Nightfall (Vampire Diaries: The Return #1) by LJ Smith 2/5 stars

Hey, guys! Earlier this week, I reviewed the original Vampire Diaries series, so now it is time to review the first book in the first rebooted series.  Just so you guys know, this series was written a decade after the original series and is very, very different.  For one, the writing style changes drastically (I had to check to make sure the same author wrote it since it was so different). Also, the book is twice as long as the original books.
While I absolutely despised this book, Nightfall, the sequel, Shadow Souls, was much better (though still not necessarily good)
The Cover:

The Cover:

While this is a boring cover, it is a lot more modern than the original Vampire Diaries's 90's covers. It shows Elena... staring.

Official Description:

The first book in a new trilogy from L. J. Smith!
Elena Gilbert is alive--again.
When Elena sacrificed herself to save the two vampire brothers who love her--the handsome, brooding Stefan and the sleek and dangerous Damon--she was consigned to a fate beyond death. Until a powerful supernatural force pulled her back.
Now Elena is not just human. She has powers and gifts that were bestowed on her in the afterlife. What's more, her blood pulses with an overwhelming and unique force that makes her irresistible to any vampire.
Stefan wants to find a way to keep Elena safe so that they can make a life together. Damon, however, is driven by an insatiable desire for power, and wants Elena to rule as his princess. When Stefan is lured away from Fell's Church, Damon seizes his chance to convince her that he is the brother she is meant to be with. . . .
But a darkness is infiltrating the town, and Damon, always the hunter, is now the hunted; he becomes the prey of a malevolent creature that can possess him at will, and who desires not just Elena's blood but her death.

My Review (taken from right after finishing Nightfall):

I'm not sure what happened to these books but I hated it. This was by far the worst book I've read in a long time. I expected it to be at least comparable to the other books in this series but no. This book was TWICE as long as the other books and THREE times as bad. 

It was a struggle to get through. First of all, it was as if the physics of the Vampire-Diaries-world randomly shifted. Now Elena can just randomly float and has wings? Seriously, what? And trees can now attack! And there are also these werefoxes because normal supernatural creatures aren't enough!Also, the characters all decided to get weird. Really weird. Stefan spent a lot of the book calling Elena his "little lovely love". To say that that creeped me out would be an understatement! You know what this book needed? TRANSITIONS! I was hopelessly lost in the plot at certain points. My timeline for Nightfall was warped beyond recognition. I was so disappointed in this book. In LJ Smith. In the publishing industry as a whole, since they allowed this book to be published without, as it seems, revisions. To be honest, I'll probably read the next book, but only in a last ditch effort to salvage the series, which I'm doubting can be saved at all. (UPDATE: While not necessarily saved, my opinion still has hope of recovering after finishing Shadow Souls)

I was disappointed in Nightfall.  I can't say that I would recommend it to anyone, but if you've already read the original Vampire Diaries and can survive 586 pages of disappointment, go for it.  I won't stop you.  Read Nightfall if you are curious, but be careful, your opinion of this series and these characters will probably plummet. 

Phrase:
Lovely love

PS After finishing this book, I went on a review reading rampage, where I discovered that I'm not the only person who hated this book.  In fairness, quite a few people rated it positively, as well, but the majority had some ranting review.  Just a word of advice, if you hate a book that you've read, go read angry reviews that others have written.  You will not regret it. 

Happy Reading!

The Vampire Diaries by LJ Smith 4/5 stars

Before you run away screaming because vampires are so overdone, you hate Twilight and everything it represents, or any other pre-conceptions, just chill, forget what your brain is complaining about, and read this review.

A few months ago, I decided to watch the Vampire Diaries TV show. I did this although I thought it sounded bad, mainly because I wanted some context for the commercials that came on while I would watch Arrow (a good vigilante show if you are interested).  My exact thought was "This looks bad. Let me watch the pilot."  Anyways, I got hooked.

