review: possession - elana johnson

POSSESSION

Elana Johnson
Release Date: June 7th 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 416

Rating: 1 out of 5

"Vi knows the Rule: Girls don't walk with boys, and they never even think about kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn...and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi's future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.

But the Thinkers are unusually persuasive, and they're set on convincing Vi to become one of them...starting by brainwashing Zenn. Vi can't leave Zenn in the Thinkers' hands, but she's wary of joining the rebellion, especially since that means teaming up with Jag. Jag is egotistical, charismatic, and dangerous--everything Zenn's not. Vi can't quite trust Jag and can't quite resist him, but she also can't give up on Zenn. This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play "

Wow, I'm not even sure what to say about this book. 99% of the time I was reading it I had NO idea what was going on. It read as though Elana was writing a draft, full of ideas and plot points but they were disjointed. You get completely thrown in at the deep end into a confusing world which doesn't get satisfactory explanation and just continues to get more strange.

The characters also seemed shallow to me. Vi, rebels against the 'goodies' but we never are told why. She also claims to be completely in love with her match, Zenn, but as soon as she meets Jag she seems to forget all about Zenn. Oh and she 'falls in love' with Jag, despite the fact there is no build-up to this romance, and it seems to have occurred over days.. Jag as a character has no substance, and to be perfectly honest the way he calls Vi 'babe' make me feel slightly ill.The only character I actually cared about in this book was Zenn, which is kind of ironic I guess.

I read all of Possession, in the hopes that there would be explanations, or a sudden character development that would actually make me care what happened, but there was nothing. I'm still in mixed minds whether to read the sequel, such a shame as the book had such promise, and some of the ideas were interesting but the writing style was just so horrendous.

review: illuminate - aimee agresti

ILLUMINATE
Aimee Agresti
Release Date: March 6, 2012
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Book
Pages: 534
Source: bought

Rating: 4 out of 5

"Haven Terra is a brainy, shy high school outcast. But everything begins to change when she turns sixteen. Along with her best friend Dante and their quiet and brilliant classmate Lance, she is awarded a prestigious internship in the big city— Chicago—and is sent to live and work at a swanky and stylish hotel under the watchful eyes of a group of gorgeous and shockingly young-looking strangers: powerful and alluring hotel owner Aurelia Brown; her second-in-command, the dashing Lucian Grove; and their stunning but aloof staff of glamazons called The Outfit.
As Haven begins falling for Lucian, she discovers that these beautiful people are not quite what they seem. With the help of a mysterious book, she uncovers a network of secret passageways from the hotel’s jazz-age past that leads her to the heart of the evil agenda of Aurelia and company: they’re in the business of buying souls. Will they succeed in wooing Haven to join them in their recruitment efforts, or will she be able to thwart this devilish set’s plans to take the souls of her classmates on prom night at the hotel? "

I've been excited to read this book for a while, and I wasn't disappointed when I finally got the chance to! I do wish the blurb of the book didn't give as much of the story away though, it doesn't leave much room for surprise. At over 500 pages this could be considered far too long for a YA book, but I liked that the book was lengthy. I found it allowed Aimee to fully explore, and her writing was a treat to read as it was full of imagery, atmosphere and crafted intrigue and mystery beautifully.

Haven was a main character I think a lot could relate to, however at first I found her boring to be completely honest! However I did enjoy her evolution throughout the novel, and  found the further I read on, the more I warmed to her. The character of Dante was a breath of fresh air for me, it was really nice to see a gay character portrayed in a YA novel, and for one to be portrayed well. He reminded me of one of my own friends, so needless to say he was a favourite of mine. I loved the character of Lucian, even though his sudden interest in Haven at first was sort of creepy, he definitely grabbed hold of my heart and I found myself rooting for him! Lance, I was less enthralled with. I can't say his character stood out to me, I found him bland. There is a slight love triangle in this book which might put a few of you off, and I can't say I'm happy with who Hazel ended up with but as this is a series I'm holding out hope!

