It's the end of the world as we know it...

...and I feel fine! No, actually, that's a lie. I feel rather sick and (again) I blame my mother. (Don't know what I'm talking about? Refer back to my very first blog post.) I'm a bit stuffy and I have a sore throat and I couldn't sleep last night so I'm also tired, plus I've got PMS. So maybe the world will end, and I'll be the one to bring it about.

"Titus, that's what you get for not apologizing! I warned you I'd press the button!" <- unless your name is Titus Maroonda you will have no idea what I mean by that. Or if you're my best friend Sabrina, then you should know what I'm talking about, too.

*Sneezes* Ugh.

Anyways.

I thought it would be fun to write a blog post on the day that the world is supposedly ending. You know, for the apparent "last day of the world existing" I've done just about nothing today. Also, there's quite a lot of people at Walmart. AREN'T YOU PEOPLE SUPPOSED TO BE STOCK PILING WEAPONS FOR YOUR DEFENSE AGAINST THE ZOMBIES?? I swear I was terrified that my mom would ask me to do just that because she wasn't feeling well enough to do it herself yesterday...

I could write an entire post about what I would do if the world really was ending. But I figured no one would be interested in reading that. So instead, I've decided to write a post listing things that I will NOT be doing on this day that the world ends.

1. Stocking up on weapons to defend my family against the zombies, as stated above.
2. Eating 8 things of Betty Crocker's frosting: 3 cans of cream cheese frosting, 2 cans of milk chocolate frosting, 2 cans of triple fudge chip frosting, and 1 can of coconut pecan frosting.
3. Streaking in the downtown streets of my city. I mean, come on. It's snowing.
4. Getting my tongue pierced. I have enough trouble with the single piercings in my ears.
5. Skydiving
6. Swimming with sharks
7. Trying to tame a Tasmanian devil. Does anyone even know where I could get one of those?
8. Reading all the books in the world that I could ever want to read. And I really would like to do that. Unfortunately, I just don't have the time. *sigh*
9. Rounding up a pride of lions while bare-back riding a giraffe.
10. Getting his and her tattoos. Who wants a tattoo that says "His and her"?
11. Learning how to knit
12. Learning how to crochet anything except a long string
13. Getting my skin bleached. I'm pale enough as it is.
14. Going to a Justin Bieber concert
15. I guess I should also mention that I'm not going to a One Direction concert, either. And I wouldn't mind seeing that.
16. I guess I should also mention that I'm not seeing any concerts today...
17. Getting anything productive done today
18. Getting a job
19. Saving the polar bears
20. Finally getting rid of the scum bag slime ball who broke my best friend's heart. Why should he get the easy way out? He's gonna have to suffer the rains of fire along with us.
21. Learning to speak Tagalog
22. Paying back my student loans. Just kidding! I don't have any students loans. I'm still in high school, unlike the losers who have loans to pay back! mwahahahaha
23. Watching "Keeping up with the Kardashians."
24. Finally finishing watching Smallville
And last but not least...
25. Learning the lyrics to the opening song of "The Lion King."

Have a safe end of the world day! And remember: it's OK to round up a pride of lions while riding a saddled giraffe; just not a bare-back giraffe. I hope my post brought you some amount of joy on this very depressing day. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to learn how to play "Stayin Alive" on my harmonica.

Oh look! I came up with three more.

26. Buying a hermonica.
27. Learning how to play a hermonica.
28. Learning how to play "Staying Alive" on a harmonica.

Ain't nobody got time for all that stuff!

Peace!

Molly Maurer

Hush, Hush saga by Becca Fitzpatrick [compilation] Book Review

Normally I do one review per book, but for this particular saga I am compiling all four books into one review. Get ready! And I will try not to include any spoilers... however, I recommend only reading up to the book you are at/interested in.

When I began Hush, Hush I was about the age of fourteen or fifteen. I'd just gotten into reading and I was after a particular genre (one word: Twilight). I thought Hush, Hush sounded interesting and so I requested it from the library. *ahem* Let's just say that it was a bit more... mature... than I was looking for.

Don't get me wrong, no one was doing the do. But there were plenty of innuendos that I wasn't used to, and the writing seemed to be leading up to a more sensual theme. Being me, I couldn't put the book down until I was finished. Now eighteen years of age, I place this book under my "runner-up-to-favorites" book list on Goodreads.com.

The first place we see Nora Gray (obviously, the main character) is in her biology class, staring at the words "Welcome to human reproduction (sex)" written on the blackboard. If that's not enough to make one uncomfortable, Nora suddenly finds her lab partner switched from her best friend since childhood to the gorgeous new transfer. To make matters even more awkward, the gorgeous new transfer is a guy. And to make matters even more awkward, the gorgeous new transfer seems to know more about Nora than he could possibly perceive by sitting behind her the entire year. What's more, he refuses to tell her anything about himself besides his name -Patch- and his phone number.

Before she knows it, Nora is swept up in the mystery that is Patch. She is intent on learning who he is, even after their project is turned in. The mystery that intrigues her the most is what are the scars on his back, how did he get them, and what do they symbolize? Also, why can't she shake the feeling that he's after her, and not just in the normal hormonal teenage-obsession way?

This book gets 3.5 stars out of 5 from me.

For the same reason I couldn't put Hush, Hush down I picked Crescendo up. The first book wasn't terrible, and I kinda really wanted to know what was in store for Nora and Patch next. So I requested the sequel from the library. 

The most frustrating out of the entire series, in my opinion. Nora has overcome death and gained a guardian angel. All good, right? But things take an unexpected turn when archangels get involved. Soon Nora must put her wants and desires on the back-burner to keep everyone she loves safe. And, before she knows it, she's back in the line of fire, this time threatened by the same man who killed her father so many years ago.

Now the question is: who is the Black Hand, and how is he linked to both her father and the conflict between fallen angels and nephilim?

I think this was the book that initiated the love-hate relationship that I have with the saga. I wanted to yell and scream at the characters, while at the same time cry for their grievances. I found that I could relate to Crescendo more than I had Hush, Hush, so naturally I was more intrigued by this book. Needless to say, I did not put it down. And I really wanted to scream at the end. So of course I needed to read the next one.

This book gets 4 stars out of 5 from me.

The love-hate relationship that I had with the saga continued with the release of Silence. There was a lot of screaming, hair-pulling, book-putting-down (that book was lucky not to get thrown at the wall) while I read (or attempted to read) through to the end. I mean, REALLY? Can I just say how much I loathe Hank Miller? Major plot twists, some of which I was still trying to cope with when I went on to read Finale.

Just rip my heart out, stab it with a serrated blade, put it through a meat grinder, and dip it in acid, why don't you?

And that is all I will write about this book for fear that I will reveal key elements to readers of this post. Aww you should know me by now. No spoilers!

Because this book frustrated me so much, it gets 3.5 stars out of 5. That's right, you lose .5 stars for all the almost heart attacks you gave me, you stupid book! ( I love you!)

Oh, I guess I can leave you with this: by the end of the book Nora is smack dab in the middle of a war.

Because I love to torture myself.

What's a girl practically on death row supposed to do?

Trust the ex-right hand man to the Black Hand, that's what. Nora is a vulnerable girl caught in a brutal war between fallen angels and the Nephilim. Obviously she cannot match either side in strength, and it seems unlikely that she can equal their mental prowess. Even Nora's emotional stability is threatened when she must pretend to break up with the love of her life in order to appease the armies. And how long can she and Patch keep up the charade before it becomes a reality? 

Then a weapon comes into play that was previously thought to have gone straight to hell: Devilcraft. Nora starts on an addiction that she can barely admit she has, let alone cure. The only good thing that comes from Devilcraft is that it evens out the playing field, and Nora's hope at surviving. But just how long before the powers of hell become a problem rather than a long, sought-after miracle?

