say that Incareceron  shall hold a place in my heart forever.

                          

One of my close friends (the one who suggested Ender's Game) told me to read this some time later. I didn't really have any problem with the age rating because it was also in our English teacher's room. After quite a bit of thinking and rethinking, I mustered up the courage to get it from the library. Yes, I got quite a few questions which could be interpreted as "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!", but it was all worth it.

Here's the cover-

Finn is all alone in Incarceron. No one listens to him because they think he's too weak. Even his oathbrother Keiro doesn't care at all. In Incarceron the worst criminals are thrown into this prison in order to be punished for their crimes. But no one gets out of Incarceron alive. No. One. At. All.

There are the criminals and then there are those who are born from Incarceron. They can emerge as infants or they can emerge as fully grown adults. It's all up to the monster that calls itself Incarceron to decide who lives and whom it eats. To Finn, there is no world except Incarceron. But that all changes when he accidentally kills an officer and steals a key from her pocket.

This is no ordinary key. It helps him get in touch with a girl named Claudia and her mentor Jared. At first Finn thinks that she is in some remote part of Incarceron that simulates the real world, but he couldn't be more wrong.

To Claudia, he is Prince Giles, a young prince of her age whom she was supposed to marry, but had to switch to be betrothed to his half-brother Caspar because of Giles's untimely death. But Caspar is an idiot. He was never fit to be king and surely Claudia doesn't want to be at his side when he does ascend the throne. To her, Giles is not dead and is in fact in Incarceron. She is completely sure that Finn is Giles. So Claudia makes it her ultimate mission to get Finn out of Incarceron so he can take the throne instead of Caspar.

Faced by strange challenges and the betrayal of the ones closest to them, Finn and Claudia try to find each other and put an end to the Queen's plans before Caspar inherits the kingdom.

My thoughts- (Do I even have to say that they contain spoilers anymore?)

I also believed that Giles was dead up until when the Warden of Incarceron reveals that he is Sapphique and that Claudia is not his daughter. Then I knew that Giles was in fact well and alive. I must side with Claudia in the sense that Finn is Giles. The mark on their wrists are the same. The same bird shape. the same appearances, even the same way of thinking.

I have to say that the end wasn't nearly as dark as the beginning implied. But it wasn't at all  light either.

The sequel Sapphique will also be an equally compelling read if you like this one. (It's at my house, but I'm reading Froi of the Exiles and then I'll read Quintana of Charyn and then there are some more books on my desk, so it'll be a long while before I get to read it.)

The Unwanteds (The Unwanteds Book #1)

This book is a clear example of pure fantasy and it is also very interesting in its own little ways. Even though the story was very unbelievable, the plot happened nicely and the characters made you just want to laugh (because they were funny) and scream (because of the very sad life they were living). I must say that this book is a work that shows a really unique take on dystopian fantasy that I have never seen before.

This book possibly has a long story behind it too. When I just moved to this lovely town I'm living in two years ago, my family stayed at home for the first few weeks or so just to get used to the new house. Me and my younger brother were getting awfully bored at home so we decided to find the new library for this area. When we found the new library, we made ourselves library cards and decided to get some books. I was scouting around in the older children's area (I now know that there is a difference between the older children's area and young adult's area) when I found this book.

Even though this book isn't exactly YA, I would recommend it for ages 10-12 just because it is action and there is a war at the end, but it isn't all that bloody.

Here's the cover.

In a faraway land where all forms of creativity are banned,  two identical twins named Alex and Aaron Stowe are taken to a secret meeting called The Purge where their fate will be decided. At age thirteen in their world, children are separated into three groups. The Wanteds, the Necessaries and the Unwanteds. The Wanteds and the Necessaries are sent to college where they will become true citizens under the rule of High Priest Justine.  The Unwanteds are sent to a giant cauldron of boiling oil where they will die a painful death. Or so it was thought.

Aaron is sure he'll become a Wanted, but Alex isn't so sure. Alex was blamed for drawing in mud with a stick after a rainstorm. He's sure he'll be an Unwanted.

