Maximum Ride: The Final Warning – James Patterson
The Scholastic Book Fair was sold out of this book in the series, and so to finish off owning them all, I bought this. And I’m up to this one now. I’m going to start reading it soon!
Destiny Faraday makes a point of keeping her distance from her classmates at Hedgebrook Academy. Her number-one rule: Don’t get attached. But one day, unexpectedly finding a car at their disposal, Destiny and three of her classmates embark on an unauthorized road trip.They’re searching for one fair day—a day where the good guy wins and everything adds up to something just and right. Their destination: Langdon, a town that Destiny’s unsuspecting companions hope will hold simply a day of fun. But, as Destiny says, “Things are not always what they seem.” Only she knows that Langdon holds far more than that—a deep secret she has never shared with anyone.
Mrs. Pearson has this incredible talent for writing insanely complex characters. Characters you don’t fully understand until the end of the book. The Adoration of Jenna Fox was like this, with Jenna slowly learning who she was, and in this book, Destiny is a character you don’t fully understand until the end of the book.
I read this really quickly (started it at night and finished it the next day). It was very compelling and it felt like I had to because the whole book takes place over one day. There’s not time to just let it sit! Each character was so richly drawn and complex. Mira, Aidan, and Seth are all so confusing and yet simple. I really can’t describe it. Their journey of self-discovery is intriguing and endearing.
Basically, Mary E. Pearson is a writing genius.
Rating: 8.5/10
Phoebe finds herself drawn to Mallory, the strange and secretive new kid in school. Soon the two girls are as close as sisters . . . until Mallory’s magnetic older brother, Ryland, appears. Ryland has an immediate, exciting hold on Phoebe—but a dangerous hold, for she begins to question her feelings about her best friend and, worse, about herself.Soon she’ll discover the shocking, fantastical truth about Ryland and Mallory, and about an age-old debt they expect Phoebe to pay. Will she be strong enough to resist? Will she be special enough to save herself?
Let me just start by saying that when I picked this up I had no idea where it was going. The synopsis doesn’t say a lot, and I was only really reading it because I enjoyed Impossible, also by Nancy Werlin.
This book was way different. I’m not going to say much because I don’t want to give away anything, but basically the story is about Phoebe, who feels ordinary in her family of extraordinary people, and this leads to entanglement with the mysterious siblings.
Phoebe was rather annoying when she was with Ryland because he was performing some kind of mind-control thingy on her and that made her stupid, which got on my nerves (I realize it’s part of the plotline, but still. It annoyed me. I couldn’t tell if she was thinking her own thoughts or the thoughts he “told” her to think). When she was with her friend Benjamin, or her family, I liked her. Her journey towards higher self-esteem and realization of her own “extraordinary-ness” was interesting.
Ryland was a jerkface and Nancy Werlin makes that easy to see from the beginning. He basically tricks Phoebe and makes her fall for him, and then belittles her constantly, but because of the “glamour” she can’t stop liking him.
Mallory was an confusing character. While their friendship seemed legit and deep, it also seemed brushed over. The jacket synopsis makes it seem like they have this amazing friendship, but the majority of the book is about that friendship being destroyed. But as a character, Mallory was nice.
The whole plotline is a little crazy, but that’s a habit of Nancy’s, considering Impossible, although this one was more far-fetched. She combines fantasy elements into a modern lifestyle, and it can be weird, but it works.
Regardless, this book kept me reading because I wanted to know what happened at the end. So it was interesting, just not fantastic.
Rating: 5/10
For Haley Patterson, freshman year of high school boils down to having a good time with her two best friends and making a name for herself at the school newspaper. But when Haley reveals one too many juicy details in her gossip column, superdiva and queen bee Camilla Quinn makes sure that Haley's life changes...for the worse. Completely ostracized by everyone at school, including her best friends, Haley finds herself alone and miserable.Reprieve comes in the form of a summer job at an exclusive mountain resort, where Haley forges new friend-ships, snags a cute lifeguard, and learns how to trust again. But her newfound hope is not bought without some heartbreak.As the summer draws to a close, an unexpected confrontation with Camilla forces Haley to face her fears. Will she continue to let Camilla control her life? Or will Haley find the confidence and courage to stand her ground?
