The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness Review

The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking #1), by Patrick Ness

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Dystopia, Science-Fiction, Adventure

Rating: 3/5 stars

Publication: May 5, 2008, by Walker

Format: Paperback Edition (borrowed)




Goodreads Summary: Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men. Ever since the settlers were infected with the Noise germ, Todd can hear everything the men think, and they hear everything he thinks. Todd is just a month away from becoming a man, but in the midst of the cacophony, he knows that the town is hiding something from him -- something so awful Todd is forced to flee with only his dog, whose simple, loyal voice he hears too. With hostile men from the town in pursuit, the two stumble upon a strange and eerily silent creature: a girl. Who is she? Why wasn't she killed by the germ like all the females on New World? Propelled by Todd's gritty narration, readers are in for a white-knuckle journey in which a boy on the cusp of manhood must unlearn everything he knows in order to figure out who he truly is.

Review:

   I fell in love with Patrick Ness's writing back early this year with A Monster Calls. That was probably the most heartbreaking, charming, and special story that I ever read, and that I'll probably ever read. This time around, I came back to the story that really began his fame and the story that captivated every YA reader, The Knife of Never Letting Go. So many people came to adore this trilogy, and I finally decided that it was my turn to come into this world of lies and mystery, in a dystopian setting full of all men, until a girl shows up and changes Todd's life forever.

     Out of my little over 200 friends on Goodreads, 118 of them have reviewed this book or added it onto their TBR shelf. And from those who've read this, almost all of them (except 2) have given this a 4 star and above rating. That's wacko, if you ask me. But at the same time, that really shows the kind of fandom and stardom Ness has in the bookish world. And this book was published in 2008. This is probably the oldest dystopian book I've ever read to date! 

       I'm sorry that I didn't enjoy this as much as other people did, but Patrick, you sure deserve a brilliant round of applause for writing such an unique story that let me thinking.

         This story all begins with us getting to know Todd and his dog, and the atmosphere that they're in. From the start, we can already guess that this is featured in a dystopian setting, and that immediately boosted this book's mega excellence points up by 500. This premise is unique and shows that the Chaos Walking trilogy obviously began the era and genre of dystopia. From there on, look at the kind of stories that authors have created! *cheers* Todd is last not-man in his tribe, and where he lives in the New World. Todd, and the rest of the men in his town were infected with the Noise germ, and now he can hear everything that the others think. What they think is called their "Noise," and this basic idea is really what started the rest of the book and really got it going to a whole new level. One day, Todd is forced to flee away from the town, a month before he's supposed to turn into a man, and all he has is his dog with him. That's where everything basically begins.

         Mind-reading, a messed up setting, deserts, something like The Maze Runner, we have a bunch of different scenarios all squashed up together to form this wonderful story. Firstly, I must have to say that this book definitely could've been better. It could've ended up better in so many ways. But at the same time, Patrick's writing is what brought this story to a whole different level and is what kept me going. He gave me a chance to experience the "story and life" of a young boy who's all alone.

        

           You don't even know what kind of guilt and sorriness you'll feel for Todd by the end of this story. He was a poor soul. :( I imagined him like an 11 year old walking alone in the desert, somewhat like the characters in the movie Up.

              The feelings were there. THE FEELS WERE THERE. In this chunky large book, I did shed a few tears, three or four times overall. I must say that this was a strong story that wasn't fluffy whatsoever. I was left captivated over and over by every chapter, but there were many things missing that I wish were there.

             More action. At some points, I felt like the story was dragging on and on, although the end of chapters were exhilarating. And more unique characters. I felt like we got a bunch of characters who were in sticky-situations. That's obviously okay, but they didn't deal with it well. It was droning on and on and nothing was happening that had to do with them. One minute we see them the other we don't. I don't know what was happening half of the time because it was all confusing.

               This was a great book, don't get me wrong, I just wish that there was more to the story. I wanted something special, but instead I just got a regular 3 star book. Where's my 5 star?

