Vampire Academy (book and movie review)

During winter break this week I have read the first book in the Vampire Academy series(Vampire Academy, obviously) by Richelle Mead and seen the Vampire Academy movie in theaters. Having both experiences fresh in my mind I will review both separately and compare.

From first glance this book seems like another cheesy Twilight knock-off about angsty teenage vampires. Well, it is partially but it really is so much more. This is the first in a six book series about these fantastical creatures. Three kinds of vampires are introduced in this universe. Strigoi are your typical vampires, allergic to sunlight, living on blood and quite vicious. Moroi are peaceful vampires with magical elemental powers(water, fire, earth, air). Sunlight merely annoys them and they don't viciously kill for blood. Dhampirs are half Moroi, half human. They are meant to protect the Moroi with their lives and kill Strigoi if they get in the way. This story centers around Rose Hathaway, a Dhampir who has escaped from St. Vladimir's Academy, a school in Montana designed for Moroi and Dhampirs to train. She and her best friend, a Moroi princess Lissa Dragomir live on their own in the human world until they are sent back to the academy at the beginning of the novel. From there these two deal with mean girls, evil forces and mysterious occurrences. I enjoyed this novel. While there was a lot of world building taking place, to lay the foundation for the series, the mythology of these characters was very interesting and original. Unfortunately this did lead to some moments that were less than exciting. Each character was well set up, however, though the line between good and evil definitely had its twists and turns. I thought this book was an exciting introduction to the series and great for any fans of vampires, paranormal romance and mysteries.

This movie also can be suspect to prejudice. After all it was made by the people who brought you "Mean Girls" and "Heathers". By the advertising it looks to be a typical high school movie filled with clichés about love, teenagers and vampires. You would be entirely correct. While this movie was enjoyable, it was also riddled with pop culture references, stereotypical characters and cheesy romances. While perhaps the novels had some of these problems as well the movie made them much more evident. The references to such things as Pinkberry and iPhone 5 truly dates it. The mean girl characters seemed like watered down versions of the posse from the original "Mean Girls". One small detail that especially annoyed me was that some random characters had British or Australian accents even though the movie is set in the U.S. and there is no mention that any of these characters are from the aforementioned countries. The actors did give good performances though so I can overlook that detail somewhat. I am a bit of a sucker for cheesy high school movies though and I did enjoy it. Anyone who likes silly teen movies or liked "Mean Girls" or "Heathers" would probably enjoy this flick though if you read the book, there will most likely be nitpicking involved.

February TBR (to be read)

As you might have read, yesterday I posted a wrap-up of books I read in the month of January (here is a link if you are interested: http://cmoslifeinwords.blogspot.com/2014/01/january-wrap-up.html). Now, since it is the beginning of February, I will tell you about a few books that I plan on reading this month:

I am currently reading this book and I plan to finish it tomorrow since it is a very quick read. This is an adorable story about two teenage misfits in 1986. Eleanor is overweight, has bright red curly hair and lives with her very poor family who don't even have toothbrushes. Park is an Asian boy who loves listening to music on his Walkman and reading comic books. These two meet and gradually fall in love in this contemporary novel. 

Yes, I know. I have not yet read the groundbreaking dystopian trilogy Divergent (along with its sequels Insurgent and Allegiant shown to the right). As I stated in my wrap-up post I plan on moving away from the young adult contemporary romance genre I have been reading for the past couple of weeks and read more dystopian or science fiction books. This series, for the informed, is about a teenager named Beatrice Prior who lives in a futuristic society where when you turn 16 you take a test and are separated into a community, or Faction, based on your dominant virtue, Abnegation(selflessness), Amity(peacefulness), Candor(honesty), Dauntless(bravery) and Erudite(intelligence). Unfortunately, when Beatrice takes the test that decides your Faction she results in being Divergent, able to fit into more than one faction. This novel deals with her finding her true self and where she really belongs.

The Legend trilogy is another very popular dystopian trilogy about June, whose brother was murdered, and Day, the prime suspect in that case. They both live in a future where the United States is split into two countries after a second Civil War. These stories are told from alternating points of view from June and Day as they find each other and learn the truth.

I might not be able to read all of these books by the end of the month but I will try my best. I will also review them as I read so keep an eye out for further updates and subscribe if you are interested.

