Books To Movies

Welcome Back Bookworms

It's been quite some time since I posted and that is because I just haven't felt like reading in a while now. GASP! I know it's crazy isn't it; not reading despite running a book blog. But I was starting to feel bad for not updating this blog so I came up with a post idea and I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. 

Books are often transformed from words on a page into visuals on the big screen. The transition from book to movie can either enhance a story or leave the things you enjoyed about it out of the picture. It's always a difficult decision about going to see a movie for a book you absolutely loved. So that poses the next question:

Do you see the movie before or after reading the novel?

I've gone both ways with this one and I'm still undecided as to which way is better. Let me break it down a little bit as to why that is. 

There are series I've read, such as The Hunger Games or Divergent, where I knew the story before seeing the directors depiction of said stories. In the first case, that of The Hunger Games, I was glad to have read the novels first because I had a greater understanding of the dynamics of the Districts and the Capitol; I felt as though I knew it was going on, which is something I wouldn't have achieved if I'd see the movies first. However, in the second case, that of the Divergent series, I was left at a loss because of changes to the original plot. In most cases they were minor details, but they were still deviations from what I was expecting, which made watching the movies more painful than enjoyable.

On the flip side, I've watched movies that I really enjoyed that I later discovered were based on books, so I of course went back and read them. One example of that is If I Stay which I absolutely loved, despite some people saying it was too cheesy or it moved at too quick of a pace initially with the development of their relationship. After watching the movie, I knew I needed to go back and read the original story, as well as the sequel. I loved falling in love with the characters again, but this time through words on a page and not pictures on a screen. I don't know if it would have gone so well the other way around. I also recently just watched Me Before You, a movie that I haven't yet read the book for (though it had been on my list to read). Having watched the movie now, which I thought was adorable, I'm not sure I want to read the book because the movie seemed so perfect. 

The Final Dilemma? 

Reading a book before the movie means you have more insight into what the author thinks about the characters or the plot, but this means you have higher expectations of the movie and become disappointed by mistakes. Watching the movie before reading the book means you have clear images of what the characters and places look like, but it can become frustrating if you later discovering something wasn't replicated correctly which ultimately ruins both the book AND the movie. 

So, I pose the following to you: which do you do first?

One Person's Craziness (R.T. Ojas)

It's been a while but I really am trying to get back to posting. If you follow me on Instagram, you'll know that I had mentioned my lack of time for reading due to returning to school and being in a reader's block mindset. It's been a while since I picked up a book of my choosing (with the exception of Cursed Child) and I think it's effecting my enthusiasm unfortunately. Despite that, I will continue to slowly work through the novels that have been sent to me before taking a break from author-requested reviews. Without further ado, here's a new review!

One Person's Craziness by R.T. Ojas is a science fiction novella about Amoli and his unusual history. Amoli grew up on an isolated island among the Sarato people, where no one ever left the island's edges to the potential beyond the waves. During the annual Mazota festival, a strange event occurred that changed that: everyone disappeared except Amoli and his brother... or so they thought. The novella describes the events thereafter through the police investigative interview of which ends on quite a twist. Is Amoli crazy for thinking these events occurred or is the detective the one with the mind in make believe?

I read this novella during my co-op work placement this summer and I'd like the thank the author for providing me with something to help pass the time at work. The story was written quite well and the plot was definitely thought out. I loved the characters that Ojas created because each one had a different outlook on the mysterious events happening on their island. As the novella progressed, I'll admit that it made a turn in a direction that I did not expect and am still unsure as to whether I liked it or not. Minor spoiler: aliens. Now, I've watched movies with them and read other novels with them, but I'm truly not a huge fan of them. With that in mind, I guess you could say my opinion is slightly skewed towards a negative viewpoint; however, the novella did hold my attention.

Rating: 2.5/5

Reason: The writing was solid and the characters were believable; however, the plot ending is not something I can say made me dive into the novella even more.

Find a copy here

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

 As always comment your thoughts and follow all of the associated pages (listed in the sidebar). I am not currently accepting author-promoted requests.

A copy of the book was provided to me for honest review purposes.

HP and the Cursed Child (JK Rowling)

I'm back so soon with another review because yesterday was a big day in the book community: we have an eighth Harry Potter story to read and love as much as the others! I originally had not planned to go out and buy the book on release day, but I happened to be in the right place at the right time so I couldn't pass by without grabbing a copy. Shout out to Cole's for giving away special Harry Potter book bags with the purchase of the book because I am in love with the bag. As a final note before the review, I will say this: I am a huge Harry Potter fan so you may think I'm bias (which is possible) but I am trying to write this review as objectively as I can for you readers. Now on with the review!

