Delirium TV Show Castings!

For those of you that don't know, Lauren Oliver's Delirium Series is being turned into a TV series by Fox. Delirium is one of my favorites books ever, and so I just found out on one of the writing websites I'm part of that Fox has cast the two main characters: Lena and Alex, Lena's love interest, along with the main character come Pandemonium, Julian. 

According to my sources, Emma Roberts is playing Lena.

I'm not overly impressed. I don't know, maybe she can pull it off.... I'm skeptical though. Her face seems too... wide for Lena. She also doesn't really just look like Lena to me. We'll have to see.

Daren Kagasoff is playing Alex.

He, on the other hand, looks almost exactly how I imagined Alex. His facial structure is just perfect for the part!

Julian is to be played by Gregg Sulkin.

He is probably my least favorite casting. I'm just really not liking this casting. Just... ugh. Sometimes I wonder what they're thinking when they cast these things...

So, my favorite to least-favorites:

1. Daren Kagasoff as Alex.
2. Emma Roberts as Lena.
3. Gregg Sulkin as Julian.

So, those are my thoughts. I'd love to hear your opinions below!

Here's the link to where I got the info. The links in the actors' names go to IMDb.

Anastasia

Book Review: Altered, by Jennifer Rush

Title: Altered
Series/Sequel? Altered #1
Author: Jennifer Rush
Genre(s): Science Fiction, Action/Adventure
Age Level: YA
Page Count: 323 (Hardcover)
Perspective: First Person (Female)
Summary: Everything about Anna’s life is a secret. Her father works for the Branch at the helm of its latest project: monitoring and administering treatments to the four genetically altered boys in the lab below their farmhouse. There’s Nick, Cas, Trev . . . and Sam, who’s stolen Anna’s heart. When the Branch decides it’s time to take the boys, Sam stages an escape, killing the agents sent to retrieve them.

Anna is torn between following Sam or staying behind in the safety of her everyday life. But her father pushes her to flee, making Sam promise to keep her away from the Branch, at all costs. There’s just one problem. Sam and the boys don’t remember anything before living in the lab—not even their true identities.

Now on the run, Anna soon discovers that she and Sam are connected in more ways than either of them expected. And if they’re both going to survive, they must piece together the clues of their past before the Branch catches up to them and steals it all away.

Review: Everything about this book - from the cover to the summary - led me to think this wasn't going to be anything special; just another typical science fiction-romance book. So imagine my surprise when it turned out to be so much better than that.

For one, this book is extremely fast and extremely addicting. It kept me reading hours past my bedtime, until my dad came in and turned out the light on me.

Altered was also extremely uncliche. The plot twists and surprises, which I typically guess correctly on within the first 50 pages were actual plot twists that actually surprised me. Maybe that was because my brain was half asleep due to how late I was reading it, but then again, maybe not. This book was more interesting than I ever would have thought, and I'm extremely excited for the second book.

The one thing that I disliked about this book was the romance. The romance was predictable and cliche, and I didn't feel their relationship at all. I found myself wanting to skip past the romantic parts to the much more interesting fight scenes and such - which there were a good amount of, by the way. Anna and the boys can't seem to stay out of trouble no matter where they are, and the fight scenes were awesome, even without the swords, daggers, and magical abilities I typically prefer. But, anyway, (I love this book so much, I'm going off on a tangent!) the romance was the worst part of the book, and I'm kind of cringing imagining this author trying to hype up Sam's and Anna's relationship in the next book.

Besides that little hiccup, this is a great action/adventure and scifi book I would recommend to just about any YA reader!

Rating:

Waiting on Wednesday (2)

Release Date:  March 5th, 2013

Title: Requiem
Series/Sequel? Delirium #3
Author: Lauren Oliver
Genre(s): Dystopian, Romance, SciFi
Summary: They have tried to squeeze us out, to stamp us into the past.

But we are still here.

And there are more of us every day.

Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.

After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor.

Maybe we are driven crazy by our feelings.

Maybe love is a disease, and we would be better off without it.

But we have chosen a different road.

And in the end, that is the point of escaping the cure: We are free to choose.

We are even free to choose the wrong thing.

Requiem is told from both Lena’s and Hana’s points of view. The two girls live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.

My thoughts: Delirium, the first book, is one of my favorite books ever. It is a beautiful and amazing book, one that has changed my way forever. Its sequel, Pandemonium, is one of my least favorite books ever. In my opinion, it took the beauty and uniqueness of Delirium and stamped it all to pieces, replacing it with awful predictability and cliche-ness.  So, I'm interested in reading Requiem to see if it can possible redeem the disaster wrought by Pandemonium, and if Lauren Oliver can possibly dig herself out of the hole she's dug herself into.

Book Review: Dead to You, by Lisa McMann

Title: Dead to You
Series/Sequel? No
Author: Lisa McMann
Genre(s): Hard Topics, Realistic Fiction, Relationships
Age Level: YA
Page Count: 243 (Paperback)
Perspective: First Person (Male)

Summary: Ethan was abducted from his front yard when he was just seven years old. Now, at sixteen, he has returned to his family. It’s a miracle…at first. Then the tensions start to build. His reintroduction to his old life isn’t going smoothly, and his family is tearing apart all over again. If only Ethan could remember something, anything, about his life before, he'd be able to put the pieces back together. But there’s something that's keeping his memory blocked. Something unspeakable...

Review: The one thing to say about this book: it's an extremely quick read. I was finished in one sitting of two hours. The page count itself is pretty short, yes, but also just the way it is written lends itself to be finished quickly.

I think the urgent quality of the plot is definitely a part of that. Things start off seemingly with the ending: Ethan De Wilde, who was kidnapped from his suburb when he was seven, has been reunited with his family after nine years through the Child Protection Services. But then he goes home, and things go from bad to worse, relationships build and break, and then BAM! it's finished.

And the ending... I've seen a lot of people on Goodreads complaining about the ending and how it was too abrupt and left too many questions unanswered. And I agree with that, to some extent. It was an extremely abrupt ending that slapped you in the face and left many questions unanswered, unless you were intelligent enough to piece together small clues throughout. Too-small clues, in my opinions. Who is Ethan, then? is everyone's question at the end. I had no idea either, until I went to the book group in which I read this book for, and the people who understood it told us that Ethan is actually David, Ellen's biological child. I didn't get that until they told me and explained it to me multiple times. And even now, I'm still not sure I like that twist and that explanation.

I thought that the summary was somewhat misleading. With the last line "But there's something that's keeping his memory blocked. Something unspeakable." I thought that it was going to have a paranormal twist of some sort, even a small one. And that kind of threw me off as I was actually reading it and found that it was pure realistic fiction.

I feel like I should probably forewarn you about how dark this book is. It's extremely dark and scary, and it's not for someone who gets scared easily. It's for someone who wants to think, and who wants some well-written realistic fiction and real-world problems to do so.

Realistic fiction is not my genre by any means, but realistic fictions and dark, thoughtful story fans will definitely enjoy this one!

Rating:

Book Review: Nightshade, by Andrea Cremer

Title: Nightshade
Series/Sequel? Nightshade #1
Author: Andrea Cremer
Genre(s): Paranormal Romance
Age Level: YA
Page Count: 452
Perspective: First Person (Female)

Summary:Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything- including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

Review:I've never liked werewolf books. Ever. Every single werewolf book I've read, I've been less than impressed with. I'm not typically an animal fan, and so I guess I don't see the attraction of a human turning into an animal. So I didn't think I was going to like this book. But I did, much more than I thought I was.

The summary doesn't really do this book justice. It doesn't make it sound as interesting or well-written or just as great as it actually was. This was a great, interesting, riveting, amazing, fantastic, addictive, wonderful, etc., addition to an over-saturated genre. And maybe I've read too few werewolf books, but I though the way the myths and rules of the werewolf world were entirely unique as compared to everything else I have ever heard of or read.

But of course, this is a YA Paranormal Romance book. And of course, that means that it contains a love triangle. Shay, the mysterious new human boy who doesn't act human, vs. Ren, a werewolf who has been Calla's preordained mate since they were tiny. And though it was still a love triangle, with all the necessary parts, including sexual tension, confusing, fights (physical, mental, and emotional), and some (okay, more than some) make-out sessions. And yet, it didn't feel like the stereotypical love triangle. Andrea Cremer, it seems, is one of those authors who can put new life into a WAY overused plot point. And I loved it.