After my personal success with the show, I thought, "Hey, why not try the books?"  To be honest, I found them a little disappointing, though still decent.  I just really did not like Elena, and the books were a tad dated (the first came out in 1999). Also, they are not at all like the TV show.  The general premise, though not the specifics, were the same...  The characters had the same names... And that was about it.  I'm sure that if I had read the books first, I would have been outraged by the show but...

Anyways, let's do this book by book.  I'm not going to review each one because I did not review them as I read them and I honestly cannot tell the differences between the books in my mind. They all blended together!

General Things to Know:

• Each book is short (in the 200 page range).  Some editions combined each set of two into one book.  You could read each in one sitting, fairly easily.
• Elena is annoying and the main character.  She is manipulative and basically awful in every way possible, but you can enjoy the book even if you hate her.
• The things that it shares with Twilight were not copied. (Look at publishing date above)
• A lot of the books have cliffhangers
• All of the covers are just awful, so please don't judge these books by their covers
• The author uses italics a lot

The Awakening

Here's a classic 90s cover if I've ever seen one.

Official Description:
A Love Triangle of Unspeakable Horror...
Elena
Searching for the ultimate thrill, she vowed to have Stefan.
Stefan
Haunted by his tragic past, he struggled to resist her passion.
Damon
Driven by revenge, he hunted the brother who betrayed him.
The terrifying story of two vampire brothers and the beautiful girl torn between them.

I swear that this book is not quite as cheesy as the description says.

The Struggle

Official Description:

This is the terrifying story of two vampire brothers and the beautiful girl torn between them: Damon: determined to make Elena his queen of darkness, he'd kill his own brother to possess her.Stefan: desperate for the power to destroy Damon, he succumbs to his thirst for human blood.Elena: irresistibly drawn to both brothers, her choice will decide their fate.

Book two was a bit better than book one, but they were very comparable. If you didn't enjoy the first, you probably won't enjoy the second.

The Fury

Official Description:

A Love Triangle of Unspeakable Horror... Stefan Tormented after losing Elena, he's determined to end the feud with his brother, Damon--whatever the cost.
Damon Mocking Stefan and Elena, he laughs in the face of doom.
Elena Wild with her craving for blood, she confronts the ultimate evil.
The terrifying story of two vampire brothers and the beautiful girl torn between them.

Things get intense in book three.  It is by far the best in this series.  It's very exciting!

Dark Reunion:

Official Description:

Elena rises from the dead to recreate the powerful vampire trio. Summoned by Elena, Stefan keeps a promise to her and fights the most terrifying evil he's ever faced. Joining the brother he once called enemy, Damon battles this new horror with strength, cunning, and deadly charm.

This book was a bit more strange than the others, but I enjoyed it.  It also had very, very little of Elena (who I found incredibly irritating) so I was happy with it!

This is the end of the original Vampire Diaries series.  The have a bunch of branch-off series that were written about 12 years after this original series.  I'll post my review of the first of these spin-offs soon, but just so that you know, they are much worse than the original series.

In the meantime, Happy Reading!

Conspiracy Girl by Karen Chacek and Abraham Balcazar 1/5 stars

I requested this book from its publisher, a while ago.  However, I made a mistake.  Conspiracy Girl is a picture book.  I suggest that you stop reading this review if you aren't interested, but I said I would review it so here goes.

Official Description:
See that flock of birds over there? Looks pretty normal, right? But Nina sees right through their mangy feathers and divines their plot to end the world in a nuclear ball of white noise. What to do? Save the world armed only with a box of cereal? Perhaps.

I wasn't expecting a picture book from the description. It wasn't what I expected, but I kept an open mind. However, upon reading it, I just didn't get it. I was confused, and I believe that my mind is more sophisticated than the target audience's.
The illustrations were very interesting and artistic, though.
If the plot was smoother, I might recommend it, but as it is, I would not.  The book just needs some fine tuning.

