Book Review: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Synopsis (Goodreads): Set over the course of one school year in 1986, ELEANOR AND PARK is the story of two star-crossed misfits -- smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you'll remember your own first love -- and just how hard it pulled you under.

My thoughts: OH THE FEELS! This book was a great read. At times I had very nonfictional feelings about some of these fictional characters. I felt bad for Eleanor, but yet so happy for her that she had Park in her life. I didn't expect the ending; it wasn't necessarily the typical, cliché ending in most YA contemporaries. I almost want to term the ending as bittersweet. I really enjoyed this book. It was a good book but there were a few things that  kept me from rating it higher. For example, I thought that Eleanor could be a bit annoying at times. Overall, it was a good book and I rated it 4 out of 5 stars.

Book Review: The Espressologist by Kristina Springer

Synopsis (Goodreads): What's your drink of choice? Is it a small pumpkin spice latte? Then you're lots of fun and a bit sassy. Or a medium americano? You prefer simplicity in life. Or perhaps it's a small decaf soy sugar-free hazelnut caffe latte? Some might call you a yuppie. Seventeen-year-old barista Jane Turner has this theory that you can tell a lot about a person by their regular coffee drink. She scribbles it all down in a notebook and calls it Espressology. So it's not a totally crazy idea when Jane starts hooking up some of her friends based on their coffee orders. Like her best friend, Em, a medium hot chocolate, and Cam, a toffee nut latte. But when her boss, Derek, gets wind of Jane's Espressology, he makes it an in-store holiday promotion, promising customers their perfect matches for the price of their favorite coffee. Things are going better than Derek could ever have hoped, so why is Jane so freaked out? Does it have anything to do with Em dating Cam? She's the one who set them up! She should be happy for them, right?

With overtones of Jane Austen's Emma and brimming with humor and heart, this sweet, frothy debut will be savored by readers.

My thoughts: I picked this book up at my local library because I happened to glance over the title. Me, being the coffee addict that I am, was curious about the story found within the pages of this book. I read the inner flap and thought it sounded cute, even though I figured that it would be entirely cliché. This book was only about 185 pages. It was a cute contemporary story; however, I was correct in assuming that it would be cliché. I knew what was going to happen before I even got close to the end.
The main character, Jane Turner, works at a coffee shop (Wired Joe's). While working there, she keeps a notebook and jots down coffee orders and a description of the people who order them. With this information, she starts matching certain individuals together to see if they hit it off. She is always accurate. Her manager, Derek, finds about her Espressology and requests that she conduct for the store as a holiday promotion. This book has a mixture of drama, love, and friendship, and of course coffee. Since, this story was entirely cliché, I ended up giving it a 3 out of 5 stars.

Book Review: I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

Book Synopsis (Goodreads): Nine of us came here. We look like you. We talk like you. We live among you. But we are not you. We can do things you dream of doing. We have powers you dream of having. We are stronger and faster than anything you have ever seen. We are the superheroes you worship in movies and comic books - but we are real. Our plan was to grow, and train, and become strong, and become one, and fight them. But they found us and started hunting us first. Now all of us are running. Spending our lives in shadows, in places where no one would look, blending in. We have lived among you without you knowing.

But they know.

They caught Number One in Malaysia.

Number Two in England.

And Number Three in Kenya. 

They killed them all. 

I am Number Four. 

I am next.

My thoughts: This is the first installment of the Lorien Legacies series. I was unsure if I would enjoy this book because I had heard mixed reviews. However, I always like to read a book for myself and form my own opinion. For me, this was a good read; I really enjoyed it. One aspect of this book that I loved was the way the author allows the reader to imagine that it could actually be reality. On the back flap of the book the author, Pittacus Lore, says he is Lorien's ruling Elder and that he has been on Earth for the past 12 years. While on Earth he has been preparing for the war that will decide Earth's fate. It also states that his whereabouts are unknown. So, it gives the reader a different perspective on the author that they typically do not encounter from a novel. It was a new, refreshing facet to include with the book. I Am Number Four is about nine young adults who had to flee their home planet, Lorien, because it was invaded by Mogadorians. Lorien was destroyed; however, the children (the Garde) were able to escape along with their guardians (the Cepan). They all fled to Earth where they remain in hiding from the Mogadorians. The nine Garde can only be killed in order unless the charm is broken. The charm can only be broken if the children. So, it is essential for the nine members of the Garde to stay separated to ensure the greatest amount of safety possible. The first three members of the Garde have been killed. There are only six left. The next in line is Number Four. I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading young adult novels and likes science fiction. So, if you haven't read it, you definitely should check it out. Hope you enjoy it. Happy reading!

Book Review: Every Day by David Levithan

Book: This is a story about A. A is neither female nor male and he is not a single person. A is a type of soul or being. He inhabits different people’s bodies daily. Every day he is someone new; this means he can wake up one day as a boy and the next a girl. A has been like this since birth. Initially, A thought this was how life was for everyone; however, with time, A realized that it was not normal and was in fact quite unique. When A inhabits a person’s body, “he” attempts to keep their life on track, without messing up any part of it. “He” does this to the best of his ability. One of the reasons for this is because he attempted to keep connections with people and it resulted in a disaster. Therefore, he tries to just get through the day as easily as possible. He picks up on many cues from parents, siblings, friends, etc so he conforms quite easily, since he has had lots of practice. The story takes off when A inhabits the body of a boy named Justin. Everything is going great until Justin (A) gets to school and realizes he has a girlfriend, Rhiannon. A is automatically drawn to Rhiannon and wants to stay connected with her in some way. This story contains many issues, some are lighthearted and some are heavy. It makes the reader think and do a lot of self-evaluation, specifically on how you view yourself and how others view you. It deals with obstacles that their love must face and obstacles that many teenagers that are coming of age encounter.

Opinion: This book was a little odd to me in the beginning because the concept was so strange and unique to me. However, the more I read, the more I liked the story. The uniqueness of the A’s character made the story interesting. I was not bored in this story at all because every day A would wake up in a new person’s body. The reader never knew whom A would wake up as or what was going to take place. I am keeping this review spoiler-free, so I cannot go into extravagant detail. I know many people did not like the ending of this book, but I thought it was the perfect ending to the book; I was completely satisfied with it. I did enjoy reading this book, but there was one aspect of the book I did not particularly enjoy. I am not a huge fan of instalove. However, for this particular book, I see how it can be used. A only has one day in a specific person’s body, so whatever A does, he has to make it count. Even though A has instalove for Rhiannon, it is not reciprocated on her part. So, the concept of instalove in this particular story did not bother me as much as it normally would. I enjoyed A’s character. I also enjoyed David Levithan’s writing style. I do think fans of John Green would like this book. I thought this book was a good read. 

Book Review: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

A Monster Calls is the story of a Conor. Conor is a young boy who has been through a lot of difficult life-altering issues. His mother became ill and since her illness she stays sick, continuously. His parents are divorced; his father left them and moved to America, got remarried, and had another child. Conor keeps having this reoccurring nightmare that always results in him waking up screaming. One night, he has another nightmare, or so he thinks, involving a strange type of monster. This monster is a yew tree. He thinks he is dreaming; however, it is reality. The monster tells him that Conor has called him to walk; but Conor denies that. The monster keeps returning to share three stories with Conor; the fourth story is what Conor has to tell the monster. The three stories that the monster shares with Conor are about the times he was called to walk before. The fourth story that Conor has to share is the hidden truth that Conor has to face.

Opinion: This book was recommended to me. It was the first book that I have read by Patrick Ness. I knew before I began this book that it was classified as middle-grade. However, it is a great read for readers of all ages. My favorite character in this book was the monster. The dialogue that came from the monster I had to make note of because it contained some really good quotes. He taught Conor a lot about the world and about himself. I enjoyed the imaginative and creative, but yet realistic aspects of this book. I predicted various parts of this book before I actually got to them, but it did not make the book any less enjoyable for me. The illustrations throughout the book made the book that much better. The pictures that were included along with the text went hand-in-hand and made the book beautiful. It was well written; I also loved the acknowledgement at the beginning of the book. Patrick Ness explained where the original idea came from and explained why he finished the book for the deceased author the way he did.  This book was a rather quick read for me and I anticipated a lot of the plot before it happened, but the author did execute this story well. I gave this book a 4/5 stars. It was a great read. 

Book Review: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

     I have had this book for quite sometime and always wanted to read it but the size would always prevent me from picking it up from my bookshelf. I finally caved and decided to read it because the movie was coming out soon. I am so glad that I did. This was a great book. I rated this book a 4/5 stars. I would recommend this book to pretty much anyone. 
     

     The story is told in the perspective of Ethan. It is about him and a girl named Lena. He keeps having these constant dreams about a girl who he has never seen before. In his dreams he is always trying to save her, but at the end of his dream she always slips away from his grasp or is always slightly out of reach. One day, at his school, a new student walked into class…the girl from his dream. 
     

     There are various coincidences that he can’t quite understand the reasoning behind. Lena is different from any girl he has ever known. His goal was to get out of the town of Gatlin, even though he is a star basketball player and part of the popular crowd. He has to make a decision to sacrifice what is familiar to him to embrace the unknown and definitely the unexpected, or not. This book was a great read and I cannot wait to see the movie adaptation. 

Book Review: Black City by Elizabeth Richards

     I really enjoyed reading this book. It was interesting to see the twist that the author threw in with the dystopian aspect of the book. Natalie and Ash, the two main characters, are two people that are attracted to each other, even though it is forbidden. This book does have an aspect of “instalove,” but considering that it deals with darlings (vampires) it didn’t bother me really. I still really enjoyed the book. I stayed up extremely late one night to finish it because I couldn’t set it down. It was a page-turner for me at the end. I haven’t read a lot of dystopian novels so I am not burnt out on them as some people may be. This book has a kind of dark fantasy feel to it as well; it is almost post apocalyptic. I ended up giving this book a 4 out of 5 stars and the cover is gorgeous. I can’t wait to read the sequel, Phoenix. It comes out in 2013. I plan on purchasing this and the sequel very soon.

     Natalie is the daughter of an emissary, a government official. While Ash is a twin-blood, meaning he is half human and half darkling (vampire). The government constructed a wall that divided the city after the war to separate a majority of the darklings from the humans. There are a few exceptions on the human side of the wall. Some darklings are permitted as long as they are tagged to show whose property they are; they fulfill the role of servants in many cases. It is forbidden for a human and a darkling or twin-blood to be together. But, for some reason, Ash and Natalie are drawn to each other. There is a interesting reason behind this that is explained in the book; however, I do not want to include any spoilers for anyone. It is a great book. It goes deeper than just the dystopian novel where the government controls everything. It deals with racism and genocide, among other things.