A Lot Like Dreaming

I like this book but hate that one. I listen to good music but awful music gets stuck in my head all the time.I enjoy a great conversation so talk to me!

 

My blog: http://alotlikedreaming.wordpress.com/

Reblogged from The Book Geek

My heart just melted a bit.

Reblogged from Tina Sandevska

Book Review: Through the Zombie Glass (White Rabbit Chronicles#2)

 

 

good

 

 

I've always been skeptical of sequels because they rarely ever beat the original but, with this novel, I can tell that Gena Showalter put a lot of time making these characters realistic and trustworthy in a way that every single person, not only teenagers want in their lives. This time around, everything seems to matter far more than they did in the first one and I loved how complex yet simple the writing is. Everything has a second meaning and I was excited to return to the world of ghost zombies and the young slayers that kill them.

 

Many authors have trouble balancing out a creative plot with a nicely executed romance and while I do love Cole and Ali's relationship because it's so up and down and bitter-sweet, I found it to be a bit too much at times. Instead of focusing on her painful past and/or the zombies, most pages are full of her romance with Cole and how much he cares for her and is trying not to. I also don't like the ending solely because it's a little too nicely done and gives off the impression that everyone will turn out happy no matter what. I was hoping for one sad thing to happen to the slayers rather than what I received.

 

Ali Bell is quickly becoming a fun protagonist that I don't think I will ever mind reading about. She's tough, determined, and quite the caring person. I especially love the new twist that's added here and how she has to literally face her inner demon and fight for everyone she loves. There's so much action that I never felt bored, especially with the rest of the characters, they held my attention with their quirky remarks and realism that can only come from teens living a rough life.

 

What a fun ride it has been with Ali and her friends! It's so intense and heart-warming with many parts full of some serious zombie slaying as well as lovely chapter titles that give a zombie feel to classic sayings! Through the Zombie Glass is a novel that I recommend to readers who either love zombie books or love tons of action, a steamy romance, and some badass attitude from the protagonist! Now, I'm just dying to find out what the title for the third book will be!

