Spoiler: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

As I said in the book review above, I was overjoyed that this book was different than the other books I’ve read about angels/ part angels. It’s not that those books weren’t good, it’s just that copy cats make me extremely mad. But Cynthia Hand wrote a book that is all her own. This book isn’t all about finding out who Clara is, it’s about what she’s supposed to do after she knows. We don’t have to go through her trying to figure out why there are wings growing out of her back which is fantastic, because then I get mad and yell at the book (that sounds crazier than I meant it to). I loved the way we get to see supernatural teens somewhere that’s not a city. I feel in love with the mountains as we got to explore them when Clara went out with Tucker. I feel like I can close my eyes and visualize how Jackson Hole looks.

Characters:

Clara: To be honest I was surprised that she chose Tucker in the end; I was hoping that she would because I have never read a book where an angel falls for a cowboy. It’s fantastic. I don’t know if they’ll get to stay together, since she didn’t complete her purpose, which I’m guessing was to fall in love with Christian. I wonder what it means that she didn’t, I guess I’ll have to find book 2.

Tucker: I love him. I thought he was just a jerk at first, maybe an angel hunter (how I got that idea, I’m not sure). Obviously Clara fell for him, because everyone knows that girls love country boys, or maybe it’s just girls like me. Mostly, I’m impressed that he accepts Clara for who she is.

Christian: I know he’s that hot guy, that everyone loves. But who saw him being an angel? Seriously? I was impressed. I wonder what there purpose really was then, if the didn’t have to save each other. Hopefully things work out for him.

Clara’s Mom: I could have slapped her for “making” Clara break up with Tucker. So what if he isn’t the man she’s supposed to be with. Pretty sure it’s still Clara’s life.

Angela: I don’t particularly care for her, I think there’s something off. Like maybe the Italian boy she was getting all dressed up for was really a Dark Wing and he has some power over her. So far she’s been a good friend, I just hope that she supports the Tucker decision.

Wendy: I feel horrible that she’s left in the dark. I’m sure eventually she’s gonna find out. I don’t see how she won’t.

Kay: I wonder if she’ll come back to haunt Clara?

Moments to Remember:

♥Pg. 29

“He points up the street where a line of people stand waiting to get into the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar.

‘Sure, and I’ll buy you a beer, too.’ Mom says.

‘Really?’

‘No.’”

♥Pg. 97

“’Hey, I’ve got a lot on my plate right now,’ he says.

 ‘Yeah, like making chicken soup for poor widdle Kay,’ teases the other guy.

 Christian shakes his head. ‘You mock, but women love soup. More than flowers. Trust me.’”

♥Pg. 148

“Mom told us that we’re special, but what kind of ‘gift’ comes with a war between angels as the strings attached? Maybe I don’t want any more taken from me either. Maybe I don’t want to be remarkable, don’t want to fly or speak some bizarre angel language or save the world one hot guy at a time. I just want to be human.”

♥Pg. 197

“The look that passes between Jeffrey and Kimber right then feels like it requires a swell of cheesy music in the background. Aw, I think. Baby brother’s in love. I also find this kind of gross.”

♥Pg. 350

“So, I’m in love. That crazy, forget to eat, float around in a daze, talk on the phone all night and bounce out of bed every morning hoping to see him kind of love.”

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Book Review: The Always War by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Title: The Always War

Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix

Pages: 197

Publisher: Simon & Schuster BFYR

Year Published: 2011

“For as long as Tessa can remember, her country has been at war. When local golden boy Gideon Thrall is awarded a medal for courage, it’s a rare bright spot for everyone in Tessa’s town—until Gideon refuses the award, claims he was a coward, and runs away. Tessa is bewildered, and can’t help but follow Gideon to find out the truth. However, Tessa is in for more than she bargained for. Before she knows it, she has stowed away on a rogue airplane and is headed for enemy territory. But all the pales when she discovers a shocking truth that rocks the foundation of everything she’s ever believed- a truth that will change the world. Is Tess strong enough to bring it into the light?”

