2014, A Year of Books

I thought that since the year is ending, I'd give you the highlights of the books I read this year.  I read 75 books this year, most of which I loved, and I had a hard time narrowing it down, but here are most top 10 favorite books of the year, in no particular order. (If I read multiple books in a series, they're counted as one).  All of the official descriptions came from Goodreads, and the brief reviews were written at the time that I finished the book.

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Official Descriptions

When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type is girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact. On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washedup child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun–but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl.

Or

Katherine V thought boys were gross

Katherine X just wanted to be friends
Katherine XVIII dumped him in an e-mail
K-19 broke his heart 
When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type happens to be girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact.
On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun--but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl. Love, friendship, and a dead Austro-Hungarian archduke add up to surprising and heart-changing conclusions in this ingeniously layered comic novel about reinventing oneself.

My Brief Review:

This book was incredibly funny.  I loved the characters, the situations, and even the calculations.  It was truly masterful, and one of my favorite realistic fiction books.  It's the second-best John Green book, by far.

Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Official Description: 

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.
A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

My Brief Review: 

I really loved the book's voice. (In a way, it reminded me of the narrator in Beautiful Creatures.) The entire book flowed very smoothly and the storyline was very engaging. This book was definitely worth the hype, which so few books are. It was fantastic. Highly recommended!
In an unrelated note, I love how the author's name on the front cover was so small unlike some others like James Patterson whose name fills each of his books' entire cover so that it's difficult to tell if you are reading "Blah Blah Blah Book" or "James Patterson". I really appreciate it when authors make the book more important than themselves. You go, Ransom Riggs!

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Official Description:

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green's most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

My Brief Review:

Easily the best book I've read in a long time. I cried during the last third of the book, but I loved it so much! It is one of those books that seem to reach into your soul and brighten some small essential part of yourself. At least it did for me.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Link to Full Review from earlier this year

11/22/63 by Stephen King

Official Description:

Life can turn on a dime—or stumble into the extraordinary, as it does for Jake Epping, a high school English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine. While grading essays by his GED students, Jake reads a gruesome, enthralling piece penned by janitor Harry Dunning: fifty years ago, Harry somehow survived his father’s sledgehammer slaughter of his entire family. Jake is blown away...but an even more bizarre secret comes to light when Jake’s friend Al, owner of the local diner, enlists Jake to take over the mission that has become his obsession—to prevent the Kennedy assassination. How? By stepping through a portal in the diner’s storeroom, and into the era of Ike and Elvis, of big American cars, sock hops, and cigarette smoke... Finding himself in warmhearted Jodie, Texas, Jake begins a new life. But all turns in the road lead to a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald. The course of history is about to be rewritten...and become heart-stoppingly suspenseful.

My Brief Review:

An amazing book. Not a single slow second in all 800 or so pages. I highly, HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend this book to everyone! It was both a mystery, romance, and science fiction book all in one! I've recommended 11/22/63 to more people than I can count.

Misery by Stephen King

Link to my review from earlier this year

Legend by Marie Lu

Link to my review of this entire series from earlier this year

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Link to my review of this entire series from earlier this year

Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger

Official Description:
Vane Weston should have died in the category-five tornado that killed his parents. Instead, he woke up in a pile of rubble with no memories of his past - except one: a beautiful, dark-haired girl standing in the winds. She swept through his dreams ever since, and he clings to the hope that she's real.
Audra is real, but she isn't human. She's a sylph, an air elemental who can walk on the wind, translate its alluring songs, even twist it into a weapon. She's also a guardian - Vane's guardian - and has sworn an oath to protect him at all costs.
When a hasty mistake reveals their location to the enemy who murdered both their families, Audra has just days to help Vane unlock his memories. And as the storm winds gather, Audra and Vane start to realize that the greatest danger might not be the warriors coming to destroy them, but the forbidden romance growing between them. 

