Review: Above by Leah Bobet

Above by Leah Bobet
Publication Date: April 1, 2012
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Format: ARC
Pages: 368
*A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Matthew has always lived in Safe, a community hidden far beneath the pipes and tunnels of the city Above. The residents fled to Safe years before to escape the Whitecoats and their cruel experiments, and now Matthew is responsible for both the keeping of Safe’s stories and for Ariel—a golden-haired shapeshifter, and the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen. 
But one horrifying night, an old enemy murders Safe’s founder, Atticus, and the community is taken over by an army of shadows. Only Matthew, Ariel, and a handful of friends escape Above. Now they not only have to survive in a sunlit world they barely know, but they must unravel the mystery of the shadows’ fury and Atticus’s death. It’s up to Matthew to find a way to remake Safe—not just for himself and his family, but for Ariel, who’s again faced with the life she fled, and who needs him more than ever before.

My Review: This is very different than what I originally expected it to be like. There was one downfall but we can talk about that a little bit later.
       First, the characters. Matthew is our main protagonist. He lived in the city of ''Safe''. Safe is an underground place where I guess you could call them creatures?... live at. One day, the shadows come down into Safe and the place goes into complete and utter chaos for everyone who lives there. Matthew and   girl, Ariel, get out of there quick enough to go to ''Above''. Above is a place where average people like us live. Matthew is terrified of this but quickly changes his thoughts to other problems than worrying about the others he left down in Safe.
       Next, the writing style and plot. The writing style was very very different and something new. Bobet talks just a tad like someone from the South in this novel by saying '' 'bout'' instead if ''about''. It was really strange and hard to get into until maybe about one hundred pages in? I was finding myself going back and rereading what I had just read sometimes just so I could understand it. Random words are also capitalized in this novel so I didn't know if that was a place or person or what. The plot sounded alot different in the synopsis than what it actually turned out to be. If I tell you like more than three details about the plot, the whole novel would be given away.
      My overview of this book would definitely be that it would be something very,very,very, very different than anything I have EVER read before. This was an okay debut novel and I'm grateful that I got to read it but I don't know if I would read it over and over again. Definitely give it a shot though and tell me what you think.
                                                                        3/5

April Releases

 This are a few of April's new releases that I found and looking forward to. I am excited for a lot more but these are just a few.

(The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa) SOOOO excited!

(Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin) Edgar Allan Poe!

(The Peculiars by Maureen Doyle McQuerry)

(Above by Leah Bobet) reading this one now

(Lightning Tree by Sarah Dunster) This is next in my reading pile!

If you have any novel you are looking forward to, leave it in the comment section and I'll check it out.

Waiting on Wednesday (4)

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
Expected Publication Date: April 24, 2012
Publisher: Harlequin Teen

 In a future world, vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die…or become one of the monsters.Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for. 

Why I can't wait: The covers cool... um.... NO? We aren't talking some hobo who just wrote down a bunch of words. We are talking Julie AWESOMENESS Kagawa! I loved Julie's Iron Fey series and I'm sorry but to me, it was better than The Hunger Games. This sounds like a very good change up in paranormal and I can't wait.

Check it Out!

Expected Publication: March 27, 2012
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Purchase: Barnes & Noble.

Vee Bell is certain of one irrefutable truth—her sister’s friend Sophie didn’t kill herself. She was murdered. 
Vee knows this because she was there. Everyone believes Vee is narcoleptic, but she doesn’t actually fall asleep during these episodes: When she passes out, she slides into somebody else’s mind and experiences the world through that person’s eyes. She’s slid into her sister as she cheated on a math test, into a teacher sneaking a drink before class. She learned the worst about a supposed “friend” when she slid into her during a school dance. But nothing could have prepared Vee for what happens one October night when she slides into the mind of someone holding a bloody knife, standing over Sophie’s slashed body. 
Vee desperately wishes she could share her secret, but who would believe her? It sounds so crazy that she can’t bring herself to tell her best friend, Rollins, let alone the police. Even if she could confide in Rollins, he has been acting off lately, more distant, especially now that she’s been spending more time with Zane. 
Enmeshed in a terrifying web of secrets, lies, and danger and with no one to turn to, Vee must find a way to unmask the killer before he or she strikes again. 

