Book Review: White Cat by Holly Black

Title: White Cat

Author: Holly Black

Series: The Curse Workers

Pages: 310

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Year Published: 2010

First Line: “I wake up barefoot, standing on cold slate tiles.”

“Cassel comes from a family of curse workers- people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they’re all criminals. Many become mobsters and con artists. But not Cassel. He hasn’t go magic, so he’s an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail- he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade start to crumble when he finds himself sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something.

He’s noticing other disturbing things too, including the strange behaviour of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him. As Cassel begins to suspect he’s part of a huge con game, he must unravel his past and his memories. To find the truth, Cassel will have to outcon the conmen.”

My Rating:4/5

When I first started reading this book I was intrigued by the idea of knowing that we had “workers” everyone, it does bring up an interesting image of what if. Someone out there is going to hate this comparison, but I think this book reminded me a lot of Xmen. The idea that it is illegal to be yourself is a terrifying thought. You can’t change who you are anymore than you can change the color of your eyes or who your parents are. It’s just a part of you. I think the reason that I couldn’t make this book a 5 is because of the lack of suspense. I can’t stress the importance of suspense in a book, I saw parts of this story coming and felt like I was only reading the first half to make sure I was right, the second half was a bit better though so luckily it wasn’t a waste. All in all, I’m glad that I picked this book up off the shelf, if only because it shows a great fantasy world that I couldn’t have imagined on my own.

THANK YOU HOLLY BLACK FOR HELPING PEOPLE REALIZE THAT IT ISN’T WHAT YOURE GIVEN THAT’S THE PROBLEM, IT’S HOW YOU CHOOSE TO USE IT!

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Spoiler: White Cat by Holly Black

This isn’t a book I expected to read, I try not to review books that other book reviewing friends have, but I couldn’t stop wondering what it was about and so I picked it up. Honestly, it wasn’t all I hoped it to be. I think that the idea of curse work is amazing and I love the idea of how the twenty first century would look with it, but I don’t think Holly Black expanded on these ideas as much as she could have. I was surprised at how much I guessed correctly by half way through the book (Lila being the cat, Cassel being a worker, even down to knowing what type of worker.) and so I can’t say that there was a time a was fully in suspense. It just wasn’t there for me. As well, the characters weren’t that in depth. I felt close to Cassel, Barron and Lila but other than that Phillip and the others were more of a mystery to me.

♥Characters♥:

♥Cassel: Our main character is interesting enough. I like that he goes around in the first half of the book trying to convince everyone he’s not a worker because he truly believes it but after he finds out he all but races to tell Sam and Daneca. Kind of odd.Mainly I was happy that he got Lila back and that he doesn’t have to feel regret about killing her because he didn’t! Yay! I do think the end is an interesting twist. The fact that his mom went and worked Lila to love him is awful, but maybe she had feelings for him before so it would work out. If not there’s always what’s her name from the school. Hopefully we learn more about what’s going on with the whole cursework laws as well in Book 2.

♥Barron: I was interested that he would sell out his brother so easily for money, that was a huge shock and the fact that the blow back from his memory work is that his own memory goes missing hopefully if he stops using he’ll be able to retain information again. I don’t think he’s a bad guy at heart, I think maybe he’s jealous of Cassel, or wishes that he didn’t have to take care of him because of their mother being locked up. I am interested to see how the whole notebook thing plays out should be interesting.

♥Phillip: Ok by the end of the book he hates Cassel. He thinks that he’s the reason that Maura and the baby left, but I do wonder how involved he was. She deserved the chance to get out, but at what cost. Will Phillip hunt them down? Oh the questions.

♥Lila: Seems like a brat. But after being a cat I can’t say I judge her. I would act a little cranky to if someone who you thought was your friend transformed you into an animal and never helped again. Damn! Hopefully when Cassel’s mother’s curse work wears off, Lila will stick with Cassel, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

♥Sam: My visual of this guy, hilarious. I love him and Daneca though.

♥Daneca: I think she pushes the whole HEX thing a little hard, but she’s a good person at heart.

♥Desi/ Cassel’s Grandfather: Seems like a good guy even though his job for a while was killing people off. I imagine he’s just lucky to loose use of his fingers instead of his heart. Hopefully he takes care of the whole Lila issue.

