Sunday, April 20, 2014

REVIEW: Panic by Lauren Oliver


(Synopsis)
Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.

For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

My Rating: 3.5/5 stars 

My Review:
Okay, so I don't normally like to give such low ratings but I really think it was only a 3.5. When I first started reading Panic I thought it was a bit slow, granted she was story building but it could have had a lot more. It begins with the actual game of Panic starting and then it goes to right before the game starts so it's kind of confusing. I do like the way she wrote Heather and Dodge's POV because they were both very different but also very much the same. They both lived in crap houses with family issues, but Dodge was used to moving around all the time and Heather had been stuck in Carp all her life.

Initially, Heather was not supposed to play Panic, but everyone has a reason to compete. Dodge played for revenge. Natalie, Heathers annoying friend, played for the money. (I'm not really sure why though because she was richer than Heather and Dodge..??) And Bishop, the side friend that kind of like LOVES Heather, doesn't play at all but he definitely has something to do with the game. That's another thing I really enjoyed, all the plot twists and the revealing of the rounds of Panic. There were definitely some times when I'd start to speed read because I was getting so into it and as I was finishing off the book, my heart was beating so fast because of the intensity of the story!

As an over all review I'd say: read it. Yes it starts out kind of slow but as the story goes on and the game continues, you can't put it down! Lauren Oliver has done it yet again, she has written another story that you can't help but love. If you enjoyed any of her other novels such as Delirium, or Before I fall, then I suggest picking up this over all great read!

About Lauren Oliver:


Lauren Oliver comes from a family of writers and so has always (mistakenly) believed that spending hours in front of the computer every day, mulling over the difference between “chortling” and “chuckling,” is normal. She has always been an avid reader. 

She attended the University of Chicago, where she continued to be as impractical as possible by majoring in philosophy and literature. After college, she attended the MFA program at NYU and worked briefly as the world’s worst editorial assistant, and only marginally better assistant editor, at a major publishing house in New York. Her major career contributions during this time were flouting the corporate dress code at every possible turn and repeatedly breaking the printer. Before I Fall is her first published novel. 

She is deeply grateful for the chance to continue writing, as she has never been particularly good at anything else.


(Azelyn) 


Thursday, April 17, 2014

COVER REVEAL: The Revenge of Seven by Pittacus Lore

            The cover for the 5th Lorien Legacies book is out!!


What do you guys think?? Why do you think it has grass on it? I think its because of Marina and her Legacies of healing plants/people. Though, it would have been cool if it was like ice or something since she recently developed that Legacie. And I hope that *spoiler* she figures out a way to bring eight back, BECAUSE THEY'RE MY OTP. Anyways if you guys haven't read any of these books, then you seriously need to get your priorities together. 

(Synopsis)
The worst was supposed to be over. We were reunited after a decade apart. We were discovering the truth of our past. We were training and getting stronger every day. We were even happy...

We never imagined the Mogodorians could turn one of our own against us. We were fools for trusting Five. And now Eight is lost forever. I would do anything to bring him back, but that's impossible. Instead, I will do whatever it takes to destroy every last one of them.

I've spent my entire life hiding from them, and they've stolen everything away from me. But that stops now. We're going to take the battle to them. We have a new ally who knows their weaknesses. And I finally have the power to fight back.

They caught Number One in Malaysia.

Number Two in England.

Number Three in Kenya.

And Number Eight in Florida.

They killed them all.

I am Number Seven.

I will make them pay.

About Pittacus Lore:



Pittacus Lore is Lorien's ruling Elder. He has been on Earth for the last twelve years, preparing for the war that will decide Earth's fate. His whereabouts are unknown. 

Learn More at: http://www.iamnumberfourfans.com

(Azelyn)

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

REVIEW: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

[Synopsis]
Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.

She’s wrong.


This book was not what I was expecting at all. I was thinking more along the lines of young nobody becomes a heroine when she makes an amazing discovery. But no, Mara is not your typical girl, who has friendship issues and feels like she doesn't fit in. She's so much more than that. She has been through a horrific accident and has somehow survived. Now she has to move and starts suffering from PTSD. Mara also starts seeing things that shouldn't be there, and thinks that weird "coincidences" keep happening to her. Just when she thinks things can't get worse, Noah Shaw strolls right into her life. As the British school hottie, Mara thinks he would never notice her. Yet, why does he have such and interest in Mara and seems to know more about her than she does? 


The way Michelle Hodkin sets up Mara's life is very different, she makes it about something not every teen goes through. It makes you think how scary it would be to live Mara's life, having to take pills to be "normal" and being treated as an insane person. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is not like any book I have ever read, yes people may compare it to several stories but I think it is truly original, and must be read! 


P.S. Noah Shaw is MINE. :) 


About Michelle Hodkin: 



At the age of sixteen, Michelle Hodkin lost the rights to her soul in a poker game with pirates just south of Natchez. Shortly thereafter, she joined an acting troupe and traveled the world performing feats of wonder and mischief. She has been seen on stages nationwide and earned rave reviews for her one woman performance of Titus Andronicus before writing the New York Times bestselling Mara Dyer Trilogy. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and its sequel, The Evolution of Mara Dyer are available now, and the third book in the trilogy, The Retribution of Mara Dyer, hits shelves in 2014. Michelle currently lives with her three pets and may or may not be a reliable narrator of her own life. 


You can visit her online at:
http://www.michellehodkin.com

[Azelyn]