Reading Round Up #2 - week 19

Last week I read 2 books but both I didn't finish. Mainly because they had to be back at the library and I couldn't renew them. Do you know those times when you have books on hold and none come through for weeks, and then suddenly they all came through at once? Well that is what happened here and I just couldn't keep up. Which books did I read?

First I read Everybody has Everything by Katrina Onstad. I came across this book on a blog, but I can't remember which one. Normally it wouldn't been have a book what I would have picked up, but the review sounded interesting and made me curious. Ana and James seem to have the perfect life but then their best friends have a car accident, leaving Marcus dead and Sarah in a coma. Unexpectedly they become the legal guardians of their 2.5 year old son Finn.

The book tells the story now, and sometimes in flashbacks of the past through memories. Both Ana and James have voices in the book. They switch regularly so you get both point of views. While James loves parenthood, and seems to do it all natural, it is more difficult for Ana. The book is mainly about her struggle and insecurity about parenthood, and the question if she wants to have children at all. The book is interesting enough, but sometimes a bit slow, yet I kept going back to it. I couldn't finish it fast enough though, and because the book is a bit predictable, I do not really mind. I would have finished it with enough time, but I don't think I will borrow it again just to finish it. Read more about it on Goodreads.

De Bijbel Voor Ongelovigen (the bible for non-believers) by Guus Kuijer, was one that I had on hold for a long while. The title says it all, it are the stories from the bible, told in such a way that people who wouldn't pick up a regular bible would read this. The book starts strong, the story of Adam and Eve is told in a humorous way, and I enjoyed it. There were discussions between Adam and God which had me laugh out loud. Sadly the humor didn't really last throughout the other stories. However I noticed that the stories are told in a modern way and there was room to criticize God, people did openly in the stories. Yet it is all done in a respectful way. There are persons in the book, who strongly believe in God and there are persons who questions them and that made a nice balance. It was also the cause of most conflicts in the book of course.

Why didn't I finish it? Again time plays a factor here. These aren't stories that I want to finish in on go. It is slow reading and that left me about half way in when I needed to return it. But what I read, I did enjoy. And because it are all separate stories, the chance is bigger that I will pick this one up again, if I come across it. Also more information about this book can be found on Goodreads.

Challenges: Library Challenge and Ik Lees Nederlands Challenge.
Currently I am reading The Handsmaid's Daughter. More on that next time :)

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Reading Roundup #1 - week 18

I am going to try something new on the blog. A new way of writing reviews. Shorter and easier to get myself writing again on something bookish, I hope. In these posts I will write about what I have read in the past week. Some weeks there won't be a post because I might not have been reading. Let's see if a shorter format will work for me. And who knows, if it does, I might even be able to post about some books I read but haven't written about yet.

In the past week I have read 2 books. Both are Dutch covers from my library books.

The first book is Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi. It is the 2nd part in a Dystopia series. The sky is full of lightning storms which makes it dangerous to live outside. So there are people who live in giant domes and they spend their life in a virtual reality, and live mostly online lives. For the people who live outside, life is harsh. In the first book we get to know Aria, who lives in a dome and Perry who lives outside. I found the first book in this series very strong, and was looking forward to reading this book. It didn't disappoint. Aria and Perry are both strong characters and both of their stories are interesting ones. I often dislike a book that tells stories from 2 views because usually one story is a stronger one than the other. But that is not the case with this book. I know I keep things kind of vague, but I don't want to give too much away. I can say that this book doesn't have the 2nd book syndrome and the story is packed with action and keeps moving forward. Look at goodreads for all the info on this book.

Openhartig is a true story (Dutch only) about living with a serious heart condition. Fighting to get the right treatment, even going abroad to America to do so and raise money to make it possible, are the big themes in this book. However, they are switched up with fragments of day to day life. How to raise a son with this disease and how it effects him when he grows older. This book is one with highs and lows, even people who destroy her disability car, but it is mainly upbeat but without withholding the frustrations and the many difficulties that come with such a disease. It left quite an impression on me. For the Dutch readers: this book is also on Goodreads.

Challenges these books are part of are the Library challenge, wishlist challenge and ik lees Nederlands (I read Dutch) challenge.

