Sienna's Book Reviews #5: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

***** The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Maggie Stiefvater is undoubtedly in my top three favorite authors, and this book reminded me why. She truly blew me away. Every second I wasn't reading about the cool Thisby air; the lapping waves and rocky cliffs, the clomping of hoofbeats silenced by sand...every second I wasn't on Thisby, I wanted to be.

It should be known by anyone reading this that I am a hopelessly hopeless romantic. The fact that the main characters of this book did not meet until (Spoiler alert? Sort of?) page 103; you would then assume, would infuriate me. But, actually, it didn't. The subtlety of the romance between Sean Kendrick and Puck Connolly was quietly elegant and violently delicate. It made every meeting of their eyes set your heart on fire, and if their hands should brush, you felt your chest might implode. Their relationship went beyond not only sexual longing but also desperate obsession. Sometimes, two people in love are constantly filled with thoughts centered only on each other, never on themselves, and this is not necessarily a bad thing– this is sort of how the relationship Sam and Grace, the magnificent stars of Maggie Stiefvater's The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy, played out. But sometimes, as with Sean and Puck of The Scorpio Races, this sort of fixation; or at least the voicing of this fixation, is not necessary for the reader to understand the depth of these people's love for each other. Sean and Puck's romance was made up of echoes off of beach cave walls and shadows cast by enormous capaill uisce, and it was achingly beautiful.

This being said, there was so much in this book besides the love story that I adored that I canhonestly say I would have read and loved this book– even if it had no romance at all. For me, for a young adult book, that is saying something.

The fear cast upon you by the violent and massive water horses, yet the yearning you feel to ride upon one of them as Sean describes the feeling of flying. The smell of sea air in your nose as you walk along the beach with its blood-tinted waves, the feel of the sharp rocks on your hands. The sound of the people celebrating during the Scorpio festival, the sight of people dancing and the delicious smell, and later, taste, of honey-dripping November Cakes making your hands sticky. The aching you feel when you think of Gabe leaving, of Corr being taken away forever. The affection you feel toward Finn and the sadness in your heart when Fundamental drowns. The sound of Dory Maud's bells as she shakes them in your face, the fondness you feel toward George Holly and his silly sweaters. I could go on and on and on and on.

This book is incredible. This book is brilliant beyond words. Despite the fact that it might put my life on the line, I wish my life was this book.

It's wonderful.

Read it.

My age recommendation for readers: 14+

© 2011

Sienna's Book Reviews #4: The Ghost and the Goth by Stacy Kade

****The Ghost and the Goth by Stacy Kade

(And The Queen of the Dead, also by Stacy Kade)

I read this book the other day with the most awful cover imaginable.

It's one of those books that I usually would scoff dramatically at and walk past in Barnes and Noble, but for some reason the terribly cheesy title and cover art caught my attention. It's called The Ghost and the Goth, and it's by Stacy Kade. Generally nothing about the title or the cover would catch my eye, but lately I've been wanting to read a cheeseball book in which a hot and poppin' female falls for a not-so-hot-and-poppin' guy, instead of the much more common reverse. So when I saw the title and the picture of this major goth with this hot and poppin' blonde cheerleader resting her legs over his at an arch, I was intrigued, though I didn't want to admit it to myself. Eventually, I caved, and I have to say, I was extremely surprised. I read the whole book and the first hundred-and-some pages of the sequel in one day, and although it wasn't exactly a book that made your brain work, I think it was really well written, and the teen voices of both leads were almost always very authentic. Not to mention it was very funny, and the couple made me super happy. Now the only problem is that I have to wait until summer 2012 for the next book. Just my luck.

I recommend this book, just don't read it in any public place, if you know what I mean.

