Covering Covers

   Ever heard the phrase "judging a book by it's cover"? Of course you have, everyone has. Well I do it. A lot. I know I shouldn't, but I go to the library, I look through the shelves in the teen books, and two things make me want to pick up a book. An awesome cover, and an awesome name. I saw this book:

I saw it online, and it was like a double threat. Triple! Amazing cover, Great title. AND THE SUMMARY SOUNDED AWESOME TOO!!! I wish my library didn't suck. I want this book. Maybe I should buy it...haha. Ya. Right. With what money? That's what my new job is for!!!! My whole paycheck is going to go to buying books if I'm not careful...
   But ya, I LOVE (note the underlining, caps, *and boldness) this cover. The girl on it is so pretty, and with the camera up it just makes her seem so cool. And then you add the awesome title and it makes me wish I had some moolah. I should get some moolah just for this book.

Here's what it's about:

What happens when a city girl is transplanted onto a ramshackle organic farm in the middle of nowhere? Everything.
Sixteen-year-old Roar has been yanked from her city life and suddenly she’s a farm girl, albeit a reluctant one, selling figs at the farmers' market and developing her photographs in a rickety shed. And then she witnesses a crime that will throw the whole community into an uproar. Caught among the lure of a troublemaking friend, her love for a brooding boy, and her complicated feelings about her father’s human rights crusade, Roar is going to have to tackle it all. And with a camera around her neck, she’s capturing it all, too.
Yvonne Prinz and her novel The Vinyl Princess have ignited the teen blogosphere and entertainment media. Once again, she’s taken the pulse of culture and emerged with a book that is timely, quirky, and unforgettable.

   And the lead character's name is Roar. How cool is that?

Third Line Thursday

   Third Line Thursday is hosted by Shari over at My Neurotic Book Affair! The rules are:
   Pick up the book you are currently reading, go to chapter 3 or page 3 or any page or chapter with a 3(13, 23, ect.) then type in the third line (sentence) from that page. Here we go!





   At least, that was the only place Kat had ever heard him say.... "We're home."





I've been sick. Bleh.

   I've been really sick lately. Like wow sick. Like, let's go sleep all day and all night, sick. So I haven't been reading....At all. I don't think I've picked up a book in a week.....Which is bad, bad, bad, bad. I just haven't felt up to it. I even had to cancel a job interview... I haven't felt up to doing anything except sleeping, coughing, and blowing my very stuffy nose. And fainting because I haven't even felt up to eating. Hence the silence this week, hopefully I'll be able to finish my book soon and maybe post a review this weekend.

   That is all.

Waiting on Wednesday (2!)

   WoW is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, it puts a spotlight on those books that you just can't wait to read.

Title: Bitter End

Authr: Jennifer Brown

Release: May 10th, 2011

Sumary:

When Alex falls for the charming new boy at school, Cole, a handsome, funny, sports star who adores her, she can't believe she's finally found her soul mate-someone who truly understands her and loves her for who she really is.

At first, Alex is blissfully happy. Sure, Cole seems a little jealous of her relationship with her best friends, Zack and Bethany, but what guy would want his girlfriend spending all of her time with another boy? But as the months pass, Alex can no longer ignore Cole's small put-downs, pinches, or increasingly violent threats. As Alex struggles to come to terms with the sweet boyfriend she fell in love with and the boyfriend whose "love" she no longer recognizes, she is forced to choose - between her "true love" and herself.

   I've been meaning to read Hate List by her, and this one sounds equally as good.

Waiting on Wednesday

   My first, woot! WoW is hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine.

Book: The Dark and Hollow Places

Author: Carrie Ryan

Release: March 22, 2011

Summary:

Annah knows she has a twin sister, but she forgot her long ago. Back when they went to play in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, she and Elias lost her, and after that there was no going back to the village. Life's been hard, but Elias has taken care of her, and living in the Dark City can help one to forget the horror of the Unconsecrated—if you try hard enough. But when Elias disappears, Annah's world crumbles. To her, life isn't worth much more than the walking dead who roam the wasted world she lives in. It's not until she meets Catcher that she cares to start living again. Yet Catcher has secrets. Dark, terrifying secrets that link him to a past she's longed to forget and to a future too deadly to consider. Annah must decide: Can she continue to live a world covered in the blood of the living? Or is death the answer to all her problems?

