Review: Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson

Ultraviolet is a book that I am indecisive about. The science behind it is very interesting, but (spoiler alert) I was not expecting an appearance from the cheesy aliens observing humans.
So basically, the main character gets into a fight with a girl from her school who just happens to disintegrate while they are fighting. The main character, Alison, then has a mental breakdown and is sent to a mental hospital believing she killed the girl with her mind.
 Mayhem insues and she discovers she has synesthesia. That is a real phenomenon where someone can hear colors, taste sounds, or sees or associates colors with letters, numbers, days of the week, or specific times.
Back to the story, Alison's psychiatrist turns out to be a fake and then lies to her about who he is so many times that I lost track. She miraculously falls in love with him and they become a couple (seriously people). Guess what! Plot twist (that I should have seen coming): he's an alien sent to observe experiments set up on Earth.
I won't give away the end, but you pretty much know it anyway (wink wink). If you don't want to read the book, but want to know how it ends just think of the most predictable ending ever and that's it. If you want to know specifically how it ends, just leave a comment and I will get back to you.
Stay literate America. Until next time!

An Almost Book Review: Blah Books

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, school started and I kind of just gave up on fun things so I wouldn't fail any classes (pause for exhausted sigh).

Anyway, I haven't read any fantastic books is a long time so here is a list of blah books that were sub-par.

1. All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin

This book started out awesome, in the future, chocolate is illegal and smuggled by all of the crime lords in New York. Caffiene is also illegal. This would not be a good place for me, but I thought the plot was interesting. It is written from the point of view of the daughter of a notorious chocolate smuggler who is more interested in her boyfriend than the fact that she has been to prison twice and her brother smother cousin. This just drives me crazy, and made me ask: is this what teenagers really think? And so ends the blah book.

2. Lament by Maggie Steifvater

This is just an overall boring book, with an uninteresting plot about magical fairies. It has a happy ending and is just booooorrrrrrriiiiinnnnggggg.

Review: Haven by Kristi Cook

Honestly, I have mixed feelings about this book. The characters all worked well together, but there was always something missing. To explain my plight, here's the plot.
Violet has always had visions of the future, but everything changes when she sees her dad's murder. Left alone to grieve, she goes to a boarding school called Winterhaven which is a school for kids with psychic gifts.
At this point in the book, I was slightly interested, but also mildly bored. Violet took way too much time to realize that she was at a school with people like her.
Then she meets Aidan who is very mysterious and always missing class (I have no idea what's mysterious about skipping class, but Violet thought it made him more interesting). They start hanging out and fall in love (shocker). Then Violet discovers Aidan's secret, he is a vampire.
This is the point where I thought, "really! She could have done anything to make this more interesting, but a vampire? Come on." As you can see I am not into vampire books. I decided to read the rest of the book to see if it got better.
In a twist of fate, violet turns out to be one of three reincarnated vampire hunters.
This was when the book turned around a little and I became slightly more interested. But I think those are enough spoilers for today, so if you want to know what happens next, you'll have to read it. If not, I honestly wouldn't blame you.

Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Warning, this is a werewolf book so all of you vampire people can just stop reading here. I am not one that usually likes vampire and werewolf books, but I have read another of Maggie Stiefvater's books and decided to give it a try. Boy was I excited when I finished this books. Here's what Goodreads has to say about it:

"For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without.

Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever."

I was mainly intrigued by this book because of the scientific aspect. The werewolves in Mercy Falls (pause for cheesy name) change human in the warm weather of spring and then back into werewolves for the winter. The kicker is that they only change a certain number of times before they are  wolves forever. 
Grace is also a very interesting character, her parents basically ignore her so she takes care of everything in the house, all of the shopping, while still going to school. Her life changes when she finds a boy on her deck with eyes the same color as her wolf. He also just happens to be shot, mayhem insues.
Overall, I really loved this book and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series (Wolves of Mercy Falls).

