Book Review: BZRK by Michael Grant

Book: BZRK
Series: BZRK #1
Overview:

A global war is racing. You can't see it, but it's happening all around you.

Inside YOU.

Down in the meat.

Welcome to the nano-the microscopic matrix where invisible armies will determine the future of mankind. Here, the ultimate battle is for sanity. Losing is not an option when a world of madness is at stake.

 You have to know that I am a HUGE Michael Grant fan. I love the Gone books.

First of all, look at this magnificent cover. It is very mysterious and fits perfectly with the story. I think it's ever designed in a better way than the Gone books(UK versions).

So I instantly picked this book up as soon as I found it in the bookstore. Because I love the Gone books, I had very high expectations for this book. Did it disappoint? Or did it exceed all my expectations? Read on to figure out.

I think the plot of this book was great. It was perfectly thought out. It wasn't at all like I thought it would be. It was much more complex. Much more unique. The story is about a world where there are nanobots and automatons. The concept of this story will blow your mind away. It actually took me a while to understand what exactly was going on. I don't know, maybe it was me, but I had to read many reviews and ask my friend who had read the book before many questions to understand the concept. At first, I couldn't get through the book, but once I found everything out, I was completely suck into the story.

The book was full of action. It had brutal scenes at certain instants (you would know what I mean if you've read any Michael Grant book).
I love the futuristic setting of this book.

What I really loved this book is that there's no protagonist or antagonist. Everyone has their own view and they think that they're doing the right thing. You, the reader, are on both sides. You can't really choose sides when it comes to the two opposing groups.

Some notable things in this book were the creatures Michael Grant brought to life. They were GENIUS. I don't know where he got his ideas, but they were pure AWESOMENESS.

All in all, this book was breathtaking. Yes, I did struggle at first, but I ended up LOVING it. With pain comes prosperity.

Book Review: Wither by Lauren Destefano

Book: Wither
Series: The Chemical Garden #1
Overview: 
What if you knew exactly when you would die?

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden’s genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden’s eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant she trusts, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limted time she has left.

Before I rated this book, I wasn't sure how many stars I'd give it. I was thinking: this book deserves a 3 stars, then after some time, I was like NO! 3 is too low, needs an extra star. Finally, when I finished reading this book, I knew I had to give it 5 stars. Wanna know why? Continue reading to find out.

I'd heard NOTHING but amazing things about this book before I got a copy myself. So when I finally decided to buy a copy, I thought, let's see what this is all about. I must say. I did NOT regret it at all. In fact, I'm more than happy I got the chance read this book.

Besides, it is not everyday you stay up till 3:40 AM to finish a book. Yes, I did. I have no idea how, because I was REALLY sleepy that night.

Look at that cover. It is BEAUTIFUL! It is VERY attractive. The designers did a breathtaking job designing this cover. It perfectly fits the atmosphere of the story.

Anyways let's talk more in depth about this book.

The Story:
Wither is a dystopian book. It did not exactly feel dystopian to me, but more of sci-fi mixed with dystopian. It is about a society where girls/women are taken to the sort of prince to save the human race. They do this because women die the age of 20 and men the age of 25.
I found this concept very disgusting and horrifying. Yet it seemed to real and reminded me of real-world issues.

The Writing Style:
Lauren Destefano is one of the young authors out there. There are many new authors debuting these days, and lots of them manage to win my interest. Lauren Destefano is one of them. You certainly sense talent in the words. The way she writes is exceptionally impressive.
However, at some points, I felt nothing was going on and I felt repetition. I felt Rhine, the narrator, was emphasizing on things we already know as we progress.

The Characters:
1-Rhine: When I first read her name, I started thinking. What is that supposed to even mean? Where did it originate from? Thankfully, Destefano explained. That really pleased me. I have to say. I liked Rhine. I usually don't like characters who are confused, who don't know what they wanna do, who suddenly get side-tracked. Rhine was different. I think she was a very well-developed character and a strong protagonist.

2-Jenna: Jenna. She's my favorite character in this book. You could just feel her pain, her suffering. She wasn't the enthusiastic. She was - I don't know how to describe her really. You have to read about her for yourself.

