EvilEva reviews ...... Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins.
Dissecting The Cover:
I'm not completely cover slutty over this one but I do like the fact that it stays true to the story. I love the pastel colored houses in the background. I love Lola's wig too! (I actually have one similar, minus the black streaks, courtesy of my Hitgirl Halloween costume.)
I also like that Cricket Bell looks very "Cricket Bell-ish." The rubber bands, pinstripe pants and the star drawn on his hand are all nice little touches.
But I think Lola's outfit isn't nearly Lola-y enough. Plus her eyes are a little too Zooey Deschanel for me.
Let's Review:
Lola Nolan is a colorful character. She loves dressing up in costumes and wigs. Not just for Halloween. Every Day!
In fact, one of the things that Lola wants the most is to show up to winter formal donning an incredibly over-the-top Marie Antoinette gown, complete with an elaborately wonderful, sky-high wig!
She would also like it if her dads would approve of her of her boyfriend, Max. Who's in a band. And has tattoos. And is slightly older than Lola. (Ok, so he's 22 and she's only 17 but they're totes in love, y'all!)
But what Lola would really like more than anything is to never ever EVER see the Bell twins EVER again. EVER!
But, of course, right before junior year, there they are in the lavender Victorian next door. Calliope, the beautiful ice skater who ruined Lola's life. And Cricket, the adorable inventor who broke Lola's heart.
Well Lola has no intention of getting mixed up with those Bells again.
But.......
Cricket is just so cute. And such a snazzy dresser. And he's so sweet and friendly and funny. And his bedroom window is like, Right There.
Suddenly Lola is feeling the swoony stirrings she felt before.
But she has Max. And she loves Max.
But she loved Cricket first. And can you ever truly get over your first love?
Here's What I Think:
As you all probably know from this little nugget of fandemonium, I'm a HUGE fan of Stephanie Perkins. In fact, I'm writing this review from her bushes. Ha! Just kidding!
Anyway, call it the influence of too much Supernatural-watching on my part, but I'm fairly certain Ms. Perkins has made some kind of awesome-story-writing deal with a Crossroads Demon. Or she could just be insanely talented. But whatever the case, be it natural gift or something far more sinister, homegirl can friggin' WRITE some YA!
Lola is a fun character. She "doesn't believe in fashion... she believes in costume." I love that about her! Halloween is my absolute fave holiday and I do it BIG, so the idea of someone having the balls to glam and crazy it up Every Single Day is beyond awesome in my opinion.
But Lola isn't the only cool character. There's also her BFF Lindsey Lim who is Made Of Awesome!!! Lindsey is not only a great bestie that completely supports Lola even though she kinda hates Lola's boyfriend. Oh no. Lindsey is also an amateur detective that hearts Nancy Drew! She's smart and sassy and she totally reminds me of Lane from Gilmore Girls if you substitute a music obsession with sleuthing!
Lola also has two incredible dads. Nathan and Andy are tough but sweet. They care for Lola so much and i thought that their relationship with her, as well as with each other (plus their relationship with Lola's birth mother) was really great.
And lastly but certainly not leastly, there's Cricket Bell. What can i say about Cricket Bell? Well for starters he's the super swooniest! Cricket is the shy, sweet boy next door. He's got a unique style that Lola loves. He's an inventor. When they were little, he built Lola an elevator for her Barbies. And now that they're older, he helps Lola build her elaborate Marie Antoinette costume. He's tall and nerdy and I LOVE HIM!!!
The friendship/romance between Lola and Cricket is so sweet and it's written in classic Stephanie Perkins style. Meaning, it's that slow-burn, y'all.
Throughout the book you just want them to get together already! It's just that really sweet love when you've known someone for so long, and they know all your secrets, and they were your first kiss, and it's all so innocent but now so passionate, and you just want these two crazy kids to be together forever.
Lola and the Boy Next Door as everything that makes a story great. I LOVED it!
It's another book (much like Anna and the French Kiss) that I wanted to hurry and finish to see how everything plays out but I also wanted to take it slow and stay in Lola's world as long as I possibly could. And to have that ability to write a story that makes you feel that way?
Well that's either just great story telling! Or possibly a Crossroads Demon deal. ;)
Swoony Times:
Ok, if Lola didn't fall even a tiny bit in love with Cricket I would seriously question her sanity.
He's just sooooooo sweet!
But lucky for us swoon-lovers, Lola does fall for Cricket. Like I said before, it's all about the slow-burn swoon. Lola finds herself falling for Cricket but she thinks she loves Max and something happened in the past with Cricket that Lola can't get over so she doesn't want to fall for him because of that but she also can't stop thinking about Cricket and what's a girl to do!?!?
So because of this slow-burn, there's more crackling sexual tension than makeout sessions and declarations of love. But that's totally fine because sometimes the implied swoon is way hotter! (Especially if your crush is Cricket Bell!)
Bonus Shizz:
IncrediBesties!
Lindsey Lim is Lola's best friend. And I so wish she was mine! She is soooo friggin' awesome! She's a fellow Nancy Drew fangirl, so much so that she's nicknamed Lola Ned (check out Noteworthy for the reason why!) Also aiding in her awesomeness, she and Lola marathon eps of Alias, Dollhouse and Pushing Daisies! Only 3 of my fave, unjustly cancelled shows!
Plus she's game to dress up as Lola for Halloween even though Lola's style is vastly different from her own.
Will you accept this Be Fri necklace, Lindsey? Because I think you're awesome and we could totally start up our own bomb ass detective agency! Will you be the Gus to my Shawn? The Mac to my Veronica? The Ned to my Nancy?
Special Guest Star Appearances!
Guess who works with Lola at the Royal Civic Center 16?! Anna and St. Clair! Yeah, from Anna and the French Kiss! Stephanie Perkins' other amazing book!
They're still together and cuter than ever! I love when authors sneak in characters from their previous work. It's like a nice little wink-wink, nudge-nudge to their fans.
Beloved Pets!
I love reading books in which the characters have a beloved pet. Probably because growing up I was never allowed to have one. If I could have had a pet, it'd be puppy all day long, baby!
So I really liked that Lola had an adorable mutt named Betsy. Which is short for Heavens to Betsy! Which might be the greatest name EVER!
Pie Maker!
One of Lola's dads is a pie maker! Which totally reminded me of Ned the pie maker from Pushing Daisies. Which was a totally amazing TV show that should have been on waaaaay longer than 2 seasons. The facts are these: I miss that show!
The Boy Next Door!
There's just something about the boy next door that is oh so swoony, amirite? And Cricket Bell is the quintessential boy next door. He's sweet and funny and a tad dorky. But he always seems to know the right things to say and do.
In my book, Boy Next Door totally trumps Bad Boy every time!
Impala Alert!
Lola's hot rocker BF drives a '64 Impala! Only 3 years off from being completely awesome. ;) But I did squeal with fangirlish delight when I saw the mention. Even though Max so doesn't deserve to drive a Metallicar. :P
Noteworthy:
Here are some parts of Lola and the Boy Next Door that were particularly noteworthy in my opinion.
From page 30:
Lindsey Lim fancies herself a detective. This is due to her lifelong obsession with mysteries, ever since she received the Nancy Drew Starter Set (Secret of the Old Clock through Secret of Red Gate Farm) for her eighth birthday. Hence, "Ned." She tried to nickname me Bess, Nancy's flirty, shop-happy friend, but I wasn't pleased with that, because Bess is always telling Nancy the situation is too dangerous, and she should give up.
What kind of friend says that?
And I'm definitely not George, Nancy's other best friend, because George is an athletic tomboy with a pug nose. George would never wear a Marie Antoinette dress- even with platform combat boots- to her winter formal. Which left Ned Nickerson, Nancy's boyfriend. Ned is actually useful and often assists Nancy during life-threatening situations. I can get down with that. Even if he is a guy.
From page 125:
"I don't wanna talk about guys anymore," I say. "Can't we just rehash Alias instead?"
There's only one type of television show that Lindsey and I agree on: shows that involve solving crimes while wearing cool disguises. Alias, Pushing Daisies, Dollhouse, Charlie's Angels, and The Avengers are our favorites.
From page 231:
Lindsey's walls are painted classic Nancy Drew-spine yellow. Her complete collection of the novels is lined up in neat rows across the top shelves of her bookcase and below them, alphabetically by author, are titles like History's Greatest Spies, Detecting for Dummies, and The Tao of Crime Fighting.
So, now after all that are we all in agreement that Lindsey Lim is the shit? I thought so.
If You Liked That, Try This:
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.
The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot.
Scale Of Judgment Says:
...... 5!
Stephanie Perkins does it again! i can't wait for Isla and the Happily Ever After!!! Which is described as being the final book in the Anna/Lola companion series. Ok, I just had a sad. Then I had another sad because Isla won't be out until sometime in 2013. :(
EvilEva reviews ...... Divergent by Veronica Roth.
Dissecting The Cover:
I actually like this cover. It's simple but to the point. It gives you a sneak peek without telling you the entire 487 page story.
There's a symbol and a cityscape and that's perfect.
Let's Review:
Beatrice Prior lives in a dystopian society in Chicago which has been divided into five factions- Dauntless, Candor, Erudite, Amity and Beatrice's home faction, Abnegation.
When Beatrice turns 16 she must take a test, attend a ceremony and choose which faction she'll devote her life to.
Beatrice has never felt particularly selfless so she takes a big risk and makes a big change, choosing Dauntless instead and renaming herself Tris.
She and the rest of the initiates must survive a series of grueling tests to prove themselves worthy of the Dauntless name.
For Tris these tests are mentally and physically challenging. And as a transfer from Abnegation, it's difficult for Tris to find where she belongs in this new faction.
Add to that the fact that Tris may be different from the other initiates. And in a dangerous way. Plus the fact that she's starting to have feelings for one of her instructors, a mysterious boy named Four.
But Tris doesn't have time to worry about all of that because she soon finds that all is not what it seems. And that there may be something ugly lying beneath this seemingly perfect society.
Here's What I Think:
Prepare yourself cos it's about to get real fangirly up in here.
Got your confetti ready? Well toss it on up in the air cos I friggin' LOVED this book!!! Yeah, three-exclamation-point-love!
This is Veronica Roth's debut novel and homegirl brought it!
It would be very easy to right this off as "just another dystopian novel." But don't. Because it's so not.
This is an amazing book with compelling characters set in a captivating dystopian setting that'll have you feverishly flipping the pages until the very end. At which point you'll be longing for the chance to read Insurgent, the sequel which will be out May 1st. And then you'll be all like dammit why does May 1st have to be so far away.
