Sunday, April 14, 2013

Book Reviews: Zeb and the Great Ruckus, The Fault in Our Stars, and Beauty Queens

Hi everyone. I finish reading a few books so I wanted to write reviews on them. I tried to keep these reviews *spoiler free* so that you all can enjoy the books to its fullest. Let's begin.

Zeb and the Great Ruckus

Author: Josh Donellan
ISBN: 9780987232533
Format: e-book from NetGalley (thanks Odyssey Books)

About: (from Goodreads)

“This is a story made from pieces of all the dreams that you had when you were asleep, but then forgot when you woke up.”

Hello! You are reading this in order to determine whether or not this book will be of interest to you! Well, congratulations, you obviously have fabulous taste! Zeb and the Great Ruckus is a story about magic, music, fireworks, bewilderbeasts, clockwork birds and weaponised toffee. It has some funny bits, some scary bits, some sad bits, and a rather large bit about a cave-dwelling ruttersnarl which we would tell you about but we don’t want to give away the ending. If you like the sounds of any or all of the above, then this is the book for you! If you would rather read a complete history of European haberdashery, please consult your local book emporium

My thoughts:
Zeb and the Great Ruckus is a middle grade read that’s charming and fun. I love story of kids traveling on a quest so this book fits my range perfectly. Zeb, the main character, lives in a city without beautiful music. He and his female friend Flip will go on an adventure to bring back the music in order to get rid of the bad guys. Zeb has a nice charisma in him and Flip is very outspoken. They are really fun to read about. The book has a simple premise and it’s a fast read. I also really like the different monsters and the illustrations. I wish there were more adventures in the middle but it was about the right size for a middle grade read. I like how the story ends. I would recommend it to those who love to read a fun fantasy adventure.

The Fault in our Stars
Author: John Green
ISBN: 0525478817 Format: Book

About: (from Goodreads) Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumors in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tay kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind

My thoughts: The Fault in our Stars is one of those absolutely heart wrenching feel good kind of a book. John Green did a great job of introducing us to Hazel and Gus. Hazel was able to change because of Gus and Gus was able to find a special meaning to live because of Hazel. This book is such a great book. I was tearing the second half of it. I love how the story flow and the interactions between the two. In addition, the romance in the book is great. Gus is such a romantic and Hazel is such a luck girl. These two were one of the best couple I’ve ever read about. The book has a great twist and unexpected ending. I highly recommend this book.

Beauty Queen

Author: Libba Bray
ISBN: 0439895979
Format: Audio book read by Libba Bray (she’s awesome)

About: Miss teen dream contestants got into a plane crash and was left stranded on a deserted island. They have to work together to survive the dangers of the jungles, pirates, and terrorist organizations.

My thoughts:
This was the first Libba Bray book I listen to. I find Beauty Queens entertaining and funny. There were pop culture references, stereotypical clichés, and even random commercials squeeze into this one book. The miss teen contestants were fun and unique. I love how Libba explore the girls’ personalities and how they came to be. There’re lots of surprises in Beauty Queen that I didn’t expect. For example, the addition of the pirates and the crazy terrorist was really unexpected but so funny. It’s great to read about how the girl survive and how they work together to achieve something great. All in all, Beauty Queens was a blast to listen to. It was a fantastic audio book and a great read.

Audio book thoughts:
Libba is a great reader. She was able to voice each of her characters differently with different accents and different vocal tones. Her reading was really funny. My favorite voice would probably be Tiara because she’s bubbly, innocent, and so nonchalant about the world.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Being Henry David

Being Henry DavidBeing Henry David by Cal Armistead

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I first thought this book was going to have supernatural elements in it but it was more realistic. It's a really good book. The mystery of who Hank was kept me reading on the whole time. The different characters(Jack, Ness, Hailey, Thomas, and etc.) in this book were great and I really like the romance in it too. I think this is the fourth YA book I read that had music involvement in it. Maybe it's popular lately. The book was fast pace in the beginning and in the middle it kind of slow down and it picked up again toward the end. Reading this book makes me want to go read Walden. There are times where you want to escape the hectic world and the idea appreciating the nature and simplicity of life is just grand. It got a bit sad toward the end and we get to see who Hank really was but The story it wrapped up really well and I really enjoyed it.




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Eleanor & Park Review

Eleanor & ParkEleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Really adorable story. Eleanor & Park is a cute romantic love story about two unlikely teens with their own inferior complex who comes together to create a beautiful relationship. Although it's set in the 80's, you can still feel that their story can happen in the present day. It made me reminisce about my high school days (mine was the 90's)and the teen angst that was going on. The characters were believable. I really adored Park's character. He's just a very nice, kind, and caring person. It's great to see him being able to see how much he loves Eleanor. His Korean mom was funny and his American dad was interesting too. As for Eleanor, I find that she has too much of an inferiority complex due to her physical appearance and her social status. She has a strong personality and she doesn't want to conform with the crowd which I like but she had to face many unfortunate circumstances that made me feel for her. The plot of the story was great. I like the flow of the story. Overall, Rainbow Rowell did an excellent job in this book. I'm looking forward to her next title.



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The Madman's Daughter Review

The Madman's Daughter (The Madman's Daughter, #1)The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I've heard of The Island of Doctor Moreau and I thought The Madman's Daughter was a great twist to the story. What if Moreau has a child? What if she came to live with him in the crazy island. I thought this book was a really good start for a trilogy. Lots of unexpected secrets and plot twist going on. I like Juliet's character. Her body may be fragile but she has a strong heart and a kind soul with a little madman's blood from her father. It's unfortunate that she ended up escaping to an even more dangerous environment than before. But that was where her father and Montgomery was. The people who can protect her. Montgomery, her childhood servant boy, was a charming character and any girl would fall for for him. There were things that he had to hide from her but you can tell that he cared for her. Also there was Edward, the young man she found in the sea, who was an interesting character. He's mysterious and exude both good and evil aura. Therefore, a love triangle was form in the story and the romance begins. Lastly, Dr. Moreau is just insane. As you progress into the book, you will see how the situation become unexpected and the murderer can be anyone. The last half of the book was terrifying and exciting and the ending left me wanting more. The ending was unexpected and I'm really looking forward to see what will happen next.



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