My age recommendation for readers: 13+

© 2011

The Famine Tournaments

Heyyyyy guys,

So I read this book recently. It's called The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. You might have heard of it. I don't know, probably not. It's kind of obscure. Anyway, my friend gave me a paperback copy of the book, and I already owned a hardcover copy of the last book in the trilogy that The Hunger Games is part of, (I bought it for like four bucks when one of my favorite local bookstores was closing,) so I figured I might as well read the thing. I'm about a fourth of the way through the third book now, but this is just a review of the first one. Mostly. Maybe, probably.

Anyway.

The book is really addicting, though it can be very frustrating and the main character...well...

Katniss Everdeen:

And you thought Bella Swan was annoying.*

Well, she's really more annoying in the second book. Which isn't to say she isn't annoying in the first one. She is.

But she's also interesting and aggressive and surrounded by less annoying characters. My favorite character in all the books is Peeta Mellark, the male lead of the first book and mostly the second book and a little bit the third book. (That didn't make much sense, but I don't really care.) I probably like him because he's sort of got the whole Edward Cullen thing going on- totally in love and very protective over the female lead. (Check out how Edward this line is: "Peeta rolls his eyes at Haymitch. 'She has no idea. The effect she can have.'" ...right? Right? I know.) The actual games are brilliantly written, gripping and keeping you constantly on edge, and the romance is irresistible, too, even if it is mostly one-sided. (Grrrr.)

The first book is less frustrating than the others, and I really did genuinely enjoy it, but I do have to say one thing: there was an extremely irritating amount of missing commas. I mean, seriously. I can understand if the author never really caught on to the proper way to use commas in school, and the manuscript she sent in was essentially comma-free. But really, you'd think that, in the hands of professional editors, this problem would be solved. But whatever. I just inserted them mentally as I read.

Overall, I have to give this book a ***** rating, but I feel like maybe I should add a backslash and then a -***** rating, because I'm not sure I would really recommend these books. They're brilliant, sure, but really a pain to read. And not because of the missing commas. I mean...when a book is Wuthering Heights, it's worth it to read it, despite the fact that it's frustrating beyond belief. But though Hunger Games is wonderfully written and has been very successful, it's not Wuthering Heights.

Still, if you want my opinion on whether it's worth it, just to me.... if I could go back in time and advise myself on whether or not to read Hunger Games...I'd read it again. But it'd still be annoying.

*Yes, I am admitting that Bella Swan can be kind of annoying sometimes. Well, I don't really think so very much personally. But I can see how someone else could feel that way.

Also, on a totally different note, I feel like "I got my groove back"...ever since I finished Broken Glass, Broken Hearts, I've been kind of...failing...as far as writing frequently goes, but I'm pretty much back into the swing of things, which means a lot more posts more frequently again, especially since summer is coming up. So I'm excited about that!

Got My Groove Back Playlist

1. Melt My Heart To Stone by Adele
2. Turning Tables by Adele
3. Car Song by Woodie Guthrie
4. Do Re Mi by Woodie Guthrie
5. Truth by Alexander
6. Brother by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
7. Make You Feel My Love by Adele
8. Make You Feel My Love covered by Ronan Parke (on Britain's Got Talent)
9. 100 Years by Five For Fighting

Also also, for those of you who've read the books and understand, if I was in the Hunger Games, I would say bye to my family and then step off the platform as soon as they put me in the arena.

Starving=I'll pass.

Being stabbed/shot/killed by another person by any method= Thanks but no thanks.

Burning alive= Um, nah.

Killing people= Nooooo, thank you.

Also also also, I saw Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides over the weekend and when I first heard about it, I was annoyed they were making another one because the story of the two main characters had ended, but...my friend wanted to see it and I can't resist Johnny Depp so I went anyway. And...it was just kind of totally flippin' amazing. I'm talkin', not only revolving around the beauty and hilarity that is Johnny Depp, but also featuring a side plot...are you ready for this...romance between a mermaid/siren and a missionary.

