Tag Archives: Must Read

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

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Allegiant 1

TITLE: Allegiant
AUTHOR: Veronica Roth

RATING OVERVIEW
Writing: ★★★★★
Story: ★★★★
Characters: ★★★★★
Appearance: ★★★★
Overall: ★★★★ (4)

 

AMAZON DESCRIPTION:
The explosive conclusion to Veronica Roth’s #1 New York Times bestselling Divergent trilogy reveals the secrets of the dystopian world that captivated millions of readers and film fans in Divergent and Insurgent. This paperback edition includes bonus content by Veronica Roth!

One choice will define you. What if your whole world was a lie? What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything? What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?

Told from a riveting dual perspective, this third installment in the series follows Tris and Tobias as they battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and their selves—while facing impossible choices of courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Buy it HERE on Amazon!

THE CRITICAL POINTS

WRITING: I have enjoyed Veronica Roth’s writing style with this series, however it changed in book 3. Books one and two were told from Tris’ point of view, which I LOVED. Book 3 however, jumps back and forth between Tris and Four… it was jarring and seemed out-of-place for the series.

STORY: I love the idea of this story and the trilogy is very good, especially books one and two. However, book three seemed repetitive, not with the other books but with itself. Jumping back and forth from Tris’ perspective and Four’s perspective led to reading the same information multiple times with a slight change in thought. It felt like Roth was pushing us toward the end of the story instead of letting us just come along for the ride.

The ending was a giveaway, I guessed it early and wasn’t to pleased. Not only because I like a good surprise, but because it seemed like the predictable choice.

I read each of the first two books in two or three sittings, but book three seemed to drag. It took me much longer, almost a full week, to read because I just didn’t feel as invested in the story. I love a good story line that pulls me into the action, character development, and relationships, but after a while of listening to Tris and Four go head to head with their back and forth love you – don’t trust you – love you – don’t trust you… I found myself disconnecting.

The last thing I will say is this… Not every story has a happy ending, and I’m ok with that, but this one builds you up to the hope and real possibility of a happy ending, just to let you down in the end.

Still, it is a good story and a must-read trilogy! If you’ve read it, I’d love to know your thoughts, so comment below and tell me what you thought of Allegiant or the whole Divergent series.

Next week, I’ll be reviewing Four, book 4 in the Divergent series.

APPEARANCE: The cover is a swirl of water… a wave. The symbolism is there… in one of Tris’ fears, but could be easily lost in the content of the book. Although appealing, I don’t know that the cover of this one connects to the story as well as the covers on books one and two.

MY FAVORITE QUOTES:

“I wonder if fears ever really go away, or if they just lose their power over us.”

“There are so many ways to be brave in this world. Sometimes bravery involves laying down your life for something bigger than yourself, or for someone else. Sometimes it involves giving up everything you have ever known, or everyone you have ever loved, for the sake of something greater. But sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes it is nothing more than gritting your teeth through pain, and the work of every day, the slow walk toward a better life. That is the sort of bravery I must have now.”

Check out my YouTube channel and the video review below… and make sure you hit subscribe so you never miss a video.

NOT YET RECORDED

Check out the official movie trailers here:

https://youtu.be/0G0C-vMHcQY
https://youtu.be/2CY5TQ0K1Ls
https://youtu.be/_fLg8PsLWQ0

allegiant 2

 

Movie Information:
After the earth-shattering revelations of Insurgent, Tris must escape with Four beyond the wall that encircles Chicago, to finally discover the shocking truth of the world around them.

Director: Robert Schwentke
Writers: Noah Oppenheim, Adam Cooper, and Bill Collage (screenplay) / Veronica Roth (novel)
Stars: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Jeff Daniels

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

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insurgent 1

TITLE: Insurgent
AUTHOR: Veronica Roth

RATING OVERVIEW
Writing: ★★★★★
Story: ★★★★★
Characters: ★★★★★
Appearance: ★★★★
Overall: ★★★★★ (4.5)

 

AMAZON DESCRIPTION:
One choice can destroy you. Veronica Roth’s second #1 New York Times bestseller continues the dystopian thrill ride that began in Divergent.