My Rating: 3.5/5

This was quite a quick read. I was able to finish it in one day and usually that’s a good thing, but I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. It had good points about war and asked the question what if? But I wonder if it didn’t ask this question loud enough. I was impressed with the idea of how technology has changed and how the future looks, but I would have liked to see more descriptive word use so I could picture it better. My favorite part of this book would have to be the description of the characters themselves. I feel that I could picture them better than anything else in this story. I think that teens who are interested in sci-fi and war books would be most interested in this book.

THANK YOU MARGARET PETERSON HADDIX FOR SHOWING WAR AS IT TRULY IS!

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny ♥♪♫

Spoiler: The Always War by Margaret Peterson Haddix

This book has an interesting topic that I haven’t read about in quite some time. War in the future. It’s interesting to think about how technology can change the way we fight each other today, but I would have never dreamed that in Margaret Peterson Haddix’s future world the humans would have handed over control to computers. To me that just sounds like disaster, but it proves to not be. I want to mention, before I talk about characters, that timing in this book seemed off to me. It moved far to slow and although I read this book quickly I felt that time was dragging on. It also makes you wonder what you’d do if you found out what you thought your life is was really a lie and what you’d do about that. Would you believe something else? Would you tell somebody or would you keep silent? It’s also interesting to think of the causes of wars and how silly they seem. In this case, water that could be shared is what was fought over. Opens your eyes to how easy it is to fight.

Characters:

Tessa: I didn’t particularly care for the main character. True it was important to write from a person who has a lot of hope, but who has also had a hard time in the war, I found it annoying that she was always hoping that Gideon was going to protect. You’d think that since it’s the future that women would be even less dependant on boys, not the other way around.

Gideon: I think that he had a really good conscious but definitely had post-traumatic stress disorder. And I can’t blame him, being told you killed so many people and then seeing a video showing what you supposedly did has to scare the crud out of you and make you question who you really are. He did the right thing all in all. I think him and Tessa will end up together, to bad for his mom though.

Dek: Definitely my favorite character. For a young girl, who is working on the black market I might add, she has a lot of spunk. It was surely what this book needed a character with spunk, and who would take charge.

The Computer: I know it’s not a person, but it is an important part of what is happening in this book. What if computers could think and act? What if they could lie and do what they think is best for the human race? It’s an interesting concept, but in all honesty I hope I don’t live to see the day.

Moment to Remember:

♥Pg. 125

“Tessa just gaped at both of them. It never occurred to her that there might be a reason behind the war, something the two sides were actually fighting over. The war just was.

 ‘We’re fighting over water?’ she asked weakly.”

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Book Review: Looking For Alaska by John Green

 

Title: Looking For Alaska

Author: John Green

Pages: 221

Publisher: SPEAK

Year Published: 2005

“Before. Miles ‘Pudge’ Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the ‘Great Perhaps’ (Fracious Rabelais, poet) even more. He heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event onto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.

After. Nothing is ever the same.”

My Rating: 5/5

One of my friends is a huge fan of John Green, and I decided she has a pretty good taste in books and we agree in most things, so I might as well give one of his books a try. And was a ever rewarded. This novel is fantastic! Not only is John Green a fun and playful author, his writing is also memorable and thought provoking author. Although a shorter book this story is full of meaning and importance, I’d say particularly to teens. It’s about finding who you’re going to be, but in funny, awkward sort of way. I will warn anyone who is interested in this particular novel by John Green, that it includes adult topics, such as: sex, death, drinking/ alcohol consumption (feeling like a grown up!), smoking and also uses a fair amount of “adult language”.

Finally for the thanks section. First, a big thank you to my friend, reassuringsmile (Click if you'd like to view her blog), for suggesting this book.

Secondly,

THANK YOU JOHN GREEN FOR SHOWING NORMAL TEENAGERS FINDING THEMSELVES WITHOUT BEING TOO SERIOUS, JUST SERIOUS ENOUGH.

