ARC Review: Dualed by Elsie Chapman

Title: Dualed by Elsie Chapman
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: February 26, 2013
Genres: Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic, Action
Medium: ARC Paperback via Random House Publishers

Dualed by Elsie Chapman was a spectacular novel with pages packed with the best nail-biting action and suspense ever. It's a classic representation of a post-apocalyptic dystopian society, similar to Hunger Games in the way that it is action-packed and fierce, with a leading female protagonist, and a mix of endearing romance.

The plot was exceptional, original and interesting. You are instantly captivated by West's unique voice as she struggles to understand Kersh's system of murdering her twin, and as she struggles to find out if she really is the stronger, better twin (and if she deserves to live.) you are thrown into the unbelievable dystopian society in which you have one month to either kill your twin or be killed. For that month, you are in the life of tough West, who not only has to fight to survive, but also continue killing, as she takes the job of a striker, an assassin who tricks the system. Among risking her life, she must come to terms with the deaths of her entire family due to the system, and has to figure out her feelings for Chord, her brother's old friend.

The writing was great. It was simple and flowed flawlessly, full of several plot twists and unexpected turns. You are captured by a writing that refuses to let you go until the end. The mixture of an original, almost believable dystopian society and an unexpected romance makes for one of the most adventurous and action-packed models I have read this year. This novel quickly became a favorite of mine, and is definitely a series I will continue reading. I also need to touch on the fact that the last few chapters (especially the very last one) made for one of the absolute BEST endings ever. I was literally on the edge of my seat, flipping through the pages like wildfire. I swear, I was actually scared to finish reading, because I was scared what was going to happen to our main characters. Talk about suspenseful. Five stars.

Review: Tumble & Fall by Alexandra Coutts

Title: Tumble & Fall by Alexandra Coutts
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux 
Release Date: September 17th, 2013
Genres: Sci-fi, Contemporary, Romance, Drama
Medium: Hardback, Won Via Giveaway

Amidst the shadow of the end of the world, due to an incoming asteroid named Persephone, several teens are forced to step back and take a look at their lives and decide what they will do before the end of the world. Faced with decisions of apologizing, making up, severing all connectionsq, last minute bonding, and repenting all their bad decisions, several friendships and romances blossom as their last days dwindle down.

This book gives me such conflicting emotions. On one hand, I loved the sweet end-of-the-world romances and dramatic family problems. On the other hand, I hated the vague characters, the confusing flipping back-and-forth of the POV, and the boring writing. Really, this novel was mediocre at best, and definitely a book I wish I could have liked better. I had high expectations for this novel, and it fell through within the first few pages.

First of all, the plot was dragging and quite slow and boring. To be honest, the first half of the novel wasn't up to par and was seriously lacking. The plot also lacked definition. It was all very expectable and uninteresting. And another thing that made my reading experience less than enjoyable was the POV's and chapter. There was so much put into flipping into the POV's of every single main character that you never felt like you were spending enough time with one character, let alone enough time to get to know them. This constant flipping back and forth of POV's left you slightly confused and disinterested at times and didn't really "work" until the last few pages of he novel, when the characters all came together to meet for the (literal) end. I understand what the author was trying to do, but it just did not work out for this novel. It was a definite flop for the publishing company.

Onto the characters, I thought a few of these characters were almost interested. A few of them seemed to pull at my emotions, tugging at something resembling compassion. But most of the time, it was pure annoyance, and I couldn't get into the characters' voices much. They all seemed very two dimensional and flat. Very little character development also happens in this novel, and that was very sad to see, especially with such a dynamic plot line (that could have still been better researched and more defined.)

Onto a happier tone of my review, there was one romance in the novel that I felt was really in tune. It is a main focal point of the plot, and features the tragic love story of a girl and her deceased boyfriend who leaves her, amidst the apocalypse, with a mystery to be solved alongside his best friend. New friendships and romances blossom in this story, sometimes a little too "out-of-the-blue" and making you think it's all a little fake. But then, it was still nice. The more I think of it, this story is an interesting and quite different take on the end of the world. Instead of chaos and fear, there is instead a central bonding of humans as we all await the end together. Although it is nice, I found it lacking, and wish I could have enjoyed it so much more, because it really did have an interesting premise. A classic case of a beautiful cover masking mediocre writing, all ruining a plot with possibilities? Maybe. Though I didn't enjoy it as much as I wish I could, several others online sing their praises of this book, so you could definitely check this novel out anyway. Maybe you will have a different reading experience than I. 2.5 stars.