I was very pleasantly surprised by this book about facing your fears and learning to trust again. I really only picked it up because it was on my reading list and it was really only on my reading list because I had compiled a list of books which were nominated for the same award as The Hunger Games. And since it’s impossible to top The Hunger Games, I’m trying to read all the books on that list (with the exception of some that I know I’m not into that kind of story). This one was definitely a good book, although I’m not sure how you can compare such different books as this and The Hunger Games.
Pretty much the plot goes like this: Haley was doing fine in school. She was on the newspaper team and was maybe going to get her own column. She had two best friends and life was just fine. Then the evil queen bee of the school, Camilla, gets mad at her and sets the whole school, including her two friends, against her. Haley begins to think everyone is out to get her, and doesn’t trust anyone. Then she goes to her aunt’s for the summer and ends up working at a resort. There she meets lots of new people, some nice, some confident, some boring, and some mean. But through it all she learns that she can be confident and not let others push her around.
I enjoyed Haley’s journey of self-discovery. The characters are all marvelous. Even the side characters show different sides to themselves, and so as the reader you feel you know all of them pretty well.
Basically this made me want to work at a resort this summer.
Rating: 7/10 – Enjoyable, a good summer read, but nothing spectacular.
Every Monday I volunteer at my county library. Obviously, this can’t happen without me leaving with my arms full of books. So I am starting a weekly meme for my blog to take the place of “In My Mailbox” because I don’t really buy books. (Although sometimes I do, and when I do, I’ll let you know.)
So here we go! These are the books I got this week and last week. I hope to read them all before they are way overdue. :)
So some I’ve started and some I’ve finished. So reviews are coming! :)
Many of these are on my reading list so that’s good. I didn’t get sidetracked!
Seventeen-year-old Lady Alexandra Stafford doesn’t fit into the world of Regency London – she’s strong-willed, sharp-tongued, and absolutely loathes dress fittings. Unfortunately, her mother has been waiting for years for Alex to be old enough to take part in the social whirlwind of a London season so she can be married off to someone safe, respectable, wealthy, and almost certainly boring. But Alex is far more fascinated by adventure than romance.Somehow between ball gown fittings, dances, and dinner parties, Alex, along with her two best friends, Ella and Vivi, manages to get entangled in her biggest scrape yet. It’s a mystery brimming with espionage, murder, suspicion, and love.
This is a really fun, quick read. It’s not very long, it only took me two days of sporadic reading to finish it.
The strongest element of plot in this book is the romance and historical aspects. If you’re looking forward to a difficult and exciting mystery, look elsewhere. The mystery was really easy to figure out.
I absolutely adored the characters. MacLean can write some amazing personalities. Alex was smart and witty, and sometimes rash, unreasonable, and insecure. Completely a realistic character. Her friends, Vivi and Ella, were also wonderful. Vivi had tact and social grace, and Ella was the reader and writer. The front illustration is actually a really accurate picture of the three of them. Gavin was also rather amazing. He had his faults, but he and Alex had a good relationship.
I think that Sarah MacLean should write two more books, centering on each of the other girls. I really liked them, and they didn’t get to end up with anyone!
Overall: cute, predictable, romantic, and funny. A good summer read.
Rating: 8/10
…is my best friend.
Every year I get the chance to go to my favorite annual event, the Scholastic Book Fair. If you have never been lucky enough to go, imagine a warehouse filled with books. Every book is on sale (mostly 50% off, some are less off). Basically it’s heaven.
This year I ran around like a crazy person and actually made my arms hurt because I was carrying too many books. (I refuse to get my own cart. I just run to my mom’s shopping cart when I can’t carry anymore.) So in the end, I spent about $80 and got 21 books. Because of my immense happiness over my purchases, I shall list them all. Some I’d read before, but many I haven’t. (I have way too many books in my room I need to read….)
(HR) = Have read
I’ve been going to the book fair since I was little. Every year I try to get a series (as long as I have enough money). Last year I got the Harry Potter series (I originally read my brother’s copies, but I wanted my own) and the Percy Jackson series. One year I got the whole Series of Unfortunate Events. This year it was the Maximum Ride series (I didn’t get Final Warning because it was sold out. I’m ordering it from B&N) which I am currently hooked on. I’ll do a review on the whole series once I’m finished.
