Dark Inside (Dark Inside #1) by Jeyn Roberts

Title: Dark Inside
Author: Jeyn Roberts
Pages: 368
Published: September 2nd 2011 by Macmillan Children's Books
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Summary: Since the beginning of mankind, civilizations have fallen: the Romans, the Greeks, the Aztecs...and now us. Huge earthquakes rock the world. Cities are destroyed. But something even more awful is happening: An ancient evil has been unleashed, and it's turning everyday people into hunters, killers, and crazies. This is the world Mason, Aries, Clementine, and Michael are living in--or rather, trying to survive. Each is fleeing unspeakable horror, from murderous chaos to brutal natural disasters, and each is traveling the same road in a world gone mad. Amid the throes of the apocalypse and clinging to love and meaning wherever it can be found, these four teens are on a journey into the heart of darkness--and to find each other and a place of safety.

  

MY REVIEW

This story takes place in modern times and around a few different characters lives through the end of the world synopsis. You have Aries who was on her way to play practice, Michael who was driving with his friend, Mason who received some tragic news and Clementine who was at a town meeting when things happened. An earth quake took over the world, and you either survived or you didn't. If you survived you became one of them the "Baggers" or you fought to survive. 

I have been on a dystophian kick lately, and I loved this book. Each chapter is told from the point of views of Aries, Mason, Clementine, Michael and Nothing. You watch each of them survive the destruction, and each work their way towards each other. 

The writing was so different from many young adult books. It often felt that it should be geared towards adults. There was some scenes that some would not be able to handle if you have a weak stomach. You watched characters fight for their lives, and also fight the demons in themselves. I would recommend this in a beat for someone who likes dystophian type books and looking for a quick and easy read. I kept think how interesting this would be turned into a film or tv show. There wasn't a single character I didn't like. 

Divergent (Divergent #1) by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Pages: 487
Published: January 1st, 2011 by Katherine Tegen Books
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Summary: In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

MY REVIEW

Beatrice Prior is from a dystophian Chicago where there are five fractions. At the age of sixteen, everyone takes a test to determine which fraction they will spend the rest of their life in.  Because of some choices children no longer speak to their parents, or the parents no longer wish to speak to their children because of the choices that they make. Divergent is the first part of the story of Beatrice, who changes her name to Trice when she arrives in her new fraction, initiation process. 

I despised this book.  It has been on my Goodreads list since I joined the site, and I finally got around to reading it. It took me two weeks to finish, and it was a struggle to get through it. I don't understand the hype of the story, and let alone, why everyone is sectioned off into fractions to cause a war. The characters were all a dull and so was the romance. This book falls into the 'I can't' category along with Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl. Both just make me boil. 

Lucid by Adriene Stolz & Ron Bass

Title: Lucid

Author: Adriene Stoltz & Ron Bass

Pages: 352

Published: October 3rd 2012 by Razorbill 

Summary: What if you could dream your way into a different life? What if you could choose to live that life forever?

Sloane and Maggie have never met. Sloane is a straight-A student with a big and loving family. Maggie lives a glamorously independent life as an up-and-coming actress in New York. The two girls couldn't be more different—except for one thing. They share a secret that they can't tell a soul. At night, they dream that they're each other.

The deeper they're pulled into the promise of their own lives, the more their worlds begin to blur dangerously together. Before long, Sloane and Maggie can no longer tell which life is real and which is just a dream. They realize that eventually they will have to choose one life to wake up to, or risk spiraling into insanity. But that means giving up one world, one love, and one self, forever.

This is a dazzling debut that will steal readers' hearts.

MY REVIEW

Lucid is a story about Sloane and Maggie both teenagers. Sloane is an actress trying to make her name in Hollywood. She also has a life style that most teenagers don't have. She goes to auditions instead of classrooms, has a parent whose not in the picture all that much because she works at Vogue magazine. She also has a little sister who she feels is her only best friend. Then there's Maggie who is just like every other teenage girl. She goes to school, has her set of friends, does photography, but she also did lose her best friend one night. Both girls struggle with the idea of sleep. When one goes to bed they dream of the other girls life. 