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a novel composed of the script from the West End stage play written by JK Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany. Since this is Harry Potter, and I know I wouldn't have wanted any spoilers if I didn't have the book, I'm not going to provide much of a synopsis. What I will say is that the script begins where the epilogue of the original series leaves off. You are immediately thrown into Kings Cross station and then into Platform 9 3/4 where you get to follow Albus as he journeys to Hogwarts for the first time. Since this is a story of the next generation, the focus is on Albus and his friend Scorpius, who both manage to find themselves in some trouble.

The writing style is different so I will preface my review by reminding you guys that the book doesn't read as a regular novel. Since the entirety of the story is explained through dialogue, with minimal descriptors presented as stage directions, you don't necessarily get the full "Hogwarts experience" as with the main series. This concept was difficult in the first couple scenes as I had to adjust my way of reading to recognize the dynamic of the conversation so that I didn't have to read the name of who was talking; however, it soon started to read as a normal book once you get past that small detail.

The plot is definitely something I would never have come up with on my own and it's definitely better than anything I had thought or predicted for the epilogue. I will say that the first quarter of the book feels slightly rushed since we see snippets of Albus' first few years at Hogwarts. With that said, I do recognize that this is a play and those productions have time constraints; there would be no way to include stories of each year without writing another 7 book series. Another exciting thing about the plot is that JK Rowling addressed some of the questions that I've had for years. I know a lot of people had questions about the Time Turners and why they were not used more extensively to "fix" certain events. For those of you that had wondered that, definitely read Cursed Child for some more insight.

The characters made me so happy because you have the old ones you know and love mixed in with the new ones you grow to love quite quickly. Since the plot is quite fast paced, you don't gain as much character development as we did with the original series; however, as mentioned before, certain things are incomparable because you have a West End play versus a 7 book series. One thing I will say is that the dynamic between Albus and Scorpius, as well as their relationships to their respective fathers, is familiar and new all at the same time. I loved the chemistry that exists there and how easy it is to cheer them on in their adventures.

Rating: 4.5/5

Reason: It's Harry Potter and I loved revisiting the Wizarding World, but the script means the story lacks descriptors and a more flushed out story.

Find a copy here

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

 As always comment your thoughts and follow all of the associated pages (listed in the sidebar). I am not currently accepting requests as my list is quite long!

In Vitro Lottery (Ed Ryder)

It has been quite some time since my last review and I am so sorry about that! As mentioned last time, I started a new co-op job which has become quite crazy in the last two weeks. I've been working a decent amount of overtime and the work has been physically demanding. What does that have to do with no reviews? It means I come home, shower, eat, and then fall asleep. But I have finished another book and I am back to tell you about it.

In Vitro Lottery by Ed Ryder is a science fiction novel about a world in which it costs to reproduce, after the Norwegian Death killed many people and a virus stopped natural reproduction. Now a company holds the fate of every family through the In Vitro Lottery. If your name is selected, you have the honour of receiving the treatment for free. However, when Kate wins the lottery, only to pass it to her sister Emily, something happens that makes her want to claim her prize and get close to the clinic head Victor Pearson. Why would she do that? Kate has some unfinished business she'd like to wrap up.

Now I started this book about halfway through June and I finished it last night. For me, that is a long time to spend on a single book; however, as mentioned above, I've been working and had little time to read. Despite that fact, I did find myself not wanting to pick up the book at times. Though the characters are written quite well, and the concept is something I definitely wanted to "wow" me, the plot line just didn't get there. I personally found the book to be choppy, jumping it's focus in a slightly confusing manner. The novel felt as though key elements had been written and then secondary elements were created later to fill in the gaps. Of course, this is a personal opinion, but I did struggle to become immersed into the book when the plot changed courses more times than necessary.

I will add, however, that the concept for the book was definitely strong and I loved the idea of it. The last 30 - 40 pages grabbed my attention and held onto it. I just wish the rest of the book had of been similar in style and pace.

Rating: 2/5

Reason: Amazing concept and characters. Lack of a mono-directional plot.

Find a copy here

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

 

 As always comment your thoughts and follow all of the associated pages (listed in the sidebar). I am not currently accepting requests as my list is quite long!

 

A copy of the book was provided to me for honest review purposes.

Stake Out (Lily Luchesi)

Hello everyone and I hope you've been enjoying the month of June so far; I know I've been! I started my new co-op job last week and it's been quite interesting. I've been working outside almost every day for 8 hours, which is way more time than I would usually spend. But one good thing comes from being in the heat all day: being tired in the evening and curling up with a good book.

Stake Out by Lily Luchesi is a paranormal mystery novel that follows detective Danny Mancini as he tries to catch the murderer of the case he's been working on. But this case turns out to be quite unusual when the man he's chasing has been playing this game for 200 years: the guy is a vampire. With this revelation, Danny teams up with FBI agent Angelica Cross, from a secret paranormal division, to take this vampire down. But is there more to this case than meets the eye and what is it about Angelica that sparks something in Danny?

