Mission Accomplished: Moving House

This will be the last post on me moving house, I promise! I just wanted to let you guys know that I have officially moved into my new apartment and I've got more reading time than I thought :) I still have two rooms to finish; the study and the library. I'm hoping to finish painting this weekend so I can set up some furniture and clean out the moving boxes.

My current 'library' is in poor condition; books are everywhere -- from moving boxes to my dinner table to my newly put together wardrobe. Even though I love the fact that there are books in every room of my house, my bookish heart is crying because they are all over the place. I cannot wait to order my new bookshelves and get everything set up! I should be able to order my bookshelves next week, so hopefully they'll arrive by next Saturday. I'll keep you posted, of course :)

I also wanted to let you know that I've been writing reviews, I just haven't been able to get them up yet. I don't have internet yet in my new place and I'm guessing it'll take at least two weeks to get that up and running so it'll be a while.. But I'm trying to get my reviews online by borrowing my mum and dad's internet haha.

Anyway now you're in the loop! I know that I've been a terrible blogger lately but hopefully you'll understand :) Thank you for all of your patience -- I know I've tested it!

Review: Reel Life Starring Us by Lisa Greenwald

Reel Life Starring Us by Lisa Greenwald
Published: September 1st, 2011 (Harry N. Abrams)
Pages: 304
Source: NetGalley
Series: NA
Buy the book: Bookdepository
Rating: ★★☆☆☆


Rockwood Hills Junior High is known for the close-knit cliques that rule the school. When arty new girl Dina gets the opportunity to do a video project with queen bee Chelsea, she thinks this is her ticket to a great new social life. But Chelsea has bigger problems than Dina can imagine: her father has lost his job, and her family is teetering on the brink. Without knowing it, Dina might just get caught in Chelsea’s free fall.

This is a difficult review for me to write. I read the entire book, but that's all there is to say about that. I was frustrated with the two main characters from the beginning but somehow managed to read on, but I didn't really enjoy it. I don't know what made me continue reading; maybe the idea of finding out if it would get any better towards the end. But alas, that wasn't the case either.

Dina is the new girl at her school and seems to be hyperconscious of herself and everyone around her, especially Chelsea, who is the girl who has it all. However, Chelsea has a 'secret' and is constantly trying to prove herself to her friends.

The main girls are pretty much the same from the beginning; insecure, obsessing over a boy and whining. Oh man, the whining in this book is terrible. It almost had me trying to tear my hair out. Because both Dina and Chelsea are so insecure, their thoughts are filled with everything they are insecure about. It goes on and on and every alternating chapter just switches the person who whines. For me as a reader, it was really annoying to read about. For me, it felt like the project they were working on was only thrown in to make sure the girls would have to interact with each other.

The characters were flat, both the main characters and the main character's friend and I failed to be able to relate to any of them, even a little bit. The so-called secret that Chelsea was trying to keep was obvious from the start and the way everything turned out at the end wasn't exactly a surprise either.

I know that I'm being horribly negative in this review, but I was just so frustrated while reading it and I need to vent. There are a couple of things I really don't like in books and two of them happened to be the centerpieces in this one so I guess I should just say this wasn't for me, at all. I gave this one two stars because I managed to finish it, but I wouldn't recommend reading it.

On My Wishlist (44)

Back from hiatus! In On My Wishlist I spotlight books that I'm really looking forward to. I know there's a meme Waiting on Wednesday and there even are others, but I'm going to rebel and do it how I want it (hehe). I'll feature the synopsis as posted on Goodreads and put a linkie to the Goodreads page of the book. This week: Black Out by Robison Wells.

Black Out by Robison Wells
Expected publication date: October 1st, 2013

Synopsis
Laura and Alec are trained terrorists.

Jack and Aubrey are high school students.

There was no reason for them to ever meet.

But now, a mysterious virus is spreading throughout America, infecting teenagers with impossible powers. And these four are about to find their lives intertwined in a complex web of deception, loyalty, and catastrophic danger—where one wrong choice could trigger an explosion that ends it all.

Goodreads page

YES! After the disappointment of discovering there wouldn't be a third Variant book (WHY THE HELL NOT?!) I must admit that I did a little happy dance when I came across this pretty baby that will be coming out later this year. It'll be one hell of a wait, but I'm sure it will be worth it. Robison Wells has the ability to suck you into his story and throw plot twists your way when you least expect it. I've read a lot of books, but both Variant and Feedback managed to surprise me. I love it when authors are able to do that. Black Out sounds like a fantastic story and I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy!

Review: The Compound by S.A. Bodeen

The Compound by S.A. Bodeen
Published: April 29th, 2008 (Feiwel and Friends)
Pages: 248
Source: Bought
Series: The Compound, #1
Buy the book: Bookdepository
Rating: ★★☆☆☆


Eli and his family have lived in the underground Compound for six years. The world they knew is gone, and they've become accustomed to their new life. Accustomed, but not happy.

For Eli, no amount of luxury can stifle the dull routine of living in the same place, with only his two sisters, his father and mother, doing the same thing day after day after day.

As problems with their carefully planned existence threaten to destroy their sanctuary—and their sanity—Eli can't help but wonder if he'd rather take his chances outside.

Eli's father built the Compound to keep them safe. But are they safe—or sorry?

I think I had The Compound on my shelves for nearly 2 years. The synopsis intrigued me, but somehow the book didn’t appeal to me when it was on my shelves. I picked it up on a whim, and to be honest, my initial instinct was right; this book wasn’t all that. At all.

While it’s an easy and quick read (I read it in one sitting), the plot is paper thin at best. I loved the idea for a compound to use for shelter, but when the story continued I couldn’t follow the motives for certain characters anymore. It just didn’t make any sense. I wish I could voice my questions here, but since it would completely spoil the story to even mention something, I will refrain from doing so. Just take my word for it when I tell you the motivation is completely lacking in terms reasons to do things in that compound. It was driving me crazy.

The characters are dull, flat, naive and annoying. I just.. ugh. They just didn't come alive or develop at all during the story. While I can understand that one would be a bit washed out after being in a compound without sun for six years, it wasn't at all interesting for the reader to follow Eli and his family.

To be honest, the more I think about it, the more frustrated I get with this book. It holds so much promise when you read the back of the book and when you start reading it. But when you are really reading it, you start to think the author had a great idea, started working with it and then something happened that made the whole story collapse like a house of cards. It just feels to me that certain things weren't thought out while writing them and that just angered me. Why? I really don't understand.. And now I found out it's getting a sequel. Again, why? This first book was more than enough in my opinion.

I wouldn't recommend this book.