Three Book Reviews

Hello my glorious friends!

Today I have to tell you about three books I've read. One of which that might be claiming a seat on my list of favorite books!

The first one is Ultraviolet by R. J. Anderson. This was an amazing and compelling read. The characters kept me going, and the story was quite intriguing. A teenage girl wakes up in a mental hospital to find out she has just committed murder. Odd, really.

I will say that the ending was a little hard to bare, but I think I feel better about it now.

Anderson has written another Youth series, and is planning a sequel to the novel above to come out in 2013.


Next is The Isabel Factor by Gayle Friesen. This was a sweet, but not over the top book. (4 stars) I enjoyed reading the sweet story, that was surprisingly fairly original, though very predictable. (Summer camp, really?) I sat down and read it in one sitting, and didn't ever really feel obligated to stop, I just wasn't very taken with it.

But, I will say that main reason I even picked up the book was the descriptive and well written chapters, so that did make up a little for the average story.

Friesen has written several other YA novels, including her most recent one, The Valley.


Finally, the third book I am going to talk about is the raved about, The Selection by Kiera Cass. I picked up this book after much persistence from several friends, and I will admit that I am not disappointed....

So, a lottery for a chance at the hand of the Kingdom's Prince. Huh, an interesting take on Dystopian writing. It reminds me a lot of Cinder, which I read a few months ago and am anxiously awaiting the sequel.

The writing style was alright, nothing amazing in my opinion. It really was just the plot that kept you going.

Now we come to the part where I disagree with some other reviewers. I was totally content with the ending, even if you truly don't know.

From what I had heard about the ending, I was sort of finicky as I headed towards the end, but I'm fine,

Though I will admit that I may not have been so keen with the ending if I had not known that the sequel is coming out in October.

Cass is also the author of The Siren.

At the moment I am reading the book Dark Mirror by M. J. Putney, (Alter ego Mary Jo Putney, adult author...)

Au revior,

~Remedyleaf

First Post After Construction

Hello everyone!

Sorry I have't been posting, I was on a trip. But I got to do some reading, so I'm here to post for you.

I read the book Please Ignore Vera Deitz by A. S. King (A Printz Honor Book.) A. S. King has also written The Dust of 100 Dogs, another book,( but it's for kids) and is expecting 2 more books later this Fall.

Please Ignore Vera Deitz is about a senior in highschool named Vera. She is still struggling with the death of her best friend, Charlie, which happened months ago. Really though, she is struggling with the mess of secrets and lies he left her with. Now that's not the only thing wrong in Vera's life; she has a drinking problem, she isn't over the fact that her mother left her and her father, and she has an inappropriate relationship with a co-worker at the pizza place she works at. Over all, Vera is a real mess.


Wow, what to say about Vera's story. Let me just start and say that she and Charlie were pretty screwed up. Their lives were crazy, unimaginable, even though everything that happened really could happen.

Vera drove me crazy through out the book, her bad choices, the things that I could see that she should do. And Charlie did too. Everything that he didn't do, and the decisions he made. Uggh, at least it kept me reading. Usually characters that I can't stand keep me turning pages, though.

I will admit, that throughout the story, I loved Vera's father. He was my favorite character, just in everything that he did, the way he did it. He also had such an influence on her.

A. S. King did a great job morphing her plot and characters to fit a crazy book that I could read in a day. I enjoyed King's great style, and can recall leaving the book with a changed mind.

I totally recommend this book, and can't wait to read more by her!!!

~Remedyleaf

Construction!

Construction is complete! Please give me feedback on the new look. I'd really appreciate it!

~Rem

CONSTRUCTION

MY BLOG IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION! PLEASE REFRAIN FROM QUESTIONS, I WILL POST TO LET YOU ALL KNOW WHEN IT IS DONE!

~Rem

Harry Potter

Hey,

Everyone must be wondering, Remedyleaf, why on earth would you read Harry Potter? Well, I have a good explanation for you.

As a literature critic, I sometimes feel that I should be in touch with today's most popular writing. As the fact that Harry Potter is a very popular series, I felt that I should read it to understand where the millions of fans are coming from.

As for the writing, I understood how people could be ever so addicted to the story and characters, but the actual writing wasn't as amazing as one might have hoped. It was just... over average, nothing amazing so I was a little taken aback in that element.

I in no way regret reading the series, for I did enjoy it, and also feel it will help me in the career of literature critiquing.

That's it, write now I'm reading To Kill a Mockingbird which I'm sure you've all heard of too. I'm really liking it. This is another read for the benefit of literature critiquing, though I probably would have wanted to read it anyway.

~Remedyleaf

Let me assure you.

