Manga Review ~ School Rumble, Volume 1 by Jin Kobayashi, William Flanagan (Translator)

Title: School Rumble, Volume 1
Author: Jin Kobayashi, William Flanagan (Translator)
Release Date: May 16 2003
Published by: Del Rey
Page Amount: 177 pages, paperback

Goodreads Blurb:
SUBTLETY IS FOR WIMPS!

She...is a second-year high school student with a single all-consuming question: Will the boy she likes ever really notice her?

He...is the school's most notorious juvenile delinquent and he's suddenly come to a shocking realization: He's got a huge crush, and now he must tell her how he feels.

Life-changing obsessions, colossal foul-ups, grand schemes, deep-seated anxieties, and raging hormones--School Rumble portrays high school as it really is: over-the-top comedy!

Review:
This was a cute manga. A cute read. It was a nice little something to read inbetween all my other books. Particularly after finishing the entire Hunger Games Trilogy, which is a series with very heavy subject matter. A nice little break is needed after that. At least it was for me.

I used to read manga more often in high school. This one was lent to me by a friend. I enjoyed the ones I read in high school more. In the synopsis it says "School Rumble portrays high school as it really is: over-the -top comedy!" I guess it was just a little too "over-the-top" for me.

I'd say I give this one 2.3 stars.

<3 Amanda Leigh

Book Review ~ Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3) by Suzanne Collins SPOILER FREE

Title: Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3)
Author: Suzanne Collins
Release Date: January 1st 2010
Published By: Scholastic
Page Amount: 390 pages, ebook

Goodreads Blurb:
Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she's made it out of the bloody arena alive, she's still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what's worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss's family, not her friends, not the people of District 12.

Review:
It seems like a lot of people were dissapointed with this book as a wrap up to the series. I wasn't. I thought it wrapped up the series pretty well. Jessica from the booktube channel Chapter Chicks described Mockingjay as "an experience." And I think that is a great way to describe it. It really is an experience. You go through a roller coaster range of emotions reading this book. It got it's claws in me and wouldn't let go.

It's hard to review this without giving something away.There are big events going on in this book. I cried, I smiled, I gasped, I laughed, I got angry, I got scared. I experienced an entire array of emotions.

This book also had an epilogue that wrapped everything up. I thought it was a good wrap up. It left me satisfied. Although there were some questions that weren't answered that I would have really loved to know the answers to. I also have to say that I absolutely adored the very last line of this book.

Again, I have to give this one 5 stars. This trilogy should absolutely be read.

And don't forget to go check out the Chapter Chicks channel! :) https://www.youtube.com/user/ChapterChicks 

<3 Amanda Leigh

Book Review ~ Catching Fire (The Hunger Games #2) by Suzanne Collins SPOILER FREE

 

Title: Catching Fire (The Hunger Games #2)

Author: Suzanne Collins

Release Date: January 1st 2009

Published By: Scholastic

Page Amount: 402 pages, ebook

Goodreads Blurb:

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

Review:
Again, this is incredible. An incredible book. 

I think Suzanne Collins is really an incredible writer. I felt all the emotions that Katniss was feeling in this book. Her relationship with Peeta develops in this book. Also, President Snow has much more of a presence in this installment in the series. He is really a terrifying character if you think about it. I think he is the most villainous villain I've read about since reading about Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter series. 

The districts are starting to rebel. (Don't worry, this isn't a spoiler. It says this right in the description of the book.) This is exciting, terrifying and dangerous. One scene in particular stands out in my mind - but I can't tell you here, that would be a spoiler. 

There was also an event in the book that I NEVER saw coming! It was one of the things that made me gasp aloud reading it. And I actually felt gripped by terror when I did. Another event I didn't see coming left me absolutely furious as well as terrified! And the book ends on a major cliff hanger.

I thought this book was terrific. I give it 5 stars. 

<3 Amanda Leigh

Book Review ~ The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins SPOILER FREE

Title: The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1)
Author: Suzanne Collins
Released: January 1st 2008
Published By: Scholastic
Page Amount: 267 pages, ebook

Goodreads Blurb:
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Review:
Honestly, how do I begin to review this book? What can I say that hasn't already been said? I don't know, so I'm just going to go into it. I LOVE this book! It was absolutely incredible. I had been avoiding reading it for a long time. Mainly because of all the hype sorrounding it. Then I finally gave in and read it. And then I understood all the hype.

