The Storyteller by Antonia Michaelis

Summary

A good girl.

A bad boy.

A fairy tale that’s true.

A truth that is no fairy tale.

It begins the day Anna finds the child’s doll on the floor of the student lounge. When it’s claimed by Abel, the school drug dealer, Anna becomes determined to learn more about this mysterious boy with the military haircut and deep blue eyes. She follows him after school and discovers a secret: Abel is caring for his six-year-old sister, Micha, alone. Anna listens in as he tells her a fairy tale, the story of a little orphan queen pursued by hunters across the oceans for the treasure she carries: her pure, diamond heart.

It’s a story with parallels to reality. Social services and Micha’s abusive father could take her from Abel if they discover the truth. Despite friends’ warnings, Anna is drawn to Abel and Micha, and falls under the spell of the story of the little queen and her desperate voyage.

But when people Abel has woven into his tale turns up dead, it’s Anna whose heart is in danger. Is she in love with a killer? And has she set out on a journey from which there is no return?

Number of pages: 416

Review

Never before have I read a story like that of The Storyteller. In a way, Antonia’s story went above and beyond everything that I expected considering nothing is as expected in the lives of Anna, Abel, and Micha, but there was also a bit of a let down. Call me a sucker for happy endings, I guess.

 The Storyteller’s story in the book is unlike any fairy tale I have ever encountered. I really feel like someone was telling me the story rather than me just reading the words and absorbing them on the paper. Abel tells the story to Micha and Anna part by part as the story of their lives unfolds before them, inspiring the story of the little cliff queen (Micha). As I read the story and compared it to the fairytale, Antonia guided me through it, making me assume things and think that I had it all figured out way ahead of time. It was incredible really how I felt and thought exactly what the author wanted me to feel and think. There were parts where my original reactions to things described in the story made me want to fling the book far away, but then the author would describe something about the characters and the actions and it would just make me go along with it. It was as if she made me feel empathy for things that I would never usually feel for. She also made me think that I had all the puzzle pieces together even though I knew some pieces were missing. In reality, I had had all the pieces, just in a different order and waiting for new fabricated pieces to arrive. This all probably sound confusing the way I am explaining it, but this story is one that I can not explain in just simple words. It’s all about feeling it as you go along.

The writing was simply beautiful. It was poetic . . . lyrical even. Usually I tend to stray away from flowery writing because I get distracted in the detailed descriptions and what not. In this book, that was not the case (at least, not often). There was a slight change in writing style, I thought, between the story of their lives and the fairytale story. I assume it was because Abel was the one telling the fairytale story, not Antonia as the author. Antonia also wrote about very different characters, ones whose personalities and problems are not that of the ones I usually encounter. Take Abel for instance: he is as unique a character as I have ever read, but I didn’t even get to discover that until piece by piece the author revealed Abel at the end as he was meant to be. And Anna: she was one of those main heroines that you feel for and understand but also want to beat the crude out of her for the way she handles things or the way she reacts. Some of her actions seemed so naïve to me—or just stupid—but then the author was make me feel she was justified by doing that whole empathy thing again. In the end, I didn’t know whether to love or hate those two. Micha I adored, wholeheartedly. That little queen captured my heart from the start, and I ached over the things she went through and the things she saw during that cold winter in their little city in Germany. I can’t blame the author for anything that happened in the end because looking back I realized that I always knew this story of the little queen and her friends was one of heartbreak, which is exactly how I was left feeling. From 1-10? The brilliant work of tragedy is a 7 to me.

P.S. I feel like a heads up is in order. While this book was very good, I do not recommend it for those who are young. Many things happened in this book that are not G rated, nor do I think that all of it is comfortable reading about to some of you i.e. murder, drugs, rape etc. 

Seeds of War by Rachel Fisher

Summary

The mission of Eden must be fulfilled and Eden’s best Seekers are needed. Forming a new group they dub the Seeders, Fi, Asher, and Sean are joined by a new addition as they set out to bring hope and support to the Topsiders in the form of radios and heirloom seeds. As radio broadcasts begin to reconnect the survivors, the Seeders stumble upon mysterious broadcasts from unknown stations. When two of their own new radio stations go silent within days of each other, Fi and her companions realize that something is terribly wrong. Eden finds itself pitted against a growing and unknown force as their very mission lights the flames of war.

• Number of pages: 262

Review

First off, if you haven’t read book one in this trilogy then read it. Once you are finished go straight to this one. Book two picks up right in the moment where it ended in book one, and there is lots of information in both books so you wouldn’t want to miss anything, trust me. I had to reread the first book in its entirety because there was no way that I was going to remember all the little details that were present, but then again that could be just me.

If you have read my post on the first book then you will have noticed that I emphasized that book as a survival book. So what does that make book two, Seeds of War? For that I will have to steal a word from the book itself, and that word is “Reconnection”. What does that mean exactly? Well, Fi and her Family have made it to Eden, they have settled in, they have revived their strengths, and now Fi is out to reconnect with the people living in the world, the “Topsiders”, and to replant the original plants and grasses that were first created when the Earth was young, before humans tampered with it. Sorry if that gave away a few spoilers of book one, but there is no other way for me to describe what is going on in this one. So mainly, Fi, Asher, Sean, and a new friend named Sara are off to save the world by helping the scientists of Eden recreate the Earth’s original properties, but along the way trouble starts to brew.

After reading both books, I feel like I have traveled Topside right along Fi. The characters were amazingly created by Rachel Fisher, who seems to have a real talent for making a story real. The plot has always been amazing, intricately created with points that make it seem like everything that has happened to these people in 2030 something is very possible in our future, but what I found most interesting was the characters. And what I love about this author is that although Fi is the main character that we usually follow, we still jump from character to character to character depending on the scene. I really got to know all of them in a deeper way, which was great for my nerdy side. And they felt believable because of it in a sense that if I was tromping in the forest with three other people with the weight of the world sort of literally on my shoulders, this is how I would feel. These would be my concerns, if that makes any sense. I also got the sense that unlike book one, this was more of a moral or ethical book. I loved how these moral and religious questions popped up in Fi’s mind because I would think that is normal. What if God was punishing them? What if killing someone meant saving someone else? What are your choices? It all heightened the sense of survival and the problems they were all facing.

Anyway, I again found Rachel’s work great. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, and I am just dying to get my greedy little hands on book three. (Hope it doesn’t take too long!) It was an excellent story, but it is also a "thinking" kind of book. Lots of scientific stuff and theories. At times confusing, but never unbearably so. Something I do think I should warn you about is that this book may not be for the faint hearted. This is still survival of the fittest, kill or be killed. There were parts where it may be a little bit bloody or scary and pretty intense, but it was all done to heighten the sense of danger that the author was giving off. At least, that’s what I felt. Either way I feel like this was a wonderful book, and the series is turning out to be a real mind opener, not just some silly little love story. I really like that. (Though the love story in this book is amazingly sweet, just saying.) So from 1-10? Seeds of War is a definite 8.5

Eden's Root by Rachel E. Fisher

Summary

It is 2033, and the world hovers on the edge of explosion as unexplained crop deaths lead to severe global food shortages. Is the United States, the Sickness is taking lives slowly, creeping its way into every family. Thirteen-year-old Fi Kelly has already faced the Sickness in her own family, toughening her at a young age. But when her dying father makes a shocking confession, Fi realizes that her toughness will be pushed to its absolute limits.

Saddled with an impossible secret and mission of saving her little sister, Fi gets out to transform herself into the warrior that she must become to survive the coming collapse. Along the way, she will discover that evil can be accidental . . . and that love can be intentional.

• Number of pages: 376

Review 

Eden’s Roots deserves a round of applause and a cheer or two. If any other bloggers have read and reviewed this book along with me, then I hope it is safe to assume that they were just as equally captivated by this amazing sci-fi story as I was, but I would love to put my two cents in as well. Fi is a narrator and Leader like no other. I followed her like a member of her Family would, and I am proud to say I survived this journey right along side her. The world is coming to an end in the ways of the normal every day-to-day life. To be honest the details as to what exactly is going on left me a little fuzzy, but I will try to summarize and explain the details without giving too much away. Food, regular food, has been contaminated over the years, processed and manipulated so many times that over eventually it has generated so much disease and created the “Sickness”. The “Sickness” in this book refers to cancerous diseases, though I believe other kinds of diseases are considered as well. The amount of Sickfood soon starts to kill all forms of vegetation, and basically the world is in for a global Famine. Anyway, no one really knows about the Sickfood, except a selected few such as scientists who are preparing for the worst and have created a safe haven where they can reconstruct and rebuild. One of those few people is Fi’s dad who is one of the main scientists working on the effort to build this haven, Eden. When he becomes Sick, he and his family are crossed off from the list of candidates allowed to join this new colony and have a better chance of survival. Before his death he gives all he knowledge to his daughter in the hopes that she can lead her sister and mother to safety.

It was incredible seeing how a girl that is pictured as normal, as ordinary, is transformed into this character with the burden of much older and wiser people, a person who leads many souls to safety. The process written in which she does become a warrior with all the fighting and toughness included was a bit lengthy, but overall created a picture of complete and utter dedication. Fi is really no average girl, but then again isn’t there something more than average in all of us? Along the way she meets and connects with a group of people that I have come to love as well. Each and every individual was spectacularly created to contribute and share some love with me, as the reader. The journey was arduous, the conditions frightening, and I felt it all first hand.

I really want to focus on how this book was written in regards to point of views. It had a switching view from Fi, to her best friend Sean, to another boy that you meet along the way. They all tie together, obviously, but it was Fi’s mind that was kept dominant. She was the core of the story, as well as the core of her Family being Leader. I felt her burden, her determination, and her uncontrollable rage. That’s what really made the story amazing. It made it real, you know? It wasn’t a story about a girl who become a super hero and a hard ass and overall seems untouchable, neither about a girl who is weak and in the end shows her true colors. This was a book of survival, and it emanated off of Fi like an odor. She felt pain, fear, and worry along with happiness, excitement, even peace. I admit to some well-deserved tears on my part (much to my families amusement). It wasn’t laugh out loud funny, but I also felt humor and love written between words. I found it a great experience.

I also loved how real the situation all seemed. This book frightened me in that aspect a bit. The Famine, the Sickfood, the fact that a lot of the things that we have and do today were portrayed in a different light to show how terribly it could all go wrong. It seemed possible. I do have to warn my readers that this book is mild in many ways, but it could get very graphic in many others. Like I said, this is a survival story, and the things done in this book were things that may seem out of hand, but it was done in order to survive. It brought up some serious questions that I found interesting to think about. What would you do to survive? What would you give, sacrifice for the good of yourself and loved ones?

As I look over my review I realize that it is a bit long, and I am pleased with that. Why? Because it means that this book opened my brain a bit more, and had me thinking, reaaaally thinking. It wasn’t a book to just follow along. I really thought if that makes any sense. It was . . . and “intelligent” book, I guess. Like food for thought! From 1-10? Eden’s Roots gets an 8.5

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Summary

How do you defy DESTINY?

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small as sheltered as Nantucket. And it’s getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she’s haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they’re destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history. As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realized that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might no to be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.

• Number of pages: 487

Review

Take this amazing book cover as an indication of how this book is going to be . . . AH-mazing! I was absolutely captivated by this story, I mean, who doesn’t love a good ol’ curse dating back from the time of the Greek gods to set the mood for this epic book. And who can resist a good demigod story? Out of all the paranormal/fictional characters out there I have to say demigods and angels are my favorite to read about. I do give warnings to you all out there when there is something I think you should know before reading books, and my warning for this book is though I did love it the beginning was . . . scary intense. Like there is this part where these creepy sisters that represent the Fates show up and they are um, well, creep. I can’t even describe it any other way, it kinda freaked me out. Props to the author though for making it seem so real. But other than that and some other freaky stuff in the beginning I have to say the rest of the book was very good. Great even! Of course what would a book called “starcrossed” be without a very dramatic love story? Helen and Lucas are so desperately in love, but alas that is not meant to be . . . or is it? I was kept on my toes (or in this case the edge of my bed) from beginning to end and even afterwards when it was over. Now HERE is when I almost had a heart attack, when I found out that the second book come out . . . MAY 2012!!!! NOOOOOO!!! It can’t be, right? Wrong -.- I have to wait so many months to continue on to the next book Dreamless. I think it’s just cruel how sometimes these books don’t come until months later, but what can you do? Any way I’m getting off track. The only thing I can really do at this point is gush over how I loved this book and if from experience you also love hopeless love stories with danger, secrets, and drama then I guarantee Starcrossed as the next book that should be given a spot on your bookshelf. So from 1-10? Starcrossed is given a close 8.5!

The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare

This review is going to be a little different then the usual. So I’ve thought of how I would do this and decided to review these series as a whole rather than picking it apart one book at a time. That’s because The Mortal Instruments Series isn’t a series where it breaks off or starts new on the next book. It’s all one big mystery where the plot literally extends all the way through books 1-3. Now book 4 is a sort of extension to how the plot ends in the first part and this would be the beginning of part 2. I think that makes sense right? There are two more books to this series that are to come out in the future (and honestly I am dying for them to come out. So I am going to write my review first this time and bellow that will be the summaries for each of the books out to far.

**I would recommend NOT reading the summaries of book 2, 3, or 4 if you haven’t read the previous one because, lets face it, there are tons of spoilers in the summaries themselves**

REVIEW

FirstoffIhavetosaythatthisisSUCHanamazingseries!!! LOL ok now that I got that out of my system I’ll try to write something coherent without letting my excitement get the best of me. So where to start . . . hmmm . . . okidoki well I’ll start with the facts about this book.

FACT: these are big books

FACT: you will fall in love with these characters... just a heads up

FACT: chills will roll up and down your arms through the entire adventure, yes it’s that intense

FACT: funniest damn book series ever, I can’t even count the amount of times my family caught me clutching one of these books while I cracked up without a thought to the fact that people were staring at me.

And FACT: to be honest this series is pretty graphic; I think you need to know this before. There is lots of gore and demons etc

I first read the first couple of books about a year ago if I do recall correctly. That being said, I had to reread the entire series again when I bought the newest installment, City of Fallen Angels. In my excitement to read the fourth book I attacked the first three again with a vengeance. So I have all the books fresh in my mind. The whole first three books I would call “PART 1” of the series and book four and on “PART 2”. Simple enough, right? So PART 1 is all about this up coming war that the insanely evil rogue Shadowhunter Valentine is making to forever destroy all Downworlders (vamps, werewolves, faeires, warlocks) and will kill anyone who stands in his way, even if he has to recreate the Shadowhunters from scratch. The only people remotely close enough to stop him are Clary, Jace, Simon, and the rest of their friends. Having a hard time putting the books down is an understatement. It’s not just that it was an adventure worth holding on to. It’s not just the characters worth learning more about. It’s all of it combined, I think. My favorite part of the entire series had to be to wit and sarcasm the poured out of this book like a waterfall. It was incredible. The fact that no matter how bad the situation got, or how depressed everything was there was ALWAYS some funny remark by Simon or snarky comeback from Jace to lighten the mood. These people would talk like regular people. That sounds weird because they are people, but if you read these books and new them as well as I do, you would see that there is nothing regular about them. The characters had to be my favorite aspect of The Mortal Instruments.

