Review: Legend by Marie Lu

Title: Legend (Legend, #1)
Author: Marie Lu
Pages: 301 (ARC copy)
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Release Date: November 29, 2011

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills.

My Thoughts: Out of all the YA dystopian novels I've read so far this year, Legend is my favorite. The writing, the plot, the setting, and the characters were all great! It had a nice balance of action and development and even a bit romance. I was never underwhelmed by the story. The action had me on the edge of my seat. Some parts were pretty intense, and there were shocking revelations and heartbreaking moments throughout the book. I was left feeling anxious at times because I didn't know what to expect next. I just loved everything about it and wish it didn't have to end.

I adored the main characters Day and June. I found them both to be extremely likable. Day has lived a rough life growing up in the slums of the Republic, and he risks his life every day to make sure his family has enough food and the other necessities needed to survive. It would be easy to become a cruel and uncaring criminal, but Day never loses his kindness and compassion. It's what I really admire about him. June has grown up in a rich district to an elite family. While she is loyal to the military and the government, her older brother Metias is the one she would do anything for. Because of their different upbringings, June doesn't have the same experiences and views of the world as Day. June isn't lacking compassion, but she is naive and ends up placing her trust with people she has always believed in, never excepting the cruelty they are capable of. I can't fault her for the decisions she makes in the beginning because she truly believes the right thing would be done. What I like about her is that once she realizes her mistake she makes sure it doesn't ever happen again.

Although they grew up differently, Day and June are similar in many ways. Like June said in the book, they do almost seem like the same person just born into different worlds. I believe that's why they are attracted to each other when they first meet. They share some of the same traits and qualities. They know what it's like to suffer the lost of loved ones, and neither has ever known anyone who can match their intelligence or survival and fighting skills. (Day may not have June's military training, but if they were to ever fight seriously in either a mental or physical battle, I have no idea who would win! I imagine it would be epic though.) They acknowledge the fact that they haven't known each other that long, but there's a connection between them that has been there since the moment they met. And after what they go through together in the book, that connection continues to grow deeper and stronger. I loved their moments together, and I thought their relationship was done really well.

What I also loved about Legend was that I actually felt something for the secondary characters like Metias, Day's family, and Tess. From the synopsis, Metias's fate is known, but his presence is still there in the book. He was a loving brother to June, and I wish his life didn't have to end that way. Tess is a young girl who Day took under his wings two years ago. She's a great person, and I really hope we get more of her in the next book. Day's caring personality definitely comes from his family. The situation Day's family is put through is horrible and broke my heart, and I hope justice is served out to those people who caused their suffering.

By the time I got to the end of Legend, all I wanted was more. I really loved the last few pages. I cannot wait to revisit this world and find out what happens next with Day and June and the rest of the characters. (I believe the sequel will be released over a year from now, which is too far!) Legend is a thrilling and awesome start to this trilogy; it's the first YA dystopian novel I've read this year that I actually loved. Highly recommend it to YA dystopian fans!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Thanks to CBS Films for the ARC!

Review: Gorgon in the Gully by Melina Marchetta

Title: The Gorgon in the Gully
Author: Melina Marchetta
Pages: 119
Publisher: Penguin Australia / Puffin
Release Date: September 27, 2010

Beyond the basketball courts and classrooms of St Raph's is a gully where everything disappears forever. Danny Griggs has heard stories about a creature that lives down there. So why does he volunteer to face the Gorgon when he's been petrified of everything all his life?

A gentle story about overcoming fear and looking at things from all angles, from best-selling author Melina Marchetta.

My Thoughts: Melina Marchetta is my favorite author EVER. I will read anything she writes. When I found out that she was releasing a children's book, I knew I wanted to read it. And when I found it was about Danny Griggs, the little brother of Jonah Griggs (my favorite male character of all time) from Jellicoe Road (my favorite book in the entire world), I knew I had to get my hands on a copy! Sadly, Australian books are hard to come by and shipping is pretty expensive to the US, so I thought it would be awhile before I ever got a chance to read it. But then a miracle... FishpondWorld.com! Three weeks after ordering it I finally received it in the mail. I read it as soon as I could, and it was worth the wait! I just loved it!