Series Showcase: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

This is one of my favorite series I have read. It is about an assassin named Celeana Sardothien who has been a slave in the salt mines until one day the king asks her to be in a competition with the best assassins in the realm. The prize, she isn't sent back to the salt mines and becomes the king's personal killer. It really gets exciting when the other contestants die in ways that can only be explained by magic which has been outlawed. Celeana also has to grapple with her feelings for the prince who brought her to the castle, and the captain of the guard who trains her. Can she solve the mysterious murders before the killer finds her?
That's just what the first book is about because I wouldn't want to spoil the ending. I thought it was very interesting that there were so manny plot lines that contributed to the same story. I loved the way Celeana's troubled past is slowly revealed. The characters are also intriguing because the most innocent and soft spoken person has the biggest secrets.
This series also has five novellas that I have read that show how Celeana ends up at the salt mines and the betrayal that drives her to win the king's competition. I read the novellas after reading the first  two books because it explains some of the things that happen in the first two books, but if you are a fan of dramatic irony you could read them first. The book containing the novellas is called "The Assassin's Blade".
I recommend these books to anyone who likes fantasy, and mystery books.

Review: Chantress by Amy Butler Greenfield

First I would like to clarify something, the girl on the cover is not holding a human heart, it is in fact a ginormous ruby that can help channel her magical singing power. Now that I have thoroughly confused you let's see what Goodreads had to say:
"“Sing, and the darkness will find you.”

This warning has haunted fifteen-year-old Lucy ever since she was eight and shipwrecked on a lonely island. Lucy’s guardian, Norrie, has lots of rules, but the most important is that Lucy must never sing. Not ever. Now it is 1667, Lucy is fifteen, and on All Hallows’ Eve, Lucy hears a tantalizing melody on the wind. She can’t help but sing—and she is swept into darkness.

When she awakes in England, Lucy hears powerful men discussing Chantresses—women who can sing magic into the world. They are hunting her, but she escapes and finds sanctuary with the Invisible College, an organization plotting to overthrow the nefarious Lord Protector. The only person powerful enough to bring about his downfall is a Chantress. And Lucy is the last one in England.

Lucy struggles to master the song-spells and harness her power, but the Lord Protector is moving quickly. And her feelings for Nat, an Invisible College apprentice and scientist who deeply distrusts her magic, only add to her confusion…

Time is running out, and the fate of England hangs in the balance in this entrancing novel that is 
atmospheric and lyrical, dangerous and romantic."

I really enjoyed this book and especially loved the way the setting was described. It was very interesting how The Lord Protector (pause for the pretentious title to sink in) uses freaky ravens to hunt down law breakers and Chantresses. The evilness of the birds pales I comparison to the disgustingly terrifying Chantress hunter who wears the power stones of  Chantresses he has killed. 
Overall the way the characters react to the setting and dangers of an England I hope to never see makes for a very compelling plot. I recommend this book to anyone looking for an attention-grabbing-fantasy-adventure book.

Review: Scent of Magic by Maria V. Snyder

Scent of Magic is the sequel to Touch of Power. I really liked the sequel despite the horrendous title. The story story started where the last book left off which is good because one of my pet peeves is when the sequel skips over what happened after the end of the first book and then explains it later. I want to know now! Here's what Goodreads had to say about it:
"Hunted, Killed—Survived?
As the last Healer in the Fifteen Realms, Avry of Kazan is in a unique position: in the minds of her friends and foes alike, she no longer exists. Despite her need to prevent the megalomanical King Tohon from winning control of the Realms, Avry is also determined to find her sister and repair their estrangement. And she must do it alone, as Kerrick, her partner and sole confident, returns to Alga to summon his country into battle.

Though she should be in hiding, Avry will do whatever she can to support Tohon’s opponents. Including infiltrating a holy army, evading magic sniffers, teaching forest skills to soldiers and figuring out how to stop Tohon’s most horrible creations yet; an army of the walking dead—human and animal alike and nearly impossible to defeat.

War is coming and Avry is alone. Unless she figures out how to do the impossible ... again."

So not only is the land rife with death lilies whose poison gives a select few magical powers, The Skeleton King has an army of reanimated people and animals. So in simple terms this book was magicians vs. zombies. Coolest. Plot. Ever.
A little heads up to those planning of reading this book, the ending ripped my heart out. I won't spoil it because I have been informed that the character who rips out hearts of readers does in fact make an appearance in the third book. 
I recommend this book for any Maria V. Snyder fans and someone who likes fantasy adventure stories, but when you finish the book and are in the depths of despair, don't say I didn't warn you.