Hey guys, yall should  definitely check out this awesome book that comes out tomorrow! I have it pre ordered and I can't wait to get it and devour it. This is a debut novel so definitely add it to your list.

Review: Gone by Michael Grant

Title: Gone
Author: Michael Grant
Publication Date: 
Publisher: HarperCollins
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Pages: 558

In the blink of an eye.Everyone disappears.Gone.Everyone except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not a single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Gone, too, are the phones, internet, and television. There is no way to get help.Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day.It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen and war is imminent.

My Review: Yes, it did take me almost a month to finish this but since it was over 500 pages, some parts got a little slow so I read other books. It was a very exciting sci-fi/dystopian. I really enjoyed the action and how the characters used the language that teens do these days.
         The characters, well this might take a few moments. Sam, our main  protagonist, is almost fifteen. When everyone blinks out, all the memories from a long time ago, when the class was on a field trip and the driver had a heart attack so Sam drove the bus, come rushing back. He knows they shouldn't freak out but then again he knows everyone will be. After he, Astrid, Quinn, and Edilio team up, they start trying to get things in order in Perdido Beach. I loved how the characters weren't trying to take over the universe like I figured they would, but they were scared and worried but knew they had to be strong for the younger ones.
         The plot of this story was very....interesting? The idea of everyone fifteen and over leaving all of a sudden, sounded very exciting and was the reason I decided to pick up this novel. How would you deal with it if you had no cellphones or internet? These kids had to deal with that and a whole lot more including some very strange coyotes. The only complaint was that all was happening for the first 100 pages was  ''No, we need to do this not that.'' '' They can't do that, that will hurt the city even more!''. Do you see how that got on my nerves sometimes? About 250 pages in, it started getting ALOT better. 
          Overall, this book was very enjoyable but could've had more happening in the first 100 pages. This was a great start to the first in the series and I can't wait to pick up the next novel, Hunger.
                                                                         4/5
         
         

Waiting on Wednesday (3)

Expected Publication Date: June 1, 2012
Publisher: Scholastic
Number of Pages: 304

*Silent Scream!*Kass Kennedy is nobody's idol. She does forget the lyrics. She's not a gleek. The x factor? Not her! Read her lips: She has the right to remain silent.Just try telling that to her dad.Because he's totally lost it this time, demanding Kass audition for a TV talent show. Which would be slightly less than death-by-embarrassment if Kass could (duh!) actually sing. And if even the smallest part of her craved the spotlight. Stardom is her dad's dream, not hers. But he's so fragile, she's afraid he just might crack if she doesn't go through with his latest, craziest plan.Not helping: Her hopelessly MIA mom. The budding criminal mastermind also known as her kid brother. And amateur shrink Izzy and used-to-be-sweet Char, who've gone all frenemies over a boy in brown boots. (Don't ask.)

Why I can't wait:  This sounds like a really cute read! Plus it comes out in the summer so um.. can you say beach read? I am definitely going to pre-order this because this will definitely be on everyone's radar by the time it comes out.
                              * Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine*

Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Title: The Fault in Our Stars
Author: John Green
Publication Date: January 10, 2012
Publisher: Dutton
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardback
Pages: 313

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now. 
Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault. 
Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind. 

My Review: No, I didn't just now read this, I read it in January but I figured I should maybe do a pretty quick review since two or three people have asked me my thoughts on the book.
         First, the characters. The characters were amazing. I loved Hazel for so many reasons and in many different ways. Just because she had to lug around an oxygen tank, she didn't let that slow her down. Augustus was amazing also. He was super sweet and didn't treat anyone any different no matter what had happened to them whether it be cancer or something else.
          Now, I am going to skip going over the plot because well, you probably already know. My overall thoughts on the novel were OMG really dude really? This was a very heart touching story that I feel everyone should read. This was my first John Green novel and I cannot wait to read more. If you want, please tell me in the comments, what is your favorite John Green novel?
                                     5/5