Legend by Marie Lu

Published November 29, 2011 by Putnam
#1 in the Legend series
4 Stars

Goodreads Review
What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills.

Review:  Legend is a great start to a series with will definitely fill your Hunger Games void.  It has fight scenes, snappy dialogue, kissing, and a government conspiracy!  I listened to the audio book and really loved the two readers. They were excellent and I recommend the audio book to everyone, especially if the gold text puts you off (as it did for me).

I really enjoyed Legend, especially the two main characters.  Day and June were both really great characters and I really enjoyed their banter as they got to know one another.  With that said, I do wish they lived up to the described intelligence.  We're told again and again how exceptionally smart they are, but they seem to get tricked and trapped a lot.  I really would have liked to learn more of Day's back story and his motivations behind his crimes.  We know he's done all of these crazy stunts (like attacking an airbase) but we never really learned why because he's kind of rogue and doesn't belong to a rebel group. 

I did have some issues with the world building. In dystopian books set in America I really like to understand how we got from present day to the current government in the novel. There were some hints at this so I'm hoping this will be discussed more in future novels. I also would have liked to know some more answers to the Republic plague conspiracy as well as why they are at war with the colonies, but again I think that will be covered more in later novels. I also wanted to know more about the trials, especially what exactly when down with Day's trial.  There are a lot of interesting concepts that I hope will be fleshed out in further novels.

Overall I really enjoyed Legend.  The writing was really great and the pacing was spot on.  I know dystopian is a real trend right now is YA literature, but Legend is at the top of the pack.  If you liked The Hunger Games and Divergent, make Legend your next pick.

Bout of Books Day 7 FINALE!

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 8.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team.

This is the final day of the read-a-thon, we made it!  I have to admit I went out with a bit of a whimper.  I woke up today and just did not feel like reading, so I didn't.  I watched 3 movies instead (Fight Club, We need to Talk about Kevin, and The Ruins.  They're all adaptations of novels though, does that count?).

I did go to Starbucks for a little while and read 31 pages of City of Lost Souls, but that's it.  I'm ok with it though, because I made a lot of progress and finished quite a few books I'd been working on for a long time.  So what was your final count?  Did you meet your goals?  Let me know in the comments below and thanks for reading with me this week!

Number of pages today:  31
Total number of pages:  1551

Books started:  2

Books completed:  5

Bout of Books Day 6

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 8.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team.

It's the weekend and the end of the read-a-thon is in sight!   We're having friends coming over to have a board game night so I'm not sure if I'll be reading more today so I decided to do my update a little early.  I've still had a good day for the read-a-thon.  I finished The Walking Dead graphic novel for 234 pages.  I also have been listening to my Shades of Earth playaway at every available opportunity and I think I'm around 67%, so an additional 102 pages. 

Today there were two challenges and the first one was hosted by Kelsey's Cluttered Bookshelf.  This challenge was easy, we just had to answer the following questions.

Question 1: If you could be like any character from a fictional book, who would it be? What do you like about them?Tell me why!

This is a really easy question because I've had the same answer since i was 11 years old.  I would be Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series.  I absolutely love and admire Hermione.  She's smart and brave and loyal and an excellent friend.

Question 2: There’s lots of books out there, but is there one that you've been dying to read that doesn't seem to be written yet? Describe it briefly.

This is a harder question to answer.  I think I would like to read a book that has a character with realistic new age/Wiccan/witchcraft beliefs and practices.  No flying broomsticks or shooting fire out of their hands, but a real spiritual belief.  That would be interesting because I have yet to read a book where that group of people is accurately portrayed.  

The second challenge was hosted by I Read, Ergo I Write and we were to create an acrostic poem using a title of one of your favorite books.  I decided to write a poem about Mira Grant's Feed because I love the book and the title is only 4 letters haha (is that cheating?  oh well)

Friends, rise up while you can.
Everyone has someone on the wall, and
Everyone must know the truth.
Do not be afraid.

So that's my update for today, it's a quick one, but I hope you are all doing well on your challenges!  Maybe I'll update this later tonight if my friends don't stay too long.  Happy reading!

Number of pages today:  336
Total number of pages:  1520

Books started:  2

Books completed:  5

Bout of Books Day 5

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 8.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team.

Day 5 of the read-a-thon was really busy day so my reading progress has been minimal.  I listened to more of my playaway of Shades of Earth and I think I'm about 40% finished, so I'm guessing I read about 72 pages today.  I was really bored with all of my books that I'd been reading so I decided to start The Walking Dead graphic novel but of course the pages aren't numbered, go figure.  I made it through the first chapter which was 70 pages after counting.

Today's challenge was hosted by The Space Between and it was a bookish madlib, which is a great idea.  Here are my randomly selected words

A. The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
B. The Joker, Batman comics
C. Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins
D. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
E. Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle mead
F. Hermione Granger, Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
G. Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves

And here is my completed madlib!

