Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Far in the future, the World Controllers have finally created the ideal society. In laboratories worldwide, genetic science has brought the human race to perfection. From the Alpha-Plus mandarin class to the Epsilon-Minus Semi-Morons, designed to perform menial tasks, man is bred and educated to be blissfully content with his pre-destined role.

But, in the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre, Bernard Marx is unhappy. Harbouring an unnatural desire for solitude, feeling only distaste for the endless pleasures of compulsory promiscuity, Bernard has an ill-defined longing to break free. A visit to one of the few remaining Savage Reservations where the old, imperfect life still continues, may be the cure for his distress…GOODREADS





O brave new world !? No, no thank you. I'd much prefer this cruel and horrible reality than be cowardly. Brave New World and 1984 have always been two books on my TBR list that I've thrown in the same category; not even having read them yet. I expected to enjoy 1984 more than Brave New World, however, Brave New World turned out to be easier and more engaging than 1984 ( which I have yet to finish).

The story starts out with an exposition of the laboratory where the mass human capital is produced and more information of how the future society works and is structured. I personally enjoyed these starting chapters, even if some of the science stuff escaped me, The process of producing human beings like that and conditioning them was very sociologically interesting to me. However, the scene where babies were being "conditioned" to hate reading and flowers was disturbing. The entire method used to condition people was disturbing. People are being conditioned to accept their place in society and like it and not want to rise above their stations. To do their jobs, enjoy and buy new things. Work and enjoyment! Everybody belongs to everybody. Individuality isn't allowed neither is monogamy. 

Bernard Marx is our main character at some point this changes to the Savage. Bernard Marx was disappointing, I first thought it would be interesting. He would be a self-aware member of this superficial society, however, that's not the case. Bernard Black is an Alpha, a status that grants him certain privileges but, he's defected. He's shorter than normal alphas and is bullied by other alphas and is not recognized as an alpha by people below him. This has caused him to question things and that makes him self-aware. Then again, if he wasn't defected and treated so unfairly, would he still have become self-aware? This makes him an interesting character. But Bernard after returning from the Savage Reservations becomes popular and receives a lot of attention from his peers. He becomes the alpha he was meant to be. This was disappointing in a way and answers my question, no,  he would not have become self-aware.

Bernard and Lenina go on a trip to the Savage Reservations. Life in the Reservations is supposed to depict the old and imperfect life. The uncivilized life, I felt uncomfortable about this, because it felt a lot like the stereotype people might have of natives and how they're "uncivilized"'.  Even Lenina's reaction to life on the reservation was strongly ethnocentric. This wasn't a shock though, I suppose it is to be expected. The conditions in the Reservation were horrible and don't adequately show what the other imperfect life was really like. I assumed the 'uncivilized'; the opposite would be housed with normal families and traditional cultures. NOT a place that resembles a prison for people who wouldn't confirm. In this place, Bernard finds the Savage, the child of Linda somebody from the civilized world who got stuck in the reservation. Bernard brings the savage back to the civilized world.

Enter the Savage: The Savage is my favourite character and succeeds where Bernard failed. The Savage is a stronger character ( well excluding him being young and having a severe case of blue balls). Him being from the reservation means he was never conditioned in the way Bernard and Co were and was very critical of the Brave new world he was in. The Savage learned to read in the Reservation and he read a lot of Shakespeare. I liked this about the Savage because he used Shakespeare to convey his thoughts, however, this had a downside because when Lenina makes sexual advances to the Savage he reacts badly. He reacts like an idiot, but I suppose only reading Shakespearean plays isn't the right way to form a very strong opinion of women.

The last chapters and the ending were interesting and entertaining. If I were to use one word to describe how the book ends. Well, I'll just say it was a............. tragedy.  


Grade: 

The Soul of the World (Legends of Amun Ra #2) by Joshua Silverman

The ancient powers lost to Potara have returned. The Brotherhood of the Black Rose rises to bring Thoth into disorder. And, while the Brotherhood reclaims their power, chaos reigns among the survivors. Six individuals have emerged from the aftermath struggling for control over their lives and a divided land. Kem and Shirin, who abolished the five thousand year reign of the Amun Priests, rule from the golden throne of the Oracle’s Chair in the Hall of the Nine. Dio and Axios struggle to piece together a resistance worthy to challenge the ancient magic which resides in the Great Temple of Amun, and Leoros and Atlantia try to remain true to their hearts and their cause despite tragedy.

