Megan Rambles About The Boyfriend List and The Boy Book

The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart
From Goodreads:E. Lockhart’s spot-on dialogue and descriptions of painfully but hilariously relatable situations make this young adult novel an addictive read.
 
Fifteen-year-old Ruby has had a rough ten days. During that time she: 
 
   * lost her boyfriend (#13 on the list) 
   * lost her best friend (Kim)
   * lost all her other friends (Nora, Cricket)
   * did something suspicious with a boy (#10) 
   * did something advanced with a boy (#15)
   * had an argument with a boy (#14)
   * had a panic attack
   * lost a lacrosse game (she's the goalie)
   * failed a math test (she'll make it up)
   * hurt Meghan's feelings (even though they aren't really friends)
   * became a social outcast (no one to sit with at lunch)
   * had graffiti written about her in the girls' bathroom (who knows what was in the
   boys'!?!)

But don't worry—Ruby lives to tell the tale. And make more lists.

First off, I'd like to apologize for my total absence from blogging lately. There's been some crazy things going on lately (aka school and soccer have started and also family crap) but I do miss blogging a lot and I'm going to try my very best to catch up with my reviews!


THIS BOOK IS AMAZING. Which is why it's the perfect review to write as my return to blogging. Rachel loaned it to me over the summer with the basic demand of READ THIS RIGHT NOW OR ELSE. IT IS THE BEST THING EVER SO JUST DO IT. Once I started, I literally couldn't put this book down. I was glued to the pages for the entire day until I finished it.

The cover for the equally awesome sequel!

Once I got back from vacation, I demanded to have the sequel so I could devour that one too. So, in the interest of catching up, I'm going to  review both of them at the same time!

Ruby Oliver is one of the best main characters ever. Seriously. She is so unique and different with her fishnet stockings, love of lists, and endless sarcastic humor. Ruby is awkward and even with all of the insane crap she has to deal with, she still manages to be true to herself.

What about the other characters in these books you ask?

Well they are pretty awesome too. Don't get me wrong, I don't like all of the characters. There are a few of them (who's names shall not be mentioned because no spoilers ever) that I actually can't stand at all. But whether I love the characters or hate them, they all had something to the story and E. Lockhart wrote them brilliantly.

And how about the many, many boys? There are lots of boys right?

Oh yes, there are a lot of boys! Some of them are cute and I love them and if they showed up on my doorstep I would fangirl like crazy. But others are your typical idiotic high school boy who you kind of want to punch in the face for being so stupid. What works in these books is that the role of each character changes. The people (and especially the boys) that Ruby gets along with in the first book aren't necessarily the people she gets along with in the second. Just like the life of a real life high school student, Ruby's life is constantly changing.

I've only read the first two books of this four book series, but I can't wait to borrow steal the other two from Rachel so I can read them. This series is amazing and every high school student should read them in order to survive. If you haven't already gotten your hands on these books, you need to fix that immediately. Go on. I'll wait. *taps foot* You won't regret it!

-Megan

Rachel Rambles About The Diviners

The Diviners by Libba Bray
From Goodreads:
Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City--and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult--also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies."
When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer--if he doesn't catch her first.

The Diviners is told in third-person, and the point of view alternates between several characters. The one who narrates most of the story is Evie. She fully embraces the culture of New York City in the Roaring Twenties. She wears the flapper dresses and the short haircut and goes to speakeasies and runs around causing trouble. She's full of wild energy and enthusiasm, and she usually doesn't stop to think about the consequences of her actions. With some main characters, this quality would annoy me, but it was really endearing with Evie and it just worked for her.

The setting of this book is so vivid and real. Libba Bray captures this reckless and magical and exciting time period effortlessly. In the past, I've had a bit of a hard time getting into historical fiction, because I always felt like there was such a huge gap between my world and the world of the book. But I didn't have any problem whatsoever immersing myself in The Diviners. It never felt like I was reading a book set in the past. It just felt like I was reading a great book I couldn't put down.

The Diviners is a lot creepier than I expected. In a good way! The supernatural elements are so thorough and detailed and genius, and I couldn't see any of the plot twists coming. The murders scared the crap out of me. Each one of them is unexpected and reaches a whole new level of creepy. Especially since parts of the book are told from the point of view of the victims right before they're killed. I really shouldn't have been reading this in the dark before bed, because I totally convinced myself that I was going to be murdered by Naughty John any second. So that was great.

I know the idea of picking this book up is a bit daunting. It's huge (like 578 pages huge!) and it's historical fiction, which I think a lot of people have a hard time getting into. But guys, you need to read this book anyway because it's absolutely brilliant. It's easily one of the best books I've read this year.

If that didn't convince you, then here's a little threat: READ THIS BOOK OR I WILL SEND NAUGHTY JOHN TO KILL YOU. *laughs evilly* Sorry. I can't help it. This book did things to my brain.

(Oh and be sure to watch the awesome book trailer!)

-Rachel

Rachel and Megan Ramble About Nevermore

(For the record, we started writing this post a few days after the book was released. But life happened and so we are finally able to post it now.) 

 

Nevermore by James Patterson

From Goodreads:  

One last chance...

For Max, Fang, Angel, Iggy, Nudge, and Gazzy.
Before it all ends.

Are you ready for the final chapter? Are you ready for the ultimate flight? Because THIS IS IT. One last incredible, explosive adventure with an astonishing ending that no one could have seen coming.

