TheBooky

samtempl:

This is only one of many reports of young people who have been changed in some form or another. (x)

(via children-of-the-fayz)

All right, so I watched a few booktubers do this (ie. 1book1review), and I thought it was really cool. However, I’m not going to put my face on camera (any of me, including my voice, actually). I refuse. So, I’m writing it! :D

AND I TAG YOU. 

• Diabetes: a book that’s too sweet or really sweet.

• Chicken Pox: a book that you’ve read once, and will never pick up again.

• Influenza: the flu; a contagious book that spreads like a virus.

• The cycle: a book you read every month, year, or often.

• Insomnia: a book that kept you up all night.

• Amnesia: a book that’s forgotten, and failed to leave a powerful impression in your memory.

• Asthma: a book that took your breath away.

• Malnutrition: a book that lacked food for thought.

• Travel sickness: a book that took you on a journey through time or space, or to a specific local on the map.

I picked: The Good Earth by Pearl S Buck. Because it was a fantastic read that made me want to witness the characters’ world first hand. And then come back. Totally. Or maybe go into the book, be in the worlds as a ghost-thing, and then come back. A close second was Persuasion by Jane Austen (with the traveling ghost option, of course). 

• If you do this, let me know so that I can read what you wrote!!! Because, remember, I’m tagging you! ^.^

Fear by Michael Grant. Review after the summary.

It’s been one year since all the adults disappeared. Gone.

Despite the hunger and the lies, even despite the plague, the kids of Perdido Beach are determined to survive. Creeping into the tenuous new world they’ve built, though, is perhaps the worst incarnation yet of the enemy known as the Darkness: fear.

Within the FAYZ, life breaks down while the Darkness takes over, literally—turning the dome-world of the FAYZ entirely black. In darkness, the worst fears of all emerge, and the cruelest of intentions are carried out. But even in their darkest moments, the inhabitants of the FAYZ maintain a will to survive and a desire to take care of the others in their ravaged band that endures, no matter what the cost.

Fear, Michael Grant’s fifth book in the bestselling dystopian Gone series, will thrill readers … even as it terrifies them.

Summary from Goodreads!

All right, here’s what I thought:

• Everything that was great about the last books in this series still stands. 
• There are plenty of great suspenseful scenes, lots of actions, and the characters you love are in this book. The alternating points of views are a good way to provide information from everyone, which is great in case there are particular characters that annoy you/who you don’t want to read too much about. 
• Also, this novel moves things along (by about an inch, but still). It makes me happy to finally see something big happen, given that I think that while this series is great, it feels as if it’s been stretched into more books than necessary. 
• Aside from feeling like this book took forever to be written in order for one important thing to happen, it was a rather enjoyable read. Though, it’s still as gruesome as the other ones!

(Source: cainesoren)

children-of-the-fayz:

I got Fear yesterday, and finished it in about five hours.  That should tell you something, because, as obsessed as I am with reading, even I don’t finish books that fast unless it’s a completely thrilling page turner.

Before I begin, here is a picture of Fear along with half a picture of my cat because she has some strange fascination with my camera:

Read More

This weekend I also finished PLAGUE by Michael Grant. This is the fourth book in the Gone Series.

It’s been eight months since all the adults disappeared. GONE.

They’ve survived hunger. They’ve survived lies. But the stakes keep rising, and the dystopian horror keeps building. Yet despite the simmering unrest left behind by so many battles, power struggles, and angry divides, there is a momentary calm in Perdido Beach.

But enemies in the FAYZ don’t just fade away, and in the quiet, deadly things are stirring, mutating, and finding their way free. The Darkness has found its way into the mind of its Nemesis at last and is controlling it through a haze of delirium and confusion. A highly contagious, fatal illness spreads at an alarming rate. Sinister, predatory insects terrorize Perdido Beach. And Sam, Astrid, Diana, and Caine are plagued by a growing doubt that they’ll escape - or even survive - life in the FAYZ. With so much turmoil surrounding them, what desperate choices will they make when it comes to saving themselves and those they love?

From Goodreads.

Here’s what I thought:

• After the third book, I had so much trouble seeing how this series could keep going. After Plague, I can see how you’d need another book. But not a sixth. (The next to books are Fear, and Light).
  
• That being said, this book was enjoyable. There was action, and things got way worse for the characters (sometimes, I just don’t  think that’s possible. Grant proves me wrong again and again.)
• I was upset by the fates of some of the characters. And, avoiding spoilers as best as I can, I was upset that some characters who were at death’s door didn’t actually, you know, go through. But whatever. I was also relieved that those characters didn’t die. I don’t think they’ll be the same, but that’s just expected. Sometimes, there are worse things than death.
• I HATE Astrid.
  
