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Thursday, October 31, 2013

Quote of the Day – October 31, 2013

• "My mother wasn't a fool," I say. "She just understood something you didn't. That it's not sacrifice it it's someone else's life you're giving away, it's just evil."
I take another step and say, "She taught me all about real sacrifice. That it should be done from love, not misplaced disgust for another person's genetics. That it should be done from necessity, not without exhausting all other options. That it should be one for people who need your strength because they don't have enough of their own."
– Tris, Allegiant by Veronica Roth

I just finished Allegiant, and I have so many mixed feelings about it. I love it and hate it at the same time! Just wait for my review…

Anyway, happy Halloween, everyone!!

– Nick

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Quote of the Day – October 29, 2013

 “You know, sometimes I wonder what things would be like if I just ... met you one day. Like normal people do. If I just walked by you on some street one sunny morning and thought you were cute, stopped, shook your hand, and said, "Hi, I'm Daniel.” 
- Day, Prodigy written by Marie Lu

So, tired like every other normal day. Gonna go sleep soon, bye!

Signed,
Ivy
 

Monday, October 28, 2013

Somaya's Quote of the Day: October 28, 2013

“I wanted to tell the book thief many things, about beauty and brutality. But what could I tell her about those things that she didn't already know? I wanted to explain that I am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race-that rarely do I ever simply estimate it. I wanted to ask her how the same thing could be so ugly and so glorious, and its words and stories so damning and brilliant.” 
― Markus ZusakThe Book Thief

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Quote of the Day – October 27, 2013

• "I don't reward preying on the weak. That is cowardice."
– Four, Divergent by Veronica Roth

Quote of the Day is back! Now that Ivy, Somaya and I aren't cramming for a big test anymore we have free time!

This one's from Divergent. I just got Allegiant yesterday and I'm rereading the series. It's so different now that I've already read it…

– Nick

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Ivy's Quote of the Day- October 26th, 2013

"It wasn't a race. Gemma T. Leslie didn't even know Cath existed. Thank God.
And yet... when Cath closed her eyes, all she could see was Baz and Simon."
- Fangirl written by Rainbow Rowell 

I really liked this book and you guys might see a review for it soon.

And I chose this quote because it relates so well to us being booknerds. It's a fangirl/fanboy thing that some people just won't get. The race that is mentioned is how the girl is writing a way for the eighth book to end, but she's almost there but with only 9 days left for her fanfic to be completed.

Anyways, moving on the book was amazing.

Signed,
Ivy

Monday, October 21, 2013

Somaya's Quote of the Week: October 21, 2013

“Can you hide what you were? Every moment of every day, could you pretend to be something else? Someone else? Could you stand spending every day worried that you were going to hurt someone if you knew there was an alternative?”

― Kathleen Peacock, Thornhill


Sunday, October 20, 2013

Quote of the Week – October 20, 2013

• "Stay with me. We can see the whole world."
"I am with you. I'm not going anywhere."
"Is there anything special you want to see? Paris? Budapest? The Leaning Tower of Pisa?"
Only if it falls on Sebastian's head, she thought.
— Jace and Clary, City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

– Nick

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Ivy's Quote of the Day- October 19th, 2013

     "I don't know. I don't remeber anything from before the surgery."-Cinder
     His eyebrows rose, his blue eyes sucking in the light of the room. "The cybernetic operation?"-Dr. Erland
     "No, the sex change."
      The doctor's smile faltered.
      "I'm joking."
-Cinder,  written by Marissa Meyer

I'm late to post for the day... as usual. Well, I read Cinder a while ago and I haven't found that many quotes yet and this was hilarious.

Signed,
I.Z.

Friday, October 18, 2013

House of Hades – Book Review


Obviously, if you've been following this blog at all, you know that we've been waiting forever for this book. And all that waiting gave us some seriously high expectations of this book. There are many books that do not meet these expectations—but, thankfully, The House of Hades is not one of them.