♥Zacharov: All powerful mob boss, do tell what kind of worker are you? He scares the living poop out of me, but at the same time I want to learn more about his past and such.

Moments to Remember:

♥Pg. 53

“Once someone’s hurt you, it’s harder to relax around them, harder to think of them as safe to love. But it doesn’t stop you from wanting them. Sometimes I actually think it makes the wanting worse.”

♥Pg. 61

“’I had a weird dream.’

 ‘Let me guess. You got tied up by lady ninjas. With big hooters.’

 ‘Uh, no.’ I take a sip of coffee and wince. Grandad made it ridiculously strong.

 My grandfather shoves a strip of bacon in his mouth with a grin. ‘Guess it would have been kind of weird if we’d had the same dream.’”

♥Pg. 200

“’You think the government is going to roll over because you’ve murdered your way to the top of a crime family? You think Zacharov could have the world by the balls, but he’s all ‘No, thanks’?’”

♥Pg. 255

“My fellow students look at me like I’m a dangerous lunatic with two heads and a nasty communicable disease. I keep my head down, eat my Tater Tots at lunch, and try to look interested in my classes.”

♥Pg. 299

“’Do you know when her actual release happens?’

 ‘They say Friday,’ he says. ‘But they’ve already changed the date twice, so I don’t know how seriously to take it. But I guess we should get a cake or something, in case. Worst case scenario: We eat the cake anyway.’”

Last Line: “Marks forget that whenever something’s to o good to be true, that’s because it’s a con.”

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Book Review: Shadows by Ilsa. J. Bick

Title: Shadows

Author: Ilsa J. Bick

Series: The Ashes Trilogy

Pages: 518

Publisher:  Egmont USA

Year Published: 2012

First Sentence: “Fubar: That was Jed’s name for it.”

“The Apocalypse does not end. The Changed will grow in numbers. The Spared may not survive.

 Even before the EMPs brought down the world, Alex was on the run from the demons of her past and the monster living in her head. After the word was gone, she believe Rule could be a sanctuary for her and those she’d come to love.

 But she was wrong.

 Now Alex is in the fight of her life against the adults, who would use her, the survivors, who don’t trust her, and the Changed, who would eat her alive.

 Welcome to Shadows, the second book in the haunting apocalyptic Ashes Trilogy: where no one is safe and the humans may be the worst of the monsters.”

My Rating: 4.5/5

Just in case any one was curious I spent a long time reading this book so I apologize for not posting on a regular basis. I’m working on it, swear. This book was quite a bit different from the first book in the Ashes trilogy. I think the way the author separates the chapters between characters is an important fact. It helps the reader see what’s going on everywhere and most definitely adds suspense. That’s something I don’t think I can read without. So thumbs up for that one. I do love that we got to explore other characters that caught my eye in the first book, it’s a great use of expansion. The only reason I can really say that this book isn’t a 5/5, is because by the end it was too much switching around. A little bit was useful and good to read with. Near the end I suppose I just got frustrated with the ending. But I certainly can’t wait for book three, Monsters which is set to come out on September 10^th, believe me I’ve checked every book site I could find looking for it.

THANK YOU ILSA J. BICK FOR SHOWING PASSION IN A TIME WHERE IT IS HARD TO FIND ANY GOOD!

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Spoiler: Shadows by Ilsa J. Bick

Last sentence: “’Black,’ Tom said. ‘It feels black.’”

This book wasn’t all that I hoped for the series, but none the less it definitely caught my attention. I really enjoy apocalypse books, mainly because none of us are really sure what the future holds, we’re really at a loss for future predictions. Some say the end is coming, others are not so sure. This causes pre suspense for the book. I believe as humans we love the unknown, it frightens and holds us at attention. Ilsa J. Bick just builds on this with fantastic writing. I also enjoy the fact that it’s gory. I know that’s weird for a girl to say, but when I look disgusted at a book because the description is so good that I can visualize it, that means its doing a fantastic job on my list. As I mentioned in the book review above, I think that the way the chapters were separated was both good and bad. I liked that it caused suspense, but at the same time near the end, I felt it was a distraction from pretty important things, like Alex possibly being dead, etc.