I read Stake Out fairly quickly and it was a pretty decent novel. It's the first in a selection of "Paranormal Detective" novels by Lily Luchesi. I've never really been drawn into the paranormal - mystery crossover genre before so this was a pretty good book to start with. The two elements were cohesive and didn't seem to be too extreme to the point of clashing. The plot was easy to follow but at times felt a little too predictable for a mystery novel; I think without the paranormal element, this book would have fallen quite low on the scale for me.

The characters were well written, but at times I wished the surface would have been scratched a little deeper; I didn't quite connect as much as I hoped I would. They were very stereotypical characters and almost always acted as I expected them to. I only wish that there was some more spunk or spontaneity to them. Overall, it was a good, light read which can be perfect for a low-key evening.

Rating: 3.5/5

Reason: It was a cohesive story that just lacked some more punch.

Find a copy here

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

 As always comment your thoughts and follow all of the associated pages (listed in the sidebar). I am not currently accepting requests as my list is quite long!

A copy of the book was provided to me for honest review purposes.

Rebellion Project (Sara Schoen)

Welcome to an extra special review! It's almost the middle of the week, which isn't my normal posting day, but this is part of a book tour. I was provided an ARC of today's book through Rock Your World Promotions in exchange for an honest review, and hopefully to get some more readers hyped about the book which is out today!

The Rebellion Project by Sara Schoen is a YA fiction novel that follows Lauren Scott's journey to find the person she has always wanted to be, and what better time than high school to do just that! Lauren is the stereotyped "geek" who skipped a couple grades and always follows the rules, no matter the cost to her social stature. However, the name calling begins to rub her the wrong way, especially when she catches her father - the king of rules - breaking everything he tells her to do. With this revelation, Lauren turns to her best friend Parker who tells her to seek the help of the one person who knows how to break the rules and bring her from drool to cool: Kayden Daniels. But is fraternizing with the enemy a good idea, or does it have bad written all over it? Perhaps it could be both?

Watch The Trailer

After reading this book in under two days I was left with only a few words: WOW, HOLY SMOKES, and AMAZING! It's been quite some time since I've read a YA fiction that wasn't science fiction or mystery and it made an incredible change. I don't even know where to start with this one, so I'm going to break it down a little bit:

Plot

There is definitely something for everyone in this and I have to say, I related to this more than I thought I would! There is romance, high school drama, rebellion (duh!), family values, heartache, and so much more. I definitely think most young readers will look at this plot and honestly say, "that's me" at some point.

Characters

It's funny how an author can create characters that each have a unique personality, but are recognizable in such a way that you can put someone you know into each one. The archetypes are familiar, yet also new. I fell in love with Kayden from the beginning and sometimes found myself internally shouting at my book for some of his stupidity. A+ work on characters!

Writing

This is the only part where the novel falters in my mind. I recognize I had an ARC but there were several typos or grammatical errors, which at times were distracting. That's just the type of reader I am. In addition, there were some passages of non-dialogue text that seemed to drag or become repetitive; it's hard to explain (perhaps personal taste?).

Overall, the book was pretty incredible and I definitely struggled to put it down to complete other things I needed to do in the day. To be honest, I didn't do too well with putting it down - I think I may have binged-read the novel. Good job Sara Schoen! As mentioned at the start, this review was part of a book tour so check out some of the other reviews.

Rating: 4.5/5

Reason: Both the plot and the characters were incredible! 

You can pick up a copy here

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

 As always comment your thoughts and follow all of the associated pages (listed in the sidebar). I am not currently accepting requests as my list is quite long!

A copy of the book was provided to me for honest review purposes.

Visions Of My Heart (Garikai Nhongo)

Welcome back everyone! I'm excited to be back to posting reviews and I hope to be a little more consistent now that I have free time. This review is a little bit different because it's for poetry. You may recall when I reviewed The Great Repression last year, which was the first time I'd ever truly sat down and read a book of poems. So welcome to the second poetry book on this blog!

Vision Of My Heart: 101 Tales Told In Verse is a book of short poems by the author Garikai Nhongo. He reached out to me all the way back in February and kindly provided me with a copy of his book in exchange for an honest review. The poems reflect the journey through love and heartbreak, as well as the overall journey of life.

When I first started the collection of poems, I did so with an open mind and tried to put my heart in the place of the author, since poetry is quite personal. Unfortunately, for me, I found it difficult to get through the poems for a few reasons. First, the poetry was done through rhyming verses which gave the pieces a lack of fluidity; some rhymes felt forced and others didn't rhyme correctly or at all. It made it difficult for me to immerse myself in the journey. Second, the poems began to feel oddly enough repetitive; I'm not sure why it felt that way to me, but it did.

