Review: Delirium

Delirium

Lauren Oliver

Published by: HarperCollins

Released: August 2, 2011

 

 

Description from Goodreads:

 

Ninety-five days, and then I’ll be safe.
I wonder whether the procedure will hurt.
I want to get it over with.
It’s hard to be patient.
It’s hard not to be afraid while I’m still uncured, though so far the deliria hasn’t touched me yet.
Still, I worry.
They say that in the old days, love drove people to madness.
The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don’t.

 

Let's all start off by saying that I learned my lesson. DO NOT FINISH A BOOK WHILE YOU ARE AT WORK. It will most likely result with your co-workers laughing at you. The ending killed me.

 

I have put off reading this book for a while now because I always thought that I would end up hating it. This comes to show you that I should just read anything and everything because I really did love this book. A lot. It was very amazing ☺ I should really stop judging books.

 

The characters. LOVE THEM. Alex is just amazing as all lead fictional guys are. Lena is one of those rare fictional characters where I don't feel the need to scream at her. Hana is the bestest friend you could ever have (Yes. I did just use bestest). Gracie is probably my favorite character out of the whole book. I want to hug that kid. She just seems so adorable and her devotion to Lena is beautiful. I want to strangle Jenny. I don't like her. I don't like anybody who has been "cured."

 

The "Cured" Ones. They bugged me. A lot. The whole concept of this story is that love is a disease. If you are in love, you are sick. People become "cured" when they turn 18. Sometimes the cure works. Sometimes it doesn't. The "cured" ones really are just turned into lifeless zombies. Lena compares them as to being asleep opposed to "uncured" being awake. This is totally appropiate. They do nothing. They just go day by day doing the same old things. Sometimes they do nothing. To me, being cured sounds really boring and really scary. If I was in this story, I would most likely be thrown into the crypts or escape to the wild. I would not live there.

 

The Plot. It is one of those stories that just keeps you reading. I had a real hard time putting it down. I found myself multitasking a lot. Read a chapter, do a calculus problem. Read a chapter, pin one thing to my Pinterest board. Read one chapter, ignore Buffy on Skype. She really hates it when I do that. I was completely entertained the whole time I was reading it. I never got bored. Also, each chapter started with these little clips from books in their world. Each chapter would start with a selection of The Book of Shhh, telling the effects of deliria. It was cool to get some insight of the worls they lived in.

 

The Ending. I died. I got laughed at by the guys in the deli. All I am saying is that certain character better live or I am seriously going to have a chat with Lauren Oliver on the importance of my sanity. I need to find Pandemonium fast. And totally random, but the ending was EPIC. I loved it, despite it messing with my precious hold on sanity. After this Tuesday (MARK OF ATHENA IS OUT PEOPLE!), I am seriously going to be locked in the loony bin. I don't think I can handle many more cliffhangers. I am going crazy.

 

So I highly recommend this book. It is really different from stories out there. I mean, I would have never thought of viewing love as a disease. It is bloody brilliant (Going all Ron Weasley for a second there...). Go buy this book. Make sure you have your hand on the second one too. These books are amazing.

 

Review by Calypso



Review: Fallen

Fallen

Lauren Kate

Published by: Delacorte Press

Released: December 8, 2012

 

 

 

Finally! I have finished one of the many books I am reading. I blame this new magical world I just discovered called BBC America that has these wonderful shows called Doctor Who and Sherlock. I also blame school. Curse you AP Euro...

 

Anyway, I basically forced myself to finish this book, just like I am forcing myself to finish all of the other ones I am currently reading. This happens every year around this time because I know all of my favorites that I am eagerly for are coming out soon (Next is Mark of Athena). Also school. I tend to blame school a lot.

 

So this book wasn't horrible, but it wasn't a favorite either. The story is good and it kept me interested.

 

Pros:

 

Angels. Okay, right now I am going through my angel phase. Two years ago was my vampire phase; last year was my demigod phase (Which I'm still currently in, I guess. Percy Jackson forever!). Anyway, I love stories about angels and this one was different from my expectations. I'll admit, I thought I would be reading something eerily similar to Hush, Hush.  This book threw me a huge curveball. It was so much different than I expected and I like that. I love it when I go into a book expecting something then end up being surprised.