Killer of Enemies

Killer of Enemies - Joseph Bruchac Going into this novel, I was expecting something quite different from what I received (to put it nicely). Joseph Bruchac does create nicely developed monsters, but that's all that he creates that I could actually appreciate. But although I didn't really enjoy this book, I think others will since it's a dystopian novel that has a lot of action and a controlling government because really, who gets tired of those?Straight away, I knew that Killer of Enemies and I were not going to click because of the main character, Lozen. Lozen is a very stuck up person who annoyed me to no end. At every chance Bruchac gets, he reminds us that Lozen is very 'special' and is much better than every other human alive with a few examples being:1. My load weighs more than most men could easily carry. I'm deceptively thin, but few ordinary men are as strong as I am. 2. I heal faster than most, so I should be fine. 3. I can run faster than any other person I've ever met, so it won't take me that long. (Bitch, please. Quit being so damn cocky.)Another thing that annoyed me about Lozen is that she barely talks to anyone but her family and Guy yet, out of nowhere, there's a romance with another guy named Hussein. How does that even work without a solid foundation?  Oh, because it doesn't, that's how. The idea for this story is also pretty typical with the controlling government, pretty random romance that's sloppily done, and the 'special' main character. Without even finishing the book, I knew the ending which ultimately ruins this novel even more.With that being said, Killer of Enemies does have a nicely developed monsters that are a bit different and a bit exciting. Instead of keeping to the typical crazy creatures, these ones are mutations and well as combinations of different animals to make them  and  Lozen is forced to kill them. I also like that there are different allies like a Sasquatch instead of another human. Because humans are typical and not as fun as Big Foot.Overall, this book is not a fun read for me, I could barely finish it and it took me over two weeks just to. Hopefully, other readers will find it amusing more than I did since there is a lot of action and a Sasquatch and crazy monsters that try to kill people. I just found this book not to be one for me unfortunately.
Fallen - Lauren Kate 1.5 or 2 StarsLuce fucking Price is some girl. Everything about her irritated me and her relationship with Daniel who, at many times is a complete asshole to her. He makes her cry, flips her the bird, tells her to shut up, the list goes on. Throughout the novel, there were many chances for Luce to get a backbone and yell at him but she never did nor do I think she does in the whole series. The story itself could have been a lot shorter, for most it, it played out as a contemporary with only a few supernatural things popping up here and there that were sloppily done. Yet, I can't bring myself to give it one star because I liked a few of the secondary characters even though they isn't much character building, I still liked their quirkiness and they, mostly Penn and Arrian, saved this novel from getting a full out one.Full review to come.
Stormdancer  - Jay Kristoff Wow. I'm utterly blown away with this novel and the rich text that Jay Kristoff has written it in. Buruu is one character that, at many times, holds my attention and puts a smile on my face. This is such a lovely novel that t first, is tough to get into but hard to leave when it's over. Stormdancer is written with rich writing and a beautifully done world that I love being in. Unfortunately, the problem with many rich worlds with bounteous description is that the descriptions become irritatingly annoying and I find myself missing simple writing a lot while reading. I've never read a novel about Japanese mythology so I find it hard and annoying to have to constantly check out the glossary for every word that I don't understand (there are many).Nonetheless, the world building is beautiful, the mythical and majestic Buruu feels more than realistic. Yukiko has an awesome gift that's different from all the other characters in other books I've ever read and although not many people have her gift, I like that she's not the only one who has it in the story. I also love the relationship between Buruu and Yukiko because it's well done but I feel like it could have been better since some parts move a little too quickly with their friendship. There's a lot of action and obstacles that help keep the story interesting and fun.All in all, this is a great start to a series that I'll probably read until the very end. And even though most of the characters feel a bit stiff at times, I recommend this to anyone who loves mythology, strong friendships, and a killer heroine.
SYLO - D.J. MacHale 3.5 StarsAfter reading Sylo, I feel like the events that happened to Tucker and his friends could possibly happen to my precious city. That's just how realistic everything in the novel is. The setting is a small town which is typical but the ending made up for that and so did the killer plot. There is a romance in the novel but it takes the back seat the whole time. What I didn't like about the book is that The writing sounds a little too mature for the MC and the constant repetition about 'The First Death' and "We're being left in the dark" etc. after awhile just got really bothersome and I found myself skipping a few pages because that's all they talked about. Anyway, this is such a fun novel! I need to get my hands on Storm and find out what happens to Tori and Tucker and how they get answers!
