DJ RISING - LOVE MAIA //

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DJ Rising is Love Maia's first and only book (so far.) It is about a boy named Marley whose mother is a heroin addict and whose father died a few years prior in a hit-and-run. Marley aspires to be a famous DJ who spins at a popular club named Fever in his town. His reality is that he is a sixteen-year-old student at Ellington Preparatory High School on a scholarship. He works hard at keeping his grades up and acting well so he can get a full scholarship at any college away from his town. One day, his friends set him up to work at a club after the normal DJ breaks his arm, This causes many opportunities to open up for Marley and his life is changed forever.

This book is a fast read, and a very interesting book. I was unsure of how I would feel about this book because it is not a book I would normally gravitate towards. On a scale of 1 to 5, I'd give it a 3.5. 

DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE - LAINI TAYLOR //

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Daughter of Smoke and Bone is the first in a trilogy by Laini Taylor. It follows Karou, an art student living in Prague with unusual family and living situations. She was raised by chimaera, beings who are part human and part animal. Karou has no idea how she came to be an orphan to these chimaera. She runs errands for Brimstone, her father figure, where she is sent out to collect teeth for his work, and she is unaware of the use of these teeth for his work. While on one of her missions, she runs into an angel (specifically, a seraph) and is instantly drawn to him, despite their initial violence and fighting.

This book was incredibly difficult for me to take in. The beginning is terribly cliche and cheesy, and it definitely got a good deal of eye-rolls from me. The book proceeds to be painstakingly strung out. However, what makes this book worth it is the last few chapters. The slow-to-read story is worth all of the wait for the ending chapters. It contains incredible plot twists and cliffhangers, and despite their somewhat predictability, they maintain their interest and excitement-inducing abilities. 

Laini Taylor’s writing style is what I contribute to it being so meticulous to read. She uses a very advanced vocabulary very often, and I found myself having to use the dictionary app on my Kindle to decipher the meaning of her intelligent choices of words. I also found that my “background” in art history (meaning my one AP class in art history) was beneficial due to Taylor’s frequent descriptions of the beautiful scenery. She focused heavily on the architecture and scenery every so often and the vocabulary and knowledge I picked up from taking art history as a class definitely helped me better understand and even appreciate what she was writing about.

On a number scale, I struggle to pinpoint this book at one score. It was excruciating to get through, what with its longwinded descriptions and bordering-on-boring more often than not. However, the story was fascinating and invigorating and I am eager to continue the series. I suppose I’d give it a 3.5/5 just for what it put me through in terms of how long it felt like it took me to get through this book and how often I rolled my eyes or sighed over the cliched and cheesy portions of this book. Despite this, I’d recommend it to anyone looking for an exciting story that will grip you in the same fashion as Twilight, Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, et cetera. (I can almost feel people telling me it’s sacrilege to group Twilight and Harry Potter in the same list. Oh well.) 

BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY - RUTA SEPETYS //

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Between Shades of Gray was Ruta Sepetys’s debut novel. The story follows Lina Vilkas, a fifteen year old from Lithuania whose family is uprooted in the middle of the night by Soviet forces. Lina, her mother Elena, and her brother Jonas are crowded into a crammed train car with other people taken by the NKVD. They are transported to work in a camp, where they live under cruel and unsanitary conditions. Lina longs to reconnect with her father who was taken away before the rest of her family was, and she aims to contact him by leaving a trail of her drawings for him. Her drawings outline her experiences and time under the Soviet forces.

This book was unbelievably amazing. I knew it had very positive reviews and was praised for its honesty and beauty. It definitely lives up to that positivity. On a number scale, I’d give this book a 4.8/5 or higher. Its chapters are short and the book stays at a fairly fast pace despite its subject matter, so it’s a quick and enjoyable read. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, books centering around the War era, and anyone in general who is looking for a beautiful and meaningful read. 

BOY 21 - MATTHEW QUICK //

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I went into reading Boy 21 with absolutely no knowledge as to what the book was about. I had an inkling that it had something to do with sports, but that was all the indication I had. Halfway through the book, I realized there was a bright orange sticker on the front of the book that proclaimed the author, Matthew Quick, as the New York Times bestselling author of The Silver Linings Playbook. I have yet to read said book, but I have seen the movie, and it was phenomenal. But that’s beside the point. This post is about Boy 21. 

This book follows Finley McManus, the only white boy on his high school basketball team. He lives in a town called Bellmont located somewhere in Pennsylvania, where his town is ruled by an Irish mob, drugs, and violence. He lives with his father and his grandfather, and his girlfriend Erin is his only friend. One day, his basketball coach tells him of a new kid in town named Russ. Russ and Finley have a lot in common, and Finley’s job is to watch after Russ and make sure Russ tries out for the basketball team. I’m not going to say much more because it would involve an insane amount of spoilers, so I will leave it at that.

