Saturday, October 26, 2013

Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins Review


Title: Spell Bound
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Published: March 13th 2012

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Hailed as “impossible to put down,” the Hex Hall series has both critics and teens cheering. With a winning combination of romance, action, magic and humor, this third volume will leave readers enchanted.

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?

My thoughts:

I was smiling when I finished reading this book. Hex Hall was a great series to read. Spell Bound provided closure to all the questions I had in the previous books. Sophie evolve into a mature character but still with a little bit of her sarcastic remarks left. Also more back story of her mother was reveal in this book and more information about her love interest Archer Cross too. The identities of the Bannicks were reveal. They were not as Amazonian warrior like I thought they would be.

The love triangle in this story was nicely balance and not overwhelming. Sophie was wavering between Archer and Cal but she did decide on who she wanted to be with at the end..>o<.. Although I like the final battle with the baddies but it was kind of quick. It'd be awesome if it was extended. Sophie had to make a surprising decision at the end that can change her life too. Overall, Spell Bound was entertaining and provide a good ending to the series. I'll definitely check out other works by Rachel Hawkins.

Friday, October 25, 2013

Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins Review


Title: Demon Glass (Hex Hall book #2)
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Published: March 22nd 2011

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch. That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (a.k.a. witches, shape-shifters, and faeries). But then she discovered the family secret, and the fact that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth.

Turns out, Sophie's a demon, one of only two in the world-the other being her father. What's worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will either destroy her powers for good-or kill her.

But once Sophie arrives, she makes a shocking discovery. Her new housemates? They're demons too. Meaning, someone is raising demons in secret, with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they're using Archer to do it. But it's not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?

My Thoughts:

Demonglass was pretty good. I was hoping for a funny and quirky story because of Sophie's sarcasm in Hex Hall. It was funny but I think she was a bit too snarky in this one. In Demonglass, Sophie was trying to find way to remove her demon power but there's a price for it. She got to travel to England for the summer with her BFF Jenna and Cal(who will play an important role in her life) to be with her father + meet the council. There were two demon teens Nick and Daisy introduce in this book who will help her learn to be a demon. There was a bit of bonding moments between her and her father too.

With the second book came a love triangle. While Archer, her crush(worst enemy), was on the run, another man came into her life. Sophie had to figure out what type of relationship she'll have with Cal. I was really glad there wasn't too much teen angst in this book. The only hard part was that Cal was such a nice person too. In addition, there was more back story of how demon were made and some dangerous grimoire that had been locked up in the library. There were twist and turn which keep you guessing who is good and who is evil. Overall, a great continuation for the Hex Hall series.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

The Eye of Minds by James Dashner Review


Title: The Eye of Minds
Author: James Dashner
Published: October 8th 2013

Goodreads synopsis:

An all-new, edge-of-your seat adventure from James Dashner, the author of the New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series, The Eye of Minds is the first book in The Mortality Doctrine, a series set in a world of hyperadvanced technology, cyberterrorists, and gaming beyond your wildest dreams . . . and your worst nightmares.

Michael is a gamer. And like most gamers, he almost spends more time on the VirtNet than in the actual world. The VirtNet offers total mind and body immersion, and it’s addictive. Thanks to technology, anyone with enough money can experience fantasy worlds, risk their life without the chance of death, or just hang around with Virt-friends. And the more hacking skills you have, the more fun. Why bother following the rules when most of them are dumb, anyway?

But some rules were made for a reason. Some technology is too dangerous to fool with. And recent reports claim that one gamer is going beyond what any gamer has done before: he’s holding players hostage inside the VirtNet. The effects are horrific—the hostages have all been declared brain-dead. Yet the gamer’s motives are a mystery.

The government knows that to catch a hacker, you need a hacker.
And they’ve been watching Michael. They want him on their team.
But the risk is enormous. If he accepts their challenge, Michael will need to go off the VirtNet grid. There are back alleys and corners in the system human eyes have never seen and predators he can’t even fathom—and there’s the possibility that the line between game and reality will be blurred forever.

My Thoughts:

This book is a quick read for me. It's engaging and the I love the idea of going into a MMORPG and having to face an enemy that could leave you dying in the real world. I've read a few books and seen a few shows with similar concept but James Dashner takes it and make it refreshing and fun at the same time. Michael is a bit of a trouble maker in the virtual world and with his friends Bryson and Sarah, they are a bunch of misfits. Each characters is relateable and their strong points shines throughout the book. 

As for world building, the VirNet is advance and the idea of coding was intriguing. I love the different type of game worlds that exist in the book. I think it'd be cool if there was more backstory of the game existence in the later books. Kaine was an interesting bad guy. Very is little is known about him. It is fun to see the kids trying to find Kaine. There was a lot of twist at the end that makes me want to read the next book. The Eye of Minds is definitely worth a read. 

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Life After Theft by Aprilynne Pike Review

Title: Life After Theft
Author: Aprilynne Pike
Published: April 30th 2013

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Moving to a new high school sucks. Especially a rich-kid private school. With uniforms. But nothing is worse than finding out the first girl you meet is dead. And a klepto.

No one can see or hear Kimberlee except Jeff, so--in hopes of bringing an end to the snarkiest haunting in history--he agrees to help her complete her "unfinished business." But when the enmity between Kimberlee and Jeff's new crush, Sera, manages to continue posthumously, Jeff wonders if he's made the right choice.

My thoughts:

Life After Theft was a fun read. It's a fast pace paranormal YA with a contemporary feel that involves a male protagonist. Jeff, the main character, didn't know what he got himself into when he met the teenage ghost girl(Kim) at his new school. Being the kind person that he is and the only person who can see Kim, he ended up helping her in a quest to let her move on. I find Jeff's interaction with Kim really humorous because they always argue with each other. Both of the characters are relatable. Kim may seem like a snotty rich girl but she's very sensitive on the inside. Their attempts to returned the items Kim has stolen is amusing. They'd go to stores and different people's locker and return the items. There was also Khail, Kim's crush, who got involve in their scheme too. Sera is also a great complex character that Jeff falls in love with. This book also serious moments which made the story really interesting. The backstory of each characters is great and I sort of tear up at the end. Life After Theft has lots of secrets as well as a good twist. Definitely a great read.

Also...

If you would like to read about about Kim's last day before she dies, check out the prequel novella: One Day More

Thursday, October 3, 2013

The Giver by Lois Lowry Review


Title: The Giver
Author: Lois Lowry
Published: April 26th 1993

Summary from Goodreads:

Jonas' world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community. When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.

My Thoughts:

I've always wanted to read The Giver ever since I was young but I never had a chance to. I've heard lots of people praising it and now I finally know why people liked it so much. The story is set in a dystopian world where children get assign job/roles as they turned the age of twelve. The main character of this book, Jonas, is turning twelve soon and he's nervous on what job he'll be assign for the rest of his life.

Jonas' character seem out of the norm. He sees things others don't and he began to question his beliefs. His family are very loving and yet they are not able to express their feelings well because very limited emotions and ideas are prohibited in the community. To his amaze, he was chose to be the next Giver. As Jonas trained with the current Giver, a world of vast information flooded through him, which made him question the community even more. Concepts like colors, war, pain, and lying was nonexistent in the community and Jonas now knows about it and feels it all at once. Will he be able to handle it? Or will he find a way out...

The world building in this story may be minimal but it does explain a lot about why the people in the community act the way they do. I find it similar to 1984 where people have a specific tasks and roles to follow without question the authorities or else they face the consequences. I was a bit confuse about the ending but overall The Giver is a great book to read. I recommend everyone give it a try if they'd like to read something that's different.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Reboot by Amy Tintera Review


Title: Reboot
Author: Amy Tintera
Published: May 7th 2013
ISBN:
0062217070


Summary from Goodreads:

Five years ago, Wren Connolly was shot three times in the chest. After 178 minutes she came back as a Reboot: stronger, faster, able to heal, and less emotional. The longer Reboots are dead, the less human they are when they return. Wren 178 is the deadliest Reboot in the Republic of Texas. Now seventeen years old, she serves as a soldier for HARC (Human Advancement and Repopulation Corporation).

Wren’s favorite part of the job is training new Reboots, but her latest newbie is the worst she’s ever seen. As a 22, Callum Reyes is practically human. His reflexes are too slow, he’s always asking questions, and his ever-present smile is freaking her out. Yet there’s something about him she can’t ignore. When Callum refuses to follow an order, Wren is given one last chance to get him in line—or she’ll have to eliminate him. Wren has never disobeyed before and knows if she does, she’ll be eliminated, too. But she has also never felt as alive as she does around Callum.

My Thoughts:

Reboot was really good. It has awesome action scenes and the pacing was fast. Due to my current crave of reading zombies related book, I came to think of the reboot people kind of like zombies but more human looking and with regenerative powers. They were treated like robotic soldiers for the humans' benefits. Wren is the strongest reboot who doesn't show emotion until she met Callum, the weakest reboot who died 22 minutes before he rebooted. It's great to see Wren having more human feelings as she trained and interacted with Callum. Each missions they work together on help the pair get closer and Wren began to question if she is doing the right thing. The action and the romance complement each other in this book.

The world building was good and it was not overloaded by lengthy back story. The book talked a bit about a war between humans and reboots and how the reboots have lost, which caused them to be used as weapons by the humans. The idea of farming reboots for weapons comes into mine. Later in the book there are secrets reveal about what HARC is doing to the reboots and what happen to those who escape. Thus, Wren will have to decide if she should stay and work for HARC or escape with Callum. Reboot is exciting and it will grab one's attention quickly. The ending makes me wants to know what happens next.