Friday, August 2, 2013

Delirium (Delirium #1) by Lauren Oliver

Love makes people act irrationally. So what if it was eliminated? In this dystopian world, love is considered a disease. When you turn 18 you will have an operation that makes you immune to the disease. Lena can't wait for her operation. She has lived in fear ever since her mom committed suicide from the disease. She has never questioned anything, until she meets Alex. 



The concept behind this book is fascinating. What WOULD a world look like without love? I liked this as a dystopian book because it was a little bit different. It was very realistic and didn't have any sci-fi gadgets or hoverboards or pills or anything. It also wasn't extremely violent or rebellious. That's what makes it so realistic. If I had to compare it to another dystopian series, I would go with the Uglies. I'm not exactly sure why, but that's what it reminds me of the most. 

The plot was a little slow but the writing is so beautiful that it didn't feel that way. Lena is a winning heroine and Alex is just awesome. I really liked the way that they were portrayed. It was also a little predictable, but that doesn't take away from the story.

The ending was a cliffhanger and you know a second book was in the works, but it wasn't overly terrible. I think I'm slowly dying because I need the second book in the series. I really liked this book and I suggest you give it a try. 5 out of 5 stars.

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Life After Theft by Aprilynne Pike

Jeff has just moved to California and is just trying to fit into his new high school. However that can become difficult once he meets Kimberlee who died last year. She's a ghost now and for some reason only Jeff can see her. Kimberlee was a kleptomaniac and has a whole cave full of stuff she stole. She convinces Jeff to help her return it. They will soon realize that it is harder to return things than it is to steal it.




After reading some of the reviews of this, I didn't have very high expectations. Most of the reviewers seemed to compare it to the Wings series and said it wasn't as good. I remember I read Wings as soon as it came out and then by the time the second book had came out I had forgotten about it lol. I think I should go back and read it. Also, at the time they were thinking about making it into a movie with Miley Cyrus as the main character. I just looked it up and apparently they still are! Haha who knew! Anyways.

For the most part, I really liked this story. I think it was a sweet, simple novel with some important messages. There were a few parts where I was rolling my eyes because it just wasn't believable. The plot was nicely paced and I really liked the voice of the main character. The only thing I have to complain about is the sex part. I really feel like it wasn't necessary to the story at all. I think that the author just wanted a more romantic aspect and threw it in. I feel like she should have just left it out.

Give this one a try if you want a clever, funny, and thoughtful book. 4 out of 5 stars.

Teeth by Hannah Moskovitz

Rudy and his family moved to an island with rumors of fish that can cure his sick brother. Isolated from his friends and the world he knew, he becomes lonely and confused. One day he meets Teeth, a half-fish-half-human who is just about as lonely and confused as he is. Rudy begins to question everything he thought he knew and has to make some difficult decisions.



This was a very unique and interesting book. First of all, I think that the description for it is a little misleading and should have mentioned that Teeth was half-fish-half-boy. But  that's my only complaint.  
I absolutely loved this book. The dialogue and the characters are perfection. They are all so REAL and haunted and amazing. 

Moskovitz's writing is absolutely incredible. I'm not sure exactly how to describe it, but it is dark and humorous and sad all at the same time. It's touching and magical and jus overall awesome. The ending was heartbreaking, that's all I will say.

I also liked the many references to books including John Green and the Metamorphosis, which I just read for summer reading. I was so into this book that I read 40 pages while in the car. That's something that doesn't usually happen because I'll get nauseous or get bored or something lol. So I think 40 pages is a record. 

I personally think that there was some sort of romance going on between Rudy and Teeth. It isn't explicitly stated, but I think that its there. Also, can we talk about the cover? It's beautiful. It's the 2 fishhooks! And the background has some scales! And it's a heart! Its just too awesome.

This book isn't for everyone because its very different and strange. However, I like that kind of stuff and so I loved this. Give it a try, it might surprise you. 5 out of 5 stars.