Divergent Series

7/27/14

I'm currently reading the Divergent series, but since everyone has read them, I'm not going to review them.  I just started the third book Allegiant, and my sister has warned me many a times that I will cry and hate the entire series by the time I finish this book... so I'm really weary of finishing it.

But so far, I liked Divergent  and Insurgent.  Tris gets on my nerves a little because I think she makes stupid decisions, and I'm a huge fan of Four/Tobias, which makes me feel like he's going to die in Allegiant because otherwise I don't know why I would get upset at the end of the series unless he dies.  Ultimately, the worst scenario that I can think of right now, would be Tris killing Tobias.  That would piss me off.

I like the premise of the books.  I haven't seen the movie yet, so I'm waiting for it to come out on Netflix or OnDemand so I can watch it.

We'll see what my reaction to the series is once I finish Allegiant...

8/1/14

I saw the movie Divergent.  It was pretty good.  The book was better, of course.  But I didn't hate the movie.  I wanted Tobias to be hotter than he was, but I slowly grew to find his attractive.

Now that I've finished Allegiant, I understand why my sister hated it.  I probably would have been more upset with the ending if I didn't know that "something horrible happens".  If my sister wouldn't have given away that she bawled and hated the book, therefore, cluing me in that someone dies, I probably would have cried like a bitch.  But since I had a heads up, I was more sad and disappointed, rather than traumatized, like my sister.  (She still refuses to talk about the series.  HA HA). 

**SPOILER BELOW**

I understand WHY Veronica Roth killed off Tris, but... dammit!!  After all she and Tobias went through, I just wanted there to be a happy ending!  I found that I was more upset with how Tobias reacted to the news, than the fact that Tris actually died.  When Tris died I was sad and a little in shock, but when I read about Tobias finding out and how he took it,  I actually teared up.  ;(  Veronica Roth will be one of those authors that readers hate, like George R.R. Martin (Game of Thrones) because she killed off a favorite character.  Though, in my opinion, no author will ever be as evil as George R.R. Martin...

"Dust & Decay" by Jonathan Maberry

Judge a book by its cover
Zombies.  Sequel to Rot & Ruin.  Done.

Synopsis

Tom Imura decides to leave Mountainside with his brother, Benny, Nix, and Lilah to go find the jet they saw while out in the Rot and Ruin the last time.  But now that Charlie and Motor City Hammer are gone, their territory in the Rot and Ruin is up for grabs.  All the bounty hunters want it, and with Tom leaving the area undefended, there's nothing to stop them from taking it.

Tom's journey across the Rot and Ruin with Benny, Nix, and Lilah doesn't go well right from the start, beginning with Benny's best friend, Chong, tagging along for just an overnight trip.  Chong accidentally causes chaos when the group encounters a wild rhino, so he decides to leave the group and head back to Mountainside alone.  But Tom is responsible for Chong, so he leaves Nix, Lilah, and Benny at the abandoned gas station to go after Chong.  Then, all hell breaks loose.  Chong gets taken by bounty hunters who are planning to take him to Gameland.  Nix and Benny end up causing a massive fire in their attempt to escape the zombie hoard coming at the gas station, and Lilah splits.

Ultimately, it's a never ending adrenaline ride that will leave you in tears.

Humble Opinion
I love the series.  I love the characters that Jonathan Maberry creates and I love/hate how attached I become to the characters.  Each character feels like a real person, not just a fictional character in a book, so when tragedy happens to them, I get emotional.  I was bawling from heartbreak by the end of the book yet I still couldn't put it down.

It's so well written that I'm able to see the story play out like a movie in my head.  That's when I know I'm reading something amazing, when I can visualize it.  When a book calls to the director in me, I know I'm reading something that will stick with me forever.  And this series is one of them.  (A few of the other series that I have felt this away about are: Vampire Academy, Arcana Chronicles, and Hush Hush)

Final say

Read this over the weekend, otherwise you're gonna have to call in sick because you won't be able to put it down.  Even though I feel like this book is probably geared more towards a male audience, females who love "The Walking Dead" will love this book too.  Just remember to grab some kleenex when you get to the end.

"The Princess Bride" abridged by William Goldman

Judge a book by its cover
The movie is a classic and one of my favorites, so I decided to give the book a go.

Synopsis

Do I even need to have this section? 

The Princess Bride is a timeless tale that pits good against evil, and love against all the odds.  It's a story about Buttercup and Wesley, who must fight for their love against Prince Humperdick, the Fire Swamp, Court Rugen, Vizzini, and even death...

Humble Opinion
I love the movie, so I had high hopes for the book.  And I really liked the book!  The version I read was the one that the 1987 movie was based off because the author, William Goldman, talked about how his dad used to read the book to him when he was sick, and all the interruptions that young Fred Savage had when Peter Falk was reading were all the ones that he had as a kid.  It was cute.  And the movie stayed pretty true to the book.

There were a few difference between the book and movie.  1) The Zoo of Death.  The movie didn't touch on that.  There is actually a heart pounding journey that Fezzik and Inigo go through to get to Wesley in the Zoo of Death.  2) The movie doesn't touch on the torture that Wesley goes through before he is subjected to The Machine, but it would have been difficult to show/explain what was going on internally with Wesley during all that, so I understand. 3) The Miracle Pill is only temporary in the book!  In the book the pill will only last for about 15 hours and then Wesley goes comatose or something?! (I didn't quite understand what was supposed to happen.)  Wha-- you can't-- I'm glad the movie changed that!

Final say

If you liked the movie, you'll like the book, and vice versa!  I appreciated how movie stayed close to the book, like the Harry Potter movies did.  Don't change something that works!  Good read!

"Girls That Growl" (Blood Coven Series, Book 3) by Mari Mancusi

I totally just realized I didn't write reviews for the first two books... Oops!

Judge a book by its cover

Third book in the "Blood Coven" series, so it's a no brainer - gotta continue!

Synopsis

Rayne, the goth/vampire/vampire slayer has been assigned one more assignment before her slayer replacement takes over - infiltrate her high school's cheerleading squad to find out if they're werewolves.  But being a cheerleader is the exact opposite of everything Rayne "Freak Girl" McDonald is!  Not only does she have to "become one of the pod people", but her mom's boyfriend/Rayne's slayer guardian, David is moving in, AND her once dark and broody vampire blood mate Jareth has turned into a beach bum since the vampire virus allowed him to walk in the sun again!  Junior year isn't starting off as great as Rayne hoped.

Humble Opinion

The "Blood Coven" books are quick and easy reads with the perfect mixture of wit, romance, and adventure.  Rayne's snarky attitude and her romantic turbulence with Jareth definitely will hit home to a teenage audience.  While most teenage girls feel like they've found their soulmate in their first boyfriend/love, the reality of choosing your eternal mate at sixteen?  Well... people change, so there's bound to be some issues, which Rayne comes to discover

Mari Mancusi writes Rayne in such a way that her quips are hilarious, yet it's still believable that it's a real teenage girl talking.  I enjoy how Rayne is the narrator and is conscious of the audience she is telling the story to.  In Stake That, it was written as if Rayne was writing a blog and the reader was one of her followers.  In Girls That Growl, she just addresses us as if she's actually siting down and telling us the story.  I like that we get to see inside her mind and listen to her inner monologue.  

Final say

Easy read.  Fun read.  Great book to take to the beach or read while you're traveling.  I chose it as my "commute to work" book since it's small enough to throw into my purse, and I wouldn't have a panic attack if I had to stop reading before I was done with the chapter.  It's a good balance of making you want to come back for more without making you feel like you have to call into work the next day because you can't put it down.

"Rot & Ruin" by Jonathan Maberry

Judge a book by its cover
A cool zombie cover?  Done.

Synopsis

In the zombie-infested world Benny Imura has grown up in, once a teenager turns fifteen, they much find work - or lose their food rations.  After expending all his options, Benny reluctantly agree to train a zombie killer with his lame big brother, Tom.  But the Rot and Ruin isn't want Benny thought it was going to be - and Tom isn't the lame big brother Benny original thought he was either.

Humble Opinion
I love me some zombies.  The general premise is the same - people trying to survive in a zombie infested world - but each zombie story makes the zombie world itself a little different.

In Rot & Ruin, the story takes place in the little town of Mountainside, somewhere in the former state of California.  Benny, having no other viable option left, agrees to train to be a zombie killer like his brother, Tom.  Benny thinks Tom is lame and a coward, compared to the other zombie killers (aka bounty hunters) in town, Charlie Pink-Eye and Motor City Hammer.  But once Tom takes Benny out into the Rot and Ruin, he discovers that everything he thought he knew about the world and his brother is wrong.

SO MUCH HAPPENS IN THIS BOOK!  I'm finding it hard to even summarize!

*You meet the Lost Girl, Lilah, who has grown up in the Rot & Ruin since she was a child.
*You find out there is place called Gameland, where people are taken against their will to participate in the Z-Games aka zombie fights
*People that you like DIE!!!  I almost started crying at one of the deaths because I was so pissed.  I LOVED that character and Maberry just... GAH!  Fuck you Maberry.  Fuck you.
*You follow the budding romance of Nix and Benny.
*There is an epic battle at the end of the book that makes you unable to put it down!
*Someone that you THOUGHT died comes back, which you don't expect to happen (except I just told you) and you have to re-read the sentence three times just to make sure you read it right and then you want to cry all over again from joy.

Final say

I REALLY liked this book!  It's a great story that appeals to both male and female audiences, because it has the action and suspense that guys want; and it has strong female characters (with some love interest thrown in there) that females like.  I had so much trouble putting this down.  I really, really, really enjoyed this book and would very much like to see it made into a film or television series.  Mainly because I want to swoon over Tom and his fighting skills.