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Lorien Legacies: I Am Number Four
Date: Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Time: 6:21 AM
Author: Pittacus Lore
Ratings: 4.5/5
Synopsis: None of us came here. We look like you. We live among you. But we are not you. We can do things you dream of doing. We have powers you dream of having. We are stronger and faster than anything you have ever seen. We are the superheroes you worship in movies and comic books -- but we are real.
Our plan was to grow, and train, and become strong, and become one, and fight them. But they found us and started hunting us first. Now all of us are running. Spending lives in shadows, in places where no one would look, blending in. We have lived among you without you knowing.
But they know.
They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England
And Number Three in Kenya
I am Number Four
I am next.
Review: The story revolves around the "9" aliens or Lorics from the ravaged planet Lorien. They are called "Garde" because of their special powers, called Legacies, which not everyone has in the planet. They came here with their guardians who are supposed to keep them safe because they're the ones who will save the Earth. And get Lorien back.
Unfortunately, their enemy, the ones who ruined Lorien followed them on Earth. The 9 are protected by a special charm that allows them to be safe as long as the one preceding them is not killed. They can only be killed according to their number. Unfortunately for John, Number Four, the first three were already dead. The story actually revolves around Number Four. And the story slowly unfolds as to their history. The plot slowly reveals the powers that John has inherited from the elder Garde.
John has never really developed any close relationships with other people except for Henri, his guardian. However, once he got the signal that Number Thre is already dead - they get this searing pain and mark etched on their flesh. Dark Mark, anyone? - he and Henri decided that it's time to go. They went to this sleepy town called Paradise in Ohio and there, he meets Sarah and like every other story with a teenage boy and a teenage girl, they fall in love. Everything goes peachy until the Mogadorians tracked them and they had no choice but to fight?
Who wins?
Go read the book. I swear it's a good read.
The only thing I didn't look like about the plot is that it felt a bit too dragging especially on the part where he and Sarah were growing more in love. Furthermore the sudden entry of a surprise character in the end just really caught me by no surprise. It was good, perhaps it was needed, but there was no foreshadowing at all and it just felt confusing.
The story has all the elements of a good read: light humour, action, adventure and a bit of romance. There is also the play on family ties and solid friendship. I likednthe way it was written because the friendship and romance didn't feel shallow to me. I think John's relationships were really established, which helped cement the emotion behind the succeeding scenes when Henri died and when his new friend Sam Goode stuck by him til the end.
It's a good read for anytime of the day and I recommend it.Labels: Action, Adventure, I Am Number Four, Lorien Legacies, Pittacus Lore, Sci-Fi, Young Adult
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The Mortality Doctrine: The Eye of Minds
Date: Saturday, January 16, 2016
Time: 6:09 AM
Author: James Dashner
Ratings: 4/5
Synopsis: Michael is a gamer. And like most gamers, he almost spends more time on the VirtNet than in the actual world. The VirtNet offers total mind and body immersion, and it's addictive. Thanks to technology, anyone with enough money can experience fantasy worlds, risk their life without the chance of death, or just hang around with Virt-friends. And the more hacking skills you have, the more fun. Why bother following the rules when most of them are dumb, anyway?
But some rules were made for a reason. Some technology is too dangerous to fool with. And recent reports claim that one gamer is going beyond what any gamer has done before: he's holding players hostage inside the VirtNet. The effects are horrific - the hostages have all been declared brain-dead. Yet the gamer's motives are a mystery.
The government knows that to catch a hacker, you need a hacker. And they've been watching Michael. They want him on their team. But the risk is enormous. If he accepts their challenge, Michael will need to go off the VirtNet grid. There are back alleys and corners in the system human eyes have never seen and predators he can't even fathom - and there's the possibility that the line between game and reality will be blurred forever.
Review: James Dashner does it again. A competent successor to The Maze Runner series, The Eye of Minds is a captivating and suspenseful sci-fi adventure that left me craving the next installment of the trilogy.
The Eye of Minds follows the journey of Michael and his friends, Bryson and Sarah, as they tracked down a crooked madman hacker who has been using his skills in the VirtNet to corrupt others and render the human bodies of his victims brain dead.
In the world that Dashner establishes, those who can afford to purchase a "Coffin", the piece of technology that can transport the mind to the VirtNet, are empowered with the ability to explore an almost limitless world, in which death does not exist. When reading, it is evident that Dashner put alot of detail and forethought into the workings and infrastructure of the VirtNet, and this is what really makes the world that Michael lives in an original one.
As for the characters, I found the dialogue that they exchange amongst themselves entertaining, but I could muster nothing on a more profound level. Although the frequent exchanges of banter and sarcasm among the trio of friends brought a sense of realism to the story, I did not sympathise with or relate to any of the characters on a deeper level, which I presume has to do with the lack of character insight and development throughout the course of the novel.
Although the premise of the book kept me turning page after page, I began to lose interest somewhere near the hundred page mark, when Michael and his friends are in throes of their journey. This was undoubtedly influenced by the repetitive nature of the tasks that the characters faced. After they moved past an obstacle, another would appear shortly after, and following that one's completion, the characters would be faced with yet another obstacle to overcome, and so on and so forth. This is where I began to focus less on the character's current situation and just wanted to reach the final pages of the book to discover what conclusion was in store. However, I put my big girl panties on, sat down and read through it all.
Good decision. After braving through the book's drier sections, fueled primarily by anticipation of its conclusion, I was presented with a major completely unexpected plot twist. And boy, was it a twist - the kind that causes the story to make sense on an entirely new level. I won't delve into further details for obvious spoiler avoiding reasons, but I will mention that upon reflection, I realised that Dashner does provide subtle clues that foreshadow the plot's sudden twist. However, I had gullibly attributed these clues to a cause that Dashner leads the reader to believe, but is essentially a distraction from their real cause, which only contributes further to the element of surprise contained in those last few pages.
Overall, despite my criticisms of the book, I recommend this to any YA'ers out there who are craving a sci-fi adventure with a hint of danger and mystery. Read through the weaker spots and you will encounter an ending well worth the wait.Labels: Action, Adventure, Gaming, James Dashner, Sci-Fi, The Eye of Minds, The Mortality Doctrine, Young Adult
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The Host
Date: Saturday, January 2, 2016
Time: 6:46 AM
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Ratings: 4/5
Synopsis: Earth has been invaded by a peaceful species that takes over the minds of their hosts whilst leaving their body intact. Most of the humanity succumbed, but pockets of resistance exist and it is the Calling of the Seekers to stamp out any insubordination.
Melanie Stryder her body was given to Wanderer in hopes that the invading "soul" might be able to determine knowledge of other rebels. Wanderer knew about the challenges of living inside a human - the overwhelming emotions, the glut of senses, the too vivid memories - but there was one Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.
Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions and memories of the man Melanie loves - Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Uovrrcom separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a human that she should be turning over to the Seekers. When outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off on a dangerous and uncertain search for the man they both love.
Review: Whilst marketed as Stephenie's "first novel for adults" the language, violence, and what little sexual innuendo that can be found in The Host is extremely tame and is quite suitable for teens and younger readers. In fact, if not for the depth and complexity of the book emotionally and thematically, The Host is really not far removed from being a YA novel. Genre-wise The Host obviously possesses science fiction elements but is more akin in spirit to such stories as Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Puppet Masters, Alien Nation, Planet of the Apes and V: The Series where science fiction is downplayed in favour of more thought-provoking issues like the resiliency of humanity, overcoming cultural violence barriers, interspecies prejudice, and so forth. However, instead of being fueled by adventure, thrills or horror, The Host is essentially a character-driven romance.
Considering how popular Stephenie Meyer has become, it's hard to imagine that her debut novel was only just released in 2005, because it seems like I've been hearing about the author for decades. Not immune to such massive hype but it is The Host, Stephenie's first novel for adults that marks my introduction to the author's charms to the people.
With the set up. One, in this story Earth has already been conquered, and has been for several years now. Also, Earth is the only of dozens of planets that have been similarly subjugated. Two, the "souls" are a benign alien species and in their mind they believe they've done humanity a favour by getting rid of crime, violence and other depravities - concepts along with hate and betrayal that are foreign to the aliens. And thirdly, even though the planet has been conquered, the lives of those human whose bodies have been stolen continues. In other words, the aliens, through their human hosts, continue to feed and bathe themselves, go to work and have relationships. Basically, life is normal, except they don't have to worry about security, pay for services or provisions anymore, and health care is much improved.