• The things I said about the other books in my previous reviews still stand. This book is no less disturbing than the others…in some ways, maybe more. The switching POVs are great, and let the readers get to know all the characters in more detail.
• And, (please don’t hate me) the book is written simply, like all the others. By simply, I mean that the writing isn’t special, it doesn’t make me love the writer, lol. But that’s not the point of the series, I suppose.
  

GO READ THIS SERIES.

Do it. Now!

children-of-the-fayz:

Cover of the next GONE book, FEAR - coming April 3rd, 2012.  (That’s Diana and Quinn on the cover.)

(via cainesoren)

It’s been seven months since all the adults disappeared. Gone.

It happens in one night. A girl who died now walks among the living; Zil and the Human Crew set fire to Perdido Beach; and amid the flames and smoke, Sam sees the figure of the boy he fears the most: Drake. But Drake is dead. Sam and Caine defeated him along with the Darkness—or so they thought.

As Perdido Beach burns, battles rage: Astrid against the Town Council; the Human Crew versus the mutants; and Sam against Drake, who is back from the dead and ready to finish where he and Sam left off. And all the while deadly rumors are raging like the fire itself, spread by the prophetess Orsay and her companion, Nerezza. They say that death is a way to escape the FAYZ. Conditions are worse than ever and kids are desperate to get out. But are they desperate enough to believe that death will set them free?

From Goodreads!

I finished this book (the third in the Gone Series—by Michael Grant—over the weekend. Actually, I finished Friday but I was far too tired to write a review. College is sucking the life —and money—out of me) and I really, really liked it!

Notice I said liked. Not loved. That’s weird, isn’t it? Especially considering that I LOVED the other two. You can see my reviews for those on my tumblr.

Anyway, why did I not LOVE this book, you ask?

(Yeah, I’m starting with the cons…sorry!)

• I don’t think this book was really necessary. I think that the author could’ve just skipped on to the next book and everything would’ve been just fine. I mean, it’s like 447 pages (the hardcover) during which nothing much happens.
  I would tell you but…no. That’s just too many spoilers.

• With this book, I really can’t complain about the writing or anything. It’s the same as it was with the other books, except: there’s not as much action and the fates of some characters just make me extremely unhappy and/or angry.
  
• Introducing new characters…WELL. This is fine. Really, it is. I like most of the characters that were introduced in this book. The switching POVs kept it interesting. BUT (because there’s always a but) I miss the old characters. In this book you don’t get as much Lana as I would like. You don’t get enough Sam. Plus, Sam’s acting like an idiot so…yeah.
  

PROS! Yay!!!

• Same as the other books. This book was intense! But also a great read.
• There’s less, in my opinion, gross stuff, if you will. I think there’s only a few parts that grossed me out (like that one kid who gets a hole burned in him). However, if you don’t like to read that kind of thing worry not because the author doesn’t provide details. He just states it as fact and lets your little brain run wild, making up gross images in your head.
• The antagonists are AWESOME. I love, love, love, love, love to HATE the antagonists. And the ones in this book just make it so easy. I enjoyed hating them, I enjoyed being angry at them, etc.
• I honestly didn’t see how things could get worse for this cast of characters but it did. I’m pretty satisfied with the hell the author created for these characters. I’m also terrified by it, though. That’s a good thing for me. :D

SO GO READ THIS SERIES!

DO EEEETTT!!!

And if you do, which you should and probably will *crosses fingers*, let me know how you like it! Or, if you already have, tell me so we can obsess over it together!

(Source: cainesoren)

GUESS WHAT I GOT?

Drove on over to B&B today, and go both Lies and Plague by Michael Grant.

*DIES*

So happy. I mean, you don’t know how badly I wanted to read these. I’m a huge fan of the series so, naturally, I think you should read it.

This is the cover for Lies (book 3 of the Gone Series) by Michael Grant.

I NEED this book! ASAP!

Question: Who is that blonde dude next to that blonde girl (Astrid, right?)? I hope it’s not supposed to be Little Pete.

Book 2: Hunger

IT’S BEEN THERE MONTHS SINCE EVERYONE UNDER THE AGE OF FIFTEEN BECAME TRAPPED IN THE BUBBLE KNOWN AS THE FAYZ.

THREE MONTHS SINCE ALL THE ADULTS DISAPPEARED.

GONE.

Food ran out weeks. Everyone is starving, but no one wants to figure out a solution. And each day, more and more kids are evolving, developing supernatural abilities that set them apart from the kids without powers.

