Stuti's blog for depleting ships

Is this what [a:David Levithan|11664|David Levithan|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1208616138p2/11664.jpg] does? Is this how he has the rest of you dazzled? In fairy tales, the mother often needs to be dead. In mythology, the father must die for a prince to become a king.But who wants a family life like fairy tales, like mythology?Two Boys Kissing is my first book solely(I've read one of his collaborations with Rachel Cohn and no recommendation from me there, is all I'll say) by Levithan and he has my attention, and I have his name on auto-buys from here on. With a mix of pretentious and gorgeous prose, in the narration of dead gay men and raw emotions of his characters, DW* has written a phenomenal masterpiece, in my opinion.*What makes him even more awesome is his initials, DW = Doctor Who. =DAs it starts out, Two Boys Kissing is somewhat disconcerting with its first-person plural present tense form of narration. I don't think I've read any such POV, at least not in recent times, but DW pulled it off prudently and simply. The constant use of 'we' by the chorus of gay men lost to AIDS was heartbreaking as well as revealing, as different sides to those men were revealed, and thus, it helped me in not clumping all of them into one entity. The collection of their pasts and experiences that were only alluded to came across as the despondent and hopeful voices of every person that was ever part of the LGBTQ+ community. Heck, it felt like the voice of every person that was ever different or scared. And this is what had me awestruck- the book isn't just the story of eight kids but all those men that lost or were lost, all the heartbreak and resentment and forgiveness.The second thing that might make some people hesitant to venture further is the writing. It's pretentious and gorgeous, but so goddamn difficult to get through. Fortunately, after the first twenty-percent, it simplifies without losing its realism or captivating factor. Personally, I didn't mind the beginning and the writing just begged me to come back and again for re-reads. Music isn’t much different now from what it was when we hit the dance floor. This means something. We found something universal. We bottled that desire, then released it into the airwaves. The sounds hit your body, and you move.We are in those particles that send you. We are in that music.Dance for us, Tariq.Feel us there in your freedom.I want to string in a bunch of other thousand quotes but for a book this short(dammit why?), even two quotes seems excessive. Despite my bitchiness about the small number of pages and the light weight, I believe the book was of perfect length. The ending was just perfect and if he had gone beyond, I don't think the book would have been just as stunning. Because Two Boys Kissing just dipped in and out of the boys' lives and yet allowed us to be tangled in the web, and that's where the real magic lay.The dead men follow the stories of different boys in different times of their lives and relationships. There are Craig and Harry who are going to kiss for the next 32 hours and then some to break the world record and also make a statement, for their friend Tariq. The thing is they are exes and the best of friends but Craig isn't over Harry, not yet. And a few towns over, a pink-haired boy meets a blue-haired one at a gay prom; it's the beginning of a possibility and the possibility of a beginning for Avery and Ryan. Somewhere else a couple is in love and it's simple and it's not but they are in love and that's that. Oblivious of everyone and the world is a lonely boy who has stopped hearing the music and forgotten the dance, and in plain shit and tired of this plain shit. There is also sometimes focus on the aforementioned Tariq and somebody's mother and another's best friend.Another thing I liked was that perspectives were brought in from others and mothers, how it's not always about rejecting but accepting, and the shock and the 'rents. Holy sweet child of cheesecakes and x-mas lights, I adored this book and I hope you do too!Because I'm shameless:Things are not magical because they've been conjured for us by some outside force. They are magical because we create them.If you want a good read LGBT fiction, this book is perfect and if you don't want, this is book is perfect in any case. You should read Two Boys Kissing while I go out hunting other DW books and reading Boy Meets Boy(it's on NetGalley!) and The Lover's Dictionary(my sis says it's awesome!)./excitement purged...my foot!Look at that cute cover!Cross-posted on Books behind Dam{n}s

While What's Left Of Me solidly beats down Once We Were in various aspects, mostly creativity, I think that latter was a much more enjoyable read.Picking up a few weeks and apartments after What's Left Of Me, the story now follows Eva and Addie's lives on the periphery of rebellion. Far from being assimilated in either the real Underground or the normal people, they live inside walls and forced ignorance. Comes along a new member, a girl named Sabine, who entices them into instigating their own secret revolution. On the personal level, now that it's Eva and Addie for real, there are falling-outs and disagreements.Once We Were wasn't a blow-off-the-roof book like What's Left Of Me had been for readers, it's the one that makes me very certain The Hybrid Chronicle and I won't be parting way anytime in the near future. Where the first book had been Eva's story in shade and her eyes were just seeing, this installment is about her assimilating to and into the world; for the first time in so many years, she's looking for real. Naturally there will be mistakes and there will always be Addie. This was my favorite part of the book- Eva and Addie/Addie and Eva. The girls have now a way to lose the other and a need for privacy; what is brings along is one ignoring the other, Eva being deaf to Addie's wishes, and general maybe in order. I liked the development of their individual characters, and also as a pair.Moreover, something that hadn't really clicked with me in the sequel, the writing, astounds me now. Kat Zhang is a damn good writer, and while still it doesn't slay me, her prose is very refreshing. And fun. And water-like. I don't know why I think that but reading her books makes me feel so coolly hydrated and her sparse writing, something as follows, reminds me of droplets of water as it splashes.The first blink was followed by the first breath. Then the second. The third.Addie was gone, and I was still here, sitting on the bed.Alone.The plot is being woven more complicated, although it manages to remain mostly straightforward still. There are many new characters and I haven't forgotten them- along with their souls, they made for a huge number of personalities to distinguish amongst. I liked them all and even more, I loved the romance.(hinthint: there's some with Addie, too). It's simple yet not so, just as Zhang's writing. Now that the story isn't just about Eva, we finally have some dirt on this parallel world. Ugh, call the moral police! They'z not helpful nations! There aren't many answers solved, and I'd really like to know more about hybrid conditions in other nations, but it's all very vague on some of these details. It's not as clear as I'd hoped, but I think that's intended and just adds to the charm.There are so many problems to face in this installment, moral and emotional, about strengths and the rights and the wrongs, and how far is too far. I just ate it all up. Because how can you not?Sometimes we make mistakes and they're so terrible the word mistake doesn't seem big enough to encompass it. but it happens. and the only way to make up for it is by cleaning up the mess.The lack of creativity and concept is what will probably disappoint many readers. After the wonder of What's Left of Me, OWW almost seems run of the mill. Kat Zhang has just built on top of her original concept, and there's nothing out of the ordinary here, especially the whole plot deal. Except the characters, and the writing, and the discord, and then some. Also, the pacing is slow in the beginning, but candidly speaking, when I have stuff like this... But the thing is, sharing hands doesn't mean sharing goals. Sharing eyes doesn't mean sharing visions. And sharing a heart doesn't mean sharing the things we love....I don't really give two unhygienic shits about the pacing.Aside: Group orgy. Make of that what you will.Make of this what you will, too. It's all connected...Many thanks to the publishers for providing a review copy.

how do i shelve thee, book?dystopia? nah. sci-fi? nope.paranormal? seems stupid.but i don't have a shelf for alternate reality.screw it! goes on the fantasy shelf, it does.great premise, excellent execution, well-rounded characters. and yet, the book lost me for sometime in the middle when i just couldn't bring myself to read it. overall, it was a great read.and since i loved the non-cliffhanger ending,actual rating:3.5

here be a storyan elephant in outer space, meeting aliens and having neighborly quarrels. such a reforming and evocative thought! here be a spoilerbut this is not that story. this story is a flimsy rendition of what it could have been.here be some charactersall defined by their stereotypes~mc:well-meaning, tired of the world protagonist, constantly making snarky comments about her mother and best friend. her name is lillie.~best friend 1: the fat, 'un-feminine', nerdy girl with responsibilities. of course, when she does stray from label and starts to get some personality, it's because it ain't her at all. and that be a spoiler. her name is jo.~best friend 2: the hot, slutty girl with various boyfriends who is constantly described by her sexual antics. she might be the one character i actually liked in the entire book. her name is sylv.~mother: a hippie who doesn't care about her daughter. her name i don't remember.~romantic interest: glacial eyes, brooding nature, i am a-swooning! kidding, oh goodness he's the archetype of all heroes that have no personality. add the fact that he's the one character lillie doesn't make offensive remarks about and you have a recipe for warding off my sympathies.~meangirl: the on prerequisite every YA book must mean. the girl who used to be good back in elementary school but with the rise of boobs and girl-competitions to conquer the most boys, she became a meanie and has been since. and so obviously she isn't owed any human decency, and guys like tom can set up dates and then stand her up because she doesn't have feelings, right? her name is melissa. ~the... useless?: this guy deliberately puts lillie's life in jeopardy. she forgives him because it's not like he was planning on killing her; he just wanted to have some fun, and if there were some acute perils involved and if there were girls screaming 'noooo!' in the car, well the peer pressure forced him. his name is jackson.and these are the characters whose meaningless brooding, commentary, dancing, drama and, at the shame of using such a beautiful word on these vile folks, shenanigans fill up the first 60% of the novel. by this point i wasn't even interested in the story but i wanted to finish and review it properly because sadly, my review to requests ratio on netgalley is pitiful.here be the sciencenow that makes a lot more sense than the mashup going on in this book. science? who cares about the actual science? let's bend a few rules so it's easier for the vile protagonists to live a happily ever after, and let's also create senseless obstacles because it isn't a love story unless they've had face some face-offs with villains and troubles overcome. they actually try to dabble in string theory and the concept of parallel dimensions but the execution and extra tidbits of the author's creation left me with a headache; after a certain point, i stopped trying to figure it out.here be the plot it's a hole, it's an asshole, it's a PLOT HOLE! these are the kind of plot holes that one can't fill with shirtless jared's as they do in supernatural.it's a steaming mess that is iced over with fine sugar so we won't see the crap underneath, unless you are emerging from that crap. here be le confusionIt was a dead-behind-the-eyes look and in that split second we locked gazes he was as connected with me as Jo was with her femininity.whatever she is trying to say here, me no dig. I could see his face as if it were inches away, his broad cheekbones, straight nose and strong jawline, as symmetrical as you like.did you guys know that people with uncannily symmetrical faces live terrible lives because others deem them untrustworthy? i learned of that in a story so much cooler than this one. poor tom. on that note, don't waste your time on this book, go read that one.the structure of the narrative lacks integrity and cohesiveness. you have to maintain a flow in the storytelling to keep the reader's interest, is something i have learned over years of reading. you don't jump from one timeframe to another, one anecdote to another, you bloody well finish one scene and then move on. and the writing! it's filled with awkward similes and so underwhelming. in my non-professional opinion, it would have gone over well with me were it written in simplistic sentences. the piteous attempt at creative writing didn't work out.also, there's a new algorithm added to my brain:australia----bad book | |good bookthis book? no recommendo. review copy provided by the publishers.

Bleh! Review to come. Maybe.

3.5Although Omens sets out to be a mystery novel with a tantalizing hint of the supernatural and very little focus on the romance, I was more engrossed in those clues of creatures and magic unknown than following the breadcrumbs to the extremely human killer. However, I may be a teensy bit biased(just kidding, a lot) against lawyers, so maybe you should take my views on it with a pinch of salt. When you add to the mix my love for omens, well... poison's a-shaking and a-twisting.I love omens and superstitions. Particular ones, actually. What can I say? I'm a picky person; I like neither peas nor dogs. Anyways, since my barf days(I used to barf(a lot)), I've been adhering, even when I stopped believing in, to the more prudent of the kind. I've been circumspect as black cats crossed my paths and about stepping on cracks. My mother also taught me that swinging your legs and writing on walls diminishes the family income(although I mostly ignored these two(mostly)). Then there was the one where upturned shoes in a house make for stupid people. Damn, that one used to scare me good. I'd keep searching for shoes all over the house and believe you me, we've never been the tidiest of the families, not for lack of trying though. At the end of the day, we just weren't wired that way. Except my father. Oh boyee, he makes me clean my bookshelves! The anathema to him is my sister- but enough of my family antics. There was also that Monday's Child poem my sister and I used to consult as kids, and I would weep and cry and be jealous in general because I wasn't born on a Thursday. So yeah, my childhood? Big mess of magic and rules that were routinely broken. It was pretty damn awesome.Now you can imagine why I was given to like this book. But it isn't just for my fancies because Ms Armstrong does her supernatural real good, even when- especially when she's doing it subtly and silently with unseen shadows cast on the actual plot. And let me tell you, the paranormal aspect of Omens has me hooked in ways that the Otherworld books never managed. Moreover, the veg patty(I don't like meat or any other non-vegetarian stuff- takes me back to my barf days) of this McVeggie with extra cheese is Olivia Jones, an absolutely fantastic protagonist who can see omens.Now, Olivia Jones has a picture-perfect life, with a veeeerrrrrrry rich(the kind of rich that makes me hate certain persons before I correct myself because being anti-rich is as bad as being elitist)(see I'm trying to IMPROVE myself because I CAN be a better person and so I'm NOT going to hate filthy rich people or snigger with my sister at clips of rich people fucking up)- I think I lost the thread. Once again, without interruptions you lot! Sooo she is filthy rich and engaged to this fantastic guy until the day comes her fiancee fucks up their future and her mother destroys her history. Turns out she's the daughter of two serial killers, Pam and Todd Larsen.As in, to indicate in dark humor that there’s nothing like a bit of patricide and regicide to convince me of someone’s worth. Except there's nothing of that kind and my point's moot but whoever have you heard of giving up the chance to include Marchetta quotes and River Song gifs?[STOP INTERRUPTING PEOPLE!]In the fallout of the breakout of this information, Olivia's life has the temerity to fall further apart as her mother abandons her and she breaks off her engagement. Further on, she decides to go on into a kinda incognito mode and make her own living. There happens upon her Gabriel Walsh and she gets involved with her biological mother who, along with memories of a blissful toddler-hood, plant the seed of doubts in her mind and conscience that maybe, a little butterfly baby* maybe, they are innocent.*In the universe of maybe's, butterflies come out of flower petals as butterflies and don't phase through larva and caterpillar. Because those are just disgusting. Unless you're the one feeding a caterpillar, then it gives off some cuteness aura and you, my friend, are struck blind!Now come hunts and documents and secrets! But the mystery solved and culprits found are actually part of a bigger plot to be unraveled further on in the series. In this first phase, there are lots of file-reading and questioning, and perhaps that's the reason why I wasn't the least bit interested. Even as the whole picture was hesitantly unfolded, I was more eager for mushrooms and poppies and ravens and crows, and dialogues. Did I mention Olivia is a good narrator? She keeps up the humor and I loved it when she conversed with others, not just Gabriel. Hence, I guess I've fallen more in love with the potential of what Armstrong may bring yet, not really the product itself.*excuse us for a moment; internal monologue going on*But guess again, meself! Remember that as soon as I finished Omens, you wanted to jump in again and not come out. You even thought of trying to sleep because those few moments of partial lucidity before sleep are when you feel books around ourself the most. Did you forget so soon, meself? You are fickle! Let me arrange my thoughts so you talk in proper persons and bring back how fantastic this book made you feel.Is it fixed? Yep, I think it is. My mind is arranged./finYou're welcome. You, as in you, the reader, not my fictional other half-self.Yay for another useless River Song gif. On a scale of watching-my-brother-play-air-guitar to raindancing(which I discovered earlier in the day with the aforementioned creature is abso-fucking-lutely brilliant and it even works!), Omens made me feel good to the point of 7.99995. So I'd recommend it for rainy day readers or bored readers or readers with a fetish for mushrooms*. The second installment is titled Visions but despite that, I WILL read it and soon(as soon as it comes out, which may be a while).*A strangely perfect circle of glowing white mushrooms appeared out of the blue around one of our plants a few weeks ago and we JUST HAD THEM DUG OUT! AND NOW WE ARE DOOMED TO MISFORTUNE AND EARLY DEATH! BEWARE READERS, IF ANY SUCH PHENOMENON EVER OCCURS IN YOUR GARDEN, IGNORE IT! YOU SHOULDN'T HARM THEM NOR DANCE WITH THEM! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!Cross-posted on Books behind Dam{n}s