There's a legend about an evil monster called the Gorgon that lives in the gully at the St. Raph's schoolyard. If any ball happens to fall in the gully, it's lost forever because no one will ever dare risk facing the Gorgon. But after Danny Griggs accidentally hits a classmate's soccer ball (the lucky soccer ball signed by Harry Kewell that will help them win the grand final!) into the gully and gets called a gutless wonder by the school bully, Danny decides he's going to stop being afraid and venture into the gully. With the help of his friends and his older brother Jonah, Danny hatches a plan to retrieve the ball from the gully and along the way learns to overcome his fears and the importance of friendships.

The Gorgon in the Gully had the humor and friendships Melina Marchetta is awesome at, but in a much more innocent form (the characters are little kids, of course!). It was such a cute read. I mean, c'mon, mini-Melina Marchetta characters? So adorable! All the characters were great, and Danny was my favorite! He's a sweetie, and I loved how he wanted to be courageous even though he was terrified. I do think he's a whole lot braver than he gives himself credit for. I loved the relationships Danny had with his friends and how he made new friends, and I also loved reading his interactions with his mother, Jonah, and Jack, his mother's boyfriend. Danny was really such a nice character to read about.

This story actually takes place during the same time as Jellicoe Road, so I think you'll appreciate it even more if you're a Jellicoe Road fan. Especially if you love Jonah Griggs. He was in this a lot more than I expected. And yes, I had a HUGE stupid grin on my face ever single time he was mentioned. I didn't believe it was possible, but I love him even more now!

One of my favorite quotes from the book (Jellicoe fans will understand!):

"The next night he asked Jonah if he could take $9.49 out of Jonah's secret stash that only Danny and his mum and Jack knew about. Jonah kept it in his sock drawer next to a photograph of Jonah and a girl with sad eyes, taken in one of those railway station photo booths."

Really, I could go on and on, but since this is a short story, I don't want to end up spoiling everything. This is a book about friendships and overcoming fears, and it's definitely a great read for children. I also recommended it to Melina Marchetta fans, who need a quick Melina Marchetta fix before the next book release!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

In My Mailbox #46

In My Mailbox was created by Kristi at The Story Siren, inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.

Not pictured:

Book Tour
Bloodlines (Bloodlines, #1) ARC by Richelle Mead (from Once Upon a Twilight)
Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley (from Go Aussie Book Tours)
Invisible Touch by Kelly Parra (from a GoodReads book buddy!)

Won
Stay With Me ARC by Paul Griffin (from LibraryThing)

It's been like a month since my last IMM! I remember at that time I was going to the SC Book Festival. I was going to talk about it, but...yeah. Things did NOT go as planned. :( I had car issues that entire weekend! I was 10 minutes late to Neal Shusterman's panel, and since his panel ended at the same time as the festival, I couldn't see Shelena Shorts & Jennifer Murgia in the Exhibit Hall. I was going to go the next day, but the brakes on the car were too messed up. I just couldn't risk it. And wasn't able to meet them. I was very disappointed. :'( Maybe I'll have better luck next year. Anyway, I did really enjoy Neal Shusterman's panel. He was a great speaker, and I was able to ask him about Unwind's sequel & get my book signed. Yay! My first author signing! :)

So, I've already read Graffiti Moon and Bloodlines, and I loved them both! My review for Bloodlines is here, and I'm working on a Graffiti Moon review. I recommend both books. :D (And I like seriously need The Golden Lily now!) Currently I'm reading Stay With Me. Haven't gotten far enough to form an opinion yet. Invisible Touch was another book I received this week. Thanks to Janina! I've been looking for a YA paranormal with a Hispanic girl as the main character. Hope I enjoy it becaue it sounds really interesting! :) I will review that one for the Persons of Color Reading Challenge. And finally, you've probably noticed the Entertainment Weekly magazine in the top picture. I just had to share it because yeah, I love The Hunger Games too much. I'm so freakin' excited for the movie! XD

Well, that's it for this week. :) Have a great week!

Review: Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Title: Bloodlines (Bloodlines, #1)
Author: Richelle Mead
Pages: 421 (ARC copy)
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: August 23, 2011

When alchemist Sydney is ordered into hiding to protect the life of Moroi princess Jill Dragomir, the last place she expects to be sent is a human private school in Palm Springs, California. But at their new school, the drama is only just beginning.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Bloodlines explores all the friendship, romance, battles and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive - this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone's out for blood.