♥Characters♥:

♥Alex: I was proud to see such a strong character, she was for sure set up and she perseveres through the tough times. It is true that if “Wolf” hadn’t been around it wouldn’t have been to long until she died, I’m somewhat confused as to why he was so drawn to her. Twin telepathy perhaps? I was most impressed when she tried to save Ruby, but I can also see why Sharon took both her and Ruby’s life. They were going to be eaten savagely, I’d rather die on my own terms as well. Best yet, I’d have to say was when she didn’t kill Daniel, that she felt compassion towards him and tried to save him. If she’s dead I will be thoroughly disappointed, especially when he and Tom were so close to seeing each other again. Urgh.

♥Tom: Now that’s an awesome way to start a book. Finding out that the guy I was rooting for is still alive impressed me the most. I loved that he fought so hard to find Alex, and since he thought that she was inside Rule he blew up a freaking mine. I wonder about why Weller would knowingly risk Alex though, but I guess he must have thought of her as unimportant in the long run. Hopefully Tom will live long enough to find her again. I was also surprised about the war trauma, I figured that it had to be something along those lines, but I never thought that he had to watch someone be killed because of a choice he made. If that  isn’t post traumatic stress disorder, I don’t know what is.

♥Chris: I was surprised at how he stuck up for Alex to his grandfather. Thank god he didn’t get into that torture house, I don’t think he would have made it if that was the case. I hope that he doesn’t die, but it isn’t looking so good for him, what with the pack, including Lena coming after him. I’m pretty sure he’s a goner. Too bad though.

♥Lena: I figured she was changing, it was really the only explanation. And then the fact that she might eat Chris, AHH! That’s just screwed up. I did kind of like seeing how they feel when they change though, sadly it interested me. I’m odd that way.

♥Peter: I was surprised how much Peter was involved in the whole Changed Spared tribute thing, I really thought that he wasn’t that high up. I feel awful that he had to watch so many die, but it is a form of revenge I suppose. Mainly I’m worried that he will eat that awful meat that is the only food that is being offered to him. This is the most inhumane thing I’ve ever witnessed and my heart goes out to Peter, who we never really knew in the first book. I do wonder though, if he does eat the meat, will he turn into a Chucky, or will he still be himself, but humiliated.

♥Moment to Remember♥:

♥Pg. 444

“Tucking his lighter into a hip pocket, he pulled out an igniter, removed the shipping plug, then threaded in the loose end of the time fuse as far as it would go. Tightening the cap, he removed the safety pin. Wash, rinse, repeat with the second fuse.”

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Kate's Choice: The Confession by R.L Stine

Title: The Confession

Author: R.L Stine
Series: Fear Street
Pages: 150
Publisher: Parachute Press, Inc.
Year Published: 1996

 

“All Julies friends hated Al. They all wished Al were dead. But that doesn’t mean one of them killed him. Julie knows her friends. She knows they are innocent.

Until one of them confesses.

Julie and her friends promise to keep the killers secret. After all, they know he would never kill again.

Or would he?”

 Kate’s Rating: 3/5

 

♥The Interview ♥

17. What drew you to this book?

♥ The title, also I’ve read other books by R.L Stine that I really enjoyed.

 

Q. What do you enjoy most about the horror genre?

♥The thrill I get from reading. I love suspense.

 

Q. Based on other books you’ve read by R.L Stine would you say this is one of your favourites? If not, what’s your favourite and why?

♥Honestly, I would have to say this is not one of his better books. Although I did like it, it wasn’t as good as some others I’ve read. My favourite would have to be Twisted because there was a ton of suspense.

 

Q. Favourite part of this novel?

♥ When the characters went roller skating.

 

Q. Favourite character?

♥ I like Hillary a lot because of her spunk.

 

Q. If you could say anything to the author what would it be?

♥ I would suggest a bigger thrill content. Although it did have moments of suspense, it didn’t have all I had hoped for.

 

Q. What did you feel was the best done?

♥ I felt that the setting was easy to visualize. When I closed my eyes I could really see Shadyside.

 

Q. Who would you recommend this book for?

♥ Firstly, I would like to mention that I got this book from the Young Adult section at my library,       so I would have to say that this book is meant for an older group. Secondly, personally I think if you like the horror aspect of books this is a pretty decent first read if you don’t’ want to jump in all the way.

