Review: Let it Snow by Maureen Johnson, John Green, and Lauren Myracle

Let it Snow by Maureen Johnson, John Green, and Lauren Myrcale

Series: None
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Short Stories
Rating: ★
Pages: 352
Published by Speak on October 2, 2008
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Sparkling white snowdrifts, beautiful presents wrapped in ribbons, and multicolored lights glittering in the night through the falling snow. A Christmas Eve snowstorm transforms one small town into a romantic haven, the kind you see only in movies. Well, kinda. After all, a cold and wet hike from a stranded train through the middle of nowhere would not normally end with a delicious kiss from a charming stranger. And no one would think that a trip to the Waffle House through four feet of snow would lead to love with an old friend. Or that the way back to true love begins with a painfully early morning shift at Starbucks. Thanks to three of today’s bestselling teen authors—John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle—the magic of the holidays shines on these hilarious and charming interconnected tales of love, romance, and breathtaking kisses.

Let it Snow is a story of romance, strangely realistic main characters, festive festivities, and slightly irritating writing. This short story compilation contains three stories written by Maureen Johnson, John Green, and Lauren Myracle respectively.

When I say slightly irritating writing, I don't mean anything hateful toward the authors whatsoever. In fact, I happen to like all of three of those authors just fine (okay, I haven't actually read anything of Myracle's writing, but I won't hold her short story to her. In fact, I really want to read The Infinite Moment of Us by her). It's just that I didn't really like the characters that they created, and they ultimately seemed to get on my nerves. I know I said that they were realistic in the first paragraph, and they are. But they're realistic in the sense that they're annoying.

And just so I don't leave you hanging, I'll tell you why I thought they were annoying. Okay, well Maureen Johnson's character Jubilee didn't annoy me. It was mostly Tobin and Addie. Tobin just discovers that he was all of a sudden in love with his best friend who's been around forever just by one look? It just seems like a cliche male character thought, to be honest. I thought that it was shallow and annoying, if not boring. I love John Green's writing to bits, and I have to admit that I'm really bummed that I didn't particularly enjoy this short story of his. I didn't hate it, but it was really slow at first. Slow beginnings turn me off instantly. Always. But in Green's beginning, the first seven chapters were literally Tobin and his friends either talking about cheerleaders or getting themselves stuck in idiotic situations like being stuck in a snow drift.

You didn't want to be stuck in a snow drift? Oh, well, here's an idea: don't take your parents' car out in the dead of winter because your friend said that there were cheerleaders.

But Tobin wasn't even that annoying compared to Addie. It wasn't even the writing that got me for Myracle's short story, it was her character. Throughout the entire short story, Addie is being told that she only thinks of herself. At first, I didn't see it. But then one of Addie's friends specifically asked her to do something for her, and Addie said yes. But then...she just doesn't do it. She forgets. She forgets. I'm sorry, but if you promise you're going to do something for someone, especially your best friend, do it. Don't make up excuses. When Addie realized that she forgot, she was about to take her break at Starbucks from her job when the water pipes break. Addie screws up yet again, and the water squirts all over behind the counter. She calls her other best friend, trying to tell her all about her horrible day all the while the other best friend is asking if Addie had done that thing their mutual friend asked her to do.

She hadn't. And yet she still tried to continue on with her story...about herself.

In all, I just wasn't really impressed with the stories or the characters. Jubilee was the least annoying if she could even be considered annoying at all, but she still wasn't that memorable. It's her name that's so memorable.

I hate giving it one star, because I usually give one star to unfinished books or books I wish I ever read, but I can't give this book two stars either because I had to force myself to finish the third story. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't amazing either. I don't really know how to make this a nice review without distorting my version of the truth, aka what I really thought about this book.

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Review: Exceptional (Exceptional #1) by Jess Petosa

Exceptional by Jess Petosa
Series: Exceptional #1
Genre: Dyatopia, Young Adult, Science Fiction
Rating: ★
Pages: N/A
Published by Jess Petosa on February 24, 2012

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In the future, things are anything but ordinary...

In 2022, the United States commissioned a group of scientists to experiment with genetic mutations. Their goal was to create a serum that would alter the human genetic code, making the subject stronger and faster. They succeeded but their victory was short lived. Not only had they created a super serum, but also an airborne virus. By 2025, seventy-five percent of the world's population had perished. The survivors, well their lives would never be the same.