Of course this book was just as aggravating as the preceding ones. Since it was the final book in the series I obviously had to finish it. I did not force myself through the other three books just to stop at the conclusion. Finale contained just as many emotional roller coasters as the others (although I must say Silence was the most nerve-wracking for me) and it took me about a week or two of picking it up, putting it down, picking it back up... to finish. I do think that Ms. Fitzpatrick did a wonderful job wrapping up her series; I am even more impressed that she stayed true to her writing style throughout all four books. Even if that writing style did make me want to set the books on fire. Kidding! (Sorta...)

I must admit: I am very disappointed that after so many years of following Nora and Patch's story there's not another book to look forward to/dread. This was definitely a series that takes you at "Hello" and clings to you even after "Goodbye." I must applaud you, Ms. Fitzpatrick. I truly underestimated you in the beginning.

Finale gets 4 out of 5 stars from me.

Now they better freaking not mess up the movie adaptation!

Reached by Ally Condie Book Review

We all know the feeling. In fact, there are fun images everywhere online expressing this feeling. See example below:

My birthday was on the ninth. I'm eighteen now! Whoo! I can now call in to order off of those infomercials that require you to be eighteen years or older to order (you know, $19.95 plus shipping and handling commercials?) I'm special.

I bet you can't guess what I got for my birthday.

...

Never mind, why would I mention my birthday in a book review if it had nothing to do with the book? I'm not that self absorbed.

I have a confession: no matter how good the book is, how strong the message, or how developed the characters are, if the ending sucks the entire book (and even the entire series) sucks. My favorite example to use in this case is The Hidden by Jessica Verday. I loved The Hollow. But the entire third book ruined the series (at least in my opinion). I still love the other two books. But the series is ruined. I know a lot of people hated Stephenie Meyer's Breaking Dawn. Personally I didn't think it was that bad, but I'm sure if you asked around some people will say that if they hadn't already hated the series, Breaking Dawn did it for them. It's just how it is. You need an intriguing beginning, a strong middle, and an almost perfect ending.

I am happy to announce that Ally Condie has successfully managed to not screw up the entire Matched trilogy. In fact, I think Reached may be my favorite out of the entire series. And that's saying something: normally nothing displaces the first book for me. But Ms. Condie stayed true to her writing style, her story and plot, and her characters. Everything was well written, explained, and instead of this book being a typical conclusion to a series you see nowadays (you know, just tying up loose ends) Reached had a plot all of its own, while incorporating answers for the questions raised in the preceding two books. And the plot of the latest installment kept up with the plot of the other two books, which is always a major accomplishment.

Normally when I write a book review, I include a little synopsis. I try not to do that with sequels, though. (How am I doing so far?) But I will say this of Reached, in case it wasn't clear enough: I loved this book. Ms. Condie accomplished what a lot of other authors have not: keeping a clear head and not being overly pressured to write the last book that the last book ends up being complete garbage. Again, always a major accomplishment.

I give this book five out of five stars.

Can I just say that I want to cry now that the series is over? :'(

Abandon by Meg Cabot Book Review

I ask my mom to take me to our local bookstore, Books-a-million, at least twice a month. Not to buy books but to look for some that sound interesting so that I can put them on hold at the library and read them, and then if I like them I go back and buy them. And if you think I'm weird for doing so, can you give me one good reason why I should spend money on a book that I may not even like? I am very particular when it comes to the types of books that I like.

Anyways, getting back to the book review...

I found Meg Cabot's Underworld during one of my trips to Books-a-million. I love stories that have to do with ancient Greek myths, especially ones that have to do with the gods and goddesses. So the hook for Underworld "The myth of Persephone... darkly re-imagined" obviously caught my attention. It's a good thing that I got it from the library, though, since it's actually the sequel to Abandon.

Pierce Oliviera feels the pressure to be perfect with a near perfect mom and a multimillionaire father. Until she becomes NDE (someone who has had a near-death experience). She locks herself inside "a glass coffin" and while trying to forget what she "experienced" after falling into that pool and hitting her head, her perfect little world comes crashing in around her and her parents. (And here's a hint: unlike what most people say, what she experienced was definitely not a bright light.)

The doctors say they revived her. But Pierce knows the truth.

Pierce and her now-divorced mother take refuge on some island in the Keys where Pierce's mother grew up to try to make a "new start." This means spending time in their new mansion with Pierce's convict uncle, his cranky son Alex, and Pierce's grandmother, who may or may not hate Pierce, and trying to fit into her new high school. But it's quite hard to move on when your past is haunting you, especially when the man who took you captive in the Underworld tends to show up everywhere you go, danger always seeming to follow in his wake.

The truth is, what Pierce saw wasn't a light. Her visions of the Underworld are not hallucinations. She was not revived by the doctors; she only came back because she missed her boat and managed to escape from the overseer of the dead.

And one other thing: Pierce's death was no accident. And her would-be killer may be about to strike again.

Who hasn't watched either of the Princess Diaries movies? Whenever I would see a book by Meg Cabot I would always smile and remember those movies, and simply skip over her books. I always thought that her writing would be too juvenile for me. "The myth of Persephone... darkly re-imagined." Someone care to smack me upside the head and point out the adjective in that hook-line to me?

Abandon was not my favorite book and it took me a little while to get through, but I did finish it, and not just because I had nothing else to read! It was an easy read, and I think I may have fallen for John Hayden. Mmm. I give it maybe 3 stars out of five. And I'm already almost halfway done with Underworld!

Rapture by Lauren Kate book review - conclusion to the Fallen Novels

Most every reader of YA fantasy novels knows the connection between Lucinda Price and Daniel Grigori. Fans of the Fallen series have been waiting almost three years to discover the link between these lovers and their curse: what exactly it is, what its limitation are, what transpired to bring it about, and how to break it. They have all been waiting -very patiently, or as patiently as readers can get- to see Luce and Daniel's Happily Ever After.

I'm sure they were all as shocked as I was to discover that Daniel was not Luce's original first love - that she was meant to be with another.

And I'm sure many books hit the wall when readers discovered this fact.

If you've read Rapture, then I am sure that you have read the three preceding novels and I do not have to explain their ideas. So I'm going to get right into it.

Lauren Kate's Fallen Novels were never my favorite books. I was initially drawn to Fallen because of its cover, as I'm sure most of its readers were. I was a little disappointed with its contents, especially the battle scene, but I was curious to see what was in store for Luce and Daniel. So I read Torment. And then Passion. With each book, my appreciation for the series declined more and more. With the conclusion of Rapture, I am now free to admit to placing this series into my "Hate it" list. And I really do hate to put things into my "Hate it" list just as I hate to say anything bad about a book, especially a best seller. But I never did fit in with the rest of the crowd.

The beginning of Rapture was fine, as was the case with all the rest of the series. I even found myself drawn into the story a little bit, wondering what the next item that they needed to find was, where it was, what they were supposed to do with all these items, etc. But then things began to get a little more complicated and technical. Miss Kate did not spare anything in describing details - which I have to appreciate in an author. But it was all just so complicated that I couldn't keep up. But whatever, you know? I just kept reading.

Then things started to get a little sacrilegious.

I am a Christian. Obviously I knew this book was not accurate in any way shape or form, but I put up with it just because it was a book and I was reading it for entertainment, not knowledge. But then there was the whole thing with portraying God as a woman? I'm sorry, but if you're going to write about this kind of stuff, at least get the Creator of the universe's gender right! He is the Father, not Mother. C'mon!

I like the covers of these books. That's about all.

On a happy note, the last two chapters of Rapture were nice. And no, that is not because I was happy that it was over. I'm not that childish.

Advice Column #1: Trust

Trust is a funny thing. It's not faith, although the two are closely related. Faith is trusting that you will wake up to see another day. Trust, however, is not having faith that you will see morning. You may trust God that he will wake you up. Faith is in things. Trust is in people. Get the difference yet?

I made the clarity between the two because while I am a woman of faith, I find it very difficult to trust people. We all have walls, some more than others, and I am one of the people who have more walls than average. So I find it hard to open up to people just to open up to them, to trust that what I tell them they won't use against me. I'm thinking that this will eventually help me in the long run with my pursuit of a career associated with psychology, but for now, while I am a senior in high school, it is hinders more than helps me.

We all have our issues. These issues are what form us into the people we are today. It's not that some of us have less than others, it's just that some of us are better equipped to handle such circumstances than others. Some are stronger than others and can push on past their breaking point; some aren't as persistent and end up having an emotional breakdown once or twice a year. Or month. But this doesn't mean that those of us who break down are weak; it just means that others have a stronger forefront.

No one can go through life alone. We are much better able to cope with the stresses of life if we have someone to rely on. However, this requires trust. Our generation is accused of being a rather dramatic one, but can we all just stop for a second and wonder where this drama is coming from? Parents, you are the first people your children will learn to trust. So listen to them even while they're young, and don't critique them harshly. Mothers, don't go gossiping to your girlfriends about what your child did/said. Fathers, don't just roll your eyes and tell your kids to go tell their mothers. (Of course not all trust issues stem from a bad relationship with ones parents, but for the sake of my argument, I'm only covering this point.)

So we know [one of] the initial cause[s] of trust issues. How do we cure it? Obviously we can't go back in time and hope that our parents treat us better. If we were to do that, our parents would have to go back in time and hope that their parents will treat them better. We can't go back in time to fix whatever it was that happened to ruin our trust in others. That option was out even before it was mentioned. So what can we do? We can sit here and hope for a person to come into our lives that is worthy of our trust and then when they do come, we can make them our best friend. But if the entire world did that where would that get us? No where. So what do we do?

We be the person we want to be friends with.

Am I suggesting that we start talking to ourselves? No. I am suggesting that you go out into the world and be the type of person you want your best friend to be. Be the person that people confide in. There's no guarantee that the favor will be returned, but you're definitely going to have a better chance at finding the right type of person this way. "Be the change you wish to see in the world." There is no better advice that I can give you than this. (Now if only I could take credit for that quote!)

As a side note: it's not when you have so many "friends" that you know that you are living your life right, or even when people "wish that they were you." You know you're living an exemplary life when people say that they wish they were "more like you."

Divergent by Veronica Roth book review

Can you imagine a world where your place is already predetermined? Where you must fit your personality into one of five factions? Not to mention if you choose the wrong faction, you have a chance at failing initiation and becoming factionless. There is no worse fate than becoming factionless. So what happens if you are born into a faction that does not match your personality? You have the option of either living a lie or transferring factions. The latter means that you will have no more contact with your family - "Faction before blood."

So what do you do?

Beatrice Prior faces this question, along with many others, in Divergent. She is born Abnegation - the selfless. Her problem is not that she is not selfless, it is that she is not selfless enough. Her heart longs for another faction: Dauntless, the brave. Even before her aptitude test -the test that tells which faction you are most compatible with- she catches herself watching the Dauntless from afar, wishing for their freedom. Their freedom to run and laugh and play - things that are frowned upon in her society, seeing as how they are all self-oriented actions. Even this small action proves that she is not cut out for Abnegation. But how can she stand to leave her family?

Then her time comes to take the test.

Her test results are inconclusive.

She has equal aptitude for both Dauntless and Abnegation, and another faction, Erudite, the intelligent. Her result is Divergent, and, according to her test administrator, Divergent is a very dangerous thing to be.

Beatrice knows that she cannot live a forced lifestyle in Abnegation, and she will not choose Erudite, who are spreading awful reports about her blood faction. So she chooses Dauntless. But nothing could have prepared her for the initiation process: learning to fight, to survive, fighting for a position in her faction against all the other initiates - Dauntless is only accepting ten new members, and there are twenty initiates, eleven of which are from Dauntless. Beatrice, now known as Tris, is the smallest and most vulnerable of all the initiates. Will she end up factionless after all?

Set in a dystopian future in Chicago, Divergent poses one of the most asked questions in history: "Where do I fit in?" and even asks us the harder question "What happens when I don't fit in anywhere?" I give Veronica Roth's debut novel a five out of five stars. I only had three favorite book series until I read Divergent, and then I expanded my list to four. It definitely fits in with the other dystopian novels of our time, Matched (Ally Condie) and The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins). Its sequel, Insurgent, does not disappoint and I cannot wait for the third installment and conclusion of this truly amazing series.

Legend by Marie Lu book review

The floods have come. A killer plague has started making its way across North America. There is no more United States -just the Republic. There are those who call themselves the Colonies and those who call themselves Patriots: both are enemies of the Republic. But no one worries about them much. The Republic has it all under control.

Day is the most wanted criminal of the Republic. No one knows his real name or what he looks like - his finger prints have no match in the database. All anyone knows is that he seems to be working alone against the Republic and he never kills; only cripples the Republic's war front. Until he's found breaking out of a hospital, looking for plague medicine.

June has passed her Trial with a score of 1500/1500. No one has done that. Ever. She is a prodigy. Even so, she has a knack for getting into trouble. Her brother Metias, a captain for the Republic, tries to keep her in line. Metias is the only family June has left and she does not want to disappoint him: but she can't help it that her school does not train her to the fullest. One day she will join her brother at the war front. Until then, she is forced to wait up for his return on the nights that he is deployed.

The captain Day stabs is Metias Iparis, older brother of the Republic's prodigy, June Iparis. Day could have sworn the knife only went into the man's shoulder. The report June receives is that Day stabbed Metias in the chest, and now her brother is dead. June has sworn to avenge her brother's death and Day has sworn to take care of his family and procure for them a plague cure. In a twist of events, both find themselves relying on the other and putting their trust in one another. But what happens when one puts their trust in the wrong person?

What initially drew me to Legend was my need for a new dystopian novel, but soon I found myself immersed in the world of June and Day. Both points of view are included in the book, and both are equally compelling. The story resonates elements found in the the current books making up the dystopian reader's shelf next to The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins), Matched (Ally Condie), and Divergent (Veronica Roth). However, Legend is also a book that can stand alone.

There were a few disappointing factors found in Legend, one of which is that the characters don't fully develop/develop too quickly. But since only so much can be fit into a 300 page novel, I guess that is to be expected. Another factor is that some of the plot was not fully wrapped up, but I'm hoping it will all become clear in Marie Lu's sequel, Prodigy, set to come out in early 2013.

I give it a 3 1/2 out of five stars. I'd say 3 3/4, but that would just be way too confusing.

I blame my mother

So I've decided to start blogging. Why? Because I have nothing better to do with my life, that's why.

No, I'm kidding. Why I've started blogging is because it sounds interesting. My best friend is taking a class on blogging and she really likes it - she told me that people can actually make a career out of it (in fact, her mentor/book editor is, like, a legit blogger!) But truth is, my mom is who really got me hooked.

Yes. My mom.

See, she's been entering all these contests hosted by people on their blogs. She's won several things so far - a "conscience box," a candle, a bathing suit, and a bunch of other stuff I can't remember right now. She told me that she has decided that she wants me to become a blogger (which is quite different than her previous decision that she wanted me to become a dental hygienist). "Yeah right!" I said.

So I decided to start a blog.

Just so that there are no misunderstandings between you and I and the rest of the Internet savvy world: I am not hosting any contests. At least not right now. I mean I guess I could host a contest, but I would have nothing to give away except maybe the old toys that came in Happy Meals when I was little and have refused to throw away because I'm just that lazy. But if ya'll want them, be my guest!

Right now, this blog is going to be dedicated to book reviews. These books will obviously already have been published since I just started this thing and I highly doubt anyone will send an ARC of their newest novel to a n00b such as myself. But I'll try to keep the reviews of books that are fairly new on the market (although I may throw in some of my old reviews just for the heck of it).

So yeah. Either enjoy what follows or stop wasting your time and get off my page! Have a nice day!