Ready Player One (Ernest Cline)

Welcome to another review being posted within the schedule! Hope you are all enjoying the consistency of my posting, as well as the books I am reviewing; I've been lucky enough to be in a pretty good streak for books at the moment. This next book is one I came across on Tumblr, but it was also suggested by a couple YouTubers that I still watch. After reading the summary for this novel, I was instantly intrigued. I absolutely love books that mess the worlds of reality and virtual reality. If you've been reading this blog for a while, you may recall a book I read called Erobos that did exactly that. Since I'm a fan of gaming, being able to collide the worlds of virtual reality and the real world in a book is one of my favourite things!

Ready Player One is a science fiction novel that follows the lives of real people entering an online world known as OASIS. The main character of this novel is Wade, a teenager whose life in the real world is not desirable and difficult to remain in. Being an orphan, forced to live in a trailer park with his heartless aunt, one can understand the desire of OASIS; especially when the stakes of being in it are so high. The creator of this virtual reality (James Halliday), upon his death, raised the stakes for immersing yourself in his world of OASIS: the first person to claim three keys and clear their three respective gates would win millions of credits and gain immortality and invincibility. Wade, not liking the real world, became a gunter, meaning he spends most of his time in OASIS searching for the ultimate prize. But as the first key is discovered, the challenge becomes increasingly difficult as one corporation tries everything to finish the race first. Who will claim the prize, and at what cost?

Reading this book was both thrilling and unstoppable - I completed this book in approximately three days. The characters in this novel have distinct personalities, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. I never once questioned the real nature of their online personalities in OASIS, though there were a few twists towards the end that took me by surprise! That's another thing about this book that made it so incredible to read: it wasn't predictable. The story had twists and turns that I didn't expect, each with significant tolls on the characters and plot.

One thing that I didn't like was the extensive explanation present within the story. I understand that the details were meant to help immerse the characters in the culture of which Halliday based his contest on. Despite the relevance of the extra explanation, I found them to distract from the main plot line of which I truly wanted to read. Despite this, I found a way to not let it ruin my opinion of the book - I simply skimmed over the parts that were not completely relevant to the plot.

A handful of alternate book covers!

   

Upon completion of the book, I discovered that there are plans to turn this book into a movie! The film is set to release in 2017 and will be directed by Steven Speilberg

Overall I would rate Ready Player One a 4.5/5 because it was absolutely thrilling, leaving me immersed in the world of OASIS. The decrease of 0.5 from a perfect score is due to the over explained aspects of what made up Halliday's contest.

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

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The Bodies We Wear (Jeyn Roberts)

Hello again everyone! I'm officially starting to get this blog back on a decent publishing schedule and it makes me really happy knowing that. Since it's mid-September, quite a few of you may be back at school and already feeling like you're drowning in work. But, despite that, reading is something I always made sure to make time for and encourage you to as well. This book was an easy read, so it's a good one to start with if you decide to add reading nightly into your routine; I promise you it's a good way to distract yourself from the stressful or tiring day you've had, either at school or work.

The Bodies We Wear is a science fiction novel that follows the life of Faye, a seventeen year old girl who has survived six years past her expected life span. In the world that she exists in, there is a drug referred to as Heam that allows the user to die momentarily and see heaven; however, not everyone has a pleasant experience, especially when you overdose. An overdose is equivalent to painting a target on your back. The moment you've been marked, your ability to live a normal life becomes near impossible. Faye, on the other hand, defies odds to attend school in the hopes of a normal teenage life. Despite her attempt at normality, Faye's activities outside of school are far from normal, due to her plot for revenge that left her marked by Heam. But just as she starts to get going, a ghost from the past seems to want to help her instead of haunt her. Who is this ghost, and what is their purpose? Will Faye succeed in normality, or will her plan for revenge rip that away from her?

