https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz Here are the books I've read in the 2016-2017 school year en-us 2016-08-25 20:40:48 UTC 2023-04-10 23:39:07 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Send.png manellea2021 https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/119950543 Made up of purple prose, guilt, and the theory that Pearl is a demon child, 273 pages of endless guilt that never lets up awaits any possible readers.

...Scared off yet? If you're still eager to read The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, well then nothing will stop you. In this classic, the main characters are not what they seem, and there are apparently romantic undertones between two characters that other readers noted- I never did, personally.

If I had to give a rating, it would probably be three out of five stars because the book got really tedious at times, and the purple prose was a bit too thick. Otherwise, it was enjoyable.]]> 2016-08-25 23:55:41 UTC https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/119950543 manellea2021 https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/120156234 How would you feel if you were kidnapped off the streets and locked up in an underground bunker? If you were trapped in the darkness, alone, forgotten, and with no means to survive? If a camera tracked your movements at all times, even in the bathroom? If all your basic human needs were stripped from you for seemingly no reason?

That's what the main character of The Bunker Diary by Kevin Brooks has to face when he wakes up in the titular bunker. The book is a constant rollercoaster of despair and cruel hope. The ending is...perhaps not what one would expect.

This book would get a four out of five because, given the subject matter and the horrible things that happen, I can't say I enjoyed it. It did get me thinking about what actually happened long after the book was over. ]]> 2016-08-27 17:46:25 UTC https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/120156234 manellea2021 https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/121192867 In a world where the representatives of all the countries live on a single row, one wrong move can make everything come crashing down. On Embassy Road, the teenage representative of the US, Grace, arrives to find she is branded as crazy. With the help of her new-found friends, as well as the unexpected help of her neighbor, will Grace find the truth?

In the sequel to All Fall Down, See How They Run deals with Grace after she finds out the awful truth. The love interest was much more prominent this time around, even being rather important to the main plot. It's as enjoyable as the first book, with some adorable moments between Grace and the love interest, although it's a shame a certain subplot was never explored, as well as the mysterious disappearances of Noah, Megan, and Rosie. No seriously Ally Carter, where'd they go? They were hardly there this book!    

Despite that, this book gets a four out of five because it was a fast, fun read. Plus, I correctly predicted who was getting together and that made me happy.]]> 2016-09-01 18:48:16 UTC https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/121192867 manellea2021 https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/121239835 After going through the whirlwind that was the first novel of the series (The Fixer), Tess gets put through the ringer once again in The Long Game when secrets lead to dangerous breachings, and you really can trust no one.

I loved this book, as much as I loved the first one. I adore it for being a fast, tense, and exciting read. Tess as the main heroine is awesome (because she's awesome) and the supporting characters are great as always. Romance becomes more prominent here, but that's okay because there's no annoying love triangles or cliches that the typical romance uses. It was adorable seeing them together, and then...but that's another story.

Overall, this book gets a five! Read The Fixer then read this because I guarantee you you won't want to wait.]]> 2016-09-02 01:04:18 UTC https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/121239835 manellea2021 https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/121334241 When your brother commits suicide and you believe you could have been there for him when he needed you most, what do you do? The therapist isn't working, you have to confront your ex every day at school, and the sympathetic looks from everyone seem to mock you. Life goes on, but will Lexie go on with it?

This book was heartbreaking. Lexie's struggles between hating her brother for "being selfish," hating herself for hating her brother, and hating herself for not being there for him shine through and paint her as sympathetic, not whiny.

Read this book. I see Cynthia Hand becoming something of a book legend in multiple genres. (First book series was in paranormal romance.) A four out of 5!]]> 2016-09-02 14:31:30 UTC https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/121334241 manellea2021 https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/121498251 It's years after the world was damaged beyond repair, and while the royal family in Britain is intact, not much else is. Faced with cannibals, a sinister revolution, the destruction of her family, and one-off characters, Eliza has a lot to deal with as she closes in on her family's killer.