   I love Carrie Ryan, I love The Forests of Hands and Teeth series, this book can't get here fast enough.

Review-The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes (Vol. 1) by Neil Gaiman

Title: The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes
Author: Neil Gaiman
Artists: Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg, Malcom Jones III
Release Date: 1988
Pages: 234
My Rating: 5 Stars

Summary:
  In Preludes and Nocturnes, Neil Gaiman weaves the story of a man interested in capturing the physical manifestation of Death but who instead captures the King of Dreams. By Gaiman's own admission there's a lot in this first collection that is awkward and ungainly--which is not to say there are not frequent moments of greatness here. The chapter "24 Hours" is worth the price of the book alone; it stands as one of the most chilling examples of horror in comics. And let's not underestimate Gaiman's achievement of personifying Death as a perky, overly cheery, cute goth girl! All in all, I greatly prefer the roguish breaking of new ground in this book to the often dull precision of the concluding volumes of the Sandman series. --Jim Pascoe (Amazon.com)

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   So I just finished this book about 5 minutes ago, and I'm just in awe. I don't normally read graphic novels, this was actually my first, and I'm amazed at how much I loved it! It's just...wow. I've been meaning to read more by Neil Gaiman lately, and I've heard so much about this series, that I decided I had to read it and now I'm seriously considering hitting my bed later and reading the other 4 I got from the library, completely disregarding every other book I have that needs to be read.
   This book was just...wow. That's all there is to really say about it. It was insane, literally, metaphorically... I'll never look at dreams or revenge the same again. It was so colorful and intriguing and shocking and amazing and dark and sexy and lifelike and just... wow.
   I love the art, it was sooo colorful, and detailed. Heh, so detailed some scenes may give me nightmares tonight. And the plot, the storyline...I've never really approved of revenge, but it just felt so right. Some parts of the story just went right over my head, I didn't understand some of it, but maybe that's the point...because a lot of it was insanity. Pure insanity.
   I can't wait to read the next one! I'm seriously considering going out and buying the series, which I never do...

Summin it up:
Plot: Wow. Absolutely frickin' amazing.
Characters: See plot ^
Writing: Neil Gaiman is an amazing storyteller, this is really inspiring me to get off my butt and read more by him.
Art: Colorful, detailed. Inspiring.
Ending: Leaves you wanting more.
Kid Friendly: Wouldn't really suggest it for anyone other then 16 and up....there's sex, cannibalism, murder, nudity, cussing, death....

Review: Defect by Will Weaver

Title: Defect

Author: Will Weaver

Release Date: July 24, 2007

Pages: 199

My Rating: 3 Stars

Summary:

David's odd appearance makes him a target for bullies, but what sets him apart most is his secret: he can fly. After persistent hazing, he is moved to an alternative school, where he meets Cheetah, a girl with epilepsy. David and Cheetah, both medical anomalies and social outcasts, begin a strong friendship and, eventually, a romance. When David's flying is observed in public, everyone wants a piece of him—doctors, religious fanatics, the press. With the steadfast support of Cheetah and his compassionate and loving foster parents, David must decide whether to undergo corrective surgeries to remove his collapsible wings, giving him a more "handsome" appearance. The eerie cover and enticing premise will draw readers in for a big payoff. David struggles with his ability: Is it a gift or a curse? Will he be different if he looks different? Does God have a plan for him? (Courtesy of Amazon.com)

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   This book kind of fell flat for me. I had higher expectations cause the cover was so awesome, and they were apparently too high... It was a good book, I just didn't find the characters ratable. The only one I really liked was Brandon, he was so colorful and fun to read about, I was sad when he died. The writing was mediocre, the characters...I don't know, aside from Brandon I didn't really like any. I didn't like it, but I didn't not like it either. It was just OK. The ending was nice though, I thought it wrapped things up nicely. It kind of left me wondering a little bit what was going to happen afterwards with David.

   Yeah, short review. But it was just OK, there's really nothing more to write about it. It's not going to stick with me, and it's not going to make me think about it. The awesome cover is going to stick with me more then anything else.

Summin it up:

Plot: Meh, it was OK.

Characters: Again, just OK. Brandon was nice and colorful, but the rest were just OK.

Writing: Mediocre. I don't think I'll be looking to read anything else by Will Weaver again.

Ending: Nice, probably the best part of the book, I liked the way Weaver wrapped everything up and left me questioning what's going to happen next.

