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Liv

Liv

Book worm
LIFE cereal addict
Music devotee
Blonde

livsbookreviews.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/LivLovesBooks more »
  • MN, USA
  • member since January 7 2008

Reviews

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Displaying 31-40 of 76 reviews
  • Violet on the Runway
    • Rated 0 stars

    “I loved this book so much! The only thing I'm sad about is that I waited so long to read it. I've been hearing rave reviews about the Violet series and now that I finally got around to them, I have only good things to say...for the most part. I think the only thing that could be improved upon was the characterization. I felt like we didn't get to know some of the side characters as much as I would have liked. They all seemed interesting and I just wish that we got to see more of the characters than we did. Other than that, this book was truly delightful. Y0u have your totally realistic, understandable, and adorable main character who gets offered an opporunity that all of us would love to have. The plot is great, Violet is created beautifully, and all of the details and minor things about the modeling industry are accurate and entertaining. I haven't read a book before that went so in depth with the setting and background of the plot in a long time. It was cool to read about something fresh that I was completely clueless about. I'm not much of a fashion guru so I liked being able to hear more about that kind of stuff. Also, I liked the fact that the whole modeling world in the book wasn't the sugar-coated fairy princess industry that many people think it is. It was neat to be able to see that world from the inside out and actually get inside the heads of some of the people who are living in that separate universe. I am completely looking forward to reading the next book in the Violet series and I would highly recommend this book to anyone. It's enjoyable, cute, realistic, and engaging. It's got all of the elements that a good book needs! And to add to all of that, the author is a super nice and truly fantabulous lady! So I guess that means that you should go out and pick up your copy of Violet on The Runway ASAP. ”

    Liv wrote this review Friday, August 15 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • Chasing Windmills
    • Rated 0 stars

    “For the most part, this book was really good. The plot was interesting, the characters were beautifully written, and the writing was smooth and fit perfectly with the style of the book. And with all of those good aspects, you'd think it'd make for an amazing book, wouldn't you? And yet, while, it was a very good story, I just don't think that it did it for me so much. The beginning was rather slow and I just didn't feel like I could really relate to what was happening or even feel interested. Catherine Ryan Hyde does an amazing job at describing the setting though, and that was one of the things I appreciated the most about the book. Whether it's in New York or in the desert, you really feel like you're there which was one thing that made me think that perhaps the non-interesting parts of the story could be made up for a little bit. And they were. Even though I wasn't completely thrilled, I don't think that you could have too many hard feelings about Chasing Windmills just because of the lavish description and the endearing and realistic characters. As this was the second book of Catherine's that I've read, I think I stand the same place regarding both Chasing Windmills and Becoming Chloe. While I wasn't as blown away as I expected to be by either of them, they were still decent books that deserve to be read. Expect a good plot and beautiful writing, but don't expect to be flipping pages without reserve. These are the kind of books that are meant to be read slowly and studied, not raced through. And sadly, at least in Catherine Ryan Hyde's case, that's not really my kind of book, but I can still appreciate them. ”

    Liv wrote this review Thursday, August 14 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • Frostbite
    • Rated 0 stars

    “Thank god for these wonderful guilty pleasure books. Sure they may not have all that much substance or challenge me mentally but boy am I able to gobble them up. It's got all of the ingredients a good guilty pleasure needs; romance, fighting, hot guys, mystery, more hot guys, and vampires. What more could someone want? Yes, Richelle Mead has done it again with the second book in the Vampire Academy series. She has incorporated all the thrills of the vampire world into a plot that any teen will enjoy. There is never a dull moment in the book; everything keeps going full speed ahead so that you never know what to expect next. And that's exactly what makes it so good. Just after you think you've figured out what's going to happen next, something new gets thrown in your face and you're knocked off of your feet, scrambling to find out all of the details of the new twist. And the author writes it all so that none of it seems unrealistic. You are led to believe that all of the things in the book could actually happen just because of the flowing writing style and the characters that you can completely relate with. It's so cool to be able to read about a girl, who could quite possibly be your best friend, as she works through obstacle after obstacle with sass, spunk, attitude, and humility. So all in all, I would highly recommend the Vampire Academy series as a completely thrilling, delicious, and suspenseful guilty pleasure that will surpass all of your expectations. :D ”

    Liv wrote this review Thursday, August 14 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • Fly on the Wall
    • Rated 0 stars

    “After reading The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart I had high expectations for this book. In that book, the author had shown herself to be superbly talented and original and I expected just as much from this book. I think that I was slightly let down. Yes, it was a good book with a completely fresh premise, an extremely spunky and eccentric main character, and lots of nummy guys, but I just don't think that the whole execution of the story did it for me as much as I had wanted it to. Gretchen Yee was really the only character whose personality was really explored in depth. All of the other characters seemed like they were just kind of there for background. None of them seemed to have any depth or anything that would make me feel like they were real people. Also, the whole turning into a fly phenomenon was a tad random. I thought it was very cool how the totally unexpected thing happened, but it was never explained why or how. Also, I think there were quite a few loose ends at the end of the book and I just wasn't even interested in them being cleared up. I just didn't care. Ugh. I feel so bad putting down one of E. Lockhart's books. But I can give kudos for the fact that the book was very funny and unique. I was laughing and enjoying myself even as I was feeling disappointed. If that makes any sense... I also liked the whole feminist perspective of the book. I like it when any book has a strong female character and this book definitely had that, which was slightly redeeming. So overall, I think that Fly On The Wall was sort of a letdown of a book for me but I wouldn't go so far as to not recommend it. It still is worth your reading time, if only for the fantabulous sassiness of Gretchen Yee. ”

    Liv wrote this review Thursday, August 14 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • Scrambled Eggs at Midnight
    • Rated 0 stars

    “Eliot lives at a North Carolina bible camp for fat kids with his overly religious father and now distant mother. Things are bound to go wrong when your dad dedicates his whole life to God and money and tries to steer you through your teen years by spouting religious proverbs spontaneously. Enter, Calliope, the gorgeous redhead who has many problems of her own, some of which include a distant father, a self-centered jouster, and a mother who could care less about her own daughter. After one chance meeeting, Cal and Eliot feel a powerful connection and realize that maybe them being together was meant to be. They understand each other and are able to get past the other person's outside to the complex inside. With that kind of chemistry, only good things can happen right? Wrong. Almost everything that could go wrong does. Can Cal and Eliot work through all of the difficulties that are thrown their way and find a way to be together?
    ~~~~~
    First of all, I just have to point out that the town of Olivia, Minnesota was mentioned in this book as being home to gigantic corn. When your name and your state are mentioned in a book, it has to be good, right? Right! Yay! This book really couldn't be much better. There were little plot confusions and character flaws, but basically, the story was amazing. It was original, quirky, enjoyable, funny, marvelous, and adorable. I especially loved the side character of Abel. I think he added a great other aspect to the story I think he was one of the guys that was written the best. He seems just like the kind of father figure that any of us would want. I also loved the two main characters of course, except for the fact that they were perfect! Sure, their situations had big problems, but they themselves couldn't seem to do anything wrong which was one of the tiny things that annoyed me, strangely. I want characters that do things wrong and make misakes. Instead, Eliot and Cal worked through all the problems with grace, realistic-ness, and perfection. Grr. Of course that could be counted as a good thing too because it just added to the overall flow and marvelousness of the book. One of the other things that I loved about this book was the chemistry that they had. You could tell that they were just meant to be together and I think that the two authors worked really well together in making that whole relationship seem realistic. All in all, I think that Scrambled Eggs At Midnight is your perfect summer read, full of fluff, romance, cuteness, and happiness. Go read it now. ”

    Liv wrote this review Monday, June 23 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • Lucky
    • Rated 0 stars

    “Phoebe Avery has always been a lucky girl. Both of her parents are successful business people and she has lived in the lap of luxury for as long as she can remember. Everything she could ever want is at her fingertips and that's exactly the way she likes it. She's also having a ton of fun planning a big bash for her eighth grade graduation with her four best friends. Everything is perfectly coordinated and put in place and Phoebe knows that it's going to be the night of her life. Especially if she gets to wear that delicious green dress she saw in Teen Vogue in front of her on again, off again, sometimes, maybe boyfriend. Then something goes wrong. Phoebe's mom gets fired from her job and Phoebe is forced into the real world where money matters and people have to work for what they want. When Phoebe's check for the party arrangements bounces, she fears that everyone will find out about her misfortune and she won't be such a lucky girl anymore. Will she be able to pull through trials of friendship, money, and romance to show that she really is a strong Avery woman?
    ~~~~~
    *scratches chin thoughtfully* It wasn't until after I finished this book that I realized that it was more of a middle grade book. And for that, I'm going to cut it some slack. While the characters were stereotypical and the plot events were cheesy and predictable, I guess this could still count as a decent book. I think the whole thing was rather boring though. I just wasn't jumping out of my seat with passion, excitement, surprise, or anything. Which kind of stinks. And with a cover as cool as this one, you'd expect a fabulous book to go along with it wouldn't you? And while it didn't meet my expectations, there's still a certain sort of earnest feeling about it. You could tell that the author wasn't so much about realism but about getting the message across which is laudable. It really is a good message. Phoebe came from this background of pampering and had to learn that not everything revolved around her. In the end she discovered that life isn't about the material things, it's about friendships and family; which is a message that should be driven home for middle grade girls everywhere. I really hate seeing those materialistic rich girls who get everything they want. It's a serious pet peeve of mine. And I'm not saying that people who are well-off are bad are horrible, far from it, just be smart about it. You know what I mean? Oh and the last thing that bugged me about this book was that all the girls were dating in, like sixth grade. I certainly didn't date or get any action when I was in middle school so I don't really know how realistic that aspect of the book was. Or maybe I was just a girl that no guy would want to go out with in middle school. Heh. Anyways, although Lucky wasn't astounding in any way, the message was cute and well meant which redeems the book somewhat. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the books in this trilogy from Phoebe's older sisters' perspectives. Hopefully I'll be able to relate to them more as they're closer to my age. :D ”

    Liv wrote this review Monday, June 23 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • How to Be Bad
    • Rated 0 stars

    “Vicks and Jesse have the kind of friendship that others would kill for. That is, until Jesse finds out her mom has cancer. She doesn’t know how to tell Vicks and that forces a huge, uncomfortable aspect into their relationship. And when Jesse decides to plan a road trip as some quality bonding time for her and Vicks, the new girl, Mel, who’s working at the Waffle House with them, inexplicably joins in. A road trip with three girls who are all completely different doesn’t seem like such a good thing does it? While they’re on the road there are fights, laughs, break-ups, cry fests, mangoes, alligators (both dead and alive), and ducks. And what does that all add up to? A completely hilarious tale of how three girls who thought they would never be able to make it work, get to know each other on a new level that bonds them in ways none of them ever expected.
    ~~~~~
    I loved this book so much. What’s interesting is that I read this right after Becoming Chloe and they both include road trips. The difference is that one trip is about going place and finding things and the other one is not so much about going places, but about the bonds that you make on the road. Truthfully, I think you need some of both so I’m glad that this book had that. While Vicks, Jesse, and Mel didn’t see such hugely impressive things as Jordy and Chloe did, I think they had the same amount of fun, because they learned about themselves and enjoyed it as they were doing it. And really, who wouldn’t want to see the world’s smallest police station, or the coral palace, or even the stuffed alligator Old Joe? I think that would be pretty sweet. The thing I liked about this book the most was that it was written in alternating points of view and that it was by three different authors. That way, each writer was able to fully get into their role and create some pretty amazing and memorable characters. I also liked that we got to see all the sides of everyone. No one was exempt from acting dumb or immature, but still, each person had her moment of shining glory also. The other thing I liked about How To Be Bad was that it was completely and utterly hilarious. It had its serious and touching moments but I think I never read more than five pages without laughing out loud. And so even though this book was about fleshing out relationships, it was also about having fun doing that. And yes, I would highly recommend How To Be Bad as one of the best, most funny, and deeply touching book you will read all summer.”

    Liv wrote this review Friday, June 20 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • Becoming Chloe
    • Rated 0 stars

    “Jordan is living on the streets of New York when Chloe finds him. He’s been basically kicked out of his family because of who he is and left to fend for himself. After being hurt, Chloe’s the one who nurses him back to health, forming a bond that really can never be broken. When Jordy finds out that Chloe’s fighting her own demons, he sets out to show her how beautiful the world is even throughout all of the badness that seems most prominent. They meet many people, see a ton of great sights, and learn more about themselves and the world than they had ever imagined. But what will they decide. Is the world more beautiful than it is ugly or is it the other way around? The one thing no one can doubt is that their lives will never be the same.
    ~~~~~
    I don’t think this book hit me as hard as I had expected it to, but it was still a pretty amazing book. I was expecting to be blown away, but even though that might not have been the case, I was still reasonably wowed. The story itself is a great one and one that will make you rethink how you look at the world. Looking at the problems of our world verses the beauties of it from the eyes of someone who is seeing it all for the first time is really hard-hitting and it made me think; do I appreciate the beauty that is all around me? And I think that I’d have to answer that I probably don’t. You know, we are all just so busy rushing through our lives at break-neck speed that it’s rare that any of us really have time to stop and smell the flowers. I really would love if I were able to take a break from life and just go find things. Not necessarily even outside my own state. Just to be able to notice and appreciate things that I haven’t before would be enough. So as you can see, it’s the kind of book that really makes you think about things which is definitely a good thing. I also liked how the characters weren’t stereotypical at all. They were people that were battling their own problems in life, and found each other through that. It was nice to see characters out of the ordinary and who helped you expand your thinking. I also loved the whole self-discovery aspect of the book and how, in the end, the question of beauty wasn’t clear-cut. The author left it for you to decide if you thought the world was good and it was nice how a specific viewpoint wasn’t forced on you. So I would definitely recommend Becoming Chloe. Even though it wasn’t as provoking as I though it was going to be, it was still an amazing book.”

    Liv wrote this review Friday, June 20 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Dead and the Gone
    • Rated 0 stars

    “Being a Puerto Rican in New York before the disaster was hard enough, but now with the moon knocked closer to the Earth by an asteroid, every thing's out of control. It's especially bad since Alex's dad was down in Puerto Rico during the tsunamis and he was almost definitely drowned, and Alex and his sisters haven't heard from their mother since the day the hospital called in all the emergency personnel. Alex knows how to cope though and he thinks he's going to be all right. He just needs to find enough food and keep his two sisters safe. Sadly though, things don't turn out to be that easy. With winter coming early and New York being constantly washed away by the tides, food and shelter are becoming harder and harder to come by and the dead bodies are piling up every day. Will Alex be able to provide for himself and his family long enough for them to find a way out of the city?
    ~~~~~
    I had enormously high expectations coming into this book because I absolutely loved the first book, Life As We Knew It. And for the most part, all my expectations were met. The only itsy bitsy complaint that I have was that this book was a little be harder to get into than LAWKI. Thankfully that didn't last long and I was able to get completely swept away once I got a little farther in. Other than that, D&G was just as good as LAWKI in every way. Susan Beth Pfeffer really knows how to tell a story. She was able to make it so that two books, telling the story of the same situation, were able to be unique and completely different than each other so that nothing felt repetitive or boring. LAWKI was set in the country so things were bound to be different in this book and they were. I never thought that the author would be able to make the stories so separate but she pulled through and I was so happy about that. I got to read two equally amazing books and see one chilling and scary story from two perspectives which was really great. I also liked how, as in LAWKI, the characters had a ton of depth and they were all planned out extremely well. Another thing I liked was that in this book, we got to see things from a religious standpoint. In LAWKI, the religious people kind of get bashed and I was really glad to see that the author could look at both sides of a situation and see it from everyone's shoes. So all in all, I would highly recommend The Dead and The Gone as a chilling, spooky, and extremely addicting read.”

    Liv wrote this review Friday, June 20 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • Generation Dead
    • Rated 0 stars

    “In recent years, teenagers in America have been mysteriously coming back to life after they have died. It’s only happening in the US and it’s only happening to teens. Oakvale High School has an abnormal amount of undead or differently biotic students as it has a reputation as being a good place for those kinds of students. When Phoebe begins to have feelings for the leader of the undead, Tommy, the whole school is rocked and no one will go unaffected. Everyone from Phoebe’s undead best friend Colette, to Adam, Phoebe’s next-door neighbor who has hidden his feelings for her, to Pete Martinsburg, the guy who has a serious case of hatred for the undead, is going to be involved in what is going to go down as one of the most dramatic years in Oakvale High’s history. And not in a good way. Will the students be able to overcome their differences to unite as a student body or will discrimination and misunderstanding be the defining characteristic of the year?
    ~~~~~
    Although the story was unrealistic, the topic was a little ridiculous, and the characters were not well developed, I still found myself drawn into this book. Yes, I do have quite a few issues with the main aspects of the book, but I kind of think that the whole plot was absurd and strange enough to be interesting. And although I know that something like kids coming back to life would never happen, it made for a very good and compelling story. I really couldn’t stop reading and yet as I was devouring the book, I was cringing at the rough character development and the unexplored background stories of the main people. I wish that I could’ve gotten to know the main characters better than I did. Throughout the book I felt as if I wasn’t really connecting with the story. I didn’t know the characters enough to sympathize with them or feel what they were going through which I think was the biggest downfall of the book for me. I just wish that the author could’ve slowed down and explore the details a little more. There were also some points in the book where I was extremely confused because the characters were talking about situations or events, which were not told about in the book. It felt as if we were just kind of dumped into this story that had already been going on for a while and which we missed the beginning of. But strangely, despite all of that, I really liked Generation Dead a lot. Maybe even enough to overlook all of its shortcomings and just appreciate it for the good book that I think it is underneath it all. The plot is interesting, not predictable, and unique. It’s definitely not a topic about which I’ve read before. And I think it’s good that there are authors out there willing to branch out into new stories or situations that haven’t been written about before. And so overall, although I did find a mountain of things wrong with this book, I’m going to have to recommend it as a really engrossing read that I think anyone will enjoy, just because of the neat plot, and the writing style of the author. And I’m really hoping for a sequel, and soon, because this book left off with a huge cliffhanger. And while I’m waiting anxiously to see what happens next, I’m simultaneously hitting myself on the head saying; you shouldn’t like this book! It’s got so many things wrong with it! But, yet, I think you should read Generation Dead because it is truly a very interesting book by a new author whom I have high hopes for!”

    Liv wrote this review Friday, June 20 2008. ( reply | permalink )
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