Book Review: Possess by: Gretchen McNeil

My Rating: ★★★★
Date Published: August 23rd, 2011
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 379
Do I own it?: Yes

Synopsis:
Rule #1: Do not show fear.
Rule #2: Do not show pity.
Rule #3: Do not engage.
Rule #4: Do not let your guard down.
Rule #5: They lie.

Fifteen-year-old Bridget Liu just wants to be left alone: by her mom, by the cute son of a local police sergeant, and by the eerie voices she can suddenly and inexplicably hear. Unfortunately for Bridget, it turns out the voices are demons – and Bridget has the rare ability to banish them back to whatever hell they came from.

Terrified to tell people about her new power, Bridget confides in a local priest who enlists her help in increasingly dangerous cases of demonic possession. But just as she is starting to come to terms with her new power, Bridget receives a startling message from one of the demons. Now Bridget must unlock the secret to the demons' plan before someone close to her winds up dead – or worse, the human vessel of a demon king.


Review:

Possess was a great novel. It was full of creepy moments, action, and a little bit a mystery. Overall it was a great book to read in the month of October, and it was also a greaty story. I haven't read many books about exorcism, so this was a first for me! It was interesting, and since I am religious, I can relate with a lot of the things that were mentioned in the book. Although this wasn't one of my favourite books, it did have it's moments. I liked the creepy doll shop scene, I thought that it was just the right amount of scary for me, and I also liked the ghost cat. I found that really creepy too, but it made the story interesting.

There were some things in the book that I didn't like. One, I found that the author used "Sweet Cartwheeling Jesus" wayyy too much. At first it was funny, but then it just got old. She used it 3 maybe 4 time? I'm not sure, but I didn't find it funny the second time around. I think the author could've used some different expressions. The next thing that I didn't like, was the romance. The romance for me was okay. It wasn't excellent, and at some times I wondered if it really made a difference to have it in the book. The romance at some times was really stupid. They kept having random make-out sessions that were completely unecessary. Especially when they were kissing while they were doing something important. Like, what the hell.

Overall I found this a great book, and it deserved 4/5 stars from me. It was interesting enough to keep me busy on my 6 hour road trip with my family. I know that there is controversy of a second book, because there are some things in the last chapters that hint towards another book, but i'm not sure. Personally, I would love to read a sequel to this book.

Book Review: Undead by: Kirsty Mckay

My Rating: ★★★★★
Date Published: September 1st, 2011

Publisher: Chicken House

Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 294
Do I own it?: Yep!

Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads)

Out of sight, out of their minds: It's a school-trip splatter fest and completely not cool when the other kids in her class go all braindead on new girl Bobby.
The day of the ski trip, when the bus comes to a stop at a roadside restaurant, everyone gets off and heads in for lunch. Everyone, that is, except Bobby, the new girl, who stays behind with rebel-without-a-clue Smitty.
Then hours pass. Snow piles up. Sun goes down. Bobby and Smitty start to flirt. Start to stress. Till finally they see the other kids stumbling back.
But they've changed. And not in a good way. Straight up, they're zombies. So the wheels on the bus better go round and round freakin' fast, because that's the only thing keeping Bobby and Smitty from becoming their classmates' next meal. It's kill or be killed in these hunger games, heads are gonna roll, and homework is most definitely gonna be late.
Combining the chill of THE SHINING, the thrill ride of SPEED, the humor of SHAUN OF THE DEAD, and the angst of THE BREAKFAST CLUB, Kirsty McKay's UNDEAD is a bloody mad mash-up, a school-trip splatter-fest, a funny, gory, frighteningly good debut.

Review:

It's safe to say that I am never accepting free samples ever again, especially after reading this book.
This was by far my favourite (and only) zombie book I have ever read. I was actually expecting a lot worse. I thought that it was going to be super cheesy and badly written, but I thought it was perfect!

The story was fantastic, and all the way that everyone got turned into a zombie actually makes sense. I thought that the plot was brilliantly laid out, and the author even put a romance twist in it. There were twists and turns, and also revealed secrets. It was the perfect blend of action, horror and a little romance.

I loved the way that Kirsty Mckay included humour into her writing, but didn't make it so funny that it made the story silly. I actually received this book as an ARC from my local library (the book got published in a new cover) and I only picked it up because it was the only book that wasn't a sequel there. I am really glad I picked it up. I don't regret reading this. Undead is the perfect book to read in October. It was creepy enough to keep me awake at night.

I just wish that this book was a little bit longer. I thought that it was great and all, but it would've been better if it was just slightly larger. I will certainly be reading the second book; Unfed, soon. I really want to know how I ends! I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a fast-paced action book.

Book Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by: Stephen Chbosky

My Rating: ★★★★★
Date Published:  February 1st 1999 Publisher: MTV Books and Pocket BooksAge Group: Young Adult
Pages: 213
Do I own it?: Yes! (I own the movie cover of the book) 


Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads)

Standing on the fringes of life... offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.

This haunting novel about the dilemma of passivity vs. passion marks the stunning debut of a provocative new voice in contemporary fiction: The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

This is the story of what it's like to grow up in high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie's letters are singular and unique, hilarious and devastating. We may not know where he lives. We may not know to whom he is writing. All we know is the world he shares. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory. The world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends. The world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite.

Through Charlie, Stephen Chbosky has created a deeply affecting coming-of-age story, a powerful novel that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller coaster days known as growing up

Review:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower definitely lived up to its hype! It's a wonderful coming of age story for a young 15-year-old boy named Charlie. This is the kind of book that really sticks with you for a long time. Its an extremely good example of why stand alone books are so great.

After I read this book, I really did feel different. This book changes you. It gives you a different perspective on being a teenager (if you are a teen while reading this book). It really does show you and help you understand things like the people who sleep with other people at a party just because they could. It really was sad at some points too. It had my emotions all over the place.

At first, I was skeptical because of the format that this book is written in. It's written in letters directed to a certain person. I didn't think that you would get the right feel from the book and everything that happens. I was wrong of course. It didn't even feel like it was written in letters. It truly was beautiful writing (only near the middle/end). That's another thing I want to talk about. The writing was terrible at first. It was extremely childish, but later on i discovered that it was supposed to be like this, because Charlie was still learning how to write properly. The last thing that bothered me was how much Charlie cried in this book. The amount of times that he cried was absolutely ridiculous. I mean, I know that at sometimes it was appropriate for him to cry, but at others it really was ridiculous.

Apart from that, I thought that the book was fantastic. It did teach me a thing or two! I cannot wait to see this movie. I know that it's going to be as good as the book.

October/Halloween Book Haul!

(sorry the picture is crooked xD )

YAY SCARY BOOKS!

Yes I know, I'm happy that I finally got more than 2 books for this haul, and I know it's late. Don't remind me!

-Possess by: Gretchen McNeil (only $5.99)

-Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by: Ransom Riggs

-The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by: Michelle Hodkin (only $4.99)

-The Monstrumologist by: Rick Yancey 

-Undead by: Kirsty McKay (ARC received from my local library)

This is probably one of the best book hauls I've had in awhile! I've been wanting to buy The Monstrumologist , Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children  and The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer for so long, that I nearly cried when I left Chapters. I  think that these are the perfect reads for Halloween, because they all have a creepy sort of setting. Well, before I read all of these, I definitely need to finish The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I'll probably finish that tonight. Count on it!