This book was an incredibly fast read. I didn’t put it down, and that was shocking to me. I was wary of how I’d react to this book considering I’m not a sports person in any sort of way, but I really enjoyed this book. I couldn’t identify with nearly any of the situations or circumstances in the book, but both Finley and Russ had characteristics with which I could identify. In a way, the ending of this book reminded me of The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, which is one of my favorite books. I can’t tell why it reminded me of that book because it would spoil everything, but I hope those who have read both books can agree with me, or at least see where I’m coming from. 

If I were to give this book a rating, I’d genuinely give it a 4.5/5 or higher. It’s heartwarming, it’s heartbreaking, and it emphasizes the importance of friendships and relationships. I can especially identify with this book because it’s set during Finley’s senior year of high school and deals with the notion of college and its inevitability, and I am also in my senior year of high school, very close to the end for me. It factored in a special nostalgia-for-the-future factor that made me enjoy this book more than I already did. I absolutely recommend this book to anyone. I think it can be a universally appreciated read and that anyone could enjoy it.

MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN - RANSOM RIGGS //

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Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is the debut novel from Ransom Riggs. The idea for the book came when Riggs approached his publisher about creating a book using vernacular photographs, which Riggs collected. This book is the end result to that idea. The idea seemed odd to me, and the book definitely did not end up being what I thought it would.

The book follows sixteen-year-old Jacob Portman, whose grandfather grew up an orphan in the second World War. Jacob’s grandfather often told Jacob of the peculiar children with which he grew up in a home. He had photographs of these children, and Jacob was enchanted with these stories. As he grew older, he realized the stories were more fiction than reality, and stopped believing in his grandfather’s “fairy tales.” When his grandfather is killed by wild animals, Jacob is devastated and haunted by his grandfather’s last words, and sets out to find what they really mean. On his journey he encounters peculiar people and finds he is more like his grandfather than not.

This book bordered on a slow read at times, but it never got boring. At some point in the beginning I picked up on a few of the twists, but I never got the details exactly right. Riggs created a whole world a la Harry Potter with his own mystical creatures and horrifying villains. The book took an unexpected turn near the end, though I wasn’t as shocked as I assumed I would be. 

As for ratings, I’d give this book a 4.1/5. I am trying to be less personal in my ratings and more constructive in relation to the storyline and how it was constructed. In all honesty I enjoyed The Name of the Star more than Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, but the writing style and execution of the latter earn it a better rating. It pulls more heartstrings and envelops you more into its world than TNotS seems to. 

THE NAME OF THE STAR - MAUREEN JOHNSON //

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My friend recommended The Name of the Star to me when I was on the hunt for books to read. I was stuck in a reading stupor, unsure of what to read. To be honest, it took me around 10 months to finally get around to reading this book. However, I feel it was definitely worth the wait.

The Name of the Star is about a girl named Rory who moves to London from Louisiana her senior year of high school and begins to attend a boarding school there. On her first day in London, recreations of the Jack the Ripper murders begin. One night while Rory and her friends are awaiting the next murder to begin, she encounters a man she can see but her friend cannot. At the police interrogation, she meets another man who interrogates her but does not seem to be a policeman. She learns she is more connected to the murders than she could ever think.

All in all, this book is a fast read and a very entertaining. It takes many turns and I appreciate Maureen Johnson’s attempts to catch her audience off guard, but every twist seemed very blatant and obvious much before it was revealed. The book borders on cheesy every so often, and some scenes should not have been as grossly descriptive as they were, but it does not take back from the enjoyableness of this book. This book is definitely one of the lighter books on this list of books (surprisingly so, considering it deals with murders.) On a number scale, I’d give this a 3.7/5. It’s not a bad book. However, the fact that I predicted almost every twist did take away from the excitement and thrill and it did border on cliche fairly often.

INSURGENT - VERONICA ROTH //

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Insurgent is the sequel to Divergent. It was released in early May of 2012, very close to my birthday, so it was a well-waited birthday present. Insurgentremains a wonderful book in my eyes, but it doesn’t compare to the excitement and thrill of the first book of the series.

We once again find ourselves following Tris Prior, now technically factionless along with her boyfriend Tobias Eaton and many other members of both Abnegation and Dauntless. They begin the book hiding out in Amity headquarters when Erudite-aligned Dauntless stage a raid, causing Tris and her fellow newly factionless to seek refuge in another place. They eventually find themselves in Candor headquarters where they reunite with the rest of the “good” Dauntless. There, Tris and Tobias are arrested on suspicion of conspiring against Abnegation and running the simulation (a memorable scene if you read the first book, which you definitely should.) No more spoilers! But this book is action-packed, heartbeat increasing, gut-wrenching at times, and eventually infuriating by means of a massive cliffhanger. 