All in all, a great book I would definitely recommend for someone looking for some great Paranormal Romance! I can't wait to read the next book!

Rating:

Book Review: The Body Finder, by Kimberly Derting

Title: The Body Finder
Series/Sequel? The Body Finder #1
Author: Kimberly Derting
Genre(s): Paranormal, Mystery, Romance
Age Level: YA
Page Count: 327 (Hardcover)
Perspective: 3rd Person (Female)
Summary: Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes that the dead leave behind in the world... and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find the dead birds her cat had tired of playing with. But now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet on her quest to find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved to find herself hoping that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer... and becoming his prey herself.

Review: This book was great. I was pretty indifferent going into it, and then when I saw that it was in third person POV - which I typically dislike because I don't feel as connected to the characters while reading third person - I felt a bit of foreboding. Like an "Oh no, I'm not going to like this book" feeling. But despite the fact that it was third person, I still really liked it.

This book can fall under a few different genres: romance, mystery, paranormal, even some could count it as almost realistic fiction. Because everything in this book was very subtle: it wasn't a paranormal book, or paranormal romance or paranormal mystery. It is a variety of genres, with emphasis not being placed on a particular genre, but just the story as a whole. And because of this, it can attract a variety of readers with a variety of tastes.

And looking at the genres as separate, they were each written very well in themselves. The romance was definitely both swoon- and aw-worthy, the mystery was wonderfully laid out, and the paranormal portion was explained well. And no matter your preference, the suspense and addictive quality of this book will keep anyone reading!

This is the first in a four-book series, but I'm intrigued to see what is coming next, because the way that this book was neatly tied up at the end would make me think it was a standalone, if I hadn't know better.

No matter your tastes, I would definitely recommend picking up this book!

Rating:

Book Review: The Adoration of Jenna Fox, by Mary E. Pearson

Title: The Adoration of Jenna Fox
Series/Sequel? The Jenna Fox Chronicles #1
Author: Mary E. Pearson
Genre(s): Dystopian, SciFi, Hard Topics
Age Level: 10 and up
Page Count: 265 (Paperback)
Perspective: 1st Person (Female)
 Summary: Everything is different

Seventeen-year-old Jenna Fox has just awoken from a year-long coma - so she's been told - and she is still recovering from the terrible accident that caused it. But what happened before that? She's been given home movies chronicling her entire life, which spark memories to surface. But are the memories really hers? And why won't anyone in her family talk about the accident? Jenna is becoming more curious. But she is also afraid of what she might find out if she ever gets up the courage to ask her questions.

What happened to Jenna Fox? And who is she really?

Review: I heard this book was amazing. Every review I read, every person I talked to who had read it, said it was amazing. So maybe my expectations were too high, or maybe it just wasn't my type of book, but I was disappointed.

One of the main reasons I think I didn't like it that much was because of the characters. I didn't connect with them. I felt like I didn't connect with anything in this book. I felt removed and separate from the story and the characters the entire time I was reading it. And that was a majorly hurt my level of enjoyment as I read this book.

I also thought, based on what everyone else said and reviewed, that the writing of this book was going to be great. And the writing of this book was good enough I guess. The way it was written definitely fit the story itself But it wasn't riveting, and I've read books that were much more interesting and suspenseful.

And it wasn't that this book wasn't interesting. The premise was unique and interesting and I loved that about. And it wasn't that this book wasn't suspenseful. There was a ton of suspense in this book. But once again, I didn't feel the expense and the urgency of the characters and the story because I wasn't connected.

So, yes, I'm extremely disappointed. I felt like this was a great book if only I could - to use the word one last time - connect. But despite all that, I would still recommend this book. I think many others will enjoy it, or at least find it an interesting book to think about.

