tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79668548646136547152024-03-05T01:25:13.172-08:00A Dreamer's Passion|Aspiring Journalist| Unique and cheap geek| international current events and travel junkie|Cristina Roockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13878593316301246114noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966854864613654715.post-79266607003186231022014-05-19T14:43:00.000-07:002014-05-19T14:49:35.891-07:00May Reading Challenge: Monument 14 Series<br />
Author: Emmy Laybourne<br />
Rating: an average of 4 stars<br />
<b><i>Review Contains Spoilers</i></b><br />
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My May reading challenge for June's Fierce Reads tour event continues!<br />
Spanning 3 novels, Laybourne's series follows a group of kids fighting to survive after a volcanic eruption sets off a chain of deadly events. The first book covers the panic as the kids are thrown together and struggle to live in a superstore. The second book shows the group splitting up, one half taking their chance in the outside world. The third portrays a semi reunion at a Canadian refugee camp before some of the main characters decide to break out to find a friend they presumed dead. Here's my new overview of all 3 books:</div>
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<b><i>What I Liked:</i></b></div>
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<li>This book had every kind of apocalypse in it. The initial event, a volcano, sets off a tsunami on the entire East Coast and escalates into hail storms and chemical spills in Denver, where Monument 14 takes place. As disturbing as I sound right now, I found the escalation of disasters pretty realistic and AWESOME. As someone who lives in earthquake territory I do know earthquakes can result in tsunamis and maybe even chemical spills pending what part of the world it occurs in.</li>
<li><i>Some </i>of the characters kicked ass. Laybourne's writing added a brilliant innocence to her characters, some of them as young as five. Reading about the end of the world from a teenager's point of view is nothing new in YA these days. Seeing how teenagers react to children and adapt as caregivers/adults is always something I enjoy seeing through character development. All the typical characters are included: the jock/nerd/bad girl/mother figure to the kids. The tone of voice seemed spot on for kids albeit sometimes annoying. Like I said, mostly spot on from a 13-16 year-old's perspective.</li>
<li>The book begins with one of the main characters, Dean, describing his seemingly normal morning before a hail storm changes his life. He doesn't have time to tell his mother he loves her before racing to catch the bus with his brother. Later on Dean torments himself about the last time he saw his mother and if his parents are even alive. The series ends with Dean and his mom hugging, hence a full circle.</li>
<li>The plot was something new to me. I don't know if other YA/post apocalyptic books have explored blood types as a theme but it's new to me.The end of the world truly begins when a chemical plant spill goes airborne, affecting people differently based on their blood type. Reactions are deadly blisters, paranoia and violence. One blood type experiences no drastic side effects but results in sterility and sexual performance issues. (Not sure there's a win/win here for anyone). Readers find out the chemical plant was messing with biological warfare and science experiments. Later on camps are set up to imprison Type Os (the violent types). </li>
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<b><i>What I Didn't Like:</i></b></div>
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<li>Baby=plot device<i style="font-weight: bold;">. </i>Sadly, I have noticed this trend in books for a long time. There's an obsession with how a new generation will survive under bleak circumstances. I'm a little tired of it. Astrid, one of the main characters and Dean's love interest, reveals she's a few months pregnant at the end of book one. Naturally the baby's father is one of the jocks and Dean's on/off again rivals. The baby becomes a central plot because Astrid and Dean are both Type O and cannot function in the outside world without masks. Living in a superstore has its benefits but holds no candle to proper healthcare or a hospital. They also can't control how the baby will react to the elements when its born. Astrid and Dean flee the refugee camp in book three because of their heightened interest in her unborn child. I also found it very unrealistic how Astrid and Dean hooked up during her pregnancy and proceeded to fall in love fast. Hormones still take over even in the hardest circumstances, I guess.</li>
<li>In book three one of the Type O characters is about to undergo medical procedures for the sake of science. The lead scientist turns out to be the father of the only kid from the original group that died. He changes his mind about the medical testing and lets the group go free once he finds out they knew his son. The scientists were kind of shown as the villains of the book, at least in association with the power plant. I was okay with that but after so much haggling I found it hard to believe the bad guy would let his prey go so easily over sentimental reasons. <i>Especially </i>if he found out his son died while in their company regardless if it was their fault or not. </li>
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My average rating for all three books is 4 stars. Each novel had the right amount of drama, conflict and cliffhangers. I'm excited to see Emmy Laybourne in June and am thankful for the new concepts she presented in her novels!</div>
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Cristina Roockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13878593316301246114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966854864613654715.post-71993966095204543222014-05-06T23:01:00.001-07:002014-05-06T23:01:18.068-07:00May Challenge: Love Letters to the DeadMeeting an author in real life became a reality for me a few years ago. In 2013 I met Lauren Oliver, Hugh Howey and Jodi Picoult. 2014 has not been as exciting, mainly because I haven't met anyone. I'm counting on June's Fierce Reads tour to change that. Leigh Bardugo, Emmy Laybourne, Ava Dellaria and Jennifer Mathieu will headline the YA tour with their May/June releases.<br />
I challenged myself to read and familiarize myself with these authors and their latest novels in May so I'm ready for the event in June.<br />
I'm one book down for my goal after reading Love Letters to the Dead.<br />
Author: Ava Dellaria<br />
Rating: 4 stars<br />
<b><i>Review Contains Major Spoilers</i></b><br />
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<a name='more'></a>Ava Dellaria's debut novel is a lovely and heartbreaking coming-of-age story. The protagonist, Laurel, is starting high school and can't come to terms with her past. Her sister May's death resulted in her mother moving away and Laurel choosing to live with her aunt part time. Laurel also starts high school in a different school district without her sister's death to overshadow her identity. One of her first high school assignments is to write a letter to a dead person. Lauren writes letters to Jim Morrison, Amy Winehouse, Kurt Cobain. Amelia Earhart and other famously tragic people. Pretty soon one homework assignment turns into a ritual diary experience. Through her letters Lauren relates to the dead person's life and experiences with her own and May's. As she navigates high school, first love and friendships the letters become a safety net.<br />
Personally it was hard for me to connect with some of the dead people Laurel wrote to, therefore making some of the writing bland and hard to enjoy. Judy Garland and River Phoenix were my favorites backstories. I feel like the letters should have been written to May because it's more personal and gutwrenching but I get that would have been repetitive over time.<br />
In the end, I feel like readers get a slow and heartbreaking view into how young adults and families fall apart and slowly come back together. May was Laurel's hero, above any of the dead musicians, poets or celebrities she wrote to. She came undone after their parents divorced and hid her pain from Laurel to protect her. Despite her best efforts, Laurel was molested when May was supposed to be watching her. May falls to her death after Lauren tells her the truth. To me suicide was heavily implied even though May was drunk at the time.<br />
Laurel slowly reveals her pain and secrets to her friends and the guy she likes. Laurel's friends and on again/off again boyfriend started out as one dimensional to me but I grew to like them. Laurel's family felt more relatable in writing to me. While parts of the ending came off as too cookie cutter perfect for me it was also realistic in its own way. As far as debut novels go, Dellaria has a good start.<br />
<br />Cristina Roockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13878593316301246114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966854864613654715.post-46917248808483572722014-04-09T07:39:00.000-07:002014-04-09T07:51:40.928-07:00"Leaving Doctor Who is the saddest thing that's ever happened to happen to me"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Cristina Roock</td></tr>
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<b>Emerald City Comicon 2014</b></div>
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From March 28-30, thousands upon thousands of people flock to the Seattle Convention Center for Emerald City Comicon. Since 2003, the con has attracted fans of all ages with their activities and panels on comic books, graphic novels, TV shows, movies and more. According to ECCC's website, 2014 was their most successful year. This year was also my first time ever attending a comic con. I have one theory on why this year may have been the biggest yet: Karen Gillan. </div>
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Scotland native Karen Gillan, 26, played Amy Pond on the British show <i>Doctor Who. </i>The show became a big hit in the States during her era as the Doctor's traveling companion. Her last episode aired in September 2012, causing worldwide heartache. Thankfully, <i>Doctor Who</i> isn't the last we'll see of her. Since Who, she's starred the indie flick <i>Not Another Happy Ending </i>and will be in <i>Oculus, </i>her first mainstream horror movie out April 11. Not to mention this one movie called <i>Guardians of the Galaxy, </i>where she'll portray the villain Nebula. </div>
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During her panel, Gillan touched on all of her projects and discussed her costars, family and future as well. Gillan had never visited Seattle before ECCC, she said. Seattle's weather is much like Scotland and Starbucks was on her to-do list before flying out, Gillan said.</div>
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Fans lined up and took turns asking Gillan questions on a microphone. From children to aspiring actors and actresses, Gillan received an array of interesting questions.</div>
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.<b><i>Doctor Who: Getting the role</i></b></div>
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The saddest thing Gillan has ever experienced is leaving <i>Doctor Who. </i>One bittersweet story she shared with the audience regarded her mother, a longtime <i>Doctor Who </i>fan. After snagging the role of Amy Pond, Gillan traveled to her home with the <i>Doctor Who </i>crew to surprise her mother with the news. Her mom was washing the dishes and started crying, Gillan said.</div>
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<b><i>Matt & Arthur</i></b></div>
