Under the Never Sky Author Insight

Aria has lived her whole life in the protected dome of Reverie. Her entire world confined to its spaces, she's never thought to dream of what lies beyond its doors. So when her mother goes missing, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland long enough to find her are slim.
Then Aria meets an outsider named Perry. He's searching for someone too. He's also wild - a savage - but might be her best hope at staying alive.
If they can survive, they are each other's best hope for finding answers.

Is it weird that every time I hear the name Perry, I think of Perry the Platypus? But anyways, I really, really, really can't wait to get my hands on this book!

New Goal: Blog Renovating

So that's it, this weekend I'm going to majorly update it. It's been a while and I want to get some stuff seriously settled before I start blogging again.
*huff*
The stupid white behind the words and all that other confusing formatting junk is getting on my nerves and for the next few days I'm going to overcome them all. Photoshopping the hell out of my blog and computer.

Here we go...

Review: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Hardcover, 391 pages

Published October 13th 2009 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Rating: 4.4 Glasses

Summary:

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her...until Patch comes along.  With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment, but after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is far more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.  For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

My Thoughts


I've heard a lot of bad things about this book. Some of the reviews online weren't very nice and a few of my friends even condemned it their never read again pile. So, I'm not exaggerating when I say I was a little bit more than nervous to read this book. But despite my hesitance I cleared my mind of all bias (well as much as I could hope to) and began reading and lo and behold, I really, really, really liked it.


Patch is just the right amount of badass-ary and cockiness to make you love him. Nora, although she seems a little dull, reminds me a bit of Bella with more spunk in her step. She's speaks up and has Vee, her quirky best friend to help her survive their sex-ed like version of biology class. With Patch her new desk partner, you realise that he's as much of an idiot as he is a mysterious bundle of hotness on legs. I hate subjecting these fictional guys, but you can't help it. Patch is just Patch.

I have to admit that the writing's not the greatest. There were even some story lines in the book that seemed really unnecessary or didn't add much of the story at all. Also, some of the characters are border line obnoxious. But I think that the overall story that's trying to be told overshadows a lot of these things.


If you liked Twilight you're going to love this book. Although, if you're one of the twi-haters out there, you might want to stay away. Vee can get annoying sometimes and there are quiet a lot of parallels in both of the plots.


But besides being a lot like Twilight, it was a perfectly good read and I can't wait to get my hands on the next one. The ending of Hush, Hush was completely satisfactory and I could've been happy with just that one book. There was no dramatic cliff hanger and there weren't any huge gaping questions unanswered. 


With side characters and police investigations in the midst of Nora's confusing relationship with Patch Hush, Hush was definitely worth my time.


What I Liked.

• The Cover. I'm going to be shallow for a second and say the cover of this book is really incredibly pretty....
• The Angels. I can now finally say I've thoroughly enjoyed a good angel themed romance novel!
• Patch. He's mysterious and broods just the right amount to make it okay that's he a cocky bastard sometimes. Plus it doesn't hurt that he's extremely good looking.
• The Romance. It was sweet and although it bordered weird and kind of psychotic at some points, I think it worked out very well. Nora and Patch fit perfectly together.
• Their biology class. I know a lot of people think it's extremely stupid, "Twilight"-y, and very unrealistic, but I mean, it's supposed to be a teen romance novel about angels. I think it was stupid and unrealistic for just the right reasons. It was funny and gave the characters a lot to work with. Because really, what coach/bio teacher asks their students "What do they look for in their future mate?"
• The flash backs. They were well placed and helped aid the story.

What I Didn't Like.

• Nora's "wishy-washy"-ness. She has spunk, but sometimes it seems she just lets people walk all over her. I wish she'd stand up to Vee when she didn't like something. That would have solved so many of their problems.
• It's set in the north west. I'm sorry, but that just reminds me too much of Twilight.
• The foreshadowing. It was too obvious. The fact that he calls her angel, asks her to go on an angel-themed roller coaster at a theme park named Delphic is just too much.
• Vee. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have a friend like her, but at some points I was just fed up with her attitude. I wan't to grab her and shout "JUST LISTEN TO NORA!" I swear, half the stuff that happened wouldn't have happened if she did just that. I personally think that if you can stand her, the rest of this book will be a breeze.
• Elliot and Jules. So Vee and Nora meet these two guys and although they're big parts of the story, I don't think they're given enough attention. 
• eZine. I never got it. It seemed really interesting for the first quarter of the book, I mean, it was mentioned a lot,and then proof! Never mentioned again.

Should You Read It?

I'm going to be honest, if you didn't like Twilight, you probably won't like this. However, if you did, then go for it! I can guarantee Patch is going to be right up there for you next to the many other dreamy fictional guys of your dreams.

Cover Rating: 5 STARS!!!! Seriously, it's just too pretty. Like uber beautiful pretty.

Insatiable by Meg Cabot

Hardcover, 441 pages

Published June 8th 2010 by William Morrow

Rating: 3.7 Glasses

Summary:
Sick of vampires? So is Meena Harper.  
But her boss is making her write about them anyway, even though Meena doesn’t believe in them.  
Not that Meena isn’t familiar with the supernatural. See, Meena Harper knows how you’re going to die (not that you’re going to believe her; no one ever does).  
But not even Meena’s precognition can prepare her for what happens when she meets—then makes the mistake of falling in love with—Lucien Antonescu, a modern-day prince with a bit of a dark side . . . a dark side a lot of people, like an ancient society of vampire-hunters, would prefer to see him dead for.  
The problem is, he already is dead. Maybe that’s why he’s the first guy Meena’s ever met that she could see herself having a future with. See, while Meena’s always been able to see everyone else’s future, she’s never been able look into her own. 
And while Lucien seems like everything Meena has ever dreamed of in a boyfriend, he might turn out to be more like a nightmare.  
Now might be a good time for Meena to start learning to predict her own future . . .  
If she even has one.

My Thoughts.


You know what one of my friends asked when she saw this? 


"Vampires? Again?" Then she shook her head. 


It's a well known fact within the small group of friends that I have a thing for vampire novels. They're my kryptonite in the literary world and no matter of power is ever going to stop that. 


Lucien and Meena were cute together and the addition of Jon and Alaric were most of the time well placed and helped relieve the tension of a few of the scenes. It's in limited third person so we get to see inside some of the characters head, giving us, the reader, an insightful look not only the main characters lives, but a few of the minor ones as well. 


I've never read Meg Cabot before. Other than skimming through a few of her other books, this was the first one I had finished, and I must say I quite liked it. It was original, very well written, clever, and often times funny and very entertaining. However, I hated the ending and I can only hope that the second one in the series will make up for it.


What I Liked.

• Lucien and Meena. They almost seem like the perfect couple. He whisks her off out of her world of television and into his world of darkness and excitement. They have their problems and their cute moments and it's easy to read through them both.
• Meena's Power. The fact that she can tell when people are going to die is a really clever twist to the story and totally adds to it.
• Meena's dog Jack Bauer. If the main heroine has a dog I think I'm genetically programmed to love it. He's so cute and is always there to protect her.
• Insatiable. I'd do anything to work in New York for some soap opera, no matter how terribly cheesy it is. Insatiable reminds you of those real soaps you see on TV and gives the novel a sense of reality.
• New York. I don't think the novel could have worked anywhere else. It feels so real and you really do get some of that New Yorker vibe from of the characters.

What I Didn't Like.

• Alaric. He just came off to me as some shallow jerk who has a prejudice against vampires and likes to kill them with his "Senor Sticky" of a sword.
• Jon. Meena's brother hardly seems like someone I'd want to know. He doesn't think most of the time, leeches off of his sister, and often times, only cares about his own needs.
• The Love Triangle. Must all romance novels have love triangles? I mean, Meena belongs with Lucien, end of story. Why did Alaric have to develop feelings for her too?!
• Lucien and his Pushiness. I understand that he's supposed to be the whole big shot Prince of Darkness and all that, but sometimes the way he treats others sort of bugs me. Especially with those red eyes.

Should you read it?

If you like the good old vampire romance novel with a twist, pick this up next time you see it and give it a read.

Cover: 3 Stars. I'm not digging the whole stake with lady thing going on.

Why I ADORE The Mortal Instruments

With finals FINALLY over I'd like to take some time off of my social life (or lack there of) to rant online about why I absolutely positively and unequivocally without a doubt love the Mortal Instruments.


In seventh grade I had the best history teacher in the world. Not only was her class awesome, but her entire classroom was filled with copies historic relics and shelves upon shelves of books, and if it wasn't for I never would have gotten so into reading. But, besides the point, I remember her lending me The Mortal Instruments, telling me how amazing they were after school as I helped her clean her classroom. 


Anyway, I got home and read them all in a week, as well as drop my math grade by one half a letter grade. With my middle school vocabulary there weren't any words to describe how in awe I was of this series. 


Jace, Clary, Simon, Alec, Isabelle, and everyone at the Institute were characters that were not only incredibly witting and entertaining, but were depthful and had motives to their actions (unlike Twilight, which I had just finished). There I got to the end of the City of Bones and I threw the book down and freaked out. You become so involved with the story that you can't help but feel heartbroken when the characters feel that way. 


With Simon being the geeky guy I wish I could have, Clary the badass heroine I wanted to be, and Jace the beautiful jerk I yearned to meet, you can't help but live vicariously though these characters. And when she said she was going to write prequels and well as a sequels to TMI I almost squealed my head off. I mean, I can't say how many times I wished I was Tessa in The Infernal Devices. I mean, I don't want to have to choose between Will and Jem, because that's probably the worst and best love triangle in the world, but to live in Victorian London!


And finally, that last nail in the coffin that cemented my devotion to this series was Cassandra Clare. Not only is she a Nerdfighter, but she loves almost all the same things I do. She seems just like one of those writers that you can complete relate with. Plus, she does so much stuff for her fans. 


So as you can see, I have many reasons for loving this series a crazy amount. I could probably go on, but my fingers are getting numb and I really should go and turn on the heater. Auvoir!