 

SPOILER♥Moments to Remember♥SPOILER

      ♥Pg. 25

“’Why?’ Hillary demanded. ‘Why’d they suspend him?’

       Vincent grinned at us. ‘Al rolled up his English term paper and smoked it in front of Mrs. Hirsch.’”

 

♥Pg. 52

“’Didn’t you used to baby-sit for those twins?’ Hillary asked as I skated up beside her.

        I nodded. ‘I just fell on one of them,’ I told her. ‘But not hard enough!’”

 

Thanks so much for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Book Review: Moving On

                                                                     Title: Moving On

Creator: Greg Berlanti 

Series: Everwood

Pages: 233

Publisher: Simon Spotlight

Year Published: 2004

 

“Just when Ephram Brown starts to think Everwood isn’t so bad after all, everything changes. Thanks to Dr. Brown’s skill as a neurosurgeon, Colin Hart comes out of his coma and makes a miraculous recovery. The town’s golden boy is back, and everyone is thrilled-no one more so than Amy.

 She has her boyfriend back, and that’s the only thing in the world that matters to her. Ephram’s friendship and the kiss he and Amy shared just before Colin woke up seem to have slipped her mind completely. The irony that while she’s trying to pretend she barely knows Ephram. Colin wants him to be his best friend. That’s when things get awkward.

 Amy and her brother, Bright, want the old Colin back- the one they used to spend all of their time with before the accident. What they don’t realize is that Colin may be gone forever.”

 

My Rating: 4/5

 

This is the second book that has been adapted from the Everwood tv series. I was happy that I had picked up both the first and the second book when I went book shopping last time around. I loved that I got to read into the characters and see them grow into themselves. Good or bad. It’s really important for an author to show the change in characters and I feel like that’s something tat so many people miss. If your characters are always the same, it gets to be a boring book. I think another important to see that the characters in this instalment start acting differently towards each other. They start to actually form bonds and friendships. Getting to understand what everyone else is about.  I also feel like these teenage characters and transforming from teens to adulthood and it’s definitely a tough transition to make.

One thing I didn’t care for during this book is the way that cliques are shown. It’s such a stereotype. I mean the popular people are all jocks and the golden boy of course is the all star. And everyone bends over for the all star. In real life it’s not like that. These fit so many stereotypes.

THANK YOU GREG BERLANTI FOR SHOWING THE RESULT OF HORRIBLE ACCIDENTS!

 

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Spoiler: Moving On

I think this book expanded from the first one with the characters finding out who they are. We definitely see a change between Ephram and his father grow closer after secrets are shared and things are explained. I do want to know what exactly happened with Ephram’s mom, but I’m curious. I also feel like with Colin awaking all the teens had to turn into adults. They have to start  realizing that just because he woke up doesn’t mean he could just hop back into life and that’s a difficult thing to deal with. Another big topic in this book is guilt. I felt so bad for Andy during this book because of how he didn’t do all he good to save Colin, but that’s not what Colin wanted. He didn’t want to be a handicapped and have people throw their life away for his when he wouldn’t even notice. In a way I think that’s brave.

 

♥Characters:♥

♥Ephram- I feel like Ephram is starting to accept the fact that his mother is gone and as sad and awful as it is, he can’t go back in time. I’m happy that he’s throwing himself back into the music. And since that’s his passion that’s really important. Passion is what makes or breaks you. Between his passion and talent I think he has a chance to make it to the big leagues. I feel awful that he’s in the friend zone with Amy but she was waiting on someone in a coma, she wasn’t just gonna leave him as soon as he woke up and go for Ephram. I am proud that he told his dad about what was going on with Colin, because obviously Colin wasn’t himself. It was scary. And surprisingly although Ephram was threatened by Colin he had the guts to go and tell someone about it. I was impressed.

♥Amy- I just don’t understand her. She gives Ephram so many ideas that they would and should get together, ex. Kissing, talking through things, dancing together. Just to friend zone him. Even after Colin’s death she moves on quickly but to someone who doesn’t even seem to care about her. That doesn’t make any sense to me. I hope that she can move on from Colin, but I also was hoping that someone would have let her know that before the accident Colin didn’t want to be with her anymore. Oh well, I guess she’ll be ok after time and maybe if she gets to see the real world for what it is.