 

It left me guessing. Usually I can pretty much predict the whole story. This one I couldn't and that bugged me so much. Yet, I was really glad there was things I could not guess. I had to skim the ending because I was really curious at how everything would play out. WARNING: Don't skim the ending. You will find out something that you don't want to know. I gave myself a Gibbs Slap DiNozzo would approve of for that big mistake. DON'T SKIM THE ENDING. IT WILL CAUSE HORRIBLE FEELS.

 

Cons:

 

Luce. Luce is one of those characters that drive me absolutely crazy because of their stupid actions. I didn't think anybody could out beat Nora Grey for stupidity, but Luce, I think you may take the prize. Don't get me wrong, I like Luce. But geez, you could only have so many stupid protagonists before I go crazier than I already am. I think stupid girls and angels go hand in hand. But that may just be me. I don't know. I just hoped that Luce would be different.

 

The Love Triangle? The whole attempt at a love triangle was pointless. I hate love triangles and this story would have been fine without it. I'm not even sure if I am able to call it a love triangle since Luce obsessed over Daniel the whole time. I hate love triangles.

 

Boring towards middle. The beginning was good. The ending was good. I was bored in the middle. I think that was what made me take so long to read it, because I just wanted something really big to happen and nothing did. So I was kind of disappointed. But it does pick up towards the end. I know that I am curious enough to continue with them just to see how it all plays out.

 

So all of these books are out, but I don't recommend buying them from the store. I would borrow them from the library or a friend. Or you could buy them all on an eReader. Anyway, they are not on of my favorite series, but they are still a pretty decent read for all fans of angels.

 

Off topic for a second. Can we just look at Penn's full name? Pennyweather Van Syckle Lockwood. Dear God, what did she do to deserve such a horrible name? I am curious at how Lauren Kate came up with this one. It is truly the most unique fictional name I have heard. Congrats Peeta, somebody beat you in the most creative name department.

 

 

Review by Calypso



Cover Reveal: Opal

I'm a little late for this reveal (I blame my cursed AP Euro notes) but......

The cover for Opal, the next book in the Lux Novels, was revealed!

Did you hear that scream? That was me fangirling over its perfection.

Offical Description:

No one is like Daemon Black.When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.
But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger... and they know it.

I cannot think logically right now. I love the first two books. I love Jennifer Armentrout's Covenant novels. I need this one now, like, right now.

Opal will be out December 11, 2012 in print and digital format.

I. Cannot. Freaking. Wait.

~Caly

Review: Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception

 

Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception

Maggie Stiefvater

Published by: Flux

Released: October 8, 2008



Description:

Deirde Monaghan is a talented harpist. But when she meets Luke Dillion at one of her competitions, she never expected the immediate connection between the two of them. She starts seeing faeries and learns of Luke's deadly role in the world of Faerie. Stiefvater weaves a magical tale of romance and magic with modernized Celtic Mythology.

Is that description a tad bit sucky? Well...Yeah. That's why I like to borrow them from Goodreads.

So I mostly gave this book a try because I loved Shiver, Linger, and Forever.

This book was WAY different than I expected.

Pros:

Celtic Mythology. I am a huge mythology fan and I don't know much on Celtic Mythology. I love how Maggie Stiefvater created a story with that mythology in it. I have read about Greek Mythology. I have read about Egyptian Mythology. I have read about Norse Mythology. It was nice to read about a different set of myths I don't know that much about.

The characters. I love how Maggie Stiefvater's characters are really unique compared to your typical YA character. Deirde is not a shy girl. Yes, she is unpopular, but she isn't insanely shy. She is a wickedly talented harpist. Luke is not a sarcastic guy. Yes, he does have his sarcastic moments, but he is not a person who hides behind his sarcasm. He has had a hard past. I just love how different they are from others. Same with Grace and Sam from Shiver and Puck and Sean from The Scorpio Races. They are not part of those stereotypical traits that you come to expect from YA characters.

The writing. The way Maggie Stiefvater writes just sucks me into the novel and next thing I know, it's 1:00 in the morning. Yeah, I was expecting something similar to how she sets up her other novels. But this one wasn't. It just strickly followed Deirde's voice and thoughts. I think this was her first novel, and you can see how her writing has changed from each series. I did not like this story as much as her other ones, but I still like it and want to continue because her writing is just good. Seriously. She is an amazing author.

Cons:

Deirde just immediately trusts Luke. Okay. I am not a huge fan of love at first sight, blah, blah. I always think of the stupidity of Romeo and Juliet. The way Deirde just suddenly throws herself at Luke shocked me and annoyed me. She just barely met the guy and decides that she'll play with him at her competition, that she will trust him, that she is in love with him. I kept thinking: "Uhhh...HELLO? Dee, you just met the guy. YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT HIM. Stop it." It was like this whole: "Hey I just met you. And this is crazy. But here's my number. So call me, maybe? AND I FREAKING LOVE YOU!" No. No. No. No. No. No. Know the guy first before you throw yourself at him. Please. Expecially since Luke has a crap load of secrets.

The ending. I was confused. I had to go and re read it before I semi understood what was happening. I was a little baffled. I need to get my hands on Mag's copy of Ballad because this one just ended. No, it wasn't a cliffhanger. It just stopped. I was assuming there was another chapter. There wasn't.

So if you are a huge mythology geek like moi, check this one out if you want something different from Greek/Roman/Egyptian/Norse. Celtic mythology is really interesting. If you are a fan of Maggie Stiefvater books, then yeah, READ IT. She is an amazing author with insane talent. So go buy this book. Heck, go buy all of her books. You will not regret it.

Review by Calypso

Currently Reading

School is the bane of my existance. It means less reading time and more homework time, which just sucks. So here's what the I am currently reading:

Still reading? Yup. Have I made any more progress? Nope. I have been reading this since July. I really need to finish it, but it is going so so so slowly. AAWW!! Bethany needs to stop over describing everything. I know what a tree looks like.

I just barely got this one back from my aunt and plan on finishing it when I have a minute during the weekend. I really miss Will and Alyss and Halt and Horace.

I need to finish this one and give it back to Mags ASAP. I have so many other books to read though and this one's beginning is so slow. Ugh. Too many books to read. I cannot believe I just said that!

Again, I have not made any more progress on this one either. I just have so many to read and this one is on the bottom of my poor pile. Stupid school.

 

This one I am actually liking. It reminds me so much of Supernatural and I love it and I'm almost finished with it. I have to say I am a huge Nick fan.

 

Yeah. That's the movie poster, but it's what the copy I am borrowing looks like. This book is just odd. It reminds me too much of Catcher in the Rye and I did not like that one. This one is okay. I am only reading it because of the movie. I am only seeing the movie because of Logan Lerman and Emma Watson. If this movie didn't have two of my favorite actors/actresses, I probably would not give it the time of day.

 

 

I only got this book because I am a huge fan of Shiver, Linger, and Forever. This one is WAY different than the other books she has written. I need to get farther along into this one. I'm only a chapter in at the moment.

 

 



I picked up this book thinking it would be similar to Hush, Hush. Nope. So different and weird and odd and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I want to like it, but I am scared that I won't. Ugh.

And lastly, I am re-reading one of my personal favorites, Dreamless. I am obsessed with these books. Starcrossed helped me through a hard time. I have re-read these books so many times, I have them practically memorized. I just barely got this one back after it finally made its way through my bookworms. Oh Dreamless, it has been a long summer vacation without you!

Let's see which one is finished first!

~Caly

Cover Reveal: The Goddess Inheritance

Sorry I have been MIA with school starting up and not having enough time to read/review. But today The Goddess Inheritance cover was revealed! AND IT IS SO PRETTIFUL ☺

Now, I have a love-hate relationship with these books. The first one drove me absolutely crazy.

My review:
http://www.yeahwelikemaplesyrupandbooks.blogspot.com/2012/07/review-goddess-test.html

Then I read the second book and realized that my hatred towards the first one was a mistake. I judged it way too harshly. I think the second one is much better.

