Happy New Years everyone! I know I'm a little late on this, but I hope you all had a good New years! So I decided to talk about my top 5 books of 2013. I read a total of 23 books this year which is good for my first real year of reading which only started late summer. This list will include books published in 2013 and some that weren't. Most of these books were read late 2013.
5. Slated- Teri Terry
Slated was the first Young Adult book I read which got me into reading. I read Slated a while back in the last school year (2013). This is a debut novel and I thought it was really good. I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of YA dystopians. Slated is a story taken place in the future in England where you get slated- your memory erased- when you commit a crime instead of getting sent to jail. You also get a device on your wrist called a Levo which monitors you mood. The main protagonist is Kyla, who was slated.
Since I read this book earlier than all of my other ones, it's a little vague. I hope to be able to re-read this book and continue on the the second and third novel.
4. The Fault in Our Stars- John Green
TFIOS is one of the best contemporary books out there. This story is about two young cancer carrying teenagers who fall in love and have an epic adventure. The writing is very nicely done and the story flows very nicely. I loved everything about this book and all of the small moments the characters have.
For my full review: http://cheermonkeyxox.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-fault-in-our-stars-by-john-green.html
3. Cinder- Marissa Meyer
Cinder is a very interesting book and has an amazing plot to it. The setting is in futuristic New Beijing, and follows Cinder, a mechanic cyborg. The story has similar traits of the classic, Cinderella which makes it even more interesting. This Sci-Fi story is very different, yet very intriguing. There is a deadly plague going around which Cinder learns she is immune to. You also learn about the Lunars and their queen.
I will literally explode of happiness if this becomes a movie.
2. Delirium Series- Lauren Oliver
Delirium is an amazing trilogy and will always have a special place in my heart. This story is about how love is now a disease, and at 18, you must get a cure for it. The story follows Lena, who falls in love, although she knows it's wrong. This is a trilogy with the following up books, Pandemonium and Requiem. My favorite is of course Delirium, then Pandemonium then Requiem. The ending of the last book isn't as concluding as I'd hope it would be, but is still good.
1. Divergent Series- Veronica Roth
Divergent is the book that stole my heart. I have become a die-hard fan of all of the three books and Veronica Roth. This dystopian novel takes place in Chicago, and follows Tris, who goes throughout the story goes through the process of what happens when your 16 and learns more about the history of her world. Divergent is my favorite out of the three with Allegiant in second, and Insurgent last. Allegiant had a very sad yet great ending. Some parts of it was confusion and complicated, but it made sense in a way. The story ties off nicely with an epilogue which is fast forwarded a few years further. Insurgent was more of an adventure book to me. It had a lot of things going on and I felt like it was just there as the middle book.
2013 was a nice reading year and hopefully, I'll be able to read more in 2014.
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
I give The Fault in Our Stars by John Green: ☆☆☆☆☆
Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.
My overall thought: Beautifully written story.
The Plot:
The plot of the story was overall very good. Maybe at some points it wasn't too exciting, but for most the time I enjoyed what was happening. The cancerous stories behind Hazel and Augustus made them phenomenal characters. It is clear that both of the characters had been influenced by the knowledge that they have numbered days. I loved how each character in the book, believed in another thing.
The Writing:
John Green's writing is absolutely exceptional and very unique to me. I love how direct he was with the plot and everything was clearly stated. The humor in some of the witty sentences were very fun and I enjoyed each of them.
I think all of the small things in the book contributes to how it is overall. I loved the moments that Hazel and Gus have together and the connection they shared. The metaphors and the okays just kept me smiling.
What I loved about John's writing was the way he wrote from Hazel's perspective. It was very believable yet not cliche. The way she describes her feelings for Gus wasn't the classic- oh! my palms are sweaty and I get the butterflies when I'm with you!- type. It was more of a -I love him and he loves me- relationship which I find hard to write about.
The Characters:
The characters have to be my favorite thing about the book. I absolutely loved them all. Hazel and Gus just shared such a lovely connection in the book that is so unique compared to other love stories. John's writing wasn't like other authors when it came to love, he was able to express their relationship without describing everything in detail.It was very easy to fall in love with the characters and their relationship.
The secondary characters were great additions to the book as well.
In the End:
I would recommend this book to someone who is a fan of romance, contemporary and of course, Young Adult. John Green's writing is amazing and I will definitely be reading more of his work.
The movie release date is set for June 6th, 2014, starring Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort as our main characters.
Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.
My overall thought: Beautifully written story.
