Book Review: The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

Title: The Hunt (The Hunt #1)
Author: Andrew Fukuda

Publisher: Simon & Schuster (UK)

Against all odds, 17-year-old Gene has survived in a world where humans have been eaten to near extinction by the general population. The only remaining humans, or hepers as they are known, are housed in domes on the savannah and studied at the nearby Heper Institute. Every decade there is a government sponsored hunt. When Gene is selected to be one of the combatants he must learn the art of the hunt but also elude his fellow competitors whose suspicions about his true nature are growing.

The Hunt. I've had heard many things about this book. Once I checked the blurb out, and found out that it's kind of a dystopian-ish and vampire book combined into one. I KNEW I HAD TO READ IT! Who wouldn't find such a story interesting?

This book is Gene's story. It is narrated in first person point of view. Andrew Fukuda was able to bring a new genre into literature. I'd like to call it "dyspire" (dystopia/vampire). I might not be the most creative person to come up with such things, but at least I tried hehe.


On to the book.


Things I liked about this book:

1-The world:  A dystopian world with vampires? No, I cannot get over the awesomeness of this. I think I'll admire this forever. It is just way beyond unique.

2-The dangers and differences: One thing that totally blew my mind was how Fukuda manages to describe this futuristic world. Through Gene's voice, he manages to perfectly picture the dangers and differences of being a human or heper. He describes how humans have hair, how they have body odor, how dangerous it is if the humans are sensed by these vampires.


3-The story and action: I really enjoyed the idea of this book. It reminded me of The Hunger Games a little bit, with the idea of the hunt. Also, this book was quite action-packed and worked really well. I really liked this aspect. As long as there's action, I'm gonna love a book (most of the time).


Things I disliked about this book:

There is only one thing I didn't like about this book. It was actually how the first part of the book was a little slow. I felt like the pacing needed to speed up, and it quite bugged me. I felt that Fukuda could have done a better job in that part.

In conclusion, this book was very entertaining. I enjoyed it. It was very unique. It had its flows, but despite all that, it is a very good read.

Book Review: Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Title: Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna #1)
Author: Kendare Blake

Publisher: Tor Teen

 Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story...

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father’s mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn’t expect anything outside of the ordinary: move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he’s never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, but now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

And she, for whatever reason, spares his life.

When I read the summary of Anna Dressed in Blood, I found it to be very interesting. I knew I HAD to read the book.

I'd like to really thank Tor Teen for providing me a copy to review this book even though it was out last year. THANKS SO MUCH :D

Anna Dressed in Blood is a ghost story. I've never really read a ghost story. No, I don't think I have read one. I might have, but I don't recall.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a very fast-paced story where you wanted to read more.

What I liked about this book:

1- When I read this book, I felt that the author was a smart lady. It felt like she knew about many subjects, and put them in a story. This was really interesting actually because I actually got to learn new things from reading this book.

2-Blake's writing style was brilliant. It flowed easily and  kept you captivated. I felt like finishing the book in one sitting.

3-Cas was an intriguing character. I liked him. Blake makes him realistic.

4-History. I really admired how Blake put up history. While this history isn't real(it is a work of fiction), it felt really real and fit with the story.

What I disliked about this book:

1-While I really enjoyed reading this book, I felt that there was something missing. It lacked that element to blow me away.

I will definitely read Girl of Nightmares when it comes out because Blake's series is adventurous and highly entertaining.

  

Book Review: Brothers to the Death by Darren Shan

Title: Brothers to the Death (The Saga of Larten Crepsley #4)
Author: Darren Shan

Publisher: Harper Collins UK

The fourth and final instalment in the epic saga of Larten Crepsley – vampire, hero and victim of fate…

Just as Larten is finding a new place for himself in vampire society, trying to help vampires escape the Nazi menace, horrifying tragedy falls on his own family, thanks to the nefarious Vampaneze.

With his old friend Wester calling for war against the ancient enemies of vampires, Larten finds himself a figurehead of the campaign.

But there are more evil things than just the Vampaneze stirring. And soon, Larten might find himself grieving again – as he faces the worst and final betrayal…

This is the last book in a series about Mr Crepsley, a character we have known about since a long time ago, and I should be sad because I will read no more bout my favoirte orange-haired friend. However, this is not the case. I have just finished reading this book. I am not sad. I read the last few pages with a smile on my face.

This perhaps is/will be my favorite Darren Shan book. Not only because of the main story, but also because of many other reasons.

Before I dicuss the reasons this book is great, I'd like to review the story.

This book was heart-stirring. Seriously. I felt extremely attached to the characters. I felt like I was where Mr Crepsley, Gavner, Vancha...etc were. Darren Shan perfectly captures a scene. He makes it so real, so believable. I felt like I was witnessing the disasters of the second World War. What's even more astonishing is that Darren Shan is not a vivid describer. I have no idea what technique he uses, but he has just mastered creating something unbelievable.

The title. This title resembles the story so perfectly. Brothers to the Death. In fact its giving me the shivers because I still cannot believe what happened. It was insane. That twist was, what can I say? I never ever saw that coming, and I couldn't ever have. EVER. I can't believe it.

