The Torn World by Melanie Karsak

*Contains spoilers for The Harvesting, Midway, The Shadow Aspect, and Witch Wood.*

The Torn World
by Melanie Karsak

  • YA, Fiction, Horror
  • 14+ for gore, mild language, zombies and witchcraft
  • Published August 31st, 2016 by Clockpunk Press
  •  

Similarities Between Liesel Meminger and Lisa Jura

     This is an essay I wrote for my English class comparing Leisel Meminger, the protagonist of the novel The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, and Lisa Jura, protagonist The Children of Willesden Lane by Mona Golabek and Lee Cohen. If you've haven't read these books, then you definitely need to, as they're two of the most accurate holocaust books I've ever read. The Children of Willesden Lane is nonfiction, but don't let that steer you away from it. It's written like a fiction story, but also shows how the Holocaust affected countries outside of Germany.

Identity Crisis: Hogwarts Edition


     Okay, so I never remember my Pottermore information, so every time I go on I make a new account and redo everything, and I've always had the same results. Until NOW! I recently made a new account and took the sorting hat quiz and... my house CHANGED! I've always been a Ravenclaw, I pride myself on it, although I typically walk the line between Slytherin and Ravenclaw. I am now a Slytherin, and I love Slytherin, honestly they're so underrated, but I'm having an identity crisis! What if everything I thought I knew about myself was wrong? I didn't even know my true Hogwarts house! Okay rant over, let's move on now.

Luna Lovegood and Clarisse McClellan: One and the Same


via GIPHY
    
     So recently I had to read Fahrenheit 451 for school, for the second time, and I realized just how similar Luna Lovegood and Clarisse McClellan really are. Now, with Luna being one of my favorite characters, it was extremely hard for me to accept the similarities between the two, seeing as I REALLY dislike Fahrenheit 451. I've been thinking more about these two characters and, after finally accepting the similarities, admit that they are virtually the same in every way possible.

The Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling (Spoilers Included)

*I have not seen the onstage version. This review is based completely on the script.*
The Cursed Child

by Jack Thorne and John Tiffany

  • Children's Fiction, Fantasy, Time Travel
  • 9+ for dark themes
  • Published July 31st, 2016 by Scholastic Inc. and Little Brown
  • available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Books
  • ★ 

The Selection Series by Kiera Cass


The Selection Series

by Kiera Cass

  • Fiction, Coming of Age, Dystopian, Futuristic, Romance
  • 11-20 age range
  • published April 24th, 2012 by Harper Teens
  • available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, AbeBooks
  • Overall Rating
Summary
     "For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

     But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

     Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself—and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined."-Goodreads


Overall Review

     Honestly, I wasn't expecting much from this series, seeing as it's the kind of books that I do everything in my power to avoid. The "girl meets boy, changes her life for boy, they fall in love, get married and live happily ever after" type book. Typically, I'll put down books if they follow this general plot, but I couldn't ignore all the positive reviews. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that I couldn't put the book down and read all 5 books in a week! I loved the series and am sad that there are no more books to come. I am however hoping that a movie will be coming along soon. I'm hoping that by the time a movie version of The Heir comes along, I'll be able to audition for Eadlyn. (Who I wish with every bone in my body to be!)

     However, it is my absolute hate for ALL things romance that causes me to give the series four stars instead of five. I did love this book though and think all teenagers or others that love YA should read it. The writing was good, and most of the characters seemed relatable. Personally, I relate most to Eadlyn, a strong, independent, caring girl in line for the throne, that believes that men will slow her down or distract her from her duty. If you're looking for a book to read and you just can't decide, the Selection series should definitely be on your radar. No matter what it seems, this is not your average romance novel with girly girls who'll give up their life for someone they just met. (For goodness sake the first time America and Maxon meet America yells at him.) I wish I could be more like the strong independent, and brave women in this story. To be honest, I cried multiple times PER book, an impressive feat seeing as the only other book I've cried about is Allegiant.

 Individual Ratings 
*Spoilers ahead!! Read at your own risk.*
The Selection: ★ 
  • Sturdy character development
  • Relatable characters
  • Interesting and unique plot
The Elite:
  • Interesting plot
  • Annoying love triangle *cue eye roll*
  • (Mostly) Characters stay true to themselves
The One:
  • Brave, independent heroine
  • America stops being STUPID (Seriously America get a grip!)
  • Shows the consequences of rebel attacks through main character deaths (I know it's sad, but do you want a Breaking Dawn situation where there's a lead up to a big battle only to end it with a handshake? Huh, HUH????)
The Heir:
  • Shows that women can lead the country too (Go Eadlyn!!)
  • Displays that no matter how good the cause, people won't change if they don't want to
  • Eadlyn is a strong independent woman who doesn't need a man!
  • (Eadlyn in general because she's my favorite character and I wish she was real because I would no doubt 150% be BFFs with her!!)
The Crown: 
  • True love is a force to be reckoned with (EW! Why must all good characters fall in love?!)
  • Even the "best" people, can have ulterior motives (I'm looking at you Marid!)
  • Some rules are made to be broken