Made For You, by Melissa Marr Review

Made for You, by Melissa Marr

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Paranormal, Romance, Contemporary

Rating: 5/5 stars

Publication: September 16, 2014, by HarperCollins

Format: Hardcover Edition (borrowed)




Goodreads Summary: Bestselling author of the Wicked Lovely books Melissa Marr’s first contemporary YA novel is a twisted southern gothic tale of obsession, romance, and murder. A killer is obsessed with Eva Tilling. Can she stop him, or will he claim her?

When Eva Tilling wakes up in the hospital, she’s confused—who in her sleepy little North Carolina town could have hit her with their car? And why? But before she can consider the question, she finds that she’s awoken with a strange new skill: the ability to foresee people’s deaths when they touch her. While she is recovering from the hit-and-run, Nate, an old flame, reappears, and the two must traverse their rocky past as they figure out how to use Eva’s power to keep her friends—and themselves—alive. But while Eva and Nate grow closer, the killer grows increasingly frantic in his attempt to get to Eva.

For the first time, New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr has applied her extraordinary talent to contemporary realism. Chilling twists, unrequited obsession, and high-stakes romance drive this Gothic, racy thriller—a story of small-town oppression and salvation. Melissa’s fans, and every YA reader, will find its wild ride enthralling.

Review:

   *sits at desk, squealing like a maniac* So at the moment, I am in a fuss and am writing my reviews that I need to accomplish writing, and I am literally cheering and yelling and fangirling because I've finally gotten to write this review.

      Well, you should, you wonderful people, because THIS BOOK WAS FANTASTICALLY AMAZING AND I AM LEFT WITHOUT WORDS AND AM STILL TAKING DEEP BREATHS AND WHEEZES UNTIL THIS DAY. 

        Made for You was unbelievably amazing. Melissa Marr writing contemporary? I think that she's done an even better job than of writing paranormal. This woman is a legendary writer. 

        You: So what the fudge happened in this book that made it so worthwhile and amazing?

        Me: 

           Except it was exactly a murder... it all began with an obsession and some crazy thoughts, that geared to the richest girl in town, and the most popular one, Eva Tilling. She's the most popular girl in school, and certainly has parents that are the most known, and is part of one of the founding families in their small town in North Carolina. Eva wakes up in the hospital, and has no idea what has happened. She's all bandaged up, and has broken her leg. And then she sees herself in the mirror, and that ruins everything. She is notified that she was struck and hit in a hit and run, and no one has any idea of who could've done this to her and why. Was it by accident, or on purpose? The thing is, Eva is well liked and there was never any fuss to complain about. But everything is not what it seems... as it usually is. What happens when you were "made for someone?"

       

            This was one hell of a thrill ride. That was the first sentence that I literally thought of when finishing this book, and I guess that everyone will be thinking that. At the same time, this was a crazy mystery/thriller and somewhat of a paranormal romance, but I'd stay away from that thought because it certainly wasn't anything close to what Melissa originally wrote about in her previous novels. She began off with a gorgeous premise and a few interesting points of view. 

             You'll probably think that you know what will happen. I was so damn sure that I knew who it was. Who "Judge" was. It made perfect sense. And then the ending came, and I was like:

          AHSHFGRIJGJ[EHGJGEDHGIHE. WOW. WHO LITERALLY SAW THAT COMING?! I can't imagine how people admit that they saw that ending coming. You literally have to be Nancy Drew to figure that out.

           So yes, everything about this book was perfect. The plot was unbelievable and I was glued to the book and was unable to let it go until I finished it. Now, when does that happen to me? Rarely, I tell you. I've read Marr's books in the past and never have been even close to being intrigued as I was here. This was some serious plot-making. 

           JUDGE WAS CREEPY AS FUDGE.

            I got so creeped out by him. Reading the POV of a psychopath killer is unbelievably weird. I literally thought of that clown from IT when reading his POV. And then when he came to the hospital and left the flowe—yeah I was screwed. AND WHEN WE FOUND OUT WHO HE WAS—I'll never get over it. (I have a crazy fear of clowns so I am closing my eyes while adding that gif in).

              And Eva was your average posh-country princess that you're picturing in your head. But at the same time, she was smart, kick-ass and totally not naive. She wasn't broken, and she was strong while all of those crazy events were happening... TO HER. I don't know how she did it, honestly.

               That ending was fabulous, as I already said a thousand times during this review, I NEVER SAW IT COMING. HOWHOWHOWHOW? I don't know, and I seriously don't know how Marr was capable of writing such a perfect book, I felt it coming down from the heavens. Definite favourite of 2014, right next to Dissonance.

Being in the Atmosphere of Reading: Are You the Only One?

Are you the only one who reads or gets criticized for what you read?

     Uhh... OF COURSE NOT.

           Nope—you're not. I have to admit that all of us readers, bloggers, reviewers, fellows, whatever you call yourselves, go through this and think about am I the only one at some point in our reading lives. 

            For many years, I was the only bookworm that I knew. Strange that sounds, but it's absolutely true. In my old elementary school, no one read anything unless it was mandatory (like The Outsiders in Grade 7 and The Hunger Games in Grade 8) or until TFIOS got popular. That's when girls decided to go out to Chapters and buy the book. -_- I read it when I was in GRADE SEVEN, people! *takes a deep breath in and out* Sometimes I also question people by being unable to classify someone as a "true bookworm."

            People couldn't believe how much I enjoyed reading. I WAS THE ONLY ONE. No, there wasn't a person in my school who I could run to and start gushing books to. And that's why, in some ways, blogging has helped me realize that there's tons of those people out there, all over the place. 

             Have you ever got laughed at? Have you ever had to ditch your friends to read instead? Okay, for a second I realized that I was sounding like I'm going to be giving a speech on bullying. *laughs* Anywho, it sucks to be alone in the atmosphere of reading, or the readosphere, as I call it.

            

            I've been stuck in this place thousands of times, and have gone through and lived thousand of lives. (Look's back to my blog's title.)

              Criticizers suck. They annoy me. LIKE HONESTLY—GO DO WHAT YOU LIKE! Us readers won't make fun of you. *sighs* 

               But as I've made the transition into high school, I've found that there's so many readers here. I've made many friends who I am able to talk "books" with. Proud YA supporters, people! And some of these people who I've met have seen this blog! 

                And another last thing about criticizers: they think that they can start talking to you without "disturbing" you whenever they'd like. NO. NO. If you see that I'm in a good mood and am fairly enjoying the book that I am reading, then please STAY AWAY. You don't understand what kind of mess you just got yourself into, bro.

             This post probably sums up all of my feelings that I have towards criticizers.

Do you ever feel that you get criticized

and made fun of for what you read?

Orleans, by Sherri L. Smith Review

Orleans, by Sherri L. Smith

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Dystopia, Adventure

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

Publication: March 7, 2013, by Putnam Juvenile

Format: Paperback Edition (borrowed)




Goodreads Summary: First came the storms.

Then came the Fever.

And the Wall.

After a string of devastating hurricanes and a severe outbreak of Delta Fever, the Gulf Coast has been quarantined. Years later, residents of the Outer States are under the assumption that life in the Delta is all but extinct… but in reality, a new primitive society has been born.

Fen de la Guerre is living with the O-Positive blood tribe in the Delta when they are ambushed. Left with her tribe leader’s newborn, Fen is determined to get the baby to a better life over the wall before her blood becomes tainted. Fen meets Daniel, a scientist from the Outer States who has snuck into the Delta illegally. Brought together by chance, kept together by danger, Fen and Daniel navigate the wasteland of Orleans. In the end, they are each other’s last hope for survival.

Sherri L. Smith delivers an expertly crafted story about a fierce heroine whose powerful voice and firm determination will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page.

Review:

 

          I picked this book up from the library, and then I have to admit that I ended up avoiding it. Scary to admit, I avoided a dystopian-sci-fi novel. And usually, those are my ultimate favourites. So what scarily went wrong here? I don't know. But what I do know is that I was right to avoid it from the start. For a fact, I had to renew this 6 times before picking it up. 

          

           Orleans originally sounded like what it seemed to be from the perspective of your above-average dystopia-obsessed human. I suspected that this book would be all about the terms of natural disasters and such. Those kinds of books are unique—and I have an obsession with natural disaster-based stories. This was surprisingly about a sickness, an epidemic, and cruelty and unjustness found in the "so-called" city of New Orleans, or what it used to be known as.

            Many major hurricanes have hit the city of New Orleans in the past. Katrina in 2005, was just the beginning. It's into the future, where the city is destructed. The Gulf Coast is now quarantined, and the cities and states we all know today aren't really "there" anymore and anyhow. Flu and fever outbreaks have shattered cities, and survivors are living. But is the outbreak of the Delta Fever really all over? Fen is living in a tribe—but she really doesn't know where or who she is. She has O-Neg blood, and people hunt and kidnap her people to use their blood to cure the outbreaks. They're hiding and waiting everyday, for some relief. At the moment, Fen meets Daniel, someone who can show her the relief and the cure for all of the captivation that her people are left in.

           If I honestly knew that this was the real plot, I would've stayed away from the start. The word "hurricanes" got me going and I blurred the rest of the mumbo-jumbo away. Now I'm left here, disappointed in what I was left with. 

                But I guess you shouldn't get me wrong. I did enjoy this, but I guess you could say for only a small period of time. I was struggling to continue for more than half of the time. But I'm sitting here, happy, giving other books 5 star ratings, right? So that probably proves that I wasn't pushed into some sort of post-reading depression or whatever. After reading this book, you might be mad, but you'll move on and know what kind of things it had in store for us, if you're on the negative side of things.

              The book started off intriguing. We were introduced into the problem and world immediately, and Smith let us understand what was going on. There was no mystery here, it was just something that kept going and increased and moved on. But as I surpassed page 100 (for example) I felt like the book lost its contact with me. I dragged further away from the story and I found myself not enjoying "the feel" it had going.

               For one thing, the characters. Fen was alright. She kept the story moving smoothly for the most part. But when Daniel was introduced, I was like "nope."

                 I did get the shivers quite a lot. Thinking about this happening in real life scares me. 

                 As the story did have its perks, such as the average characters, and emotion that it gave readers, I must say that I don't really recommend it, although many people have ended up adoring this. I guess I can say that it'll go either way for you, if you decide to take the chance. (I heard accents in my head the whole time while reading this, the language sure was interesting!)

Top Ten Tuesday #14: Books I Want to Reread

-Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish which shares bookish lists with others.-

        Books I Want to Reread

          Okay. So I normally don't ever re-read books for the sake of time... and I actually was so off-key and against it. But after watching the If I Stay movie in August, I decided to re-read the sequel, Where She Went, and my rating surprisingly went from a 4 star to a mega-amazing 5 star. Imagine what can change in more than a year, huh?

           So the only two books that I've ever read (I'm so crazy, I know) are Where She Went and The Hunger Games for school. But I definitely want to go on and re-read the ones that have somewhat inspired me and gave me amazing feels!

          

           1. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen

               What a classic. *laughs* I read this a year ago and I didn't find it too intriguing, but I did finish it. I'm definitely keeping it to read when my vocabulary expands and I will be able to read some "proper" English titles.

             2. The Ruining, by Anna Collomore

                I'd re-read this at any day, at any time. It was utterly the most strangest and craziest book I've read, but certainly one of the best. What I can't forget about is the yellow walls...

      

             3. Dissonance, by Erica O'Rourke

                 This book was the first ARC I've ever received, and I finished it in a matter of hours. I still can clearly remember the events until this day, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to picture them even more clearly in my head.

               4. Before I Go, by Riley Weston

                    I cried like a total maniac while reading this book. It was actually better than TFIOS. More people have to find out about it. :')

                   5. The Host, by Stephanie Meyer

                    Hello... Beautiful. I read you back in March '13 before your movie was released, no? We had an amazing 6 hours together, one sitting. I LOVE YOU AND I MISS YOU!

                    6. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky 

              This tiny book honestly changed my life. I haven't watched the movie, but I can't imagine this story out of my life. It's helped me in tons of ways. *blushes*

                      7. The Last Princess, by Galaxy Craze

                   OKAY WHERE IS THIS SEQUEL?! I NEED IT... NOWWW!

                      8. Wake, by Amanda Hocking

                    I honestly don't even have to describe my love for these books. Just go and look at my Goodreads ratings! I've spent more than a year without Amanda Hocking's books, and I sure can't spend another.

                  9. Anna and the French Kiss, by Stephanie Perkins

                  I've read Isla, and now I need to start from the beginning all over again, with the story that stole my heart and never let it go.

                   10. Shatter Me, by Taherah Mafi

What pretties would YOU want to re-read again?

Falling Into Place, by Amy Zhang Review

Falling into Place, by Amy Zhang

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, Death

Rating: 4/5 stars

Publication: September 9, 2014, by Greenwillow Books

Format: Hardcover Edition (borrowed)




Goodreads Summary: On the day Liz Emerson tries to die, they had reviewed Newton’s laws of motion in physics class. Then, after school, she put them into practice by running her Mercedes off the road. 

Why? Why did Liz Emerson decide that the world would be better off without her? Why did she give up? Vividly told by an unexpected and surprising narrator, this heartbreaking and nonlinear novel pieces together the short and devastating life of Meridian High’s most popular junior girl. Mass, acceleration, momentum, force—Liz didn’t understand it in physics, and even as her Mercedes hurtles toward the tree, she doesn’t understand it now. How do we impact one another? How do our actions reverberate? What does it mean to be a friend? To love someone? To be a daughter? Or a mother? Is life truly more than cause and effect? Amy Zhang’s haunting and universal story will appeal to fans of Lauren Oliver, Gayle Forman, and Jay Asher.

Review:

   "I wish second chances were real."

         I've honestly have wanted to read this book for a long time. I was one of those eager sad bloggers who really wanted an ARC of this book, eyeing all of the photos that my bloggy friends added when HarperTeen sent them a copy. I'm not trying to say that I was jealous or anything like that, but the important key and thing here is that I missed out earlier.

         

          Falling Into Place was a book that everyone honestly needs to read sooner than later... eventually. It was fantastic, sad, and crazy. You will be left wanting more by the end, and you'll regret not taking your time to enjoy the beauty and excellence, because this book's message is as rich and beautiful as a chunk of gold. *says in a cheesy way*

            As a whole, Amy Zhang has written a book that has a ton of different subjects that are all mixed into one—suicide, science, romance, beauty, art, and jealousy. It's the perfect darker-contemporary that you're all looking for. It's your Prince Charming. The concept was outrageously fabulous, and I'm still poking myself, wondering how this all came to be.

            In the beginning, the story begins off fast and sharp, and furious, in a way. Liz Emerson is on the route to kill herself. Sure, she's already tried to a few times but now she has all of the science and things planned out to make this masterful plan of hers to sprout out, and this is the chance to get everything right. She crashes her Mercedes, and off she goes... into the hospital, barely alive. Everyone is shocked by this unbelievable event, including her family and friends, and people who once loved her, and still are trying to support Liz in this awful time. Told in multiple points of view, over here we have a novel that basically tells us the steps into becoming someone depressed, from multiple points of view.

             

          For most of the novel, I felt like I was having a panic attack. But at the same time, I wasn't crying at any point, which I surprisingly did want to do. I mean, I've heard so many opinions on this book and more than three-quarters of reviewers have cried while reading this book. Me? Nada. I did have the feels, but not the kind that made me spout out bawling or anything like that. I felt like a depressed pig, though.

          So coming from my past words, you can probably see that I was in love with this story. It's remarkable that a woman at such a young age was able to capture our attentions so easily and beautifully with a debut novel. That honestly proves that you can be a writer at any age, with a dream to succeed.

           All of the POVs were spectacular. Amy Zhang switched between the past and the present, and that made me captivated from page 1. I couldn't let this book go. It was like falling into place, and then a huge mega plot twist made me somehow let go, and then I fell back again. This was a beautiful train-wreck.

           Liz Emerson. Now doesn't that sound like a name of the average person? Totally. But really, Liz was person who wasn't average. And that wasn't because she was a fictional character, but because all of the stereotypes and things that characters in the book thought of her. Her fighting and battling made her a person gorgeous inside and out, and although that may seem crazy because "she's not real," Zhang made it seem like she was, and that definitely fascinates me. Liz absolutely deserves the warrior award of this century's books, and you'll definitely see that through her character, even if she wasn't there at the moment, but through memories in the past of the book's events.

            I JUST WISH THAT THERE WAS MORE ROMANCE! We were left hanging, waiting for something sweet, but I felt like all we got was sour. In some ways, that's totally understandable since this was about Liz's fighting.

           Coming to a conclusion, I'm still left breathless. I was captured, thrown around, but was never left behind. The feelings and the romance really didn't get to me, but I was so happy with how everything was left off, and I am proud to say that Amy Zhang is surely going to be getting more positive reviews from me. 

Stacking the Shelves #15: November 2

          Hellooooo!

           

        This week was awesome and Halloween was awesome. ;) I'm really not-in-the-mood because we got our first snowfall today. Ugh. That's what you call "Canadian weather." Honestly, I only want snow on Christmas. Because if there's snow, then everyone's in the spirit. *thinks of people in Florida and California* Okay, first of all, why I am I thinking of Christmas? 

          I was a scarecrow for Halloween. ^_^

         This week I didn't get too many books as I did last week, but I'm blushing 24/7 because I have... More Than This by Patrick Ness!

            I've been wanting this for the longest time and now that it's paperback, it's definitely the best thing ever. And if you read John Green's quote on it, you'll be sure to need to read it. 

             And finally...

              This has always been on my must-buy/read list of 2014, and finding out that it's in the library made my day, and I'm pretty sure that I'm the first to read it. Eeee.... Kiss Kill Vanish!

Who were you for Halloween? What are your newest additions?

Results!

How I Did With My Halloween Tag

    So you may be thinking and wondering... How did this master of blogging manage her Halloween book tag post?

         Horribly.

          But in a way, that's totally okay, right? It's not like the po-po are going to be out to get me. I actually only managed to read 2 of out of the books that I selected—Orleans and A Little Something Different.

           *frowns* It's not like I'm going to go out and put all of the books in the pile away or into a dungeon or something like that—I'm going to continue reading them pile by pile, as I said I would. I'm only writing this post because I said that it would last until Halloween. 

             What stopped me? School. Crazy to admit, school's been crazy and I haven't had much time to manage everything as I did back in elementary school. There's like 3 tests every week, and homework takes me at least 2 hours. Then, what's left there? Relaxing, eating, and some reading if I have time. The time after school feels like it flies so fast. But I'm really glad that I do get to manage to post everyday on the blog. *breathes in and out* I definitely need to give myself a pat on the back for that.

               What could I have done better to finish this challenge? Lots. I mean, I could've been more organized by not procrastinating and reading something else at the moment when I was supposed to read something from the tag. 

                

                   Most of you decided to pick me to read thick reads, so that's what I decided to begin with. :)

                   Thanks for voting, wonderful people. I've disappointed myself, haha, but really, what could I do?