Sunday, April 14, 2013

Eleanor & Park

Title: Eleanor & Park

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Rating: 5 stars

Summary: "Bono met his wife in high school," Park says.
"So did Jerry Lee Lewis," Eleanor answers.
"I’m not kidding," he says.
"You should be," she says, "we’re sixteen."
"What about Romeo and Juliet?"
"Shallow, confused, then dead."
''I love you," Park says.
"Wherefore art thou," Eleanor answers.
"I’m not kidding," he says.
"You should be."

Set over the course of one school year in 1986, ELEANOR AND PARK is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under.

Review: I've always harshly judged romance in the books I read; it's always too fast, too unbelievable, too just-written-for-sex-appeal. But for me, Eleanor & Park was different. Wonderfully different. It was sweet, beautiful, and heartbreaking. It didn't take long for Park to fall for Eleanor, but she held back, hesitant to believe in young love. Eleanor struggles with wanting a happy relationship with Park and trying to hide her horrible family life: the abusive step-father, the absent father, the mom and four younger siblings trapped. Park will yell a thousand i-love-yous before Eleanor would whisper one. They're two misfits: Park is half-Korean in a white-majority neighborhood, and Eleanor is the weird fat girl from a broken family. Another thing I enjoyed about this book was how the author treated Eleanor's weight.  It's presented simply as a physical characteristic of Eleanor, not as some hurdle she has to overcome in order to be happy. I loved the third person POV that switched between the two of them because it allowed the reader to observe Eleanor and Park fall in love with each other. 

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

False Sight

Title: False Sight

Author: Dan Krokos

Rating: 5 stars

Summary: All Miranda wants is a normal life. She's determined to move past the horrible truth of her origin as a clone so she can enjoy time with her boyfriend, Peter, and the rest of her friends at school. But Miranda quickly learns that there's no such thing as normal - not for a girl who was raised to be a weapon. When one of her teammates turns rogue, it begins a war that puts the world in jeopardy. Now Miranda must follow her instincts - not her heart - in order to save everything she's fought so hard to keep. with the image of a terrible future seared into her mind, what will she have to sacrifice to protect the people she loves?

Review: I love the technology Krokos comes up with in this series. The memory downloads, giving kids the psychic power to cause fear; it's fantastic.I particularly enjoy the Roses' (the name for the kids with powers) abilities because it's something I haven't ever seen before and also it shows just how powerful of a weapon fear can be.

Even though Rhys and Sequel are new to the group, they and Miranda, Peter, and Noah quickly form strong bonds. They become a family, willing to risk each willing to risk their lives for one another. Peter and Miranda's relationship is well-written and low-key, which allows it to be enjoyable and leaves the action at the forefront of the story.

Just like the first book, False Sight absolutely blew me away. It's chock-full of action and plenty of twists, but with steady pacing. Also, it has explosions. From clones to parallel universes, this sci-fi thriller will have readers on the edge of their seats.


A big thanks to BookPeople for the ARC