This book was okay. It got kind of confusing at parts, and there were characters that existed for only one purpose, which just made them one-dimensional. It was rather annoying having a character in the resistance used once and never used again. We don't even find out what happens to her at the end of the book!

It was quite cliched, but good for a quick read. I give this book a 3.5 out of 5 overall.]]> 2016-09-04 19:04:53 UTC https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/121498251 manellea2021 https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/121500424 26 years old and cooped up in her hometown all her life, Louisa Clark expects nothing to change. She has a steady job, a steady boyfriend, a steady life providing for her family- until she gets laid off. She gets a new job in working for Will, a sarcastic, witty, individual who was rendered disable by a freak accident. She sets out to tolerate him, and finds a lot more than she ever anticipated- they end up irrevocably changing each other forever.

This book is not really a romance novel, despite the way it's advertised. You may want the main characters to hurry up and get together already, but it's not focused on the romance- this book is focused on the moral ambiguity of Will's situation, whether it's right to help him or not. It's focused on life, and all the ecstatic highs and painful lows we can hit as human beings. 

This book was surprisingly deep and touching. While I didn't cry, I was close to it, and rereading this book is never a chore. (The more I reread it to understand what happened, the more tearjerking this book becomes.) A 4.25 out of 5 for me!]]> 2016-09-04 20:09:49 UTC https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/121500424 manellea2021 https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/121500923 In the final book of the Fifth Wave trilogy, characters become out of character for no reason, another character becomes a Mary Sue, and the book turns into a convoluted mess.

What happened, Rick Yancey? What happened to the sarcastic, witty Cassie who focused on saving her brother and not solely on the love interest? What happened to Ringer, who was decidedly not perfect but a smart breath of fresh air nonetheless? What happened to the atmosphere, so thick with distrust you weren't sure who to root for? What happened to this series?

I fell in love with the world The Fifth Wave created, and, while an unpopular opinion, I loved The Infinite Sea as well. But this book? It's hardly on the same wavelength as the first two.

The only thing I can forgive is the ending, and even then, it's kind of predictable. It was still, sadly, the best thing in this book.

2.5 out of 5 for me, because the first two books were still great, but it's a shame the characters were so out of sync this time around.


]]> 2016-09-04 20:24:04 UTC https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/121500923 manellea2021 https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/122148158 Clara's content with life at Mountain View, California gets suddenly uprooted when she gets visions of event that is dictated to be her Destiny- what she's been put on Earth to do. Clara has angel-blood, and so does her brother and mother. Her visions place the family in Wyoming, where she has to deal with the usual cliches, the boy in her visions, and her friend's younger brother, who won't leave her alone...

This book was unexpectedly good. I don't really read paranormal romance- I only read the book because of the author. This was such a drastic genre shift from her other book, which is realistic fiction, and surprisingly, it was quite good. I was intrigued by what was happening, the characters were surprisingly deep, and Clara's ability to do things stronger and faster than regular humans was lampshaded (by far my favorite thing about the novel). 

This book gets a four out of five for being better than I thought it would be.]]> 2016-09-07 15:21:10 UTC https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/122148158 manellea2021 https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/122943171 For the past two years, it's always been Emily and Sloane. The partners in crime, glued at the hip- then Sloane suddenly vanishes. Emily's left floundering at losing her best friend until she gets a mysterious list from Sloane, filled with things she would never normally do. She sets out to do it all anyway, gaining unusual allies in Frank Porter, Collins, and Dawn. It's very different from the summer Emily envisioned- how will it all work out?

Yet another unexpectedly good book. I'm apparently a sucker for books that follow a list, as I really liked this one. From Emily's struggle with losing Sloane to her fear of sneaking into a wedding or stealing something- it all feels genuine. This book has heart, something many books are surprisingly losing now.

This book gets a four out of five, because there is one aspect of this book I didn't really like that I can't discuss (no spoilers) and it was annoying and overused. I was disappointed when I came across it, because the book really would have been better without it. Otherwise, the book was rather good.


