Theater Thursday: Ender's Game II

I am so, so, so, so, so excited for this movie. It was one of my absolute favorite books in Jr. High, and I've probably read it about ten times (don't judge), plus all the spin-off books (though I've only read most of those once). Hollywoods been teasing that they're going to make this into a movie for over a decade, so I'm especially happy that it's actually happening.  Anyway, check out the new trailer and tell me what you think.  Are you half as excited as I am?  Plus, I think the cast looks just about perfect.  Really, I can't wait.

  

Book Review: If I Should Die

I will not lose another person I love. I will not let history repeat itself.

Vincent waited lifetimes to find me, but in an instant our future together was shattered. He was betrayed by someone we both called a friend, and I lost him. Now our enemy is determined to rule over France’s immortals, and willing to wage a war to get what they want.

It shouldn’t be possible, none of it should be, but this is my reality. I know Vincent is somewhere out there, I know he’s not completely gone, and I will do anything to save him.
After what we’ve already fought to achieve, a life without Vincent is unimaginable. He once swore to avoid dying—to go against his nature and forsake sacrificing himself for others—so that we could be together. How can I not risk everything to bring my love back to me?    Quoted from Goodreads

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Absolutely perfect ending.  I'll admit, I was a little bit afraid for this book. Don't get me wrong, I love the first one, but the second suffered a bit from sophomore slump syndrome. Still, I was hoping this third book would live up to the first.  It completely surpassed it.  Maybe because it was a bit more up my alley.  This book was more action, more history, less insta-love and broken hearts. Don't get me wrong, it still had that, but it was much more an action based book and less your standard paranormal love story. 

First, with two exceptions, I felt like everyone in this book really stepped up. They were all great people to begin with, but each was given a chance to shine. We've had two books to get to know and love these characters, and now, in this third one, each one has grown into someone special, had to confront their fears, something that makes you love them more. Kate, especially, grew up and came into her own.  She was always good, and they still sometimes shove her into her "oh, you're human" corner, but she never gives up.  She's always fighting for Vincent and the rest of the people she loves. 

Secondly, we get an ending that is, in some ways, a beginning.  It resolves off the major plot points, and we get a world full of hope.  There are just enough changes that the outlook is hopeful, without changing the world and the mythology so much you're left not knowing what's going to happen to them all.  Of course there are a few sad points. Relationships change. People die, and not in the I'm coming back in three days kind of way, but it makes everything more realistic when there are sacrifices involved.  

Plus, I really loved what happened to Jules.   Okay, this paragraph may be a little spoilery, so don't read if you don't want a few hints about what will happen.  This book was never a love triangle.  In fact, one of the things I liked least about Die for Her, the short novella from Jules POV is that he was so in love with Kate. Still, when there are two boys in love with the same girl, you pretty much know one of them is going to be unhappy for a time.  What most authors do is introduce a second love interest (usually halfway through the last book) as a sort of consolation prize, so everyone can get their happy ending (Breaking Dawn, anyone?).  This does not happen here, and I'm grateful.  That always comes across as a little contrived to me.  I still enjoy Jules as a character, but I'm glad everything isn't tied up with a nice, neet, overly artificial bow.  Plus, maybe Amy Plum will do a spin-off series like Richelle Mead.  I haven't heard anything, but I could easily see that happening.

If you're looking for another great sereis that is now complete, you should check this out.  I mean, we get Paris as our setting and a unique mythology that really is different from most everything out there.  This is a lovely 4.5 stars for me (a solid one star more than either of the two previous books).  Honestly, I couldn't put it down.  Yes, I was excited for it to come out, but it was so much better than I expected, it really surprised me, ensuring I'll absolutely check out what Amy Plum is writing next.

Trailer Tuesday: The 5th Wave

I'm really excited for this week's Trailer Tuesday.  If you looked over my list for Anticipating May, you may have noticed that The 5th Wave comes out today.  I haven't read it.  At first, I wasn't sure I was interested, but it's been getting some good buzz, so I thought I'd look into it.  Then I saw these previews.  Usually, book previews get me a little excited, but then never do the book justice.  Honestly, though, I love this series of previews detailing each of the preceding 4 waves.  What can I say, they totally drew me in, so check them out. The book is starting to look absolutely amazing.

1st Wave

2nd Wave

3rd Wave

4th Wave

Doesn't that just look awesome.  This series has to be some of the greatest book previews ever.  Now aren't you excited!

Book Review: Shadow Falls Series

 One night Kylie Galen finds herself at the wrong party, with the wrong people, and it changes her life forever. Her mother ships her off to Shadow Falls—a camp for troubled teens, and within hours of arriving, it becomes painfully clear that her fellow campers aren’t just “troubled.” Here at Shadow Falls, vampires, werewolves, shapshifters, witches and fairies train side by side—learning to harness their powers, control their magic and live in the normal world.

Kylie’s never felt normal, but surely she doesn’t belong here with a bunch of paranormal freaks either. Or does she? They insist Kylie is one of them, and that she was brought here for a reason. As if life wasn’t complicated enough, enter Derek and Lucas. Derek’s a half-fae who’s determined to be her boyfriend, and Lucas is a smokin’ hot werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past. Both Derek and Lucas couldn’t be more different, but they both have a powerful hold on her heart. Even though Kylie feels deeply uncertain about everything, one thing is becoming painfully clear—Shadow Falls is exactly where she belongs . . . Quoted from Goodreads

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This is a hard series to review.  It started during the vampire craze, when every book had to have it's obligatory love triangle, and that shows.  It's not really anything new , but for what it is, it's a fun read.  I mean, I read all five books, which is saying something.