My Thoughts: I liked the Vampire Academy series. It was entertaining enough, but I never felt that reading it was a top priority. For some reason, though, I REALLY wanted to read Bloodlines. I was way more excited for it than Last Sacrifice. I think knowing that Sydney, a human and an Alchemist, would be the main character made it sound very interesting to me. I liked Sydney from the VA series, and I wondered how different her story and her character would be from Rose's. Also, although I might not have cared as much for Adrian as other readers did, I was still really curious about what happened to him. So when I had the opportunity to read an ARC of Bloodlines, I went for it.

About a month after events in Last Sacrifice, Sydney Sage's life continues to be effected by her decision to help Rose Hathaway. Other Alchemists, including her father, don't trust her, and she has nightmares of being sent to a re-education center, a secretive place where an Alchemist who has gotten too close to vampires is taken to "learn the errors of their ways" and eventually become a person less than themselves. When she is given orders to pose as Jill Dragomir's sister at a California human boarding school in order to prevent a Moroi civil war, she accepts so that she can protect her younger sister Zoe and prove her loyalty to the Alchemists. Right away, though, Sydney learns just how difficult it is protecting a vampire princess in a human world and that Alchemists may not know as much about vampires as they believed.

I don't feel like you should go into Bloodlines without at least knowing what happened in the Vampire Academy series; however, if you haven't read it, you'll just be like Sydney, missing details and information that VA readers would already know. The great thing about Sydney is that she's very intelligent. Her intelligence is her biggest strength, and she'll eventually figure out what she doesn't already know. People's first impressions of her is that she's spineless and lacking in some social skills. She is a little oblivious in certain social situations, but that's part of who she is and I really liked that about her. And the truth is Sydney's an observer and someone who likes to make sure her job is done efficiently without any problems. She likes to follow rules, but knows there are times when rules shouldn't always be followed. And she may not be a kick-ass fighter, but she's kick-ass in her own way. She has a sharp mind and is smart enough to handle herself in dangerous situations. I just thought Sydney was such an awesome character, and I found myself able to relate to her more than I could with Rose. She's part of the reason why I cannot wait to read the next book.

The supporting characters in this book were Adrian, Jill, and Eddie. Adrian played a much bigger role than I expected. I'm really glad for that because he was amazing! Hilarious and perceptive. Usually bickering with Sydney and protective of Jill and everyone. I feel like I understand him a whole lot better now, and I can't believe I never noticed how great he was while reading Vampire Academy. I know readers are wondering what happened to him after Last Sacrifice, and well... Like I mentioned, Bloodlines starts about a month after LS. He really is trying though. He just needs people to trust and believe in him. So far he's doing a very good job, and I admire his efforts. I'm definitely rooting for him; he deserves it!

Another thing I'm sure readers are wondering about is the romance and if it involves Adrian. If you're looking for romance in this book, I think you'll be disappointed. Romance was not a main focus in this book. I do believe something is developing, and I'm completely fine with the pace because I would much rather prefer a relationship and a romance to grow gradually instead of occurring instantly. That being said, I really can't wait to see where it goes! I'm crossing my fingers that it ends up how I'm hoping it will.

Now that I've read Bloodlines, I have to say that I'm already liking it more than Vampire Academy! I didn't want to put the book down. There wasn't as much fighting in Bloodlines (only because Sydney isn't a guardian like Rose), but there was definitely enough action and everything to keep me interested. I highly recommend Bloodlines to VA fans looking for a fresh start and a new heroine to root for and for those who just love Adrian! I know I'm extremely excited for book two, The Golden Lily!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Thanks to Once Upon a Twilight for hosting the ARC tour!

Soul in Love Winner & Quick Update

The winner of a signed copy of Soul in Love by Vone Savan is....

Sarah E. Cruz

Congrats to Sarah! :) She has already been notified by email.

Quick blog update: I realize I haven't posted much of anything this past month. I would like for that to change this month, but I'm not sure what will happen. We'll see. All I know is that I'm not giving up on this blog. :)