My Brief Review:
I loved this book! It was just perfect. I do not have a single complaint (which is a first). The characters were wonderful and non-annoying. The romance was believable, and the plot line was really engaging. Also the voice of the novel (both Vance's and Audra's). 
It's kind of similar to Beautiful Creatures. But better. 
I highly, highly recommend!

Winger by Andrew Smith

Official Description:

Ryan Dean West is a fourteen-year-old junior at a boarding school for rich kids in the Pacific Northwest. He’s living in Opportunity Hall, the dorm for troublemakers, and rooming with the biggest bully on the rugby team. And he’s madly in love with his best friend Annie, who thinks of him as a little boy.

With the help of his sense of humor, rugby buddies, and his penchant for doodling comics, Ryan Dean manages to survive life’s complications and even find some happiness along the way. But when the unthinkable happens, he has to figure out how to hold on to what’s important, even when it feels like everything has fallen apart.
Filled with hand-drawn info-graphics and illustrations and told in a pitch-perfect voice, this realistic depiction of a teen’s experience strikes an exceptional balance of hilarious and heartbreaking.

My Brief Review:

Amazing. It was probably one of the funniest books I've ever read. I just loved Ryan Dean's narration style. It's also not very rugby-oriented like the official description would have you believe. (I'm not entirely sure what rugby IS and I loved it). 

I highly recommend Winger (but only if you have at least a high-school maturity level). 
I didn't have high hopes for this book, but it surprised me by being completely amazing. It had everything you could ask for and placed it all together perfectly.

If you are looking for a book to read this coming year, I strongly suggest trying out one of these.  They are all incredibly different but they were completely amazing, nonetheless.  

Happy Reading!

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld 3/5 stars

I received Afterworlds from edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
I didn't really enjoy reading Afterworlds by Scott Westerfield.  In fact, I was a bit disappointed by it. I read another book by the same author earlier this year, Uglies, and actually enjoyed it, so I had higher hopes for this book than were met.  All of this isn't to say that Afterworlds wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either.
The Cover:

The Cover:
I have no idea what the cover shows.  It looks like a tear drop falling on a forest that went through a forest fire to me.  I don't get it.  (If you do, please tell me in comments).  However, the phrase below the image, "you thought your way here" makes sense.  You hear it in the first chapter or two and you will recognize it, but I don't want to spoil anything by explaining it.

My Description:
Every other chapter is about Darcy, a young writer, is in the process of publishing her debut novel, Afterworlds.  However, the process is not going as smoothly as she thought.  Darcy meets other authors and travels through the writing process with them.
The remaining chapters are Darcy's book about a girl, Lizzy, whose near-death experience allows her to see ghosts and travel from the land of the living to the land of the dead.

My Review:
I didn't enjoy reading Afterworlds. The Darcy storyline was uneventful and a bit boring.  Nothing exciting ever happened on that side of the story, and I greatly considered skipping every other chapter of Afterworlds as a result.  On the other hand, Darcy's book was exciting and well-paced.  I was definitely interested in its plot and enjoyed reading it.
Another issue I had with this book was the self-praise.  In every single one of Darcy's chapters, someone would come up to her and praise her outstanding book, which Scott Westerfeld just happens to have wrote.  He wrote characters whose entire purpose was to glorify his own writing.  Everytime anyone would compliment Darcy's writing, I would just think to myself, "Hmmm. That's pretty nice praise, coming from yourself." As a result, I ended up frustrated with the author as well as being unable to take the story seriously.
The characters were nicely developed, though there were only a few characters that we saw more than once.
Overall, I would not recommend Afterworlds unless you are looking for a book mainly about the publishing industry.

Phrase: Cold spot inside me

Playlist for the Dead by Michelle Falkoff 5/5 stars

I recently read an ARC from edelweiss for Playlist for the Dead by Michelle Falkoff.  It was amazing! I loved it!  I wouldn't be at all surprised if this doesn't become an instant hit.  It had all the qualities needed for a fantastic book, and I think that people will really like it.

It reminded me a bit of Paper Towns by John Green, except it was much more intense.  

