Book Review | The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

The Dream Thieves (The Raven Boys #2)

Author: Maggie Stiefvater
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Publisher: Scholastic Press

Page Number: 439

Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal
Publication Date: September 17, 2013

Synopsis from Goodreads: 
If you could steal things from dreams, what would you take?

Ronan Lynch has secrets. Some he keeps form others. Some he keeps from himself.

One secret: Ronan can bring things out of his dreams.

And sometimes he's not the only one who wants those things.

Ronan is one of the raven boys—a group of friends, practically brothers, searching for a dead king named Glendower, who they think is hidden somewhere in the hills by their elite private school, Aglionby Academy. The path to Glendower has long lived as an undercurrent beneath town. But now, like Ronan's secrets, it is beginning to rise to the surface—changing everything in its wake.

Of The Raven Boys, Entertainment Weekly wrote, "Maggie Stiefvater's can't-put-it-down paranormal adventure will leave you clamoring for book two." Now the second book is here, with the same wild imagination, dark romance, and heart-stopping twists that only Maggie Stiefvater can conjure.

 Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

My Review:
This review will be pretty short, because this is the second installment in a series and I don't want to spoil anything.
I loved The Raven Boys. Let me just.

I wasn't one of those people who adored Ronan in The Raven Boys. To be honest, he was a bad boy, but he was a bit too much of a bad boy. He was like, insane. No offense. I preferred the classy Gansey, if you know what I mean.

But I picked up The Dream Thieves. And now I admire Maggie Stiefvater even more. 

The Dream Thieves focused on Ronan's past, and it was really interesting, and now I just love Ronan just as much as Gansey. 

Remember I said I liked Adam? WELL NOW.

Adam: *says something annoying*

Me: SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP.

Adam: *says something not annoying*

Me: URGHHHHHH SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP.

Dude, I don't even know, but that thing at the end of the first book ;) made me reconsider if I actually liked Adam. EVERY SINGLE THING HE SAID, I just wanted to yell at him to shut up.

But. 
I used to either love a character for an entire series, or hate a character.
Maggie Stiefvater changed that. 
The plot was just as mysterious and entertaining, and I loved all of it. Heart warming, discovering, amazing, incredible, wow. 
Go read this series, now. Please?

Final Rating: 

❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄

~Beatrice

Book Review | An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

An Ember in the Ashes (An Ember in the Ashes #1)

Author: Sabaa Tahir
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Publisher: Razorbill

Page Number: 447

Genre: Fantasy
Publication Date: April 28, 2015

Synopsis from Goodreads:  
Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

 Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

My Review: 
I'm speechless. This is probably the BEST debut I've read in a longg time.

An Ember in the Ashes is incredible. Just go read it, please??? It actually deserves the hype.

The beginning of the book: things were ALREADY happening. Usually in the beginning of a first book or standalone, they will use the beginning of the story to info-dump, or tell you everything you need to know to understand the story. Tahir slowly explains everything to you, little by little, so it leaves you satisfied and curious at the same time.

Characters? Characters. Usually, I'm all about the badass main character. Laia...isn't exactly one, but she goes through SO much character development throughout this book. I was cheering her on the whole time. Elias is also very strong and I love his bravery. I sort of didn't like Helene that much, like, girl, stop being so cold hearted! The last few pages made me like her a bit more though.

The thing I loved the most about this book was that Tahir didn't sugar coat ANYTHING. This world is hell. The Masks are scary af, like WHY you gonna put silver stuff on your face. Are you freaking insane? Do you want to be a robot? Seriously, Helene. If you know what I'm talking about =P This book is not cheesy at all. When you search for the opposite of Anna and the French Kiss, a cute contemporary, you see this. Because it's that not cheesy. I don't know what I'm talking about does this even make sense? Tahir focuses on the darkness of the Roman empire, the harshness of war, terrible punishment, and so, so much more. The villain in this book is the Commandant, and she will make Celaena Sardothein look like a bad assassin. Well, maybe not Celaena. Maybe Voldemort. Yeah, that's more like it. Dude, the Commandant's character was so amazing, it's not even real. I haven't loved/hated a villian so much. Ever.