Kid Friendly: It's about a teenage guy, so there are a few mentions of, "stirring in the crotch area", and mentions of death.

My Perfect Book

   Notice I say *my favorite. Just an FYI.

   A good author is when they can pull you in at the first page. When you're immediately sucked in and focused on the story at the first page, that's when an author's gone from being just good, to great. Of course, every author has a different style, and everyone likes different writing styles.

   For example, I have a friend, she loves (note the underlining) Lisa McMann. I don't like her writing style....at all. She drank the Wake series in, whereas I struggled through it cause it bored me. So I guess it really depends on the person, but not always. Some authors are just great.

   Neil Gaiman for instance. Everyone loves Neil. His book's are always circulating on their Too Read lists.

   Another thing that makes an author great is charachters. They have to be deep, actually have a personality. Even if they're just ditzy, ditzy characters are fun. Ever book needs a ditzy character. They have to have a past, and it has to have an impression on who they are as characters in the present of the book. There also needs to be a reason they're there, characters who have no purpose annoy me.

   Another thing, I love (yes, underlined AND in bold) relatable characters. It really makes a book stick with me, when I can relate to the characters.

   The plot needs to be sorta-fast moving. Slow moving plots BORE ME. Twists are AWESOME, especially when you don't see them coming and they make your mouth drop. The ending has to tie up all lose ends, and leave me reeling. I can't stand it when I have ANY questions at the end and there's no word of a sequel.

   If there's a sequel, it better be at least as good as the prequel, otherwise I won't really want to read the third, cause it's obviously not going to be as good.

   Yeah, a lot of "duuuuuuh" questions, but my full opinion none the less.

   I soooo don't have low expectations.

   Peace.

  

Review: Behemoth by Scott Westerfield

Title: Behemoth

Author: Scott Westerfield
Release Date: October 5, 2010

Pages: 496
My Rating: 5 stars!!!!
Sequel to: Leviathan by Scott Westerfield

Summary:
This book continues the hard-driving, action-packed adventures of Alek, heir to the throne of the Austrian empire and current British prisoner of war, and Deryn Sharp, a midshipman assigned to the Leviathan. Their loyalties to their respective governments and philosophies are tested as their friendship grows; Alek is an Austrian Clanker and Deryn an English Darwinist. After the Leviathan is damaged by a German attack, Alek and his personal guard escape the airship and join a revolutionary group dedicated to the overthrow of the sultan of Istanbul. Meanwhile Deryn has been sent to sabotage a key military blockade in the Istanbul harbor. But true havoc doesn't ensue until the teens are reunited. (Courtesy of Amazon.com)

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  I LOVED Leviathan, so I was really psyched to finally get my hands on (and the time to read) Behemoth! I've been waiting for this sequel forever and the library finally got a copy.

   I've heard some people say this isn't a steampunk book. Whoever says this novel isn't steampunk is dead wrong. Sure, it's not from a Victorian era, but every genre grows, and this one is, in my opinion, helping the genre of steampunk grow. Everything about this book screams steampunk, the outfits, the goggles (just take a look at the cover), the background, and the whole plot itself. I'm a huge steampunk fan, I've read steampunk novels before, this is steampunk.

   I'm a huge Scott Westerfield fan, I loved Uglies, Peeps, and his books are always circulating my To Read list and are making appearances on my shelves. This wasn't a disappointment. I was worried that I wasn't going to like it as much as I liked Leviathan, but I did. I LOVED it. I love the world he created, the characters. If I had to pick any book to actually live in, I'd pick this one, and be a huge Darwinist, perhaps even dress up like a boy and live on the Leviathan. I was a little disappointed cause the second half of the book takes place in Istanbul, and not on the Leviathan, but it was still really good. He finishes the book with a cliffhanger, so I'm really happy that there's going to be a third, this is one of those series that I want to go on and on forever and never end.

   Scott Westerfield is always good at developing alternate worlds, creating amazing characters, and writing a page turner. I cannot wait for the sequel to Behemoth.

Summin it up:

Plot: Colorful and riveting. A page-turner.
Characters: Deep, interesting. Everyone plays there part.
Writing: It's Scott Westerfield, I need say no more.
Ending: Good, but a cliff-hanger. I can't wait for the next one.
Kid friendly: Very, no cussing, no mentions of sex or substance abuse.