For the sake of my honest review, I will let you know that I actually couldn't complete the book. It's rare for me to give up on a book because I understand the importance of the complete story and full picture. But, for the case of this book of poetry, I just didn't find that my heart was in it. Despite that, as I mention whenever I review something that didn't capture my interest, I always encourage you to give it a try since it may capture something in you.

Rating: 1/5

Reason: For me the rhyming held back the connection to the stories and at times were forced or not present. Also, I didn't finish the story so I can't rate it any higher.

You can try a copy here

 

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

 

 As always comment your thoughts and follow all of the associated pages (listed in the sidebar). I am not currently accepting requests as my list is quite long!

 

A copy of the book was provided to me for honest review purposes.

In Real Life (Joey Graceffa)

It's May and the sun is shining! That makes me extremely happy because April was crazy with exams and trying to find a job for my co-op placement. Now that all of those responsibilities are done, and I've taken some time out for myself to regroup, I think I'm ready to exit the reading slump I've been in. Every term after exams, I'm left not wanting to read anything due to the fact that I just spent a month reading study notes. But I'm back, starting with a book I bought myself after Christmas!

In Real Life: My Journey to a Pixelated World by Joey Graceffa is an autobiography about his childhood, family, and transition into a full-time YouTube position. For those who aren't followers of Joey, I'll give you a brief description. Joey Graceffa joined YouTube back in 2007 with his friend Brittany, before beginning his own channel in 2009. Through the success of his channel, with over 6 million subscribers, Joey has achieved many great successes and experienced some pretty amazing things - one of which was being on The Amazing Race... twice!

Being a fan of Joey, ever since I started following his channel about 4 years ago, I was really excited to read his autobiography to get a deeper glimpse into the world he already shares. I was surprised by how many of his stories I didn't know yet despite watching his daily vlogs on YouTube. For those who watch his vlogs, you know that he is extremely bubbly and positive throughout most of his video time, which is why this book was a nice change. Having the opportunity to learn more about the hardships he went through in childhood, made me look up to Joey even more than I already did. Joey inspires me to strive for full positivity despite any weights that try to pull you down.

There is a section of photos that has some
incredible throwbacks for the Joey fans

In Real Life is a nice breath of fresh air to realign your perspective on things, especially for the younger readers who might be reading this review. If you are in high school or elementary school, Joey fan or not, I do recommend reading his autobiography because he gives some great advice! To Joey, if by some crazy chance he sees this, thank you for sharing more of your life with your viewers and the lessons you've learned along the way.

Rating: 4/5

Reason: For me I would give it a perfect. But, in terms of readership, if you aren't already a fan of Joey I fear that this would be lacking something. Also, I would say it's a very narrow audience in terms of age - I would recommend ages 12 - 24.

Pick up a copy! 

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

 

 As always comment your thoughts and follow all of the associated pages (listed in the sidebar). I am not currently accepting requests as my list is quite long!

Weeping Water (JT Ruby)

It's another month! Time really does fly when you're busy at university and heading into exams. Speaking of which, I finished my first one yesterday and only have 4 more to get through! While studying, it's always important to take breaks from the material and read something completely unrelated. My choice for that was the book I'm going to talk about today. The author of the book is actually from my hometown so I was extremely excited to read this one. Thank you JT Ruby for kindly providing me with a copy to review!

Work Hard - Read Harder

Weeping Waters is a science fiction novel that follows Elliot and Annie, as well as their respective families, as they face the reanimation process 35 years after death. CryoCore, a company with advancing technology, provides humans with a second chance at life by freezing the bodies until the proper medical treatment can be guaranteed; this is the fate Elliot and Annie's bodies face. Though they had separate tragedies and lives before CryoCore, their rehabilitation brings them together in an unusual love story. They both face the struggles of getting out of CryoCore and back to life, but will they be able to keep their new life together?

My initial reaction to this book was WOW. It was fast-paced when it needed to be and slower when necessary; it had the perfect balance. Falling in love with the characters doesn't take long either because each one has a unique personality type so you are bound to find one you can relate to. Elliot is a level-headed, young businessman who sees second life as an opportunity, despite initial hesitations towards CryoCore. Annie is the opposite, making her very spontaneous and full of quick reaction, which gets her in trouble. I like to see it as Annie is the rebellious young teenager and Elliot is the older teenager facing a transition to adulthood; gives you the idea of the personalities a little better.

In terms of final responses to Weeping Water, it really makes you think and reflect. If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know this is something I really enjoy in a novel. The concept of CryoCore makes you think about the life you are leading and if you are doing it justice by living fully; it brings the idea of "anything can happen so live as though today is your last." By adding a second-chance at life, it pushes the question further by asking you "what regrets would you want to make right if given the chance?"

Lastly, I want to give a shout out to the author, JT Ruby, for his incredible writing style. It flowed so smoothly and was only descriptive when necessary. Furthermore, I enjoyed that a fair amount of the novel was written through dialogue instead of narrative passages; it's more immersive for a reader so I'm really happy.