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Gillan and Arthur Darvill (Rory Williams) were both introduced to the Doctor Who fandom around the same time as Matt Smith. All three of them went on a wild ride as the show's popularity increased. "Matt's my best friend and they are both like the brothers I never had," Gillan said. Gillan and Smith would play around all day on set and film scenes in between, Gillan joked. </div>
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Pranks and laughter were common on set. "Arthur once printed a picture of Mrs.Doubtfire and taped it on my trailer," she said. Matt was chatting with a pretty girl and knocked over a light trying to look cool, Gillan said.</div>
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When one fan asked if Gillan would ever reprise her role as Amy she replied only if Darvill and Smith returned as well.</div>
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<b><i>The 12th Doctor</i></b></div>
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When Doctor Who returns next fall Peter Capaldi will be the Thirteenth Doctor. Capaldi and Gillan guest starred in the same Pompeii episode during David Tennant's era. Gillan thinks Capaldi is a good match for the role because he's a huge fan of the series, she said. Capaldi, known for his infamous cursing, might need the TARDIS vortex sounds to bleep out language, Gillan joked.</div>
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<b><i>Time Travel, Memorable Scenes and Desert Islands</i></b></div>
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Some of my other favorite questions:</div>
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When asked where she would travel to with TARDIS if she could, Gillan chose to go as far into the future before the world ends. </div>
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"I would say hi to the Prime Minister and the President of America," she said.</div>
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'The Girl Who Waited' was Gillan's most memorable scene to film, she said. When Gillan mentioned how she enjoyed playing an older Amy Pond and filming the last scenes with Rory the crowd squealed and laughed.</div>
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Gillan chose the Eleventh Doctor and Clara as the Doctor and companion she'd like to have with her on a deserted island. </div>
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Several audience members were aspiring filmmakers, actors and actresses. Some advice Gillan had for them was to harden themselves to rejection and never give up. She also advised people to soak up all knowledge from first-hand experience in theater, movies and TV show acting.</div>
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<b><i>Guardians of the Galaxy/Oculus</i></b></div>
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Marvel's 'Guardians of the Galaxy' is out this summer To prepare for her role Gillan had to exercise a lot and eat way more protein, she said. Filming fight scenes with Zoe Saldana was her favorite part to film, Gillan said. </div>
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Until <i>Guardians </i>is released Gillan fans have <i>Oculus </i>(out April 11)<i> </i>to tide them over.<i> </i>In <i>Oculus, </i>Gillan plays a woman tortured by a haunted mirror and her family's dark past. It looks like fans have plenty of Gillan projects to look forward to.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Cristina Roock</td></tr>
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<br />Cristina Roockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13878593316301246114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966854864613654715.post-43453542214082500762014-03-17T19:30:00.000-07:002014-03-17T19:30:16.109-07:00The Book Thief<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">5 Stars</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Author: Markus Zusak</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Review Contains Some Spoilers</b><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">This is not your average novel. For example, Death is the narrator. Death is not cocky or the black hooded figure everyone envisions. </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">The Book Thief </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">starts in 1939 and ends a few years later--some of the biggest body count years for Europe and frankly the entire world. Death has a lot of work---and does it with sadness and dignity.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Death's co-narrator is Liesel, a very much alive foster girl. Her mother sends her to live with an older aged couple as the war is stirring. </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">The Book Thief </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">is a classic coming of age story. Liesel learns how to love a new family, make friends and read. She also steals books. A book lost right after her brother's burial. A book taken from a former employer's home. A book partially ruined and doomed to death for being written by a Jew. Each of these tales integrate themselves into the story. The biggest struggle Liesel faces involves the Jewish man her family hides. As they become best friends and go on the greatest book adventures together the dangers become greater. Liesel, her family and even entire town could be killed for hiding the Jew, regardless who is for Hitler or not.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">What I liked the most about this book was how the characters were written. We have Liesel's beloved papa, a man whose own son turned against him for never embracing the Nazi Germany'd principles. Liesel's adopted mother, a tough and often cursing woman, grows to love her adopted daughter. Not everyone in the small town are as likable or as humane which is fine with me. I can picture countless towns like the one in </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">The Book Thief </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">, each character adds something to the story.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">I'm sure the infamous ending is what really gets to readers. I know it tore me up. I won't give away much but I feel like I should have seen it coming. Then again the book portrays one of the simplest messages about war: sacrifices can help a person survive--as well as die. People also live on. Death and Liesel can both attest to that.</span></div>
Cristina Roockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13878593316301246114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966854864613654715.post-49999498570272068752014-03-03T16:44:00.004-08:002014-03-03T16:44:57.292-08:00BurnAuthor: Julianna Baggott<br />
Rating: 4 stars<br />
<b><i>Review Contains Spoilers</i></b><br />
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<i>Burn </i>is the last book of Julianna Baggott's amazing Pure trilogy. Each book, especially the ending, always left me fangirling or with my mouth hanging wide open.<br />
If I had read <i>Burn </i>as a hardcover the ending would have made me throw the book against the wall. Luckily I read it on a Kindle, which I threw into a pile of pillows.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Baggott's series takes place in a post-apocalyptic steampunk world. The world is ravaged by disease and death after nuclear detonations wipe a majority of sustainable life out. One group of people, The Pures, survived the detonations by taking refuge in a sky dome that protected their bodies. The people who survive the blasts on land are the Wretches, people battling disfigurations and mutations. This series doesn't shy away from adult material. By adult material I am excluding sexual content and swear words. Violence is an ongoing theme but mainly it's just imagery. People are fused to inanimate objects, animals and other people. The class divide is a dome.<br />
The trilogy follows about five different characters. Two are in the forefront:<br />
Partridge is a Pure. His father, the trilogy villain, is a high ranking official in the Dome. His master plans and ideas are what drives the plot and characters throughout all three books. Partridge leaves the sanctity of the Dome to find his mother, who he believed dead for most of his life.<br />
Pressia is a Wretch and she's on the run. Once everyone is a certain age they are required to join the militia as a soldier or suffer the consequences. While on the run, Pressia and Partridge meet and become allies. Along their journey to take down the Dome and discover the secrets surrounding their families and the detonations they discover there's more to the world of ash and fire. They also meet other Pures and Wretches that will change their lives for better or worse.<br />
<i>Burn </i>falls flat to me because the series ended with more questions than answers. I feel like certain characters were killed off just to induce fan rage. Other characters were slaughtered by weak portrayals. Readers got the strong sense that an outside world existed and survived the detonations but we only got a mere glimpse of that life. Pressia's father remained a mystery. The best twist regarded how Wretches were seen as superior due to their immunity to the outside world--Pures had weak immune systems and could not live outside the Dome. A cure was also in the works. Both plots had amazing and terrifying potential but the ending was so rushed readers were denied to the chance to savor it. Maybe this is all a bad joke and there'll be more books. Here's to hoping, anyway. Cristina Roockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13878593316301246114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966854864613654715.post-10186877974599612732014-02-24T14:45:00.001-08:002014-02-24T14:53:51.583-08:00The DivinersAuthor: Libba Bray<br />
Rating: 5 stars<br />
<b><i>Review May Contain Spoilers</i></b><br />
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<a name='more'></a>My favorite decades to read about are WW2 and the Sixties. A book about the Roaring Twenties never caught my attention.<br />
Libba Bray's <i>The Diviners </i>changed that for me. Her book goes beyond the usual <i>Great Gatsby </i>glamour. The KKK, eugenics, dark magic, Harlem Renaissance and Chinese Exclusion Act all have honorable mentions that connect the plot and characters. Don't worry, the Jazz Age and theater showgirls also make important appearances. This is no ordinary YA novel, the occult themes make the book positively terrifying at times. As a reader, I got creeped out and may or may not have been afraid to sleep in the complete dark while reading it. (Update: since I finished the book sleeping has been no issue)<br />
<i>The Diviners </i>follows Evie O'Neill. She has a dangerous power: she can see a person's darkest secrets just by touching a personal item of theirs. Keeping this power a secret is possible but problematic. Trouble follows Evie and soon enough her exasperated parents send her away to live with her uncle in NYC. Uncle Will happens to run a museum that specializes in the occult. The museum isn't exactly the reason for all truly horrifying events that will take place, though.<br />
The novel starts out with a gaggle of rich snobby teenagers partying it up with a Ouija board. Unknowingly they summon Naughty John, a powerful entity slated to bring the end of the world. He is not your average villain. I'm not sure any description does him justice.<br />
Evie and Will's lives are turned upside down when a string of murders terrorize New Yorkers. Each murder victim is chosen to match the description of a religious prophecy and occult symbols are at every crime scene. The cops want Will's help and Evie finds out her powers could help catch the killer. Evie also makes new friends--and there's a love triangle. (What YA novel doesn't have one?) None of these factors take away from the brilliant writing. Evie is also not alone--some of her friends have powers or dark secrets of their own. Only the Diviners can save the world--if they aren't hunted down first.<br />
I am pretty sure this will be a trilogy and the second book is coming out this summer. I am partly glad I just got into this series--the wait would've killed me. Readers are weary of the 600+ page sequel. My reaction? Challenge accepted.<br />
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<br />Cristina Roockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13878593316301246114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966854864613654715.post-3822577292922102692014-02-19T13:02:00.000-08:002014-02-19T13:19:26.571-08:00Perry and Gobi seriesAuthor: Joe Schreiber<br />
Rating: 3.5 stars average<br />
<b><i>Review Contains Mild Spoilers</i></b><br />
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<a name='more'></a>Many YA series throw action, adventure, romance and crime in a reader's face. Very few do it so well in a fast-paced manner. Schreiber's novels do not go over 230 pages and keep up with the pacing in a remarkable way. The plot and characters might not always be the most realistic. However, Perry and Gobi is not meant to be taken too seriously, at least not to me. My only complaint was how women were portrayed and how it affected the novel. A lot of the series is a wet dream for male readers. There's nothing wrong with that, unless it affects how women should be taken seriously (or a lack thereof). More on this later:<br />
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Perry is a seemingly average 17-year-old. His family takes in an exchange student, Gobi. She's seen as nedry, quiet and antisocial. Perry barely exchanges words with her. All Perry cares about is his band and applying to college. His relationship with his father is strained, seeing as his father already has Perry's future/college planned out regardless of Perry's actual wishes. Perry's father pretty much forces Perry to take Gobi to their prom. It's prom night where things go wrong. Not spilling-punch-on-that-expensive-dress and losing-my-virginity kind of wrong, but the-exchange-student-is-kidnapping-me-and-forcing-me-to-take-her-to-NYC wrong.</div>
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Suddenly, Gobi is wearing different clothes, has a gun and looks remarkably better looking. What gives? Well, she's a hitwoman on a mission to avenge her sister's death by taking out some of the wealthiest and powerful men, all residing in NYC for just one night. Her exchange student status was a cover-up to buy time and research her targets. Coincidence? You, reader, already know the answer. </div>
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Naturally, feelings develop between Perry and Gobi. His family is put in danger. Bullets fly, people die and some pretty awesome fights go down. Perry's relationship with his father is put to the ultimate test--bringing up skeletons from the past. The good news is his NYC adventure with Gobi lands Perry in the college he wants after submitting an essay narrating these "real" events. If I had known this, I would have gotten involved with a hitman my senior year as well. Just kidding.</div>
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In book two, Perry is doing well in college, has a hot new girlfriend and a successful band. Are things too good to be true? During his band tour, Perry makes a personal stop while in Italy. The last time he saw Gobi was after she almost died. Their reunion is inevitable, which means trouble is as well. This time there's CIA agents, a brain tumor and more death involved. This book had less twists for me and only because I personally figured out who the bad guy were way ahead of time. Another plus: readers see a more fleshed out version of Gobi as well as her past. She's not portrayed as an invincible killing machine. I felt like women were portrayed as only two versions in this series: vengeful killing machines who rarely let their guard down or beautiful and somewhat slutty liars. A happy medium was never fully reached save for a few Gobi moments in books one and two. Perry's mother and sister were written way better but they were props most of the time--always in danger or out of the way. I liked book two's ending a lot because it ended on more realistic terms than the first one. A well written and killer essay versus a family recovering from turmoil and barely making it. The ending was a nice change in the otherwise action packed series. I don't know if a book three will come out but my Perry/Gobi shipper will read it.</div>
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Cristina Roockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13878593316301246114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966854864613654715.post-15986418080242415762014-02-12T13:17:00.000-08:002014-02-12T13:17:50.147-08:00Gone SeriesAuthor: Michael Grant<br />
Rating: 3-5 stars pending on the book<br />
<b><i>Review Contains Spoilers</i></b><br />
Book One (Gone) and Six (Light) Covers Featured<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Spanning six books, Grant's YA dysotopian series takes readers on a wild rollercoaster ride. Grant crafts a world reminiscent of <i>Left Behind, </i><i>Lord of the Flies </i>and <i>Under the Dome </i>with only children.<i> </i><br />
In book one, <i>Gone, </i>every person over the age of 15 vanishes from Perdido Beach, California. A energy barrier forms over the town. At first everyone left behind is freaked out. Soon that turns into ecstasy. No more homework, curfews or traditional meals! A world without rules is what most children dream of. Pretty soon reality sets in. Teenagers need to step up and become the town's firefighter, law enforcement and parent. The town's local high school and private preparatory school battle for the leadership position. The town's nuclear power plant and mines arouse suspicion, especially since an evil is forming in the mines. The good guys (Sam, Eldido, Astrid) are introduced along with the bad guys (Caine, Drake, Diana). There's also a pesky catch: in the wake of the disaster some kids start exhibiting scary supernatural powers. Some of them had powers before the disappearances and energy barrier. Could they be the reason everything happened?<br />
Book two, <i>Hunger, </i>has Sam and Caine battling each other for power and survival. Readers also find out they are fraternal twin brothers. Sam's mother worked at the private school, Coates, as a nurse. She supposedly knew both her sons had power. Other tensions and drama beat out Caine/Sam, though. The town is now known as the FAYZ (Fallout Alley Youth Zone). Kids are beginning to starve to death. Mutant powers vs. no powers has created a rift, causing kids to kill each other. The teenagers determine the town's nuclear plant can help them keep the electricity on. However an accident 15 years ago involving the nuclear plant may have created the evil residing in the mines, also known as the gaiaphage.<br />
<i>Lies</i> shows the teenagers attempting and failing to keep the town in order. The town's council begins keeping secrets from each other which eventually causes mistrust throughout the community. Astrid fears her autistic brother plays a bigger role with the FAYZ creation. After three books of complete mystery surrounding the energy barrier Grant teases readers with a big twist. The dome vanishes for mere seconds and reveals the outside world not only still exists but that the town is surrounded by the news, military and worried families. Even though the energy barrier returns it's enough to incite speculation and excitement for characters and readers alike.<br />
<i>Plague </i>introduces a mysterious illness which kills off countless kids. Perdido Beach also a new leader, the cunning Albert. The gaiaphage's evil plans also continue with killer insects and parasites. Readers witness one main character make a heartbreaking decision by killing her own sibling. More new characters are revealed to be hiding on an island nearby Perdido Beach. Caine and Diana escape to the island only to make certain decisions that will test their relationship and everyone's survival.<br />
The fifth book, <i>Fear, </i>is especially exciting because it finally shows us an adult's point-of-view on the outside. Connie Temple, Sam and Caine's mother, shows readers what the adult community has endured after literally being pulled out of Perdido Beach without some of their children. She finds out the military plans to nuke the energy barrier. Plus we learn she was having an affair so Sam and Caine might have different fathers (saucy). Astrid has gone rogue after killing Little Petey. Petey is not really alive anymore but he's also not dead. His spirit continues to escalate events within the FAYZ. The gaiaphage wants to take on Petey in human form--as Diana's newborn. Since baby Gaia is not really normal she grows at an alarmingly fast rate and can absorb the other kid's powers. (I guess evil has that advantage). Most importantly, the barrier turns black leaving everyone in the dark. After so much pain and endurance, everyone is ultimately facing the worst circumstances since the series begin. And that's saying a lot.<br />
The last book, <i>Light, </i>shows how the FAYZ kids and the outside world can finally see each other since the barrier turned transparent. The public can see how kids kill each other to survive--causing the media, military and parents to take actions into their own hands. Enemies become allies with the sole cause to take down Gaia. Major characters make the ultimate sacrifice and die. And most importantly? We see the race against time on the outside as the kids finally break through.<br />
I know this was a long review. My final thoughts? I might be off but some of the biblical overtones were awesome. Some not so much. I wonder if Caine and Abel from the Bible represented Caine and Sam in certain ways. It's also revealed Caine was the son of Connie's husband while Sam was the product of an affair. The entire reason Connie gave up Caine for adoption was because of some serious evil vibes she got from him as a baby. Turns out the power plant/meteor accident, which created the gaiaphage, killed her husband in process. The gaiaphage was just a freaky alien form the entire time. As a meteor, it crashed in Perdido Beach and killed Mr. Temple, causing the meteor to soak up some human DNA. Trapped in the mines, it struggled to live. The meteor crash also explained why some kids under a certain age got powers.<br />
Safe sex was another topic that went awry. The "good" characters, Sam and Astrid, practiced safe sex. Caine and Diana had unprotected sex and Diana ended up giving birth to an alien host. Yes, kids, practice safe sex. But the idea that the "bad" characters (who later redeem themselves) made poor sex decisions seemed contrived to me. That's not how life works. Besides, maybe Sam had easier access to condoms than Caine did. Just saying.<br />
The Bible's Revelations obviously became the biggest influence in this book. Before we found out about the outside world, life was literally ending for the kids inside the barrier. First everyone over a certain age vanishes. I know it's not like <i>Left Behind </i>exactly but we see how a kid's humanity and faith is tested. Starvation, the plague and evil locusts all go hand-in-hand with the book of Revelations. Even after the outside world is revealed we have half the U.S. population declaring the children as dangerous devils.<br />
Most of all, I cherished how the characters were written. Seemingly good smart characters made irreversible horrible mistakes. Evil characters redeemed themselves and sacrificed their lives for a greater good. And they were all 15 or 16 tops. Events forcing children to become adults can go both ways: devastating and extremely well. We see both situations. We see characters question their faith, sexuality and morals. Not all survive but when they do life is not easy on the outside.Kids are seriously messed up--some commit suicide. The country needs to arrest kids for what happened on the inside but Caine pulls through even after his death to put all legal implications on him. Sam, Diana and Astrid all end up as roommates which is endearing. Even with full access to all the food and electronics we see their vulnerability over something as simple as moving on--or turning off the light.Cristina Roockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13878593316301246114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966854864613654715.post-77197166789743376782014-01-30T19:39:00.001-08:002014-01-30T19:39:28.134-08:00Dark Inside and Rage WithinAuthor: Jeyn Roberts<br />
Rating: 4 Stars-Dark Inside 5 stars-Rage Within<br />
<b><i>Review Contains Spoilers</i></b><br />
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<a name='more'></a>The world can end anytime. For four teenagers, the beginning of the end starts sooner than anyone would anticipate. Earthquakes rip apart the Pacific Northwest. Bombings and mass murder terrorize the rest of the country as people become infected with murderous rage.<br />
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Each character is separated from their loved ones and forced to do unthinkable things to merely survive an extra night. Mason struggles with his dark side after losing everyone he knows on the initial day of the attacks. Michael is constantly on the run and makes a decision he'll regret forever. Aries (female character, just to clarify), loses her best friend and meets Daniel, who may or may not have dark secrets of his own. Clementine is on a journey to Seattle to find her long lost brother after her entire town is massacred. Plus a mysterious character "Nothing" shows readers how a normal person became infected and lost their soul.<br />
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This novel does not hold back from violence or gore. People go nuts and kill their own families. "Nothing" continually stresses human civilization became too greedy and had to be reset. The "crazies" and non-infected humans fight each other for control and survival.<br />
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All four characters don't meet until the very end which I liked. Readers had time to see each character's backstory and plot fleshed out individually. Mason, Michael, Aries and Clementine are destined to meet in Vancouver B.C. and help each other in a lethal battle in a Vancouver department store and we see exactly that go down, and so much more.<br />
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In <i>Rage Within </i>the protagonists are holed up in a safe house and in contact with other survivors. A bunch of new characters outside of the four protagonists were introduced in the first book. Usually an array of new characters can get confusing or annoying to me as a reader but the characters are well written and I grew attached to them.<br />
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In the second book the infected are purging Vancouver by rounding up normal people and putting them in a camp. The infected are also more organized and smart--and it's hinted they can still feel remorse and other things from their past life. Readers are also teased by the level of infection--how easily one can become infected and how they might be able to hide it. Mason continues to deal with some kind of darkness growing inside of him. Aries is one of the leaders and witnesses a chain of events that'll test her sanity. Michael's past haunts him in subtle ways. Clementine continues to look for her brother.<br />
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Romance also blooms: we see a growing love triangle between Mason/Daniel/Aries (I am Team Mason. Probably one of the few) and something blooms between Michael and Clementine (I dig it).<br />
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"Nothing" also becomes more of a protagonist. Instead of just being a narrator readers receive a sort of a backstory. To be honest, I wasn't sold on "Nothing" in the first book. While those chapters gave great narrative I wondered what exact role "Nothing" would play and turns out I may have been a absentminded reader. Other readers have theories that "Nothing" is one of the main characters. Mason and Daniel are popular guesses. My bet is actually Aries. All of the characters face horrible situations and lose friends. However, Mason and Daniel are too obvious for me. Enough events in <i>Rage Inside</i> involving Aries make me seriously think she may be "Nothing". The darkness can get a hold of everyone--the question is who is telling the story and is humanity restored when they are telling it?<br />
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(We'll have to wait until book three to find out. I'm impatiently waiting.)Cristina Roockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13878593316301246114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966854864613654715.post-63152146360372959892014-01-11T16:01:00.000-08:002014-01-11T16:01:38.375-08:00The Age of MiraclesAuthor: Karen Thompson Walker<br />
Rating: 4 stars<br />
<b><i>Review Contains Mild Spoilers</i></b><br />
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Being an 11-year-old can be such a fragile thing. A kid's mind is still developing and tender right as puberty is inching closer. School/homework, crushes and arguing with parents are main parts of everyone's puberty. 11-year-old Julia gives readers a special point of view when the world starts ending. First of all, this is not the average apocalyptic novel. The end of the world is slow and never really happens (more on that later). Issues and drama are planted like seeds--slowly budding and evolving before exploding before Julia's eyes.<br />
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Earth's rotation is slowing down. Days grow longer. Daytime and nighttime flip flop. Gravity is a memory and the environment suffers. All things people take advantage of every day. Julia and her family live in California and are forced to adjust to a different life. Readers also get to see how Julia's neighbors challenge and adapt to new ways of life.<br />
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I don't know if it's just me but survival of the fittest came across as the underlying theme. All the characters--whether they oppose or support the new daylight rules--survived based on their will to adapt to their liking.<br />
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Despite the end of world coming undone, Julia grows up and experiences heartbreak and wisdom. She loses her best friend. Not to death or disease but the natural growing apart what happens between friends and cliques. Julia's crush turns into a good friend and somewhat of a boyfriend. Her relationship with her grandfather is also tested as he prepares for a fallout, feeding on his own government conspiracies. Julia and her parents are tested as an affair threatens to break them apart.<br />
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As the novel ends, Julia and her family overcome obstacles and stay together. Several years have passed since the rotation slowed down and while things get worse, Julia deals with the new normal as well as she can. I wasn't expecting anyone to be alive at the end but maybe the end is not always so definitive. The end of the world will happen, just on its own time. While <i>Age of Miracles </i>ended on a bleak note, the concept felt fresh to me.<br />
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<br />Cristina Roockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13878593316301246114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966854864613654715.post-20290111735265865732013-11-09T22:39:00.001-08:002013-11-09T22:40:23.958-08:00Ender's GameAuthor: Orson Scott Card<br />
Rating: 3.5 stars<br />
<b><i>Review Contains Spoilers</i></b><br />
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In its opening weekend, Ender's Game claimed the number one spot at the U.S. book office. For decades, the book has gained fans and caused controversy. Some of Orson Scott Card's views come out in the book. Military/patriotism, extreme propaganda and war tactics are themes that add and take away from the novel's quality.<br />
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Six-year-old Ender Wiggins is growing up in a dysotopian world. Propaganda teaches people aliens almost wiped out the human population and could come back at any time to finish the job. The same images of war are shown, with vital parts missing. Families are only allowed to have two children and the government is constantly watching. Children deemed sufficient by them are taken away to be trained as soldiers for the alien war.<br />
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The whole novel shows how Ender is manipulated and played by adults. Believed to be the future hero, he's isolated from other children to gain leadership skills and just be screwed with. The only person he misses is his sister, Valentine. His brother, Peter, continues to internally torture Ender like he did at home.<br />
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My major qualms came with the book's overtones and characterization. Ender's siblings seem to represent the good and bad he sees in himself. While he's away his siblings manage to create political personas via blogging and influence public opinion greatly. This plot could have been brilliant--Card predicted the future pretty well--and it's not hard to believe the public would fall for anything. However, I still find it hard to believe their personas became so popular they began to influence the world and outer space. At the end of the novel we see Valentine leave Earth and her family to travel with Ender. Peter is mentioned on and off until his death. A greater resolution between Peter and Ender would have been much appreciated--especially after so much turmoil and drama between the two. I felt like readers were cheated from that, although I have not read the sequels.<br />
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Another low point is Ender's progress--he remains the greatest at what he does and never suffers actual repercussions. Yes, he has a breakdown and almost starves himself after committing genocide. Yes, we know he completely regrets what he did. He and Valentine go on a galaxy quest of sorts which ends with inhabiting the planet of their "former" enemy. Ender preaches the message of love--knowing how to love and defeat your enemy at the same time. Not only do I find it hard to believe he could turn this message into a religion but when it comes to war I don't think this theory holds. I liked the idea of Ender finding the dormant egg and carrying it around but the "only when you love your enemy can you defeat him" did not match. The book's strongest point, propaganda, fizzled out. Instead we got all these characters getting the upper hand in the future without accounting for their actions. I daresay Ender's message at the end started feeling like propaganda to me in a way.<br />
