Mind Games by Kiersten White

This is my third review for my monthly TBR in May, and I am reviewing Mind Games.

Title: Mind Games
Author: Kiersten White
Genre: Young Adult Psychological Thriller
Pg. #: 237
Rating: * (one star)

This book was one of my most anticipated 2013 releases, and it just didn't live up to my expectations. When I think back on the book, nothing really happened. I think it was really missing out on the "thriller" part of psychological thriller. I felt like the thoughts and events happening to our narrator's were very repetitive as well. I must say, I was getting tired of hearing Fia endlessly announce how she could do nothing in her situation because she had to protect Annie. I get it, I really do, but you can't have ten chapters of just this thought going around in her head.

Don't even get me started on the characters (yeah... too late). James was such a jerk that I can't even read about him without shouting violently inside my head and slamming the cover of the book down because I am so angry at how Fia is totally okay with his jerk-ness. Fia and Annie felt very underdeveloped to me. I liked Annie better because her emotions and actions I could relate to more, but both of them could've used work. Because Fia is so damaged, we don't even get to see what she's like as a person (normally) because she's always damaged. Also, sometimes at the beginning I forgot who's perspective I was on (until the writing style with Fia came up... which leads me to the next point).

Now the writing style and format. Fia's chapters often had random, unconnected-to-the-real-sentence thoughts in brackets (ow, my arm hurts, my arm hurts), FULL CAPS IN SENTENCES, and lot's of choppy thoughts and frustrating tapping (tap-tap-tap). I think White was trying to go for a unique voice in her character, and a portrayal of how damaged she is, but it didn't work for me. All it did is annoy me and make me want to stop reading the book. Also, the writing format. White alternates very often between past and present-- The past chapters are in no order at all. For example... Fia: Monday Morning, Fia: 7 years ago, Annie: Monday Morning, Annie: 5 years ago, Fia: 4 years ago..... etc. etc. This was very frustrating and extremely disorientating, especially at first. Not only that, but these flashbacks were almost never relevant (I didn't care what happened in them, really) and didn't connect to the chapter before. I think the author was going for a unique approach of slowing feeding in backstory, but personally I would've preferred she just have written it from the past because more than half of the book is past rather than present. So no flashbacks.

I know I ranted a lot, but despite this, the idea was good (if not a little unoriginal). But it sounded so thrilling, intense, and action-packed in the synopsis and that's just not what you get. Maybe some will like this, but I don't recommend picking it up unless you're a fan of slower-paced, quirky writing.

Thanks for reading!

Shards & Ashes by Various Authors

This is my TBR review for Shards & Ashes by Various Authors. Since it is a short story anthology, I will post my Goodreads update reviews and maybe a little more, as well as a rating here for each individual story. Then I will average the ratings for an overall book rating. Enjoy! :)

Hearken by Veronica Roth

**** */* (four and a half stars)

I loved this story! I really wish it was longer, because it was so enjoyable, and also because I wanted much more information about the world and the bombings. That said, I was captivated by the story and the idea. I could sympathize with the main character and the choices she had to make. I really want this story to be expanded into a novel!

Branded by Kelley Armstrong

**** (four stars)

I really enjoyed this story! I found it very entertaining, though found it difficult to see any development in Priscilla's character. The world was more developed than the previous one (Hearken), but I still wanted to know why our world (the "Old World" as they refer to it) was destroyed. Good story though!

Necklace of Raindrops by Margaret Stohl

** (two stars)

The premise and idea was awesome, with the thought that your life could be "spent". That said, the format and writing style was very weird. I didn't like the three random perspectives... It kept switching between third and first person. The writing style was choppy and therefore made it hard to read as a coherent piece. I didn't feel like anything really happened. 

Dogsbody by Rachel Caine

*** (three stars)

I liked it! I actually would've liked to see the concept spanned out over the length of a real book though-- There was just so much more I wanted to know and discover. The ending felt very rushed, as if it was trying to wrap everything up and end on a resolution without leaving anyone hanging-- but couldn't waste pages doing so. Overall I did really like the story itself and characters for the most part though. 

