Under the Never Sky

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Blog: Veronica Rossi

My Rating: 4 out of 5

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. (;

Mortal Instruments Movie

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?

The Pledge

 

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Blog: Kimberly Derting

My Rating: 3 out of 5

 

 

“I loved voices, I always had.

Words held meaning, but voices held emotion.” 

-The Pledge 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis: In "The Pledge" people are put in classes based on the language they speak. The lower classes are not allowed to acknowledge the upper classes when they speak in a language they do not understand. Charlaina Hart is born to vendor parents are only allowed to speak Parshon (and of course the common tongue, Englais). Unfortunately, Charlaina can understand all the languages. Her parents have kept it a secret from others her whole life; Charlie is expected to do the same. Meanwhile, Queen Sabara, Ludiana's ruler, is looking for a female heir to transfer her soul to, so that she can remain immortal. She has two grandsons, who seem to be no help in her tyrannic quest, and no known female heir. At night the vendor class does what they can to escape the monotony of everyday life. Charlie's best friend, Brooke, likes to go clubbing, and always drags Charlie along. At the club one night Charlie meets a mysterious stranger named Max who speaks a language she has never heard before. She is drawn to him, and he seems to feel the same way. She becomes friends with Max and together they begin an adventure that just might save their kingdom, Ludiana, Charlie's sister Angelina, and Charlie herself from the greatest evil the kingdom has ever had to face.

My Thoughts: Events in the story were sometimes loosely connected, and the author makes quick jumps from one event to the next. I was not very connected to the love story, unfortunately. That's usually one of my favorite parts of dystopian books, because it gives hope to a hopeless society. The love story was rushed, things just seemed to happen too fast for me. Charlie's best friend Brooke was actually the most interesting character for me, she definitely had some surprises up her sleeves that changed the whole book, so keep an eye out for her. The evil queen was pretty...well evil, and the connections she had with other characters and with the plot were the strongest in the entire book.The concepts were intruiging, while I found the execution lacking. I would recommend it to girls between the ages of 15 to 20. I think the book is part of a series, and it ended very openly, yet I'm really not sure where Derting is going to take the story because I felt the characters were so underveloped. Overall it was a good read, and a pretty quick one at that. I'm hoping to read The Body Finder (another one of Derting's books) next because I've heard good things.

 

Quotes: “He leaned in then and kissed me again, sweet and soft and tender, silencing my arguments and stealing my breath, making me wonder how one simple gesture could be so tragically lovely.”  -Charlie

Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles #1)

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Blog: Kami Garcia 

My rating: 3.5 out of 5

Darkness cannot drive out darkness;
only light can do that.

Hate cannot drive out hate;
only love can do that.

-Martin Luther King Jr.

Synopsis: Ethan lives in Gatlin: the most boring, predictable town in the South; that is until Lena Duchannes (rhymes with rain) moves into town. Lena is living with the town shut in, her uncle, Macon Ravenwood. Lena has been in Ethan's dreams long before she moves to town, and now that she has, he's determined to know her. Weird things begin to happen in town, and the civil war crazed town folk immediately place the blame on Lena. Despite the disapproval from the town, Ethan's friends, and both their families, Ethan befriends Lena and the two of them embark on a journey of self-discovery that neither of them expected. What do the numbers on Lena's hand mean? What will happen when she turns sixteen? Is love powerful enough to conquer a curse cast a hundred years ago? Pick up Beautiful Creatures and find out. 

My thoughts: I thought that Beautiful Creatures  was extremely compelling. I read it in two days because I just couldn't put it down. It wasn't the most well written book in the world, but the story line was enough to captivate me and allow me to forget myself for six or seven hours. There were some very powerful themes in Beautiful Creatures that I really enjoyed; true love, good versus evil, and the definition of family. I thought that the main character Ethan might have been a little too girlish (okay extremely girlish, as in he loves to spend time with his great aunts, talks a little to much about clothes girls are wearing, and is a bit emotional) , but I liked that he was willing to stand for what he believed in and he did play basketball, in his defense. There were some moments in the book where there were inconsistencies (some of them extremely unnecessary plot) and it was hard to suspend belief, but I liked the story line, so I kept reading. The last twenty pages of the book make no sense, so I am hoping that in the sequel, they are explained. If they are not, I won't be reading book #3. I thought it was comparable to Hush, Hush and Matched. One unique thing about this book was that it was told from Ethan's point of view and not Lena's, and almost too many books today (in my opinion) are told from the female point of view. Overall, I liked the book but it could have done a better job of remaining consistent, allowing Ethan to sound a little more masculine, and maybe staying a little more focused. I would say that this book was like a Chick Flick: cute, quirky, and interesting, but not for everyone. 

Some favorite quotes: "Mortals. I envy you. You think you can change things. Stop the universe. Undo what was done long before you came along. You are such beautiful creatures." -Macon Ravenwood

“So why did I think about her every second? Why was I so much happier the minute I saw her? I felt like maybe I knew the answer, but how could I be sure? I didn't know, and I didn't have any way to find out.
Guys don't talk about stuff like that. We just lie under the pile of bricks.”  -Ethan Wate

“Any book is a Good Book, and wherever they keep the Good Book safe is also the House a the Lord. ”  -Ethan's Mom

Thought this was exciting. Beautiful Creatures, is going to be a movie! Here's the preview if you

are interested. 

March 24th 2013 Update: Saw the movie! They totally did a good job...surprisingly pleased!