Tahir's writing is gorgeous, and addicting, and just makes you want more more more. I was craving her writing by the end of the book. Thank god we're getting a sequel. THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU. <3
 
This book made by brain and emotions and feels spin like crazy. Stuff happening ever so quickly, before I can even process what the hell is even going on. This book is action packed like NEVER before. 

Final thoughts:
~Amazing <3 <3 <3 Will love forever
~Recommend it to HIGH fantasy readers (so that means if you only read cutesy contemporary, you better go away, 'cause this book is DARK af)
~Love love love
~Sequel please????

Final Rating: 

❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄

~Beatrice

Book Review | The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider

The Beginning of Everything

Author: Robyn Schnedier
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Publisher: Katherine Tegen

Page Number: 335

Genre: Contemporary
Publication Date: August 27, 2013

Synopsis from Goodreads:  
Golden boy Ezra Faulkner believes everyone has a tragedy waiting for them—a single encounter after which everything that really matters will happen. His particular tragedy waited until he was primed to lose it all: in one spectacular night, a reckless driver shatters Ezra’s knee, his athletic career, and his social life.

No longer a front-runner for Homecoming King, Ezra finds himself at the table of misfits, where he encounters new girl Cassidy Thorpe. Cassidy is unlike anyone Ezra’s ever met, achingly effortless, fiercely intelligent, and determined to bring Ezra along on her endless adventures.

But as Ezra dives into his new studies, new friendships, and new love, he learns that some people, like books, are easy to misread. And now he must consider: if one’s singular tragedy has already hit and everything after it has mattered quite a bit, what happens when more misfortune strikes?

Robyn Schneider’s The Beginning of Everything is a lyrical, witty, and heart-wrenching novel about how difficult it is to play the part that people expect, and how new beginnings can stem from abrupt and tragic endings.

 Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

My Review: 
Shut up, Ezra.

The Beginning of Everything...reminded me of a John Green novel. But a worse version. It tries to be like a John Green novel; it tries so hard...but it fails so hard as well.

The Beginning of Everything is about a boy named Ezra, who was one of the popular kids in the beginning. But after an incident, he loses his popularity. Sound generic? That's because it is.

I'll admit, most contemporaries feel the same to me. This was no different. They all have something tragic happen. Why can't we just have a cheesy, fluffy, lovey contemporary? Then it'd be boring af but still.  This book felt like a John Green book. Seriously.

Ezra. Cassidy. Charlotte. What's-his-face. Urgh. Just stop making girly girls, popular hot athletic dudes, and secretly hot outcasts! I could compare each of these characters to one of John Green's characters.

Ezra = Augustus, believe it our not. They have more similarities than you think they do.

Cassidy = Margo. This is pretty obvious, although Cassidy wasn't ever popular. 

Charlotte = every single other bitchy character in John Green's books.

Ezra won't shut up, Cassidy is so generic and boring, and I just want to punch Charlotte in the face.

That's my thoughts on these characters.

I did like Phoebe and Toby though. The SASS, man. The sass!

The writing is gorgeous. It really is. I do have to say, this book beats John Green's writing. It really is beautiful and flows and all that good stuff you like to see in writing.

Final thoughts: great for any John Green lover, otherwise, if you want to read it, just check it out from the library. It's not that special.

Final Rating: 

❄❄❄❄❄❄

~Beatrice

Jocelyn Fray, An Ember in the Ashes #2, and Riders cover

HELLOOOO!
Today I wanted to discuss:
~Jocelyn Fray TV Show casting
~An Ember in the Ashes #2
~Veronica Rossi's new book, Riders' cover

So let's start! So much to talk about, so little space? Room? Idk.
ABC Family has casted Clary's mother, Jocelyn Fray, and she is omfg PERFECT. <3 I can't even.

