DNF Review: Seeker

Title: Seeker (Seeker #1)
Series: Seeker
Author: Arwen Elys Dayton
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: February 10, 2015
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Rating: ☆ - DNF

Add it to Goodreads | Buy it on Amazon

Quin Kincaid has been put through years of brutal training for what she thinks is the noble purpose of becoming a revered ‘Seeker’.

Only when it’s too late does she discover she will be using her new-found knowledge and training to become an assassin. Quin's new role will take her around the globe, from a remote estate in Scotland to a bustling, futuristic Hong Kong where the past she thought she had escaped will finally catch up with her.

My Review

When opening my emails one day, I noticed that NetGalley was offering a digital galley of Seeker as a read it now feature for the first 500 members. I read the synopsis, thought about it, and finally decided that I wanted to read it. I logged in to NetGalley hours after initially receiving the email to see if it was still available as a read it now feature. I was still in the first 500 people who clicked, so I was able to download and read the book. I was happy about it. I thought that this would be the book that would get me back in to fantasy, but I was very, very wrong.

I struggled with what I read of Seeker. I found that I wasn't able to connect with the characters in the book, especially the main character Quin. It's so hard to like a book when the characters are flat, and I felt that the three main characters in this book were as flat as a board. I also had trouble with the plot as there is no world building. The reader is just immediately thrown into the action, and that's not how I like my fantasy. There needs to be some sort of a build so readers are able to understand and navigate the new world.

The other thing that really bothered me about Seeker is the incestuous love triangle. I'm not one to knock a book for having a love triangle, but this one was just wrong on so many levels. It made me very uncomfortable, and I had only gotten to Quin's initial attraction to her second love interest. I just couldn't get over the fact that she was starting to consider romantic feelings for her cousin. As I was reading, I understood that the two were not first cousins, but it is stated that they are cousins and were raised alongside one another and ultimately, I made my decision to stop reading.

I do want to point out one more thing for readers in this review. I noticed that a few readers were mentioning in reviews that the story was told from three different POVs. I want to clear this up and tell you that this is not the case. The book is told from the point of view of an omniscient narrator. That means that one being is narrating the whole thing, but tells the stories of different people during different chapters. Each chapter is labeled so the reader knows who it is about, but those characters are not narrating the story.

Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars

Title: The Fault in Our Stars

Author: John Green

Publisher: Dutton Books

Publication Date: January 10, 2012

Format: Hardcover, Barnes & Noble Collector's Edition

Source: Purchased

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green's most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

My Review

Okay... I'm going to warn you that my review of this book is very critical. I did not enjoy this book, but I would appreciate that you respect my opinion. If you really loved this book and might get offended by a negative review, please feel free to stop reading. I won't mind. I didn't know if I actually wanted to publish my review of this book on my blog, but I have decided to publish it.

When I first decided that I wanted to read this book, it was because the synopsis was interesting. A lot of people were talking about it too. And not just the people on Goodreads. I literally heard about this book all the time. Then I started reading, and I realized that the kind of cancer that Hazel originally had is the kind I am most likely to get. It intrigued me enough to keep reading. I mean why not, right? I kept thinking that maybe I could learn something about it in case it were to happen to me.

Unfortunately, that was where my interest in the book stopped. The Fault in Our Stars was very predictable. I pretty much knew what was going to happen as soon as a new character was introduced. The only thing that really surprised me was the characterization of Caroline. Other than that, I really don't know. I couldn't stand it.

I really thought it would be this great book because I have heard and read many great things about it, but I just don't think it's that great. So many people told me to read it, and I wanted to smack them in the head with the book upon completing it. 

It was so easy to read that it was almost boring. Actually, I think it was boring, even the short chapters, which I feel are just included to speed along the plot. I read this book so slow because of how boring it is, and I am not a slow reader. That is one reason why it was not an enjoyable read for me.

Augustus and Hazel are two characters who angered me. They were overly annoying. I've met a lot of teens, and not one of them talks like that. I can't even imagine someone with cancer, especially a teenager with cancer, speaking so beautifully all of the time. Don't get me wrong... some of what they said was awesome, but it wasn't realistic.

Also, I was quite offended by how Green romanticized cancer. I'm sure he didn't do it on purpose, but that's how it comes off to me. I've actually seen and heard kids wish that they had cancer because of this book. I'm sorry, but we can't live in a world where people want cancer because cancer is not the kind of disease that one should wish on themselves.

I understand that the book is not supposed to be a cancer book. I guess it is a book about living with cancer. If you ask me, Green failed. I just felt like it was another book about a kid with cancer. It made me angry to see cancer presented this way because I've seen quite a few of my brother and sister's friends die of childhood cancer and this book was not a realistic depiction of the suffering I've seen.

I honestly just don't understand all of the hype about the book. It seems like it gets bigger and bigger by the day. It's not going away. While I'm sure people will say that it's an amazing book, it's definitely not the most amazing book on the planet. There are better realistic fiction books out there, and I'm only sorry that I didn't stop reading this book. I could have saved myself some time.

  

ARC Review: Mortal Danger

Title: Mortal Danger

Series: Immortal Game

Author: Ann Aguirre

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends 

Publication Date: August 5, 2014

Source: Goodreads First Reads

In Ann Aguirre's Mortal Danger, Edie Kramer has a score to settle with the beautiful people at Blackbriar Academy. Their cruelty drove her to the brink of despair, and four months ago, she couldn’t imagine being strong enough to face her senior year. But thanks to a Faustian compact with the enigmatic Kian, she has the power to make the bullies pay. She’s not supposed to think about Kian once the deal is done, but devastating pain burns behind his unearthly beauty, and he’s impossible to forget.

