Hey Guys!

I wanted to let you guys know that I apologize for not posting recently, but I haven't been reading much lately to post about! So I'm going to do a mini-review for Lord of the Flies which is what I just finished reading for my English class. I also have to start cramming for my two AP tests coming up soon which I'm sure some of you are preparing for as well! Good Luck to you and to me! And my next post will not be until May 10th I think, but it is going to be a giveaway for an ARC of Tracy Deebs' Tempest Rising! And I will be reviewing it as well as part of the blog tour for that book. That's something to look forward to!

Book: Lord of the Flies

Author: William Golding

Summary: (goodreads) "The story that never grows old...

Lord of the Flies remains as provocative today as when it was first published in 1954, igniting passionate debate with its startling, brutal portrait of human nature. Though critically acclaimed, it was largely ignored upon its initial publication. Yet soon it became a cult favorite among both students and literary critics who compared it to J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye in its influence on modern thought and literature.

Labeled a parable, an allegory, a myth, a morality tale, a parody, a political treatise, even a vision of the apocalypse,Lord of the Flies has established itself as a true classic..."

Review: I was super skeptical about this book, because most of the things we are required to read (I regret to admit) aren't a whole lot interesting. I can see their value and the reasons for why they are classics and all, but I don't usually fall in love with any of them.

This was definitely different. I actually didn't have to force myself to read it and finished it before it was due in class. That is how much I loved this book. The characters are mostly all young English school boys stranded on an island during a world nuclear war. Their characterization is multi-faceted, but also very representative and obvious as who they are meant to be if in the world. My favorite character was definitely Simon.

The book was fairly short, but full of action and power plays and adventure. I was amazed at how powerful the writing was and how I just connected so well with some of the characters especially, Piggy. It is my favorite classic so far and you should read it too!

Rating: 1 2 3 4 5

Karma

Author: Cathy Ostlere

From: Publisher

Summary: (goodreads) On October 31, 1984, Indira Gandhi is gunned down by two Sikh bodyguards. The murder sparks riots in Delhi and for three days Sikh families are targeted and killed in retribution for the Prime Minister’s death. It is into this chaos that sixteen-year-old Maya and her Sikh father, Amar, arrive from their home in Canada. India’s political instability is the backdrop and catalyst for Maya’s awakening to the world. KARMA is the story of how a young woman, straddling two cultures and enduring personal loss, learns forgiveness, acceptance and love.

Review: From the very first verses, I was hooked with the story and loved the main character. The story was compelling and it was easy to imagine because of the wonderful writing.

It starts in Canada showing the prejudice and obstacles that being culturally different can cause. As we get to India, there is an immediate increase in tension and suspense as the rioting affects Maya and her dad deeply.

There were some very intense action scenes written with strong force and culminating in an unexpected way. It starts out from Maya's point of view as she writes in a diary and then suddenly switches to the point of view that the boy writes in as he tells us the rest of Maya's story. They way it the characters showed interaction with each other was very well done and I heard two distinct voices as I read while seeing them as they are seen through each other's eyes. It was a great experience and although it didn't end how I wanted it to, I thought that the story unraveled in an excellent manner.

Verse definitely helped make this story what it was and I am glad that it was written in such a style as it brought out the emotional side of the characters more and helps readers relate to them. I really hope that you consider reading this story woven into a historical time period and I am proud to say that I learned more than I ever could have known otherwise about India and that particular struggle as well as gained insight into human nature.

Rating: 1 2 3 4 5

A Bit About Me

I don't really talk about myself a lot (at least I hope I don't!), so I decided to do a tiny post about me today where I just go on and on and on about nothing much in particular.

I'm a senior in high school. It's been great so far. Not.

I really need to start cramming for my AP Stat and Lit test or else I'm going to fail. Particularly the math since I'm not very good at it. So I'm in freak out mode and I don't know how much I will be able to read and review these coming weeks. Sorry about that :(

I'm currently reading Lord Of The Flies for my English class. It's interesting! But I got it from the school library so it is really smelly and makes me sneeze as I'm reading it. And it has teeny tiny print.

Prom is about a month. That's one thing I'm excited for. And I'm almost done with my Senior Project paper thing so at this point, I am still on schedule for graduating on time. Unless my bipolar teacher decides overnight that she hates me and is going to make me proofread my paper for the thirtieth time and then I can't turn it in on time and then I fail Senior Seminar and then yeah...but that is very unlikely.

I like panicking for no reason.

I think I may have a slightly unhealthy obsession with birds....and manga-ishy eyes because I draw both those things all over my homework all the time. :)

Do any of you like gnomes? I think they are cute, but my friends don't agree.

I am Hispanic, but my favorite genre of music ever is Kpop as you probably already know since I post quite a bit about it. I was a tad bit disappointed with BigBang's latest album, but because they are my favorite band ever, I will excuse them.

Currently, I am watching the Taiwanese drama "Sunny Happiness" which has Mike He in it. He is one of my favorite actors and the storyline is really cute if cliche. Yey!

That's it about me for today. I don't want to bore you anymore than I already have, but THANK YOU for following and commenting! Book blogging is awesome!

Tiger's Curse

Author: Colleen Houck

Summary: (goodreads)Passion. Fate. Loyalty.

Would you risk it all to change your destiny?
The last thing Kelsey Hayes thought she'd be doing this summer was trying to break a 300-year old Indian curse. With a mysterious white tiger named Ren. Halfway around the world.
But that's exactly what happened.
Face-to-face with dark forces, spell-binding magic, and mystical worlds where nothing is what it seems, Kelsey risks everything to piece together an ancient prophecy that could break the curse forever.
Tiger's Curse is the exciting first volume in an epic fantasy-romance that will leave you breathless and yearning for more.

Review: AMAZING! Something that really worked to the advantage of this book was how the book is pretty different from what we are seeing right now what with all the fallen angels, vampires, werewolves etcetera.

This takes place mostly in India and the jungle and the setting is just great. This book is definitely worth buying. It has a lovely cover and it is BLUE. I love it.

So the romance is awesome. Ren is such a great guy and even though he is hot and gorgeous, the author still revealed one or two human flaws in all his perfection. An Indian prince, Ren has a wonderful, but natural personality and also interacts well with Kelsey. They don't feel forced to me and I totally understand Kelsey's reasoning.

There were parts where I wanted to punch Kelsey for some of her actions. She is a normal teenager and stays grounded even with all the magic and wonder she sees around her and she almost borders on naive and innocent, but she really isn't. In all the parts where she did something I didn't like, she gave ample reasons and constructed a solid argument for acting like she did. This is why I liked the main character so much. I love her grounded, realistic attitude which makes her more alive as a person and also easy to relate to.

Even with a down-to-earth attitude, Kelsey made me laugh out loud various times along with Ren. Although this is an intense, action-packed adventure, there was plenty of humor and romance to go around. It is a bit over-the-top and the ending is pretty much a cliffhanger, but if you love adventure and learning about different cultures, then I think you will like this book as much as I did. Happy Reading!

I can't wait for the sequel!!!! Comes out early summer :D

Rating: 1 2 3 4 5

Random Acts of Kindness

April is the first time I'm going to sign up for Random Acts of Kindness mostly because I didn't know what it was about earlier. Don't you just love the logo? Click here for more information on this event by Book Soulmates.

APRIL SIGN UP

Family

Author: Micol Ostow

Release Date: April 26th 2011

Thanks to EgmontUSA for providing this ARC

Summary: (goodreads) It is a day like any other when seventeen-year-old Melinda Jensen hits the road for San Francisco, leaving behind her fractured home life and a constant assault on her self-esteem. Henry is the handsome, charismatic man who comes upon her, collapsed on a park bench, and offers love, a bright new consciousness, and—best of all—a family. One that will embrace her and give her love. Because family is what Mel has never really had. And this new family, Henry’s family, shares everything. They share the chores, their bodies, and their beliefs. And if Mel truly wants to belong, she will share in everything they do. No matter what the family does, or how far they go.

Told in episodic verse, family is a fictionalized exploration of cult dynamics, loosely based on the Manson Family murders of 1969. It is an unflinching look at people who are born broken, and the lengths they’ll go to to make themselves “whole” again.

Review: This was a very interesting tale. Mel is the main character and since it is in episodic form it dwells on her emotions and her life story. She went through so many traumatizing events that she just started to give up.

Although the story would be compelling by itself, through the characters eyes, everything is filmy and she speaks with such passiveness that it lulls the reader. The reader will definitely be able to comprehend Mel for her choices and decisions and see that the connection with Henry was instant and unrealistic because by that point, Mel was beyond this world and it definitely portrayed her desperation.

Rating: 1 2 3 3.5 4 5

Paper Towns

Author: John Green

Summary: (goodreads) Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life - dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge - he follows.

After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues - and they’re for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees of the girl he thought he knew.

Review: This was a really great read that took me on an emotional rollercoaster. The author's writing was great and Quentin is such normal guy that it he is just so real. I laughed out loud many times and I'm happy to have read a book from a guy's point of view since it seems that the majority aren't.

There were some slightly slow parts near the end of the novel where I just wanted to get to the next part. Margo was unreal to me and not a very developed character. I think this was done on purpose because the reader sees Margo as Quentin sees her. He adores her and she is an enigma to her and she becomes an enigma to us. I was frustrated with almost all the characters at some point or another and the ending wasn't what I'd expected, but I enjoyed having read it.

Rating: 1 2 3 4 5

Contest Alert!

So I was on TheStorySiren's site and saw that six authors are holding a big contest for an iTouch. This is directly from Kristi's post:

"Here's how it works:

• Starting on April 4th a new author will be featured on the iClue Site each week.
• The author will post their mystery on the site on Monday.
• On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday we will post links to The Reading Room and two book bloggers who will be posting a special clue to help you solve the mystery.
• Once you've solved the mystery you send us the correct solution using a form on the website.
• If you enter the correct solution you get one entry into the contest.
• Solve all 6 mysteries you get 6 entries to win the iTouch."

I hope you help spread the book as well so that this is a successful event :) Here is the banner linked that was made for this event. It's cute!

Good luck and have fun!