Although this is an 'angel' book, the lore is handled in a way that is dissimilar to the variety of other angel books I've read, this is probably my second favourite, only to Angelfall, and that says a lot! There were so many good things about this book: the length, the writing, the majority of the characters and the plot twists. I really wanted to give it a 5 but due to my dislike of the 'resolution' of the love triangle I really found I couldn't, however I guess this is a testament to Aimee's writing that she could make me care that much about how it worked out. I will definitely be buying the sequel, as I'm waiting anxiously to see what happens next!

www wednesdays 2

WWW wednesdays are hosted by MizB at shouldbereading.wordpress.com. To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?     

   

  What are you currently reading?
EXILED - M R MEYRICK.
I'm halfway through this and honestly I'm not sure if I like it!

  
What did you recently finish reading?
 ARTICLE 5 - KRISTEN SIMMONS.
I read mixed reviews on this book, but I really loved it and found in on par with Divergent and Delirium. Definitely worth checking out!

What do you think you'll read next?
ANGEL - L.A WEATHERLY
I've not read this yet and it sounds intriguing so even though I think angel books have been overdone I'm going to give it a try!





Let me know what you think about the books I have included, or link me to your WWW Wednesdays :)

review: the scorpio races - maggie stiefvater

THE SCORPIO RACES
Maggie Stiefvater
Release Date: October 22nd 2011
Publisher: Scholastic UK
Pages: 482
Source: bought

Rating: 5 out of 5

"It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line.

Some riders live.
Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn't given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen"

Maggie Stiefvater is without a doubt, one of my favourite authors. With this in mind, my review might be slightly biased! I don't think I could recommend this book enough, to me it's perfect. The premise is unlike any other book I've read, it completely sucked me in and would not let go until I had finished reading it.

Maggie's writing is just wonderful; it's descriptive, lyrical and captivating. I loved the setting, a tiny island called 'Thisby' off the coast of Ireland. It was atmospheric and mysterious, which suited the plot incredibly. The descriptions of the island were beautiful, and it was hard for me to believe it was an imaginary island, to me Thisby was alive. It had a heart and a soul, it was easy to see why Puck loved it.

I also loved the dual narrative and the development of the relationship between Sean Kendrick and Puck. It was a subtle, not overstated development and I really liked that. I became invested in their relationship, and was willing them to have a happy ending which I didn't believe was possible: only one of them can win the races and therefore what they desire the most. Sean is completely swoon-worthy, and I will admit I'm a little in love with him! The relationship between the riders and their respective horses was also a highlight for me. You could feel the love Puck has for Dove and Sean Kendrick has for Corr, and as a previous horse owner I could relate completely.

I became completely and utterly emotionally attached to the intertwining stories of Sean Kendrick and Puck, and found myself in tears at the ending, and thinking about this book for days after I read it. I kind of wished it wasn't a standalone novel and that it was part of a series because I didn't want to stop reading about this island and it's inhabitants.

This book is one I've already re-read so many times, it is captivating, heart wrenching and beautifully written. If you haven't picked it up yet I highly suggest you do. I'll leave you with perhaps my favourite quote from the whole book.

"I say, "I will not be your weakness Sean Kendrick."

Now he looks at me. He says, very softly. "It's late for that Puck."

www wednesdays 1

WWW wednesdays are hosted by MizB at shouldbereading.wordpress.com. To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

     
    What are you currently reading?
RICK RIORDAN - THE LOST HERO.
My brother has been bugging me to read this book for ages, as he introduced me to the Percy Jackson series and I really, really liked them! I'm only about 10 pages into this, it keeps getting sidelined.
 



  
What did you recently finish reading?
 PANDEMONIUM - LAUREN OLIVER.
Wow. Lauren Oliver definitely doesn't disappoint! Review will be up for this very soon.




 
What do you think you'll read next?
EVE - ANNA CAREY
There's been mixed reviews about this book, but I'm really enjoying dystopian fiction at the moment, so I think I'm going to give this a try and see what I think!





Let me know what you think about the books I have included, or link me to your WWW Wednesdays :)