Rating: 5/5

Reason: Thought-provoking and immersing novel
Disclaimer: There are a couple of mature sections.
Trigger Warning: Attempted sexual assault.

Pick up a copy!

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

 As always comment your thoughts, e-mail me for business inquiries, and follow all of the associated pages (listed in the sidebar).

A copy of the book was provided to me for honest review purposes.

Exhaled: A Novella (Isabella Rogge)

I hope March has been kind to you so far and that you've been enjoying some good books too. As many of you know, I'm currently working through another term of University, but I finally managed to squeeze in time devoted to reading this novella. Isabella Rogge reached out to me a while ago (all the way at the start of January) to review her novella, since I helped promote her collaborative book Fire In The Stars back in September. So without further ado, the review!

Exhaled: A Novella is a short story (72 pages) that follows Claire Williams, a young girl facing the challenge of accepting the after-life after a tragic accident. She is met by Caesar, the "greeter of death" as I like to describe him, who has been given the task of escorting Claire to the after-life. Claire, however, is reluctant to let the living go do to unfulfilled promises. The story follows Claire and her acceptance of death, as well as Caesar's journey to understanding life.

Though the story is brief in comparison to a full length novel, I was immersed so quickly and even after finishing the novella; I wish it was a full length novel. I love stories that make you question your own stance on accepting the inevitability of death; novels that make you reflect back on yourself. If life were to be cut short, would you truly be able to move forward, or would you be left with uncompleted tasks?

The characters Isabella writes are very natural and contrasting. Claire and Caesar are quirky in their own ways; they are an unlikely pair of personalities. But they give each other an understanding of a topic they initially couldn't grasp. I like that a lot - I tip my metaphorical hat to Isabella for again creating amazing characters.

Rating: 5/5

Reason: An amazing, thought-provoking topic & incredible characters

Make sure to get your copy!

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

 As always comment your thoughts, e-mail me for business inquiries, and follow all of the associated pages (listed in the sidebar).

A copy of the book was provided to me for honest review purposes.

The War of the Worlds (H.G. Wells)

Time flies so quickly, doesn't it? I was hoping 2016 would show a continuation of the consistent posting that I had achieved towards the end of 2015. But sadly it did not and I'm sorry about that. It's so easy to forget how much time University actually takes up after being off and working for 4 months. Now that I am back in school, I guess that means I can't continue to expect my reviews to be posted bi-weekly. Saying that, however, I am taking that English course I mentioned and I have finished two of the books; one of which I am going to talk about in this review!

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells. That's a pretty well-known and classic title in the world of science fiction. This novel is, as I learned in my course, the father of the genre; it is the first footprint made in a now wide-spread and fast-selling family of books. The War of the Worlds is a story of aliens vs. humans in an uneven battle of technology and lifestyle. As human beings, we see ourselves as advanced and merciful creatures; however, in the face of extraterrestrial beings, we are fearful and under equipped. The novel follows the journey of one man and his brother, experiencing the same terrors of alien threat but in different places in Europe. The aliens, mechanical creatures that reflect the image of a tripod, have unimaginable technologies that allow their domination over humanity. But these aliens are defeated by something they could not foresee and something the humans will forever be thankful for: microbiology.

I'm expecting quite a few people reading this to have either done one of the following: read the novel or watched the Tom Cruise movie. If you've done both, you'll know there is some disconnect between the two, so I shall leave the movie out of my review.

The War of the Worlds was originally published in 1898, so it's safe to say the literature and writing-style has aged considerably; but the story itself holds quite well. Being over 100 years old, the cultural context plays a significant role in the characters presented to the reader. H.G. Wells used archetypal writing to reflect his opinions and the world around him. For example, the Curate represented how the church and religious figures would react in the event of an invasion; the artilleryman represented the army and how they would react; his brother represented science and how their stable or open minds would give them an edge during invasion. H.G Wells was not only a science fiction writer, but he was an incredible executor of literary devices. I understand why Wells is so respected in the genre; he dreamed up these intelligent creatures and the concept of flying spacecraft. He had an imaginative mind.

The Many Covers of WOTW - http://drzeus.best.vwh.net/wotw/wotw.html

 

Stepping back from the analysis of Wells' writing, and his pure genius of genre creation, my overall opinion of the book is less idealistic. Though the concept of aliens vs. humans was new in 1898, the idea in our present day society is old and overindulged. As a reader of many science fiction books, it was as though I'd read the story already; of course that isn't Wells' fault. I just wish the story was timeless. If I were to also push this aside, I'm still left with the dry literature and the lack of character presence. Since the writing used archetypal characters, you don't bond with them or learn about them as you go: you already know them. Discovery of character is my favourite part of reading!

