It's 4th of July (in the U.S.)!!!!!

So, I'm back from my vacation! My brother's soccer team lost all three of their games and only scored one goal during the entire weekend, but nonetheless I had a ton of fun!!! I also did a lot of reading. It was abot an eight to nine hour drive to the soccer tournament and then the same amount back, so there was a lot of time for doing whatever I wanted. I read:

• The Other Side of Dawn by John Marsden
• A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
• Rebel Angels by Libba Bray

All of these are awesome books, and I can't wait to post my reviews for them.

Also, last night when I got back I pre-ordered John Green's new book called The Fault in Our Stars from Amazon. John Green is an amazing writer, so you should totally pre-order his book too!!!!!!
Hugs,
Aceba

P.S. For all of you who live in the United States, Happy 4th of July!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

Book Review: WINGS

Author: Aprilynne Pike
Number of Pages: 294
Release Date: May 1, 2009
Publisher: Harper Teen

This book is about a girl named Laurel who is a sophmore in high school. She has been homeschooled all her life and is now being pushed by her parents to go to regular school, so she does. Laurel has always been different from other people her age- she only eats mainly fruits and vegatables, and anything high in fat makes her physically ill. She has almost translucent skin and is absolutely beautiful. She doesn't have her period yet, even though she is well over due. Her hair doesn't need to be washed with shampoo- she just rinses it with water. She's never had acne or even a single zit in her life- I think you get the picture.

Then, one day the unthinkable happens- a flower with large, sweet-smelling petals grows from a strange lump in between her shoulder blades. Unable to think of what to do, she consults her new best friend, David. Throughout the book, David helps Laurel immensely as she discovers who- and what- she really is.

I am a major fan of fantasy stories, and I have to admit that this one was pretty good. I loved the author's writing style; it flowed really well and it was very easy to read and understand. I found myself being able to relate to the main character, Laurel, very easily. The plot line was excellent- I never saw any of it coming, and it was written in a very believable way. Some of it was a little far-fetched, but what do you expect from a book about fairies??? Overall, it was a very good read!

My Rating: :0) :0) :0) :0) 4 out of 5 smileys

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Only one who is a fan of fantasy. If they weren't, they probably wouldn't find it very enjoyable to read.

Yours Truly,
Aceba

Quote of the Week #7

Hola, everyone. Here is this week's quote:

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."
                                                                  ~ C.S. Lewis

Enjoy!!!

Peace,
Aceba

My Book Reviews

So, as some of you may have seen that has been a poll on this blog for the past week or so. I was wondering if you guys would like to see more information about the books in my reviews, like number of pages, release date- you get the idea. Well, the results are in, and: it was a tie.

Since there was no unanimous opinion of you all, I am just going to start putting more details into my reviews. I'm in the middle of a book right now, and as soon as I am done I will try this out on that review.

Oh, and I also wanted to mention that I will be on vacation for about a week starting this Wednesday, so I won't be on here at all during that time. Sorry! :(

I hope you all are having an awesome summer- if you have summer vacation right now, that is. If not, I hope you are having an awesome June, July and August!

Hugs,
Aecba

Book Review: 13 LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPES

Earlier today I finished 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson.

Ginny (short for Virginia, not Ginerva like in Harry Potter) has always admired her quirky and artistic Aunt Peg. Sure, her aunt was never really "normal"- she would settle somewhere and then one day decide to get up and abruptly move somewhere else. Just like she did when she was living in New York and then suddenly moved to England. She didn't give a reason nor an explanation. She just got up and went. Later, Ginny's family received word that Peg had died of a brain tumor.

The real story starts when Ginny receives a letter telling her to pick up a mysterious package at the 4th Noodle restaurant before boarding a plane bound for England. In the package are even more little blue envelopes, each with a number on them, all the way up to lucky number 13. But here's the catch: within each envelope is a task, a task that Ginny must complete before opening the next envelope. Will Ginny follow her dead Aunt's orders, or will she ignore them and just go home???

I have to say, this book was sort of in the middle for me. Sometimes it was fast-paced and funny, other times it seemed extremely slow and very random. I found it very cool to read about all the different places in Europe that Ginny goes, as I have never been to Europe. The characters are all pretty much unique. The ending sort of disappointed me though- but I can't tell you why, because that would spoil the whole book!!!

All in all, this was a very okay book. There is a sequel that I am definitely going to read.

My Rating: :0) :0) :0) :0)

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Yes.

Hugs,
Aceba

Book Review: THE WARLOCK

Earlier this week I finished reading The Warlock by Michael Scott. This is the 5th book in the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series. The sixth and last book in this series comes out next summer, in 2012.

This series is about Sophie and Josh Newman, a pair of twins living in San Francisco while their busy parents are away working. One day, their lives are turned upside-down when three strange men attack the bookshop that Josh works in. From that day on their lives are never the same, as they are constantly on the run. Why are they running for their lives??? Well, to find that out, you are going to have to read the series, starting with the first book, The Alchemyst.

This series is excellent!!! There is so much detail in these books but it isn't overwhelming- this is something that I think a lot of authors struggle with. I've read books where there are so many random details that after a while your brain begins to spin around in circles. Well, I'm ecstatic to say that this is not one of those books! Every detail seems to find its place in the story, even if it takes a whole book to find. Every event and every idea connects to another, and everything happens for a reason. Also, this book is extremely well-written; it has a lot of those phrases and ideas that just make you stop and think and enjoy the words. Every character is different and fully-developed, which keeps this long series from being monotonous. The action never seems to stop and there are many twists and turns that will keep you on both your toes and the edge of your seat.

The one thing that may keep people from reading this series is that it is an absolute fantasy book. It contains mythological creatures and magic, but different magic than the "Harry Potter" magic that most of us are used to. If you're not a fan of fantasy series, than these may not be the books for you.

My Rating: :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) 5 out of 5 smileys

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Absolutely!!!!

Hugs,
Aceba

Book Review: FORGE

The other day I finished reading Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson, which I had been really wanting to read for quite some time. This is the sequel to Chains, also to Laurie Halse Anderson. Click here to see my review of Chains.

*****SPOILER ALERT***** If you are reading Chains now or think you might want to in the future, or if you just haven't gotten around to reading Forge, you should stop reading this review now!!!

In this sequel, Curzon is separated from Isabel and decides (though unwillingly) to enlist in the army. There he meets an unlikely group of friends. This part of the book was very funny, as the men he meets are quite humorous. Curzon spends the winter with his regiment in Valley Forge, fighting off starvation and the bitter cold as supplies for the Patriots almost immediately run out. Then, one day the unexpected happens-

Okay, I'm stopping there- I don't want to give away the whole book for you!!!

I really enjoy these books. First, they are the best historical fiction books I have ever read (so far!). They are realistic and I can really connect with the characters. Many are the characters and funny and sarcastic, which makes it enjoyable to read. Overall, if you're looking for some awesome historical fiction, be sure to pick these books up first!!!

My Rating: :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) 5 out of 5 smileys

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Yes!!!

Hugs,
Aceba