People of Darkness

Quick Summary: People of Darkness is about Sergeant Jim Chee who is tasked with finding out what is the cause behind a box of stolen rocks, strange murders, and a bombing. At the same time, he fears for his life.

My review: In this mystery I found myself at first extremely bored. If there is one point in a book where you should not have a reader bored, it is at the beginning, because that is right when a reader is possibly wanting to buy it, and they may easily go spend their money somewhere else. But then it picked up a bit. I still didn't like it as much, but it wasn't exactly my kind of book. The characters were kind of annoying and there were times where I was left very confused, and never did fully understand what happened. I felt that there was a bit of trouble the author had explaining everything. I did find it interesting that it was also following one of the antagonists throughout the book. I liked knowing part of what is happening, but there was enough left out that I was still "surprised" at the end, even though parts of it were predictable. Anyway, it did get a bit better and I enjoyed it at times, though it was not my favorite read.

My review:

***

The Enemy

Brief Summary: The Enemy is a book set in future London where all people over the age of 16 have turned into zombie-like creatures that have a craving for the children. It follows a group of kids and their struggle to find safety.

Quick Review: I have said this before, I think, but the first thing that comes to mind with this is that I like it but at times it sounds forced. Like they had to write this and didn't enjoy it. I don't know why but sometimes this just really bothers me, maybe because I know the feeling. Overall, though, I enjoyed it!

My rating:

****

The Warlock

Quick Summary: The Warlock is the fifth book in the series by Michael Scott and we find Sophie and Josh divided. According to the prophecy, one will save the world, and one will destroy it, but which one is which? Josh is with Dr. John Dee, a man who used to be his enemy, and Virginia Dare in San Francisco. Scathach, Palamedes, Shakespeare and Joan of Arc and her husband are trapped in the past on Danu Talis with death. Sophie is with the Alchemist and his wife, but Nicholas is very close to death, and Perry is right behind him. There is too little time left before the world, undoubtedly, ends.

My review: I, like all other books in this series, very much enjoyed it. It left me confused but I do like being confused and having everything straighten out in the end, it makes me think about it. It is so complex and I feel the need to research every character. I love this series!

My rating:

*****

This book is nominated for the Jack K Fiction Award for 2011!

Blood Red Road

Quick Synopsis: Blood Red Road is the story of Saba by Silverlake who has lived her entire life by a small lake with her father, sister, and twin brother, Lugh. Then the storm hits. Then a few men come by and take Lugh and Saba has to find her brother and travel through strange lands before it's too late.

My Review: I really enjoyed this book. There was a little bit of everything in it. Excitement, romance, anger, hatred, sadness...whatever you can think of, that's what this book has. At first I was a bit skeptical because the author writes with the accent pronunciations and also because there are no quotations, but I soon got over that fact and continued on with an unforgettable book.

My Rating:

*****

(This book is nominated for the Jack K Fiction Award for 2011)

Of Mice and Men

Quick summary: The classic novella by John Steinbeck, basically about mice and men, as the title indicates. It tells about Lennie and George, two friends who are trying to earn enough money to buy their own farm.

My review: I actually liked this book. It wasn't my favorite, but I really did enjoy reading it. It had a good pace and didn't contain long boring scenes. It was short and to the point and I liked the concept of it.

My rating:

***1/2

All Quiet On The Western Front

The greatest war story of all time as it is called, really did not live to its standard with me. Yes, I am not usually a fan of these types of books but really there were times that I found it painful to read. I had to force myself to turn the page. As I neared the end, I was dying to finish it, trying to stop myself from screaming out in agony. That's just my opinion. I admit I probably am a little biased against this but still, I would at least like it a little bit even with the bias thrown in. Oh well, you can't love every book.

Quick Synopsis: This book is about Paul Bäumer, who is a German soldier in World War 1. It is about his life in the war and the friends that he has made. It is filled with graphic description and a few gruesome scenes--though I did not find them as gruesome as they were said to be. It makes Paul, after seeing all of the violence and evil, think why there is war if it can be this horrible?

My Review: Okay, as I have already stated, I did not like this book. First of all, it is a story about history. Historical Fiction. I think it should be a rule that historical fiction should be written in past-tense, not present tense. It is not happening at this moment. At the end I found like the author was trying too hard to fit everything into the second-to-last chapter. Oh well, still I am so biased so I have to give a little bit more credit than I would.

My rating:

*1/2

I Am The Messenger

Brief Summary: In the next critically-acclaimed novel by Markus Zusak, Ed Kennedy, an average underage cabdriver in Australia stops a bank robbery. The next thing that he knows is that he is getting strange cards in the mail, each one leading to a different place, each one with an important message for him to give. As he starts to become more than just an average person, he wonders who is actually behind the strange cards.

My Review: I liked this book. It wasn't as good as The Book Thief, but it was still very good. I liked it. There were a parts that were a little too much, and a few parts that were a little cheesy and predictable, but, really, I found this book fun and interesting. It was sad and funny and strange at the same time. Well done.

My Rating:

****