I think the only thing that I can think of to say that I didn’t like about the stories had to be that sometime there were looooong, long moments where demons would come and it seemed kind of gory at times. Lots of blood scenes and gruesome parts. And because of the authors amazing way of putting you in the story, it did seem like I was on the battlefield with them.

Part 2 of The Mortal Instruments series is the aftermath of the Mortal War ending in the first part. That’s what you have to understand about Part 2. It continues, but now with a whole new problem and situation.

This is one of my favorite series, and because I am review this on the entire series I will give a rating as a whole. So, that said as a whole from 1-10? I am happy to give The Mortal Instrument a 9!!!

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Summaries

BOOK ONE: City of Bones

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder—much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It’s hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing—not even a smear of blood—to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy? This is Clary’s first meeting with Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It’s also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know . . .

Number of pages: 485

Book Two: City of Ashes

Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what’s normal when you’re a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadownhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who’s becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn’t ready to let her go—especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary’s only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter, Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil—and also her father. To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings—and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

Number of pages: 453

Book Three: City of Glass

To save her mother’s life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of Shadowhunters—never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhuntersmwho are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight. As Clary uncovers more about her family’s past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadowhunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadowhunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he’s willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City—whatever the cost?

Number of pages: 541

Book Four: City of Fallen Angels

The Mortal War is over, and Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She’s training to become a Shadowhunter and to use her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at last. And—most important of all—Clary can finally call Jace her boyfriend. But nothing comes without a price. Someone is murdering the Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine’s Circle, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second bloody war. Clary’s best friend, Simon, can’t help her. His mother just found out that he’s a vampire and now he’s homeless. Everywhere he turns, someone wants him on their side—along with the power of the curse that’s wrecking his life. And theyre willing to do anything to get what they want. At the same time he’s dating two beautiful, dangerous girls—neither of whom knows about the other. When Jace begins to pull away from clary without explaining why, she is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: She herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace.

Number of pages: 424

Deadly Little Secrets by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Summary

Until three months ago, sixteen-year-old Camelia’s life had been fairly ordinary. Then a mysterious boy names Ben started junior year at her school and changed everything.

Rumored to be somehow responsible for his ex-girlfriend’s accidental death, Ben is immediately ostracized by everyone on campus. Except for Camelia. Despite the rumors, she’s inexplicably drawn to him . . . and to his touch. But soon, Camelia is receiving eerie phone calls and strange packages with threatening notes, Ben insists she’s in danger, and that he wants to help—but can he be trusted? She knows he’s hiding something . . . but he’s not the only one with a secret.

• Number of pages: 252

Review

Deadly Little Secret was such a hauntingly good novel. I was surprised by the intensity of the mystery, and it was such an entertaining book aside from the mystery as well. One of my best friends, Amanda, gave me her copy to read and see if it was good. She’s not much of a reader, but I am determined to convert her! Okay, back to the book. Camelia and her two best friends go to this school where a new, secretive guy comes and stirs up their little town with drama. Camelia knows he is the one who saved her from being run over by a car, and is determined to get to know him a little more. What she doesn’t know is that she is the one who is going to need saving again. There is someone following her. She starts getting these phone calls and pictures in the mail. Pretty creepy stuff, for sure. I think the creepiest part had to be the small chapters where the stalker would write about his feelings on Camelia. They were so realistic it was mind-blowing. There were quite a lot of parts that gave me goose bumps. As you can imagine, I read this book mostly at night before bed, and it was the perfect time to read a book like this. Unless of course stuff like this really does scare you, then I recommend reading it during the daytime. Just saying. But aside from the mystery of the stalker and the mystery behind the new guy, Ben, this book had a slight comical aspect to it. The best friends had to be the funniest people in the book. They were with Camelia most of the time and lightened up the mood immensely. They were sarcastic and humorous that left me cracking up. From 1-10? I give it a 6.5