I absolutely recommend this book if you enjoyed Divergent and are interested in continuing the series. It continues to be fascinating and thrilling, just as the first book was. On a number scale, I believe I’d give this book a 4.1/5 just because it doesn’t quite compare to Divergent, but I still enjoy it almost as much. 

Favorite line: “We both have war inside us. Sometimes it keeps us alive. Sometimes it threatens to destroy us.”

DIVERGENT - VERONICA ROTH //

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I was introduced to Divergent in the midst of my Hunger Games phase. I had recently completed Mockingjay and was suffering from post-book depression when my friend recommended this book. I ordered it from Amazon, staying ever-skeptical. My friend had reassured me of this book’s similarity to The Hunger Games. I read this book in one day, and after completing it, I closed the book and immediately began to read it again. It’s that addicting. And I am being completely honest when I say I have lost track of how many times I have reread this book, but I believe it is somewhere in the fifties or higher. It is my Moulin Rouge! (my favorite movie, seen well over 200 times) of books. As I can say/sing words along with Moulin Rouge!, I can paraphrase almost every page in this book.

The story follows Beatrice Prior, a sixteen year old girl living in a dystopian Chicago. In her Chicago, there are five factions: Abnegation, who value selflessness; Candor, who value honesty; Erudite, who value intelligence; Amity, who value peacefulness and kindness; and Dauntless, who value bravery. Beatrice comes from Abnegation. Sixteen-year olds go through an “aptitude test” to test their aptitude for each faction, and to help the person to decide on which faction they will choose during their Choosing Ceremony. Beatrice learns she is Divergent, meaning she has aptitude for more than one faction. Despite her monitor reporting her results as Abnegation, Beatrice chooses to transfer to Dauntless in a completely impulsive decision. It is there she learns of the inner workings of her world and of the conflicts between the factions. She also learns that being brave and being selfless aren’t always two different things. No spoilers! But the story is thrilling, heart-rate increasing, and indubitably intriguing. You will not be able to set this book down.

This book is a dystopian fiction novel, and that fact can make it more difficult for authors to create easily-relatable characters, but I believe Roth does a fairly good job at this. Beatrice is beyond flawed, terribly so. Her actions can be far beyond frustrating, but that is what makes her real. Personally, I have a problem relating to the protagonists of dystopian novels because of the disconnect between their life-threatening, world-changing problems and my insignificant problems which I cannot relate to the fictional problems. Beatrice was the first character from dystopian fiction with whom I did not have this problem.

As for a number score, I’d give Divergent a 4.4/4.5 out of 5. I adore this book (obvious by the amount of times I have read it) and absolutely would recommend it to anyone. 

Favorite line: “Fear doesn’t shut you down; it wakes you up.” / “We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another.” 

Songs reminiscent of Divergent: "Bootstraps" - You, Me, and Everyone We Know; "Drumming Song" - Florence + the Machine; "Kiss With a Fist" - Florence + the Machine; "Marchin’ On" - OneRepublic; "Teenagers" - My Chemical Romance

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS - JOHN GREEN //

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The Fault in Our Stars is John Green’s latest novel. It was released in January 2012, the January of my sophomore year. After reading Green’s Looking for Alaska, I ordered all of his books on Amazon. At that time, TFIOS was just a cover, a title, and a few words describing an amazing adventure between the two main characters, Hazel and Augustus. I ordered the book pre-release on a blind whim, and when I received it I immediately began reading it. I do not exaggerate when I say I did not put it down from the very first moment I picked it up. It is even more heart-wrenching and beautiful than Green’s LFA, and upon finishing the book it became my new favorite, and has remained in that spot for the past two years. Green really outdid himself with this book. It’s not everyday that the mention of the book title or simply the single note at the beginning of the movie trailer makes my heart ache with pain and love and admiration for this book.

The book follows Hazel Grace Lancaster, a seventeen year old girl from Indianapolis living with thyroid cancer. Her mother believes she is depressed and has her go to a cancer support group. There, Hazel has one friend, Isaac, with whom she communicates in sighs during group. One day, Isaac brings his friend Augustus Waters to group and he immediately intrigues Hazel with his overarching ego yet unmistakable charm. They strike up a friendship and share each other’s favorite books, Hazel’s being a(n admittedly meta, in my opinion) book called An Imperial Affliction about a girl with cancer. The author of AIA has gone MIA (I think I’m funny), and Hazel and Augustus find a way to contact him. (No spoilers!) They certainly go on an adventure and the result is a heart achingly beautiful story, deservedly earning some (many) tears from me.

