Quick Announcement:

Alright everyone, those first six reviews were the jumping off point for this new blog. From now on I will only post new book reviews. Also, stay tuned for upcoming author interviews in the very near future!

Until next time, my dears!

Review: Abandon by Meg Cabot

**4.75 STARS**

"HOLY. CRAP."

Those are literally the words that came out of my mouth after reading just the first page of this book.

I mean WOW, what another amazing book by Meg Cabot! (She seems to write non-stop, doesnt she? Haha).

Abandon, to give you a brief summary, is the re-imagined tale of Hades and Persephone, starring main character Pierce Oliviera. She knows what it's like to die, because she's done it once before. But now death wants her back.

The Main Things I liked:

Pierce: I've been so fed up lately with protagonists who are all fluff and no personality. Thankfully, that is NOT the case with Pierce. She's got realistic issues and emotions like every teenager does, and I found myself caring about her and hoping that she would be ok. This is a major plus on Cabot's part. It is important for an author to get their audience to care about their characters, because if we don't give a crap about what happens to them, then there's really no point in reading the book, now is there?

John: Heeeeeheeeeheeee :3
Oh, how could I not like him?? For all of you girls out there who like the bad boy characters, I'm pretty sure after you read Abandon, John will be added to your list of hot fictional guys you wish were your boyfriend. He's tall. He's dark. He's dangerously sexy....

Oh, uhhh, excuse me while I wipe the drool off my keyboard.

The Mythology: I'm a sucker for anything involving Mythology, so I was instantly drawn to this book from the day I got it. I also love re-tellings, so I had a feeling this one was going to be a winner.

As far as what I didn't like goes, I only wish there was a bit more fantasy in it, and of course, MORE JOHN! He kept dissapearing when I was aching for more of him! Also, this book deals with a lot of heavy subjects, so don't be thinking this book is some sort of fluffy piece of cream pie you can eat while sunning on the porch deck. It's not, it's much deeper than that.

Overall, I found it to be a well written, enjoyable read. I can't wait for book 2, Underworld.

Review: Elixir by Hilary Duff (with Elise Allen)

** 2 STARS **

blarrrghhhh...

I was really hoping this book would be good. I'd heard negative feedback about Elixir, but I wanted to give it a go on the off chance that people were just being extra critical since a celebrity wrote it. I love Hilary, I watched her on Lizzie Mcguire growing up and I think she's a lovely person, but sadly I was not impressed by Elixir at all.

(Just to warn you now, this review will be somewhat ranty and contain at least a few gifs, because everything is better with gifs, amirite?)

The book starts off with Clea and her bff at a club in Paris. My first thought:
"The hell? How old is she??"
Clearly not old enough to be at a club.
Second thought:
"THE HELL? where are her parents???"
Apparently one is missing and the other doesnt give a shit gives her a lot of freedom.

Her bff (can't for the life of me remember her name) really annoyed me. Not every guy you date is your soul mate, especially if you date obsessively. She was all "HE'S THE ONE I JUST KNOW IT!" You met him what, yesterday?



Rainbows and sparkles and true loooooooooveeeeeeee :3





And Clea herself isn't much better. Typical Mary-Sue to go with the very formulaic plotline:
1. Mary-Sue Main Character
2. Giggly Airhead Best Friend
3. Love triangle that includes a mysterious/dangerous hot guy and a geeky best guy friend.
4. Parents who are either dead, missing, or dont care what MC does.
5. StRaNgE things happen to MC which are linked to hot guy
6. On many occasions the pedo hot guy has moods swings that come off as him either wanting to kiss the MC, or kill her.
7. MC finds out hot guy's terrible secret that threatens the very foundations of their insta-love!!



Noes! D:



I don't even get the romance. Really, I dont. If I found out the mysterious hot guy, aka Sage, (who has already shown signs of creepery by showing up in all my photos--another part which didnt make sense and wasnt explained) had all of these weird paintings of me, SOME WHERE I'M DEAD, and collected my signature necklaces like some sort of serial killer souvenir, I'd be like:

RUUUUUUNNNNNNNN!

 And I sure as HELL wouldnt have sex with him a few days later in my friend's car!!!! I mean where is your self-respect, Clea?
And the whole thing where Sage bought condoms because he "had a feeling" they would do it that night....WTF NO. Wrong on so many levels. 

I know Ron, that was my reaction too.



To say the least, I don't recommend Elixir unless you like throwing books at the wall out of anger.



Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

**4. 75 STARS**

Wow, this was a really great book. Honestly, when I read the description on the back it didn’t sound like something I’d normally pick up, but everyone was telling me to read it, and authors that I greatly respect were also giving it tons of praise. So I said, “What the heck? Why not give it a chance?” And I’ll tell you what, I am so glad that I did.

I found the The Hunger Games to be excellently plotted and perfectly paced, and for some reason, Collins writing was strangely addicting [I stayed up late reading this one ;)]. You’d think that the crazy concept of kids fighting to the death on live TV might be in danger of becoming extremely unrealistic, but surprisingly the story felt very real, like it was actually something that could happen in the distant future. The emotions, the fight for survival, and the strategic tactics during the games also seemed authentic, like that is exactly how it would have taken place if it were real.

I must say, as feisty as Katniss can get, I have to admire her. If I had been selected to play in the Hunger Games, I’d be so terrified I’d probably get killed two minutes in. Even though Katniss does become afraid from time to time, she is strong and smart, willing to do what it takes to make it home to her family alive.

Peeta is great too. I absolutely loved the blossoming romance between him and Katniss, and even though I know she was just trying to play her part as the tragic “star-crossed” lover, I knew deep down that not all of her feelings could be fabricated. I can’t wait to see what happens between them in the next book…and poor Gale, what must he think of all this?

Overall: The Hunger Games was a very enjoyable read, and I look forward to finding out what happens in the sequels!!! :D

Review: Wake by Lisa Mcann

** 1 STAR **

God, this book was terrible.
Like, TERRIBLE.

I don't even know where to begin, there was so much wrong with this book. So I'll just dive straight into the actual writing style:

This book.
Was so.
Damn choppy.
That most sentences.
Were only.
Two.
or.
Three.
Words long.

Seriously, the writing was so cut up and choppy, there was hardly any detail or description, and it lacked any skill or effort that should be required to get a book published. How the hell is this a best-seller? Some of you people need to wake up and smell the roses. This. Book. Sucked.

Also, it astounded me how vulgar Wake was. There's drugs, alcohol and underage drinking, smoking, nudity, lots of sex (yes, god have mercy, LOTS...including illegal sex with a minor *ick*), and constant cussing. Plus Janie's mother (if you can even call her that, she could care less about her own daughter) is a drunkard, and therefore Janie has also aquired a taste for liquor. And Cabel's mom left him, his dad not much better, being an abusive jerkface who passed away, leaving Cabel all alone.

My thoughts on the 2 Main Characters:

Janie: I found her to be really immature. Always cussing and rolling her eyes, drinking under age, having irrational swells of emotion. I didn't find her to be the least bit developed as a character.

And then about the part where people kept saying "Help me." Hmm ok..YES JANIE, HELP ME! HELP ME NOT HATE YOU.

Cabel: Also a very underdeveloped character (I think pretty much all of them were). Honestly, I don't think his and Janie's "romantic" relationship was very believable. It went something like this:

He gets a haircut. She drives him to school. He buys her Mcdonalds. OH BY GOLLY THEY MUST BE IN LOVE NOW! They entwine fingers. Have dreams about kissing each other. Fighting. Snickers Bars. Kissing. WOOH!

*Sighs* I was sooo excited to get this book, I really was. The little blurb on the back sounded amazing, but it didn't live up to my expectations AT ALL. I don't even really know what I was expecting, but it was definately not this little craptastic piece of lit that's sitting on my counter. *glares over at it for a moment* This could have been such an extraordinary book, because it's initially a pretty good idea, but sadly, it failed. EPICALLY.

*chucks book at wall*
Ok, Im done ranting now.