January Wrap-Up

Since I started my reading challenges less than a week ago, I only have one book pertaining to those endeavors. So far I read nine books this year. Most of them aren't much to talk about but I will quickly review a few that stood out to me:                                                                                                                       

This book is about a girl named Gretchen Yee who goes to a high school for gifted artists in New York City. She feels like an outcast, usually sitting only and drawing comic strips until one day she wishes she could be a fly on the wall of the Boys' Locker Room. The next day her wish literally comes true and she is an insect. There, she learns so much about body image, relationships, bullying and more. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants a realistic view of high school and the life of a teenager.
  

This book is a reread from the popular children's series Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan. Throughout this year I plan on reading the other four books in the series and The Heroes of Olympus series, which is a continuation of this story, as well. This book is about a 12 year-old boy named Percy Jackson who is very troubled. He has dyslexia and ADHD growing up in New York City with his kind mother and sleazy stepfather. He has never completed more than one year in a single school because of the odd events that occur on field trips when he is around. This year one of his teachers turns into a Fury and battles him. From there he is sent away to a special summer camp for kids like him. As the story progresses he realizes his origins and, shall I say, epic potential. This is an enjoyable, fast-paced read for fans of Greek mythology, monsters and lots of action.

Although it didn't particularly fit the season this was an adorable summertime read. This contemporary novel is about a 16 year-old girl named Samantha who lives with her tightly wound mother in Connecticut. Since she was a little girl, the Garrett family has lived next door. This isn't an ordinary family though. The whole clan consists of two parents and eight children ranging from one to 23. Since they moved in, her mother has been appalled and Samantha has been fascinated by the Garretts, watching them from her window often as she grew up. During this particular summer she meets one in person; Jase, a 17 year-old boy who is kind, charming, helpful and adorable all at the same time. In no time they fall in love as the summer progresses. This book is a great, light, summery read for any fans of teenage romance and forbidden love.
   

This was another adorable contemporary, though a little more realistic than My Life Next Door. This novel is about an 18 year-old girl named Cath who goes to college in Nebraska, her home state. The thing about Cath is that she is a twin with extreme social anxiety. She also is a huge fanatic of The Simon Snow Series (this world's Harry Potter). She has read all the books and seen the movies as they came out and collects ton of memorabilia based the books. She also writes fan fiction about the series, building a relationship between the two main characters Simon and Basil. Under the username "Magicath" she is a hugely popular fan fiction writer, getting thousands of views. Once she enters college though she has to face the real world filled with mean people, irresistible boys and what happens when a girl full of fiction enters a world of mere reality. This book is great for fan girls and boys, writers or someone in the mood for a creative contemporary.
    

The last book I read this month was one I finished today. This is about an 18 year-old girl named Allyson who just graduated from high school. As a gift from her parents she goes on a month long Teen Tour! where she visits cities like Prague, Rome, London and the like in a very touristy fashion. On the last day of the tour, the day before her flight leaves, she meets a Dutch man named Willem who is an actor in a traveling troupe. She decides to ditch the scheduled performance of Hamlet and go see the troupe's rendition of Twelfth Night. On the train the next day she meets him again and they converse resulting in an agreement to visit Paris, the city Allyson didn't visit, for just one day before she has to leave for America. From their romance, beauty, passion and all sorts of emotions are found. I enjoyed this book because of my European travels and how I could relate to some of their journey. This is a great read for travelers, adventure-seekers and contemporary fans. This book also qualifies for my One Book TBR square for the Book Bingo Challenge.

This concludes my January Wrap-Up. Since this month was packed with contemporary, romance and young adult novels I'm planning on venturing into dystopian and fantasy for February. If you have any questions, recommendations or other observations, feel free to leave them in the comments below! 

2014 Reading Challenges

I must say last year was not the best for my reading. I didn't read much or post much on this blog. Granted it was a busy year but nonetheless I have set some large goals for 2014. Here is a list of reading challenges I will be participating in and why. I will be posting further updates as I read:

This one sounds like fun for a few reasons. One is because The Story Siren is a great book blog that I have been following. Another is that I feel that I don't branch out of my comfort zone for reading. I read books by famous authors who have been writing since the 90's and I want to change that. Here's the link to the original blog post: http://www.thestorysiren.com/2013/12/2014-debut-author-challenge-sign-ups.html

This one sounds challenging but also very fun. Basically, you have a bingo card with different categories (TBR pile, Mix It Up, Series, Genres and New Releases) and you try to read a book that fits each square. The goal is to fill up the whole board (if you do that, you can start another) and read more books! Here is the link: http://readinginwinter.com/2013/12/16/challenge-anne-kristilyns-2014-book-bingo-reading-challenge/

I chose this because a horrifying fact about me is that I have only completed one series (The Hunger Games) in my life. This challenge is a great way to encourage me to finish series I have started and read through other entire serieses. There is a badge system accompanied: Bronze(1-3 series), Silver(4-6 series), Gold(7-11 series) and Platinum(12+ series). Learn more at: http://www.readsleeprepeat.org/2014-series-challenge/


I think these will be enough for this year. I am excited to see how far I go!

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

As you probably expect from this modern classic, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This very creative premise follows the Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter, as he discovers his true destiny as a wizard, not just an average Muggle. Born from two very magical parents, Harry Potter severely weakened the Dark Lord, Voldemort, at age one while his parents were killed. Poor Harry was unhappily taken in by the Dursleys, Mrs. Dursley being Harry's mother's sister. These Muggles, living on number fout Privet Drive are about as average a family as you can get. They refuse to believe in anything that is out of the ordinary. As you might expect, Harry definitely pushes their buttons with his accidental magic, including growing his hair at rapid speeds and freeing a snake from the zoo. On the young boy's eleventh birthday, he receives a letter from the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry itself, Hogwarts. Vernon and Petunia Dursley try everything in their power to stop these invitations, but eventually give up as the half-giant Hagrid, Hogwart's gamekeeper, shows up and takes Harry away to where he belongs. From here, every thing extraordinary occurs in a world where paintings move, dragons hatch and broom sticks fly. With his new friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, Harry defeats a three-headed dog, turns invisible and fights Voldemort once again.

This book is incredibly imaginative. Every detail is fleshed out from candies to cauldrons. A whole new universe is built with just enough of the human world incorporated to eliminate confusion. The mysteries these characters face are fascinating are solved in very clever ways. The students and teachers all face real problems with important desicions to make and they do suffer the consequences of them. Even though most of you have probably read this novel before, I suggest picking it up and giving it a good read.

Lola and the Boy Next Door

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins is…interesting. It is a sequel to Anna and the French Kiss, but its plot and characters don't overlap much. This is not about Anna anymore. As you might have guessed from the title this book is about Lola, a rebellious teenage girl who is obsessed with fashion and I mean it! She wears a different outfit and wig everyday, most of which she designs herself. Her family life is an interesting part about her as well. See, her parents were both careless alcoholics, clearly not ready to raise a child on their own. Nathan, Lola's mother Nora's older brother, adopts Lola, along with his partner Andy. These men care deeply about their daughter, but she is not pleased with their overprotective nature, especially towards her boyfriend Max, a 22 year-old musician. Lola thinks she is in love with him until Cricket Bell moves in next door, Lola's ex-boyfriend. She thinks she's over him, but her emotions get in the way.
This book is nothing compared to Anna and the French Kiss, but it stills is a worth a read. A bit boring, confusing, and melodramatic for my tastes, but there were some good points in it. Nathan and Lola's relationship is fascinating and Cricket is right up there with Ètienne as for adorable boys. It's worth a read if you enjoyed if you enjoyed Anna and the French Kiss and/or Stephanie Perkin's writing style.

Anna and the French Kiss Review

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Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins is a beautiful novel. France is beautiful. Ètienne St. Clair is very beautiful. If you are at all confused, the plot of this novel is as follows. Anna Oliphant is a high schooler in Atlanta, Georgia. Without her consent, her father, a famed novelist, sends her off to a French boarding school for American teenagers so she can be more "cultured". She is dreading the experience, having to leave behind her best friend Bridgette and her crush Toph. Once she makes her arrival at SOAP(School Of America in Paris), she quickly befriend a kind girl named Meredith. Almost immediately afterward, she falls head over heels for Ètienne St. Clair, an American-born boy who grew up in London(with a British accent included) and has a French father. Anna loves everything about him: his hair, his eyes, his smile. The only thing she doesn't love about him is his girlfriend, Ellie. Over a series of events, Anna tries to deny her inner wanting for the boy but she can't deny it after much longer.
This was an enjoyable read. While on the border of cutesy teen romance, Anna and the French Kiss succeeds to be more than that, a novel that makes you laugh and love. Through its wonderful imagery and deep characters, this book has become a favorite of mine. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys young adult fiction and/or romances.