Superhuman Review

Title: Super Human
Author: Michael Carroll
Pages: 336
Genre: Fantasy
Published: May 2010

Summary from Goodreads:
Four thousand years ago the world's first super human walked the earth. Possessing the strength of one hundred men, skin impervious to attack, and the ability to read minds, this immortal being used his power to conquer and enslave nations. Now plans are in motion that will transport this super human to the present, where he'll usher in a new age of tyranny unlike anything the world has ever seen.

Determined to stand against them, using powers they've only just begun to master, is a ragtag group of young heroes. For them this first test may be their greatest . . . and last.

My Review:
I must admit, despite my embarrassment, that I enjoy reading The New Heroes books. They are weird, their plots are usually pretty canned, the good guys are excessively pacifist (even the military) and the bad guys are usually caricatures of themselves. Yet I enjoy reading them, and this book was no exception. In spite of its cliche status, it is still a worthy read.

I must admit, most of the characters are very flat and dull, but some of the characters are so cool they make up for their co-star's dullness. One example is Krodin (the first superhuman mentioned in the above review) who is so cool and unpretentious, yet at the same time brutal and violent, that he is like the Bond villains mixed with Hannibal Lecter (minus the eating his victims). A villain you hate, but still smile whenever he is in a scene. Another example is Paragon, the armored superhero with a sense of humor, he is kind of like a black Tony Stark. His humor accents the darkness of much of the novel.

The integral portions of the plot, despite it’s overall cheesiness, are actually fascinating. With everything from an old hag who can create viruses, to attacking a nuclear power plant as a diversion for a bigger crime to the epic battle scenes that fill its pages (like when Krodin kills a rhinoceros--yes a rhinoceros--with his bare hands in the first pages of the book) make it the kind of cheesy like the action cartoons of one’s youth, always remaining as fond memories in one’s conscious.

I would recommend this book to pretty much anyone. I will guarantee that you will put the book down with a smile on your face because it is just the kind of book that makes you happy.

PS: Read this book before reading the other New Heroes books (also known as the Quantum Prophecy series) it makes the other books make much more sense because this book is, in fact, a prequel to the others.

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Scorch Trials Review

The Scorch Trials
Author: James Dashner
Genre: Science Fiction
Publish Date: October 12, 2010
Pages: 360

***May include spoilers from The Maze Runner***

Summary:

Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.

In the Maze, life was easy. They had food, and shelter, and safety . . . until Teresa triggered the end. In the world outside the Maze, however, the end was triggered long ago.

Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, the earth is a wasteland. Government has disintegrated—and with it, order—and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim . . . and meal.

The Gladers are far from finished with running. Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.

Thomas can only wonder—does he hold the secret of freedom somewhere in his mind? Or will he forever be at the mercy of WICKED?

My Reaction:

This is the second book of the series Maze Runners. I know typically this series was intended for boys but when a friend let me borrow The Maze Runner (the first book) I read it. I liked it a lot. When I found out there was a second book I was ecstatic, and immediately put it on hold at the library. I loved this book a lot more than the first! You meet different characters, you find out more about WICKED, and why they do what they do. Thomas as a character develops a lot in my opinion. To be honest the whole mood in this book was different to me. In The Maze Runner it’s mysterious and eerie, but in The Scorch Trials it has tension building up, and there’s a lot more action.

I was so into this book I was actually glad my friend came to house late. I didn’t want to put it down. What would happen to Thomas? What is WICKED? What do they want? Will the Gladers make it? I liked some of the new characters even better than the old ones; and some of the old ones I began to hate. I was so caught up in this book that I was a bit shocked when it ended. Hint: There’s another book after this one. I kind of wanted to toss it across the room, but fortunately didn’t. I’d recommend this book to a lot of people. Not everyone because I know this book isn’t for everyone. But it definitely is for boys, action lovers, and somewhat for people who like the whole dramatic relationship thing. I can't wait to read the next book!

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Anna and the French Kiss Review

Title: Anna and the French Kiss
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Pages: 372
Genre: Young Adult Fiction/Realistic Fiction
Published Date: December 2010

Summary: (goodreads.com)“Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to a boarding school in Paris—until she meets Étienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near-misses end with the French kiss Anna—and readers—have long awaited?”

My Reaction:

I know what you are thinking. You have zero interest in reading this book. I mean, Anna and the French Kiss? Look at the cover! Romantic-y boy and girl making goo goo eyes at each other right in front of the Eiffel Tower. And then there is the summary... You read it and roll your eyes, you know exactly what this book will be like: fluffy and absolutely, annoyingly dramatic.

I am hear to tell you that you are fantastically WRONG about Anna.

I honestly would never have read Anna if not for the amazing reviews from YA authors and important people in the publishing world that exploded online days after the book was released. After watching YA novelist and popular video blogger John Green’s video dedicated to Anna, I knew that it must be something special. After a few clicks on my Ebook reader, I was ready to see if this silly-looking book would live up to its high praise.

I really need to avoid diving into good books late at night. At 2 am I turned my reader off. I was groggy and couldn’t keep my eyes open, so I sleep-texted my best friend with a message along the line of the following: “I just finished the BEST NOVEL EVER!!! Anna and the French Kiss!!! Oooooh, Étienne!”

Yeah. It’s that good.

The plot could have rendered an absolutely terrible book if it had been done by anyone other than Stephanie Perkins. Really, it isn’t the plot that draws you in, but the I-could-be-your-best-friend characters and the startling similarities to your own life.

Let’s talk about the characters that you will soon be completely in love with: Étienne and Anna. When you finish this book, they are real people to you. You find yourself trying to email their fake addresses in order to chat with them and find out how they are doing. You consider putting a stripe in your hair like Anna or wearing knitted stocking caps like Étienne. You start to wonder why in the world you haven’t been signed up for boarding school in Paris yet.

Here’s the one little flaw concerning characterization in Anna. While the main characters are SUPER REAL, some of the other characters are just slightly missing something. There are a couple of times that I raise my eyebrow when a character seems to randomly pipe up and change everything. It is a feel of “Where did that come from?”

I guarantee that while reading Anna and the French Kiss, there will be a phrase or a special description that suddenly stands out to you. You will feel a “click” in your head as you realize that that is exactly how you are feeling, exactly what you are thinking! It floors me how Stephanie Perkins managed to write something that applies in some way to every member of her audience.

Overall, I give Anna and the French Kiss a full five lightning strikes, not because of the love story or the highly humorous bits, but because of the reality of it all. Despite the sugary summary, the cutesy title, and a cover that is lacking in awesome, this book absolutely shines. Warn your friends ahead of time about the late-night texts in all caps that they will be receiving the instant that you close this book.

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Something Like Fate Review

Title: Something Like Fate
Author: Susane Colasanti
Pages: 288
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Release Date: May 2010

Summary: Lani and Erin are lifelong best friends — and total opposites. Lani’s a down-to-earth Taurus; Erin’s a fiery Leo. Lani likes to do her own thing; Erin prefers an entourage. They’ve always had wildly different tastes, from pizza toppings to guys. That is, until Erin starts dating Jason.

From the minute Lani meets Jason, she can’t deny the amazing connection she feels with him. It’s like they’ve known each other their whole lives. She’s not sure if he feels it too — but even if he does, he’s off-limits. Lani’s determined to ignore her feelings for Jason, no matter how powerful they are, rather than hurt her best friend. Then Erin goes away for the summer — and Jason seems to appear everywhere Lani turns. How long can she keep running from the guy who just might be the love of her life? (source: Goodreads.com)

My Review:

This book is basically a typical YA novel. It was very well written for the audience intended. I loved reading this book; it was quite easy to relate to all of the love and fun that high school has, not to mention how it reminded me of my own summer love.

The development of the characters was really well done. The plot was a little hard to follow at times because it jumps around a bit. I feel like it was a little slow at parts. But all in all I think it was a fantastic book. Definitely one I would read again!

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