Monday, January 21, 2013

Twilight: The Graphic Novel Volume Two by Stephanie Meyer and Illistrated by Young Kim...

Series: Twilight: The Graphic Novel Series (Book #1, Volume #2)
Published: October 11th 2011 by Yen Press
Pages: 240
Rating: 4 stars
Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

Having uncovered the dark secret of her enigmatic classmate, Edward Cullen, Bella Swan embraces her feelings for him, trusting Edward to keep her safe despite the risks. When a rival clan of vampires makes its way into Forks, though, the danger to Bella has never been more real. Will she make the ultimate sacrifice to protect the people dearest to her?
Review:

So after waiting I don't know how long I finally decided to pick up the second part to the Twilight graphic novel and I wasn't dissapointed.

Book to graphic novel adaptaion. I thought that the adaptation from the boook was done really well. I thought that everything that was a main part of the story was there, sure a few things were changed around but overall I thought that they did a great job. I thought that the story was very easy to follow and I think that even if I hadn't read the original book I would still be able to figure out exactly what had happened in the original book just from reading this graphic novel.

The art. I really did enjoy the art in this part of the graphic novel. I loved how everything was so detailed from the backgrounds to the clothes and ofcourse, the charcters themselves. I could really see each expression that the characters in the pictures were making which I thought was great. The one downside I found while reading this novel (parts one and two) was that the drawing of all of the charcters were made to look pretty much the same as the actors for the movie, where as I would have liked to see the artists own interpretation of what they saw in their head.

Overall I really enjoyed this graphic novel and I will definitely be picking up New Moon. But I think I will wait till a bind-up of both parts has come out so I don't have to wait a year between parts.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix by J.K. Rowling...

Series: Harry Potter (Book #4)
Published: June 21st 2003 by Scholastic, Inc.
Pages: 870
Rating: 2 stars
Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

Harry Potter is due to start his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His best friends Ron and Hermione have been very secretive all summer and he is desperate to get back to school and find out what has been going on. However, what Harry discovers is far more devastating than he could ever have expected...

Suspense, secrets and thrilling action from the pen of J.K. Rowling ensure an electrifying adventure that is impossible to put down.


Review:

I really tried to love this book, I really did. But if I'm honest (because I only started reading the series just over a year ago)this series has never stood up to the hype that is around it in my oppion and this book was no exception.

The plot. So I will admit that I didn't actually finish the book but I did give it a very good try (over five hundred pages) but it was taking me way too long to read and I just wasn't enjoying it. Now I will admit there were some good parts to the story where I found myself really interested in what was going on, though for the most part I was just... bored. I did think out of the four other books I have read so far in the series that this was the best but it just didn't hold my interst well enough for me to continue reading.

The characters. I think the characters (well character) is one of the main reasons why I can't get into this series and that character would be Harry. I have never been able to relate to him in any of the books in this series. For the most part he comes across to me as being very arrogant and even though it is meant to sound like he is very humble about what he has achieved and done throughout his life, his character just doesn't read that way to me.
Ron and Hermione. Now these are characters that I LOVE! I think that Ron is especially funny along with his brothers and I think that all three of them make this series so entertaining. I also love Hermione's character, I really like how she cares so much for her friends and will do anything to help them.

Overall I just don't think that this series is for me. I do love Hermione and Ron and all the other Weasley's but Harry I just could not relate to. So for now this series goes unfinished but I will update the review if I ever do manage to finsih this book.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Burned by Sara Shepard...

Series: Pretty Little Liars (Book #12)
Published: December 4th 2012 by HarperTeen
Pages: 336
Rating: 2 stars
Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:
It's spring break, and the pretty little liars are trading in Rosewood for a cruise vacation. They want nothing more than to sail into the tropical sunset and leave their troubles behind for one blissful week. But where Emily, Aria, Spencer, and Hanna go, A goes, too. From scuba diving to tanning on the upper deck, A is there, soaking up all their new secrets.

Emily is smooching a stowaway. Aria's treasure-hunting partner is a little too interested in her booty. Spencer's going overboard trying to land a new boy. And a blast--or rather, a crash--from Hanna's past could mean rough waters ahead for everyone.

The liars better tighten their life jackets. A perfect storm is brewing, and if they aren't careful, A will bury them at sea.


Review:

I really don't know what to write about this book. I wasn't expecting anything amazing when I went into reading this book as I haven't really enjoyed the last four book, this was much of the same.

The plot. The storyline in this book didn't really hold my attention so I can't really remember much of what happened, book which is saying a lot because I read over two thirds of the book today. But from what I can remember this book was a slight improvement from the last. I thought that the storyline was more realistic than the last books and I thought that the writting itself flowed a little better and it made it a bit easier to read. There were some unexpected plot twist that I admit I didn't see coming which was a nice suprise but for me there was no real suspense or mystery in the book.

The characters. I won't be writting about them individually in this review because I didn't feel like there was any stand out points to talk about. I had a hard time connecting to the girls characters when I was reading this book, though I did think that they were a bit more relateable than in previous books and I truly did feel for what they were going through. I didn't feel that there was much character development or that the girls changed or grew throughout the book and I just thought that there characters were very lack-luster.

Overall I didn't really enjoy this book and I think it will be the last of the "Pretty Little Liars" books that I read for a while.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Tan Lines by Katherine Applegate...

Series: Summer (Books #5-7)
Published: June 3rd 2008 by Simon Pulse
Pages: 539
Rating: 4 stars
Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

Summer can't wait to get back to the Florida Keys. She, Marquez, and Diana have already decided to get an apartment so they can spend the whole summer together. But even with her friends by her side, Summer is in for more boy trouble.

Summer's boyfriend, Seth, is ready to take their relationship to the next level, but he's all the way across the country in California. Enter Austin, the hottie from spring break whom Summer hasn't stopped thinking about.

With Austin flirting 24/7 and Seth hundreds of miles away, Summer is about to learn about true love...


Review:

I was really looking foward to reading this book after really enjoying "Beach Blondes" and I, like most people mistook this book for the second in the series but even with that I have to say this book was not a dissapointment.

The plot. I did enjoy the plot, though at times I felt that it did drag on and I started to loose interest. But for the most part the plot was very interesting and kept me guessing the whole way through. There were a lot of unexpecting things that happened in this book and people turning out to be not who I thought they were (both identity and personality wise). But the main thing that I loved about this book and the same went for "Beach Blondes" is that it tackles a hard issue like in "Beach Blondes" with Diana and her depression this book focuses on Marquez and her eating disorder and I loved seeing how that was worked into the book. And another thing that I have really loved about this series is the mulitpul POV which gives this series a lot more substance than if it was just being told from Summer's POV and I love being able to get into the heads of all of the characters.

The characters. I have started to become a lot more attached to the characters in this series now that I have read the second bind up and have started to get to know them all a lot better.
Summer. I really enjoyed reading about Summer again and seeing all of the struggles she went through with her family, friends and boys. I ultimately I felt that it made her a stronger person and it was great being able to see her grow throughout the book and take control of her life and make the choices that she wanted to and not just do things that pleased everyone else.
Marquez. I really felt for Marquez in this book and the situation that she was in because it is such a relateable issue because i'm sure that almost all teenage girls at some point have had self-esteem and body image issues. I really loved being able to see her grow throughout the book and come to terms with her issues and face them head on.

Overall I did really enjoy this book and I will definitely be buying the books that I don't have in the series. I cannot wait to see how this series concludes and find out what happens to everyone at the Key.