Currently I am reading: the bible for non-believers, a Dutch book. And the perks of being a wallflower. Both aren't really pulling me in yet. But who knows :)

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Boekrecensie: Alles wat er was door Hanna Bervoets

This book review will be written in Dutch. Sorry to my non-Dutch readers

Titel: Alles wat er was
Auteur: Hanna Bervoets
Genre: Dystopie
Uitgever: Atlas Contact
Verschenen: Januari 2013
Aantal pagina's: 284 pagina's
Ik kreeg dit boek: van de uitgever in ruil voor een eerlijke recensie.

Samenvatting:
Van Goodreads:
"Acht mensen komen op een zondag in een schoolgebouw samen voor de opnamen van een wetenschapsprogramma. Maar die worden nooit gemaakt. Want plotseling klinkt er een knal. Op bevel van de autoriteiten gaan ramen, deuren en gordijnen dicht. En ze blijven dicht. Eerst dagen, dan weken. Door de ogen van tv-redactrice Merel zien we hoe de groep probeert zich staande te houden in een nieuwe wereld. Een wereld van duisternis en isolatie. Van slapen op een gymmat en tien korrels rijst per dag. Naarmate de voedsel voorraden verder slinken, lopen de spanningen tussen de schoolbewoners steeds hoger op. Als alles wat er was er niet meer is, wat is dan nog de waarde van liefde, loyaliteit en vriendschap?"

Persoonlijke mening:
Dit boek sprak me meteen aan toen ik de beschrijving las en ik wist bijna zeker dat ik het boek zou kunnen waarderen. Het verhaal is geschreven in een soort van dagboekvorm en begint niet in het begin van het verhaal, maar op dag 91 na de knal. Boven ieder nieuw hoofdstuk staat welke dag het is. Het verhaal wordt niet altijd chronologisch verteld maar ik vond het zelf niet verwarrend. In de dagen die verder in de toekomst liggen wordt niet te veel weggegeven maar genoeg om nieuwsgierig te maken.

In het begin van de dagen is het natuurlijk behelpen maar alles gaat naar omstandigheden redelijk. Er gebeurt qua plot in de eerste helft nog niet heel veel maar als lezer krijg je veel informatie over de groepsdynamiek en de onderlinge verhoudingen tussen de mensen. Het boek zorgt voor een mooie opbouw voor de plotselinge gebeurtenissen later in het boek waarin alles in een stroomversnelling komt. Wat ik vooral goed vond aan dit boek waren de onverwachtse en schokkende wendingen die ik dus echt niet aan zag komen. Ik zal natuurlijk niet te veel over het einde verklappen, maar het gaf zeker stof tot nadenken en liet me vrij ondersteboven achter. Een klein minpunt vond ik wel dat je niks te weten krijgt over de oorzaak van de knal en de wereld buiten het schoolgebouw, daar was ik eigenlijk wel nieuwsgierig naar. Maar afgezien van dat vond ik het een heel goed boek!

Aanschaf link: Bol
Uitdaging: Ik Lees Nederlands
Andere recensies: De Boekblogger,

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Book Review: The Boy Who Could See Demons

Title: The Boy Who Could See Demons
Author: Carolyn Jess-Cooke
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Subject: Mental Illness, Family, Ireland
Publisher: Little Brown
Release date: May 2012
Length: 400 pages
I got this book: Borrowed it from the library

Summary:
From Goodreads:
""I first met my demon the morning that Mum said Dad had gone."
Alex Broccoli is ten years old, likes onions on toast, and can balance on the back legs of his chair for fourteen minutes. His best friend is a 9000-year-old demon called Ruen. When his depressive mother attempts suicide yet again, Alex meets child psychiatrist Anya. Still bearing the scars of her own daughter's battle with schizophrenia, Anya fears for Alex's mental health and attempts to convince him that Ruen doesn't exist. But as she runs out of medical proof for many of Alex's claims, she is faced with a question: does Alex suffer from schizophrenia, or can he really see demons?"

