Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Released: August 2, 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Series: Delirium, Book 1
Followed By: Pandemonium
Page Amount: 441, US Hardback
POV: 1st Person (Lena)
Buy it here: Barnes & Noble•Amazon

OVERALL:

Plot-19/20
Characters-19/20
Creativity-20/20
Writing-20/20
Pace-8/10
Ending-10/10
=96/100 A
★★★★★/5

SUMMARY:

Ninety-five days, and then I’ll be safe.
I wonder whether the procedure will hurt.
I want to get it over with.
It’s hard to be patient.
It’s hard not to be afraid while I’m still uncured, though so far the deliria hasn’t touched me yet.
Still, I worry.
They say that in the old days, love drove people to madness.

The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don’t.-Goodreads.com

REViEW:
Beware. If you pick up this book you will not be able to stop reading until you finish all three books. Typically, it takes me months, if not years, to finish a series because I like to read so many different books, but I couldn't do that with this series. I finished this book and had to start the next book the same day. I was addicted. The world that Lena lives in is a word of structured society that outlaws love. I cannot imagine such a world, but Ms. Oliver captured this place spot on. Her writing flowed across the pages like care-free petals in the wind. It was truly beautiful. I don't often look at the writing at a whole and say "Wow this is beautiful," but this book really was. I loved every second I spent in this world. The characters, plot, and conflict were just icing on the cake. 

Ahh these characters were so amazing. Lena was a strong protagonist. Not in the physical sense, but rather mentally strong. That's not always a easy thing to find in YA books. Main leads are typically kick-butt warrior types or weak, defenseless blonds. Lena was a perfect, realistic median. Her inner conflict between leaving her home or leaving her love was portrayed in a realistic way. She thought about both choices and I could understand why she made the decision that she did. I would have chosen the same. I love Alex like Lena did. I really wish I could have gotten to know him more. Lena's best friend, Hanna, and relatives were also very interesting. Every character added to the story and each contributed differently to Lena's conflict. 

The ending was absolutely beautiful and perfect. I could feel the powerful emotion that Lena was feeling. It was breathtaking. I felt horrible for Lena because I knew exactly how she felt. Going through the loss of my best friend and boyfriend, I felt as if I lost a part of me and the last few pages of this book made me feel less alone. It accurately described the way I felt. I always believed that books come into your life at precisely the right moment, this book made that belief all the more real. If you are feeling brokenhearted, give this book a try, you are not alone.  

My Favorite Part: The last few pages. They related perfectly to my life at the time I read it.

ALL iN ALL:
Do I recommend this book? Yes. It really touched my heart.
Will I be reading the next book? Already did. Read it the very next day after finishing this book.

Thanks for reading! Did you like this book?

It's a Book Thing
Review by Macy ♥

Top Ten: Favorite Covers

Top Ten is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten Favorite Covers

 

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Released: October 30, 2012
Publisher: Katherine Tegen
Series: Divergent, Book 2
Preceded By: Divergent
Followed By: Allegiant
Page Amount: 592, US Hardback
POV: 1st Person (Tris)
Buy it here: Barnes & Noble•Amazon

OVERALL:

Plot-20/20
Characters-19/20
Creativity-20/20
Writing-20/20
Pace-9/10
Ending-10/10
=98/100 A+
★★★★★/5

SUMMARY:

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love. Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.-Goodreads.com

REViEW:
This series. No matter how much I prepare myself to be disappointed  there is no way these books could ever do anything less than exceed expectation. After the very strong book Divergent, I was afraid that Insurgent might not live up to the perfect nature of Divergent. I was dead wrong. This book was just as good and strong as the first. Kind of the reason why I believe this series is better than the Hunger Games. The plot was super fast and intriguing from the first paragraph. Typically, I'm not a big action person, but this series makes it work in a brutal and honest way that has intrigued me. I really truly admire Ms. Roth's writing style and how creative the world she has set for this series is. Everything in this book is so carefully plotted out and just plain perfect. I can tell a lot of time went into writing this series, and it shows. 