Overall I would rate The War of the Worlds 3/5 because I have to give H.G Wells credit for the incredible feat he conquered over 100 years ago. He created a genre of novel that is well respected today and my favourite one to fall back to. However, being published in 1898, the story and writing have aged which means the captivation is lost.

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

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Unaccompanied Minor (Hollis Gillespie)

Good morning bookworms! How has December been treating you? Hopefully you aren't too snowed in; though that does mean curling up by the fire with a good book so it's not always a terrible thing! But if it's summer where you are now, enjoy the warmth for me okay? The book I'm about to review is one I came across on Goodreads - I don't often scroll through there, but I am subscribed to their newsletters and I believe I saw it in one of their e-mails. If not, then it came from Tumblr. Regardless of why I decided to read it, I read it and it was a pretty good book!

Unaccompanied Minor is a book by Hollis Gillespie that I would categorize under the thriller genre though it's not necessarily scary. It is also of the mystery genre based on the plot line that the book follows. Despite those genres, the story is extremely light-hearted and at times can be quite comical. The story follows April Manning, a 14 year old girl from a long list of WorldAir employees; her mother is a flight attendant, her father was a pilot and her step-father (Ash) is also a pilot. Her family is a little dysfunctional though, especially since her father was killed in a plane crash. Since then, her step-father has moved across the country from her mother and gotten her mother confined to a psych ward; this leaves April to fly back and forth between her loving mother with no custodial rights and her step-father who could care less that she exists. After horrific events in Ash's apartment, April is left to flee and hide as an unaccompanied minor. But during one flight, things don't go as planned: a hijack, a bomb, Ash, and false coordinates to land. Will anyone on that plane make it back down to the ground safely?

When I first started this book, I didn't fully understand what the book had planned or truly what the concept of it was. I'm not sure if this effected my opinion, but it took me a long time to feel myself immersed in the novel. As I said, I don't know if it was the unclear concept or if the book was just slow to start off. The story is written through April's perspective, but it is also done at times as a series of police reports and interview records. At the beginning of the novel, the point of this writing style is unclear since the main events on the plane have not taken place. Once done the novel, it does make sense, but the delayed understanding did decrease the rating of the story.

One thing I did like was the diversity of characters present in the novel. There is a broad spectrum of ages of the main characters from April and Malcom, who are young teenagers, to Flo, who is a fairly old flight attendant that gets away with everything. Each character has a distinct personality which allows you as a reader to find someone you can relate to and root for throughout the duration of the story. I personally found myself to be similar to Malcolm - he's quiet, reserved, but definitely there for you when you need him; he also has a dog named Captain Beefheart and I would love to have my own version of that dog!

Once I had finished the novel, I read the short author blurb at the back of the book to discover that Hollis was working on a sequel to this novel. I personally don't see how another novel would benefit or enhance the story, as most of the plot had been tied up by the end. But, for the sake of being informative, the follow-up novel is out and called We Will be Crashing Shortly. I likely won't be reading the second story, but let me know if you do.

Overall I would rate Unaccompanied Minor 3.5/5 because it was good, but it could have been better. I understand that publishers don't like prologues anymore, but I think a chapter at the start that gave a preview as to why the story was written as police reports would be extremely helpful in clarifying a few things. But it was still a very good read and I still recommend it.

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

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*OTS* Mortal Danger (Ann Aguirre)

Welcome to the second installment of Off The Shelf which started a while ago. To be honest, I almost forgot that I had started that idea so I’m bringing it back and am hoping to do this every 3^rd or 4^th review posted. Just as a refresher, Off The Shelf is a series similar to Strawburry17’s show Something New on YouTube. I don’t have any back story as to why I chose this book but instead simply grabbed it off the shelf. Also, just as a side note: my apologies for missing the upload on Monday - things have been a little busy lately but it's here now so let's go!

The book that caught my eye, forcing me to pull it off the shelf, was Mortal Danger by Ann Aguirre. This novel is of a science-fiction, supernatural genre, and had a pretty unique plot idea! The story follows Edie Kramer, a girl trying to make it through the pain and laughs of Blackbriar Academy - that's not an easy task when the end of one school year leaves you doubting if you want to be around anymore. But there was a change during the summer that gave her confidence to walk through the doors for her senior year: that change was Kian. He offers her a deal, one that's impossible to refuse, especially from a figure like him. However, as usual, a deal can not be done without some consequences. Soon Edie finds herself wrapped up in a game of monsters and temptations, and she soon isn't sure who she can trust.

So why did I pick this book off the shelf? There was something about the cover that was intriguing - maybe it was the monochrome colours with the bright red infinity symbol in blood. There is a great deal of symbolism if you want to delve into that side of literature. An infinite symbol signifies being connected with something for life, either by choice or by force. The blood creating the infinity made me feel a drop in my stomach because it appears as though someones life was decided for them; the one tied forever has no choice in the matter - they will bleed trying to break the forever or they will pump blood and live with it.