]]> 2016-09-11 03:54:14 UTC https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/122943171 manellea2021 https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/122995451 What can you do when an asteroid's hurtling straight towards Earth and there's nothing you can do but wait out the inevitable? With both nothing and everything to lose, how will Emerson, Vince, and everyone else make the most out of the last remaining 28 hours of their lives?

My favorite part of this book was the first half, when Emerson and Vince were going around, making dreams come true for everyone they meet. The subtle atmosphere of the places they take the people to was perfect, and set a magical melancholy feel for the book, especially since it was nighttime. It set the heartbreaking tone that everything and nothing was possible at the same time. If only the tone could have been kept for the rest of the book- I could feel the book losing its intensity and atmosphere as the pages went on, and the ending was very rushed, losing any melancholy feelings I once had. 

Overall, the longer the book went on, the worse it got. The first half honestly would have gotten four stars, but because of the strange second half, this book gets three stars out of five.]]> 2016-09-12 00:27:58 UTC https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/122995451 manellea2021 https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/124201515 Astrid Jones lives in a close-minded small town that's as quick to judge as it is to ostracize. She misses the open-minded New York while her sister embraces the small-town mind- her mother and father are absentminded at the best of times and neglectful and high at the worst of times, respectively. Then Astrid falls for a girl, but everything is so confusing that she decides to send her love up to the planes crossing the sky. What happens to the passengers she sends love to? Will she ever learn to accept who she is?

This book was infuriating at times, and adorable at times. Pretty much all of the adorable moments were the ones Astrid spent with Dee, the love interest, after they worked out their boundaries. The infuriating times? Let's just say that I hate homophobia with a fiery passion and leave it at that. Astrid questioning society at times and taking Philosophy was a sub-plot I loved, and the ending was well-done. The ending was beautiful too, but I refuse to spoil it. Just read the book!

Overall, this book gets a four out of five for being great. I had a few minor issues but they weren't too big of a deal so read it anyway.]]> 2016-09-15 20:02:48 UTC https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/124201515 manellea2021 https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/126131926 After the events of Unearthly, Clara's questioning her entire purpose. When she starts getting visions again, it seems like destiny is pushing her towards someone she doesn't want to be with. When her world slowly starts going upside down, who will be there to catch her when she spirals out of control?

The sequel was actually quite good. I've read too many sequels that haven't lived up to the first book, but this book managed to be on par with the first. Clara's struggles are interesting, and the secondary characters were great as usual, Angela being my personal favorite. It's just a shame they weren't shown more, as they were more in the first book than the second book.

Overall, I would rate it a 4.5 out of five because it still had the feel of the first book.
(Edit: After reading the last book, this one's my favorite in the series.)]]> 2016-09-23 20:52:36 UTC https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/126131926 manellea2021 https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/127261385 Maya is cursed with a horoscope that promises death and destruction- she is socially exiled from her kingdom as a result, despite being queen. Right before war breaks out in her kingdom, however, she is rescued by a mysterious suitor, who whisks her away to the Night Bazaar to keep her safe. He asks her to trust her, then leads her to a kingdom full of secrets. Who will she believe in?

I love this book. It was full of mystery, and held a certain magic to Maya's exploration of the palace, an atmosphere I adored. The characters were great as well- Maya's wits, Amar's wish to only protect those he loves, the main villain's deceit wrapped around sweet memories, and even Kamala's manic babbling. The author created a magical world in this book, and it is wonderful to go through.

Overall, this book gets a five out of five, because I adore it and you should read it.]]> 2016-09-29 14:09:56 UTC https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/127261385 manellea2021 https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/134037469 After Hallowed, Clara's old life is in tatters, after having lost many people important to her. Moving to Stanford is her only option at this point, unable to stay any longer. But multiple appearances in Tucker's life and Christian's continued presence later, as well as Angela and her complicated problem, force Clara to choose. Once and for all, what path will she take?

This book was interesting, and that's all I can describe it as. With many different components to it, one thing that stood out to me was that Clara's great character development from the first two books kept, and in this book, she is wiser and it shows. On the other hand, Angela, one of my favorite characters in Unearthly, seems out of sync with her character development from the past two books. She turns from the constantly-theorizing, smart, headstrong girl who never focused on boys to a simpering mess, and the transition made me both confused and a little sad.