But when the Book of Breathings is discovered, the path to immortality is revealed. Leoros and Kem race to capture the Soul of the World unaware of the challenges awaiting them. This time, the gods themselves will intervene.

In a tale where boys become men and girls become women, where treachery and deception are around every corner, and where primeval mysticism finds its way back from the grave, victory is reserved for neither the good nor the evil, but the powerful.GOODREADS

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I didn't like this cover at first but looking at it now, it actually works. I've read the previous book in this series a long time ago and only remember bits an pieces. Not that the book isn't memorable, I just have really bad memory.

There were a lot of things that bothered me, but as a whole this is an awesome book and sequel.  I like mythology and this one doesn't only focus on popular Greek mythology but Egyptian as well. There's also a futuristic element to the world Silverman has created. The use of exo-skeletons in battle and holograms and other advanced technology. I didn't touch on this in my first review, but these three things: Greek, Egyptian and futuristic technology all in ancient Egypt ( or a version of Egypt) . The Greek and Egyptian mythology mixing them together and creating the story works and is believable even the advanced stuff works. However, I found it to be distracting at times and contradicting in  way. I would sometimes be so engrossed in the story that I would forget that they had such technology in Potara and  it would surprise me. Then there's the the Am-ra (energy), these abilities some of the characters have and the presence of mythological creatures. It's just a lot to take in and isn't always believable. But it works!

The narration bothered me as well. The story is told from multiple POV's but at times it feels really static and drags. It picks up in the last chapters.  Some of the dialogue as well sound really textbook-like. Especially when Leoros talks about energy and life. At times it seems like almost every person in this world has a sarcastic bone in their body...even the freaking Griffin and Sphinx can be sarcastic. It's like every thing or person has a default sarcastic punk as an alter ego. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but it's also not very dynamic. 

I didn't connect with any of the characters. The  story picks up two years after the events in The Emerald Tablet, Leoros is stuck on earth and wants to get back to Potara. Leoros is suppose to be the chosen one; He's the hero and I don't like him. I don't sympathize with this kid at all. The way he just  accepts his fate and jumps into the role of the savior is unbelievable. The characters that I even remotely liked were probably Dio and ( hate to admit it ) Shirin; Shirin reminded me of Artemesia from Rise of Empire. The way she took control of things and the way she encouraged Kem ( that arrogant bastard) to become a god. I can totally see Kem as the new God king......pharaoh?. Dio is an alcoholic now and eventually gets her *&%$ together. Her relationship with Axios has progressed and they've become closer. Even though Dio has fallen off the wagon they stick together; Dio even tries to commit suicide at one point. I mention this scene, because Axios catches her in the act. The way this event took place was interesting. They just calmly talked it out...even though she pulled the trigger and the gun was empty. The characters don't always react the way you think they will.

The book is called Soul of the World because Kem has to go looking for the Soul of the world to become a god. The soul of the world is a freaking dragon ( I am going with that). There is more to it then just a dragon, but seriously you do not want me to even try to explain it. In the end this dragon is defeated by Leoros with a magic sword. This happens in the end when Leoros , Atlantia and a new character Kevin show up in Ankar. They practically walk into the Resistance fight led by  Axios and Dio in the frey and the city being attacked by Kem's soldiers and ah.... ..did I mention the dragon?. Leoros and company enter the city on a flying griffin and spinx. 

I liked the last chapters because they were exciting and actually funny; Atlantia hits Leoros upside the head because the Sword of Thoth, which he had, could kill the dragon. I also hated that Axios, a supposedly awesome general didn't realize that Shirin was trying to capture Dio or that Dio was an important weapon in the war and sending her off on her own to fight the Brothers of the Rose was an idiotic move. These scenes where Shirin gives orders during the battle again reminded me of Artemesia, especially when she tells her general not to disappoint her. 


