Immortal City (Review)

Title: Immortal City

Author(s): Scott Speer
Edition: Hardcover, 375 pages
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: April 3, 2012
Source: Bought from B&N
Buy: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

The Summary

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Jackson Godspeed is the hottest young Angel in a city filled with them.

He's days away from becoming a full Guardian, and people around the world are already competing for the chance to be watched over by him. Everyone's obsessed with the Angels and the lucky people they protect - everyone except for Madison Montgomery.

Maddy's the one girl in Angel City who doesn't breathlessly follow the Angels on TV and gossip blogs. When she meets Jackson, she doesn't recognize him. But Jackson is instantly captivated by her, and against all odds the two fall in love.

Maddy is swiftly caught up in Jackson's scene, a world of glamour, paparazzi - and murder. A serial killer is on the loose, leaving dead Angels' wings for the police to find on the Walk of Fame. Even the Guardians are powerless to protect themselves in the face of this threat & and this time it's up to Maddy to save Jackson.

(Goodreads)

My Opinion

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Let me just tell you, there isn't a single thing I didn't like about this book. Immortal City is a debut novel from screenwriter Scott Speer, and it blew me out of the water. Well-crafted, action-packed, with intriguing characters and a fun premise, it is one of my favorite book of this year! The writing was spectacular. Detailed and packed full of nuance with a very strong style. Reminiscent of action movies, but with romance and drama mixed in, I wasn't expecting anything less from a screenwriter. They have a way of cutting through exposition, and getting down to the important aspects. He took everything that’s great about script writing and inserted it into prose. Masterful action sequences are visible in your mind: the guardian angels zipping around saving people from certain death plays out like a movie. The dialogue was great as well; another aspect bolstered by his screenwriting background. The conversations feel organic, as if they’re happening in real time. Each character’s personality is portrayed and comes out in speech and actions. Good writing really clinches the book for me, and Immortal City has it in spades. Besides the writing, the actual world development was awesome! While the book is set in our “reality”, things have been changed just enough that it is a new and different world. Angels are the new celebrities, and “Angel Mania” has engulfed american popular culture. This is nowhere more apparent than in the City of Angels itself, Los Angeles. This is where Speer sets the home base of the Angel community, and the city is now dubbed Angel City or Immortal City. Speer was able to change the L.A. we know to reflect this influence; instead of E! we have A!; there are whole reality shows dedicated to winning a coveted protection spot; people are on teams (ala Twilight), buying any paraphernalia they get for their chosen Angel. And the Hollywood Walk of Fame is now adorned with Angelic names. These details are such a clever way to establish the setting, as the overall world is still familiar. In a way, Speer also develops a commentary on this type of lifestyle, using Maddy as the “outsider” looking in and holding up the extravagant angel lifestyle to the harsh light of reality. I really love when world development is smart like this. For me, there was just the right amount of action, danger, and romance to keep me entertained. The hints to how exactly the hierarchy of angels works makes me want to dive into the next book, Natural Born Angel, especially when the details about Maddy are given. Overall, Immortal City by Scott Speer was a great debut, and shouldn't be missed. But don’t take my word for it; check it out at your local bookstore or library!

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Final Rating

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Book Cover: 5/5
Book Title: 5/5
Plot: 9/10
Characters: 9/10
Writing: 10/10
Ending: 9/10
Overall: 47/50: A

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Past. Present. Future. (14)

There are a a lot of these "What're you reading?" features around, so I figured, hey why not start one too? Basically, here's where I highlight the books I've read, the books I'm reading, and the books I'm going to read. Fun, right? Please join in if you want!

PAST:

Croak by Gina Damico - Such a funny and morbid story!  Black humor abound, but in such a delicious way.  The world of Croak is fantastic with the explanation behind Grim Reapers making perfect sense.  Lex is a great protagonist, but her crazy Uncle Mort is probably my favorite person!  Love this series!






PRESENT:

Scorch by Gina Damico - Second book in the Croak series.  Picking up where the story left off, I'm finding out even more about the world of Grim Reapers!  Now with a more powerful enemy on the loose, Lex and her friends have to fight even harder.  I'm so loving the series so much, I can't wait for the next installment.

Send by Patti Blount - This book is intense.  Like super intense.  It details the life of a boy who's whole life is changed by the click of the mouse.  The topic is really current and really hard to read about for both the victim and the bully.  Bullying is such an epidemic within society now, I think this book may bring light many repercussions of such acts.  It is really well written, and is starting to be one of my favorite contemporaries.




FUTURE:

The Diviners by Libba Bray - This has been on my radar from day one!  Libba Bray is sometimes a hit-or-miss author for me, but I couldn't resist when I read the summary for this one!  I managed to snag a signed copy from Books-A-Million, score!  I can't wait to read this creepy, haunting, awesome book!

If any of you've read any of these books, let me know what you thought (but NO spoilers) down below in the comments!