Pale Rider by Nancy Holder

* (one star)

This story was very... odd. To be honest I really couldn't get into or connect to the story at all. I still am very confused at many things and felt like everything happening was just so random. At the end, new information is thrown at you which was very overwhelming as well.

Corpse Eaters by Melissa Marr

**** (four stars)

This story was good too! The idea was really creepy and cool, and I loved the action and backstory. However, there was one thing that I found very shocking in a strange way-- Spoiler! When she stabs her dad. How could she just do that. Wow. Just... no. Spoilers over. I also would've liked more background on how the Nidos took over.

Burn 3 by Kami Garcia

**** */* (four and a half stars)

Burn 3 was awesome! I really liked the idea and I was thoroughly entertained, though I wanted more background on how the Burn happened. I really liked Phoenix, and understood how she felt having to carry so much weight on her shoulders. The most important part of this story was that I could imagine the world and felt enraptured in the story-- I cared. 

Love Is a Choice by Beth Revis

**** (four stars)

I really enjoyed this story, though felt a little confused having not read Across the Universe. It was kind of cheating in a way, since it was set on the spaceship Godspeed, rather than a different world like the eight other authors. That being said, Revis is a very talented author and I could tell that from this story. It was very entertaining. One character was very contradictory though-- It describes her as being innocent, but later the narrator says that she has always had that fire in her eyes, while before he describes her eyes as big and innocent. Overall though, very good. 

Miasma by Carrie Ryan

* */* (one and a half stars)

Mrahhhhh. What do I say about this story. Insta-love? I personally didn't enjoy this story too much. The idea behind it (plague/illness) is very popular right now so I didn't find it extremely original or interesting. The main character annoyed me greatly

Overall, I was disappointed greatly by three of the stories, but enjoyed the others and even loved a few. According to my calculator, it results in about a 3.1 star rating, so averaged out, a 3 on Goodreads. However, I did really enjoy a lot of the stories and feel my thoughts on the book are closer to a 4-star rating.

Hope you enjoyed this review! Thanks for reading. :)

Top Ten Covers of Books I've Read

It's been a while since I did a top ten tuesday, but I've been busy this time of year and I've been posting other things too. This topic however really grabbed me! I will include photos of each cover in this post as well.


This is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish in which they will post a topic and then participants will make their top ten according to the topic. It's super easy to link up, so feel free to go to their site and join in the fun!

Top Ten Covers of Books I've Read

May 21, 2013

1. Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
2. The Archived by Victoria Schwab
3. Angelfall by Susan Ee
4. Plain Kate by Erin Bow
5. Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
6. Splintered by A.G. Howard
7. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
8. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 
9. Blood Red Road by Moira Young 
10. The Mermaid's Mirror by L.K. Madigan
11. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
12. Dreamland by Alyson Noel

Thanks for reading! If you want further explanation on why I chose these twelve (oops, I cheated) covers, leave a comment below. I won't be posting for at least the next five days so I am posting this early, as well as posting a lot today! Hope you liked all the posts. :)

*wow my taste in covers was different then! :O*

Bout of Books Read-a-thon Wrap-Up

So a few unexpected things came up during the week that threw a wrench in my read-a-thon plans, but oh well.

My first goal was to read 3-4 books. I didn't really meet this goal, sadly. I read Cinder, Glitches, and four stories of Shards & Ashes and the first half of The Invention of Hugo Cabret. So I suppose it totals to about 3 books, I just didn't get around to finishing the final story of Shards & Ashes. So close! Hugo Cabret I finished this morning so I nearly finished all four fully. Unfortunately, many unexpected events put me off schedule, and this week will be another busy one with no reading time. That said, I am actually 4 books (5%) ahead, so that's great.

My second goal was to finish the two books I was currently reading, included in the 3-4 books above. These books were Cinder and Shards & Ashes. You can find a review for Cinder here. It was awesome, and I was glad I made it a goal to finish it during bout of books. Shards & Ashes is a dystopia anthology from great authors. Pre-bout of books, I had read 4 stories and I finished all but the last one during the bout of books span. My review will be posted later today. Yay for almost completing goals! :)

Here is my grand total and list of books I read during my first ever read-a-thon!

