Review: Requiem by Lauren Oliver

Title: Requiem

Author: Lauren Oliver

Series: Delirium

Publisher: Harper Collins

Publication Date: March 5^th 2013

Source: Bought

Description: 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.

Sever (The Chemical Garden, #3)

Sever by Lauren DeStefano
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I first finished this book, I gave it five stars. After a bit of thought, I decided to make it four, because there were a few things I didn't like. When I first started this series, I enjoyed it. I didn't love Wither, but I definitely enjoyed it. Then I read Fever, which is by far the best book of the series. I absolutely loved that one and you've probably seen me gushing over it. And now I've read Sever. I really enjoyed it, but in the end didn't love it as much as Fever. These are basically my thoughts during Sever:

Pretty prose.. Gimme more.

Hm, so I like this guy. I get the cover now.

Yes, indeed, you're stalling. Don't.

Okay, interesting.

Whoa, really? I like Fever even more now.

God, Vaughn really does everything, doesn't he?

Meh. Don't like this guy, really.

Oh wow. That must suck SO HARD.

Wait wait, what is happening? How? Whut?

NOOOOO! No, no, no. I refuse to believe this. Fuuuuuuuck.

YOU GO, GIRL!

So.. Let me explain.

I have always loved DeStefano's prose and probably always will. I really love her writing still since it's so poetic and fits the story well. I did think her prose was strongest in Fever, not in Sever. But hey, pretty is pretty right?

I really liked Reed, but he was a bit convenient. I mean, we've never heard of him before (or maybe we have, but I've forgotten). But he was great, or so I thought. And oh, Cecily. I didn't like her all that much in Wither, but I absolutely loved her in Sever and she's probably my favourite character now (sorry, Rhine, too bad.). I mean, she really grows up and this girl is a Badass with capital B. Not that she does fight scenes or anything, but she's strong, maybe even stronger than Rhine. (view spoiler)[ Also, that ending? HELL YES. Cecily, I freaking love you. (hide spoiler)]

I like Rhine, but she was a bit passive in this book. I mean, in the first book (spoilers for book 1 and 2 here) she escapes the mansion and in the second book she's going on this journey that's tough as fuck. but in this book she sits a bit too much around instead of kicking some ass. Not that I didn't like her, but it was a little disappointing.

Then there's Vaughn. He might be the best character in this series. Yes, he's the villain, but altough I hated him in the first two books, I just couln't in Sever. In fact, I felt sorry for him. I could understand him and feel for him. It takes some skill to make your readers feel for the villain, so good job!

Unfortunately, I disliked Rowan. He's just way too meh for me (like Gabriel). He believed like everything he was told and I found I couldn't connect with him.

Now, we need to talk about that cover. Wither's cover was stunning. It was absolutely gorgeous. Then, Fever's cover happened. It was awful, but after reading the book made sense. And now Sever, which also doesn't really live up to expectations. I love the original way of presenting the font and cover, but other than that it's not really a pleasure for the eyes. But once again, after reading the book, it makes sense. The apples, the globe, the plane, the bird (probably representing freedom)... So even though I do not like that cover, I say once more good job.

And.. The plot. I loved how some things from Fever made more sense in this book, making me love Fever even more. I thought it was overall well done, but the ending was a bit hasty for me. The whole thing with Hawaii etc. was a bit too fast for me and I still don't really understand what happened there.

In short, a beautiful and often touching conclusion to the prettily written Chemical Garden series.

Born at Midnight (Shadow Falls, #1)

Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Don’t miss this spectacular new series that will steal your heart and haunt your dreams, Welcome to Shadow Falls camp, nestled deep in the woods of a town called Fallen…

While it didn't steal my heart, it will probably haunt my dreams.. or nightmares.

Because Born at Midnight has the whole package: slut shaming, insta-attraction, more slut shaming and a plot that spends its time mostly elsewhere.

I'll start with this book greatest issue: the slut shaming. God, it was horrible.