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Book to Movie Adaptations

I am SUPER excited about all the fabulous movies coming out based on my favorite books!  

Below are some of the trailers, all of which are fantastic! 

Let me know which book to movie adaptations you're excited for!

Rise of the Guardians (2012)

Life of Pi (2012)

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013)

Beautiful Creatures (2013)

Warm Bodies (2013)

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Pandemonium (Review)

Title: Pandemonium

Author(s): Lauren Oliver
Edition: Hardcover, 375 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's
Publication Date: February 28, 2012
Source: Bought from B&N
Buy: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

The Summary

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I'm pushing aside the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame. 

Lauren Oliver delivers an electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Delirium. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite.

(Goodreads)

My Opinion

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I know this book has been out since February, but I have this problem with reading funks.  I’ll be super excited for a book, but once I buy it I won’t read it.  It’s really annoying and sometimes makes me miss out on an awesome book at the time everyone else is enjoying it.  But I did, finally, take Pandemonium off my shelf and I was hooked from word one!

This book picks up right where Delirium left off.  Lena is struggling to survive in a dangerous, harsh, and alien world without Alex to give her strength.  In the Wilds she is reborn and comes to rely on herself more than ever.  It was a really intense journey and I loved every page of it!

One of the things Lauren Oliver does exceptionally well is craft living, breathing characters.  Living in the Wilds, the new people Lena finds are hard without room for excuses, laziness or error.  While there is freedom, there is still a sense of entrapment, as they never know when the next attack is going to come.  Raven, the leader of the group, is one of the strongest in terms of development.  I love her and I hate her, but she helps Lena in too many ways for her not to be important.  She is Lena’s mother in a wa, and is integral to the story.  The other new character that makes an impact is Julian.  I liked him from the get go, and I think he turns Lena’s mission towards a different outcome.  I don’t want to give away too much, but I see him as a forever type of guy.

Besides her amazing characterization, Oliver’s world building is phenomenal.  However, I will admit one thing that was my stupid fault: I didn’t realize the Portland Lena lived in wasn’t Portland, Oregon, but Portland, Maine.  Yes, I know stupid of me, and definitely not Oliver’s fault as she develops the world so well.  There is a dream like quality, overlaid with grittiness to the Homesteads that the people in the Wilds live in.  And the distinction between the Wilds and the Towns was clear, as well as the distinction between those well-off and those not.  But the best part of the world building is that it is so grounded in our own reality that you can imagine this coming to pass.  Love being made a sickness, the EMP coming and destroying things, the government mandating who people can be with, it all has a base in what’s happening in our own society now.  I wish that they would publish a Book of Shhh as a companion to the series.  It is such an interesting mix of religion and science, and it would give even more insight to the world.

But my absolute favorite part of the book was Oliver’s writing.  She has such a powerful gift with language.  Lines that are harsh still carry beauty within them, and lines filled with happiness are still overlayed with sorrow.  It was an absolute joy to read; the flow was amazing and kept moving me forward through the story.  I thought how she broke the book into Then and Now was genius; it gave the full scope of Lena’s experience until it finally merges together at the end, creating a juxtaposition with the beginning of Lena’s journey to the end.  There was harmony throughout, something I’ve found in all of Oliver’s books.

I see Pandemonium as a vast bridge one must cross; it can be a difficult journey, but the reward at the end is well worth it.  I know there has been mixed reviews regarding this book, but I encourage everyone to try it out, especially if you loved Delirium.  I think Lauren Oliver is building up to something fantastic in Requiem, and you can’t get there without reading Pandemonium!

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Final Rating

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Book Cover: 3/5
Book Title: 5/5
Plot: 9/10
Characters: 9/10
Writing: 10/10
Ending: 9/10
Overall: 45/50: A-

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Trailer Thursday (25)

Today I'm bringing you an intense trailer from a sequel that I'm dying to get my hands on!  The teaser trailer for The Evolution of Mara Dyer is super creepy, and exactly what I wanted for a follow up to the equally creepy The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer!  Can't wait to buy it!

The Evolution of Mara Dyer

by Michelle Hodkin

Published Date: October 23, 2012

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WOAH! THANK YOU!! YOU ROCK!

I've hit the big

That's right I've got 800 followers!  THANK YOU SO MUCH!  It's because of all of you that I've kept going for the past 2 years!  Going into my 3rd year with 800 of you following me is not too shabby at all!

I'm hoping with the new year, I can get more awesome things for the blog.  And again, I can't thank you enough!

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Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie (Review)

Title: Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie

Author(s): David Lubar

Edition: Paperback, 288 pages

Publisher: Speak
Publication Date: January 18, 2007 (2nd Run)

Source: Bought from B&N

Buy: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

The Summary

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Starting high school is never easy. Seniors take your lunch money. Girls you've known forever are suddenly beautiful and unattainable. And you can never get enough sleep. Could there be a worse time for Scott's mother to announce she's pregnant? Scott decides high school would be a lot less overwhelming if it came with a survival manual, so he begins to write down tips for his new sibling.

Meanwhile, he's trying his best to capture the attention of Julia, the freshman goddess. In the process, Scott manages to become involved in nearly everything the school has to offer. So while he tries to find his place in the confusing world of high school, win Julia's heart, and keep his sanity, Scott will be recording all the details for his sibling's- and your- enjoyment

(Goodreads)

My Opinion

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I randomly picked this up the other day from Barnes & Noble.  The cover caught my attention, so I checked out the summary.  It sounded super cute, and I was in the mood for something a little lighter, so I bought it.  Wow, am I glad I did, because it was so good!  Seriously, Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar (who is a hilarious author) is one of my favorite contemporaries this year!  Full of humor, heartbreak, family and friends, you won’t be able to put it down once you’ve started reading!

Scott is your average guy.  He has his small group of friends, a loving family, and does well in school.  He’s caring, smart, and really funny!  But he’s not going through the most average of situations.  His parents are expecting a baby, he’s starting high school, his brother’s dropped out of college, and he has the most hopeless crush on a girl.  Definite problems that while may not be average for him, are definitely things everyone can relate to.

That is the aspect of the book that I really enjoyed.  I can relate to a lot of the things Scott goes through.  The biggest one being the coming baby.  Scott’s new sibling is going to be 14 years younger than he is!  That is such a huge age gap, and puts stress not only on Scott but on his parents.  And I thought 9 years difference was a lot between my brother and I.  Things in life can change so suddenly, especially in high school; Lubar did an amazing job making it all realistic.

The voice is really  what cinched the reality for me.  Lubar is able to craft characters that feel like they stepped out of reality and on to the page.  The subtleties of everyday life--the complete rollercoaster of emotion--everything is there written together in a beautifully stark, simple way.  High school can suck and it can rock, and it can be the most confusing time of your life, but it all comes together to make one hell of an experience.  This is what you get when you read this book.

Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar is a great book to kick-off a school year or to linger in nostalgia for years past.  No matter who--new students, old students--can relate to this book!  It is a must read!

Extras
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CHECK OUT an excerpt from the audiobook

Final Rating

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Book Cover: 5/5
Book Title: 5/5
Plot: 9/10
Characters: 9/10
Writing: 9/10
Ending: 9/10
Overall: 46/50: A-

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Waiting on Wednesday (65)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we seriously can’t wait for.

 Here's my pick for the week, that I seriously can't wait for:

Altered

by Jennifer Rush

Publication Date: January 2, 2013

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When you can’t trust yourself, who can you believe?

Everything about Anna’s life is a secret. Her father works for the Branch at the helm of its latest project: monitoring and administering treatments to the four genetically altered boys in the lab below their farmhouse. There’s Nick, Cas, Trev . . . and Sam, who’s stolen Anna’s heart. When the Branch decides it’s time to take the boys, Sam stages an escape, killing the agents sent to retrieve them. 

Anna is torn between following Sam or staying behind in the safety of her everyday life. But her father pushes her to flee, making Sam promise to keep her away from the Branch, at all costs. There’s just one problem. Sam and the boys don’t remember anything before living in the lab—not even their true identities.

Now on the run, Anna soon discovers that she and Sam are connected in more ways than either of them expected. And if they’re both going to survive, they must piece together the clues of their past before the Branch catches up to them and steals it all away.

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Oh I love the sound of this; the little hints that maybe Anna's dad isn't really bad, the four hot genetically altered boys (one of which you know is going to be trouble for anna's heart), a shady government program, and no clue as where to go or who the boys are.  I want :makes grabby hands: like yesterday!  I'm probably going to make it an early bday present!

What book are you waiting for?

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Top Ten Tuesday (29)

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because they are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. They'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week they will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of their bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on their post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share.  If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment.

The topic this week is: 

Blogger's Choice: Top Ten TBR Books!

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Teaser Tuesday (53)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following!

• Grab your current read.
• Open to a random page.
• Share a few teaser sentences from somewhere on that page.
• MAKE SURE NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (you don't want to give too much away and ruin the book for other readers)

Share the title and author too, so that other readers can add your book to their TBR list if they like your teaser!

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Croak
by Gina Damico

Publication Date: March  20, 2012

         Restless, she began walking down the muddy road, not even sure if she was going in the right direction.  A bear would soon arrive to eat her soon, no doubt.  She certainly hoped Mr. Truitt would be happy upon learning that her bloodied corpse had been found in a muck-filled ditch.

(Pg. 19)

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This book is so hilarious!  I love the attitude that Lex gives out (by the way she's named Lexington, and her twin sister's name is Concord; love it!).  The premise of this town of grim reapers was too awesome to pass up, and I can already tell I'm going to love Lex's Uncle Mort!  Can't wait to get further in; definitely a recommended read by just the first 4 chapters!

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