Book Review: Matched

Title: Matched (Website | Tumblr)
Author: Ally Condie (Website | Goodreads)
Series: Matched #1
Publisher: Speak
Published date: September 20th 2011
Pages: 369 pages
Format: Paperback
Rating: 3/5 Noodles


From Goodreads:

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

**** 

I was disappointed with this book. I've heard many good things about this book and, that's why I have high expectations with this book. Matched didn't meet my expectations. Even though I am disappointed, I enjoy this book. I enjoy the idea of the perfect society and everything. A society that decides what will you eat, what to wear, where you work, and who to love.

Characters aren't that great. Characters didn't stay in my mind for so long, for a second, I already forget them. I want characters that will stay in my mind for a long time, you know. Characters that stay in my mind even I'm sleeping, staying in my dreams. Characters that can stay in my heart for a long time. 

The love triangle is the usual love triangle. Your best friend is there then suddenly you find someone better than your best friend. Afterwards you fell in love with that guy whom you just saw for the first time. This kind of love triangle is usual, I want something new.

The plot is quite predictable. Long introduction and nothing really happened. I liked the parts about pills, and poems. I liked the "Do Not Go Gentle Into that Good Night" poem and the different artifacts. As I said before, I liked the idea of perfect society. Condie created a perfect dystopian world.

The ending is a cliffhanger. I'm looking forward to read the next book, Crossed. I don't have a copy of Crossed, yet, but I will buy as long as I have money (I'm poor). 

Overall, the book is good but the cover is better than the story. I'm sorry to the fans of this book, don't hate me. I'm just being honest. I will definitely buy the second book, because I've heard that it is better than the first book. :))

Favorite Quote/s:

“Every minute you spend with someone gives them a part of your life and takes part of theirs.”

“Growing apart doesn't change the fact that for a long time we grew side by side; our roots will always be tangled. I'm glad for that.” 

“Is falling in love with someone's story the same thing as falling in love with the person himself?” 

Judge a Book by Its Cover

Breathe by Sarah Crossan

Expected publication: October 2nd 2012 by Greenwillow

Inhale. Exhale. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe . . .

The world is dead.
The survivors live under the protection of Breathe, the corporation that found a way to manufacture oxygen-rich air.

ALINA
has been stealing for a long time. She’s a little jittery, but not terrified. All she knows is that she’s never been caught before. If she’s careful, it’ll be easy. If she’s careful.

QUINN
should be worried about Alina and a bit afraid for himself, too, but even though this is dangerous, it’s also the most interesting thing to happen to him in ages. It isn’t every day that the girl of your dreams asks you to rescue her.

BEA
wants to tell him that none of this is fair; they’d planned a trip together, the two of them, and she’d hoped he’d discover her out here, not another girl.

And as they walk into the Outlands with two days’ worth of oxygen in their tanks, everything they believe will be shattered. Will they be able to make it back? Will they want to?

Angels' Flight by Nalini Singh

Published February 28th 2012 by Berkley Sensation

In Angel’s Wolf a vampire becomes fascinated with the seductive angel who rules Louisiana. But all is not what it appears to be in her court.

In Angels’ Judgment a hunter must track one of her own gone bad, while surviving the deadly tests placed in her way by the archangels themselves. Unexpected backup comes from a stranger who might just be the most lethal threat of all...

Plus FIRST TIME IN PRINT

In Angels' Pawn a vampire hunter faces off against two rival factions and the angel manipulating them both, and a vampire whose help is not entirely selfless...

And NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED

In Angels’ Dance an angel trapped in the mountain stronghold of the Refuge finds herself under siege by a warrior angel from a martial court. 

These books sounds really interesting! I hope that the story is better than the cover. :D What can you say about the cover of these books? 

On My Wishlist #2

This is a weekly event, originally created by Book Chick City and now hosted by Cosy Up Book Reviews, where we showcase the books which are currently top of our wishlists. Old, new or yet to be released titles are all welcome. And why keep it to books? Spot some awesome book accessory or related item that you can wait to own? Share that with us 

too.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Published October 6th 2009 by Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.
 
Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.
 
Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. 
Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

 Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Published May 25th 2010 by St. Martin's Griffin

At fourteen, Nick Gautier thinks he knows everything about the world around him. Streetwise, tough and savvy, his quick sarcasm is the stuff of legends. . .until the night when his best friends try to kill him. Saved by a mysterious warrior who has more fighting skills than Chuck Norris, Nick is sucked into the realm of the Dark-Hunters: immortal vampire slayers who risk everything to save humanity. 


Nick quickly learns that the human world is only a veil for a much larger and more dangerous one: a world where the captain of the football team is a werewolf and the girl he has a crush on goes out at night to stake the undead.

But before he can even learn the rules of this new world, his fellow students are turning into flesh eating zombies. And he's next on the menu.  
 
As if starting high school isn't hard enough. . .now Nick has to hide his new friends from his mom, his chainsaw from the principal, and keep the zombies and the demon Simi from eating his brains, all without getting grounded or suspended. How in the world is he supposed to do that?

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Published June 7th 2011 by Margaret K. McElderry Books 

Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back.

Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.

Blood Red Road has a searing pace, a poetically minimal writing style, violent action, and an epic love story. Moira Young is one of the most promising and startling new voices in teen fiction.

I wish someone will donate a copy of one of these books. Haha! I'm just kidding. :)) So, what's on your wishlist? 

Cover Reveal: Outpost (Razorland #2)

Outpost (Razorland #2) by Ann Aguirre
Expected publication: September 4th 2012 by Feiwel & Friends

Deuce’s whole world has changed. Now living topside in a community called Salvation, she has a whole new set of problems. Down below, she was considered an adult, and she contributed to the whole. Now, topside, the people of Salvation think she’s a brat in need of training. She hates school, and she doesn’t fit in with the other girls. They’ve spent their lives learning to cook and sew–suitable woman’s work. Deuce only knows how to fight. To make matters worse, Fade keeps her at a distance, and the band of four has broken into fragments. 

Stalker presses for a closer relationship, but Deuce sees him as a training partner, and she’s busy trying to find her place in Salvation. She refuses to accept that she’s wrong for being who she is, but tensions rise as she struggles against the status quo. Her feelings for Fade haven’t changed, but he seems not to want her around anymore. Confused and lonely, she starts looking for a way out. 

 

Once she’s free from school for the year, Deuce pursues a chance to serve in the summer patrols–those responsible for making sure the growers and planters can work the fields without danger of Freak attack. It should have been routine, little fighting, but things have been changing on surface, just as they did below ground. The Freaks are smarter. They’re watching. Waiting. Planning. The monsters don’t intend to let Salvation survive, and it will take a girl like Deuce to turn the tide.

Add it on Goodreads | Book 1 on Goodreads

I'm one of the few who  hasn't read Enclave (Razorland #1) yet. But I'm looking forward to read that because it sounds really interesting. I like the cover of Outpost. It's beautiful and creepy! :)


What can you say about the cover?

Waiting on Wednesday #1

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Ten by Gretchen McNeil
Publication Date: September 18th 2012 by Balzer + Bray

And their doom comes swiftly.

It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.

 But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.

Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off the from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?

Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

Publication Date: September 1st 2012 by Tor UK

A DYING LAND: The Shima Imperium verges on the brink of environmental collapse; decimated by clockwork industrialization and the machine-worshipers of the Lotus Guild. The skies are red as blood, land choked with toxic pollution, wildlife ravaged by mass extinctions.

AN IMPOSSIBLE QUEST: The hunters of Shima's imperial court are charged by their Shōgun to capture a thunder tiger – a legendary beast, half-eagle, half-tiger. But any fool knows thunder tigers have been extinct for more than a century, and the price of failing the Shōgun is death.

A SIXTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL: Yukiko is a child of the Fox clan, possessed of a hidden gift that would see her executed by the Lotus Guild. Accompanying her father on the Shōgun’s hunt, she finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in Shima’s last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled thunder tiger for company. Even though she can hear his thoughts, even though she saved his life, all she knows for certain is he’d rather see her dead than help her.

But together, the pair will form an indomitable friendship, and rise to challenge the might of an empire.

What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang
Publication Date: September 18th 2012 by Harper

Eva and Addie started out the same way as everyone else—two souls woven together in one body, taking turns controlling their movements as they learned how to walk, how to sing, how to dance. But as they grew, so did the worried whispers. Why aren’t they settling? Why isn’t one of them fading? The doctors ran tests, the neighbors shied away, and their parents begged for more time. Finally Addie was pronounced healthy and Eva was declared gone. Except, she wasn’t…


For the past three years, Eva has clung to the remnants of her life. Only Addie knows she’s still there, trapped inside their body. Then one day, they discover there may be a way for Eva to move again. The risks are unimaginable–hybrids are considered a threat to society, so if they are caught, Addie and Eva will be locked away with the others. And yet…for a chance to smile, to twirl, to speak, Eva will do anything.

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Characters

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Top Ten Favorite Characters

10. Kenji from Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

 9. Harley from Across the Universe by Beth Revis

 8. Juliette from Shatter Me by  Tahereh Mafi

 7. Mags from Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

 6. Hana from Delirium by Lauren Oliver

 5. Prim from The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

 4. Cinna  from The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

 3. Buttercup from The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

 2.  Tris from Divergent by Veronica Roth

 1.  Katniss from The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

They are my favorite characters. I liked them because they are so amazing and even though some of them are not the protagonist in the story, but still they play a big role in the book. :)

Book Review: Mockingjay

Title: Mockingjay
Author: Suzanne Collins ( Website )
Series: The Hunger Games #3
Publisher: Scholastic
Published date: August 24th 2010
Pages: 390 pages
Format: Paperback
Rating: 4/5 Noodles


From Goodreads:

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plains--except Katniss.

 

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay--no matter what the personal cost.

****

 THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS 

Mockingjay disappoints me maybe because my expectations were too high. Characters change so fast. The first few pages were so boring that made me sleepy, and I can't force myself to stay awake to read this because sleeping is my favorite activity. Hahaha. But still, I really liked this book, there are some scenes that kept me from reading this book. Suzanne Collins knew how to keep the readers reading the book even if the readers need to rest or something. 

I liked Katniss in THG and in Catching Fire because she's a strong person, physically and mentally. She changed a lot in this book. She became weak and I don't understand her feelings. She agreed on having the last Hunger Games and she said it was for the death of her sister, Prim but I don't think that Prim would agree with her.

Rue and Mags were my favorite characters in previous books(The Hunger Games and Catching Fire). Now, Buttercup is my favorite character aside from Katniss and Peeta. I like Buttercup because he stays with Katniss in the end even though the hate each other, and he still love Prim.

I liked how the book ended. No Snow(Yes! Yes!). No Coin. No more Hunger Games(Weeeee! ^_^). I gave 4 noodles for this book because there are some things that disappointed me, but still I enjoyed reading this book. :)

Favorite Quote/s:

“It takes ten times as long to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart.” 

"Fire is catching! And if we burn, you burn with us!” 

“There are much worse games to play.”  

“Some walks you have to take alone.” 

Amazing Covers

Gravity (The Taking #1) by Melissa West

Expected publication: October 16th 2012 by Entangled Publishing, LLC

In the future, only one rule will matter: Don’t. Ever. Peek.
 
 
Seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander just broke that rule and saw the last person she expected hovering above her bed--arrogant Jackson Locke, the most popular boy in her school. She expects instant execution or some kind of freak alien punishment, but instead, Jackson issues a challenge: help him, or everyone on Earth will die. 
 
 Ari knows she should report him, but everything about Jackson makes her question what she’s been taught about his kind. And against her instincts, she’s falling for him. But Ari isn’t just any girl, and Jackson wants more than her attention. She’s a military legacy who’s been trained by her father and exposed to war strategies and societal information no one can know--especially an alien spy, like Jackson. Giving Jackson the information he needs will betray her father and her country, but keeping silent will start a war.

 Reached (Matched #3) by Ally Condie

Expected publication: November 13th 2012 by Dutton Childrens Books

Cassia faces the ultimate choices in the long-anticipated conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Matched Trilogy

 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.

I'm just browsing in Goodreads and searching for a great book then I see this books with amazing cover. The cover of Gravity amazed me so much, as well as the cover of Reached. As we all know, the covers of Matched Trilogy were based on the colors of pills (green, blue and red) that all of  people in the story possessed (Matched, Crossed and now, Reached). 


I hope the story is beautiful as the cover or much more beautiful than the cover. So, what can you say about the covers? :)

On My Wishlist #1

This is a weekly event, originally created by Book Chick City and now hosted by Cosy Up Book Reviews, where we showcase the books which are currently top of our wishlists. Old, new or yet to be released titles are all welcome. And why keep it to books? Spot some awesome book accessory or related item that you can wait to own? Share that with us 

too.

Starters by Lissa Price

Published March 13th 2012 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers 

HER WORLD IS CHANGED FOREVER

Callie lost her parents when the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty. She and her little brother, Tyler, go on the run, living as squatters with their friend Michael and fighting off renegades who would kill them for a cookie. Callie's only hope is Prime Destinations, a disturbing place in Beverly Hills run by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man.

He hires teens to rent their bodies to Enders—seniors who want to be young again. Callie, desperate for the money that will keep her, Tyler, and Michael alive, agrees to be a donor. But the neurochip they place in Callie's head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, and going out with a senator's grandson. It feels almost like a fairy tale, until Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party—and that Prime Destinations' plans are more evil than Callie could ever have imagined. . . .

