Bruised and Beaten Down

Still busy reading everything I can get my hands on! I have also been working very hard on my other blog, problemsofabooknerd.tumblr.com, day in and day out, which now has over 900 followers. Check it out! Today I thought I would give you all a review of one of my favorite books of the past year, Bruiser, by Neal Shusterman.
Bruiser, or Brewster, as he is called by those who care about him (and there are few), is different. When Brontë starts dating Brewster, her twin brother Tennyson isn't pleased. Come on, his sister is dating the guy voted "most likely to get the death penalty"? But as he starts hanging around more, the twins start to notice things happening. Unexplainable things. Their cuts and scrapes heal unnaturally quickly, right in front of their eyes. And Brewster is at the center of it all.
This was one of my favorite books that I read last year. Neal Shusterman was a really big deal at school this whole year because he came in November and had this big event. We all got to talk to him, and he signed our books. Bruiser was one of the books that seemed to stay on the shelf, so I decided to read it. It is so beautifully written. A story about someone who distances himself to protect everyone, including himself. And his brother means more to him than anyone. I love the way this book is written. It is original and odd, and such a sweet story about love without being a romance. There is more than one way to write about love, and this is the way to do it right.

Rating: 4.5/5

Birthmarked

Ah, welcome to a new year, filled with new books. My life, as always, is full of reading, and I am reading a nearly obscene number of books right now, because of school and my own silliness. I am reading Twelfth Night (again, for school), Persuasion, Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, It's Kind of a Funny Story, and Bless Me, Ultima. Yes, I am reading 5 things at once, but I'll finish them all soon and be ready to read new stuff. But onto my review of the day. Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien.
Birthmarked is a dystopian story (I know, it seems like I read nothing else!) about a girl named Gaia Stone. Scarred at birth, she lives outside the wall of the Enclave with her mother and father. Gaia and her mother are midwives who "advance" the first 3 children born outside the wall each month to the Enclave, where they will grow up with adopted families. This was the world Gaia trusted, until her mother and father are taken captive by the Enclave. Inside the wall, desperate to save her parents, Gaia is faced with the truth of the Enclave, and something bad brewing from the advanced babies.

Birthmarked was a very cool dystopian story, one that is originally seen as something that may have taken place in the past. A place of ruin, only just being built. But the Enclave shows that this society is advanced, very advanced. The government in this book is not quite as sinister as those that appear in The Hunger Games or Uglies, but it is a controlling government just the same. This book is so cool, and sweet because it revolves around a connection between mother and daughter, unlike most dystopian books now. And it still has that romantic storyline running through it that we all seem to crave. Great story, great characters, great dystopian fiction.

Rating: 4/5

Catching Up

Well, readers, it has certainly been a while. I have been so wrapped up in being in my school's production of Footloose this year that I have barely had time to read, let alone let all of you know about it. But I'm bringing that to an end. Today, because I have been gone so long, I am just giving you a quick review of the books I have read since I last blogged. The last book I mentioned reading was the last book in the Artemis Fowl series, so let's start there.

The Last Guardian (Artemis Fowl #8) by Eoin Colfer                                         3.5/5

• This was the final book in the series that I have really grown up with. I have loved it since I was 8-years-old. Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed, and a little angry with the ending. The rest was still the great Artemis Fowl writing that I have come to adore! I just hate how the whole series ended.

Nevermore (Maxiumum Ride #8) by James Patterson                                         1/5

• This was the final book in the Maximum Ride series. It was absolutely horrible. If I could smack James Patterson in the face right now, I would do it. The writing has just gotten worse and worse as the series progressed, and I hate it when an author is too afraid to do the smart thing and just kill off a character or two. We say we hate them, but finding stupid ways to keep characters alive just makes me hate a book more. Also, the emotion and stressful situations were SO forced. It hurt me, as a writer, to read them. It is a good thing this was a library book, or I would have thrown it at the wall once I had finished.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne                                                         4/5

• I actually loved this book. We read it in my English class this year. I'm worried that my love for certain classics is going to get me a big "I told you so!" from a lot of sources, but I don't really care. I thought the writing was easy to understand, and beautiful to read. The descriptions were beautiful and I actually really liked the ending. If all you read is fantasy and Sci-Fi, you may not love this book. But I thought I was one of those people and I absolutely devoured the whole thing.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox (Jenna Fox Chronicles #1) by Mary E. Pearson     4/5

• This book was brilliant. It is a story told in the future, but you only realize that the world is futuristic subtly. The writing is controlled, not overloading you with information or shouting from the rooftops that, "this takes place in a time far away!" I loved the character of Jenna Fox. Her perspective is written beautifully, and I love her poetry. I felt so involved with the story as a whole. And now I just found out that there are more books about her? Sign me up!

