Review: The Line

Book: The Line
Author: Teri Hall
Pages: 220
Published: March 4th 2010 by Dial
Source: Bought

An invisible, uncrossable physical barrier encloses the Unified States. The Line is the part of the border that lopped off part of the country, dooming the inhabitants to an unknown fate when the enemy used a banned weapon. It’s said that bizarre creatures and superhumans live on the other side, in Away. Nobody except tough old Ms. Moore would ever live next to the Line.

Nobody but Rachel and her mother, who went to live there after Rachel’s dad died in the last war. It’s a safe, quiet life. Until Rachel finds a mysterious recorded message that can only have come from Away. The voice is asking for help.

Who sent the message? Why is her mother so protective? And to what lengths is Rachel willing to go in order to do what she thinks is right?

The Line sounded like a great dystopian read from the moment I heard about it. This book has a great premise and I wasn't sure if it could live up to it - luckily, it did.

It took me a little while to get a good sense of the characters. For the first few chapters, there wasn't much interaction between them, because it was mostly narration. When I did understand these characters, though, I loved them. Rachel was an admirable girl, and she was so brave and I loved her curiosity and ability to think clearly in the most panicked situations. It doesn't really describe much of what she looks like, so I couldn't really picture her in my mind, but what I could picture, I liked. Even the supporting characters, like Jonathan and Pathik (even though Pathik becomes more of a main character near the end), were very well built and I'm really looking forward to seeing more of them in the next book.

The first half of this book felt really slow to me. It wasn't dull, by any means, but it takes a while to provide the full history of the dystopian world. I thought the things that happened seemed realistic (to a point, of course), and that was a little scary, but I was really impressed with the world Teri Hall had created. The action really starts to kick in only about halfway through with the introduction of Pathik, and that was when I really started getting really into the story. The action parts and suspenseful and intense, and completely absorbing. I loved how thorough Hall was with her world and her story.

The Line was a really impressive debut and it ended on a pretty major cliffhanger, so I'm really excited for the sequel, Away!

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

Cover: I love the mystery element of this cover. It doesn't take long to figure out what the cover means, once you start reading, but I love the mystery it presents when you haven't read it yet and have no idea what it means. Really eye-catching, and I love the font used for the title!

**I'd just like you all to know that I've ended my Summer Contest early. I'd like to give the contest winner 48 hours to respond to my email, and if I end my contest on the 30th, I'd be unable to mail the prize to the winner for at least a week, and I really want to get the books to the winner as soon as possible. Therefore, I ended my contest today. The contest winner will be announced tomorrow. :)

Review: After Ever After

Book: After Ever After
Author: Jordan Sonnenblick
Pages: 260
Published: February 1st, 2010 by Scholastic
Source: Library

Jeffrey isn't a little boy with cancer anymore. He's a teen who's in remission, but life still feels fragile. The aftereffects of treatment have left Jeffrey with an inability to be a great student or to walk without limping. His parents still worry about him. His older brother, Steven, lost it and took off to Africa to be in a drumming circle and "find himself." Jeffrey has a little soul searching to do, too, which begins with his escalating anger at Steven, an old friend who is keeping something secret, and a girl who is way out of his league but who thinks he's cute.

I haven't actually heard much about this book, but I honestly don't know why! I thought this book was going to be pretty light at first, even though it's about an ex-cancer patient, but it was so much deeper than that and I ended up enjoying this book so much more than I'd expected to.

I loved the characters in this book. They did not seem like eighth grade students, which I can say, speaking from the point of view of an actual eighth grader. But I guess they did, in a way, Jeffrey and Tad. I loved how unique and absolutely hilarious their voices were, and I felt like I could understand them just like that. It took no effort whatsoever. It was so easy to identify with both of them, as well as Lindsey, and I loved that!

So, this book is pretty predictable. Most books about sickness are like that - they almost seem to have a sort of formula for the story, but in After Ever After, I really didn't think that detracted from my enjoyment of the story at all. I still sympathized with them through everything they went through, and the way it was written, from the point of view of someone who sounds just like you and me but has been through so much more, makes it so much more realistic and a little scarier. I felt like everything counted in this book and I thought that was really amazing.

I seriously do not know why more people aren't talking about this book. After Ever After is a touching book, despite its seemingly light premise, and I absolutely loved it. I highly recommend it to anyone; it sends a great message and while it does have its funny and light parts, there are some really deep, moving scenes as well.

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

Cover: I understood this cover from the minute I saw it. I love its simplicity, and I really like how the title is on the back of the boy's shirt. The cover is one of those that makes you think about picking up the book, but there's a 50-50 chance that you will or won't.

Review: Shiver

Book: Shiver
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Pages: 392
Published: August 1st 2009 by Scholastic Press
Source: Bought

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.

General Overview: I nearly cried at the end. This book amazed me and far surpassed my already high expectations. I hadn't read very many werewolf books before Shiver (with the exception of Twilight, which I hated. Sorry to all my Twihard viewers!) and this book really got me into the concept of people who could shift into wolves. Maggie Stiefvater provided an original, new type of werewolf.

Characters: I loved Sam and Grace! I thought Grace seemed like a very sympathetic person and was definitely different -- in a good way, though. Sam was the one who took my breath away. He was sweet and caring and I loved how much he cared for Grace. Though their relationship moved rather quickly, you understand why, reading about their fascination with one another, even though they didn't actually know each other before they met. Before Grace found out Sam wasn't just a wolf. Jack, the main antagonist of the book, kind of freaked me out. That dude was just crazy. He had some issues.

Plot: Shiver kept me on the edge of my seat, let me tell you! The romantic tension between Grace and Sam is almost palpable, and I kept hoping and praying that nothing would come between them and that everything would end up okay. There were plenty of challenges they had to overcome and lots of people and things stood in their way, but they didn't let anything stop them, and I loved that. Everything that happened in the book, happened for a reason, and I loved that in the end all the things that we learn kind of come together to help Sam and Grace overcome the most challenging hurdle yet.

Writing: As I've mentioned before in my review of Lament, Stiefvater is an amazing writer. Her books flow remarkably well and she knows how to switch between the point of view of a girl and a boy (if you didn't guess from that, Shiver alternates between the narrations of Sam and Grace) and let you feel the difference. So often in books, when the author switches perspectives, the voices start to blend together and you can't tell who's who -- that is most definitely not the case with Shiver.

Cover: I LOVE THIS COVER!!! I didn't realize before but the red in the dotted 'i' really sticks out. You can't tell so much on the computer, but when you actually have the book in your hands…It's gorgeous. I love the texture of Shiver and the colors used. Brilliant.

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars

Review: If I Stay

Book: If I Stay
Author: Gayle Forman
Pages: 199
Published: April 9th 2009
Source: Bought

In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck...

A sophisticated, layered, and heartachingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make—and the ultimate choice Mia commands.

In a word…unforgettable. Hopeful. Honest. [I realize that that's three words, but…but…okay, fine, it's three words.] I loved this book way more than I expected to!

Mia was an inspiring character to read about. She experienced this tragedy, this horrible terrible thing that happened to her family, and yet she still managed to think clearly and honestly. She never lied to herself, or if she did she'd admit that she was lying, and I loved that about her. She was faced with a tough decision, and she didn't know which was the right choice to make, and yet in the end, I think she did choose the right path, even if she wasn't so sure herself. She was an extremely lucky girl, both in family and in friends. Her best friend, Kim, was a character that I loved seeing because she believed in her friend more than even she believed in herself, and I think that any friend who does that for you is a truer friend than any of us have any right to hope for. Adam was…well, he's basically the perfect boyfriend. I found myself jealous of Mia a couple times! He was so amazing to Mia, even when she wasn't conscious [well, sorta, but being a spirit-ish thing doesn't really count as being conscious] and there were so many times when I wanted to cry during his heartfelt hospital scenes. He'd do anything for Mia, and you know it.

This isn't an action book. It's not an adventure book. It's not a mystery. It's not a fantasy. This is a book about letting go, making hard choices, and ultimately deciding who you are and where you want to be, and who you want to be there with. It's about letting go and about family, love, and friendship. This is such a powerful book, one of the most powerful I've ever read, and when I finished it I closed it and stared at the cover for like, ten minutes. No joke.

Gayle Forman is a talented author. She knows how to write in a way that pulls at your heartstrings and challenges your beliefs and all the decisions you've made. All the characters and the events in this book clicked, and the writing was just a cherry on top of a huge, massive cake. Yeah -- I compared this book to cake. Now you know how much I loved it.

Cover: It took me a little while to understand why the cover was the way that it was, but once I did, I completely understood the significance of the tree and the bird. Very eye-catching and solid.

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars