❄If I Stay (Book Review)❄️

Hello my readers! This will be my last review of the year as for now, I will be reviewing Gayle Forman's novel If I Stay. This young adult novel is about Mia Hall, who deals with the aftermath of a car accident involving her family. In a coma she later realizes that she is experiencing an out-of-body experience, while watching her friends and extended family members in the hospital. Also she has to decide whether to stay or to leave the world.

Characters:

Mia Hall- She is a 17-year-old girl that is quiet, kind, and a musically gifted. She often struggles with belonging because she is from a rock and roll family and also has a rock star boyfriend, she often feels out of place.

Adam Wilde- Is Mia's boyfriend, who is very handsome and loves music. He is a singer and plays the guitar while being apart of a band called "Shooting Star". It is later revealed that he is the reason Mia decided at the end of the book.

Kim Schein- Is Mia's best friend and is sarcastic and obedient to her emotional mother. In the novel it is described she and Mia are very similar.

Teddy Hall- Is Mia's younger brother and admires her. Mia thinks of him as her own son. 

Kat Hall- Is Mia's and Teddy's mother and loves rock music and her family. She is described in the novel as "tough as nails, tender as kittens".

Denny Hall- Is Mia's and Teddy's father who is quite rebellious but mature. He steps up to be a father and eventually gives up his band in favor of teaching.

Overall Ranking:

I give Gayle Forman's novel a 5 out of 5 stars because I was critical about how the out-of-body experience would be played out in this novel but it flowed really well. I liked how we received all these flashbacks that create suspense and emotion towards Mia and what she is going through. Before I read it the movie had already premiered and I was given away the ending by my friends but the ending was still unexpected and left on a cliffhanger when I read that part of the book. Even though I'm critical about cliffhangers I still enjoyed the book and it made an exception. I would recommend this to any young adult reader and adult reader because the novel is mature and discusses many topics and themes through out the novel. I will try and review the movie adaptation and the sequel to this novel soon. Don't forget to continue following me and my sites below. Till next year my wonderful readers!



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☆The Fault In Our Stars (Book Review)★

Hello my lovely readers! Today I will review John Green's book The Fault In Our Stars. This book takes the point of view of Hazel Grace Lancaster, who has thyroid cancer. She attends cancer patients support group at her mother's behest. However, during a support group meeting she catches the eye of Augustus Waters. The story follows Hazel and Augustus story as friends but eventually blossoms to a romantic relationship.

Characters:

Hazel Grace Lancaster- Is a 16-year-old teenager who was diagnosed at age 13 with thyroid cancer. She is intelligent and diligent but keeps most people at a distance, knowing her death will ultimately hurt them until she fell in love with Augustus.

Augustus Waters- Is a 16-year-old teenage whose osteosarcoma caused him to lose his leg. He is seen as having keen wit and has a tendency toward performances-he reveals in grand romantic gestures. He falls in love with Hazel during a support group meeting.

Isaac- Is a mutual friend of Hazel and Augustus. He is blinded by cancer and was dumped by his girlfriend Monica. He is embodies skepticism and rage.

Mrs. Lancaster- Is Hazel's mother and is an emotionally kind woman who has made her life to care for Hazel.

Mr. Lancaster- Is Hazel's father and is caring but prone to tears. Like Hazel's mother, he only understands Hazel's cancer broadly and spends much of his time at work.

Peter Van Houten- He is the infamous author of An Imperial Affliction but is later to be revealed a drunk and deflects emotion with walls of intellectualism and cruelty.

Overall Ranking:

John Green's novel is given a ranking of 5 out of 5 stars because it is and isn't a typical love story/ YA novel. The story surrounds many themes such as life and death which is something I can forward opinions on and discuss further. Even though, the plot has funny aspects it still has some serious aspects that are mentioned. The characters, that are acknowledged are battling cancer but at the same time want to live a normal life. They are also shown to have a hint of adult like relationship even though they are portrayed as teenagers. The book creates beautiful scenery that can be painted in your mind such as the famous Amsterdam scenes. You can imagine that John Green took careful thoughts into the Amsterdam scenes because he traveled to The Netherlands to get inspiration for this novel long before the book was published. A couple of other ideas that I would like to mention are, the tone and attitude of Hazel and the poetic feel that the novel hints. I feel like John Green can be some how shown in Hazel's character but at the same time stay true to a young teenager is something I favorite. I would recommend this novel to anyone because it has all these concepts that were mentioned above. Please give this novel a try if you haven't read this novel. Be sure to follow me and my sites listed below. Don't forget to be awesome! Till then my lovely readers!