Flyte (Septimus Heap #2) by Angie Sage                                                            3/5

• Ah, Septimus Heap. My weakness. I know it is a children's book, but I can't seem to care. I know the writing isn't very good. I know the characters are unrealistic, and the action is silly. I, on multiple occasions, wanted to slap a few of the adult characters for being such bumbling idiots. And yet, I can't wait to read book 3. This book is just a call back to my childhood fantasy books. It is silly and not well written, but I can't help but enjoy them much more than I should.

The Supernaturalist by Eoin Colfer                                                                      3.5/5

• This book was... interesting. To say the least. I was missing Artemis Fowl a bit too much, so I decided to sink my teeth into a new Eoin Colfer book. Well, points for originality, Eoin! The book was fairly well written, I will say that. The lead character was believable, and likable too, which made him fun to read about. Actually, I really liked all the characters. This is just a book for people much younger than myself, I think. It was too simplistic for me, but it was a well-written simplicity. Give it to your younger siblings, or children, or nieces, or nephews. I'm sure they will love a good "ghost" story that isn't scary at all.

FEAR (GONE #5) by Michael Grant                                                                        4.5/5

• I WANT BOOK SIX NOW! I devoured this book in about a day. Yes, a day. I don't know how Michael Grant does it, but he can write to thrill. I can't put these books down. This is a legitimate problem for me, because the books tend to be pretty disturbing, so they keep me up at night, but I don't care. For all of you reading the series, we finally get a look outside! Many chapters in the book are about Connie Temple, and others outside the dome. This book is the perfect lead in to the final book in the series, LIGHT, which will come out sometime next year.

Burn by Ted Dekker                                                                                             4/5

• Ted Dekker, I love him too much. After reading the Circle books and Thr3e, he had me in the palm of his hand. And this book just tightened his grip. It was interesting and different. I really liked all of the characters, even the ones you love to hate just a little bit, or love to hate quite a lot. I loved the mystery of the whole book (as usual, Ted), and I loved the thrill of it (again, as usual). Another book that kept me up all night in suspense.

Unwholly (Unwind #2) by Neal Shusterman                                                       4.5/5

• Finally, book two. And it was no let down, I assure you. I read this over last weekend in preparation to meet the author himself. He came down to our school last week and it was awesome to hear him speak about all of his books. Let me tell you, I added a few more of his books to my To-Read list. But Unwholly, what a perfect sequel. It gave me exactly what I wanted: a look at what my favorite characters from book one have been up to, and a few new characters to sink my teeth into. The clashing personalities of Lev with a new character are great, and I adore reading about Connor. I just love him too much. Plus, a much much new character, Cam, is a great addition to the group. I can't wait to read more about him in book three.

Well, that is it! I would like to suggest you go out and get any book by Neal Shusterman or Ted Dekker, and please, PLEASE start reading the GONE books if you haven't started them already. You won't regret it. And now, I'm signing off. Here's hoping it won't take me another two months before I write again!

Updates

Hello, readers! Who is ready for book/movie updates? Some of these, I know, are a little behind, but hey, what are you going to do? My life as a senior has not been kind to my blogging life. But I am here! And I am ready to let you in on all that is happening, so let's get going.

