Okay, I need to rant on here a little. I'm going to start with my nice comments...I absolutely loved Feed by Mira Grant. Now though, reading Deadline, I am starting to get a little frustrated! Not only did the language get infinitely worse (I guess that could be due to the fact that we are now in Shuan's head an not Georgia's...but I don't know), the characters are starting to get on my nerves a little and the plot is moving slower than the last book. Sometimes dear Mira Grant can get a little repetitive OKAY WE GET IT ALREADY...the constant blood tests, people being surprised about Shaun's little bout of crazy, Kelly's complaints, Becks crush. It's just all to much for me at this point. So why can't I put the dang book down? I have no idea. But if Grant doesn't get this story moving, I'm going to have some serious complaints. Yes, you're right, I just listed a bunch of complaints. How clever of you to catch that dear reader. But really though, they are going to get so much worse if she doesn't just GET TO THE POINT!
Amazon says, "In her enthralling debut, Veronica Rossi sends readers on an unforgettable adventure set in a world brimming with harshness and beauty."
Synopsis: Aria lives in Reverie, a place where there isn't war, or pain, or illness. Everything that people experience is through the Realms which the citizens are told are, "Better than Real." When Aria decides to sneak out for a night with some friends in search of her missing mother, she could never have guessed the consequences. Banished, left to die in the Aether storms that torment the outside world, Aria begins the fight for her life. Enter Perry: an Outsider and a savage (in Aria's eyes). Perry's nephew has been taken from his tribe, by the same people that left Aria to die. When the two happen to meet, they realize that working together, despite their apparent dislike for one another, may be the only way to save the ones they love.
My Thoughts: I thought that this book was pretty well written. It took me a couple of chapters to get excited about what I was reading (but that's okay because the chapters are short!). When I did start to become interested, I couldn't put the dang book down. The way inquisitive, loud Aria and sullen, thoughtful Perry interact is irritating, and funny, and just plain human. Getting to know them while they got to know each other was quite amusing for me. The character development was great for the two, and for Roar (Perry's best friend), but I found character development a little lacking in other minor characters, such as Perry's brother and Blood Lord of the tribe, and Aria's mother. I was a little irritated with Aria's reaction to some major events at the end of the book, but I'm hoping that the second book can resolve my issues. Perry is absolutely adorable in a Channing Tatum kind of way, if you know what I mean. I found the idea of the book awesome...people living in a post-modern world, living without risk (and freedom) due to fear of the giant Aether storms on the outside. I loved that the "Savages" had special "abilities" (or mutations) because of the Aether (Perry can read peoples emotions, Roar can hear from miles away, etc.), and I loved reading Aria's struggle in adjusting to the real world. Can't wait to pick up the second!
Quotes: “She looked up. “A world of nevers under a never sky.” She fit in well then, he thought. A girl who never shut up.” -Perry
“Roar leaned across the table and smiled at her seductively, his dark hair falling into his eyes. 'When you say everything happens in the Realms, do you mean everything?' Aria laughed nervously.'Yes. Especially that.There are no risks in the Realms.' Roar's smile widened. 'You simply think it and it happens? And it actually feels real?' 'Why are we talking about this?' 'I need a Smarteye,' he said.”
“She found it curious and frightening that she could deeply dislike someone she didn’t even know. It wasn’t her. At least, it wasn’t how she used to be.” -Aria
“His hand snapped shut over the device and then he crossed his arms. Aria stared in horror. Her Smarteye was buried in a Neanderthal’s armpit.”
Alternative Cover
Okay the acting is fairly horrible in this, but I kind of liked the visual...so here's the book trailer. (;
City of Bones is going to be a movie! Eeps. Loved the pick for Clary, but I'm a little nervous about Jace. Hopefully he is a good actor and can convince me otherwise. What do you think about the choice of actors?
My Rating: 5 out of 5 Warning: some explicit language (a few f and b words, and a consistent use of damn and hell).
