{Review} Looking for Alaska by John Green

Looking for Alaska
by John Green
Pages: 231
Release Date: December 26, 2006
by Speak (an imprint of Penguin)

Goodreads / Purchase

Before: Miles "Pudge" Halter's whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" (François Rabelais, poet) even more. Then he heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.
After: Nothing is ever the same.

This was the first book by John Green that I’ve ever read, and I wasn’t sure what to expect…but it definitely wasn’t what happened in this book!  This book was dark, entertaining, emotionally scarring…and kind of awesome.  First off, John Green’s writing is absolutely beautiful.  The way he described the characters and the setting was just amazing, and the story line flowed perfectly.  I honestly thought I had this whole book figured out, and I thought I knew how it would end…but I was so wrong.  So, so, so wrong.  I couldn’t believe that ending.  [SPOILER: When he was counting down the numbers till some day the whole book I was expecting it to be when Pudge would tell Alaska that he loved her, not when she would die.  That completely threw me, and gosh it was sad. ]

This book has some really awesome characters.  One thing that I think YA lacks is really flawed, messed up characters.  Like in Silver Linings Playbook, Pat and Tiffany are so messed up, but they’re two of my all-time favorite characters.  This book had some really messed up characters, and it was hard to read about them, but I enjoyed it, if that makes sense.  Pudge was a good main character, and he really developed over the course of the story, turning from a weak, anti-social loner to a stronger, has-3-best-friends kind of guy.  Alaska I really liked.  She was strong, she was confident…but she was also crazy, and even though I thought that, I really appreciated her as a character.  The Colonel was a big part of the book as well, and I really loved his character.  He was a good, strong supporting character who had his own issues, and made the book very interesting.

I was very impressed with this book, and I know that John Green is a very popular author, so I will definitely be reading his other books.  But seriously, if all his book are as heartbreaking as this one…I’m going to need some therapy.

3 stars

{Review} City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

City of Lost Souls
by Cassandra Clare
Series: The Mortal Instruments #5
Pages: 535
Release Date: May 8, 2012
by Margaret K. McElderry (an imprint of Simon & Schuster)

Goodreads / Purchase

The New York Times bestselling Mortal Instruments continues—and so do the thrills and danger for Jace, Clary, and Simon. What price is too high to pay, even for love? When Jace and Clary meet again, Clary is horrified to discover that the demon Lilith’s magic has bound her beloved Jace together with her evil brother Sebastian, and that Jace has become a servant of evil. The Clave is out to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. As Alec, Magnus, Simon, and Isabelle wheedle and bargain with Seelies, demons, and the merciless Iron Sisters to try to save Jace, Clary plays a dangerous game of her own. The price of losing is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul. She’s willing to do anything for Jace, but can she still trust him? Or is he truly lost?
Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. Darkness threatens to claim the Shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series.

This series just keeps adding to itself. At this point, the world is so well explained and the story is so complex that you really have to concentrate to pick up everything. And this book added so much to the series. A lot of crap went down in this book, and it was absolutely crazy. After the ending of the last book, one big thing had to be fixed or else I was going to throw this book across the room and cry forever (those of you who have read this series know what I'm talking about). And, thankfully, it was all fixed. So great. The writing was, as usual, pretty good. However, I did get kind of annoyed with all the different romances going on, and when Clare would switch points of view and go to Jordan and Maia, who basically had nothing to do with the story. The story line, staging, and explanations for the events were all very well done and very well explained. And omg that ending! Gosh I felt like I couldn't breath as I was reading it. Also, I will forever remember this book because of the last lines of the last page. Best finish ever.

As you all may or may not know, Jace is my fictional boyfriend. I don't care what you say or who tries to take him away from me, he's mine. He's a smart-ass, blond god who has a great personality and is totally full of himself. Plus he's sexy and kick-ass. So I've come to the conclusion that if I can't find a blonde Shadowhunter sometime in my life that I am going to die alone. Thank you Jace for ruining my life. Clary keeps on growing on my as the series goes on. Even though she made some really stupid decisions in this book, I really like her strength, drive, and personality.

I can't wait for the last book. Seriously, WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN! Ugh the suspense is killing me!!