 Croak by Gina Damico

Published March 20th 2012 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Sixteen-year-old Lex Bartleby has sucker-punched her last classmate. Fed up with her punkish, wild behavior, her parents ship her off to upstate New York to live with her Uncle Mort for the summer, hoping that a few months of dirty farm work will whip her back into shape. But Uncle Mort’s true occupation is much dirtier than that of shoveling manure.  

He’s a Grim Reaper. And he’s going to teach her the family business.

Lex quickly assimilates into the peculiar world of Croak, a town populated entirely by reapers who deliver souls from this life to the next. Along with her infuriating yet intriguing partner Driggs and a rockstar crew of fellow Grim apprentices, Lex is soon zapping her Targets like a natural born Killer.

Yet her innate ability morphs into an unchecked desire for justice—or is it vengeance?—whenever she’s forced to Kill a murder victim, craving to stop the attackers before they can strike again. So when people start to die—that is, people who aren’t supposed to be dying, people who have committed grievous crimes against the innocent—Lex’s curiosity is piqued. Her obsession grows as the bodies pile up, and a troubling question begins to swirl through her mind: if she succeeds in tracking down the murderer, will she stop the carnage—or will she ditch Croak and join in?

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
Published August 30th 2011 by Tor Teen

Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story... 

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father’s mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay. 

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn’t expect anything outside of the ordinary: move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he’s never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, but now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

And she, for whatever reason, spares his life.

What's on your wishlist this week? :) 

Book Review: Catching Fire

Title: Catching Fire
Author: Suzanne Collins ( Website )
Series: The Hunger Games #2
Publisher: Scholastic
Published date: March 2010
Pages: 391 pages
Format: Paperback
Rating: 5/5 Noodles


From Goodreads:

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Suzanne Collins continues the amazing story of Katniss Everdeen in Catching Fire, the second novel of the phenomenal Hunger Games trilogy.

****

Oh, I don't know what to say about this book. I'm speechless. This is one of the great books I've ever read. The story took after Katniss and Peeta won the 74th Hunger Games.

The characters became more stronger and more amazing. I'm still in love with Katniss, she is so strong and everything. President Snow is more creepier than the first book. I hate Snow so much, I want to go in Capitol and kill him in front of all people. Haha.

The plot is simply amazing. Full of twists and all. When the Quarter Quell is announced, I was shocked and I can't move on on that part. President Snow is so @!#*!~

I liked Cinna in the first book and I liked him more in this book. The dress of Katniss during the parade is so amazing and her dress during the interview is fvcking awesome! In the 74th Hunger Games, Rue is my favorite tribute but here in 75th Hunger Games, Wiress and Mags are my favorite tributes.

Collins did a great job in making the idea of arena. Collins is super amazing! I'm excited about the upcoming Catching Fire movie. The ending is such a cliffhanger. This really deserves 5 out of 5 noodles.

Favorite quote/s:

“I wish I could freeze this moment, right here, right now and live in it forever.”   

“My nightmares are usually about losing you. I'm okay once I realize you're here.”  

“The bird, the pin, the song, the berries, the watch, the cracker, the dress that burst into flames. I am the mockingjay. The one that survived despite the Capitol's plans. The symbol of the rebellion.”  

Book Review: The Hunger Games

Title: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins ( Website )
Series: The Hunger Games #1
Publisher: Scholastic
Published date: December 2009
Pages: 374 pages
Format: Paperback
Rating: 5/5 Noodles


From Goodreads:

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

****

The Hunger Games is a fast paced book that brought me me back in being a bookworm. When I started reading this book, I can't control myself flipping the pages and continue reading. I am a slow reader but this book made me a fast reader. This is simply amazing!

I like Katniss because she's a girl with strong personality and all. She's willing to do anything for her sister and for her mother. She's brave because she takes her sister's place in the reaping. You can also see that she's a smart person because the way she played the game and all. I admire her for being strong, brave and smart. I also like Peeta, he has a strong personality also, I became crazy when he says that the girl her love is with her during the interview with Ceasar. All the characters have strong personalities. Oh btw, I also like Cinna, Effie and Rue. Rue is my favorite tribute aside from Katniss and Peeta.

In all, The Hunger Games is really amazing! I'm really excited about reading the next book, I'm excited to know what will happen to the star-crossed lovers during their tour. I'm so excited!

Favorite quotes:

“Remember, we're madly in love, so it's all right to kiss me anytime you feel like it.” 

“You don’t forget the face of the person who was your last hope.”

“Destroying things is much easier than making them.”