Anyhoozies, yes it's true this is a book about "holy crap the world has gone to hell and we've been lied to our entire lives and dangerous secrets are being kept from us," but it's also a coming of age story. There's danger, sure, but there are also sweet parts where you realize that even though Tris is totes badass, she's also just a teenage girl trying to find herself and her place in this world. So she's part Sydney Bristow, part Angela Chase.
The Sydney part is kicking ass at initiation. But the Angela part is finding it hard to make friends because Tris has the misfortune of hailing from the seemingly most hated faction of them all, Abnegation. She eventually makes friends though. She bonds with three fellow transfer initiates Christina, Will and Al.
But Tris also makes a few enemies, initiates that are jealous of how awesomely Dauntless she is. And they're all too happy to make trouble for her, what with the constant teasing and the nearly killing her and all.
Then there's Four. Oh, Four. What can I say about Four? Four is one of Tris's instructors. He might like her. He might hate her. Maybe he's indifferent. Tris can't tell because one moment it seems like Four might kiss her and the next he's throwing knives at her head. Tres confusing, no?
So Tris is just your normal girl. Dauntless initiation is her high school. Christina, Will and Al are her besties. Peter, Drew and Molly are her bullies. And Four is her Jake Ryan.
And then things get cray cray. Nothing is as it seems. People she thought were her friends betray her. Everything she thought she knew is a lie. And it's all about to get worse.
Well, worse for Tris and her friends but better for the reader. Cos shit gets real, y'all. Veronica Roth is not afraid to kill off beloved characters. She is not afraid to point out their flaws. That's one of the things that I really liked about her writing actually. She wasn't afraid to make her characters flawed, to make them real and less than perfect. Her characters don't always do the right thing. And I'm not just talking about the baddies. She shows that good people can do bad things too. And that's life.
I think it made Divergent disturbingly real. And I think that's what makes it such a great story.
Swoony Times:
Ok, I'm gonna do something weird here and compare this book to Anna and the French Kiss. Now I'm sure all of you that have read Anna are probably thinking "Evil Eva, since when did you start obviously doing hard drugs?" Well y'all should know that I prefer hugs to drugs but regardless here's my actual point: Much like Anna and St. Clair, there isn't that much sexy business happening between Tris and Four. Instead of blatant makeout sessions and boot-knockin', it's more about the sexual tension. And holy crap on a cracker, y'all, do Tris and Four have some sexual tension! My loins were all "hold the phone. why are we so excited? this is all secret glances and little smooches." And I was all like "pipe down, loins, I'm trying to enjoy this." What I was trying to convey to my loins (and now to you, dear reader) is that sometimes it's the little things that are waaaaaaay hotter. Tris and Four prove (like Anna and St. Clair before them) that swoony times don't have to be all in yo face. Sometimes the slow swoon is the very best swoon!
Bonus Shizz:
Dystopian Societies!
Y'all, books about dystopian societies have been killing it for me lately! First there was The Hunger Games trilogy, then the awesome sauceness that is Delirium, then the super heartbreaking The Knife of Never Letting Go and NOW the totes mcgotes amazing Divergent! This whole "dystopia is the new vampire" is really rocking my socks off. And it's one book trend that I'll happily keep reading.
Kick Ass Chicks!
I always love a book with a strong female lead and Tris does not disappoint. She's small and her whole life she's been taught to defer to adults and keep her opinions to herself. So when she finally gets the chance to choose her own path, she takes it. Not only does she choose a faction other than her own, she chooses one that couldn't be more different from everything she knows. It takes a brave girl to buck the expectations placed on her in order to follow her heart and choose her own destiny. And Tris is a very brave girl indeed.
Tattoos!
Tris gets a few tattoos in Divergent in order to fit in better in her new faction. I'm not super butt-crazy in love with tattoos. I do like them though. It's kinda like having a sticker. On your body. For All Of Time! And I LOVE stickers, y'all!!! I don't have any tattoos YET but since this year I'll turn the big 3-0, I've decided to get one on my wrist. I've been thinking about this for a while and so I've picked something that's meaningful to me. I liked that Tris' tattoos meant something special to her too, that she didn't just get a rose or a butterfly just to look especially Dauntless. Not that a rose or a butterfly really strike fear in the heart of, well, anyone but you know what I mean. A rose or a butterfly are like the go-to tattoos for girls. I liked that Tris thought outside of the box but also stayed true to who she is. No offense to anyone out there that has a rose or butterfly tattoo.
If You Liked That, Try This:
Delirium by Lauren Oliver.
The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins.
The Scale of Judgment Says:
...... 5!
An amazing action-packed adventure with realistic characters dealing with shizz that will break your heart!
This month I decided to read the two books from my TBR pile that seem to be constantly mocking the ever-loving shizz outta me. That would be Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins and The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness.
It seems to me like all other book bloggers (and perhaps every other person on the face of the planet) have read and hyped up these books. So now I'll FINALLY know what the big friggin deal is! Hooray!
EvilEva reviews...... Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.
Anna Oliphant is perfectly content living in Atlanta, attending Clairemont High with her bestie Bridge, and crushing on her hottie coworker Toph.
But for Anna's senior year her Nicholas Sparks-esque father decides to uproot her from everything she knows and loves and ship her off to a boarding school in Paris. Not that Paris isn't awesome. It's just not home.
Anna doesn't know anyone, she certainly doesn't know her way around and she barely even speaks the language! So senior year could possibly be super disastrous.
But thanks to the kindness of Anna's dorm neighbor, Meredith, she's welcomed into a little group of friends. Which includes the very handsome Etienne St. Clair.
