Book Review: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (Dawn of the Dreadfuls)

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is a creepy book about, you guessed it, creepy zombies. Four sisters and their parents attend a dreary funeral, and next thing you know, the man who is supposed to be dead reaches it's hand out of the coffin and claws at midair.

Immediately, the word 'dreadfuls' is on the tip of every tongue in the room. People are literally leaping from the seats of the pews towards the exit, with piercing screams sounding from just about everyone, including Elizabeth's mother who seems to be frozen in place. Unfortunately, her two younger sisters seem to be set on adopting their mother's actions.

Luckily, Elizabeth is able to keep her wits together along with her older sister, and force their family members to safety from whatever threats from the dreadful. Near the exit, Elizabeth spots her father near the coffin, not making any efforts to escape. Brave as she is, Elizabeth went back for him despite her sisters' pleads.

All of a sudden, she's being asked to use a weapon to chop of the dreadful's head. Apparently, dreadfuls must be decapitated before they bite and infect others. Soon after, her sisters are being asked to train and improve their warrior ways under a master, which is very unladylike in the current society.

But when they find themselves fending off zombies in dresses do they really understand what they're in for.
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If you haven't read this book, I recommend you get your hands on a copy, whether it's going to the library or whipping out your credit card! Most of the characters in this book I like immensely, especially Jane and Elizabeth, who are excellent female roles.

Jane because she was one of the two most practical ones in the Barnett family and how kind she is. Elizabeth (who I love the best) because she's practical and has a strong personality along with will and cleverness. I kinda found Lumply (who is obsessed with Jane) funny as well, despite the inappropriate scenes associated with him.

The three people I hated the most were the two younger sisters (Lydia and Kitty, I believe) because they were could get downright annoying sometimes, along with their mother, especially the Mrs. Barnett. Even Mr. Barnett thought her wife was an irritating creature!

I found the love triangle consisting of a zombie-killer and a zombie-scientist and Elizabeth! But at the end, it seems romance was never meant to be...

four-and-a-half-stars

Book Review: The Clone Codes

The Clone Codes is a really short read set far into the future. A future where there are clones treated as slaves and history that repeats itself.

Clones are basically copies of human beings, but they are given less rights and are only considered 60% human. These beings aren't allowed to have proper names and must be referred by a mixture of letter and numbers. Clones aren't permitted to vote or even learn anything outside their respective work duties.

Leanna is a teenage girl who enjoys being one of the first teens to 'attend' a virtual school. To attend her classes, all she must do is put on a special device.

Once she is logged in, she is able to learn in an interactive setting without gigantic textbooks to lug or boring lessons to listen to. All this from the comfort of her own home. The best thing she likes about this virtual school are the history lessons. Instead of a dull textbook reading or listening to a teacher drone, she is able to actually experience the events virtually, with all the emotion and feeling included.

One day, Leanna's mother is arrested and accused of being a traitor, and the thirteen-year-old is forced to escape in hopes of not being caught as well. Almost immediately, she learns of things she never knew about her mother and the Liberty Bell Movement.

Her opinion changes from clones being nobody to clones as humans worth fighting for. Leanna learns many things, but the very thing she learns about her own identity triumphs all.
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I thought this book had a very interesting and unique plot, but I feel the idea wasn't executed very well. For one, it's short, making it easy to plow through but, it also made the novel feel lacking. Really, what made me most interested in the book was it's dynamite cover!

The book was really fast-paced, sometimes too fast-paced, and sometimes I had to force myself to keep reading. To tell the truth, it wasn't all that good and it felt a little amateurish. Concept was really creative though!

three stars

Book Review: Dark Life

Dark Life is a book set far into the future with two types of people: the Dark Life and the Topsiders.

Global warming has caused the land above to flood, lessening land to live on and grow food to the point where there is not enough for everybody. The Commonwealth's (government) resolution was to allow a select group of people to form a society in the ocean.

There, this select group of people are allowed as much land as they wish, unlike the Topsiders. Only one condition: the "Dark Life" (which they hate being referred as) must share any resources they reaped living on the ocean floor.

Ty happens to be a teenager that is one of the Dark Life. Not only is he a teenager, but he's the sole one out of the twenty-two children living on the ocean floor, which can get pretty lonely. Luckily, he meets Gemma, a topsider his age, on a venture above. Gemma tends to make Ty feel uncomfortable with all her questions about Dark Gifts and why his sparkles in the sunlight.

