Living Dead Girl

Living Dead Girl by: Elizabeth Scott

Rated: 4/5 Stars

Overview:

This is Alice

She was taken by Ray five years ago

She thought she knew how her story would end

She was wrong

My Review: There were many emotions running through my head when I finished this book, sadness, terror, disgust, anger, confusion, devastation. There were many elements that made this story a good read. The main character was very believable. Her heart break was mine. The story revolves around this girl who was kidnapped by an older man, he has sexually abused her and physically abused her, meanwhile she is trying to cope with this and try to stay alive. The whole story was partly disturbing, and partly horrifyingly beautiful. No one can ignore the fact that this could truly happen to them. It leads both the main character and yourself to thoughts if "If only I had's" and "Why me? Why not her?" It is a tale of desperation to be free, and becoming a woman. The way the story was written was raw and poetic, I could feel the pain escaping from the words, and the character, I could feel her pain, and rooting for her to get loose from this horrid man.

Overall, I thought the story was fantastic, although it was a little disturbing at times, it was beautifully written and the characters were well developed, although most were a little odd. I gave it four stars because of the writing and characters, although not so much for the plot, it left me unsatisfied in the end. Although I do see why she choose that ending, it was perfect in its own way. I would recommend this book for ages 15 and up. It probably wouldn't sit well for a younger audience. Great book!

Revolution

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
Rated: 3/5 Stars


Overview:

BROOKLYN: Andi Alpers is on the edge. She’s angry at her father for leaving, angry at her mother for not being able to cope, and heartbroken for the loss of her younger brother, Truman. Rage and grief are destroying her. And she’s about to be expelled from Brooklyn Heights’ most prestigious private school when her father intervenes. Now Andi must accompany him to Paris.

PARIS: Alexandrine Paradis lived over two centuries ago. She dreamed of making her mark on Paris’s stage, but a fateful encounter with a doomed prince of France cast her a tragic role she didn’t want- and couldn’t escape.

Two girls, two centuries apart. One never knowing the other. But when Andi finds Alexandrine’s diary, she recognizes something in her words and is moved to the point of obsession. There’s comfort and distraction for Andi in the journals antique pages- until, on a midnight journey through the catacombs of Paris. Alexandrine’s words transcend paper and time, and the past becomes suddenly, terrifyingly present.

My Review:

~SPOILER! SKIP TO LAST PARAGRAPH IF YOU DON’T WANT THE WHOLE BOOK TO BE SPOILED FOR YOU~

Out of the few books I have read this year, this one has by far been one of the most unique storylines I have read. It takes a lot of courage and hard work to write about history, especially when you have to connect it back to current times. Donnelly didn’t do a bad job at it. Her facts were right, time period correct with the things she described. Although toying with history in a fictional book can be somewhat risky, Donnelly pulled it off, so kudos to her.

What pulled me in right away was the way Donelly characterized Andi’s character. She had a strong voice, at times very funny, and had many flaws and she was in pain. And any character that has conflict and a strong voice, is worth rutting for. It was interesting to learn her history as well as Alex’s. I have read and seen many things on the French Revolution, as I imagine many people have, but this was a new take on the subject, it made you feel like you were suffering right there, along with Alex. The diary entrée’s were a great addition, although at times I was confused as to what year they were talking about. The entrée’s are dated in 1795, but at times in the entrée’s she mentions the date which is 1791 or 1792, sometimes it was hard to tell what point of view she was writing from, past of present. It did not take so much from the story though.

I also fell in love with Virgil, as Andi did. He was a very likable character, and an enjoyment to read, I found myself giggling as Andi was at times about him. I thought that Donnelly answered some of the unanswered questions in the end, although I still had some I am still unsure about.

The major problem I had with the book was near the end. When Donnelly incorporated the time traveling, I found myself thinking, “Hu? What? Why? What’s the point?” And honestly those questions were never answered. I thought that whole section was unnecessary to the plot. The only thing Andi accomplished was figuring out more about her project subject, Amade. And setting off fire works for Louis-Charles. I thought it was pointless, and at one point I skipped three pages because of the lack of interest. It made the story a drag, and I thought skidded away from the main point of the story. It was a tale about Alex and the small king, not Andi and the small king. Giving the Ipod to Amade, was stupid on her part, Donnelly didn’t consider that it could possibly change the future. And her complaining almost drove me insane; it was like she had completely lost her character’s voice. At the end of the ‘dream’ she wakes up and we are left with our own interpretation of if the whole scenario, was it dream or reality? Overall I thought that scene was irrelevant and no use to the plot flow, it ruined a huge part of my liking the book.

