More Than This Review

Goodreads

TITLE: More Than This

AUTHOR: Patrick Ness

PUBLISHER: Candlewick Press

PUBLICATION DATE: 9/10/2013

PAGES: 480

MY RATING:

BACK COVER SUMMARY: A boy named Seth drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments, losing his life as the pounding sea claims him. But then he wakes. He is naked, thirsty, starving. But alive. How is that possible? He remembers dying, his bones breaking, his skull dashed upon the rocks. So how is he here? And where is this place? It looks like the suburban English town where he lived as a child, before an unthinkable tragedy happened and his family moved to America. But the neighborhood around his old house is overgrown, covered in dust, and abandoned. What's going on? And why is it that whenever he closes his eyes, he falls prey to vivid, agonizing memories that seem more real than the world around him? Seth begins a search for answers, hoping that he might not be alone, that this might not be the hell he fears it to be, that there might be more than just this...

OVERALL IMPRESSION: First of all, I urge anyone looking into more information about this book to not do too much research. You don't want to be spoiled on anything and it's really hard to talk about this book without spoiling things. 

I've heard nothing but great things about Patrick Ness, but I hadn't read anything by him, so I was really excited to see what I thought about his books.

Just by starting the preface of this book, I knew I was going to love it. The writing is amazing. It just sounds so pretty and makes me want to keep going. I had lots of confusion while reading this, but I was very intrigued throughout the whole book.

That's really all I can say without giving anything away, but I really enjoyed this book.

CHARACTERS: I really like Seth. He seems like a really awesome kid.

COVER: The cover pretty much sums up the whole book.

**I received an ARC of this book from Amazon Vine for my honest review.

Stained Review (ARC)

Goodreads

TITLE: Stained

AUTHOR: Cheryl Rainfield

PUBLISHER: Harcourt Children's Books

PUBLICATION DATE: 11/19/2013

PAGES: 304

MY RATING:

BACK COVER SUMMARY: Seventeen-year-old Sarah Meadows covers the walls of her bedroom with images of beautiful faces she clips from magazines--and longs for "normal." Born with a port-wine stain covering half her face, all her life she's been plagued by stares, giggles, bullying, and disgust. Why can't she be like Diamond, the comic-book hero she created? Diamond would never let the insults in. That's harder for Sarah.

But when she's abducted on the way home from school, Sarah is forced to uncover the courage she never knew she had. Can she look beyond her face to find the beauty and strength she has inside, somehow becoming a hero rather than a victim? It's the only way Sarah will have any chance of escaping the prison--both seen and unseen--that this deranged killer has placed around her.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I flew so fast through this book. It is intense, scary, and amazing. When I was reading this, I felt like I was there with Sarah. I felt her struggle, her fear and desperation as well as her bravery. This book made me want to pick up everything Cheryl Rainfield has ever written.

CHARACTERS: Sarah is such a strong and inspiring character. Nick is amazing as well. He never gives up on Sarah and is there for her and her parents. Needless to say, I hated the character that kidnaps Sarah. He was cruel and disgusting.

COVER: The cover's alright. It's not my absolute favorite, but I do like the purple writing.

*I received an ARC of this book from Amazon Vine for my honest review.

Teardrop by Lauren Kate Review (ARC)

Goodreads

TITLE: Teardrop

AUTHOR: Lauren Kate

PUBLISHER: Delacorte Press

PUBLICATION DATE: 10/22/2013

PAGES: 464

MY RATING:

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): Never, ever cry...

Seventeen-year-old Eureka won't let anyone close enough to feel her pain. After her mother was killed in a freak accident, the things she used to love hold no meaning. She wants to escape, but one thing holds her back: Ander, the boy who is everywhere she goes, whose turquoise eyes are like the ocean.

And then Eureka uncovers an ancient tale of romance and heartbreak, about a girl who cried an entire continent into the sea. Suddenly her mother's death and Ander's appearance seem connected, and her life takes on dark undercurrents that don't make sense.

Can everything you love be washed away?

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I didn't enjoy reading this book. I feel like it took forever to get to the meat of the story. I was just reading and reading trying to get to the good part. And then, just when I thought it was going to pick up and the story line would progress, it slowed back down and dragged on. The last chapter finally got interesting - and then the book was over. 

