Book Review: Inferno by Dan Brown

Tags

action, adventure, black plague, book review inferno, Dan Brown, historical fiction, overpopulation, reviews, robert langdon, sinsky

Inferno (Langdon #4)

by Dan Brown

genre: thriller, adventure

Venice. Overpopulation. Race against time. This was an entertaining read with a stellar plot and only mildly annoying characters. Find out why I gave it a 4.5 out of 5 stars!

Summary

(Taken from Goodreads)

In his international blockbusters The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, and The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown masterfully fused history, art, codes, and symbols. In this riveting new thriller, Brown returns to his element and has crafted his highest-stakes novel to date.

In the heart of Italy, Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon is drawn into a harrowing world centered on one of history’s most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces . . . Dante’s Inferno.

Against this backdrop, Langdon battles a chilling adversary and grapples with an ingenious riddle that pulls him into a landscape of classic art, secret passageways, and futuristic science. Drawing from Dante’s dark epic poem, Langdon races to find answers and decide whom to trust . . . before the world is irrevocably altered.

Review

Since Eliabeth has already reviewed this novel, I’ll try to keep it short and sweet. Short story, I really enjoyed it. Long story is below. Minor spoilers will be included in this review.

Book Review: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Tags

action, adventure, aliens, army, bear and sammi, ben parish, book reviews, cassie, cassiopeia, evan walker, fifth wave, human extinction, military, new adult, post apocalyptic, rick yancey, romance, sci-fi, the 5th wave, YA, young adult

The 5th Wave

by Rick Yancey

genre: post apocalyptic, action, adventure, aliens, young adult

Aliens, teens with guns, and a world upside down. This story touches on profound themes while also delivering an entertaining story. Find out why I gave it a 4 out of 5 stars!

Summary

(Taken from Goodreads)

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

Review

I took this audiobook with me on my 12 hour roadtrip to Melbourne. I’m glad I did! I had heard some chatter about this amongst book tubers and decided to check it out when I had the chance.

I really enjoyed Cassie, the main female protagonist. She was funny, witty, and sarcastic. Some of the things she said made me chuckle. With my partner in the car with me, he also found plenty of what she said to be humorous. Since the setting of the novel is so sinister and desolate, it was nice to have the humor spice things up.

Book Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Tags

abnegation, action, amity, book review, candor, dauntless, divergent, dystopian, erudite, romance, teenagers, veronica roth, ya novels

Divergent

by Veronica Roth

genre: dystopian, action, adventure, YA

A future where our world is split into five factions to stop future wars, what could possible go wrong? Find out why I gave it a 3 out of 5 stars!

Summary

(Taken from Goodreads)

In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue–Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is–she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are–and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Review

There is a lot of hype over Divergent on Goodreads and elsewhere. I listened to Divergent through an audiobook. I was very impressed with the first few chapters of this book. I felt like the story was grounded, I was able to immerse myself in this Faction-based world.

I wasn’t super in love with Beatrice but I liked her enough. As the story progresses, we see as she hardens. I liked this transformation and I thought that there were sufficiently significant events that occur to appropriately shape her personality and thoughts on the world. She learns about how dark and cruel this world can be, and she begins to internalise these features into her personality.

Book Review: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Tags

80s references, action, adventure, book review, books for gamers, dystopian, ernest cline, futuristic, games, geeky books, oasis, ready player one, romance, sci-fi, strong female characters

Ready Player One

by Ernest Cline

genre: dystopian, action, adventure, gamer, sci-fi, futuristic

Super geeky gamer-style adventure/action novel with copious amounts of 80s references. This is why I gave it a 4 out of 5 stars!

Summary

(Taken from Goodreads)

It’s the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place.

Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets.

And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune–and remarkable power–to whoever can unlock them.

[…]

And then Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle.

[…]

A world at stake.
A quest for the ultimate prize.
Are you ready?