In one short summer, her entire life changes and she sweeps through Blackbriar, prepped to take the beautiful people down from the inside. A whisper here, a look there, and suddenly . . . bad things are happening. It’s a head rush, seeing her tormentors get what they deserve, but things that seem too good to be true usually are, and soon, the pranks and payback turns from delicious to deadly. Edie is alone in a world teeming with secrets and fiends lurking in the shadows. In this murky morass of devil’s bargains, she isn’t sure who—or what—she can trust. Not even her own mind.

My Review

It's probably best that I warn you now that I did not enjoy this book at all. I found it to be disgusting and I could not believe the female protagonist could be such a terrible role model for teen readers.

Edie is by far the worst YA female character I've come across in my reading since my sister begged me to start reading Twilight, which I threw at her head after reading three pages. Edie is so concerned about her looks for much of the introduction of the book that I almost put it down. She's so worried about how unattractive that she is and what she could do to change her looks. I literally sat there and thought about how many impressionable girls are going to feel worse about themselves because they feel insecure but can't just magically fix their face and body like Edie does. It's just not realistic, and just so inappropriate. When she is about to throw herself off a bridge to kill herself only to meet her savior, she makes a wish that she is as good looking as her peers who made fun of her. I couldn't take the book seriously after that. So many other wishes could have been made by Edie to better herself, but she chose looks. Ugh!

The plot of the book isn't any better than Edie's poor characterization. Mortal Danger follows Edie and Kian as she navigates her new looks and body while playing this game (the Immortal Game) in which she gets three favors from Kian, and after she receives all of them, she will have to repay them. Okay, seems simple enough, but then comes in another company who basically does the same work, and they try to hurt her. What I thought was going to be the tale of Edie making up her mind about her wishes turned into a political battle between these two companies. It just wasn't what the synopsis made it appear to be, and I hate when I feel like I'm being lied to. 

I do have some positive things to say about Aguirre and this book. Her writing is very advanced, and it will better the vocabulary and syntax of anyone who reads it. I will say that I admire her writing skills and use of intelligent vocabulary throughout the book because it will have kids learning without them even realizing it. If teens are reading this, they will hopefully acquire some great words that will help them with their state exams and the SATs.

Unfortunately, I would not buy this book for me or for a friend. I just felt like it put too much of an emphasis girls and how they perceive themselves. There was also the annoying cliche that if you're pretty, you can get the guy of your dreams. It's just not something I appreciate in YA literature.

ARC Review: Elixir

Title: Elixir

Author: Ted Galdi

Kindle Publication Date: August 2, 2014

Paperback Publication: September 2014

Source: eARC from Author

Meet 14-year-old Sean Malone. He has an IQ above 200, a full-ride scholarship to one of the country’s top universities, and more than one million dollars from his winning streak on Jeopardy. However, Sean wishes he could just be normal.

But his life is anything but normal. The US government manipulates him, using him as a codebreaker in pursuit of a drug lord and killing innocent people along the way.

For reasons related to his personal security, Sean finds himself in Rome, building a new life under a new name, abandoning academics, and hiding his genius from everyone. When he’s 18 he falls in love. The thrills begin again when he learns that his girlfriend is critically ill and it’s up to him to use his intellect to find a cure, a battle pitting him against a multi-billion-dollar pharmaceutical company and the demons of his past.

Elixir is a story about identity, secrets, and above all, love.

My Review

At just fourteen years old, Sean Malone is the known as the smartest person on the planet. He's competed on Jeopardy, he is enrolled as a student at one of America's best colleges, and he's able to figure out one of the toughest algorithms that even adults can't solve. As luck would have it, figuring out the algorithm can get him in a lot trouble, and thus, the tale of Sean Malone starts...

Like any smart kid, Sean just craves to be normal. He has a tough time dealing with his emotions, and that leads him to make some bad choices. I was not shocked that the author included parts of this in his story line, and I admire Ted Galdi for it. It's difficult to be the smart kid in a traditional school setting, and I can't even imagine how it would feel to be a fourteen year old in college. I think it's great to see an author take a risk like that to show kids that they are not alone. (It really gives you insight as to how the kids who competed on Child Genius feel.)
 

Honestly, I gave this book a try, but I could not finish it. It just wasn't the book for me as I could not find myself enjoying it. I usually never put a book down until I've read all of it, but this is just one that I need to put away and move on from. It's not a terrible book, but it's not the book for me.

As I was reading, I felt very disconnected from the text and the story. When you read a book, you want to feel like you are in the world in which it is set, but that is not the case for Elixir. I felt like a third-party observer - like I was floating way above the characters but still couldn't find a way to relate to them or understand their stories. If I were able to connect with Sean and his friends and family, I'm sure I would have had a much better experience with it.

I only finished about thirty percent of the novel, but there were just way too many different things going on for me to keep everything straight. Events and plot twists were just happening too quickly. The characters are hastily introduced; I couldn't even keep up with them to remember who they were. The whole thing just jumps around too much so it gets incredibly confusing. It's almost like Mr. Galdi took enough ideas to complete a three or four book series and put them all in one book.

Personally, I would not recommend this book to anyone as I did not enjoy or finish it.