Category: - Children's Corner

The Coldest Girl in Cold Town Book Review

3/13/2016

Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. And once you pass through Coldtown's gates, you can never leave.

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself. - Blurb from Amazon

Aside from Twilight, I haven't read many vampire fiction stories. I think a part of me had enough of reading blurb after blurb about some kind of vampire story, so I never bothered. When I picked this book up, I was a bit hesitant. I like Holly Black and so her name alone was what made me want to read it. And I will say, I liked it.

I liked that it wasn't a vampire origin story, so to speak. Tana didn't want to become a vampire and even when she was bitten, she still fought the urge as much as she could. She saw the damage vampirism had first hand on her family and it wasn't something she wanted to bring back to them.

I liked that this was mostly a survivor story with vampires simply being the backdrop of it. Tana wanted more for her life than that and even through the allure of it, with Gavriel around, she stayed true to herself and I admire that.

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Sisterhood Everlasting Book Review

2/7/2016

Four friends
One sisterhood
Ten years later, the story continues

On the cusp of turning thirty, Tibby, Lena, Carmen, and Bridget are now living separate lives, out on their own. Yet despite having jobs and men that they love, each knows that something is missing: the closeness that once sustained them. - Blurb from Amazon

I knew the second I heard about this book, I wanted to read it, but time always got in the way. The ABC Family (now Freeform) started playing the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movies back to back one Easter weekend. ABC Family is good for that. Something told me I needed to finally pick up the book and I am glad I did.

I instantly started remembering the first time read this story, comparing the four girls with my high school friends and I. Who was Tibby, Lena, and Bee. I, of course, was Carmen, the Puerto Rican writer with daddy issues. I am after all a September, born of the first of the month.

It was nice visiting with the sisterhood again, even if that one tragic moment made me cry.

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Mockingjay Book Review

1/17/2016

And we have made it. Below is my review of the final Hunger Games movie, Mockingjay Part II. As such, I have left this review up for your reading pleasure

This book was previously reviewed by me as well as my old book club. So here is both:

My Review
By the time Mockingjay opens, Peeta was captured by the Capital, District 12 was blown up and District 13 wants Katniss to be the face of the rebellion.

This final book does a nice job closing the loop on character's storyline, which is what you want in a conclusion. For starters, you get to see more of Gale in this book. With the previous ones, it was all about Katniss and Peeta, even though Gale was a choice she had to make. In this book, you saw more of him as well as Katniss with him. Seeing him allowed readers to understanding the ending and why Katniss made the choice she made. It was also the choice I wanted her to make.

Collins also reworked Peeta. Peeta was tortured by the capital causing him to turn on Katniss. He was down right cruel sometimes and totally out of character for him. She really tried to make the reader hate him and in some cases I'm sure it worked. I never doubted him though.

The most surprising part was the ending, a true Shakespeare paradox. The one thing that causes Katniss to board this rollercoster ride of the Hunger Games is the one thing she couldn't stop from happening in the end. The fate or destiny of it all.

My Book Club
It's no surprise, Mockingjay was a hit. Overall, we loved it. We couldn't stop talking about it. I think we could have gone all night if there was time. There were a few downsides. Some of us thought it was the lesser of the three. The first two had more adventure, better written, etc. Others thought scenes with Katniss were a cop-out. The first two books had her in the thick of things. She was front row and center for all the action and drama. In this book, she missed the important moments, like the final attack on the capital. What was that all about?

We liked the closing. Felt it was true to the story and true to the characters. Speaking of characters, we had our favorites: Haymitch, of course. He was a favorite to most of us and we laughed at his shenanigans. Some of us liked Boggs. He was a new character introduced in this third book but he was a good character and a good man. We also did the who Peeta vs. Gale debate. We felt she was better suited with Peeta in the end. Gale was hot headed just like Katniss. Katniss needed a calmer influence and Peeta was perfect.

