The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

Book Name: The Unwanteds
Author/s: Lisa McMann
Source: Bought
Publisher, year: Aladdin, 2011
Page total: 288
Date Read: September 04 to 05, 2011
Genre/s: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Adventure, Science Fiction

Every year in Quill, thirteen-year-olds are sorted into categories: the strong, intelligent Wanteds go to university, and the artistic Unwanteds are sent to their deaths.

Thirteen-year-old Alex tries his hardest to be stoic when his fate is announced as Unwanted, even while leaving behind his twin, Aaron, a Wanted. Upon arrival at the destination where he expected to be eliminated, however, Alex discovers a stunning secret—behind the mirage of the "death farm" there is instead a place called Artime.

In Artime, each child is taught to cultivate their creative abilities and learn how to use them magically, weaving spells through paintbrushes and musical instruments. Everything Alex has ever known changes before his eyes, and it's a wondrous transformation.

But it's a rare, unique occurence for twins to be separated between Wanted and Unwanted, and as Alex and Aaron's bond stretches across their separation, a threat arises for the survival of Artime that will pit brother against brother in an ultimate, magical battle.

Well, I haven't written a review in a while so I'm a bit rusty, but this book definitely deserves one.
At first, what attracted me was that it was written by Lisa McMann, a fantastic writer and the author of a great YA series. Then, it was the cover. Though not one of my favorites, aesthetically speaking, it was something I think is much more important- it was intriguing. And then, finally, I read the blurb and fell in love. It not only talks about a secret world, using creativity as magic and twins, it is also a Middle grade novel. Okay, so this is not something most people get excited about, but I love MG. There are so many great YA books out there but MGs are like and endangered species (at least from what I can tell)

But let's get down to business, okay?

From the very beginning I was hooked. Quill is very HungerGames-y in the best way possible. It is cold, it is heartless, it is sad but no one realizes that because they don't now any different. The Purge also reminded me of THG, though the whole Wanted/Unwanted/Necessary thing kind of creeped me out.
The way I imagine Artimé is: part Hogwarts, part Willy Wonka's factory, part Cave of Two Lovers, part mystery. And completely dreamy.
Now, the characters. I loved them all- though Aaron was kind of thick-headed and narrow-minded. In my opinion, they weren't flat and lifeless, they had flaws and the kids sometimes acted immaturely and the adults screwed up when they were trying to help. That's natural and believable and completely endearing to me.
The plot was good, though it seemed like for the most part, it was just life at Artimé and in the end... BOOM, we get the lightning-fast battle and the resolution. but other than that, it was perfect. The end was definitely my favorite part. It was believable- I really don't think it would be that great if after all they'd been through and all they'd each done, the twins would just hug and laugh and frolic happily in the grassy hills like nothing had happened - and it would definitely be awesome if history repeated itself (if you've read it already, maybe you think it'd be awesome if in a few years they continued the battle their... err... masters fought. Or maybe you don't.)

Priscilla the Great by Sybil Nelson

Book Name: Priscilla the Great
Author/s: Sybil Nelson
Language English
Publisher, year: WorldMaker Media 2010
Page total: 276
Date Read: December 21, 2010
Genre/s: MG, Action, Fiction, Sci-Fi
Synopsis/Description:Meet Priscilla Sumner, an ordinary seventh grader with extraordinary gifts. As if middle school isn’t hard enough, not only does Priscilla have to fight pimples and bullies, but genetically enhanced assassins trying to kill her and her family. Armed with wit, strength, and a genius best friend, Priscilla must defeat the Selliwood Institute, an organization dead set on turning children into killing machines.

Add an older brother annoyingly obsessed with Christina Aguilera, mischievous baby twin brothers who could scare the sin off of Satan, and parents more puzzling than a Rubik’s cube in the Bermuda triangle and expect a smoking page-turner!
First line of Book:I awoke tied to a chair.

Review:I have to admit I wasn't sure of what to expect with Priscilla. It sounded awesome, but would it be awesome? I wasn't very sure.

Boy, I was wrong.

I found myself liking Priss from the first chapter - literally. She is, in one word, awesome. (I know, I need to broaden my horizons vocabulary-wise, but this is works really well in here). If she were real, I'd want her to be my friend. She is a fun, feisty, determined, and really cool girl, and the way she dealt with everything was very realistic (with that I mean she was neither too mature nor too immature) and I really liked the mix of action and Middle School drama. I thought that was so. Damn. Cool.
About the boys, I can't say much, but it's pretty obvious from the beginning someone has a thing for her, and I absolutely adore when boys do't know what to say when they like a girl. It's so endearing.
Now, to the genius bff. I can't say this is very original, but it really works with the storyline, and Tai definitely won me over.