                      "Beside him-or she should say plastered against him-sashayed
                        his new slutty girlfriend."

This 'new slutty girlfriend' is someone Kylie, the main character, has never spoken to. Yet the poor girl is called a slut, bang toy and screw toy. Oh, and:

                 "In less than five minutes, Trey would be trying to get in
                  her panties. And from the too-low-cut blouse and too-short
                  skirt the girl wore, it appeared he wouldn't have to try hard."


What has this girl done? Nothing but getting in a relationship with Kylies ex-jerkboyfriend. Such a crime!

Not only is wearing short skirts or shorts slutty and so wrong, having sex is also very eeeeeeevil! Just look at Kylies "best friend" (who is promptly forgotten after Kylie arrives at the camp) Sara! Have sex and you'll end up like her. Or at least, that's what Born at Midnight likes you to think!

                 "More as in Kylie had a sneaking suspicion that Sara longed
                  to rush Kylie to join the partying-non-virgin ranks."

                  "Then she recalled how Sara had given in to Brad's "needs"
                   -Brad, who was the love of Sara's life-yet, within two weeks
                    of giving in, the love of Sara's life had dumped her. What
                    was so special about that?

                   Since then, Sara had dated four other guys, and she'd slept
                   two of them. Now, Sara had stopped talking about sex being
                   special."

Isn't this just a lovely message? Boys are only after sex and if you 'give in', you'll end up like that.

Oh and by the way, pregnancy..

        "It happened to everyone an anyone having unprotected sex. Or
         sex with a faulty condom."



And the preaching and slut-shaming isn't all. Kylie's a bitch. Sorry folks, she is. I mean:

         "Somebody really needed to subscribe to a fashion magazine
           or two."

         "Lordie, can you say freaks? One girl had her hair dyed three
        different colors-pink, lime green, and jet black. Another
        girl wore nothing but black-black lipstipck, black eye
        shadow, black pants, and a black long-sleeve shirt. Hadn't
        the goth look gone out of style? Where was this girl getting
        her fashion tips? Hadn't she read that colors were in? That
        blue was the new black?"

It's not like wearing black can be a fashion choice. Nope, according to Kylie you haven't read the magazines, or you're rebellous! Isn't she lovely?

Then, of course, there is the love square. Yes, square. Unfortunately, you read that right. Because all the boyyzz are fawning over her. There's Trey, the ex and jerk first class, and there's Derek, who can manipulate her emotions, and Lucas, who killed her cat, but not really. I choose....

freakin' no-one!

The curse words in this book are annoying as hell. They say 'bat-shit' but also 'crappers'. They say 'Jesus', but 'Lordie'. And they replace hell with Hades. Oh hell no! Hades isn't the same as hell. He's a god. Not. The. Same.

Oh, and did you know that shapeshifters sparkle when they shift? Hey Twilight, I didn't see you there!

But I did like Miranda and Della. Really, I loved Della. She was great and interesting! I liked Miranda too - and then she lets her friend almost die because she's having a bitchfight with Fredericka, a character with no depth who is only there so everyone can hate her.

It was a really fast read, so it's got that going for it.

All in all...

No.

A Beautiful Dark (A Beautiful Dark, #1)

A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

A Beautiful Dark had an interesting premise, some great ideas, and is extremely disappointing.

Even though it's not very original, the idea of an agent of good and one of evil trying to win over a girl is good. With some slow burning romance, ass-kicking and an awesome heroine, it would be pretty perfect.

What we get is an unlikeable herione, way too much clichés, insta-love and a cheap Twilight-ripoff.

There is a checklist for crappy YA novels these days. Let's see if A Beautiful Dark can get all the checks!

- Unlikable herione

Check, check, double check. Skye is a whiny teenager. She's so very special, but instead of going all "Hell yeah! Let's go kick some ass!" she's just "Fuck my life. Fuck my miserable life. I have powers, ewh! I have a very crappy life. I have two hot boys who want me. Ewh. My parents died, fuck my life!"