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Catching Fire Book Review

11/15/2015

With Mockingjay Part II movie coming out in November, I have decided to review all the previous Hunger Game books, and their movie counterpart (look below), in preparation for the conclusion to this YA franchise. So here is my review of the second book in the series.

The second book in the hunger games series pretty much mirrored the first: life before the games, the action packed plot of the games and the uncertainty of what life will be like after the games. But, there was definately some interesting additions and twists. Let's break this up into the three categories:

Life before the games
In one word: strained. Relationships are strained due to the games, the districts are strained due to the capital and with the new plot addition of the Victory Tour, the 3 victors are strained due to the threat of President Snow. Add in the uprising that is starting, the fact that Katniss has to go back into the arena (a twist) and the new head peacemaker in town and life in district 12 is more than strained.

The Action Packed Plot of the Games
I am starting with the chariot rides, because as far as the tributes go, this is where the games begin. As with the first book, this is the fastest moving part of the story. We meet the tributes, but this time there is no pretense, no need to hide ones ability and keep secrets. Everyone knows each other's strengths and weeknesses, so it's about making allies and showing off your skills. But the stakes are higher this time around. Not just for the tributes but for the capital as well as the tributes are all pissed. Cages animals tend to fight.

The Uncertainty of Life after the Games
If the end of book one was uncertain, than book two is beyond that. No District 12, the introduction of District 13, half the victors captured by the Capital including Peeta. What does this mean for the final book in the series.

All in all, what I love most about this series thus far, expesially with this book, is the humor Suzanne Collins mixes in with the drama. The sudden jokes "I'd love to borrow your outfit sometime", "I'm about to put in a formal request myself". The pranks "Put our faces right in front of his." The humor lightens the story and makes it feel real. Life is about the laughter along with the crying.

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If I Stay/Where She Went Book Reviews

9/6/2015

I really enjoyed this duo. Reading the first book was so heart breaking, I had to keep myself from crying on the train. The second book was great in answering the question that I inevitably had when I finished the first book: What happens to Mia and Adam?

I love it when I can read a story like theirs and get that swoon "teen romance" feeling. I totally got that with Mia and Adam, especially in the second book when they rekindled the magic they had. But, what I really liked about this duo, is the fact that the first book was through Mia's point of view and the second was through Adam's. I understand why and I think it really worked. It's nice when you can see into the head of more than one character, especially when dealing with the kind of tragic event they both had. I was glad to see their story blossom.

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Young Adult Book Series Just One Day Book Review

8/10/2015

Allyson Healey's life is exactly like her suitcase—packed, planned, ordered. Then on the last day of her three-week post-graduation European tour, she meets Willem. A free-spirited, roving actor, Willem is everything she’s not, and when he invites her to abandon her plans and come to Paris with him, Allyson says yes. This uncharacteristic decision leads to a day of risk and romance, liberation and intimacy: 24 hours that will transform Allyson’s life. - Blurb from Amazon.com for Just One Day.

I have always enjoyed Gayle Forman’s books. I was a big fan of the If I stay/Where She Went series and I am a fan of this series as well. I love the concept of fate and destiny. I am a firm believer that there are multiple destinies out there for you and the one you end up with will be based on the choices you make. It’s the aspect of this series I enjoyed the most. I enjoyed how Forman played around with the idea of destiny and expanded on it. There were moments where the characters just went with it and moments where they made choices to lead them down their paths.

What I have also liked about Forman’s series, is the duel point of views but in separate books. I find it hard sometimes when an author choices to jump POVs back and forth in the same book. I tend to get lost sometimes and can’t remember which POV I am following in that chapter. I get showing the two sides of one story and I do like that idea, but what makes it work for Forman is that she choices to tell the stories in their own book giving each POV the attention they deserve and need. I get the bigger picture that way.

As for the story itself, it’s pretty straight forward: boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, they separate in some way and then they come back together again. It’s a formula that’s common. It’s up to the author to out a spin on it and Gayle Forman did just that.

