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