In case you didn't notice from my book Forbidden Love, I kind of love mermaid love stories. Also, I kind of love boys who love God. Also, I kind of love people who are beautiful. Which is both of the people in this couple. It's like they were custom made for me. Philip+Syrena Philip+Syrena Philip+Syrena = <3

Th-th-th-th-that's all, folks! ,

Sienna Mellark-Cullen-Roth-Darcy-Etc./Let's just say I'm kind of a hopeless romantic book nerd

(professional wrestler in all 60 states)

© 2011

Waiting and Reading and Whining

Hey guys.

I totally reached into my bag and accidentally impaled my finger into a metal bristle on my hairbrush. And it went really deep, too.

Yea. It hurt.

Anyway.

Been doing a lot of reading and not a lot of writing...read Wuthering Heights, read Emma, read Mansfield Park, saw and then read I Am Number Four, read Across the Universe, read Accomplice, read Lord of the Flies, and read a bunch of other books. And plus also, saw Beastly. And some other films.

Let me elaborate a bit.

1. Emily Brontë Wuthering Heights was incredible, of course- the writing is just indescribable. But I will whine a bit and say it was so sad and frustrating and none of the characters were likable! The whole time I just wanted to reach out and shake the characters and say, "Come on! You were so close to being likable! Why did you have to do that? Why??" And then you feel guilty for liking the characters, the way you feel guilty for loving the Joker more than Batman. And the whole thing is just an emotional roller coaster. But it's a brilliantly written emotional roller coaster. And it's totally worth reading.

2. Jane Austen #1 I adore Jane Austen. I saw this movie before I read the book, so the whole time I was reading I kind of had to deal with that 'gah I know what's going to happen next and it's so exciting but when when when' feeling. But it was brilliant anyway- I love the humor and the story and just everything.

3. Jane Austen #2 I loved this book and looking at people who are stuck-up, ignorant, selfish, and cruel from the perspective of someone who is incredibly kind and yet completely wise and insightful. Fanny Price is so different from Austen's other main characters- although she does remind me a bit of Jane Bennett in Pride and Prejudice- and she's so sweet it's impossible not to fall in love with her.

4. "Pittacus Lore" I put quotes around the author of I Am Number Four's name because his author's description makes me think that this is probably not his real name.

“ Pittacus Lore is Lorien’s ruling Elder.

He has been on Earth for the last twelve

years, preparing for the war that will

decide Earth’s fate. His whereabouts

are unknown.

”

...So, I'm just gonna make a critique ignoring that.

I saw the movie first. It was not exactly a quality film, but I enjoyed it, anyway. And I really liked the story (particularly the concept of only falling in love once, other than all the science fiction aspects- being the hopeless romantic that I am) so I bought the book.

It was not exactly the most wonderfully written book in the world- I've seen far worse, but I've also seen much better. (Obviously. Brontë and Austen. Come on. That part is not "Lore"'s fault.) Anyway, it wasn't awful, but it wasn't particularly well-written- but the story was addicting and it was page-turner just the same. And "Lore"'s writing became progressively better throughout the book- or maybe I just fell farther into the story- anyway, by the end of the book it was a much better book than at the beginning, and I'm excited for the follow-up.

Also, Alex Pettyfer is extremely attractive. So that's a bonus. (I totally bought the book with the movie cover.)

5. Beth Revis First, let me just clear up- in case you don't know- that this book has absolutely no relation to the film whatsoever, other than both being partially inspired by the brilliant Beatles' song they're titled after. Across the Universe is another science fiction- geez, I've been feeling like such a geek lately- that takes place on a spaceship in the future being sent on a trip across the universe of exploration. Similarly to I Am Number Four, the writing started off a little rocky and got progressively better throughout the book. Revis's style is wonderful and her character's voices are wonderful but she's a new writer and she has a little trouble with pacing and such. Everything happened really fast, and the male main character made discoveries throughout the story that...well, let's just say it didn't really make sense that he wouldn't have ever discovered them before, rather than conveniently when everything else is going on. But, as I said, her writing got progressively better throughout, and I'm confident that the follow-up will be wonderful.