Help! I'm being held captive at The Red Pyramid by The Joker!
It is very Sweet here!
He is demanding 13 Gameboards to set me free!
I have just discovered that Hermione Granger was captured too!
On second thought, please send Cherries, and don't worry if you don't hear from us for awhile!

Much Love,Pearl the Book Girl

That was a fun little challenge!  Fill out your own in the comments below if you want!  I'm hoping to finish Shades of Earth and the Walking Dead graphic novel tomorrow, we'll see.

Number of pages today:  142
Total number of pages:  1184

Books started:  2

Books completed:  4

A Mutiny in Time by James Dashner

#1 in the Infinity Ring series
Published August 28, 2012 by Scholastic Inc.
4 Stars

Goodreads Review
When best friends Dak Smyth and Sera Froste stumble upon the secret of time travel -- a hand-held device known as the Infinity Ring -- they're swept up in a centuries-long secret war for the fate of mankind. Recruited by the Hystorians, a secret society that dates back to Aristotle, the kids learn that history has gone disastrously off course.Now it's up to Dak, Sera, and teenage Hystorian-in-training Riq to travel back in time to fix the Great Breaks . . . and to save Dak's missing parents while they're at it. First stop: Spain, 1492, where a sailor named Christopher Columbus is about to be thrown overboard in a deadly mutiny!

Review:  The Infinity Ring is a really fun and interactive series for kids.  Not only is it a fun science fiction series that incorporates historical events (educational!) there is also an online element where kids can play a game that continues the adventure.  It's a great series for reluctant readers and could be used by parents to connect with their kids on the computer as well.

I think the Infinity Ring series could be a great tool for teachers.  Each book focuses on a different point in history and this could be used in the classroom to discuss the events around those major historical events and why they are important.  The computer game is a great hook to help draw kids in to introduce them to reading about history.

I was lucky enough to go to a book signing for A Mutiny in Time.  James Dashner is one of the most passionate authors I have ever met.  Not only does he enjoy the writing process, but he really cares about education and getting kids excited to read.  On the day of the signing he had spent his morning at local elementary schools talking to kids about reading and getting them excited about books and school.  It was very encouraging to see many young kids (and boys!) at the book signing event.  Dashner had obviously made an impression on the kids and it was so awesome to see their enthusiasm about the series.

Overall A Mutiny in Time is a great start to a fun multi platform series.  The Infinity Ring will appeal to kids ages 9-11, which I think is a very crucial age for developing an appreciation for books.  It's series like the Infinity Ring that will lay the ground work a life long love of reading.

Bout of Books Day 4

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 8.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team.

Well, we've passed the half way mark of the read-a-thon and I think I'm starting to burn out a little bit.  Last night before bed I finished a book I'd been working on for around six months, 158 pages of How to Heal Your Life by Louise Hay.  I gave it 4 stars.  I really liked the majority of the book which was about how your attitude and perception of a situation will influence what happens in your life, but I disagree that serious illness such as cancer is caused by resentment or childhood issues.  I think people just get sick sometimes, and there's no real reason for it.  Even with those concerns I still related to a lot of the book and found it to be an interesting read.  

I also listened to 25 pages of City of Lost Souls and I started Shades of Earth by Beth Revis, but I don't know how far I am.  I say this because I got a playaway from the library, which is awesome but they don't tell you page numbers.  The hardback edition is 369 pages and I'd guess I'm no more than 20% finished, so I'll estimate 75 pages read.  I'll be sure to finish this before the read-a-thon's end so I can know an exact page count.

And that's as much as I've read today.  When I got home I decided to play a new video game called Gone Home.  It's a beautiful story and at first I thought it was going to be scary but it's not so don't worry.  I won't spoil it for you but I would recommend it if you have a free evening.

There were two challenges today.  The first was hosted at In Wonderland, and this is the road trip challenge.  For this challenge we're supposed to come up with a list of places we want to visit and then find a book set there.  Here's my list, some of the places I've already visited and want to go back and some are destinations I've yet to see.  

Bookish Road Trip

Amsterdam, Netherlands - The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Prague, Czech Republic - Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Florence, Italy - A Room with a View by E.M. Forster

Portland, Oregon - If I Stay by Gale Forman

Seattle, Washington - Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead

New York City, New York - The Diviners by Libba Bray

Austin, Texas - Queen of Shadows by Dianne Sylvan

The second challenge was hosted by Paperback Dreamer and was definitely one of my favorite challenges so far.  It was a game of book shelf I spy and we had to look around our shelves and find books with certain images on the cover.  I managed to find 13/15 which is pretty good!

1.  Snowflakes - Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle  (You can't really tell but there are snowflakes on the wrapping paper of the present as well as on the spine)
2.  Flames - The Kill Order by James Dashner
3.  A City Skyline - The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar
4.  The Moon - Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
5.  A Sword - The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima
6.  A Wedding Dress - Envy by Anna Godbersen (this may be cheating because I don't know if that's actually a wedding dress or just a white one, but it could be a wedding dress so I'm counting it)
7.  High Heels - Cinder by Marissa Meyer
8.  Fog -  Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins
9.  A Christmas Tree - ??? (damn my first one I couldn't find!  I have a copy of A Christmas Carol so I thought I had this one in the bag but nope!  The cover just has people at a party, not a tree in sight!)
10.  Sunglasses - Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John  (This might work for the combat boots as well)
11.  Lightning -  Drink Deep by Chloe Neill
12.  A Tattoo - Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
13.  Combat Boots - The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth  (Another one where I'm kind of cheating because I'm pretty sure those are cowboy boots.  Oh well close enough I guess)
14.  Hand Cuffs - ???  (And here's the second one I couldn't find.  Maybe I need to read more erotica?  What other genre of books would have handcuffs on the cover....uh true crime, police drama, dang it of course my mind goes to the dirty things)
15.  A Road -  Rage Within by Jeyn Roberts

These challenges were a lot of fun!  How many can you find on your shelf?

Overall today was a lighter day, but that's ok I'd been going very hard for three days straight, I needed to do something else!  I think we're going to go see the City of Bones movie tomorrow and then we're having a board game night with our friends on Saturday, but I think I'll be able to finish at least one more book.  Good luck to everyone else in the challenge and happy reading!

Number of pages today:  258
Total number of pages:  1042

Books started:  1

Books completed:  4

Bout of Books Day 3

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 8.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team.

Today is day 3 of the read-a-thon and I rocked AGAIN!  Woo!  I listened to 44 pages of City of Lost Souls (I didn't get distracted by my ipod this time!) and then I finished my second book of the challenge, Crescendo, with a final 129 pages to round it out.  I really disliked Crescendo and gave it 2 stars, and it was the interesting parent situation that saved it from 1 star. Crescendo was 65% mean girl drama, 30% boyfriend drama, and maybe 5% plot.  

I also managed to finish another book, A Million Suns by Beth Revis (88 pages).  I actually really enjoyed the second half of this book.  I rated it 3 stars, but it's more like 3.499 stars.  I thought the idea of a trail of clues was an interesting idea, but I don't think it was effect in this particular setting.  I also really disliked all of the rape threatening that was going on in the first half.  I did think the ending was pretty good and I'm really interested in reading the final book, Shades of Earth.  May start that tomorrow in fact. 

Today's first challenge was hosted by Musings of a Bookshop Girl who asked two questions, what are the 5 books at the top of your TBR pile and if you went into a bookstore right now what 5 books would you walk out with? 

The books at the top of my TBR pile are

 I'm working my way through The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices series and am currently on City of Lost Souls, so Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare is next and I'm really excited to see what happens with Jem.  I want to read The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken for two reasons.  First Christine at polandbananasbooks loved it and second I got approved for an egalley of the second book Never Fade which is supposed to also be awesome.  Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell is another YA book that has gotten a lot of buzz on youtube lately.  I've had a lot of good luck with contemporary YA lately, so I'm really anxious to read this (plus cover.  So good!).  I've recently been reading my first Neil Gaiman series, The Sandman graphic novels, and I really want to read one of his novels.  I recently picked up a copy of The Ocean at the End of the Lane and it's been getting a lot of praise so I am really interested in reading it.  And Finally I have Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde this is a recent purchase that Karate really likes, so I want to read it!

The second portion of this challenge is really hard.  I think if I were to go in a book store right now I would pre-order books, so here are the top 5 that are coming out soon that I really want.

 

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black is coming out soon, September 3rd, and I love the title and the concept is really cool.  I plan on asking for this for my birthday.  Allegiant by Veronica Roth is the final book in the wildly popular Divergent series and is set for an October 22nd release.  With the movie coming out next year I want to be hipster and finish the books before the movies.  Cress by Marissa Meyer is the third book in one of my favorite YA series ever.  It's not coming out until February of next year but you best believe I'll be getting it the day it drops.  Right along the same line is Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor.  This is the final book in another of my favorite series and I have to get it, April cannot come fast enough.  And then finally I have Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins.  The release date has been pushed back multiple times and we can only hope that by May it will be ready.

The second challenge was hosted at Such a Novel Idea and we were to write a poem using the titles of books we own.  I loved this idea and knew I was going to write a haiku because they are my favorite.  

Torn teeth, flesh, and bone
The outsiders crash and burn.

Ashes rage within.

Yeah, that turned out kind of angry not sure why lol. 

Ok this post has been long enough.  In summary, I finished 2 books and read 261 pages.  I will probably start Shades of Earth tomorrow and perhaps try and make progress on one of my netgalley books.

Number of pages today:  261
Total number of pages:  784

Books started:  0

Books completed:  3