Review: Matched

Hello Everyone!

So I've been reading "Matched" by Ally Condie for a while, and I just finished it last weekend. When I first started to read it, it sucked me in right away. The beginning of the book is captivating, and brings you into the world of Cassia, a teenage girl growing up in a futuristic society that seems perfect...or is it? The government -and everyone- has secrets. Cassia is very accepting at first, and when seeing the world through her eyes, you almost accept it as normal when you read. But as she begins to find out more and more, and you begin to become horrified with the society, she slowly begins to break out of her conformist persona and into her rebellious personality. And, of course there's the matter of her choice between Xander, her (attractive) best friend whom she's been "matched" with by the authorities, or Ky, an (attractive) flash on the screen who might just be meant for her. This is for fans of the Hunger Games, and it's a very good read. But that doesn't mean I am without complaints. For one thing, the society wasn't shocking enough for me. After reading this you may point at me in dismay at how inhuman I am for NOT being shocked, but let's get this straight. They do some crazy things in that society, but I've seen it ALL before. If you're going to write a dystopian novel, you need the shock factor. There is a sequel, "Crossed," but I'm not sure if i'll read it. It's one of those war-torn sequels, where everything is going to fall apart, such as Mockingjay. If there was a book in between (a Catching Fire-esque situation) I would read it, but they jump into the battle to early. This has been a very conflicting review.

-Alice

Review: The Agency: Traitor in the Tunnel and Rivals in the City

Hi Everyone!!

So, I'm not really sure if I ever talked about the third book, The Traitor in the Tunnel, in the Agency series by Y.S. Lee. I read it over the summer, and was just flipping through it again. It was one of the best books I've ever read- not surprising, of course, being a part of the Agency series. In it, Mary Quinn (the main character) goes undercover as a maid in Buckingham Palace after the Agency is notified of a series of petty thefts. Meanwhile, at the same time, James Easton, her longstanding lover and friend, is working underground in the sewers for the Queen. As well, she thinks she has found her long lost father in the Tower of London.

Overall, this was an amazing book... Once again Y.S. Lee has providing an exceptionally riveting mystery!

I would highly recommend it!

~Anne Shirley


P.S. I was on Y.S. Lee's blog and I came across the news for the fourth and final Agency book... The working title is Rivals in the City.

I can't wait for it to come out! Here is Y.S. Lee's blog address for more information:

http://yslee.com/2011/06/the-agency-4/

(or rather the address that explains the 4th book... Her normal address is http://yslee.com)

Review: A Great and Terrible Beauty

Hey Everyone!!
I'm so sorry that I haven't posted in so long...
I've been really busy with the new school year!!
Anyway, I found this book called "A Great and Terrible Beauty." Jo March recommended it to me, as did my sister, who just read it.
They both said it was amazing, and I'm about to start reading it!
I'll keep you posted!

~Anne Shirley

Review: Hunger Games Trailer

Hi Readers!
If anyone remembers - our Library Club read the hunger games series last year. We are so excited that the movie is coming out soon and I watched the trailer for the first time a month ago. It seems as though they may have gotten the casting right afterall! At the beginning I wanted to switch Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson so their hair color matched with  my image of Peeta and Gale...but after they dyed their hair in the trailer i knew they were perfect for the parts! Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) still seems to be a little too old and intimidating, but Lawrence does a good job of playing her. Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket is absolutely perfect! so are the two girls that play Rue and Prim. Overall, I think the casting was done really well and so was the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S9a5V9ODuY&noredirect=1
what do you think?
- Sara C.

Review: The Odyssey

Hey Readers!

I haven't had much time to read lately, so I'm taking a queue from Sara and reviewing a book I read in school. In english class, we just finished reading "The Odyssey," by Homer, the Greek epic story. I was really looking forward to reading it, because it's such a big challenge, and it looks interesting. It was a little slow at first, and some parts were hard to understand, but overall it was a great book. You'd think it would be boring, but it reminds me of a literary soap opera. Tell me what you think if you read it! I recommend it, but I wouldn't read it unless you really want to give yourself a challenge or if it's for school. I also have a favor to ask you guys: My school is having a read-a-thon, and we get to vote for what book we want! The only requirement is it has to be a classic book (Jane Austen, F. Scott Fitzgerald, etc.). Any suggestions? Whichever one wins at our school I'll be reviewing on this blog. Also, as an insight to what might be coming, I'm in the middle of reading "Matched," and "Looking for Alaska," and they're both amazing. So far I really recommend both of them. I miss you, other bloggers!
-Alice

Review: A Tale of Two Cities

Hi Everyone!
Well I guess we've all been a little to busy in high school to focus much on the blog, but we still have time to post! In english we've been reading A Tale of Two Citites by Dickens. A Tale of Two Cities is a marvelous book focusing on London and Paris during the french revolution. It follows the story of Doctor Manette, his daughter Lucie and her husband Charles. Manette had been a prisoner of the Bastille in france for 18 years and did not know of the existence of his daughter until she was fully grown. Lucie, his daughter, is married to Charles who, in turn, has had his fair share of imprisonment. The family struggles to kep an upbeat outlook during the revolution while they navigate the bloody streets of Paris. No one is quite sure who is innocent and no one can comprehend the terrible threat of a mob of confused badly treated people. I had to read this book for english, and we were told to read one or two chapters a night. I ended up not being able to put it down it was so good! Highly reccomend it! and my fellow bloggers out there - miss you guys!

- Sara C.

Review: Boy's Life

Hey Everyone!!
I am SOOOOOOO sorry that I haven't posted in so long!!!
I feel so terrible about it!!!!
But school has started, and that's why I haven't had any time... 
Anyway, I have been able to read a bit, though the book that I am going to talk about now is one that we are reading for school. The book is called "Boy's Life," and it is by Robert McCammon.
It is a good book about a boy who is growing up in a small town in Alabama in 1964. The boy's life becomes harder when he and his father witness a car plunge into a lake, and his father goes to save then man, but finds him brutally beaten and chained to the wheel. As the father slowly becomes wrapped up in his terrible thoughts of the murder, the boy, named Cory, struggles through all of the events that are happening as he grows up, such as his friendships, school, summer, fairs, his incredible ability to write, and also the superstitions that surround his hometown. 


It is a great book for anyone who really likes superstitious things, but also is interested for mystery stories and a bit of adventure and stories where the main character is growing up throughout the book. 

Look into it!! 


See you all later!!


And this time, I promise not to stay away for so long.... :D


~Anne Shirley