The characters in the story, Edie and Kian, are both powerhouse figures: their personalities are strong and often collide. But this adds an element to the book that is irresistible! I don't really know how to put into words anything I felt while reading the story. It was fast-paced, heart-pounding, and almost left me light-headed with excitement. I finished the novel in a couple days, and honestly I would have finished sooner had I had a good chunk of time on one day. 

Alternate Book Cover

When I grabbed this book off the shelf, I didn't know anything about the author or that this is part of the Immortal Game series. This is the first book in the trilogy and there is a fourth side novel from Kian's perspective. The second book is Public Enemies and the third book is Infinite Risk, due to release August 2016. The side novel is out now and is titled The Girl in the Gray Sweatshirt.

Overall I would rate Mortal Danger 5/5 because it left me speechless, which makes it really hard to write a review! I look forward to when I get the chance to finish this series because it is absolutely worth my time to wait for that third one to release.

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

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The Infinite Sea (Richard Yancey)

I want to start off by thanking everyone who takes the time to read my reviews for doing so because we have officially crossed over 2000 page views since starting in March 2014! I really do appreciate each and everyone of you. I look forward to what the future holds for this blog! Now on with the review :)

If you haven’t read the last review, make sure to check that one out first as this is a follow up to that one. As I mentioned in that review, The 5thWave is a trilogy and this book is the sequel. At the time of reading the first book, I didn’t know it was a series and that left me on the wrong foot when starting this one. I didn’t want The 5^th Wave to be a series and I didn’t have intentions of starting another trilogy. But, despite this, I tried to leave those hesitations behind so I wouldn’t affect my opinion of this book. If you haven’t read the first book, I will warn you that a couple lines of this review may be spoilers for that book; I tried my best not to spoil anything, but it’s difficult sometimes! Another warning is that I recently fell into the pit known as "writer's block" so this review is being written far after the reading of the book; therefore, some details are a little hazy. My apologies!

The Infinite Sea is a science fiction novel that continues to follow the lives of the characters you grew to love in the first book. Upon the incredible plan that the characters managed to execute in The 5^th Wave, they must learn to survive once again; however, the stakes are much greater this time around. Having deceived the enemy, the characters now have a large target on their backs: there's no escaping the punishment that awaits such an incredible take-down. After the group makes it to the designated safe house, planned by Evan, they must created a new plan: where do they go if they leave? Should they stay put and wait for everyone to return safely? With the many decisions on the table, the group becomes divided in what is the right course of action. This indecision causes a rift in the group, leaving them vulnerable and prone to be picked off: one by one. 

From what I can remember, the overall plot of the book was pretty well developed and did hold my attention fairly well. The only thing was that I found it to be a little too "typical" for a science fiction/dystopian novel. I really wanted there to be something that side swiped me like getting t-boned by a truck. It lacked a sense of sudden, surprise urgency. For the characters, there was definitely development and you were able to get a deeper understanding of their thoughts and the path that led them to where they are now. 

As mentioned in the first review, there is a third book (The Last Star) set to publish on May 17, 2016. At this moment, I am unsure if I will read and review it or not since it is a long time off: I like to read trilogies close together so that the details and connections are fresh in my mind. Reading the third book would involved having to revisit this novel and The 5th Wave closer to that date and, unfortunately, I don't really feel that this series is a re-read level of book. I will however likely see the movie for The 5th Wave in January 2016 to see how the words transition into images on film.

Overall I would rate The Infinite Sea 4/5 because I found it to be a little more in-depth than the first novel in the series, which left me not putting the book down; however, with that being said, I definitely could still use some more creativity and thought for the plot line itself.  

Until next time,

Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

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The 5th Wave (Rick Yancey)

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving, for those who are celebrating it today! Hope you are enjoying your time and are appreciating everything you have to be thankful for. This book is one I have been meaning to read for a while, after first hearing about it from YouTuber Joey Graceffa. He gave this book high praise and I wasn’t going to pass on this book after hearing about it at that level of enthusiasm. When I first picked up the book, I was not aware that this was set to be apart of a trilogy; I was disappointed when I found out, especially since the third book is not due to release until 2016. But, with that detail set aside, I read the book and I’m excited to share my thoughts.

The 5^th Wave is a futuristic, science fiction novel that follows the stories of several people whose lives become very intertwined as they struggle to survive. The novel is broken into clear cut sections, each following the mind set of another individual trying to survive to the next day; a few of these characters include Cassia, Sam, Ben, and Evan, though there are many other viewpoints you get to experience in addition to those four. The story begins by explaining how the Earth reached “the 5^th wave” and who was behind these destructive waves: aliens who appear to want to exterminate and move in. But, humans, being the stubborn species that we are, won’t go down without a fight, and the characters plan to do just that: fight. Cassia and Sam fight for family, Ben fights for righting past mistakes, and Evan fights for change. Who will come out on top: humans or aliens?