At the Purge, Alex and Aaron are finally separated and Alex is led off with the other Unwanteds to the pot of oil where they will die. But the man who is leading them seems to have other ideas. He introduces himself as Mr.Tomorrow, the creator of the land of Artime. Luckily for the Unwanteds, they aren't going to die today. They all jump through a portal in the pot to Artime where creativity is not just requested, it is expected and all their wildest dreams can come true.

After getting started in his studies and acing all of his classes, Alex wants to share this wonderful world with Aaron who is still back in their home. But Aaron has drastically changed. He missed Alex and was beaten every time he even tried to speak of his brother. Now Aaron has accepted that he and Alex are leading separate paths and won't let anyone change that.

A recent leak in security has led the people of the bland world to find out about Artime and a war is brewing between the forces of High Priest Justine and Mr. Tomorrow. Could Alex and Aaron possibly play the largest role in the course of history in both worlds?

My Thoughts-

I would be devastated if our world had banned creativity. That would just be too sad. Honestly as I think about it now, I keep on linking this book to The Lego Movie, which actually I didn't like all that much. (I didn't like the movie, not the book). But both have similar elements. A character who actually has more talent than he realizes. A world filled with order and perfection. A world where anything is possible. A villain who is afraid of losing control over the citizens of his (or her) world (the world of order and perfection).

I'm so sorry for linking a work of young adult fiction to a children's movie, but you'll get the idea if you've seen it.

There are also two more books in this series. They are Island of Dreams and Island of Fire

Finnikin of the Rock (Lumatere Chronicles #1)

I haven't published anything for quite a while. (I was sick and got a lot of reading done because I was in bed for two whole days) I finished this book and highly recommend it. (The first comment of one of my friends when I showed her this book was "Does this Finnikin dude summon rocks or something?" I nearly screamed in her face, "GET THIS RIGHT, FINNIKIN COMES FROM A ROCK VILLAGE SO HE'S CALLED "FINNIKIN OF THE "ROCK"!!!")

There's actually quite a bit of story behind how I got this one. At my library, the books in the Young Adult section are aimed towards older teens more than younger teens. So I've got to be pretty careful of what I read. But I wanted to read this for an awfully long time. Actually from around the time I read Kiki Strike and A Mango-Shaped Space. I used to dare myself to pick up the book and pretend to be interested and then immediately put it back when I heard someone coming. But I'd dreamed of reading it because the story seemed amazing. So now this time I finally took it in my hand and went to check it out. And I definitely do not regret that decision .

Here's the cover. (I couldn't find the one I read so you can make do with this one)

Alright, so the story begins with the downfall of the kingdom of Lumatere. During the Days of the Unspeakable, the king, queen and all their children are murdered. A man from a faraway land has named himself the King's only living relative and has taken full control of the kingdom and its throne. Under his hands, those who rebel are sent away as exiles. Those who remain loyal are blind with fear for their lives and those of their loved ones.

Enter Finikin, our brave hero, son of Trevanion, captain of the former king's army. Finnikin and his mentor Sir Topher, first man to the king, want to get to the bottom of this mystery because they believe that the other kingdoms have united against Lumatere. The most likely suspect is Charyn because they have a long history of violence with Lumatere. They also believe that the kingdom of Sorel is pulling strings behind the scenes. Sorel has been at unease with Lumatere ever since the Seven Days of the Unspeakable when Lumatere was left leaderless and was unable to trade goods with Sorel.

Finnikin has traveled to the cloister of the novices of Sagrami to consult the High Priestess and receive her opinion on how to take action. When he and Sir Topher ask for advice, the High Priestess gives them one of her novices, the sadistic and sharp-tongued Evanjalin in hopes that she could be useful to them.

Together the three set out to reunite the exile camps and bring Lumatere back to its original state. But most importantly they want to find out whether Charyn and Sorel are really behind this or is there a force out there even more barbaric than Charyn and Sorel combined?

