Game

This Week's Book:



Barry Lyga
517 pages
I Hunt Killers

Overview: (Direct from Barry Lyga website: http://barrylyga.com/novels/game/)"Game." Barry Lyga Dot Com. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2013. <http://barrylyga.com/novels/game/>.

Billy grinned. “Oh, New York,” he whispered. “We’re gonna have so much fun.”

I Hunt Killers introduced the world to Jazz, the son of history’s most infamous serial killer, Billy Dent.

In an effort to prove murder didn’t run in the family, Jazz teamed with the police in the small town of Lobo’s Nod to solve a deadly case. And now, when a determined New York City detective comes knocking on Jazz’s door asking for help, he can’t say no. The Hat-Dog Killer has the Big Apple–and its police force–running scared. So Jazz and his girlfriend, Connie, hop on a plane to the big city and get swept up in a killer’s murderous game.

Both the stakes and the body count are higher in this suspenseful and unstoppable sequel from acclaimed author Barry Lyga.

My Opinion:

This book was very interesting.  It started a little bit after "I Hunt Killers" left off. Billy had escaped and it looks  like he went to New York. New York is my city so it's very cool that the story takes place there. I also liked how Connie had more of a part in the story. She  solved her own mysteries and went past just being the girlfriend of Jazz. That's some girl power! This sequel definitely held up to its predecessor.  I can't wait for the next book in the trilogy.  Spoiler: it ends in a cliff hanger. :) 

PS. Don't read this book if you are a little squeamish of blood and gore since this is a book about serial killers. 

PPS.Another book you should read:

The Disenchantment by Nina LaCour

Angela's Ashes

I have read hundreds of books in my short  lifetime and I there have been only a couple of books out of that large scale that I did not care for. I'm sad to say that Angela's Ashes was one of those books. Here is my review:

 

  

Angela's Ashes

Frank McCourt

363 pages

 Overview (Direct from Barnes & Noble website: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/angelas-ashes-frank-mccourt/1100608827#):

“When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I managed to survive at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while. Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood.”

So begins the luminous memoir of Frank McCourt, born in Depression-era Brooklyn to recent Irish immigrants and raised in the slums of Limerick, Ireland. Frank’s mother, Angela, has no money to feed the children since Frank’s father, Malachy, rarely works, and when he does he drinks his wages. Yet Malachy—exasperating, irresponsible, and beguiling—does nurture in Frank an appetite for the one thing he can provide: a story. Frank lives for his father’s tales of Cuchulain, who saved Ireland, and of the Angel on the Seventh Step, who brings his mother babies.

Perhaps it is story that accounts for Frank’s survival. Wearing rags for diapers, begging a pig’s head for Christmas dinner and gathering coal from the roadside to light a fire, Frank endures poverty, near-starvation and the casual cruelty of relatives and neighbors—yet lives to tell his tale with eloquence, exuberance, and remarkable forgiveness.

Angela’s Ashes, imbued on every page with Frank McCourt’s astounding humor and compassion, is a glorious book that bears all the marks of a classic.

"Angela's Ashes: A Memoir." Barnes & Noble. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. <http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/angelas-ashes-frank-mccourt/1100608827#>.

  My Opinion:

I did not like this book at all. It just infuriated me. I was required to read this book for school and once I had read my required chapters, I skimmed the rest of the book (I never like to leave a book unfinished even if I didn't like it). Well  Angela's Ashes started off slow, but eventually it picked up. The book was beautifully written and created this whole world of despair and determination in Limerick. This despair pulled you in and made you sorry for Frank and his family, but then something happens. By something I mean Frank. Frank's attitude and personality started getting on my nerves. He was a follower not a leader and seemed to not have a mind of his own. Certain parts of the book are nice and beautiful, but as an overall I did not like it. Frank McCourt might have had a miserable childhood at certain parts, but so did a lot of the people around him and they weren't acting and complaining like him. The book even has controversy surrounding it. Angela's Ashes is supposedly a memoir, though some sources from the town of Limerick, where the story take place, say that most of the things in the book were utterly fabricated and tall tales. I don't know who was technically right, but at certain parts in the book  it was a little sketchy in the detail department. I suggest you don't read this book, but surely as my heading says this is just my opinion. Some of my friends enjoyed reading this book, so don't let this review deter you from it. Just be careful and wary, it might not hold up to your expectations.

PS. On a happier note, read:
The Battle of the Ampere by Richard Paul Evans
Erebos: Its a game.It watches you by Ursula Poznanski

Grave Mercy

This Week's Book:


Grave Mercy
R. L. LaFevers
549 pages
His Fair Assassin

Overview (Direct from Goodreads.com (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9565548-grave-mercy) "Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1)." Goodreads. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Nov. 2013. <http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9565548-grave-mercy>.

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

My Opinion:

At first, I was hesitant to read the book (It's about an assassin that follows the patron saint of death, St. Mortain. Wouldn't you be a little hesitant?!), but once I started I was hooked. Some of the parts, particularly the romance, were a little predictable, but besides that you have to read the book. Ismae is a very interesting, multi-layered character like an onion. The convent is very interesting in their beliefs and the saint himself is just an enigma. I can't really describe how I feel about this book without giving much away, so just take my word on it and read it. I know you will enjoy the book.

P.S. If you read my blog, leave a comment so I can know how you feel about it. I would really appreciate it.  

P.P.S. Last week there really wasn't a good book for me to suggest.

I Hunt Killers

This week's book:

I HUNT KILLERS
Barry Lyga 
361 pages

Overview (Direct from Barty Lyga's website: http://barrylyga.com/novels/i-hunt-killers/)
 Lyga, Barry . "I Hunt Killers." Barry Lyga Dot Com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2013. <http://barrylyga.com/novels/i-hunt-killers/>.

"Jazz is a likable teenager. A charmer, some might say.

But he’s also the son of the world’s most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, “Take Your Son to Work Day” was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could—from the criminal’s point of view.

And now, even though Dad has been in jail for years, bodies are piling up in the sleepy town of Lobo’s Nod. Again.
In an effort to prove murder doesn’t run in the family, Jazz joins the police in the hunt for this new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret—could he be more like his father than anyone knows?"

My Opinion:

I loved this book. It is a really nice original book. I never would have thought about writing a book about the son of a serial killer, but Barry Lyga did and it came out AWESOME! It had a kinda of coming-of-age thing (making sense of yourself), a little romance, and a lot of whodunit?. You'll also learn some cool facts about serial killers. This book is in a series that I am definitely going to read. So read this book and get into the head of a son of a serial killer. Don't worry he doesn't bite, but he may kill.

P.S. Sorry that I haven't been posting every single week. A lot has been going on, but I'll try better.

P.P.S If you really liked this book, watch the ABC Family show "Twisted".

The Girl of Fire and Thorns

 This week's book:

The Girl of Fire and Thorns

Rae Carson

440 pages

The Girl of Fire and Thorns Series

Overview (DIRECT FROM  Rae Carson's website :http://www.raecarson.com/books/the-girl-of-fire-and-thorns/ )

" Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.

Elisa is the chosen one.
But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can’t see how she ever will.
Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.
And he’s not the only one who needs her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people’s savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.
Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.
Most of the chosen do."

Carson, Rae . "The Girl of Fire and Thorns | Rae Carson | Author of Books for Teens." Rae Carson | Author of Books for Teens. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2013. <http://www.raecarson.com/books/the-girl-of-fire-and-thorns/>.

My Opinion:

I loved this book, once I first started reading I could not put it down. Elisa is a really beautiful character. She overcame all these obstacles and became this really important person to the people of Joya d'Arena (no spoilers I promise). Elisa is very smart even speaking and understanding the Lengua Classica, which I think is Latin. Cool right. The relationship between Elisa and Humberto was sooo sweet, but then it happened (see no spoilers, but its really hard). I really didn't like Alejandro, the king of Joya d'Arena and husband of Elisa. He wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer or bravest or truthful or even the best king. I also liked this book because of the nice relationship they include religion its a factor of some decisions and actions, but it displays really how people think about it. Some people take it word by word or others take it loosely.This book shows it, even if it really wasn't the author's intention. You should read this book. It is very good and heartfelt. I can't wait to read the others in the series.

Other books I read this week (read these too):

• Every Day by David Levithan
• Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes