Cinema Fiction

This book is absolutely amazing. I have read many dystopians, one of my favorites being Blood Red Road. But this book, this World is soo different and so creative that it hooks you in. I was hooked the first page, and from then on it was just one page flipping over after another. Oliver not only creates a vivid, beautiful world, but inside this world is the dirty secrets people hide. She exposes them, and from then on the plot takes you on this fast, heart wrenching journey of discovery.

Oliver's writing is phenomenal in itself. Her prose is pefect, and some of it reads like a poem. That's what really stood out to me in this novel. I loved the character Lena, and of course Alex. I absolutely adored Alex from start to finish. Her characters each had their own back story, and you could relate to them, and I could feel for them. Which, in turn, it totally SUCKED because I got emotionally attached to a certain character...and, well, let's just say that character didn't have the best day.

And the ending? Oliver is a Princess of cliffhangers. I say princess because I have read other books that leave amazing cliffhangers, but I'd say liver is first in line for the throne. Why? Get this. I borrowed Delirium from the library. Once I finished it I literally said "I can't wait to get the second. I have to read it NOW." And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what Nooks and Kindles are good for. I literally downloaded Pandemonium from my Nook as soon as I finished Delirium. Because I had to know what happens next.

I highly highly recommend this book if you are a fan of dystopian novels.

Rating: 5/5

The fifth book in the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare proves to be both highly satisfying and intoxicating for fans of this series, as well as Infernal Devices. This is a completely spoiler free review, so read on if you wish!

City of Lost Souls takes place almost right after where City of Fallen Angels left off: Sebastian has risen, and Jace has disappeared. But to where? And what is Sebastian planning? Clary is determined to find Jace - but when she does, he is not the same. Now, Clary has to figure out to get the real Jace back and destroy Sebastian before he gets away with his evil plan. The problem? Killing Sebastian might kill Jace.

What makes The Mortal Instruments so intriguing to me is the characters. Clare's character's are so well-written and designed that it almost feels as though they truly are real. (Jace. Jace can be real. I would love if Jace was real...) I also love how Clare doesn't stick just to one point of view...she bounces around, and it reads like a movie, which makes it even more exciting. In this book of the series, the character's lives get more complicated as Jace is basically compromised by Sebastian. Each one of them has to overcome some fear or some other obstacle before they realize that something has to be done. They connected beautifully together, even when they were in separate scenes, everything came together sensibly.

Of course, Clare left it open at the end as a major cliffhanger, but she also left us wondering...what's going to happen now? In the last few books I remember asking myself....OH MY GOD WHAT THE HECK WHY WOULD YOU END IT LIKE THAT? and now I'm asking myself..."Hmmm, this is interesting. Where is she going to take this?"

Which is what I love, especially since there are two books left in this series.

Truthfully, if I had to sum it up, remember how you felt when you read Order of the Phoenix in the Harry Potter series.

Rating: 5/5

This trilogy is one of the most original, most creative, and most fantastic trilogies I have ever read. Holly Black blends fantasy, magic, and the real world crime together to create the perfect Magic Noir world. If you are a fan of the Noir genre, of mob stories and con artists, of magic and twisted endings...this is definitely a series you need to read. The first book is called White Cat, the second is Red Glove. The final book in the series, which came out this past April, is called Black Heart. And it is a spectacular end to an amazing trilogy. What I love most about Black's characters in this series is that all though they have these abilities, they are human. They are so completely human that you feel and relate to each one of them. You want to cheer for them, you feel sad for them, you want them to get what they want, and not that other guy. That's what makes this series riveting - that, and the fact that you don't know which character is reliable and which one is telling the truth.

This is my Spoiler Free Review, so if you haven't read Black Heart yet or even haven't been introduced to the series, I'm not going to give anything away. But in Black Heart, Cassel gets himself mixed up in some very messy business. In the end, even if knowing what he is, you know that he's going to get out of it somehow. But even though your so sure that he's going too there's always a chance that he might not. Because, after all, it's the end of the series. And Never mind that the series is written in his point of view. That's just where the plot takes you. It takes you on this road, with curves and twists and almost every few chapters you're like, "oh crap," or "no, Cassel, no!" or, "Yes! finally!" The plot twists and turns are executed so perfectly, by the end you're left wanting oh so much more.

