Twilight

Twilight


By: Stephenie Meyer
Reviewed by: Jenn, 14
Rating: It was alright...


This book is the start of a series that has become immensely popular these days. But what I don't understand is why.

Now I'm not saying that the book is bad. I enjoyed it a little. However the amount of praise and legions of fans it's getting is going a little overboard. Though a 'little' overboard is a huge understatement.

When you think about it, the plot of Twilight is basically the same as any other vampire romance story. Male vampire and female human fall in love, human wants to become a vampire so they can be together forever, etc. The fact that the setting is 'modern' isn't anything new either. Look at the TV Series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." But at least that had more originality than this.

I will give Meyer some credit for originality, however, in the case of the sparkling. One thing I always look forward to when reading or watching something with vampires in it, is what they choose to do with the old myth of vampires burning in the sun. Some leave it with that, some have them nocturnal, some just don't like the sun, and the list goes on. This is the first time I've seen someone come up with the idea of vampires sparkling in the sunlight, though. While some may not have thought this idea very good, I am one who really loves sparkly things, so it was a plus for me.

Unfortunately I have to drop back into criticisms. For one, there's the ever-so constant describing of Edward's "beauty". He is very handsome. He has topaz eyes. He's graceful. He has a beautiful smile. That, and quite a few other things mentioned, are all very nice and all - BUT WE GET IT ALREADY. There is no need to repeat yourself five million times, even if the book is told from Bella's perspective.

Second - how emo can Bella's character be? It seems like a lot of the time we hear about how oh-so miserable her life is. And then right into the over flattery of Edward making her life just ~wonderful~.

Those being my main irks in the book, I see it fit to stop there. I won't say this book is necessarily bad, though. It more depends on how picky you are. If you enjoy romance stories even if the plot is nothing new, then it's probably a book you will like. For those who like more action or prefer books with a more unique story, then it's not for you.


Recommended to: romance/vampire fans

Misery

Misery


By: Stephen King
Reviewed by: Missy, 16
Rating: It was alright...


She hovered over his bed as she watched him type the next novel to his series, awakening misery from her death, death, the one thing this novel wished for than staying trapped with his kidnapper who saved his life with her foul breath.

I thought that this book was okay, it was a bit slow, and couldnt keep my attention. I only kept reading it to see if anything better happens. There is gore and horror in this book, but not much to an approval of someone who wants nightmares, and images of them.

He was not very descriptive with it, I could barly see what his kidnapper looked like, only by what she dressed in.

It still has that shock in it and your heart is racing, your chest hurting as you hold your breath as you await to see what happens.

But there is not much to it. There isnt really a plot to it, just something scary, which it really didnt accomplish.


Recommended to: anyone above the age 16

Pet Cemetery

Pet Cemetery


By: Stephen King
Reviewed by: Missy, 16
Rating: It was alright...


The howls of the crazed forest spooking Louis as he carries a heavy black trash bag and shovel, down to the ancient indian burial ground.

I thought this book was ok, it was a bit slow, but really graphic which made it worth while. I thought it was a good orror book, even though i have read better.
I think it had a good life learning theme to it.

There isnt much else to say about it except for that it was slow, but descriptive and keeps your heart racing

Recommended to: anyone above 16

Blue Bloods

Blue Bloods


By: Melissa De La Cruz
Reviewed by: Missy, 16
Rating: It was alright...


Schuyler has just learned a new secret of the snobby, fancy and rich classmates. The blue bloods, an ancient group of vampires.

I thought that this book was ok, it was a bit slow and boring, but thats just me. It stays interesting, and doesnt get sidetracked. It has a bit of horror and romance to it, but more of mystery to it.

once you read this book, you want to continue onto the second, but not like "I WANT IT NOW!!"

Te book had interesting charecters, and a good plot, but i think De La could of done better with the descriptions. I think this book is jus to get you started, and the second really gets into the story and plot.


Recommended to: anyone

The Beasties

The Beasties


By: William Sleator
Reviewed by: Missy, 16
Rating: Really liked it


Te night is dark, as you hear the snores of the loggers in the forest, sleeping soundly. It is very peaceful compared to the screams when they awake, finding that one of there limbs is missing, a crude stiching to stop the painful bleeding.
Doug just moved to a large forest with his Mother, Father, and little sister. There are rumors of creatures called the beasties. Of people waking, missing a leg or arm. Untill he and his little sister come upon a trap door in teh middle of the forest.

This book leads you astray, making you think of one plot, while its the opposite. I think this story was really good, creating things that you never expected. A mysteriose horror book, reflecting onto the real world, with of couse, monsters, but with out the monsters, the book would be a nothing.

This book is not slow, and keeps you on the edge of your chair, and with a good ending, a true ending, instead of books that sound like they have a continueing book, but they dont.


Recommended to: people into horror and mystery books

NANA

NANA


By: Yazawa Ai
Reviewed by: Jenn, 14
Rating: It was amazing!


First, there's Nana Komatsu. 20 years old, she comes from a normal (but noisy) family - a mother, father, an older sister, and a younger sister. She spent her high school years falling in and out of love, and finally found someone whom she is determined to follow to Tokyo. The one thing she cares about most in life is finding love and keeping it.

Then there's Nana Oosaki. Same age, but completely different lifestyle. She hardly grew up with what you'd call a family, and very few friends. For her 20th birthday, she decides to buy herself a one-way ticket to Tokyo to make a name for herself. Her goal in life is to sing and nothing else.

On their way to Tokyo the two Nanas meet and become close friends, setting up the rest of the series for plenty of laughs, love, and drama.

Personally, I don't think I can say I've read a more beautiful series. A lot of people have referred to this as a 'shoujo' manga, but I fully disagree. It's far from it. The correct term would be 'josei', which is much more dramatic and doesn't have the typical happy ending that a shoujo manga has.

The series starts off with a happier tone; things are very comedic and more lighthearted. As the series progresses, however, more and more complications arise causing the drama level to rise. This also brings in plenty of character development.

The basic plot of the story is of both Nana K. and Nana O. going to Tokyo to follow their dreams. If they'd done just that and had a happy ending, it would probably make a decent series. But the endless twists and turns throughout make it amazing.

As for character designs, Yazawa did a beautiful job on those as well. Her unique artwork alone makes them great. However she also goes through basing some characters off of real people, such as the characters Nana O. and Ren, whom she based on Sid and Nancy of Sex Pistols, who also happen to be idols of the two characters.

Overall, there really isn't anything bad I can say about this series so far. It hasn't ended yet, but I'm sure that however the ending will turn out, it'll be a great one. 'NANA' mixes romance, drama, and plenty of rock'n'roll to make a series that many are sure to love.


Recommended to: 16+; romance, music, drama fans (slight nudity, sexual references, etc.)

Twilight Soundtrack

Twilight Soundtrack


By: Various Artists
Reviewed by: Missy, 16
Rating: Really liked it


I think that the music on the twilight soundtrack is really enjoyable to listen to. When you hear the first song, it just makes you want to stand up and dance around, even if you cant dance.

It is a mixture between rock to classical. The rythm to the songs is very unique and wonderful to listen to. There are a couple of songs that really get to you while others just make you want to smile.

Its alot of romance music, but not really any of the break up songs that kinda make you think of bad past. Not many of the bands are very popular, to my knowledge, but they choose perfect music.

And if you are reading, or planing on reading the book twilight, and want to listen to music that will keep you in the mood for it, this will be the perfect cd for it, lol.

I really enjoyed the music on it, and cant stop listening to it.


Recommended to: everyone

Swallowing Stones

Swallowing Stones


By: Joyce McDonald
Reviewed by: Missy, 16
Rating: Really liked it


Michael MacKenzie recieves an old shotgun from his father on his birthday, and decides to go out into the forest with his friend Joe to try it out, only shooting it once. But everyone makes mistakes, even though they think what There doing is safe A distance away Jenna goes out to give her father his lunch while he works to repair the roof, but to her horror, he was shot in the head by an unkown bullet.

This story I thought was really good, i good relate to jenna, and it helped me through my own problems that i have been going through. I think Joyce got the feelings and emotions perfectly. I like how she made it a mystery, even though its there right in front of you and you know whats happening.

It has a good plot in it, and I really like the charecters. It is one of those life lesson books, with deeper meaning to it that you would think.

There are some scenes to were your heart just stops, your breathing rapid, while others you just want to laugh. It is another serios story though, not a comedy, or historical or romance book


Recommended to: anyone above 14

Night

Night


By: Elie Wiesel
Reviewed by: Missy, 16
Rating: Really liked it


This book is about Elies teen years in the concentraion camp with his father. It tells of all the things that he had to endure, and all that others had to endure.
This book shows you of the torture that Hitler made Jews go through. It was not very detailed, but you can still hear the screams, and smell of the burning flesh of the fathers and mothers that the children themselves had to burn.

It makes you want to cry, just thinking about what they had to do and see. This book is not a comedie, nor is it a romance. It is a serios historical book.
I thought it was well written, and teachs you alot about the past with out boring you. I can be very easily bored with historical books, but this one was not boring, it was more of a story instead of a history book though.


Recommended to: anyone above the age of 14

Tokyo Babylon Volume 7

Tokyo Babylon Volume 7


By: Clamp
Reviewed by: gothiclolitamaiden, 15
Rating: Really liked it


Warning: Spoilers if you haven't read the final volume of Tokyo Babylon

At first, I didn't like Tokyo Babylon too much. For a paranormal manga, it wasn't very scary. But as the series continued, I started to like it more and more. Tokyo Babylon is a very sensitive and emotional series. Tokyo is portrayed as a city full of opposites. There are the rich and successful, living glamorous lives. Then there are the poor and struggling, who the rich often step on to acheive their goals. At first, the shonen-ai relationships were slightly disturbing to me, but I gradually got used to it.

The ending was a bit disappointing for me, there are still loose ends, which makes me want to read X/1999 even more. Before reading the final volume, I believed that Seishiro, despite his flaws had some good in him and really loved Subaru, turns out he's a heartless...never mind. This volume was a bit of an emofest. Hokuto dies, Subaru's grandmother is crippled, Seishiro is an emotionless murderer. Nevertheless, it is very exciting because of the questions finally answered. The artwork isn't exactly on par with Clamp's later work, but works for this story.



Recommended to: Fans of paranormal manga and shonen-ai. 13+ as the rating says for blood, violence, mature and often very morbid themes.