GONE by Michael Grant—Review

This book is AWESOME! I will definitely add this one on my favorite books.

When Kid Nation meets X-men—this is how I would want to describe its story. In the world created by author Michael Grant, everyone with the age higher than 14 suddenly went gone so basically the young ones are left alone. To add to this, some of the kids are developing supernatural powers and animals are mutating. What caused these phenomena? How would they survive? Who will take up the role of leading all the other kids? Follow this story of survival where bonds are being formed, tested, and destroyed.

This book has an unquestionably intelligent plot. I liked how Grant made the story move. He did not only focus on telling the story through the eyes of the main protagonist of the book, Sam Temple, but also gave the limelight to the other kids on the book, including the antagonists. He created a story set in a familiar yet unknown world waiting to be explored.

There are lots of lovable characters in the book! (Mine would be Computer Jack!) The story revolves around the lots of kids fighting, confused, and lost on how to run the place without the presence of the adults. There are kids who want the better for everyone but there are also some kids who do evil things—bullies want to rule, the kids with powers are being treated differently, and plots between kids are getting darker.  Adding to this is a creature lurking in the shadows with a dangerous cause, making the book proven as an action-packed experience! Plus, I love the character developments going on through the story. Not much romance, just the way I like it.

 The whole book still left some mysteries towards the end but that is acceptable as this is only the first one of a series of books. Hopefully other issues of this story would be enlightened at the next books, but given the way Michael Grant tailored the first book, I definitely believe that the next books are also going to be great! Finishing the book makes me want to immediately grab the next book of the series, HUNGER, and dive into the lives of the kids of the Gone series.

I had lots of fun reading this book! I usually do not like saying the phrase “I couldn’t put the book down” but with this one, I can actually use that phrase. I can’t stop on reading it and I dreaded the time when I need to finish the book. Reading it was a suspenseful ride with all the twists and turns inside the world of FAYZ (or the Fallout Alley Youth Zone).

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!! YA book lovers would definitely enjoy reading this!

Concise Review:

GONE is a certified page-turner with its action-packed story, humor, and lovable characters.

Skin Hunger (Book 1 of A Resurrection of Magic) -- Review

I just finished reading Kathleen Duey’s SKIN HUNGER, the first book of the trilogy: A Resurrection of Magic.

First off, the book follows two stories separated by time: Sadima who lives in a world where magic was long gone and met with people who wanted to resurrect it; and Hahp (centuries after Sadima’s story)  who enters the academy of magic where he is taught by magicians. . . . the hard way.

I would have to agree 101% with Holly Black that this book is BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN. There are elements in Skin Hunger that is new for me but they came to me with familiarity. I had not had a difficult time accepting the fact that there are two alternating stories and that both of them had different kind of narration.

Well, personally, if I was made to choose which of the stories I liked better, I can easily say that it is Hahp’s story. I saw Sadima’s story as anti-climactic (though that may also be true for the whole book). But what I am amazed at is that I can’t help falling in love with both stories. They are separate tales that support each other, at first they do not make sense but as the book progress, they do meet (and hopefully still at the next two books).

There is very little climax that can be seen throughout the book, yet it can still be considered as a lovely tale. There is no powerful action and fight scenes here that are usually seen in YA books but the characters themselves are enough to magnetize the readers to love this world carefully created and crafted by Duey.

Through the eyes of Sadima and Hahp comes a portrait of the world that is surely to be loved. The book is a place where magic is definitely magical with characters that can be felt—it is a world carefully written and told.

I can say that the two stories can run independently, but the two stories make up for the lacking element that the other has. They make up for one another, and they were balanced at that note. In Hahp’s story, I felt tensed and excited while in Sadima’s, the story seemed to lay low from the suspenseful story but providing the more significant and informant bits.

Thumbs up for Duey’s characterization. Hahp and Sadima were depicted greatly throughout the course of the book, and it also holds true for the supporting characters. Hahp’s story was told using the first person point of view which I did not expect this because the author is a woman but she chose to use the first person narrative in the story of Hahp. Nevertheless, it was executed fine. While in Sadima’s, Duey used the third person narration which she also done well.