So this post was to brag on my new books, and to suggest that you track down the closest Scholastic warehouse, and wait outside till the Fall sale. :)
The behemoth is the fiercest creature in the British navy. It can swallow enemy battleships with one bite. The Darwinists will need it, now that they are at war with the Clanker powers.
Deryn is a girl posing as a boy in the British Air Service, and Alek is the heir to an empire posing as a commoner. Finally together aboard the airship Leviathan, they hope to bring the war to a halt. But when disaster strikes the Leviathan's peacekeeping mission, they find themselves alone and hunted in enemy territory. Alek and Deryn will need great skill, new allies, and brave hearts to face what's ahead.
As you can see, I quickly read the sequel to Leviathan. And, I’ll just say, it was every bit as good, if not better.
I don’t want to spoil/write too much on this book, because it’s the second in a series, and some readers probably haven’t read the first one yet (If that’s you…Why not?!).
As the story goes, Alek and Deryn/Dylan continue their journey together, but problems arise (as always) and they must work with each other in the Ottoman Empire to stop either side of the war from getting too influential there. Basically, more of their exciting and amazing adventures.
I just love these characters to death. I’m not a huge fan of “mistaken” identity stories, just because I can never see how it will be resolved without MAJOR never-ending problems. However, I have faith in Scott Westerfeld to pull it off perfectly in the third and final book, Goliath, due to be out in stores in September. And believe me, I am now looking forward to September!
Rating: 9.4/10
(I need to change my rating system…it’s too open.)
Alek is a prince without a throne. On the run from his own people, he has only a fighting machine and a small band of men.Deryn is a girl disguised as a guy in the British Air Service. She must fight for her cause - and protect her secret - at all costs.Alek and Deryn are thrown together aboard the mighty airship Leviathan. Though fighting side by side, their worlds are far apart. British fabricated beasts versus German steam-powered war machines. They are enemies with everything to lose, yet somehow destined to be together.
This book is mix of historical facts with alternate ideas. I’ve been told this is called steampunk or something, but I like “alternate historical fiction” better.
Even though it took me a while to get into this book (I had a lot of other books clamoring for my attention), once I actually started I couldn’t put it down. Both characters led equally exciting lives so I was never upset when the narrative shifted. Although, I could not WAIT for them to meet each other!! Luckily that did happen eventually, so I then I was very content.
Alek starts off as a whiney immature little boy (we SLOWLY learn both kids are 15), but through the adventures and hardships he becomes stronger, more sure of himself, and a very admirable teenager.
Deryn has always been independent and daring, pretending to be a boy to get into the air force. But she learns more caution and becomes more apt to quick thinking as she travels.
I’m not going to get too deep into the plot as there is a lot there, and you don’t need me to explain it all.
I enjoyed this book so much that I instantly got the sequel from the library. Want to know how often THAT happens? Not much. The book has to be REALLY good for me to be so impatient about getting the sequel (which, so far, is very good!).
Scott Westerfeld has done it again! First his amazing Uglies series, and now this series. (those are the ones I’ve read, he’s written other books)
Rating: 9/10
Lyn is a neo-gladiator’s daughter, through and through. Her mother has made a career out of marrying into the high-profile world of televised blood sport, and the rules of the Gladiator Sports Association are second nature to their family. Always lend ineffable confidence to the gladiator. Remind him constantly of his victories. And most importantly: Never leave the stadium when your father is dying. The rules help the family survive, but rules—and the GSA—can also turn against you. When a gifted young fighter kills Lyn’s seventh father, he also captures Lyn’s dowry bracelet, which means she must marry him...
I’m not going to lie. I really enjoyed this book.
Anyone who has read The Hunger Games will think the author of this book is being a copycat. Well, she might be. But this book is very interesting to me in it’s own way. (I would totally read it again) And anyone who knows me knows I am a massive Hunger Games fan, so I can make a correct comparison.