St. Clair is sweet, confident, funny, charming, gorgeous and he has an accent! And a girlfriend. Not a problem. Anna's fine with simply being St. Clair's best friend. Until she starts having Feelings that suggest she'd really like to be Something More.
What's an unsupervised lovestruck girl in Paris to do?
Holy friggin sexy swoon, Batman! This book is like falling in love for the first time. Not a crush. Not lust. Full-on knee-weakening, palm-sweating, pit-in-the-stomach L-O-V-E! Stephanie Perkins knows what she's doing, y'all!
Now I know why this book has been hyped so much. Cos it totally deserves to be! See, this book has turned me into a gushy schoolgirl. Ok, focus! You have a review to write.
So. Anna is the main character of this tale, obvs. And we love her. She's not "traditionally" beautiful. She's real, she has flaws which, as a person with flaws my damn self, I really appreciated. Plus, girlfriend's got a personality! And interests! She's gaga for movies. In fact, going to the theaters is what pushes Anna out of her dorm room-size comfort zone and inspires her to check out other things that Paris has to offer. I would totally be the same way. Scared of getting lost in a strange city where you don't speak the language. But I know eventually my need for reading material would kick my ass outta my room.
Now onto the sexy business! At the beginning of the book, Anna's really attracted to St. Clair. But then she finds out he's got a girlfriend, so Anna slips into The Friend Zone cos she'd rather be friends with him than nothing at all.
But the more they hang out together, the swoonier things get. And I think that shows what an amazing writer Stephanie Perkins is because there was really very little physical hanky-panky going on in this book. It's all about the stolen glances and accidentally grazing hands and almost kisses. It's all very swoontastic!
Plus the backdrop is Paris so you automatically have to multiply that swoon by 10 in order to properly gage the swoonitude of Anna and the French Kiss.
So sexytimes are important but so is friendship. And Anna is lucky enough to acquire some really great friends. Meredith is the first to befriend Anna. Mer is super sweet, sporty and smart. (She's also got a thang for St. Clair so there's even more drama in this already thick drama stew.)
Then there's Rashmi and Josh, the couple that fight hard and love harder.
And, of course, St. Clair, who I've prattled on about enough already.
I really liked the group dynamic. And as much as I enjoyed the St. Clair swooniness, I wouldn't have minded if the whole group was together more.
We're also introduced to Anna's BFF in Atlanta, Bridge and her BSC (Before St. Clair) crush, Toph. And even more boy drama ensues there!
Plus we get to watch Anna discover the city and herself as she tries to figure out what she wants and who she wants to be.
All in all, Anna and the French Kiss is a really sweet story that you'll totally fall in love with! Or as the French would say *le sigh*
The Scale of Judgment says...... 5!
EvilEva reviews...... The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness.
Todd Hewitt and his trusty dog, Manchee, live in Prentisstown, a strange settlement of New World where men can hear the thoughts of every other man (and animal) in an endless stream of unbearable Noise.
One month shy of becoming a man himself, Todd heads to the swamp on a quest for apples and finds something else entirely. He finds complete silence. And in Prentisstown, silence is dangerous.
Especially when it's in the form of a young girl. Because there have been no women in Prentisstown for years.
So when Mayor Prentiss finds out about Todd's discovery, he begins to form an army, intent on hunting down Todd, his dog and the girl.
It's up to this small band of unlikely heroes to head for the rumored big city settlement of Haven to warn them and try to prevent another war.
As y'all might know I've gone a little dystopia crazy as of late but I kinda can't help it because all the ones that I've read have been so good. The Knife of Never Letting Go is no different.
It's told from the point of view of Todd, a 12 year old (maybe 14 depending on what calendar you use) who's unhappily happy living in this little town solely inhabited by men whose thoughts he can hear 24/7 with his dog, Manchee, and his guardians Ben and Cillian. Todd has lived in Prentisstown nearly 13 years, minding his own business as best he can and then suddenly one day his whole world is upended. Todd finds a girl and silence, both of which are completely foreign to him. Soon after Todd also finds out that his whole life has pretty much been a big fat lie. It seems even through all the Noise, secrets can still be kept in Prentisstown. Things become unsafe for Todd. The mayor has started an army and as if that isn't bad enough there's also a loony preacher that's out to get him too. So Todd's given a rucksack of things he'll need like a journal written by his mother, food, clothes, a map and a knife and told to make his way to another settlement, one that Todd didn't even know existed.
He takes along his awesome dog, Manchee, who totally reminded me of Dug from Up! and the girl who he learns is named Viola. And together this little band of misfits head out to find help and hopefully answers.
I can't really tell you too much more because anything else would be spoilery.
I will tell you this though, the first few chapters are a little slow because it's mostly Todd semi-explaining the world around him without giving concrete information like what the heck a spack is and why he's referred to as a "Whirler boy" by some of the local animals.
But the story started to pick up around the fourth chapter and it was fun tagging along on this journey with Todd, Viola and Manchee. I mean, as fun as running for your lives can be. This story is pretty intense. And the kids are younger, so if you're looking for the swoon you found in The Hunger Games and Delirium, you're barking up the wrong tree. The Knife of Never Letting Go is about survival and what it takes to really, truly be brave. And Holy balls with that ending!
If you like your dystopia on the heavy side, with more running and less smooching, then this is the book for you.
The Scale of Judgment says...... 4.