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I can see why the book has been a hit, but I can also see why it's caused rifts. I don't plan to read the sequels. Ender's Game was dense for me at times and all the scenes with naked boys bathing and fighting in the showers could have been spared. Hopefully Ender's adventures continue with a dash of character development.<br />
<br />Cristina Roockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13878593316301246114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966854864613654715.post-35400471274068884662013-10-28T13:43:00.000-07:002013-10-28T13:43:02.717-07:00AllegiantAuthor: Veronica Roth<br />
Rating: 4 stars<br />
<b><i>Review Contains Spoilers</i></b><br />
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<a name='more'></a><i>"Sometimes bravery involves involves laying down your life for something bigger than yourself, or for someone else. Sometimes it involves giving up everything you have ever known, or everyone you have ever loved, for the sake of something greater. Sometimes it is nothing more than gritting your teeth through pain, and the work of every day, the slow walk toward a better life."</i><br />
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Veronica Roth's trilogy, centered on youths living in a dysotopian world, ends with readers possibly wanting to throw their e-readers or books against a wall. Then again, that's not new after reading Divergent and Insurgent.</div>
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Roth's novel is based in Chicago, which is divided into factions, based off desirable personality traits. For every pro there's a con though: Dauntless (brave but reckless), Candor (truthful but not always tactful), Amity ( peaceful but passive), Erudite (intelligent but lacking compassion) and Abnegation (selfless but constricted). At the age of sixteen people are initiated and can choose the faction they want. Tris chooses Dauntless but her official test results are inconclusive, which means she's Divergent and so is Four, her mentor turned boyfriend. Being Divergent is tricky in a world where factions are so tightly enforced.</div>
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By book three we learn how the factionless and Divergents clash with the rest of the population. A video is released featuring one of Tris's ancestors. The video claims the Divergent can save the ailing population outside of Chicago. So Tris, Four and their friends set out to find answers.</div>
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Readers find out a Purity War wiped out the country's population long ago. Tris, Four and co. are not aware the United States even exists. Airplanes, tablets and other cities are completely foreign to them. At an abandoned airport turned compound they meet the a bureau responsible for controlling and aiding their factions-which also includes some pretty nasty secrets. The main characters find out the government tried to fix negative personality traits by looking at "damaged genes" and finding people with "superior genes" and building communities around these issues. Propaganda is rampant.</div>
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The novel is told from Tris and Four's point of views which sometimes is confusing. Without giving much away, readers find out Natalie Prior's complete backstory and see Four come to terms with his parents. I found it hard to believe Natalie remained connected to her mentor, who turned out to be a murdering creep. Four's development with his messed up parents worked out well, especially in terms of moving on and forgiveness.</div>
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My biggest issue with the book concerned a possible plot hole. We find out the government has been manufacturing and using different kind of serums on Chicago's community--serums that reset memories and could even kill if need be. At the end the compound's officials are exposed to the reset serum so they can be told a different view of history to start over and break away from the damaged gene mentality. However a higher level of government exists and I find it hard to believe they didn't notice and revolt against the memory reset. Was Chicago just allowed to start over separated from the rest of the country? Unrealistic but somewhat of a happy ending in my opinion.</div>
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As for the biggest reveal, we do see a main character die, obviously. It was pretty obvious who it could be after certain events and emotions are revealed. I was not happy with the ending but did not hate it. On that cryptic note, my review will end with some deep pondering: the whole book's theme focused on love, sacrifice and bravery and how people are capable of showing these emotions regardless of genes. To me that makes up for the plotholes and ending, regardless of factions and damaged genes.</div>
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Cristina Roockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13878593316301246114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966854864613654715.post-67649664390602749362013-10-16T13:58:00.001-07:002013-10-16T13:58:29.306-07:00House of Hades<div style="text-align: justify;">
Author: Rick Riordan</div>
Rating: 4 stars<br />
<b><i>Review contains spoilers</i></b><br />
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<a name='more'></a>My initial reaction? Not as awesome as Mark of Athena, the previous book.<br />
However, Riordan skipped the literal cliffhanger ending this time.<br />
Beggars can't be choosers.<br />
HoH had the usual kick-ass action but each character had their own chapters with slow moments where readers were treated to amazing character development:<br />
<b>Nico-</b>I thought Riordan was brave for officially stating Nico had a tortured crush on Percy. I feel like most readers shouldn't be shocked. Since the beginning, Percy made a impression on Nico and Bianca's death complicated matters greatly. Nico's meeting with "Cupid" was one of the best moments in the book. Other characters, such as Jason, Percy and Annabeth all reflected on how Nico was hard to read but I feel like they all got to know him better, indirectly or not. Nico saved Percy and Annabeth's lives while he was in Tartarus. Jason witnessed Nico's confession about Percy, which cleared up a lot. Hazel and Nico's bond also strengthened but that'll be in Hazel' segment.<br />
<b>Leo-</b>Talk about #1 for character development. I didn't see Leo/Calypso coming at all. After a former foe blasts Leo to Calypso's cursed island, readers see how Leo completely changes. He's mostly on his own, separated from his friends and has no idea how much time has passed or if Gaia has taken control of Earth. And also, he and Calypso fall for each other. Readers find out Calypso and Percy's past impacted the present (more on that later) and Leo vows to get Calypso off the island. Something tells me they are endgame and unlike her past suitors, he means it. It won't be easy.<br />
<b>Jason-</b>The son of Jupiter got more of a personality and identity in HoH. Torn between his Roman roots and Greek experiences, Jason seems to embrace his Greek side. Choosing is a huge internal battle but he finally makes the decision. Also, one interesting point is how the other characters continue to show mistrust for him because of Gaia and the prophecy. I think it's a bit unfair because Jason and Percy are the beginning and end of the prophecy in my eyes.<br />
<b>Hazel-</b>Pluto's daughter and Nico's half sister kicks serious ass. Not only does she manage to control her curse but she acquires new stills that save the seven demigod's lives. Hazel can now control the Mist, showing enemies what they want to see. Hazel also comes far with relationships. She and Nico are close and bond over their past experiences. Her relationship with Frank is solid. Hazel/Leo are also put to a rest. Leo is a changed man after Calypso and Hazel realizes how her past was Sammy, not Leo. I never shipped them so frankly I'm happy, no pun intended.<br />
<b>Piper-</b>The ass kicking continues. Riordan writes less about Jason/Piper and more about Piper/becoming badass. I didn't mind this one bit. Piper successfully beats one of her most infamous foes, but not without losing Leo. I think this plot proved how all demigods take one step forward and two steps back. Hazel also teaches Piper how to swordfight after this said event which was awesome. I hope we see her skills evolve in the next book.<br />
<b>Frank-</b>After Leo, Frank is the runner up for development. He goes through physical and emotional transformations. In the past, Frank seemed unsure of his power and felt like he was not contributing to the group. In HoH we see him go into serious combat mode to save all of his friends. Ares/Mars rewards Frank by giving him a fighter form. Aka the start of a good puberty. Not only is Frank more sure of himself, but he seriously steps up and makes an important change to Roman leadership, Not to mention he bonds with Coach Hedge. That alone is the best accomplishment.<br />
<b>Annabeth and Percy-</b>They make it out of Hades alive, but barely. Not only do they almost die over 9,000 times but they discover how the underworld works. All the evil they conquered in the last comes back to bite them in the ass. Think of all the monsters and evil they killed. Now think about all the curses the dead may have wished upon dying. Yeah, not pretty. Goes beyond bitter feelings. One shocker for Percy was finding out Calypso may have wished him ill. Also, Percy shows he has a dark side which scares Annabeth. This excited and disturbed me. Was it the effects of Tartarus? Is he just growing up? Or is it something more sinister? We only have one book left so I am hoping it's not the latter. Annabeth and Percy both made hard judgement calls on their journey--Riordan heavily hinted the lasting side effects will be in the next book. Our favorite couple both see some of the pain they cause and make unlikely alliances with one Titan and giant. They also both discuss their future and the possibility of marriage and kids. It's hard not to squee.<br />
<b>Everything else-</b>The demigods successfully acquire the weapons and items they need to fight against Gaia and her giants or stop the Romans from attacking Camp Half Blood. Even minor characters like Reyna and Coach Hedge grow as characters.<br />
Favorite moments/quotes:<br />
Annabeth telling Percy she loves him at the beginning, as they fall down into Hades.<br />
Percy mentioning he's tired of looking like an extra from The Walking Dead.<br />
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So the next book, out October 7 2014, will be The Blood of Olympus. Sounds ominous. Will Riordan attempt to sacrifice one of the seven or kill anyone off? Will readers see more of the other Roman and Greek half bloods? Will the Gods ever get a grip and be helpful again?<br />
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Until then, demigods.Cristina Roockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13878593316301246114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966854864613654715.post-19907118324665104602013-09-10T16:06:00.000-07:002013-09-10T16:06:20.165-07:00Silent Witness (Tony Lord series)Author: Richard North Patterson<br />
Rating: 3 stars<br />