A hit with both teen and adult readers, Insurgent is the action-packed, emotional adventure that inspired the major motion picture starring Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Ansel Elgort, and Octavia Spencer.

The paperback edition includes special bonus content by Veronica Roth.

As war surges in the factions of dystopian Chicago all around her, Tris attempts to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Buy it HERE on Amazon! 
THE CRITICAL POINTS

WRITING: Veronica Roth is a true YA author, and one I can stamp as mom approved. Insurgent, like Divergent has no swearing or sexual content. I think the most heated it got was a kiss or two between Tris and her boyfriend. There is a LOT of fighting and action, but nothing overtly ‘adult’ to the point where young readers couldn’t enjoy it. If this series is within their reading level, I say by all 4 books and watch them dive into the world Roth created!

STORY: I can’t say enough how much I am enjoying this series. It is a teenage coming-of-age adventure with a post-apocalyptic dystopian twist. The characters get more and more intriguing with each chapter and the dystopian world that Roth has created is scary and exciting all at once.

In the first book we watched Beatrice and the others be ‘tested’ to see which of the factions they best fit into; Abnegation, Dauntless, Erudite, Candor, or Amity. We watch as families are torn apart and lives are changed forever. Then, in Insurgent, we get to see how Beatrice, now known as Tris, blends with her newly claimed family, how her life changes, and how her views on the world change.

I don’t have to have a love story to enjoy a book, but I will say that the building relationship between Tris and Tobias (Four) was one I really enjoyed.

I could give you more… but, I don’t want to. I want you to read the story for yourself and tell me what you think! If you’ve already read it, please comment below and tell me what you thought. Next week, I’ll be talking about Allegiant – book 3 in the Divergent series.

APPEARANCE: I LOVE this cover! The tree, spinning in the wind, reminds me of the tree of life. Seeing as Tris is coming into herself, discovering who she is and what she believes in throughout this book; the symbolism of the tree of life is perfect.

MY FAVORITE QUOTES:
“I am his, and he is mine, and it has been that way all along.”

“People, I have discovered, are layers and layers of secrets. You believe you know them, that you understand them, but their motives are always hidden from you, buried in their own hearts. You will never know them, but sometimes you decide to trust them.”

Check out my YouTube channel and the video review below… and make sure you hit subscribe so you never miss a video.

NOT YET RECORDED

Check out the official movie trailers here:

https://youtu.be/suZcGoRLXkU
https://youtu.be/UtgPdoxU-SY

Movie Information:
Insurgent 2

 

Beatrice Prior must confront her inner demons and continue her fight against a powerful alliance which threatens to tear her society apart with the help from others on her side.

Director: Robert Schwentke
Writers: Brian Duffield, Akiva Goldsman, and Mark Bomback (screenplay) / Veronica Roth (novel)
Stars: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Theo James

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

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hopeless

TITLE: Hopeless
AUTHOR: Colleen Hoover

RATING OVERVIEW
Writing: ★★★★★
Story: ★★★★★
Characters: ★★★★★
Appearance: ★★★★
Overall: ★★★★★ (4.375)

AMAZON DESCRIPTION:
From #1 New York Times bestselling author of Finding Cinderella and Losing Hope, the beginning of Sky and Dean’s passionate love story—where well-kept secrets threaten to opens wounds of a dark past.

Would you rather know a truth that makes you feel hopeless, or keep believing the lies?

Beloved and bestselling author Colleen Hoover returns with the spellbinding story of two young people with devastating pasts who embark on a passionate, intriguing journey to discover the lessons of life, love, trust—and above all, the healing power that only truth can bring.

Sky, a senior in high school, meets Dean Holder, a guy with a promiscuous reputation that rivals her own. From their very first encounter, he terrifies and captivates her. Something about him sparks memories of her deeply troubled past, a time she’s tried so hard to bury. Though Sky is determined to stay far away from him, his unwavering pursuit and enigmatic smile break down her defenses and the intensity of the bond between them grows. But the mysterious Holder has been keeping secrets of his own, and once they are revealed, Sky is changed forever and her ability to trust may be a casualty of the truth.

Only by courageously facing the stark revelations can Sky and Holder hope to heal their emotional scars and find a way to live and love without boundaries. Hopeless is a novel that will leave you breathless, entranced, and remembering your own first love.