Book Review: Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Tags

action, book reviews, contraception in books, female assassin, graceling, great YA novels for your teenagers, healthy romantic relationships in YA, healthy YA novels with positive themes, high epic fantasy, kristen cashore, po and katsa, positive sex messages, sexual themes in YA novels, strong feminism, strong heroine

Graceling

by Kristin Cashore

genre: epic/high fantasy, YA, adventure

The world was great and the story was solid. This is why I gave it a 3.5 out of 5 stars!

Summary

(Taken from Goodreads)

In a world where people born with an extreme skill—called a Grace—are feared and exploited, Katsa carries the burden of the skill even she despises: the Grace of killing. She lives under the command of her uncle Randa, King of the Middluns, and is expected to execute his dirty work, punishing and torturing anyone who displeases him.

When she first meets Prince Po, who is Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change.

She never expects to become Po’s friend.

She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away…a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

Book Review: Gone by Lisa McMann

Tags

action, angst, book review, dream catching, fiction, high school, life, lisa mcmann, love, paranormal, readers, romance, stories, writing, YA

Gone

by Lisa McMann

genre: paranormal, YA

Are you fascinated by dreams? I am, so when I heard about the final book in the Dream-Catcher series I had to read it!

Summary

(Taken from Goodreads)

The conclusion of the paranormal teen series, Wake. Janie is spending her summer with Cabel, but deep down she’s panicking about how she’s going to survive her future when getting sucked into other people’s dreams starts to take its toll.

 

Review

I have recently read both Wake and Fade by Lisa McMann. I enjoyed Wake and loved Fade but I was sadly disappointed by Gone. The pacing was fast paced as per usual, which was good. But there was no point to having a fast paced book if the plot seemed pointless. I disliked the major plot (WARNING SPOILERS) where Janie’s father is introduced in a coma. I liked the idea as a subplot, but not as the main plot. Why did the whole book have to be about her choosing between being a hermit or living a life with Cabel? I wanted one more mission as an agent that would have produced fireworks for a finale but no… this seemed truly anticlimatic.

The romance between Cabel and Janie totally died. Their relationship only served to introduce and finish the book. There was barely any interaction in the middle because Janie just ‘didn’t want to talk to him because she needed space’. It felt like a cop out on the authors behalf. I also lost my ability to relate to Janie. She was nearly always miserable. I understood that she had a difficult choice to face, I think that idea shouldn’t have been discarded but I didn’t like that the whole book focused on it.

I think ultimately, the book felt like a bunch of characterisation sub plots that for some reason, took the limelight. This felt like a filler book rather than a finale. If they were going to introduce Janie’s dad, why couldn’t we learn so much more about Janie’s mother? As soon as I heard about his appearance, I thought it was going to turn into an epic family adventure into the family’s past but the family past was summed up in 2 sentences.

I’ll give it 2 stars instead of 5 because it wasn’t a terrible read but it was far from good. The focus of the book wasn’t on what I was hoping. The satisfaction of the ending didn’t exist. It is possible that my expectations had risen too high due to the success of book 2. I do not recommend this novel. Read the first two but don’t bother with the third. Sadly, this is another series that didn’t reach its full potential. Anyone else have any dream-based novels? 🙂

2 out of 5 stars

This book is for you if:

• Quick, YA reads.
• You love characterisation and family drama.

This book is not for you if:

• You need an action-based plot.
• Like in-depth explanations of family history.
• You dislike reading about angsty teens.

– Ermisenda Alvarez

Enjoy this review?  Leave comments below or to submit a review request for your novel or see what other books we’ve reviewed, please check the Book Reviews page.

Book Review: Fade by Lisa McMann

Tags

action, book, book review, dream catching, high school, language, lisa mcmann, love, paranormal, plot, romance, sexual predators, stories, writing, YA

Fade

by Lisa McMann

genre: paranormal, YA

Are you fascinated by dreams? Did you like WAKE? I am and I recently read Wake, so when I heard about this sequel I had to read it!