Sigh.

She's also Bella Swan the Second. Look at these quotes:

"My skin looked even paler than usual."

Why do they all have to be so pale?

" "Okay, wait, I know you also said no presents," Cassie shouted above the music as we worked our way through the throng, "but I have no self-control." "You better not have spent-" "

Guess who also loathes presents, especially when people paid money for it? You guessed right, Bella Swan!

Also, she gets some kind of iPod adapter thing so she can listen to it in her car. Bella got a new radio for her car. Hmm. Must be a coincidence, no?


- Herione doesn't want her powers

Check. So, Skye's got some pretty awesome powers. I mean, control over the elements? Healing? Pretty badass. But instead she's just:
"I have powers! But fuck my life. It's so very different now that I know I have powers. I wish I'd get my old life back. But I have powers. Oh no!"

- Slutty best friend, not relevant to the plot

Check again!

"I never reacted this way to guys I'd just met. It was Cassie who was boy crazy."

Of course, Cassie's only there to make Skye look good. Also, without Cassie, Skye doesn't have a life.

- Love triangle with two guys, one the 'bad' guy, the other brooding and serious

Guess what? Check. So there's Asher, who's the bad guy and basically a fucking jerk. Why do they always have to think making the MC jealous is the perfect way to get her? Why? I'd be more like, "fuck off now, you've made your point clear." But of course it works. Sigh.

Then there's Devin. He's so very serious and brooding and in luurve with Skye.

- Stalking equals love

Of course, how could I forget? If someone stalks you, it means they are so very in love with you.

"You watch me sleep?" "Once or twice." He smiled.

So very creepy romantic. (Also, guess what Edward does? He watches Bella sleep too! Yay!)

"I know a lot more about you than you know."

Flattering, isn't he?

- 'Parent' who's always conviently away

Check. Aunt Jo is always going out to hike. So very convenient!

- (only add in case of wanting to rip off Twilight) The human boy who's hopelessly in love with our protagonist

There's Ian. He's so in love with Skye, because of course it'd be weird if only two guys fell for her! He's a lot like Matt (or what was his name again?) from Twilight. They're both in love with the main character.

So, A Beautiful Dark's got every single thing! Hurray!

Also:

I didn't feel any older on the day after my birthday than I had on the day before it.

You don't say?

Since he'd arrived, I was having a difficult time concentrating in all of my classes, but for some reason, history, with its rote memorization, had been the hardest.

Because when you're attracted to a guy you're supposed to fail all your classes! please note that this girl wants to go to Columbia.

[the teacher] actually blushed and patted her mousy brown hair that frizzed out in a crown around her face.

Why are teachers always displayed as ugly? Sure, at my school there are some who aren't exactly attractive, but also young teachers, and good-looking ones. So I don't understand why teachers (who are very important, by the way) are always displayed as old, ugly and naïve creatures.

So.. this wasn't really my cup of tea. Too much clichés, way too much. But since I already have the sequel, I'll read it sometime.

City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments, #2)

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Actual rating: 1.5 stars.

Oh God. Where do I even start?

So, first I want to make a statement. Stealing is NOT okay. Stealing is NOT okay. Plagiarism is a form of stealing and therefore also NOT okay. This woman, Cassandra Clare, is earning buckloads of money with J.K. Rowling's ideas. And that, once more, is NOT okay.



And boy, is Clare using Rowling's ideas. I've already gotten over the characters in my review of City of Bones. The prison of Silent City is a weak rip-off of Azkaban. (Great prison, by the way, when just about everyone is able to walk in! Good idea to lock the worst criminals in there!) Valentine is an even weaker rip-off of Voldemort. But where Voldemort was a scary,scary, really bad guy, Valentine is just laughable. Every time he treathened someone, I just wanted to pat him on the head and say: "It'll be okay, Vallie! Just reign in your little temper and count to ten!" I think it's needless to say that that's not a good sign.