My thoughts-

A.W.E.S.O.M.E. And heartbreaking too. I almost cried when Isaboe told the story of how Balthazar tried to save her from the assassins that killed her parents and siblings. How Balthazar was trapped with the silver wolf and it finally tore him to pieces. That was really sad and I wanted to cry with Finnikin because he used that notion of Balthazar having survived and being somewhere to keep him from losing his sanity. But then to find out that your best friend really is dead and that you won't be able to see him anymore, you won't be able to laugh together, you won't be able to dream with him anymore is very crushing. I really loved Finnikin and Lucian's dedicating the victory of the war to Balthazar. I guess they really cared for him because both the fact that he was their prince and would inherit the throne and also because they were his best friends and that they had spent a gret deal of time together and had become awfully close to each other

Speaking of death, I believe the descriptions were somewhat very graphic especially of the exile camps. I really felt bad for them, but I was a little disturbed too. I think Marchetta's writing style is amazing, but I didn't like how she sometimes went overboard with the descriptions. Sometimes when they weren't needed. Like when Finnikin, Lucian and Evanjalin debate on what to do next in order to rebel against the imposter king. Only because they contemplate the state of the kingdom if they do not do anything and watch the imposter continue his tyrannical rule. Then she brought back the conditions of the exile camps and how dirty and sickness ridden they were.

Apart from Balthazar's death, there was only one part of the book that really touched me. That was the story of the foreign prince who saw the exile camps in Osteria. He tried to learn the words for Feed these people from one of the guards, but he refused. Then the prince asked an Osterian butler and was provided with the words. So this prince went to the king of Osteria and screamed in his face the words he had learned from the butler. The king didn't listen, so the prince threw rocks at him until he paid attention to the little boy. Eventually he was dragged away by the guards and shackled in the prisons for thirty days until the prince's officers could secure his release.

I really liked how Marchetta included that story because the prince really cared for these exiles, even though he wasn't from that kingdom. Finnikin comments that love like that should be everywhere and I fully agree.

You need to read the sequels Froi of the Exiles and Quintana of Charyn too in order to get the most out of this story. (I have Froi of the Exiles right now but it'll take a while to read it because I'm finishing the Ender's series right now but MAN THOSE BOOKS ARE LONG!!! ((I'm half way through Speaker for the Dead and I wish it could end so I can get to the last books)))

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

 Here's another one of Wendy Mass's books. I read this in October or November last year and really enjoyed it. I have to say that I also have wondered, What is the meaning of life? What am I ultimately supposed to do in this world?

After I read A Mango-Shaped Space, I started looking for more of Wendy Mass's books. I found this one and eventually requested it.

Here's the title cover.

Jeremy Fink's father died sometime before he turned ten years old. In his will, there was no inheritance or anything that was left to Jeremy or his mother.

One day, a week from his thirteenth birthday, Jeremy finds a small package on the counter of the kitchen. He thinks it's an early birthday present and opens it. It is a white wooden box. There is a note with it too. It says, For Jeremy to open on his thirteenth birthday. The box has five key holes, but no keys were sent with it. Jeremy tries all the keys in his house and realizes that the keys were specially made for the box and only those keys will open it. His best friend Liz offers to force it open, but Jeremy doesn't want to destroy the box just to see what's inside.

Jeremy sees the return address on the package which gives the name of an attorney and the address of a law firm. He figures that the keys may be in there. So he and Liz decide to go and ask to speak with that attorney. Sadly, the building is being remodeled and the attorney is on vacation. Jeremy and Liz decide to break into his office and steal the keys.

Their plan almost goes through perfectly until they are caught and given a choice. Whether to go to juvenile hall or to do community service. They choose community service and are forced to work at a pawnshop for a man named Oswald Oswald.

Can Jeremy cope with working with grumpy old Mr. Oswald and also try to find the keys to his father's box before his birthday?

My thoughts- (CONTAIN SPOILERS)

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life was funny, yet still very meaningful. The lesson I got from this was that we all live for the special people in our lives and those people are the ones that make us happiest.

Inside the box, Jeremy's dad had enclosed letters he wrote to Jeremy explaining all the joys in his life and how he had changed so many people's lives even though his own was cut short.

I nearly cried at the end (but I was in a sports club waiting for my lesson to begin and didn't want to cry in front of strangers).

Kira-Kira

This is a stand-alone novel and really it doesn't need a sequel. This time the story is realistic fiction and takes place in Iowa.

