The Maze Runner Book Review

Hello~

The Maze Runner follows Thomas, a boy who wakes up surrounded by strangers who, like him, have lost all their memories. They live in the Glade, the center of the Maze: an always-changing maze with no way out. Then a girl arrives and everything changes.

After watching the trailer for the movie I knew I just had to watch and read it. I did enjoy this book, but I didn't love it. What I did like about the book was the plot and backstory. I thought it was really interesting and intriguing. The book is very visual and Dashner does a great job bringing the setting to life. I also loved that Thomas's storyline didn't center around the Teresa. Of course, Teresa is a key player in the book but the novel wasn't just a debate about if they're going to become a couple or not.

I don't think Thomas was a great character. He was extremely repetitive and constantly complaining. Some of his thoughts were childish and just annoyed me and he tried too hard to be comedic. I also felt that Chuck was really not needed. Thomas and Chuck's relationship just seemed forced and that one scene at the end just didn't make me feel anything because of this. The only character I really did like was Minho, but even then I got annoyed. I also didn't like the pace of the book. A lot of people think that the beginning is really slow but I think it needed to be that slow in order to set up everything properly. However, I felt the last quarter of the book was just way too fast. It was difficult for me to really understand what was going on (and I just didn't want to take the time to read it slowly).

I'll probably read the rest of the series at some point but not any time soon. I'm really excited to see the movie though. :)

~Hana

The Iron Trial Mini Book Review

Hello!

It seems that I'm always finishing books at one in the morning.

The Iron Trial is a middle grade book that follows Callum Hunt. All his life, Call has been warned by his father to stay away from magic. If he passes the the Iron Trial he will be admitted into the Magisterium and that can only mean bad things. Call tries his hardest to fail but is unsuccessful. He is accepted into the Magisterium but that's only the beginning...

I don't have much to say about this book. It's definitely middle grade but it's really fun and intriguing. The characters are wonderful. There isn't a whole lot of plot in this book but it does a great job setting up for the rest of the series. The plot twist at the end was definitely unexpected and I can't wait for the next book. I really enjoy Cassandra Clare and Holly Black's books so I was not disappointed. I was expecting it to be obvious who wrote what part as it is in many other cowritten books but the writing flowed well and it was as if one person had written it. If you like fantasy and Percy Jackson, you'll probably like The Iron Trial.

~Hana :)

Isla and the Happily Ever After Mini Book Review

Isla and the Happily Ever After is the third and final installment of the Anna and the French Kiss series. Isla has had a crush on Josh since her freshman year. After a random encounter in Manhattan, Isla realizes that a relationship with him could be possible after all.

While this wasn't as good as Anna and the French Kiss, I really enjoyed it. I could really relate to Isla. A lot of people were annoyed by her insecurities and at points I was too, but for the most part I've had similar worries and I totally understood where she was coming from. I really liked Josh as well. We get to know so much more about him than in Anna. I loved the conversations between Isla and Josh. However, I felt that it was definitely insta-love. It came out of nowhere and was way too convenient. One of my favorite parts was when all the characters from previous books came in. I love how Perkins always ties in her past characters. There was one scene with all the characters that just made my heart melt (if you've read Isla you know what I'm talking about). The ending was very satisfying and so adorable. I definitely recommend checking out this series.

Until next time!
Hana

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown Book Review

Once again,  I have stayed up till one in the morning to finish a book.

"Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown's gates, you can never leave. One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself." (from Goodreads)

Wow. I'm not one for paranormal books, every one I've read just wasn't a good experience, but The Coldest Girl in Coldtown was just amazing. Everything about this book is great. Vampirism is such an overdone topic but this book gives it a fresh spin. The Coldtowns themselves are so intriguing. They're lawless and violent and while I would never want to live in one of them, I'm captivated.

The characters are amazing as well. They're so unique and I just love them. Tana, the main character, is badass and won't let anyone push her down. While at some points I cringed at her decisions, she was a great character. And Gavriel... he's so strange and just crazy and reckless. I didn't completely fall in love with him but I did really enjoy his character. Something I don't like about paranormal books is how romance heavy they are and this was definitely more about Tana's story than the romance. However, I really wish I could have had more Tana and Gavriel.