I found myself not trusting anyone that Cassel wasn't trusting. I found myself as confused and frustrated as Cassel was. I even found myself trying to guess what was happening with a sub plot and even then Black thew me off. That's what made me keep reading. The fact that I felt like I was Cassel, trying to figure out who the hell was going to double cross me next.

Black left a few unanswered questions though, toward the end. And that's the only thing that frustrates me, because this is the last book. There's so much more she could do with it, but then again, I'm not sure how far she could take it. It's like one of those movies where you think there could be a sequel but not really because they still tied everything up, yet left some things unanswered enough.

Yeah, I hate those movies too. :-)

The only, ONLY criticism I had?

The stupid cover. I HATE the cover. There is no picture of sexy Cassel. There is no theme of black / red/ white like it would be for Crime Noir. It doesn't fit. I don't like it. I want the originals back.

Black Heart is definitely the perfect end to an amazing trilogy. If you haven't read it yet, do it now. If you haven't even read the first book in the series, do it now. I promise you'll be hooked.

I have heard many good things about this book through Twitter and the varioius book review blogs that I keep up with. I asked for it on my christmas list, and have had it since. I decided to finally read it, and was disappointed that it was taking me a month to finish the book.

Now, I have never read any of Maureen Johnson's other books, so I don't know if her writing style is different in those novels. But for The Name of the Star, the writing seemed very refined, very particular, almost out of character. Now, I'm hoping that I'm not being stereotypical when I say that Rory was from Louisiana. In which case, I would have liked to see a bit of that characterization come out through Johnson's writing. To me, it was so refined that sometimes the humor she would insert into Rory's dialogue and thoughts didn't quite make it. (Some parts I did find myself laughing out loud. Especially with Callum, but more so some of Rory's reactions)

The book moves slow. I feel as though almost the entire novel is exposition. Obviously, because of the historical context with Jack the Ripper, one would need some background on the murders, etc. But there were places, like when Rory talks about her uncle to make a comparison to an event, or the whole story behind why she was going to Wexford, etc, that I felt added to the slowness, and it made me loose my interest, which was probably why it took me about a month to finish.

The characters were interesting. I would have liked to see more of Callum and Stephen. I think Boo came in way too far into the book, because that's when it started to pick up (and that's not until like, 2/3 of the way in). But when Boo comes in, you wonder why the heck Johnson suddenly inserted another character in. Luckily, that kept my interest long enough for me to want to finish the book and see what Boo had to do with the rest of the story. Because let's face it, if an author randomly inserts a character at the near middle to the end of the story - obviously this character is important.

To be fair I liked the story. It was a creative an original plot line, and I like the whole ghost aspect of it. I felt that part of the book has never really been touched on in YA novels (though I'm sure I just haven't read those kinds of books yet). And again, the whole Jack the Ripper thing was really cool. Things like that interest me, so that's another reason as to why I picked up this book in the first place.

Conclusion? I would definitely check this book out in the library, or borrow it from a friend if you like stories about the darker side of London.

Rating: 3/5

Next up: Black Heart by Holly Black
Followed by: Legend by Marie Lu

Truthfully I couldn't finish this book, which was disappointing because I was wanting to read it. But there was something about the language, and something about the plot that just didn't quite get me. I think it was the fact that the main character basically already knew what she was. Also, the writing style made it a little difficult for me to get through. I'll keep the book because I might pick it up later, but for now it doesn't appeal to me.

I was very interested in reading this book from the beginning ,because the concept of the plotline was original and creative. Plus, I was in my Hunger Games fangirl mode so this sounded like a really good book to read and keep in that dystopian mode.

I was wrong.

Truthfully I enjoyed the story itself. I loved the plot and I liked the world that Simmons has created for the reader to picture. I loved the idea of the Articles, and I'm wondering if each book in the series (if it'll be a series) will be based around these Articles, because I can totally see it happening. Another reason I hope there will be a series is because they didn't explain anything about the War. What War? How did it start and who was it against? What ended the war? This detail made it difficult for me to connect to the world. All though I liked the idea, it bugged the crap out of me that I didn't know the details.

I also think Ember was way underdeveloped. Granted, she is not stupid like Bella Swan, but yet not as brave as Katniss and not as dynamic as Elisa in The Girl of Fire and Thorns. i loved her counterpart, Chase, but I think Ember could have been a bit more developed.

The biggest thing I had a problem with was the writing itself. I found it too simple. I'm not saying that Simmons should have spent ten pages describing a rock or a blade of grass. I only felt she did way more "telling" than "showing." I also hated, HATED the fact that Ember kept questioning herself, then answering herself, then denying her feelings about her answer, and then summed up everything she should feel instead. The reptitiveness of this aspect of character made me want to strangle her. And I don't know if it was intentional or not, but it made it difficult to get through the book.

It was a good thing the story itself and the concept was more interesting than the characters, and that's the only reason why I decided to finish it.

Don't compre this book to The Hunger Games, because it definitely is not in that league. The story has potential, but flat characters make it difficult to push through.

I didn't like this as much as I thought I would. One, it took me a month to read because it moved slowly for me. Two, I found the main character to be irritating. Not Bella Swan irritating, but still, annoying I wasn't really interested in the Godstone in her belly, because it was just a little weird for me. I don't know why, but it just wasn't clicking. I don't think it picks up until the middle of the book, when she meets Humberto and learns to actually fight for something.At the end of the book, I was too pissed off cause my favorite character died. And I didn't really cheer for her either. I don't know, I'll probably read the sequel to see if the story as a whole gets better.

HOLY CRAP why did I wait so long to read this book? I read it in ONE DAY. Cassandra Clare's books are exciting, adventurous, and romantic...and sexy. Lots and lots of sexiness going on in this book. I laughed, I cried, I'm pretty sure my jaw was dropping in some cases. Cassie takes you on a whirlwind adventure of the Shadowhunters again in the sequel to Clockwork Angel, and just takes you on a rollercoaster ride. And at the end, you want more. The plot thickens, the intrigue is juicier...and the romance is...let's just say...hot. real hot. Ahem.
I still can't decide if I'm Team Will or Team Jem

Son of Neptune is the perfect next book to The Lost Hero. In this book, we find that Percy Jackson has stumbled into Camp Jupiter, a Roman demi-god camp. But Percy Jackson doesn't know who he is or where he came from. Meanwhile, Gaea's gaining power and trying to raise one of her Titan sons, and she is using Percy as a Pawn in her plan. With the help of his new friends Frank and Hazel, Percy must go on a quest to stop Gaea's son from rising and causing a war between the Greeks / Romans.
Riordan brings back the world of Percy Jackson with a twist. He places Percy on the Roman side. I love the creativeness of this series, and the fact that Riordan mixes both Greek and Roman mythology as though they co-exist. And maybe that's the point he is trying to make with this series.

The ONLY thing I had a problem with with Son of Neptune was Frank and Hazel's back stories. To me they weren't as exciting as Piper and Leo in The Lost hero. All though, Frank's power was kind of cool, I found their stories to move slowly and drag on. But besides that, Son of Neptune was a great second book, and it definitely connected together. I can't wait for Mark of Athena.

It took me some time to actually start reading this book, and I'm not sure why. I think it's because I was reading late at night and felt the first two chapters were slow and dry. But then I tried reading it again. And my entire view changed.

I absolutely love Stiefvater's writing. She writes prose like I've never seen it written before. Her language is beautiful and mesmerizing, and the imagery she portrays on the island of Thisby is so vivid I can picture everything. I felt like I was on the island with Puck and Sean. I felt as though I could feel the ocean waves and the storms, and see the water horses as they were on the shore. Steifvater writes distinct characters, each with personalities you can see through amazing characterization.