Character List
*Spoilers ahead!! Read at your own risk.*
  • America Schreave: Main character, wife of Maxon and mother of Eadlyn, Ahren, Kaden, and Osten, formally America Singer, formerly a 5
  • Maxon Schreave: Beloved prince of Illéa, husband of America,  father of Eadyln, Ahren, Kaden, and Osten, son of King Clarkson and Queen Amberly
  • Aspen Leger: Ex-boyfriend of America, palace guard, wife of Lucy Leger, formally a 6, became a 2 when he became a guard
  • Amberly Schreave: Queen of Illéa, wife of King Clarkson, mother of Maxon, formally a 4
  • Clarkson Schreave: King of Illéa, husband to Queen Amberly, father of Maxon
  • Eadlyn Schreave de Koskinen: First female heir of Illéa, daughter of America and Maxon, sister to Ahren, Kaden, and Osten, wife of Eikko
  • Ahren Schreave: Husband to Camille, brother to Eadlyn, Kaden, and Osten
  • Kile Woodwork: Selection participant, son of Marlee and Carter, brother to Josie
  • Eikko Koskinen: Prince Consort of Illéa, husband of Eadlyn
About Kiera Cass

     "I am a graduate of Radford University with a B.S. in History. I grew up in South Carolina and currently live in Christiansburg, Virginia with my electrical engineer hubby, car-obsessed son, and princess-loving daughter. I'm a #1 New York Times bestseller, woohoo! I'm also a valued customer at my local cupcake shop.

Things I hate:

When people fail to use turn signals, flying, salads.

Things I love:

Office supplies, boy bands, desserts." Kiera Cass's Official Website

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

Elsewhere

by Gabrielle Zevin

  • Fiction, Coming of Age, Utopian, Sci-Fi
  • 10+ for complex themes
  • published May 15, 2007 by Square Fish
  • available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, AbeBooks
Summary
     "Welcome to Elsewhere. It is warm, with a breeze, and the beaches are marvelous. It's quiet and peaceful. You can't get sick or any older. Curious to see new paintings by Picasso? Swing by one of Elsewhere's museums. Need to talk to someone about your problems? Stop by Marilyn Monroe's psychiatric practice.

     Elsewhere is where fifteen-year-old Liz Hall ends up, after she has died. It is a place so like Earth, yet completely different. Here Liz will age backward from the day of her death until she becomes a baby again and returns to Earth. But Liz wants to turn sixteen, not fourteen again. She wants to get her driver's license. She wants to graduate from high school and go to college. And now that she's dead, Liz is being forced to live a life she doesn't want with a grandmother she has only just met. And it is not going well. How can Liz let go of the only life she has ever known and embrace a new one? Is it possible that a life lived in reverse is no different from a life lived forward?

     This moving, often funny book about grief, death, and loss will stay with the reader long after the last page is turned."-Goodreads

Opinion

     I loved this book! It was so original and I've never read anything like it. I feel the theme of the story is learning to adapt and love yourself. At the beginning of the book Liz finds herself depressed and struggles until finally she overcomes it. Although I completely detest classic romances, (girl meets boy, boy changes girls life, they fall in love, they live happily ever after) I think that Zevin did this expertly. The novel is a coming of age, ironic considering the main character dies right? Liz is a great role model for any young girls struggling with their life. It shows that you can overcome anything with the right people helping you.

     I recommend Elsewhere for anyone who enjoys coming of age stories, alternate realities, or complicated love stories. Also, anyone fighting depression should really read this, it could do a lot of help. The novel could also be helpful for people suffering after a death of a loved one. It may be fiction, but it gives hope that there can be life after death, and it can be great. I couldn't wait to finish the book, but now I wish I could read it again for the first time. As someone who doesn't really care for religion I loved this book, however if you're really religious, this may not be your book seeing as it replaces heaven.

Author Bio 

     "Gabrielle Zevin is the New York Times Best Selling author of eight novels. For adults: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry (2014), The Hole We’re In (2010), and Margarettown (2005). For young adults: Elsewhere (2005), Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac (2007), and the three books in the Anya Balanchine series, All These Things I’ve Done (2011), Because It Is My Blood (2012), and In the Age of Love and Chocolate (2013). Her books have been translated into over thirty languages.

     The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry has spent over four months on the New York Times Best Seller List, reached #1 on the National Indie Bestseller List, and has been a bestseller in multiple countries. The Toronto Globe and Mail called the book “a powerful novel about the power of novels.”

     Her debut, Margarettown, was a selection of the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers program. The Hole We’re In was a New York Times Editor’s Choice title. Publishers Weekly called The Hole We’re In “a Corrections for our recessionary times.”

     Her best known young adult novel is Elsewhere, an American Library Association Notable Children’s Book. Of Elsewhere, the New York Times Book Review wrote, “Every so often a book comes along with a premise so fresh and arresting it seems to exist in a category all its own… Elsewhere, by Gabrielle Zevin, is such a book.”

     She is the screenwriter of Conversations with Other Women (Helena Bonham Carter, Aaron Eckhart) for which she received an Independent Spirit Award Nomination for Best First Screenplay. In 2009, she and director Hans Canosa adapted her novel Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac (ALA Best Books for Young Adults) into the Japanese film, Dareka ga Watashi ni Kiss wo Shita. She has also written for the New York Times Book Review and NPR’s All Things Considered. She began her writing career at age fourteen as a music critic for the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel.

     Zevin is a graduate of Harvard University. She lives in Los Angeles."-Gabrielle Zevin's Website

The Undead Gatekeeper


     So recently I had a writing prompt in English and we had to write a story. The prompt was you were leaving the movies and you don't have enough time to make it home by your curfew. I really enjoyed writing this, and I hope you enjoy reading it!

Giveaway... and a ranting elf.


I don't know who in their right mind appoints a thirteen year old human girl to be a manager of anything. She has one job! ONE JOB! set up rafflecopter giveaways. How long does that take? Two minutes? Five at the most. I am extremely put out that I have to stop what I am doing to do her job. I am sure Grimnien should hear about this!

   a Rafflecopter giveaway

Winner! Winner!

Our January MineEye competition has come to end and the entries have been tallied. One very special winner will receive a £20 Amazon voucher! Another will get a signed print copy of Victoria Allred's Taken.

Here is our very long list of ebooks to be awarded!

Girl with the Blue Umbrella by Heather Awad
Fantasy Child- The Key to the Kingdom by  Gavin Paul Carter
Bitter is the Salt by James Willard and Gavin Carter
Taken by Victoria Allred


Check your emails! Your MineEye representative will be contacting you shortly with your prize!

Diary of a Teenage Zombie by Kristy Berridge

Diary of a Teenage Zombie

by Kristy Berridge

  • Fiction, Horror, Dystopian, Mature YA
  • 15+ for mature content, violence, and cussing
  • published September 8, 2014 by Shadow Ink Press
  • available on Amazon, MineEye, Barnes & Noble, AbeBooks, etc.
Summary
     "Dear Diary. Today I ate the mailman. My bad.

     Being seventeen is hard―Katie Palmer has to deal with school, pimples, hormonal boys, and malicious cheerleaders. After the Zombie Apocalypse, though, she no longer sweats the usual teenage drama.

     Athletics star by day and flesh-eater by night, Katie’s done well to hide her transformation from friends and Zone-sanctioned security, but now someone or something’s onto her secret and if she doesn’t feed soon she’ll start falling apart.

     Dead bodies are piling up and all the evidence points to Katie’s blood-stained hands. Will she end up killing the competition before security discovers she’s rotten underneath?"-Kristy Berrige's Blog
Strengths

     Characters

     The characters are strongly built and realistic. (Besides the whole zombie thing!) Katie acts like a normal teenage girl struggling to fit in. Haven't we all had rumors spread about us? Or been teased? I know I have! Berridge brings these fictional characters to life.


     Intensity

    Diary of a Teenage Zombie is the perfect blend of action and description! Berridge knows when to keep the action going and when to slow down and describe the scene a little more. This is a quality that more authors should use in their writing.


     Originality

     I've never read anything like this book! A soda infecting a whole race, almost to extinction. Who could've guessed that? Not to mention the way that the zombies live among them unknown!

     Writing

     The writing is good throughout the whole book. I did find a couple of errors, but they were barely noticeable. The reading level changes as Katie goes along, I believe this is to show how she ages and her knowledge expands.

Weaknesses

     The Ending

     The ending was MY weakness! It had nothing to do with Berridge. She completed a great book with a perfect ending. A cliffhanger again! Why do these authors keep doing this? I really hope there's a next book. If there isn't, I might cry!


Author Bio

    "Born in Perth, Western Australia in 1982, Kristy Berridge was ushered into the world in a decade of bad hair, parachute pants, and blue eye shadow. Fortunately, she managed to avoid all three influences by immersing herself in the business of growing up, and hitched a ride with her fun-loving and adventure-filled parents to the sunny state of Queensland. Here she completed most of her education.

    Besides learning that boys don't have cooties, and that algebra wouldn't kill her, she pointedly set the path of her high school career towards success in Art and English-based subjects, and won numerous awards for her efforts.

    After high school she went on to study Graphic Design and Illustration at James Cook University, and then furthered her studies at the local TAFE College with an Interior Design course. With this knowledge under her belt, she also decided to undertake a three year Design course at Rhodec International in London, to complete her education and propel her towards the successful career she now enjoys.

    She currently resides in Cairns, procrastinates constantly, and tries desperately to avoid the delicious temptation that is the peanut butter aisle at the supermarket."-Amazon

Also by Kristy Berridge