I loved the premise of Lucid. I always love reading about dream worlds and sleep. Each chapter is about each of the girls life. You see each girl struggle through out their ordinary day, and how Sloane goes to therapy to cope with her dream life and her struggle with her mia mother. 

The end felt rushed and terrible. This book would have received four stars, but I was not impressed with the ending. It confused me, and I'm not easily confused when it comes to reading things. It became too much of a blur and it happened really quickly. It felt choppy. I think if they weren't trying to rush it it would have made it a little bit cleaner for an ending. 

 

Little People in the City by Slinkachu

Title: Little People in the City
Author: Slinkachu
Pages: 128
Published: June 1st 2009 by Pan Macmillan
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Summary: "They're Not Pets, Susan," says a stern father who has just shot a bumblebee, its wings sparkling in the evening sunlight. A lone office worker, less than an inch high, looks out over the river in his lunch break, "Dreaming of Packing it All In." A tiny man makes his way back to a tiny car, with a tiny shopping bag: "Shopping for one again." Another office worker sits atop a gigantic engagement ring and gazes into the distance; the caption reads, simply: "No." These are the collected photographs of Slinkachu, a London-based artist who for several years has been placing tiny hand painted people on street corners, park benches, and the Underground, and leaving them to fend for themselves. Much like Banksy's early graffiti work, Slinkachu's creations mix the bustle, humor, and melancholy of city life, and lie quietly in the darker corners of London's streets, waiting to be discovered. And if you’re lucky enough to find one, to quote The Times: "Oddly enough, even when you know they are just hand-painted figurines, you can't help but feel that their plights convey something of our own fears about being lost and vulnerable in a big, bad city." This volume also includes a forward from acclaimed novelist Will Self.

MY REVIEW

If I'm honest, I bought this book by mistake. I thought it was a set of postcards that I originally wanted to purchase. I figured they would be great for that. I was surprised when I got this, and it was a book of photographs of little people doing street things. This was one of those mistakes turned into something that I loved. The photographs in Slikachu were great to look at and the idea was great. It was one of those "Why didn't I think of that?". I found myself chuckling at some of the photographs that they had. My favorites were tourist, urban camping, the mother load, our fist home, one false move, office politics, scavengers, "they;re no pets Susan" and bad first date. 

After receiving the book through Amazon, I did some research on the Little People project to see some more art work by Slinkachu. Apparently, this project started as a blog and worked it's way into a book. What's nice about this book is that you see the photograph of the idea at hand, and you also see the photograph from far away.

Either way I really enjoyed this nice surprise. I've included some pictures from the blog site, and will include the link as well so you can go check it out.

For more, go see Little People.

November's Random Read: Five Summers

Title: Five Summers
Author: Una LaMarche
Pages: 384
Published: May 16th 2013 by Razorbill
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Summary:  Four best friends, five summers of camp memories.

The summer we were nine: Emma was branded “Skylar’s friend Emma” by the infamous Adam Loring...
The summer we were ten: Maddie realized she was too far into her lies to think about telling the truth...
The summer we were eleven: Johanna totally freaked out during her first game of Spin the Bottle...
The summer we were twelve: Skylar’s love letters from her boyfriend back home were exciting to all of us—except Skylar...
Our last summer together: Emma and Adam almost kissed. Jo found out Maddie’s secret. Skylar did something unthinkable... and whether we knew it then or not, five summers of friendship began to fall apart.

Three years after the fateful last night of camp, the four of us are coming back to camp for reunion weekend—and for a second chance. Bittersweet, funny, and achingly honest, Five Summers is a story of friendship, love, and growing up that is perfect for fans of Anne Brashares and Judy Blume's Summer Sisters.

The Parts I Remember by A.K. Mills

Title: The Parts I Remember

Author: A.K. Mills

Pages: 236

Published: March 1st 2013 

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Notes: This novel was given to me from the author for an honest review. 

Summary: Act first. Think never. Remember nothing.

Welcome to Kelly Rockport’s existence at Haysville University, where responsibility is just an elective. After all, fake IDs, alter egos, and one-night stands are all part of the college experience, right? So what if she blacks out from time to time? Memory is overrated.

When freshman year lasts about as long as a one-night stand and is quickly followed by the Year of the Blackout, Kelly projects junior year to be nothing shy of amazing. But as shots, beer, cocaine and men mesh together in an intoxicating haze, Kelly’s reckless ways get her into serious trouble. The only problem is, she can't remember what happened.

As she hovers along the edge of consciousness, Kelly forces herself to think past her pain to piece together the shards of her life. This is her story, told in her words: The Parts I Remember.

MY REVIEW 

The Parts I Remember starts off with Kelly entering college with the Dean stating that one in three do not finish their college education. Of course being freshman, Kelly and the other freshman laugh this off. You watch Kelly get into the party scene, and sleep with random guys. 

Things start to get out of control for Kelly when she hits  her junior year. Shots are being done constantly and the experiment with hard drugs come into play. Her sister and her boyfriend don't buy into Kelly's act of partying which puts a thorn in their relationship. 

Tradgey strikes towards the end of the book, and we see where Kelly's drinking and partying plays an important part and how it effects everyone. 

 This was my first 'new young adult', and I rather enjoyed it. While I couldn't relate to Kelly since I'm not a partier myself I did enjoy her as a character. She was likeable from the start, and kept true to herself in towards the end. You started to wonder what it was going to take to get her to change her ways. 

The writing was wonderful, and I was hooked. It's a good read for those who like the party scene, but it's also a good read to show how your choices effect other people. I also liked that it wasn't preachy. Sure there is a moral to the book, but it wasn't smack in your face like some of them can be. Everything meshed perfectly. Very enjoyable. 

 

{Arc} How to be a Good Wife by Emma Chapman

Title: How to be a Good Wife
Author: Emma Chapman
Pages: 288
Published: October 15th 2013 by St. Martin's Press
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Notes: This was given to me through NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary: In the tradition of Emma Donoghue's Room and S.J. Watson’s Before I Go to Sleep, a haunting literary debut about a woman who begins having visions that make her question everything she knows
 
Marta and Hector have been married for a long time. Through the good and bad; through raising a son and sending him off to life after university. So long, in fact, that Marta finds it difficult to remember her life before Hector. He has always taken care of her, and she has always done everything she can to be a good wife—as advised by a dog-eared manual given to her by Hector’s aloof mother on their wedding day.

But now, something is changing. Small things seem off. A flash of movement in the corner of her eye, elapsed moments that she can’t recall. Visions of a blonde girl in the darkness that only Marta can see. Perhaps she is starting to remember—or perhaps her mind is playing tricks on her. As Marta’s visions persist and her reality grows more disjointed, it’s unclear if the danger lies in the world around her, or in Marta herself. The girl is growing more real every day, and she wants something.

MY REVIEW 

How to be a Good Wife is a story about Marta who has always known her life with her professor husband Hector. However, when their son leaves the nest things start to change for Marta. She starts to see things, and isn’t quite sure if these things are real or not. 

When I first received the novel from NetGalley, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from it. How to be a Good Wife? Eh, sounded like it could end up being good or bad. HOWEVER, I absolutely loved this book. The pacing can be a little slow, but once you hit that bang things pick up rather quickly. There is a good bang. You’ve seen this over and over, but in How to be a Good Wife, it’s the perfect twist. It fits nicely and you forget that you’ve seen it before. 

While I couldn’t relate to any of the characters, I found myself attached to Marta. I wanted to find out her story and wait for that bang that I was waiting for. The realization of things and where these visions are coming from. 

The ending was a little disappointing for me, but overall the book was great. Definitely recommend for those who like a good mystery and thriller. It would also be good for a book club pick.