Book Review: Across the Universe

Author: Beth Revis

Pages: 398

Rating: 5/5

The book cover suggests that it is a love story with heavy romance. It’s a trick! It’s more of sci-fi/ mystery/ suspense/ dystopia genre. Sure it has lil bit of romance but it in this first installment of ATU the story focused in developing the whole scenario, describing how the vessel looks like, how people manage to live there, and all the mysteries involved. So basically in this book, a group people live in a ship (a space vehicle) and they are led by Eldest and Elder. They are the future of the human race. This ship is alleged to be flying for at least 250 years already and it is supposed to land in Centauri-Earth (this is another planet not the same as OUR so called earth) for another 50 years. Sleeping in cryo chambers which are hidden in the ship are people who specializes in particular things necessary for people’s survival when they land in the Centauri-Earth. These frozen people in cryo chambers are supposed to stay there for another 50 years. However, one girl was melted by an unknown person (it will be revealed near the end who woke her up) and from there, it all changed everything.

“I never thought about how important the sky was until I didn’t have one.” -Beth Revis, Across the Universe

Book Review: Inside Out (Insider #1)

Inside Out

Author: Maria Snyder

Pages: 315

Rating: 4.5/5

The whole story happened in this place so called Inside. It’s a very big cube divided into 3 rows and 3 columns with 4 floors and assigned as sectors or quadrants. The people living in the upper most floor are called the Uppers, they live in a life of luxury where they are allowed to have a family and a space of their own. The lower level people are called Scrubs. They are called such because their main job is to scrub clean the pipes that sustain their everyday needs, air, water, electricity. The main protagonist is Trella, she is labeled as the Queen of the Pipes because she knows basically all the cris crossing of the pipes and the gaps. One time, her friend Cog introduced her to a prophet who knows something about the Gateway or the way to the Outside. It all started on that and as the story progressed Trella became the hope of everyone both the Scrubs and the Uppers. There where people helping her and with much sacrifice she found the gateway but only to discover that they are currently traversing the outer space and only on the millionth week will they be able to arrive to their final destination, the planet Earth.

“No hope, is worse than fear.” ~Maria Snyder, Inside Out

Book Review: A Monster Calls

A Monster Calls

Author: Patrick Ness

Pages: 215

Rating: 5/5

This book is about life but it’s also about death. It’s about people, the act of letting go, the Truth. Every 12:07 midnight, 13 year old Conor was visited by the Monster, a yew tree bearing poisonous berry-like fruits. It made a deal with little Conor, a deal in which the monster will tell three tales and after the third tale, Conor in return will tell the fourth – the Truth. Conor’s mother’s health was deteriorating,  she was already staying in the hospital trying new medical treatments but to no avail these techniques weren’t even making her a bit better. Before the last breathe of her mother, Conor finally realized what he had to do- to face the Truth.

It’s nice how the author used a yew tree to pass stories to Conor because the fact that a yew tree can actually live for about 2000 years, it made sense that the Monster knows a lot since it may be ancient enough to experience the world. Though it is called the ‘Death tree’ because of the poisonous properties of the different parts of the trees, it can also be used to cure cancer, the disease which I think struck Conor’s mother.

You do not write your life with words. You write it with actions. What you think is not important. It is only important what you do. ~Patrick Ness, A Monster Calls

 

Book Review: The Titan’s Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #3)

The Titan’s Curse

Author: Rick Riordan

Pages: 304

Rating: 5/5

Read at your own risk, this review may contain spoilers.

The book starts with Percy, Thalia, Annabeth, and Grover saving two potential half blood kids, Bianca and Nico di Angelo,  from a private military style school. As they were escaping, they were thwarted by Mr. Thorn, a hideous manticore who was under the direct supervision of the General. The Hunters led by the goddess Artemis arrived and shot arrows towards the monster however, the manticore fell off the cliff together with Annabeth. They all returned to Camp Half Blood including the Hunters but excluding Annabeth and Artemis who was supposed to seek for the rare monster who could destroy Olympus. Artemis haven’t returned yet so the Hunters including Bianca, and Thalia and Grover decided to find Artemis. With no one’s knowledge, Percy followed the group. From his quest, Percy met a cow serpent whom he helped escape from the net and towards the end it turned out that this cow was the monster Artemis was looking for, the monster who could destroy Olympus. After some gruelling events, Percy, Thalia, Grover, and the Hunters met the General who turned out to be Zoe’s (one of the Hunters) father, Atlas, Luke, Artemis, and Annabeth. After the group won in the battle they visited Mt. Olympus then returned back to the Camp. Percy delivered to Nico that her sister Bianca died in their quest, Nico was so angry to Percy. At that same time skeleton monsters suddenly appeared but to Percy’s surprised Nico easily took care of them. He was shocked to know that Bianca and Nico di Angelo were Hades’ children.

Favorite Character: In this third installment of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, my favorite character is Blackjack, the flying pegasus who helped Percy in his journey in saving Annabeth and Artemis. I think Blackjack is so funny, he was written with the touch of humor. I also like Dionysus or Mr. D for short. Though it looks he doesn’t care about the half bloods and the activities in the camp, in truth, he does. He even saved Percy in his life and death situation. He’s also a bit funny especially when he’s called the wine dude.

“There is always a way out for those clever enough to find it.” ~Rick Riordan, The Titan’s Curse

 

Book Review: School’s Out – Forever (Maximum Ride #1)

School’s Out – Forever

Author: James Patterson

Pages: 406

Rating: 4/5

It’s the continuation of the The Angel Experiment under the same series. Not too far from the beginning, Fang was deeply wounded from their encounter with Ari’s group. Max decided to bring him to a hospital because they cannot manage by themselves the injury Fang suffered. After examining Fang, the doctor obviously knew that the flock was different. So, he called the FBI then, Max and her flock were held under investigation. After some investigations, the FBI agent whose name is Anne brought the flock to her house to protect them from whatever. She clothed them, fed them, and enrolled them to a school (the normal one). Fang got a girlfirend, Iggy met his biological mom and dad, and Max experienced her first date. Things were getting better and way beyond what the kids imagined when they discovered that Anne is connected with the School. Her relationship with the School was not so simple because it happened that she is the boss of Jeb. And so, the avian kids left the house, went to Florida, played in Disney Land, and discovered more truth about them.

In this installment we get to see Ari better. Though he is bigger to some adults and stronger to most, he is still just a seven year old kid fighting for his father’s attention. He is very depressed because he was always left behind. Ari just wants to be recognized by his dad, be one with the flock, and be loved by Max. With the flow of the story, I’m pretty sure there will be progress in the sotry of Ari in the next books.

Your greatest strength is your greatest weakness. ~James Petterson, School’s Out-Forever

Book Review: The Angel Experiment (Maximum Ride #1)

 

The Angel Experiment (Maximum Ride #1)

Author: James Patterson

Pages: 424

Rating: 5/5

According to Mr. Patterson, the idea for Maximum Ride came from earlier books of his called When the Wind Blows and The Lake House. Though there are some similar names, Maximum Ride should not be confused with his two prior novels because the similarities end with those names. The Angel Experiment starts when Angel, a 6 year old avian kid, was kidnapped and brought to the School, a laboratory of some sort. Max and her friends ended up rescuing Angel and to escape the Erasers, wolf-like mutants who are cronies of the School, they literally flew to New York. In there, they found out about the Institute, another group like the School, so they decided to go directly to the Institute and find for clues about their identities. By this time, Max already started hearing a voice in her head and most of the time the Voice tells her what to do. For some means, they were able to enter the Institute. In there, they rescued some mutant children and gathered some documents about their biological parents and their addresses. Max was glad about the discovery only to find out that there were no information about her and her family.

I think the first book in Maximum Ride is a great start for a great series. I’m a hundred percent sure that I will be reading the next installments in no time. While reading the novel, it feels like there’s an I am Number Four and  The Maze Runner touch on it. Like in the former, the kids here are developing unknown super powers, they don’t know what they can do and what their limits are. The cluelessness of Max and her friends including the maze like conflicts and challenges seem like the same for the latter.

Favorite Character: I really like the character of Fang. Most of the time he is the Mr. Cool, Calm, and Collected but at some times he is the excited, rash, and childish Fang. He serves as the primary supporter of the lead protagonist. He seems to work on the shadows behind the background who makes a big impact on the team without them really realizing.

“He who leaps for the sky may fall, it’s true. But he may also fly”     ~James Patterson, The Angel Experiment