I don't know how to categorize this book. It could be sci-fi, it could be supernatural/spiritual. I definitely don't think it's Young Adult, because although some of the main characters are teenagers there's a lot of violence and some sex in this book. Shirin's past is riddled with violence and rape; this surprised me because I didn't really expect that. At times even though Leoros and Atlantia are suppose to be kids they sound really mature and being reminded of this fact, instead of being amazed by this it sounded unbelievable. 

The ending sucks and in a  bad way. I like it when the last line in a book lingers in your mind, it should be memorable. The chapter itself isn't bad it's just the last line ...Leoros after reading a prophecy off of a pyramid miniature literally says " I've heard that before"....that's the ending line...I'm not impressed.



Grade :

The Emerald Tablet ( Legends of Amun Ra # 1) by Joshua Silverman

Leoros doesn't have many friends. The son of a scientist and archeologist, he is constantly on the move. But when his parents make a startling discovery in Egypt, Leoros' world is turned upside down.

Description

Do you wish you could have the power of a god? Would you use it for good…or for evil?

When an archeologist discovers the mythic Emerald Tablet buried beneath Egypt’s desert, her son decodes the ancient text leading him to a distant world.

On that world, a slave girl begins a journey towards a destiny she cannot imagine. But when an ancient foe rises from the ashes, they will be brought together
by forces neither understands.

Leoros, who dreams of being like the heroes in the comic books, must fight to unlock the secrets of the universe to save a people he never knew existed.

Atlantia, whose bloody visions wake her in the night, senses the darkness coming.

Together they will face an enemy with the power of dark energy, lose a mentor to the assassin’s blade, and be betrayed by someone they trust. Their fight for the future is just beginning, and before it is over, a final sacrifice must be made. When the darkness comes, will they stand and fight or will they join it?

There is darkness in everyone.GOODREADS

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I expected this was going to be another story about a kid ending up in another world and having an adventure. Like that movie Warriors of Virtue or Alice in Wonderland. Although I suppose with all the Star Wars references it should be more like Luke saving a planet story. However my Star Wars savvy is limited to some popular phrases and yoda-talk. So I won't go there, everything I expected from this book was blown out of the window starting from chapter one.

The first chapter starts of with a disturbing and unpleasant scene. A girl being strangled by her father. The scene is very detailed, describing what the girl is feeling and how she blacks out. The father while he strangles her keeps asking her if she has ever felt hate. Eventually the girl escapes by unlocking an innate ability, she uses energy and throws her father away. That' was the whole point of the "exercise". The father,King Ankar, is the villain of the story. A man who wants to use his children and get vengeance.

The narration isn't that great. At times it sounds like an old wise science teacher or philosopher or like an enthusiastic kid playing with toy soldiers, the latter comes out especially in the scene where captain Axios is introduced. Also the narrator switches from one character to several together and describes what they're thinking and a bit of each characters background. 

This is a book with very good characterization. Every character has an interesting background but they have unpleasant personalities. But this can just be me and it's only at the start of the book. So bad first impressions. The characters are dynamic as well so they become more bearable in the second half of the book. Leoros was too accepting, he's 13, very young, goes through a portal meets an Amun Priest that says he's a kid from some prophecy and Leoros's reaction to this is basically "cool, teach me your ways". The other apprentices have unpleasant and shallow personalities. Again this changes later, while  some change for the better others not so much. The one character that changed and I liked more was Dio, I think her character grew a lot and I suppose Leoros as well. Then there's Kam's character  one of the apprentices that goes and joins Ankars army. The one character that just kept going down hill while developing a twisted obsession to a magical rod, I expected him to start calling it "my precious " at some point. 

The odd and unfortunate thing is I liked Leoros's parents, Alex and Camilla. Those were the characters I liked the most. They had clashing personalities, Alex believes in what he sees while Cam is more open-minded. The narration also switches from what's happening in Potara and with Leoros's parents trying to activate the pillar to get him back. This was an unfortunate choice in favorite characters because they died.

This is science-fiction, kind of. Leoros ends up in a futuristic kind of Egyptian planet, potara. There's a disconnection at times between the narration and  the story. Sometimes you're focused on one scene or event then suddenly they're on advanced aircraft's. 

It's still a good story, it has that old school feeling of diving into a new and interesting  world and not just some glossy young adult novel. Also a good integration of Egyptian and Greek mythology.

I'm not happy with the ending. The ending was unexpected. It felt like the scene in John Carter when Carter gets tricked and sent back to earth...only the movie didn't end there. Objectively it's a good ending, subjectively.........

I'd definitely recommend this book, if you're a sci-fi fan, or Star Wars fan, or a comic book fan then there's definitely something for you in this book. If you're looking for something new, this book has that too. 

I liked what Leoros learned about Duality , how it's about perspective and finding a balance between two things. Is this really a good book or a bad one, I guess you'll just have to read it yourself.

My review of The Soul of World (Legends of Amun Ra 2)
Grade:

**T0 review this book I was asked

Vampire Hunter D volume 3 by Hideyuki Kikuchi , adapted and illustrated by Saiko Takaki

The third volume of the popular Japanese series comes to America in Vampire Hunter D: Demon Deathchase. The vampire hunter known only as D has been hired by a wealthy, dying man to find his daughter, who was kidnapped by the powerful vampire Lord Meierlink. Though humans speak well of Meierlink, the price on his head is too high for D to ignore and he sets out to save her before she can be turned into an undead creature of the night. In the nightmare world of 12090 A.D., finding Meierlink before he reaches the spaceport in the Clayborn States and gets off the planet will be hard enough, but D has more than just Meierlink to worry about. The dying man is taking no chances, and has also enlisted the Marcus family, a renegade clan of four brothers and a sister who don't care who they kill as long as they get paid. Beautiful illustrations by Yoshitaka Amano complement the post-apocalyptic plot, filled with chilling twists. Co-Published with Digital Manga Publishing.GOODREADS

* the description of the manga belongs to another edition. The edition being reviewed is adapted and illustrated by Saiko Takaki.

First off, I'm not familiar with the other two volumes or the story arc. This is my introduction to this manga. Not knowing certain things did bother me: like why the hell does D have a face or an ugly speaking face on his hand or why he's so mysterious and why the old guy seemed to know him. I guess being ignorant of D's background made this less impressive but it doesn't really ruin the plot,  it just makes a person curious so it's safe to read this as a stand alone. Then again I don't know why you would start at 3 when you should start with one.

The plot is predictable , I mean vampire falls in love with human, they run away, dad is disgusted, hires hunters,  girl hunter sympathizes because she likes D, a dramatic scene where the Meierlink gets killed and then human girl impales herself because she can't live without him. Predictable. 

What made it interesting was the characters and the illustrations. D's mysterious and I don't get him. Then there's the Marcus clan ( a bunch of morons, moron clan) and the Noble vampire who kidnaps the damsel. Then there's the 3 assassins from some village. They all die and the way they kept coming back was surprising and frustrating. I mean die already!

As for the illustrations. Lets see: the body of the characters ,their cloths (in this case I mean the men's cloths) are done really well and are amazing. But the faces aren't as attractive as the clothes . The faces are weird looking in my opinion but the expressions are unique and eye-catching. 

There are three female characters in this manga. I hated them all.  There's the damsel; who almost gets raped then saved by this guy who then tries to rape her and again gets rescued by a Marcus brother . Then there's the female Marcus member: she's suppose to be bad ass but is being sexually abused by her "brothers" and one of the assassins who's in this really skimpy outfit (how do you fight in that?!). The word "sexist' is swimming around in my head, but I'm not sure if I should use it. It is what it is. The assassin used her body as a weapon, the Marcus girl's a reasonable fighter but kind of weak and the damsel's too kind and naive. plus the other two aforementioned ones have these huge boobs. Maybe not extremely huge ones, but they're very apparent, noticeable. like they'd poke you in the eye or something. how do you fight with those?!

Predictable plot and crappy female characters aside, it's still a fun manga to read . I didn't know it was set in the year 12090 A.D and that this was also a science fiction manga, that wasn't as apparent in this volume as the boobs ,but one of the reasons I'd give it a try if ever I come across another volume.

Grade:

Mockingjay ( The Hunger Games # 3) By Suzanne Collins

"IF WE BURN

YOU BURN WITH US"

Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But she's still not safe. A Revolution is unfolding, and everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans - everyone except Katniss.
And yet she must play the most vital part in the final battle. Katniss must become their Mockingjay - the symbol of rebellion - no matter what the personal cost.

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Upon reading the last pages of Mockingjay. I have to say that it is one profound , moving and emotional read. This book brings to light a lot of issues, old issues we haven't grown out of yet. The uprising against the Capitol and it's downfall, the revolution, war, things our history books overflow with.

Mockingjay tells an old story through Katniss, an old story of war and the consequences of it.

The writing is really good and simple and touching. The characters are so real, you sympathize with their plight. Or hate them for their decisions. It all feels so sad and frightening .

Katniss changes a lot in this book. Not in a good way, she's grown too fast. She's a seventeen year old girl who has to survive. The physical and mental violence she has to go through is unbearable. The deaths of the people she loves haunts her.

I had hoped for a happy ending or a good ending. But it was more a bittersweet ending. The Capitol has fallen, there are no more Hunger Games. There's peace now.  Katniss and Peeta are married and have children but they're still haunted by the past. They won't ever forget. 

The Songs of a Distant Earth by Arthur C. Clark

Just a few islands in a planetwide  ocean, Thalassa was a veritable paradise- home to one of the small colonies founded centuries before by robot Mother Ships when the Sun had gone nova and mankind had fled Earth.

Mesmerized by the beauty of Thallassa and overwhelmed by its vast resources, the colonists lived an idyllic existence,unaware of the monumental evolutionary event slowly taking place beneath their seas....

The the Magellan arrived in orbit carrying one million refugees from the last,mad days on Earth. And suddenly uncertainty and change had come to the placid paradise that was Thallassa.

Expectation: The Magellan arrives in the very first chapter, so I'd  already speculated and anticipated what would happen. The Lassans thought the Magellan  was carrying aliens or another robots seeding ship. I expected some form of trouble, disagreement, discomfort maybe from the Lassans. But Thallassa is a paradise and the people are almost perfect and objective and welcoming A perfect society.

Characters:
In the very first chapter we meet Kumar,Brandt and Merrissa. They are from Thallassa and see the ship fly over . It's not easy to connect with any of the characters (at first). They're neither likable or unlikable. The Lassans are all so objective and easy going. Later on the characters get more form . Mayor Waldor was annoying , she's so irritating. Kaldor (from Magellan) is an interesting character , he keeps having conversations (in his mind) with his dead wife( to keep her memory alive).

Lassan society: 
This is a society founded by robot seeding ships. The people have access to information to earth, but censored information. Even books have been censored, anything indicating religion or anything spiritual has been removed. Thereby creating a society without the idea of God. A (almost) perfect and peaceful society, which leaves the question .is that good or bad?

Even the people in the story, the Lassan or the last people from Earth (Magellan) are from a furturistic generation. From  a different earth/millennium then the current one. Which again makes it hard to relate to them. They have another view of earth and are so objective but still just people.

The book succeeds in making you think and it fascinates you. and scares you. Do we even care about the people from the next millennium? about the the state we leave the planet in for them? Clearly by the state of things now, we don't. or we're making a half-ass attempt.

Some of the people from Magellan wanted so stay on Thallassa (only a small few) . I though there was going to be a mutiny (love this word) but no, they just brought some scientific interrogator out of his frozen sleep. Odd man and his methods of interrogation was interesting and surprisingly nonviolent.  After the interrogation he went and read a Sherlock Holmes story.

Although the book didn't exceed my expectations it's still a good read, there are some scientific stuff in it that has eluded my understanding. This in no way devalues  the book, it's written really wel, the chapters are short and have nice titles. The writing flows so it's not bland.

There was one thing that intrigued me an unanswered question. I googled and found somebody else had asked the same question:

In chapter 51 (Relic) Moses Kaldor gives to Mirissa Leonidas a gift: a gold, gleaming bell that was the model of a temple. Inside it was:
"(...) All that's left of one of the greatest men who ever lived; he founded the only faith that never became stained with blood. I'm sure he would have been most amused to know that, forty centuries after his death, one of his teeth would be carried to the stars." 
What man and what faith was Clarke refering to here?

Exactly, what man founded the only faith that never became stained with blood???

Apparently the answer is Buddhism. I guess that makes sense. Is it the correct answer? how did they get his teeth? or is it his teeth? one question leads to another

Source: 

Question/answer form

Grade:

Catching Fire ( The Hunger Games 2 ) by Suzanne Collins

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Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are still alive. Katniss should be relieved, but now there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.
As the nation watches Katniss and Peeta, the stakes are higher than ever. One false move and the consequences will be unimaginable.

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A dystopia is the idea of a society, generally of a speculative future, characterized by negative, anti-utopian elements, varying from environmental to political and social issues. Dystopian societies, usually hypothesized by writers of fiction, have culminated in a broad series of sub-genres and is often used to raise issues regarding society, environment, politics, religion, psychology, spirituality, or technology that may become present in the future. (from wiki)

The Hunger Games Trilogy falls under this genre and because it's dystopian makes it a likely scenario. That's why it's a scary book aswell. The themes of hunger,oppression,child labor,death are so well interwoven in this story/presentation that you can't help feeling angry at The Capitol or sympathetic to the people in the districts and even a bit scared of president Snow .but  other than the sympathy toward this fictional world and it's fictional characters   where's your sympathy for the real one. oppressed states, hunger,child labor. aren't fictional phenomenons. These are real things. 

After reading Catching Fire I no longer  feel comfortably saying this is an awesome book or an amazing book, for fear of sounding like someone from the capitol. And even if I call it an amazing book, what's amazing about Rue dying! or any of the other children (even if some of them were crazy). What I will say is that this is a significant piece of literature and if anything it succeeds in making you think. maybe seeing these things on the news over and over again while we're comfortable in our own homes, save and warm we're detached to the suffering of others.

For this book to make you think and  feel says a lot . It's a well written book and The characters are real in a way. If you like strong female leads then Katniss is definitely the girl. She's grown a lot since book one. Coming back from The Hunger Games has left her with nightmares ,guilt and fear for her family. nothing has really changed. In book one she was only concerned about her and her family but in Catching Fire things change. Katniss realizes although she's tried to protect her sister from the Capitol they have already hurt her by letting her watch her in the Games. Rue's death has also played an important part in Katniss's development. By the end of this book Katniss becomes the Mockingjay, the symbol of the revolution.

The book is divided into three parts:

The spark: Katniss and Peeta are back home and are getting ready for their victors tour. Katniss is anxious to get it over with. She gets a visit from president Snow. President Snow warns /threatens Katniss not to encourage rebellion but it's out of her hands really. But at the threat to her family ,Peeta's and Gale's she doesn't have much of a choice. Katniss makes plans to run away or start a rebellion. I think it's called The Spark because after Gale gets punished for poaching ,she realizes she has to do something.

The Quell: in honor of the 75th Hunger Games there's a new rule. The  tributes to participate in this Hunger Games will be chosen from the surviving victors. Which means as the only female victor from district 12, Katniss will be going back in. Coincidence? This part focuses on the training and preparations for the Hunger Games. Katniss's plan this time is not to survive and go home, she's adamant on getting Peeta out of it alive.

The enemy: Part three focuses on the Game itself. This time it's set on a beach. Before Katniss goes in Haymitch tells her to remember who the enemy is. At the end she figures it out. The other tributes aren't her enemy. The Capitol is, president Snow is. and she blows up the arena.

At this point I'm really skeptical about this series having a happy ending. Unrealistic but that's what everybody hopes for. This one ends with district 12 blown up , the other districts are rebelling , Cinna's probably dead. Peeta's been taken by the capitol. Katniss wants to kill Haymitch. It's all chaotic. But not so far gone for a happy ending I hope. 

Dystopia seems like a heavy cup of tea. I don't like thinking about the future. I only think so far forward as tomorrow. Even then I'm self-centered and only think about what I'm going to do. I'm no Katniss. But there are others out there. vigilantes, guard dogs. Showing us the truth. We just have to open our eyes and see it. and do something.

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games 1) by Suzzane Collins

 

I read this last year and and loved it. Also seeing as this book has been getting a lot of hype you probably already know what it's about . I haven't seen the movie yet and if you have I'd advice you to still go read the book. 

The Hunger Games is an awesome book. It has a great story ,good writing, wonderful characters and a level of seriousness I didn't expect from a young adult novel. This is one frighteningly good book! I still haven't read Cacthing Fire or Mockingjay because I'm waiting on the paperbacks. Albeit that didn't stop me from looking for spoilers and becoming depressed by them. I still want to read the other 2 books!

This book is about children getting forced to participate in a game called "The Hunger Games". This event is held to show the 'people" who's the boss and discourage them from rebelling from The Capitol. You're going to get pissed off by the Capitol and the people from The Capitol. They are just weird and weird looking. The Hunger Games is harsh . The participants(children) are called tributes and if they wanna win they're gonna have to kill each other till the last one standing. This is the reason I find this book scary. This shit could actually happen! the (any )government could go all dictatorial on us! Children being forced to kill is also not a recent phenomenon. It's old and still around in third world countries. Hell they could make us go around looking like that Trinket lady!

At first I didn't want to read The Hunger Games because 1. it being compared to twilight 2. the whole team Gale/Peeta thing.

note to you people: these 2 books are not comparable. please stop. seriously.

As for the team thing. This book is about oppression, effects of war, starvation and you're picking teams!! and the wrong freaking team!! Team Peeta FTW!

Katniss is the main character and the book is told from her POV. She enters the games with the sole purpose of surviving and coming back to take care of her family. Katniss's a survivor she's been taking care of her family since her dad died. She's only a kid in age. 

As for Peeta. He gets drafted into the Games. The boy with the bread  has been crushing on Katniss since he was 5. Great at camouflage . He's just a civilian . Although what I like about he's character is when he says He wants to find a way to show the capitol that they don't own him. Peeta doesn't want to kill anybody but understands what he's going to be forced to do.

In this book people are going to die. Children are going to die. Death. Gruesome deaths awaits you in this book. Oh and then they get turned into chimeras. Ah what the government does with our taxes, very creative.

The most horrible scene and touching but also shows how horrible The Games are is when Rue gets killed.

Rue! oh Rue!! I read this last year but when I think of Rue I think of a small fury woodland creature that you have to protect or take care of. Although Rue was small and most thought she'd be the first to get killed. She was very fast and sneaky and sweet and kind and they freaking killed her! Katniss's sang to her before she died and covered her with flowers and then maked a sign with her hand to honour Rue. Sad and touching and horrible! you're gonna feel some stuff reading this

Like I said this is a great book. So go read it, understand what it's about. Feel it .

 

Review: Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Amy is a cryogenically frozen passenger aboard the vast spaceshipGodspeed. She expects to awaken on a new planet, 300 years in the future. But fifty years before Godspeed's scheduled landing, Amy's cryo chamber is unplugged, and she is nearly killed.

Now, Amy is caught inside an enclosed world where nothing makes sense.Godspeed's passengers have forfeited all control to Eldest, a tyrannical and frightening leader, and Elder, his rebellious and brilliant teenage heir.

Amy desperately wants to trust Elder. But should she? All she knows is that she must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets before whoever woke her tries to kill again.

" If you want to know anything, observe it's beginning and it's development" 

~Aristoteles~

This book is just great!  I fully enjoyed reading it. It's well written . Easy to understand, honest expressions and amusing curse words "frex " and "chutz"  and gives you a lot to think about. This book made me feel. It took me out of the numbness of routine life. It frightened me, it saddened me and it angered me. Any such book should be on your TBR list! 

The 3 causes of discord

1. Differences ~Apparently differences are bad and cause chaos. The people on the spaceship "Godspeed" are "monoethnic". Basically they all freaking look alike. They have no physical differences.

 Then Amy shows up. A girl with red hair and pale skin. She is deference. The people on the ship see her as a freak and are kind of hostile towards her.  Except the people on the  mental ward in the ships hospital. It's all upside down. The people who work and maintain the ship are crazy and the people on the mental ward are in fact the sane ones. It's infuriating as it is frightening. I live among differences. To me it's the epitome of beauty.

2. A lack of a strong leader~ Eldest is the leader of Godspeed. The guy is a crazy, menopausal tyrant. He runs the ship on lies and drugs.The man is insane as he is frightening. Although what he's trying to do is to protect the people on the ship, his means aren't right. He keeps the inhabitants of the ship in a passive state by drugging their water supply. The inhabitants are complacent, they question nothing and blindly follow Eldest's leadership.  Orion, the person who was suppose to take Eldest place . This guy doesn't agree with Eldest's way of doing things but his ways aren't better either. Then there's Elder, who at the end of the book becomes the new leader of Godspeed. He has an understanding of  what it takes to be a good leader. "being a good leader does not mean using your strenght to make people do things but to lend people your strenght so that they can do things"

Fun Fact: Eldest/Elder and Orion are clones. They are technically the same person.This raises the question. If they're the same person, if they're based on the same DNA . Then won't they make the same mistakes? 

3. Individual Thought ~  This is the scariest.  Not being able/allowed to think for yourself. The people on Godspeed are being drugged into a complacent state, this prevents individual thought. They are passive and think everything is alright they question nothing. They are empty. Their passiveness is creepy.  

Everything on Gospeed is fake. It's all artificial. The air,food,animals,water,rain. Not real. The characters feel trapt in a metal box, it's suffocating. It would kill me never to see the sky again. While the book is told from Amy's and Elder's POV you can feel the confinement from their POV"S. Their longing to feel something "real". You can also see the difference between Amy and Elder. Amy is from earth and knows what she's missing, she knows that life on godspeed isn't normal, she sees the lies. In the end she opens elders eyes to them aswell. 

Although I've developed a disinterest in YA books I' have to admit I'm glad I read this one. It wasn't what I had expected. Death, suicide, attempted rape,clones,conspiracy! yeah definitely not what I had expected.

I give this awesome book 4 stars and thank the dude from the blog " Roro Is Reading " for lending it to me.


Grade:   E

Review: Born of Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon

In the Ichidian Universe, The League and their ruthless assassins rule all. Expertly trained and highly valued, the League Assassins are the backbone of the government. But not even the League is immune to corruption . . .

Command Assassin Nykyrian Quikiades once turned his back on the League—and has been hunted by them ever since. Though many have tried, none can kill him or stop him from completing his current mission: to protect Kiara Zamir, a woman whose father’s political alliance has made her a target.  

As her world becomes even deadlier, Kiara must entrust her life to the same kind of beast who once killed her mother and left her for dead. Old enemies and new threaten them both and the only way they can survive is to overcome their suspicions and learn to trust in the very ones who threaten them the most: each other.

After reading the dark-hunter books I needed more Kenyon,so I decided to check out her League series. At first I wasn't really interested because it was science fiction and I was looking for more paranormal and more of the dark-hunters. But people kept talking about how great her other books are so I had to check them out and The League really is worth it. It's action packed, funny and gruesome.

The  first cover I saw of Born of Night was pink and not very attractive but the new one is better and thank god when I bought the book I got the new one and not the pink one.

Nykyrian has had a really rough life. He was abandoned in an orphanage by his grandmother because he was half andarion half human. He grew up hating his mother and his adoptive father who made his life a living hell. But his redemption shows up in the form of a little dancer named Kiara,who shows him that life isn't as ugly as he sees it.


The other characters are just amazing and I love their names. Dancer Hawk and Darling Cruel. You can't but love their never-ending banter, they act as if they hate each other but they're quite loyal friends. Hawk is always threatening to eat Darling. Before I read Born of Night, I thought it was stupid to name a character Darling but after reading this book I realized the guy makes the name work. I eagerly anticipate their stories.

Then there's Syn , best friend and brother of Nykyrian and a drunk. All the guy ever wanted was to have a normal life I think and he had it all. A wife and a son but then his past came back to bite him in the ass and he lost everything he ever loved. So he found his solace in drinking. It was funny how throughout the book Nyk was always trying to get Syn to drink orange juice and how Syn was almost always drunk .

I couldn't help but look for things to link Born of Nigh to the dark-hunter series. I was always reading Kyrian instead of Nykyrian and Thinking of Sin from DH. I'm not saying Dark-Hunter and The League are the same ,they're not obviously. Dark-hunter has more of a fate/destiny theme while the league has a justice kind of theme (my opinion).

The book has a happy ending, yeah Nykyrian almost died and has kind of a limp now. But he also has a little dancer for a wife and a daughter and a son. And he found out he's family didn't really abandon him, they really did love him and never forgot him .

I give this book 4 stars and I'm happy I bought it because it enables me to visit the Ichidian Universe whenever I want.

<- this is the old cover. See it's PINK!