Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) by Sarah J. Maas 4.5/5 stars

Hey, guys! I've heard so much about Throne of Glass and have been meaning to read it for years. I finally did it, and I really enjoyed it!

The Cover:

The Cover:
There are two different covers that commonly circulate for Throne of Glass. I don't think I really like either. The one on the right seems more like a princess story than a book about an assassin, while the one on the left looks like an alien and doesn't fit the feel of this book. They could've done better. C+ covers

Official Description:
After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.
Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for four years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilarating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her ... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.
Then one of the other contestants turns up dead ... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.


My Review:
I have mixed feelings about Throne of Glass. It was a fairly simple book, but I did enjoy reading it. 

The world building was well put together. It didn't feel like an info dump, yet it also doesn't leave you confused. It was presented well and was also an interesting world. It was unique without being over-the-top strange. 

The plot was action-packed and fast-paced. It kept me interested. However, the direction of the story was very predictable. Quite a few times, there would be a dramatic reveal that I assumed had been revealed thirty pages before. 

The action, however, sometimes became a bit much. It got to the point where the action was unrealistic. The last major scene in Throne of Glass was the main battle. The battle lasted an incredible length of time and only succeeded in being a bit confusing and cheesy.

One of the best parts of Throne of Glass was the characters. They were fun to read about. Celaena was a smart, powerful female character. She stands up for herself but still is likable. The supporting characters were also interesting. The interactions between characters felt completely organic. However, most of the supporting characters felt very two-dimensional as far as their motivations and thoughts.

This book does include a love triangle, but it is done well. A few guys are pursuing Celaena, but she doesn't care. She completely ignores the building love triangle and does not complain about who to choose. It adds some drama without adding whining to the book. 

Overall, I would neither recommend, nor not recommend Throne of Glass. It was pretty good but not memorable. I might read the sequel but only if I am bored and can't find anything else.

Phrase:
Word marks

If You Liked This Book, You May Also Like:
A World Without Heroes
Five Kingdoms series
Red Queen

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Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer 4.5/5 stars

Hey, guys! After seeing all the hype from Cinder over the years, I decided to give it a go. I was skeptical about whether I would like it because it seemed a bit typical and boring. Cinder is another remake on the classic Cinderella story, and I was right, it was a bit typical, but it was not boring.

The Cover:

The Cover:
It shows cinder's leg. She's wearing a fake foot that is sized too small on the end of her metal leg. It's pretty self-explanatory but is a nice mix between beauty and metal/utility. It definitely fits this book and is simple and elegant. A+ cover

Official Description:

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Point of View:
3rd person mostly from Cinder's perspective, some from Kai's perspective

My Review:
Cinder was a retelling of the classic Cinderella story but with a twist. Cinder is a cyborg and the country has a devastating plague and threats of war with power-hungry aliens to deal with. Yeah... A bit strange, which was why I was skeptical to read Cinder but somehow it works.

The story kept my attention as Cinder tries to cure the plague, fights her evil stepmother, and keeps running into Kai, a supposedly dreamy prince. For a Cinderella story, Cinder is surprisingly intense. She can hold her own and is not referred to as girly or beautiful but as a mechanic. 

The characters were great! Cinder was a tough female protagonist who tries to forge her own destiny. Kai seemed nice and complex, though we don't see much of him in the first book. The only non-interesting characters were the evil stepmother and the evil stepsister. They both felt artificial and only had exceedingly thin reasons for the majority of their actions.

The story had plenty of plot-twists. Some of them, you could see a mile coming, but others took me by surprise, which was nice.

The main problem in Cinder is the treatment of the cyborgs. A major plot point is how Cinder is constantly discriminated against because of her cyborg nature. It is so polarizing that cyborgs are drafted to be experimented on. Yet, it doesn't make sense within the book why they are discriminated against. In fact, they seem to be in advantage. Cinder can tell when people are lying and has access to the internet ("the net") in her brain. That seems like an advantage, not a disadvantage, yet she resents being a cyborg. Everyone around her is disgusted by cyborgs, which are basically amputees. I can't imagine that with the technology in this book, people aren't lining up to be cyborgs, much less discriminate against them. It didn't feel organic.