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny ♥♪♫

 

Spoiler: Looking For Alaska by John Green

This book was interesting, not only in the subject matter, but also in the way it’s written. I really liked that it was split in two sections: Before and After, but they also had the days counting up to and leading away from the climax which made the perfect amount of suspense for me.

The theme was difficult to think about. Dealing with death is never easy for anyone, never mind if you’re a teenager or 75, death isn’t easy to think about, but this book forces us to. Not only does one of the main characters die, but this main character has trouble dealing with death before hand and the beforehand death actually causes her death. It’s horribly sad, but death is a part of the world we live in and we have to learn to deal with it.

I did enjoy the pranks that happen throughout the book, it kind of fills out how I figured this boarding school would be in my mind. After all it’s filled with hormonally challenged teenagers; they have to get into some mischief. Speaking of mischief, there is a lot of smoking in this book considering that it was published in 2005. I’d think that it was published earlier; by the way that Pudge, Colonel and all the other characters seem to smoke constantly. Odd. And then there is the drinking factor. Or alcohol consumption if you prefer. Either way, there are a few times in the book where everyone is drunk, and it is a part of our world, but drinking helped kill Alaska. If she hadn’t been drunk, or as drunk as the police officer tells Colonel and Pudge she was, there is a chance she would still be alive. Lastly religion plays a huge role and we see this through Mr. Hyde. This book doesn’t force religion on you, actually it taught me how religion is important even if you aren’t religious. It’s more deciding about who you are and what you believe, or what you want to believe.

Characters:

Pudge: I think it’s pretty ridiculous that Pudge reads biographies for the last words. It’s kind of ironic isn’t it that he will never really get to know Alaska’s last words. Sad, but ironic, would be the proper way to put that I do believe. I feel for him that he feel in love with a girl and as he got his chance it was yanked away from him but maybe it was better that way. My favorite part with Pudge in this whole book is at the end when he’s writing his final paper for Mr. Hyde. It’s touching, but not fake. I can see a teenage boy writing it, making it real for me.

Colonel: So he smokes too much and he drinks too much, but don’t we all do a little something too much? Whether it is eating, or gossiping, we all have our faults and it’s good that Colonel puts his out in the open. He is who he is and I’m proud that in the beginning he doesn’t try to change for his present girlfriend, Sara. After all if Sara did care about him wouldn’t she accept him the way he was. He is definitely the master of pranks and I felt for him especially when Alaska died. I think he was closest to her after all the pranks they had planned together.  When I read that he was crying and screaming out, I felt his pain as if it were my own. Amazing writing!

Alaska: She is wild and impulsive. Many girls want to be the same way, but when we see where it got her and realize that although she looked perfect and acted the way some of us may want to ask she was far from perfect. She blamed herself for something she probably couldn’t have helped. She didn’t kill her mom, her mom died and she was to young to know to call 911, this isn’t that odd in all honesty. I don’t know even as a teen if I would go into shock or be able to function as I should. I can hope I would but none of us really do. I hate that she died, but I think it teaches the other characters to live for what they have.

Takumi: I just like his rapping, there’s not much else I wanna mention about him. Nice rhyme man, nice rhymes.

Lara: I couldn’t help but laugh at her and Pudge’s sexual fail (see page number in Moments to Remember below). I guess if you really didn’t know that would be embarrassing. But I was depressed that she didn’t confront Pudge, she waited. I would have just gone berserk.

Mr. Hyde: An interesting teacher for certain, and when he kicks out Pudge at the beginning, I imagine that most of the teens who read this book hated this guy, but we see him differently through out the book. And eventually I think I began to see him as a caring man, who wants to help his students become who they are meant to be.

The Eagle: He really cares about the student, he’s a hard a**, but he cares.

Moments to Remember (Some quotes contain curses/adult language and content):

♥Pg. 29

“‘Do you care to smell?’ He asked, holding the shoes toward me. ‘Because I went ahead and smelled them, and yes, I am sure. If there’s one thing I know, it’s when I’ve just stepped in another man’s piss.’”

♥Pg. 36

“‘AHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!’ he screamed.

 ‘So that’s Sara.’ I said.

 ‘Yes.’

 ‘She seems nice.’”

♥Pg. 78

“‘It’s not because I want to make out with her.’

 ‘Hold on.’ He grabbed a pencil and scrawled excitedly at the paper as if he’d just made a mathematical breakthrough and then looked back up at me. ‘I just did some calculations, and I’ve been able to determine that you’re full of shit.’”

♥Pg. 83

“‘Poor Pudge. Oh, poor poor Pudge. Do you want me to climb into bed with you and cuddle?’

 ‘Well, if you’re offering—‘

 ‘NO! UP! NOW!’”

♥Pg. 91

“Alaska decided to help Dolores with dinner. She said it was sexist to leave the cooking to the women, but better to have good sexist food than crappy boy-prepared food.”

♥Pg. 98

“‘You guys are like an old married couple.’ Alaska smiled. ‘In a creepy way.’

 ‘You don’t know the half of it,’ the Colonel said. ‘You should see this kid try to crawl into bed with me at night.’”

♥Pg. 127

Funniest sexual fail ever!

♥Pg. 191

“‘Let me ask you a question, Pudge. When you’re old and gray and your grandchildren are sitting on your knee and look up at you and say ‘Grandpappy, who gave you your first blow job?’ do you want to have to tell them it was some girl you spent the rest of high school ignoring? No!’ He smiled. ‘You want to say, ‘My dear friend Lara Buterskaya. Lovely girl. Prettier than your grandma by a wide margin.’’ I laughed. So yeah, okay. I had to talk to Lara.”

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Book Review: Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick

Title: Finale

Author: Becca Ftizpatrick

Series: Hush, Hush

Pages: 454

Publisher: Simon & Schuster BFYR

Year Published: 2012

“Nora and Patch thought their troubles were behind them. Hank is gone and they should be able to put his ugly vendetta to rest. But in Hank’s absence, Nora has become the unwitting head of the Nephilim and must finish what Hank began. Which ultimately means destroying the fallen angels- destroying Patch.

Nora will never let that happen, so she and Patch make a plan: lead everyone to believe they have broken up, and work the system from the inside. Nora will convince the Nephilim that they are making a mistake in fighting the fallen angels, and Patch will find out everything he can from the opposing side. They will end this war before it can even begin.

But the best-laid out plans often go awry. Nora is put through the paces in her new role and finds herself drawn to an addictive power she never anticipated.

As the battle lines are drawn, Nora and Patch must confront the differences that have always been between them and either choose to ignore them or let them destroy the love they have always fought for. “

My Rating: 5/5

I always hate to see a series end but this one made endings look amazing. Not only was this, in my opinion the most captivating Hush, Hush book, but it was enough to make me reread the series over and over again. I have meant many weekends reading this series and during those weekends I have fallen in love with the character more and more. They are so well described that I can picture them easily. By using impressive diction I think that Becca Fitzpatrick does a great job of bringing fantasy to our everyday world. I love that this shows in a way a Romeo and Juliet both have different backgrounds and aren’t supposed to be together. A lot of people won’t agree with me comparing this to Shakespeare, but I think that the characters are pulled together the same way Romeo and Juliet were and as a romantic that’s what draws me in.

THANK YOU BECCA FITZPATRICK FOR SHOWING A WOMAN WHO CAN FIGHT FOR HER OWN!