So the story goes, Lyn has had seven fathers because her mother has remarried six times, the max times a gladiator wife can remarry. Their culture is strange and fascinating. While the story takes place in today’s setting (with a bit better technology), the gladiator concepts of life and their rules seem older. Okay so Lyn is kind of a pacifist, she doesn’t like the glad lifestyle and doesn’t want to go to school and be a glad wife.
Complications arise when a young gladiator kills Tommy, Lyn’s seventh father. Lyn had given Tommy her dowry bracelet (the bracelet that only your father and the man you are to be married to can touch) to wear for good luck, but when Uber (the young gladiator who has a funny name when it’s said out loud…) picks it up that means she has to marry him or her family loses everything.
So, the reason so many people think this book is just some lame rip-off of The Hunger Games, is because the synopsis of the book makes it sound exactly like it. She has to fight a guy who she might like and so this is conflicting and such. Yeah. WELL, it’s actually a bit different than that. Most of the book is Lyn dealing with family problems (her mother is strange and her brother has mental health issues) and trying to decide what to do about her situation. The actual fight between Lyn and Uber is really in the second to last chapter or something and isn’t a major part of the whole book.
Uber was adorable. He was just so cute and endearing. He actually did like Lyn who might have liked him more if he hadn’t killed her favorite of her fathers. It was really fascinating to see their story develop underneath the mess of glad pressures and family problems. They went on a date and he came over a lot, and I was just happy when he was in the scene.
I didn’t really like her friend that much. Just sayin’.
So bottom line, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes The Hunger Games or likes dystopians (this isn’t your best for that, but it fits in the category sort of).
I really want a sequel. It ended with a maybe.
Rating: 9/10
Fifteen-year-old Vidya dreams of going to college, an unusual aspiration for a girl living in British-occupied India during World War II. But then tragedy strikes, and Vidya and her family are forced to live with their relatives in a traditional household, where women are meant to be married, not educated. Breaking the rules, Vidya finds solace in her grandfather’s library. There she meets Raman, who treats Vidya like an equal and encourages her education. Then Vidya’s brother leaves unexpectedly, and Vidya’s life gets caught up in political and personal turmoil. In the midst of all this chaos, will Vidya be able to hold on to her dreams and make them a reality?
This is a perfect book. It combines an interesting time in history, with a fascinating character having to deal with a crazy (in my opinion) culture, and adds just a tad of romance.
All Vidya wants is to go to college. Her father has always been pretty open to new ideas, and she is sure it will all work out. Then tragedy strikes! Her father gets really hurt so they have to move to his family’s house. Now, these people are complete sticklers to the Brahmin caste system. They are the highest and they treat the servants like dirt.
I HATED her dad’s family. They were all jerks. It wasn’t all culture problems either, some were just really rude. Padma Venkatraman did such a fantastic job at writing those characters. I honestly wanted to slap them all. Also, Vidya's mother seemed so weak because she didn’t stand up to her sister-in-law’s abuse of Vidya. I think she was very emotionally crippled by her husband’s accident and because she was much more culturally true than her husband.
A big part of the conflict of the novel is the violence or non-violence argument. The Indian people learn through their philosophers not to be violent, because that doesn’t help anything, it’s only stooping to your enemy’s level. But at the same time, World War II is going on and Hitler is killing everybody, so do you join the army to stop his violence? Kitta, Vidya’s brother believes he needs to stop Hitler, but everyone in the family believes in the non-violent approach.
I loved all the moments in the library. It was such a place of wonder for Vidya, and she would sit in there and read anytime she could. Her reading of the classics, books I know, was very entertaining. To hear her thoughts on them and know which ones she likes or doesn’t. She also meets Raman in the library. I loved him. He was more traditional than her but he had his moments of modern thought.
The character development in this book is amazing. Vidya starts off seeming rather immature and silly, with shallow desires and girlish gossip. She grows up rather quickly though once her father is hurt and she moves away. In the end, she is a very independent, mature, and promising young woman who knows what she wants and has a plan.
Sorry it was such a long review! I just LOVE this book!! Also, I got it for $1 at Books a Million! Yay!
Rating: 10/10 easy.
Meghan Chase has a secret destiny—one she could never have imagined…Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.But she could never have guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.
For those of you who don’t know, DNF means “Did Not Finish.”
