Divergent by Veronica Roth Review 5/5

Overall Impression: 489 pages of heart pumping, fist flying endless action. This novel pulls out all the stops!

Can we all just take a moment to mourn the fact that I do not own the US cover of this book? It has been frustrating me for weeks, WEEKS I TELL YOU. The US version is so shiny and pretty and more appropriate for the story, and what do the UK do? Create a new naff, forgettable not to mention PINK (I hate pink) cover. It’s not even a full on I’m pink and I’m proud cover! It’s a I’m a halfway pasty pink that can’t make up its mind! Then of course the retailers had to go and make it impossible to get hold of the American version. Really publishers? REALLY?
*Steam protrudes from ears.*
Ahem.
Sorry, I had to get that out.
Readers that follow the YA book market will have been hard pressed to miss the buzz surrounding Divergent. Not only does it follow the dystopian trend but was one of the first  that surfaced to rival the popularity of The Hunger Games. I avoided reading it for a long time; as you can tell I’m late to the hype with just enough time to get excited about the upcoming movie. I felt so passionate about The Hunger Games that I dismissed Divergent. Who wants a watered down, money grabbing imitation of one of their favourite books? Yet the positive reviews kept coming, some from my favourite and most trusted blogging friends so I had to sit up and take notice. I’m glad I did, because yes, while Divergent has parallels with The Hunger Games it stands in its own right!

Sixteen-year-old Tris is forced to make a terrible choice. In a divided society where everyone must conform, Tris does not fit.
So she ventures out alone, determined to discover where she truly belongs. Shocked by her brutal new life, Tris can trust no one. And yet she is drawn to a boy who seems to both threaten and protect her.
The hardest choice lies ahead.

Sheesh, anyone else think that’s naff blurb? I hate it when they try to fit in all the YA cliché’s.

Tris lives in a futuristic Chicago, a world that has learnt to function by separating individuals into five idealistic personality types. Each faction has its own role within society ensuring order.

DAY 30: A Book You Couldn’t Put Down.

Holy moley, day thirty! I MADE IT. I thought it would never come, it seemed so far away. But before I get too celebratory, lets get this post on the proverbial road. 🙂

There were so many books I could have chosen for this day of the challenge, so I tried to think of which I would like to spotlight that others may not have heard of or could have forgotten about. I also wanted to pick something that I had never mentioned on my blog before. With this train of thought, I decided upon 

DAY 26: A Book That Makes You Laugh Out Loud.

I don’t tend to seek out humorous books, I’m more of a dragons, demons and vampires kinda gal, so my laugh out loud moments normally come from unexpected places. I had to think about this question for a bit to come up with my answers, but when I did it was a light bulb moment of epic proportions! How could I have almost forgotten these two wonderful series?! 

DAY 13: A Book That Disappointed You.

Well this is a depressing topic if ever I saw one. Why did I pick this as one of my questions again? Oh right yeah, BECAUSE I IS BITTER Y’ALL. There are some books out there that have really disappointed me over the years…and I was all ready to love and covert them too! 😦 Therefore I thought this would be a good question to tackle, because maybe, just maybe, I can prevent you from suffering the same fate as me! That being said, just because I don’t like these books I am about to waffle on about, does not mean that you won’t like them because everyone’s tastes vary, (spot the disclaimer) but these are my own personal book disappointments.

Allow me to direct you to the WALL OF SHAME:

DAY 8: Most Underrated Book.

Yay, I love this question! There are so many great underrated books out there that aren’t as well known simply because they didn’t get the major advertising behind them. Your book can be the best thing since the invention of the printing press, but unless people know it exists, it’s not going to do well. There are a few specific books that spring to mind for this post that I haven’t assigned for other days of the 30 Day Book Challenge, so once more unto the breach dear friends…!

The first novel that popped into my head and knew I had to mention was

Eight Mile Island by Tony Talbot Review 4/5

Overall Impression: A creepy and action packed escapade with an elusive mystery that will keep you turning the pages!

