Thursday, November 24, 2016

Book Blog #192: A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

Title: A Thousand Pieces of You
Author: Claudia Gray
# of Pages: 373 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Science Fiction, Romance
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Synopsis: Marguerite Caine's physicist parents are known for their groundbreaking achievements. Their most astonishing invention, called the Firebird, allows users to jump into multiple universes—and promises to revolutionize science forever. But then Marguerite's father is murdered, and the killer—her parent's handsome, enigmatic assistant Paul— escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him. Marguerite refuses to let the man who destroyed her family go free. So she races after Paul through different universes, always leaping into another version of herself. But she also meets alternate versions of the people she knows—including Paul, whose life entangles with hers in increasingly familiar ways. Before long she begins to question Paul's guilt—as well as her own heart. And soon she discovers the truth behind her father's death is far more sinister than she expected.
Review: You've got to admit: the cover is gorgeous.

When I started to read this book, I had no idea what it was about. All I knew was that I had to read this book with the beautiful cover that a few of my friends were reading.

The book got off on a rocky start with, with some small inaccurate details annoying the heck out of me.


What freaked me out about this book was that I had actually thought up a similar concept of multiple dimensions being created for a every possible decision. I was shocked that for the second time in my life, someone thought up the same concept as me.

However the story improved overtime as the plot thickened, and of course I'm can't resist a good love triangle.

If you're looking for a light, easy about a unique concept paired with a cliché love triangle, this is the book for you.

Saturday, November 19, 2016

Book Blog #191: Kill the Boy Band by Goldy Moldavsky

Title: Kill the Boy Band
Author: Goldy Moldavsky
# of Pages: 320 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Humor
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Synopsis: Just know from the start that it wasn’t supposed to go like this. All we wanted was to get near them. That’s why we got a room in the hotel where they were staying. We were not planning to kidnap one of them. Especially not the most useless one. But we had him—his room key, his cell phone, and his secrets. We were not planning on what happened next. We swear. 
Review: This is going to be a stream of consciousness review!

(As in, I'm going to include some of my thoughts I had as I was reading the book and thoughts I had after finishing).



General notes after reading: While the book is nothing incredibly thought provoking (the story is told with the voice of a stereotypical teenage girl), for fangirls of boy bands, the qualities described of the protagonist will be surprisingly relatable.

However, for someone who has a neutral or negative views of fangirls in general (i.e. someone who does not consider themselves to be a fangirl, someone who thinks fangirls are being silly/stupid) shouldn't read this book. The appeal is for fangirls to read and relate to a book about other fangirls, and if the reader can't relate, then the poorer qualities of the book stand out more to the reader. The fangirls depicted in Kill the Boy Band are extremists - most fans wouldn't go so far as to kidnap a member of the band, given the opportunity (I hope). The level of craziness of these fangirls is a whole different level, and this can give the wrong impression to a reader who is unfamiliar with the culture.

After reading a few other reviews for this book, I realize that although I found parts of the book relatable and other parts humorous for their exaggeration, some readers may not differentiate the truth from the fiction. The fangirls' actions are not representative of most fans.

This is an extremely quick read; the writing style is rather simplistic (and sometimes irritating with the occasional "obvs" and "quiet frankly"s) and can easily be read in one sitting. I recommend this to fangirls/past fangirls.

Monday, November 14, 2016

Book Blog #190: Othello by William Shakespeare

Title: Othello
Author: William Shakespeare
# of Pages: 314
Genre: Fiction, Classics, Plays
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Synopsis: In Othello, Shakespeare creates a powerful drama of a marriage that begins with fascination (between the exotic Moor Othello and the Venetian lady Desdemona), with elopement, and with intense mutual devotion and that ends precipitately with jealous rage and violent deaths.
Review: I don't have too much to say about this play. It was exactly what I expected from a Shakespearian play: difficult to read and a predictable, simplistic plot line. Although it may have been revolutionary for its time, it can't even compare to more modern works.

However, as I am not used to Shakespeare's writing style, I was able to find more amusement in the No Fear Shakespeare version...but that's not the version I'm reviewing. If Shakespeare was modernized, I would have given it three stars. But since Shakespeare's writing style hinders comprehension, I had to take off a star.

For recreational reading, I would not recommend this play, unless you are already interested in Shakespeare's works. While classic literature is always worth reading, I feel like I wouldn't have been missing much if I hadn't read Othello.