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✿Perks of Being A Wallflower (Book Review)✿

 This book has been on my to-review pile for ages so, enjoy. Perks of Being a Wallflower By Stephen Chbosky, begins with Charlie, the main character, writing about his traumatic experiences as a freshmen in high school, the death of his friend, and a year before, the death of his favorite aunt. He befriends senior step-siblings, Sam and Patrick, while Charlie quickly develops a crush on Sam. He also experiences everything that a typical high schooler does through out the story.

Characters:

Charlie- Is a 15 year old boy who is sensitive, and quiet at the beginning of the story. He is taken notice for his passion for reading and writing in English class.

Sam- Is a senior in high school, who is laidback, down to earth, and outgoing. She is often free spirited and has a wild side.

Patrick- Is also a senior in high school, who is outgoing, very bold, is funny, and is never afraid of an adventure. He is friendly and approachable but within his circle of friends they know he is homosexual and had a private relationship.

Mary Elizabeth- Is very into social issues such as the Native Americans, objectifications, and bourgeois. Charlie shortly dates her but breaks up with her.

Alice- Is bubbly with a mystery. She likes vampires and wants to go to film school.

Candice- Is described as being mean but is actually loving and understanding when she wants to be, which shows she deeply cares for Charlie. 

Overall Ranking:

This coming-of-age novel is given a 5 out of 5 stars because the novel explores the main character's freshmen year. Which many who have gone through high school would relate to this type of scenario. It also explores many cultural references to American literature that I remember reading when I was a freshmen in high school. I absolutely loved the idea of finding-your-friends-when-they-find-you-kind-of-thing. The concept that I was skeptical about was the idea of this book being told through letters made by the main character but I find it refreshing and it wasn't as difficult to read. The book is short but has many sides to it such as moments that are funny and serious at times. I recommend this book to all young adult readers and expect a movie review to be posted soon. Till then my readers!

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=Reached (Book Review)=

Hello my wonderful readers! Today I'm going to review the last book from the matched series, Reached By Ally Condie. The story is told in the point of views from Cassia, Ky, and Xander. Before, Cassia finally found Ky but they are separated again. Cassia is supposed to work within the society, while Ky works outside the borders. Soon the real story is shown in a twist of events through out the dystopian world.

Overall Ranking:

There is many new characters to include but I decided to not talk much about them because it would be like giving away the plot. However this book is given, a 4.5 out of five stars because the series gave many obvious answers towards the end but there were several unexpected turns. Such as the "real" enemy isn't the rising, why Ky was put into the matching pool, and the favored memory of Cassia's grandfather. While reading this trilogy I found that the common theme was Cassia breaking from society and no longer taking their authority. Which is seen on the cover and resembles the symbol of the red pill, that is revealed in this book. I wasn't satisfied with this book because the artifacts that were mentioned in Matched wasn't given any clue to where they may be found and what happens to the world? Does the world return to it's "normal" state or does it "change" in the end? Many of my questions weren't answered but I felt some what accomplished when I finished the trilogy. I still feel the author brought many poetic images through this book but it didn't feel over bearing as Crossed and it felt like the language and tone moved swiftly with this concept. Also, the reason I was unable to finish this book was that the beginning was still boring and lagging but when I reached the turning point of the book I started to enjoy myself once again. In conclusion, you should start this trilogy because it is dystopian but has many twist and turns that I personally favorite. Please give it a try and continue following me on all my accounts listed below. Till then my readers!

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♥Crossed (Book Review)♥

 

Hello again my beautiful readers! Since I previously reviewed Matched By Ally Condie I thought I could continue reviewing the trilogy because I like to continue my thoughts on each book of this series. So, in Crossed the story continues with Cassia's internal struggle between Ky and Xander. She also has trouble finding the society's enemy also known as the rebellion. Which Cassia thinks it is the only safest place to be with Ky whom she choses to be with at this point of the story. However, the story focuses on the struggle in general such as struggle between friendship, love, and most of all surviving but also breaking away from the society.

Characters:

Indie- Cassia's friend from camp who helped her escape. She is mysterious, sneaky, and a little dishonest. She wants to find the rebellion and join it by staying with Cassia.

Vick- Ky's friend from camp who escaped with Ky. He is caring and compassionate but is secretive and seemingly stoic.

Eli- Is a young boy whom Ky takes with him when he escapes from camp, because he reminds Ky of Cassia's brother, Bram. Eli is younger and weaker but he manages to keep up with Ky and Vick.

Hunter- Is a farmer from the carving, a mountain range in the outer provinces. He has lost his daughter and tries finding other farmers on their trek to someplace safe.

Overall Ranking:

I would give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars because the plot of the story was finding the rebellion by escaping the society. However, towards the larger portion of the book I found it really boring and dragging on because I didn't find it as exciting until it reached towards the reunion. Also more references towards color and imagery is really well thought out but I think it could still be less especially with these descriptions it loses my concentration towards what's happening. When you think the plot of the book gets sweeter the plot builds on towards some complications such as "How to get to the rebellion?' and "Will they ever see each other again?' this creates an illusion of anticipation for the next book. All questions will be answered in the next book, which is pretty massive but I think I can tackle them down when it comes to the review. Besides my concerns about the book, I liked several parts of the story such as the Canyon scenes and the characters finding the secret tissue lab. I would recommend this book, if your really into this series it will be a quick read but I feel like it didn't live up to my expectations but for others it's different. Till then my lovely readers I will update soon! Don't forget to follow me on my social media which is linked below!

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➳Catching Fire (Book Review)➳

Since the movie adaptation of Catching Fire is going to release in a couple of days I decided to take this opportunity of reviewing this book before the movie comes out. As we know the two victors from the games come back and return home to District 12. The day that Katniss and Peeta are to start their victory tour is when Katniss receives a visit from President Snow. Which he explains why he is angry at her for breaking the rules at the end of the game, which allows both Katniss and Peeta to win. Snow also tells her about when she defied the capitol, she inspired a rebellion in the districts. The victory tour starts with District 11 and ends with the capitol. During an interview, Peeta proposes to Katniss publicly, which is a plan to settle the dispute between Katniss and President Snow and to calm the rebellions in the districts. Their attempts to calm the revolts in the districts fails. Shortly after returning to District 12, Katniss encounters two runaways from District 8. They explain their theory that District 13 has not been entirely wiped out and most of the residents live underground. Later it is announced that the 75th Hunger Games would have 24 victors from previous years must be forced to compete once again. This is the third Quarter Quell, an event that occurs every 25 years of the games and allows the capitol to introduce a twist. Katniss knows she and Peeta will be the two tributes and decides that Peeta should be the victor. Even though Peeta wants to protect her.

 

Characters:

 

Finnick Odair- He is the male tribute for District 4 and was known for winning the 65th Hunger Games at the age of 14. Finnick is 24 years old and is described as being very handsome, muscular, athletic and tall with tan skin, bronze hair, and stunning sea-green eyes. He is popular among the people of the capitol, and is known as a sex symbol for having many female lovers in the capitol, non of whom he stays with long.

Johanna Mason- She is the female tribute for District 7 and was known for winning the Original Hunger Games when she pretended to be a coward and weakling but towards the end of the games she reveals herself as a vicious killer. Johanna is described as being rebellious and sarcastic.

Enoboria- She is the female tribute for District 2 and was removed from the games by the capitol after Katniss caused an explosion in the arena.
Beetee- He is the male tribute for District 3 and was removed from the games by the rebels.
Wiress- She is the female tribute for District 3 and died after her throat was slit by another tribute named Gloss.

Overall Ranking:
This book receives 5 out 5 stars because of the major game change in the Hunger Games and the big plot twist towards the end of the book which revolved around the uprising and the idea of  District 13 remaining underground. After reading this book it kept me wanting to read the next book and have my questions answered such as what will happen to all the characters and is Katniss going to be reunited with Peeta? Personally, I think Katniss will be the one to lead this rebellion because she is called the Mockingjay and the next book is also titled the Mockingjay which might indicate what might happen with the rebellion. For those who are wanting to read on, I recommend that you should continue reading the 2nd book because it does continue after Kantiss and Peeta's life changing after they won  the games. I'm sorry for my absence I have been busy with school because of 2nd semester gets a little chaotic but now that I'm on break I will be doing more reviews. Don't forget to follow for more reviews! Also don't forget to check all the links bellow and comment what you thought about this book.

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♥Matched (Book Review)♥

 

Hello beautiful readers! Sorry for the long absence I have been busy with school and it has been a little rough but I think I should at least squeeze in a review from my finished books. As you can tell from the title I will be reviewing "Matched" By Ally Condie. This YA novel is about a perfect world referred to as the "Society" and in the book we are introduced with the main character Cassia. Which starts with her own match banquet, the match banquet is when citizen's of the society see who they are to be matched or married to. Since the society is perfect, a glitch appears in the system and leaves Cassia to question the society for she is caught to be in love with Ky, who is a society outcast, and Xander, who is her childhood friend and her match. The story unfolds with her questions and decisions of the society.

 

Characters:

 

Cassia Reyes- Is a 17 year old and is the story's main protagonist. She is matched with her old friend Xander but is caught in love with Ky. She lives with her parents and younger brother.