Another question I had was about the key that Truman found. I understand its significance. Although it was hard for me to understand how it fit into the guitar case lock. And why it was so important to Truman. These questions were never answered. And where in hell did the father at the end get his other child? I wasn’t aware he had another wife or girlfriend, that part was also unexplained.

~END OF SPOILERS~

Looking at the book as a whole, I gave it three stars because of the unnecessary sections, and unanswered questions. I loved the beginning and most of the middle, although the end was flawed. I gave it that extra star because I love the main character and her friends. I would recommend this book to you, but proceed with caution. ☺

Before I Fall

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Rated: 5/5 Stars

Overview: Samantha Kingston has worked her way up the popularity ladder; now a senior, she and her three best friends rule their school. On Cupid Day, Sam expects to receive Valentine roses, to party with her friends, and to finally (maybe) have sex with her equally popular boyfriend. The last thing she expects is that she will die, but in the final moments of her life, as she hears "a horrible, screeching sound—metal on metal, glass shattering, a car folding in two," everything turns to nothing. Only, it is not the end for Sam. She wakes up to start the same day over again, and again; in fact, she relives it seven times

My Review: When I first read the back of this book I thought it would be a typical girl in high school who relives her life over and over again until she finally learns her lesson and lives. Boy could I have been more wrong about the last part. Samantha Kingston is the girl everyone in high school wants to be, she gets the "perfect boyfriend" and the best of friends, and she gets to relive cupid day seven times, perfect right? Doesn't turn out that way. What I loved the most about this book, was all of the tiny connections to the over all theme of the book. In the end I also learned to love Sam, at first I didn't like her, hell, I thought she was an annoying bitch, I would have to agree with what Juliet said to her, "You're a bitch." The thing about each main character in every book I have read, is that I know I am going to end up falling in love with the character, I know it's inevitable. Given I haven't likes every main character, but with Sam, there was something about her that I knew I would like eventually about this girl. I did, maybe it was her perseverance, or maybe it was her goals, maybe it was when she told off Lindsey, or that I knew in the beginning, that deep down, she was a decent character. It turned out that way. I loved Kent, he was such a sweetheart. Wasn't such a great fan of Rob, I was just waiting for Sam to dump his ass. The goal for Sam in the end though, was to save Juliet, and she did, it may have taken her awhile, but she did it, and in Juliet's place Sam died. It was such a sad and beautiful ending, the thing is, I wouldn't have changed the ending, it fit the theme, and it was just meant to be. Over all, this book was amazing, beautifully written, the plot was awesome, and the characters were lovable. The only fault I had with this story was the number of days, eventually I was just waiting for it to be her last day, maybe she could have shortened it to five or even three days, but that wasn't that big of a problem, but it was great, I loved it, and I recommend this book to anyone and everyone, happy reading people!

The Luxe Series

The Luxe Series by Anna Godbersen
Rated: 3/5 stars

Overview: The beautiful young Holland sisters, Elizabeth and Diana, rule Manhattan society. Or so it appears. When they discover their status is far from secure, everyone—from the ambitious socialite Penelope Hayes, to the debonair bachelor, Henry Schoonmaker, to the Holland's dour maid, Lina Broud—threatens the girls' golden future. When Elizabeth's carriage overturns near the East River, her glittering life, well-known for lighting up the city's gossip pages, is swallowed by the rough current. Then the question on everyone's lips is this: Who will take Elizabeth's enviable place?