♥Colin- I was surprised that he died, but really he was going kind of nuts about things. I didn’t realize that after you come out a coma, violent behaviour is a symptom. I think that without the surgery that killed him Colin would have gotten progressively worse until he would have had to been institutionalized. I mean what if Amy said something that didn’t sit with him so well. Would he just hit her like he destroyed the coaches office, or put his hand through his truck window? I’m not happy he died, but not having the surgery wasn’t an option.

♥Andy- I can understand how he felt guilty about what happened with Colin, but he was doing what Colin asked and that was probably the best for everyone. That way Amy didn’t waste her life praying for her miracle boy to come back. I’m extremely happy that he finally got the confidence for telling Ephram the truth about his mother.

♥Bright- I feel bad for him. He lost his best friend and in some ways his sister. He lost Colin before he passed away. Really Colin couldn’t be expected to be the person he was before the accident. I mean he had a brain injury and was out for at least half a year. I hope that he and Ephram become friends that don’t involve him spying on Amy but I doubt that will happen.

♥Delia- She must have such a hard time with people constantly acting like her dad is a murderer. That’s not fair to do to a kid. No matter what the parents did it doesn’t mean that the kid should receive the punishment. That goes for everyone.

♥Madison- Is it just me or do guys seem to find babysitters hot? It just seems like it’s a common reoccurrence. I feel bad that Ephram thinks that he can make it work, that’s just ridiculous. I mean he kissed her and she seemed pretty grossed out so why would you go back and keep trying. I mean persistence has it place, but I don’t think it works that way with women. Besides in some ways she’s pretty condescending. I wouldn’t want to hang out with someone who was telling me what to eat, and what to do.

♥Laynie- I think that she could have had Ephram if the timing wasn’t so bad. He’s just so obsessed with Amy that he can’t even think about other girls so it appears. But maybe just maybe this will be a future what if.

 

♥Moments to Remember:♥

♥Pg.18

“’For your information, he approached me.’

  Amy blinked, clearly surprised. ‘He did? Why? I mean… why?’
 ‘I don’t know. Maybe he thinks I’m pretty,’”
 

♥Pg.59

“’Don’t get me wrong. I love my brother to death and I cried like a bunny to know I was still in his head somewhere,’ Laynie said. ‘But ever since that truck flipped… my entire life has been about him.’

 ‘I wasn’t aware bunnies did much crying,’”
 

♥Pg. 78

“’Look, I’m gonna mess this thing up eventually, ‘cause that’s just what I do,’ he said, opting for honesty. ‘But please give me a real chance to mess it up. I mean, I’m capable of such stupidity that you’d be wasting my talent to end this now. Go out with me tomorrow night. Let me take you somewhere nice. I’m completely terrible on the second date. You shouldn’t miss it if you have the chance. Please.’”

♥Pg. 185

“’Can I go to a frat party tonight?’

His father blinked. ‘A frat party?’
‘Yes. There’s going to be drinking, drugs, unprotected sex,’ Ephram said, enjoying the look on his father’s face. ‘I’ll probably be the youngest person there. Besides, I don’t wanna go. I have to.’”

 

♥Pg. 199

“’So what’s your flaw?’ Ephram asked.

 ‘My looks,’ Bright said, causing Ephram to roll his eyes. ‘I know it seems hard to believe, but being this attractive comes at a cost. For one thing, no one ever takes you seriously. Not to mention the constant grooming.’

 ‘There are so many things wrong with this conversation,’”

 

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

 

Book Review: Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick

Title: Ashes

Author: Ilsa J. Bick
Series: The Ashes Trilogy
Pages: 454
Publisher: Egmont USA
Year Published: 2011

“The air was a welter of odors: Ellie’s fear: that charry, sweet stench: her own peculiar perfume of sweat and anxiety; and that dead-meat stink that pillowed through the woods like ashy, gray smoke.

  Slowly, carefully Alex dropped to her knees, the cold earth biting through her hiking pants. Ellie didn’t move a muscle. Wordlessly, Alex followed the girl’s horrified gaze and then her blood turned to slush.

  No, she thought. No, please, God, I’m not seeing this.”