So yay! I FINALLY read these majorly blog-hyped books! Now I know why they were so majorly hyped! If you're still wondering, I would suggest you go ahead and read them so that you too can be in the loop! :)
I've heard so many wonderful things about both of Lauren Oliver's books and they both just happen to be mocking me from my TBR pile so I decided that now would be the perfect time to buckle down and read them. So this month I'll be taking on Before I Fall and Delirium. Join me, won't you?
EvilEva reviews...... Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver.
Sam Kingston's life is pretty golden. She has a tight knit group of friends, a hot boyfriend and she's popular! But one night one small moment changes everything. There's an accident and Sam is thrown into a sort of limbo. She has to relive the same day, her last, over and over. Has Sam been given a second chance to right her wrongs? If she can figure out how to repair the things she's done can she change her future? Or is Sam destined to live in a loop, stuck in that fateful February day forever?
Truthfully, I didn't know if I was going to like this book. In the beginning Sam and her friends are the popular, mean girls that rule the school and have something snarky to say about everyone that isn't in their little clique. It was actually kinda hard to like Sam at first. But as the story progresses so does Sam.
She starts to see that the people she thought were losers/sluts/freaks actually aren't that bad. In fact, they're pretty great.
And she realizes that some of the people she's chosen to surround herself with aren't really as awesome as she originally thought.
I liked learning these different characteristics of the various people in Sam's life right along with her. So I liked that she relives each day differently. Everyday she wakes up, she's frustrated or angry or euphoric or resigned to her Groundhog's Day-like fate. Some days she really wants to change and others she just says Fuck It.
I thought that made the book really interesting, seeing which path Sam would choose. Would she have nice moments with her family or would she argue with them? Would she break up with her boyfriend or spend first period making out with him in the parking lot? Would she tell Lindsay to stop making fun of people or would she laugh right along with her? Would she finally see what an awesome sauce catch Kent is or would she continue ignoring him?
There were so many possibilities and so many ways the story could (and did) go. And I think Lauren Oliver handled each really well. I enjoyed her writing style (and thus can't wait to begin Delirium!)
And even though the chapters and the book were long it never felt that way. It all added up to a really great, interesting book.
The Scale of Judgment says...... 4 and a half.
EvilEva reviews...... Delirium by Lauren Oliver.
Love is a disease. Now known as amor deliria nervosa, love has been outlawed.
Lena can't wait for the day she turns 18 and is able to be cured. She fears she'll end up like her mother, infected with the sickness and willing to give up everything for it. Lena is certain the cure is just the thing she needs to save her own life.
And then she meets Alex.
And she starts to have feelings that scare her, feelings that go against everything she's been taught.
Lena is falling in love.
And now that she realizes love isn't a sickness, it isn't something to be feared, there's no way she can go back to her normal life with her neatly mapped out future.
Lena has to find a way to be with Alex. She has to find a way to make it over the fence that encloses the city, and into the Wilds where she and Alex can be together, free of any rules.
But the regulators are always watching.
And anyone caught showing signs of being infected are sent away to the Crypts, locked up for the rest of their lives.
Or worse--- immediately put to death.
But love is worth the risk. And Lena has to try.
I got the deliria...... for this book! Oh my God, y'all! I LOVED it! Go out right now and Buy This Book! And then when you get back from your Delirium-gettin' boot up the ol' computer and preorder Pandemonium cos you're gonna wanna know what happens next. I do! I just finished reading Delirium and already wanna read it again. It is sooooo good! I don't even know if I'll be able to pull off a decent review because of my overabundance of fangirling right now.
Alright, calm down, girl and explain to the nice people out there why this book is so fanfuckingtastic.
Ok, so it's a dystopian setting but it's not so dystopian that people have crazypants names and are on the verge of quite possibly having to eat each other for dinner. In Lauren Oliver's future craphole cars and electricity are luxuries. There are labs where you go when you turn 18 to be cured of that pesky little thing called love. Everything in your life is dictated to you. Your college, your major, your job, your mate, where you'll live and even how many children you should have. Love is completely forbidden. You can't so much as hold hands with someone unless you wanna be hauled off to the Crypts. You are taught that love is bad for you.
The whole premise is so interesting to me because when you begin the story you think (or at least I did) that this is just gonna be about sexytimes love and how these crazy kids can't live without it. But the author delves into the concept even deeper, what it's like for a parent to have a child and feel not love but indifference toward them, not to hold them when they fall or when they're scared or when they cry. So it leaves you feeling like the adults are kinda Stepford-y. Everything is either black or white, there is no gray area. There's wrong and there's right. The cure is right and falling in love is very wrong.
And this is how Lena feels or rather how Lena is taught to feel. Then she meets sexypants Alex and her whole world, everything she knew and all of her beliefs are shaken to their core. This is what makes Lena such a great character. She's conflicted by her sudden and unexpected love for Alex and also by her duties to her family.
And speaking of Alex, he is so super swoontastic! I wanted to jump the fence into the Wilds with him too! He definitely gets Book Boyfriend status on this blog!
Even the secondary characters were great and memorable. I loved Hana, Lena's bestie. She was totally there for Lena and aided in her rule-breaking.
And even though she wasn't in the book that much, I LOVED me some Gracie! Lauren Oliver made her seem so sweet and fragile and I just wanted to snuggle her up and keep her in my pocket.
Delirium, much like love itself is a roller coaster ride of emotions. It's so epic and wonderful and tragic and amazing and I can't say enough good things about it. Y'all, for serious, Get This Book. You won't regret it.
The Scale of Judgment says...... 5!
So, we are right in the thick of summer now and being such I think it's time that I bust out the summer reads. So here are the reviews for two beachy, summery, road trippy books that have been sitting patiently in my TBR pile waiting for hotter weather to lure me to their summery goodness.
EvilEva reviews...... The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han.
Belly measures her life in summers. Every year she leaves town with her mother and older brother, Steven and travels to the sandy shores of Cousins Beach. There they meet up with her mother's best friend, Susannah and her two sons, Conrad and Jeremiah in the beach house they've owned for as long as Belly can remember.
This year Belly looks forward to sunning, swimming and swooning over Conrad. But Conrad is acting all aloof and soon Belly finds a new guy named Cam to help her forget about Con and his crumby attitude. But even though she likes Cam she can't stop thinking about Conrad. And now Jeremiah seems like he might be interested in Belly as more than just a friend too.
It's all so teen-angsty confusing! Seems like "turning pretty" might not be all it's cracked up to be.
I really wanted to like this one because it was recommended to me be the fantabulous ladies over at YA Crush (it's a great book blog run by two hilarious Michael Moscovitz lovers! Check it out.) but I just couldn't get into it.
I didn't really care for Belly's voice. I found her to be whiny, selfish and a bit on the conceited side. Which I guess is kinda par for the teenage girl course but still. I felt like she never really redeemed herself for having such suckish qualities. There was a lot of talk about this being "the year she turned pretty," the year people (boys mostly) finally started noticing her, a time when she should start to grow up and mature slightly faster than her boobs have. But she doesn't. She remains semi-annoying Belly throughout the entire book (even after she learns something pretty devastating about Susannah.)
Something else I found a bit disappointing was the lack of swoon. With THREE boys to choose from, there should have been swoon aplenty. There should have been panty-melting, heart-a-twittering, knee-weakening, butterfly-inducing swoon. But I didn't feel it. Conrad was a douchebag. He ignored Belly most of the time and when he wasn't ignoring her he was being kinda assy to her. And yet Belly was tee totes in love with him forevs, even while dating Cam.
Cam seemed like a nice enough guy except he let Belly walk all over him and was kind of a pussy when it came to her. But maybe that's just because he knew she wasn't really that into him and he was trying his hardest, by giving in to her every whim, to get her to like him.
Then there was Jeremiah. He was my fave of the three guys. To me though, their relationship gave off a "in the friend zone" vibe and it seemed like Jeremiah didn't really mind that until the end of the book when all of a sudden he too is in love with Belly.
But really, Cam and Jeremiah didn't even matter cos Belly only had eyes for Conrad. For some reason.
On the Rate-A-Date-O-Meter, if there is such a thing, I'd give Belly and Conrad a Carrie and Mr. Big. That's what I was reminded of the whole time I was reading this book. Because, much like Carrie with Big, Belly is obsessed with Conrad. She thinks about him even though she's with another guy (a nice guy who is completely moony over her and actually treats her well.) She'll drop everything and everyone just so she can spend one moment with him (even if he spends that moment ignoring her.) It's like he's her life force. Without Conrad there is no Belly. Which is pretty sad.
So this just wasn't the book for me. It didn't have any particularly funny parts or any sexytimes. The chapters alternate between present Belly and past Belly. And, sadly enough, there's not much of a difference between the two.
The Scale of Judgment says...... 2 and a half.
EvilEva reviews...... Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson.
Amy is having a difficult summer. Her father unexpectedly died a few months ago, her twin brother Charlie is stuck in a rehab facility in North Carolina and after being all alone for weeks Amy now has to drive from the only home she's ever known to join her mother in a new house, in a new city, on the other side of the country.
The problem? Amy doesn't drive.
So her mother has enlisted Roger, a friend's son, to get Amy and their car from California to Connecticut.
What starts out as an awkward trip, perfectly, boringly mapped out by mom, quickly turns into a surprising, awesome epic detour!
I LOVED this story! I LOVED these characters! Roger is sheer awesome sauce! His name has now officially been added to my Book Boyfriend Hall Of Fame. And I would totes be BFFs with Amy any day! They both seemed very real to me. I liked the fact that, in the beginning, Amy was a little wary and uncomfortable traveling across the country with someone she barely knew and how the further they went she began to loosen up and unravel the story of why she doesn't drive, refuses to wear sunglasses and can't bear to listen to Elvis anymore.
Roger was the perfect road trip companion for her. He was sweet and funny and nice and was very compassionate towards her and everything she'd been through.
I thought that Amy and Roger's somewhat lukewarm friendship slowly and steadily turning into something more was totally swoontastical! It's like 200+ pages of adorable foreplay!
I even loved the secondary characters. Walcott, Bronwyn and Lucien were all great in their own ways. And even though they only occupied about one to two chapters, they still made a distinct impression and had their specific roles to play to move the story along.
I also liked that Morgan Matson described the journey in such rich detail. It made me feel like I was in the backseat along for the ride. I thought the scrapbook element and the multitude of playlists was a cool bonus too.
This book made me wanna take my own road trip immediately. It also spurred me to make my own Epic Detour Playlist (which I've included below.)
Amy and Roger's Epic Detour is a fantastic book about love, lose and the courage it takes to move on. I would HIGHLY recommend this book especially right now in July cos it would make the PERFECT beach read!
The Scale of Judgment says...... 5!
