The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

The Forest of Hands and Teeth (TFOHAT, #1)
By Carrie Ryan
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2009
320 pages, Kindle Edition
Date Finished: 7/22/2010
Genres: Fantasy, Futuristic, Young Adult, Action

First Line of Book: "My mother used to tell me about the ocean."

Review: I had a hard time getting into this book in the beginning. One, because I was reading at least 2 other books, and two, because it took a while for the main character to get to an exciting point in her life. Anyway, The Forest of Hands and Teeth was an amazing book to read, filled with action, adventure, romance, and the infamous Unconsecrated -- what futuristic America calls what are basically zombies. This is a book that I would definitely recommend, and will probably be rereading again by next summer.

Rating:

Quotes from the Book:

"For now, he is my brother and both our parents are gone and we are all we have left."

--Zakiya, the walking butterfly

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)
By Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic Press, 2008
374 pages, hardcover
Read: 6/25/2010
Genres: Young Adult, Furturistic, Action, Adventure, Mystery, Science Fiction

First Line of Book: "When I wake, the other side of the bed is cold."

Review: The book's main character, Katniss Evergreen, lives in a futuristic America, and every year, a horrible event happens -- the Hunger Games. Children from across the country of Panem are chosen to go head-to-head against each other in a specialized arena. When Katniss's little sister Prim gets chosen, she puts herself up for danger by taking PRim's place. From that moment on, Katniss's life is changed -- dramatically. In the arena, she makes an ally, only to lose it soon after; then she portrays a "desperate lover" to keep herself and "Lover Boy" alive, only to have the true feelings of her soul questioned in the end. Can Kat get out alive, or will she die trying to get back home?

Suzanne Collins did an extraordinary job starting this trilogy. The book was suspenseful, adventurous, ful of action, and very intriguing. From the moment you get to the reaping (where they choose the people from the District that go to the arena) and Katniss substitutes herself for Prim, to the moment when Peeta and Kat are fighting for their lives, you are stuck with your nose in the pages trying to figure out what's going to happen next.

Katniss Evergreen, as a character, was someone I wouldn't mind being a BFF with. She cares for her family and friends, and isn't afraid to speak the truth when she needs to. Like me, she doesn't really like talking about herself, but she gets on fairly well anyway; her determination to avenge her ally after a tragic parting was something I absolutely loved. Peeta's character was also on eI really liked. He waas fun when he could be, and serious when he had to be. He tells Katniss that he's loved her since he first saw her when they were five. He seems to be truly in love with Katniss, and when she told him about her act in the caves at the end of the story, it broke my heart along with his.

The other thing that I really loved was the plot. It drew me in at every chance tha tI was reading the book. Whether there was a lot of action and Kat was fighting for her life, or none at all and she was momentarily safe and sound, I was all over the pagesreading to see what would happen next, who was the next victim of unwanted death. I have to say, this book was superbly written, and I' glad that it's a series. Unfortunately, it was open-ended. Collins stops The Hunger Games when Katniss and Peeta are about to greet the cameras waiting for them at home. I was so mad and frustrated when I got to this part! I was like, "How can you just stop a book like that, with so much about to happen?!" I'm definitely very anxious to get ahold of the sequel, Catching Fire, sometime soon.

Rating:


Quotes from the Book:

"Just then, Haymitch staggers into the compartment. 'I miss supper?' he says in a slurred voice. Then he vomits all over the expensive carpet and falls in the mess."

"One time, my mother told me that I always eat like I'll never see food again. And I said, 'I won't unless I bring it home.' That shut her up."

"I've left on Peeta's undershorts because they'r enot in bad shape an dI don't want to pull them over the swollen thigh, and, all right, maybe the idea of him being naked makes me uncomfortable."


--Zakiya, the walking butterfly

Silverwing by Kenneth Oppel

**RATED R (maybe X)** This review is terrible, due to overexcessive babbling, and a old outline to writing reviews. Please avert your eyes to another place if you wish to save your time. (Just kidding, of course, but this isn't one of my favorite reviews. :) )

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Silverwing (Silverwing, #1)
By Kenneth Oppel
Publisher: Aladdin, 1999
214 pages, paperback
Date Finished: 5/1/2010
Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Young Adult

First Line of Book: *Don't own book, borrowed it from teacher*

Synopsis: Shade is a young silverwing bat, the runt of his colony. But he's determined to prove himself on the long, dangerous winter migration to Hibernaculum, millions of wingbeats to the south. During a fierce storm, he loses the others and soon faces the most incredible journey of his young life. Desperately searching for a way to rejoin his flock, Shade meets a remarkable cast of characters: Marina, a Brightwing bat with a strange metal band on her leg; Zephyr, a mystical albino bat with an unusual gift; and Goth, a gigantic, carnivorous vampire bat. But which ones are friends, and which ones are enemies? In this epic story of adventure and suspense, Shade is going to need all the help he can find -- if he hopes to ever see his family again.
(From the back of the book!)

