New Allegiant Trailer

New Allegiant trailer has been released!!

From what I've heard, the Allegiant book wasn't that good but that won't stop me from checking this movie out. I haven't read the book because I've heard it's bad but I want to finish watching the movies to know what happens.

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Every Day by David Levithan

 Title: Every Day

 Author: David Levithan

 Series: Everyday #1

 Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

 Date Published: August 28, 2012

 Genre: Contemporary, Fantasy?

 Pages: 338 (Hardcover)

Age Range: 12+




                                                                     Summary:

     Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.
     There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.

     It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

                                                                       Review:

     From the flap, I was really interested in reading this book. That personal hype started around two years ago, and since then, it hasn't abated much. So, I read this book, aware of all the hype surrounding it, expecting (for once) to fall in love with this bit of hype, and get some amazing message to walk away with, and cherish in my heart forever. Instead, I was left with a bit of a sour taste, and a ton of lovey-dovey fluff that I didn't want anywhere near this story. I know the flap practically screams I'm a Romeo and Juliet kind of scenario but I was praying for something a bit more unique. What did I get? A Romeo and Juliet scenario.

     A's predicament was fascinating. Sure, it was never fully explained, it was kind of half thought out, and it had a plethora of rules that were just too convenient, but I liked it. I thought it was kind of original, and I wasn't that bothered by how convenient the rules were- well, I wasn't bothered at first. Then, I realized that we were never going to get a full background of this... traveling thing. And since I couldn't have that, I wanted everything to stop being so darned easy for A. Like, just because he finally meets someone he wants after about four hours of instalove does not mean that he can suddenly start screwing with rules that were set in stone before, just so he can stay near the object of his desires. All of that said, I did like A, and- dare I say it?- I actually felt pretty bad for him.

     Rhiannon, on the other hand... not so much. I'm just going to come straight out and say that I didn't feel as if she's good enough for A. A is actually a really good guy stuck in an unfavorable set of Life's Cards, and Rhiannon is a girl who sticks around her crummy boyfriend because she can. Honestly, we don't get a lot of character development for this girl, and what we do, is pretty negative. Her boyfriend isn't the best, but he also doesn't hurt her or anything, and sometimes he can actually be really great, and she's kind of an outcast because of her gloominess. Maybe I missed something with her, but I just din't feel like she was good enough for A.

     The plot was something that could have been shortened drastically, and had something of major relevance happen. Besides a weird outside threat, and a "will they, or won't they" kind of drama, nothing really happens besides some super cool body changing from A. I think something else that made this book drag its little feet is the writing. I actually thought the writing was very pretty, but a little too flowery in many parts. I feel like a bit more an action-packed writing style would've worked better.

    I don't even know what book two is about, so I don't know if I want to read it. I think I do, but if it's from Rhiannon's POV, or mainly about her, I'm passing. I want a lot more A in book two, and I want more background from his childhood.

                                                 

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

 Title: I'll Give You The Sun

 Author: Jandy Nelson

 Publisher: Dial Books

 Date Published: September 16, 2014

 Genre: Contemporary

 Pages: 400 (Hardcover)

 Age Range: 15+









                                                                        Summary:

     At first, Jude and her twin brother are NoahandJude; inseparable. Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude wears red-red lipstick, cliff-dives, and does all the talking for both of them. 

Years later, they are barely speaking. Something has happened to change the twins in different yet equally devastating ways . . . but then Jude meets an intriguing, irresistible boy and a mysterious new mentor. 

The early years are Noah’s to tell; the later years are Jude’s. But they each have only half the story, and if they can only find their way back to one another, they’ll have a chance to remake their world.

                                                                           Review:

     I have siblings, and I'm really close to them. Because I am more than five years older than my sister, the second oldest in the family, we are not as close as Noah and Jude are assumed to be in this book. Noah and Jude are supposed to be incredibly close- the flap even says so! They are supposed to be the same soul split into two bodies- inseparable, similar, etc. But I really wasn't feeling it. There was absolutely no evidence that these two were as tightly-knit as everyone claims, except for references to things that they did together that the reader never gets to see. The book opens to a tragic scene, and quickly dissolves into the two twins being incredibly divided. Never do we see loyalty, love, or camaraderie between the two protagonists- at least not until a page or two away from the end, in my opinion. In fact, they really seem to hate each other, and to blame each other for everything wrong in their own life. And I just didn't want to deal with that. I got really tired of hearing Noah complain about Jude, and Jude complain about Noah. In fact, I was done before I finished reading the first chapter.

     Any other relationship that these characters had with any other character, was dwarfed by the "terrible" loss of losing each other. Both twins apparently fell into disrepair, barely even functioning. Instead, they both fell into the pits of fake depression and floundered in their own self-pity. I wanted nothing more than to shake both of them and tell them to just talk, or, because I couldn't be bothered to care, to grow a pair and move on with life.

     I feel like my very negative reaction to the book wouldn't be so bad if I had liked any aspect of the book. But I didn't. Why, you are probably wondering. I disliked every part of this book because I HATED the writing. It felt amateurish, slow, very boring, and I didn't like the writing style. It was meant to be artistic and profound, but nothing worked. It was sloppy, stupid, and grated on my already-thin nerves. Because I didn't like the writing, I didn't like the plot, the characters, or any aspect that author tried to throw at me as a reader.

     The only thing that this book has going for it, is its gorgeous cover. I won't lie, the cover is beautiful. But that's the only thing that I actually can find to praise about this travesty. Just stay away. I don't think I can make myself read Jandy Nelson's other book(s) even though they were widely acclaimed.