Anyway, here's the cover:

The Cover:
The cover shows Sam, our protagonist, listening to Hayden's playlist with Astrid.  I particularly like the sentence at the top of the cover, "You never really know someone until you listen."  It really fits this book, and I'm glad they put it on the cover.

The Description:
Sam found Hayden his best, and only, friend dead one morning.  He had committed suicide and all he left Sam to help him comprehend this was a playlist of songs and a note: For Sam- Listen and you'll understand.  But that's not enough for Sam as he attempts to uncover the events that led up to Hayden's suicide.  The mystery unravels a little further with every page and every person Sam meets, including a girl, Astrid, who claimed to know Hayden before he died.  Song after song go by on the playlist as Sam learns more and more about his friend and even more about himself.
It was partially a mystery, love story, thought-provoking, and grief book all in one.

My Review:
I loved it! It had everything that you could possibly want in a book.  It was deeply thoughtful, funny, heartbreaking, and beautiful all at the same time.  Playlist for the Dead is kind of similar to both Perks of Being a Wallflower and Paper Towns.  It falls under the same categories as those books and cause you to think about the same type of issues that the above books do.
It was also organized in a really neat way.  Instead of chapter titles, it had song titles from Hayden's playlist that corresponded to each chapter.  They fit the story perfectly and really added to the experience of reading this book.  I strongly, strongly suggest listening to the songs during or after each chapter.  You might even find a new song/band that you like!
The characters were superb.  I felt really connected to the main character, Sam.  That might have been mainly because it was written in first person, but he was a really developed character who went through changes throughout the book.  Character development definitely occurred to most of the established characters.  Everyone was very complex and different.  They were also written to be very relatable to.  Even the characters that I am nothing like, let's say Ryan or Eric, I found connections to by the end of the book.
Even while set in a normal school setting, I found myself on the edge of my seat throughout entire chunks of the story.  The plot was interesting and kept me hooked.  Every few pages, we would learn a little more about the circumstances leading up to Hayden's death.  I was constantly surprised by the next installment of the story!
I'd highly recommend reading Playlist for the Dead to anyone looking for a new book to read!

Phrase:
Metallica T-shirt

Playlist for the Dead comes out January 27, 2015.

Star Ratings

Hey guys! I've decided that I'm going to switch from my earlier system of rating books (awesome, great, good, alright, etc.) to a five star system.  I think it'll just make everything a little clearer for everyone involved.
That's all for now! Happy Reading!

YALL Fest 2014

Hey, guys!  Two weekends ago, I went to a Young Adult book festival in Charleston, SC.  YALL Fest.  It was incredible! If you live anywhere near Charleston, I suggest that you try to go next year (November 13-14).

I loved every single person there, and I'm not just talking about the authors!  All the people who came were super friendly and seemed to love reading as much as me, which is impressive.  All of the authors I had a chance to meet were very nice.  I wasn't disappointed by any of them, like I was afraid I would.  They must say "Don't meet your idols" for a reason, right?  Not if your idols are authors apparently.

Opening Keynote:

The beginning of the festival was marked by an opening conversation between James Dashner (author of Maze Runner, 13th Reality, A Door into the Woods, and the Mortality Doctrine series) and Sara Zarr (author of a bunch of books including Sweethearts, which I haven't read yet).  They were friends and hilarious together.  They were constantly bantering back and forth with each other.  It was fantastic!

The Signings:
There were three venues for author signings.  All of the authors had a designated time that they would sign during.  It was very well set up, as long as you don't mind standing in line.  There was a LOT of standing in line.  But, if you timed it right, you could go see all the authors you wanted to.  However, a few of the more popular authors (James Dashner, Veronica Roth, Rainbow Rowell) you needed to stand in line for a wristband that would allow you to see them later in the day.

Lauren Oliver:

Lauren Oliver wrote the Delirium series as well as a few stand alone books such as Before I Fall and Panic.  She was super nice and seemed very down-to-earth.  I'm so glad that I got to meet her and have her sign my copy of the Delirium series.

James Dashner:

I was most excited about seeing James Dashner at YALL Fest.  I've read everything that he's written (except his latest book-The Rule of Thoughts because I haven't had much time for reading lately) and loved them all.  I brought all of the books I had in print (A Door into the Woods and the 13th reality series) for him to sign.  At the Opening Keynote, he made a comment about the former series and immediately said, "Don't worry if you haven't read it, no one has."  So when I asked him to sign this series he, for want of a better word, flipped out.  He was amazed that I had read his first series.  He ended up talking to me about it for about ten times longer than he did to anybody else.  At one point, he held up my copy of one of the books and showed the people behind me in line that "this was the book that nobody has read that I mentioned this morning."  As you can probably imagine, this was amazing for me, a diehard fan of everything he writes, to be singled out.  As I was about to leave, he even told me to wait and, because I was such an old fan, STOOD UP to take a picture with me.  He did this with no one else, and I am so happy that he took time to talk with me.  It was definitely the highlight of my day.
If you think I'm exaggerating, when I was leaving the building, I overheard some people who were behind me in line talking and they were grumbling that they had to some back next year after reading his older books.

Ally Condie:

Ally Condie is the author of the Matched trilogy as well as Atlantia.  She was simply really, really nice.  I gained so much respect for her at this festival.  She seemed really sincere and just like a really cool human being.

DJ MacHale:

DJ MacHale wrote the Pendragon, Morpheus Road, and SYLO series.  I love all of these series, despite how completely different they are.  DJ MacHale was the person I was the second most excited to meet (the first being James Dashner).  However, I didn't get to speak to him as much as I would have liked.  The signing happened too quick!  He seemed very nice though.  Basically what I expected.

Other Author Meet-Ups:

Pseudonymous Bosch, the author of the Secret series, was also there.  He's so secretive, even with the croissant on his hat.  (For those of you who don't know, he's a type of Lemony Snicket like author. His bio in the back of the books acts like he is in hiding, etc.)  He was a bit odd, but I expected that. Before YALL Fest, I tried to find his picture online so that I would know if I saw him and failed, spectacularly.  So I saw this guy walking around with a pastry on his hat and thought, "That must be Pseudonymous Bosch".

Closing Keynote:

The ending ceremony was a Q&A between Sarah Dessen and Ally Condie.  It was interesting, but Sarah talked most of the time, and I had no prior knowledge of who she was, making her speeches less interesting.  

Smack-down:

The "smack-down" was the true ending of YALL Fest.  Authors got up onto the stage to read their early writing from any age between high school and preschool.  It was great! They also played games and it was just fun in general.  

Then, the excitement really started as they talked about all the picture book authors who had gotten into YA *cough, Suzanne Collins, cough*.  So, of course, they showed us the covers and read excerpts.  Here's the highlights of the covers:

Yeah... It was so much fun.  They went further than I expected from a YA Festival.

Then, a band made entirely out of authors, Tiger Beat, came out and performed.  They were amazing.  My personal favorite was their original song, The YA Song, or as I like to call it: Holden Caulfield is not an asshole.

It's fantastic, please watch it if you have any time.  (In case you are wondering, the guy in the Viking Hat is David Levithan.)

The Smack-down was amazing and so was the entire experience of this festival.  I loved every second of it.  If you can, please come next year.  You'll love it!

Happy Reading!

The Rogue Knight (Five Kingdoms #2) by Brandon Mull (Awesome)

The Rogue Knight is the second book in the Five Kingdoms Series, the first book being Sky Raiders.  I loved both books immensely.  Brandon Mull did it again.  He is an amazing author who I've enjoyed reading basically everything from.  My favorite series from him is the Beyonders series (link to information of the first in that series), closely followed by Fablehaven and Candy Shop War.  His books tend to have this strange characteristic of sounding absolutely terrible and goofy, at least until you start reading and engaging with the story.