The characters were almost as amazingly perfect as in the first book. My only minor issues I had with them were their weaknesses, which probably made them more realistic. They probably would have been more realistic to me if I didn't expect so much strength and courage from them. I'm sorry, they are just perfect to me. Tris was so strong in the first book, I hated to see her falter and live with such regret. I thought some points where she risked her life were a little out of character because she is not one to falter! She can't! She's Tris Prior! But then again she is human. Four was just as lovable, but like Tris, I felt like he changed character suddenly sometimes. I'm a sucker for a good romance and Tris and Four are just so cute together that it disappointed me when they fought and kept lying to each other. Truth is the basis of any good romance. I hope they figure that out by the next book.      

The ending was so intense. All the action leading up to the last couple of pages really caused my heart to race. It was a mystery the entire time about what the data was of, so when it was finally revealed it was kind of shocking. It wasn't like a huge cliffhanger or a big shocking revelation, but it still made my head swirl around all of the possibilities for the final book in this amazing trilogy. I really cannot wait until October and for Divergent to be released as a movie! These books read just like a movie, so I am very excited to see how they film the movie. 

My Favorite Part: How fast paced this book was for being so long.

ALL iN ALL:
Do I recommend this book? Well duh. 
Will I be reading the next book? Oh my gosh I don't know how I can last till October!

Thanks for reading! Let me know how you felt about this book and how it compares to the first!

It's a Book Thing
Review by Macy ♥

Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine

Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine
Released: October 2, 2007
Publisher: NAL Jam
Series: Morganville Vampires, Book 3
Precended By: The Dead Girls' Dance
Followed By: Feast of Fools
Page Amount: 245, US Paperback
POV: 3rd Person
Buy it here: Barnes & Noble•Amazon

OVERALL:

Plot-18/20
Characters-20/20
Creativity-19/20
Writing-20/20
Pace-8/10
Ending-9/10
=94/100 A
★★★★★/5

SUMMARY:

When Claire Danvers learnt that her college town was run by vampires, she did what any intelligent, self-preserving student would do: she applied for a transfer and stocked up on garlic. The transfer is no longer an option, but that garlic may come in handy. Now Claire has pledged herself to Amelie, the most powerful vampire in town. The protection her contract secures does little to reassure her friends. All of a sudden, people are turning up dead, a stalker resurfaces from Claire’s past, and an ancient bloodsucker extends a chilling invitation for private lessons in his secluded home.-Goodreads.com

REViEW:
This series is a fast-paced thrill ride of vampires and awesomeness. The plot of this book concerning Claire's allegiance to Amelie was so great! I absolutely loved it! I didn't expect certain things to happen and I loved the direction in which this series is headed. This is book is unique and does not repeat the first two books. I liked how Claire's smarts were finally exposed. I also liked how the secrets of Morganville and starting to be revealed. It is very intriguing.       

The characters had a lot of personality in this book. Claire has become stronger, but also a few times did some stupid things. Her intelligence was portrayed nicely in this book. Eve was lovable and goth again. Each of the characters had their own thing going on, and I liked that, even when I could not personally relate, they were all still realistic. Shane is shedding his true personality, which I enjoyed. I just hope he eventually forgives Michael. Michael is amazing again too. He's such a great guy, and I love all the depth that is being added to his character. The new character, Myrnin, was erratic and just like a mad scientist, but it worked for this book. I was constantly wondering what would happen because his character added so much drama and suspense to the book.

The ending was great. It makes me really want to read the next book. Here comes a new character and more backstory! I cannot wait to pick up Feast of Fools to find out what is going down in Morganville. This series is a very long one, but it's so much more unique and better than most long series. This one is already worth it.

My Favorite Part: How the story sucked me in from beginning to end.

ALL iN ALL:
Do I recommend this book? Yes, it's so good.
Will I be reading the next book? Of course! I need to finish this series!

Thank you for reading! Summer is finally here! Oh yeah! Please follow me on twitter and on facebook! :D

It's a Book Thing
Review by Macy ♥

Pretty Little Secrets by Sara Shepard

Pretty Little Secrets by Sara Shepard
Released: January 3, 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen
Series: Pretty Little Liars Companion Novel, Book 4.5
Page Amount: 450, US Hardback
POV: 3rd Person
Buy it here: Barnes & Noble•Amazon
OVERALL:
Plot-14/20
Characters-13/20
Creativity-10/20
Writing-15/20
Pace-4/10
Ending-6/10
=62/100 D
★★/5





SUMMARY:
Rewind to junior year in Rosewood, Pennsylvania, to a winter break no one has ever heard about. . . . Fat snowflakes fall onto manicured lawns, quilted stockings hang over marble fireplaces, and everyone is at peace, especially Hanna, Emily, Aria, and Spencer. Now that Alison’s murderer is in jail and A is dead, they can finally relax. Little do they know there’s a new A in town. . . . Rule number one of being an effective stalker: Get to know your prey. So I watch these liars day and night, keeping an eye on the trouble they get into, the messes they make, and the secrets they keep. Hanna’s desperate for a very personal session with her gym trainer. Emily is number one on Santa’s naughty list. Aria’s old flame from Iceland is about to land her in hot water. And Spencer’s resorting to some backhanded tactics to get what she wants. What happens on holiday break stays on holiday break—right? But guess what. I saw. And now I’m telling. Taking place between "Unbelievable" and "Wicked," "Pretty Little Secrets" is a very special "Pretty Little Liars" tale revealing the liars’ never-before-seen misadventures over their junior-year winter break . .Goodreads.com


REViEW:
When it takes you 3 months to get through a book you know there's a problem. I don't know why, but I sadly had some sliver of hope for this book. I'm still an avid Pretty Little Liar reader, but I think I will steer clear from any more prequels. The problem with this book is how irrelevant and unnecessary it is to the series. This book takes place after book 4. How many books are there now? 11. So why would anyone care about book 4? This book contributed nothing, just took away hours of my life and bored me to tears with stupidity. Hanna's story was decent. It was half-entertaining, but the others! Ph my gosh, every possible cliche and stupid thing Shepard could come up with was in this book.

Typically Aria or Emily is my favorite liar. Not in this book. Hanna's tale was definitely my favorite because it was actually realistic. It made sense because of Hanna's self image issues. On the other hand, the other liars' stories didn't even fit with their characters. Sweet and innocent Emily being a spy for her typically protective mother? Illogical and had such a ridiculous plot for why Emily had to "spy." Smart, independent Aria getting married? Yeah no, it was so stupid. And UPenn bound Spencer chasing after the same boy as her sister again? Already done. That was the last straw. I couldn't handle 500+ pages of sheer ridiculousness.

The best part of the ending was that the book was finally over. It really wasn't a resolution ending because of how the book was divided into 4 individual stories. They did not even intertwine so the ending had no true conclusion to it. Overall this book could have been 100 times better if it was published right after the 4th book instead of 7 books later.


My Favorite Part: The only story I almost liked, Hanna's.

ALL iN ALL:
Do I recommend this book? It's really not necessary to read even if your a big Pretty Little Liar fan.

Thanks for reading!

It's a Book Thing
Review by Macy ♥

May Magic

MAY MAGiC!

Be proud of me. I posted last month in the midst of a crazy hectic musical and tests galore! This month will be better because school is almost over. Thank goodness! One good thing that happened this month is that I started a book club at my school! Our first book is Divergent and we meet next week to discuss it. Yay, I'm such a leader hehe! SO that was exciting and fun, but now my attention all goes to this blog. Since summer is quickly approaching, I have so much free time to read and post. I promise you that you will see that.  

READ IN APRiL

1. Delirium 
2. Pandemonium

CURRENTLY READING

1. Fever- almost done with it, so good.
2. Delirium Stories

3. 52 Reasons to Hate My Father

TOP 5 SONGS OF THE MONTH

1. Mamma Mia 

2. It's Alright, It's OK- Ashley Tisdale

3. Keep Holding On- Avril Lavigne

4. In the End- Drake Bell

5. Much Better- Jonas Brothers

IN MY LiFE: I've been good, but April was a really rough month for me. Every girl dreams about their prom and how amazing it will be. A perfect dress. The perfect man. And the best music. Well let me tell you that it's very overrated. Finding the perfect date is impossible, especially after breaking up with your best friend boyfriend. Needless to say, it wasn't what I expected for the so called "best night of your life." Anyway, I am better now and without that distraction I should have more time to read and blog about my new fictional boyfriend ;)