I should also note that even though The Host is classified as science fiction, there is actually a very little science fiction in the book. I mean readers will get to learn about different planets - Fire World, See World, The Singing Planet, The Planet of the Flowers, The Mists Planet, The Dragon Planet, Summer World, etc. - alien species (Vultures, Spiders, Dolphins, Claw Beasts) and the Souls' Callings like Healers, Seekers, Comforters, and Motherhood as well as their Origin World, but overall the science fiction elements are overshadowed, so don't expect the same kind of depth or complicated world-building that you might find in a space opera or epic fantasy series. After all, that's not what The Host is about.
Instead, The Host is about emotions, characters and their interactions with one another, and what it means to be human and this is where Stephenie Meyer leaves her mark.
What's truly amazing about this is that the main protagonist is an alien. Of course, Wanderer is not your everyday alien. You see, she chose the name Wanderer for a reason. On average, a "soul" may visit two planets before finding one they like and settling down. Earth is Wanderer's ninth planet. Because of this experience, Wanderer is chosen to be inserted into the body of the rebel Melanie Stryder. The thought was that with her experience, Wanderer would be able to extract the information from Melanie's memories that the Seekers need even though the long-term success rate of "souls" assimilating an adult human host is under 20%. What no one expected though was that Melanie's consciousness would remain aware and driven by her host body's emotions Wanderer would abandon her species and seek out Melanie's loved ones.
I could go on trying to explain how amazing I thought the characterisation was, how the incredibly poignant story made me react with such strong emotion, and why I loved reading The Host so much, but no amount of words can do the book justice. Basically, The Host is one of those rare novels that you have to experience in your own to really appreciate it.
Labels: Romance, Sci-Fi, Stephenie Meyer, The Host
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The Scorch Trials
Date: Thursday, December 31, 2015
Time: 9:13 PM
Author: James Dashner
Ratings: 3/5
Synopsis: Solving the Maze was supposed to be an end.
Thomas was sure that escape from the Maze would mean freedom for him and the Gladers. But WICKED isn't done yet. Phase two has just begun. The Scorch.
There are no rule . There is no help. You either make it or you die.
The Gladers have two weeks to cross through the Scorch - the most burned-out section of the world. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.
Friendships will be tested. Loyalties will be broke . All bets are off.
There are others now. Their survival depends on the Gladers' destruction - and they're determined to survive.
Review: Some people before they read the series, they already watched their movie adaptations. The effects and the concept visualisations according to them were excellent and worth watching actually. Screaming out of fear because of the breathtaking and surprising parts, like the scene when they were being chased by the Cranks... so on and so forth.
But... if you are a type of person who has already read the series before the movie, the outcome will be very disappointing. For real. And as for me I am also disappointed with the story.
The first book started out great. I mean, the fighting and chasing scenes between the Gladers and the Grievers left me openmouthed. It is shocking, fast-paced, and it's not boring. I understand that Dashner left us some mind-bugging questions about the WICKED and their sole purposes. I was actually waiting for an answer about it here in the second book. But it turns out empty. So here's my rant about it.
I really don't know how I am going to rate this book. At first, the story caught my attention, since it's full of thrilling and promising scenes, especially the part where Brenda and Thomas met Mr. Nose. They ventured upon different kinds of trials (which is fine with me since I am looking for that kind of story. I need a break from romantic/dramatic novels).
Even when I reached the half part of the story, I am still hooked up with it. But as I go on deeper, I find it exhausting. Yes, I feel exhausted with the things that are happening with Thomas and with the other Gladers. I am tired of those shucking lies and betrayals. I am annoyed with the endless experiments and tests done by the heartless WICKED. It's all too much for me to take that my head really ache . I was well -informed with the virus, The Flare, the Cranks, etc. I am so fed up with these details and it seems like Dashner restated those details over and over again. I was waiting for that cure, the blueprint. I was waiting for something new to happen, waiting for what they call progress... It's like they'll start all over again. Another dumbfounding challenge awaits.
And I was really annoyed with Thomas and his dreams. As if he was always sleeping within the entire story. That is so cliché.
"Wicked is good." But the story isn't.
I gave this novel a three since my expectations were turned down and the questions that were bugging me from the first book were left unanswered.