1. Veronica Roth (author of Divergent) recently released that Lionsgate has been set for release in March of 2014. Before you get overly excited, I will add that she also said to remain calm, because all is not set in stone! We have a long, long, long way to go before we get to see Tris and Four on the big screen. I'm just going to tell you right now, I'm ignoring Veronica on this one. I'm just to excited for Divergent!
2. Another thing in Veronica Roth news: If any of you have read (and obviously loved) Divergent and Insurgent, then there is a new book out there for you! Free Four: Tobias Tells the Story was relased a while ago. It is very VERY short, but retells the knife-throwing scene from Tris's initiation from Tobias's point of view. Unfortunately, it is not going to be relased in any sort of paper form, as it is so short. But is it only $0.99 to buy an ereader copy. If you click this link, you will be taken to Veronica's post about the ebook. She has a link on that site to purchase the book, if you are so inclined. Alright, moving away from (the amazing) Veronica Roth.
3. You may or may not have heard about this book yet, but I am jumping on it now. The book is Program 13 by Nicole Sobon. Until I heard about this book, I had never even heard of Nicole Sobon, but I am beyond excited for this book. If you check the Coming Soon page (I hope you do, that's why I made one) then you will know that this book was released on August 31st. I'm getting my hands on a copy as soon as possible, and I hope you do to. If you get to the book before me, please tell me how it is!
4. In my horribly behind haze, I have just discovered that it is, in fact, near the end of September. Which means that I missed the release of a book I have been excited about for a year! Shadows, sequel to Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick, was released on September 11th! If any of you haven't read Ashes yet, please read it. It is one of the best books I read last year (and also one of the creepiest...) and I can't wait to read book 2.
5. This isn't as much an announcement as a stray thought for you to muse on along with me. For those of you who have read Ashes (the cool people), have you heard of a new show on NBC this year called Revolution? I am noticing some similarities in the beginning of the plot. The power going out everywhere, all at once, for every kind of electronic? That may be where the similarities end, but I'm not sure. How similar do you think they are? Ok, sorry for the distraction. Back on track.
6. New series to get excied about now, people! If any of you have read The Mortal Instruments books, then prepare to be excited... and then enfuriated by release dates so far away. If your only experience with Cassandra Clare is through old fan fiction, or just through the Infernal Devices books, then go pick up a copy of City of Bones, I promise you will love it. Anyway, to the people who have already read the amazing books, Cassandra Clare is writing a new series called The Dark Artifacts, which is (thankfully) still in the world of Shadowhunters. It will have new romances that can never happen, and new demons to kill. Book one, Last Midnight, won't be released until 2015, with the next two to be released in 2016 and 2017. That's right, those are the correct years. And just because I am steamed up, I will also add that City of Heavenly Fire, book 6 in our much-loved Mortal Instruments series, will not be released until 2014! Yup, if you though you only had a few more months to wait, you were WRONG. I'll just go sob into my pillow now.
7. To add a new book onto the scene, a brand new series called The EVER trilogy is beginning October 1st, with book 1, Ever. This series is by Jessa Russo, and it looks like it is her first book. So go out and support her this October because the book looks fantastic. To read more about it, plus get reviews from the people go got early releases, CLICK HERE
8. In news that I, at least, am very excited about, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is now out in a theater near you. The commercials just look incredible, and I have been excited about this movie all summer. So far, reviews are looking good. If you have seen it, please tell me how it is!
9. Finally, in more news about Cassandra Clare (I just can't help it), she is writing a new series with Holly Black called the Magisterium series. Book 1, The Iron Trial, will be released somtime in 2014. So if you were wondering why Cassandra Clare's books are taking so long to be released (you know that I have) then this is why: she is writing so many books even I can't keep track!

Happy reading, one and all! Check the announcements page for updates on movies and other news. Also, if you have read a book and you think I'll like it, please comment. I want to know what you are reading now. Oh, and please tell your friends who love to read about my blog. Lets get enough people reading that I can actually start doing giveaways like I want to!

Dystopian August

Have any of you been doing some Cornelia Funke reading? I certainly hope so! Just last week I passed one of my favorites, Inkheart, on to my aunt. I'll let you know if she loved it as much as I did. But meanwhile, I thought I would let you know that I have been reading like crazy for the past month. I reread the entire Harry Potter series, and loved it even more the second time around. I love reading books over again to catch things the author put in there. J.K. Rowling is a genius, and it is amazing how much she put into her early books that allude to things you don't learn until book 7. I also finished the Artemis Fowl series, which was great, but kind of sad because it was like finishing up part of my childhood. I've been reading those books since I was 8-years-old, and it was hard to be done. I will admit, I wasn't totally happy with the ending. Maybe others will feel differently. Please let me know if YOU did.
And now, onto reviewing a couple of books I've finished recently. Delirium by Lauren Oliver and Partials by Dan Wells. I am on kind of a dystopian kick right now, as I am reading Brave New Worlds, a collection of short dystopian stories written over many years. Delirium is a story of love - or the lack of it. In the world of Delirium, it has been discovered that love is a disease! It must be cured, or people could be driven to insanity and eventually death. At age 18, you are cured of love. Lena has always believed in the cure, but now she isn't so sure. In fact, she would rather be infected and eventually die than be without the feeling that love has set alight inside of her.
I adored this book. For me, it was more than dystopian. It was a love story. It was a story of discovering things you never thought possible, and of learning things you never thought were possible. Lena was a perfect character because of how much she believed. It made it more believable to hear from her head what it was like to fade away from all you have ever known.

