Book Reviews: The Mara Dyer Series (1&2) by Michelle Hodkin

Hey everyone!
So a few days ago, I finished The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin, the first two books in a trilogy. And I loved them! They were so good. The books had some creepy elements but they were so interesting. I liked the second one more because I thought it was more creepy and exciting, but it did have some cons, too. I'll let you know when spoilers start!

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer | Book 1
"Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.
It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.
There is.

She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.
She’s wrong."
In other words, Mara Dyer survived an incident where all her friends were killed and she was fine, even though the whole building collapsed. She's suffering from PTSD and can't remember anything from the incident. And of course, there's more involved than it looks like.
One thing I really liked about this series is Mara. She's an unreliable character, but that's one of the reasons why I like her. We have to figure things out for ourselves instead of the character always doing the solving. She's also sarcastic, which I love because I'm sarcastic myself (which you probably can't tell from just my blog). We have some other characters as well. Like Noah Shaw. At first, I wasn't sure how I was going to like Noah by his reputation and all. But by the end of this book and the second one, I'm so happy Mara met him. Their relationship is pretty funny, which is needed in this book. It was so interesting finding out what the heck happened. Overall, I loved this book.

The Evolution of Mara Dyer | Book 2
"Mara Dyer once believed she could run from her past.

She can’t.

She used to think her problems were all in her head.

They aren’t.

She couldn’t imagine that after everything she’s been through, the boy she loves would still be keeping secrets.

She’s wrong.

In this gripping sequel to The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, the truth evolves and choices prove deadly. What will become of Mara Dyer next?"
This book. I was so paranoid while reading this. When my door opened from the wind, I jumped. When I woke up in the middle of the night, I thought someone was watching me sleep (which makes more sense if you read this book). One reason why I loved this more than the first one is because it was creepy. I heard things about the first book being creepy, but this one made me change position while reading so I can see my whole room. The new antagonist in this book is now an actual person which makes things so interesting. One thing that bothered me (not because it was a bad writing choice- it just made me angry with Mara. I thought it made perfect sense and all, but if I was in her position... glad to have Noah! But her family doesn't believe anything! I was like yelling at my book. Now I'm just going to get in spoilers because I have something (more like someone, or someones if that's grammatically correct) on my mind. Okay? Okay.

SPOILERS:DON'T READ IF HAVEN'T READ. WHICH MEANS: GO READ!

Book Review: Prodigy by Marie Lu

Hey everyone!
So as some of you may or may not know, I have been a fan of Legend for quite some time and was so excited to read Prodigy! I got it Thursday and finished it yesterday, and I can't stop thinking about it. Marie Lu delivers yet another wonderful story into the life of June and Day so well and so amazing, that I. Can't. Stop. Thinking. About It. In other words, I really recommend this series. So all in all, I give this book a 5/5. This will contain spoilers for the first book, Legend and then later, Prodigy.
 
"June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place. With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the two join a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and offer passage to the Colonies. They have only one request—June and Day must assassinate the new Elector.

It’s their chance to change the nation, to give voice to a people silenced for too long.

But as June realizes this Elector is nothing like his father, she’s haunted by the choice ahead. What if Anden is a new beginning? What if revolution must be more than loss and vengeance, anger and blood—what if the Patriots are wrong?

In this highly-anticipated sequel, Lu delivers a breathtaking thriller with high stakes and cinematic action."

I thought this book delivered non-stop action and nothing was anticlimactic and slow. This book blew me away with everything. The characters were great and nothing really hit me as, oh this is boring, or, I hate this part. (Unless of course it was a twist that made your adrenaline running, and you say you hate that part when really you still love the book.)

 

SPOILERS:

Book Review: The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

Hey everyone!
I recently read the second installment to the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, The Sea of Monsters, and thought it was appropriate to do a review! Also, this was my 100th book on Goodreads! *This will have spoilers for the first book which I do have a review on!

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Book Two: The Sea of Monsters | Rick Riordan

"The heroic son of Poseidon makes an action-packed comeback in the second must-read installment of Rick Riordan's amazing young readers series. Starring Percy Jackson, a "half blood" whose mother is human and whose father is the God of the Sea, Riordan's series combines cliffhanger adventure and Greek mythology lessons that results in true page-turners that get better with each installment. In this episode, The Sea of Monsters, Percy sets out to retrieve the Golden Fleece before his summer camp is destroyed, surpassing the first book's drama and setting the stage for more thrills to come."
 
Like I always say when I like a book, I really enjoyed this one. I think I might like the first one a little more, but this one was not a disappointment to the series. The plot line was very exciting and the setting was very different than The Lightning Thief. The adventure continues, and I can NOT wait to get the third one! But I am still on my BBB so I'll have to wait until after Christmas.

SPOILERS:

Book Review: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Hey everyone!
I finished reading the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series last night, and am going through torture because I promised myself I would not start the Sea of Monsters until this weekend. Kids, don't make promises you don't want to keep... it ends out very bad... 