The concept of this book is amazing and yes, disturbing. Some people came for the romance/love triangle in it. That was a part of it for me. Because I like seeing people's interactions with each other. However, I didn't realize how much social commentary is really in this book. It's definitely evident throughout it. That's probably what I found the most interesting. And I do have to say, if we keep going in the direction we are, I could absolutely see us at this point in 100 years.

This book really was incredible. I got so much more out of it than I expected to. I loved it. I gave it 5 stars.

<3 Amanda Leigh

Cover Reveal!! ~ Fireblood by Trisha Wolfe

I  am so excited today to be a part of the cover reveal for Fireblood (Fireblood #1) by Trisha Wolfe!!

 

 

 

Fireblood
By: Trisha Wolfe
Release Date: 10/8/13 Synopsis:
To save a kingdom, Zara must choose between a prince who could be the answer and a rising rebellion that threatens to take control.

When Zara Dane is chosen to marry Prince Sebastian Hart, son of the man who ordered her father's capture, Zara knows she must fight to save everything she loves from ruin.

Being betrothed to the prince means a life trapped behind the towering stone walls of the Camelot-forged realm. Under the watchful eye of the prince's first knight, Sir Devlan Capra, changing her future becomes difficult.

When an unlikely rebel reveals the truth about the deadly secrets that fuel King Hart's twisted world, Zara's path to rescue her father becomes clouded by deception. The Rebels clear her path by forcing Zara's hand with an ultimatum: sway Prince Sebastian to join the Rebels, convincing him of his father's evil nature, or they will take him out.

But Zara is uncertain about a future under the Rebels' command and where the prince's heart truly lies. She must decide who to trust, what to believe, and what she's truly fighting for before the king destroys all of Karm, including her heart .

Add To Your Goodreads To Read Shelf: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15841140-fireblood

About the Author:
Trisha Wolfe is the author of the YA Steampunk/Paranormal Romance DESTINY'S FIRE (Omnific Publishing) and the upcoming YA Sci-Fi Utopian FIREBLOOD from Spencer Hill Press, November 2013. Her published short stories have appeared in YA literary journals, Fantasy magazines, and anthologies. She has written four books in the past two years, and is currently working on a new YA Sci-Fi project.

Trisha Wolfe is the creator of YA Bound, a promotional blog for the Young Adult genre. Also a proud member of YALITCHAT.ORG, SCWW, and The Apocalypsies.

And she is also a business owner, partnered with her partner, her husband. When she's not busy doing all of the above, she is a wife and the mother of a gorgeous teen boy who's the sounding board for her male characters.

Trisha Wolfe's Website: http://www.trishawolfe.com/

Isn't that cover amazing? It's gorgeous! I can't wait for this book to release! Are all of you excited?? Congratulations Trisha!!!! :)

<3 Amanda Leigh

How I Plan to Review the Hunger Games Trilogy

I've caught up on my book reviews of all the books I've read this year. Except three. The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins. The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay.

I finished reviewing the other books I read this year and thought "How am I possibly even going to begin to review The Hunger Games Trilogy?" To be frank, it is quite a daunting task. They really are incredible books. I loved them. And sometimes it's hard to review something you're absolutely in love with without sounding like a fangirl. I'll do my best not to that and actually give coherent reasons why I love these books, I promise. Then of course is the problem of spoilers. It's also hard to review these books without spoilers.

So I decided to do two reviews for each book. Two for The Hunger Games. Two for Catching Fire. Two for Mockingjay. One will be spoiler free and one will be spoiler full. ;) I decided that's the best way to go about this. I'll try to post these reviews soon. :)

<3 Amanda Leigh

It's Monday! What are you reading?

It's Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila of Book Journey at: http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/

 

 

Just Finished:

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8663600-mockingjay

Zenda 3: The Crystal Planet by John Amodeo, Ken Petti and Cassandra Westwood

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/108071.Zenda_3 

 

 

Reading Now:

Torment (Fallen Series #2) by Lauren Kate



http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7740152-torment 

 

 

So what are you guys reading? Let me know in the comments! :)

 

<3 Amanda Leigh