Then there's Jace.



Of course we all know Jace's supposed to be a mini-Draco. But I also felt like Clare was trying to make Jace the new Adrian Ivashkov. But where Adrian was arrogant but cute, Jace is arrogant and arrogant. Sorry Clare, but once again I say:



Also, everyone in the story is supposed to have a troubled past. Y'know, we all got bruises and that shit. And for some reason, everyone with said troubled past feels the need to tell us right away how troubled their past was. But I guess Clare doesn't know how to give characters depth otherwise.

Then there's the writing. Oh God. Oh God oh God oh God. It was so bad. Clare still uses every word that just pops into her minde in a simile. Let me give you some quotes, huh?

Isabelle shrugged philosophically.

How does one shrug "philosophically"? Are you supposed to shrug and scratch your beard at the same time?

Eyes like burning ice, (...)

Ice can't burn. If you put a flame and ice togheter, the ice will melt. It won't burn.

(...) its sound of old iron, (...)

Since when does iron, or old iron, have a sound? It might have a sound when scraped over something, but I've never seen some old iron that would suddenly just go *screeeeeeeeeech*.

Isabelle's smile was like a whispered secret.

...

Her eyes were clear blue as glass, (...)

Glass isn't blue. Unless, of course, you've got colored glass, but somehow I doubt that was what Clare meant.

He looked like a lion in a trap.

...

The sky had turned to gunmetal (...)

Pretty hard to breathe like that, huh?

"You're starting to sound like a dolphin, do you know that? Stop."

... wut?

Then there's the plot, or rather, the way the story flows. Clare wants to put some sexy Jace/Clary moments in there, but she doesn't know how. So she does what?

"That's what I don't understand!" Clary burst out. "Why did she make you kiss me? The Queen, I mean. Why force us to do that?"

Because it's an easy way to make you kiss Jace! That's why!

I also wondered if there is being hinted at some Simon/Jace activity,



I would like that. Just leave the super speshul Clare Clary alone, guys!

I'll put the quote in a spoiler, due to.. spoilers. (even though the thing I'm going to spoil is painfully obvious form the start, but hey, whatever)

(view spoiler)[ Simon's drinking Jace's blood in this scene:
But Simon wasn't hurting [Jace] -not really- the pain that had started out sharp faded to a dull burn, pleasant the way the burn of the stele was sometimes pleasant. A drowsy sense of peace stole through Jace's veins and he felt his muscles relax; the hands that had been trying to push Simon away a moment ago now pressed him closer.

*wink wink* (hide spoiler)]

Clare still isn't good at giving hints. I quote from my review of City of Bones: And.. the predictability. I saw every plot twist coming. This might also be because of Clare. Every time she drops a hint, she doesn't just drop the hint but also dances in front of it, singing: "LOOK! A hint! A hint! Right here, you see?". She's still like that. Except she is now dancing nake- no wait, now that I think of it, I don't want that mental image.

Like the hints involving (view spoiler)[ Simon being a vampire (hide spoiler)]. Painfully obvious. Or this one:

(view spoiler)[ "Did the Inquisitor's son die? Is that why she's like this?" (...) "How did you figure that out?"

Because it's obvious! Too obvious!

I also think Jace isn't Valentine's son (this I already thought in City of Bones.) He's an angel, if I'm correct (which is why Clary always dreams of him as an angel). But I hear we're supposed to find that out in book 4. Oops! (hide spoiler)]

But, back to the writing. It was unnatural. For example:

"Then he just left Simon lying there, like some toy he'd ripped all the insides out of so he had no use for it anymore."

No-one talks like that! No-one! Especially not teenage girls!
Ugh. Ugh ugh ugh.

And for the second time that night, a shadow passed between [Jace] and death.

Well, damn.

This is Valentine talking to Jace:

"And you have that quality that causes others to give their lives for you without question."

What? I certainly never would give up my freaking life for that jerk! And I can't believe others would.

And poor Simon. Clary just keeps using him. But wait, Clary's speshul! So she can, right?

So..

I think it goes without saying that I didn't enjoy this book. Well, it made me laugh, but for the wrong reason.

The Elite (The Selection, #2)

The Elite by Kiera Cass
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

*ARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

I really loved The Selection, and I really loved The Elite.

I don't think they are high-quality books like Daughter of Smoke & Bone. This is due to worldbuilding, prose and just the general concept. I don't think they are lacking, but I also don't think they're outstanding.

But you know what? I really don't care. I read these books because they are light and fluffy and enjoyable. They make me happy, I like to read them. And that is what counts in the end. The The Selection series are just plain old fun to read. (Because, c'mon, who didn't or doesn't dream about being a princess? I bet you did.)

I would like to see a little more worldbuilding and information about the rebels. I thought the scene with the rebel girl was a nice touch, but also made me curious for more!

I also thought the plot twist involcing Maxon and his father was surprising and good. I'm curious to see if, and how, this evolves in The One.

Speaking of Maxon, he was incredibly sweet, as always. I really hope America chooses him, because he is just so sweet and giving toward her.
I was in fact a little shocked when there was a little revelation about (view spoiler)[ how he'd never recieved any gift (hide spoiler)] and I hope America will change that.

I did not like Aspen. Yes, he was at times sweet, but he mostly annoyed me. And I still haven't forgiven him for being such a jerk in book one.

All in all, a fun, quick and light read!
And the next book, called The One will be published in 2014. Yes. 2014. How will I survive? I need to know what's going to happen!

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Boundless (Unearthly, #3)

Boundless by Cynthia Hand
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Cynthia Hand?


Actual rating: 4,5 stars

I absolutely love this series. I can't believe it's actually over now D:

Boundless is a stunning close to the series. For some reason, it's also extremely difficult to review.

Things I liked:

There was character growth! Clara really grows up in this novel, standing up for herself and her life. I really loved her: she's such a likeable heroine.

We also got to see more of Angela, Jeffrey, Christian and Tucker (yay!).

The plot twists. OH MY. Apart from one plot twist, they were all surprising, i-never-saw-that-coming plot twists, sometimes ripping your heart out, sometimes making you gasp. Oh my. Oh my.

Chapter 18. So sweet. I really loved it!

Things I didn't like that much:

The ending. It all felt too convenient for me, because everything for Clara and the boy she chooses is just so.. convenient. Life is never convenient.

I also didn't like how things ended for the other boy. We have no idea how he is.

And the whole purpose thing was a little vague. So she's got a divine purpose, but actually it's just a possible future? So what the hell was her purpose exactly? And Jeffrey's??

All in all, a worthy close to the Unearthly series. I can't believe it's really over now! *cries*

Unravel Me (Shatter Me, #2)

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm conflicted about this book. I enjoy this series, but it has clear ups and downs.

The prose

This, I'm sure, will for most people be the thing that makes them love or hate this series. I can stand it, think it's pretty in some passages, think it isn't in others. But I can stand it. It's definitely something new, with all the strikethroughs and repetition.

I think the prose in some places adds tensions, like in the

tick
tick
tick
it's almost
time for war

I really liked that. In other places, however, it just seemed weird to me:

Sometimes I wonder about glue. No one ever stops to asks glue how it's holding up. If it's tired of sticking things togheter or worried about falling apart or wondering how it will pay its bills next week.
That's because talking to inanimate objects is kind of weird, you know?

The Characters

God, Juliette was annoying in this book. She was self-absorbed, having pity parties every other page, and just plain annoying!

I thought Adam in this book was really boring. He doesn't seem sweet or whatever. He doesn't seem anything. He doesn't seem like he has a personality.