My Rating: 5/5

I wasn’t sure what this book would be about but the title and front cover caught my eye as I was scanning over young adult covers at my library. A terrific read! I could hardly put it down, not even to get some sleep and finally once I did all I could think of was what was going to happen and how terrified the characters must feel. Ilsa J. Bick paints a horrifying but realist  portrait that easily can be visualize by the reader. In my opinion, that is the part of the book that makes it a 5, the amazing attention to detail. This is so tricky because I don’t wanna give it away! I would recommend this book to teens who enjoy horror and gore.

THANK YOU ILSA J. BICK FOR PAINING A BRUTAL YET BELIEVABLE FUTURE!

 

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Spoiler: Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick

Holy crow was this an epic book! I try not to use the word epic often but it describes this book in one word. I’ve read a lot of books about the end of the world, but this one hits me the hardest. Ashes takes place during the “apocalypse” instead of after. IT shows what happens and although not all is explained in this first book, the reader can witness it. And if witnessing it isn’t frightening, I’m not sure what is. All in all, this is a fantastic book!

 

♥Characters♥

♥Alex-I never thought a girl with a brain tumour would be one of the strongest female character I’ve ever read about, but hey life is full of surprises. In some ways I admire Alex she is strong enough to take her cancer by the balls and then manages to live through the end of the world (as she knows it). I was happy when Tom and her got together. Somehow it just felt right, even throughout the madness. And taking care of Ellie together was one of the sweetest things. But when she got to Rule an went with Chris I was slightly disappointed. I mean he’s nice enough and if she hadn’t met Tom first I might agree with it but the whole idea of dating in Rule in practically not existent. You don’t date you get Chosen and have babies. I can never resist a good love triangle though.

♥Ellie- Okay, let’s face it, she’s spoiled but she’s also been through a lot for a kid so young. No excuses though! Huge mixed message, my apologies. I was so upset when she was stolen away, more than I thought I would be considering how snotty she acts through parts of the book. What kind of people even steal children? I can’t help but think of what kind of person I might be and what my friends might turn into in a serious life or death situation. I like to think that I would be like Alex, strong and caring for those around me and not turn into a villain. Anywho hopefully Mina manages to keep Ellie safe, at least till book 2.

♥Tom- Ok, love this guy! Tough, but sweet, you know what I mean? The kind that makes me go all gushy. He was great with Ellie even when she would freak out/ have a brat attack. I especially love that he honestly seems to want to take care of Alex and Ellie above all else. I’m a sucker for that kind of stuff. I do wonder what he was doing in the woods though. Suspicious

♥Brett, Majorie, Harlan- I’m sure there would be plenty of these in this kind of life altering event but why would you turn to a criminal? If you’re evil I’m certain that people are going to be far less likely to help you. I may have yelled during they’re time in the book. Once or twice.

♥Chris-I suppose in other circumstance I might have loved Chris, not Tom but really in a place like Rule he just gives me the straight up creeps. But it really irks me cause Tom could be out there anywhere just slowly dying and withering away. I bet he hasn’t just jumped on to another companion. I know I’m taking sides, but in a love triangle what else are you supposed to do? If you have a different opinion please feel free to state it in the comments as I am curious about what anyone reading thinks. Anyway, I hope he follows Alex or she dies, but if you think about it, what if he does what she did and just jumps to the next pretty young thing that makes her way to Rule? Oh my awful sense of justice has done it again. Thank god it’s fiction. I do wonder as well about Lena, the settlement raids, etc. But hopefully this is cleared up by the second book or during it.

♥Jess-What the hell is she play at??? Maybe she realizes that eventually the ‘Changed’ will come to Rule. Speaking of which this town is so messed up. And from the sounds of things it was this screwed up before the damn Zap anyways. Not to mention the whole “I’m Chris’s grandma thing” kinda freaked me out right before the real sketchy events took place. Can’t wait to read more!

 

♥Moments to Remember♥

♥Pg. 188

“’It’s like when I showed you how to work the gun. It’s just in case.’

 ‘Yeah, yeah,’ Ellie grumbled, ‘if it’s for just in case, how come you guys look like you’re going to war?’

 No one had an answer for that.”

