Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Synopsis
Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte's only novel, is one of the pinnacles of 19th-century English literature. It's the story of Heathcliff, an orphan who falls in love with a girl above his class, loses her, and devotes the rest of his life to wreaking revenge on her family.

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I think I prefer Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre to her sisters Gothic volume. Then again I've only read this novel once(except the first couple chapters, I had to reread those half a dozen times to get through the book!)when it took me several times over to distinguish my love for Jane Eyre or Pride and Prejudice. Many things jumped out at me but one thing that escaped my attention was the romance. There was power, intensity, and madness but I found it difficult in seeing true love, it was so contorted. Plenty of hate going around, that much was obvious.

Mr. Heathcliff was a dark, dark character. Maybe too dark for me. His conniving and scheming turned me away though I wanted to like him, but it was impossible. The first Catherine I really couldn't stand, her daughter though I wanted so much to have a happy ending. The characters I couldn't stand the most were Linton, he clearly had no backbone whatsoever, and Joseph, though of no fault of his own. Mainly because I didn't understand a single word of his printed accent. It was so unbearable that I had to skip over his ramblings, and I hate doing that.

Another aspect of this novel that annoyed me was how the story was told by Nelly to her new master. Seriously, I didn't see the point of it all, except to muddle things up more if possible. That being said I think this novel will appeal to me more once I read it a couple times. Who knows when that will happen though. :)

The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

Synopsis
There are many things that Annah would like to forget: the look on her sister's face before Annah left her behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, her first glimpse of the Horde as they swarmed the Dark City, the sear of the barbed wire that would scar her for life. But most of all, Annah would like to forget the morning Elias left her for the Recruiters.
Annah's world stopped that day, and she's been waiting for Elias to come home ever since. Somehow, without him, her life doesn't feel much different than the dead that roam the wasted city around her. Until she meets Catcher, and everything feels alive again.
But Catcher has his own secrets. Dark, terrifying truths that link him to a past Annah has longed to forget, and to a future too deadly to consider. And now it's up to Annah: can she continue to live in a world covered in the blood of the living? Or is death the only escape from the Return's destruction?


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I really love this series but I must say the first two books blew this one out of the water. I think this book was more focused on tying loose ends then telling Annah's story, which is what I was mostly looking for! Also there wasn't as much action/drama/loss than in the predecessors. However the story was excellent and I loved Annah... most of the time.

She is so closed off and is severely crippled in trust and love from the time Elias left her to join the recruiters. I never did like Elias much, and after reading this my opinion hasn't changed. I'm more a Cather fanatic myself <3 :) Though I wish he had found someone more "right" I guess for himself. Awfully convenient for Catcher to fall in love with the sister. :/

Like I said earlier there wasn't as much action as the last two novels. In the others the tension was constant, palpable almost. It was like a train wreck you can't not look at. Here though it was more subdued and a little monotonous even towards the end. Not that there wasn't any action, there was some, but that felt more subdued as well. There was none of Mary's tenacity or Gabry's selflessness. For Annah I didn't see a specific trait that kept popping up, that made her stand out. And while the ending was beautiful, I couldn't help but think 'This is it? This is what I waited for?' This seems like a very mixed review so I'll say this: An excellent story, but not the one I was hoping for.

Plague (Gone #4) by Michael Grant

Synopsis
This is a blood-pumping, white-knuckle sci-fi thriller of epic proportions. The FAYZ goes from bad to worse...The darkness has been foiled once again and the resurrected Drake has been contained. But the streets of Perdido Beach are far from safe, with a growing army of mutants fighting against the humans for power in the town. In a small room of a house near the edge of town, Little Pete lies ill on a bed. In his fevered dreams, he continues his battle with the hidden evil that seeks to use his power to bring about anarchy and destruction.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I am shocked. More outrageous insanity. BUT! And this is the only reason I gave it three instead of two stars, it actually goes somewhere in this book! There will definitely be a fifth installment which I'm sort of looking forward too, I use "looking forward to" very lightly because this series really doesn't do anything for me. Mainly I want to continue the series just to see how everything turns out with the new rules and socities set in place.

Also because O.M.G. it has happened! There will be a highly anticipated new character coming into the series although I feel I'm going to be a little disappointed already... Hm. Little teasing spoiler, someone is pregnant! As far as characterization, again I was amused by Astrid, although toward the end I came to despise her more than anything else. So frustrating when Sam's heart is on the line. (Face it, everyone loves Sam.) A character I really enjoyed this time around was Sanjit, who was introduced in Lies. He provides some much needed comic relief, eh, well most of the time.

The gaiaphage is particularly tricky in his demonic plotting this time. His newest plan involves beings repellent to most of the assorted powers...(Damn! another spoiler!) And oh yea! Caine. I haven't said anything about him in the Lies review since he never seemed that big a character or that integral to the plot, though he really was, but he's somehow managed to get into the spotlight, ruffian. It'll be interesting to see how he goes about the next book or so. He's finally gotten his ambition, but I'm wondering to what cost?

Lies (Gone #3)Lies by Michael Grant

Synopsis

It's been seven months since all the adults disappeared. Gone.

It happens in one night. A girl who died now walks among the living; Zil and the Human Crew set fire to Perdido Beach; and amid the flames and smoke, Sam sees the figure of the boy he fears the most: Drake. But Drake is dead. Sam and Caine defeated him along with the Darkness—or so they thought.