Green does an amazing thing when he writes from the perspective of teenagers. He says he does so because he loves teenagers and believes they need more representation and credit, which as a teenager I agree with. With his books he ensures and conveys that teenagers have valid, real, significant, intelligent feelings and ideas and that just because we are young does not mean we should be ignored. I love that about him, and about this book. These characters, while boarding on “above-average intelligence” at times, maintain the naivety and confusion of being a teenager. 

TFIOS, in my opinion, certainly deserves a very high 4.8 out of 5. I cannot think of any major gripe I have with this book. Augustus Waters is depicted as a Manic Pixie Dream Boy, but the trope is quickly deconstructed. The characters are flawed but that is what makes them so lovely. I don’t believe I could enjoy this book if these characters were perfect or had less flaws. I could also go so far as to say this book changed my life, because I think it did. It changed my perspective on many things, and it made me appreciate things in my life. I definitely, absolutely, 100% recommend this book to anyone ever.

Favorite one-liners: “My thoughts are stars I can’t fathom into constellations.” / “The marks humans leave are too often scars.” / “The risen sun too bright in her losing eyes.” / “You are going to live a good and long life filled with great and terrible moments you cannot even imagine yet!” 

Favorite multiple-lined quote: “As the tide washed in, the Dutch Tulip Man faced the ocean: ‘Conjoiner rejoinder poisoner concealer revelator. Look at it, rising up and rising down, taking everything with it.’
'What's that?' Anna asked.
'Water,' the Dutchman said. 'Well, and time.'”

Songs that are reminiscent of TFIOS: “Medicine” - Daughter, “Youth” - Daughter, “What Sarah Said” - Death Cab for Cutie, “Cause I’m So Scared of Dying” - Right Away, Great Captain

LOOKING FOR ALASKA - JOHN GREEN //

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Looking for Alaska was my very first exposure to the work of John Green, acclaimed author and regular vlogger on YouTube. I had every intention of reading this book from the time I had first heard of it in the seventh grade, but I never got around to it until the summer before my sophomore year of high school. Green won the 2006 Printz Award for this novel, which also happened to be his debut novel. Needless to say, I had high hopes for this book.

The book is about a boy obsessed with last words named Miles who decides to move from a public school in Florida to a boarding school in Alabama. There, he meets his group of friends: the Colonel, his roommate; Takumi, the Colonel’s friend; and the elusive Alaska, their eccentric and mysterious friend. He quickly befriends all of them, and quickly falls in love with his concept of Alaska. He bonds with Alaska over his obsession with “the Great Perhaps” and her preoccupation with “getting out of the labyrinth.” The book is split into two sections: “Before” and “After,” which hints at the existence of a life-altering event. No spoilers here, but the end result is a heart-wrenching, illuminating story that can certainly take your breath away with its various strings of words beautifully crafted into metaphors.

I think this book is wonderful for teenagers because it is written from the perspective from a teenager, and it feels real. There is no censorship in the situations depicted, nor in the dialogue between characters. (Young adult novels that clearly depict little-to-no curse words in conversations between teenagers make me uncomfortable. It feels stiff and fake, and pretending people do not use those words seems evasive.) I will admit that not every teenager in the world discusses death so often, so deeply, and so casually with his or her friends, and neither does every teenager formulate such deep metaphors in everyday conversation. Us teenagers have the ability to do so, but I think we would rather get our point across as easily and as quickly as possible without the complication of hidden meanings. Nevertheless, the rawness and reality of this book does make it so wonderful and such a great choice for teenagers entering high school. 

One gripe I have with the book is the depiction of the stereotypical Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope. Not everyone is acquainted with this idea, but if you picture almost every character Zooey Deschanel has portrayed, you have a kindergarden idea of what a MPDG is. John Green says he wrote LFA to deconstruct the MPDG trope, but what I find is that he missed on deconstructing it. Miles fetishizes Alaska as this perfect girl with no flaws, and Alaska is aware of this, even telling Miles that who he loves is not the girl she is. Miles does end the story saying how Alaska is just a girl, but it is clear he doesn’t fully believe this, especially in relation to his actions throughout the novel.

On a number scale of what I would rate this book out of five, I’d say about a 4.3. I love this book and have reread it many times, and I think it’s a lovely story for teenagers and adults alike. It seems real and is very easy to relate to the story, and it doesn’t censor any thought or feeling.

Favorite one-liners: “Entropy increases. Things fall apart.” / “It always shocked me when I realized that I wasn’t the only person in the world who thought and felt such strange and awful things.” / “At some point we all look up and realize we are lost in a maze.”