Personal opinion:
This book came to my attention because the Dutch translation of the book was released recently. I was happy that they had the book in English though. It took me a few weeks to finish this one because in the beginning, the book was fairly slow. It isn't an easy read so I took my time. Often I don't like books that are told from various viewpoints, but in this book it was done really well. Both viewpoints were interesting and I also liked the fact that I got to read about the same event from both Alex and Anya. The 2nd half of the book was more fast paced and I actually was able to finish that in one night. The events that happen near the end of the book were shocking and I kind of saw them coming, but also not. It is kind of hard to explain. The brilliance of the book to me is that even at the end, there are still some questions unanswered. There are still things about all of it, that are unexplained. This could have bothered me but it does fit the theme of the book. If you like psychological books, then this is certainly a book you want to read.

Purchase links: The Book Depository
Challenges: none
Other reviews: De Boekblogger (Dutch),
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

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Book Review: The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

Title: The Snow Child
Author: Eowyn Ivey
Genre: Magical Realism
Subject: Fairy tale, family, grief
Publisher: Reagan Arthur Books
Release date: February 2012
Length: 389 pages
I got this book: Borrowed it from the library

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart--he breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she crumbling from loneliness and despair. In a moment of levity during the season's first snowfall, they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone--but they glimpse a young, blonde-haired girl running through the trees. This little girl, who calls herself Faina, seems to be a child of the woods. She hunts with a red fox at her side, skims lightly across the snow, and somehow survives alone in the Alaskan wilderness. As Jack and Mabel struggle to understand this child who could have stepped from the pages of a fairy tale, they come to love her as their own daughter. But in this beautiful, violent place things are rarely as they appear, and what they eventually learn about Faina will transform all of them."

Personal opinion:
I heard good things about this book and I love to read in the magical realism genre, so I picked it up. I am so glad I did because this is the perfect book to read now the days are growing colder. I loved how the magical elements are intertwined within a very realistic story of survival. The writer has spend a lot of time on the way the characters develop and each and every character brings something new and valuable to the story. I learned from Gnoe that even the names of the characters have meanings, and that brings a whole deeper layer to the story. The ending was bitter-sweet, but fitting. I would recommend this book to almost anyone, but especially if you are into fairy tale retellings and symbolism, you will probably enjoy this book as much as I did.

Purchase links: The Book Depository
Challenges: none
Other reviews: Rhapsody in Books,
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

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Book Review: Bluff by Lenore Skomal

Title: Bluff
Author: Lenore Skomal
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Subject: Coma, friendship, family.
Publisher: Lenore Skomal Press
Release date: October, 2012
Length: Not sure, had the Kindle edition
I got this book: offered to read as a part of a bookclub event

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"Jude Black lives in that in-between, twilight place teetering on death but clinging to life in order to bring her baby into this world. Only she knows the circumstances surrounding her mysterious fall off the bluff that landed her in the hospital being kept alive by medical intervention. Only she knows who the father of her baby is. In this poignantly crafted literary novel, the mystery unfolds and the suspense builds as the consequences of Jude’s decisions threaten to reveal everyone's deceptions, even her own. Bluff offers a sensitive look at essential questions such as the value of human life, the consciousness of those in a coma and the morality of terminating life support. At the core is the story of a tragically misunderstood woman who finds peace, acceptance, understanding and even love on her deathbed."

Personal opinion:
I picked this book because I normally enjoy books about people with illnesses, mainly to get an idea of what would be going on in a persons mind. I hoped that the reader would get a story where Jude would be the main voice. Unfortunately this is not the case. The book keeps switching viewpoints with almost each chapter. I could live with this if it were viewpoints from 2 or 3 persons. But I counted 7 before I gave up on the book and in my opinion this is just too many. I enjoyed certain characters like Jude's best friend Frances and Jude's sister. But the viewpoints of the detective, Frances' husband Hank and a nurse from the hospital, I couldn't care less about. When the next chapter started with yet another character, Jude's doctor, I threw in the towel. The main problem what I had was that, even though all the persons knew Jude one way or another, it was too much about themselves and their mid-life crisises. It seems that every character in the book seemed to suffer from one. Anyway, the story has some good elements and I liked the parts that were about Jude, but there is too much on the side, that to me didn't feel as relevant to the story. However if you haven't got a problem with viewpoints from many characters, this could be a good book, because the elements of a decent plot are surely there.

