Speak

Overall: 10.0/10.0

Summary: Melinda's a quiet girl. She didn't used to be, but since the start of high school she's mostly kept to herself. All of her friends want nothing to do with her since she called the cops at the big end-of-the-summer party. That was a real downer. At least for them. But Melinda would really rather not talk about her experience at all. That's okay, because no one really wants to hear about it. They're all too mad at her. Except for the new girl. But the new girl kind of talks too much for Melinda to get a word in edgewise, so that's okay, too. And Melinda's parents are too busy fighting to check in on her much. So it's easy not to say much. Her grades slip, her social life is down the toilet, but she doesn't mind. The only class she really even kind of likes is art, but that's also frustrating. Melinda just can't seem to find her voice.

Opinion: Wow, this was fantastic. I read it in one sitting, practically. (as in, I would've read it in one sitting if not for that pesky thing called the start-of-period-bell) It's not written in the normal style, but I don't quite know how to explain the tweak. It caught my attention though, and kept it. The story is great. It's told from Melinda's POV and describes her slow descent and sudden comeback. I loved this story. It was recommended to me by a couple of friends a while back and I just never quite got around to opening it up until now, and I wish I'd read it much sooner. Amazing story.

Title: Fits the story perfectly. Short and sweet. Love it.

Cover: Interesting. I didn't get it at first, but after reading the book it makes perfect sense. In my opinion not the most appealing cover, but I don't hate it, either. At the very least it's creative.

Recommendation: Read it! I was skeptical but when I finally opened it up I couldn't put it down until I was finished. Even if it's not necessarily your genre, you'll probably like it.

Fallen

Overall: 3.5/10.0

Summary: Aaron is just another high school boy living his regular life. He works at a veterinary. He's looking at colleges. He has a crush on a beautiful protugese girl. At least until he learns he's a prophesized angelic hero. Then things get kind of weird. A fallen angel named Zeke helps him to realize what he is. Despite Aaron's attempts to ignore it all Zeke and other various factors (like his step-parents dying and younger brother being kidnapped) show him there's no denying what he is. But the real question is, will he be able to fulfill his prophecy before more people he loves are hurt?

Opinion: I got bored. It started off pretty run of the mill and didn't get much better. It was the same story but told from a slightly different standpoint. The only thing that was really off the beaten track was when the Powers (bad-guy angels) got together for a chat, and it just got so DULL. I skipped most of their conversations. Aaron is a pretty forgettable character and so is the girl he's crushing on, Vilma. They're both so typical and plain, there's little to make them stand out from the rest of the crowd. Aaron is the typical hero-nice guy. He's quiet and not super popular, but he is loyal to his family (despite being an orphan) and denies his destiny until something super dramatic pushes him for it. When that happens he cuts all ties at home and disappears off to become a great hero. Gary Stu, anyone?

Title: Pretty basic. Nothing really creative about it.

Cover" Simple and a nice photo, but not great for doing much more than catching the eye of a teenage girl.

Reccommendation: Don't read it. It was boring and typical and I didn't even finish it. Halfway through I had to quit. It wasn't painful, like some books can be, but it wasn't interesting, either. It had no hook. Like, at all.

Gone

Overall : 7.5/10

Summary: "The world ends, not with a bang, but a whimper." -T.S. Eliot. When the end of the world begins, the skies don't go black. There's no screaming. The day starts out as it normally would with the kids going to school and the adults going to work. But by the end of the day, the city of Perdido Beach is in chaos.

It's midmorning when everyone over the age of 15 disappears. No noise or flashes of light. They're just there one minute and then gone the next. And the kids are left to their own devices. They face starvation, radiation and even death by other kids.

Sam never considered himself a hero, but with no one else he finds himself stepping up to the plate. His efforts save the hardware store and daycare center. Everyone begins to turn to him for help. Except Sam doesn't want to help. But will he really be able to turn his back when darker forces threaten the all-kids population?

Opinion: Not bad, but not the best novel I've read recently. The plot is intruiging and faces real issues and those that aren't real are incorporated in an interesting manner. There are a few things that stretch my suspensions of disbelief, however, and the different perspectives of all the characters can be a little confusing. The characters have some plot development, but it's hard to relate to them. Sam and Astrids relation, however, is fun. It's nice that Sam isn't perfect and open to making mistakes, but his heroism seems to come from nowhere. Not a bad book all things considered.

Title: I like it. Not really catchy, but not totally obvious, either.

Cover: Could be better. It was interesting enough to catch my attention, but not a real eye-popper.

Recommendation: I'd say anyone 12-15 would probably like this. I felt a bit old for it. Things that 'Astrid the Genius' said made sense to me and I thought some of the 14 year olds acted a little juvenile, but they would, if they were 14. It just made it more difficult for someone older to relate to the book than say, a 14 year old might. An interesting action-adventure-fantasy, none the less.

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This came today instead of Sunday because I finished teh book late sunday night, then forgot to post it on Monday and Tuesday. Oops. And there's nothing real to report for this week writing wise, anyway. :)

-MJ

All Work and No Play

Makes Jack a dull boy. Or in the Shining's case, a crazed psychopath. In my case, sick and tired.
All this homework has seriously been eating at my writing time. I've been getting a bit better at editing, but it's taking time. I'm trying to write/edit a little more every day. But like I said, it's slow going, especially with great books to distract me.
I've started going to the local bookstore every Friday to grab a mocha and select out my book for the week. It's really a quality way to spend the beginning of my weekend, if I do say so myself. Currently I'm working my way through Gone. I don't recall who it's by right now. It's a little young for me, but so far I've liked it. The impact on society is realistic and the characters act their age.
But more of that on Sunday.
There's remarkably little to report in way of Ebony. Actually,my writing in general has been kinda slow. Without any writing classes or events like NaNoWriMo to keep me going I've sort of ran out of steam. And I really need to work on that one piece about the Greek myth thing for V-day... bleh. Well, I AM working on a painting for the school. I guess that's sort of an explanation. (not an excuse!) Hopefully school'll calm down a little, I'll feel less sick and without that painting my time'll clear up a little bit and I can start to get back into the swing of things.
Okay, done filling up space with lots of words to say a few things.
:)
-MJ