 

♥Pg. 260

“One pair of large crows squabbled over something in the snow. At her approach, they fluttered off, and she spotted what she thought as a fat drop of blood- only to realize that she was staring down at a woman’s disarticulated big toe, the nail still painted a bright, cheery, fire-engine red.”

 

♥Pg. 354

“’If what you can do gets out, then somebody else just might decide they’ve got a super-sense too. In other words, they would lie. Even with the Council and the Rev to say otherwise, things could get pretty nasty. See what I’m saying? We could have our little version of the Salem Witch Trials, and we got no time for that kind of crap.’”

 

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Book Review: First Impressions

 

Title: First Impressions

Adapted by: Melinda Metz and Laura J. Burns
Series: Everwood
Pages: 228
Publisher: Simon Spotlight
Year Published: 2004

“Ephram Brown has a pretty good life in New York City- great friends, a gift for playing the piano, and a really cool mom. The only thing he doesn’t have is the best relationship with his dad, famous neurosurgeon Dr. Andy Brown. How could he when the great Dr. Brown is too busy saving lives to spend any time with him?

 Then Ephram’s mom dies suddenly in a car accident. And, as if things couldn’t get any worse, his father loses his mind and decides to move the family to a time town in Colorado called Everwood. There are good things about living in the sticks, though. Well, one thing, anyway- Amy Abbott. She is beautiful and cool and Ephram falls for her immediately. The catch? Amy has a boyfriend who’s in a coma- and Ephram’s dad, ironically might be the only one who can save him…”

My Rating: 4/5

  First off, this book is based on a tv show so it was harder one to rate. Not because I’ve watched it but rather because I had to remember that this book was adapted from scripts.

  I think for the time this is a good book. I feel as though the characters could easily be real and while there is over stated drama, there is some of the normal teenage drama as well. My favourite part of this book has got to be the setting. Being from a small town, I can totally connect with the small town life described in this book. How everyone knows about each other, either based on what you’ve left or in some other cases what your parents have left for your name. I can definitely relate with the latter. I also loved the small high school thing, definitely reminds me of home. That’s something I can surely visualize better than New York. Having grown up in a similar scenario.

THANK YOU GREG BERLANTI (creator) FOR ZONING IN HOW SMALL TOWN LIFE WORKS!

Thank for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

 

 

Spoiler: First Impressions

As I mentioned above this book is adapted from a tv series, not one that is currently playing, at least not that I could find. I think the point of the series is to show not only what grief can do to you, but what being thrown out of your element can do. There are so mangy things that change for Ephram Brown so quickly first losing his mom and then a new town. All so quickly, but maybe that the way to do change, all in one go.

 

♥Characters♥

♥Ephram- As if being a teenager isn’t hard enough it seems as though he goes from doing ok to a ship wreck and who can blame how he reacts to all of this. He lost his confidant, his mother. Moving isn’t easy normally, but after a traumatic event, that must be ridiculously difficult. But I think in the end he’ll make it through. It sucks about Amy though, but really they’re fifteen, nothing but time to figure out they’re lives.

♥Andy- I think he’s not the best father cause he’s never actually had to be the parent. He was always kind of the figure head. He’s trying his best I think but he wasn’t prepared for the responsibility.

♥Delia- a cute kid, I feel awful that she lost her mother so young and I imagine that will affect her further in the series.

♥Amy- I think she fell for Ephram just as he fell for her, but after she kind of played him to get to his father. I don’t understand how she can pretend she didn’t kiss him and run back to a boy who apparently doesn’t even love her.

♥Bright- In the long run he’s trying to look out for his littler sister and his best friend. It’s gotta be a tough position to be in, he just doesn’t go about it the best way.

 

♥Moments to Remember♥

♥Pg. 52

“ ‘No, she’s not my girlfriend,’ he told her.

   Delia’s grin stretched wider than Ephram would have though possible. ‘But you want her to be.’

   ‘You’re this close to knowing pain in a form you’ve never known before,’”

♥Pg. 76

“‘When you guys come up with these traditions, are you still high on the crack, or are you just coming down?’”

 

♥Pg. 100

“‘What is that?’ he demanded, nodding toward the lawn where the deer was tied.

  ‘A doe,’ Ephram said trying to sound light-hearted. ‘A deer. A female deer- ‘”

 

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo