Review: Reality Boy by A.S. King

Title: Reality Boy
Author: A.S. King
Published: October 22nd 2013
Source: Hardcover
Pages: 353

Gerald Faust knows exactly when he started feeling angry: the day his mother invited a reality television crew into his five-year-old life.

Twelve years later, he’s still haunted by his rage-filled youth—which the entire world got to watch from every imaginable angle—and his anger issues have resulted in violent outbursts, zero friends, and clueless adults dumping him in the special education room at school.

Nothing is ever going to change. No one cares that he’s tried to learn to control himself, and the girl he likes has no idea who he really is. Everyone’s just waiting for him to snap…and he’s starting to feel dangerously close to doing just that.

In this fearless portrayal of a boy on the edge, highly acclaimed Printz Honor author A.S. King explores the desperate reality of a former child “star” who finally breaks free of his anger by creating possibilities he never knew he deserved.

REVIEW

At first, I really enjoyed reading about how messed up Gerald was but then I started to feel like there was more to his anger issues, it seemed to be a part of something larger but it was oversimplified by his anger management coach(?). It just seemed like there was something more to it and I couldn't shake this feeling off for the rest of the book. I would think that you would suffer from more than just anger issues if you had such a crazy family. It just seems a lot more complex but it was never addressed.

Then he meets a girl and this became so reminiscent of John Green that I couldn't stop comparing. Troubled boy meets troubled girl and together they try to help each other. I was not at all interested in the Register #1 girl (I can't remember her name) and she sounded just like that girl in Looking for Alaska, which I also couldn't care for. I know I sound so heartless since Register #1 girl does suffer from some serious issues as well but I just didn't connect with her. The relationship was also really strange and I was just not convinced. Do people really behave this way?

I went into this thinking that I would be able to really get into the head of a reality tv star, as per its summary, but we mostly just get recounts/flashbacks of what happened while they were filming the show and a lot of decision-making happening in Gerald's head. Things didn't get as deep as I was expecting and it really fell short in the feels department for me. I wanted to know how he really felt, if he was in pain, if he felt wronged etc. I mean we do get into Gerald's head but he was not the most introspective character. We do see a bit of change in him towards the end but it was too little too late. He just seemed a little too crazy and unfocused, making it very difficult for me to connect with him.

However, I did enjoy the writing style and I felt that it really helped in the portrayal of Gerald and it was rather unique. It probably did its job too well since he sounded too crazy for me to connect with. But he is not really crazy, he just has anger management issues, so why does he sound so off even when he is not angry? He sounded more autistic to me rather than someone with simply anger management issues, so this was a rather confusing read for me.

VERDICT

All in all, I am not really sure how I feel about this book. This was good but not that good. I wanted all the feels but I didn't really get it and I could not connect with the characters. Reality Boy feels very incomplete in terms of addressing the mental issues of the various characters, it felt like there was a lot more to Gerald, Sister, Mother, Register #1 girl.  I just needed a little more from it and this would have been amazing! I would definitely be checking out A.S. King's other works though, I really enjoyed her writing style!

Recommended for John Green fans.

Plot: 3.5/5 

Pacing: 3/5

Originality: 3.5/5 

Writing style: 4.5/5

Characters: 3.5/5 

Feels: 3/5
Enjoyment: 3/5

Cover: 4/5

Overall rating: 

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Review: Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Ignite Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Published: February 4th 2014
Source: Hardcover
Pages: 409

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With Omega Point destroyed, Juliette doesn’t know if the rebels, her friends, or even Adam are alive.

But that won’t keep her from trying to take down The Reestablishment once and for all. Now she must rely on Warner, the handsome commander of Sector 45. The one person she never thought she could trust. The same person who saved her life. He promises to help Juliette master her powers and save their dying world . . . but that’s not all he wants with her.

REVIEW

I could not keep this review spoiler free there were just too many things that I have to discuss! You can just skip right down to the 'Verdict' section which is spoiler-free and summarises my opinions. Do check out my spoiler-free review of Shatter Me or Unravel Me if you want to get a feel for the series.