In other news, if you haven't already, I suggest you check out my twitter page @BookshelfSecret so that you can be notified when I post a new review!

Happy Reading!

The Room by Jonas Karlsson 1/5 stars

*Note: I received this book in exchange for an honest review*
Hello, everyone! I recently read The Room by Jonas Karlsson, and I was disappointed.
Let's go ahead and just to the cover:

The Cover:

Cool cover, right? It shows the protagonist going into the room that was the center of this book.  However, the cover gives the impression that he is disappearing or crossing dimensions or something interesting, which was not the case. This was an A+ cover on a D- book.

Official Description:

Bjorn is a compulsive, exacting bureaucrat who discovers a secret room at the government office where he works--a secret room that no one else in his office will acknowledge. When Bjorn is in his room, what his coworkers see is him standing by the wall and staring off into space looking dazed, relaxed, and decidedly creepy. Bjorn's bizarre behavior eventually leads his coworkers to try to have him fired, but Bjorn will turn the tables on them with help from his secret room. Author Jonas Karlsson doesn't leave a word out of place in this brilliant, bizarre, delightful take on how far we will go--in a world ruled by conformity--to live an individual and examined life.

My Review:

I was incredibly disappointed by this book.  I had high expectations and was severely let down.  There are some books that I simply would not recommend, but this book made me so frustrated that if I saw someone pick it up at a bookstore, I would tell them that they really should rethink their decision.

The plot didn't really develop as the book proceeded.  Most of the book was Bjorn standing around thinking about how much better he was than anyone else.  This book was not, by any stretch of the imagination, plot driven.

The main character, Bjorn, was the most unlikable person that I have ever had the displeasure of reading about, and I am including villains.  Bjorn was a know-it-all, sexist, creepy man.  For example, one time he hovered over the receptionist, the receptionist was creeped out and asked what his problem was, and Bjorn assumed from that interaction that she was on drugs.  That is a great representation of his character.  I understand that he possible had a mental disease, but I HATED him with a passion. 

I spent the entire book alternating between being confused, angry, and bored.  All that being said, the writing style was decent, and I am sure that some people might like it, though I did not.  I strongly do not recommend reading this.

Phrase:

Indoor shoes

Happy Reading!

Twitter

Hey guys!

I just got a twitter for this blog! Please follow me @BookshelfSecret !

As always, Happy Reading!

Undivided (Unwind 4) by Neal Shusterman 5/5 stars

If I could, I would break the rating scale to give Undivided the score it truly deserves.  This series, the Unwind series is one of my top 5 favorite series of all time.  It is truly fantastic!
If you haven't read the other books in this series (Unwind, Unwholly, and Unsouled), I suggest that you start now.
The basic premise for this series is that three teenagers are marked for unwinding (a sort of forced organ donation) by their families, and they struggle to escape from the cops and survive.  (Click for more).This series puts other Dystopian books to shame.

Without further ado, here is my review for the final book in this series.

*SPOILERS FOR THE PREVIOUS BOOKS IN THIS SERIES*

The Cover:

The cover:

I love this cover so much! I shows the Statue of Liberty with her new metal arm that has seams running across it (like they're unwind parts) and her torch has "united" kids around it.  It's so cool and just amazing in every way.  I didn't like the covers for Unwholly and Unsouled, but this cover more than made up for them.

Official Description:

Teens control the fate of America in the fourth and final book in the New York Times bestselling Unwind dystology by Neal Shusterman.

Proactive Citizenry, the company that created Cam from the parts of unwound teens, has a plan: to mass produce rewound teens like Cam for military purposes. And below the surface of that horror lies another shocking level of intrigue: Proactive Citizenry has been suppressing technology that could make unwinding completely unnecessary. As Conner, Risa, and Lev uncover these startling secrets, enraged teens begin to march on Washington to demand justice and a better future.
But more trouble is brewing. Starkey’s group of storked teens is growing more powerful and militant with each new recruit. And if they have their way, they’ll burn the harvest camps to the ground and put every adult in them before a firing squad—which could destroy any chance America has for a peaceful future.