 

I think if they dye her hair a bit more red, she's going to be perfect.

Her name is Maxin Roy, btws. 

Her IMDb:  http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0747114/

Some Quick Facts:

~She was born in Canada

~She's in her 40's

~She's also a producer!

Comment your opinions down below too!

SABAA TAHIR IS WRITING AN EMBER IN THE ASHES BOOK 2!!!!!

When I saw this on Goodreads and Twitter and Tumblr and EVERYWHERE, I literally screamed. 

LOOK AT THIS GORGEOUS ISH:

Actually, I think we should all be VERY proud. We fandom family have convinced Penguin to write another book. That's a pretty good accomplishment. *pats back*

I can't WAIT to see the cover, and especially when more info comes out. Also, be sure to look out for my An Ember in the Ashes book review, coming soon! (more like 5 days XD)

FINALLY, last but certainly not least:

The Riders novel by Veronica Rossi has a cover. It's absolutely amazing. You all know I'm a big fan of Veronica Rossi, so when I hear she's writing FOUR books in this series: 

That was me. Sort of. 

Anyways, here's the GORGEOUS cover: 

omfg it's amazing and the fire is just amazing and SQUEALLINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!

*fangirling*

Synopsis: 

For eighteen-year-old Gideon Blake, nothing but death can keep him from achieving his goal of becoming a U.S. Army Ranger. As it turns out, it does.
Recovering from the accident that most definitely killed him, Gideon finds himself with strange new powers and a bizarre cuff he can’t remove. His death has brought to life his real destiny. He has become War, one of the legendary four horsemen of the apocalypse.
Over the coming weeks, he and the other horsemen—Conquest, Famine and Death—are brought together by a beautiful but frustratingly secretive girl to help save humanity from an ancient evil on the emergence.
They fail.
Now—bound, bloodied, and drugged—Gideon is interrogated by the authorities about his role in a battle that has become an international incident. If he stands any chance of saving his friends and the girl he’s fallen for—not to mention all of humankind—he needs to convince the skeptical government officials the world is in imminent danger.
But will anyone believe him?

I think it's like a fantasy,  and I just can't wait!!

~Beatrice 

Book Review | Falling Into Place by Amy Zhang

Falling Into Place 

Author: Amy Zhang
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Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Page Number: 304

Genre: Contemporary
Publication Date: September 9, 2014

Synopsis from Goodreads:  
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.

 Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

My Review: 
I can't even. 

Meet Liz Emerson: bitch, bad baby, and the most popular girl in Meridan High.

She almost dies.

Welcome to Falling into Place. 

This book left me freaking SPEECHLESS and a sobbing, hysterical mess. 

Because of many reasons: this book was MADE for YA. It covered many of the issues today's teens face. That's why this book was special. It was beautiful, special, amazing, and just easily intriguing. Remember We Were Liars? The book that had caught onto everyone of my emotions? Think of that.

All the characters, from bitchy Liz to Julia, to Liam, had some sort of problem. It wasn't that realistic, but I hated most of the characters. Especially Liz, because she turned all these kids. Gave them a problem to deal with. And most of all, became more like Liz. It was so despairingly sad to see all these innocent little kids, go through Liz, and come out. Just like Liz. All the relationships were so sad, and I just hated Liz. For all she did. But, again, you can't help but sympathizing with Liz. Because that's what Zhang's gorgeous writing did. She made us all feel sorry, for each and every character.

Flashbacks. This book flashbacked from before she crashed, years before, how she met her friend, after the crash. Everything. It was like a memory book into Liz Emerson's life. The mysterious narrator described each event, place, date, where things happened. How each thing transformed Liz Emerson, and everyone around her's life. 