Rating: 4.5/5

The second book of the day is Partials, by Dan Wells. Now, you should know right now, I adore Dan Wells. I attended a teen writers conference, and him and his brother taught a session and it was hilarious! And then I got to go to a release for his new book, The Hollow City and get all of my books signed by him. Which means that my copy of Partials (plus The Hollow City, and books 1 and 2 of the John Wayne Cleaver books) are signed by the man himself. Ok, I have raved enough. But seriously, I love Dan Wells. If you get the chance to meet him, MEET HIM! Back on track, Cecilia....

(Here's a picture of me and my Dan Wells Books!)

 

Partials is also a dystopian novel, also with a twist I haven't seen before. In the future, warriors were created called Partials, who were organic beings identical to humans. But, because they weren't actually human (seriously, when are people going to learn their lesson when it comes to robots?), they turned against their human creators and leave the population completely decimated. And even worse, no children have been born in the decade that has passed since the Partial Wars. Every woman is required to get pregnant as quickly as possible once they turn 18, and now Kira's friend is pregnant. It is up to Kira to find a cure for her friend, before it is too late for her child.
It took a long time for me to get into this book. I didn't feel connected to the characters which left me putting the book down frequently. In fact, I would say that it wasn't until about halfway through the book that I really started getting invested in Kira's future. As soon as I found a way to care, though, I cared! The book attacked me after that, and I read the rest all in one night. Kira was a fairly good narrator, but I felt like I was missing a few things that would have helped me to know her and care about her more. Overall, I did end up liking the book, and I am looking forward to reading future books. I would recommend it, but I would warn you that it won't start as fast as books like The Hunger Games do.


Rating: 3.5/5

Author Spotlight - Cornelia Funke

In my last (and most popular) post, I gave you guys a list of my favorite authors and books. I thought that I would spend a little more time on some of my favorite authors to really give you the full view of their work. First up, my very first favorite author. This was the author I first named as a favorite when I was younger, but has really held up over the years: Cornelia Funke.Cornelia Funke is a German author who writes fantasy books. Her books are the kind of books that make me want to learn German because if her books are so beautiful when they are translated, I can't imagine how beautiful they must be when read in their original language. She creates these amazing new worlds that I always love falling into. Ever world she creates is totally different, but they are all obviously very carefully constructed. The first book I read by Cornelia Funke was Inkheart.
Inkheart is story about a girl named Meggie, who has grown up without a mother. She lives in a world of books, as her father, Mo, is a bookbinder. They live in a house that has books stacked up to the ceiling in every room. I adore this book, it is still one of my very favorites and I love to return to it every couple of years. The sequels are just as amazing, if not better. Inkdeath is one of the best finales I've ever read in a series. Beautiful finish. These books are for those who love to read, along with those who just want a book that was put together with the utmost care.

   

Inkheart series: 5/5

The next book I read by this author was Dragon Rider. This book is intended for younger audiences than Inkheart was, but it is also a very large book. I think this just shows that Cornelia Funke doesn't underestimate kids. They can read big books, no matter how young they are. I adore Dragon Rider. The world she creates fascinates me, and I fell in love with every single character. I have read this book more times than I can count.

