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Re: AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2014 YA Challenge

PostPosted: August 20th, 2014, 11:38 am
by purplejoys
One book from each? Whoa!!! I already read Geography and I love it. Now, this challenge gives me a reason to read Statistical, which I recently bought. But nooo... Parang di ko kaya yung 3 books. So hectic! Hahaha!

Re: AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2014 YA Challenge

PostPosted: August 23rd, 2014, 12:17 am
by arjaye
THE STATISTICAL PROBABILITY OF LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT by Jennifer E. Smith
3/5

i might be bias. because i practically live in airports and airplanes. i am a flight attendant by profession. and the story started with the familiarity in my everyday life. the chaos and the crowd the author described was somehow true, but the statistical probability of love at first sight in places like these can happen, yes, but i did not experience it by myself or any other colleagues of mine for that matter. yet! but still, i enjoyed reading Hadley and Oliver's encounter because it was entertaining. or a hope. or a possibility. for me. haha who am i kidding?

back to the book. cute but sad. love aspect was nice and romantic. family drama, sadness all over. it started with a light premise but hidden along the pages were the gravity of Hadley's and Oliver's separate ordeals. there is no joy in divorces and separations, more so deaths of loved ones. even how heavy the weight of the circumstances, it is a fact of life that we have to accept. the good thing here was that a support from a family, or in their case, a stranger, really matters. it made a big difference on the way they look at their present situations, be it funeral or a wedding. in addition, they became an instrument to each other to forgive, accept and move on, which in turn, led to a more promising relationships in both parties. sometimes, you can learn a piece or two by just talking to a total stranger. we all are fighting different battles, one can learn from the other.

i dont mean you should shun the 'dont talk to strangers' safety precautions, but i am just saying not all small talks and conversations in unusual places are for passing time and worthless. who knows, maybe the statistical probability of love at first sight may work on you this time. Personally, I am wishful thinking on that last note of mine. I dont mind meeting my Oliver in one of those trips that I will do in the nearest future. heehee

if you want a light good read, grab this one. i finished it in just one day. :)

Re: AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2014 YA Challenge

PostPosted: August 31st, 2014, 10:35 pm
by MissRed
THE GEOGRAPHY OF YOU AND ME by Jennifer E. Smith.
2/5


I picked this is one first because it is a stand alone and i like the premise—long distance relationship.

The start of the book was really promising and it was interesting. Two strangers stuck inside an elevator, and they had a conversation and they hit off well. But after waking up in the rooftop, after the electricity was up, everything went normal. And the story also went normal.

The story was not bad, it was cute, but I just was not digging on how it was laid out. There is so much potential on how it should progressed. I felt disconnected and I believe something's lacking. I could not point it out but definitely I want more, something that would get me hooked.

Then characters, I got no chemistry between the Owen and Lucy. Okay, not all the way. The only part I connected with the two was when they communicated after their fight. I think there was a kilig part in there.

What I liked about the book were the places, PRAGUE!, roadtrips/travels, and the postcards (i think it's rare nowadays sending postcards).
What I did not like where the characters and the progression of the story.

Overall, it was not a bad story but it wasn't good for me or more likely, it did not appeal to me. It was just flat but again, not bad.

Re: AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2014 YA Challenge

PostPosted: September 10th, 2014, 8:49 pm
by arjaye
THE GEOGRAPHY OF YOU AND ME by Jennifer E. Smith
3/5

Finally, I managed to bring myself to its ending. Not that it was not good, in fact i find the story kind of cute, but because of so many distractions and pit stops, it was hard to get time to reading it.

I like Lucy and Owen. The premise of meeting in an elevator and spending some time with a total stranger and forming a bond between them is not new and not that impossible. I, myself, experienced this a lot of times. It didn't get to the romantic part, but i did get some friendships after that.

Back to the story, I love their travels. The title is just fitting. Roaming around the world, postcards at its best. Barely communicating but trying to form the connection. Their relationship was not perfect, thus making it real. Once they were separated from each other, then their lives move on. I just find it hard that the author really wanted them to be together. If that was the case, she should have given their first meet up a lot of impact and moments to hold on. So even when they were traveling away from each other, there will always be something to bring them back together. New York getting dark, ice creams and flashlights, not much needed. But elevator and rooftops and stars, somehow got into me.