It doesn't manage to blow you away, but that's not a bad thing. This series doesn't really need more massive change after the author completely caught us with that cliffhanger in The Mark of Athena—I mean, who even saw that one coming? I know I didn't. 

The House of Hades basically continues the main storyline of Mark of Athena. Except for one minor thing. If you remember (I'm sure you do), Percy and Annabeth fell into Tartarus. And Tartarus was no disappointment. If you know your Greek mythology, you'll know that Tartarus is actually a god; wife of Gaea, son of Chaos, and father of the Titans & giants. This is a particularly creepy addition to the already high creepiness factor—after all, it's literally the pit of hell. Only one demigod has ever made it out of Tartarus alive—Nico diAngelo. So, obviously getting out is a struggle. But what an awesome struggle.

On the surface-of-the-earth side of things, Frank and Hazel really start to come into themselves as characters. Frank learns to control his shape-shifting ability, and Hazel strikes up an acquaintance with Hecate, the goddess of magic.

Spoiler-y stuff starts now.

The big reveal of this book is the fact that Nico had a crush on Percy, not Annabeth. It makes a ton of sense; it explains why Nico was so angry at Percy for letting Bianca die when he knew that Percy couldn't control it, why he still helped Percy out numerous times, why he couldn't stand to be around Annabeth, etc. I just hope this doesn't turn into a bunch of Nico and Percy shippers running around telling people that they were right the whole time, blah blah blah. No thanks—Percy belongs with Annabeth. :P

The other big spolier-y thing is Leo. And Calypso. The author could not have been more awesomely genius in giving Leo a love interest. I can't write how much I love this. It's PERFECT. Thank you, Rick Riordan.

Spoilers over.

The House of Hades was classic Rick Riordan. It's amazing how he finds new myths to add into the story each book, but it never gets stale. The House of Hades is just as fresh as The Lightning Thief was, which is a fantastic accomplishment. Even though I liked Mark of Athena a tiny bit better.

Final score: 9.4 out of 10

Next review: Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Leviathan

– Nick

Monday, October 14, 2013

Nick's Quote of the Week – October 14, 2013

Sorry for being late; I didn't have Internet access for much of yesterday. :(

• "Being in a relationship, that's something you choose. Being friends, that's just something you are."

– Will, Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green (also by David Levathian, but he didn't write this part so it doesn't matter... :P )

– Nick

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Ivy's Quote of the Week- October 12, 2013

"And you are not coming back here," she insisted. "So don't give me any empty promises."
"How about a full promise?" he said.
- The House of Hades, written by Rick Riordan

Well, Uncle Rick has made a plot twist. Because I know that some people have not read-the-book/haven't-gotten-up-to-this part that I'm going to leave it a mystery. If you know who it is, please don't tell everyone. Just message us at the bottom.

Gtg! I'm going to write a fanfiction on this now~ ;)

Bye!

Signed,
Ivy

Thursday, October 10, 2013

City of Glass – Book Review

Blogger is being annoying; this is not a new review!!

City of Glass is the third book in the Mortal Instruments series. If you want to read it, read the first two books first!!


When I wrote my review of City of Ashes, I specifically said that one of its pitfalls was a confusing and overcomplicated plot. City of Glass defintely improved on that. The plot was clear and concise and it wrapped up very nicely in the end.

As the title suggests, City of Glass takes place in Alicante, the capital of the Shadowhunter country, Idris. First of all, it's actually the first title that isn't totally irrelevant to the actual story—for example, City of Bones had very little to do with the City of Bones itself; in fact the city had a bigger prominence in City of Ashes! Whatever, I'm getting off topic. The setting of Alicante added a lot of freshness to the series as well. It was interesting to see Clary try to adapt to a city so different from her hometown.

The ending wrapped up the book quite nicely. Without saying spoilers, the ending was surprisingly big (for lack of a better word). It was quite strange for a book that's in the middle of a series, but most certainly not unappreciated.