This book just simply did not interest me.
The main character got on my nerves because she just seemed so stupid. I realize that the author might have been trying to portray her as realistic, but I just got frustrated by her silly antics.
I got to page 80 something (five chapters in) and I was so bored. I had no idea where it was going, and I was just bothered by all the characters.
The whole reason I got this book to read was because of all the recommendations from other bloggers. It seemed like EVERYBODY loved it. So I made a request for purchase at my library and I’ve had it for a very long time.
It could be that my other books I had out at the same time where more interesting to me, and maybe if I had nothing else to read this book would capture my interest. But, I’m not going to try. Why waste my time forcing myself to read this book when I could be reading a bunch of other books I love?
Also, I usually do well with faerie books (they aren’t my favorite but I tend to enjoy them). It’s just…this book was not interesting to me. It was just weird.
“There is little more likely to exasperate a person of sense than finding herself tied by affection and habit to an Enthusiast.” Julie knows from bitter experience. Her best friend, Ashleigh, veers wildly from one obsession to the next, dragging Julie along on her crazy schemes. Ashleigh’s current fancy is also Julie’s own passion: Jane Austen’s great love story Pride and Prejudice. Dressed in a vintage frock and dragging her feet, Julie finds herself sneaking into a dance at an all-boys’ prep school with Ashleigh, in search of heroes. Unfortunately, they both fall for the same one: handsome and gallant Grandison Parr. Will Julie have to choose between loyalty and love? Or will Ashleigh’s embarrassing antics drive him away before Julie gets a chance?
This was an adorable book! I don’t normally go for the “chick-lit” kind of books, but this was really just fun and cute. Also, it was $1 at Books-A-Million…so it was hard to pass up. However, in my opinion the Stephenie Meyer recommendation doesn’t do much to sell the book.
So, Julie and Ashleigh have this amazing friendship. Not only have they lived next-door to each other for their whole lives, but there is a tree that connects both of their bedroom windows. They can constantly go back and forth to each other’s rooms, and do everything together. And they get a lot reasonably well, because of their respect and patience for each other.
The main conflict in the plot is the mutual liking of one boy. However, this isn’t just a boy, this is Grandison Parr who is eligible, handsome, and (in Julie’s opinion) the perfect guy. Anyways, they both like him, but Ashleigh voices her feelings first, so she gets “first dibs” or whatever. The problem is, Julie has liked Parr ever since she first saw him, before she even knew his name. Now she has to try to be indifferent, to honor her friend’s feelings. I can relate to the whole “liking-the-same-guy-as-your-best-friend” thing, as it’s happened to me. I really liked the way this was handled in the book.
The book is pretty predictable, but it’s so fun to read and the characters are so interesting, that it doesn’t really matter.
Rating: 8/10
Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.
Alright. So, this book was good. It drew me in, I had no idea where it was going, and I adored the first person narrative voice (a boy! for once!). It was also long, and I love long books!
The characters were very unique. Ethan was a very relatable character, with his issues with peer pressure, and family problems. Lena was an amazing character, I loved her personality, how she wasn’t afraid to break the mold (although technically, she already broke it…), yet she really wanted to have a “normal” high school experience. The other kids at the high school were super annoying in their “high school-ish” ways.
I also loved the southern setting, because I live in the South, and it was refreshing to read a story set there.
The ending was…strange. I really have something against plotlines that include that kind of stuff… but I guess it kind of worked here. Still though, it gets to me. (You won’t know what I mean until you read it)
My only big issue with this book is how much it reminds me of Twilight. Switch the gender roles of Twilight, and you have a “immortal/magical/supernatural” person trying not to fall in love with the “mortal/normal” person who has already fallen, hard. This is not a very original plot in my opinion. Except, Beautiful Creatures has much better writing, and more likable characters.
If this story seems all supernatural and stuff, don’t worry. It is. It’s pretty hardcore “fantasy/supernatural.” But, as it’s weird, it’s also not that bad. However, if the weird-magical-creatures-curses-strange-magic stuff is not your preferred reading choice, you would probably want to skip this one.
I’m planning on reading the sequel (s), just because I really like the characters, and I’m interested in seeing where their story goes.
Rating: 7.5/10