I'm better now! Totally a weird funk!! I am still a kind of social outcast right now. I spent 3 hours yesterday finishing the 6th Harry Potter book. But, I am feeling fine.

I'll post again later,

~Remedyleaf

I'm losing my mind.

FWI-- the big post I refer to below DOES NOT EXSIST and please IGNORE anything involving that.

Now for my title, yes, I'm losing my mind. Going crazy. Off my nut. I'm banana's, batty, berzerk, bonkers. And I'm not really sure why.

I am angry, and restless, dreading the coming week and the rest of the day.

I have been keeping a secret from you. I have been reading the Harry Potter series. (I really am losing my mind...) Anyway, I am now in the middle of the 5th book, (And it really is good...) But I think I might know the source of some of my anger (Besides the fact that I am so freaking tired!) Harry, the protagonist in the series, (Oh really Rememdyleaf? I wasn't sure since the series is named after him!) is quite angry and frustrated in this part of the book, so I think somehow, (Really, this sounds loony) Harry's feelings are channeling into me!

Bye,

~Remedyleaf

Pause a little bit,

Just to let you know, I am in the process of writing a very big post to you all, and I just want you to know that I haven't abandoned you, that the post will be on soon.

~Remedyleaf

Aurelia

Hey blog readers! Do you like the new stuff?????? There will be more books in the list to be read as I find more!!!

Today I am going to review Aurelia by Anne Osterlund.

Aurelia is about, (you guessed it!!!) Aurelia!!!!

Synopsis:

Aurelia is the crown princess and the protagonist of the book. The book introduces Aurelia as a stubborn and very strong character. Then Anne brings in Robert, an old classmate of Aurelia's, and a friend she hasn't seen in 4 years.

The story is centered around the attempts of murder to Aurelia. This keeps the story upbeat, and surprising.

General Review: I truly enjoyed reading Aurelia because of the interesting characters and exciting plot. I read it almost all the way through at one time and felt that that was the best way to read this kind of book. Rating 4 & 1/2 stars.

Writing Style review: The book was written in typical chapters. I would have liked something a little more interesting though. I mean, Anne could have played around with the Medieval time period or something. I don't know, just a little more pizzaz with the style would have made all the difference. 4 stars.

Writing Content Review: When I first opened Aurelia I was startled by how descriptive Anne Osterlund was. This worked both ways for the story. It was positive in the light that it gave the book more bulk, and I was able to picture the whole thing better. But still, it was also a negative element at times because 1) It distracted me from the point of the story. and 2) It made scenes that were simple and too the point long a dreary. 4 stars

Now I'm reading a bunch of things, but still, I can't wait to review something else!!!

~Remedyleaf

P.S. I'm going to do a quote and word of the day:

Word of the day---------Somersault: An acrobatic movement, either forward or backward, in which the body rolls end over end, making a complete revolution.

Quote of the day-------- "Can you imagine what I could do if I could do all I can?"- Sun Tzu 

I,Q

Wait,

Before I get started, I just want to say that I did finish Stealing Heaven and I liked it, but I cannot review it. I must leave it at that even if you think that I'm crazy.

So I recently finished I,Q: Independence Hall by Roland Smith.

Synopsis:


I,Q: Independence Hall is the first book in the I,Q trilogy, the other two (I,Q: The White House, I, Q: Kitty Hawk) All by Roland Smith.

The protagonist is a boy named Quest (Q) who is the son and step-son of rockstars Blaze Munoz and Roger Tucker. His new step-sister is Angela (Tucker)

In the beginning of the story, Q and Angela's parents are beginning their tour as the most sensational couple in the music industry. Q and Angela live in the bus with them, but their parents are jetting all over the country for T.V interviews and private concerts.

But then things change...

Plot:

The plot worked well the idea. and I don't recall seeing through it.

Characters:

I wish the characters would have been a bit more defined, they were a little wishy-washy and flimsy. That would have made the book more worth while.

Writing Style: The style was just regular chapters, but I wish Roland would have used something a little more original. Also, I wish the story had been a bit more descriptive. It was barely enough to get anything except a general picture.

Ending and Beginning: The beginning did truly grab me, and kept me pushing the whole way through the book, except the ending was quite sudden. The only thing that made it barely ok for me was the fact  that the sequel and third book are already available. If I was waiting for it for months I know I would have been sooooooo mad!

In the end I'll rate this book 4 stars, because I liked it, but the ending, style, and characters lost the 5 star.

~Remedyleaf

Dear my blog.

Hey,

I'm sorry I haven't been posting, I have been avoiding my review on Stealing Heaven for a really weird reason, I can't review it!

I tried to when I first finished it, but a post just didn't work out...