Summary

(Taken from Goodreads)
For Janie and Cabel, real life is getting tougher than the dreams. They’re just trying to carve out a little (secret) time together, but no such luck.

Disturbing things are happening at Fieldridge High, yet nobody’s talking. When Janie taps into a classmate’s violent nightmares, the case finally breaks open — but nothing goes as planned. Not even close. Janie’s in way over her head, and Cabe’s shocking behavior has grave consequences for them both.

Worse yet, Janie learns the truth about herself and her ability — and it’s bleak. Seriously, brutally bleak. Not only is her fate as a dream catcher sealed, but what’s to come is way darker than she’d feared….

Movie Review: One for the Money

Tags

action, books, fiction, Janet Evanovich, Katherine Heigl, movies, mystery, One for the Money, reading, Stephanie Plum

I reviewed the book, One for the Money by Janet Evanovich yesterday, and I have to say you have to read the book first.  If you see the movie and then read the book, you may not like how violent the book is.  That being said, obviously the movie takes some creative liberties, but all of them I approved of.

One for the Money was funny, quirky, and captured the essence of the book nicely. Could not have cast someone better for the role than Katherine Heigl.  She did an amazing job mixing clumsy, stupidly brave, and sexy all into one Stephanie Plum package.  The men who played Ranger and Joe Morelli were attractive, but did not live up to the descriptions in the book.  I can’t blame them for it though, there’s only so much nature can do where as the imagination is limitless.  Lula was beautifully cast.  She was probably the best of the bunch after Stephanie.  It’s killing me wondering who is going to play Sally Sweet if the movies go that far.

The tension and chemistry was spilling off the screen in all the right places.  It’s one of the best movies I’ve seen recently.  I’m curious to see how many other Janet Evanovich books will be turned into movies.  With a series as long as the Stephanie Plum books, I’m worried the interest will fizzle out, so we’ll see.

Fantastic!  5 out of 5 stars.

-Eliabeth Hawthorne

Have you seen it?  Agree or Disagree with my review, I would love to hear your thoughts.

Book Review: The Hunger Games Series

Tags

action, books, Catching Fire, dark, dystopian, ebooks, female, fiction, life, Mockingjay, review, suzanne collins, The Hunger Games, The Hunger Games Series, war, writing, YA

The Hunger Games Series

by Suzanne Collins
4.5 stars

Overall, I loved this series. I bought it because everyone had been raving about it. I kind of dismissed the comment and went to find out what was so good about this series. They were so good. These books were gripping and I couldn’t put them down. I originally didn’t read too much young adult but recently I have been reading more and more. It’s been a good phase so far.

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games #1

The Hunger Games was fantastic. I thought it was brilliant, original and fast-paced. That was the kind of book I had been looking for. An action packed world with a kick-ass female character. One thing that annoys me about YA in general is that the world’s often seem unrealistic and the romance usually makes me want to vomit. This one didn’t have that effect. Sure there was a love triangle but to me I think it’s more of a third wheel approach (at least to me it was obvious who Katniss would choose). Romance isn’t the height of the book which I enjoy, the main focus is the action and gripping plot.

First one is a definite 5 out of 5. I recommend it to all.

Narrating Action

Tags

action, books, film, Gilmore Girls, movies, narration, television, The Booth at the End, writing

People tell writers to show rather than tell in scenes, but one of the fascinating things about the Gilmore Girls television series, is how well they pull off the exact opposite.  Characters recap events not filmed during conversation.  Either the scenes would have been too drawn out to film or too difficult.  Here are some of my favorite examples:

A hungover Lorelei sits in the inn’s kitchen after Lane’s wedding the episode before.  Her best friend Suki recaps some of the more interesting moments that would have been too drawn out to film.  Suki tells Lorelei about using an old man’s cane for a limbo contest, awkward gyrating, posing, and strutting as Lorelei used the wedding photographer to film her audition for Top Model, and ends with the exuberant departing cheer Lorelei used the night before.