Purchase links: Amazon
Challenges: none
Other reviews: none yet
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

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Book Review: Sisters in Sanity by Gayle Forman

Title: Sisters in Sanity
Author: Gayle Forman
Genre: YA
Subject: Mental Institutions
Publisher: Harper Teens
Release date: August 2007
Length: 304 pages
I got this book: borrowed it from the library

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"Have you ever had the "out-of-control" dream? The one where you know you're not crazy, but no one around you--not your parents, not your teachers, not even the authorities--will listen to you? For sixteen-year-old Brit Hemphill, the out-of-control dream comes true when her dad enrolls her at Red Rock, a bogus treatment center that claims to cure rebellious teen girls. At Red Rock, Brit is forced into therapy, and her only hope of getting her life back is in the hands of an underqualified staff of counselors. Brit's dad thinks Red Rock can save her, but the truth is it's doing more harm than good.

No girl could survive Red Rock alone--but at a treatment center where you earn privileges for ratting out your peers, it's hard to know who you can trust. For Brit, everything changes when she meets V, Bebe, Martha, and Cassie, four girls who keep her from going over the edge. Together they'll hold on to their sanity and their sisterhood while trying to keep their Red Rock reality from becoming a full-on nightmare."

Personal opinion:
I picked this up because I really enjoyed If I Stay and Where She Went from the same author and the subject seemed interesting. I liked Brits character. She wasn't that much of a rebel but she was a teenager who was missing her mother. Another good point was how Brit still managed to stay herself in spite of everything that happened. On the other hand, I did expect a more compelling read. Not that the things that happen weren't bad enough, but it just missed some tension to me. Other than that, I enjoyed reading the book. It has a good story, great character development and a rather original subject.

Purchase links: The Book Depository
Challenges: none
Other reviews: The Readventurer,
By the same author: If I Stay, Where She Went.
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

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Book Review: Starters by Lissa Price

Title: Starters
Author: Lissa Price
Genre: YA, Dystopia, Mystery
Subject: Body Swapping, Family
Publisher: Delacorte Books
Release date: March 2012
Length: 352 pages
I got this book: borrowed it from the library

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"Callie lost her parents when the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty. She and her little brother, Tyler, go on the run, living as squatters with their friend Michael and fighting off renegades who would kill them for a cookie. Callie's only hope is Prime Destinations, a disturbing place in Beverly Hills run by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man.

He hires teens to rent their bodies to Enders—seniors who want to be young again. Callie, desperate for the money that will keep her, Tyler, and Michael alive, agrees to be a donor. But the neurochip they place in Callie's head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, and going out with a senator's grandson. It feels almost like a fairy tale, until Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party—and that Prime Destinations' plans are more evil than Callie could ever have imagined. . ."

Personal opinion:
I wouldn't have picked up this book based on it's cover, because the cover kind of creeps me out. But the story sounded interesting enough for a good read. It kind of reminded me of the television series Dollhouse, which I enjoyed watching. Callie is a likable character. She is smart and determined to do what she thinks is right. I liked the action in the book, the twists in the story and how Callie handles everything she get thrown at her. There is also a romance going on, but none of it was sappy and unlike a lot of romance elements that are often just thrown in for the heck of it, I found that this actually added something to the story. The book is a refreshing read, not that predictable and I am curious how the story will continue.

Purchase links: The Book Depository
Challenges: Dystopia Challenge
Other reviews: Books and Movies, Anna reads,
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

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Book Review: The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

Title: The Age of Miracles
Author: Karen Thompson Walker
Genre: YA, Dystopia
Subject: Coming of age, environment
Publisher: Random House
Release date: January 2012
Length: 269 pages
I got this book: borrowed it from the library

Summary:
From Goodreads:

"“It still amazes me how little we really knew. . . . Maybe everything that happened to me and my family had nothing at all to do with the slowing. It’s possible, I guess. But I doubt it. I doubt it very much.”

On a seemingly ordinary Saturday in a California suburb, 11-year-old Julia and her family awake to discover, along with the rest of the world, that the rotation of the earth has suddenly begun to slow. The days and nights grow longer and longer, gravity is affected, the environment is thrown into disarray. Yet as she struggles to navigate an ever-shifting landscape, Julia is also coping with the normal disasters of everyday life--the fissures in her parents’ marriage, the loss of old friends, the hopeful anguish of first love, the bizarre behavior of her grandfather who, convinced of a government conspiracy, spends his days obsessively cataloging his possessions. As Julia adjusts to the new normal, the slowing inexorably continues."