Buy it HERE on Amazon! 

THE CRITICAL POINTS

WRITING: I loved Hoover’s Never Never and Maybe Someday, so I was eager to read Hopeless. I can say this, she did not disappoint.

STORY: Hoover keeps her readers on the edge of their seat with the twists and turns she put into this shockingly realistic story. The love story, yes there is one, is amazing yet devastatingly heartbreaking. Sky and Dean have an unexplainable chemistry and sucks you in, wanting to know more about where their relationship will take them. The deeper you get in the book, the more you’re hoping things aren’t as bad as they seem. Although, if you’ve ever read a Hoover novel, you already know she doesn’t sugar coat her stories. In true Hoover fashion, she breaks your heart over and over again before the last page. This book is full of all the feels!!!

APPEARANCE: The cover is a beautiful depiction of how I imagine Sky to look.

MY FAVORITE QUOTE: “I want you to keep them open…because I need you to watch me give you the very last piece of my heart.”

Check out my YouTube channel and the video review below… and make sure you hit subscribe so you never miss a video.

NOT YET RECORDED

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

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Notebook

TITLE: The Notebook
AUTHOR: Nicholas Sparks

RATING OVERVIEW
Writing: ★★★★★
Story: ★★★★★
Characters: ★★★★★
Appearance: ★★★★★
Overall: ★★★★★ (5)

AMAZON DESCRIPTION:
Every so often a love story so captures our hearts that it becomes more than a story-it becomes an experience to remember forever. The Notebook is such a book. It is a celebration of how passion can be ageless and timeless, a tale that moves us to laughter and tears and makes us believe in true love all over again… At thirty-one, Noah Calhoun, back in coastal North Carolina after World War II, is haunted by images of the girl he lost more than a decade earlier. At twenty-nine, socialite Allie Nelson is about to marry a wealthy lawyer, but she cannot stop thinking about the boy who long ago stole her heart. Thus begins the story of a love so enduring and deep it can turn tragedy into triumph, and may even have the power to create a miracle…

Buy it HERE on Amazon! 

BOOK JACKET BLURB:
THE NOTEBOOK is an achingly tender story about the enduring power of love, a story of miracles that will stay with you forever.

Set amid the austere beauty of coaster North Carolina in 1946, THE NOTEBOOK begins with the story of Noah Calhoun, a rural Southerner returned home from World War II. Noah, thirty-one, is restoring a plantation home to its former glory, and he is haunted by images of the beautiful girl he met fourteen years earlier, a girl he loved like no other. Unable to find her, yet unwilling to forget the summer they spent together, Noah is content to live with only memories… until she unexpectedly returns to his town to see him once again.

Allie Nelson, twenty-nine, is not engaged to another man, but realizes that the original passion she felt for Noah has not dimmed with the passage of time. Still, the obstacles that once ended their previous relationship remain, and the gulf between their worlds is too vast to ignore. With her impending marriage only weeks away, Allie is forced to confront her hopes and dreams for the future, a future that only she can shape.

Like a puzzle within a puzzle, the story of Noah and Allie is just the beginning. As it unfolds, their tale miraculously becomes something different, with much higher stakes. The result is a deeply moving portrait of love itself, the tender moments and the fundamental changes that affect us all. Shining with a beauty that is rarely found in current literature, THE NOTEBOOK establishes Nicholas Sparks as a classic storyteller with a unique insight into the only emotion that really matters.

THE CRITICAL POINTS

WRITING: Nicholas Sparks has a way of transporting you, emotionally, into a world all his own. When I cracked the spine of this book, I found it hard to put it down. I was reluctant to leave Noah and Allie, wanting—needing—to know what would happen next in their epic adventure. If it weren’t for Sparks’ amazing writing style and his ability to engage the reader on a deeply emotional level, this could have been just about any other love story filling the Romance shelf of your local book store. Yet it isn’t. The Notebook stands out among the others as a true classic in my eyes.

STORY: WOW… Just WOW! I was delighted to find out that this story was based on the lives of Nicholas Sparks’ wife’s grandparents. To know that this kind of deep… unbendable… love exists doesn’t surprise me, as I am truly, madly, deeply in love with my own husband. However, to know that this kind of love, can withstand even the hardest of obstacles thrown at it, gives love a whole new meaning. I imagine this to be the kind of love my own fraternal grandparents must have shared. I remember as a child, watching them look into each other’s eyes in such a loving, longing way. Years into their marriage, and long past their youth, they still loved each other just as much as the day they first realized their love existed.

Nicholas Sparks’ story is a love story to which all love stories should be measured by. I won’t give anything away, because although I am tempted to tell you all about the story, from start to end, this is one book I don’t want to ruin for you. I want you to read it for yourself. I want you to experience it first hand, take the journey with Noah and his beloved, and find out what fourteen years apart can do to the “love” they shared during their fairytale summer romance.

APPEARANCE: The cover is simple, the view from Noah’s front porch. At first glance, the cover reminded me of On Golden Pond by Ernest Thompson. The cover didn’t draw me in, at first, but as I read I longed to sit on that porch and see the world through Noah’s eyes.

MY FAVORITE QUOTE: “…But most of all, I learned that life is about sitting on benches next to ancient creeks with my hand on her knee and sometimes, on good days, for falling in love.”

Check out my YouTube channel and the video review below… and make sure you hit subscribe so you never miss a video.

https://youtu.be/SIPhi_g1d10

Check out the official movie trailers here:

https://youtu.be/yDJIcYE32NU
https://youtu.be/FC6biTjEyZw

Scenes from the movie:

https://youtu.be/Z22EAeIIZM0
https://youtu.be/E1I0hAxGFXw
https://youtu.be/EemLsTG5fX8

Pretty Little Dead Girls by Mercedes M. Yardley

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Pretty

TITLE: Pretty Little Dead Girls
AUTHOR: Mercedes M. Yardley

RATING OVERVIEW
Writing: ★★★
Story: ★★★★
Characters: ★★★
Appearance: ★★★★
Overall: ★★★★ (3.5)

AMAZON DESCRIPTION:
“Run, Star Girl.” Bryony Adams is destined to be murdered, but fortunately Fate has terrible marksmanship. In order to survive, she must run as far and as fast as she can. After arriving in Seattle, Bryony befriends a tortured musician, a market fish-thrower, and a starry-eyed hero who is secretly a serial killer bent on fulfilling Bryony’s dark destiny. Mercedes M. Yardley’s Pretty Little Dead Girls: A Novel of Murder and Whimsy is a dark, lovely fairy tale with lyrical language and a high body count, and features a cover by Hugo award-winner Galen Dara. Includes “Oliver Bloom” by Ryan Johnson, a short story featuring characters from Pretty Little Dead Girls.

Buy it HERE on Amazon! 

THE CRITICAL POINTS

Let me start by saying I know I’m in a minority with this book review. I’ve seen the amazon reviews… Pretty Little Dead Girls has an average of 5 stars with 82 reviews and that is awesome! I guess this narrative style of writing just really isn’t my cup of tea. Or maybe it isn’t the narration, its more that every character seems to have the same voice… but more of that later, when I talk about characters. 

With all that said – I still think that Mercedes M Yardley is a talented writer, and I do plan on reading more of her work.

WRITING: I have never read anything like this… The author writes from a narrator’s point of view, but instead of standing outside the story and telling you what happens, the narrator speaks directly to the reader. Addressing the reader, outside the context of the story, is very jarring.

STORY: Right from the start of the story, the reader is intrigued. We’re told that Bryony is the type of girl who gets murdered. We don’t know why, but we accept it as truth. Starting on page one, you are drawn in and you start searching each new character you meet to find out if they might be the one to murder Bryony.

This is when the story falls apart for me. I’m intrigued by the concept of the story, the idea that this girl has a destiny that is so plainly clear to everyone, but it’s never explained. We never – throughout the whole book – learn why she is destined to be murdered or who EVERYONE KNOWS IT! The whole story is about how she is destined to be murdered, everyone knows it and tries to protect her, and how she escapes her destiny as people around her die.

I just felt like the potential was there for this to be a really amazing story, but it fell flat for me.

CHARACTERS: I’m not really sure how to describe the characters in this book. Honestly, they all feel the same, other than Bryony. Because everything is told from the Narrator’s point of view, everyone seems to speak in the same voice. I think the part that really threw me, was when there was a full conversation, between Bryony (our lead) and the Murderer, using only eye contact. A conversation that was so absurd… so ridiculous in the moment… that it pulled me right out of the story. This is only one example of many, where I found myself shaking my head and asking myself, “why am I still reading?” Yet, I read it from page one until the end. 

APPEARANCE: The cover was designed by Galen Dara, and the artwork is truly beautiful. Reading the story, I didn’t really envision Bryony looking like the girl on the cover, but that didn’t take anything away from the book for me.

MY FAVORITE QUOTE: “Bryony Adams was the type of girl who got murdered.” It’s the first sentence of the book and immediately draws you in.

Check out my YouTube channel and the video review below… and make sure you hit subscribe so you never miss a video.

https://youtu.be/7PRSrwVQ8RY

Gwendy’s Button Box by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar

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TITLE: Gwendy’s Button Box
AUTHOR: Stephen King and Richard Chizmar

RATING OVERVIEW
Writing: ★★★★
Story: ★★★★
Characters: ★★★★
Appearance: ★★★★
Overall: ★★★★ (4)

 

AMAZON DESCRIPTION:
Stephen King teams up with long-time friend and award-winning author Richard Chizmar for the first time in this original, chilling novella that revisits the mysterious town of Castle Rock.

There are three ways up to Castle View from the town of Castle Rock: Route 117, Pleasant Road, and the Suicide Stairs. Every day in the summer of 1974, twelve-year-old Gwendy Peterson has taken the stairs, which are held by strong—if time-rusted—iron bolts and zig-zag up the precarious cliffside.

Then one day when Gwendy gets to the top of Castle View, after catching her breath and hearing the shouts of kids on the playground below, a stranger calls to her. There on a bench in the shade sits a man in black jeans, a black coat, and a white shirt unbuttoned at the top. On his head is a small, neat black hat. The time will come when Gwendy has nightmares about that hat…

The little town of Castle Rock, Maine has witnessed some strange events and unusual visitors over the years, but there is one story that has never been told—until now.

Buy it HERE on Amazon! 

THE CRITICAL POINTS

WRITING: I’ve never read anything by Richard Chizmar, but I’ve always loved Stephen King. This book, although it doesn’t have the creepy factor of a typical Stephen King book it does still have the mystical… magical elements that are all to familiar with reading Stephen King. One of the things I love most about reading Stephen King’s writing is that he doesn’t treat his readers like they’re stupid. He assumes you’re just going to be able to suspend your disbelief and fall into this world he has created as if it is the most natural thing in the world. The funny thing is, you do. I crack the spine and instantly I’m transported to a whole new world where everything-anything is possible.

STORY: The story was simple. It asks the question, if you had a magic button box that could destroy lives and essentially grant your every desire, what would you do? OK, that is dumbing it down a bit, but you get the point. Simple story, but then you ask that question of a twelve year old girl and lay on her the responsibility of protecting the box and essentially the world and it becomes much more complex.

CHARACTERS: The story follows Gwendy, from the time she is twelve until after her college graduation. Although it’s a fast read, I still feel like the reader really gets to know Gwendy. We understand her decisions and we can even anticipate what she is going to do next. I love that in such a short novella, Stephen King and Richard Chizmar are still able to satisfy my craving for detail and in depth character development.

APPEARANCE: Beautiful cover. It doesn’t give anything away and yet, when you read the book the cover fits perfectly.

Check out my YouTube channel and the video review below… and make sure you hit subscribe so you never miss a video!

https://youtu.be/41pgu7-ynzA

Watch the Gwendy’s Button Box Signing and Live Question & Answer with Richard Chizmar:

https://youtu.be/dinOukMBUVA

Dead Boy by Laurel Gale

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Dead BoyTITLE: Dead Boy
AUTHOR: Laurel Gale

RATING OVERVIEW
Writing: ★★★★
Story: ★★★★★
Characters: ★★★★★
Appearance: ★★★★★
Overall: ★★★★★ (4.75)

AMAZON DESCRIPTION:
Crow isn’t like the other kids. He stinks. He’s got maggots. His body parts fall off at inopportune moments. (His mom always sews them back on, though.) And he hasn’t been able to sleep in years. Not since waking up from death.

But worse than the maggots is how lonely Crow feels. When Melody Plympton moves in next door, Crow can’t resist the chance to finally make a friend. With Melody around he may even have a shot at getting his life back from the mysterious wish-granting creature living in the park. But first there are tests to pass. And it will mean risking the only friend he’s had in years.

Debut author Laurel Gale’s story about friendship fulfilled may be the most moving—and most macabre—yet.

Buy it HERE on Amazon! 

THE CRITICAL POINTS
Let me start by explaining why I was reading a middle-grade book about a boy who is basically the walking dead. I was wondering through the dollar store when I found Dead Boy sitting on the shelf. Not only did the little boy on the cover look so sad I immediately felt the urge to pick up the book, but when I skimmed the pages and realized the reading level I thought, this would be a great book to read with my son for our summer book club. So, I paid the $1.09 and bought the book. The cover drew me in and the idea of reading with my son is what pushed me to buy it.

WRITING: Laurel Gale is a very passionate writer. It has been a long time since I read a middle-grade book that I, as an adult, really enjoyed. Gale has a way of making us empathize with Crow, the lead character a boy who died and then returned… only to age while slowly rotting away. Although this book technically is a middle-grade reading level, like I said before, Gale explores context that only an adult reader will truly understand; an obsessive mother’s love, dangers that threaten our children’s safety, the damage of helicopter parenting, the devastation that comes with the loss of a child, and the desperation of parents who are grieving.

STORY: The book centers around Crow, a young boy who died in fourth grade but somehow – magically – was brought back to life. I won’t tell you how… you’ll have to read the book to learn the secrets that lie within. The problem was, he wasn’t brought back all the way. Crow is doomed to grow old while his body slowly rots away and maggots infest his corps. It sounds gruesome right? I’ll admit the maggots got to me, but the store that Gale tells about this little boy’s life, friendships, adventures, and ultimately his selflessness was beautiful.

CHARACTERS: Gale really pulls at your heartstrings with Crow and his little friend Melody. She has a wonderful way of drawing you in and making you love the characters. It’s a short book at only 245 pages and a quick read. I finished it in just 2 days while on travel. However, if I’m being honest, I didn’t want it to end. If this is a series, and I don’t know that it is, I would definitely pick up the rest of the books. I can’t wait to get home and talk to my son about it and see what he thinks.

APPEARANCE: Beautiful! The illustrator did a fantastic job with the cover. It was the first thing I noticed about the book and nothing else mattered… I wanted this book on my book shelf for the cover alone. The fact that it ended up being a great story too, well, that’s just a bonus.

MY FAVORITE QUOTE: “Crow suspected that although Luke was popular and had never had to deal with maggots or foul odors, he got lonely sometimes. Maybe having friends wasn’t as important as having the right friends.”

Check out my YouTube channel and the video review below… and make sure you hit subscribe so you never miss a video!

 

Cujo by Stephen King

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cujoTITLE: Cujo
AUTHOR: Stephen King

RATING OVERVIEW
Writing: ★★★★★
Story: ★★★★★
Characters: ★★★★★
Appearance: ★★★
Overall: ★★★★★ (4.5)

AMAZON DESCRIPTION:
The #1 national bestseller for Stephen King’s rabid fans, Cujo “hits the jugular” (The New York Times) with the story of a friendly Saint Bernard that is bitten by a sick bat. Get ready to meet the most hideous menace ever to savage the flesh and devour the mind.

Outside a peaceful town in central Maine, a monster is waiting. Cujo is a two-hundred-pound Saint Bernard, the best friend Brett Camber has ever had. One day, Cujo chases a rabbit into a cave inhabited by sick bats and emerges as something new altogether.

Meanwhile, Vic and Donna Trenton, and their young son Tad, move to Maine. They are seeking peace and quiet, but life in this small town is not what it seems. As Tad tries to fend off the terror that comes to him at night from his bedroom closet, and as Vic and Donna face their own nightmare of a marriage on the rocks, there is no way they can know that a monster, infinitely sinister, waits in the daylight.

What happens to Cujo, how he becomes a horrifying vortex inescapably drawing in all the people around him, makes for one of the most heart-stopping novels Stephen King has ever written. “A genuine page-turner that grabs you and holds you and won’t let go” (Chattanooga Times), Cujo will forever change how you view man’s best friend.

Buy it HERE on Amazon!

THE CRITICAL POINTS

WRITING: When you pick up a Stephen King book you know exactly what you’re going to get… AMAZING! Now, Cujo isn’t my favorite of King’s novels… but I loved it… and I hated it… I think I have a love/hate relationship with Cujo, mainly because it makes me feel ALL THE FEELS! It had me on the edge of my seat the whole time and when Donna Trenton is stuck in the car fighting for her life and the life of Tat, her little boy, Cujo becomes the monster that nightmares are made of. The thought of Cujo wakes you up at night in a cold sweat.

STORY: Like pretty much all of Stephen King’s books, Cujo had a slow start for me, but once the story got going it was a page turner. I had a hard time putting it down. I wanted… needed to know what would happen next, who Cujo would go after and if they would survive. Stephen King has a way of making you relate to his characters… care for them… and then he rips them away showing you how truly unfair and unexpected life can be. If this story doesn’t tear at your heartstrings, shock you to your core, and leave you feeling depleted and saddened then I’m not sure what else would.

CHARACTERS: Stephen King is known for his amazingly complex characters, and this book delivers, to include Cujo. A dog as a lead character could have been a disaster in the hands of any other author, but not for Stephen King. Cujo left me with conflicting emotions. His life… his story was bittersweet. As an animal lover, I found it hard to read some of the more gruesome parts. The pain, corruption, and changes that Cujo had to endure was painful to read, especially since they all stemmed from something so out of his control… a minor incident that led to so much pain.

APPEARANCE: My copy of Cujo is an old one… the cover isn’t particularly great, but Stephen King’s name is on the front so the cover doesn’t really matter. If you like Stephen King’s writing, like I do, you’ll read just about anything he makes available.

MY FAVORITE QUOTE: “…Wife, that’s fine. But you’re gone at work, even when you’re home you’re gone at work so much. Mother, that’s fine, too. But there’s a little less of it every year, because every year the world gets another little slice of him.” This has to be one of my favorite quotes from Cujo. As a mother I can totally relate. I feel the world taking my kids away from me, one tiny sliver at a time year-by-year. I know it has to happen, they have to grow up and become independent adults. I just wish it didn’t have to happen so quickly. 

WANT TO SEE THE MOVIE?
While Donna and Vic Trenton struggle to save their rocky marriage, their son Tad befriends the loveable 200-lb St. Bernard who belongs to their mechanic. But what they don’t realize is that a bat bite has transformed Cujo from a docile pup to a vicious killer.

Watch the movie trailers HERE and HERE!

Check out my YouTube channel and the video review (SPOILER ALERT) below… and make sure you hit subscribe so you never miss a video.

Origin by Dan Brown

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OriginTITLE: Origin
AUTHOR: Dan Brown

RATING OVERVIEW
Writing: ★★★★★
Story: ★★★★
Characters: ★★★★★
Appearance: ★★★★
Overall: ★★★★★ (4.5)

AMAZON DESCRIPTION:
Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of symbology, arrives at the ultramodern Guggenheim Museum Bilbao to attend the unveiling of a discovery that “will change the face of science forever.” The evening’s host is Edmond Kirsch, a forty-year-old billionaire and futurist, and one of Langdon’s first students.

But the meticulously orchestrated evening suddenly erupts into chaos, and Kirsch’s precious discovery teeters on the brink of being lost forever. Facing an imminent threat, Langdon is forced to flee. With him is Ambra Vidal, the elegant museum director who worked with Kirsch. They travel to Barcelona on a perilous quest to locate a cryptic password that will unlock Kirsch’s secret.

Navigating the dark corridors of hidden history and extreme re¬ligion, Langdon and Vidal must evade an enemy whose all-knowing power seems to emanate from Spain’s Royal Palace. They uncover clues that ultimately bring them face-to-face with Kirsch’s shocking discovery…and the breathtaking truth that has long eluded us.

Buy it HERE on Amazon!

THE CRITICAL POINTS

WRITING: The only other Dan Brown book I’ve read was The Da Vinci Code, which I loved. This one was even better! You only have to look at the thousands of 5-star amazon reviews to know that Brown is a world-renowned author and that Origin was named the #1 worldwide bestseller for a reason.

STORY: Origin asks the questions we’ve all wondered… Where do we come from and, where are we going? Diving deep into such philosophical questions, Brown analyzes both creationism and science. Origin is masterfully written and thought provoking, making you question your own beliefs and reasoning. It is fast-paced, action packed, and will keep you on the edge of your seat as you quickly turn page after page to find out what will happen next.

CHARACTERS: As in The Da Vinci Code, and I’m sure all the other books in the series, Professor Robert Langdon, Brown’s lead character, is fleshed out to the point that you feel like you could reach into the book and shake his hand. Brown has not only given the character of Langdon purpose and a mission, he has breathed life into him. Reading a Brown book is like taking a master class on character development. There isn’t anything you feel you don’t know about his characters. From Langdon to Edmond to Ambra and especially Winston, Brown’s characters are unique and special.

APPEARANCE: The cover of Origin is beautifully simple and the circular staircase representation in the middle is surprisingly appropriate once you’ve read deep enough into the book.

Check out my YouTube channel and the video review here… and make sure you hit subscribe so you never miss a video.

 

In The Afterlight (The Darkest Minds #3)

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book

TITLE: In The Afterlight
AUTHOR: Alexandra Bracken

RATING OVERVIEW
Writing: ★★★★★
Story: ★★★★★
Characters: ★★★★★
Appearance: ★★★★★
Overall: ★★★★★ (5)

AMAZON DESCRIPTION:
Ruby can’t look back. Fractured by an unbearable loss, she and the kids who survived the government’s attack on Los Angeles travel north to regroup. Only Ruby can keep their highly dangerous prisoner in check. But with Clancy Gray, there’s no guarantee you’re fully in control, and everything comes with a price.

When the Children’s League disbands, Ruby rises up as a leader and forms an unlikely allegiance with Liam’s brother, Cole, who has a volatile secret of his own. There are still thousands of other Psi kids suffering in government “rehabilitation camps” all over the country. Freeing them–revealing the government’s unspeakable abuses in the process–is the mission Ruby has claimed since her own escape from Thurmond, the worst camp in the country.

But not everyone is supportive of the plan Ruby and Cole craft to free the camps. As tensions rise, competing ideals threaten the mission to uncover the cause of IANN, the disease that killed most of America’s children and left Ruby and others with powers the government will kill to keep contained. With the fate of a generation in their hands, there is no room for error. One wrong move could be the spark that sets the world on fire.

Buy it HERE on Amazon!

THE CRITICAL POINTS

WRITING: minor editing issues peppered throughout the book, just like the first two, but editors are only human. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where there weren’t at least a few editing issues. Bracken is a wonderful writer, and minor editing issues can’t distract from that.

STORY: I loved book one… I enjoyed book two… but, I think this one is my favorite. I was on the edge of my seat reading the whole time. I cried. I was shocked. I was afraid for the characters. Bracken made me care about the characters so much that I was afraid for them. On page 417 was when I knew something terrible was going to happen. I won’t tell you the what happened just before or even after but lets just say my world turned upside down on page 417 and it wasn’t until much later that what I anticipated came true. Well done, Bracken.

CHARACTERS: Being the third book in the series, Bracken has already fully fleshed out the characters for us. We know them well enough to guess how they will react in different situations and to feel their hesitation, fear, pain, excitement, and sometimes – not often – their joy almost before they do.

APPEARANCE: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again now, Bracken’s covers are beautiful. I wish I knew who designed them because I would hire him/her to do mine. My favorite part of all the covers is the second full-color cover with the character quote. The quote for this book, “They don’t burn, do they? Not like us.” It was an unexpected character who said this one… and I loved it.

Check out my YouTube channel and the video review here… and make sure you hit subscribe so you never miss a video.

https://youtu.be/xe-Cu1MRVfw

I am still new to this YouTube things, so please be patient with me while I figure it all out. I promise my videos will get better. lol