A complex story told in a simple manner. The idea of using two different stories in one book sounds unique but the question that mostly comes first is “would it be confusing?” For Skin Hunger, it did not. The two stories come alternately between chapters and since the chapters of the book were so short, you wouldn’t even feel that you have left the other story before resuming it.  Another thing is that since the stories use different types of narration, it would definitely be hard to mix them up.

It was certainly a ride. The emotions held in the book were so raw, the familiarity stings.

I am very much excited in reading the next two books in the series.  The book’s ending is certainly a cliffhanger! Leaving me looking forward to see what will happen to the two main characters of the trilogy. Hopefully I get to see a head-on clash between the both worlds where every piece of the puzzle will fit in together.

In a short description:

Skin Hunger is entertaining, lovely, and magical in its own unique way.

Hi!!

Finishing up Skin Hunger by Kathleen Duey, think I will write a review on it once I finish it. So far I'm loving it.

Next book to read:

GONE by Michael Grant

It's on sale when I bought it. I love books on sale, mostly the ones in good condition

I'm excited with this one because I'm a BIG fan of Battle Royale which plot has the same flavor as this one: teens fighting one another for survival. (Would also like to try Hunger Games but it is still not available on paperback, I'm being stingy here. :P )

Gerald's Game: Review

I mentioned in the description on this blog that I would like to try out horror books, and where better else to start than with Stephen King?

After looking for King’s books in the internet, I was intrigued by Gerald’s Game’s premise: a woman handcuffed half naked in a bed and due to some unforeseen circumstances, she was left all alone . . . or was she?

Two weeks of reading (for some reason, this came to be a long read for me), and I found myself blown by this world presented to me by King. I would like to agree that Stephen King is indeed a genius. In this riveting, exciting, page-turning novel, he showed a world that displays the nature of the human mind—through Jessie Burlingame.

Jessie is the main character of the story, married to a Gerald Burlingame. Years of married life led them to this one scenario which the story will revolve around to—Gerald handcuffs Jessie, Gerald dies, and now Jessie is alone in a house in the woods waiting for no one to discover her.

King did great in making a whole lot of breath-taking scenes just from one scenery, from that single bedroom where Jessie is tied up, we are taken to a world beyond which locks up dark secrets from the past. But what lies in her past may help her in what she is going through. Nightmares she buried down in history should be dug in order to wake up from the nightmares of the present.

Listening to the voices inside your head, and acknowledging them proved to be one of this book's greatest lessons.

So much as I’m hoping to find a book that would scare me to my wits, this book’s not it—though I could say I’ve found something better. Gerald’s Game is a psychological rollercoaster waiting to be ridden on. This book took the term “psychological” in a whole lot different meaning and dimension. And even it was written way back, thinking that I was just a year old when this was first published, it surely holds its magic and still haunts and intrigues the readers who decide to take a bite of this little pie called Gerald's Game.

It portrayed different levels of torment and despair—physical, emotional, and psychological. How one is haunted by his/her own ghosts, and trapped by one’s own handcuffs. Symbolisms are lurking in every page that one turns in this book, but even without deciphering them, the reader will still surely learn from this. Besides, this book proved to be one entertaining read.

Characterization is out of the question in Gerald’s Game. The book was full of Jessie Burlingame’s character (or need I say: "characterS?"), one wouldn't miss it. I think King is a genius for building and depicting Jessie’s life and personality and instilling it inside this 400 and something page.

Gerald’s Game opened a new world for me—Stephen King’s world. And from what I’ve read in this book, I will surely be more than willing to try out his other books.

This book is recommended for suspense genre lovers. I won’t suggest this book for the young ones, well that is if you are one and you are open to books with explicit content and a little gore.

busy, busy.

Sorry if I haven't updated my blog. I'm currently busy with school work (internship). But I'm having fun!

It is election day here in the Philippines! Good luck everyone. I was not able to register for the elections and now I'm regretting it.

What I'm reading now: Stephen King's Gerald's Game.




And I will soon read Skin Hunger (A Resurrection of Magic: Book One). I'm happy about this book cause I bought it on sale and on a good condition.