Saturday, December 15, 2012

Review: The Fallen Legacies (Lorien Legacies: The Lost Files, #3)

The Fallen Legacies (Lorien Legacies: The Lost Files, #3)
The Fallen Legacies (Lorien Legacies: The Lost Files, #3) by Pittacus Lore
ebook, 101 pages
Published July 24th 2012 by HarperCollins
 
Synopsis:
 
Before Number Four, there were One, Two, and Three. Until now we've only known that the Mogadorians caught Number One in Malaysia. Number Two in England. And Number Three in Kenya. But all of that is about to change. . . .

In I Am Number Four: The Lost Files: The Fallen Legacies, you'll learn the true story behind these ill-fated members of the Garde. Before they were murdered by the Mogadorians, before Number Four was next, they were all just kids on an alien planet called Earth—discovering their powers, trying to stay hidden, and running for their lives.
 
My Thoughts/Review
 
This was one of my favorite novellas of this series. It had everything in it and was completely and thoroughly awesome. Ever since the beginning of the Lorien Legacies Series I have always wondered what happened exactly to the first three of the Garde and their Cepans from Lorien. I finally got the answers in this novella.

The Fallen Legacies brings a whole new perspective to this series. It starts all the way back in the beginning before any of the Lorien have died and the narrator of the story is a young mogadorian kid named Adamus, Adam for short. He is the son of one of the generals from the planet, Mogadore. You wouldn't think you would come around to actually liking and feeling for a Mog, but in this book you completely do. You learn all about how One, Two and Three die and what part Adam has in each of their deaths. The story is told in a very unique way and gets you wrapped up in the history and originality of the book. You get to know the other side of the story and understand what is going on with them.

 I can't wait to see what this part of the story has to do with the later parts in the actual series. I hope this novella plays a biggger part and Adam shows up later on. I don't know how Pittacus Lore keeps doing it. The story is getting even more exciting and I can not wait to see what happens in the third book, The Rise of Nine.  If you haven't read this series or these short stories, I definitely recommend that you start immediately. It is one of the best alien/Sci-fi books I have ever read. You will not be disappointed. =]
 
 

Overall, I give this book:
 Awesome short story, that will give you a whole new perspective. =]
5 out of 5 Stars
Links to Check it Out:
Thanks for Visiting
and
Happy Reading. =]
-Michael

Thursday, December 13, 2012

The Ultimate Fan Contest!

 
 
Beth Revis is having an amazing contest/giveaway on her blog right now.
 
Shades of Earth is coming out on January 15th and the contest is to celebrate the three books and three years accumulating up to this moment, the end of the series.
 
The prize is a HUGE collection of everything AtU. Beth Revis has saved up all the promo stuff, all the little extras, everything--just to give away to ONE fan of the books!
 
If you love AtU, then this is the contest for you. The prize is so rare that some of this stuff is entirely one-of-a-kind, and nearly all of it is so rare it's not even sold in stores--it was just used for super-limited promo items, often only given to top booksellers.
Here is a picture of it. =]
 
 
This contest is bittersweet. I want to find out what happens to the characters but I also do not want the series to end.
 
 
Okay, so now to the good stuff.
 
Why I think I am a Super Fan:
 
From the moment I discoverd this book series I have loved it to pieces.
The first chapter was one of the best first chapters I have ever read in a book.
From that moment, I knew that I would love Across the Universe and every book that will come from Beth Revis.
I am not the type of fan that will create fan fic or create a whole website.
I am the type of fan that will spread the word like crazy.
I must have told a ton of people about this series.
If anyone ever asks for a recommendation, I always tell them about this book series.
Across the Universe was one of my favorite books of 2011, which I blogged about.
A Millions Suns is one of my favorite books of 2012 and I will blog about it in a few weeks.
I must have blogged about Across the Universe, A Million Suns and Shades of Earth just about a million times.
I have done Waiting on Wednesday memes saying just how much I could not wait for these books to come out.
I even bought a personalized paperback copy of Across the Universe in the old cover, when it came out, just so I could get Beth's signature and to get the extra swag she was putting in the package.
This is how much of a fan I am of this series.
I will forever be talking about it because it will forever be one of my favorite series ever.
I feel that I would actually reread these books and if you know me I am not the type of person to reread.  
 
Thanks so much for this amazing contest, Beth.
I really can not wait to read Shades of Earth.
I hope it will be the awesome conclusion to an amazing series that I hope it will be.
 