A Trick of the Light - Lois Metzger 2.5 or 3 starsI think what made this book so interesting is that it's told from the perspective of the illness and how it matures and takes more and more of Mike everytime. It's different and creative, making me feel like I was the illness itself. Unfortunately this novel is barely 200 pages and because of this, it moves far too fast. The characters feel very flimsy and childish, going from best friends to complete enemies in only a matter of days. It's not very realistic. I was also hoping for a more sadistic protagonist who, not only told Mike what to do but told him horrible things about everyone around him. The protagonist albeit creepy, isn't creepy enough for me. I was hoping for a lot more from this book that I just didn't receive. Full review to come.
The Pledge  - Kimberly Derting The Pledge is action packed with intense scenes, exciting dangers, intimidating evil queens, and a swoony love interest that will leave readers breathless. This is a novel everyone will love from the start to the very last page.LOL JUST KDDING.Full review to come.
Ostrich - Matt  Greene This book doesn't make any sense, it doesn't really go in one direction, just kind of in a criss-crossing place that left me with a confused, 'huh?' look on my face by the end. To be honest, I'm still not even sure what the hell I just read is about days later. However,(thanks for the tips, Alex) I don't mind the confusing storyline and the fact that it doesn't really have a point. I'm okay with this because like Alex, I get carried away too easily. I think about useless things that shouldn't matter too much and over-analyze them which is what made me love Alex and the way he thinks things over.Even though I liked the main character, I can't say I liked all of the info-dumping on things I didn't care about at all or even remotely made sense to me. There is such an abundance of information that at the end of a chapter, I felt utterly confused and couldn't remember what was happening in the story before I got all the information on this or on that. With that being said, it's obvious that some parts of Ostrich are disorganized and confusing with the story being mostly about himself and his relationship between Chloe and his parents. Some of the things that I liked about the novel are that Alex is not your typical pre-teen trying to fit in. He's just himself with his obsession over languages, pets, and words just to name a few. It's nice seeing a character that like to question everything around him and find out the answer for everything. Another thing I liked is the writing and how straightforward it is. Reading about Alex and all the things he's learned and is still learning made it easier to accept the writing style being of a pre-teen. The relationship between Alex and Chloe is just so cute. They're confused and young and weird which makes the relationship that more real. When I was thirteen everything was weird, especially boys even though I spent most of my time with them. I understood Chloe and her tactics to spend more time with Alex by doing the dumbest things to become friends with him. Matt Greene does a nice job of creating a story about nothing and trying to make it into something more. Recommended for anyone looking for a light novel before it's time to crack open the textbooks *shudders* and start school. This is not a bad novel, just don't think too much about what's going on and focus on Alex's weirdness.
Fire with Fire - Siobhan Vivian, Jenny Han An eye for an eye. A leg for a leg. A life for a life. Fire With Fire is a novel that I've been looking forward to since I found out the title. Even though I didn't love the first one, Burn For Burn, I actually expected to love this one and all of its petty high school drama and bullshit. But I didn't love this novel, not really. I think I was expecting too much from it, hoping that it would give more information about the popular crowd (mostly Alex) and Mary since I was left wanting to know more about what she really is. The beginning of the story is slow, everything is drawn out especially Mary and her parts. I felt like the authors rushed her parts and only gave me as little as possible information on her.Fire With Fire has quite a few flaws in it. The story could have been a lot shorter instead of being dragged out as much as it is. And I hate to say this and it could just be me and my ADD kicking in but I didn't care about Kat at all. Kat used to be my favourite character, especially during the first book because of her tough attitude and killer confidence, she did whatever she wanted to. But in this one, her nasty attitude seems to falter and her problems albeit important and real to just about every teenager, seem boring and I found myself skimming her chapters to read about Lillia. Han and Vivian try too hard this time around to give Kat a badass appearance that it all feels fake and stiff especially the way Kat spoke. Mary and her problem with Reeve is what really pushes the book forward, but just like with Kat, I had a hard time focusing on Mary and her life because it's very dull and other than stalking people and doing...things, I couldn't bring myself to care when something exciting happens to her. That is until the last chapter! It's so creepy and exciting!I'm actually shocked that I fell in love with Lillia in this book. Over the span of a few months, she's changed and shed her innocent skin and became the person I was hoping she would become--a manipulator. I love it. Her character is a lot more developed and realistic not only proving that she has a good side but a bad one too that knows how to get whatever she wants. I also like for the most part, the writing style because it's fun and very teenage-like. Even thought the relationship between the girls feels a bit stiff, I like it a lot. The way they interact with each other makes it relatable for other people to think about their own friendships and also, it's sweet.Something is just off about Fire With Fire. It lacks the pranks and fun the other book had and two of the characters take the back seat for the better half of the novel. Nonetheless I liked it, there are many parts (mostly Lillia involved) are exciting and evil. The plan to get Reeve to experience what a broken heart feels like is brilliant and dark that also leads to something darker and life changing for just about everyone on the island. I recommend this to anyone who has read the first one or anyone who likes Pretty Little Liars and enjoys teenage dramas that a little too sinister to be just fun pranks.
Insurgent  - Veronica Roth 2.5 or 3 starsI was not expecting this. Insurgent is good, not as good as the first one but it's still a nice novel. But it's so slow, and even during the action packed parts, the writing makes it seem like everything is happening in slow motion or some sort of play that rich people watch. Nothing about it sounds like a young girl struggling with the lines of life and death and where she wants to go. It just sounds so planned out and boring. Hopefully the last one is better.Full review to come.
The Distance Between Us - Kasie West This is so cute! I LOVE Caymen's dry humour, it kept me laughing and even got my friend (a non-reader) itching to get her hands on my copy!Review to come.
The Uprising - Lisa M. Stasse Oh, The Uprising is such a mess, it really is. Once I opened the novel, I was hurled into paragraph after paragraph of info-dumping about what happened in the first book. Not a good way to try to impress me, novel. The most important events in this book are very predictable, with only one detail, I knew exactly who was the monk, what would happen with Alenna and her gang, and the ending. I was kind of expecting The Uprising to be a let-down, but I didn't think it would ever be worse than the first one. The romance is unbelievable this time around. Alenna and Liam are always touching each other and talking only to each other. They're together so much that I honestly think Liam wipes Alenna's ass as well. It's ridiculous that it's funny. Yes, it's funny to read about their romance because it's unrealistic and stupid. Lisa M. Stasse tries very hard to make Alenna and Liam into likable, caring leaders but it's obvious that these two only care about each other and no one else. Since all they do is talk to each other. Alenna as a character is boring and annoying, her need to be with Liam and fight for him made me laugh. She's nothing special, I don't understand why everyone loves her. Also, Liam is a blank canvas, nothing, nothing is even remotely interesting about him. Not even his, 'piercing blue eyes'. I like the cover, it's so pretty! Yup, that's about all I liked about this book.Lisa M. Stasse has created such a boring series. No doubt, there are times that I thought this series could have been great, with action packed scenes and an adorable romance. But instead, everything is contrived and boring, too forceful to even try to enjoy. And the romance is *shudders* I can't even. Don't read this unless you're willing to lose some brain cells. If I decide to read the third book, I'm sure as hell not doing that sober.
Sweet Peril - Wendy Higgins 3 or 3.5 stars!This series has just about everything that annoys me in it--whiny MC, overrated love triangle, 'the chosen one' who isn't very special, etc. But the thing is, I love it. I actually ENJOY this series! Very little actually pisses me off about this series and I like to call it one of my guilty pleasures. In Sweet Peril, Anna is a lot whinier than she was in the first one, constantly thinking about Kaidan and not enough on the tasks at hand. I felt just about ready to smack her a few times, but that's not why I'm giving it such a 'meh' rating. It has to do with the ending and how melodramatic it is. There's a great penultimate chapter and then just a 'meh' ending which drove me insane. But, I did like the characters a little more this time around even though Jay isn't around most of the novel. Full review to come.
Running Lean - Diana L. Sharples Calvin:*Talks to best friend about bikes*Stacey: *Cries* I love Calvin but he doesn't even notice me anymoreCalvin: Please eat something, I miss you.Stacey:*Screams* You don't understand! Get out of my life! *Cries*Calvin: I'm so sorry I made you mad. Stacey: *Cries some more* You don't understand. I hate you.*Runs back towards Calvin still crying* I'm sorry I got mad. I love you so much!(repeat for rest of novel) Running Lean is so boring. Both of the main characters are stiff and whiny, Stacey cries over every little thing Calvin does and Calvin always caves and they both say sorry far too much. Honestly, I thought this would get better and something interesting would happen but nothing cool happens and Diana L. Sharples poorly executes getting a teenage girl's voice right. Through the whole book (of what I've read), Stacey sounds like a whiny, annoying pre-teen instead of a sixteen/seventeen year old girl. Calvin is supposed to be going through a rough time as well but very little actually proves his problems. His brother died and there are only few moments where Calvin shows sadness because of it. His life pretty much surrounds Stacey and her problem which is fine but I was promised more than that.

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