<i>Contains mild spoilers</i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Book summary: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Almost thirty years have passed since Tony Lord left Lake City. Thirty long years dedicated to putting the past the brutal murder of his girlfriend, Alison Taylor, and his own acquittal of the crime behind him. Married, a father, and a successful defense lawyer in San Francisco, Tony Lord has run as far from Lake City as he can.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">But the phone call requesting his return and the circumstances surrounding it is enough to make the ghosts of Tony's past live again. The trigger is the murder of another young woman, 16-year-old Lake City High School track star Marcie Calder, last seen alive with Sam Robb, her coach and Tony's childhood friend.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">With this stunning new novel of psychological drama and suspense,</span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Richard North Patterson</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> has done it again. </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Silent Witness</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> is a drama of rivalry and betrayal, the darkest recesses of love and friendship, and the tenacious grip of the past on all our lives</span><br />
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<a name='more'></a>To be honest, I became hooked on to <i>Silent Witness </i>via the cable network movie. Growing up, reading the book before seeing the show or movie adaption was always important. Since then this rule has been broken. Also, the plot reminded me an past addiction, also known as Lifetime movies.<br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The book was actually a bit underwhelming. A lot of the content was dense with courtroom vocabulary and procedures which might fly over many reader's heads. Personally, some of the lingo and technicalities proved difficult to understand. Outside of the courtroom, the best writing involved Tony Lord's flashbacks.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">A well known attorney, Tony is no stranger to the spotlight. He was accused and tried for murder in high school. While most high schoolers worry about the SAT's and their significant others, Tony was trying to play basketball, attend classes AND prepare for trial. Tony quickly learns how the law--and injustice works. Thanks to certain evidence, Tony is acquitted. Imagine how Tony feels when he finds out his childhood friend and rival, Sam, is accused of murder after a teen girl is found pregnant and dead. He has to leave behind his famous wife and beloved son behind. The dead teen's unborn child is Sam's. Tony only returns because of Sam's wife, whom Tony briefly had a fling with while she dated Sam in high school.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">If that past summary wasn't confusing or dramatic enough then I've done my job. If not then I think readers can stomach the entire novel (nearly 500 pages). As stated earlier, Tony's high school flashbacks are the best parts. They reveal the tension, politics and lies surrounding a close knit blue collar town. "The best town to raise kids" is quoted by several characters. Reading about Tony, Sam, Sam's girlfriend Sue and Tony's doomed girlfriend Alison revealed a lot about how Tony came to be the lawyer he is. Some of the subplots surrounding Sue and Tony came off as cliche to me but the past is golden in figuring out the present and future. As far as most crime/courtroom novels go, <i>Silent Witness </i>ends with a bang as well. </span></span>Cristina Roockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13878593316301246114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966854864613654715.post-47921735809814300952013-09-10T15:37:00.000-07:002013-09-10T16:06:33.669-07:00Every DayAuthor: David Levithan<br />
Rating: 5 Stars<br />
<b><i>Spoilers after summary</i></b><br />
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Book summary: <strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.</strong><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.</span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">A has no real name, gender or body. A's family and friends change every day. That's because every day A wakes up in a different body. For 24 hours A could be a sixteen-year-old boy or girl with different issues, habits and lifestyles. A's life has been like this for as long as they can remember. When A wakes up as Justin, a bland lazy teenager, he ends up falling for Justin's girlfriend. Rhiannon is everything A wants even though the real Justin treats her like crap. A takes advantage of his one day with her to change that.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">A comes clean about his secret to Rhiannon and freaks her out. However they keep meeting with A in a different body each day. But slowly, all of A's rules and outlooks start to change. For example, A wakes up in the body of a girl who is distant from her father and plans to kill herself. A and Rhiannon decide to alert her father by using a journal for evidence. Watching A and Rhiannon's relationship evolve was lovely. They grew to care each other even though A has a super weird situation going on. Another plot regards a body experience gone wrong, putting A's situation into the public spotlight with specialists coming out and implying they are more people like A. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I've been a fan of Levithan's since <i>Will Grayson, Will Grayson.</i> Levithan proved his superb writing skills again but taking a narrative and writing it from several points of view without changing the main character themselves. I'm sure this has been done before with voice and character but Levithan pulled off A amazingly. I wanted more on that and Levithan has since released a short story and there are rumors of a sequel although I wouldn't believe it until Levithan himself confirms it. </span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span><br />
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Cristina Roockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13878593316301246114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966854864613654715.post-40491212106819204572013-08-28T19:27:00.003-07:002013-08-28T19:37:27.386-07:00Hex Hall series<b>Hex Hall, Demonglass, Spell Bound</b><br />
<b>Author: Rachel Hawkins</b><b>Rating: 4 stars average</b><br />
<b><i>Contains Spoilers</i></b><br />
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<b>Sophie Mercer is the typical sarcastic, misunderstood teenager. The issue is she's a witch who has never met her father. After casting a spell on prom night and causing chaos, Sophie's father sends her off to a private reform school for the supernatural aka Prodigum. The troublemakers sent there include werewolves, shapeshifters, warlocks, vampires and faeries. Sophie's world is immediately turned upside down. Obviously, Hex Hall is not all that it appears to be.</b><br />
<b>A ghost, who is much closer to Sophie than she realizes, only shows herself to haunt Sophie. Sophie befriends her roommate, who is a vampire and accused of attacking students. Not only is Sophie compelled to clear her friend's name but she also makes enemies with the school bad boy and his girlfriend, who comes from the mean girl clique.</b><br />
<b>In the following two books we see character development with Sophie, her family and friends. The danger and action thicken. Hex Hall is the founding point for the series but soon we see Sophie travel overseas to battle evil and family drama. There's more to her human mother and warlock father than meets the eye. The predator attacking students soon evolves into something more complex involving a dangerous society, The Eye, hellbent on killing all Prodigum. As for the inevitable love triangle, Sophie is torn between a warlock and an Eye member. This series is addictive and fun. It gets tedious at times and the ending is disappointing but the journey is well worth it.</b></div>
Cristina Roockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13878593316301246114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966854864613654715.post-28029930493868174082013-08-28T18:38:00.001-07:002013-08-28T18:38:21.877-07:00School SpiritsAuthor: Rachel Hawkins<br />
Rating: 4 stars<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Like everyone else, I'm a huge Hex Hall fan. I found it really fascinating how the series now focuses on Izzy Brannick, Sophie's cousin. The Brannicks have been monster hunters for generations, hence why Izzy never had a normal upbringing. Her homework and reading assignments covered how to kill and hunt vampires, witches and other creatures. She knows nothing about dating or friendships. In this spin-off series, we see her tackle a new identity. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Izzy's older sister goes MIA on a hunt and her mom decides to take a break from their lifestyle to attempt so Izzy can have a normal life. Her mom solely focuses on finding her sister. Izzy hates the transformation until she makes a new best friend and *gasp* falls for a cute guy. She befriends members of a ghost hunters society at her high school and soon figures out an evil ghost or demon might be lurking at school. Not to mention one of her friends, and another possible love interest might not be exactly human..no teenager can escape angst can they?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I thought there was too many plots going on at once at times. Some characters could have been cut out. I loved the idea of a supernatural character going to a "normal" high school. That was never explored in the Hex Hall series although I'm well aware it's in countless other series. And don't think Hex Hall characters are completely MIA either. This series has its own charm. It's not as good as Hex Hall but I'll continue reading.</span>Cristina Roockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13878593316301246114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966854864613654715.post-566564112655799632013-08-14T12:30:00.001-07:002013-08-14T12:30:35.850-07:00The Hurricane<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Author: Hugh Howey</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Rating: 4 Stars</span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Hugh Howey, an self-published author on Kindle, is well known for his sci-fi novels and series. In this standalone book, Howey tackles completely different topics: technology, teens and nature. With smartphones, the web and video games, technology has shaped and completely changed the way people learn, communicate and insult each other. Daniel Stillman, a high-school senior, is not someone glued to his game console or phone. He's ignored by girls on video chats and ridiculed by his classmates. Not to mention his family ignores each other at meals and his best friend just got a girlfriend.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">So by most terms, Daniel feels like a loser. Until a hurricane hits. Set in South Carolina, Daniel's community is used to the threat of hurricanes but has never experienced one full on. So when Mother Nature arrives she takes on the digital age and wins. All it takes is for the lights to go out.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> I won't spoil everything but a few important topics arise:</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">1. Family- Daniel's family has the capability to communicate but are extremely isolated from each other. They spend breakfasts and dinners watching TV or on their iPads. Daniel's stephfather becomes an important focus when the hurricane hits and especially when Daniel's estranged dad comes back in the storm's aftermath.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">2. Relationships-No cell phone reception or electricity means Daniel, his teen sister and classmates have WAY more time on their hands. Daniel meets a girl in his neighborhood who has impressive survival skills and needless to say, a somewhat cliche but special relationship begins. Reading about a new crush/romance set under special circumstances was nice but predictable. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">This book definitely holds a few obvious important lessons. I wish readers knew the aftermath of these characters but let's hope Daniel teaches readers how people can communicate with each other outside of the tech savvy world.</span></span>Cristina Roockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13878593316301246114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966854864613654715.post-67986682298471313792013-08-04T16:19:00.001-07:002013-08-04T16:23:59.838-07:00Sharp Objects<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Author: Gillian Flynn</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Rating: 5 Stars</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><b>SPOILERS IN REVIEW</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Bottom line: Some families are very, VERY screwed up.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">So this is the first Gillian Flynn book I read. I heard all about <i>Gone Girl</i> but this book's journalism plot got my attention. A reporter returns to her hometown to report on a possible serial killer to keep her newspaper readership afloat. The possible serial killer is murdering little girls. The struggling reporter,Camille Preaker, has some serious skeletons in the closet. I mean actual skeletons. She also self harms and drinks to forget her troubled past.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I became hooked from page one. Most the story takes place in her Southern hometown. We meet her eccentric rich family. I loved reading about how Camille struggled to find sources and interviewed them. Although her ethics can definitely be questioned when she gets involved with not one but two men connected to the investigation. Camille can thank her past for her instability because like I opened with, her family is beyond screwed up.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Readers find out her mother is not only a huge pill popper but she purposely drugged her children, resulting in serious illness and death. Camille escaped her mother's clutches but her younger sister was not so lucky. Camille starts to see scary similarities between her sister's death and the murders. This does not include her other half-sister, who is very much alive, but stuck with her crazy mother.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I won't spoil the twist or ending, but the deeper Camille investigates her hometown's murder the deeper we see her go off the deep end. The ending quickly wraps up too quickly but seemed realistic considering everything Camille goes through. I know everyone is too busy panting over Gone Girl but read this one first if you can! It's still trippy and disturbing I promise.</span>Cristina Roockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13878593316301246114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966854864613654715.post-54527929534927543982013-08-03T18:11:00.000-07:002013-08-04T16:22:26.453-07:00We Need to Talk About Kevin<b>Author: Lionel Shriver</b><br />
<b>Rating: 4 Stars</b><br />
<b>Spoilers in Review</b><br />
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<b><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">This book portrayed the delicate and destructive relationship between a mother and her son. We start with Kevin's life from birth to current day. I like to think Kevin's parents (Eva and Franklin) were both wealthy adults who grew bored with life and made dumb decisions but it's so much more than that. Especially since Kevin goes to jail for killing several classmates and a teacher. With most school shootings there's always someone or something to blame for the kid becoming a murderer. In this book </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Kevin grew as a bully and simply hated everyone. Everyone but his mother.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">The reader is often faced with the question: is Kevin truly evil? As a baby, he's shown to be indifferent towards displays of affection. As a child he's shown to be the devil, causing the nanny to quit after ripping out her hair. When he grows to be a teenager he remains sullen and placid.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">The author seems to focus heavily on how a mother's bond can make or break her son, causing him to grow up and be a serial killer. This book drifts away from Columbine and climaxes with a creepy Hunger Games scene, except Kevin is no likable Katniss. We find out Eva summarized the entire story in letters to her husband Franklin and we later find out Kevin also killed Franklin and his younger sister. Eva was the only major character spared.</span></b></div>
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<b><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Although I enjoyed most of the book I didn't feel impacted until the end. It was fascinating to read how a child can trick their parents so well starting at an early age. However, Kevin's killing scene didn't really get to me. It was moments like the last day his family spent together, and when Eva visits him in jail and resolves to give him her support, which hooked me. In the end it truly seems like Eva realizes she loves her son. Too little, too late. But she goes with the flow and I like that. By the end even Kevin is freaking out after being Mr.I Don't Care for the majority of the book, mainly because he's going to be transferred to a more notorious jail. I like how everyone decides they are only human at the end, albeit really shitty ones. Eva has to take on the public image as the Shooter's Mother which is really heartbreaking but she ends the book waiting for her son to get out of jail. You can't get what you want, but you deal with what you get.</span></b></div>
Cristina Roockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13878593316301246114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966854864613654715.post-31656146983837985132011-06-25T19:13:00.000-07:002011-06-26T11:50:04.647-07:00Internet Security: Are you reading this from a secure connection? I've always been a preacher when it comes to internet security. If your grandmother would disapprove of your online profiles, make them private. For many reasons: defamation of character, a possible employer looking at your keg pictures and the usual creepers. Most of us aren't public figures unless we put ourselves in the spotlight. We're not celebrities on Twitter, with millions of followers. But with one wrong click, one indiscretion we can be. Just ask New York's U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner. First of all, is your profile public or private? It makes a world of a difference. If you're profile is public, the audience is millions through the world wide web. A private profile compensates for not allowing everyone in on your daily life. Even then Facebook and Twitter have ways around your privacy.<br />
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James Poniewozik's Time Magazine's article covers Weiner's downfall. He posted infamous pictures of his erection or crotch to ALL his Twitter followers. Weiner was Twitter savy as a lot of celebrities SEEM to be. Twitter has a Direct Message function folks. If you're profile is public and you post a picture of your latest tattoo or apartment you have some considerations to make. Yeah, those are pretty cool things. But anyone can see them, including future employers and the next Craigslist killer. If you complain about family or relationship issues, there's always a possibility relatives or your significant other's friends can find your profile and read it. It sounds great to be witty and snarky and vent. But it's not worth the consequences.<br />
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Facebook has a function that allows you to check-in to places. A lot of the time you get prizes for being the 100th person to check-in to an public event or restaurant. At the same time you are letting everyone know where you are at the exact time you are there. I'm not sure I'd want some of my 250 Facebook friends to know where I am by myself much less the entire internet. There's some crazy person out there who could be watching. It's not paranoia. Everything is up for grabs on the internet. If someone figures out your schedule they could rob your place when you're on vacation. (Providing they find your address on the online White Pages). Or stalk you. Especially if they know you to some extent already.<br />
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Delete any public tweets that you want. There's the nifty cache function which can still show your boss or mother those tweets where you complain about your job or sex life. If a profile was ever public at one time it's on the internet's permanent records.<br />
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Even if you make your Facebook profile private this does not stop friends from tagging pictures of you. Regardless if their profile is public or private. Those pictures can show up anywhere. Through networking the wrong person might see it. Those pictures of you barfing at your favorite club? It doesn't matter if your best friend's profile is private. She could be friends with people who work at that job you're applying to. And when they review your application they might remember your face before they get to the resume.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"> I'm not condoning people hiding their lives or keeping it all secret. But I am advising everyone to keep their lives as private as they can. Facebook is maintained by advertisers who have hold of all your information unless you specifically comb through your privacy tab and uncheck some of those subtle boxes.</div><br />
Control your life offline unless you want your life to spin out of control online. Or don't do anything stupid period. I'm sure all of us would've been happier had Weiner not used a popular networking site to send pictures of his privates.Cristina Roockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13878593316301246114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966854864613654715.post-63384054625096519352011-05-23T21:29:00.000-07:002011-05-23T21:29:20.300-07:00A Reoccuring theme: Ivory CoastI have been on a hiatus and I apologize to my five followers. My academic life has been hectic to say the least. Today I saw a copy of the Sunday issue for the Seattle Times and casually picked it up. I was flipped through and A5 caught my attention.<br />
A president's inauguration occurs amidst political unrest and bloodshed. Well, that's nothing new in Africa. Blunt statement is pretty blunt. However don't think I'm being dismissive. Africa's history should be prominent and known in the media. Sadly until recently I always noticed a gap with news and Africa. Those two in a sentence only happened in circumstances such as Darfur and genocide. By then it was often too late, cue in Rwanda for a haunting example.<br />
However more recently has the news become embedded with African international current events. Egypt and Liberia. Corrupt leaders, democracy and the United Nations have all been exposed and highlighted.<br />
Cue in the Ivory Coast, which has slowly been descending into madness under Laurent Gbagbo's rule. Civil war was arising and mass graves were being discovered.<br />
The new president is Alassane Ouattara. He was inaugurated in a barricaded hotel. Gbagbo had empoyed his army to block the hotel entirely. Ouatarra was democratically elected but his supporters have been pitted against Gbagbo supporters, hence civil unrest. Ouatarra had made several diplomatic attempts to make Gbagbo step down. The one mistake Ouatarra may have made was to resort to an anti-Gbagbo rebel group for help.Gbagbo's residence in the capital was seized by the French and the U.N. on April 11. Only then were the rebels able to capture and arrest Gbagbo. In the meantime, Gbagbo and Ouatarra supporters killed themselves.<br />