First for the things I liked.  I love Kylie's girl friends, as in friends who are girls.  Whether it's the best friend she left behind or the two new ones she found at camp, I loved their relationships. They were always there for her, while having enough of their own drama to keep everything interesting.  I mean, Della got her own novella (and maybe a spinoff series?).  Plus, they act like teenage girls.  They have silly moments, fight, and get jealous, but then are back to being friends again.

I liked Holley and Burnett. They're good leaders, have their own problems, yet have time for Kylie.  They don't sit back and expect her to defeat the evil whatever.  They also have their own cute relationship.

What I had a problem with?  Well, Lucas and Derek. Not that they both don't have their shining moments, but the drama dragged out way too long.  I mean, Kylie was still agonizing over them in the fifth book.  I was so tired of that particular drama by then, I sort of had to force myself to slog through the parts where she agonized over her torn feelings. 

Second, not enough action.  I get that these books all have some kind  of mystery.  Kylie is warned by a ghost or has to complete that ghost's unfinished business, all of which is connected to her, but the ghosts aren't all that helpful, thus the mystery.  Oh, and there's the mystery of Kylie's supernatural species.  All in all that is good, but it was almost all buildup with very little climax.  The action chapters at the end were too short.  While the mystery built up and there were plenty of mild cliffhangers along the way, the ending wasn't ever as grand or scary as I wanted it to be.

Still, it's a fun series. It's probably a solid 3 stars for me through all three books.  Maybe it just tried to be a little bit too much of everything.  I mean we have vampires, werewolves, witches, ghosts, shape-shifters, fairies, and a super secret new paranormal species all rolled up into one. Still, it's a fun read, and the series is over, so you can enjoy all the books at once without having to deal with horrible cliff hangers that leave you begging for the next book.

Anticipating May

There are about a thousand books coming out this month, especially on the 7th.  Seriously, the ones below are just the ones I'm interested right now.  Of course, I will probably read two or three that didn't make this list, but there are so many great books coming out, May is shaping up to be an amazing month.  It's kind of the perfect way to kick off the summer. So go ahead, peruse below, we have a great month of reading ahead.

            7^th:   If I Should Die – Amy Plumb

         Invisibility –Andrea Cremer

         Chantress – AmyButler Greenfield

         Thorn Abbey –Nancy Ohlin

          Icons –Margaret Stohl

         The 5thWave – Rick Yancey

          Perfection –J.L. Spelbring

          Reboot – AmyTintera

14^th: School Spirits –Rachel Hawkins

         Towering – AlexFlinn

       The Beautiful & the Cursed– Page Morgan

        Golden - Jessi Kirby

        The Righmatist - Brandon Sanderson

 21^st: Transparent –Natalie Whipple

         All I Need - Susane Colasanti

       The Book of Broken Hearts - Sarah Ockler

28^th: Goddess –Josaphine Angelini

         Of Triton – AnnaBanks

          Impostor –Suzanne Winnacker
               The Girl with the Iron Touch - Kady Cross
       

So that's it. We have some amazing new series coming out, as well as continuing and closing some other greats. Plus, I'm in the mood for a good beach read or two. Anyway, if I missed something that absolutely needs to be on my list, let me know, and have a great month of reading.

Saturday Shorts: The Queen's Army

It is time. The boy must leave his family to serve in the Queen's army. To be chosen is an honor. To decline is impossible. The boy is modified. He is trained for several years, and learns to fight to the death. He proves to the Queen—and to himself—that he is capable of evil. He is just the kind of soldier the Queen wants: the alpha of his pack. Quoted from Goodreads

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Yes, I know I've raved a lot about the Lunar Chronicles (Cinder and Scarlet) lately, but this was anther wonderful surprise.  It's labeled The Lunar Chronicles 1.5, which makes sense, but I discovered it after I read Scarlet, and I enjoyed it just as much because it was a bout a character I cared about from that book. 

It's a short novella, but there are so many reasons to like it.  First, we get to see the queen from her people's POV. We experience how far she is willing to go to create her army, and what she does to those selected.  

Then we get Z's coming of age story.  It's rather dark and bleak watching him fight for his humanity when they're literally turning him into something else, but it's also fascinating.  You can't help but like and sympathize with him, especially when he seems like one of the only ones who is bothered by what the queen did to them.  

Anyway, you need to read this book. It's an excellent compliment to Cinder and Scarlet, and we get to see the origin of "the big, bad wolf." It's absolutely4 stars for me. If you love the Lunar Chronicles, you have to pick this up, and if you're just thinking about reading this series, this is a great introduction (though it's more a lead in for Scarlet than Cinder).

Theater Thursday: Tiger Eyes

I love Judy Blume.  Her books filled my third and fourth grade head.  I absolutely adored Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Superfudge, and Freckle Juice. Now I have to admit, I haven't read Tiger Eyes.  To be honest, I sort of don't want to right now. It's too close to the movie. Reading books immediately before a I see the movie based on that book tends to spoil it.  No matter how good they do adapting it, they can't cover everything a book can.  Even if they pick a short book, rarely are the characters on screen as good as the ones in my head.  Still, I love seeing other people's visions of the story, so I'm constantly excited for book to movie adaptions.  Still, I won't read a book right before a movie comes out.

Anyway, a preview for Tiger Eyes just came out.  While I'm not as excited as I would be if I had actually read the book, it looks interesting.  Plus, I trust Judy Blume to come up with a good story. Check out the Trailer below.

If you are interested in reading the book, here's a quick summary.

Davey has never felt so alone in her life. Her father is dead—shot in a holdup—and now her mother is moving the family to New Mexico to try to recover. Climbing in Los Alamos Canyons, Davey meets mysterous Wolf, who seems to understand the rage and fear she feels. Slowly, with Wolf’s help, Davey realizes that she must get on with her life. But when will she be ready to leave the past behind? Will she ever stop hurting? Quoted from Goodreads