I feel like the second book in the series will be better with more plot progression, but I'm not sure I'll ever pick it up to find out.

CHARACTERS: Eureka was an okay character. I feel like the romance between her and Ander was way too sudden and didn't really make any sense to me. I really liked Brooks and I do want to know what is going to happen to him. 

COVER: The cover is gorgeous! I love the colors and the embossing. And I love how the model's dress is made up of water.

**I received an ARC of this book from Amazon Vine for my honest review.

Not a Drop to Drink Review (ARC)

Goodreads

TITLE: Not a Drop to Drink

AUTHOR: Mindy McGinnis

PUBLISHER: Katherine Tegen Books

PUBLICATION DATE: 9/9/2013

PAGES: 320

MY RATING:

BACK COVER SUMMARY: Regret was for people with nothing to defend, people who had no water. Lynn knows every threat to her pond: drought, a snowless winter, coyotes, and, most important, people looking for a drink. She makes sure anyone who comes near the pond leaves thirst or doesn't leave at all.

Confident in her own abilities, Lynn has no use for the world beyond the nearby fields and forest. Having a life means dedicating it to survival and the constant work of gathering wood and water. Having a pond requires the fortitude to protect it, something Mother taught her well during their quiet hours on the rooftop, rifles in hand.

But wisps of smoke on the horizon mean one thing: strangers. They mysterious footprints by the pond, the nighttime threaths, and the gunshots make it all too clear Lynn has exactly what they want, and they won't stop until they get it...

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I had no idea what to expect or what this book was about, I honestly just picked it up because of the cover. I was pleasantly surprised. This was a good story. It kept me interested the whole way through. It made me think about the things that I have in my everyday life that I take for granted and how far would I go to protect them.

The epilogue left everything in a good place and I feel satisfied with it.

CHARACTERS: I love the characters of both Neva and Eli. Neva is so sweet and innocent and she just makes you fall in love with her. Eli tries really hard and is very caring. I actually liked every one of the characters in this book and enjoyed reading about them all.

COVER: I really like the cover. The yellow tinge to it gives it a very post apocalyptic feel.

**I received an ARC of this book from Amazon Vine for my honest review.

The Eye of Minds Review (ARC)

Goodreads

Amazon

TITLE: The Eye of Minds

AUTHOR: James Dashner

PUBLISHER: Delacorte Press

PUBLICATION DATE: 10/8/2013

PAGES: 304

MY RATING:

BACK COVER SUMMARY: Michael is a gamer. And like most gamers, he almost spends more time on the VirtNet than in the actual world. The VirtNet offers total mind and body immersion, and it's addictive. Thanks to technology, anyone with enough money can experience fantasy worlds, risk their life without the chance of death, or just hang around with VirtNet friends. And the more hacking skills you have, the more fun. Why bother following the rules when most of them are dumb, anyway?

But some rules were made for a reason. Some technology is too dangerous to fool with. And recent reports claim that one gamer is going beyond what any gamer has done before: he's holding players hostage inside the VirtNet. The effects are horrific -- the hostages have all been declared brain-dead. Yet the gamer's motives are a mystery.

The government knows that to catch a hacker, you need a hacker.

And they've been watching Michael. They want him on their team.

But the risk is enormous. If he accepts their challenge, Michael will need to go off the VirtNet grid. There are back alleys and corners in the system human eyes have never seen and predators he can't even fathom -- and there's the possibility that the line between game and reality will be blurred forever.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: This book is so amazing. I loved it so much! The book wastes no time jumping into the action packed story, and I love when books do that. I feel like I don't have a whole lot to say about this book because it was just so good. 

The ending was also amazing. I predicted some of it, but I was also surprised by other parts. All I can say is read this, you will not be disappointed. I cannot wait for the next installment to come out. I am really interested to see how Michael (the main character) explains everything to Sarah and Bryson (the supporting characters) and how they react to it.

CHARACTERS: I don't really know a whole lot about the characters. This book is more focused on the plot, and I'm okay with that. I feel like the next book will have a little more character development in it.

COVER: I like the cover a lot. It's so shiny!

**I received an ARC of this book from Amazon Vine for my honest review.