Book Haul + R.E.A.D.

A book haul, where Im a bit cray cray. Also an introduction to a new series on my channel called R.E.A.D.

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Book Review: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Written by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Pages: 563
Published: December 2009
Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance, Fantasy

Goodreads Synopsis...
There were no surprises in Gatlin County.
We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.
At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything

My Review...
Lets be simple about this. This book is so entertaining, its fun to read, and I finished it really quickly. However thats just because I love paranormal romance. I would suggest that if you dont love that genre, that you could skip this book if it pleases you. There is going to be a movie adaptation though, so that might sway you to read it.

First off, the things I didnt like: Ethan, the main male character, and narrator of the book. Was not really a male narrator. There was nothing about him, and his thoughts that distinguished him from other female narrators. He was too nice, too politically correct, too perfect. Plus he sometimes thought like a lil old granny.

Another thing I didnt like was that the story line was not really original. Boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy and girl face challenge that could brake them up, but we all know it never will. I was expecting something different,  or at least something with a new twist on the same story, and I didnt get it.

Those were the things I didnt like, the romance was a bit over the top at times, but I expected it because it is paranormal romance people.

The things I liked was the way the book just sucked me in, it was entertaining and captivating. I just really love me some paranormal romance!

So for that reason, Im giving this book a 4 out of 5. If you dont love the genre I would say take a point off my rating, and see it as 3 out of 5.

This book was fun, and interesting, but it lacked something new and different. I enjoyed reading it, but I doubt Ill pick it up again. However, I will be reading the next books in the series, maybe once this whole familiar plotline is done in teh first book, the authors will do something different in the next ones. I will be sure to let you know!

Watch my video review of this book!

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Written by Stephenie Meyer
Pages: 619
Published: May 2008
Genres: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Romance, Paranormal

Goodreads Synopsis…
Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. Our world has been invaded by an unseen enemy. Humans become hosts for these invaders, their minds taken over while their bodies remain intact and continue their lives apparently unchanged. Most of humanity has succumbed.

When Melanie, one of the few remaining "wild" humans, is captured, she is certain it is her end. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, was warned about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the glut of senses, the too-vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

Wanderer probes Melanie's thoughts, hoping to discover the whereabouts of the remaining human resistance. Instead, Melanie fills Wanderer's mind with visions of the man Melanie loves - Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she has been tasked with exposing. When outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off on a dangerous and uncertain search for the man they both love.

My Review...

If you don’t know what the Host is, then you will soon. The Host is written by the same author as the Twilight series, Stephenie Meyer. And it is being turned into a blockbuster movie, set to come out worldwide in march next year.

Now before you Twilight haters close this page angrily, asking why someone would dare mention the word Twilight. The Host is so very different to Twilight. It is first of all a Sci-fi, and not just any sci-fi. It has been labelled Sci-fi for people who don’t really like Sci-fi.

The other difference to Twilight is that the writing is SO much better. The messages discussed are deep, and important for the world today. Many people, who said they hated Twilight, also say that they love The Host. This might also be because the target audience for the novel has changed, it is an adult novel.

Although the novel is big with 600 pages, the content is unique and interesting. It was so easy for me to read, and I couldn’t stop! But it wasn’t simply a light read, it made me think, with themes sown effortlessly into the story. The Love triangle was also very unique, and made it impossible for there to be instant love, or a simple romance.

Get ready to be surprised and delighted, if you decide to read this amazing book.

5 out of 5!  

If you have read this book and want to discuss it with me, then watch the video below and head to my YouTube page: bookswithdylan

                                                                Book Talk: The Host

In the Discussion video, I also talk about possible sequels to this book, and more about the movie!

Nature Is Terrifying!

Just a little vlog, with an update about S. K. Y. I'm having a busy school and life week, so Im having trouble getting time to do the first Sky video. But I promise, when I get a free second, I will edit and upload. If you dont know what Sky is, then check the video below. Have a great day!

 

Confessions of a Booktuber Tag

Where I confess to you all the things Ive been keeping so deperately bottled up inside.

Book Haul: Pretty Covers

I got these books from Dymocks, and I bought Looking for Alaska from, The Book Depository.

Accent Tag

Want to know what my accent is? Watch the video and find out!

Sept Wrap Up and Oct TBR

See what Im reading and going to read...

Book Review: Ransom by David Malouf

Ransom by David Malouf
Paperback 224 pages
First published in 2010
Australian Literature

From the walls of Troy, King Priam watches the body of his son, Hector, being dragged behind Achilles' chariot in the Greek camp. Maddened by grief at the death of his friend, Patroclus, Achilles refuses to give up Hector's body, but King Priam is convinced there must be a way of reclaiming the body - of pitting compromise against heroics, new ways against old, and of forcing the hand of fate. Dressed simply and in a cart pulled by a mule, he sets off to speak to Achilles man to man and as a father

My Review…

This book was not off to a good start with me. It had two things against it before I even read the first word. Firstly, it has a donkey on the cover. A donkey! What riveting story can possibly come from a donkey?! Well now that I think about it, many many stories. The second thing against it was that this book was a required read for school. Now you all know what it’s like to be forced to read something, there’s always that hint of: ‘I am being forced to read this, so therefore I will hate every second!’ What only me?

And then I started reading, and I realised it was a retelling of the last few books of Homers ‘The Iliad’. How dare someone try to improve on Homer! Who do you think you are! I mean, I love the Iliad, and the Odyssey. I love Homer, and all things Greek Mythology. So I was a tiny bit upset, at having to read what seemed like an unnecessary book.

But I was wrong.

This book was so easy to read, I finished it in less than 24 hours. The story flowed well, and it kept me interested, even if it was something I’d heard before. The focus of this book was on Achilles after his half-brother Patroclus dies. And on Priam, after his son Hector dies. They have both gone through a traumatic event, and that trauma and the emotion it brings, is explored in the book. The characters are much more modern, then they are in the Iliad, and their choices and thoughts are more deeply explained.

However on that same note, there is not much that happens. The gods are pushed out of the story, to where we only see glimpses and pieces of them. This I was kind of upset about, because let’s be honest. The gods and their dysfunctional ways are one of the best parts of myth. But I understood the reason they were not very much present. It was so the focus could be on the characters, and so that a god couldn’t swoop down and fix things. The characters in this version of the story had to make their own decisions.

The story was beautifully written, and was much tamer, compared to Homer. It was also focused more on the emotional decisions, and moments. Rather than battles, and fantastical scenes.

This book succeeded in getting past my first impression of it. It was easy to read. But as far as it did go. It was still always going to live in the shadows, of the Great Master, Homer.

I give this book 4 out of 5.