But it's still a must read for everyone. If you're looking for action-packed and if you already started reading you should continue.Labels: Action, Dystopian, James Dashner, Sci-Fi, The Scorch Trials, Young Adult
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The Maze Runner
Date:
Time: 7:38 PM
Author: James Dashner
Ratings: 5/5
Synopsis: If you ain't scared. You ain't human.
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He's surrounded by strangers - boys whose memories are also gone.
Nice to meet ya, Shank.
Welcome to the Glade.
Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless ever-changing maze. It's the only way out - and no one's ever made it through alive.
Everything is going to change.
Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.
Remember. Survive. Run.
Review: What made me read this book is because of its unique premise and story line. I never thought of being trapped inside a huge maze, and forced to live there for a long time. Thinking about it makes me cringe, and scared because what will happen if you get stuck in that maze, right?
"Looks like a maze," Thomas whispered, almost laughing to himself. As if things couldn't have gotten any stranger. They'd wiped his memory and put him inside a gigantic maze. It was all so crazy but it really did seem funny.
-Chapter 4, p. 26.
The story is well-written, I like how Dashner illustrate the whole setting of the story, in fact he really described it in a more accurate and specific way which really helped me to form a mental image or somehow, to visualise the concept of the whole plot of the story.
He glanced upward again, half expecting it to have changed back to normal. But it was all gray. Not cloudy, not twilight, not the early minutes of dawn. Just gray.
The sun had disappeared.
-Chapter 34, p. 218
The story also has that mood and it has that different kind of perspective when it comes to the characters. They're using words which we called "Glader's slang" like shanks, shuck-face, klunk, slim-it, slinthead and etc.
All I can is WOW! This novel did not disappoint me, well the movie adaptation does... because the story was alot more different in the film. (It has always been the issue. What's new?) It's a way too scary than the film because the details of the story was delivered in a more precise way. I imagined myself standing in the middle of the Glade, surrounded by the Griever's. I also imagined Minho saving me from them. It's not that I don't like Thomas, but Minho's much more attractive for me.
My heart aches for Chuck's death. He's one of the characters that I love next to Minho.
The Maze Runner is now my favourite dystopian novel. If you haven't read it, you're missing half of your life already Shanks!Labels: Action, Dystopian, James Dashner, Sci-Fi, The Maze Runner, Young Adult
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Lorien Legacies: I Am Number Four
Author: Pittacus Lore
Ratings: 4.5/5
Synopsis: None of us came here. We look like you. We live among you. But we are not you. We can do things you dream of doing. We have powers you dream of having. We are stronger and faster than anything you have ever seen. We are the superheroes you worship in movies and comic books -- but we are real.
Our plan was to grow, and train, and become strong, and become one, and fight them. But they found us and started hunting us first. Now all of us are running. Spending lives in shadows, in places where no one would look, blending in. We have lived among you without you knowing.
But they know.
They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England
And Number Three in Kenya
I am Number Four
I am next.
Review: The story revolves around the "9" aliens or Lorics from the ravaged planet Lorien. They are called "Garde" because of their special powers, called Legacies, which not everyone has in the planet. They came here with their guardians who are supposed to keep them safe because they're the ones who will save the Earth. And get Lorien back.
Unfortunately, their enemy, the ones who ruined Lorien followed them on Earth. The 9 are protected by a special charm that allows them to be safe as long as the one preceding them is not killed. They can only be killed according to their number. Unfortunately for John, Number Four, the first three were already dead. The story actually revolves around Number Four. And the story slowly unfolds as to their history. The plot slowly reveals the powers that John has inherited from the elder Garde.
John has never really developed any close relationships with other people except for Henri, his guardian. However, once he got the signal that Number Thre is already dead - they get this searing pain and mark etched on their flesh. Dark Mark, anyone? - he and Henri decided that it's time to go. They went to this sleepy town called Paradise in Ohio and there, he meets Sarah and like every other story with a teenage boy and a teenage girl, they fall in love. Everything goes peachy until the Mogadorians tracked them and they had no choice but to fight?
Who wins?
Go read the book. I swear it's a good read.
The only thing I didn't look like about the plot is that it felt a bit too dragging especially on the part where he and Sarah were growing more in love. Furthermore the sudden entry of a surprise character in the end just really caught me by no surprise. It was good, perhaps it was needed, but there was no foreshadowing at all and it just felt confusing.
The story has all the elements of a good read: light humour, action, adventure and a bit of romance. There is also the play on family ties and solid friendship. I likednthe way it was written because the friendship and romance didn't feel shallow to me. I think John's relationships were really established, which helped cement the emotion behind the succeeding scenes when Henri died and when his new friend Sam Goode stuck by him til the end.
It's a good read for anytime of the day and I recommend it.Labels: Action, Adventure, I Am Number Four, Lorien Legacies, Pittacus Lore, Sci-Fi, Young Adult
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The Mortality Doctrine: The Eye of Minds
Author: James Dashner
Ratings: 4/5
Synopsis: Michael is a gamer. And like most gamers, he almost spends more time on the VirtNet than in the actual world. The VirtNet offers total mind and body immersion, and it's addictive. Thanks to technology, anyone with enough money can experience fantasy worlds, risk their life without the chance of death, or just hang around with Virt-friends. And the more hacking skills you have, the more fun. Why bother following the rules when most of them are dumb, anyway?
But some rules were made for a reason. Some technology is too dangerous to fool with. And recent reports claim that one gamer is going beyond what any gamer has done before: he's holding players hostage inside the VirtNet. The effects are horrific - the hostages have all been declared brain-dead. Yet the gamer's motives are a mystery.
The government knows that to catch a hacker, you need a hacker. And they've been watching Michael. They want him on their team. But the risk is enormous. If he accepts their challenge, Michael will need to go off the VirtNet grid. There are back alleys and corners in the system human eyes have never seen and predators he can't even fathom - and there's the possibility that the line between game and reality will be blurred forever.
Review: James Dashner does it again. A competent successor to The Maze Runner series, The Eye of Minds is a captivating and suspenseful sci-fi adventure that left me craving the next installment of the trilogy.
The Eye of Minds follows the journey of Michael and his friends, Bryson and Sarah, as they tracked down a crooked madman hacker who has been using his skills in the VirtNet to corrupt others and render the human bodies of his victims brain dead.
In the world that Dashner establishes, those who can afford to purchase a "Coffin", the piece of technology that can transport the mind to the VirtNet, are empowered with the ability to explore an almost limitless world, in which death does not exist. When reading, it is evident that Dashner put alot of detail and forethought into the workings and infrastructure of the VirtNet, and this is what really makes the world that Michael lives in an original one.
As for the characters, I found the dialogue that they exchange amongst themselves entertaining, but I could muster nothing on a more profound level. Although the frequent exchanges of banter and sarcasm among the trio of friends brought a sense of realism to the story, I did not sympathise with or relate to any of the characters on a deeper level, which I presume has to do with the lack of character insight and development throughout the course of the novel.
Although the premise of the book kept me turning page after page, I began to lose interest somewhere near the hundred page mark, when Michael and his friends are in throes of their journey. This was undoubtedly influenced by the repetitive nature of the tasks that the characters faced. After they moved past an obstacle, another would appear shortly after, and following that one's completion, the characters would be faced with yet another obstacle to overcome, and so on and so forth. This is where I began to focus less on the character's current situation and just wanted to reach the final pages of the book to discover what conclusion was in store. However, I put my big girl panties on, sat down and read through it all.
Good decision. After braving through the book's drier sections, fueled primarily by anticipation of its conclusion, I was presented with a major completely unexpected plot twist. And boy, was it a twist - the kind that causes the story to make sense on an entirely new level. I won't delve into further details for obvious spoiler avoiding reasons, but I will mention that upon reflection, I realised that Dashner does provide subtle clues that foreshadow the plot's sudden twist. However, I had gullibly attributed these clues to a cause that Dashner leads the reader to believe, but is essentially a distraction from their real cause, which only contributes further to the element of surprise contained in those last few pages.
Overall, despite my criticisms of the book, I recommend this to any YA'ers out there who are craving a sci-fi adventure with a hint of danger and mystery. Read through the weaker spots and you will encounter an ending well worth the wait.Labels: Action, Adventure, Gaming, James Dashner, Sci-Fi, The Eye of Minds, The Mortality Doctrine, Young Adult
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The Host
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Ratings: 4/5
Synopsis: Earth has been invaded by a peaceful species that takes over the minds of their hosts whilst leaving their body intact. Most of the humanity succumbed, but pockets of resistance exist and it is the Calling of the Seekers to stamp out any insubordination.
Melanie Stryder her body was given to Wanderer in hopes that the invading "soul" might be able to determine knowledge of other rebels. Wanderer knew about the challenges of living inside a human - the overwhelming emotions, the glut of senses, the too vivid memories - but there was one Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.
Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions and memories of the man Melanie loves - Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Uovrrcom separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a human that she should be turning over to the Seekers. When outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off on a dangerous and uncertain search for the man they both love.
Review: Whilst marketed as Stephenie's "first novel for adults" the language, violence, and what little sexual innuendo that can be found in The Host is extremely tame and is quite suitable for teens and younger readers. In fact, if not for the depth and complexity of the book emotionally and thematically, The Host is really not far removed from being a YA novel. Genre-wise The Host obviously possesses science fiction elements but is more akin in spirit to such stories as Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Puppet Masters, Alien Nation, Planet of the Apes and V: The Series where science fiction is downplayed in favour of more thought-provoking issues like the resiliency of humanity, overcoming cultural violence barriers, interspecies prejudice, and so forth. However, instead of being fueled by adventure, thrills or horror, The Host is essentially a character-driven romance.
Considering how popular Stephenie Meyer has become, it's hard to imagine that her debut novel was only just released in 2005, because it seems like I've been hearing about the author for decades. Not immune to such massive hype but it is The Host, Stephenie's first novel for adults that marks my introduction to the author's charms to the people.
With the set up. One, in this story Earth has already been conquered, and has been for several years now. Also, Earth is the only of dozens of planets that have been similarly subjugated. Two, the "souls" are a benign alien species and in their mind they believe they've done humanity a favour by getting rid of crime, violence and other depravities - concepts along with hate and betrayal that are foreign to the aliens. And thirdly, even though the planet has been conquered, the lives of those human whose bodies have been stolen continues. In other words, the aliens, through their human hosts, continue to feed and bathe themselves, go to work and have relationships. Basically, life is normal, except they don't have to worry about security, pay for services or provisions anymore, and health care is much improved.
I should also note that even though The Host is classified as science fiction, there is actually a very little science fiction in the book. I mean readers will get to learn about different planets - Fire World, See World, The Singing Planet, The Planet of the Flowers, The Mists Planet, The Dragon Planet, Summer World, etc. - alien species (Vultures, Spiders, Dolphins, Claw Beasts) and the Souls' Callings like Healers, Seekers, Comforters, and Motherhood as well as their Origin World, but overall the science fiction elements are overshadowed, so don't expect the same kind of depth or complicated world-building that you might find in a space opera or epic fantasy series. After all, that's not what The Host is about.
Instead, The Host is about emotions, characters and their interactions with one another, and what it means to be human and this is where Stephenie Meyer leaves her mark.
What's truly amazing about this is that the main protagonist is an alien. Of course, Wanderer is not your everyday alien. You see, she chose the name Wanderer for a reason. On average, a "soul" may visit two planets before finding one they like and settling down. Earth is Wanderer's ninth planet. Because of this experience, Wanderer is chosen to be inserted into the body of the rebel Melanie Stryder. The thought was that with her experience, Wanderer would be able to extract the information from Melanie's memories that the Seekers need even though the long-term success rate of "souls" assimilating an adult human host is under 20%. What no one expected though was that Melanie's consciousness would remain aware and driven by her host body's emotions Wanderer would abandon her species and seek out Melanie's loved ones.
I could go on trying to explain how amazing I thought the characterisation was, how the incredibly poignant story made me react with such strong emotion, and why I loved reading The Host so much, but no amount of words can do the book justice. Basically, The Host is one of those rare novels that you have to experience in your own to really appreciate it.
Labels: Romance, Sci-Fi, Stephenie Meyer, The Host
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The Scorch Trials
Author: James Dashner
Ratings: 3/5
Synopsis: Solving the Maze was supposed to be an end.
Thomas was sure that escape from the Maze would mean freedom for him and the Gladers. But WICKED isn't done yet. Phase two has just begun. The Scorch.
There are no rule . There is no help. You either make it or you die.
The Gladers have two weeks to cross through the Scorch - the most burned-out section of the world. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.
Friendships will be tested. Loyalties will be broke . All bets are off.
There are others now. Their survival depends on the Gladers' destruction - and they're determined to survive.
Review: Some people before they read the series, they already watched their movie adaptations. The effects and the concept visualisations according to them were excellent and worth watching actually. Screaming out of fear because of the breathtaking and surprising parts, like the scene when they were being chased by the Cranks... so on and so forth.
But... if you are a type of person who has already read the series before the movie, the outcome will be very disappointing. For real. And as for me I am also disappointed with the story.
The first book started out great. I mean, the fighting and chasing scenes between the Gladers and the Grievers left me openmouthed. It is shocking, fast-paced, and it's not boring. I understand that Dashner left us some mind-bugging questions about the WICKED and their sole purposes. I was actually waiting for an answer about it here in the second book. But it turns out empty. So here's my rant about it.
I really don't know how I am going to rate this book. At first, the story caught my attention, since it's full of thrilling and promising scenes, especially the part where Brenda and Thomas met Mr. Nose. They ventured upon different kinds of trials (which is fine with me since I am looking for that kind of story. I need a break from romantic/dramatic novels).
Even when I reached the half part of the story, I am still hooked up with it. But as I go on deeper, I find it exhausting. Yes, I feel exhausted with the things that are happening with Thomas and with the other Gladers. I am tired of those shucking lies and betrayals. I am annoyed with the endless experiments and tests done by the heartless WICKED. It's all too much for me to take that my head really ache . I was well -informed with the virus, The Flare, the Cranks, etc. I am so fed up with these details and it seems like Dashner restated those details over and over again. I was waiting for that cure, the blueprint. I was waiting for something new to happen, waiting for what they call progress... It's like they'll start all over again. Another dumbfounding challenge awaits.
And I was really annoyed with Thomas and his dreams. As if he was always sleeping within the entire story. That is so cliché.
"Wicked is good." But the story isn't.
I gave this novel a three since my expectations were turned down and the questions that were bugging me from the first book were left unanswered.
But it's still a must read for everyone. If you're looking for action-packed and if you already started reading you should continue.Labels: Action, Dystopian, James Dashner, Sci-Fi, The Scorch Trials, Young Adult
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The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner
Ratings: 5/5
Synopsis: If you ain't scared. You ain't human.
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He's surrounded by strangers - boys whose memories are also gone.
Nice to meet ya, Shank.
Welcome to the Glade.
Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless ever-changing maze. It's the only way out - and no one's ever made it through alive.
Everything is going to change.
Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.
Remember. Survive. Run.
Review: What made me read this book is because of its unique premise and story line. I never thought of being trapped inside a huge maze, and forced to live there for a long time. Thinking about it makes me cringe, and scared because what will happen if you get stuck in that maze, right?
"Looks like a maze," Thomas whispered, almost laughing to himself. As if things couldn't have gotten any stranger. They'd wiped his memory and put him inside a gigantic maze. It was all so crazy but it really did seem funny.
-Chapter 4, p. 26.
The story is well-written, I like how Dashner illustrate the whole setting of the story, in fact he really described it in a more accurate and specific way which really helped me to form a mental image or somehow, to visualise the concept of the whole plot of the story.
He glanced upward again, half expecting it to have changed back to normal. But it was all gray. Not cloudy, not twilight, not the early minutes of dawn. Just gray.
The sun had disappeared.
-Chapter 34, p. 218
The story also has that mood and it has that different kind of perspective when it comes to the characters. They're using words which we called "Glader's slang" like shanks, shuck-face, klunk, slim-it, slinthead and etc.
All I can is WOW! This novel did not disappoint me, well the movie adaptation does... because the story was alot more different in the film. (It has always been the issue. What's new?) It's a way too scary than the film because the details of the story was delivered in a more precise way. I imagined myself standing in the middle of the Glade, surrounded by the Griever's. I also imagined Minho saving me from them. It's not that I don't like Thomas, but Minho's much more attractive for me.
My heart aches for Chuck's death. He's one of the characters that I love next to Minho.
The Maze Runner is now my favourite dystopian novel. If you haven't read it, you're missing half of your life already Shanks!Labels: Action, Dystopian, James Dashner, Sci-Fi, The Maze Runner, Young Adult
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