1. Cinder by Marissa Meyer (finished May 16)
2. Glitches by Marissa Meyer (started and finished May 16)
3. 4 more stories of Shards & Ashes by Various Authors (read May 19)
4. The Invention of Hugo Cabret Part 1 (finished May 19, the rest of the book finished May 20th morning)

I am hoping to participate in Bout of Books this August but I may be busy during the time. I am looking forward to participating in other read-a-thon's and supporting other people's reading goals! 

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

I tried reading this novel twice before in late 2012 and early 2013, but I couldn't get past 20 pages. I tried it again though, and those same 20 pages were way more interesting. Guess third times a charm is actually true in this case. Anyway, I loved this novel and am so glad I gave it a third chance.

Title: Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer
Genre: Dystopia/Fairytale Retelling
Pg. #: 390
Rating: ***** (five stars)

I loved this book. I rarely give out a full five stars but this one earned it. Completely earned it.

The dystopia aspects were awesome. I loved the mix of Eastern and Western cultures to make a interesting society. And Marissa Meyer just has brilliant ideas about everything. Androids? Cyborgs? Lunars? She executed each perfectly. Just... love.

The characters were awesome as well. I really related to Cinder and found myself thinking the same way she did throughout the book. Adri and Pearl were good characters to bring out the Cinderella aspect of the book, and Peony was a nice addition to make it different. I also loved Iko and the fact that she had a glitch in her personality chip-- She was definitely one of my favourite characters. Queen Levana and the other lunars were very mysterious and I can't wait to see what happens in the next books on the moon. So excited! :)

There were a few minor issues I had with the novel. First, some parts were a bit slow. Not boring slow, I just would've liked a bit more to be going on. Second, the "plot twist" was very, very predictable. However, it didn't really take away from the book much. In some books I've read, the author builds up and builds up to that moment, which ends up being very disappointing because it's so easy to guess. In Cinder though, so much is already going on and she has so much on her mind that this "twist" is kind of going on in the background, so I didn't mind it so much.

I loved this book because I became enthralled in the story. I cared about the characters and the outcome of the novel. It locked me in an alternate world, which is my favourite part about reading. It has been a long time since I have connected and felt like a world in a book was so real.

Have you read Cinder? If so, did you love it as much as me? If not, please read it! Comment with your thoughts. :) 

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

I know it took me FOREVER to get through this book (I was super busy and ditched it for a few weeks to read other books), but I did finish it and am reviewing it as part of my monthly TBR (sorry the review is posted so late).

Title: Grave Mercy
Author: Robin LaFevers
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy/Historical Fiction
Pg. #: 576
Rating: *** (three stars)

*sigh* I wanted action. I wanted violence. I wanted assassins. I found that the book focused much more on "games of love and intrigue", as the back cover quotes. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the book overall. Some parts were very dark and intriguing and I liked that quite a lot.

Let's talk about characters. I like Ismae, though sometimes she annoyed me in the fact that she spent ages simply wandering the castle and eavesdropping. Duval was fine, I neither liked him nor disliked him, he just settled into that gray region. I did however like the Duchess (Anne) and thought Sybella was an intriguing character, which makes me very excited to read Dark Triumph!

One thing I did really enjoy was the feel of the book. LaFevers did an awesome job of portraying the time period and setting of Brittany. I am really enjoying books of this era right now, so I loved the mood and feel of the book. The politics of the book and the Duchess's situation was obviously desperate and I found it interesting to see what their solution might be. That said, the characters in political positions were extremely confusing. I always mixed up the regents and ambassadors and everything.

Overall, yes, I did enjoy the book. I just felt like the book had too little happening for 500+ pages. The progression was too slow for me and I wanted more action for sure. There were only one or two violent action scenes. I would recommend this book for people who like historical romance and less for people who want a historical adventure with a twist.

