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Thursday, September 29, 2011

Review: Uglies


Uglies

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Why I read this story: It was on my to-read list due to good reviews and word-of-mouth. Also, I found the second book, "The Pretties" at a Borders closing sale for $2! I love sales!! So, anyway, since I found the second book for $2, I decided to move it up to #1 on my to-be-read list and bought the Uglies at regular price.

My thoughts: I can't make up my mind on if I want to give it an "ok" or "I liked it." I think it's somewhere in the 2.5 range. This story had an interesting beginning and then fizzled out for me very quickly. Somewhere around 15 chapters in, I was ready to give it up and call it a loss. I think it's the fact that the main character, Tally, isn't very likeable... but then again that's their world and they all are brain-washed. Her BFF, Peris, was so much more incredibly annoying (that's the point, though.)But then... since I'd invested a bunch of my time to the book, I decided to keep it going. My reasoning? I'd previously thought the book, "Delirium" had a slow start and I ended up LOVING it.

So right when I was about to give up, it brought me back in! It got interesting and exciting! I started rooting for Tally when previously she didn't have much depth. I loved her romantic interest! And, then I started thinking that it would have probably have been a great read if I knew HIS story from the beginning, because he is so much easier to like.

So to keep score: First part of book: two stars, middle: three and a half stars!... now the ending...

Not as quite as exciting as I think it could have been. The ending felt a bit rushed as if the author was trying to rush things to get to the good part, but then you read up to the last page and find out that the good part must be in the next book. Good thing I already have the book!

Overall: 2.5 stars I want to find out what happens next, so I will read the next book. ($2 book remember?) Does that mean I liked the book? I know that I didn't LOVE it. I didn't HATE it, either. Hmmm... I think it just means that I want to find out what happens next. I don't feel a huge urgency to get to it, but I know I'll go back to it later.



Saturday, September 17, 2011

Across the Universe Review-- Beth Revis



ROMANCE RATING:4/5
OVERALL RATING:   "EXCELLENT" 5/5 Stars
BUY or BORROW: BUY
WOW WOW WOW!

Warning: This review will contain exclamation points and I'll try to hold back shouting. :)


WHAT I LIKED: This book is so different from anything I've read, and I was a bit iffy starting it, because it takes place in space on a ship.  But, hey, I like space.  But, this is the second best book I've read this summer... and to be quite honest, this will probably be one of my favorite books.  I don't know if this will be much of a review, but to give you just my impression of it and I don't want to give anything away.  Sometimes you read a first page, or a first chapter of a book and you are sold. This is one of those books!! The beginning: Amy's POV is both claustrophobic and terrifying. Elder's POV is full of questions. And putting them together has so much unexpectedness that I just don't' want to stop. I don't even have words right now to describe how AMAZING the books is. I love the alternate POV's. The book was impossible to put down, I HAD to know what was going to happen.  There are a few things that seem a bit immature reading, but it's YA and the entire thing isn't that way.  The story is just so fast-paced from the beginning that it never lost my attention.  The romance isn't in your face either, which is very refreshing... still I Also, it made me appreciate that I can go outside anytime at night and see the stars.

All in all let me just say "Shite" you really should "frexing" read it. Two "frexing" thumbs up!!! (that's something you'll get when you read it. So go read it!)

I'm so excited for the next book, it's ridiculous, luckily it will be out early next year! yeah!!


WHAT I DISLIKED: hmmm.... that I got to the end of the book and wanted more?

Monday, September 12, 2011

The Night Circus Review--Erin Morgenstern



ROMANCE RATING: 2/5
OVERALL RATING:   "OKAY" 2.5/5 Stars
BUY or BORROW:  BORROW
This review will not recap the story, but these are the thoughts on the book. 

I really, really wanted to like this book. Everyone and every review (okay maybe not every,) but the majority say that this is the best book in forever. I might be in the unpopular opinion here, but I would have wanted someone to tell me that the book's official summary is misleading. I was lead to believe that this was going to be non-stop action book, by this statement: "...a fierce competition is under way-- a dual between two young magicians..." And... It's not.

WHY I READ IT: I was extremely excited to read it! It has more five star reviews than not, rave reviews, and it has a confirmed film deal. Maybe I shouldn't have know that there was a film deal, because I kept thinking that there was no way for this to be seen on film, and I think w/ the lack of action, it might make people fall asleep. Overall, the book left me with shrugged shoulders. I wouldn't say I regretted reading it, but I wouldn't necessarily say it was enjoyable either.

WHAT I LIKED:
I like the circus setting, the "magic", and at points I was rushing through the pages to see what was happening next, it is well written and there are certain very nice quotes. The imagery and details of the circus were beautiful, but there were somethings I just could not visualize. Maybe that's the point?

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
The book has time jumps that at first make things very confusing. It also introduces many characters at once. I found myself flipping back to see who they were and in what year I was reading. I understand it's done to hold the reader's interest, but it is mostly distracting. It makes the reader feel distant from the characters, at least for me. The characters they introduce are of importance, but I'd rather the story not focus on certain characters to give me more of the characters that mattered to me the most: Celia, Marco, Bailey, Poppet and Widget. Although I cared for these characters, I really felt like I didn't connect as much as I'd like to have. Also, I like reading books with a great romance aspect, and I thought this romance would be of EPIC proportions. It was sweet,
but it is easily forgettable.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Welcome!

We are a blog that was created to sort out the many Dystopian books. We hope to have great discussions and help sort out the good from the fantastic!

The books that started it all for me were the Hunger Games books.  After I read that series, I went on a dystopian kick that had me searching high and low for something of that quality that presented a story that had a great romance.

So, tell me! What was the book or series that made you "hungry" for all things Dystopians?