I loved Kenji. He was great, and I could kiss him in this passage:

"I'm sick of you being so caught up in your own little world all the time. You act like this whole thing - everythin we do - is a joke. You don't take any of it seriously-" "What?" I cut him off. "That's not true - I do take this seriously-" [Kenji] laughs a short, sharp, angry laugh. "All you do is sit around and think about your feelings. You've got problems. Boo-freaking-hoo," he says. "Your parents hate you and it's so hard but you have to wear gloves for the rest of your life because you kill people when you touch them. Who gives a shit?"

THANK YOU, KENJI. THANK YOU.

Fortunately, Juliette started to change near the end of the book. I'm really hoping she'll stay that way in book 3.

I thought Warner was freaking great. Yup, definitely team Warner. Also, chapter 62 *wiggles eyebrows*

The Plot

Nothing really special there. I thought the plot twist involving (view spoiler)[ Adam's father (hide spoiler)] was pretty obvious. The plot was believable, not too far-fetched as you see sometimes in YA literature.

All in all, a good read. If you like the prose and don't mind an unlikeable herione, this is definitely for you.

So now we have to wait for book 3. And I do think it will be called IGNITE ME!

Fever (The Chemical Garden, #2)

Fever by Lauren DeStefano
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 stars



I have to start off with saying that DeStefano's writing is truly beautiful. It's very poetic and flows through the book like a river. Her writing style is very elegant and rich, and never too much.

Altough reluctantly, I like the cover. It's not a pretty one, BUT the cover designer did such a good job. Literally everything on the cover has to do with the book. The color of the dress, the drugged expression, the tarot cards.. Everything. So while I still don't like it, I do want to congratulate the cover designer because it's such a fitting cover.

Rhine (I still absolutely love her name) just didn't get a break in this book and I found the story to be very sad. Especially the last third, because damn. I really felt for Rhine and all the horrors she got through. I think she's very admirable, strong and stubborn. She doesn't give up, even though she has every reason to.

I also loved the new characters. I really liked Lilac and Maddie, the not-speaking malformed child!

And of course, the 'old' characters too! Cecily and Deirdre, I thought it was nice we got to see them again, because I was curious how their stories would end..


I still don't have any strong feelings about Gabriel. It's not like he's bad or anything, he was in fact very sweet and loving toward Rhine. But I just couldn't connect with him. He seems rather bland and I just don't care for him.

The ending - cliffhanger! How could you do this to me, Lauren? I really want to know what's going to happen now!


So in the end I really liked this book! It was very sad, but very good.

The Host

The Host by Stephenie Meyer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

*slight spoilers*

I'm not really sure if I can rate this book correctly. There are a couple of things I take into account when rating a book:
- The actual quality of the book (e.g. insta-love or not, makes sense or not, etc.)
- How I felt while reading it/ how I feel after reading it

To me, the latter is more important. But while reading this book, I got really sick (it wasn't nice, that's all I'm saying about it), so I might be rating it less than I otherwise would have because obviously I didn't exactly feel good while reading.

In the first couple of pages, The Host was confusing: how does the whole thing work, what is a Soul excactly, etc. But after the first confusing pages, everything settles down.

After escaping and walking into the desert, where Wanda/Wanderer is being very stupid with the water thing, the book gets kind of... boring. There are like 100 pages where Wanda is just baking bread, watering flowers, and having conversations with Melanie about how no one trusts her.

The big reveals are, or at least for me, quite easy to guess, but that didn't ruin the book for me.

I thought the reason for invading Earth was quite lame. This could have been a plenty-of-action book with evil aliens invading our planet and bodies because they want power. Instead, it was all sugary sweet: they were invading Earth because we are ruining the planet!



Oh, and I just have to mention this:

He got to his feet and patted me awkwardly on the shoulder. He didn't seem comfortable with tears. "There, there," he mumbled.

Surely I'm not the only one who went all
SHELDON!!!


Hmm, this was all quite ranty. I did like the book. I also thought it was nice how this was so completely different from Twilight. I see all too often how authors can't seem to come up with new ideas if one of their books is hyped. I was glad to see that that's not the case here.

So, 3.5 stars it is!

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