I'll post a really tiny review I wrote of Sky Raiders before I move on. (For more information, follow the link to Sky Raider's Goodreads page)
Review:
While probably meant for twelve year old boys, I loved Sky Raiders. It was unique and awesome. I love Brandon Mull and everything he does (writing-wise anyway). He even got a lot of points for making the book's epigraph lyrics from the Killer's song Dustland Fairytale. It is full of great comebacks, irony, exciting plot points, cool characters, and a surprisingly large amount of slavery (possibly too much slavery).  I enjoyed reading it and highly recommend for you to as well.

Back to The Rogue Knight.  For this point on, there may be spoilers for the first book, sorry!

The Cover:

The Cover:
It shows the Rogue Knight swinging at Cole and Mira with his sword.  Meanwhile, Cole attempts to defend Mira and himself with his Jumping Sword which is glowing.

Official Description:
Cole Randolph never meant to come to The Outskirts, but when his friends were kidnapped on Halloween he had to try and save them. Now he's trapped in a world that lies between wakefulness and dreaming, reality and imagination, life and death.
Cole's search for his friends has led him to Elloweer, another of the five kingdoms that make up The Outskirts. He's accompanied by Mira, Twitch, and Jace, new friends he's met here in the Outskirts who each have their own important missions.
The group is following news that Mira's sister, Honor, could be in danger. However, Cole and Mira are soon the ones facing direct threat, and must resort to a fascinating new kind of magic to protect themselves. Their journey brings them across familiar faces, some more welcome than others, until their paths ultimately cross with the infamous man known throughout Elloweer as the Rogue Knight.
Will he turn out to be an unstoppable enemy, or a key ally?
Every move is filled with danger as Cole and his new friends try and outwit the High Knig, who will stop at nothing to regain what he has lost.

My Review:
I really enjoyed reading The Rogue Knight.  I was constantly surprised by where the story was going and was completely caught off guard by one key plot twist.  This novel was beautifully written, creative, and even very funny at times.  It was a perfect sequel to Sky Raiders and picked up right where the last book left off.  It was a fast-paced and easy read for all ages.

I loved the characters in this series for the most part.  For example, I loved the returning characters (Mira, Cole, Jace, Twitch, etc.) even more during Rogue Knight but I found some of the new characters a little bit irritating.  (However, my annoyance with them might not have been entirely with them but with the altering of the previous characters' dynamics.)  Either way, there was plenty of character development that occurred during this book, as well as really amusing banter.  Who doesn't love a good comeback? or some excessive sarcasm?

I loved all of the plot lines of The Rogue Knight! Seemingly unconnected circumstances would slowly connect themselves as I was reading, conquering up a puzzle board that slowly pieced itself together.  Yet still a few pieces are missing.  Even more reason to continue the series as it comes out. (The following book is Crystal Keepers out this March.)

The Rogue Knight was a great installment in the Five Kingdoms series, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who has read Sky Raiders, which I would, in turn, recommend to everyone.  Both were exciting reads with complex characters and lots of fun.

The Rogue Knight comes out November 18, 2014

Phrase:
Brady's Wilderness

*Note: This book was given to me by Aladdin through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review*

Knightfall (The Chronicles of Benjamin Knight #1) by R. Jackson-Lawrence (Good)

*Note: This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review*

I enjoyed reading Knightfall. It was a good book that was, without a doubt, exciting.  I was on the edge of my seat for a good portion of it.  I never knew what would happen next!

The Cover:

The Cover:
The cover shows Ben standing on the edge of a mountain with the ruins of a city behind him.

Official Description:
At the age of fifteen, genius Benjamin Knight had developed a technology that would change the world. But when the project is sabotaged, Ben wakes to find himself in a mysterious and unfamiliar land where an uneasy peace hangs in the balance.
Saved from near death by a band of traders, he joins them on their journey north as he struggles to understand the world he's in and how it happened. However, Ben soon realizes that everyone has their secrets and that no one is safe, especial when one man has the power to realize his ambitions.
Ben wants answers, but with war looming, he may not survive long enough to find them in the series that breaks the barrier between science fiction and fantasy!

My Review:
I really enjoyed reading Knightfall though it was very strange.  It was very exciting all the way through and also surprisingly complex.  My main issue with it was that it was a tad too gory, and I didn't think that some of the gore was necessary to continue the story, which it sometimes is.
I really was impressed by the characters that the author chose to fully develop.  They were motivated by their own emotions and experiences and differed greatly from each other.  Each character could have easily be identified by their actions without the need for labels since they were so unique. However, there were a few characters that were not picked to be developed, and their character suffered as a result.  It would have been impossible to emphasis all of these characters and still continue with the story, so I do not begrudge it too much.  However, I think that a fewer number of characters might have benefitted the story.
That said, the plot line was very exciting.  It moved from one event to another seamlessly and I was constantly caught off guard by how far Jackson-Lawrence was willing to go.  I consistently feared for the characters, and it was always justified!  No one was safe.  The reader's understanding of the universe Ben finds himself in would often suddenly change, usually accompanied by a few twists or turns.  I couldn't help but be on the edge of my seat.
My only real issues with Knightfall were the excessive gore and how exactly Ben crossed into this different world.  Having finished the book, I still didn't really have a good idea.  Maybe it will be covered in one of the two sequels, but I doubt it.  I think we are supposed to just chalk it up to a lab accident, but that doesn't really make any sense to me. (I know that last point is too picky, but it bothered me.)
All in all, I enjoyed reading Knightfall and would recommend it for someone looking for something to read.  It was definitely good enough for me to read the sequels, the first of which is Darkest Before Dawn.

Phrase:
The magical electricity

The Unhappening of Genesis Lee by Shallee McArthur (Awesome)

I LOVED The Unhappening of Genesis Lee!  It had an unique premise which was presented in a very plausible way.  It kept me guessing throughout the entire book, and even included some powerful messages about memories and human existence.  Very impressive.

The cover:

I'm not sure what I think about this cover.  It shows our main character, Gena (Genesis), dancing while possibly dissolving.  Stars dot the background.  After reading this book, the stars seem to have their own significance.  However, the cover does no suitably illustrate the tone/mood of this book.  This isn't what I would classify as a "dancing girl" book.  The cover just doesn't seem to properly merge with my idea of the book.

Official Description:

What would it feel like to never forget? Or to have a memory stolen?

Seventeen-year-old Genesis Lee has never forgotten anything.  As one of the Mementi-a small group of genetically enhanced humans-Gena remembers everything with the help of her Link bracelets, which preserve the perfectly.  But Links can be stolen, and six people have already lost their lives to a memory thief, including Gena's best friend.

Anyone could be next.  That's why Gena is less than pleased to meet a strange but charming boy named Kalan who claims not only that they have met before, but also that Gena knows who the thief is.

The problem is that Gena doesn't remember Kalan, she doesn't remember seeing the thief, and she doesn't know why she's forgetting things-or you much else she might forget.  As growing tensions between Mementi and ordinary humans drive the city of Havendale into chaos, Gena and Kalan team up to search for the thief. And as Gena loses more memories, they realize they have to solve the mystery fast...because Gena's life is unhappening around her.

My Review:

I enjoyed The Unhappening of Genesis Lee about ten times more than I expected to, which is saying something considering how interesting the description sounded to me.  However, it took a while to get into the story, I have to admit.  The first 10% (sorry, didn't have page numbers, just percents) of the story went really slowly since McArthur needed to set up the premise of the book so the reader would understand the basics.  After she introduced Kalan, however, everything sped up exponentially.  

I loved the complexities of all the characters in this book.  They seemed like real people with hopes dreams, and severe misconceptions.  There weren't really villains, but people who made mistakes.  I love that; it makes everything seem more real, in a way.  

Also, The Unhappening of Genesis Lee was DEEP! Are you the same person even without your memories? What exactly are the boundaries before the collateral damage becomes too great? And a lot more questions (which I'm not sharing because they are spoilers) are asked.  This book makes you question the definitions of things that you've for granted in the past.  

I was very impressed by Shallee McArthur's debut novel, and would highly recommend it to almost anyone.  It was fantastic and might even become one of the next "big books"!

The Unhappening of Genesis Lee comes out October 14, 2014.  

*Note: This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review through Edelweiss*

Phrase:

You don't remember, do you?

How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell (Great)

Here is a Mini Review of How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell.
The cover:

I think the cover is pretty self-explanatory, so I won't get into that.  You're welcome.

My Review:

As a fifteen year old girl, I should probably stop reading books meant for ten-year-old boys, but today is not the day!

I found myself thoroughly enjoying this book. I actually read (listened?) to the audiobook version, which was narrated by David Tennent whom I love from Doctor Who. To be honest, a good portion of my enjoyment can probably be traced to how Scottish the audiobook sounded. I loved the plot line and read/ listened to the entire book in a single day. It was a lighthearted story that made me, at least, happy. I liked it a lot and would heavily recommend it!

*Note: this review was not tampered with by the movie version in the slightest. It is purely my thoughts from the book and not the film*

Story Thieves by James Riley (Great)

I was sent a copy of Story Thieves in exchange for an honest review.  (Thanks, Aladdin!)

I read the description for Story Thieves  and thought that it sounded different and that it could be a good book.  That original thought pales in comparison to how great the book really was.  This book is classified as a 3-7 grade book, and those are most certainly the prime ages.  However, as a person in grade 10, I still really enjoyed reading it and didn't feel as if it talked down to the reader at all, which I consider to be a great feat.
The cover:

The cover:

The cover shows Bethany and Owen (or maybe Kyle?) jumping into/ out of a book.  In the background, the universe from the book Kiel Gnomenfoot is seen.

Official Description:

Life is boring when you love in the real world, instead of starring in your own book series.  Owen knows that better than anyone, what with the real world's homework and chores.

But everything changes the day Owen sees the impossible happen - his classmate Bethany climb out of a book in the library.  It turns out Bethany's half-fictional and has been searching every book she can find for her missing father, a fictional character.

Bethany can't let anyone else learn her secret, so Owen makes her a deal: All she has to do is take him into a book in Owen's favorite Kiel Gnomenfoot series, and he'll never say a word.  Besides, visiting the book might help Bethany find her father...

...Or it might just destroy the Kiel Gnomenfoot series, reveal Bethany's secret to the entire world, and force Owen to live out Kiel Gnomenfoot's final (very final) adventure.

Review:

I really enjoyed reading Story Thieves! It was a fresh and different, in a good way.
The characters were all complex with varying and relatable motives for all their actions.  Even the fictional characters (the characters of the books within the book) were nicely developed and did not feel two demential at all.  I found myself relating more than I expected with both Owen and Bethany. Bethany was overly worried about consequences and yet enjoyed herself when the going got tough, which I feel quite a few people understand.  Also, Owen was so excited by the idea of jumping into books.  I don't know a single reader who doesn't wish to jump inside another world, and Owen learned he could!
The plot line was super engaging.  While the pace started off a little bit slow, once it started going, I loved it.  Parts of the book were told from from both Bethany and Owen's alternating perspectives and I was interested in both story lines.  (More often than not in books, one storyline is exciting while the other is just... there.)  Nearing the end, especially, the pace increased so much that Story Thieves was impossible to put down.
Another positive, in my opinion, was the whole book-within-a-book concept.  I love that.  The characters would be talking about how one of them wasn't real because he was "fictional", and the reader is on the sidelines thinking "But you are fictional, too!"  I think that whole situation is terribly ironic, whether you focus on it or not.  It's definitely a plus if you like that type of thing.
I would recommend Story Thieves to anyone who likes reading.  It was a good book, but I imagine it would be difficult to relate to if you don't enjoy books.  Also, I would recommend it more to the middle grade readers than older audiences.  While still enjoyable for all, it truly is aimed closer for the Lower/Middle School level of readers.

Story Thieves by James Riley comes out January 20, 2015.

Phrase:
Magic vs Science