Happy Holidays! (Update)

Happy holidays everyone! I know this comes as a late post, but I just wanted to tell everyone I hope you had a great Christmas and I wish you an even happier New Year! May the year 2014 bring us all great adventure and excitement :)

Well, for Christmas, I didn't receive any books sadly :( I know, I know, hard to contemplate, isn't it? My family claims they don't know what books to get me, and are afraid that I would already have them anyway (my library is happily full.) 

So instead, I got a 42' LED Smart TV, and Xbox and some games (I'm always late on the bandwagon,) a limited edition candy apple red Randy Jackson electric guitar and amp, a Daryl Dixon/Walking Dead plush throw, and those are just the big items. It was an amazing Christmas, let's just say that.

Buuuuutt, I've also gotten 20 books in the mail over the course of the month. So, maybe that counts as my Christmas books. ;) So expect a huge Stacking The Shelves post at the end of the month. 

Also be expecting a review of Tumble & Fall by Alexandra Coutts and Dualed by Elsie Chapman within the next few days. And maybe a review of Tandem by Anna Jarzab too, if I can hurry and finish it. I got a lot of reading done while I was in the hospital with my mom, but it still put a hurt on my blog. So sorry there hasn't been many posts this week! 

But expect two reviews and an STS post within the week, maybe a few surprises too ;)

Let's all end 2013 with a bang!

Review: Every Day by David Levithan

 

Title: Every Day by David Levithan
Publisher: Ember
Release Date: September 10th, 2013
Genres: Contemporary, Drama, Romance 
Medium: Paperback, Bought

The first book I ever read by David Levithan was Two Boys Kissing. The novel was great and I was instantly in love with his writing. The emotional depth he puts into his novels, as if he puts full emotional capability behind each word, as if each word was personally chosen to go in that exact place. It makes you feel as if you are reading something deep and personal, intimate because it is so heartfelt and realistic. This novel does not differ from his others. His honest, raw way of writing is still present and is as gripping and heartbreaking as ever.

In this novel, A, basically defined as a human since s/he doesn't specifically have a gender. Every day, A wakes in the body of another person, male or female. A lives through birthdays and anniversaries, deaths and births, relationships and family problems, all belonging to someone else. A must experience these things and use the person's memories to make sure s/he doesn't alter that life. When A goes to sleep each night, s/he faces the reality that s/he will never be in that body again, and will be in a new one come morning. This has always been the same until one day, A is dropped into a life connected to Rhiannon, a girl A ultimately falls in love with. As A is passed around into several lifes, s/he always comes back to find Rhiannon. But when one of the bodies A woke up in realizes what has happened and tries to get answers from A, A must figure out if a relationship with Rhiannon is possible or if he should just move on to the next life.

The plot of this story is pure genious. This story is so in depth and emotionally, and really makes you think. You see how A changes as the novel goes on, and begin to see things differently than before. As usual, David Levithan's writing shows you that love cannot always be characterized as a girl and a boy or a couple with a happy ending. In the words of Aristotle, "Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies." That's it. One soul, two bodies. No further explanation, but David sure strives to explain it himself. And he does it well. And as usual, David Levithan's work showcases a subject normally seen in black and white, but delves deeper into what we would see as the grayscale area. Nothing is black and white, and this story shows this perfectly. David writes of love in many forms and ways, and each time, he leaves your heart feeling lighter and your eyes brighter (and maybe even a little wetter.)

If you are looking for a novel that pushes the limits and challenges you to think, than this is what you need. I know that as a great fan of John Green and David Levithan, their writing can create quite the obsession. So go ahead and grab a copy of Every Day. And after that, read Two Boys Kissing. And after that, read another. And another, and another... Five stars.

Movie Poster Revealed for The Fault In Our Stars (I'm Freaking Out!)

Okay blogglings, I am officially freaking out! Thanks to a post from the Notebook Sisters Cait & Mime, I just found out that the first movie poster for the film adaptation of The Fault In Our Stars has been released! Ahhhh!!!

Ahem. Since the movie does not come out until June 2014 (I'm going to die of anticipation!) this movie poster will have to suffice for my needs of TFIOS movie right away. Anyway, you have suffered through these few lines long enough. I know what you are really here for. So tada!

I give you the first movie poster of TFIOS.

It's freaking amazing isn't it?!

I happen to love every bit of it. I have spent countless minutes flipping it upside down and right side up and staring intently. I. Love. It. 

I cannot wait until June. What's your opinion of the poster? Do you like it? Do you like the cast? Do you agree with the quote "One sick love story?"

Have a great Sunday guys!