3-Cecily: Cecily was great. I loved the fact that Destefano brought Cecily to life. She showed child innocence through Cecily. I really admired how there were different wives,each having a different age and different way of thinking.

4-Linden: The husband. I think Linden was a GREAT character. He was a gentleman. He understood the feelings of his wives and tried to please them, just like every man should be. Linden himself was a victim like the wives, so he isn't the villain.

5-Gabriel: I didn't really like Gabriel much. He bugged me. I was sad by how things turned up with Gabriel.

The Plot:
I think Lauren Destefano masters creating a neat well-organized plot full of twists and turns. The world was great. I loved the descriptions and setting.

Overall:
In my opinion, Lauren Destefano debuts with a strong fine book. It will keep readers captivated and engaged, and most importantly GLUED to the book. I cannot wait to read Fever, the second book in the series.

Book Review: The Ring of Wind by Chris Bradford

Book: The Ring of Wind
Series: Young Samurai #7

Overview:

JACK FLETCHER IS BATTLING THE HIGH SEAS.

Ambushed by the Shogun’s samurai, Jack and his friends have only one hope of escape – the Seto sea. But with ferocious storms, man-eating sharks and ninja pirates at every turn, their chosen route is fraught with danger.

A treacherous crew only adds to their problems as they flee south from a ruthless samurai sea lord. Unless Jack can harness the Ring of Wind, he and his friends are destined for a watery grave…

Before I start reviewing this book, I have something to say:

This is a middle-grade book series, but I LOVE them so much even though I am sixteen. This series is a great example that reading doesn't need a specific audience. Yes I agree, children should be careful reading an adult book. For the other way around,though, you are never too old to read a children's book.

Now let us start the review:

The Ring of Wind is the seventh book in the Young Samurai series. This series has greatly evolved since the first three books. If you have followed the series, you can understand what I mean. It's not about Samurai only anymore, but ninjas, and more importantly in this book, PIRATES!
This book is another thrilling adventure. Jack and his friends want to escape being caught, so they use a ship and try to escape. As usual, conflicts get in the way.

I really liked this chapter in the series. It is one of my top 3 books in this series. It was different in a very awesome action-packed way. Chris, I really can understand and feel the effort you've put through writing this series. It is evident through every page. I have to say a HUGE thank you to Chris Bradford for adding the Japanese terms to the series. You can feel the Japanese culture come to life.

This book had lots of twists and turns,VERY unexpected and IMPOSSIBLE things happened. I was like: WHHHHAAATTTTT?? HOW??? HOW COULD THAT BE?? But then, everything is possible with a few explanations.

As usual, there were new characters in this book. There were new friends, new foes. But there's something new about this. This time we had women characters. YES! It was pretty epic and a nice change.
From Jack, Miyuki, Saburo, and Yori we learn the power and importance of frienship. YES, that is a very important thing you learn in life.

By now, I have only one thing to say. I am very attached to this series and the characters. I cannot wait to read the final book
The Ring of Sky, which comes out this August. It is finally the end. Will Jack make it back home? Will he stay in Japan?

I will look forward to new books by Chris Bradford after the end of the Young Samurai series.

That is all. If you have read the previous books, continue the series. If not, start with The Way of the Warrior.

Book Review: Galagolia-The Hidden Divination by Dubai Abulhoul

Overview:

It’s the story Maitha BinHumaid, a ten-year-old Emirati girl living in Deira, Dubai.Growing up, she was told that her mother had died soon after her birth. After the death of her father, Maitha finds a portal
to Galagolia, a new world, and learns that, all along, she had known nothing abouther life and that she has inherited the throne to Galagolia. But can a ten year old really handle that responsibility? Can Maitha handle reuniting with the mother she’s never met? Why was her mother
held captive in Galagolia all this time? Step into the spellbinding fantasy, and self-discovery and join Maitha on her journey of dangers, deception,, and sacrifice.Galagolia is a world you do not want to
miss!

I was grateful to know about Galagolia through Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature. Galagolia is written by a fifteen year old author. AMAZING RIGHT? She was inspired by Harry Potter. (Pretty awesome right? Potter fans RULE :P) I met the author and get this book signed. I must say I really enjoyed reading this book as well.

First of all, I have to start my review with the setting:

I loved how Dubai Abulhoul added and was influenced by the Emirati culture throughout the book. You could see Emirates in the book. The people, the culture, everything. This is before the protagonist enters the other world, Galagolia.

The Characters:

Maitha is our main character. She is ten years old. I think Maitha was portrayed very well. She represented an Emirati girl in an accurate way.  Maitha is sometimes annoying with her cheekiness and bossiness toward people, but she is tolerable afterall.

Hamad, Saeed, Meera, and Rashid are Maitha's family. Saeed and Rashid her brothers, Meera her mother, and Hamad her father. Saeed and Rashid don't have much of an appearance throughout the entire book, but they might be important in the future books. Meera and Hamad perfectly portray the parents' love towards their children.

The World:

Galagolia is a very original fantasy world. I loved it. It is full of unique creatures and fantasy elements. I loved the idea of the falcon, horse, and camel.

The necklace was pretty awesome too. I liked the description. The red color. What it did was pretty awesome too.
I also liked how the spells were in Emirati. That was very smart.

The Ending:

The ending was a cliffhanger. I really want to know what happens next.
All in all, great book. Get it if you live in the UAE.

Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Overview:

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

Before I start my review, I have something to say: READ THE BOOK ALREADY IF YOU HAVEN'T.

I REALLY loved this book. This is more than a book. The content is too precious.

On with my review:

The Story:

The story talks about Hazel, a girl who has survived cancer. She has pushed back her cancer.It talks about her struggle and life. It also shows the life of people suffering from cancer.

The Writing Style:

I immediately fell in love with the writing style. That first sentence sucked me right into the book. I can't even explain how amazing the writing style was. I'd like to point out two things about why I loved the writing style:

1- John Green masters talking in a girl's point of view. I don't know how he does it, but I know one thing: this is a rare talent. Not every man can talk in a girl's point of view and not every woman can talk in a guy's point of view. I really could listen to a girl's thought as Hazel was narrating.

2-This book was full of amazing quotes. Touching quotes. I usually write down quotes that I like from books, but this time there was just too much. Eventually, I started marking the quotes I liked with sticky notes. There are just way too much.

My favorite quote in this book is the following quote: “There are infinite numbers between 0 and 1. There's .1 and .12 and .112 and an infinite collection of others. Of course, there is a bigger infinite set of numbers between 0 and 2, or between 0 and a million. Some infinities are bigger than other infinities. A writer we used to like taught us that. There are days, many of them, when I resent the size of my unbounded set. I want more numbers than I'm likely to get, and God, I want more numbers for Augustus Waters than he got. But, Gus, my love, I cannot tell you how thankful I am for our little infinity. I wouldn't trade it for the world. You gave me a forever within the numbered days, and I'm grateful.”

That's just written way too perfectly and beautifully, isn't it?

The Characters:

I'm going to talk about about the three main characters:

1-Hazel Grace: Hazel is the protagonist in this book. As we know, she has fought her cancer. I thought that Hazel's voice was unique. It was unique, but I didn't exactly like her at the beginning, but I think the development and change in her character made me really like her by the end of the book.

2-Augustus Waters: Augustus is Hazel's lover. I think that their love was very deep and emotional. Augustus also suffered from cancer (I can't recall what type). Augustus was a really cool character. He was that kind of character you'd love to read about.

3-Isaac: Isaac is Augustus' friend. He also suffered from another type of cancer. I think what was amazing is the fact that John Green showed the struggle each character went through with their different types of sickness. Isaac is a fine friend. If you want to befriend someone, you have to befriend Isaac.

The Mood:

The mood and theme in this book was pretty sad and depressing. I do not like happily ever afters. I hate them. I'm not saying I'm all for depressing books, but this book was just REALLY realistic. Also, this book made me tear up. This never EVER happened to me before. The words were TOO powerful.

This book was a perfect book. FLAWLESS. I couldn't put the book down. It moved me, changed how I think.

Grab your copy ASAP.