My Review: When I first picked up this book, I was an avid watcher of the TV series Gossip Girl, so as you can imagine this book drew me in immediately. I also liked the pretty girl in the gorgeous dress in the picture. When I realized it was a series that so far consisted of three books, (the fourth one hadn't some out yet) I knew I was ready to take on another series. The character Diana was automatically my favorite, she liked novels, she was a wild child, and was also very independent. Henry Schoomaker came next, he was very interesting, reminded me a lot of the character Chuck Bass. Constant drinking, parting, and lots of pretty girls. When he was first engaged to Elizabeth I knew they weren't going to end up together, partly because of how long the series was, and because their personalities didn't seem to match. Not to mention it was an arranged marriage. What I didn't expect was him and Diana to get together, at first I didn't like them together, I don’t know why, but they just didn’t seem right for each other, but they soon grew on me. Elizabeth and her story line was also one to cheer for even though she may have wined a little too much, she still had the guts to leave her hometown and run away with her true love, which was Will Keller. Throughout this book we got the bad guys, Penelope, we got the good guys, everyone else. Then there was Caroline Broud, or should I call her Lina. She was not bad but not good, just a maid trying to make it into the social world. She had a pretty good story line too. At the end of the series though it left me a little disappointed, there were couples that ended up not together that I wanted to be together, and there were some relationships that began that should have never happened. I mean, she built up the whole story line for nothing really. I mean there was no be, huge, shocker. I gave it three stars because I fell in love with the characters, they were very well developed, and she had very good descriptive writing, but the story line in the end lacked a lot. The characters sort of got out of character in the end. The end seemed like it was rushed, and she didn’t care what happened to her characters. So basically I would recommend it if you have nothing else to read, but I wouldn’t consider it an amazing read. She is a good writer though. I hope this helped!

The Anatomy Of Wings

The Anatomy Of Wings by Karen Foxlee
Rated: 4/5 stars

Overview of what the books about: A ten year old girl, Jenny, retraces the last year of her teenage sisters life in an effort to understand what appeared to be Beth's decent into moral degradation but was perhaps her acceptance of martydrom after seeing an angel.

My Review:The story is told a year after Jenny's sister, Beth's death, it looks back on all the signs that pointed to Beth killing herself, and how that slowly affected their family, and Jenny, the youngest.
The first thing that attracted me to this book was its cover picture and the title. When I read the inside of the book it also looked very interesting. When I began the book I could already tell that this book was different, part of it was the writing, and part of it was the story line. The writing was very poetic and that was part of what kept me going throughout the book. Another part that kept me reading was the character development, Beth was very well introduced, even though the story was told from her ten year old sisters point of view the story still projected her character better than the rest. During this book I was intruigued to find out how Beth died, and it was facinating looking into the mind of a girl who would later commit suicide. These were the pro's of the book. Unfortunatly there were also many cons. The first thing that struck me as odd, and personally not right was how old these girls were and the things they were doing at that age. I am sixteen and the oldest daughter, Beth, was fourteen, and I can assure you that I have not done half the things she had. Not to mention she sounded more like a seventeen year old than a fourteen year old. Smoking, alchohol, and sex aren't exactly a top priority for girls that age, I would highly doubt most of them would know what that stuff was. Another problem I had was the whole "she talks to angel's" story line. Somewhere in the story it made it apparent that Beth indeed did talk to angel's, but as the story came to a close it never really came full circle with that subject. What did that story line have to do with Beth dying? That part was very confusing and unorganized. The book was also very sad and depressing, when I read books I like to feel like there is hope for a character, even though I knew Beth was already going to die, I felt that the whole family including Jenny was already a lost cause. And when I read a book, when I lose hope for a certain character the whole book just seems less interesting. There were hardly any happy or light parts, it was just gloom and dark. I realize that that was what the story was going to be about, a girl who kills herself, which is why I will lighten up a little. But there was no reason for Jenny to give up hope, she could have built her own life. And near the end you see that, which is why this book semi ended well for me. You see her family slowly start to recover from the death of Beth. So overall this book was an amazing coming of ago book, it teaches you about sex, drugs, and lies. How that can minipulate your life, it is also a good family book. It shows you paths you should never follow, and breaks down the life of a girl and how she came to kill herself. I would recomend this book to older audiences, mainly for the content and it may be a difficult read. So for me it was a good book, it was heart breaking and poetic, and can really open your eyes to tragedy. I couldn't give this book five stars due to the cons I listed above, but it was a fanastic read and I would recomend it.