Dark Gifts are a silly myth, or so Ty insists, believed only by Topsiders. People who don't know what it's like living on the ocean floor believe living under high pressure has given them otherworldly 'powers' specific to ocean life.

Befriending Gemma has a consequence of course, and he is dragged into her goal of finding her long-lost brother. On this quest, they discover many things ... including secrets kept by the government.
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This book involved a lot of world building and I found the characters very real and endearing (especially Ty!). I really like the unique setting (have you ever read a book about humans living underwater?) and all the the complicated (in a good way) twists. A very interesting read! ^^

five stars  

Book Review: The Capture

Of course, I'm reviewing another book that has nothing to do with humans.

As you can tell from the cover, this book has to do with owls. To be specific, an owl named Soren. From the moment his eyes first fluttered open, Soren has a feeling in his gizzard, as all owlets do, that says, "Fly!" Over and over again, his parents tell him to ignore these feelings until his wings are fully formed.

Kludd, his brother, feels so superior to his brother to the point that it could be distinguished as hate. While Soren's younger sister, Eglantine, absolutely adores and idols him.

For the first few chapters, Soren spends his time learning so he can be prepared for when he is fully grown. He goes through ceremony after ceremony, until one day, Soren's parents decide to go hunting for prey, leaving Soren, Kludd, and Eglantine in the nest alone.

Suddenly, Soren finds himself out of the nest and plunging towards the forest floor. He lands in a plush lining on the ground, dazed. He was 99% sure that he hadn't disobeyed his parents orders and attempt to fly when he wasn't ready. Perhaps he had fallen? But he hadn't been anywhere close to the edge?

Fearful for what lurks on the forest ground, such as raccoons and other creatures, he tries to hide himself as well as he can while he waits for his parents' return.

If only he hadn't been snatched before then. . .
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I never thought I would actually read a book that was all about owls with absolutely no humans in sight! It was actually a very informative read as a learned many things about owls, such as the names of various body parts (down, gizzard, etc.)

What I really liked was how creative everything about the book is. There are little songs and chants included sung by Twilight himself. The terms created and defined by Lasky made reading this book feel all the more unique.

The language in this book is really simple though, and the word 'gizzard' is repeated over and over. There's also death in this book, which I didn't really like, but it wasn't at all descriptive.

four stars 

Book Review: Baby & Me

Not really a book, but just about the cutest manga I've ever read! This manga book is about a boy named Takuya and his baby brother, Minoru. Their mother has recently passed away, and their father, who is a business man, can't afford the time to take care of Minoru.

Because of this, Takuya must sacrifice his playtime in order to take his mother's place as primary caregiver. In the beginning, he feels like screaming at the top of his lungs when Minoru begins to cry for apparently no reason.

Lots of scolding, crying and frustration takes place before Takuya finally realizes why Minoru cries all the time. Loneliness. The lack of a mother to nurture and love him. Even though Minoru has no idea who his mother is, he still feels her absence. Takuya then makes a vow to fill in the empty hole in his brothers heart, as well as his own.

Time goes by and a new bonding soon emerges that wasn't there before.

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Absolutely a-dor-able! There is no chance that you'll be able to get over how cute and sometimes heart wrenching this manga is! The bonding is so sweet and makes me want to get along better with my two brothers, too!

The only thing that I disliked was how perfect Takuya was. He was handsome, a major heartthrob amongst his 5th grade female peers, caring, sweet, a good runner, etc. Basically, he was good at everything, which made the book feel a little less realistic.

So, if you're looking for a short, sugary-sweet read, this is the one for you! ~ four-and-a-half stars

Book Review: City of Ember

Lina is a wishful twelve-year-old girl who dreams of a colorful, flamboyant place far beyond her underground home. Doon is a serious twelve-year-old boy who wishes to change the world for the better. What do they have in common? The means to make both dreams come true if they work together.

On the last day of school, Lina and the rest of her classmates are assigned a job that will be theirs for as long as they live in City of Ember, an underground city. Lina wishes to be assigned the job as a messenger, being the quick paced, light-on-her-feet person she is.

Unfortunately, she receives the most unwanted job: Pipeworks Laborer. Doon, who wants to make a difference in the City of Ember, wanted to work in the Pipeworks the most, but he happened to get the job as messenger. He quickly finds that the job as a messenger has little promise to fulfill his goals.

Doon and Lina end up trading jobs and they part ways, both feeling as if they got the better end of the deal.

Circumstances such as the city's supplies running low, and even worse, the generator's life coming to an end brings Doon and Lina together. They both realize what they must do. Lina and Doon must find another place to live for the City of Ember's inhabitants before they are forced to live underground in constant darkness.

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This book was an awesome read, the first book in my second favorite series! I loved the characters and the language and description the author used. What I adored the most about this book is the originality. No doubt, I have never read a tale even close to this one's plot. Just the thought of living underground perks my interest!

The only thing I slightly disliked was the fact that sometimes the voice of the book felt as if it were talking to someone younger. But this made the book so much easier to understand and retain than books with more difficult language.

I give this book an obvious 5 stars!

Book Review: Wings

Laurel is nervous about her very first day learning in a public school. Having been home schooled her entire life, she wasn't very keen on the idea of going to school under the pressure of her peers. For one, she wasn't at all familiar with public schools, and she, like many people, disliked change.

She then meets David, a boy who seems set on befriending Laurel, and eats outside with him during lunch hour. David then introduces her to his friends, and Laurel begins to ease into the drastic changes inflicted on her life. But her troubles don't stop right there.

One day, Laurel wakes up to find a zit the size of a quarter on her back. She disregards it until it grows into the size of a softball. Only then does she start to think of possibilities, such as spinal cancer. Laurel fights with herself on whether she should tell her parents or not, and decides to wait until a certain date to tell them, in hopes that the large lump would disappear.

The date approaches, and Laurel finds that the possibly cancerous lump has disappeared - only to be replaced by a pair of sweet smelling flowers that reminisce wings.

From there, Laurel finds out what she truly is . . . not human, but a fairy.
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I absolutely adore this book! Everything about it is just so enchanting and lovely. I absolutely loved the characters involved, especially David. There is also a hint of romance in the form a love triangle, and who doesn't like that?

The only thing I disliked about this tale is the small amount of cliches involved. You know, girl goes to new school and meets boy and the supernatural/fantasy factor as well. But then again, just about every book has some cliches!

Five stars!

Book Review: Chains

Chains is about a slave girl and her little sister in the beginning of the Revolutionary War, without any parents or other family members in their lives.

Upon the death of their master, Isabel and Ruth were promised freedom, but under cruel circumstances they become the property of an even crueler couple. Even little Ruth is given task after task to complete every single day.

Eventually, Isabel meets Curzon, who offers her a priceless reward if she agreed to spy on the Lockton couple who owned her: Freedom. Isabel, discovering that her owners knew details of the planned British invasion, wished not to get involved in the messy business of war.

As Mrs. Lockton develops more and more of an interest in Ruth and Isabel's fear of being separated from her sister like she was her father increases, her quest for freedom begins to overwhelm. And when her fears come true and Ruth is sold, she finds she'll do anything to get it.
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Isabel is one of those characters, in one of those sad stories that you can't help but root for! Some parts of the book, especially the ones demonstrating how much she loved her sister and when she was branded, made a few tears leak from my eyes. I loved this book because of it's realistic characters and beatiful description that made me feel like I was there.

The only complaints I have of this book is the way Isabel sometimes acted. I really didn't understand why she got mad when Mrs. Lockton began to show interest in her little sister. Really, I believed she would've been happy that her sister was being dressed in pretty clothes and doesn't have to do any hardwork, and I'm sure it wasn't jealously. Perhaps it was some sort of pride thing...

Anyways, I give it a five out of five for it's touching and emotionally-moving story! ^^

Book Review: Into the Wild

Are you a cat lover? Do you love reading about animal clans fending for survival?

One day, Rusty decides to leave his backyard to venture into the dark woods behind it. Far beyond the safety of 'Twoleg' territory, he tries to snare a plump mouse in what happens to be ThunderClan territory. One of four clans that don't appreciate other cats hunting on their home.

The bright orange Tom finds itself in a brawl with a gray ThunderClan warrior-in-training, who later becomes his best friend. Graypaw and Rusty are then confronted by Bluestar, the clan leader of ThunderClan.

Bluestar applauds Graypaw on his efforts and offers Rusty the chance to give up his 'soft' life in exchange for the harsh but free life as a warrior.

Despite loud protests of Rusty being a 'kittypet' and not a warrior by blood from the clan, the Tom is welcomed into the clan and is bestowed a new name: Firepaw.

Read the book to find out whether or not Firepaw can survive warrior life if the wrath of the clan doesn't get to him first.
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This is one of the few books that I can honestly say have no faults. I enjoyed the juiciness and the freshness of the plot, not to mention that there are five more books to this series.

For five more books, five more stars!