Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Paperback; 336 pages

Published by Harry N. Abrams on May 26, 2015 

(First published March 1, 2012)

Rating: 2.5 stars

Summary (Goodreads): Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics.

Until Greg’s mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel.

Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia—-cue extreme adolescent awkwardness—-but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives.

And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight.

My Thoughts:
Most of the book was really forgettable to me but some of it I did like. The writing style definitely wasn't for me and I didn't particularly enjoy the humor much either. I honestly did enjoy some of the book though but for the most part I felt like I was just reading to fill time rather than to enjoy a story. It didn't engage me the way I wanted to be. I can see how some people would really enjoy this book, and I'm glad that some people do, it just wasn't the one for me. More than once I had considered having to DNF this book but I really hate doing that and it wasn't that I disliked the story, I would just find myself bored from time to time. Overall I'm glad I finished it, but I don't think I'll make an effort to read any more of Jesse Andrews' books.

★★½

Review: Lumiere (The Illumination Paradox #1) by Jacqueline Garlick

Lumiere (The Illumination Paradox #1) by Jacqueline Garlick

Paperback

Rating: 5 stars

Summary (Goodreads): Even in a land of eternal twilight, secrets can’t stay in the dark forever.

Seventeen-year-old Eyelet Elsworth has only one hope left: finding her late father’s most prized invention, the Illuminator. It’s been missing since the day of the mysterious flash—a day that saw the sun wiped out forever over England.

But living in darkness is nothing new to Eyelet. She’s hidden her secret affliction all of her life—a life that would be in danger if superstitious townspeople ever guessed the truth. And after her mother is accused and executed for a crime that she didn’t commit, the now-orphaned Eyelet has no choice but to track down the machine that was created with the sole purpose of being her cure.

Alone and on the run, she finally discovers the Illuminator—only to see a young man hauling it off. Determined to follow the thief and recover the machine, she ventures into the deepest, darkest, most dangerous part of her twisted world.

My Thoughts: 
I received a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway. This has by no means influenced the rating of my review.

Wow! I found this book really interesting. More so than I thought I would before reading. Eyelet and Urlick are very interesting characters. Eyelet is feisty and pushes at any boundaries placed upon her. When Urlick tells her not to go somewhere or do something, she does it. She doesn't like secrets kept from her, and when she's on a mission, she'll do whatever it takes. Urlick on the other hand gets frustrated with her to no end, but is also fascinated with her. He's keeping secrets from her though, which is never a good thing.

The illuminator, the main focus of the story, really is a mystery. No one knows exactly what it is, but as the story unfolds, you learn more about it and its capabilities. I found all the steampunk elements of this book really interesting and I loved hearing about all the inventions created.

There's also plenty of action and suspense in this book! From running from people trying to catch them to facing the Turned, vapors, and criminals, the outside world away from the main city area is crazy and unpredictable. Every second out there could be the last, and danger lurks around the corner.


Honestly I just really enjoyed this book. It ends on a cliffhanger and now all I want is for the next book to be in my hands!

★★★★★

Hey Guys!

Hey guys! I know I've been completely absent for so long. I don't plan to be super active, but I'd like to get more of my reviews on here, so I'll be updating the ones I have published to my goodreads. I might do a few other things here off and on, but I'm not giving myself any obligations because this blog was originally made to be for fun, and I plan to keep it that way! It's only a bonus if others are able to read it from time to time and enjoy it. Anyway, thanks to those who are still sticking around, hello to anyone who is new since my last post, and hello to anyone new who stumbles upon my little blog! I hope you can find something you like here. 

Until next time!

Review: Awake by Natasha Preston

Awake by Natasha Preston

ARC Paperback

Published August 4th 2015 by Sourcebooks Fire

Rating: 3 stars

Summary (Goodreads): Scarlett doesn’t remember anything before the age of five. Her parents say it’s from the trauma of seeing her house burn down, and she accepts the life they’ve created for her without question—until a car accident causes Scarlett to start remembering pieces of an unfamiliar past.

When a new guy moves into town, Scarlett feels an instant spark. But Noah knows the truth of Scarlett’s past, and he’s determined to shield her from it...because Scarlett grew up in a cult called Eternal Light, controlled by her biological parents.

And they want her back.

My Thoughts: 

I received Awake through a goodreads first reads giveaway. This does not affect my rating or review, it is still an honest one.