4.5 stars

Deception Blog Tour Stop

Deception
by C.J. Redwine
Series: Deception #2
Pages: 480
Release Date: August 27, 2013
by Balzer + Bray (an imprint of Harper)

Goodreads / Purchase

Baalboden has been ravaged. The brutal Commander's whereabouts are unknown. And Rachel, grief stricken over her father's death, needs Logan more than ever. With their ragged group of survivors struggling to forge a future, it's up to Logan to become the leader they need—with Rachel by his side. Under constant threat from rival Carrington's army, who is after the device that controls the Cursed One, the group decides to abandon the ruins of their home and take their chances in the Wasteland. But soon their problems intensify tenfold: someone—possibly inside their ranks—is sabotaging the survivors, picking them off one by one. The chaos and uncertainty of each day puts unbearable strain on Rachel and Logan, and it isn't long before they feel their love splintering. Even worse, as it becomes clear that the Commander will stop at nothing to destroy them, the band of survivors begins to question whether the price of freedom may be too great—and whether, hunted by their enemies and the murderous traitor in their midst, they can make it out of the Wasteland alive.
In this daring sequel to Defiance, with the world they once loved forever destroyed, Rachel and Logan must decide between a life on the run and standing their ground to fight.

Excerpt:

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Get to know C.J. Redwine:

About The Author

C. J. Redwine lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her four beautiful kids, an amazing husband, two fairly crazy cats, and a dog. She has books in every corner of her house, an impressive Harry Potter memorabilia collection, and a bunch of really cool friends she doesn't get to see nearly as much as she'd like to. She is also the author of Defiance.

Visit C.J. via her Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr

Follow the Tour!

8/23- Carina's Books, interview with Rachel

8/23 -  Curling Up With a Good Book, excerpt

8/24- Mundie Moms, review

8/26- Two Chicks on Books, playlist

8/27 - YA Sisterhood, review

8/27- Fitshun, interview with Logan

8/28 - Reading Teen, Top 10s List

8/28 - Fangirlish, review

8/29- Ex Libris, author interview

8/30- Page Turners Blog, review

8/30 - Emily's Crammed Bookshelf, excerpt

8/31 - Peace Love Teen, excerpt

{Movie Review} The Town

The Town
Release Date: September 17, 2010
Starring: Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jeremy Renner, John Hamm
Director: Ben Affleck
Rating: R
Genre: Crime Thriller
Run Time:  125 minutes

IMDb / Trailer

As he plans his next job, a longtime thief tries to balance his feelings for a bank manager connected to one of his earlier heists, as well as the FBI agent looking to bring him and his crew down.

*Review contains spoilers throughout*

I do realize that this movie came out a long time ago, but I feel like I just have to talk about it. It was the only movie in my Jeremy Renner collection that I hadn't actually seen. And, like all of his other movies, it was amazing. Some things were kind of iffy, but others were really great. I felt like some of the shots were kind of unnecessary, because we would get random looks at tattoos and signs and stuff, and none of them had anything to do with the movie. I also felt like there were almost too many swear words and f-bombs because at times it made me take the scene less seriously. However, the story line was absolutely amazing and the conflict and situation was very difficult to deal with, both for me and the characters. I wasn't sure how this movie would end, and I think that in the back of my mind I knew Jem was going to die, but at the same time I was trying not to think about it. The scene where he dies was very emotional, very surprising, but also (and I know this might sound weird) Jem went out like I think he would have wanted too: still fighting, ready to shoot more cops.

Jeremy Renner (Jem Coughlin)

Jeremy Renner is my favorite actor ever. I am semi in love with him. Not only is he freaking sexy, but he's also an amazing actor. His character, Jem, didn't get much face-time in this movie, but the few scenes he got Jeremy really made count. There was a kind of darkness in Jem, that's for sure, and he was willing to do anything, literally anything. But he also really cared about his gang. That was proven when he shot the man that was going to kill Dougie, his best friend. And also when he yelled “NO” when the guy stood up and was shot through the head. He was a very deep, troubled character, but also funny, and definitely a firecracker.  His basic attitude for the whole movie was "I'm so above this shit".

Ben Affleck

I haven't seen many Ben Affleck movies, but I think he did pretty well in this one. His Boston accent was a little weird at times, so that kind of threw me off, but I think he did a great job. Dougie, his character, is not really a criminal at heart, I don't think. He's really a nice guy who made some wrong choices. He's really emotional and has a big heart. You could tell by the way he looked for his mother when she left, and how he saved Claire in the first robbing and then let her go, then went to make sure she was okay, and fell in love with her. The thing that made the scene where Jem dies so emotional is that Dougie was right there when it happened, he saw it. But he didn't – couldn't – do anything about it.

Rebecca Hall

I have never seen a Rebecca Hall movie before, but think she did a very good job with her character. Claire is the love interest in this movie, but also was kidnapped in the first robbery shown. The way Hall acted and put emotion into her acting and character really depicted the aftermath of that kind of trauma in a very realistic, touching way. I think her reactions to the kidnapping, and also finding out that Dougie was the one who kidnapped her, were very realistic and well done. But the ending was so sad when she says “It's like one of my sunny days” and I knew that meant that another person that she loved would die, meaning Dougie, and when they had to say goodbye it was so sad.

Favorite Scenes

I have two. One is when Dougie and Claire are having lunch together and Jem walks up and he recognizes Claire as the one they kidnapped and then starts talking to her, asking how she met Dougie, where she works, oh yeah that's the bank that was robbed, I read that in the paper, and the whole time Dougie is just shooting daggers at him. Hilarious.

And then, for some reason, the scene when Jem dies is just so good. I think because it is how I think Jem would have wanted to die, and it just had a lot of emotional impact, for some reason. And, I'll admit it, I cried.

Overall

Great movie, great casting, great actors, Jeremy Renner is the sexiest man alive, the end.

5 stars

{Book + Movie Review} The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The Perks of Being a Wallflower
by Stephen Chbosky
Pages: 216
Release Date: August 14, 2012
by MTV Books

Goodreads / Purchase

Charlie is a freshman. And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his year yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it. Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mix tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But he can't stay on the sidelines forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a deeply affecting coming-of-age story that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.

This is a very special book.  It’s unlike any book I’ve ever read, that’s for sure.  It’s more serious, it’s got older issues, and it’s deeper.  It’s books like these that are the hardest to review because there are so many unique and different things about them.  This book had absolutely gorgeous writing, and the voice for the whole book was very – I’m not sure how to explain it – childish, but at the same time very teenaged and serious.  I know that probably doesn’t make any sense, but it’s the only way I can think to describe it.  The story line was very interesting, and the story was heartbreaking but uplifting at the same time.  For me, the ending was really sad because I was hoping for everything to turn out differently, but it also seems like the right ending for the book.

When I come across these kinds of books, I can’t help but compare them to Silver Linings Playbook.  I’m talking about problem books with messed up characters who do messed up things.  YA needs some imperfect characters, and I feel like this book was full of them.  Charlie is very shy, has very little self-confidence, but is also very adorable, in my mind, and a very nice kid, and the perfect narrator for this story.  Patrick is gay, confident, but also messed up because of the things that he does (like getting drunk or high or something.)  Sam is the same way.  She’s very confident, very sure of herself, but also, at least in my opinion, very vulnerable and weak under all that.  And she makes the same mistakes as Patrick.  As a whole, the cast is very unique, and perfect for this book.

This book didn’t absolutely blow me away, and it wasn’t my favorite, but it was enjoyable, and it had a serious undercurrent, and I can’t wait to watch the movie adaptation of it.

2 stars

Movie Review:

Release Date: October 12, 2012
Director: Stephen Chbosky
Starring: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller
Genre: Drama, Romance
Rating: PG-13

Trailer / IMDb

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is based on the wildly popular novel by Stephen Chbosky about a freshman named Charlie (Logan Lerman) who is always watching from the sidelines until a pair of charismatic seniors takes him under their wing. Beautiful, free-s pirited Sam (Emma Watson) and her fearless stepbrother Patrick (Ezra Miller) shepherd Charlie through new friendships, first love, burgeoning sexuality, bacchanalian parties, midnight screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and the quest for the perfect song.

Even though I thought the book was okay, I really liked this movie.  It was really sad, really depressing, really awkward, and really crazy and inappropriate, but it was good because there need to be movies like that out there.  I think it was a great adaptation of the book, probably because Stephen Chbosky directed it himself.  So, even though some things were different, for the most part it stayed true to the book, and I think it was very well done.  The lines and events were very well done, and the actors did a really great job.

I think the casting was done very well for this movie, and I think the actors played their parts perfectly.  Emma Watson as Sam was very good, even though at times I thought her American accent sounded a bit Irish, but oh well.  She was how I imagined Sam, for sure, and Emma did a great job.  Logan Lerman as Charlie was also very good.  He played the pathetic, shy, adorable, sad Charlie that I imagined perfectly, and he really put a ton of emotion into the movie.  And also it doesn’t hurt that he’s pretty cute.  And then Ezra Miller as Patrick was very good as well.  His personality was great, and his spunk and confidence really showed through in Ezra’s acting.  Great job cast.

I think the movie might actually be a bit better than the book, which doesn’t happen very often for me, but the great acting, movie making, and screenwriting really made this movie special.

3.5 stars

Beat the Heat Read-a-Thon Wrap Up

• The Beat the Heat Readathon runs from July 29th through August 11th. What does this readathon entail, you ask? Well, read as much or as little as you want – the main point is to READ! You set your own goal, and for two weeks you read as many books as you can/want to reach your goal!
• There will be mini-challenges throughout the Readathon for participants, along with a grand prize giveaway at the end!
• Sign up at Auntie Spinelli Reads or Phantasmic Reads. You may join whenever you like, but to be eligible for our grand prize giveaway, you must sign up by August 5th.
• To join, all you have to do is make a sign-up post – even if it’s just a “Let’s do this!” thing - and add your post URL to the linky below! You can put your goals and progress (will be required for the final giveaway) in your sign-up post, or you can make it separate. Totally up to you! Feel free to copy and paste this handy little list for your post. We don’t mind. :)
• In order to enter for the grand prize, you must have a post to keep track of your progress so we can see that you participated.

Originally this was going to be my wrap-up post but, as said here, the read-a-thon will continue on for another week (oh yeah I rhymed!).  That's why I have a different button above :)


So, these were my goals for this read-a-thon:

Read 8 books

Finish City of Fallen Angels

Finish The 5th Wave

The Books I Planned To Read:

Needless to say...that didn't happen lol.


So, here is a wrap-up of the past two weeks.



Note: I got kind of mixed up on the amount of pages I read each day for City of Fallen Angels, so if the pages don't add up that's why lol.

Monday, July 29:

68 pages of City of Fallen Angels

Tuesday, July 30:

60 pages of City of Fallen Angels
12 pages of My Life Next Door

Wednesday, July 31:

382 pages of My Life Next Door
*finished My Life Next Door*
24 pages of Then You Were Gone

Thursday, August 1:

188 pages of Then You Were Gone
*finished Then You Were Gone*
64 pages of Red Heart Tattoo

Friday, August 2:

152 pages of Red Heart Tattoo
*finished Red Heart Tattoo*

Saturday, August 3:

32 pages of City of Fallen Angels

Sunday, August 4:

20 pages of City of Fallen Angels

Monday, August 5:

40 pages of Girl of Fire and Thorns
188 pages of City of Fallen Angels
*finished City of Fallen Angels*

Tuesday, August 6:

26 pages of Girl of Fire and Thorns
*gave up on Girl of Fire and Thorns*
122 pages of Sweet Evil

Wednesday, August 7:

32 pages of Sweet Evil

Thursday, August 8:

139 pages of Sweet Evil
*finished Sweet Evil*

Friday, August 9:

221 pages of Looking for Alaska
*finished Looking for Alaska*
48 pages of The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Saturday, August 10:

165 pages of The Perks of Being a Wallflower
*finished The Perks of Being a Wallflower*
48 pages of The Fault in Our Stars

Sunday, August 11:

265 pages of The Fault in Our Stars
*finished The Fault in Our Stars*

Monday, August 12:

288 pages of Wild Cards
*finished Wild Cards*
10 pages of Perfect Ruin

Tuesday, August 13:

346 pages of Perfect Ruin
*finished Perfect Ruin*

Wednesday, August 14:

0 pages of anything lol

Thursday, August 15:

42 pages of The Fault in Our Stars
*started to re-read The Fault in Our Stars*

Friday, August 16:

100 pages of The Fault in Ours Stars

Saturday, August 17:

38 pages of The Fault in Our Stars

Sunday, August 18:

84 pages of The Fault in Our Stars


The Books I Ended Up Reading:

My review of My Life Next Door

My review of Then You Were Gone

My review of Sweet Evil

My review of The Perks of Being a Wallflower

How did you guys do?  Link me up!!!