Friday, October 14, 2011

Review: Just One Wish

Just One Wish
Just One Wish by Janette Rallison

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



In reading through the other reviews, I'm wondering if there is an alternate version out there that is good. The book I read featured an obnoxious and foolhardy girl that needed a therapist. Instead, this teenager arranges to follow a whim to grant a wish and the book is the story of her irresponsible and stupid attempt. I was curious to see the outcome of the surgery so I read/skimmed until the end. Otherwise, I would have given up when she bought snakes to fake an animal handling job.



View all my reviews

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Review: The Journal of Curious Letters

The Journal of Curious Letters
The Journal of Curious Letters by James Dashner

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



This was a tough book. The language, style, characters - all of it was well-suited for a younger audience. The book itself, though, was long. Much, much longer than the attention span of my 7 and 9 year old children. It was interesting and easy to follow in the beginning but as the story continued, it was harder and harder to keep reading. After the cemetery and the entrance to the alternate reality, we fizzled out. The book sat around for awhile and never got picked back up. It wasn't a bad book...but it wasn't really readable for us.



View all my reviews

Review: The Hunt For Atlantis

The Hunt For Atlantis
The Hunt For Atlantis by Andy McDermott

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Sometimes you just need a book that will drag you along with it's action-packed story until you realize that you're actually enjoying the trip. I think I really needed something more adventurous and the bullets, explosions and bad guys were everywhere in this book. Was it over the top and completely unbelievable? Yes - but it was also a fun read. I liked this more than other books of it's type because it broke a few of the adventure rules - good guys weren't immortal and the bad guys were sometimes hard to find. Definitely a good book if you are in the mood for a huge body count and a unique setting!



View all my reviews

Monday, October 10, 2011

Review: Matched

Matched
Matched by Ally Condie

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This story felt so similar to me. It was a little like Hunger Games, a little bit of The Giver, a shadow of The Declaration, and a huge taste of 1984. Luckily, the young adult version of Big Brother is more enjoyable than the classic version.

I seem to be in a dystopian mood lately, which means I'll likely read book #2. It has potential - I just hopes it rises above other books in the genre in the next one.



View all my reviews

Review: The Haunting of Hill House

The Haunting of Hill House
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



I'm one of those 'the book is always better than the movie' zealots. And with absolutely abysmal movie versions, it shouldn't be hard to exceed the very low standards...but it didn't.

I hated this book. Forget the house, all I need to scare myself is to hear Eleanor quote Shakespeare again. Seriously. It made me want to stab myself in the eye.

Terrible book.



View all my reviews