That being said, I really enjoyed Cinder. There were parts that were a bit off, but the majority of the story was engaging. The characters were likable and felt organic. While there are fight scenes, it is more a romance than anything else. I'd recommend Cinder if you like Cinderella stories or a female heroine who can hold her own.

Audiobook Review (read by Rebecca Soler):
Rebecca Soler did a great job reading Cinder. The voices were great and there was a good amount of inflection, too. Her reading voice is also pleasant. I would recommend the audiobook version.

Phrase:
A Lunar's Glamour

If You Liked This Book, You May Also Like:
The Young Elites / The Rose Society
The Selection

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The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler 4/5 stars

Hey, guys! After reading (and loving) Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, a friend recommended The Future of Us. I loved the concept and most of the execution.

The Cover:

The Cover:
It shows Josh and Emma in a blurry picture, probably an image found on an old computer screen. It's a pretty lackluster cover. C- cover.

Official Description:

It's 1996, and Josh and Emma have been neighbors their whole lives. They've been best friends almost as long—at least, up until last November, when Josh did something that changed everything. Things have been weird between them ever since, but when Josh's family gets a free AOL CD in the mail, his mom makes him bring it over so that Emma can install it on her new computer. When they sign on, they're automatically logged onto their Facebook pages. But Facebook hasn't been invented yet. And they're looking at themselves fifteen years in the future.

By refreshing their pages, they learn that making different decisions now will affect the outcome of their lives later. And as they grapple with the ups and downs of what their futures hold, they're forced to confront what they're doing right—and wrong—in the present. 

Point of View:
Alternating first person between Josh and Emma

My Review:

I loved the idea behind The Future of Us. It was a time travel novel without the traveling. What would you do if you could tell where you would end up in fifteen years, and every action you made influenced your future?

The Future of Us was funny and kept my attention. The characters were mostly interesting and well-developed, with the exception of Emma. Emma was oblivious to everything around her and constantly whined. Every time her point of view started, I was upset and couldn't help but think, "Please go back to Josh!" The characters other than Emma were likable though.

The only major problem I had with this book was how predictable it was. You knew that Emma would be irritating and which romantic pairs would end up together. There was no surprise to it.

Overall, I would recommend reading The Future of Us. It was not one of those books that everyone should read, but it was pretty good. The writing style was engaging, most of the characters were wonderful, and the idea behind it was compelling.

Audiobook Review:
I listened to the audiobook read by Stephen Kaplan and Mary Ellen Cravens. They did a nice job, perfectly adding emotions and differentiating speakers. However, occasionally song lyrics to very well-known songs would be used, and they did not even read the lyrics in rhythm. It threw me off every time. Also, whenever Mary Ellen Cravens said, "Emma", which was frequently, it was incredibly shrill.
Overall, a good audiobook but not perfect!

Phrase:
The Bonfire

If You Liked This Book, You May Also Like:
Thirteen Reasons Why

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And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie 5/5 stars

Hey, guys!  I'd heard about And Then There Were None for ages and finally decided to read it.  It was good; I enjoyed it and think you would, too!

The Cover:

The Cover:
It shows a hand reaching for a "soldier boy" statue.  It makes sense in context of the book and emits an eery vibe.  It's alright.  B cover

Official Description:
First, there were ten - a curious assortment of strangers summoned as weekend guests to a private island off the coast of Devon. Their host, an eccentric millionaire unknown to all of them, is nowhere to be found. All that the guests have in common is a wicked past they're unwilling to reveal - and a secret that will seal their fate. For each has been marked for murder. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. And only the dead are above suspicion. 

My Review:
And Then There Were None was great.  It wasn't perfect by any means, but it did a great job of building suspense and mystery.  It is a classic mystery novel that earned its hype.  

The drama that ensued from the search for the murderer was incredibly intense.  The conclusion blew my mind.  Finally a mystery novel where you don't guess the ending half-way through the book!  

That being said, the characters were a bit stupid.  They had to be for the sake of the plot but it was a bit much at times.  Some parts of the book are a bit outdated/ not entirely politically correct because it was written in 1939, but it was less so than you might expect.  Despite being written so long ago, And Then There Were None didn't require a translator to read by any means.  It was straightforward, fairly modern writing.  Perfectly understandable to an average reader.

I'd recommend reading And Then There Were None if you like mysteries at all.  It's not only a classic, but a good classic.  It's intense and fun.  It'll make you excited to read the next chapter.

Audiobook Review (read by Dan Stevens):
This was a wonderful audiobook.  Dan Stevens did a great job conveying the excitement of the book without going overboard.  Also, whether this is positive or negative to you, he has a British accent.  It fits with the story, but I wanted to mention it in case you don't like accents!

Phrase:
Ten Little Soldier Boys

Need other suggestions?  Check out my suggestions page!

Happy Reading!

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Finale (Hush, Hush #4) by Becca Fitzpatrick 0/5 stars

Hey, guys!  I always read the full book before I post about it here.  That is not the case today.  I couldn't take this book, and it got abandoned.  More on that later.

Preview Books in the Series:
Hush, Hush (book 1)
Crescendo (book 2)
Silence (book 3)

The Cover:

I am the kind of person who always finishes books, no matter how much I hate them.  (A good example is Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld).  I stick it out, hoping for some redeeming quality, so you know it's bad if I give up.

To be honest, I only started Finale because I was waiting for And Then There Were None to become available at the library, and I felt kind of guilty to abandon a series 3/4 of the way through.  I honestly would have rather been sitting in silence than reading this book.

Simply, the plot was ridiculous, the characters were ridiculous, and the writing was mediocre.

The major selling point of this series is supposed to be the relationship between Nora and Patch.  However, the don't have chemistry and the longer the series went on, the more Patch seemed abusive.  Nora was not allowed to talk to any other boy, she's criticized for hanging out with her friend, etc.  Instead of being entranced by their romance, I was scared for Nora's safety.  Bad foundation for a book.

The only thing left to say is do not read this book.  Even if you liked the previous books, Finale was awful.  Would not recommend reading.  Ever.

If you're looking for a good book, check out my Suggestions Page!

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Panic by Lauren Oliver 3/5 stars

Hey, guys! I've been meaning to read Panic for two years.  I enjoyed Lauren Oliver's previous series, Delirium, so I decided to give it a shot.  I thought it was pretty "eh" for the most part and hated the ending.  It wasn't all bad, but I was a little let down.

The Cover:

It shows Heather's face against a plain back background.  It looks nice aesthetically.  The title, "panic" is the name of the central competition in this book.  The cover doesn't tell you anything about the book, but I like it anyway.  B+ cover

Official Description:

Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.
Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.
For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most. 

My (Ridiculously simplified) Description:

Graduated high school senior have an annual competition where they perform dangerous challenges to hopefully win a pot of money.  Drama ensues.  

My Review:

Panic sounded so good.  I thought it would have action or be a psychological thriller or something.  It was mostly high school type drama, with six action scenes thrown, each with only a few pages devoted to it. 

I didn't like the characters.  Most of them felt painfully shallow, and I couldn't connect with them. Not only were they dumb (and probably on a suicide mission) for even entering the competition but they also were whiners.  

Most of Panic was devoted to the internal drama of the characters, whom I didn't care about.  It was just filled with filler content.  We get detailed descriptions of Heather's day working but of little else.

Sure, not connecting with the plot/characters was a problem, but the part of this book that bugged me the most were the points.  If a character completed an especially difficult part of a challenge, they might win bonus points.  Fair enough.  But, the bonus points go nowhere.  They don't get a head start (eg Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) or win based on points.  It didn't even effect the betting, so why bother?

I would have given this book four stars, but the ending let me down.  At the climax, I was distracted by Lauren Oliver's attempt to place every single plot point in the book at a single point.  It felt cluttered and distracted me from the book.  Also, during the epilogue (always a bad ideas, epilogues), she decides to make a moral and shove it down the reader's throat.  A bad ending overall that left me dissatisfied.

Overall, I would not recommend Panic.  There is little action and uninteresting characters.