175 A.V.

Ally is an Ordinary; a human immune to the virus. She lives in a settlement outside the City with her mother and twin brother, but lately it doesn't seem to be enough. She is wrestling between being with her family and volunteering to move to the City, where she can work for the Exceptionals.

Luke is an Exceptional; a superior human being. His ancestors were infected with the virus and lived through it, leaving their super human strength and special abilities to him. He has never given much thought to Ordinarys, despite pressure from his father to choose one from the ORC. But all of that changes when he meets Ally...

I made a list--a freaking list--on reasons why I hated this book. I don't mean I just didn't really like it and found it boring, I hated it. I had to force myself to continue. It was so predictable. This review was originally going to be in a Mini Review post, but I realized that I just had too much to say about this book for it to be considered a Mini Review. I want to start off by saying that I hate saying rude things about someone's book, but I do anyway. So when I have a lot of rude things to say about a book, I feel like a horrible person.
 

Jess Petosa, if you're reading this review, I am terribly sorry. I have nothing against you. I swear. It's just that your book had so much potential, but you just executed it horribly. Seriously. I'm so sorry for writing this review (sort of?). I'm sure you're a wonderful person in real life!
 

The first thing I can to talk about is the instalove. I just couldn't handle the instalove in this book between Ally and Luke. The first time Ally sees Luke she notes how hot he is. Now, that part didn't piss me off. The first time I see a guy, I note how hot he is as well. But when she's already buddy-buddy with Luke and making out with him even after he put her in a fucking breeding house (sorry, spoiler, but it's predictable)? That's just a big no-no-no-no-no-no-no.
 

There were also inconsistencies. In one scene Ally said she had only been in Luke's room once, when in fact she had been in there before when he wasn't home to watch movies. That's a little creepy as well, if you ask me. I wouldn't want someone in my room when I'm not home if I've just me them and then claimed them as my fucking breeding mate. Yeah. I'm deep. (No pun intended.) There were also inconsistences in the Exceptionals' appearances. At first they're described as seven feet tall monsters, but then as the book goes on the height is barely mentioned ever again.

This was minor, but the science in the book was backed up horribly. I'm not saying that I'm an expert in genetics and science-y shit like that, but it just didn't make much sense to me. Pretty much just like Allegiant, the science aspect of the book sucked.

There is just way too much to elaborate on. I'll list:
- Too much monologue of OH MY GOD SHOULD I DO THIS OR SHOULD I DO THAT
- Luke and Ally knew each other one week before they started making out and saying that they loved each other
- Lally = fuck no. I had no motivation for those two. No characterization at all. Just no.
- I hated Luke. He was so ew, and the ending? What the fuck, Luke? What the fuck?
- I love how Ally, Luke (Lukin, but still), Sabine, and Aden have normal names but then you meet the other characters. Like, Stosh? What? Tighe? Pax?
- The characters were so fake. None of them had a character arc. None.
- Because of the lack of character arc, all these characters made random decisions that only made sense to the author. There was no motivation behind anything the characters did whatsoever.

The final thing that made me hate this book was the ending. It was as if Petosa was trying to get the main character out of the bad situation as fast as she could so she didn't have to write the gigantic action scene at the end of every good dystopian good. Just saying.

That pretty much sums of this review--ahem, more like rant. I'd suggest not reading this. Unless you're into all those points that I made up there, then steer clear of this book. Seriously. Don't waste your time. Read a better book that you've been wanting to read.

 

DNF: Shiver (The Wovles of Mercy Falls #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Series: The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Werewolves, Paranormal
Rating: ★ DFN
Published by Scholastic Press on August 1, 2009
Pages: 390
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For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without.

Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

I guess it's not really a DNF since I've read it once before, but still... I simply couldn't continue on with this book. When I was 10 and I first got my nook, Shiver was one of the first five books I got. I don't know what was up with me then, but it seemed like the only thing that I wanted to read about was love--no plot, no characterization, no action, just love. Let's just say that over the past four years, a lot has changed. For example, my rating for Shiver is no longer four stars on Goodreads. In fact, it's now one.

I only picked up this book to read it again because Lindsay read it, thought it was good, and I didn't remember what happened other than the fact that this girl named Grace falls in love with a werewolf named Sam. I'm just going to say that I wish I never read this book again. I wish I just left it on my nook, allowing myself to still believe that I thought Shiver was a good, solid book. One-fourth through the book, I already wanted to rip my freaking hair out. It's so brain cell murdering, this book is. I asked Lindsay if it's just me that hates this book so much, and she said that it's just not for some people. Slow books, that is.