The book is not, by any stretch of the imagination, bad, but it certainly wasn't my favorite of the series either.

This book gets a 3.5 out of 5 for being a little out of sync from the past two books.]]> 2016-10-29 13:53:58 UTC https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/134037469 manellea2021 https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/134037492 Eight-year old Wavy, the daughter of a meth dealer and a neglectful, almost abusive mother, encounters Kellen after he crashes his bike. Despite being taught to never trust anyone, she slowly breaks down her walls around Kellen, and over the years grows to see him as a father figure...and a little more than that. What Wavy sees as the best thing in her life, the rest of the world sees as disgusting. When she loses it all, what lengths will she go through to gain it back?

This book is beautiful. It conveys the awful parts of the book so realistically that at times, there were characters that needed to just exit Wavy's life as fast as possible. (Looking at you, Val.) I'm not sure how, but despite the massive age difference, the author made me okay with Kellen and Wavy getting together. It was clear they were the only one for the other, and Kellen loved Wavy for her, not for her age, so it got less creepy. I could have done without certain descriptions though.

Overall, this book gets a 4.75 out of 5. Why the -0.25? The very end felt a little rushed, but not exactly at the same time. I just kind of wish I got a little more of the situation at the end.]]> 2016-10-29 13:54:42 UTC https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/134037492 manellea2021 https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/134058781 At 13, Noah and Jude, twins, seem inseparable. Noah known more for being weird and Jude the infuriatingly normal sibling. Three years and a tragedy later, everything has changed. Noah is now infuriatingly normal while Jude tries to live her life being labelled as the constantly clumsy person. But little does each sibling know that everyone's hiding a dark secret- from each other, and from themselves.

This book has some very beautiful metaphors. From the boy next door who carried meteorites in his pockets to the artist who could no longer bring himself to teach, even the side characters brim with life. Brian was my personal favorite, even though he got on my nerves at times. All the characters had reasons for doing what they did, even if they were strange and didn't make sense at times, but the beauty of life is that it doesn't make sense.

Out of the two main characters, dear god, Noah was definitely my favorite out of the two. Jude became much more likeable near the end, and her character development? Absolutely wonderful. But Noah, I grew attached to quicker, and it never faded away, even when the point of view switched to Jude's for the remainder of the book.

I just adored the characters in this book (well most of them...still deciding on how I feel about the mother) and this book gets a 5 out of 5.]]> 2016-10-29 23:36:19 UTC https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/134058781 manellea2021 https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/137651718 From a trip overseas gone wrong to a frantic high-speed chase through Philadelphia, A Riddle in Ruby keeps a fast-paced story with an energetic cast of characters and a constant change in setting. Ruby, the main protagonist, gets her life turned upside down through a slew of secrets, many frustratingly kept from her. One secret in particular nobody knows but Ruby somehow contains- the only problem with that secret being that Ruby herself has no idea what it is.
It turns out that even her lineage is a secret, sacred thing, and when her father is stolen away for that very same reason, Ruby finds herself working with the infuriating Lord Athen and the cowardly Cram to save her father and find the crew that had grown to be her family. Little did she know that many confusing twists in Philadelphia, a secret society, as well as close relations with Lord Athen and Cram, awaited her in the horizon.

This was my book for the book project due on November 17th, and A Riddle in Ruby turned out to be a fast, enjoyable read. Ruby was courageous and fiery, a fun protagonist to follow, and her main companions were just as enjoyable to read about. Lord Athen, the cocky, mysterious secret-keeper that cares more about Ruby than he lets on, became my favorite character of the course of the book, and Cram, the cowardly yet courageous servant that loyally follows Lord Athen, brought much-needed humor to the tension the atmosphere pervaded.
Each of the characters I grew attached to, and as for the side characters: I was never sure who to trust, which was entirely intentional, I'm sure. The ending of the book left much room for a sequel (which is already out and is a book I'm planning on picking up) and how it ended didn't leave much in the room of closure but did leave room for anticipation.
As for the plot, I really enjoyed the nature the plot progressed at- it all felt natural. I do wish some more world-building was set, because this was a world with chemistry-magic and I would have loved to see more of that. This was also an alternate universe where Britain won the American Revolution, so that would have been nice if that point was emphasized a little more. The book literally mentioned that point twice then gave up for the sake of action, which was not appreciated. I could only envision a little bit of the world, not the entire picture, so my visualization for this book was not quite up to standard.
Overall, I'll give this book four stars because the characters were great and the plot is enticing, but the world building could have used quite a bit of work.]]> 2016-11-15 09:55:04 UTC https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/137651718 manellea2021 https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/145198060 The Illuminae Files was so detailed and pieced together so much world-building through only text messages, most of the time. It was highly effective and I found myself genuinely caring about the main characters throughout the book. Some elements of the book were laid out creatively.]]> 2017-01-04 05:49:32 UTC https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/145198060 manellea2021 https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/145198063 I love the Lunar Chronicles series, so to hear that collection of short stories were coming out made me excited. And the excitement was worth it, as the world-building was impeccable as always, and my heart went out to everyone who got the limelight (especially The Little Android, I almost cried) and I fell in love even deeper.]]> 2017-01-04 05:49:47 UTC https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/145198063 manellea2021 https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/150146205 The sequel was creatively laid out as well, and so many complex details were described effectively, even through text messages. While I liked the first book better, this book was amazing as well.]]> 2017-01-30 06:38:28 UTC https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/150146205 manellea2021 https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/150146224 This book was about vampires and I was entirely unaware of that going into it. This book gives of a...weird vibe. Tana wakes up from a party to find a massacre, her former friends lying dead around her, and the first chapter's suspense was done really well. However, I don't know what's happening the rest of the novel. Plot twists seem to happen out of nowhere, some very strange decisions are made, and while the world-building was nice, perhaps fleshing out the characters would have been nice. I wouldn't recommend it to read unless you really wanted to read about vampires, but it wasn't bad. Just not up my alley.]]> 2017-01-30 06:39:01 UTC https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/150146224 manellea2021 https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/150146248 This book is dark, poetic, and a confusing note of hopeful, all while tying back to the everlasting spiral. Four different stories from vastly different time periods, all told in different styles, with only the concept of the helix connecting them all. Each and every story lies on the concept that a character is never where they started off on the spiral staircase of life, that they can never go back to what once was once a series of events have been started. It's thoughtful, pessimistic, and maddening. I'm still not quite sure I can wrap my head around it.]]> 2017-01-30 06:39:24 UTC https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/150146248 manellea2021 https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/157467140 This book is the last in the All Fall Down series, a series I adore. It was a satisfying conclusion to the series and I recommend it to anyone who read the first book. 4/5 stars.]]> 2017-03-02 19:58:55 UTC https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/157467140 manellea2021 https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/157467330 This book was mysterious and had an interesting focus on spirituality. I don't really like the direction the book took at the end but it was still really well-written the majority of the time.]]> 2017-03-02 19:59:32 UTC https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/157467330 manellea2021 https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/157470586 This book was so imaginative yet dark, a strange subplot going on within the main stories. It was one of my more favorite books. 4/5 stars.]]> 2017-03-02 20:09:47 UTC https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/157470586 manellea2021 https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/166882265 This book is a classic, and one of my favorite classics at that. It's a must-read for anyone wanting to read classics. 4.5/5 stars.]]> 2017-04-18 20:43:30 UTC https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/166882265 manellea2021 https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/166882648 A really thought-provoking and good poetry book. I loved the poems and the storyline in it was incredibly sad. 4/5 stars.]]> 2017-04-18 20:46:01 UTC https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/166882648 manellea2021 https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/175030681 This book had some really nice representation and a nice, fast-moving plot. There were some cliches and a grating-at-times protagonist, but overall I really liked it.]]> 2017-06-02 20:28:44 UTC https://padlet.com/manellea2021/qzlb99zf8qvz/wish/175030681