Scarlett is a teenage girl in high school, just like every other girl her age - except for one thing. She can't remember anything before the fire that happened when she was little. She's happy enough to forget about it after the constant headaches from trying so hard to remember when she was younger. This all changes when she and her family find themselves in a car crash, and Scarlett's dreams take her into her memories. This leads her to having more questions on her past though than answers, and unfortunately, those answers are less than ideal. Scarlett finds this out the hard way.

Awake by Natasha Preston was definitely a unique book for me to read. I've never read a book that had a cult in it. The idea of it sparked my interest over the concept and dragged me into the story.

Unfortunately, at the beginning of the story, I was left unimpressed. The first few lines involve the new student arriving and forming an instant bond with Scarlett, and when I say instant, I mean instant. While it made this part of the story quicker so the more important things could start happening, the insta-love was awful. I mean I understand instant attraction, but they were basically in love with one another after day one. Not to mention the way it was portrayed made the characters seem very flat. I personally didn't like any of the characters for a long time.

Thankfully this book was to have more than just the insta-love romance. The twist is what kept me reading on. Once the memories began coming back I started to gain some interest in Scarlett's story. I was still annoyed by the romance, but while it was still a big focus, it wasn't the only focus. The mystery around her past drew me in though, and as big things began happening, I didn't mind the romance as much. By the end of the story I could even say I liked the couple together, I just didn't like a good chunk of them together in the story itself.

I feel like the writing of this book is a little hit or miss. Though I felt like the parts drug in the beginning to plot the story points for the reader, I felt like the author didn't put much effort into it. Later on in the book I feel like her writing was much better as it was the big thing she had been building up to (that or by that time I was just used to it?). It did make it very hard in the beginning to keep reading on because the writing fell flat, just like the characters. I am glad I kept reading though as I began to enjoy the story more and actually like some of the characters. It was definitely unique for me to read about the crazy cult in the story. I liked seeing the characters' mental struggles when facing the seven rituals and how they fought to overcome what felt like the inevitable. 

If you like reading about cults, killers, and the like - and you don't mind reading a decent amount of insta-love romance to get to the interesting parts,then I would give it a try. If you absolutely hate insta-love turn away now. You'll have trouble making it past little more than the first page.

 ★★★

Review: Counteract (The Resistance Series #1) by Tracy Lawson

Counteract (The Resistance Series #1) by Tracy Lawson

ebook

Published by Buddhapuss Ink, LLC. on August 6, 2014

Rating: 4.5 stars

Summary (Goodreads): Two strangers-their destinies entwined-must work together to thwart a terrorist the country never suspected.

The Office of Civilian Safety and Defense has guarded the public against the rampant threat of terrorism for the last fifteen years with the full backing of the US government. Their carefully crafted list of Civilian Restrictions means no concerts or sporting events, no travel, no social media, no cash transactions, and no driver's licenses for eighteen-year-olds Tommy and Careen. The OCSD has even outlawed grocery stores, all in the name of safety.
Now, there's a new threat-airborne chemical weapons that could be activated at any time. But the OCSD has an antidote: Just three drops a day is all it takes to stay safe. It's a small price to pay for safety.
Or is it...

My Thoughts: 
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. 

I really enjoyed getting the chance to read this book. The novel is based in the United States in the not so distant future. There's a new thing in the government, the Office of Civilian Safety and Defense (OCSD), which was created to help fight against terrorists and keep the people of the US safe from them.

The story seems to jump right into something from the first page. There's an alert, and people find out that there are toxic poisons in the air released from terrorists and they needed to get the antidote, CSD, and take it daily or they would risk death. They talk about it being a "small price to pay for your safety." This is when I knew something wouldn't be right about this, and it drew me into the story even more.

This novel is very intricate with a variety of characters. The perspective changes throughout the novel between several of them This gives the reader a full view of all that is going on. As a reader, I learned so much about the OCSD from both the inside and out, and I got to see the way each of the characters' thoughts changed throughout the novel which helped me understand all of their actions, regardless of my thoughts about them. 

The two main characters were interesting to get to learn about. I enjoyed seeing their changes throughout the novel. Careen is a feisty girl, but when she does what she is told, take her CSD, there's a complete change in who she is. It's honestly crazy that the OCSD has enough power in the novel to incorporate something like this into the daily lives of the entire population, and it's scary to think of it happening to our country.

Tommy on the other hand is pretty down in the beginning of the novel, having lost his parents and injuring his leg, but he seems to get a grasp on himself as the novel progresses. Seeing both Careen and him on CSD made me angry at their government, and I was ecstatic when things went awry and they couldn't take any for a few days. They were able to clear their heads, and they realized what was going on. This is when I feel the story really picked up because they sprang into action.

The other perspectives I found really intriguing were Kevin and Trina. I loved getting to see the inner workings of the OCSD and the corruption throughout it. They learn about the awful things their director is planning on doing, and they begin discretely working toward eradicating this issue before it's too late. 

It was really interesting getting to see all the changes that Lawson made to the US throughout her novel. It takes place much sooner than most novels, only about 20 years, and because of that, all that was happening in her world resonated with me on a different level than most dystopian novels located in the US. Some things are definitely the same, kids go to college, they have cell phones to communicate, etc, but there were also drastic changes that shocked me. People stopped shopping outside of the home entirely, and air travel became restricted. It's a little difficult for me to picture this happening now, since in the novel it happens in 4 years. Then again, I can also understand it in this circumstance to a level because the nation does crazy things when threatened by terrorists. 

Overall, Lawson created a terrifying concept that shows the epitome of corruption and the thirst for absolute power over an entire population. I honestly can't wait to get the next book in this series. I hope certain things happen in the next novel that are good for the characters, though I also know there will be plenty more things that don't go the way I want them to for Careen and Tommy. 

★★★★½

Sunday Weekly Update #10

New Books:

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

I received this book FREE as an audiobook from Sync. It's available till May 28!

Summary: Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl's journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.

Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.

Touch of Frost (Mythos Academy #1) by Jennifer Estep

Summary: My name is Gwen Frost, and I go to Mythos Academy; a school of myths, magic and warrior whiz kids, where even the lowliest geek knows how to chop off somebody's head with a sword and Logan Quinn, the hottest Spartan guy in school, also happens to be the deadliest. But lately, things have been weird, even for Mythos. First, mean girl Jasmine Ashton was murdered in the Library of Antiquities. Then, someone stole the Bowl of Tears, a magical artifact that can be used to bring about the second Chaos War. You know, death, destruction and lots of other bad, bad things. Freaky stuff like this goes on all the time at Mythos, but I'm determined to find out who killed Jasmine and why; especially since I should have been the one who died...

The Rules for Disappearing (The Rules for Disappearing #1) by Ashley Elston

Summary: She’s been six different people in six different places: Madeline in Ohio, Isabelle in Missouri, Olivia in Kentucky . . . But now that she’s been transplanted to rural Louisiana, she has decided that this fake identity will be her last.

Witness Protection has taken nearly everything from her. But for now, they’ve given her a new name, Megan Rose Jones, and a horrible hair color. For the past eight months, Meg has begged her father to answer one question: What on earth did he do – or see – that landed them in this god-awful mess? Meg has just about had it with all the Suits’ rules — and her dad’s silence. If he won’t help, it’s time she got some answers for herself.

But Meg isn’t counting on Ethan Landry, an adorable Louisiana farm boy who’s too smart for his own good. He knows Meg is hiding something big. And it just might get both of them killed. As they embark on a perilous journey to free her family once and for all, Meg discovers that there’s only one rule that really matters — survival.

Gilded Ashes by Rosamund Hodge

Summary: A romantic and fantastical reimagining of the classic Cinderella tale, Gilded Ashes is a novella by Rosamund Hodge set in the same world as the author's debut novel, Cruel Beauty.

Orphan Maia doesn't see the point of love when it only brings pain: Her dying mother made a bargain with the evil, all-powerful ruler of their world that anyone who hurt her beloved daughter would be punished; her new stepmother went mad with grief when Maia's father died; and her stepsisters are desperate for their mother's approval, yet she always spurns them. And though her family has turned her into a despised servant, Maia must always pretend to be happy, or else they'll all be struck dead by the curse.

Anax, heir to the Duke of Sardis, doesn't believe in love either—not since he discovered that his childhood sweetheart was only using him for his noble title. What's the point of pretending to fall in love with a girl just so she'll pretend to fall in love with him back? But when his father invites all the suitable girls in the kingdom to a masked ball, Anax must finally give in and select a wife.

As fate would have it, the preparations for the masquerade bring him Maia, who was asked by her eldest stepsister to deliver letters to Anax. Despite a prickly first encounter, he is charmed and intrigued by this mysterious girl who doesn't believe in love. Anax can't help wishing to see her again—and when he does, he can't help falling in love with her. Against her will, Maia starts to fall in love with him too. But how can she be with him when every moment his life is in danger from her mother's deadly bargain?