My Review:

Many of you may already know this, but I absolutely adore Neal Shusterman's writing style.  I tend to be blown away by his books' greatness, and Undivided was no exception.

The plot of this book was nonstop action and excitement.  Quite a few times, I had to put my copy down and walk away just so that I didn't have a heart attack or something, but I never could keep away for long! I read Undivided in a single day.  

It was the perfect conclusion to the Unwind series.  I had a lot of thoughts on how Shusterman would manage to end this series, but they all fell miles from the actual ending.  I was completely shocked by many points of this story.  From time to time, I would literally gasp while reading and say, "The author can't do that! Can he?", and, for better or worse (definitely better), he could and he did.  

The characters, as they were in the rest of the series, were perfectly flawed. We have characters like Connor, a martyr who never wanted control who becomes our hero, and Grace, a girl with a mental handicap (low-cortial) who is a brilliant statistician. Even the characters who I started out hated like Cam ended up beings wonderful surprises.  

I'm not going to give anything away, but you will love it once you read it!

Phrase:

I've got you...under my skin...

Happy Reading!

Solitaire by Alice Oseman 5/5 stars

Hey, guys! A while ago, I received Solitaire in exchange for my honest review from Edelweiss.  It was amazing! I think that a good way to describe it would be Catcher in the Rye meets Perks of Being a Wallflower meets Winger.  It was fantastic, but I feel obligated to give a warning: "This Book Contains Some Extreme Teen Angst, Proceed With Caution".  That being said, it wasn't too much, but the angst definitely existed, and I know that some of you hate those kinds of books... so beware.
Anyway, the cover:

Official Description:

In case you're wondering, this is not a love story.
My name is Tori Spring. I like to sleep and I like to blog. Last year – before all that stuff with Charlie and before I had to face the harsh realities of A-Levels and university applications and the fact that one day I really will have to start talking to people – I had friends. Things were very different, I guess, but that's all over now.
Now there's Solitaire. And Michael Holden.
I don't know what Solitaire are trying to do, and I don't care about Michael Holden.
I really don't.
This incredible debut novel by outstanding young author Alice Oseman is perfect for fans of John Green, Rainbow Rowell and all unflinchingly honest writers.

My Description:

While the above description is accurate, and I feel like I need to add... the premise of the book.  

At Tori Spring's high school, an anonymous group starts pulling pranks and posting about it on their blog, Solitaire.  The pranks start out simple enough, playing Sexy Back when the principle walks onto the stage, but start to escalate... and escalate.  Meanwhile, Tori (the chronic pessimist) has a few personal problems.  Her brother has a mental illness, her best friend Becky is behaving differently, her best friend from grammer school (Lucas) transfers to her school and wants to be friends with Tori (ugh. Socializing), and a new boy Michael Holden always seems to be around.  

And, also to clarify, in the official description is says that "this is not a love story" in a way that implies that it actually is a love story, but I disagree.  This is NOT a love story. If anything, there's more hate than love contained in Solitaire's pages, so don't let that turn you off of it!

My Review:

I loved this book! I was deep, it was funny, it was ridiculous, it was philosophical, and it was real.  

Alice Oseman took care too develop all of the characters to the extent where they felt like real, complex people who had lives outside of the events of this book.  They were incredibly realistic, and there was so much character development! It wasn't just for the main character, but for almost all recurring characters. At certain points, I had some disagreements with Tori (You hate the Beatles? You don't like reading?!?!) but I managed to get past them remarkably easily and could still relate with Tori.  Even if you are nothing like her, I think that you will still completely understand her character!

The plot was very exciting. I couldn't wait to read of Solitaire's latest escapade or really any of the other plot lines. I was spellbound.  However, I must admit that some aspects were predictable. I  was thrown off by certain moments, but I knew the "surprise" orchestrator of Solitaire fairly early on as well as a few other things that Tori was seemingly oblivious to. That didn't affect my reading experience, but you should know.

