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.

If I Should Die (Die For Me, #3)

If I Should Die by Amy Plum
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

SPOILER ALERT!


There it is, at last, the last book of the Revenants series. I've read and loved the first two books in the series and now I've read and loved the last one. Since the first book I've thought Plum's ideas about bardia and numa are very original, and I still think so.

I definitely thought this was the strongest book in the series because Kate really grows a pair in this one. She kicks ass.

The first chapter in this book was very sweet. If you're an emotional reader (which I am not), keep tissues at hand.

I think the whole thing with Vincent being allowed to stay three days with the bardia was a bit too convenient. I just can't believe any villain would allow that.

The two plot twists involving Kate (her being the Champion and her becoming a revenant) were really obvious, but well done.

I thought it was very realistic how Kate reacted to being a revenant. She didn't go all

1: Bella, "YES I am finally a monster! Life is so much better now! Yay me!"
or
2: Skye, "Oh boy, I am so special and two hot boys fawn over me, fuck my life!"

Instead, her reaction is very realistic: she's disgusted. She can't think of herself being undead, because she's disgusted. Yes! Now this is the appropiate reaction to finding out you're undead! God, I'm really glad Plum pulled it off that well.

I also feel like Plum's prose has developed over the course of the series. It doesn't make it to my "gorgeous prose" shelf, but I definitely see improvement, and that's a good thing. I really liked this passage, for example (spoiler for those who haven't read book 2!):

But I am suddenly unafraid, knowing I will face Violette with a powerful weapon: love. The complete and unconditional love of another being. That is something Violette does not have. It won't win me the battle against her. But it has already made me the victor over my fear.

I really loved that passage, and I do think Plum has talent.

The way redemption was woven into the story surprised me and made me happy. It's good to see the message that all hope is never lost, and you can be good and true if you really want to.

The ending - the epic battle- was a bit unsatisfying for me, but I can't name what exactly I missed in it.

I disliked how Jules was written out of the story. I get that friendship doesn't always last forever, but it was a bit too sudden for me. I wish the book took more time slowly buiding to his department.

All in all, I really liked this book. I think this is definitely the strongest book of the three, and it is a nicely woven tale of friendship, redemption and ass-kicking!

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 Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1)

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I'm probably the last person on earth to read Harry Potter The Mortal Instruments, but I've finally done it!

Unfortunately, I wasn't exactly blown away. It was - to me- okay to read, just something light. But I'd never call this literature.

I didn't like the writing. It was just.. weird, really, and a bit juvenile. There were also spelling mistakes: once it said "though" instead of "through", for example.

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?" There were also a lot of little errors, such as:

"Do they bloom every night?" "Only at midnight," he said.

It might be just me, but as far as I know, midnight IS every night. *sigh*

In Hoc Signo Vinces. "What does that mean?" she asked. "It means, 'by this sign we will conquer'(...)"

As far as I know, "vinces" does not mean WE will conquer. Usually, the -s stands for "you".

Ginny Clary also wasn't likeable. She has this 'best friend' Harry/Ron Simon, and he's very sweet toward her. When the Shadowhunters go all bitchy, he stands up for her. Then the Shadowhunters go all bitchy on Simon, I expected Ginny Clary to stand up for him too, but instead we get this:

For a moment it looked like [Simon] might resist [Isabelle], but he caught Clary's eye across the table as she shook her head slightly. He subsided. Head up, he let Isabelle lead him from the room.

Ginny Clary, you are a fucking bitch.

(view spoiler)[ Predictable:
But Raphael was laughing. "You missed," he said, and grinned for the first time, showing pointed white incisors. "You missed my heart."

Wait, so Raphael is a vampire? WHOA, never would have guessed that. *heavy sarcasm* (hide spoiler)]

And this was so obviously a fan-fiction, Harry Potter was everywhere.
Clary = Ginny
Simon = Harry/Ron
Jace = Draco
Luke = Lupin
The Mortal Instruments = The Deathly Hallows

*sigh*

But I have to admit, it was an addicting read. That's why it got two stars instead of one.

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*

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!

View all my reviews