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

By Rick Riordan

**Spoiler Free**

 



*Warning: Lots of 'really liked' and 'anyways' ahead...
"Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school... again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus' master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus' stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves."
 
This book takes place all across the country in present day form, but there's a twist. There's Greek gods hovering over you, or if you're Hades, I guess, under you. I normally keep to my dystopian worlds... ohh Panem.... sorry... anyways, this was very fun to read! I really enjoyed this book. Like really, really. Easily top 10. I really liked how Rick Riordan described everything without too much detail, which bores me, unless it's The Hunger Games (......). Moreover, I came into reading this book knowing the very basics of Greek mythology. I not only enjoyed reading this book, but I learned from it too. You don't have to know things like how Demeter is the goddess of agriculture to read this book which was another bonus.
I did see the movie- which I know is "nothing like the books" as everyone tells me. When they said that I thought they meant nothing, with capital N... and O and T and H etc. There were some similarities and mostly differences, but the Minotaur part was in the movie and other things that I am not going to say in sake of those who have not read it. If you haven't read it, why are you reading this? You're supposed to be at the bookstore now or something. I really enjoyed the characters too! Haha, did you guys notice the pun (not sure if it was intentional or not) Gabe Ugliano. You probably, most likely, pronounce it differently but, Ug-ly-on-o. It sometimes how I do it. But get it? Ugliano? Yep. Real funny Kait. Hey, I thought I would mention it.
I'm not going into spoilers because there's nothing really that shocked me or very large deaths that need to be said. However, I do have a question. Which god would you want to be a demi-god of? In other words, what god-like powers do you wish you had? Hmmm... I think it would be very cool to be either Poseidon (God of the Sea) or Athena (God of Wisdom and something else, strategy or battle or something...). Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this review! Overall, 5/5 stars! :)

Book Review: Shatter Me by Taherah Mafi

Hey everyone!
Today's book review is on the book Shatter Me by Taherah Mafi. This is her first book in the series, and her 1.5 book, Destroy Me, is out as an eBook, which I have yet to read. I read this book 2-3 weeks ago, so my memory may not be as good as if I just finished it. I still hope you enjoy my thoughts and opinions!
"No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal, but The Reestablishment has plans for her. Plans to use her as a weapon. But Juliette has plans of her own. After a lifetime without freedom, she's finally discovering a strength to fight back for the very first time—and to find a future with the one boy she thought she'd lost forever."
Overall, I really loved this book. 5/5 Stars! I thought the plot line and the characters were interesting. The writing, for instance, using the cross out or repeating words, was very unique. Personally, I really liked the writing style! Juliette shows quite a bit of character development. She goes from a fragile, broken girl to someone more strong, but not enough to trust people fully. I feel like Adam is a typical character, to be honest. On the other hand, you have Warner. Warner, what goes on in your head? Taherah Mafi has a really funny video you can find on YouTube here, where you can see how Warner is... lol. Oh and Kenji. Just Kenji... 

Find it here on Goodreads!

 

NOTABLES (SPOILERS AHEAD):

Book Review: Reached by Ally Condie

Hey everyone!
Oh my gosh I am so excited for today's post! I just finished reading Reached last night, and I really liked it. The book takes a very different direction from what I was expecting, but it was still very interesting.

"After leaving Society and desperately searching for the Rising—and each other—Cassia and Ky have found what they were looking for, but at the cost of losing each other yet again: Cassia has been assigned to work for the Rising from within Society, while Ky has been stationed outside its borders. But nothing is as predicted, and all too soon the veil lifts and things shift once again.

In this gripping conclusion to the #1 New York Times-bestselling Matched Trilogy, Cassia will reconcile the difficulties of challenging a life too confining, seeking a freedom she never dreamed possible, and honoring a love she cannot live without."
It even states, "But nothing is as predicted, ..." This is not  huge spoiler because it's the main problem in the story, however the synopsis above doesn't really say what the book's plot is. The Society, or should I say, the Rising created a Plague. The Rising had a cure for the Plague, the tactic was mainly to gain trust over the Society sympathizers. They would give everyone the cure and everyone would trust them and they could get on with a new life.
Until the Plague mutated. Xander is now a medic, so he's been working and treating patients. Cassia's a Rising sorter from Central, and Ky becomes a Pilot with Indie. That's all I'm going to say for now, if you don't want to hear spoilers. :)
Overall, I really liked this book. I'm not sure if it's because it's the last book, or not, but I do know I really, really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone. Again, I'm not sure if it's because I just read it or what, nevertheless, I can say it was probably my favorite out of the three. You find out so much in this book, like why Ky's name got put in the Matching Pool, why Cassia can walk through the blue tablet, (well, more about it)  what the 'red garden day' is, and so much more. I also love the new characters we meet in this book, such as Lei, and even Oker! Lol.... However, this book doesn't answer every single question. Above I said, 'why Cassia can walk through the blue tablet, (well, more about it)'. We don't really know why she can, but we do find more about it.  

SPOILERS: