Review: The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart

This is more of a 4.5. I'm getting a little stingy with my five star ratings but this book really came close. The only thing holding it back was the slow beginning that dragged a little bit. BUT I am so glad I stuck with it. I think it would be easier if I did this in list format (because I love lists and they're easy and I'm lazy). Things I loved about this book (in no particular order):

1. The way it's told. I don't know why but I just adore books that read like diary entries. Maybe it's the whole thrill of feeling like you're spying on someone's personal life. But I think it's moreso the fact that I feel more connected and understanding of the main character when they narrate their own stories. And that connection helps me feel more involved and invested than I would if I was being told everything through a third person perspective. It's just a personal preference. ALSO, I think letting Ruby tell her own story was an integral part of the actual plot of the book. This is because you know that Ruby screws up something on the first page and when you read the actual "Boyfriend List" at the very beginning of the book, it's very easy to judge her. I think it was necessary to let Ruby SHOW you her side of the story and in doing that, she had me rooting for her, sympathizing with her, and understanding her. I think otherwise I would have become very impatient with her character if there was no insight into the inner workings of her mind. Also, the story is told in a very non-linear way. It goes from the past to the future, skipping juicy tidbits in between that makes you want to keep turning the pages not to see what happens but to see what HAPPENED already. It really keeps a reader on her toes.

2. The feminist undertones. This book is far from being preachy. It's not really a "GIRL POWER" kind of book like her other novel is (The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks). But it does provide interesting social commentary on the way women (young girls, in particular) treat each other. And it does showcase a sort of imbalance in romantic relationships between men and women that begins early on in teen years and is present in many adult relationships as well. I like that these references to feminism (like how there isn't really a male equivalent of the word "slut" in the English language) were never forced down a reader's throat (that can get so tedious) but were always subtle and didn't really change the fact that Ruby felt like calling another girl a "megaslut" right back. 

3. The characters. This sort of relates to the first point on the list. Sometimes people get turned off by first person narration because they feel trapped in just one person's mind. I never got that feeling in this book because although initially I really did judge all the secondary characters on the choices they made, Ruby provided excellent insight into WHY they did the things they did (thanks to her therapist, which I'll get to in a second). All the major characters felt like they could have been real people and it would've been very easy for all the boys on the list to melt into one blob character but they all came off as distinct individuals whose names I (surprisingly) remembered. And I may have fell a little in love with Gideon. Just. Yeah. Also, there was character growth--which was both negative and positive. For example, I started out really liking Jackson but the more I got to know him, the more I got turned off. On the flip side, I didn't really like Hutch in the beginning of the book but the more I learned about him, the more I learned to love him. It worked both ways. Also, the parental figures were excellent. They were quirky and lovable (as you come to expect in teen books of this nature) but you also got the feeling that they had problems of their own that they had to work out which was a nice change. Almost everybody in this book seemed to have their own little story which made me eat this up even more. 

4. The therapy sessions. Okay, I know what you're thinking. But, don't worry. This is not one of those books where the character recalls all her one-on-one talks with her shrink. Instead, she uses what she learns from her counseling to provide the insight that I described in number 3. It just shows Ruby's growth as a character as she learns more about herself and why SHE is the way she is and applies that knowledge when she comments about her past. 

5. The wit. This book is funny. Not in a knee-slapping way. Like, nobody falls on banana peels repeatedly and there are no crazy mishaps that only seem to happen in comedy movies. But there are these footnotes that are present throughout the book, that at first I thought were really annoying, but very quickly started to look forward to because they contained Ruby's dry humor and sarcasm. 

6. Chick-lit. This could be very easily classed as "chick-lit" which means that some (ignorant) people will dismiss as just fluff. I mean, it IS about a high school girl and all her boy troubles. Haven't we all read THAT book before? But, this just goes to show that just because a book has a female protagonist detailing her non-life-threatening problems, doesn't mean that it's worthless. Doesn't mean that you can't take something away from it. Doesn't mean that you don't learn more about the world around you by reading it. Doesn't mean that it doesn't give you a LOT of food for thought. Doesn't mean that it doesn't have excellent character development. Doesn't mean that it's not well written. God forbid it be funny AND enjoyable AND written by a woman as well. BUT IT HAS A SILLY COVER AND TITLE, SO IT MUST BE ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE!!!11


I give it a: 4.5/5

Review: Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

This was a good enough book. The story was definitely original; not another teen vampire/faerie/werewolf tale. And that's quite an accomplishment considering how many YA paranormal romances keep coming out these days. However, I think the substance in this book did not justify the length of it (500+ pages!!). I felt like a lot could have been cut down or simplified or sped up. The last 100 or so pages were extremely tiresome. Especially since the end was where the "supernatural" aspects came into play and it completely clashed with the first 400 pages which were more about the drama of high school cliques and jealous jock boyfriends. I just felt like I was reading two different books and there wasn't that much of a connection between them.

I honestly think I enjoyed the realistic aspects of this story more than the creepy supernatural stuff. I loved reading about Isobel standing up to her jerky boyfriend as opposed to her being chased by mysterious shadow people. But after page 400, things just got weirder and weirder and I couldn't keep up with what was going on anymore mostly because I didn't know where we were or why we were there. It was just so frustrating because it was a long series of events but nothing was really HAPPENING. We didn't even really find out what was happening until the VERY end and that was so rushed and unsatisfactory. To be fair, maybe I would've felt differently had I known that this was going to have a sequel. Maybe I wouldn't have expected so much out of it. I still think it's worth reading though. The connections to Edgar Allan Poe are very intriguing and the book is a quick read even with its faults. I'd say definitely buy this if you're a fan of Evermore or Fallen (I think it's better written than both of those). But if you feel like you've been burned by the last couple of YA paranormal books you've read and are now wary of the genre then I suggest getting it from your library.

Random Thoughts:

Even though I actually enjoyed the high school setting, the cliches are too much. Jerky jock boyfriend? Check. Emo-goth silent boy? Check. A school divided by neat lines and cliques? Check. It just irks me.

Isobel's character is...interesting. She's smart but not in a book-smart way. She actually acknowledges that she doesn't read that much but can still keep up which is cool. She's not a dumb blonde so she does seem to break a cliche...while still staying inside it?

It's funny because Isobel's "typical cheerleader" moments will strike at the most random moments. A totally horrible thing just happens--Isobel's first response? "Ohmigod!" I don't know why I found that funny every time she said it but I did.

Varen's character. Ugh. I don't know about anybody else but I just felt like I didn't really know him all that much. He was very closed off. I found it annoying that at the end Isobel describes them getting "closer" but all I felt that happened was them getting attracted to one another. They didn't actually exchange a lot of conversation or got to know each other beyond the surface that much.

Gwen is a really cool character. She bugged me at the end though. Um, hello? Your friend just went through something horrible. Be a little sensitive instead of yelling at her and trying to pump her for information. But, besides that she was funny and cute.

I will probably read the second book. Just to see where the author goes with this.

And...yeah. That's pretty much all I can think of.

3/5 STARS.

Little Update Before Class

Wow. My "resolution" (if you can call it that) to update this blog more completely backfired. Three months into a new year and I've only got about one proper post up. Yeah, I'm not very good at the follow-through stuff. The planning and promising I can do. The actual execution I skip out on. But, I will seriously TRY, I promise...er I guess that doesn't hold much wait anymore does it? Didn't think so.

What I actually wanted to write about: I was going through my blog and reading all my past reviews and stuff and I noticed that they weren't very good at all. They lack good writing and a good voice and interesting observations. Since I critque those very same things in the reviews that I do, it seems a bit hypocritical to me that the reviews themselves lack the same qualities I criticize books for.

Then I went further back and realized that I used to do a lot of just...ME blog posts. Stuff about my life. To me, those were considerably better written. They were just more interesting and candid and just...real. I know so many "book bloggers" take the professional route and just post reviews on books and have a clear system down on what they will and won't write. But I'm not looking to be a professional. I didn't start this blog to get any professional recognition. I started it because I love reading books, I love talking about books, I love writing, and I love talking about writing. And since I used to chew my sister's ear off after I gave her in-depth analyses on every single book I finished before I started this blog, I figured it was time to meet new people that I could share my thoughts with. But recently I've noticed that those thoughts haven't been very ME. I mean, they're honest. I do say which books I liked and which books I didn't like but it's about HOW I say it. So many of the reviews I've done have been less "this is me and this is what I thought" and more "this is someone who is trying really hard to construct a proper review." In my case, that means trying to fit as many writing cliches into one post as humanly possible.

New resolution: I'm going to TRY to write down my thoughts on books rather than try to type up reviews like I'm working on a magazine or something. Reading my blog, I don't want it to feel like anybody could've written this, I want it to feel like I wrote this at one point in my life. And I want it to be clear to you, the wonderful person taking the time out to read this ridiculous post, that Sara wrote this. That is, if I ever get around to actually WRITING something. I guess I gotta work on my original resolution before I start making new ones, right?

Book List 2010

I read 64 books last year, meaning I surpassed my goal of 50 new books. My star ratings are right next to the titles in parentheses. However, if you would like to know more of my thoughts on a particular book, just comment and ask. Or shoot me an email at saraisadreamer@gmail.com. Before I started this blog, I jotted down my thoughts on the books I read in a Word document so it wouldn't be hard for me to share those with you. I think there are only four books that don't have either a full review or any written comments but I'm sure I can remember what I initially thought of it anyway.  Don't hesitate to ask, please.

1. Angus, Thongs, and Full-frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison (5/5)

2. Bloom by Elizabeth Scott (5/5)

3. College Girl by Patricia Weitz (3.5/5)

4. When it Happens by Susane Colasanti (1/5)

5. Paper Towns by John Green (5/5)

6. Sweethearts by Sara Zarr (3/5)

7. Contents Under Pressure by Lara M. Zeises (2/5)

8. Secrets of Truth & Beauty by Megan Frazer (3/5)

9. Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott (3.5/5)

10. Girl at Sea by Maureen Johnson (3/5)

11. Stardust by Neil Gaiman (4.5/5)

12. Evernight by Claudia Gray (4/5)

13. Stargazer by Claudia Gray (4/5)

14. Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner (3/5)

15. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray (4/5)

16. The Writing Class by Jincy Willet (4/5)

17. Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson (3/5)

18. The Devouring by Simon Holt (3/5)

19. On the Bright Side, I’m Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God by Louise Rennison (5/5)

20. Boys, Girls & Other Hazardous Materials by Rosalind Wiseman (2/5)

21 The Uninvited by Tim Wynne-Jones (4/5)

22. Repossessed by A. M. Jenkins (4/5)

23. Feeling Sorry for Celia by Jaclyn Moriarty (4/5)

24. A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn (3/5)

25. Sea Change by Aimee Friedman (3/5)

26. Rhymes with Witches by Lauren Myracle (2/5)

27. Love You, Hate You, Miss You by Elizabeth Scott (4/5)

28. The Last Summer (of You & Me) by Ann Brashares (2/5)

29. Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler (2/5)

30. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain (3/5)

31. Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson (5/5)

32. Deadly Little Secret by Laurie-Faria Stolarz (3/5)

33. The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty (4.5/5)

34. Hourglass by Claudia Gray (5/5)

35. The Sweet Life of Stella Madison by Lara M. Zeises(1/5)

36. Impossible by Nancy Werlin (3/5)

37. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart (4/5)

38. Rebel Angels by Libba Bray (4/5)

39. Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta (4/5)

40. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (4/5)

41. Fallen by Lauren Kate (1/5)

42. Evermore by Alyson Noel (1/5)

43. The Secret Life of Prince Charming by Deb Caletti (3/5)

44. Need by Carrie Jones (3/5)

45. The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard (4/5)

46. The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima (3/5)

47. What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell (3/5)

48. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer (4/5)

49. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare (2/5)

50. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare (3/5)

51. Knocked Out by My Nunga-Nungas by Louise Rennison (3/5)

52. Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta (3.5/5)

53. The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie by Jaclyn Moriarty (5/5)

54. Dramarama by E. Lockhart (3/5)

55. Breathless by Jessica Warman (4/5)

56. Carpe Diem by Autumn Cornwell (5/5)

57. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (5/5)

58. The Six Rules of Maybe by Deb Caletti (3.5/5)

59. Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson (4/5)

60. The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong (4/5)

61. Artichoke’s Heart by Suzanne Supplee (2/5)

62. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood (5/5)

63. Graceling by Kristin Cashore (3/5)

64. The Maze Runner by James Dashner (3/5)

Review: The Maze Runner by James Dashner

When I first opened this book up, I was expecting my mind to be blown. I know that's kind of unfair because it's just setting the story up for failure since nothing EVER lives up to expectations but I couldn't help it. The premise of this book sounded so cool that I thought the author must have come up with some pretty incredible things. This is the part where I'm supposed to tell you that I was horribly disappointed and I never want to see this book again. But, that would be...mostly a lie. However, some of it would be true. I was disappointed...but not horribly so. And I certainly wouldn't read this book again but I would go out and buy the sequel for sure.

This book starts out a little slow and I really didn't think that was possible because it starts off with a main character who has lost his memory in an enclosed maze with about fifty other boys and he doesn't know WHY. I mean, how could a book that starts with such an intriguing concept be slow? Well, I guess that has to do with the infuriatingly flat characters. And I use the word infuriating because I wanted to punch Thomas, the main character, in the face after about five pages. His reactions and first impressions of things were so ridiculous. None of the other characters had much depth either. I can say that with certainty because when one of them was hurt or in serious danger, I could care less. In fact, near the end, there's a very pivotal scene with one of the characters that's supposed to evoke as much emotion as possible and I couldn't even bring myself to feel sad or remotely sympathetic. I just wanted to know what happens. Which brings me to the strength of this book: the story.

It was a very unique take on dystopian YA literature. Speaking of which, there have been quite a LOT of those around lately, haven't there? I guess dystopia's the new vampires. Or something like that. Anyway, back to the point. I really enjoyed the plotline. Once I got past the annoying characters and forced dialogue, I really enjoyed the story, the true heart and soul of this book. There is enough mystery and secrets and adventure to keep you hooked. I mean, it is a MAZE so you can expect that there's supposed to be a solution, right? Every puzzle has an answer. And getting to this book's answer was a wild, thrilling ride. The ending was also great because it had enough of a twist that even the most reluctant of readers would want to dive right into the second installment.

So, I guess the verdict is that while it isn't one of the better dystopians I've read, it certainly is completely enjoyable. And while I wouldn't reread it for any of the characters or relationships or witty, funny dialogue (there was very little of any of that), I would give it props for the incredible setting that was vividly drawn, the storyline that was intricately woven, and the ending that gave me all the incentive I need to pick up the sequel.

3/5 stars.

Guess who's back?

Yes, I'm still alive. I know I've been on a pretty LONG hiatus and I kind of don't have any excuse for that other than I'm lazy and I was basically trying to milk every moment of my winter break and put it towards resting. So, I did that and now I'm back at school and ready to procrastinate my life away on this blog. I have to be honest and say that I actually didn't read as much on break as I expected to. But ever since I got back to school (it's been about a week), I've already finished three books. I guess I read better under pressure. I'm still keeping track of everything I read this year just like I've been doing for the past two years but I don't think I'm going to partake in any challenges. I think I'm just going to read without deadlines this year because, I don't know, I think that's more fun for me.