Phrase:

Revenge/ Get out of Dodge

Audiobook Review (read by Sarah Drew):

I wasn't a fan.  Sarah Drew, the narrator, only had two voices.  Her main character voice (that could be both from Dodge's or Heather's point-of-view) and her "other" voice for characters such as an old lady and a love interest.  It was hard to tell characters apart. 

It was a fine audiobook, but it had no special characteristics.

If you're looking for a good book, check out my Suggestions Page!

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Of Poseidon (The Syrena Legacy #1) by Anna Banks 3/5 stars

Hey, guys! I listened to the audiobook of Of Poseidon and finally finished it.  I was excited to be done with the book, only to discover it was the first in a series (The Syrena Legacy series).  It's safe to say that I will not be reading the rest of this series.  That's not to say it was all bad, but I wouldn't recommend reading it.

The Cover:
It shows a girl, who I would assume is Emma (the main character), but the character has light hair. So I assume it's Reyna? Either way, the cover doesn't really make sense.  C- cover

Official  Description:
Galen is the prince of the Syrena, sent to land to find a girl he's heard can communicate with fish. Emma is on vacation at the beach. When she runs into Galen—literally, ouch!—both teens sense a connection. But it will take several encounters, including a deadly one with a shark, for Galen to be convinced of Emma's gifts. Now, if he can only convince Emma that she holds the key to his kingdom...
Told from both Emma and Galen's points of view(only Emma's is in first person), here is a fish-out-of-water story that sparkles with intrigue, humor, and waves of romance.

My Review:
Basically, this book was about a merman who falls in love with a girl who may or may not be a mermaid.  I know, it sounds a bit stupid.  Believe it or not, the bad part of this book had no relation to the actual storyline, which was as good as could be expected for a mermaid book.

The problem was  that it just wasn't realistic.  I'll excuse all of the mermaid stuff, but the regular life parts were unrealistic.  I understand that this book was made for younger audiences, but if a senior in high school avoided cursing by saying, "Oh my sweet goodness!" all the time, they would be made fun of.  Harshly.  

All of the interactions with Emma's mom were incredibly awkward.  Awkward to the point that if I was the mom, there is no way I'd allow my daughter to hang out with Galen. 

Speaking of their relationship, there is a scene when Galen confronts Emma and a guy.  His actions honestly felt like an abusive relationship.  It was out of character, but still if I was guy Emma was with, I would feel obligated to have a serious chat with Emma.

That being said, the dialogue was witty and natural feeling.  The situations they found themselves in were not so organic.  Of Poseidon was a fan of creating conflict through unclear communication and... That was it.  As well as unnecessary scenes such as Reyna Drives a Car!

Obviously, I was not a fan.  It wasn't all bad, of course.  There were fun scenes and a bit of drama.  I might've just aged out of it.  I could see all the plot twists coming a mile away, but there were still plot twists! I finished the book, so it wasn't horrendous.  This is more of a middle school book.  

I would not recommend Of Poseidon. 

Phrase:
Oh my sweet goodness!

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Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke & Bone #1) by Laini Taylor 3.5/5 stars

Hey, guys! I just finished listening to the audiobook version (sorry for character name misspellings) of Daughter of Smoke & Bone.  I'd heard so many great things about this series, and, while I enjoyed certain parts, I thought it overly long and a bit slow.  I didn't think it was worth the hype, but I enjoyed it nevertheless.

The Cover:

The Cover:
It's a bit overly intense.  The cover shows Madrigal wearing her bird mask at a significant festival in the book.  I think it's also supposed to be symbolic for Karou hiding behind various facades.  I like that the cover actually ties into the story, but it is not a cover that I would automatically pick up.  B cover.

Official Description:
Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.
In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.
And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.
Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.
When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

My Review:
I feel like the official description is terribly misleading.  The "truth"? It's only discovered about 20 pages before the end of this 418 page novel.  About 90% of this book was purely setup/ world building.  Personally, there is only so much world building I can take, and Daughter of Smoke & Bone used up about a month's worth.  It was hard to get through.  I'd heard so many great things about this book, and I just felt a little disappointed.  The only part that I loved was the lengthy flashback right at the end of this book.  I felt like most of this book was unnecessary.  Why not just start with the story instead of 300 pages of Karou living her everday (if not entirely ordinary) life.  
I didn't like the main character, Karou, either.  She was strong, true, but she was also whiny and really just a follower.  She never questioned what was going on and made huge assumptions over the course of the book.  She was honestly a liability.  I can see why others would like her.  "Hey, a complex female character! Sign me up." But I found her irritating to be completely honest.  
The other characters were all unique, though, which I enjoyed.
It wasn't all bad.  The ideas behind the story were interesting and original (hence the pages and pages of world building).  The writing style and tone were really casual and easy to read.  At times, I thought it got a little too preachy.  The author was trying too hard to connect the dynamics between angels and chimera to the racial/social issues of today.  
Even with all the small things that I didn't like about Daughter of Smoke & Bone, it was still an alright book.  The relationships between characters felt real, the plot was creative, and it was easy to read.  However, I think that it would've been better for everyone had it been a hundred or so pages shorter.  
I wouldn't go so far as to not recommend this book.  I wouldn't suggest it, but if you don't mind a lot of world building, go for it.  The book itself is good, and I think that the sequels will be better.

Audiobook Review:

I listened to the version read by Khristine Hvam.  It was fine but definitely not memorable one way or the other.  However, I grew irritated that ever time she mentioned Karou (frequently since she was the protagonist) the narrator would use a tone of voice that sounded like she was kidding.  It really wasn't a big deal, but it got on my nerves.

Phrase:
Teeth

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Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher 5/5 stars

Hey, guys! Everyone recommended this book to me for probably three years, but I kept procrastinating reading it because it sounded depressing.  It wasn't really though.  Sure, the topic was said but the plot and tone were witty and dramatic.  Don't let that turn you off.

The Cover:

The Cover:
It shows Hannah on a swing.  There's no context to this picture, the publisher probably just thought she looked depressed and decided to put this picture in.  I do like the 13 written in the title, though.  B- cover.

Official Description:

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers thirteen cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.

Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.

My Description:

Two quotes from this book just sums up the whole thing:

"I hope you're ready, because I'm about to tell you the story of my life.  More specifically, why my life ended.  And if you're listening to these tapes, you're one of the reasons why."

"The rules are pretty simple.  They're only two.  Rule number one: You listen.  Number two: You pass it on."

My Review:

This book was amazing.  I engaged with it more than any book I've read since The Martian and Challenger Deep (3 months ago).  It was a short book, but almost every sentence was just perfectly intertwined with the rest.  I can honestly tell you I had no complaints.  Not even a small pet peeve.  

The narration is split between Clay's first-person thoughts and actions as he listens to Hannah's tapes and Hannah's tapes.  The tapes are in italics while Clay's thoughts are typed normally.  This allows Clay to comment on Hannah's thoughts in a sort of one-sided conversation.  It causes a neat effect and causes the book to move quickly.  It is also written in a very casual, conversational way, which allows for easy reading.

The characters were beautifully thought out.  Clay and Hannah were complex and interesting.  Their relationships with the people around them, as well as their reactions to various situations felt realistic. The characters felt like real people, which was nice.

The plot was also very fast-moving.  This was due to the narration as well as the premise.  Hannah needs to go through thirteen people on her tapes and they're only allotted one side of a tape.  There is no space for lingering. 

This book was just phenomenal.  I know I'm late to this party, but if you, like me, have not already read this book, do yourself a favor and pick it up.  It is actually fantastic.

Audiobook Review (narrated by Joel Johnstone and Debra Wiseman) :

I read Thirteen Reasons Why as an audiobook and think that that is honestly the way to go!  Even if you've already read it, consider rereading on an audiobook version.  Lots of libraries have copies.  This is, without a doubt, the best made audiobook I've ever listened to.  Hannah's parts were read by Debra Wiseman and Clay's by Joel Johnstone.  Both were wonderful at giving the words life.  The sound stayed at the same level the entire time (didn't go from soft to loud back to soft).Also, this book just works auditorily. Half of the book is on tapes to begin with.

Phrase:

I pressed play.

If You Liked This Book You May Also Like:
Challenger Deep
The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley

Happy Reading!

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Carrie by Stephen King 4/5 stars

Hey, guys!  I just finished reading/ listening to the audiobook of Stephen King's Carrie.  The audiobook was of poor quality, but the book in and of itself was definitely interesting.

The Cover:

The Cover:

It shows Carrie's face with the red background.  The red works really well in that it matches the books theme of blood.  (Seriously, it's everywhere.)  Even with the general color-scheme it's not a thrilling cover.  Overall, B cover.

Official Description:

Carrie knew she should not use the terrifying power she possessed... But one night at her senior prom, Carrie was scorned and humiliated just one time too many, and in a fit of uncontrollable fury she turned her clandestine game into a weapon of horror and destruction...

My Description:

Carrie, a high schooler, is constantly bullied by her peers, and her mom is a complete religious zealot. After a scarring start to her puberty, she discovers that she is telekinetic.  

The book is told as the slow build up to the school prom (and its impending disaster) and its aftermath.  The story is split between different characters point of views (all in 3rd person) with an emphasis on Carrie. The other half is newspaper articles and interrogations of people evolved in the story set in the aftermath of prom.

My Review:

I really enjoyed the way that Carrie was told with careful foreshadowing.  It never ruined the story but kept the plot interesting even when nothing was happening in the story.  The plot itself was an interesting idea that was well executed.
The characters were a bit two-dimensional.  Even Carrie fell flat.  Their lack of complexity didn't detract from the story, but this book definitely did not rely on its characters.
The thing that bothered me the most about Carrie happened in the first couple of chapters (well, it had no chapters, but in a normal book, it would have been in the first few chapters).  Stephen King goes on to describe a teenage girl locker room and then moves to discuss periods, where he stays for most of the book.  I found his description rather to be extremely dated (written in the 1970s) or just plain inaccurate.  It seemed like he had no idea what he was talking about, and no one bothered to correct him.
That being said, I can forgive most of this as a result of the really cool linkage of blood throughout the book.  It worked really well and is a huge symbol throughout the book.  Seriously, you could write a great paper on that.
Overall, it was a decent book that I was glad I read, if only to understand cultural references. However, it is definitley not in my top three favorite Stephen King books.  (Misery, The Long Walk, and 11/22/63 take that cake.)

Audiobook Review (read by Sissy Spacek):
This was the worst audiobook I've ever listened to.  Do yourself a favor and rather listen to a different version or actually read it.  There was no clear distinction between the story and the articles (interviews, newspapers, etc.), and the narrator never used voices or anything else to distinguish who was talking.  There were long periods where I had no idea who "she" was.  I had no problem with Spacek's country accent but it seemed unnecessary since the events of the book happened in Maine, not South Carolina.  I just started listening to Thirteen Reasons Why and that, about 10 minutes in, has already blown away Carrie's audiobook.

Phrase:
Go to your closet.

If You Liked This Book You May Like:
Rage by Stephen King

Happy Reading!

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Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor 4.5/5 stars

Hey, guys!  I am an avid listener to the podcast Welcome to Night Vale, and a few months back, they wrote a book based on the same universe.  While I recommend the podcast, you don't need to have listened to it for this book to make sense.
I listened to the audiobook version of this, which is narrated by the same people who voice the podcast.

The Cover:

The Cover:

It shows the town of Night Vale with the mountains (whether or not they exist is questionable) in the background.  It is a fine cover and fairly simple.  I like it, but it isn't too exciting.  Solid B cover.

Official Description:

From the creators of the wildly popular Welcome to Night Vale podcast comes an imaginative mystery of appearances and disappearances that is also a poignant look at the ways in which we all struggle to find ourselves...no matter where we live.
Located in a nameless desert somewhere in the great American Southwest, Night Vale is a small town where ghosts, angels, aliens, and government conspiracies are all commonplace parts of everyday life. It is here that the lives of two women, with two mysteries, will converge.
Nineteen-year-old Night Vale pawn shop owner Jackie Fierro is given a paper marked "King City" by a mysterious man in a tan jacket holding a deer skin suitcase. Everything about him and his paper unsettles her, especially the fact that she can't seem to get the paper to leave her hand, and that no one who meets this man can remember anything about him. Jackie is determined to uncover the mystery of King City and the man in the tan jacket before she herself unravels.
Night Vale PTA treasurer Diane Crayton's son, Josh, is moody and also a shape shifter. And lately Diane's started to see her son's father everywhere she goes, looking the same as the day he left years earlier, when they were both teenagers. Josh, looking different every time Diane sees him, shows a stronger and stronger interest in his estranged father, leading to a disaster Diane can see coming, even as she is helpless to prevent it.
Diane's search to reconnect with her son and Jackie's search for her former routine life collide as they find themselves coming back to two words: "King City". It is King City that holds the key to both of their mysteries, and their futures...if they can ever find it. 

(Note: This description makes it sound very suspenseful and not at all silly, which I disagree with.)

My Review:

I enjoyed listening to this book.  It was surreal and quirky as well as had an interesting plot.  As a fan of the podcast, I was a little disappointed by the amount of overlap between those characters and the book's (the world was the same but the characters different).  It was still entertaining though!

The characters were interesting and complex.  They had their own personalities and motivations.  I will admit though that at certain points in the book, when both Jackie and Diana were doing the same basic thing, I would get them confused.  They had very similar actions if for drastically different motivations.  It wasn't a big deal, but I thought I'd mention it.

The plot was interesting.  Bizarre and random but that was the point, so I didn't mind.  I was entertained, and the storyline was easy to follow.

I would definitely recommend reading Welcome to Night Vale if you enjoy a strange book or if you're looking for a light read.  You don't need to have listened to the podcast, but it might make you more excited during the few cameos.  I would recommend it!

Audiobook:

If was very well read.  Lots of emotion was brought across without being overwhelming.  Cecil Baldwin read it (the same man who narrates the podcast) and his voice is very relaxing.  I would recommend the audiobook version if you have a way to listen.

Phrase:

Josh's coat of many colors

If you liked this book, you may also like:

The Necromancer

Happy Reading!

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Beauty Queens by Libba Bray 3.5/ 5 stars

Hey, guys!  I just finished listening to the audiobook of Beauty Queens by Libba Bray.  I was reading it for my school's book club, and I did not enjoy it.  It started off pretty good, but it tried to get too deep and the plot went into a downward spiral.
The Cover:

The Cover:
It's a decent cover.  It shows a beauty queen with two sashes, one of the title and the other of lipstick like machine gun bullets.  Solid B cover.

Official Description:

When a plane crash strands thirteen teen beauty contestants on a mysterious island, they struggle to survive, to get along with one another, to combat the island's other diabolical occupants, and to learn their dance numbers in case they are rescued in time for the competition.Written by Libba Bray, the hilarious, sensational, Printz Award-winning author of A Great and Terrible Beauty and Going Bovine. The result is a novel that will make you laugh, make you think, and make you never see beauty the same way again.

My Review:

This book started off strong, but quickly spiraled downhill.  I loved the hilarity of the book.  Thirteen beauty queens must survive on an island while half are more invested in practicing walking down the runway than finding food and shelter.  However, halfway through the book, the author decided that it was more important to make a political point than to have an entertaining plot.

On the "political" aspect of this book, I think it went overboard.  The diversity (in gender, sexuality, etc.) of the characters was forced.  Literally all groups were covered and pushed.  The relationships between the characters did not seem natural and were forced in order to prove a point about lesbian relationships.  Don't get me wrong, I love diversity in books.  It was refreshing in a way to have this cast of characters, but I thought it cheapened the book and was awkward and forced.  

In the same vein, the characters were irritating.  This might have been because of there forced "political" aspects or their general one-dimensionality, but either way there were flat characters who were not very interesting.  

I loved the humor of the book, though.  It was an entertaining and light read for the most part.  

I wouldn't read it again or recommend it to you guys.  I wasn't a fan, though I could understand if you did like it.  It tried too hard to teach a lesson and lost track of the story.

Happy Reading!

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