The Reckoning | by: Kelley Armstrong

Finally, I've had time to finish up The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong, the final book in the Darkest Powers trilogy.

Chloe and her supernatural friends seem to have finally found refuge, but nothing is as it seems. Now they have more than Edison Group to worry about; there are more powerful things to fear. It is never certain as to who should be trusted and who they should run from, and the mysteries only become cloudier.

Meanwhile, all of her friends and their relationships are changing. As they make plans to escape, fight, and search for answers, Chloe is also trying to distinguish the difference between her feelings for Simon (a sorcerer), and her feelings for Derek (a werewolf) while she helps him make the Change into a wolf.

All of this chaos makes The Reckoning a page-turner with almost too many twists and turns.

First of all, I'm happy to report that none of the characters annoyed me this time! In result (and many other reasons), this is definately my favorite of the trilogy. I never knew what to expect, and didn't really care if Kelley Armstrong's writing was on the fence at times because I was so into the ever-entertaining storyline.

Yes, The Summoning and The Awakening went along with plenty of action, but that's nothing compared to this. Each time you expect Chloe and her friends to have a working plan, a big roadblock pops into the storyline. I was beginning to wonder if anything was to be resolved by the end of the book, and I was somewhat right to wonder. It's not a perfect happily ever after where everything is resolved. Life never has one of those; life goes on - so why should this trilogy? The ending may not please a large audience because of this, but I really liked and appriciated it. So maybe Chloe's life isn't perfect and still has unresolved issues, but at least she finally looks at her life in a positive way. She finds herself content with everything the way it is, and wouldn't change it for anything. It was the perfect note to end the Darkest Powers trilogy.

4/5 stars

Apologies

Apologies for the lack of reviews. I know it has been pretty slow, but it'll be back to its normal pace soon. Life outside the internet has me occupied.

The next book review will be coming soon: The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong.

The Hunger Games | by: Suzanne Collins

In The Hunger Games, North America is much different than we know it today. It has become a country built on dictatorship. Each year, two chosen citizens from each of its twelve districts between the ages of twelve to eighteen must participate in the Hunger Games, where all tributes must destroy another until the last one is standing; the lucky winner that survives. For as long as it takes, the tributes kill each other, by law, where the entire country can see: Live television.

Anyone can guess from the start that the Hunger Games itself is sort of disturbing and morbid. That's plain and clear. But this year in the Games, a beautiful story unfolds...

Katniss was not chosen to take part in the Games, she volunteered, so her young sister wouldn't have to. Although many in the Capitol find the Games to be entertaining, Katniss sees how trecherous it really is. Of course, she aims to survive. How could she go down without trying? Putting up a fight? But survival means she'll have to kill humans, and what will that make of her?

The Hunger Games stands out in every way. There were parts where my heart was pounding, and even my eyes were tearing up. Never have I read about a country where acts of innocence were considered rebellious and acts of love could be against the law. Nothing is better than a book completely unique AND moving. Also, the writing in The Hunger Games is impressive and descriptive. I found myself enjoying every word in this amazing novel Suzanne Collins created.

Although this strange country helps to make the enviornment of this book even more interesting, the bulk of this book mainly revolved around Katniss's survival and her relationship with the tribute boy from her district, Peeta. This alone made this book suspensful, yet filled of emotion. Still, it was more than that. It was their thoughts on the Capitol that captivated me, as well.

Katniss, the main character, is the greatest and strongest heroine I've ever heard of. She is always the provider, the hunter, for those she cares about and for herself. Constantly, she thinks of her family, and fears dying not for her sake, but for theirs. What would happen to them if she died? Her way of thinking was fresh, yet I could relate. I admire her.

I was always intrigued by she and Peeta's relationship, because it's so hard to describe. I knew that anything Peeta said or did could only be for the cameras, and hoped that it wasn't, but I was never sure of Katniss. So often she was so concentrated on survival that I couldn't tell if she could identify her own feelings for him, so how was I to identify them? Though I sometimes disagreed with her, I had utmost respect for her.

The Hunger Games was a magnificent story. One that many will enjoy, whether you want suspense, meaning, or romance. One that you'll never forget; one that I absolutely love. I was left fascinated.

5/5 stars

The Awakening | by: Kelley Armstrong

The Awakening is the second installment in Kelley Armstrong's Darkest Powers book series. The debut of the series (The Summoning) was much more impressive than I expected it to be, and I hoped The Awakening would give me a smiliar feel.

Chloe knows what she is now, a necromancer, someone who can raise the dead. She also knows about the other kids that stayed with her at the Edison Group home, a place for mentally disturbed teens. But as the story unfolds, she learns more secrets about the people behind Edison Group - secrets that startle her. Chloe and her friends (a witch, a sorcerer, a werewolf) cannot afford to be too involved with Edison Group's strange studies. They're desperate to get away. That's why they have to keep running, in hope of finding safety, no matter the costs.

Just like in The Summoning, The Awakening doesn't have dull moments. Chloe and her friends are on the run, and it's hardley smooth sailing for them. There's a lot of elements for them to deal with: A missing person ad, people from Edison on guard, dealing with finances, finding places to sleep, and trying to find the one person they know they'll be safe with - who happened to disappear. To top it all off, the four of them don't get along well a lot of times. So I never lost interest.