The science. I was recently reviewing Newton's Laws of Motion in my physics class when I read this book, and I learned something: not only do these things happen in motion, but in real life too. Take this quote for example:  

  She did not realize that the equal and opposite reaction was this: every terrible, horrible, bitchy thing Liz had ever done had bounced back to her.

This quote now hangs on my walls. It makes me think about all the bad things I've done, and thought about them. Liz Emerson makes me think about all the things I've done. And make me regret some of them. But, I also like how the cover has science symbols. It's soo pretty!!!

In conclusion, Falling into Place is an amazing hell of a ride, filled with deep thoughts, teenage issues, intriguing ideas, a fascinating narrator, a main character you hate and love, beautifully prose, and a heartbreaking world.

Final Rating: 

❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄

~Beatrice

Book Review | Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Red Queen (Red Queen#1)

Author: Victoria Aveyard
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Publisher: HarperTeen

Page Number: 383

Genre: Dystopian
Publication Date: February 10, 2015

Synopsis from Goodreads: 
MARE BARROW'S WORLD IS DIVIDED BY BLOOD—those with red and those with silver. Mare and her family are lowly Reds, destined to serve the Silver elite whose supernatural abilities make them nearly gods. Mare steals what she can to help her family survive, but when her best friend is conscripted into the army she gambles everything to win his freedom. A twist of fate leads her to the royal palace itself, where, in front of the king and all his nobles, she discovers a power of her own—an ability she didn't know she had. Except... her blood is Red.

To hide this impossibility, the king forces her into the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks her new position to aid the Scarlet Guard—the leaders of a Red rebellion. Her actions put into motion a deadly and violent dance, pitting prince against prince—and Mare against her own heart.

From debut author Victoria Aveyard comes a lush, vivid fantasy series where loyalty and desire can tear you apart and the only certainty is betrayal.

 Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

My Review:
I will admit something. I did fall into the hype, that's typical for me. But for some reason, I enjoyed this hyped book. A lot.

And let me ramble.  

Red Queen follows a girl named Mare (I hate her hame. She deserves something more kickassy), and they live in this world divided by blood type. Yup. And don't you get all sciencey on me, with the A type blood and B and whatever nonsense. This is COLORS. People have SILVER blood. Isn't that cool? Anyways, the people with red blood are normal, like us, but people with Silver blood? 

They have powers. 

DUN DUN DUN!!

Anyways, this book intrigued me from the very start. Mare is a thief, trying to help her family, who are Reds, survive. I don't know, but I just love thieves and assassins. They always have such complex characters and harsh background stories. It drew me in from the first page, and it was WORTH having stayed up until 11PM and not doing my stupid math homework until I got to the bus. 

That's another thing. Aveyard's writing is ADDICTING. I'm not saying it's beautiful and lyrical, but addicting. Trust me, you won't be able to put this down. 

Action. This book is jammed with action, especially the beginning. It kept me thumping and bumping and worrying and screaming and feels. You never know what Mare is going to do. Because that's just what Mare does. She does whatever she does, and you just have to go along with it, because you're a reader, and you'd probably die in the world.

Romance. A love triangle. Le sigh. Actually, Mare has like three guys. I was always Team Cal, because I didn't really like Maven. I feel like the romance was sort of cliche, not really anything special, except a few mysterious secrets.

And the cover, because I HAVE to talk about this beautiful cover. The contrasted colors, red and blue, just work so well on this cover, and the crown is gorgeous, and there's BLOOD. Even my sister, who doesn't give a shit about book, admitted it was pretty. 

Final Rating: 

❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄

~Beatrice

Book Review | Miss Peregine's Home for Pecuilar Children by Ransom Riggs

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children #1)

Author: Ransom Riggs
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Publisher: Quirk

Page Number: 352

Genre: Paranormal
Publication Date: June 7, 2011

Synopsis from Goodreads: 
A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of curious photographs.

A horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography.

Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

My Review:
This book. Is very strange. But unique. And I did enjoy it. Somewhat.

I think the thing I liked the most about this book was the vintage photography, mainly because it scared the hell out of my friends, much to my amusement. All the pictures were really cool, as they displayed their powers in a mysterious, but beautiful way. 

HOWEVER.

This book didn't live up to my expectations. Jesse from Jessethereader loved this book, so I thought I'd love it too, because we usually have similar taste, but no.

I hated all the characters, and you all know that the characters are usually my favorite part in books. 

The characters were all so bland and cliche and boring and stupid. I didn't connect to any of them, at all. Especially Emma. I just don't get her. 
This book wasn't scary at all. It felt like a children's book. Yes, the photographs were creepy, but no, the story wasn't very horrifying or terrifying. 

This book had one of the things I DESPISE when not done well: insta-love. *shudder*. The two main characters fell in love out of NO WHERE, because of his grandfather? No. Please. No. I felt no bond between the two, no purpose in the romance, other than to add another 50 pages of them kissing. 

The writing was BORING. I didn't like it at all. It didn't flow much, and felt weird. 

The story was sort of boring at times as well. I didn't need to know about how he walked on a beach for about two pages. Put some action. Betrayal. Something to spice it up.  

However, I did love the photography a lot, which probably bumped it up another snowflake or something. It really did add to the boringness of the writing sometimes. It also was really interesting and help me infer somethings, which made the mysteries in this book a little more interesting. 

Final conclusion: Forget the hype. As with all YA books these days, this book was overhyped, and I'm glad I read it after the hype, it's not that good.

Final Rating: 

❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄

~Beatrice

Book Review | The Raven Boys by Maggie Stievfater

The Raven Boys (The Raven Boys #1)

Author: Maggie Stiefvater
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Publisher: Scholastic Press

Page Number: 416

Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal
Publication Date: September 18, 2012

Synopsis from Goodreads: 
“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before. 

Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

My Review:
NOW I understand all the hype around The Raven Boys. Because I loved it. I loved it so so much.
So, basically, The Raven Boys is about a girl named Blue (I know, right?) Sargent, who comes from a family of psychics, which is hella cool. Then she meets this crew of awesome, heartbreaking, and mysterious guys from the Aglionby Academy, The Raven Boys. And she does awesome stuff. And it's awesome. And yeah. Honestly, I knew nothing about this book. When I found out about the psychics...O.O MINDBLOWN. Well, sort of.
Let's talk characters, because they are my favorite part of a book (usually. Unless...EMBER...yeah.)
I loved each and one of The Raven Boys and Blue with a piece of my soul (well, not really....or...). The Raven Boys each have one of their own character traits that make them so unique, but as a whole, they're incredible. We have the violent sarcastic Ronan, sweet Gansey (fangirling), Adam, the smart one, and Noah Czerny, the shy one. 
Blue was such a unique character, but you'd expect that with a family of psychics. But I did have a problem with Adam. I was all like, GANSEY + BLUE OTP, right? But Adam...sigh. No spoilers.
The writing was also classic Maggie Stiefvater, very beautiful writing. It really flowed with the story and made it much more enjoyable (if it wasn't already). 
This book is mysterious, and throughly enjoyable. I highly recommend it, but don't get too deep with the spoilers. The less you know, the more surprising this book gets.

Final Rating: 

❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄

~Beatrice

SHADOWHUNTER CASTING TALK | Jace, Clary, Simon, Isabelle, Alec, and Luke

HELLO EVERYONE! 
TODAY WE'RE GONNA BE DOING: SHADOWHUNTER CASTING TALK!!! 
So, if you don't know what this is about, basically, after the movie "City of Bones", based on the book series "The Mortal Instruments" by Cassandra Clare (if you don't know what that series is, have you been living under a rock? just kidding :D but really go read it) flopped and failed and stuff, ABC Family decided to make a TV Show out of the books! So yippee!!! 
Let's go in order, shall we? 

