Review of: Hunger by Michael Grant

Title: Hunger (Gone Series Book 2)

Author: Michael Grant

Published by: Harper TEEN/ Katherine Tegen Books

Released: 2009

Summary: Three months after the big Thanksgiving battle, things have gone from bad to worse for the kids living in the FAYZ. Food is now in short supply and hunger is becoming a real problem. Sam is struggling with the weight of being leader and taking care of all the kids. He's heading toward a kind of breakdown. Caine has become even more unstable since his meeting with the Darkness. And, normal kids are feeling a lot of resentment towards the kids with powers, and they have nothing but violence on their minds. How will these kids survive another day in the FAYZ is anyone's guess.

My Thoughts: I'm a little shell-shocked right now. I just finished reading the book and can honestly say it had the same intensity and impact as the first. These are kids dealing with a very adult and mature situation, survival. Sam has a really tough time in this book. The pressure has just gotten to be too much. He sort of checks out, but don't worry, Sam comes through in the end.

This series is really just so shocking, intense, and fantastic. Michael Grant's writing, his story, just pulls me in deeper and deeper. There are just awful things happening to these kids and I just can't seem to stop reading. I have to know the secrets of the FAYZ. what's really going on, and if these kids will survive to the end. I really enjoy the powers that have been added to the mix. I honestly can't wait to find out what happens in the next one. I think Michael Grant paints a very realistic picture of trying to survive through a traumatic, apocalyptic event. How bad kids really are at banding together for the good of the community. Just an excellent series that I'm super glad I picked up!

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 4/5

Just as intense as the first. Couldn't stop reading!

Booktube-A-Thon WrapUp

So, I participated in this thing called the Booktube-A-Thon Read-A-Thon that took place from July 15-21, 2013. It was this cool idea thought up by Ariel Bissett and Raeleen from PadfootandProngs07 to make a readathon for the booktube/youtube community. Now, I had seen other readathons going on in the blogging world, but had just never really felt like joining or getting involved with them. I really ended up enjoying myself in the Booktube-A-Thon and will definitely participate in the next one. I don't know if it is going to be a yearly thing or twice a year, but whenever they decide to do another one, I'm definitely in.
So this Booktube-A-Thon consisted of  the usually read-a-thon stuff, with trying to read as much as one possibly can in 7 days. Raeleen and Ariel also came up with 7 challenges that participants could choose to do or not. The challenges were: listen to an audiobook, reread a book, read a book that has been on your shelf the longest, finish a series, read a book with 500 pages or more, read a classic, and to read an average of 300 pages a day for an end week total of 2,100 pages. I myself didn't decide to do any of the challenges, although I did attempt the 300 pages a day challenge and ended up failing miserably. I had a lot of fun doing the booktube-a-thon, and just wanted to use this post to give my end results.
While I read a whole lot during the week, I did have other responsibilities like work and school that ended up limiting my reading time. At the end of the week, I managed to finish 2 1/2 books, which I'm pretty proud of.
The first book that I read all the way through and finished was...

Title: Flesh and Bone

By: Jonathan Maberry

This is the third book in the Rot & Ruin series and I really enjoyed it. The first book wasn't my favorite thing ever, but as the books have gone on, they have gotten much more enjoyable. They are a great zombie series and this one ended on such a cliffhanger kind of note that I have to keep reading to find out what happens next. I think the fourth one comes out late 2013 or 2014, so I can't wait for that. Another cool thing about this book was that the majority of it took place in one action packed, dangerous day. The first page started off with action and danger and that just continued through the rest of the story. Great book for the start of my booktubeathon. The grand total for this read was 469 pages!

The second book I read and finished for the booktube-a-thon was...

Title: London Eye

Author: Tim Lebbon

This is the first book in the Toxic City series which is about 5 kids whose families were affected by a terrorist attack on London. A mysterious chemical agent was released on London with many people killed and the survivors mutating and developing strange powers. London has been cut off from the rest of the world and nobody knows the truth of what lies inside. These 5 kids sneak into London to find out if their family members have survived and are still alive and end up finding out a lot more than they bargained for.

I didn't enjoy the first of this book so much, but the rest of it was a fun, post apocalyptic journey into a wasteland that used to be London. In the end, I really did end up enjoying this book and even checked out the second book in the series from my library. I did really dislike Lucy-Anne though. She was one annoying character. The grand total of pages read for this was 229 pages!

The last book that I started and got a little over halfway through during the booktubeathon was...

Title: Eve

Author: Anna Carey

So I started Eve and ended up getting a little over half way through the book before booktubeathon was over. The last 2 days of booktubeathon were bad for reading because I had to work all day and wasn't able to accomplish much reading wise. I really enjoyed this book. It's a great dystopian/post apocalyptic read with a very interesting world of New America. I'm currently reading the second book now and am liking it too. I think this series is one of the forgotten dystopian gems. For this book, I ended up reading 176 pages!!

So all in all, I count this booktube-a-thon as a success. I managed to finish 2 books and get halfway through a third. I had a lot of fun doing it and even though I wasn't able to finish or complete any of the challenges, I still managed to do the important thing, which was to sit down and read some awesome books. My grand total was 874 pages! Wow! I can't wait for the next booktube-a-thon  and I hope I didn't bore you guys with this post. Look out for a review or Reading Right Now! post next time.

Reading Right Now! Once by Anna Carey.

Title: Once (Book 2 in the Eve trilogy)

Author: Anna Carey

Yes, I am back with another Reading Right Now! post. I know you guys must hate me because I'm awful at keeping this blog updated. I just really don't know what my problem is. Laziness could be a big part of it if I'm honest. For up to date information on my book exploits, check out my youtube channel b/c it is always up to date with what books I have acquired and what I'm currently reading at the moment. http://www.youtube.com/user/acbsgotbookcitement

So this week I am reading Once by Anna Carey. This is the second book in the Eve trilogy and I'm really enjoying it. I read the first book last week during the great Booktube-A-Thon (which I plan on doing a post on in the coming week) and I really ended up enjoying it. To me, this series is one of the forgotten or overlooked dystopian gems. I'm really enjoying Eve's story, this New America world, and Anna Carey's writing. I went and visited Anna Carey's website and learned that sometime in 2014 she's going to be coming out with the first in a 2 book series and I'm a little excited about that because I think I just might be a fan of Anna Carey's storytelling.

So yeah, I'm on page 42 of Eve which makes me 12% done with the book. I'm really enjoying it so far and can't wait to find out what happens next. And there's a great boy in this series named Caleb who hasn't made an appearance in this book yet, but I'm waiting for it. The ending of the first book was so heartbreaking, so I must find out if things go well for my characters in this one.

So that's it for this Reading Right Now! post. Let me know what you are currently reading. And once again, I'm going to make the promise to do better as this blogging thing. I want my blog to grow and prosper instead of wither and die like it has been doing. Thanks to all the new followers, much appreciated!!

Review of: Confessions of an Almost-Girlfriend by Louise Rozett

Title: Confessions of an Almost-Girlfriend

Author: Louise Rozett

Published by: Harlequinn TEEN

Released: June 25, 2013

Summary: Rose is back with more confessions! Sophomore year is starting and Rose hopes to make a new start in this new year. She wants to separate herself from freshman Rose and turn herself into Rose 2.0. She's found a new calling of singing, which she has decided to pursue. Her family is still not the best, with her mother dragging her to therapy twice a week. And, the hot Jamie Forta is still messing with her feelings. Rose is back and definitely has more to say in this solid sequel to Confessions of an Angry Girl.

My Thoughts: I just want to thank Netgalley and Harlequinn TEEN for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

I thought this was a solid sequel to Confessions of an Angry Girl. Rose is back and trying to navigate through the perils of high school and deal with the grief of living without her father.

While I enjoyed the story, I didn't find it to be the most exciting thing ever. It just didn't feel like a lot of stuff happened through it. I think my problem might be that the contemporary genre is not my absolute favorite thing to read. Don't get me wrong, it's a good, enjoyable book and is probably a slam dunk for readers who love a good contemporary.

Louise Rozett creates a true, realistic teenage voice in Rose that readers can believe in. This is a great story for teens going through the treacherous journey that is high school.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3/5

Rose provides a realistic teen voice.

Review of: Confessions of an Angry Girl by Louise Rozett

Title: Confessions of an Angry Girl

Author: Louise Rozett

Published by: Harlequin TEEN

Released: January 4, 2012

Summary: Rose's life fell apart with one phone call. The death of her father changes her family. Her brother goes off to college, her mom checks out, and Rose gets angry. Rose now has to navigate the highs and lows of high school,  endless sex discussions with her friend Tracy, and deal with a crush on a hot, older boy named Jamie Forta. What's an angry girl to do?

My Thoughts: I thought this book was an okay read. It's very short and has an enjoyable writing style. I want to thank Netgalley and Harlequinn TEEN for giving me the chance to review this book. I would recommend this for readers who love contemporary novels where characters have to deal with real life issues and tragedy. It could also be a good story for people who have experienced their own tragedies, because they would probably be able to understand Rose, the emotions that she's feeling, and the journey she's going through.

This book didn't really have that much exciting stuff going on in it. I was interested in reading about Rose's life, but I wasn't gripped by anything that happened throughout the novel. I also thought this novel was full of very awkward scenes. I had trouble believing Rose was 14 when she was put in much more mature sorts of situations. I think 14 was a little too young for a lot of stuff that was happening in this book and thought she should have at least been 16 or 17. I thought the subject of sex was a little excessive. I could just be a complete prude or innocent, but my 14 year old freshmen self wasn't anything like Rose. The situations just felt much too mature for a 14 year old.

I found the gynecologist scene to be uncomfortably awkward. I don't understand why Rose went or agreed to that appointment in the first place. She's too young for that stuff. 

While I did enjoy Confessions of an Angry Girl, I did have trouble finding certain aspects believable. It was an okay story and I will read on to see what happens next in Confessions of an Almost-Girlfriend.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3/5

Not a bad read for Contemporary Lovers.