If you enter the contest like I am, Good Luck. =]
 
Thanks for Visiting
 
and
 
Happy Reading. =]
 
 
-Michael

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday: Splintered by A.G. Howard

 
For those of you who don't know "Waiting On" Wednesday is an event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. The purpose is to let others know which book you are anticipating and can't wait til it comes out to read it.
Splintered
Hardcover, 384 pages
Expected publication: January 1st 2013 by Amulet Books
 
Synopsis:
 
This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.
When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.
 
Why I am Waiting:
 
You had me at Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. A new take on this classic sounds completely amazing. I love when authors put a new spin on a story that is already well known. I really can not wait til this book comes out, which is very soon. Sounds awesome. =]
 
Link me up in the comments to your WoW pick. =]
 
 
Thanks for visiting and Happy Reading.
 
-Michael 

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite New-To-Me Authors I Read In 2012

 
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish. They love to share lists
 
(Click the Links to go to the authors Goodreads Page)
 
1) Marissa Meyer
Have you not read Cinder yet. Well you should. It was one of the best books I read in 2012. She is completely unique and is an awesome storyteller.
 
2) Julianna Baggott
Her writing created a whole new post-apocalyptic world that seems so real and something that could possible happen to today's world in the future. Completely Revolutionary.
 
3) Tom Tancin
Created an awesome world and story revolving around Atlantis. Loved the the book he created with personal and real characters that are going through an adventure.
 
4) Amy Kathleen Ryan
I was introduced to her through her book Glow. A whole new adventure set in outer space where two ships get separated and have two totally different beliefs. I loved her writing style and her suspense.
 
5) Lauren Oliver
I read Delirium this year and fell in love with it. It seems horrible where love is a disease but it could possibly happen. Oliver's characters and writing style is what made this book wonderful.
 
6) Victoria Schwab
One of my favorite authors I have been introduced to this year. Her writing is so spectacularly descriptive and is filled with heart and realness in her characters. You can feel them and the story coming off the page. She creates magic with her writing. She is just a downright awesome person too. =] 
 
7) Gretchen McNeil
This is another of my favorite authors I've been introduced to this year. I read Ten by her when it came out and it was one of the best thriller/mystery books I have ever read. Gretchen is also a really awesome person as well. =]
 
8) T.B. Mckenzie
I was introduced by him because he contacted me to review his book. I read it and I really loved it. He put such heart and feeling into his characters that you wanted them to succeed. I can't wait to read his second book.
 
9) Audrey Niffenegger
I just finished The Time Traveler's Wife and I know why it was such a popular book. Her writing was so amazing with a very powerful love that lasted many years through time. You could feel the love and feeling pouring of the pages from her words.
 
10) Victor Hugo
Another book I just finished was Les Miserables. I read it in time for the movie that is coming out and I really loved it. You could feel the heart, emotion and bond that connected all of the characters through out time and how everyone had a purpose to the core of the story. I can see why Victor Hugo's books have become such great classics. =]
 
 
Hope you enjoyed my list.


Thanks for Visiting =]
 
 
Leave a link to your Top Ten in the comments and I will come check yours out.
 
 
Happy Reading
 
 
-Michael

Monday, December 10, 2012

Review: Diary of A Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel by Jeff Kinney

The Third Wheel (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, #7)
Hardcover, First Edition, 224 pages
Published November 13th 2012 by Amulet Books
 
Synopsis:
 
Love is in the air—but what does that mean for Greg Heffley?

A Valentine’s Day dance at Greg’s middle school has turned his world upside down. As Greg scrambles to find a date, he’s worried he’ll be left out in the cold on the big night. His best friend, Rowley, doesn’t have any prospects either, but that’s a small consolation.

An unexpected twist gives Greg a partner for the dance and leaves Rowley the odd man out. But a lot can happen in one night, and in the end, you never know who’s going to be lucky in love.
 
My Thoughts/Review:
 
Jeff Kinney has done it again with another great Wimpy Kid book for kids. I just love these books and the direction they keep going in. I always get excited around this time of year because I know another Wimpy Kid book is going to come out. You never know what kind of trouble or situation Greg Heffley is going to get himself into this time. This series can really teach some life lessons to the impressionable children of the next generation. I can't wait to see what Kinney has in store for the next one. The stories are really funny and the situations Greg finds himself in would only happen to him and I have no idea how Kinney comes up with this stuff, book after book. I could really see this series going on forever and becoming a real staple on every child's bookshelf.

I love Kinney's writing style and the voice he has given to Greg which has progressed and gotten better from each book he turns out to the next. Greg's opinions and wit about everyday life is what makes the book so funny and real. In this installment, Greg has to find someone to take to the Valentine's Day dance and he eventually becomes the third wheel, hence the title of the book. I love how you are never expecting the things that happen to Greg and the crazy situations he gets himself into.

Kinney's comedic style and flair for the unexpected is why I read these books, as soon as possible, every time they are released. I love the cartoon style of drawings he does, which are perfectly done each time. This series has brought a whole new refresher to children's books in this day and age. It is completely different and unique for what is the norm and expected. I recommend them to kids of all ages and even adults who are young at heart. These books are a perfect tool to use to try and get children to like reading and become future readers. If you haven't picked this one up yet or started the series I definitely and whole-heartily suggest you do so, especially if you have kids in this age bracket. Happy Reading. =]
 

Overall, I give this book:
Really funny, real life story which is great for kids to get hooked on reading. =]
5 out of 5 Stars
Links to Check it Out:
Thanks for Visiting
and
Happy Reading. =]
-Michael

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Review: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

The Time Traveler's Wife
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Paperback, 546 pages
Published July 5th 2003 by Mariner Books
 
Synopsis:
 
A dazzling novel in the most untraditional fashion, this is the remarkable story of Henry DeTamble, a dashing, adventuresome librarian who travels involuntarily through time, and Clare Abshire, an artist whose life takes a natural sequential course. Henry and Clare's passionate love affair endures across a sea of time and captures the two lovers in an impossibly romantic trap, and it is Audrey Niffenegger's cinematic storytelling that makes the novel's unconventional chronology so vibrantly triumphant.

An enchanting debut and a spellbinding tale of fate and belief in the bonds of love, The Time Traveler's Wife is destined to captivate readers for years to come.
 
My Thoughts/Review:
 
This was a very good book. I watched the movie before I read the book. That might have been a mistake because I kind of feel that I liked the movie better. So if you want to read the book and watch the movie, I suggest reading the book first, just so you can get the full effect. I bought this book a couple of years ago when it was popular, planning on reading it, and of course I never got to it. I got the movie on netflix and so I watched it. I was completely blown away by the movie, so I thought I have got to read the book and so I did.  

The depth of the characters that Niffenegger was able to create was amazing.  I loved learning all of the details of Henry and Clare and their life together.  Their story and their love through time is so touching and I loved every bit of that. From the beginning to end, back and forth, through time was compeletely magical. Niffenegger really wrote a brillant story. I can see why there was so much praise and admiration for this book. It deserves all of it.

I didn't give this book a 5 for a couple of reasons. Some parts of it were slow and I thought were unneccesary in telling the true story of the book. I could have fast forwarded some parts. Even though I loved it all, the book was really just too long for me. I would have been happier with a shorter book. I really liked learning about all the little things and details that weren't in the movie. For some reason, I think the movie got the story better though. I was hoping for an amazing heart wrenching ending, like in the movie, and I didn't get that in the book.

 I actually listened to the story on audiobook and the readers of the book were absolutely brillant. They were both perfect as Clare and Henry, I could picture it so clearly in my head. The audiobook did a fantastic job at telling the story. Overall, I really loved this book and it is totally worth reading if you saw the movie and think you want to read it, even with the flaws that I thought it had. I recommend this adult book for everyone, it is a fantastic read and has become one of my favorite movies/books this year that I have saw/read. =]
 

Overall, I give this book:
 
Really touching, love story that lasts through out time. =]
4 out of 5 Stars
Links to Check it Out:
 
Thanks for Visiting
and
Happy Reading. =]
-Michael

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Follow Friday(27)

Gain New Blog Followers
 
Follow Friday is a weekly blog hop event hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.
This week's Question is:
 
Q: Activity! Who do you want to be? If you could choose any character from a book. What do you think that character looks like and what do you have in common?
 
My answer kind of relates to two characters because I couldn't really make up my mind. The two characters are Percy Jackson and Harry Potter. Percy Jackson can semi-control water/swim for a long time, talk to horses/Pegasus's, has Poseidon as a father, and goes on awesome quests all the time. On the other hand I have been patiently awaiting my letter to Hogwarts ever since the books came out. I am still convinced that someday it will eventually come. I would totally want to be Harry Potter and be as brave, smart and magically talented as he is and also have the awesome friends he has. The things in common that we have is that I would like to think that I would be able to make the same choices as they have in their lives and be as brave as they are. =]
 
  
P.S.
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Link me up to your Follow Friday's and I will be sure to follow you back. =]
Thanks for Visiting and Happy Friday =]
-Michael