The only thing I didn't like about this book was the way it ended. I felt it was rushed, a little too convenient, and it left a lot of unanswered questions. I understand that Black meant for the ending to be open-ended but I would have preferred it to be 100 pages longer or turned into a duology. 

I highly recommend this even for those who normally don't like paranormal.

Thanks for reading!
Hana

Top Ten Most Owned Authors!

Hello!

So today I'm going to the Top Ten Most Owned Authors Tag that's been circling around Booktube.

10. Agatha Christie

I own After the Funeral, Dead Man's Folly, The Moving Finger, and Murder on the Orient Express. I haven't read any of Christie's books in a while nor do I plan buying anymore of her books but what I have read I've really enjoyed.

9. Tahereh Mafi

I LOOOVE the Shatter me series soso much. I also have the novellas but I've lent it out to a friend. I can't wait for Tahereh to right more books.

8. Veronica Roth

The Divergent series is one of my all time favorite series and I definitely plan on buying more books if Veronica writes anymore.

7. John Green

I own An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, Looking for Alaska, and The Fault in Our Stars. I own pretty much all his books that he's written on his own and I seriously cannot wait for him to right more.

6. Ellen Hopkins

Ellen Hopkins is one of my favorite authors of all time. I have Impulse, Perfect, Crank, Glass, and Tricks. I didn't really like Crank and Glass but the others were AMAZING. I really need to buy the rest of her books.

5. Rick Riordan

I have the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and I realllllllly want to buy the Heroes of Olympus series. I have read them but I don't own them.

4. C.S. Lewis

I haven't read the Chronicles of Narnia in a very long time but I remember I loved it.

3. J.K. Rowling

This is a pretty obvious choice. I remember I really enjoyed this series but I haven't reread it since the last book came out.

2. Cassandra Clare

At number two I have the 9 books of The Shadowhunter Chronicles are sooo good. I love love love Cassandra Clare. I'm so excited for her new books. The Iron Trial comes out it 3 days! I'll basically buy any of her books without hesitation.

1. Lemony Snicket

And coming up at number one I have all 13 of A Series of Unfortunate Events and Who Could That Be at This Hour? (not pictured). A Series of Unfortunate Events was my childhood and I just love the series so much. Who Could That Be at This Hour?, however, was just not for me. It's more suited for a younger audience.

Thanks for reading!

Hana

The Truth About Forever Book Review

Hey!

This morning I finished The Truth About Forever, a romance novel by Sarah Dessen.

This novel is about a girl named Macy whose summer consists of a boring job at the library and studying for the SATs while her boyfriend, Jason, is away at Brain Camp as she grieves the loss of her father. An unexpected series of events happen, leading to Macy getting a catering job at Wish with its chaotic crew. A member of said crew is Wes, a boy with an amazing artistic talent and she turns Macy's world around. Throughout the book she ventures out of her shell and begins actually enjoying herself.

I really enjoyed this book. I haven't read something so girly in a while and it was definitely what I was looking for. The characters were great. They all had their own unique personalities and defied stereotypes. Macy was a great protagonist. She was three-dimensional, interesting, and not annoying (for the most part). However, I felt like all her problems could have been solved easily if she just opened her freaking mouth and confronted her mother. The only character I didn't really like was Monica. I felt her lack of personality was just overdone to the point where it's not even funny anymore. But Wes...sa-woon! He was such an interesting character, I just loved Macy and Wes's interactions and I really wish there was more.

The writing was also wonderful. It was simple but still well written. Sarah Dessen definitely has a distinct style but it's great all the same.

The plot was pretty good too. Although it seem's Dessen's novels each follow the same structure, it was still fun to read and lighthearted. While it was enjoyable, it definitely wasn't anything special. There were some parts that dragged on, and there was the very typical teen drama which annoyed me. I also felt Dessen could have gone more in-depth into some things, such as Becky. She seemed to be a character just added to add more conflict.  Overall, however, it was a good read and I definitely recommend checking this out.

Until next time!

Hana