Dragon Rider: 4.5/5

As I continued on my list, I read The Thief Lord. This book takes place in Venice, Italy in the past. It is about a group of orphan boys who follow their brave leader, Scipio. As I was reading the book, I kept thinking that it was odd that Cornelia had written this book that wasn't fantasy, and was actually all very much possible, but she sprung that element of magic on me before I knew what was happening. And the fact that the book didn't all take place in a magical world, but still had that magic in it, was a really nice change.
The Thief Lord: 4.5/5           
(I plan taking this book with me to read if I ever see Venice)

These are just the most highly rated of Cornelia Funke's books. She has also written a children's series called Ghosthunters, a couple of stand-alone books called When Santa Fell to Earth and Igraine the Brave, and one of my favorite fairy tale retellings, Reckless. I am eagerly anticipating a book 2 to go along with Reckless, which will be called Restless. I can't wait! I hope you will read some of these amazing books and that you too will come to see how beautiful Cornelia Funke's books are. Happy Reading!

     

 

“Stories never really end...even if the books like to pretend they do. Stories always go on. They don't end on the last page, any more than they begin on the first page.” 

-Cornelia Funke, Inkspell

My Absolute Favorites

Since my last lists have been the most popular of all of my posts, I thought I would create another one. I thought I would try something a little different this time, though. Instead of giving you a list of my favorite books, I am going to give you a list of my favorite authors, and my favorite books by those authors, plus the list of budding authors I could see on my favorites list in the future. These authors either haven't written enough books to make a a real decision, or I haven't read enough of their books to decide.

Favorite Authors:

1. J. K. Rowling
2. Cornelia Funke
3. Shannon Hale
4. James Dashner
5. Nancy Farmer
6. Ted Dekker
7. Christopher Paolini
8. Gail Carson Levine
9. Alex Flinn
10. C. S. Lewis

Potential Favorites:

1. Suzanne Collins
2. Kristen Cashore
3. K. L. Fogg
4. Ilsa J. Bick
5. Veronica Roth
6. Diane Setterfield
7. Dan Wells
8. Obert Skye
9. Michael Grant - for the Gone books (Lies is my least favorite, but all great besides that)
10. James Patterson - The Maximum Ride books (getting worse and worse, unfortunately)
11. Scott Westerfeld - The Uglies books (All great, but I didn't love the last 2 Midnighters books)
12. Lois Lowry
13. Ally Condie
14. Jane Austen - Pride and Prejudice (absolutely amazing)
15. Moira Young - Blood Red Road (amazing, book 2 to come out soon)
16. Cassandra Clare

Favorite Books:

1. The Harry Potter series (yes, all 7 books. I can't pick favorites out of those) - J.K. Rowling
2. The Inheritance Cycle (book 3, Brisingr, is probably my favorite) - Christopher Paolini
3. The Books of Bayern (I adore book 2, Enna Burning) - Shannon Hale
4. The Inkheart series (can't pick a favorite!) - Cornelia Funke
5. Ella Enchanted - Gail Carson Levine
6. The Thief Lord - Cornelia Funke
7. Dragon Rider - Cornelia Funke
8. The Hunger Games (I adore all 3, even Mockingjay) - Suzanne Collins
9. The Circle books (That is Black, Red, White and Green) - Ted Dekker
10. The Giver - Lois Lowry
11. The Serpent Tide (I don't love books 2 or 3) - K.L. Fogg
12. Ashes - Ilsa J. Bick
13. The Maze Runner series (can't pick favorite) - James Dashner
14. The 13th Reality series (I just want book 4!) - James Dashner
15. The House of the Scorpion - Nancy Farmer
16. The Sea of Trolls (check out the amazing audio book) - Nancy Farmer
17. Book of a Thousand Days - Shannon Hale
18. Beastly - Alex Flinn
19. The Chronicles of Narnia (If I threw a dart, probably Dawn Treader and Last Battle are my favorites) - C.S. Lewis
20. The Matched Books (Crossed is better than Matched) - Ally Condie
21. The Graceling Realm books (Graceling is my favorite) - Kristin Cashore
22. The Mortal Instruments (I think book 4 is the low point, all the rest are amazing) - Cassandra Clare
23. The Thirteenth Tale (as if I haven't raved about that book enough) - Diane Setterfield
24. The Leven Thumps books (can't pick a favorite) - Obert Skye
25. The John Cleaver books (I like the 2 that I have read, still need book 3) - Dan Wells

Well, I just hope I haven't overwhelmed you. Please give me feedback on my posts so far so that I can hopefully write the things that YOU, the reader, want to read about. Also, suggest books you love. Happy reading!