HarperTeen Impulse is a digital imprint focused on young adult short stories and novellas, with new releases the first Tuesday of each month.

Read:

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Summary above under new books

Currently Reading:

Beautiful Chaos (Caster Chronicles #3) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Summary: Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home from the Great Barrier, strange and impossible have taken on new meanings. Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena's Claiming. Even Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals is affected -- and their abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question becomes clear: What -- or who -- will need to be sacrificed to save Gatlin?

For Ethan, the chaos is a frightening but welcome distraction. He's being haunted in his dreams again, but this time it's not Lena -- and the mysterious figure is following him out of his dreams and into his everyday life. Worse, Ethan is gradually losing pieces of himself -- forgetting names, phone numbers, even memories. He doesn't know why, and he's afraid to ask. 

Sometimes there's no going back. And this time there won't be a happy ending.

I wanted to finish this book this week, but I ended up getting really into Cruel Beauty and unintentionally took a break from this book. I'm starting up again where I left off though, and am crossing my fingers I finish this week! I have a busy two weeks ahead of me and then I hope to get to read a lot over the summer!

Most Likely to Read Next:

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Summary: Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green's most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

Though I've already read this book, it's been nearly two years, and with the movie coming out I definitely want to read it again!

Review: City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments #4) by Cassandra Clare

City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments #4) by Cassandra Clare

Paperback; 424 pages

Published by Margaret K. McElderry on October 2, 2012 (first published on April 5, 2011)

Rating: 3 stars

Summary (Goodreads): The Mortal War is over, and sixteen-year-old Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She’s training to become a Shadowhunter and to use her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at last. And—most importantly of all—she can finally call Jace her boyfriend.

But nothing comes without a price.

Someone is murdering Shadowhunters, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second, bloody war. Clary’s best friend, Simon, can’t help her—his mother just found out that he’s a vampire, and now he’s homeless. When Jace begins to pull away from her without explaining why, Clary is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: she herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace.

The stakes are higher than ever in the #1 New York Times bestselling fourth installment of the Mortal Instruments series.

My Thoughts: 
I honestly went back and forth with this book. I both enjoyed it and didn't enjoy it. 

In the beginning, the story started out strong and held my interest rather well. As the story progressed however, it slowly started to disappoint me. I just wasn't interested in the direction Clare wanted to bring this story. I believe the decline really started to show around the halfway point of the book.

With the different perspectives of each of the characters, there was able to be several different stories that were all connected but also separate. I enjoyed this, because when I wasn't enjoying a perspective of one of the characters, I knew that soon enough I would be back with another.

When the book starts out, I enjoyed everyone's perspective. I didn't care much for one thing Simon was doing that Clary knew about, but that's not something that would make me dislike the story or anything at all. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed reading about Simon and his life now as a vampire, even though he was trying to be as normal as possible. I also really enjoyed reading from Clary's perspective and seeing her training, as she is now going to be a shadowhunter. Jace's perspective was interesting as well, as he has issues he is personally dealing with that revolve around his family.

Then comes his dreams.

I didn't like this part of the book at all. It made me kind of sad, because I really like reading about Clary and Jace, but in this book I found myself dreading their sections in the book. I just didn't like the plot that Clare was making between them, and I didn't like how Jace didn't want to tell Clary what was wrong. That's literally the worst thing you can do, not tell someone what is wrong when there is something going on, and then start to completely ignore and avoid them. It just really annoyed me.

I will say this though, while it did annoy me when it came to Jace's actions, I did enjoy having him around when I was reading about Simon. When the story wasn't filled with Jace's angsty problems, I found myself liking what I was reading. Even when things like Jace's appearance were brought into play and the issues that came from that, when it wasn't from his perspective I didn't mind it much.

Simon really was the only person that kept me happy with this novel. His storyline was more captivating to me since he was learning more about the consequences of being a vampire, and he also was learning the consequences about the mark of Cain that Clary placed on him. The mark was really interesting to me, and while it was awful how it worked, I also found myself fascinated with it. 

Really I don't know what direction I should take this review in. By the end of the book, I felt like I was going to be happy with the turn of events, as it began to go in a direction I liked, but then, in the final pages, that was squashed. I don't like the way the series seems to be going, but we'll have to see. My close friend told me she loved the fifth book, so I'm hoping I do as well. I also don't want people to think I disliked this book, I did enjoy the read at some points, but I didn't like not being happy with the turn of events the way I was. Either way, Simon was the saving grace of this novel and I hope to see more of him in the next book!

★★★