I know what you must be thinking – another science fiction novel? Struggle to survive? – this is just going to be a cookie cutter story of what you’ve reviewed in the past. I too had my reservations about it all as I started, but it has a lot going for it. Though I was worried about the constant switch of perspective, especially since they aren’t clearly labelled as to which character you have entered the mind of, it only slightly distracted from the plot. Each character brings a unique viewpoint of the problem at hand and a unique way of dealing with the pressures of an extraterrestrial attack. Cassia is the sister you would want rooting for you: she is strong and does not flinch when faced with a challenge. Sam is the brother you would want to protect until he’s an adult, though he has grown up so quickly that he is just fine on his own. Ben is the “boy next door” type that you would label as a hard-core guy, but discover he may actually be sensitive behind all the walls. Evan is the mysterious boy that is dangerous and raises some red flags, but also melts you inside so you hold on tight. I really enjoyed the diversity of the characters, especially since they blended together so well.

The plot of the story is slightly cookie cutter “aliens attack Earth”, and I did find myself predicting some of the events that popped up along the way; however, I was very immersed in the novel and struggled to pace my reading. There are a few moments in the story that take you by surprise or leave you yelling at the pages, hoping to get through to the character with your outside perspective. I would have preferred the story be written from only two or three perspectives instead of the upwards of six you go through, but I do understand the author’s reasoning behind doing so. Though the stories of the characters are intertwined, they take place in their own time and space; trying to tie them together without separate perspectives would be difficult.

As mentioned at the beginning, this is the first book in a series of three novels. The second book is entitled The Infinite Sea and the third book is entitled The Last Star, due to publish on May 17, 2016. The first book is also coming out as a movie, premiering in January 2016!

 

Overall I would rate The 5^th Wave 3.5/5 because the multiple perspectives left lags between sections, since it took me a few paragraphs to grasp which character I was following. Also, the lower rating is due to the slight cookie cutter plotline; I would have enjoyed some more creativity, especially with the four waves leading up to the 5^th wave.

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

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*OTS* Innocence (Dean Koontz)

Welcome back to another review! I finally feel like I'm getting back on track with this blog, and I'm hoping to continue that so there is a new review every 2-3 weeks. For this review, I don't actually have a back story as to why I chose to read the book - there was no request, no friend suggestions, and no discovery through Tumblr: I just pulled it directly off the shelf and decided to give it a go! This is almost like my personal take off of Meghan Camarena's (Strawburry17) YouTube show called Something New. Since I don't have other people's opinions or preconceived notions of the book, my opinion can not be clouded by what I had already visioned in my mind. I'm going to call it Off The Shelf and will include OTS in the title of any review part of this series. Here we go :)

Innocence by Dean Koontz is an adult fiction novel, categorized as suspense, fantasy, and romance: which makes it a triple threat in my mind, since you get a little bit of everything. The story follows Addison, a boy left to lead a life of solitude beneath the city due to a difference in him that would certainly get him killed by society. Having been used to the horrors above ground, Addison becomes curious of a girl, Gwyneth lurking through the night despite her ability to exist in the day. Upon discovery of Gwyneth's secrets, Addison is drawn out of the shadows to help her survive from the horrors of her past. The story can be described as a contemporary version of Beauty and the Beast, in a round about way; two unlikely characters coming together for one purpose.

The overall story plot was interesting and I did find myself being drawn into the book whilst I was reading it; however, I found the book to be slow and I even found myself confused at times. Before I found myself immersed in the book, I was at least halfway through the novel itself - not something you want to discover. Once you are halfway through a book, you should have already been sold and at the point where you refuse to put the book down; I on the other hand was left wondering if I should just put it down and be done with it. Despite not wanting to continue, I did so for the sake of finishing the book for a complete opinion.

Upon completion, I was left with mixed emotions. The relationship that developed between Addison and Gwyneth was unique and believable, which I was very glad to discover. Seeing an unlikely pair grow together, despite their own flaws, restored my hope in authors creating believable relationships, instead of "society-perfected" ones. However, despite the wonderful relationship between the main characters, the writing of the book was flawed. The chapters continuously flipped between past memories and present occurrences, without any distinction between the two; the first few times this happened, I was left extremely confused. More confusion occurred when I finish the book, since one of the constant pieces brought up in the book didn't play a significant role or have an final explanation; to those who have read this, you will likely know that I am referring to the marionettes.

Alternate Cover

Overall I would rate this book a 2.5/5 because it was slow and had poor plot conclusions, but it did have a good character relationship. One thumbs up and one thumbs down!

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

P.s. Make sure to come back on September 1st for a special review!

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