Xander Carrow- He is an old friend of Cassia and secretly in love with her since he can remember. He is also good friends with Ky and is known to be the golden boy and somebody to look up to. Xander is Cassia's perfect match.

Ky Markham-He is an aberration, a person who is no longer a citizen due to his fathers acts of rebellion against the society. Which caused him to live with his aunt and uncle, and their son was murdered and is something that has never happened in the society. Because he is an aberration he could never be put in the matching pool. Ky also has feelings towards Cassia even though she is matched with Xander. He is also extremely jealous of Xander.

 

Overall Ranking:

I give this book a 4 and a half out of five stars because the storyline is easy to follow. I personally find bits of the story interesting such as the society thinking they have too much culture and deciding 100 songs, 100 poems, 100 pieces of art..etc. to have kept in the society. I also like how Cassia is secretly learning how to write even though the society forbids it and how she makes up games for her little brother in order for him to go to school for the first time. Which the society does not allow anyone to behave against the society. The other part to the reason I gave this rating is that this book is written by an English teacher. Which the author makes most of the book filled with lots of imagery but I find most of it over the top such as making the character refer to the color green a lot after she wore that particular color after her match ceremony. On that side note I found Matched to be a great read and it made me want to buy the next book and I will also review that soon. I for sure recommend it to any YA, dystopian, and romance readers because it is an easy read and it makes you question what your society is like and what it might be. I hope this makes up for my absence and I will get back to reviewing soon. Be sure to follow me on here and on the sites listed bellow! Let me know what you think if you read this book or let me know if you are interested down in the comment section.

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➳The Hunger Games (Book Review)➳

Hey everyone here is another book review but this time I want to focus on a different series which is The Hunger Games books. This book is set in a nation known as Panem, established in North America after a big apocalyptic event. This nation has the wealthy Capitol and twelve surrounding, poorer districts united under the Capitol's control. District 12, is where the book begins, is located in the coal-rich region that was formerly known as Appalachia. As punishment for a past rebellion, the capitol holds an annual Hunger Games where one boy and girl, between the ages of 12-18, represent there district for the games. In the games they have to kill one another in order for one of them to become a victor. The book's perspective is from Katniss, a 16 year old girl, who takes her sister's place for the games in distract 12. As for the other tribute it is Peeta Mallark , who helped out Katniss and her family when they starved by sending bread for them.

Characters:

 

Katniss Everdeen- The book's perspective and is an independent, quiet, and fierce girl. Her looks are typical from where she lives which is long dark hair, olive skin, and grey eyes. She hunts illegally to help her mother and sister. She is skilled in archery and has a friend who hunts with her named Gale. Both their fathers have died in a mining incident that happened five years before and Katniss's mother fell into deep depression and she became less trustworthy of her. Katniss takes the place as a tribute in the hunger games for Prim.
Peeta Mallark- He is the male tribute for distract 12 and is a son of a baker. He is charismatic, which helps him in the games. He has confessed his love to Katniss in an interview and their relationship grows throughout the story.
Gale Hawthorne- He is an 18 year old and is best friends with Katniss and her hunting partner. They met when Katniss was trying to hunt for food for her family following both their father's deaths. He has three younger siblings and is skilled with snares and archery. His looks are typical for a person living in district 12 and is described by Katniss as bring any girls attention in district 12.
Haymitch Abernathy- He is middle aged and is an alcoholic. He won the second quarter quell, the 50th hunger games, which occurred 24 years before this book. He is a mentor to all the district 12 tributes and is consumed with guilt and forced to participate in the games which he hates. He is very sarcastic and pulls it together when Katniss confronts him, which makes them aiming toward winning and survival of the two tributes.
Primrose Everdeen- She is Katniss's younger sister and is 12 years old. She looks like her mother, blond hair and blue eyes. She is thoughtful and sweet. Her name is pulled as for the games but her sister takes her place. Before she leaves she asks if Katniss would win the games for her.

Overall Ranking:
This book is given as a 5 out of 5 stars because I thought the story line is perfect. Although I hate how Katniss took Peeta's love as a strategy in the games. I loved most of the emotional scenes set in this book during the games. Such as Rue's death and the survival of food and water in the games. The games made the capitol a piece of dirt and it hints that Katniss will rebel when she learns more secret and deals with her problems about the future. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is into dystopian novels and YA readers. I felt this book went fast and I enjoyed every second of this novel and it is an easy read. I will soon be reviewing the movie adaption of this book and do a book review on another series. I will be updating on this blog with some new things in the works which I hope to get started in please don't forget to follow for more books and movie reviews!

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