My Review:
http://www.yeahwelikemaplesyrupandbooks.blogspot.com/2012/07/review-goddess-interrupted.html

AND THE ENDING KILLED ME. So I am really excited to hear that this one comes out in March 2013. Only around 200 days or so.

~Calypso

Review: Captivate

Captivate

Carrie Jones

 

Published by: Bloomsbury

Released: January 5, 2010

 

 

My review on Need, the first book in the series:

http://www.yeahwelikemaplesyrupandbooks.blogspot.com/2012/08/review-need.html

 

 

So I have been wicked busy lately with school starting up in 2 days (Senior Year...WOO!) and haven't had that much time to read. Also, I'm attempting to read 8 books at the same time so that's not real smart on my part. Also trying to balance a job with my reading time because now I have to pay for a car...Anyway, enough about my life. Let's get to the review.

 

Description from Goodreads:

 

He smiles. It's a wicked smile. Kind but not kind. Handsome but dangerous. Feral almost. I can see why Nick nearly killed him, Nick...
I ask again, "Why were you in the road?"
"I was waiting for you."

Zara and her friends thought they'd solved the pixie problem. And they did - sort of. The pixie's are all locked away, deep in the woods. But the king's needs grow stronger each day that he is in captivity, while his control over his people weakens. And it's enough to draw a new king into town. Astley claims he is different. He claims there are pixies who can live peacefully with humans, that it doesn't have to be all violence and nastiness all the time. Zara wants to believe him...until Astley also claims that she is fated to be his queen.

There is no way Zara would ever turn pixie. And she's got good friends who will make sure of that. Besides, she and Nick are so in love they're practically inseparable. But when they very thing Zara wants to protect most is exactly what's at risk, she is forced to make choices she never imagined....

 

I like this book more than the first one. I'm not sure why I did, maybe because it wasn't as odd as the first one or maybe I just became used to the oddness, but I really did like this one. But no book is perfect.

 

It really focused on Zara and Nick's relationship. I usually am a fan of the romances. I secretly and not so secretly root for all of my favorite fictional couples. But Nick and Zara just annoy the crap out of me. They say that they are in love and stuff, but I just, I don't know, buy it. I think it's because I'm not a fan of Nick, which is saying something. I am usually in love with the fictional guy lead. Nick drives me crazy, along with Devyn. I guess all the guys in this book drive me crazy. Then again, I am not a fan of werewolves (Only Sam and Jordan being an exception).

 

She introduces a love triangle. For once, I am not complaining. This book needed a love triangle. Oh my god...Am I sick? Did I just seriously admit that? Holy crap. Now, I'm usually a firm believer that the girl should stay with the guy she first fell in love with. Forget the second guy. GO FOR THE FIRST. (There are a rare few cases where this is not true: Katniss/Peeta, Laurel/Tamani, Wendy/Loki). I just like Astley more than Nick. In fact, I think Astley was the only male character I did not want to strangle in this book.

 

It threw me a little curveball that at first I hated, then learned to love. If you have read this book and are reading this review, then you probably know what I am talking about, seeing as it is basically the reason behind book 3. At first I was saying: "WHAT THE HECK!? I don't even like the guy, but seriously?" Then a few pages later, I was like: "Hehe. Yeah, I am totally okay with this." Next thing I know, I finished the book and it's midnight.

 

Pixies are just like Vampires. In the first one, I was so mad that werewolves/shifters enemies were pixies. I mean, come on, doesn't anybody else think of Pixie Hollow and Tinkerbell? But as I read this one, the pixies are really similar to vampires. That is, if vampires were blue, have a king, and can fly. But other than that, they are very very similar.

 

So that's all I got for this one. Yeah, not a long review. But I am only reading these books as what I deem "Time Fillers" because I am waiting for my really important series to come out (Right now, The Raven Boys and Cursed) in September.

 

So you might like these books more than me. This series could be your important OMG-I-NEED-THE-NEXT-ONE-NOW books. Not all books are for everyone, and this one is not a personal favorite for me. But they are nice Time Fillers and are quickie reads.

 

Do I recomend you to rush to the store to pick them up? Nah. You can be content just to borrow them from a friend like I am or from the library.

 

 

Review by Caly