Favorite Book Giveaway #1

My wonderful vacation and my horrible week back

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I haven’t done a personal update in a while, because not much has happened in my life and I’d hate to be thought of as boring. Can I have boring back? The last couple of weeks certainly haven’t been boring. I’d like boring back.

Last week was wonderful. I went to visit my sister in South Carolina. We spent a couple of days at the pool and I actually managed not to get burnt. We found shark’s teeth and went out to eat at these amazing restaurants. We took my sister and her roommate out to eat and bonded making fun of sis. (I don’t mean we were being mean to her. My family jokes around, all in good fun. Everyone was cracking up.)

I got to see a movie in the theater for the first time in a while. We were down to the planet of the apes or Lucy and picked Lucy. It was good for the first half, but then it got really weird. It was still fun though.

It was 99 degrees the day before we left. It’s so humid down there. The humidity made my hair grow so much it got checked by airport security. You know you’re having a big hair day when…

Unfortunately this week has been busy in a terrible way. My father wound up in the. His health’s never been good, but it’s worse now. Heart failure and kidney failure, they’re putting him on dialysis.

With all this going on I’ve just wanted something brainless to read while we’re waiting, so I picked up the other Skulduggery Pleasant books. I’m writing up another set of mini reviews for that and I read Sabriel on vacation, but I don’t know when I’ll get it posted. It might be a few days before I get my reviews up and I wanted to explain why. Thanks for listening.

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Book Review: Legend, Prodigy, Champion By Marie Lu

Genre: Young Adult Dystopian

LEGEND By Marie Lu

This was one of those books that started so good I wanted to read it slowly and savor it. I was also afraid that it wouldn’t hold up to the outstanding beginning, but it did! The plot, the characters, the world, the voice, they were all perfect! I loved it all! (Molly, tone down the fangirl…)

Day is fifteen and the most wanted person in the Republic. He’s guilty of numerous crimes, including theft, breaking into military bases and blowing up jets, but he never hurts anyone. He lives on the streets with a little girl named Tess and secretly watches over his family who believes him to be dead. At the start of Legend the plague has spread to the poor Lake sector where his family lives.

June is also fifteen. At ten every child takes the trial and the results decide what their lives will be like. Where Day failed his test June did more than pass, she’s the only one ever to get a perfect 1500 score. She lives with her brother, a captain in the military (their parents are dead) and goes to the top academy in the country. She’s always getting in trouble for her outrageous stunts; her latest was scaling a sky scraper to see how fast she could do it. (Copying something that Day’s known for.)

The characters are both similar people, even though they’ve led very different lives. They’re both really smart and talented, but in different ways. June is the kind of person who notices every detail and kicks butt in a fight and Day is great at making complicated plans and leaping about on buildings. The story is told from both points of view and I rarely confused the two of them.

In a Dystopian there usually comes a time when the main character realizes what kind of a world they really live in. Day already knows how terrible the government is, but June buys the propaganda. She’s told the truth, but she also figures it out for herself and as such it’s more gradual and realistic for her to totally change her beliefs.

The world the author created is rich and I could really picture it in my head, from June’s fancy apartment to the streets of the Lake Sector.

Legend is a unique Dystopian and my favorite so far!

9/10 Stars!

PRODIGY

Prodigy was almost as good as Legend. Everything wrapped up so wall it felt like the final book of the trilogy not the second. I’m glad they were all released otherwise I would’ve been screaming for the next one. Though things wrapped up, not everything was happily ever after.

At the start of Prodigy I liked both June and Day, but I had no feelings whatsoever about whether they wound up together or not. By the end I was like, NO!! They’re meant to be! (Whispers otp. Molly your fangirl is showing)

Some of the dialogue to catch readers up felt a bit forced, but this was only at the beginning.

I enjoyed learning how the Republic started, that’s the one thing I was wondering about while reading Legend. (We also learned about the Colonies and a bit about the world at large.)

The side characters were better fleshed out and we were introduced to a couple of new characters in the Patriots. (The group who fights against the Republic.) After reading dystopians I automatically distrust everyone the characters meet.

8/10 Stars

CHAMPION

As much as I wanted to read this book, I was afraid to. So many dystopians don’t end happily. (Especially the popular ones, what’s up with that?)

In Champion the war with the Colonies has accelerated and the Patriots are back along with Tess. We also got to see Antarctica, which was cool! (And there could so be another dystopian set from there.)

Talk about a roller coaster ride of emotions! I didn’t like the entire story line with Day. In my opinion it wasn’t necessary and took away from the story.

THE END: Though it’s probably considered a happy ending, I wasn’t happy. The epilogue ten years later tries to fix things, but it felt like too little too late. I think I’ll pretend it ended happily after prodigy. ;)

8/10 Stars

What did you read this week?

Book Review: Maximum Ride By James Patterson

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction (Ages 12 and up)

8 book series

Max, Fang, Iggy, (14) Gazzy, (11) Nudge (8) & Angel (6) were genetically engineered and have wings. They spend their time running from the other mutants the lab developed and trying to save the world.