And oh, how I love Sean Kendrick. He's the definition of Lonely Boy, with the longing to be free with nothing but the shirt on his back, his water horse Corr and the sea. And then he realizes he's lonely when he meets Puck. And he becomes Swoon Worthy Boy. And Puck, well, her real name is Kate and she's pretty much Kick Ass. She lives with two brothers, and doesn't take crap from any guy. And when Sean Kendrick comes along, she becomes "Awww how cute" girl and "SERIOUSLY JUST TELL HIM YOUR IN LOVE WITH HIM" girl. But you're cheering for her to win the race the entire time.

The story moves quickly after Puck and Sean meet the first time. It builds and it builds and it builds and you just keep flipping page after page because you want to know what happens next. But the race falls short. I was hoping for more, more on the race, but it was only a few pages. There was all this build up and only a little action in the race. But maybe that was the author's point.

No matter, it was still an invigorating read, and I highly recommend it. Also, it'd be good to know that it is a standalone novel!

I laughed. I cried. I swooned.
I loved this book more than I did its predecessor, Anna and the French Kiss. All I have to say is page 208.
Like I said. I cried. Sometimes, you have to love a great chick lit book.

so much love for Riordan's books, especially this series. It's so creative. Can't wait for the next one!

I was set off from this book from the very beginning, mostly because I didn't feel connected to the main character, Kate. I'm not heartless, trust me, but I didn't quite have sympathy for her because her parents died. I mean, she was moving to Paris. She completely cut off her friends. I guess people deal with death in different ways, but these few aspects just kind of cut me off from being able to connect and feel sorry for her.

The rest of the story moves slowly. There's a few moments here and there that should have shocked me, but they only puzzled me. And maybe that was the author's intent. To puzzle, instead of shock. I felt the dialogue put me off from the specific reaction I should have felt, because the dialogue didn't seem realistic to me. It felt out of place for some reason.

Now let's move to Vincent. So as to not ruin what he is to anyone else, I will just say that Plum's version of a zombie is actually pretty cool. I liked vincent, and I liked his friend Jules. I felt as though Plum almost made a love triangle with those three but held back from it, which was refreshing in a way. But as for Vincent's fascination with Kate, I didn't quite feel that connection either. It was most likely the fact that Kate kept running away from the fact taht she knew what he was and she didn't want to deal with it, and then suddenly she was back into his arms. For what, I'm not sure. Maybe a chance at love, probably.

There was hardly any action until the end. Even then, I was like, where did this suddenly come from? Everything was connected in some way, as the main enemy was one of Vincent's but there was really no true hint that he was before that. And I would have liked to see that. Even though I felt like that guy was something bad, and that he was probably part of the bad group, it would have been more intriguing to know the deep relationship between him and vincent. Not just, "oh, he's my sworn enemy."

In any case, the whole what vincent is - thing is pretty cool. I did like Vincent and his character, all though I wished he were a bit more intense. But this book didn't really grab me as much as other books of this genre have.

Crescendo is the PERFECT sequel to Hush, Hush. The darkness that surrounds it pulls you in at every page turn. Nora becomes a bit more independent, but not so much that she completely puts Patch out of the picture. The love between the two is so high tension, so real that you are cheering for Patch and at the same time hating him. With each clue to the plot you keep guessing, and then Fitzpatrick just throws another curve ball, once you think you have the answer. Everything is unfolding, and the cliffhanger is killer at the end.

I absolutely love Fitzpatrick's writing. It flows well and is written so smoothly that it is easy to read, easy to follow. The pacing is perfect, when the plot thickens you don't want to close the book and wait to finish. Very, very well done. And I'm excited for SILENCE.

RED GLOVE is the perfect second book. What I love about this book and this series is that we learn more about Cassel as he learns more about himself. We're not told everything about him and we follow his journey through his discovery of not only who he is, but who he wants to be. I love the twists and the turns this book takes. I love Zacharov, his menacing character is the drive behind Cassel's self discovery. Holly Black's world is a world where I would love to put myself in and become a curse worker. Magic, mobs and cons? Count me in.

a very powerful book.