I read this IMMEDIATELY after finishing Unravel Me because Unravel Me was good and it exceeded my expectations! Ignite Me started off really well with 2 plot twists in chapter 4 and it was so amazing! We got to know so much more about Warner and I really enjoyed how he was starting to open up more as a character! At this point I was really excited and glad about his character arc.

However, I started to realise that Adam was essentially getting thrown under the bus so that the readers would hate him and naturally lean towards Warner. I DIDN'T LIKE THIS AT ALL. Adam did a 180 and he became this raving lunatic from Juliette's POV although she did sort of cheat on him in the last book didn't she? Their quarrels/fights were so juvenile and it was so so boring, I fell asleep twice while reading about their pointless quarrelling. We already know where this is going so let's just get on with it. I think Mafi's intentions were clear the moment she turned Adam into an uncaring bastard who wanted Juliette dead.

I still did not like Juliette in this final instalment, she was just too much of a drama queen for my tastes. Why does she suddenly decide that she wants to be the supreme commander? Hello do you even know anything about the world!? Does she think that having this invincible super power is enough to rule the world? Warner known everything about leading and he has the experience that should make him the prime candidate for this. It felt like Mafi was trying too hard to sell Juliette as a heroine. You don't have to be a leader/rule the world to be a heroine (refer to The Hero's Journey). It was quite unrealistic that she suddenly became so ambitious when she had never showed any interest in the rebellion or even leading a group of people, up until now. Unless we get a novella or something that shows how she is doing as a supreme commander, I have serious issues with this convenient ending.

Speaking of the ending, it felt rushed and I barely remember the final 'epic' battle that they were planning and prepping for for the entire book. It was unsatisfactory after slogging through the very slow pace for 3/4 of the book.

I enjoyed Unravel Me for its inconvenience (there were so many obstacles) so it was disappointing to see the 'perfect'/convenient wrap up of the series. I didn't like the direction that this book headed, even Warner lost some of his spunk in the first 2 books. He became so weak and was only capable of obsessing and pining over Juliette, he hardly did anything 'ruler'-related in this instalment. There was too much angst in this one.

To end off on a good note, Mafi's writing remains amazing, if not better and it was the highlight for this book. 

VERDICT

Don't get me wrong, Ignite Me was a very entertaining read and critically I didn't like a lot of aspects of the book but the personality of most of the characters and the amazing writing really held my attention. This was a fun series and I recommend this to anyone looking for a light dystopian that is not too heavy on the world building, focusing more on character development.

If you can't stand it when authors make convenient choices that changes a character completely or when characters do things that are completely out of character for the convenience of the plot then you might want to either skip this series entirely or just stop at book 2.

Plot: 2/5 

Pacing: 2.5/5

Originality: 3/5 

Writing style: 4.5/5

Characters: 3/5 

Feels: 2.5/5

Cover: 4/5

Overall rating:  

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Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Shatter Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Published: October 2nd 2012
Series: Shatter Me #1
Source: Hardcover
Pages: 340

Goodreads | Amazon

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.
The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

I have been putting off reading this book for 2 years because of its previous ugly cover. It looked like the girl's singing was so bad that she was shattering all the glass around her lol. I just couldn't take it seriously :P

That changed quickly after the cover change though, I've seen too many great reviews to continue ignoring this series. AND I AM SO GLAD I GAVE THIS A CHANCE!

I loved the writing style. The prose was amazing and exaggerated in the beginning but I thought it was a very creative reflection of Juliette's sanity. It got a little crazy with all the metaphors and I wanted to throw the book across the room because I was so frustrated that I kept taking the metaphors literally when I read too quickly.

But that was just me being stupid. I got over it quickly once the plot quickened.

Romance was very odd
- Juliette becomes stupid in front of Adam, she doesn't question the escape plan, ask about what is going on etc. It was so annoying.
- Warner is creepily obsessed and in love with her, it seemed kind of psychotic? Insta-love on a whole new level? Or maybe there is something we just don't know yet.
It was very weird and confusing so eventually I just kind of glossed over the 'romantic' bits in my head. I am glad that it didn't really play a huge part in the book though.