The Good: The characters and their relationships with each other were well done; they really felt like a family. One the best parts of the books was how Patterson describes flying. It felt like I was right up there with Max and the Flock. (What the group of kids calls themselves) I also liked the unique powers that members the Flock have.

The Bad: These aren’t deep books, I’d consider them ‘fluff’. They’re fun to read, but there’s not much thought required. Maximum Ride is an entertaining series if you don’t try to analyze it. (Like a corny B movie)

The villains feel like they’re out of old movies and I half expected them to twist their mustache. They were the old making a speech instead of killing the good guy so the good guy has time to escape kind of villain.

THE ANGEL EXPERIMENT

Four years ago, the flock escaped from the lab called the school with the help of one of the scientists named Jeb. Two years ago he disappeared and they’ve been on their own in the Colorado mountains ever since. Max as the oldest has been acting as the leader and mother of the Flock.

After years of peace, the people at the school have found them, sending Erasers, genetically engineered people with dog DNA (think werewolves) after them. The flock wakes up after the attack to find youngest, Angel kidnapped. Max leaves blind Iggy and young Gazzy (Angel’s brother) at the house while the other three  return to the School, the site of their worst nightmares in an attempt to rescue Angel.

The Angel Experiment is a good, but easily put down-able book. The chapters are really short (like a couple of pages short) and at the beginning the narration switches between Max, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel. With such short bursts of action you’d think it would make me want to read on, but it just annoyed me. Luckily the switching stopped at around 40% and with Max as the only narrator it was much easier to read.

Like a lot of kids’ books the main characters are telling their story to the readers. I have no problem with this, (After all I love Percy Jackson) but the way the story is told seemed overly simplified, and almost felt dumbed down. And though the characters were good, at this point they felt more like characterizations.

The Angel Experiment has plenty of action, but most of it was running and fighting Erasers. The Erasers didn’t make much sense, they attacked randomly, sometimes viciously, and other times they’d just leave.

6/10 Stars

SCHOOL’S OUT FOREVER

If the first book was put down-able, this one wasn’t. I almost read the entire book in an afternoon.

There was less action, but somehow it was less boring. I also found myself chuckling a couple of times.

The characters were also expanded nicely, especially Fang and Iggy. Fang seems more like a real kid; he starts a blog and shows that he has a sense of humor. And in Iggy's narration we learn isn’t as carefree as he seems, being blind really bothers him and he wants to find his parents.

The whole clone story line seemed rather unnecessary and cliche, but it didn’t detract from the story. (Not a spoiler, at the beginning of the book when the first hint of the clone appears we’re told.)

I have a feeling Patterson only included Disney World so he’d get to go and write it off as research. (Why didn’t I think of that?)

7/10 Stars

SAVING THE WORLD AND OTHER EXTREME SPORTS

Wow talk about an explosive start! Unfortunately, there's there’s more chapter hopping at the beginning. (between Max, Nudge and Fang.)

I liked that there was finally some romance! I wish the flock would stick together though. The interactions between the characters is what makes the books.

I still don’t know what the ‘big bad guys’ plan was. We know they planned end the world as we know it, but it was never explained how they hoped to achieve this. There is a serious lack of explaining the villains’ plans in these books. First they want to test the flock, then capture them, then kill them. Make up your minds already!

7/10 Stars

THE FINAL WARNING

The flock is ‘mutating’ and gaining new abilities. I’ve wanted more powers for a while and this is the best part of the book, (and the only reason not to skip over it). Even if the powers don’t come into play much.

This book should be called “Why global warming is bad”. I understand Patterson trying to send a message, but it felt forced. Everything about the Final Warning was rather ridiculous. The bad guy was even called the Uber-director...

More violence than the others. (Though nothing was described in detail.)

6/10 stars

MAX

Dr. Martinez is kidnapped and her scientist friends get the navy to help search for her. Before the flock can board the sub they have to pass some basic combat tests to receive clearance. (This part was hilarious and easily the best part of the book!)

‘Max’ felt like another side story and was easily skip-able, but it's worth the read just for the training scenes.

7/10 Stars

FANG

There’s a new bird kid named Dylan, (Who I didn’t like.) And he’s supposedly Max's soul mate.

I liked the romance in this book. I thought the other kids were a bit rough on Max though. The whole flock is supposed to be together! (I sound just like Max. She can be mean sometimes, but she really cares for her family, which is why I like her.)

7/10 Stars

ANGEL

The book bounces between the two teams (flocks) but we don’t really get enough time in either. I hate when the flock is fighting and unhappy. (Enough teenage drama, just kick bad guy butt!) There’s a new plan to end the world. This one is a little more thought out than the others and seems like it might actually happen.

There are suddenly lots of new mutants called gen 77 or something. I’d rather the flock was special. (Also, for having the book named after her, Angel isn’t in it that much.)

7/10 Stars

NEVERMORE

The last novel was good and fitting, but we were left with many hows. How did they do that? Why did that happen? I expected more plot from Patterson. It also wrapped up a bit neatly. In the last three chapters all the characters were suddenly perfect and their relationships miraculously fixed. (Huh?)

7/10 Stars

Overall I’d recommend the Maximum Ride books if you want something lighter (brainless) to read. Though they’re billed as young adult they’re really more kid books.