Personal opinion:
I thought this book had a very compelling element because this is something that I can imagine that could just happen. The slowing of the Earth just felt realistic to me and that made me feel uneasy at times. Yet because life continues as normal as it gets, it doesn't feel like that all the time. There are glipmses of joy in the book, but not too many. Overall everything is kind of sad. This book gives a good insight of how a crisis can thorn up the life we know slowly but surely on every aspect. Next to adjusting to new circumstances, it also affects family, school and social life. This story shows that everything is connected and that happy endings are not as common. Yet life continues. This is a story that got under my skin slowly because all the things, big and small, can change life forever.

Purchase links: The Book Depository
Challenges: Dystopia Challenge
Other reviews: The Book Brothel,
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

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Book Review: When She Woke by Hillary Jordan

Title: When She Woke
Author: Hillary Jordan
Genre: Dystopia
Subject: Religion, Feminism
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Release date: October 2011
Length: 344 pages
I got this book: Bought it

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"I am red now. It was her first thought of the day, every day, surfacing after a few seconds of fogged, blessed ignorance and sweeping through her like a wave, breaking in her breast with a soundless roar. Hard on its heels came the second wave, crashing into the wreckage left by the first: he is gone.

Hannah Payne’s life has been devoted to church and family. But after she’s convicted of murder, she awakens to a nightmarish new life. She finds herself lying on a table in a bare room, covered only by a paper gown, with cameras broadcasting her every move to millions at home, for whom observing new Chromes—criminals whose skin color has been genetically altered to match the class of their crime—is a sinister form of entertainment. Hannah is a Red for the crime of murder. The victim, says the State of Texas, was her unborn child, and Hannah is determined to protect the identity of the father, a public figure with whom she shared a fierce and forbidden love.

A powerful reimagining of The Scarlet Letter, When She Woke is a timely fable about a stigmatized woman struggling to navigate an America of the not-too-distant future, where the line between church and state has been eradicated, and convicted felons are no longer imprisoned but chromed and released back into the population to survive as best they can. In seeking a path to safety in an alien and hostile world, Hannah unknowingly embarks on a journey of self-discovery that forces her to question the values she once held true and the righteousness of a country that politicizes faith and love."

Personal opinion:
The first thing that struck me about Hannah is how incredibly naive she was. She is supposed to be 26, but sounded more like someone who is 18. This is explanable because she was raised so sheltered and really didn't know much. But still I kept forgetting she was well into her adult years. Other than that I didn't have problems with Hannah as a character. She grew to be a strong person throughout the story and I liked to read about that progress. I was impressed by the way the various stages of the story were set and how I also get to know about Hannah's past without it being confusing. It is a strong story that has a nice balance between story wise events and character building. I would recommend this to people who want to dip into the dystopia genre for the first time, but it is also great for people who have read a lot in the genre already because it stays away from the usual dystopia cliches.

Purchase links: The Book Depository
Challenges: Wishlist Challenge
Other reviews: Leeswammes' Blog, At home with books,
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

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Boek Review: Strak Blauw - Renee van Marissing

Normally I write all my reviews in English, but because I will talk about a Dutch book today, I will write my review in Dutch. Sorry to all the non-Dutchies ;)

Titel: Strak Blauw
Auteur: Renee van Marissing
Genre: Moderne Fictie
Onderwerp: Depressie
Uitgeverij: Atlas-Contact
Verschijningsdatum: September 2012
Lengte: 192 pagina's
Ik kreeg dit boek: van de uitgever in ruil voor een eerlijke recensie

Samenvatting:
Van bol.com:
"Hoe houd je jezelf staande als het leven ongefilterd binnenkomt? Als alledaagse prikkels voelen als een bombardement? Waar kun je dan schuilen? Door het bouwen van maquettes probeert kunstenaar Laura grip te krijgen op de realiteit, en als de zorgzame An in haar leven komt lijkt alles op zijn plek te vallen. Maar liefde biedt niet altijd alleen een schuilplaats, het kan ook een wankel evenwicht verstoren. Langzaam maar zeker glijdt Laura af, totdat alles in een hallucinerende, nachtelijke trip volledig escaleert. 'Strak blauw' is een literaire tour de force die vanaf de eerste bladzijde onder je huid kruipt en je niet meer loslaat tot aan de ijzingwekkende apotheose."