I really love to explore new worlds, thus i find their trips worth mentioning but to relate it in the story itself, some were just words to fill them in.

I would have love to emotionally feel the bond between Lucy and Owen, but the story fell short on that. Or maybe it was me. I was not just fully concentrated while i was on it. Now, i can never tell.

I liked it but not swooned by it.

Re: AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2014 YA Challenge

PostPosted: September 10th, 2014, 9:58 pm
by laila_6045
don't forget to read at least one book from each author guys :) keep those reviews coming!

Re: AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2014 YA Challenge

PostPosted: September 12th, 2014, 7:56 pm
by MissRed
i'm done with proxy lai. review to follow.

Re: AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2014 YA Challenge

PostPosted: September 15th, 2014, 9:58 am
by MissRed
PROXY by ALEX LONDON
4/5

It was a mildly difficult start for me. I could not get into the story, like I had a hard time getting myself to move on. I was at Chapter 4, I think, when I decided to reread from the start. This was for me to check the familiarity of how it started and for me to assess whether I need to continue or not. And I was glad I did!

Proxy was such an enjoyable read! And the story grew on me overtime.

Knox, a rich kid and patron. He is mischievous and a self-centered asshole. But as the story moves, you would understand where he's coming from. And as the story progressed he became a better Knox.
I liked how London wrote Knox.

Syd, a swampcat, the proxy, and a chapter 11 (gay). I liked Syd a lot; he maybe a chapter 11 but he is not whining type. He is tough but soft at the same time. He's such a great character and and easy to get into.

Marie, on the other hand, was more than okay for me but I didn't like her as much as I like the other two. She's a causegirl and I think she's too much of a causegirl. I understand wholly on what she believed in, but it's like saying "yes" to everything about the cause. I would have wanted Marie to show more emotions especially when learning about sacrifices to be made. Her reaction to that was off-putting. I wanted a rebuttal of her feelings and to know what went through her head and what was in her heart.

The characters were multi-dimensional and I liked how it balances with the story.

I loved the story and as what I have said a while ago, I enjoyed it a lot.

I liked the pacing. It was intense. It was gritty. It was action-packed. It was engrossing. The progression of the story was really, really good and was spot on. There were twists and turns. The worldbuiling was there. The social divide was thoroughly laid out.

And the ending, oh goodness!!

Re: AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2014 YA Challenge

PostPosted: September 15th, 2014, 10:30 am
by MissRed
STARTERS by LISSA PRICE
3/5

I read Starters right after Proxy.

Wrong move as I had to easily compare these two dystopian books. Proxy was really good. Starters wasn't bad. It was good but not good enough. It was an okay read.

The main protagonist is Callie. Overall she'a tough girl. She has the burden of taking care of her little brother and keeping him safe after their parents were gone. She reminded me of Katniss about doing things for her family first. She was put in a situation where decision-making was hard and I think she handled it well and with maturity.

That having said, i think there is something about Callie that is missing and that I just could not connect to her they way I wanted to. Maybe it has something to do with raw emotions that I felt was there but lacking. She's not empty and flat but just not there. I don't know how to explain it but just not there.

The premise was really interesting and the concept was good. I appreciate the worldbuilding. But the pacing was bit dragging for me. It was not as intense as I wanted to. It needed push. There was not much of a build-up and progression. If there was a build-up, it was just a hill not a mountain.

Re: AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2014 YA Challenge

PostPosted: September 17th, 2014, 4:19 pm
by arjaye
PROXY by Alex London
3/5

PROXY, when you define it means a person authorize to represent or act for another. PATRON, on the other hand,is a person giving influence or financial support to a cause.
But they all got twisted here. In the world where Knox and Syd lives, they got a very different idea for those two words. GLITCHED.

Set in a dystopian world where science is in its highest form and the technology is much more advanced, the rich remained in power and the poor remained poor. The divide in these two societies were so obvious that if you were from an affluent family, you can acquire a person to bear all the consequences of your misdeeds so long you provide them with basic necessity such as school. Those were your proxies. Indebted with years to pay, and man power to use, their patron's identities were unknown to them. When their patron misbehaved, they were always caught off guard, taken to suffer for something and pay for whatever punishment equivalent to the misbehavior. Physical pain. For proxies, how can you bear that without even knowing what you are suffering for? And the main culprit, the patrons, despite of letting them know that they should learn their lesson by watching their proxies got the beatings, but not really laying a finger on them, would they really learn the lesson well, you think? I told you, they got it all twisted. A world where equality do not exist.