I was really excited to read Eight Mile Island; the premise sounded intriguing and I don’t read YA novels from a male protagonists point of view as much as I probably should. Well, I’m glad to say that I wasn’t disappointed, this book sure packs a punch with pretty much constant action from start to finish. If you’re looking for a quick read that will immediately grab your attention then this is the book for you!
Eight Mile Island was offered to me in exchange for an author interview, book giveaway and an honest review.

Dylan James is used to boarding schools. He’s been thrown out of so many in the past two years, he’s lost count. So when an elite academy in Oregon offers him a place, he doesn’t think he’ll be there more than a week.
But Eight Mile Island isn’t like anywhere Dylan has been before. In the dense forests around the school, there are things that look human but aren’t.
Things that are hungry, and waiting…
But that’s the start of the mysteries, mysteries that mean Dylan may never escape.
Even if he wants to…
Welcome to Eight Mile Island.

Only two kinds of people go to Eight Mile Island, the privileged and the intelligent. Enter Dylan, a teen with an attitude problem, a reasonable amount of baggage and an IQ of 150. His mother thinks the island will be a solution to all his problems, but from the moment Dylan arrives he is already planning his escape.
There’s just one problem; Eight Mile Island is not like the other schools, 

Across the Universe by Beth Revis Review 3/5

Overall Impression: A random mix of science fiction, dystopian and romance that intrigues but fails to entertain.

Aggh, unfortunately another book I was disappointed by, I seem to be hitting a bit of a rough patch in my reading lately. I’ve got to stop getting reeled in by pretty covers on books dammit!
I got this book last year for Christmas after putting it on my wishlist, and while there were some aspects of Across the Universe that were really interesting there were also a lot of issues I couldn’t overlook. Then again, maybe I’m just becoming the grumpy granny of the literary world, lol!
I am also using this book for the science fiction category on the Eclectic Reader Challenge. I think this is the first science fiction book I’ve ever read, so from that point of view it was at least a good way of dipping my toes into a new genre.

Amy has left the life she loves for a world 300 years away.
Trapped in space and frozen in time, Amy is bound for a new planet. But fifty years before she’s due to arrive, she is violently woken, the victim of an attempted murder. Now Amy’s lost on board and nothing makes sense – she’s never felt so alone.
Yet someone is waiting for her. He wants to protect her – and more if she’ll let him.

Amy has the opportunity to make a journey of a lifetime, they called it ‘the epitome of the American dream’, a chance to find more land on a new planet. Her mother and father are determined to embark on the journey, but Amy is not so sure. 

The Hunger Games Film Review 4/5

Yesterday I painstakingly counted down the hours, the minutes and then excitedly, the seconds, until entering the cinema for the advanced screening of The Hunger Games. You could feel the excitement, the tangible buzz of everyone in the cinema. Friends whispered enthusiastically to one another, others shuffled impatiently in their seats, and when the lights finally dimmed clapping and cheering ensued, but when the first set of words were flashed up on the screen, everyone became entirely silent, utterly focused.

This was the moment we had all been waiting for.

A glimpse of the girl on fire.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins Review 5/5

Overall Impression: A fantastic, action packed and emotive end to the brilliant Hunger Games trilogy.

To read my review of the previous book from The Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire click here)

Over two weeks ago on a Friday night at just past 4am, I slowly turned the last page of Mockingjay with tears streaked down my face.
As you may have noticed, it’s taken me a lot longer than normal to get this out to you. I seem to be having trouble articulating what I want to say in terms of this review, as there’s so much to say. In all honestly I felt almost shell shocked after finishing this book, I didn’t know what to think, and it’s taken me a while to process the ending but I think I’ve finally got to grips with it. I’ve also found it hard to comment on the book without revealing spoilers, however not to worry I’ve managed it now. 🙂
There is a lot of disagreement about the final installment of The Hunger Games trilogy. Many people absolutely loved it, but a large proportion of others were extremely disappointed. As I fall into the former category, I will be arguing this view below.

Please note: For those of you that haven’t read the previous books, The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, skip the blurb and the first paragraph as it will contain spoilers. However, for those of you who have read the previous books, this review will not contain any major spoilers about the book Mockingjay. 🙂

Stephenie Meyer’s The Host to be adapted for the big screen?!?

Is anyone else internally cringing?

I don’t really know if this is common knowledge. Maybe I’m just out of the loop but I hadn’t heard anything about this until 2 minutes ago browsing the Culture section on in The Guardian newspaper. For those of you who don’t know Stephenie Meyer’s The Host was released early 2008. A science fiction romance novel about parasites, I guess you would call them, that invade the body and take over the human race.
Feel free to take a look at the blurb:

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins Review 4/5

Overall Impression: A brilliant and enthralling second book from The Hunger Games trilogy that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page.

(To read my review of the first book in the Hunger Games Trilogy, click here)

Hello all 🙂 A worn out Becky takes a break out of her revision time to bring you the review of Catching Fire, the second book in The Hunger Games Trilogy! Wooho! Ok so I seem to have switched to third person. Bear with me my brain is a little fried okay? Since finishing the first book I’ve watched the Hunger Games official trailer about ten times and listened to the song Safe & Sound quite a bit too. So I’m getting extremely excited for the film release in late March!

Unfortunately, it’s impossible to discuss Catching Fire without ruining the first book from the series, in fact you can’t even read the blurb without it spoiling the first book The Hunger Games! So please, if you are planning on reading this series, now or sometime in the future, don’t read where I state there will be spoilers However, for those of you who have read the first book, this review will not contain any major spoilers about the book Catching Fire. 🙂

********************************* SPOILERS BEGIN **********************************

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins Review 5/5

Overall impression: This book is a piece of YA genius! It’s absolutely impossible to put down!

This is the first book I have read for the Eclectic Reader Challenge for the Young Adult section! Click here to find out more.
Before entering the blogosphere I had never even heard of this book. Then the name began to pop up left right and centre. The Hunger Games. “It’s the most amazing book ever” people were saying. Again and again it emerged in my books tags. Repeatedly I would come across book blogs singing it’s praises and declaring it their favorite YA book to date. So what does one do in this situation? Why, turn to Google of course! I looked it up and discovered it was also soon to be released as a full major motion picture with stars such as Taylor Swift lining up to help create the soundtrack. I was beginning to feel very out of the loop, so at this point I immediately bought the books. No way was I going to let a YA craze like this go by without joining in. I must admit, I was almost apprehensive to begin reading the book. What if I I’m the only one on this planet that dislikes it, and I get attacked with hate mail from dedicated Hunger Games fans I thought. Luckily, I absolutely loved it, so I no longer have to worry about that scenario!

In the dark vision of the near future, twelve boys and twelve girls are forced to appear in a live TV show called the Hunger Games.
There is only one rule: kill or be killed.
When sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen steps forward to take her sisters place in the games, she sees it as a death sentence. But Katniss has been close to death before. For her, survival is second nature.

This book jumps right in and quickly sets the scene. Katniss Everdeen lives in a dystopian future in a place that used to be North America.

Film: Source Code Review 4/5

(Please Note: I do not own any of the images on this page, or the YouTube video)

Because I’ve been feeling so ill the last couple of days, I was given the rare opportunity to rent a film. I jumped at the chance and begun flicking through the options of movies. Eventually I came across one named Source Code featuring Jake Gyllenhaal that I’d never heard of. I don’t know if that’s because it wasn’t advertised much, or because I live in a cave when it comes to the latest movie releases, but hey-ho. I rented it.

Plot

An helicopter pilot Colter Stevens who works for the ar

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore Review 3/5

Overall Impression: An original story but with annoyingly stereotyped characters.

“In the beginning, we were nine. We left when we were very young, almost too young to remember. Almost. And now…….three are gone. We are here to keep our race alive, which was almost entirely obliterated. We’re just trying to survive. Six are left. But we are hunted, and the hunters won’t stop, until they’ve killed us all. They caught Number One in Malaysia. Number two in England. And Number Three in Kenya. I am Number Four. I know that I am next…”

This book, in simple terms, is about aliens that have come to Earth because their planet Lorien was attacked by some other, far more scary aliens, that seem to think they’re Shaft. It’s said, when their old enough they will return