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What Happened to Goodbye Book Review

7/13/2015

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. - Blurb from Amazon.com

There's just something about Sarah Dessen. She definitely has a format to her writing, but it's a format that works for her. The last book I read of hers was Along for the Ride I couldn't help but noticed some of the similarities between that book and What Happened to Goodbye.

First you have the new girl, this is the girl that comes to a town she's never been before and tries to assimilate herself. The difference is that McClean tries to hide her true identity. Second you have the all-knowing boy. This is the boy that the girl finds herself attracted to and learns from him. She fights the attraction at first but then she accepts it and goes with the flow. In the end this relationship is what changes her, it's what makes her a better version of herself.

Next are the random friends. These are the group of kids that she finds herself enjoying their company. These friends show her a life outside of being a loner. They show her that true friendship has meaning. Last are the parents. There's the father. This father is sort of a loner to the girl but she truly loves the father and really wants to make it work. Then there's the mother. In both instances the mother is the outsider to the daughter. The relationship is turbulent, but in the end the daughter learns to accept her mother, to love her mother for who she is.

In the end it becomes a little predictable, but what draws you into it is the nostalgia of it. Being an adult reading the young adult novel, it brings me back to my high school years to my teenage years and it makes me smile. This is why I think this formula works.

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Every Day Book Review

6/7/2015

There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.
It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day. - Blurb from Amazon.com

I thought this was an interesting concept for a book. What I like at first was that the story started in the middle of “A’s” journey. By the time we meet “A”, s/he has already been living this life of jumping into a new body every day. Therefore, it’s us as readers who have to catch-up to what’s happening.

While some of the plot points were traditional of contemporary stories: teenager falls in love, then there’s drama, until a conclusion is realized. But what made the traditional different was the concept. “A” loves this girl regardless as to what body s/he was in and while female bodies were difficult for Rhiannon; she becomes to realize that it’s not the body that matters, but the soul within. Can we truly love someone no matter what? I think this story touches upon that theme with grace and dignity.

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Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children Book Review

5/3/2015

A horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive. - Blurb from book

This story kind of reminded me of Big Fish. A father, or in this case a grandfather, tells these fantastical stories to his grandson. As a child, the grandson believes him, but as the kid grows up, he starts to doubt his grandfather's stories. Until one day, the grandson inadvertently meets the people with whom his grandfather's stories are about and finally believes.

I think what sets the book apart are the photographs mixed throughout the pages. When I first heard of this story and the technique used by the author to tell this story with photographs, I was intrigued. I picked up this book wanted to see how the author accomplished this task. I have to say, he did a good job with it.

I enjoyed the weird photos and constantly found myself flipping back to them to compare the kids descriptions with the corresponding photo. They were just quirky enough to work but not be too over the top.

The story was interesting as well. I did get lost in the story wanting to find out what happens to Jacob and the peculiar children. Guess I'll have to read the sequel.

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Deadly Little Secrets Book Review

4/1/2015

Until three months ago, sixteen-year-old Camelia’s life had been fairly ordinary. Then a mysterious boy named Ben started junior year at her school and changed everything. - Blurb from book

Camelia is being stalked. I can say that without giving anything away. And while I do believe that teenagers tend to keep the serious stuff to themselves, even though they shouldn't, I would have liked to have seen what could happened if she did tell her parents. I didn't like that the reason she didn't was because her parents were dealing with their own crises. Yes, that does happen, but I wonder what she would have done if her parents were completely available to her. Would Camelia have made the same choice?

I also had a hard time seeing Camelia and Ben as an item. I felt like their chemistry wasn't really defined and am hoping it gets developed more in the next book.

As someone who likes supernatural stories, I did enjoy the wholePsychometric thing. It’s not something I've read in other YA books, so it brings a new element to the story.

I do believe this story is a good read. I found myself quickly turning the pages to get to the next scene and debating in my head who the stalker could be. I am also curious to see where the series go especially with the hints that Camelia may have some abilities of her own.

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