City of Glass ended up better than both books that came before it. The Mortal Instruments is becoming one of my favorite series.

Final score: 9.3 out of 10

Next book: Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein

– Nick

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

City of Fallen Angels – Book Review

City of Fallen Angels is the fourth book in the Mortal Instruments series. If you want to read it, read the first three before!!


Bleh. I'm so far behind on reviews I have to make this one short.

So far, each Mortal Instruments book has been really different from the rest. City of Bones was mostly exposition, nothing really happened in City of Ashes, and City of Glass had a huge war. City of Fallen Angels is unique as well. I was slightly worried in the beginning that it would end up being a lot like City of Ashes, but it didn't. The plot was clear and consise, even without the major plot-changing events that we saw in City of Glass. Reading this series, you can see how Cassandra Clare is improving as a writer. That's actually not that common, and hopefully these books continue to improve.

Final score: 9.2 out of 10

Next book: The House of Hades by Rick Riordan

– Nick

Monday, October 7, 2013

Book Review: Legend

Legend was the first adventure book that I have read in a while and I have to say... it was not a disappointment.

When I read the jacket on the book, it said that Marie Lu came up with the idea for Legend when she was watching Les Mis and wondering what would happen when a detective and a criminal liked each other. So she did it, with two teenage characters, she creates an adventure.

Summary: What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.
From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.


Fast-paced changes strikes the moment on page 38 when June's brother dies. Yes, page 38! Too early for a death, but it sets the plot running. It gets June, the "detective" in this case to start tracking down the person that killed her brother, even though, he wasn't the one who actually did that day.

Day is on the outskirts of town watching over his family and making sure they have everything they need since he was a criminal to the Republic of America. The name refers to a futuristic United States where the original 13 colonies are rebelling against all the states on the west of the Mississippi.

With all the new provinces and governing, it's not that hard to believe you're standing right there in the slums of the city or tracking down Day, while you read through June's perspective.

This book manages well with keeping the two point of views together. It's not torn and all over the place.

Many lies and truths are revealed in this book. I think I did a pretty good job uncovering most of them before Lu did.

Sometimes, it's just literary like this that makes we wonder how would it be like to meet a stranger that you are commanded to kill not too soon after they start to grow on you. Would it be better to like a stranger, or the best friend that you've known since forever?

From the boring-ness of life to this book, I just might think that adrenaline is running through my veins as each character starts their crazy journey away from the norm.

Overall: 9.8/10

Signed,
Ivy

Sunday, October 6, 2013

House of Hades!!!



Well, what do you think?

Just three more days until "All Hades breaks loose".

Let's see what's major in the book?

Percabeth, Tartarus, Annabeth, Percy, Hades, Percabeth --did I say that twice?-- and Percabeth. 

Moving on if you haven't already read an excerpt for The House of Hades, click here. Or paste this link to your browser. http://a.dolimg.com/en-US/publishing/HouseofHades_chapter_one.pdf

On The Heroes of Olympus | Partners, there is a lot of action going on for the books. But the main thing is Rick Riordan reading a part of The House of Hades. ASDFGHJKL!!! Fangirling right now!!!

And before I go into any photos, I want to link you to Rick Riordan's blog, Myth and Mystery. Well, we have a deleted scene to look at.  Nancy Bobofit! Can you believe it?

Click here to see the scene.

Link to: http://rickriordan.blogspot.com/2013/10/a-deleted-scene-from-last-olympian.html













It's Eros/Cupid as the picture says. Way
to go, Captain Obvious. But what's with
the eyes?
I dunno, he seems mechanical... *Shiver*





Nyx is scary... I'm wasn't even going to be polite about it.

She looks rather fancy in that chariot (?) and party dress.

But do you think this photo looks more professionally done than the one on top?





The moment that you haven't been waiting for. A really ugly Percy and Annabeth. If I had to say, the younger versions were better than these.