This book is full of action and I was always either laughing like crazy, or awing like crazy (is that even a verb?) or giggling like crazy. I was never bored, never pissed off at anyone. This is a highly entertaining read, and though it's obviously aimed at Middle Grade audiences, I think older people would enjoy it too.

Now, when is the next one coming?
Rating: 5/5

Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country by Allan Richard Shickman

Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country (Zan-Gah, #2)
By Allan Richard Shickman
Publisher: Earthshaker Books, 2009
151 pages, paperback
Date Finished: 23/12/2010
Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Action, Adventure

~First Line of Book: "When Lissa-Na died, Dael wept real tears."
~Last Line of Book: "He only knew that the demons who had long possessed his twin had departed; that healing and regenration were still possible because there is a secret place in every soul that has never yet been wounded."

Again, thank you to Bonnie Lenz & Mr. Shickman for sending me these books. They were awesome! :D

Review: The sequel to Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure was amazing! The characters developed even more, and there were even some that made debuts. There was also more action, especially since we had another major battle.

Besides the predominant adventure that was made when Zan's people, the Ba-Coro, moved to the Beautiful Country, there were a few more travels that got to read about. My favorite was definitely when Zan, Rydl, Dael, and some of Dael's followers went looking for tar -- and found a volcano! It was really cool, but Dael started to creep me out a little.

I would definitely say read this novel! It really was an ah-mazing sequel, and I hope that you all get the chance to read this wonderful series :D. I can't wait until the third and fourth books are released!

(4.5 Kisses)

Quotes from the Book:

"He did not realize that Pax, who happened to be busy nearby, had overheard most of what was said -- had heard her husband praise Lissa-na and confess that he loved her. That was bad luck, and there was more to come."

"All three [mountains] were capped with snow, except that the central one, open at the top, sent up a column of rolling smoke. Bursts of fire and showers of hot sparks exploded from its ragged peak, followed moments later by loud growling noises. At each eruption the ground shook. The mountain's pure shape rose upward in even, symmetrical arcs that were both simple and sublime, while the fountain of fire at the apex challenged and polluted the sky." (It's a volcano! Cool, huh?)

"These desert people were unfamiliar with the wolf and afraid of it, but that did not slow them down and they ran with all their might."

"He had that strange aura of the other world shining from his still-pale face, and looked exactly like what he was -- a corpse that had returned to life."

Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure by Allan Richard Shickman

Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure (Zan-Gah, #1)
By Allan Richard Shickman
Publisher: Earthshaker Books, 2010 (second printing)
148 pages, paperback
Date Finished: 11/ 11/ 2010
Genres: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Action, Adventure, Coming of Age

~First Line of Book: "From a long dfistance a traveler, or some wild thing, might see within the deep and absolute blackness of night an intense orange light which looked from afar like a glowing coal."
~Last Line of Book: "Dael smiled."

Review: Firstly, I would like to send a big THANK YOU to Bonnie Lenz at Earthshaker Books for contacting me and asking me to review this book; another thank you to Mr. Shickman for autographing the book.

Now on to my review.

Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure was an amazing series debut. The story's main character, Zan, is serious a lot, and has a twin named Dael, who is always cheerful and happy. Dael and Zan have a fight one day over food, and Dael wanders off -- and never returns. A year later, Zan earns a new name, Zan-Gah, for his bravery in the killing of an enemy. Zan starts having strange dreams about Dael and sets off to find and rescue his lovable brother. Zan makes new friends and basically becomes a man during his struggle to stay alive and successfully find his twin. Adventure, action, unity and forgiveness. This series debut will have you reading it whenever you ahve the chance! I recommend this book to all Historical Fiction lover. A great read indeed :).

Rating:


Quotes from the Book:

--And now for the bad news: I read the book so fast and was so into it that I forgot to gather quotes from the novel! I am sorry that you all have to suffer because of it, but at least now you might actually go buy the book (lol). But no matter. I wish to very Happy Reading!!

The Miserable Mill by Lemony Snicket

The Miserable Mill (Series of Unfortuante Events, #4)
By Lemony Snicket
Publisher:HarperCollins, 2000
194 pages, Hardcover
Date Finished: 26/ 9/ 2010
Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction

~First Line of Book: "Sometime during your life -- in fact, very soon -- you may find yourself reading a book, and you may notice that a book's first sentence can often tell you what sort of story your book contains."
~Last Line of Book: "The Baudlaire orphans were alive, and it seemed that maybe they had an inordinate amount of luck after all."

Review: The fourth book in the Unfortunate Events series was spectacular. There were some things that were completely ridiculous, like the fact that Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are forced to work in a lumbermill with some very dangerous machines. But anyway, some of the characters were really nice, and others were straight up mean. Lemony Snicket has once again told an unfortunate period of time for the Baudelaire orphans, and even though it will make you feel sorry for the children, it keeps you buying and/or borrowing the series to finish reading all thirteen books. I recommend this book (this series) to anyone that has the time to read it.

Rating:


Quotes from the Book:

"For instance, I once loved a woman, who for various reasons could not marry me. If she hadsimply told me in person, I would have been very sad, of course, but eventually it might have passed. However, she chose instead to write a two-hundred-page book, explaining every single detail of the bad news at great length, and instead my sadness has been of impossible death."

"A fair deal, as everyone knows, is when both people give something of more or less equal value. . . . If someone offered to smuggle me out of the country in her sailboat, inexchang for free tickets to an ice show, that would be a fair deal."

"My chauffer once told me that I would feel better in the morning, but when I woke up the two of us were still on a tiny island surrounded by man-eating crocodiles, and, as I'm sure you can understand, I didn't feel any better about it."

" 'Well,' he said, 'this isn't too bad. My left leg is broken, but at least I'm right-legged. That's pretty fortunate.'
'Gee,' one of the other employees murmured. 'I thought he'd say something more along the lines of "Aaaaah! My leg! My leg!" ' "



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Heyy! So one of my wonderful book-loving, great-advice-giving friends has created a blog, and she needs some more followers! I really think that you all would like her. She will have stuff about books she's reading/ read, reviews on movies and music, and debates! Be sure to check out her blog ASAP! :D. Her website is http://urmomsfaveblog.blogspot.com/. Thanks a bunches :D!

Celebrate the Holidays!

Hello to everyone! I thought I could make something a little special out of this post so that we could "Celebrate the Holidays!" The following books that I'm reviewing are related to some fall holidays. Maybe you'll jump in and read some seasonal books as well,



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Thanksgiving on Thursday (Magic Tree House, #27)
By Mary Pope Osborne
Publisher: Random House, 2002
73 pages, paperback
Date Finished: 9/19/2010
Genres: Reference, Fantasy, Childrens'

~First Line of Book: "One summer day in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, a mmysterious tree house appeared in the woods."
~Last Line of Book: "And they were."

Review: I read this book for a challenge on GoodReads. I've rated it only 2 wings, because it is more of a kindergarten/ first grade book, and it wasn't as advanced for me as the boks I usually read nowadays. I did like, though, that Mrs. Osborne put some facts in the book that the main characters, Jack and Annie, learned when they went back in time to the first Thanksgiving. I liked the book; maybe not a lot, but it was still good. :)

Rating:



Attack of the Jack-o'-lanterns (Goosebumps book)
By R.L. Stine
Publisher: Scholastic, 1996
113 pages, paperback
Date Finished: 9/20/2010
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction

~First Line of Book: " 'Where are you going, Elf?' Dad called from the den."
~Last Line of Book: " 'That's a joke. Right? Right?' "

Review: I also read this book for a few GoodReads challenge. As you can see below, I rated it 3 wings; it was better than Thanksgiving on Thursday, but that was because I like scary stuff. Drew, Walker, Shane, and Shana are determined to scare the pants, socks, and shoes off of Tabby and Lee, who have ruined their favorite holiday, Halloween, for the last 2 years. They came up with a really scary plan, ans it definitely works; it even scared me! There was a lot of repetitive-ness from the jack-o'-=lanterns, but I easily overlooked that. This is a great book for people that like scary books, Goosebumps stories, and/or R.L. Stine's work :D.

Rating:

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (Logans, #1)
By Mildred D. Taylor
Publisher: the Penguin Group, 1997
276 pages, paperback
Date Finished: 9/3/2010
Genres: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction

First Line of Book: " 'Little Man, would you come on?' "
Last Line of Book: "I cried for T.J. For T.J. and the land."

Review: I reread Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry initially for a challenge on GoodReads, but I really didn't mind. This novel is actually not the first book in the Logans series. There are prequels named The Land and Song of the Trees. Anyway, the main character, Cassie, lives in Mississippi with her family during the 1930s, and things aren't as great for blacks as they are now. Taylor showed us some very good, but terrible, examples of what blacks went through during those times. Cassie and her family are lucky enough to have their own land, and Harlan Granger wants that land back. Lots of family stuff in the book, learning how to stick together, even in bad times. Anyone -- black OR white -- should read this book. It really has an effect on people. :)

Rating:


Quotes from the Book:

" 'How'd she look?' inquired Little Man.
'Like . . . death.' T.J. waited for a moment for his words to be appropriately shocking, but the effect was spoiled by Little Man, who asked lightly, 'What does death look like?'
T.J. turned in annoyance. 'Don't he know nothing?' "

" 'And good riddance,' I thought, promising myself that if he ever pulled anything like that on me, I'd knock his block off."

"Then, red with anger, she stepped daintily across the clearing and struck me hard across the face. For the record, she had hit me first; I didn't plan on her hitting me again."


--Zakiya, the walking butterfly

Fablehaven Series by Brandon Mull - A Series Review

Title: Fabelehaven (Books 1-5)
Author: Brandon Mull
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
(For information pertaining to each book, click book cover and it will take you to the proper page in Goodreads)

Rating:
Genre: Middle Grade Ficiton, Fantasy, Adventure

Short Synopsis: For centuries, mystical creatures of all description were gathered to a hidden refuge called Fablehaven to prevent their extinction. The sanctuary survives today as one of the last strongholds of true magic in a cynical world. Enchanting? Absolutely. Exciting? You bet. Safe? Well, actually, quite the opposite...

Kendra and her brother Seth have no idea their grandfather is the current caretaker of Fablehaven. Inside the gated woods, ancient laws give relative order among greedy trolls, mischievous satyrs, plotting witches, spiteful imps, and jealous fairies... (from goodreads.com)

I never see anything about this series on any blogs that I peruse through, so I thought I would put up a series review.

First off, do NOT let the middle grade fiction part put you off, these books are absolutely positively wonderful! I mean, come on, a magical preserve created to protect magical creatures from humans and humans from them! What could be better?! I started reading these books probably about 3 years ago just after the 2nd in the series was published and I then waited on bended knee for every following book to be released.

Brandon Mull has just done such a fabulous job of putting this series together and giving us so much action and fairy tale creature you will just salivate for more.

Kendra and Seth are the 2 main characters from whom the story is told and throughout the 5 books we get to see them face off against evil and find out what they are made of. Mull is just such a wonderful author in the way he brought them to life and made them such an excellent read.

However, I think my favorite character will always be Patton Burgess. He was one of the old caretakers of Fablehaven, but he makes an appearance and I just love him for it. There is this scene involving him, some rowdy satyrs and some pretty pissed off centaurs that happens to be one of my very favorite.

Still, with vain fairies, lovely unicorns, playful satyrs, evil creatures, massaged trolls, a tricky sphinx and even more creatures that can be listed all living together in one place, there is nothing to not love about this series. It is fabulously written and a good fit for every age. Plus in the end, there are twists and turns that will surprise just about everyone! So, pick up your copy today and join in the fun of Fablehaven. Seriously...do it...that third book possibly saved my life while out of the country.

And, always remember..."Drink the milk."

Series Rating:

Writing:

Story Ending:

Characters:

Favorite Book in Series:

No.5 Keys to the Demon Prison

Quotes:

"FABLEHAVEN: None who enter will leave unchanged. Trespassers will be turned to stone."

"It was an emergency!" Seth blurted. "Read my lips - emergency reading - not some demented idea of fun. If I was starving, I would eat asparagus. If somebody held a gun to my head, I would watch a soap opera. And to save Fablehaven, I would read a book, okay, are you happy?"
"You had best be careful, Seth," Grandma warned. "The love of reading can be contagious."
"I just lost my appetite," he declared...

" You should have Hugo throw you in the pool."
The golem turned his head toward Seth, who shrugged.
"Sure, that would be fun."
Hugo nodded, grabbed Seth, and, with a motion like a hook shot, flung him skyward. Kendra gasped. They were still thirty or forty feet away from the edge of the pool. She had pictured the golem carrying Seth much closer before tossing him. Her brother sailed nearly as high as the roof of the house before plummeting down and landing in the center of the deep end with an impressive splash.
Kendra ran to the side of the pool. By the time she arrived, Seth was boosting himself out of the waster, hair and clothes dripping. "That was the freakiest, awesomest moment in my life!" Seth declared. "But next time, let me take off my shoes."

"He would have shaved the centaurs, dipped them in honey, covered them with feathers, and hung them up like a bunch of pinatas. I'm just saying." - Warren

"For Frito-Lay!" - Newel and Doren (2 satyrs)