EvilEva's Epic Detour Playlist #1
"Taking Cues From Roger" aka "Because I Heart Music" aka "I Also Love Lists"
Song Title Artist
"Right Now" SR71
"So Long, Astoria" The Ataris
"Back To California" Sugarcult
"Vegas" New Found Glory
"Be My Escape" Relient K
"Our Time Now" Plain White Ts
"Good Life" One Republic
"Uncharted" Sara Bareilles
"Movin' On" Good Charlotte
"Crazy Ride" Michelle Branch
"It's Alright" MxPx
"Maps" Yeah Yeah Yeah's
"Wish You Were" Kate Voegele
EvilEva reviews...... Private: Ominous by Kate Brian.
Private series.
Warning! Spoilers!
Reed and Noelle have discovered a shocking secret about the original ladies of Billings. Noelle thinks it's ridiculous but Reed is intrigued. Until she starts to have nightmares in which terrible things happen to her friends. Suddenly the nightmares are coming true and Billings Girls are disappearing. Reed tries to use her newfound power to save the girls but it puts her even further in danger. Will Reed be able to squeak by yet again? Or is she truly cursed this time around?
This is the 13th book in the Private series. And about the thirteen-hundredth time Reed's life has been in danger. I swear, this girl is like a magnet for trouble. And it was fun. About 14 failed murder attempts ago.
And I hate saying that! You have no idea how much I hate saying that. Because I heart Kate Brian! And I heart these books! One of the main reasons I hearted them so was because they were completely void of all the other YA trendy trappings like vampires and werewolves and angels and dystopian settings that are so prevalent these days.
Private was high school and mean-girl bitchery and mystery and intrigue and crushes and parties and friendships. Now I feel like all of that has been stripped away and it's just another paranormal teen book. So I'm a little disappointed that that seems to be the way the series is now going. I wish Kate had just ended the series a few books back on a high note and then maybe began writing a new supernatural series. I just don't like that, even though all the characters are the same, it reads like a completely different book.
All that being said, if I semi-forgot the past 12 books and just focused on the story at hand, it wasn't a bad read.
I still like Kate Brian's writing style. The pacing was crisp and there was still wonder and guessing. I wanted to find out who the kidnapper was. And in true Private fashion, the story ended with a cliffhanger. The 14th book, Vengeance, will be in stores September 6th.
And yes, I'll be picking it up because even though I'm not a fan of this whole "light as a feather, stiff as a board" direction it's beginning to take, I AM a fan of Josh! And I want to see if sexy times will be in his and Reed's future! ;)
The Scale of Judgment says...... 3 and a half.
EvilEva reviews...... The Lying Game by Sara Shepard.
Emma Paxton has been bounced around from various foster homes most of her life. That all changes one day when she finds out that she has a long-lost twin sister, Sutton. The girls plan on meeting up but Sutton doesn't show. Emma finds out that Sutton has been murdered. And everyone is a suspect. Emma must pretend to be the sister she never knew so she can get the dirt on the person that wanted Sutton dead. Or else she could be next.
Can I just say that I totally heart Sara Shepard? I gobbled up the Pretty Little Liars series with such fervor and now I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in this series. (Never Have I Ever out July 26th!)
This book is told from both Emma and Sutton's points of view. That can be a little confusing at times because there's no break between the two. But it's not so jarring that it turned me off of the book.
I thought the premise of the book was interesting, although if I had been murdered and my long-lost twin suddenly took my place I would kinda hope that someone would notice even a slight difference. I do get it though. I mean, even if you told the family, the boyfriend, the BFFs, it's just so outlandish why would they believe you? Especially if you were such a lying liarface like Sutton apparently was.
But anyhoozle, the actual lying game is this insane game that Sutton and her friends play wherein they pull really harsh mean-spirited pranks on people. Finding out this info leads Emma to believe that The Lying Game could be the motive for Sutton's murder.
So it seems that this series, much like Pretty Little Liars, will be a twisty turny whodunit. Which I love. I love a good mystery & that is one thing that has been surprisingly lacking in YA recently. But I for one enjoy getting my Nancy Drew on! That being said, you know I gotta give my theory on this bitch!
So, mild SPOILER ALERT!, except not really because this happens within the first few chapters:
I think Sutton's killer is..... Charlotte's dad, Mr. Chamberlain! Why? Well for one thing there's all that weirdness when he first sees Emma thinking that she's Sutton as if he can't believe she's alive since, you know, HE KILLED HER AND ALL!!! Plus there's the part where Charlotte says that her dad has been in Tokyo for the past month, even though Emma just saw him! So he's lying and sneaking around. Plus, the business with the alarm system being on when Emma is strangled. Mr Chamberlain would obviously know the code to the alarm because he lives there! He could easily turn it off and then reset it. PLUS, he was never really mentioned after those first two times. And it's always the one that the main character NEVER SUSPECTS!
(Sorry about all the exclamation points. I got all sleuth-y excited there for a minute.)
As for a motive, well I think perhaps he and Sutton were partaking in a little Lily Kane/Aaron Echolls scenario. So that is my guess. After reading the first book anyway.
Who knows who I'll accuse after the second. (Again, Never Have I Ever. Out July 26th!) I hope not Ethan. I really liked him. I mean, HELLO!, I tagged this post with "Book Boyfriend" expressly for him. Although he'll have to quit with that smoking bullshit.
The Scale of Judgment says...... 4.
EvilEva reviews...... Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.
The Hunger Games Trilogy.
Warning! Spoilers!