But it was true for Sydney Carton. Since he was four, he was experiencing this. In the world that he was raised, this was just you call normal. Because Knox Brindle is his patron, or rather, Knox's father is the one who acquired him to be his son's proxy. Since Syd has a dream of being free someday, he strives to be better. BUt Knox is not one that is easy to handle. He do things that completely put him in danger or involve himself to quite a number of illegal doings. And when it gets out of hand, Syd will be the one in the hurtful end. Poor Syd.

Proxy never meets the patron. Syd never should have met Knox. But circumstances threw them in each other's radar. Where everything began, secrets unfolded, decisions were made, plans unravelled, alliances built. They all learned that there is a bigger picture here. Suddenly every person's whom to trust was put to a test. Every intention was put into question. It is difficult which side you will go for and put your trust in. With the help of some characters, Egan, Marie, Mr. Baram, Syd has to choose which side is he willing to put his trust on. In the end, it is not just the trust but his whole existence depends on it. His whole life. And Knox, is partly to be blamed for or thank for for starting it all.

A sci-fi plus dystopian kind of read, i enjoyed this one. Parts where i had not seen the scenes coming and it made my eyes bulged and rolled at times, esp. knowing that Syd is actually kind of chapter 11. But hero comes in all forms, I am a believer.

I like Syd. He's strong and loyal and compassionate. Knox is just Knox, arrogant, full of self, rich kid. But first impressions don't usually last for me. That last scene proved that. Still i dont want to believe it happened. Im not telling! im just gonna wink and enjoy my Epicure pill of quarter pounder of a burger. What can you say about that Mcdonald's? :)

Well, maybe the author Alex London was aiming for an epic ending. Not actually the end, since there is a sequel called Guardian. But he quite got my full attention there.

Re: AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2014 YA Challenge

PostPosted: September 18th, 2014, 1:31 am
by arjaye
STARTERS by Lissa Price
2/5

TWO counts are not pertaining to how bad the story is, just a mere number for how the whole book made an impact for a reader, say, to me. In this case, STARTERS did not make that hard impact. I bet it would if and only if it lived through its promising premise. In fact the idea of having a renter and a donor quite intrigued me at first. Kind of reminded me of The Host of Stephenie Meyer, wherein aliens where taking over the earth and its inhabitants through their human bodies. When one Soul failed to completely get a hold of its human host who refuses to cooperate, that was the heart of the story.

Going back to Starters, same outline, same idea. There is a broken world where teens and super oldies dominate. Starters and Enders. Callie is a minor on a run with his brother and a friend, Michael. Trying to make the ends meet always, trying to uplift their horrible situation that the Spore wars brought them, she encountered a way out by signing up as a donor at Prime Destinations. There, no man power is needed, just your body, your young and beautiful body, that will be in rental for those older people who wanted to relive again their youthful years. The renter will infiltrate the donor's mind and take over their body. Say adventures and physical activities were once again to be experienced. Of course, a large fee is at stake, so the old but privileged people can only afford the procedure. In return, the teen will be heavily compensated at the end of the service. Rules and regulations are generally applied to both parties, signed and sealed in a confidential contract.

The thing was that Callie's renting procedures gone askew. Something happened that made the whole idea of Prime Destinations' services look more suspicious. The story basically started on that dilemma. Big and quite intriguing on how it will wound its way up till the end right? Backing it up with an attempted love triangle and the idea of a conspiracy and a masked villain, a community uniting to solved this biggest crime ever, sadly, the excitement waned and faded. Some of the ideas were too forced and unnecessary, in my opinion.

Contrary to other observations, I really liked it at first, then it dwindled half of the story, till i reach almost at the climax, if you can call it at that, merely putting my head out of it. Why? Because as much as i wanted Callie to stand out as a heroine, i am just as frustrated. She started good actually being the protector of her only brother Tyler and a good and caring friend to a very supportive Michael. But that's it. When it came to character-building, she lost me. There was no progress at all.

I am saddened by my lost of appetite to a very mouthwatering concept here. I don't know if i want to continue on the next saga of Callie and the Old Man's face off. Starters is a promising book, though, not satisfying. :(