"Kellis-Amberlee is a fact of existence. You live, you die, and then you come back to life, get up, and shamble around trying to eat your former friends and loved ones. That's the way it is for everyone." -Feed
Synopsis: Georgia and Shaun Mason are bloggers in a world that has been invaded by a disease; turning those who die into what the world comes to know as zombies. Georgia reports the truth: stories with facts and facts alone. This makes her a Newsie. Shaun, on the other hand, is a little more daring. He likes to provoke the zombies, almost get killed, and then post the footage for the world to enjoy. He is what the blogging community calls an Irwin. The siblings, along with their techie, Buffy, have been given the opportunity of a lifetime; they have been asked to follow the presidential campaign (becoming the first bloggers to do so...ever). As they set out though, they find that Kellis-Amberlie (the disease that turns everyone into zombies) and the presidential campaign are not what they seem. There are dark secrets to be uncovered, and they intend to do just that, but at what cost? My Thoughts: Don't expect your typical zombie novel. This book is filled with political scandal, medical terminology, and a dark question- who are the true monsters...the zombies, or the humans? I loved this book. I listened to it on tape in my car, which was great (I loved the voices). I haven't stopped thinking about the book in days. I bought the second one on my nook immediately and can't wait to start it. I would recommend this book to 16+, just because of the dark themes and bloody imagery. This book is not for anyone with a queasy stomach. At times, the writing was a bit tedious (Georgia has to tell us about the blood tests she receives at least once every ten pages) but I enjoyed the author's attention to detail. It's what made me fall in love with the characters! Shaun and Georgia's relationship was especially touching. Overall, I though the book thoroughly entertained me and really made me think. Quotes: “The difference between the truth and a lie is that both of them can hurt, but only one will take the time to heal you afterward.”-Georgia Mason “Our story opens where countless stories have ended in the last twenty-six years: with an idiot -- in this case, my brother, Shaun -- deciding it would be a good idea to go out and poke a zombie with a stick to see what happens.”-Georgia Mason “That,' he said, with almost religious fever, 'was the coolest thing you have ever done. In fact, that may have been the coolest thing you ever will do. Your entire existence has been moving toward one shining moment, George, and that was the moment when you thought, 'Hey, why don't I just go over the zombies?” -Shaun Mason
“Zombies, deadheads, corpsicles. What's the difference? They don't care. They don't have feelings to hurt.” -Generation Dead
Synopsis: Teenagers in America begin coming back to life after they are proclaimed dead, and nobody knows why the disease only affects teenagers. Soon, everyone must try to accept these students into regular society: these zombies who can think, read, and function just like normal students; except that they can't eat, they move slow and look slightly discolored. Not only that, but there are few laws protecting zombies, and they are being put back in the grave, often by their own peers. Pheobe, the school goth, begins falling for one of the zombie students, despite protests from her two best friends. Focus groups are started to figure out what makes the zoms so different from the regular teenagers, and why some of the zoms have higher functions than others. Pheobe and her friends, Margi and Adam, have their own zombie issues to get over, and sometimes it''s hard to tell if the study group is helping. Phoebe and her zombie crush, Tommy, have to overcome the pressures of society to try and be together. Adam sure doesn't like that, but he might just have to save Tommy's life to make Pheobe happy.
My Thoughts: I loved this book. I could not put it down and was interested from page one. Plus, look at the cover (usually I would argue to not judge a book by one... but man this cover rocks!). This is not your average love story, or your average zombie lit. It was totally unpredictable with a new character at every turn. The characters were all very well developed. I felt what Pheobe was feeling, and sympathized with the zoms. I would recommend this book to any teenager, though mainly teenage girls because Pheobe is 100% girl, even if she fronts a goth attitude. Also, romance is the main part of the plot, yet underneath it were strong themes of overcoming prejudice and learning to accept people that are different than you. The themes were so relateable and the plot was unique. No matter if your a zombie or a human, you can relate to the struggle of fitting in and learning to survive high school. The single second that I finished this book, I wished that I had the second in my hands. I would recommend this to high school and college aged girls.
“What is it like.... what is it like to be dead?' Evan looked at him with his dull, unblinking blue eyes, ' I don't know, what is it like...... to be alive?