Storyline & Character development was alright~
Felt a little short and rushed, a lot of things happened in one book which is usually a good thing but I just wanted to spend more time knowing more about the characters. I am still not sure if I enjoyed the fast pace. It really sucked me in but it felt like character development was sacrificed and the plot could have been a lot more fleshed out. The plot was a little too simple and it felt like I was just watching from the sidelines and was not truly invested in what was happening.

The first portion of the book where Juliette was in the asylum was done amazingly, we could really understand her character, her emotions and the crazy shit that she's going through. But after that, the pace picks up rapidly and we are thrown into a flurry of activities and character development was pretty much forgone. It felt a little superficial and I never really felt like I could understand any of the characters.

Storyline was also pretty unoriginal: girl in distress > 2 boys try to save her > they try not to get caught. I was looking for a shocking twist or two but it never really came so in terms of creativity, this fell a little flat for me. The superpowers were also not very unique and I wanted a better explanation of how her powers worked but well, Juliette never seem to bother finding out. The world that was built was also pretty average, nothing really ground breaking here. (Maybe I've been reading too many dystopians and fantasy but my expectations are pretty high.)

VERDICT:

I get how this wouldn't be for everyone, it is a little cheesy and if you are not a huge fan of dystopians, this might not be your cup of tea. The storyline is not very original or unique but somehow Tahereh Mafi just manages to pull you in and never let you go with her writing. The pacing of the novel probably saved the book a little cause you just didn't want to stop reading to think about the other flaws in the book. I was also hoping for a lot more depth throughout the book after the great first few chapters of delving into Juliette's mind. This is one of those guilty pleasure books where it is very enjoyable and entertaining but does not really deliver in terms of a well-rounded book.

I will be continuing on with this series for sure! :)

My rating:  
Recommended for dystopian lovers!

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Review: To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

Title: To All the Boys I've Loved Before
Author: Jenny Han
Published: April 15th 2014
Series: To All the Boys I've Loved Before #1
Source: ebook
Pages: 288

Goodreads | Amazon

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the sory of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed.

But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.

Things I liked:

1) Super cute romance that had me tearing a little at the Peter K parts

2) Lara Jean may seem childish but I feel like she is that way because of her over reliance on her older sister. She never had to really grow up. I thought this was a pretty realistic portrayal of anyone who might be in the same situation.

3) A decent balance between family, school and romance drama.

3) PETER K PETER K PETER K <3 (He was imperfect, making him so realistic!)

Things I did not like:

1) The only real issue I had was Chris, she was pretty much a useless character and I didn't get the best friends vibe from Lara Jean and her so I don't get it. Was it just so that Lara Jean had at least one girl friend? lol

2) A CONTEMPORARY WITH A CLIFFHANGER? That's a first but I am a sucker for Peter K so I am going to get my hands on it!

Spoilery:

A lot of hate has been directed towards the book because of the whole 'liking-your-sister's-ex' drama but she liked Josh before he got together with her sister. And well, at least she tried and is still trying to not act on those feelings (albeit in a weird way).

Verdict:

1) This is not Stephanie Perkins good but it is pretty close! So definitely pick it up if you need a good contemporary fix!

2) I wished this was a longer standalone book, just a few more chapters would have been enough to wrap things up, but oh well! I guess we'll just have to wait another 4 months for P.S. I Still Love You.

3) Also, I feel that everyone would enjoy this book as long as you can cringe at Lara Jean's stupid moves and then move on and cry and laugh at all the cute romance moments. :)

My rating:
Recommended for everyone! :) Esp if you love YA contemporary.

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Review: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Title: Scarlet
Author: Marissa Meyer
Published: January 4th 2014
Series: The Lunar Chronicles #2
Source: Paperback
Pages: 452

Goodreads | Amazon

Summary: Cinder is back and trying to break out of prison—even though she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive if she does—in this second installment from Marissa Meyer. 

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother, or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana.