Megan: Well, the end of Maximum Ride....I think it's only fair to start this ramble off with two warnings. 1. This is the last book in an eight book series, so if you haven't read the rest of the series, you may want to leave so we don't accidentally spoil you! 2. This ramble may accidentally turn into a rant as Rachel and I have many mixed feelings about this series. On that note, Rachel? Start it off?

Rachel: WTF DID I JUST READ?!

Megan: I DON'T EVEN KNOW. Should we start with the parts that kind of made sense? Sort of?

Rachel: I'm sorry, what parts? I just...what...I don't know...this book is INTENSE. I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO FEEL RIGHT NOW.

Megan: ME NEITHER. I mean the beginning was the only thing where I actually knew what was happening, and I kind of hated it because the characters just WEREN'T ACTING LIKE THEMSELVES. I think someone needs to explain to James Patterson that there is a serious difference between character development over a series and RANDOM  personality changes for no reason!

Rachel: Yeah, what happened to the badass Max from all the other books? As soon as Dylan shows up, she becomes all mushy and non-Max-like! Her toughness and strength and sarcasm and overall badass-ness is one of the main things that made me fall in love with the series, and now it's gone?! On a somewhat related note: I hate Dylan. I don't hate him because he's Not Fang or anything like that, I hate him because I don't understand his purpose in the story.

Megan: I don't either. There are so many times where things are happening and Dylan is just off in another room, no where to be found. If you have to stick a character in a corner off-scene in order to have anything happen, then there is probably a good chance THAT CHARACTER DOESN'T NEED TO EXIST. Honestly, the only reason I'm "Team Fang" is because I don't understand Dylan's reason for existence. At least Fang has a reason for being there.

Rachel: Dylan sucks. Although, I must say, we did get to see a bit of character development in Nevermore, which was great. In the other books, he was just kind of taking up space for no reason. But in this book, we saw a different side of him. I mean, it didn't make me like him or anything. But it made me hate him less. So that was impressive. :D

Megan: Yes! And the character development that actually sort of made sense. My biggest problem with this book was the fact that the plot made absolutely no sense half of the time. Something would happen and I was all "Wait. WHY did that just happen?"

Rachel: Yup. By the time the book ended I was thoroughly confused. I was expecting so much more from the LAST MAXIMUM RIDE BOOK EVER! THE EPIC FINALE! But there were some good things about Nevermore. Like Fax. :D

Megan: Yes! There was much Fax, which was very entertaining for me :D There were still a few funny one liners weaved into this one, which I missed in the past two books. Still not as many as the first three books, but I was back to laughing at the characters.

Rachel: Yeah. I mean, the first three books were the best. I wish the rest of the books had lived up to them. Any Maximum Ride fan can tell you about the long and painful journey they've had with this series. I'm actually glad it's over. No more emotional investment...

Megan: Me too! Now I can just pretend that the series stopped after the first 3 books! Or you know, we could write a new ending to the series ourselves! :D

Rachel: Yes of course. FANFICTION TIME! Anyway, if you've read this series, what are your thoughts on the final book? Let us know below!

Top Ten Series Rachel Hasn't Finished

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Today's topic is the top ten series you haven't finished, either because you didn't like them or because you just procrastinated.

I read and loved the first book in each of the following series, but for whatever reason, I haven't gotten around to reading the rest of the books.

1. Hex Hall series by Rachel Hawkins
I have the second book sitting on my shelf right now, and I think the reason I'm procrastinating is because I don't really remember the first book that well so I'd have to reread it first.

2. Luxe series by Anna Godbersen
I've owned this series for years but just finally read the first one about a year ago. I really enjoyed it, so I hope I actually do read the rest of them someday.

3. Across the Universe series by Beth Revis

The reason I've yet to read book two is because I'd have to get it from the library and that involves checking it out and I'm lazy. Which is the lamest excuse ever, but yeah.

4. Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan
I absolutely loved the first book! I borrowed the next two from Megan, so I'll be getting to them soon.

5. Anna Dressed in Blood series by Kendare Blake
The second book just came out recently, so it's not that bad that I haven't read it yet. I'll have to see if my library has it.

6. Gemma Doyle series by Libba Bray
The first book was AMAZING, I love historical fiction, and Libba Bray is brilliant. I have no idea why I haven't read the rest of the series. Something is wrong with me.

7. Wings series by Aprilynne Pike
I read the first book when it came out. I was in like, sixth grade, I think, which was before I knew to anticipate sequels and stuff. Those were the days before I finished a book and obsessively stalked the author on Twitter to find out when the rest of the series would be released.


The next few series are the ones that I didn't really like. I am curious to see how some of them end though, so I might end up finishing them at some point.

8. The Immortals series by Alyson Noel
I read the first book when I was in sixth or seventh grade, aka my Twilight obsession phase. :D It's been awhile since I read these books, but I remember reading the first one and really enjoying it, and then being disappointed to discover that the rest of the series kind of just went downhill. I believe I made it about halfway through the third book before finally giving up.

9. Fallen series by Lauren Kate
I loved the first book, but the second book was just kind of meh. Still, I stuck with the series, reading the third book and hoping it would get better. Unfortunately, it didn't, so I probably won't be reading the fourth book anytime soon.

10. A Need So Beautiful series by Suzanne Young
I've heard nothing but good things about this book, but when I read it, I just didn't enjoy it that much. I didn't hate it, it was just kind of meh for me. I do think that if I decided to reread it, I'd enjoy it a lot more than I did the first time, so who knows. Maybe I'll read the first book so I can continue with the series.

Do you love any of the above series? Let me know! Maybe you'll encourage me to actually finish them. :D

-Rachel