She's wrong. Shiver might be slow, but so are John Green's books, and I love John Green's book. They're deep and meaningful. I read in several reviews that Shiver is a tear jerker and that it's heartbreaking and wonderful but I can't agree. I just can't. The writing just drags on and on. And where one of my favorite reviewers says that the writing is absolutely beautiful, I'm over here just like 'no.'

Sam, who's the werewolf, doesn't know how to speak or think words while he's in his wolf form and so when he becomes human he doesn't really know how to control or use the influx of words that pour into his mind. Therefore, naturally, he resorts to song lyrics. Just no. Those lyrics sucked. No. Just no.

And Grace. Don't even get me started on her. Sam is clearly trying to be portrayed by the author as some magnificent creature of great beauty and emotions when really he's just annoying, obsessive, a little creepy, and a sap. Grace on the other hand...she's just plain flat. I can't find anything I like about her. She's obsessed with wolves because of one particular wolf's eyes that she saw while the other wolves were mauling her face. I don't know about you, but if wolves were mauling my face I'd be screaming bloody murder, not paying attention to the wolf with yellow eyes. Oh, and whenever Sam or Grace use the term 'yellow eyes' to describe Sam's eyes, I always think that his eyes look like piss.

Attractive.

I also hated Sam and Grace's relationship together. In my opinion, it was disgusting as hell. For instance, Grace watches Sam for years as a wolf and gains an obsession over him? Unlikely. And the fact that she fell in love with a wolf because of his eyes is absurd. Then literally one day after they meet in human form, he kisses her. Big no-no. I don't care if they've known each other (hypothetically...) for six or so years. Just no.

The supporting characters were very 2-D as well. Don't tell me that I just didn't read enough to realize that they had a soul, because I read half the book. The beginning was monotonous and uneventful. Why would I want to read more when there are other books I could reading? The only character that didn't fry my brain is Isabel. From the few encounters that Grace had with her, I liked her.

Other than Isabel the only saving grace (no pun intended) in Shiver was the werewolf world. The world that Stiefvater created for her wolves was amazing. She completely banished the other stereotypes for wolves and created her own. I'd give Shiver two stars because of her creativity, but because of everything else wrong and boring in this book, I simply cannot do that. I enjoyed pretty much nothing while reading this and two stars would suggest that I enjoyed some components and was about to persevere through.

Honestly, I think this is just one of those books that you really have to get into. I can't really recommend this to anybody because clearly I loved it before but hate it now. And plenty of my favorite reviewers on Goodreads loved this book, so I'm not really sure.

It's up to you whether or not to read it. I just suggest that you save your money and borrow this from the library, and if you like it, then by all means go and but a hard copy. But I have to admit that maybe I'll try to reread it for the third time sometime in the future when I don't have as many books on my immediate TBR as I do at the moment. Maybe I'll enjoy it more as a fifteen, sixteen, or seventeen year old? I just hope that The Raven Boys is better, because I bought that book too.

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Tori's Review: World War Z by Max Brooks

World War Z by Max Brooks

Series: None
Genre: Horror, Zombies, Science Fiction
Rating: ★
Pages: 342Published by Crown in September 12, 2006
Date Finished: August 7, 2013
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The Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of thirty million souls to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet. He recorded the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time. World War Z is the result. Never before have we had access to a document that so powerfully conveys the depth of fear and horror, and also the ineradicable spirit of resistance, that gripped human society through the plague years.
Ranging from the now infamous village of New Dachang in the United Federation of China, where the epidemiological trail began with the twelve-year-old Patient Zero, to the unnamed northern forests where untold numbers sought a terrible and temporary refuge in the cold, to the United States of Southern Africa, where the Redeker Plan provided hope for humanity at an unspeakable price, to the west-of-the-Rockies redoubt where the North American tide finally started to turn, this invaluable chronicle reflects the full scope and duration of the Zombie War.

Most of all, the book captures with haunting immediacy the human dimension of this epochal event. Facing the often raw and vivid nature of these personal accounts requires a degree of courage on the part of the reader, but the effort is invaluable because, as Mr. Brooks says in his introduction, “By excluding the human factor, aren’t we risking the kind of personal detachment from history that may, heaven forbid, lead us one day to repeat it? And in the end, isn’t the human factor the only true difference between us and the enemy we now refer to as ‘the living dead’?”
Note: Some of the numerical and factual material contained in this edition was previously published under the auspices of the United Nations Postwar Commission.