Rating:

Book Review: Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Title: Every Other Day
Series/Sequel? No
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Genre(s): Paranormal/Fantasy
Age Level: YA
Page Count: 329 (Hardcover)
Perspective: First Person (female)

Summary: Every other day, Kali D'Angelo is a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She goes to public high school. She attends pep rallies. She's human.

And then every day in between . . .She's something else entirely.

Though she still looks like herself, every twenty-four hours predatory instincts take over and Kali becomes a feared demon-hunter with the undeniable urge to hunt, trap, and kill zombies, hellhounds, and other supernatural creatures. Kali has no idea why she is the way she is, but she gives in to instinct anyway. Even though the government considers it environmental terrorism.

When Kali notices a mark on the lower back of a popular girl at school, she knows instantly that the girl is marked for death by one of these creatures. Kali has twenty-four hours to save her and, unfortunately, she'll have to do it as a human. With the help of a few new friends, Kali takes a risk that her human body might not survive. . .and learns the secrets of her mysterious condition in the process.

Review: I've heard of Jennifer Lynn Barnes. I've just never read her. If this book is any indication, that was obviously a mistake on my part. Every Other Day was amazing. Simply, flat out, amazing.

I don't typically like books where there are all paranormal/fantasy creatures together - faeries and witches and vampires and werewolves all at the same time are just a little bit too much for me - but in this book, it made it almost better than if it was just one species. Of course, it incorporated many creatures I hadn't seen used in an "every paranormal species" book, and others that have been used way too much that weren't even mentioned in here. The many different species added mystery and suspense as to what some creatures were, or what they would face next.

Kali and her voice in this novel made for an extremely enjoyable read. Kali was absolutely kick butt, and I can't think of another character that could rival her for the title of Best Badass. Maybe Tris, from the Divergent trilogy, but that's it. And that, my friends, is a pretty amazing accomplishment. Her voice was funny, interesting, and didn't let the reader go for one moment. If I hadn't had the annoying thing called "life" getting in the way, I would have happily devoured it in one sitting, and would still have yearned for more.

The supporting characters were just as interesting and well-written as Kali. They each had unique personalities and qualities and quirks that made them believable and enjoyable. I laughed every time Skyler said "We can call up [brother's name] for that!" or drew in a quiet breath every time Zev spoke.

Another thing was, I felt this book. I grew concerned every time one of Kali's friends was in danger, I shared Kali's sense of victory whenever she won a fight. I shared the character's sadness when one of their friends - and an important, wonderful character - died. And that is how, in my opinion at least, you separate the great from the best.

Why did this have to be a stand-alone?

Rating:

Quotes:

"That's what life does. It knocks you down and it breaks you and you either get back up or you don't... you let the bad things win, or you don't." - Page 236

"Sometimes there aren't any good choices. Sometimes making the right one is hard." - Page 266

Book Review: Amy and Roger's Epic Detour, by Morgan Matson

Title: Amy and Roger's Epic Detour
Series/Sequel? No
Author: Morgan Matson
Genre(s): Realistic Fiction, Romance, Hard Topics
Age Level: YA
 Page Count: 344
Perspective: First Person (female)
Summary: Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew--just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend. Amy hasn't seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she's coming to terms with her father's death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road--diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards--this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself.

Review: This book was a good realistic fiction book. It wasn't anything major, but it was a good summer read (a little too late for that, but...), the type of thing that's fun to read by the pool or hanging out on a lazy day.

The sadness and death part of this book was better written than other books I've read, and I was glad to not have to suffer through cliches. Roger's situation was different than any other book I've read, and it was a good compliment to Amy's own pain and sadness, though it wasn't so heavy it dragged the book down into a pity party. And while it wasn't so well-written that I felt empathy for the characters, I did feel sympathy, which is more than some books have managed.

On the other side of things, this book also managed lighthearted- and funniness, in the situations Amy and Roger found themselves in, and the conversations they had as well. I was laughing and smiling just as much as I was frowning in sadness, and few books have managed that.

A good realistic fiction book I would definitely recommend!

Rating:

Quotes:

"Someone had etched into [the diner table] 'Ryan loves Megan always'... I wondered how anyone could have been so sure about a concept so tenuous and impossible as always that they'd be willing to carve it into a tabletop." - Page 199

________________________________________________________________________________

"You've got to have pride in your home. You are where you're from. Otherwise, you're always going to be lost." - Page 174

_________________________________________________________________________________

"I understood in a flash why, on the Greyhound sign, Arrivals and Departures were right next to each other. Because sometimes, like in that moment, they can mean exactly the same thing." - Page 321

_________________________________________________________________________________

"Someone just told me that you can't let things stop you because you're afraid." - Page 249

Book Review: The Catastrophic History of You and Me, by Jess Rothenberg

Title: The Catastrophic History of You and Me
Series/Sequel? No
Author: Jess Rothenberg
Genre(s): Romance, Hard topics
Age Level:YA
Page Count:375 (Hardcover)
Perspective: First person (female)
Summary: Dying of a broken heart is just the beginning.... Welcome to forever.

BRIE'S LIFE ENDS AT SIXTEEN: Her boyfriend tells her he doesn't love her, and the news breaks her heart—literally.

But now that she's D&G (dead and gone), Brie is about to discover that love is way more complicated than she ever imagined. Back in Half Moon Bay, her family has begun to unravel. Her best friend has been keeping a secret about Jacob, the boy she loved and lost—and the truth behind his shattering betrayal. And then there's Patrick, Brie's mysterious new guide and resident Lost Soul . . . who just might hold the key to her forever after.

With Patrick's help, Brie will have to pass through the five stages of grief before she's ready to move on. But how do you begin again, when your heart is still in pieces?

Review: Books about death - and the afterlife - are very interesting, but they are often hit-or-miss. This was definitely a hit.

First off was the voice. Rothenberg managed to create a character with a funny, enjoyable voice who had just the right measure of funniness that she seemed like a typical high school girl, but wasn't cliched, shallow, or just pathetic. Brie dying of a broken heart could have easily made her seem all three, but Rothenberg managed to have such a cause of death be believeable and stir our sympathies, instead of our disbelief. Adding Brie's preexisting heart condition and the fact that her father was a cardiologist, and Brie dying of a broken heart was absolutely perfect.

There were three subsets of supporting characters in this book, and each subset was beautifully realistic and relateable:

Brie's best girl friends added a layer of supporting characters that all girls will be able to relate to: the absolute best friends that know you better than yourself, those that always have your back no matter what. In her friends, I could see some similarites in my own best friends, lending to their believeablility.

Brie's family was wonderful as well: even if they're a little to-good-to-be-true at first, they are ultimately a believeable, well-written family.

And then, of course, we come to the boys. The characters that the book is really formed around. And of course, you can't mention the boys without mentioning the title. Both Patrick and Jacob seem like believeable boys - maybe too-good-to-be true, but each had one major fault that made them human and made them more believeable. The title also changes because of the boys. At first, you think the title is referring to one thing, one pair's history, but then at the end you realize that the title is referring to a different thing completely. I find that really clever and intelligent and I applaud the author for being able to think of such a thing.

An amazing, wonderful book. Put this one at the top of your 'to-read' list!

Rating:

Book Review: The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend, by Kody Keplinger

Title: The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend
Series/Sequel? No
Author: Kody Keplinger
Genre(s): Realistic fiction, Romance, Relationships
Age Level: YA (14-18)
Page Count: 280
Perspective: First person (female)

Summary from Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “the Duff,” she throws her Coke in his face.

But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him. Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.
Review: This was a really good book. I checked it out of the library because the situation of the character reminded me of the relationship in a book I'm trying to write, and I wondered how this author would handle the type of relationship.

The answer is: beautifully.

This is the type of book that doesn't really have a for-certain plot. It's more of a rambling book. Even so, I greatly enjoyed it. I enjoyed reading about Wesley's and Bianca's relationship, how their relationship - if it could even be called that - was based on sex, distraction, and escape from more complicated life matters. I loved reading about it as their relationship changed and grew and morphed into something else. I loved reading about Bianca's other relationships, with her friends and the other kids and school and her mother and father. And I most definitely loved Bianca's sarcastic, cynical, hilarious narrative.

This is a wonderful realistic fiction book about relationships and love. I highly recommend it!

Rating: