Sunday, February 22, 2015

Review: FANGIRL

Author: Rainbow Rowell 
Genre: YA Contemporary    
Publisher: St. Martins Griffin 
Page Count: 427
Rating:  5/5
Summary: Cath is crazy about two things writing Simon Snow fanfiction and her twin sister Wren. That was until they went off to college and Wren left to do her own thing. Now Cath has to figure out how to stand on her own two feet, and learn how to survive college and grain some independence from her twin sister. 
My Thought: 
The thing about contemporaries is that authors love living things open ended. FANGIRL was no exception. First off I've enjoyed this book more than I liked Eleanor and Park which seems to be a common thought. 
   This story is about Cath and she's about to go off to college wit her twin however her twin Wren wants to do her own thing without her. Now Cath is alone and doesn't know what to do with herself. From the first page to the last one you see such a growth in Cath where she went from being dependent to standing up for herself. And I believe that was thanks to Levi and Reagan. 
  Both character brought Cath out of her comfort zone, and showed her how to enjoy college more. Especially Levi he is a talker and all around happy guy, but he is a great character. My favorite scene is the the Outsider read all nighter. This is when things changed and over my favorite book to was just a bonus.
  Rainbow Rowell sure know how to write a coming of age book even if two more chapters  would have been awesome. However I loved this book and will be reading it again and again.
Happy reading to all the bookworms out there. 



Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Review: Cinder

Author: Marissa Meyer
Series: The Luna Chronicles
Page Count: 387
Format: Hardback
Source: Book Outlet
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Rating:*****/5

Summary: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.  -Goodreads

Well it seems that I got bite by the Luna Chronicles bug that seems to have gotten to everyone. And am okay with that. Cinder is my first fairy tale re-telling and am glad that I started with the Luna Chronicles series. Marissa Meyers shows how to take a tale that everyone who grew up watching Cinderella with a new twist. Like how its not a regular girl but a cyborg, or that its not in a fairyland but in a futurist New Beijing. Also it's not about girl meets guy and falls in love, but have real problems.

The Story: In Commonwealth the people are suffering from a plague that is killing them faster then they can figure out where its coming from or how to cure it. Its interesting that Meyer Marissa made New Beijing into a futurist world where technology pretty much rule everything. There is some similarities in the both stories but even those have a difference in it. Case in point there is still the stepmother and sisters. However in this spin Cinder became a legal guardian to the father after a trip to Africa. Or that the youngest sister Peony is actual nice to Cinder. Its things like that that makes the story different and not the same.

The Characters: One thing I enjoyed is that we saw the prince more in this book then we every did in the Cinderella. Not only that but you see things in his point of view. Prince Kia has so much things to deal with at such a young age, but he's all for the people like he should be. I enjoyed Cinder and how she doesn't fall right for Prince Kia. It was a lot like a cat and mouse chase between them more her than him. But Cinder also showed her insecure about being part cyborg and tries to hide it. Loved Iko the android who has one of the best  personalities I've read a book in awhile. She wasn't programed like other androids and so like to speck her mind. Which could be both troublesome and funny at the same time. Plus Iko was a great friend to Cinder even if it sometimes can embarrass Cinder. 

Villain: Of course goes to Queen Lavanna because no one can top her in craziness. I love how she was so proud that on the moon none of her people does raids. Will no crap you can control them to think anything you want. How scary is that plus the fact you don't know what her face looks like thanks to glamours. She one crazy bitch with a capital B and she just calls it politics.

I fell like I've gushed enough and its time to start Scarlet to see what happened after a ending like that.