I found this in my English teacher's classroom a while ago and wanted to read it. Then just last week, I had the courage to get it from the library.

Here's the cover.

Katie Takeshima is an average girl. Her life consists of only three special people, those being her mom, her dad and her sister Lynn.

She has a special attachment to Lynn. They use only one word which is their definition for everything. Kira-kira, which means glittering in Japanese. They say that the ocean is kira-kira, the sky is kira-kira, even people's eyes are kira-kira. Their mother thinks they are overusing the word, but to Katie, that is the only reality she knows.

Their parents owned an oriental grocery store in Iowa. When the shop runs out of business, their Uncle Katsuhisa offers them a job at the hatchery he works for. This means a large move to Georgia until they find another house.

The new move means hardships for everyone. When Lynn goes to school and makes new friends, she stops playing with Katie because it looks "uncool" to play with your little sister. Katie doesn't do well in school even though she's trying her hardest and wishes that she were more like Lynn. While that is going on, she is struggling to hold onto the fragments of her broken reality.

When Lynn falls sick, Katie becomes worried for her. While Lynn's condition is getting worse, she begins to whine more and become unkind to Katie. Ultimately, Katie has to remember that the world and even people's lives and the memories you share with them are also kira-kira.

My thoughts-

This story was just plain amazing. I have never had a younger or older sister, so I can't relate that well to either Katie or Lynn. but I do know the feeling of trying to find new friends in an area where no one knows who you are or even what your name is. I thought that their love for each other was really well played and I could somewhat understand how Lynn wanted to be independent and how Katie wanted to still cling to her.

The story really plays out the aspect of looking and behaving differently from everyone else and how that is looked down upon. In example, when Katie remarks how people would stop them on the street to take a good look at them as if they were aliens.

In general, this was a interesting book and it really made me take a second look at the world.

The Ruins of Gorlan (Rangers Apprentice Book #1)

This is one of my most favorite book series in the whole world of fiction. It mostly deals with war and peace, but in a medieval style that makes it very different from other books.

I give all credits for finding this book to one of my close family friends, my most trusted resource when it comes to book recommendations. I was talking with her once and showed her the books I was reading at the time. She told me that The Ranger's Apprentice series would be interesting for me and now I completely agree.

I am only halfway through the series so far and I'm sad because I want to read the end.

Here's the cover.

In the kingdom of Araluen, it is customary that when a child turns thirteen, he/she is to be apprenticed to one of the many Craftmasters. For example, Battleschool is where boys (and girls I think) are sent to become soldiers.

The story starts with a boy named Will. Despite being short and scrawny for his age, he wants to apply for Battleschool with his worst enemy Horace to show that he isn't weak.

He is rejected for Battleschool and is asked by a strange man in a grey cloak if he wants to become a Ranger. Will doesn't know who this person is or what a Ranger is in general. The man's name is Halt. Rangers are spies for the kingdom that typically assess the weakness of the enemy and mostly prevent wars.

Will agrees and his training begins. All he does is clean Halt's house and weapons and perform all the daily household chores. All the while, Will wonders What does sweeping and scrubbing have to do with combat skills?

While he trains, a war is brewing out in the desolate mountains. The Skandians have been employed by a scary figure to build a bridge across the largest cliff in the mountains. Could they be heading for Araluen or are they just passing through?

My thoughts-

The book was well written and the character details were extremely descriptive. After a while, I started to wish that Will was my best friend and most of all, that a boy like him was real.

The battle scenes are written so well that you can really imagine that you are there with them. I could actually feel like I was running and hiding behind trees, dashing from rock to rock with Will and Halt at my side, bows drawn and ready to fire.

One thing I really liked was Will and Horace's gradual friendship as the book progresses. By the end, they go from competitors to companions in over a year I think. It brought a sense of meaning to the story, that the battlefield doesn't only help you gain enemies, but also helps you gain friends. What I think really stimulated their friendship was the part where Will spies on Horace while he tracks down a giant boar. When the boar charges towards Horace, Will shoots a few arrows at it and then stabs it with his knife. This made Horace realize that Will really did care for him, even though they got into petty arguments often.

This is one of the best book series I have read to this day and definitely holds a place in my heart.