What you can expect in 2011 from me is probably more of the same stuff but just...MORE of it. I'm trying to be better about writing in general and not just this blog. But this blog is a part of my writing "exercises" or "experiences" and I really want to make it more regular and frequent along with everything else. I'm also going to do my reviews a bit differently. I'm going to try and CUT as much synopsis as I possibly can because I honestly don't like writing up my own summaries and I know that, as a reader, I don't enjoy sitting through other people's summaries either. Instead, I'm going to concentrate more on what I think and really get to the heart of the review. Sometimes it'll be a jumbled mess but maybe, once in a while it'll turn out to be pretty organized and well thought out, who knows? What I CAN promise is that it'll be completely honest. A hundred percent my own opinion of the book.

So, I'll get to the review I was typing up and look out for my book list of 2010 (I know I'm late). Oh and if you don't already, you should follow me on goodreads because I update that WAY before anything else: http://www.goodreads.com/ribsdafrog. AND since I didn't say it before, I hope all of you had wonderful holidays/breaks and hope you have an even better year ahead. 

Review: Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Overall, I liked this book. It contained a lot of elements that made it enjoyable: action, adventure and romance. Plus, it had a pretty kick-ass heroine and a swoon-worthy love interest. Also, the premise was really interesting and unique. That being said, there were certain aspects of this novel that made me nitpicky.

The book is mainly about Katsa. She lives in a completely made-up world where there are seven kingdoms ruled by some unjust and corrupt kings. In this world, there are also people born with "graces"--meaning that they have some extreme, unhuman-like abilities. Katsa is a graceling and her ability is probably the scariest one of all...killing. Her uncle is the king and he uses her as his personal "thug" to go out and kill, threaten or torture anyone who crosses him. Katsa spends a good chunk of the novel coming to terms with this horrible (although useful) grace while embarking on an adventure that teaches her not only about the world around her but also about herself.

I really liked the fact that Katsa was a strong heroine. She definitely didn't need saving like so many other female characters do. In fact, Katsa did all the "saving" in the book herself. She was a really strong character. But, when I say strong, I mean strong in the physical sense of the word. I felt like her strength was mentioned and described a little TOO much. So much so that I can't even think of another adjective for her other than just, well, strong. Also, it got annoying that she could do basically everything without fail. At the end, I got a little confused as to what her actual grace really was. Even though they do speculate what it could be, I just found that she was good at too many things. She didn't have enough flaws to make her relatable and likable. Not to say that she was downright unbearable because I did root for her and I was on her side but a lot of times I got annoyed with how she shunned anything and everything feminine like it made her a stronger person if she didn't dress up and grow out her hair.

On the flip side though, I did like that there wasn't too much fixation on looks in this book. Or at all, for that matter. It made the relationship between Katsa and Po, her love interest, that much more interesting. I've read so many YA books where the main characters fall for each other because they're gorgeous and hot and sexy. Katsa and Po definitely weren't like that. Their relationship was based more on friendship and understanding rather than lust and good looks. It was refreshing. However, I thought the transition from friendship to romance was a bit...abrupt. I mean, the author spent about half the book building a good friendship while the romance took about a page to go from nothing to everything. And I mean everything. I found that to be pretty unbelievable seeing as how Katsa hadn't ever had a boyfriend but she goes all the way in one fell swoop? It felt really rushed.

Another thing that was a major downfall for me was the pace of this book. A good section of the story dragged on and on and on. I can understand the beginning being slow because there's a lot of worldbuilding and explaining going on, but I don't need to see a hundred or so pages of the main characters going from point A to point B. There was a lot that could've been cut out and it would've made no difference to the plot. It was literally torture waiting for something to finally happen and for the characters to finally reach their destination. I was so incredibly tempted to skip ahead.

In the end, though, it was worth it. I thought the book was incredibly creative and most of the graces that the author came up with were really, really cool. I also liked how this fantasy world almost felt real at certain points. Like this could actually exist and happen. Sometimes there were moments where I could eerily draw parallels to our own world.

It's an excellent effort but the slowness of the story t made it something I probably wouldn't ever re-read.

I give it a: 3/5 stars.