Sorry for such a long review!

Next week: Legend. (So far it’s REALLY good!!)

Spin-Off to Leigh Bardugo's Grisha Trilogy

Title: THE DREGS
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22294935-the-dregs

• Set in the same world as the Grisha


• Takes place not long after the events of Ruin and Rising


• A new cast of characters


• Two book series


• Expected release date: Fall 2015 (First draft done)

Described as a blend of Ocean’s 11, Inglorious Bastards and Game of Thrones.

SETTING: Kerch, a small island nation, hub of all world trade (legal and illegal) and a country rich in art and culture. Also home to one of the most dangerous criminal underworlds. It’s a very different place than Ravka: different politics, different players, and different food.

SUMMARY:
A crew of dangerous felonious misfits face impossible odds when they are pulled together to break into one of the most guarded places in the world.

YES THERE WILL BE MAGIC!!!!!!! One of the Dregs is an exiled Grisha named Mina.The magic of the Grisha Universe is there and it’s expanded upon.

I'm so excited! I can't wait!!! Can I have it now? Please!!

Sources:

http://shelf-life.ew.com/2014/06/25/ruin-and-rising-leigh-bardugo/
http://www.twochicksonbooks.com/2014/06/fierce-reads-tour-stop-interview-and.html
http://www.themidnightgarden.net/2014/06/ruinrisingtour.html

Sample Chapter of Woven Magic

It’s my birthday and the best present you could give me is reading and critiquing my story.

What’s it about? Here’s my latest summery.

Ten years ago two worlds merged, but when they split apart the Earth left several human cities behind in the world of the Kuth.

Everyone knows Altera is strange, her hair is never the same color you saw it last, but they don’t realize how special she is. Altera can see magic, enabling her to weave threads of magic together without the ceremony magic usually requires.

On a visit to a local Kuth village, Altera aids a healer who claims she’s a legendary Madj. The healer contacts her relative Jyk, to help Altera. Jyk is also a Madj, but he isn’t a teacher, he’s a regional, someone who travels across the land aiding countries with magical problems. Jyk has never had an apprentice before and doesn’t plan to start now, but after meeting Altera, he begins to change his mind.

Sound good? Read it here http://mollymortensen.wordpress.com/sample-chapter/

I’d like to know what you think and feel free to be harsh, I can handle it and I need to hear it. I’d rather honest criticism over false flattery any day. Thank you for stopping by.

~Molly

Book Review: The Last Changeling by Chelsea Pitcher

I won my first book to review from Netgalley!

THE LAST CHANGELING by Chelsea Pitcher

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

360 Pages

Pre-order from Amazon

Parental Rating: 12 and up. Mild Swearing and teenage ‘making out’.

The faerie Elora is trying to start a rebellion against her mother the Dark Queen, but to overthrow a millennium old faerie she needs the Bright Queen's help. The Bright Queen sets her a riddle, asking Elora to bring her a human offering. Elora travels to the human world, having only heard bad things about humans. She meets a human high-schooler named Taylor who lets her stay at his house. (She tells him to call him Lora, which is the name she mostly goes by in the book.)

The book is told from the perspectives of both Lora and Taylor. At the beginning Lora has a poetic voice and makes her seem more otherworldly, but as she assimilates to the human world she talks more normally. There were a couple of instances where Taylor sounded like Lora, too poetic for a normal teenage boy, but overall the characters were realistic and distinct. Though they were both told in first person I didn't confuse the two.

The characters were the stars of the story. I genuinely liked both of the main characters, which isn't always the case for me. The romance between them was gradual and felt natural. It was a sweet realistic romance. The side characters were just as good as the main characters and the friendships blossomed at a realistic pace the same way the relationship did.

Taylor and Lora gradually grow to trust one another and it makes them both better people. The change in their personalities is gradual and well done. They've both had a rough family life and they both have their secrets. They slowly open up to one another, and it felt like they would actually reveal these closely guarded secrets. Lora’s tells her story to Taylor as a nightly ‘fairy tale’. Since there is a lot of back story, this was a good way to do it without being boring.

Though there is plenty of magic in this book and excitement at the end, most of the book isn't fast paced. That doesn't mean it’s boring, not in the least. The Last Changeling mostly takes place in a modern high school and romance plays a large part of the story. Normally this wouldn't sound like my kind of book, but I really enjoyed it! There’s the normal teenage stuff, but it’s handled well and Lora is so different it’s fun to see through her eyes and watch her navigate the human world.

The world of the faerie has been done so many times, but the author still creates her own unique mythology. Like most fairies, those in Last Changeling can’t lie outright, are hurt by iron, and use glamours. (They also have wings, which I thought was the best part!) There isn't too much magic in the book, but what was there was imaginative and just plain cool.

There wasn't a to be continued ending, which I appreciated, but there’s certainly more to come. (At least I hope there is!) I would've appreciated if one question had been answered though. (I can’t say what it was without spoilers.)

I plan to buy The Last Changeling when it’s released and would highly recommend it.

8/10 Stars

Please visit again tomorrow for a chapter from my novel, Woven Magic. :)