The emotions. It is the first time I connected this deeply with a character written by Darren Shan. I felt sad when Mr Crepsley was sad. Happy when he was happy.

The setting. I was extremely captivated by the countries Darren Shan chose for writing Mr Crepsley's story. Paris, Berlin, New York. All magnificent places. I've been to Paris and Berlin, and they're beautiful. I am really glad Darren Shan chose to tell a story in those places.

Finally, I'd like to talk about why this book made me smile.

First of all, the character of Mr Crepsley made me smile. I admired how experienced he was, how light-hearted he was, how hurt he was. All bundled in one person, or in this case, vampire.

Second, I glorify Darren Shan's way of slipping some life experiences into the book. He teaches us essential life lessons. It shows how much he has experienced during his writing process since he first started.


I think that Darren Shan should be applauded for writing such a book because it is not just a tale of vampires, but something much deeper.

Book Review: Slated by Teri Terry

Title: Slated (Slated #1)
Author: Teri Terry

Publisher: Orchad Books

Kyla’s memory has been erased,
her personality wiped blank,
her memories lost for ever.

She’s been Slated.

The government claims she was a terrorist, and that they are giving her a second chance - as long as she plays by their rules. But echoes of the past whisper in Kyla’s mind. Someone is lying to her, and nothing is as it seems. Who can she trust in her search for the truth?

This book is perhaps the one of the best books I have read/will read this year.

I've probably read way too many dystopians by now, and I can finally say I can differentiate between a good one and a bad one. If you have seen my reviews and ratings, you'd probably notice that I've given all of the dystopian books I've read either a 4 or a 5 star rating. You might wonder why, that's because I find dystopia extremely interesting and I'm deeply captivated into the stories.

However, this is not the case with Teri Terry's Slated. Slated exceeds expectations, pushes the limits, and is not afraid to take risks.

This book isn't a small book. It's almost 450 pages. Did that stop me from reading it quickly? No, in fact, I was reading in a super fast speed I was shocked with myself.

I was intrigued by the concept of this book. I found it exceptionally unique. This book is about a world where terrorists are not prisoned, are not punished. Instead, these terrorists are given a second chance by having their memories erased. They will have a new life, new parent, new everything. This process is called Slating. Now, Slating isn't something perfect. It has its consequences. Whoever is Slated is controlled by something called a Levo. This devices makes sure you're not too happy nor too angry. If you are, you will die.

Now that sounds really great, doesn't it?

I also loved this book for Teri Terry's writing style. This is her debut novel, and wow. She manages to keep you turning pages without you realizing. You wanna know more, and more, and MORE!

The characters are very interesting. I didn't find Kyla to be an annoying female character. She has bigger problems and things to worry about other than falling in love with a boy. Yes, there is a romance, but it is very subtle, and isn't the main part of the plot.

I think that Slated is a very unique book. The story is very realistic. When you read it, yout think: "This really sounds realistic. What if it REALLY happens in the future?"

This book sends shivers down your spine. Teri Terry has created a very realistic world. This book is not only a tale. It conveys many themes and important messages. It shows how horrific societies can be and clearly shows some real-life problems.

Teri Terry has managed to write a book that will capture the interests of many different readers and has the potential to be one of the most recognized books one day.

I cannot wait to read Fractured, the sequel to this book, which comes out in early 2013.

Book Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.
The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color. The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

Before I start my review, I'd like to talk about the two covers. The old cover (top) is very cliche. I do not like it. We've seen girls dressed up for a cover a book million times. I'm really glad Harper Collins decided to change the cover to the new one (bottom). It perfectly resembles the story.

This book was unique. One of a kind.
This book kept me reading. Addicted.

Yes, I really enjoyed this book. The idea is wonderful. Suppose you have a power curse, but your power doesnt help people. It kills people.

 What I liked about this book:


1-Writing style: Hands down, the best thing about this book was the writing style. Tahereh Mafi truly writes beautifuly. Shatter Me is her debut novel, but it's is perfectly polished. It doesn't feel like it is a first-time published book. It is full of imagery and visuals. You see the site of birds, waterfalls, nature... Another really fascinating writing technique was the crossing out. Congratulations Tahereh Mafi, you have brought created a new unique writing style into literature. 

2-Narrative: I think our main character, Juliette, had a very authentic voice. The way she sees things is very different than any character in young adult books. 

3-Ending: While I was reading throughout the 330 page book, I never knew where this book was gonna go. The story went somewhere I did not expect at all. It gave this bad-ass epic feel to it, made me smile.

What I didn't like about this book:

1- Romance: I've reached a point where I don't mind romance books anymore, and sometimes I feel that there's something missing in the book. However, with Shatter Me, I thought Tahereh Mafi overdid the romance. It felt like Juliette thought about her romance way too much. There was too much emphasis on descriptions.There was too much kissing. Kissing the lips, necks, nose. It made me a little uncomfortable at many instances.

Overall, this book is an amazing debut novel full of adventure. Tahereh Mafi is a brilliant writer and I can't wait to read Unravel Me.