As Perdido Beach burns, battles rage: Astrid against the Town Council; the Human Crew versus the mutants; and Sam against Drake, who is back from the dead and ready to finish where he and Sam left off. And all the while deadly rumors are raging like the fire itself, spread by the prophetess Orsay and her companion, Nerezza. They say that death is a way to escape the FAYZ. Conditions are worse than ever and kids are desperate to get out. But are they desperate enough to believe that death will set them free?

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Well if this series can get any more ridiculous, I will be shocked. Seriously? Orsay is now a prophet and can see through the FAYZ wall. While that may be okay, (and preposterous as well), why is no one suspicious of her protector? Where did she come from? From the beginning I knew almost everything that was gonna happen in this book. Why? Well the title gave it all away. Same with the other books in this series. I guess it's supposed to be a small hint, only for me it rips the plot right open.

What I enjoyed most from this book is Astrid's downfall. She's so retarded in her genius-ness. On the other hand it was heartbreaking watching Sam. I genuinely like Sam, even though he's stupid and has no idea what he's doing. Still, I want him to find his happy ending. Not much else to say here, except the HC finally got what was coming to them.

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Synopsis
A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Beautifully written, and so terrifying I was on the edge of my seat. It's that opening that just grabs you. Serious shivers from it, but it's a perfect hook. As so many others have said, this isn't just science fiction. It's murder, romance, and self-discovery rolled all into one.

I had my hopes for this novel really high up. I can't say that I'm disappointed in it, because I am not at all. It just didn't go how I thought it would. Plus there were some lulls. But! To be honest I didn't care about any of that, just because this story was so intriguing, even in it's duller moments. This isn't a book for those with a squeamish stomach or the faint of heart. Though it is fiction and you know the characters aren't really hurtling through space, you can't help but take a look up the sky hoping to see Godspeed taking off.

Revis is an author that I will be keeping my eye on. Hopefully so many will like it that it'll be put in film production quickly! Her world in Across the Universe came to life easily, and it's not a world I will soon forget, though I will be reading it again and again!

I wish I could go on about this book, but I feel I'll blurt something out and ruin it for everyone, so I'll leave it here. One thing to say is just: GO READ IT ! NOW !

P.S. I'm a sucker for The Beatles. The lyric from Across the Universe (the song :) by this epic band had my heart throbbing before I even got to the first page.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Synopsis
Mikael Blomkvist, a once-respected financial journalist, watches his professional life rapidly crumble around him. Prospects appear bleak until an unexpected (and unsettling) offer to resurrect his name is extended by an old-school titan of Swedish industry. The catch - and there's always a catch - is that Blomkvist must first spend a year researching a mysterious disappearance that has remained unsolved for nearly four decades. With few other options, he accepts and enlists the help of investigator Lisbeth Salander, a misunderstood genius with a cache of authority issues. Little is as it seems in Larsson's novel, but there is at least one constant: you really don't want to mess with the girl with the dragon tattoo.


My rating: 1 of 5 stars


Originally I had wanted to read this of my own free will, then I was forced to read it, thanks to my English course. Worst. book. ever. Seriously, this may just not be my genre or something, but how can anyone give this book over three stars?

For one thing, the plot was just wayyy too long. A good 300 pages could have been ripped out and this book would have turned out fine. But, nope, it was dragged. Not to mention, that this novel went down several tangents that had no point to the central plot.

As far as characterization, it was decent. Lisbeth Salander is growing into an icon for women now. Her "can't fuck with me" attitude will soon be smudged on the face of women worldwide. Blomkvist was just boring. There was nothing special or quirky about him, except he oddly was able to sleep around with notable characters. Henrik, though, I loved! Just a sweet old man in a way screwed up family. Reminded me of my own grandfather. Anyway, Henrik is the only reason this book has a star.

If I wasn't forced to read this novel, I really would not have finished it. Terrible!

The Fallen: Volume 1 by Thomas E. Sniegoski

Synopsis

THE ULTIMATE QUEST FOR REDEMPTION

On his eighteenth birthday, Aaron begins to hear strange voices and is convinced he is going insane. But having moved from foster home to foster home, Aaron doesn't know whom he can trust. He wants to confide in the cute girl from class, but fears she'll confirm he's crazy.

Then a mysterious man begins following Aaron. He knows about Aaron's troubled past and his new powers. And he has a message for Aaron: As the son of a mortal and an angel, Aaron has been chosen to redeem the Fallen.

Aaron tries to dismiss the news and resists his supernatural abilities. But he must accept his newfound heritage — and quickly. For the dark powers are gaining strength, and are hell-bent on destroying him..

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The first thing I must say is that I LOVE Labs! So this book automatically had 2 stars for having a Lab in here as a main character. Poor Gabriel, I really felt for him the most out of any other. All I kept imagining was my Prince in this story. (Prince is my own black Lab :)

Aaron has a tough time during both books deciding whether he believed in all the wondrous happenings he was experiencing. Which is pretty irksome. Seriously you've lost everything, and now you won't even try to enjoy some amazing powers given to you. Whatever dude, any other normal guy would just go for it. As for Vilma, well she fell flat. I only started paying attention to her at the end of the second book. Highly convenient what's about to happen, I think, and not very happy with it.

The story line was a little slow. In the second book, I'm not really sure what the point of that entire book was... More like a filler book to elaborate on certain characters or something, but I didn't see a big difference or any development.

Have to say the funniest part is when Camael had french fries for the first time. How I imagined his expression is priceless no doubt.