I'm too tired to get a comparison, but you can always see the enlarged version on the link I put up earlier.







Signed,
Ivy

Nick's Quote of the Week – October 6, 2013

• "I used to think being a good warrior meant not caring. About anything, myself especially. I took every risk i could. I flung myself in the path of demons. I think I gave Alec a complex about what kind of fighter he was, just because he wanted to live. I alway thought love made you stupid. Made you weak. A bad Shadowhunter. To love is to destroy. I believed that. And then I met you. You were a mundane. Weak. Not a fighter. Never trained. And then I saw how much you loved your mother, loved Simon, and how you'd walk into hell to save them. Love didn't make you weak, it made you stronger than anyone I'd ever met. And I realized I was the one who was weak."
 – Jace Lightwood, City of Glass

Sorry for being so late; my parents dragged me to a bunch of places today. :P

This quote is from the Mortal Instruments series. It's now one of my favorite series, and this is just one of the many memorable quotes. Look out for my review of City of Fallen Angels soon! Ugh, I'm so behind…

Nick

Amity and Dauntless.... Something is totally up

I came across the following video on YouTube and I just wanted to share it with you. 



Did you watch the video yet?

I hope that you noticed the first part that said "Amity Village". Later on in this video, at 1:10, it says "Dauntless Boat..." I couldn't read the rest.

Just something that I came across seeing that Allegiant would be released in, what, 15 days?

Signed,
Ivy

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Book Review: The Elite





The Elite was a book that was something that you could think was really good or really bad.


I think that this book gave me a good blend of both throughout it. The palace life is a bit exhausting, but the story still pulls itself out of the big wide ocean and royalty to get through the plot.

Moving onto the summary~

Summary: Kiera Cass’s The Elite is a must-read for fans of dystopian fiction, fairy tales, and reality TV. This sequel to The Selection will enchant teens who love Divergent and The Bachelor.
 
In America Singer’s world, a bride is chosen for the prince through an elaborate televised competition. In the second book of the Selection series, America is one of only six girls left in the running. But is it Prince Maxon—and life as the queen—she wants? Or is it Aspen, her first love?
 
The Elite delivers the adventure, glamour, political intrigue, and romance readers of The Selection expect, and continues the love triangle that captivated them.


Well, I just got that off B&N, so if you want to see other ones, you may want to go to other websites.

The Elite  focuses a lot on who America wants to spend the rest of her life with and if she could be strong enough as a princess --and later on, Queen of Illea. 

While reading this book, I think that we might have neglected all of the other things in this book other than romance.

Spoilers!!!

Like for instance, Marlee gets caned for falling in love with a palace guard. The dangers in which the maids living in the palace feel.  How Maxon gets abused by his father. How rebels can get in and out of the palace so easily.

Spoilers end....

Maxon and Aspen are still the same. There are so many events that happen in the book that it's hard to comprehend how many things happen throughout the course of each chapter.

The thing that has stayed consistent from The Selection  to its sequel is Celeste Newsome. The same wench as always. I never have understood why how people could change their personalities according to who they were talking to. 

Throughout this book, a lot like America's feelings change, Maxon's heart changes too. It's just a little, but I think that's Kiera Cass trying freshen things up and that's almost a failed attempt. 

Don't hate when I say that this book was disappointing compared to its prequel, but nevertheless, it still makes me want to read the next book sure to come. It picked itself up right before I could abandon it. 

Overall: 7.3/10

Signed,
Ivy

Ivy's Quote of the Week- October 5, 2013

"The detective said that's what people did when they ran away and didn't want to be found- they cut out their ID chips. He said it like he'd just solved the mystery, but Scarlet figured out most kidnappers probably knew that trick too."
-Scarlet, written by Marissa Meyer

Signed,
Ivy

Rose Under Fire – Book Review

Rose Under Fire is a companion novel to Code Name Verity. If you want to read this read CNV first.