I would try reading it for yourself!!

Anyway, now I'm reading I,Q by Roland Smith.

Once I finish it, I can't wait to tell ya'll!

~Remedyleaf

Ugggh!

Dear my bloggies,

So you know how I just posted about Stealing Heaven? Well, when I was typing Elizabeth Scott's name, I thought it felt familiar, so I looked it up on Amazon (I like to research the books I read so I know about more books by the author, and if it's in a series)

Anyway, I was looking at books by the author, and I found a book called Perfect You. I READ THIS BOOK LAST SUMMER AND LOVED IT! Why the heck didn't I look for more books by Elizabeth?

I give you more after I finish Stealing Heaven


TTYS,

~Remedyleaf

Blogger, you bug me!

heyo me bloggies !!! (Totally kidding!)

Hello my bloggers. (Any better?! Just kidding again!)

So hey, if you're wondering about the title, I'm really super annoyed with bloggers new "look" I can never find anything like I used to, and it just looks plain weird.

Really though, I came on to talk about this cool new book I'm reading called Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott. (Anyone read it? Does it keep getting better? Should I read more by Elizabeth?)

I'll give you the 411 on it once I finnish. I'm on page 131 of 307 so it won't be too long! ;)

Talk to ya'll later!!

~Remedyleaf

Top 8

Dear Bloggies,

Top 8? Top 8 what? Books? Authors? Chocolates?

No, this is actually the title of the book I finished today.

Top 8 by Katie Finn, is the first book in the Top 8 trilogy. The other two books are called What's Your St@atus? and Unfriended. This is the only series Katie has written.

So... Top 8's protagonist is a girl named Madison MacDonald. She is a typical high-school girl with 4 best friends, and a super hot boyfriend. But when she get's back from Spring Break, where she had no connections to the outside world, she finds her FriendVerse (Like a Facebook or MySpace) has been Hacked!!! And someone has posted all the horrible comments and secrets!!! It seems that nothing is ever going to be the same again.

The way this book appeared was very interesting. A few times, the book showed Madison's actual FriendVerse profile, which had all her info, and shows her "Top 8" (Wait, what the heck is a Top 8? On FriendVerse, you have a list of your Top 8 friends, and at Madison''s school, the order of people in your Top 8 is very serious.) The "meat" of the book is written in regular old chapters.

For the plot and content... The main part of the story is about Madison trying to find out who the heck her hacker was. Well, I got super annoyed with Madison, I thought she was kind of a bratty, oblivious person. Then, I saw through the story, which really ticked me off, because I wanted to really enjoy the story. I realized who the hacker was!!! It was so disappointing. But... I didn't see through the story enough to see something else, so I am sort of torn between weather I like this book extremely so or much.

In the end, I think I have decided that I will rate the book 4 stars, because I could still keep reading even after I had realized the hacker, and Madison ended up being a bearable character

So, that is it. Please have a nice Memorial Day Weekend!

~Remedyleaf

Guide!

Hello!!

Okay, so two nights ago I finished Meagan Mead's Guide to the McGowan Boys by Kate Brian. Kate has also written the Private series and Sweet 16.

So M M's G T T McG B is about a girl named, Meagan Mead, (Surprise, surprise!!) Meagan is 16 years old and his a fantastic soccer playing tom-boy. The story goes like this. Meagan is an army brat. She has moved around her whole life because of her father, but this last time no. South Korea (!?) heck no! So her parents give her the choice to come live with them or to stay with the McGowan's who live in Boston. The McGowans?? Meagan thinks. They're the family of dad's college buddy, and their 7 of them!!!! So thus, a story of drama, change, and a little bit of romance comes together.

I really enjoyed this book. (It took me only about 2-3 hrs to read it...) The writing style was just typical chapters for the most part, except for IM between Meagan and her BFF Tracey. Then also, there are Meagan's "observations" which are sent to Tracey via email. I really liked the plot line, I was surprised often, and I laughed out loud quite a lot. You might think that 7 boys is a lot to keep track of, along with other characters, but really it wasn't, because each characters was truly sooooo different.

My only complaint would be a few noticeable "saids" But that is something I find ever so commonly in books. (IF YOU EVER WRITE A BOOK, PLEASE DO NOT SAY 'SAID' ALL THE TIME!!)

Also, earlier this week, I continued on the 2nd draft of my novel. You know, I find it totally ok to pause while writing something like that. It gives your brain time to think with out you even realizing it.

So now I am reading The Host by Stephanie Myer

I'll come on again soon!!

~Remedyleaf

I'm so sorry!

Dear my bloggies,

I apologize extremely for not posting

I have not really in the mood to critique books, but I am right now!! I hope that from now on I can really get back into my groove!