Even though a new president has arrived the Ivory Coast is unlike Egypt and other African countries vying for independence. Ouatarra is still holed up in his hotel. His rebel groups have killed many Gbagbo's supporters. Blood continues to spill on both sides and is unlikely to stop. This halted issue will affect other countries--it will be interesting to see if Burkina Faso and Ghana will become part of the ripple effect. Trade relations and international attention are a question mark for the Ivory Coast. While I remain happy Africa is getting more coverage--I am afraid it will only be for a short amount of time. And if anything, the world needs to keep watching this pattern for democracy in Africa.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNiR36OGR2mvZCjj4AoVN_M834xi8F60828zkchJdeRechtcm_78dH3FQZRMs2vZiCGcuIepl1oBovZtHiHQvblC3V3Cq_ZhMenTsIggxjsNAHxZ_gFj9kscA7lSq-pKHNbX2aTSx2Y5s/s1600/Ouattara-Gbagbo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNiR36OGR2mvZCjj4AoVN_M834xi8F60828zkchJdeRechtcm_78dH3FQZRMs2vZiCGcuIepl1oBovZtHiHQvblC3V3Cq_ZhMenTsIggxjsNAHxZ_gFj9kscA7lSq-pKHNbX2aTSx2Y5s/s320/Ouattara-Gbagbo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Cristina Roockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13878593316301246114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966854864613654715.post-62985545867484919092011-03-30T17:49:00.000-07:002011-05-17T22:20:18.225-07:00Mark Zuckerberg: You're an amazing genius but I kind of hate youThis post was inspired by the Social Network,to avoid movie spoilers scroll past the picture. The gist remains: Mark Zuckerberg created one of the most efficient social tools for the public and media. However his creation completely changed how people socialize with one another, for better or worse.<br />
Case in point:<br />
Zuckerberg's business partner, Eduardo Severin, is fighting with his girlfriend:<br />
"Why are you still single on Facebook?<br />
I-I was single when I created it!<br />
AND YOU DIDN'T FEEL THE NEED TO CHANGE IT?"<br />
I think a lot of people's reactions would be: <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>A lot of this sounds trivial and immature right?<br />
Well..hold on a beat....<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> The Social Network may have convinced people that Zuckerberg is a jerk. But the movie also portrays how genius he is. Once upon a time Zuckerberg and Severin created a social networking site for Harvard students to use to their advantage for dating opportunities. Now Facebook has over 600 million registered users. As mentioned in the movie, Bosnia is part of the Facebook generation, regardless if they have working roads or not.<br />
On the down side Facebook has replaced communication in so many ways. So far I have noticed it's a bigger deal on Facebook as opposed to offline:<br />
<ul><li>When people get into a relationship, going from single to in a relationship</li>
<li>When people break up, going from in a relationship to single</li>
<li>When someone gets a new job/internship offer</li>
<li>When someone is fired from a job and etc.</li>
<li>When people get into a fight or have an ongoing issue </li>
<li>When deleting people is a fate worse than death; losing them in real life is forgotten as long as you stay Facebook friends </li>
</ul>The sad part is everyone goes on Facebook to update their newest success or tragedy. Venting, celebrating and talking to people offline seems to come in second place. A lot of voice is lost and replaced by assumptions and fake appearances. I doubt I'm the only one who has witnessed a seemingly casual Facebok status turn into a fight between other people through comments.When a Facebook fight breaks out, you pull up a chair and read. Sometimes with popcorn.<br />
Facebook is now a cop out, if you can't face someone offline you can with your computer screen. Not to mention it has become a part of everyone's daily life, sometimes replacing actual interactions.<br />
Two or more people having a conversation through wall posts...while sitting next to each other in the same room. Someone Facebook messages their roommate with a serious concern..while both are home. Watching your ex/crush like someone else...through Facebook updates. Keeping up with people's lives by Facebook stalking as opposed to talking face-to-face. When someone asks another person what is wrong, their reply could very well be "It's a long story. Go on Facebook for all the details."<br />
You know, I'm pretty sure if you took Facebook out of the equation all these situations would be just as likely to happen offline. With the painful awkwardness intact. I remember those days. I even miss those days. Raise your hand if you agree? (Or even better, leave a comment)<br />
In the end, I would like to recognize that I believe Zuckerberg is one of the most innovative 26-year-olds out there. But I also kind of hate him. Facebook is in, communication is out. So much for the old days.Cristina Roockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13878593316301246114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966854864613654715.post-53576008252351129542011-03-21T17:11:00.000-07:002011-05-17T22:21:24.918-07:00Happy Fifth Birthday, Twitter!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Tweet tweet...you hear those sounds?<br />
Twitter celebrates its fifth birthday today. I've taken a break from my photoblog but I'm back. Right now I'm on spring break and have no SLR camera in my grasp. I'm done with photojournalism class but plan to continue posting photos. However, for today, I would like to open Twitter to discussion.<br />
I must admit, when I first heard of Twitter I was hesitant. 140 characters? A profile consisting of statuses only? I didn't think 140 characters would limit statuses I often saw on Facebook..such as "I'm going to eat a burrito now" or "I am sooooo drunklgiy3w6r83". I was confident I'd see less ranting statuses however. <br />
Atleast on Twitter other people's awkward drama would show up in repeat statuses right? And hopefully get lost among your other followers and their tweets?<br />
I've had my Twitter for about two years and I'm impressed. It's more than a social network. Twitter is news..which can sometimes be real or fake.<br />
I've seen multiple death hoaxes since joining. Or otherwise fake rumors. Who has the most followers: Lady Gaga or CNN/Fox News combined? Don't get me started on Charlie Sheen.<br />
On a more positive note Twitter is its own news outlet. I found about the U.S. bombing Libya on Twitter. When a US Airwars airplane crashed into the Hudson pictures were uploaded to Twitter from nearby ferry passengers. Egyptians fighting for their freedom used Twitter as their platform under dire circumstances. I'd have to say Twitter has come a long way since hatching five years ago.<br />
Twitter and Facebook have become media outlets. Who is next? Tumblr, Plurk wanna step up and follow in this powerful stead?<br />
I will toast to Twitter tonight: enjoy 5 more years of followers, breaking news and tweets. However after the clock strikes midnight I am back to Facebook stalking.Cristina Roockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13878593316301246114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966854864613654715.post-38139321887201141772011-03-10T22:19:00.000-08:002011-03-10T22:19:24.429-08:00Picture Story: Woods Coffee<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;">Our last assignment: the picture story. I wanted to do mine at a location. I was torn between Boulevard Park's boardwalk or the Arboretum lookout tower. However the boardwalk has been overdone and I was too lazy to hike to the lookout a few times a week. Then I thought of my latest addiction. My brain connected it to one of Bellingham's most popular coffee shops: Woods Coffee. The franchise is slowly extended with 10 locations and steady popularity. My story angle was going to be their sculpture design contest but that fell through. If this were to be a story it'd be based on Woods Viking Blend, a roast coffee specifically made for the Western and local community.<br />
Things I learned from this:<br />
5Ds are still better than 20Ds.<br />
I need to tweak shutter speed, aperture and ISO to my definition of perfect.<br />
Taking pictures of something coffee related was fun.<br />
Taking outside shots in windy rain is a challenge and recipe for bad hair.<br />
I managed to avoid spilling coffee on school equipment. Is my Nobel Peace Prize coming in the mail? <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg144op_3DTPIU5XhFBJrd3Vo4WRHWgMiutf9b14-HEwe8fsey7uco1ZFEYLqrVz5_enLYLBD85BAAOU3ZKqYeHhZUxGqCZ_iwo2JvPRj4rhkxNFR8a6MAqCIpJDVspQCNRUjc4SQfAxHc/s1600/woods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg144op_3DTPIU5XhFBJrd3Vo4WRHWgMiutf9b14-HEwe8fsey7uco1ZFEYLqrVz5_enLYLBD85BAAOU3ZKqYeHhZUxGqCZ_iwo2JvPRj4rhkxNFR8a6MAqCIpJDVspQCNRUjc4SQfAxHc/s320/woods.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brianna Clemen, 20, studies at Woods underneath a display of subdued excitement. Her friends Will Luce and George Watrous, 20 and 21, join her.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGiHMTU62V4GTBN5EW6yqd8b4My2Vo9aJYwwXzEUfOav_iULzzII3amt2lHIH-BqvaFeHkSyILjObi7QYVJpsqX57_xBhjxIEGs8Az8XA6q4dP0Hkg1ELmLx4tYgJR8o13lDEiQlvdZw/s1600/woods2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGiHMTU62V4GTBN5EW6yqd8b4My2Vo9aJYwwXzEUfOav_iULzzII3amt2lHIH-BqvaFeHkSyILjObi7QYVJpsqX57_xBhjxIEGs8Az8XA6q4dP0Hkg1ELmLx4tYgJR8o13lDEiQlvdZw/s320/woods2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woods Coffee added their 10th location, the Flatiron Prospect, in Jan. 2011.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7jD4ESoqI5sS3p1ZUNHh1Ds3lharvn4RSq26goFwqzfn-aWuV6HxBW5nU-2g3tyM84yGzvaWbPvum1DCl34Rx19Y1HOqYP-iDU_zZnP27smrg2uWbYxaM_aYp2r5KI10e6b8gDxWcxYw/s1600/woods5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7jD4ESoqI5sS3p1ZUNHh1Ds3lharvn4RSq26goFwqzfn-aWuV6HxBW5nU-2g3tyM84yGzvaWbPvum1DCl34Rx19Y1HOqYP-iDU_zZnP27smrg2uWbYxaM_aYp2r5KI10e6b8gDxWcxYw/s320/woods5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miette Dahlgren, 21, enjoys visiting Woods once a week to study. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM1yK5Aj_NdmB62XqKWAkzztOpAxhuhaWhTJE0v27QscAHXhwmI3024FQ0Xj6GEtaLWvyYCUrREvaanu6go17UiUiXipNwTxPEIHl4UxYYXCJ1zX0MvSnfb01tYBhAPn8jczML-fvf614/s1600/woods7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM1yK5Aj_NdmB62XqKWAkzztOpAxhuhaWhTJE0v27QscAHXhwmI3024FQ0Xj6GEtaLWvyYCUrREvaanu6go17UiUiXipNwTxPEIHl4UxYYXCJ1zX0MvSnfb01tYBhAPn8jczML-fvf614/s320/woods7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woods has a Viking Blend, which is a darker toast with all proceeds going to Western., says Woods music coordinator Seth Overby. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjeDYAZ_0ud8vZr-8XYolJnECy9fzOVJGIS_vBedpOTdINIjvAUtedal_axI2Dc7g004IY7D6ZfRz9CEsTDWGStu6uvHewbNDeG93wI7CVUuB6eldOWY3GRO4Bzo-ftezOx0R1RLD5cA8/s1600/woods8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjeDYAZ_0ud8vZr-8XYolJnECy9fzOVJGIS_vBedpOTdINIjvAUtedal_axI2Dc7g004IY7D6ZfRz9CEsTDWGStu6uvHewbNDeG93wI7CVUuB6eldOWY3GRO4Bzo-ftezOx0R1RLD5cA8/s320/woods8.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jessica Mecknee and Andy Stromberg, 31 and 29, like to meet at Woods with friends. Stromberg lives down the street from the Flatiron location</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table>Cristina Roockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13878593316301246114noreply@blogger.com0