This is the UK cover--I like it a lot better than the US one :P

I don't even know how to write a review without spoilers!! Both this book and its prequel are books you just can't write about without spoilers!

This books takes place after Code Name Verity. A few characters overlap, but when you consider the author's style of writing, that's a lot. One of the many great things about Wein's style is her ability to get the reader to deeply understand the characters, without crowding us with 10 million of them.

This book was addicting. It definitely lacked Code Name Verity's breathtaking pace, but it's still perfectly calculated and intensely profound. The core theme of friendship is also carried over in a big way.

Unfortunately, it was not as good as Code Name Verity, but Rose Under Fire was a great book in its own respect.

Final score: 9.4 out of 10

Next book: City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

 – Nick

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Ivy's Book of the Month- October



I totally forgot about BotM. But anyways, I'm back and ready with a new book.

 Cinder the first book in Marissa Meyer's "The Lunar Chronicles" series. 

Summary: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future. 


The number of pages in this book are 387 for the hardcover. There is also a paperback version of the book. 

At the beginning of the book, it has already been announced that there will be three more books following this one: Scarlet, Cress, and Winter. The order is consecutive with a one-year spacing. Scarlet has already been released. 

Cinder is based upon Cinderella, as the cover shows the shoe is made of red glass. Lihn Cinder is a mechanic with her handy cyborg skills. She has a stepmother.

But before I get too in depth with the stepmother thing, she is a cyborg. They are humans who have gone through surgery to have more robotic like parts (which can also be seen on the cover). With an accident at the age of eleven, she is turned into a cyborg. 

Like humans they grow and all, but totally not the point. When her not-yet stepmother, Adri's husband goes to Europe, he adopts Cinder who was already an orphan due to the accident in which the surgery took place afterwards.

Adri has never liked Cinder and she has two daughters, the younger in which Cinder is a friend of. 

But enough about the family. Because she is a mechanic, Prince Kai goes to her to request that she fix up one of his androids -we are talking about robots, not phones- which in the futuristic world, people use. Yes, he is the "Prince Charming" of this story.

I should also mention that a plague has been going on. The lady that owns a bakery across from her mechanic shop has caught the plague and her sister does to. And she gets sent to laboratory testings to help scientists find antidotes for the plague. 

So after that much, what did you think of the book. So far, I'm doing good progress with the book. 

It might be a bit confusing in the beginning taking place in a futuristic "New Beijing" and having Meyer set up the scene, but it's quite alright after that.

When I brought the book in to school today, one of my classmates told me it was going to be a great read and so far, it really is. 

Give the book a try. It isn't a horror book as I once, thought it would be. The factors of a fairytale were sewn into the spine of this book, because it has the perfect elements for the person that has loved Disney movies with a darker twist. Even if you aren't one for those tales, you'll enjoy it because of the dystopian lifestyle of the characters shown throughout the book.

Signed,
Ivy

Somaya's Book of the Month: October 2013

I am reading this book. It is just indescribable. I love it as much as I love the book  The Last Princess. Okay, first let me start with the summary:
"Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.
"Since then, Mac’s life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac’s hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy’s killer: A white werewolf.
"Lupine syndrome—also known as the werewolf virus—is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but blood-lust is not easy to control.
"Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy’s murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy’s boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.
"Kathleen Peacock’s thrilling novel is the first in the Hemlock trilogy, a spellbinding supernatural mystery series filled with provocative questions about prejudice, trust, lies, and love."
This book is truly awesome. I read this book because it seemed so interesting. It is a science fiction/fantasy. So all sci-fi/fantasy fans, you must read this. It is a romantic tragedy. People keep on telling me it sounds like Twilight. It is a little, but Twilight is a flower in the solar system. This is so much better. Please, if you are reading this you HAVE TO READ IT. Tienes que leer Hemlock (Spanish: You have to read Hemlock).
Somaya