While reading this book, I truly struggled to put the book down. I found myself binge-reading the novel, despite my busy schedule, and finished the full story within three days. The reading itself is very easy and required no brain power at all; but I don't necessarily mean that in a bad way. Since the wording was simple, it allowed me to focus more on immersing myself in the characters and plot development. The concept behind the story was unique to me - I haven't read something quite like it yet. Faye is definitely a character that I bow down to and strive to be. She is incredibly strong, knows who she is, and doesn't let her physical flaws (and the society's interpretation of them) define her life; I wish I had her grounded self of being. The other main character - who I referred to as a ghost and am going to keep nameless - is the type of guy I would like to meet. He is caring and truly wants to give Faye a life of meaning and happiness; he knows what's best for her and tries to make her see that too.

I do applaud the author Jeyn Roberts on this story because it could have been a very predictable plot, but I didn't find it to be. After visiting her website, I discovered she has two other novels listed there, set to be part of a trilogy. I might just be adding this author to my list of authors to watch, because both of her books peaked my interest with only a glance at the cover and a skim of the synopsis.

 

Overall I would rate The Bodies We Wear a 4/5 because it was a brilliant story with some incredible characters, but I did feel that something was missing. The plot consisted of several mini climax points, but it didn't have a main climax point. Maybe that's a personal preference, but I really do enjoy when there is a point in the book that sideswipes you and takes you on a roller coaster ride.

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

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Fire In The Stars (Isabella & Mitchell)

Welcome back to my blog if you are a returning reader, or just simply welcome if you are new here. My name is Kelly and I absolutely love to read, sharing my opinions on the stories as I go. The reason I’m starting off with a more formal introduction, is because this review is more special than the rest: it is part of a virtual book tour! I was asked by one of the authors of this book if I would like to participate in the virtual book tour for the upcoming novel Fire In The Stars. Of course I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read and review a book that had yet to be released to the public. The moment the novel landed in my inbox, I dove right into the story and I am so glad I did!

Fire In The Stars is a co-written book by Isabella Rogge and Mitchell Thomas Kazanjian. The two authors came together to write a science fiction book from two perspectives for the two main characters: Harper and Clint. The story takes place in a world where teenage and child delinquents are exiled to the island of Penance. The island is an isolated world where only the fit survive and the fittest lead the lesser. Clint, being one of the original, is the island’s very own “bad cop” in a way, doing jobs that would not be desirable; though his status on the island provides him with the privacy to live in his own bubble. Harper, being one of the newest additions to the island, still has a lot to learn if she is going to survive in her new home. Not long after her arrival, the dynamic of the island is turned on its head and Harper always seems to end up smack-dab in the middle of it. Who will be the fittest to survive above the rest? Harper, Clint, or neither?

After I finished reading this novel, I was left staring at my black computer screen just sitting in awe of the incredible story that I had just finished reading. How is one supposed to go on after they complete a book they didn't want to see end? When I was first approached by Isabella with a co-written book, I was thrilled by the opportunity but worried about having two authors; I have read co-written books before and have often found a disconnect between chapters. For Fire In The Stars, there is no hint of disconnect whatsoever! The two perspectives, that of Harper and Clint, are so seamlessly intertwined that it felt as though the two authors were in fact one. The characters themselves are also so real that it's as though you are watching their lives unfold before your own eyes, just watching from behind a tree on Penance Island. It was as if I had known these characters before, instead of trying to learn who they were. They each had their own distinct personality as well, which made the story that much more enjoyable!

Another enjoyable part, especially for me, was the pace of the story. From the very first page, the story began and not once did that pace seem to falter or slow; the consistency was impeccable! With each new chapter, you learned more about Penance Island and those who have existed in this make-shift society since the beginning of its time; it was as though my mind was filling in the details of the poorly defined map given to the new additions to the island - it was like I was one of the "Fins" of this world.

Fire In The Stars is due to release on September 18, 2015 and I encourage all of you reading this review to go out and give this book a read - I promise you won't regret the decision to do so! For more details about the book or the authors, make sure to check out the BOOK BLOG or the BOOK WEBSITE.

Overall I would rate Fire In The Stars a 5/5 because I didn't want it to end whatsoever! The world that existed on Penance Island was one that you didn't want to live on, but also didn't want to let go of. Most certainly a must read!

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

Leave a comment with your thoughts on this story or with a suggestion of another book I should read & review!

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