Persoonlijke mening:
Toen ik dit boek uit had, liet het me verward achter. Klopte het echt wat ik zojuist gelezen had?
In het begin van het verhaal is Laura goed te volgen en ik herkende mezelf zelfs een beetje in haar. Laura is niet erg sociaal, is kunstenaar en doet dingen op haar eigen manier om te kunnen functioneren. Dit zijn allemaal eigenschappen die me aanspraken en waarin ik mezelf ook herkende. Me inleven in Laura was in de eerste helft dan ook niet moeilijk voor me. In de tweede helft werd het echter lastiger om haar gedachtegang te volgen. Het voelt steeds beklemder, als een stroomversnelling waar geen einde meer aan komt. Sommige stukken moest ik twee keer lezen voordat ik door had wat er precies speelde. Zelfs als Laura weer wat meer tot rust lijkt te komen, worden haar gedachten steeds onsamenhangender en dwangmatiger. Aan het einde bleef ik dus vol ongeloof achter. Had Laura echt niet door wat er zich zojuist heeft afgespeeld, of heb ik het gewoon verkeerd gelezen? Die twijfel blijft nog steeds hangen. Aanrader voor mensen die van psychologische boeken houden.

Aankoop links: Bol.com

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Manga Review: Chi's Sweet Home vol.3 by Konami Kanata

Title: Chi's Sweet Home vol.3
Author: Konami Kanata
Genre: Manga, comedy
Subject: Cats
Publisher: Vertical
Release date: October 2010
Length: 144 pages
I got this book: Bought it

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"Chi is a michievous newborn kitten who on a leisurely stroll with her family finds herself lost and alone. Seperated from the warmth and protection of her mother, desperately attempts to reunite with her family of feral cats. When the kitten feels all hope is lost, she is found in a park by a young boy named Yohei and his mother. After taking a tumble Yohei feels just as distraught as the kitten he sees before him, and he quickly takes comfort in feeling a sense of sympathy with the cat. And before she could even know what hit her, the little kitty was picked up and soon under the protection and care of Yohei's family--the Yamada's. Every moment of their daily life is filled with something we can all cherish.

In the third volume of Chi's Sweet Home, Chi has made a new friend. There is another cat in the neighborhood. This cat is the very cat that the building manager considers to be a nuisance and the same one with a reward on his head. The cat's name is Kuro; a giant of a feline. All black and with a bit of an appetite, this cat has been known to not only sneak into people's yards but he has even been bold enough to enter some apartments searching for food."

Personal opinion:
I love this series! I read volume one and two last year and I want to have them all. This is why I put one of the volumes on the list for my Wishlist Challenge, so I had an excuse to buy it somewhere this year. This manga is very cute and a must read for every cat lover out there. Unlike most manga this series is in full color and this adds so much to the experience. From all the volumes I like this one the best so far. I just love the friendship between Kuro and Chi. The little kitten follows him around everywhere and gets lessons in cat behaviors. There isn't that much to tell without spoiling everything so I will just say, if you love cats, this one is for you. Even if you never read a manga in your life ;)

Purchase links: The Book Depository
Challenges: Wishlist Challenge
Other reviews: Chi's Sweet Home vol 1, Chi's Sweet Home vol 2,
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

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Series Review: The Hunger Games Trilogy

Normally I would have wrote seperate reviews on each book, but because I have read the whole series practically in one go and I still have a huge backlog of reviews, I decided to change it up a bit. I will give general info on all three books, but only post the synopsis of the first book, to keep this review as spoiler free as possible. Then I will give a short opinion and rating on each book.

Title: The Hunger Games / Catching Fire / Mockingjay
Author: Suzanne Collins
Genre: YA Dystopia
Subject: Supression
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Release date: October 2008 / September 2009 / August 2010
Length: 374 pages / 391 pages / 390 pages
I got this book: Borrowed all three of them at the library

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don't live to see the morning? In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love".

Personal opinion:

The Hunger Games:
How I loved this! It had been a while ago that I had read a book this good! The setting is too cruel to think of. It is so scary because something like this actually could happen if the wrong persons would get control over such a society. I think that is what gives it part of it's strength: it isn't realistic, but it could be. I really could relate to Katniss and I loved her as a character. She isn't very likable to others but that is what makes it believable because who would be likable if they had to shoulder everything that Katniss did her whole life. I also liked the parts in the arena. I was afraid at first that it might be too violent for my liking but because there wasn't anything too explicit in it, I could just handle it fine. I just loved the action packed fast pace of the book and I will surely re-read this. I actually want to buy the books to stick on my shelf.

Catching Fire:
Without giving too much away, I can say I liked this one as much as the first. Because this twist I didn't expect at all. I also liked most of the new characters they put in the book and this book certainly doesn't suffer from 2nd book syndrom, because it is as action packed as the first and full of plot twists. This book made my heart ache for Katniss because she has to go through everything again and how unfair it all is. It was much more compelling than the first book even because Katniss is starting to lose grip at certain points and it is all much more emotional.

Mockingjay:
To be honest, I did like this book the least. Katniss gets wrapped up in all the political games here and while there is still enough action going on, it doesn't compare to the previous two books. Sure, the plot twists are still there, as is the constant danger, but it just feels a bit too tame. I did like the fact that Katniss just stayed herself dispite everything they wanted from her. She stays a strong lead that makes up her own mind. This is a bird that can't be caged. The ending was done well. The last chapters picked up the action I was used to from the previous books, and the last blow that is delivered to Katniss is heartbreaking.

Purchase links: The Book Depository
Challenges: Dystopia Challenge
Other reviews: Too many to list ;)
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

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Book Review: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Title: Before I Fall
Author: Lauren Oliver
Genre: YA
Subject: Death, Relationships
Publisher: Harper Collins
Release date: October 2011
Length: 470 pages
I got this book: Borrowed it from the library

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"What if you only had one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?
Samantha Kingston has it all: looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it turns out to be her last.

The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. Living the last day of her life seven times during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death--and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing."

Personal opinion:
I really liked the concept of this book. It kind of reminded me of that old movie Groundhog Day. I did enjoy one of Lauren's books before so I thought I would give it a go. In the beginning I really disliked Samantha. She was the typical spoiled teenager, as shallow as they come. But as the story progresses she is starting the change and I really grew to like her. I loved the precious moments she spend with her little sister somewhere in the middle of the book. Lauren Oliver did a really good job with this book. She managed to write about the same day seven times without any of it being the same.

Purchase links: The Book Depository
Challenges: None
Other reviews: The Story Siren,
From the same author: Delirium,
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

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Book Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Genre: Distopia, YA
Subject: Coming of age
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release date: May 2011
Length: 487 pages
I got this book: Borrowed it from the library

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her."

Personal opinion:
This has to be one of the best dystopian books I have read this year! I loved the action packed plot line and also the character development. Tris was a strong female lead and I enjoyed seeing her grow so much during the story. The idea of the different factions based on characteristics is an original concept, that I hadn't read about before. This book wasn't dull for one moment and I finished it in only one day. If there is only one more dystopian book you want to read this year, make sure it is this one. You won't be disappointed.

Purchase links: The Book Depository
Challenges: Dystopian Challenge
Other reviews: Book Chatter,
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

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Book review: Eve by Anna Carey

Title: Eve
Author: Anna Carey
Genre: Dystopia, YA
Subject: Alternative society
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release date: October 2011
Length: 336 pages
I got this book: Won it in the Magical March Giveaway from Adam.

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her.

Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust...and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life."

Personal opinion:
I really liked the setting of this book. When we first started off I like Eve as a character, but I had the feeling she missed the common sense feed, because of the bad choices she kept making. But I didn't hate her and I especially liked the bit when she started to teach the kids outside the school to read and write. It was very adorable. Caleb too was a likable character and I really liked how he helped Eve through everything. I kind of disliked the ending of this book, but luckily this is only the first part of a trilogy and the ending does leave enough open for the next book. I am curious how this will continue.

Purchase links: The Book Depository
Challenges: Wishlist Challenge
Other reviews: Books Worth Remembering, Book Briefs,
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

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