Tension rises and chaos is descending upon the town. It’s the normal kids against the mutants. Each kid is out for himself, and even the good ones turn murderous.

But a larger problem looms. The Darkness, a sinister creature that has lived buried deep in the hills, begins calling to some of the teens in the FAYZ. Calling to them, guiding them, manipulating them.

The Darkness has awakened. And it is hungry.

This book was as good as the first, which is not always the case in Young Adult series, trust me. However, I was pretty pleased with this book, over all. I had the same issues with it as I did with the first book in the series, Gone (which you can find here: http://thebooky.tumblr.com/post/8103508693/gone-series-by-michael-grant ). With that being said, I’m going to focus this review on positives! Wooohooo!

1. The alternating narrators make me happy. Sometimes they upset me, such as when you’re in the middle of some incredibly awesome scene and all of the sudden the author decides to stick you with another character that you didn’t necessarily want to know about. Mostly, though, alternating narrators make me happy. They’re all different, provide a new spin on all the problems everyone in town has but also show problems that are unique to them, they take you on their journey and since there are SO many characters this is a very good way to get to know them and care about them (or despise them).

2. All the characters are likeable and different from each other. Except those who aren’t supposed to be. But then, the author makes it super easy to hate the characters you’re supposed to hate. As it happens, I find those characters all to be very similar (and they are bullies, so there are similarities). However, the good guys are all likeable…except, I don’t really think there are good guys and bad guys, with the exception of a couple of characters on each side (like Drake. He’s such a creep. Or Sam, who is generally good). Mostly, the characters are just human, and thereby flawed. These kids struggle with themselves and make desperate choices under the horrific circumstances they find themselves in. This, I think, is why I like some of the characters more than others. Some make choices that seem to be the best, that I can agree with…while others don’t. I can easily imagine myself in their place.

3. I want to go buy Lies (book 3) right now! And that only ever happens when I really like a series. I can say that I’m a fan.

For the people who have read this book:

SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

1. Didn’t the end piss you off?

2. Did you like the new characters? Britney? Duck? Zil? Hunter?

3. How would you have dealt with the Human Crew and the Hunter Situation?

4. What do you think about Sam’s meltdown? I felt so bad for him!

**Yes, the whole stolen-laptop thing just disappeared in this book (it sounded really important in the first book) and that just bothered me. A lot.

Book 1: Gone by Michael Grant

In the blink of an eye.

Everyone disappears.

Gone.

Everyone except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not a single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Gone, too, are the phones, internet, and television. There is no way to get help.

Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day.

It’s a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen and war is imminent.

The first in a breathtaking saga about teens battling each other and their darkest selves, gone is a page-turning thriller that will make you look at the world in a whole new way.

The first book of the series, Gone, is somewhat similar to a fish hook: Once you’re ensnared, you will not be let go…not until Michael Grant finishes the series (6 books in all), anyway.

First, I must admit that while I loved (really loved) this book it was unsettling. Personally, I don’t find anything about a chaotic world run by people under the age of 14 appealing. In fact, it’s probably one of my biggest nightmares. At least, it is now that I’ve read this book.

While the author does not usually provide a wealth of details in scenes that can be considered shocking by some, there is enough for the reader’s imagination to create something infinitely more horrifying, which is why I recommend this: read with caution. Now, I’m not the kind of person who advocates limiting what people read (ever, because it’s been done to me) but I do advise caution because of the nature of the story. The story itself deals with all the problems that would arise if the events described actually occurred, in addition to the mutations in the population of Perdido Beach. Also, the novel provides readers with a chance to think about the darker side of human nature, analyze it and really try to understand it (especially since the characters are all under the age of 15). I was pretty satisfied with how the author chose to explore the situation, and had most of my questions answered. Who takes care of the babies? Who stops everyone from running wild? Who puts out the fires? And so on.

This story, for me, was reminiscent of The Lord of the Flies. I got the same unsettling feeling from both, however, I must say that I enjoyed this book SO much more. There seems to be more depth and a cool magical (for lack of a better word) element in the form of mutations.

Another issue I had with this book was that it was pretty slow. I wanted to know what happened, what caused the adults to disappear, what exactly is up with Sam (the main character) and Caine (the antagonist, in this book), etc. I had to wait until the end! Until the end! I was pretty frustrated while reading. This actually made me want to throw the book across the room, but I didn’t. I kept reading, and I am so glad I did.

I recommend this book and give it two thumbs up! Four out of five stars!

For the people who already read this book:

SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

1. Did you feel like punching Quinn too?

2. Which character did you like the most? the least?

3. What would you do if you were in Sam’s place? 0.0