Warning. This is the final book in The Hunger Games trilogy. There will be spoilers. If you haven't read the first two books stop here.
After Katniss is rescued from the Quarter Quell arena she is whisked off to a place she thought no longer existed. District 13. An underground community that was responsible for Katniss' exit from the Games. With the help of some District and Capitol insiders, they have planned a rebellion. It starts now. And Katniss is to be the symbol for the rebellion. Their very own Mockingjay. A sign of hope and freedom. The only problem is Katniss doesn't know if she can be everything they want her to be. And as someone that has been playing games for far too long, her trust has worn thin. Can she put her worry, her mistrust, and her anger away in time to save Peeta, her country and herself?
Well y'all, after 3 books, 9 parts, 81 chapters and 1155 pages I have finally finished The Hunger Games trilogy. And I must say, I loved every minute of it! The final book did not disappoint. In my opinion anyway. I've read a few blogs that weren't particularly thrilled with the end result. I, however, am not one of those bloggers. I thought that Mockingjay was just as amazing as Hunger Games and Catching Fire. I felt like it had the perfect mix of action, romance, uncertainty, thrills, chills, surprises and all of the other things needed to make a great book. I especially liked the amazing UNBELIEVABLE ending of chapter 26! (NO! Don't read ahead! Stop flipping pages! Get to it when you get to it and be as surprised as I was. I promise it'll be better if you don't peek!) I SO DID NOT see that coming! I thought it was a really good twist to the story though. And, obvs, I looooooved the ending! (KnowwhatI'msayin' teammates!)
I felt that Mockingjay, on the whole, was a great way to wrap up the series. I think Suzanne Collins tied up all loose ends beautifully. I like when endings feel final, like there's no real need for another 8 million books to be written on the subject, but when there's also that little bit of lingering, like you can easily imagine that the characters are still there living, loving, moving forward.
That being said, these three books are perfection.
You should read them. Then get you friends to read them. Then get their friends to read them. Pull your own Oprah-BookClub-Magic with these books!
They would be a great gift for the coming holiday season. And for anyone really. (I'm getting my 14 year old cousin started on them!)
I'm a little bummed that my trip to Panem is over but hey, I've still got the movies to look forward to!
The Scale of Judgment says...... 5!
EvilEva reviews...... Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins.
The Hunger Games Trilogy.
Warning! Spoilers!
Warning. This is the sequel to The Hunger Games. There will be spoilers. If you haven't read the first book STOP HERE!
After winning the Hunger Games by publicly defying the Capitol, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark have started their new lives in District 12. Living in the Victor's Village, having plenty of food and money, being safe. Or so the Capitol would like them to think. But Katniss knows that she is not safe, that she will never be safe. Her fears are confirmed when President Snow himself shows up at her home. Katniss and Peeta's defiance could cause an uprising, something that P. Snow is not down with. He doesn't believe the whole tragic star crossed lovers bit, at least not on Katniss' end. So while she and Peeta tour the other Districts she is to play up the romance, convince people that it was not defiance but true love. But Katniss is sick of the Capitol and their games and secretly longs for an uprising. President Snow, however, has ways of making sure Katniss will comply. Like having Gale killed. So with Gale's life hanging in the balance, Katniss and Peeta embark on their Victory Tour.
Things don't quite go as planned. There are rumblings of a rebellion. When Katniss and Peeta return to District 12 they find a new, harsher Peacekeeper, the Hob has been destroyed and the fence separating District 12 from the woods has been activated. As if that's not bad enough, they find out that they will now be forced to participate in the Quarter Quell.
The Quarter Quell happens, appropriately, every 25 years between Hunger Games. Always with a twist, this year former victors compete in an island/jungle arena covered with many hidden dangers as well as force fields that'll fry your ass if you're not careful. The rules are the same though. Survive at all costs.
Unlike the first book, Katniss finds herself with a whole host of allies this time around. But can she really trust them? This is the question that plagues her throughout the book.
Her newfound "friends" and former winners of the HG include, Finnick, the athletic, attractive, adored wonderboy; Johanna, the hard-shelled gladiator girl; Beetee, the techno whiz; Wiress, Beetee's slightly off often brilliant District counterpart; and Mags, the hard to understand yet selfless elder of the bunch. But who can she count on and who is she willing to kill to ensure that her plan, of Peeta winning and taking on the Capitol with his beautiful mind and insightful words, will come to fruition.
This book, very much like the first, is so gut wrenching. I swear, with every page I read, Suzanne Collins just impresses me more and more. She has such an incredible way of making you care for these characters so deeply. I want Katniss to live. I want her to really fall in love with Peeta (Yep. I'm Team Peeta, y'all!) I want her to marry him and have adorable little baker babies. And I want those babies to grow up in a safe, Capitol-free world. And I want Gale and Prim and Katniss' mother to be ok. And Haymitch too! And I want him to lay off the sauce. And good Lord I hope Cinna is alright! See, this is why Suzanne Collins' books are so friggin fantastic! Long after the book is closed, long after the story is over, you're still thinking and worrying and yes, obsessing about these characters. Even right now as I'm sitting here writing this review I keep sliding glances over at my nightstand where Mockingjay is patiently waiting for me.
Catching Fire was a wild ride from start to finish. And Holy God, what a finish!!! What a crazy, unexpected, awesome ending! Ok, I HAVE to go read Mockingjay now. I can't stand the suspense any longer!
The Scale of Judgment says...... 5!
EvilEva reviews ...... Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins. 