I have mixed feeling about the actual writing in this book. Kelley Armstrong writes clearly and I understand everything she's trying to say, but there's nothing fantastic about her style. One definate good thing about Kelley Armstrong's writing style (besides writing in a way that makes us understand clearly) is that she isn't overly dramatic. She speaks soley through Chloe's point of view, and it matches Chloe's personality. However, as mentioned, this is not the best written book in the world.

Again, this series is very unique in the lack of romance, which is a good change for YA books. This leads me to characters (and relationships): In the first book, Chloe irritated me. In The Awakening, she still does, but not as much. It seems she has a tighter grip on reality, and not quite as whiney. But now I have a problem with another character: Simon. He annoys me, despite he is somehow the most likable, and I'm getting vibes that he and Chloe will have a relationship beyond friendship, but I hope I'm wrong... because I still really like Derek! If this turns into a romance thing, I want it to be different. I want Chloe to pick what some would consider to be the less attractive one. This series has proven twice to be different, why stop?

Even though this book didn't have a completely sudden stop (thank you, Kelley Armstrong, for giving me an ending where I'm hanging off a cliff), I hope to read the third installment, The Reckoning, soon!

All in all, The Awakening is unique and a lot of people will enjoy it, since it doens't follow the typical Young Adult book suit. It is a great follow-up that matches the eldest of the series, The Summoning. It does the series justice, as well as the book in itself. To my surprise, I really like this series.

4/5 stars

White Cat | by: Holly Black

In the world created by Holly Black, there are curse workers - people who have the magic in their touch to affect others. They can change their memories, luck, emotions, and even more if you're touched by one. Because of their amazing advantages over people, a lot of them become con artists. Cassel comes from an entire family of con artists, of curse workers, yet he has no magic. It seems the only thing he has that the rest of his family doesn't is the horrid guilt of killing his best friend years ago.

Since his family are curse workers, they have power over him, but family is everything to all of them, so they never con another. But Cassel is starting to question this, as secrets unfold. And it all started with the appearance of a white cat.

I was hesitant to pick up White Cat, but I'm more than glad I did. This story is so intricate, it's difficult for me to explain. It's one of the most unique books I've ever read in my life. I don't really know where to begin.

With a one of a kind storyline, you get a main charecter that lives up to the hype. (Thank you, Holly Black!) Cassel is a very likeable charecter. His narrations are very interesting to read. He's sarcastic at times, down to earth, yet sometimes he can seem deep, and when his heart aches, you ache with him. I had no difficulty to take him seriously. An complex charecter for a complex story.

I've never read any of her books before, but from White Cat, I can tell Holly Black is a great writer. Sometimes, I'd have to go back and reread sentences, only to find that she's written the statement too well. Her writing will leave an effect on you, as if she's a worker herself, cursing us with her wonderful choice of words. She also has some serious creativity. Curse workers? How did she come up with this concept? There were so many twists and turns in this mystery-filled book, I don't know how she could have kept track of everything. I would have lost my mind trying to write this novel! When you expect things to flow like a typical book, don't. White Cat is far from typical. I was surprised and filled with complete shock over and over again.

White Cat is mysterious, suspensful, and even a bit romantic. I was completely into this book, and I'll never forget this one. In some way, each element in this story falls into the perfect places, but you'll never see what's coming.

The ending will freak you out a bit, and you'll want the next book to appear on your bookshelf. I know I can't wait.

4.5/5 stars

The Runaways | Written and Directed by: Floria Sigismondi

I grew up listening to Joan Jett. Since I cite her for intruducing me to female fronted rock and to this day think she's totally awesome, I figured The Runaways would be the drama flick for me. Therefore, I can say that my opinion of this film is probably biased.

This film is about the true story of Joan Jett (played by Kristin Stewart) and Cherie Currie (played by Dakota Fanning) and their relationship when gaining success with their all girl rock band, The Runaways. Starting from being discovered by record producer Kim Fowley, the band goes from playing in people's houses and being targets for thrown cans, to a record deal and fame. Producer Kim Fowley pushes the girls to be famous, but his effect turns out to be negative, and fails to keep the band together. Meanwhile, in their short lived fame, the girls experiment with drugs, sexuality, and with that comes problematic drama.

First of all: Wow to both Dakota Fanning and Kristin Stewart. I never realized exactly how amazing these two actresses were until seeing such raw emotion in The Runaways. Dakota plays her role well as Cherie, being in her own world and a bit strange. Not to mention comfortable in her skin, and she sang extremely well. Kristin Stewart practically IS Joan Jett; no one else could have played this part better than her. When she screamed it was powerful and true, and when she's on stage singing, you'll wonder if it's Joan herself. Brava to both of them! EXCELLENT performances.

(Let me throw this in: I wonder if Lita Ford was really that unlikable and grouchy...)

This story has just about everything to it. Fame, drugs, money teen angst, rock 'n roll, love, and anger. I loved The Runaways. As you could expect, all of the music played in the film was awesome, and really, everything about it was interesting, especially since I'm a Joan Jett fan and am also into The Runaways. However, if you're no fan of Joan or The Runaways, you may think it's a good drama or an cool rock 'n roll movie, butI'm not sure you'll get the same effect.

One of the best films of the year. Kristin Stewart should win an award for this. Dakota Fanning as well

5/5 stars