Update + TBR Changes

So I haven't been reading a whole lot lately... I just don't feel like it, in between my busy months of April and May (things are starting to calm down, and should be normal by mid-May). Unfortunately that has put me in a slump. So I have made changes in my TBR to compensate for this. Also, as a result of my busy-ness, I didn't write a review for Grave Mercy or do a book spotlight or anything I promised I would do. I also didn't read Unspoken as a back-up when Shadow and Bone didn't come in, but I did read A Great and Terrible Beauty in it's place. However, I didn't review that either. I will be posting a review for Grave Mercy, but am skipping out on the other posts for April. Sorry! :(

My original TBR was composed of three (very large) books with movies coming out this year or recently released in 2013. Those books are Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, and The Host by Stephanie Meyer. I do not feel like reading these books at all right now. Instead, I will be reading (hopefully) one per month. So, one in May, one in June, one in July.

My new TBR this month is just that- to be read. This month I will be tackling my TBR pile, composed of 5 books that have been sitting there for a while and demand to be read. Check out this video where I show you those books and a few others that I might have time for... But it's already eleven days into the month so probably not.

Thanks for reading! Have you read any of these books? If so, tell me what you think! You can also comment which of the books I have on-hold (which I mentioned in the video) you would most want me to un-suspend. Bye!

Bout of Books Read-a-thon!

I've decided to take part in my first ever read-a-thon, Bout of Books. The rules are very simple: link up, make a blog post, and read, read, read! This read-a-thon started this morning and will last until the end of Sunday, May 19. This is sort of my intro post with my goals, and on Sunday I will post to reflect how they went.

My goal is simple. Read 3-4 books, and finish the two books I am currently reading (included in the 3-4  books to be read). Here are the books I plan to read, though I'm pretty sure I won't get to the last two.

1. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
2. Glitches (short story) by Marissa Meyer
3. Shards & Ashes by Various Authors (already read 4 stories)
4. Mind Games by Kiersten White
5. The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda
6. Partials by Dan Wells 

Thanks for reading! How about participating in the read-a-thon? It's not too late to join in. :) 

The Scorpion Project: Film Study

This is my eighth Scorpion Project post and my sixth and final literary theory post. Though there is no film adaptation of The House of the Scorpion, there is a film called Gattaca which bears similarities to The House of the Scorpion in some ways. For this post, I will be specifically comparing and contrasting the two protagonists.

The main character of The House of the Scorpion is Matt, who is a clone of the powerful drug Lord, Matteo Alacran (more commonly known as El Patron). The main character of the film Gattaca is Vincent, a natural-born (or invalid) who, with permission, assumes the identity of the "valid" Jerome. There are many connections to make between the two protagonists.

First of all, they are both different and an outcast in society. Vincent does not get the opportunities he would if he were conceived differently, and Matt doesn't either because he is restrained by the fact that others do not want to associate with him. Not only this, but both are automatically blamed for someone else's crime just because they are different. For example, Vincent being blamed for the mission director's death, and Matt for Furball's. I also noticed that, growing up, both are treated dramatically if something as small as a scratch occurs (Vincent because he has a shorter life span and Matt because of his organs for El Patron).

In a way, Vincent is like a clone of Jerome Morrow. This is because he has to act like him, look like him, be him all the time. Matt, being a clone of El Patron, sometimes acts like El Patron and looks like him. Both are still their own selves inside though, even if everyone and everything points to the conclusion that they are the same. Both struggle to find themselves and express themselves when their constantly pegged as someone they're not.

Spoiler! At the end of the movie, Jerome commits suicide. At the end of the novel, El Patron dies. This allows both protagonists to assume the identity of the person they have been imitating for a large portion of their lives. However, the protagonists can also be contrasted in the opposite way: by their differences. Vincent allows Jerome to kill himself without protesting or further discussion, while Matt is devastated at Tam Lin's choice to take his life. Another difference is the fact that Vincent is an adult, while Matt starts as just a child and grows into a teenager. I am guessing the difference in their reactions to their friends suicidal actions differ so greatly is a combination of two factors: age/maturity and their personalities. Spoilers over!

Thanks for reading! This is my last literary theory post on The Scorpion Project novel study I participated in. The book is very interesting and thought-provoking, and I encourage everyone to read it.

The Scorpion Project: Real World Connections

This is my fifth literary theory post and seventh post on the Scorpion Project.

The first connection that I think is really important is child labour. The reason I say this is because in the La Vida Nueva section of the novel, Matt is sent to work at a Plankton Factory after crossing the border into Aztlan. At the factory, they enforce punishment with violence (such as whipping) and don't allow the boys to take any breaks, but force them to work constantly. The food they are given is disgusting plankton. In real life, child labour does unfortunately occur in certain places, and young children are forced to do difficult tasks in exchange for pretty much nothing. The connection between child labour in real life and the conditions at the Plankton Factory is very clear.

Another connection that is evident in the novel is arranged marriages, which are also apparent in the world today. In this novel, there are three arranged marriages that have or were supposed to occur. These marriages are Benito and Fani, Steven and Emilia, and Tom and Maria. The marriages are supposed to help to forge ties and allegiances on a more personal level with members of high authority in other countries. This still happens today, and happened more in the past, such as Renaissance times. The reason for the marriages is the same in both the novel and real life as well.

The last connection I want to make is the reference to the coyote (person not an animal). A coyote is someone who illegally smuggles immigrants across the border. The term "coyote" is used specifically for anyone smuggling immigrants from Mexico into the United States. In the novel, Celia remarks that a coyote was navigating them to the border, but ended up abandoning them and leading them straight into a trap (Farmer 142). This part of her story shows that many parts of the novel are based on fact, and Nancy Farmer has made an effort to connect her future world to our world today. Click here to see an interesting article from USA Today featuring multiple perspectives, and here is another news article on the topic.

Thanks for reading! I'll be posting my final literary theory post later today.

The Scorpion Project: Narrative Structure

Wow... my third Scorpion Project post today. This is my fourth literary theory post and sixth individual blog post about this project. This post is on narrative structure.

The exposition stage of the novel lasted until roughly page 52, the beginning of the Middle Age (7-11) section. I think this because by then mostly all the characters and main settings have been introduced, aside from El Patron who we meet in the next chapter. I found this was too long of an exposition and I grew bored.

The rising action was very long-- Much longer than I felt it should be. I think it lasted from page 52 all the way until page 368, just before the last chapter. However, there were several drops as the line climbed. The first minor point of tension the last chapter before La Vida Nueva, The Farm Patrol. This was an intense section because Matt managed to escape from El Patron's grasp and out of Opium. But then, as we get into the La Vida Nueva section, things even out again before the big finale.

So if the rising action was so long, you can assume that the climax, falling action, and resolution all happened in a very short amount of time. I think the climax, or highest point of tension, would be on page 368 when Matt presses his hand to the monitor and they manage to get into Opium without getting shot to pieces. Spoiler alert. The falling action after that was until about page 379, where Matt figures out that everyone died and is angry at Tam Lin for leaving him though he could've saved himself. Spoiler alert over. 

The resolution was incredibly short, only one page! On the final page of the book, 380, Matt comes to terms with everything that happens and decides what he's going to do. And this happens in one page. One page. It was so weird! All of a sudden the book was over and I had no idea what just happened. I was about 5 pages from the end and was thinking, how is this going to wrap up in time? The problem is, it didn't. We were left with a short, less-exciting-than-it-should-be, rushed, superficial ending.

Thanks for reading! I only have one post left, so make sure to check for that tomorrow.

The Scorpion Project: Theme

This is my fifth individual post, discussing the theme in the novel.

Although there are several sub-themes prominent in the novel, there are many examples from the novel that point to one main, overarching theme. I think the theme is self-discovery and coming to terms with who you are without people telling you who you are or what you're supposed to be.

From the beginning, Matt is treated as an animal by everyone around him. Rosa's cruel punishment and constant taunting of calling him an "it" or "beast" largely affected the way he thought of himself. At one point, him and Tam Lin are speaking in the oasis and Tam Lin explains how many people hate Matt and are afraid of him because he's different. He also explains that Matt himself is like a photograph of El Patron at the same age as Matt is then (Farmer 80). These things all contributed to Matt's view of himself throughout the book.

"No one can tell the difference between a clone and a human. That's because there isn't any difference. The idea of clones being inferior is a filthy lie (Farmer 245)." This quote explains that though the book tells you to not let someone else change your opinion of yourself, trusted individuals can help you on your discovery to finding yourself. When El Patron dies, Matt finds out he is human (though still a clone), and proves he really isn't different than anyone else. This shows how he overcomes everyone's opinions and ultimately discovers who he is.

There are a few important sub-themes as well. One of them is your own worst enemy is yourself. This connects to the main theme because Matt often brings himself down and thinks of himself as an animal at the beginning of the book. He allows other's comments and ideas of him to bring him down. For example, after the horrible treatment by Rosa at the beginning of the book, Matt was traumatized and wouldn't speak or interact with humans for a fairly large portion of time. Another important sub-theme, again linked to the main theme, is the importance of friendship. I think this is important because there are several people, such as Tam Lin, Celia, Maria, and his friends from the Plankton Factory, that support Matt and are important to him. The novel showcases those strong ties of friendship and how they influence Matt's life and decisions.

Thanks for reading! Keep checking for more posts.

The Scorpion Project: Characterization

Hello! This is my fourth post on the Scorpion Project and second post talking about one of the six literary elements we will be exploring. As the title suggests, this post is on the characters.

At the beginning of the book, I didn't like Matt. This was because I couldn't relate to him, as he was 6 years old. I understood why he wouldn't talk to people after his imprisonment or didn't speak up, but that didn't make me like him anymore. To be honest, it just made me frustrated and annoyed with the repetition and the way the story was going. However, I actually found myself sympathizing with Matt and understanding him more as the story went on. It was a really obvious show of Matt growing up, which proved him as a dynamic character. Matt is obviously a round character as well, as we follow his life from the age of 6 to 14, and the protagonist as well.

The most surprising character to me in this book was Tam Lin. There was a lot of development surrounding his character, and some backstory that gave a bit of insight into his past. Though we don't know all the background surrounding some of his choices and actions, we do understand more about how these choices have affected him throughout his life.

I was disappointed with the lack of character development about Tom and Felicia. We understand that they both hate Matt, probably because of the fact he is El Patron's clone, who did some horrible things to Felicia in the past. However, I would've liked to see more insight into Tom's story about his family life, and how Felicia changed from before she was constantly on drugs or alcohol. I feel like their only purpose in the story was to show how much hate people show for El Patron and Matt.

I loved Maria because, though sometimes a little bratty when she was little, she was a fun character to read about. Her explosive moods and bubbly personality made her more vivid in my mind. Maria is a round character because we understand many things about her through Matt's narrative, as they have a close relationship. Though still the same bubbly, full of life girl she was at the beginning, Maria is slightly dynamic as well because her views on Matt not having a soul change throughout the novel.

I think in the majority of the novel, society (and the people in it) is the antagonist because this is the reason he feels like he doesn't belong. A sub-antagonist of this novel is El Patron because he is the one who deceived Matt and wants his organs.

Thanks for reading! I'll be posting my theme post very soon today.

April Wrap-Up and May TBR

Hello! This post is my wrap-up for the books I read in April, and my TBR list for the coming month, May. This month was bad for reading because I kept stopping books in the middle of them and reading new ones so... yeah. Here are the books I read in the month of April.

1. Prodigy by Marie Lu- **** (four stars)
2. The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen- *** (three stars)
3. The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson- **** (four stars)
4. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray- **** */* (four and a half stars)
5. Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers- *** */* (three and a half stars)
6. Shards & Ashes (I've read 4 stories) by Various Authors- TBA

With all the book-to-movie adaptations coming out soon, I thought I'd dedicate a reading month to books with movies recently released or to be released this year. 

1. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
2. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
3. The Host by Stephanie Meyer

All three of these books are big. Especially the Host. That book looks massive. So, I have a back-up book just in case I don't have enough time or energy to read a 600+ paged book. This back-up book is Delirium by Lauren Oliver. This doesn't completely fit into my theme because it is being made into a TV series rather than a movie and is airing in 2014, but close enough. 

That's it for this post! Remember I will be posting a book review for each of these and maybe a movie review later (don't count on it, though). Thanks for reading! What books are on your TBR for May?