The Plot:
The plot of the story was overall very good. Maybe at some points it wasn't too exciting, but for most the time I enjoyed what was happening. The cancerous stories behind Hazel and Augustus made them phenomenal characters. It is clear that both of the characters had been influenced by the knowledge that they have numbered days. I loved how each character in the book, believed in another thing.
The Writing:
John Green's writing is absolutely exceptional and very unique to me. I love how direct he was with the plot and everything was clearly stated. The humor in some of the witty sentences were very fun and I enjoyed each of them.
I think all of the small things in the book contributes to how it is overall. I loved the moments that Hazel and Gus have together and the connection they shared. The metaphors and the okays just kept me smiling.
What I loved about John's writing was the way he wrote from Hazel's perspective. It was very believable yet not cliche. The way she describes her feelings for Gus wasn't the classic- oh! my palms are sweaty and I get the butterflies when I'm with you!- type. It was more of a -I love him and he loves me- relationship which I find hard to write about.
The Characters:
The characters have to be my favorite thing about the book. I absolutely loved them all. Hazel and Gus just shared such a lovely connection in the book that is so unique compared to other love stories. John's writing wasn't like other authors when it came to love, he was able to express their relationship without describing everything in detail.It was very easy to fall in love with the characters and their relationship.
The secondary characters were great additions to the book as well.
In the End:
I would recommend this book to someone who is a fan of romance, contemporary and of course, Young Adult. John Green's writing is amazing and I will definitely be reading more of his work.
The movie release date is set for June 6th, 2014, starring Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort as our main characters.
Friday, December 13, 2013
Divergent Cast Discussion!
Hello everyone! So this might not be completely book related, but this is very exciting for me! I'm pretty sure everyone knows about the amazing book written by Veronica Roth, Divergent, is coming out as a movie March 21, 2014. There has been a lot of discussions about the casting and whether it was good or not, so here are my thoughts :
Beatrice (Tris) Prior/ Portrayed by Shailene Woodley :
Before I get started, I'd like to say that Shailene Woodley is an amazing actress. She is so talented and such a beautiful person. I am overall happy with her playing Tris. I think she'll really be able to portray the character and her emotions in the movie. Shai is pretty tall (5'8 to be exact) to be playing Tris, but the physical appearance shouldn't affect the overall outcome of how the character is able to be seen in the movie. From seeing a lot of fan work and cartoon drawings, a lot of people apparently imagined Tris to be a full on blonde, where I pictured her hair to be just like Shailene's in the movie. But like I said, Shai is such an amazing actor and I can't wait to see how she plays Tris.
Tobias (Four) Eaton/ Portrayed by Theo James:
So there has been a lot of controversial opinions on Theo playing Four out there. I personally love Theo James and I can honestly say that I think he is perfect for Four. I imagined Four to be a strong and daring, yet hided character, and from the looks of it, Theo seems to be doing just that. Yes, Four is suppose to be 18 years old in the book and obviously Theo is not 18 but when you compare him to the rest of the cast, it all fits in. In the movie, he is actually suppose to be around 24. Eye color really shouldn't matter that much when it comes to the actors and characters, Four is suppose to have blue eyes but it's not like if that isn't in the movie it's going to turn out horrible. Also, a lot of actors have an English accent which they are able to hide. To sum it up, I wouldn't be able to picture anyone as Four, other than Theo.
Jeanine Matthews/ Portrayed by Kate Winslet
Let me just say that I had no idea that Kate played Rose in the movie Titanic. I was very surprised and this added on to my excitement! I've always pictured Jeanine to look like Kate. I think Kate is an amazing actress and she'll be able to bring on that evil side Jeanine has. It was literally a perfect match in my head with her hair.
Tori / Portrayed by Maggie Q
I think this casting was the most spot on. Maggie is an exact replica of the Tori I had in my head. The black hair and almond eyes fits so well! I love the way she looks and like I said, I love this pick.
Christina / Portrayed by Zoe Kravitz
Did anyone else knew that Christina's dad is the actor for Cinna in The Hunger Games? I think Zoe is a really good match for Christina. I pictures Christina a lot more taller, but I'm steal happy she is playing Christina.
Peter/ Portrayed by Miles Teller
When I saw the first picture of Miles as Peter, I thought he looked really old and odd. I didn't really picture Peter to be similar to Miles, but after awhile, I can see it happening.
Eric/ Portrayed by Jai Courtney
I believe Eric in the book is described to be thin with greasy black hair, but I never pictured him like that. If anything, I pictured him like Jai. The tattoos and piercings help it be so believable!