I read this right after I finished Cinder so I had really high hopes for this!

Things I liked:

1) It was pretty exciting following the different journeys of Cinder and Scarlet. The dual POV throughout the book was pretty interesting and not all too confusing but I found myself more excited to read about Cinder than Scarlet.

2) I loved the retelling of Red Riding Hood! I felt that Scarlet followed more closely to its original fairytale compared to Cinder so it was a little more predictable but at the same time I was pretty impress with how Meyer made it work.

Things I did not like:

1) We already knew about the whole Princess Selene thing from Cinder so it was kinda annoying that we had to follow the whole painful and drawn out process of Thorne, Scarlet and Wolf figuring out who the princess is. Also I didn't find the additional backstory for Cinder all that interesting, we already knew about most of the stuff they were talking about.

2) I felt that this book's sole purpose was to give Cinder a stronger motivation to over throw the queen and nothing else. There was very little progress in the main storyline which it quite boring

3) Wolf was a really flat character which made the whole romance thing so bizarre. I can usually overlook insta-love in YAs (because apparently that's what YAs are all about these days?), but Wolf was lying nearly the entire time he was with Scarlet and yet she falls in love with him. Is this what teenagers do these days? :P

Conclusion:

This book did not seem that significant in terms of moving the main plot along, I feel like if I skipped this book and read the next, I wouldn't really be missing out on much. It was still an enjoyable and exciting read but Cinder was a much better book. I hope Cress is better! :)

My rating: 
Let me know what you thought about the book in the comments below!

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Review: Starters by Lissa Price

Title: Starters
Author: Lissa Price
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Published:  March 13th 2012
Series: Starters #1
Source: hardcover (borrowed)

Goodreads | Amazon

Summary: Callie lost her parents when the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty. She and her little brother, Tyler, go on the run, living as squatters with their friend Michael and fighting off renegades who would kill them for a cookie. Callie's only hope is Prime Destinations, a disturbing place in Beverly Hills run by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man.

He hires teens to rent their bodies to Enders—seniors who want to be young again. Callie, desperate for the money that will keep her, Tyler, and Michael alive, agrees to be a donor. But the neurochip they place in Callie's head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, and going out with a senator's grandson. It feels almost like a fairy tale, until Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party—and that Prime Destinations' plans are more evil than Callie could ever have imagined. . . .

Review: First off, I thought this cover was ugly. The girl is creepy and it just didn't look enticing enough, which explains why it took me so long to read this. I know, I know, never judge a book by its cover. I saw the hardcover in the library and it was so SHINY! That made up for the weird looking girl on the cover.

The premise reminded me so much of Dollhouse and I loved that show so much. Another huge reason why I liked it was because it was a breath of fresh air in the dystopian genre. In all the recent dystopia books I have read ie. Insurgent, Bumped, The Hunger Games, The Killables, Uglies etc. it is all about the government body being in control and forcing its citizens to do things. Starters on the other hand shows that even in a dystopian world, one still has choices and could still lead his/her own life. I guess I was just sick of reading about how things had to be done in a certain way because the government says so or something to that effect. I liked how Callie could make her own decision to become a part of Prime Destinations although things with the government starts to change towards the end of the book.

The pacing of Starters was to-die-for! As I mentioned in my review of The Killables, I was getting really sick of dystopian books and was planning to take a break from them but I had to return this book. So for me to have finished Starters in 2 days really speaks a lot for itself. There were so many twists, some shocking, some predictable and it was a good balance. World building was average, there were missing details here and there but I felt that Starters was more Sci-Fi than dystopian so that didn't really bother me all that much. (I think this was one of the problems many people had when reading this book.)

The ending seemed a bit rushed and nothing was explained well. (From the part where everyone came to plan/help, it was wayyy too chaotic and felt forced.) Another major problem I had with Starters was the weak character development, I just didn't really care about anyone. I was more focused on what was happening. Overall, I felt that this book would have done so much better as Science Fiction rather than Dystopian.

My rating: 

Recommended for sci-fi and Dollhouse lovers!

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