MR. Jace Wayland: 
Dominic Sherwood





 To be honest, he's not what I pictured as Jace. Neither was Jamie Campbell-Bower (Jace in the movie), but I suppose he'll look okay if he dyes his hair blond. But if you look at it from a different perspective, he's a pretty darn good Jace! 

MR. Simon Lewis:
Alberto Rosende
I love Simon, so I was personally worried. So when I saw this:
 

I was worried. And then I saw this:  
 

And now I'm not too worried. He's a pretty geeky sweet Simon, don't ya think? ;)

MS. Isabelle Lightwood: 
Emeraude Toubia 
 
Now THIS is a good Isabelle. She looks classy and Isabelle, and she's Latina, but guess what? I DON'T CARE, because in my opinion, she's a great Isabelle! :)

MS. Clary Fray  
Katherine McNamara

In the beginning, everyone thought that Mary Quinn was going to play our Clary, but nope! 
 

HOLD UP. BEFORE YOU GUYS COMPLAIN ABOUT HOW SHE'S NOT A REDHEAD, she is a redhead; she dyed her hair for her part in The Scorch Trials movie, where she plays Sonia. She's a perfect Clary. Enough said.

MR. Alec Lightwood
Matthew Daddario
 

I don't really care for Alec, I find him to be snobby, so I don't really care. But when I saw that last name...
 

Alexandra Daddairo has a brother? 
Call me ignorant, but I was FREAKING SHOCKED. I dunno. 
He's okay, he just looks too happy. Merh.

MR. Luke Garroway
Isaiah Mustafa
 

Okay, I'm not trying to be racist here, but I never imagined Luke to be African American. There was not indication of him being African American in the books, nor the movie. But I think it's great that the cast has such diverse cultures, and that's great. I'm really not going to judge him until I see him act, but if you look carefully, I can see some Luke in him. I can!

WELL THAT WRAPS IT ALL UP!
In conclusion, I really think they did a pretty good job at casting, and I can't wait to see Magnus Bane!

~Beatrice 

Book Review | Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

Article 5 (Article 5 #1)

Author: Kristen Simmons
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Publisher: Tor Teen

Page Number: 362

Genre: Dystopian
Publication Date: January 31, 2012

Synopsis from Goodreads:
New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have been abandoned.

The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.

There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested usually don't come back.

Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren't always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it's hard for her to forget that people weren't always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. It's hard to forget that life in the United States used to be different.

Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the military. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow.

That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings—the only boy Ember has ever loved.

Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

My Review:
I hate Ember. SHE DRIVES ME FREAKING INSANE. She's so stubborn, yet she doesn't know a single thing.

Have I got your attention yet?

Good.

Article 5 is a typical dystopian, with a corrupted government, rebels, terrible romance, etc. There's nothing special about it, just the stupid laws.

IF I WERE THERE, I'd just be like, fuck this shit, I'm outta here. 

No, just kidding, I'd probably freak out XD. 

Article 5 follows a seriously annoying girl named Ember, and her mom basically doesn't listen to rules. So, her mom gets taken by the law, and stuff happen. 

The world building, I'll say, is pretty good. I could really imagine the harsh environment they were in. 

The romance. Urgh. WHAT EVEN. I don't even know why Chase likes her, she's so annoying. If you were going to get killed, and a guy saved you, would you yell at the guy who saved you that they killed another man? NO. I'll shut up about Ember now. Hopefully.

The ending though, man. The ending was pretty amazing. It was tense, and I still hated Ember.

Okay, I should get all my thoughts out about Ember. Chase is there, fighting, all heroic and stuff, and Ember's just on the side like, "Oh, this is bad." And what does she do? Help? She hesitates.  Honestly, I've just gotten used to strong characters in YA dystopians, and so when I see Ember, I'm all like: What?!
Basically.

Okay, I did enjoy some parts of this book, but I'd only recommend it for hardcore dystopians. Like, you only read dystopians. But who'd do that?!

 Final Rating: 

❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄

~Beatrice