City of Bones

Title: The City of Bones {The Mortal Instruments Trilogy}
Author: Cassandra Clare
Stars: 4.5
Less-Than-500-Word Review in Short: In this dark, modern fantasy, Clare brings together love, excitement, magic, sarcasm and even some fascinating Biblical aspects.
Back-of-the-Book: “When Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in NYC, she hardly expects to witness a murder. Much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with odd markings. This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons—and keeping the odd werewolves and vampires in line. It’s also her first meeting with gorgeous, golden-haired Jace. Within 24 hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in an ordinary mundane like Clary? And how did she get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know…”

I Say: Bleck; the back of the book is so misleadingly generic. The Mortal Instruments trilogy is in my top three all-time favorites, and you guys KNOW how picky I am.

Basically, the story is about demon hunters, who are descendents of the antediluvian {look it up} Nephilim. They get their power from Marks {semi-permanent Shadowhunter tattoos}, which are like the Mark that protected Cain in the Bible. However, although there are Biblical aspects sprinkled in, the books are by no means “Christian.”

In this expertly-crafted trilogy, Cassandra Clare weaves together humor, adventure, love, magic, and did I mention HUMOR? Clare is a GENIUS with humor. I laughed out loud more often than when reading any other series.

Her characters are—for the most part—great, especially Jace, the dark hero, and Simon, the sarcastic best friend. Their lines and personalities are all their own; they’re one-of-a-kind and wonderful.

I do have problems with Clary, the main character, and Isabelle, another featured individual because of my issues with overly badass girls.

I really love the unpredictability of this series. I’m good at seeing what’s coming, but never in a million years did I see the twists and turns Clare put in.

I Liked:
- The hilarity
- The unpredictability
- The lack of loose ends {I hate it when things don’t add up.}
- It realistically references the Bible a ton, which adds a whole new dimension to the story.
I Didn’t Like:
- Sometimes it feels a bit disorganized, but Clare always brings it back in, so rest assured.
- NOTE: While I think Clare should have stopped after completing this trilogy, she’s writing a second trilogy about the same characters. So far, I do not like it. So my review here goes for the original three books, not the new set of Mortal Instruments.

Audience: There’s sensuality, and one character is gay, so if that bothers you…heads up. Clare keeps it interesting while keeping it balanced nicely between PG and PG-13 XD

I think everyone should read The Mortal Instruments. Chances are you’ll love it, and if you don’t, at least you’ll know what hit you when the epic movie comes out.

~Kendra
livinglovinglaughinglearning@gmail.com

The Forest of Hands and Teeth (hated)

[Note: As far as I can tell, I'm one of very few who hate this book, so you might want to try it out and see if you disagree too! :)]

Title: The Forest of Hands and Teeth
Author: Carrie Ryan
Stars: 1
Less-Than-500-Word Review in Short: Mary and her friends wander around trying to find the ocean until the twentieth climax where something finally happens and you care absolutely nothing about it.
Back-of-the-Book: “In Mary’s world, there are simple truths.
The Sisterhood always knows best.
The Guardians will protect and serve.
The Unconsecrated will never relent.
You must always mind the fence that surrounds and protects from the Forest of Hands and Teeth.
Slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power. And, when the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness.
Now she must choose between her village and her future, between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded by so much death?”

I Say: Ignore the back-of-the-book. It just sets you up for disappointment.

I had great hopes for this book. The first few chapters weren’t even bad. But by the end, I was just glad it was over. “The Forrest of Hands and Teeth” took everything I hate in a book and smashed it together.

The characters were awful. From beginning to end, I couldn’t have cared less about Mary if I had tried. For some reason, all the characters seemed alike (except Mary who was uncommonly dim-witted and obsessed with finding ocean). If by chance they were portrayed differently, it was with thin, hollow, flat, emotionless, shallow words. Not the strong, colorful words that make great stories.

That brings me to something else I hate: lack of good description. I hate flowery paragraphs as much as the next guy, but I’ve got to be able to “see” what’s going on. When I read, I see the story like I’m watching a movie. Whenever I come across a book that I can’t “see,” it’s disorienting. With “Forest,” I just saw words. I could never tell where anyone was or what was going on. It was like being blindfolded.

The plot went up and down and nowhere fast. The story felt based on nothing. Lust is passed off as love. The Sisterhood’s secrets? I was like “Oh…that’s IT??” and the Guardians’ power…I never saw that at all. Things you think are important aren’t, and things that shouldn’t be are.

I Liked:
- Excellent similes

I Didn’t Like:
- Atrocious characterization
- Horrible plot
- No climax (or maybe it was several…)
- Insufficient description
- Mary is maddeningly slow
- Love is portrayed as lust

Audience: There’s some sensuality. Ryan tries to pass it off as real love, but really it’s just Mary lusting after this guy that you never get to know well enough to care about.

Imagine wandering around blindfolded with robots led by a girl who can’t recognize a number when she sees one pursuing a crayon. That’s how reading “The Forest of Hands and Teeth” feels.

~Kendra
livinglovinglaughinglearning@gmail.com

"Tex" (favorite)

Title: “Tex”
Author: S.E. Hinton
Stars: 5
Less-Than-500-Word Review in Short: “Tex” is a heartwarming story with a tight, yet extremely unpredictable plot line; absolutely phenomenal characters; humor; and great insight into peoples’ lives.

Back-of-the-Book: “Easygoing and reckless Tex likes everyone and everything, especially his horse, Negrito, and Johnny Collins’s blue-eyed sister, Jamie. Life with his older brother, Mason, would be just about perfect if only Mace would stop complaining about Pop, who hasn’t been home in five months. While Mason worries about paying the bills and getting a basketball scholarship—his ticker out of Oklahoma—Tex just seems to attract trouble. Can he find a way to keep things together when everything seems to be falling apart?”

I Say: As with most books, this back-of-the-book description hardly does the story justice. I’ve read all of S.E. Hinton’s books except for “Star Runner”, and this one is my very favorite. S.E. Hinton always has the kind of characters that MUST exist out there somewhere and her plots are gripping. However, sometimes she lets her characters play a bigger role than the actual story, which can make for a loosey-goosey plotline.

In “Tex,” she finally found the secret combination of incredible characters AND a tight storyline.

You know how…

…with some books, you can read the whole thing and not “feel” the characters? By page 14 of “Tex,” I felt I’d known him since kindergarten.

…some books are good, but it’s not a big deal when you have to put it down? I left dinner to finish “Tex.”

…when authors try to do “heartwarming,” it’s cheesy? With “Tex,” some things were so sweet that I actually aww’d out loud, and yet it wasn’t forced or cheesy at all. It was like Hinton didn’t want to draw your attention to the aww-aspect. To be honest, you don’t even think about the fact that Hinton wrote the book. It’s written from Tex’s point of view, and you really believe it’s him telling the story.

…some book plots are more or less original, but you can still see everything coming? “Tex” is so realistic, yet so personal, that I felt I was watching real life, where absolutely anything goes. “Tex” is one of the most unpredictable book I’ve ever read, but the plot was still well-planned. Sometimes when authors go for “unpredictable,” the story ends up ridiculous, filled with SHOCKING CLIMAX after SHOCKING CLIMAX. “Tex” wasn’t like that.

I Liked:
- Tex has an older brother
- Deep characters
- Unpredictable
- Realistic situations

I Didn’t Like:
- I’m normally very critical, but I can’t think of anything I just “didn’t like” about “Tex.” I can’t even pull the “I-Didn’t-Like-That-It-Had-To-End” card because I thought Hinton ended it at a perfect place.

Audience: I think anyone could love this book. Just about any stereotype I can think of has a good chance of getting into it. (If you read it and hate it, lemme know.) I wouldn’t recommend it for kids under 12 or 13 (depending on the kid), just for the drug references and some situations.

Everyone read “Tex!” I can (99.9%) guarantee you won’t be sorry!

~Kendra
livinglovinglaughinglearning@gmail.com

"Across the Universe" by Beth Revis

Title: Across the Universe
Author: Beth Revis
Stars: 4
Less-Than-500-Word Review in Short: In an imaginative and original story, “Across the Universe” calls to the reader’s attention the very real issues of morality and choice we threaten to face today.
Back-of-the-Book: “Amy is a cryogenically frozen passenger aboard the spaceship Godspeed. She’s left her boyfriend, friends—and planet—to join her parents as a member of Project Arc Ship.
Amy and her parents believe they will wake on a new planet, Centauri-Earth, three hundred years in the future. But fifty years before Godspeed’s scheduled landing, cryo chamber 42 is mysteriously unplugged, and Amy is violently woken from her frozen slumber.
Someone tried to murder her.
Now, Amy is caught inside a tiny world where nothing makes sense. Godspeed’s 2,312 passengers have forfeited all control to Eldest, a tyrannical and frightening leader. Elder, Eldest’s rebellious teenaged heir, is both fascinated with Amy and eager to discover whether he has what it takes to lead.
Amy desperately wants to trust Elder. But should she put her faith in a boy who has never seen life outside the ship? All Amy knows is that she and Elder must race to unlock Godspeed’s hidden secrets before whoever woke her tries to kill her again.”

I Say: Despite the many futuristic books out there, much of “Across the Universe” is fresh. (Although it still reminds me of a less-catchy “Giver”-“Uglies series” hybrid.) There are several shocking twists, but Revis keeps a neat plotline.

I loved the beginning. Chapter one silenced my fears that the characters might be shallow. I loved Amy and I thought Revis was doing a great job conveying her personality and situation.

Then the book shifted to Elder’s point of view and into the present tense. The story is told from first person, alternating between Amy and Elder. After the first chapter it’s all in present tense. There’s nothing wrong with present tense; a lot of people find it easier to connect with. Personally I just don’t like it. I also didn’t “feel” Elder the way I had Amy, and the futuristic slang was silly and too frequent. However, the plot remained interesting and I was eager for the mystery the cover sleeve promised.

As the story continued, I liked it more, although Revis’s futuristic lingo never caught on. The story was charged with issues like the power of choice, what true leadership is, and whether we SHOULD do something just because we CAN. In a world where technology is rapidly rising, these are concerns we need to address.

The thing that bothered me was a small piece of the ending. It’s subtle but disturbing, and almost feels like Revis undoes everything she’s been pushing for the entire book.

I Liked:
- Moral issues
- Surprising twists
- Well-planned

I Didn’t Like:
- Forced slang
- Disconcerting ending

Audience: This book has distinctly PG-13 moments (sexuality). Reader discretion advised ;)

“Across the Universe” is definitely a book for all teenagers to read. It’s fascinating and really pushes the hard questions, ones we may have to face not too far into the Future.

~Kendra
livinglovinglaughinglearning@gmail.com