As for the rest of the cast:
Caleb Prior/ Portrayed by Ansel Elgort
Andrew Prior/ Portrayed by Tony Goldwyn
Natalie Prior/ Portrayed by Ashley Judd
Max/ Portrayed by Mekhi Phifer
Marcus Eaton/Portrayed by Ray Stevenson
Al/ Portrayed by Christian Madsen
Will/ Portrayed by Ben Lloyd-Hughes
Pretty good match I guess. I don't know what else to say! ( I am sad that Uriah isn't in the movie though. I understand why they couldn't add him in though. I just hope they find a great actor for him and they'll make his introduction grand.)
I am very happy with the cast and am extremely excited for the movie! I am most likely going to be watching it the following Sunday of the premiere. I am most excited for the ferris wheel scene, the fear landscapes, the zip-lining, and the attack simulation in the movie. It was very exciting to see the full trailer on the big screen when I went to go see Catching Fire. I really hope the movie will be able to capture all of the fascinating parts of the book without leaving out too much! Just think, each day is a day closer to the movie!
Beatrice (Tris) Prior/ Portrayed by Shailene Woodley :
Before I get started, I'd like to say that Shailene Woodley is an amazing actress. She is so talented and such a beautiful person. I am overall happy with her playing Tris. I think she'll really be able to portray the character and her emotions in the movie. Shai is pretty tall (5'8 to be exact) to be playing Tris, but the physical appearance shouldn't affect the overall outcome of how the character is able to be seen in the movie. From seeing a lot of fan work and cartoon drawings, a lot of people apparently imagined Tris to be a full on blonde, where I pictured her hair to be just like Shailene's in the movie. But like I said, Shai is such an amazing actor and I can't wait to see how she plays Tris.
Tobias (Four) Eaton/ Portrayed by Theo James:
So there has been a lot of controversial opinions on Theo playing Four out there. I personally love Theo James and I can honestly say that I think he is perfect for Four. I imagined Four to be a strong and daring, yet hided character, and from the looks of it, Theo seems to be doing just that. Yes, Four is suppose to be 18 years old in the book and obviously Theo is not 18 but when you compare him to the rest of the cast, it all fits in. In the movie, he is actually suppose to be around 24. Eye color really shouldn't matter that much when it comes to the actors and characters, Four is suppose to have blue eyes but it's not like if that isn't in the movie it's going to turn out horrible. Also, a lot of actors have an English accent which they are able to hide. To sum it up, I wouldn't be able to picture anyone as Four, other than Theo.
Jeanine Matthews/ Portrayed by Kate Winslet
Let me just say that I had no idea that Kate played Rose in the movie Titanic. I was very surprised and this added on to my excitement! I've always pictured Jeanine to look like Kate. I think Kate is an amazing actress and she'll be able to bring on that evil side Jeanine has. It was literally a perfect match in my head with her hair.
Tori / Portrayed by Maggie Q
I think this casting was the most spot on. Maggie is an exact replica of the Tori I had in my head. The black hair and almond eyes fits so well! I love the way she looks and like I said, I love this pick.
Christina / Portrayed by Zoe Kravitz
Did anyone else knew that Christina's dad is the actor for Cinna in The Hunger Games? I think Zoe is a really good match for Christina. I pictures Christina a lot more taller, but I'm steal happy she is playing Christina.
Peter/ Portrayed by Miles Teller
When I saw the first picture of Miles as Peter, I thought he looked really old and odd. I didn't really picture Peter to be similar to Miles, but after awhile, I can see it happening.
Eric/ Portrayed by Jai Courtney
I believe Eric in the book is described to be thin with greasy black hair, but I never pictured him like that. If anything, I pictured him like Jai. The tattoos and piercings help it be so believable!
As for the rest of the cast:
Caleb Prior/ Portrayed by Ansel Elgort
Andrew Prior/ Portrayed by Tony Goldwyn
Natalie Prior/ Portrayed by Ashley Judd
Max/ Portrayed by Mekhi Phifer
Marcus Eaton/Portrayed by Ray Stevenson
Al/ Portrayed by Christian Madsen
Will/ Portrayed by Ben Lloyd-Hughes
Pretty good match I guess. I don't know what else to say! ( I am sad that Uriah isn't in the movie though. I understand why they couldn't add him in though. I just hope they find a great actor for him and they'll make his introduction grand.)
I am very happy with the cast and am extremely excited for the movie! I am most likely going to be watching it the following Sunday of the premiere. I am most excited for the ferris wheel scene, the fear landscapes, the zip-lining, and the attack simulation in the movie. It was very exciting to see the full trailer on the big screen when I went to go see Catching Fire. I really hope the movie will be able to capture all of the fascinating parts of the book without leaving out too much! Just think, each day is a day closer to the movie!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)