The writing style was very similar to a modern-day Catcher in the Rye. You might disagree, but the narration style, if not the rest of the book, was definitely reminiscent of it.  I really loved the way Oseman told this story. It was the perfect way to write it, and I deeply respected it. 

Also, my inner fangirl loved everything about this book.  For example, the characters argued over whether Drarry (Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter) was a thing. There were just countless references to books, movies, and TV shows that I love. It made the entire book kinda cool.

Overall, Solitaire was amazing.  I highly recommend reading it.  It is aimed at teenagers, so keep that in mind, but I don't think your age will affect your reading experience. 

Quote Bonus Round:

I don't normally do this, but I don't think that you can truly appreciate the majesty that is Solitaire without reading at least some of it. 

(Note: Since I read an 'uncorrected proof' of Solitaire, these quotes might be altered in the physical books.)

"Rebecca Allen is probably my only real friend at the moment. She is also probably my best friend. I am yet unsure whether these two facts are related."

On Bruno Mar's Grenade: "it's unlikely anyone would want to catch a grenade for anyone else. Or jump in front of a train for someone else. That's very counterproductive."

"'you're Sherlock Holmes. I'll be John Watson. But we've got to be the Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman Sherlock and Watson, because the BBC Sherlock is infinitely greater than all other adaptations' I stare at him. 'It's the only adaptation that gets the bromance right.'

'You're a fangirl,' I whisper"

I hope that was enough for you to get the feel of this book!

Phrase:

It's funny because it's true

Solitaire by Alice Oseman comes out March 30, 2015.

Happy Reading!

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal Hurston 3.5/5 stars

The word that comes to mind when thinking about this book is simply "decent".  I don't have any direct complaints but I also didn't find reading it very enjoyable either. I read Their Eyes Were Watching God for my English class at school.

Description (from Goodreads):

One of the most important works of twentieth-century American literature, Zora Neale Hurston's beloved 1937 classic, Their Eyes Were Watching God, is an enduring Southern love story sparkling with wit, beauty, and heartfelt wisdom. Told in the captivating voice of a woman who refuses to live in sorrow, bitterness, fear, or foolish romantic dreams, it is the story of fair-skinned, fiercely independent Janie Crawford, and her evolving selfhood through three marriages and a life marked by poverty, trials, and purpose.
A true literary wonder, Hurston's masterwork remains as relevant and affecting today as when it was first published - perhaps the most widely read and highly regarded novel in the entire canon of African American literature. 

My Review:

This book was a strong advocate for an end to racism as well as being very extremely feminist. It also was completely filled with drama!  I don't think many people have had such an exciting, and mainly miserable, love life, like Janie does. Of course, that may just be because JANIE NEVER ACTUALLY TALKS TO ANYONE BEFORE MARRYING THEM!

I also found all of the characters a bit annoying. None of them could remain happy or keep the same characteristics. The characters did whatever the plot required of them, despite whether or not it worked with their ideas/personality.

For a required book, Their Eyes Were Watching God wasn't bad.  A bit irritating, a bit predictable, but not bad. 

Phrase:

Sop-de-Bottom

The Path by Peter Riva 3.5/5 stars

Hey guys! A few days ago, I decided I would put Food: A Love Story and Darkest Before Dawn on hold for a little while.  I needed a break from them and decided to dive into The Path by Peter Riva.  I enjoyed reading it, but it did have a few drawbacks.  I received it a while ago from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

The Cover:

The Cover:

The cover shows rather Simon or Agent Cramer doing... something to the System, I imagine.  While I was looking at the cover, trying to think of something else to say about it, I noticed that its the first in the Tag SERIES? I thought that this was a standalone book.  I can easily say that I have no idea where the rest of the series will go.  This book did not have the feel of an opening book of a series...