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny ♥♪♫

Spoiler: Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick

I was impressed by how Becca Fitzpatrick ended this series. I think she tied up the loose ends but didn’t do that so quickly that I felt like she was cutting things off. These books have a natural wearing out process, if that makes sense. I have fallen in love with these books and can’t help but think about rereading them even though I just finished them. I think they have staying power, and I would suggest them to any girl who loves a romance with a bit of action and fantasy/paranormal stuff (Well that was tremendous word usage). I have heard that there is supposed to be a movie coming out for this series and if there is I can’t wait to watch it, hopefully they don’t screw it up though.

Characters:

Nora: I think we see Nora take charge a lot more in this book. She has to lead this army, she doesn’t have a choice and while she does ask Patch for help she doesn’t just ignore her leadership duties. I think it was interesting to see the not goodie two shoes Nora as she took devil craft but I couldn’t help but get mad at her for not coming clean with Patch till near the end. I’m happy that they swore that vow together and ended up together. Sigh, I love happy endings!

Patch: I still love him to much considering he’s fictional. He is the perfect guy, which means he probably doesn’t exist, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t day dream about him. I was so proud that he stood by her no matter what, even during the war against his own, would you call it a race? I’m gonna go with yes. Not only that he didn’t pressure her into whatever he wanted, he was around to talk it out with her when she was in over her head, and let her make her own decisions. Now that’s a man! I was ecstatic that he was able to feel at the end of the book, I think that is what he deserved at the least for help bringing down the villains.

Scott: I cried more than I little when he died. And I went into denial where I figured that if Patch could come back then so could Scott. Him and Vee were perfect together and I have no doubt that they would have ended up together, but because of circumstance and him being the brave man he was he died.

Vee: I was shocked to hear that she was Nephilim. I just couldn’t believe that she was and the way she didn’t notice was impressive. Without Scott she would have never noticed what was happening with her and may have sworn fealty to some fallen angel scum, hmm Rixon anyone? I was impressed that she fought even though she knew hardly anything about her race. I hope that she ends up happy with her human husband, and although I’m sure the thought of Scott’s death will haunt her forever, I hope she can move on and be happy.

Dante: I was really surprised that he was trying to take over from her. Just like Nora I grew to trust him, he was training her and talking her up with the higher up Nephilim so I thought he was a good guy and just had a crush on her and wanted to steal her from Patch. Then WHAM, he was the bad guy working with the foe. Impressive writing Becca, impressive.

Marcie: I was surprised that she moved in with Nora, but it made sense in a way. She was grieving and needed someone to comfort her. I didn’t see Dante using her though. Is it bad that I’m happy she died? Probably, but it’s the truth.

Moments to Remember:

♥Pg. 234

“’Nice costume,’ he said.

 ‘Ditto. I can  tell you put a lot of thought into yours.’

 Amusement curled his mouth. ‘If you don’t like it, I can take it off,’”

♥Pg. 279

“Marcie drove, since she claimed she didn’t want to be seen in my car, and while I didn’t blame her, it did drive the message home. She had money and I didn’t. Hank had left me his doomed army, and he’d left Marcie his inheritance. Unfair didn’t begin to cover it.”

♥Pg. 335

“’He’s in the mausoleum, with an incredibly smart stray dog watching over him.’

  Patch lifted his eyebrows. ‘Should I ask?’

  ‘I think that dog is vying for your job as my guardian angel…’”

♥Pg. 445

“’I want to wake up with you every morning and fall asleep beside you each night,’ Patch told me gravely. ‘I want to take care of you, cherish you, and love you in a way no other man every could. I want to spoil you—every kiss, every touch, every thought, they all belong to you. I’ll make you happy. Every day, I’ll make you happy.’”

♥Pg. 454

“’You dress to impress,’ I said approvingly.

 ‘No, Angel.’ He leaned in, his teeth softly grazing my ear. ‘I undress to impress.’”

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Update

Wow! I recently looked at the stats page on my dashboard and realized this blog has hit 2000 views. I think thanking everyone whose wandered across my little space on the internet is a good thing to do because without you I wouldn't be sharing my love of reading today. If anyone is interested in contacting me feel free to comment or to email me at sweetgirlsid@hotmail.com.
Once again thanks so much!

Thanks for reading,
Love,
Sidny xoxo

Spoiler: Reckless by Cornelia Funke

I think that this book wasn’t really what I had anticipated it would be. I thought it would be a lot different than it was, and I was sort of disappointed in the way that it turned out. I found myself getting lost in what the characters looked like such as the Goyle or some other creatures that Jacob mentions. I wish that I was able to visualize them better, and maybe I am to blame for not being able to but I also think that the author could have used more interesting and eye popping diction.  I did like that the chapters moved around and it wasn’t always the reader reading about Jacob, it included the Empresses and the Goyle to make for a more interesting reading.

Characters:
Jacob: I’m happy that there was a character who was trying to change someone’s “fate” or “destiny” he didn’t just let his brother get changed into something he wasn’t for the purpose of war he fought to get him back and put his life on the line repeatedly. That’s what I call a really brother. I was sort of unimpressed that he was such a player though. It’s mentioned time and time again how many female … companions, shall we call them, he’s had. Interesting main character though.

Fox: I love how feisty this female character is she doesn’t just do what she’s told, although I found in the end she started to obey Jacob’s orders a little to much for my liking. She is a strong character who helps fight and doesn’t just play damsel in distress and I love that she shape shifts. I think that’s one of the most interesting things in this book, the way we see her in both skin and fur.

Will: We see Will change from human to Goyle and my favorite part of this would have to be the chapter where we see him push Clara away, I think this really solidifies the change that is happening and helps the reader understand that he’s no longer the boy he used to be.

Clara: I think that she’s more of the damsel in distress type and it’s a little bit annoying. I like that she doesn’t give up on Will, but I wonder how long that Larks’ Water will effect her and Jacob and whether or not the mirror will help anything.

Valiant: I love this guy. Although he’s rude and hard to understand he’s funny and makes the book brighter and happier than it could have possibly been without him.

The Dark Fairy: She creeps me out, the way the moths apparently surround her is just messed up.

Empress: I was impressed that she had such a good plan going, but also angry that she wasn’t going to at least try and help Will. Seems a little like black mail.


Moment to Remember:
♥Pg. 148
“Their reflections in the train window melted into one. Her breath still quickened whenever he stood near her. Where does love come from?”


Thanks for reading,
Love,
Sidny xoxo

Book Review: Reckless by Cornelia Funke

Title: Reckless
Author: Cornelia Funke
Pages: 394
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company.
Year Published: 2010

"Ever since Jacob Reckless was a child, he has been escaping to a hidden world through a portal in his father's abandoned study. Over the years. he has made a name for himself as a finder of enchanted items and buried secrets. He's also made many enemies and allies- most important, Fox, a beautiful shape-shifting vixen whom Jacob cares for more than he lets on.
But life in this other world is about to change. Tragedy strikes when Jacob's younger brother, Will, follows him through the portal. Brutally attacked Will is infected with a curses that is quickly transforming him into a Goyl- a ruthless killing machine, with skin made of stone.
Jacob is prepared to fight to save his brother, but in a land built on trickery and lies, Jacob will need all the wit, courage, and reckless spirit he can summon to reverse the dark spell- before it’s too late.”

My Rating: 3/5

I have read one of Cornelia Funke’s best sellers, Inkheart and I really enjoyed it. Some how this book wasn’t as good as I had hoped. I think that the fantasy was a bit to far fetched for me and while there were certain parts that caught me and held my attention for the most part I was lost and confused. I think that not all of the creatures were explained as well as they could have been and I had trouble picturing some of them, for example the Goyle concept although very imaginative I found hard to grasp. I think that this book will lead to a more interesting sequel and although I just thought this book was Ok, I’m sure there are others who fell in love with it, maybe because they love this type of fantasy a little more than I do. I don’t think I’ll be able to find the next book, but if someone reads it, please let me know how it turns out.
Thanks for reading,
Love,
Sidny ♥♫♪