Review: I really liked Silverwing. It was a way to see the world in a different perspective, and an interesting one at that. I wasn't all that surprised that we were to follow the runt, though. I have read a few books prior to this one where the main characters are less popular, lower class, smaller/weaker, etc. to the people they are aiming to become. But, back to the appropriate topic, Silverwing is a book that I would recommend to even my younger cousin, who is only seven years old. Shade demonstrates how overcoming your peers' remarks can be useful. He made quite a few enemies along the way of reaching his colony at Hibernaculum, but he made it with the help of banded Marina. I am rating this book with four stars. I can't wait to read the rest of the series!


--Zakiya, the walking butterfly

The Angel Experiment by James Patterson

The Angel Experiment (The Fugitives, #1; Maximum Ride, #1)
By James Patterson
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company, 2005
422 pages, paperback
Date Finished: 6/19/2010
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Action, Adventure, Coming of Age

First Line of Book: "Congratulations. The fact that you're reading this means you've taken one giant step closer to surviving till your next birthday."

Review: The Angel Experiment was a reread for me, as I'd only read it a month before. This series debut was very intriguing. The characters were different--besides the fact that they were teenage mutants--and we got to see fromt he whole flock's perspective. It was a little choppy, though, as the book's chapters are so short and didn't include a lot of information.

The book starts off sort of fast-paced: Max explains everything as she goes along with the story, so you have ot keep u pwith everything or you get lost in the midst of action. The flock's youngest member has been kidnapped by Erasers--half men, half wolves; also mutants--and taken somewhere that none of them ever wished to see again. Now, Max and her family set out to recuse their beloved sibling, getting beat up, captured, and chased by evil, infamous Erasers along the way. Max is having head troubles, and starts thinking she is going to be the first to die. And Angel discovers some mysterious powers of her own. But, in the end, all is well for the flock, and they set out to find the one thing they have all wondered about--their parents.

This book was absolutely amazing. Let's compare the wonderful book hypothetically: I'm on the road, looking for a rest stop. These motel owners get me interested in their place. I stop and stay the night. Automatically, they have me loving the place, with all their hospitality and politeness, giving me everything I need and want without thinking twice about it. Defined, fascinating, and a great price.

Rating:


Quotes from the book:

" He'd been the Gasman ever since he was a baby. What can I say? The child has something funky with his digestive system."

"Fang is not the huggiest person in the world--he turns into an unbending statue, and you just have to do the best you can."

"In the dictionary, next to the word stress, there is a picture of a midsize mutant stuck inside a dog crate, wondering if her destiny is to be killed or to save the world. Okay, not really. But there should be."

"I clamped my lips together so I wouldn't answer it. When I wanted information, it was silent; when I didn't want to hear from it, it got chatty. It was almost as irritating as Fang."

" 'We're in the Institute,' I said.
'Uhm, is that a good thing?' asked Gazzy.
'Holy [insert a swear word of your choice here], Fang said, stunned.
'No kidding,' I said."

" 'You really hurt me. I wouldn't hurt you. Not like this.' " Ari


--Zakiya, the walking butterfly

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle, #1)
By Libba Bray
Publisher: Delacorte Press, 2003
403 pages, paperback
Date Finished: 4/5/2010
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Historical Fiction

First Line of Book: " 'Please tell me that's not going to be part of my birthday dinner this evening.' "

Review: A Great and Terrible Beauty was a great series / trilogy beginner. The story revolves around the series main character and protagonist, and my favorite character, Gemma Doyle. She's sent to Spence Academy for Young Ladies in London, far from her beloved home in India. She is somewhat of an outcast when she first arrives, but soon befriends Felicity, Pippa, and her roommate Ann. After her mother's unfortunate ending to life, she starts having terrible visions. She meets a young man named Kartik, who has lost his brother the same way Gemma has lost her mother, and he tells her that she must stop seeing visions, drive them away somehow. She soon learns of her prophesized destiny to defeat the evil Circe and regather the members of the Order, an ancient group of women who all have visions, just like Gemma. Even though she doesn't get the chance to destroy Circe in the first book (where would the fun be in that?), Gemma has plenty of allies: her friends, her realm-dwelling mother, and Kartik, who is sworn to a secret group of men called the Rakshana, and all of these people are willing to help Gemma on her journey.

All in all, this was a spectacular read, and I recommend this book to anyone who has the time to read it.

Rating:


Quotes from the Book:

" 'Couldn't we please take a carriage?'
'I'll take you to keep a civil tone.'
My annoyance has indeed been noticed."

" 'This is the Spence [Acadmey] motto: Grace, charm, aand beauty.' " Mrs. Nightwing

"He's not much older than a boy, really. Maybe fifteen with a nose he hasn't grown into quite yet. If we have to make a run for it, he's the one I'm kicking first."

" 'We'll find out what you're hiding from us yet.' Felicity
'A crazy aunt in the attic, perhaps.' Pippa
'Or a sexually depraved fiend who preys on young girls.' Felicity
'You forgot the hunchback.' Gemma"


--Zakiya, the walking butterfly