Review: The Replacement

Title: The Replacement

Author: Brenna Yovanoff

Pages: 343

Format: Book (Hard covered)

Publication date: September 21st 2010

I am glad I decided to pick this book up during the Halloween month. With Halloween only 4 days around the corner, this was the perfect spine- chilling, hair-rising read.

Mackie is a peculiar sixteen year old boy. He is, after all, not like you and me. Except, he is. As long as he drinks the medicine his sisters friend, Janice, provides for him, he is able to live like any some-what normal teenage boy.

I loved Mackie. He was totally awesome. You couldn't relate to him, at all. Usually readers tend to try and relate to the characters in a book, but in this case you couldn't. Dare I say it, he is a monster. The ugly kind that has rotting skin. Actually, he is pretty normal looking, aside from the dark eyes and out of place blond hair, I thought he was handsome! There are different types of beautiful. Society tends to coin it as perfect complections, slim bodies, certain face structures. In this book you see the different forms beautiful can take. Just because Mackie wasn't exactly like a perfect human, he was still beautiful in his own way. This goes for the blue girls and the Cutter!

The story line of this book was so creative, witty and refreshing; I couldn't help but be amazed someone could have thought of such an ugly society. It was dark and creepy, yet so beautiful. I know, I'm repeating myself here, but it really was beautiful. This was Brenna's first novel. Brova to you. The descriptive sentences and rounded characters were perfect, scary, ugly, revolting, yet so creative and imagineable. I couuld picture exactly how everyone looked.

Now, I have to say a few words about Roswell because he is the bestest friend anyone could ask for. As much as I loved Mackie (maybe had a crush on him), Roswell quickly climbed the crush-o-meter with each new chapter he was feautred in. He is the ultimate best friend. Are you severely allergic to metals and iron? Go into complete shock? Ultimately, you look like an idiot when you do? Roswell is the type of friend who would get you out of the mess. Lie, and totally be cool with it himself. Hey, he even did some grave robbing. What more could you ask for in a friend?  Brenna has now created, for me, the ideal friend. Now, if only I could find a Roswell, I'd be set. I think we could all use a Roswell in our life.

This was a great Halloween read. If you're looking for some creepy Halloween reads, this is perfect! Read in the dark with a flash light, just like her sister states on the books cover! Definitely read this!

Rating: 5 curly pig tails

Review: Carrier of the Mark review

Title: The Carrier of the Mark

Author: Leigh Fallon

Pages: 342

Format: Book (Paperback)

Release Date: October 4th 2011

I am not a mean person. Well, except that one time, but that person was asking for it. Ur, moving on. I was incredibly excited for the release of this book. Having been an inkpop member for quite some time, news of this books release was always popping up around the site. It was made to seem like a really "out there" story. Leigh Fallon sounds like a really nice person, and I'm sure she is. I congratulate her on such GREAT success, though, I have to ask, why this book? Out of ...mLet us begin by saying, I am not a mean person. I don't generally write bad reviews. I was incredibly excited for the release of this book. Having been an inkpop member for quite some time, news of this books release was always popping up around the site. It was made to seem like a really "out there" story. Leigh Fallon sounds like a really nice person, and I'm sure she is. I congratulate her on such GREAT success, though, I have to ask, why this book? Out of all the amazing stories on inkpop, why this? Isn't inkpop a place for thriving teens, not thriving adults. Seems a little unfair when the sole purpose of the site is for teens to "get out there." Of course, this isn't Fallon's fault so we mustn't blame her. Anways, this entire book was so... so... unbelievable. I was tempted to just abandon it completly, but it was a gift from my mom, so I couldn't just not read it, for her sake. The main characte was too unbelievable. Ok, no one goes to a new school and fits in right away. It's not that easy. This was way too easy to be realistic. Secondly, Fallon didn't elaborate in all the right places. This was WAY too fast paced. When she was captured, not longer after, about a page, was she rescued. Where's the suspense? She needed to dwell and she didn't. Thus, I felt this was increibly amature. I think if MORE time was spent on this, it could potentialy be really good- I'm stretching of course because for me, anyways, it needs a lot of work. The characters are helplessly flat and unrealistic. I hate a book where two people automatically fall in love. It's stupid! Unrealistic, even for a story like this. Sure their elements "are" bringing them together, but come on, really? My intention was not to completly bash this book as it had an original plot, I'll give it that. I loved the setting and aspect and such, just the writing and characters ruined the book for me. Characters and dialouge are extremly important in a book which this one lacked. You can have an original plot, a beautiful setting, magical powers, but if you aren't going to dwell and create realistic characters, well, you got a crapy book that isn't very interesting. Sorry. Rating: 2 curly pig tails

Review: The Power of Six

Title: The Power of Six
Author: Pittacus Lore
Pages: 406
Format: Book (Hard Covered)
Relase date: August 23rd 2011

"We are the last defense."

The Power of Six continues where I am Number Four left off'... Number Four and Six, Sam and Bernie Kosar, on the run. But aside from this, we are introduced to new numbers and a little someone who probably surprised me more than it did the actual characters.

When you first begin to read this book we are introduced to Marina, Number Seven, living at a Cethedral with her Cepan, Adelina. Ever since hearing of John Smith on the news, Marina has been reading articles about him. Although she is determined to find him and the raven- haired girl in her dreams, Adelina is against the whole idea. On the other hand, John Smith, Number Six and Sam travel from city to city, encountering more and more Mogadorians they could have ever imagined. Friends turn into enemies and enemies turn out to be anything but. Something is brewing, and soon, the battle everyone has been waiting for will soon arrive. But of course, not before we're introduced to some of the other numbers.

After reading I am Number Four, I patiently awaited the anticipated sequal, so the minute I was able to save up a few bucks, out to Chapters I went. Opening the books hard cover was like opening doors to the unknow. Anything could happen beyond its pages. The beginning wasn't as "adventurist" as I was expecting. To be honest, I was disapointed. This should not stop you from reading on. It was refreshing to learn of a new number.

Marina is Number Seven. Her cepan could give a fiddlers fart about her legacies and is always praying to God or has her nose stuck between bible pages. We see in Number Six and Four how strong and powerful they are. Marina having discovered her legacies through accidental scenarios, wasn't as strong, but still pulled through during a major battle. She's the type of character you couldn't judge right away. She's unpredictable and spontaneous. I actually quite admired her for this. Overall, I have no complaintes for this character. She was well developed, not the typical "help me" girl characters tend to be. I guess you could say she was a 'soft' bad-ass.

The entire book was not in the POV of Marina. Chapters were also told by John Smith. I never liked Sarah. Actually, completely hated her. Maybe it had to do with my crush on John Smith during the first book, but I knew I was going to continue to hate her. John Smith gets kind of annoying during this book. He's all "but I love Sarah, I do!" She's a pathetic human, John, pathetic. I wont say too much because then I might be tempted to spoil some really interesting points of the book, but prepare to find John Smith stupid!

Sam has always been the greatest. He's a nerd who is overly obsessed with aliens. Not to mention he is completely bad-ass. I don't think their are many humans who could say they've killed about 100 Mogadorians. Yes, Sam does. He's witty, adventerious, and so loyal. You can't help but love him instantly.

Now, on to the plot. It wasn't disappointing. It took unexpected turns. It wasn't predicatable. Like my doors leading to the unknown, this story led to the unknown. I am Number Four focused more on John Smith and Sarah Hart's love, but in this, there is so much action and so many dead Mogadorian's, I found myself laughing at the helpless beasts everytime Sam killed one of them. This book was so well writen, I felt like I was apart of the fighting. A stab here, and an explotion of ash there, it was amazing! This book is so descriptive and full of feeling, it leaves your eyes rapidly reading sentence after sentence.

Overall, this book was surprising. I was reading this on the GO bus one day and laughed, gasped, sighed and anyother form of emotion-showing one could do. I think people thought I was a little crazy.

Rating: 5 curly piggy tails!