Category Archives: 3 Flames

FIRST DAY ON EARTH
Author: Cecil Castellucci
Source: Publisher
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 160 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press (November 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0545060826
ISBN-13: 978-0545060820

A startling, wonderful novel about the true meaning of being an alien in an equally alien world.

“We are specks. Pieces of dust in this universe. Big nothings. 

“I know what I am.”

Mal lives on the fringes of high school. Angry. Misunderstood. Yet loving the world — or, at least, an idea of the world. 

Then he meets Hooper. Who says he’s from another planet. And may be going home very soon.

 

I am not a big fan of alien abductions and such, but I decided to give this book a chance since it was sent to me for review.  I was actually surprised to find that it wasn’t too bad of a book.  While I am still not a fan of aliens, the author did a wonderful job in exploring this type of plot line.

Mal lives with his often drunk mother after his father walked out on them years ago.  He tries to take care of his mother the best way he can, but he also has issues that he is dealing with and no one to talk to about them.  Mal believes he was abducted and returned to Earth days later.  The doctors and specialists all agree that he had a seizure or a psychotic break to explain his disappearance in the desert.

When Mal mistakenly finds himself in a Alien Abduction Support group one night, he finally feels like someone might understand and believe what happened to him.  It is there that he finds and befriends Hooper who seems to be different than the rest of them.  Hooper tells him that he wasn’t abducted but that he is in fact and alien from a different planet.  He means no harm to humans since his race is based on exploration and adaptation. Hooper though is leaving soon to his home planet and Mal will need to decide if he wants to go with Hooper or stay on Earth.

The book is a fast read and the writing is well done in this story.  I wish it could have been a bit longer though so we could see more of Hooper interacting with people on Earth.  Like I said, I may not be a fan of alien stories, but this one was written well enough to keep me interested until the end.  If you want to step out of your normal reading zone, give this one a try and get a taste of alien life on Earth.

WHEREVER YOU GO
Author: Heather Davis
Source: Amazon Vine
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Harcourt Children’s Books; None edition (November 15, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 054750151X
ISBN-13: 978-0547501512

      Seventeen-year-old Holly Mullen has felt lost and lonely ever since her boyfriend, Rob, died in a tragic accident. The fact that she has to spend most of her free time caring for her little sister and Alzheimer’s-stricken grandfather doesn’t help. But Holly has no idea that as she goes about her days, Rob’s ghost is watching over her. He isn’t happy when he sees his best friend, Jason, reach out to help Holly with her grandfather—but as a ghost, he can do nothing to stop it. Is his best friend really falling for his girlfriend?

     As Holly wonders whether to open her heart to Jason, the past comes back to haunt her. Her grandfather claims to be communicating with the ghost of Rob. Could the messages he has for Holly be real? And if so, how can the loved ones Rob left behind help his tortured soul make it to the other side?

Wherever You Go was supposed to be a heartfelt and sweet book about love lost, love gained, and emotional turmoil.  It indeed had all of that, but at times it was drawn out and dull.


I had a really hard time getting into this book.  The first half of it is so slowly paced that I could have read an entire other book while waiting for something interesting to happen.  Once I was about halfway through the story though, it did start to pick up and start to capture my interest.  Another thing that I didn’t like about the book was the swapped point of views from three different people involved with no heading to the switch.  Most books that are told from different points of view have a chapter header at least telling which characters head we are in.  This one just used little symbols and I had to keep back tracking in the story to figure out whose head I was in.  


The saving grace of this book is definitely Holly’s Grandfather.  He added the soft and caring touch that this book needed.  He is also the only one who can see Holly’s dead boyfriends ghost, Rob.  He made the story heartbreaking and touching at the same time.


Would I read this story again? Probably not.  Would other readers enjoy the book? Probably.  This is one of those books that you just have to read for yourself to know if it was a great read or just a mediocre read.  

POSSESSION
Author: Elana Johnson
Source: Amazon Vine
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: Simon Pulse (June 7, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1442421258
ISBN-13: 978-1442421257

Vi knows the Rule: Girls don’t walk with boys, and they never even think about kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn…and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi’s future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself. 

But the Thinkers are unusually persuasive, and they’re set on convincing Vi to become one of them….starting by brainwashed Zenn. Vi can’t leave Zenn in the Thinkers’ hands, but she’s wary of joining the rebellion, especially since that means teaming up with Jag. Jag is egotistical, charismatic, and dangerous: everything Zenn’s not. Vi can’t quite trust Jag and can’t quite resist him, but she also can’t give up on Zenn. 

This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play.

I am having mixed feelings for this book.  I don’t know if it is the fact that the hype built up my expectations, or the fact that the book was long and fast paced.  I just don’t know what it was exactly that burst my bubble for this book.

I wasn’t a fan of the characters.  How many more angry and angst filled heroines do we really need in a book? Fighting for what you want is one thing, but angry at everything is just overload for the reader.  I wished Vi would bring out her smile more often so we could see an emotion run through her besides anger.  I was also confused through much of the book.  It had me rereading more paragraphs than normal and made this book longer than what it needed to be.  It actually took about half of the book before I could get into a good reading pace for this story.  The set up for the world in which Vi lives in is also confusing due to the fact of not much of a history being told.  I wasn’t sure what their world involved and how it was established.  I just was left with that question mark above my head wondering why the beginning of the book couldn’t have explained things better for the reader.

I will admit to loving the ending.  It was one that left me excited for the next book in the series.  I just hope that the author can make the second book as great as the ending in the first.  This is one book that didn’t live up to the hype I had heard. I wanted more and didn’t get it until the end when it was too late. I also felt that too many things were left unanswered and that a few of them could have been wrapped up in this book to help satisfy the reader.

AFTER OBSESSION
Author(s): Carrie Jones & Steven E. Wedel
Source: Publisher
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens (September 13, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1599906813
ISBN-13: 978-1599906812

Aimee and Alan have secrets. Both teens have unusual pasts and abilities they prefer to keep hidden. But when they meet each other, in a cold Maine town, they can’t stop their secrets from spilling out. Strange things have been happening lately, and they both feel that something-or someone- is haunting them. They’re wrong. Despite their unusual history and powers, it’s neither Aimee nor Alan who is truly haunted. It’s Alan’s cousin Courtney who, in a desperate plea to find her missing father, has invited a demon into her life-and into her body. Only together can Aimee and Alan exorcise the ghost. And they have to move quickly, before it devours not just Courtney but everything around her. 

First lets talk about that amazing cover!  As you all know, I am the first to admit when a cover is the main reason a book captures my interest.  When I first saw this cover unveiled, I just knew I would end up reading it without even knowing what the book was about.  Then when I read the summary, I was curious to find out how two authors were going to create a wonderful story.


With the story revolving around two points of view, a heavy dose of Navajo heritage and lore, and a basis of paranormal suspense, this book should have been a hit for me.  Who can go wrong with seeing a story unfold from both characters perspective and some creepy paranormal thrown in? Well, this book was wrong for me.  I felt both characters were sort of dull together with no real sparks to keep me interested.  I did love how the authors involved the Navajo traditions and tried to make the relationship work, but at times it felt to forced.  I just couldn’t seem to get in the romance groove for this couple.


While the creepy paranormal was a great factor for the book, it just didn’t balance out the parts that left me uninterested.  I applaud the efforts though of both authors in trying to make a book work was a joint project.  That alone is a great accomplishment in writing a book.  I just wish that the story would have excited me as much as the cover did.

CROSSED
Match #2
Author: Ally Condie
Source: Publisher
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (November 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0525423656
ISBN-13: 978-0525423652

In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky – taken by the Society to his certain death – only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.

Cassia’s quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander – who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia’s heart – change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever.

Crossed is the second book in a dystopia themed trilogy from author Ally Condie.  After finishing the first book in the series called Matched, I was a little wary in my expectations for this one.  So many things were left unanswered in the first book and I was hoping that the author would at least clear some of those things up.  Why is Cassia so drawn to Ky? Who are the informants within the Society? Is there a Rising and are they better than the Society? Will Cassia find Ky and choose him over Xander?


As I sat down to start reading Crossed, I didn’t get my hopes up.  I will say that the author does give some answers to the questions I listed above.  Cassia does find Ky, but there is a huge portion of the book that is the search for each other that could have been condensed to something less.  I wasn’t really thrilled to read about them crossing another plain or hiding in another cavern every other chapter. 


Crossed is also in alternating points of view between Cassia and Ky.  We get to read about each of their journeys through their eyes and the struggles that they endure during the search.  With mentions of Xander along the way, Cassia is determined to find Ky and join the rebellion.  Ky, with new friends in tow, is on the search to find his way back to Cassia.  Together they meet in the middle and decisions will have to be made.  Secrets are discovered in this book, but there are also new ones that surface.  We don’t get to see them all revealed in this installment, but I am hoping the wait will be worth it when the final book is revealed.


My best description for this story so far is a jigsaw puzzle.  Imagine the Society being the center of the puzzle.  The outcasts are the outer edge pieces that are described as the Outer Provinces.  The author is giving you the big picture, but she isn’t handing you all of the pieces yet to complete the finished product.  There will be times when the pieces don’t fit and you have to keep thinking about the puzzle.  Eventually, I am hoping all of those pieces will fit together and actually create a beautiful picture in the end.


I am still on the fence about this trilogy.  I want to like it as much as everyone else has, but my reading experience with it is just okay.  I want answers to start becoming clear and for less of the repetitive scenes. I will read the final book just so I can see the secrets revealed and the effects it will have on all of the characters involved. Hopefully the last book in the series will finish the masterpiece puzzle the author has created.