My Description:

Simon Bank's job is to go into the System (the computer system that controls all of American life from national security to food production) and give it human interaction.  He basically tries to mess it up, and theoretically it will learn from him to better itself.  Except this plan works too well.  The System becomes sentient, and the task of fixing the derailing System falls to Simon.  Simon has help though from an agent of Control, Cramer, who while loving chocolate is rude and loves to be in charge.  Things go from bad to worse as Simon, Cramer, and a few others attempt to save everyone in America and maybe even the entire world.

My Review:

The good parts? 

Everything had a greater significance than it first appears.  The plot built on itself in complex yet understandable levels.  There were frequent plot twists, and you could never tell where anyone's loyalties truly lay. In fact, there was a huge mystery element to the entire book. I was definitely intrigued and zipped through this book. 

It also had a very unique universe in which it took place.

The bad? 

At times, it was a bit confusing for a number of reasons. (1) Abbreviations.  There were probably thirty or forty different things that were all identified by their initials, and I had a little trouble keeping them straight. (2) The Fictional Universe. I never felt that I fully understood the rules of the world the story took place in.  They would introduce a new story element and I would have no idea that that was even possible before it became a critical part of the plot.  There was no gradual integration into Simon's world, the reader is mainly just shoved into the deep end. While I figured it out, I wish I didn't have to. (3) Transitions and the Like.  I found myself having to reread entire pages because I couldn't figure out who was talking or what the characters were talking about to begin with. (4) Technology. There were many long complex computer programming moments in this book. While I found that I could follow them mostly, I am afraid that some people would be completely lost during them.  In general, they didn't effect your understanding of the book but be warned.  

I also had trouble comprehending the plans that were created by the characters, and there were a lot of plans.  Some of them just didn't make any sense. (SPOILER: What was the benefit of giving Cramer invincibility? I don't think that it helped anyone! SPOILER OFF.)  Some of the plans were so complex and dependent on others ignorant reactions that I just didn't buy them.  That being said, the plans weren't horrible.  I am always a little skeptical of the plans that books propose.  

All in all, I enjoyed reading The Path.  I was interested.  There were a few issues that I had with it, but they were minor.  I suggest reading it if you were interested in the description, but if not, I recommend holding off.

Phrase:

Mary's a Genius

Happy Reading!

Currently Reading

Hey, guys!

The last few days I have been alternating between reading Their Eyes Were Watching God, Food:A Love Story, and Darkest Before Dawn.  To tell you the truth, I'm not really enjoying any of them.

Their Eyes Were Watching God is a book that I'm reading in English class.  Its kind of interesting, but it only has so much potential, being titled what it is. (I don't think that don't-judge-a-book-based-on-its-cover counts for titles...)  It's about black Americans and especially black women during the Harlem Renaissance. While slightly boring, it isn't terrible; however, I find myself getting irrationally angry while reading it.  I suppose that means that the book is fulfilling its purpose, but it is not fun for me.

Next, I've been trying to read Food:A Love Story since October.  Whenever I pick it up to read, I immediately regret the decision.  I love Jim Gaffigan (the author)'s stand-up, but I don't think that he has the gift of writing, sadly.  However, my problem is less the writing style and more the lack of direction the book seems to be going on.  I figured, when deciding to read it, that it would be funny or a memoir or something like that.  It's more of a research paper on food.  I'm hoping that it will get better soon. (Full Review to come, eventually.)

Lastly, I've been slowly making my way through Darkest Before Dawn.  It's the sequel to Knightfall, which I reviewed earlier.  I'm finding it a bit slow and boring.  Most of the problem is that I don't care about the characters.  The main character from the last book, the only character that I do not actively hate, is barely in a single scene in this sequel.  He never narrates, and he's just become an ensemble member of the cast.  I'm more than half-way done, so maybe it will reach its climax soon.  (Full Review to come.)

I'll keep you guys posted, and will try to write at least a little post on all the books I read this year.
And, as always, Happy Reading to all of you out there!