Cross-posted on Books behind Dam{n}sPeople aren’t as strange as you want them to be.Ain't that the gripe of my life? My biggest fear is growing up. My other fear is not being remembered, not being acknowledged. I really don't want to grow up. I want to grow the hell away from many things at this point in my life but the direction up isn't on my map. I'm a teenager and being that sometimes can be outright sucky but when I look across at most of the adults in my life, it somehow doesn't seem too bad. And that's why I feel like Leonard Peacock's a kindred soul.I've read Leonard being described as unlikable and hypocritical. And in my opinion, that's the truest thing you can say about Len. However, that brings me even closer to Leonard because all the shitty things he does are what I'd do, think in the blink of an eye. Maybe that makes me and Leonard shitty persons but that's the way it is. But you know what? Maybe he and I don't have our heart in the right places but there is a heart in him, and he tries to do things right by some people.I've also read Leonard being described as a weird, cooky person. He suits up, boards a train and then follows the most miserable looking adult. He goes after them, and sends out vibes, pleading to them, mentally prodding them to give up on this fucked-up life, go live their dream. This seems perfectly reasonable to me. But I'm not the perfect judge of that; I've never been able to pick up on people's eccentricity. Perhaps, it's because at the end of the day, I'm more given to weird, cooky persons. And for sure, I liked Leonard much more after this revelation. I mean, he's going after something, he is looking up on future, giving it a search. Who else can say this about themself? Not me, I tell you. And he's sad, desperate and lonely. That's really all he is at the moment. He's those adjectives, those exact ones that we can pretend are vacuous all we like, but in context of this particular teenager, they seem like the most apt words even written down. He wants to die but he's upset when people aren't able to save him; one could even argue that he wants to be rescued. In his narration, he is begging. To us, to the universe, to the adults. He makes me damn sad. And it's not for the fuckery of his ex-best friend that gets me, which was a terrible, terrible, terrible thing. It's his voice, shouting out to everyone; it's his desperation, and his questions; it's every last thing on his list that he wants from the world; it's him giving a medal to his teacher; it's him transforming the negative aspect into positive. And really, it's me looking out for answers. This particular quote is what I'm trying to say and much more. Maybe years later, after wars and apocalypses and holocausts, he'll find a partner and he'll beam lights across the skies and dive in underwater cities. Maybe he'll find someone or something that overshadows the fuckery of his childhood. Maybe every teenager and every kid will find something similar. Maybe, just maybe. If they hang on. And that's why I feel like shoving this book down the throats of every person I know. And that's my argument for why you should read this book. You guys all hang on, eh? Maybe watch Doctor Who if it's possible. =)In many ways, we avoided adulthood.This is such a perfect sentence, I can't even. Ciao.PS I want strange people.PPS Show me it’s possible to be an adult and also be happy.

Watch me go crazy:Freaky freaky freaky fabulouso! Creepy creepy creepy brillianco! Me love-so! Me fangirl-so!*let's all pause for second and hang our heads for the bereavement of the once-awesome girl who's now been fangirled(as in reduced or oxidized) to quaking around duck-like in a hideous simulation of Redox reaction*quack quack quackity quack*let's all try not to be smarmy, sniggering assholes at the humiliation of myself*Whoops! I just remembered that you can't actually see me and so you have no clue that I'm utterly humiliating myself. Forget whatever was said earlier. Watch me try to write up a review:Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is one of the better debut novels of 2013. In fact, I will suck up and say it's right there along with All Our Yesterdays competing for the debut awards. In fact, it's so damn good that I've been sitting before my computer screen for two hours. All my words get eaten up the second I line up a sentence; construe that however you will. Because this book is good, man. And let's see what I come up with. The basic gist of the book is lame but here it goes: Mysterious boy comes and strange things happen. Girl is deluded and shit goes down.I like how Ms Tucholke has put a spin on the mysterious, bad boy stereotype. River is mysterious and he is very definitely bad and sorta sociopathic. He's got powers and he fancies himself a god; add to that his fucked-up family issues and that's how we get our devil here. Throughout the novel, he has Violet and the reader deluded; it's impossible to trust him. It's impossible to Violet's words even, because he messes with her mind. And Violet is a well-rounded protagonist.-excuse me quack quack quack- She's a strong, realistic girl. Yet she falls for River when she knows something's going on with him. She can't keep away from him, knowing what he does and is. But then she does try and pester River to get to the root of things. Mostly though, it ends with him evading her and she conceding. For a little while. One second she's fuming mad at him and the next she doesn't question his roaming hands. I loved this aspect of Between; that maybe she isn't just being puppeteered by hormones and emotions, maybe there's something darker at play. It's the middle part of the book that had me from hook to sinker- when Violet is afraid of and for the budding romance of her summer. I loved as her delusions parted and her eyes lost the shine. I loved as she becomes deluded again. I simply loved her struggle to define the line between deceit and reality. And rounding up now: I found the romance to be the best aspect of the book. Even better than the writing.-beg your pardon mardo vilato!-Which brings me to: the gorgeous prose. It's so effing atmospheric and creepy. Capisce? I haven't read many contemporary Gothics that gave me as good a visual of the creepiness and dread as Ms Tucholke managed and for that alone, you should give this book a try.Watch me try to be critical: Nonetheless, there were a few negatives that me shirking from the five stars that I ultimately caved in to. I think the talks of art got a tad too excessive and pretentious sometimes. Secondly, the smoothing down of all kinds of shit was maybe facile. And finally, the ending has some aspects that bug me the wrong way. BUT the rest of the book negates the negativity! And someway or the other, all this compounds the awesomeness of the book!Watch me revert from my moments of sanity and use up the few words of Spanish and French I know:DON'T LOOK AT ME WHILE I'M DOING MY BTWATDBS DANCE! AND DON'T YOU DARE DANCE MY DANCE! ARE YOU? IT'S MINE! MINE MINE MINE AND YOU WON'T DIN-Je aime(?Je sucks at conjugation) le livres.Muchos Gracias, Muchas Gracias! This whole crappy review after another stint is freaking me out.