Alright, so I just read Two Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt. Lauren also wrote The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney and Aces Up.

Two Way Street is about a girl named Courtney. Weeks ago she planned to drive to college with her boyfriend as a fun road trip. But now that boyfriend is an ex-boyfriend. The ex-boyfriend who dumped her for some "MySpace girl". But maybe Courtney doesn't know everything. That ex (Jordan) may have some secrets too. Secrets about their messy break-up.

This book was interesting. Written from the points of view of Jordan and Courtney, before the trip, during the trip, and after the trip, you truly get to know the whole story. This plot is mostly surprising, and I often was laughing out loud at the ironicness. The characters are well defined, and not really typical over used characters. I enjoyed reading it, and would probably rate it 4 stars.

Anyway, that's about it!

See ya'll later!!1

~Remedyleaf

Physik, and Meet the Austins.

Hello!

So above, I told you that I have finished two books. First was Physik by Angie Sage. It was much harder to finish than the typical Angie book. Not that it wasn't still the amazing characters or amazing writing, I just think I wasn't in the mood for the writing some of the time.

Next, Meet the Austin's by Madeline L'Engle. Meet the Austin's is different, because even though it's not full of say, a lot of action, but the characters and plot are very comforting and homey. They seem like old family friends that you can come back to anytime. This book might not be a book you read by itself, but more with a few other books.

Now I'm reading 13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison. This is about a girl named Tanya. But Tanya is different, she can see fairies! Imagine that!

Anyway, that's about it!

I'll post more when I get more!

~Remedyleaf

Wow, almost a month since my last post...

Hey,
I'm sorry that I haven't been posting.

My bookish life has been super crazy...

But I have good news!!!! I have two reviews to give, and I am starting some other books which I am bound to get through quickly!!!!

I will post soon!!!

~Remedyleaf

Flyte or Flight??????????

 Can you guys flye????? Or fly????

I know that I can fly, but....

'Totally kidding! Someday though, I want to fly!!

This morning, I finished Flyte. (Remember? The sequel to Magyk by Angie Sage???)

Anyway, lets analyze the title!!!

Flyte.... Hmmmmmmmmmmm?

Okay, so in the magykal world that the Septimus Heap series takes place, flyte is a lost magykal art, for the few flyte  charms that are used to flye were thought (hint, hint) to be lost a long time ago . With that, and a few more things, (like that some characters and pets learn to fly) Angie decided that the title must  become Flyte.

For the content of the book:

• The old characters were defined and still were themselves, they didn't change too much in-between books
• The new characters were explained
• Some of the questions left over from the last book were answered
• The continuous "series" plot made sense
• It was just as funny and "laugh out loud" as Magyk, if not more
• The writing made me excited to read the next book.

So, I positively recommend this book, only if you read Magyk first, of course!

Now I am beginning to read Summer of My German Soldier. I hope it is good!!!

I will accept book suggestions anytime, so start them commin'!

Au revior,

~Remedyleaf

P.S. The magic word is LOTION!!!!!!!!!!! Uh huh!!!

Magyk!!!!

!!! Alacazaaaam! Woosh!! Hokous Pokous!!!!

What's the magic word????? Post your answer as a comment, and I will reveal the word on the next post!!!

What is with all of this magic you ask????? Well, I just finished, (Well, yesterday) Magyk by Angie Sage!!!!!!!

This book is in the series Septimus Heap. The other books are Flyte, Physik, Queste, Syren, The Magykal Papers, and Darke.


I promise that reviews on the rest of the books will be coming sooooooooooooooon.

To continue, lets analyze the title...

Magyk............. Huh??

To explain...

The book is about a web of people living in common area. There is not a particular protagonist, but many of the many of the main characters possess a Magykical power, for Silas Heap, Marcia Overstrand, six of the Heap boys, and their mother Sarah, as well as the ex- ExtraOrdinary ghost wizard Alther and many others have been exposed to Magyk, and some of them are even wizards.

Thus, the title is Magyk.

Now, I love this book, even if it took me a few tries to get into it the first few times I tried to read it.

Angie did an amazing job with the characters and the plot!!!! My goodness what a plot!!!

I really don't think I have any complaints, for

• the characters are described so well, and you get to know their backstories quickly
• the setting is perfect, and you can imagine small details about it in your mind
• the plot takes twists and turns, but there are little hints along the way...
• the writing is extremely humorous, and I laugh out loud at many times throughout the book

Ahhhh, I don't know what I would do without my Angie Sage....

I truly recommend this book.

True to my word, I am now reading Flyte and am enjoying it!!!

~Remedyleaf