WTF? MOre James?

if you were here, sitting next to me, i'd induce you into crouching down, froggie style, with your arms between your thighs, and reveal to you gently that this is going to be one hell of a crappy review. but you aren't. well, tough luck, kids!let's say you have fossilized poo- don't question, just go with it- then what do you do? do you touch it? or do you not touch it? some will say that the poo is fossilized, so it's not really gross and it's sometimes pretty as well(look at dino poop), while others will undoubtedly argue that poo is poo, covered or not, and it's the principle of things, not the grossness. think about it and then continue.sufficiently sickened your mind? read on.[b:shooting stars|11983951|Shooting Stars|Allison Rushby|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1312225655s/11983951.jpg|16947488], you see, is the complete opposite of fossilized poo and of course, i couldn't really tell you all that until you'd observed the book's anathema in its own domain. know your enemy and all that jazz. the cover of shooting stars is as dark and fantastic and all things that make your dreams, and the inside is just as, if not more, mind-blowing.in this second installment, karina halle has done nasty, nasty things with shame and guilt. while sins & needles, the first book, played with shame and sex in much the same way as a chef with those cherry tomatoes with a caesarian salad order on the line. one reveled in that whereas in shooting stars, it's depraved and fun. it's way darker and ms halle tunes it to very fine points.in fact, it's completely different from its predecessor, on the whole. the hard and fast excitement of sins & needles is missing, albeit the pace is faster here. that may be one of the few reasons i still prefer the first book. another would be the lack of tracks and melodies that seemed to be playing through the whole of the first book; there were song references but my ears weren't detecting anything and that's a bit of a shame.that reminds me, while i was reading the book, at some points i thought this one would be quite the song for it.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifZfUVp2chEbut now i'm not so sure. and other times, i thought this one was it:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MNR0g3esI0i hope someone else finds the right song for me! i don't seem to be up for the job. :(this book has alternate chapters from camden's perspective and damn, karina, you nailed it.standing ovationsee, the author has grasped camden's disgrace into bad and worse just goddamn perfectly. i loved observing as he showed teeth behind his barks; all his commitment to ellie and talks of doing abso-fucking-lutely anything wasn't just talk. he does it and he does it good. it was scary! even better was the transformation that comes over him when he and ellie are together(oh shut up, not a spoiler), and he isn't the desperate, wanton bastard anymore. ellie was scarier still, with her sadness and falling back into habits of old. there were moments i felt like ripping out my head for her, but face it- most of the colorful characters make you feel so. i think this is where shooting stars stands out against sins & needles the shiniest. in the latter, the ellie was bad and camden dysfunctional, but now both are nasty and sinking lower.javier and camden, the triangle we've been anticipating. and the twists and turns and perilous rides! this is why camden's pov was a brilliant and genius move on the author's part, imo. because as camden sinks lower still, javier, while still remaining the villain who did bad things, inches higher bit by bit and this is truly one of those not-a-minffuck-but-generally-fucks-with-mind. for perceptions are altered and everyone is just darker and darker shades of gray now. except maybe ellie, who is genuinely trying. sometimes. when she isn't distracted, if you know what i mean. but as i sing praises for camden, i have to include that it was a fucking slog to go through in the beginning and i was genuinely surprised when it got good. o me of little faith! the most engrossing thing about these books is the layers and faces karina halle keeps on adding to her characters and yet ensuring they don't cross over to the good side. how much can you paint in before it overflows? but i don't think that will be a problem. shooting stars was a bittersweet book, so very worth it and i'm glad it doesn't suffer from the middlebook syndrome. i can't wait for the next book what with the ending that's sure to keep me on my toes, and has me tearing my hair out. i can't wait to see what the oct, 2013(a few weeks after my exams end, yay!) brings for camden and ellie. and javier, maybe.suck it, peter capaldi

not as good as finding cassie crazy but a brilliant book nonetheless. jaclyn morairty has my readership for eternity(only the YA books; i'm not too keen on trying out her adult books(not many good reviews there)).

I know, what had I been doing all this time?

I know, what had I been doing all this time?

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************OH ANNA SUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************I"D RATHER BURN OUT THAN FADE AWAY***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************IT"S LIKE SHE"S NOT EVEN A HUMAN BEING*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************YOU CAN HAVE THESE STREETS, I DON"T WANT THEM********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************HEY YO MAMA, IS THAT THE WAY YOU MOVE?*****************************************************************************************Why the fuck vamp eyes glow green, is what I'd like to know. In the meantime, I wouldn't mind Bones. It's strange but it's been such a long time since I've had the hots for someone blonde, real or fictitious. Weird. Also, normally I hate weddings and marriages, but Cat and Bones's? Awesome! And I love this cover, even though it's referentially incorrect.P.S. I hope this review hurt your eyes. :) *grin that looks innocent with emphasis on looks*

My day started like this:I woke up(duh!(except I shouldn't duh considering you'd've had no reason to suspect that I'm not an insomniac)) to the sound of my personalized alarm clock- my mom, sorry didn't mean to talk about you that way but you kinda are, aren't you?-and I decided against taking a shower, as it had been barely seven hours since my last one. I got ready and all the shenanigans followed and ended with me parking my ass in my bus. Now, it might not seem like it considering my lethargic attitude as I settled down and threw my bag beside me so no one would even think of sitting beside me, and I slowly opened my bag after a bit of reflection to take out [b:Becoming Bindy Mackenzie](which is the next installment in this series, btw)- but I had a test today. A computer test. Now here's an enigma! What's up with these computer exams? All the while, we treat it like a subject with fuck-all to teach and mock the kids who prepare for it- until our time arrives and nobody even remembers the cracks made earlier.But back to the point. I considered my textbook peeking out of my bag and concluded that it had fuck-all to teach. I read Mackenzie, instead for a while until my friend arrived at my seat and I had to remove my bag. Course, she was studying alternately from her notes and the textbook, and I was trying not to get distracted. But she broke me down and with fifteen minutes to school, I began to revise and again, concluded that there was fuck-all to study.Arriving at school, I did ten minutes of mingling and hopping and annoying. Then, oh sweet, sweet(it's salty but I think you get the point) Mozzarella, it was forty-five minutes of grueling track practice, under the hot, heavy sun, because the gods are cruel as the teachers. Trufax. Blah, blah, blah, shit went down, our school uniform was locked in, keys were missing, didn't get to take a bath. Then it was first period and it was computer and I tried to study, but had Geog homework to finish and continued with that, until I saw that the comp kreacher was correcting he comp homework and I had yet to do that! So there I was writing and copying and finishing, and there she was, looming closer and darker over my head but what is that divine sound I'm hearing? Oh, it that the bell? Hallelujah! The gods must be alive and not cruel, after all! But fut-the-what?! I have already finished it and turns out mine and my partner's are the only assignments left to check, by luck, they said! BY LUCK, they said I had spent a good portion of my time that I could have spent reading Mackenzie(realize that I'm not gonna type out the whole name anytime soon)! By luck, it was that I happened to occupy in the backkest, corner-est seat! But I'll tell you something, it was not LUCK; it was schedule! The gods are, after all, smarmy, venomous creatures.And it's test-time. See. Our school likes to spring these tests on us at any time. It could be the physics period(mostly, it's been physics(even for physics test)) or the math but today, it happened to be hindi period. Thank the gods, after all! Or not, because the last time I gave a test in hindi period, I ended up writing my friend's name on my answer sheet.Turns out there was a little more than fuck-all to study.Over now. English period, turns out the 1000-word essay I had spent my entire Sunday afternoon on, on the most asinine of topics- hell I even included references to HP and Doctor Who, and quotes from [b:Jasper Jones|8407173|Jasper Jones|Craig Silvey|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1275886753s/8407173.jpg|6560290], Dumbledore and F. Scott Fitzgerald- could not be accepted as it was written on a Legal-size paper and they wanted A4 size. Goodbye, English, you've lost my faith; continue on with your speaking skill activity and see if I give a fish whilst sitting in most corner-est of seat and reading Mackenzie.Yada yada baba yaga, periods passed by, history teacher messed with my civis paper(he also teaches us civics) because he EXPECTS more, geog teacher fucked with geog papers because that's what she does, and FINALLY, I got read Mackenzie in a darkened room(ergo, straingin my eyes(my power may have increased))again as Mr No-name-I-remember showed us slides in math.Briefly:I got home, finished Mackenzie and thought, hmmm... should get on with this review.How does this now correlate to the review? Well, you see, this is MY year 10 and it's definitely not as awesome. Moreover, I felt really inadequate leaving this space with a tiny review or none at all. Nobody likes a stick in the mud. Not even the other sticks because the first one convinces them to procrastinate just a bit more and they PUT OFF ENTHUSIASM for a little more while. Also, I guess if I just wanted to ramble on, I should have reviewed Mackenzie since that was the one I finished today.But you see? This is not like my Year 10 at all. Should I say Australian and leave at that? Don't answer that, I don't need/want to know!This is aBrilliant book. Just BRILLIANT. Its brilliance is so brilliant, it blinds me with the intensity of Ali Baba's cave with its golds and bauble, it's so brilliant even Apollo ditches his sun-chariot in Shanghai, and goes off to seek extremely tensile and magical ropes from Hephaestus in the mad, never-to-come hopes that one day he'll be able to enslave this brilliance that is brilliant-er than any supernova that ever burst(I think supernovas are very bright- they are, right?). Even the ever-acknowledged all-mighty creator of tampons and Nutella admits that this is a far brilliant-er creation. It truly is.This Year 10 is awesome! There are three guys and three girls, and out of these six, on is not very great. The rest are epic and hilarious. It includes secret and non-secret correspondences, secret assignments, espionage, fake dating(which is real(but they pretend it isn't)), Seb Magenta, Lydia, trashing of school and a budding lawyer.I loved the humor and the slightly darker themes going on- with Lydia's problems and Cassie's depression. But my favorite part- apart from Lydia and Seb's letters- was the friendship and loyalty. How the two girls-especially Emily, would rise up and get aggressive defending Cassie. The characters' personalities were excellent and I adore them all-with one exception. I love that the way we were introduced with the girls and how they changed. They are all so witty and unconsciously stupid and cool, I just want moreSorry, had to go off there for what- one and a half hour! Obviously you wouldn't know that but I like to stay true to the spirit of the book I'm reviewing, and the characters here were fairly meticulous about their comings and goings. Finding Cassie Crazy is based in heart, mischief and the fun in being a teenager. This is the domain of [a:Jaclyn Moriarty|47290|Jaclyn Moriarty|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1199066598p2/47290.jpg] and she excels at it; she weaves triviality and honesty into delightful tapestries of glory and magic and occasional moments of humiliation.She is fun, fun, fun all round! She writes such humor, and her unique, unique, unique(in the hopes that thrice makes might) characters vibrate with liveliness! The multiple viewpoints were distinct and on the spot. I also love her way with words, how she controls it like a coachwoman with a hippocampus. It is engrossing as a train wreck(the magnitude, not the quality) and swooon-ful as a... someone swoonful? Now you should go and re-Did somebody say SEB FUCKING MANTEGNA? I'm sorry, but I gotta go- SOMEBODY JUST SAID SEB MMUMPHHH-------------- ftw

!!!!IMPORTANT!!!!LOOK AT THIS REVIEW!!!!OVER HERE!!!!ON YOUR SCREEN!!!!READERS,I HOPE YOU LIKE AND 'LIKE' THIS REVIEW, AS IN THE LITTLE BUTTON DOWN THERE, AS IN BELOW THIS REVIEW, NOT 'DOWN THERE'. ELIZABETH CLARRY, YOUR DEAR MC, IS PRACTICING TO BE THE FUTURE QUEEN OF THE IAFF. BUT SHE DIDN'T WANT YOU TO MISS OUT ON HOW AWESOME A JOURNEY IT WAS TO BE FEELING SORRY FOR CELIA. HOW BITTERSWEET AND LOLWUT! HOW VERY AUSTRALIAN AND COMPLICATED!I'LL TRY TO HELP YOU ALONG, BUT I CAN ONLY HERD YOU TO THE EDGE. YOU'LL HAVE TO TAKE THE JUMP. WELL, I CAN ALWAYS PUSH YOU- BUT THOSE THINGS ARE NOT IN MY REPERTOIRE AND ANOTHER ORGANIZATION ALREADY HAS MONOPOLY OVER THAT. THIS BOOK IS ABOUT FRIENDSHIPS, GROWING APART AND FORGING NEW ONES, GROWING UP, EVIL DADS, FLIGHTY FRIENDS, ANONYMOUS IN AN EPISTOLARY FORMAT. READ IT.IN ANY CASE, HAVE A RAINY DAY. I ALREADY AM. LOVE FROM YOUR THOUGHTFUL AND FAVORITE REVIEWER ________________________________________'Stuti's room amidst rain- her mother's nightmare!' Photograph taken and incinerated(hence, no photograph) by Mushu. Postcard produced by Books behind Dam{n}s.Hi!!!! Wish you'd read this book! Even if it wasn't perfect. And it really wasn't. Sometimes, the humor was stretched too far(but I snorted all the same) and it wasn't consistent. The book is very depressing in a lot of parts and the humorous sections have been coagulated. Some of the characters , particularly Celia and Saxon's, didn't really come across as either likable or realistic; I didn't feel them. But did I stress enough on the reading part? Damn, Christina's gonna kill me.Love, Me__________________________________________Dear reader,It has come to our attention that you are extremely bad at following the above advice and are still reading this review.Look, we're not going to threaten you, not really, but observe yourself. Really observe. That hollowness in your laugh? That emptiness in your jokes? The disconcerting feeling of being left alone in the land of laughs(which is another book, btw)? That point in your day when nothing is good enough? When you feel, screw these characters, I'm going to sleep?Do you think it's all going to vanish by continuing on with your day? Or maybe, perhaps, mayhap, that it all will be nuked out of your universe if you just gave in to this very australian, but still readily and cheaply available, book. Did you even think of that? Did you? No, you didn't. Therefore, could you just go out and borrow/beg/steal/buy this book now? Not to be rude or inconsiderate, but if you don't, could you please climb into the refrigerator and wait very quietly until your good sense comes back to you. After all, I can always push you, but I can't make you swim.Yours sincerely,The Association of We-don't-really-threatP.S. we can always push you, but it's better if you jump.