6. Eireann Corrigan First of all, when I bought this book, I was totally ignorant to the fact that the character Finn was female.

And this is where we cue the gasps when I say: and so it happened that I read a YA book that was not a romance.

Anyway, I was bit disappointed by that, but rather than discarding the book from my line of sight because of its utter lack of love, I read the book anyway. It was...creepy. So creepy. So bizarre and creepy. But original. Certainly original. I'm pretty sure no one's written this particular story before.

It's about these two girls that stage a kidnapping in order to get into good colleges.

I know. Sounds weird. And it was weird, too, but also, in the freakiest way, completely believable- it really scared me how realistic the whole thing was.

I hope this book doesn't inspire anyone.

It was really bizarre but it was extremely compelling and it was well-written and plus also creepy. Did I mention that it was creepy?

I enjoyed it. In a oh-geez-I-hope-this-never-actually-goes-down kind of way.

7. William Golding So, duh, this book is a masterpiece of metaphor and that twisted perspective on human nature that seems to make books automatic classics- The Giver, To Kill a Mockingbird, Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, to an extent anything by Austen, etc, etc. Although Lord of the Flies portrays this opinion on human nature in a darker shade than the aforementioned novels. It was unbelievable to see the boys- children, the picture of innocence- plunging into the darkness and chaos that the adult world had already given into. The way the thrill of killing a living thing took over the boys like a disease, so that they didn't even really realize what they were doing, simply losing their heads in the chaos and desire to destroy, was disturbing and imprinting on the mind. This book was exquisite, but I wouldn't exactly recommend reading it to the children it centers around.

8. Alex Flinn (sort of) This movie definitely had its weaker moments- occasionally an awful line or a horrible show of acting- but for the most part it was enjoyable, and I adored the way Pettyfer's portrayal of the character Kyle Kingson (horrible last name, just a note,) completely reminded me of the original Beast, in the 1996 Disney film. The way he acted shy and embarrassed around "Belle" and was easily frustrated, especially when she refused his gifts to her, tugged on my heartstrings like nothing else. It was like watching my childhood play out on the screen- it was just incredible because it was this character I knew and loved coming to life in a way that more suits my current tastes than the animated Beast would if I were to watch him again now. I'm not really a huge Vanessa Hudgens fan but I also don't have anything against her- I try to make it a point to hold no grudges on people I don't know, though I occasionally slip up (I'm sorry, but- I've never even seen Jersey Shore and I can't stand those people.) So I sort of didn't expect all that much from her, but I was really impressed- her acting wasn't breathtaking or anything, but she made her character very likable and relatable, and I enjoyed watching her with Pettyfer- they had great chemistry. I really liked the whole concept of the movie, so I looked up the book, and read the first chapter, but...I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but it just...it was awful. It started out with an online chat, which, unless extremely well done- in a way that's realistic (i.e., no one says "gr8") but not obnoxious and irritating- is pretty much a red flag for books. But I carried on, read the whole chat, trying not to cringe at the main character completely unrealistically believing that these random people in a web chat also happened to be mythical creatures, rather than just wacky and bored nerds with a lot of time on their hands. I got through the whole darn chat, though, and read the rest of the chapter, and, um. It didn't get better. I won't go into details, but I will say that, seriously- if you're a writer, please do us all a favor and don't say your title in your book. This rule has exceptions, of course, but Beastly is not one of them. And plus also, "Beastly. The word was from another time and place. It made me think of fairy tales, and I felt this weird tingling, like the hairs on my arms had caught fire from her eyes." FALSE. The word beastly itself may not be used all that often, but the extremely close derivative 'beast' is used every three seconds, especially in the high school community where this character resides- and even if the word was something extremely bizarre and not a derivative of a way-overused slang adjective, people still simply do not get a tingling like their arm hairs are on fire from someone calling them a weird word. Actually, I'm pretty sure people don't ever feel a tingling like their arms hairs are on fire.

Ok. Now I feel sort of mean. Sorry, Flinn. I do like the concept! Really! And my friend loved your book, so, you know, maybe I'm just crazy.

What do I know, anyhow?

And in conclusion, I now have to start up writing again, plus also editing Broken Glass, Broken Hearts, and I have to wait.

Oh, how much waiting I have to do.

Things I'm Waiting For

1. Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
2. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
3. More news to come out about the Shiver movie
4. More news to come out about the Thirteen Reasons Why movie
5. All Things Bright and Beautiful, the new Owl City album
6. The All Things Bright and Beautiful summer tour
7. The follow-up of Across the Universe by Beth Revis
8. The follow-up of I Am Number Four by "Pittacus Lore"
9. I Am Number Four to come out on DVD
10. Beastly to come out on DVD
11. Breaking Dawn part 1 to come out in theaters (SO FAR AWAY. GAHH.)
12. Restless to come out in theaters
13. Jane Eyre to come out in theaters (this one's easier to stand because I'm still reading the book)
14. SPRING BREAK.

Elevator Music For the Waiting Person With Impatient Tendencies

1. Dance Dance Dance by Lykke Li
2. Complaint Department by Lykke Li
3. Creep by Radiohead (Scala & Kolacny Brothers cover)
4. Better by Regina Spektor
5. Burning by The Whitest Boy Alive
6. Crystallized by The Xx
7. The ENTIRE amazing Speak Now album by Taylor Swift- especially
8. Enchanted by Taylor Swift
9. Alaska by Sky Sailing
10. 100 Years by Five For Fighting
11. Hometown Glory by Adele
12. Set Fire To the Rain by Adele
13. Set Fire To the Third Bar by Snow Patrol
14. Vanity by Hanover Swain
15. Don't You Want Me by Glee Cast

p.s. In case you're wondering, my repetiton of the phrase "and plus also" is not simply a bad grammar tendency that my elementary school teachers neglected to correct. It's a shortened version of the quote "...and plus also, stewed broccoli" from the book series Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park. I used to LOVE those books and at some point in middle school I was babysitting my friend's little sibling, and I was reading a Junie B. Jones because it was there and I don't think I had much else to do at the moment (baby asleep, or something along those lines) and I saw that line, and found it exceedingly hilarious, and started saying it everywhere- at first I would just say the whole thing, and have to explain the whole backstory and the context of the quote in the book, and then gradually over time it's become shortened, and a regular in my dialogue, I guess. So. Yea.

And plus also, stewed broccoli.

© 2011

Sienna's Book Reviews #3: Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater

*****Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater

Ballad, by my third favorite author, (sorry, Maggie, but Austen and Meyer come first...haha that sounds like that sausage company or whatever,) is the sequel to Lament. Now, I loved Lament. I didn't love it nearly as much as I loved Shiver or Linger, but I loved it. One of the things I loved about it was the main character's hilariously sarcastic and witty best friend James. So, reading a book that was basically all about James (and a new girl, but that's a different story...or, well, it's not, but it is in this review,) was pretty much awesome. I went in with high expectations (I am a huge Stiefvater junkie,) and I was not disappointed. It's funny, dark, mysterious and romantic all at once. James's humor is a lot like mine only much more witty because he's a book character and doesn't have to come up with things on the spot. ;) Nuala, the girl, is also funny and fascinating. This book has the perfect mix of mystery, romance, horror, and comedy. Simply lovely.

My age recommendation for readers: 13+

© 2010

Sienna's Book Reviews #2: Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

*****Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin (published by Square Fish)

This book started with a sentence that was exactly the right thing for an author to start a

book with if they want me to like them:

"Above all, mine is a love story."

And indeed it was. It's going to be hard to write this review without *Spoilers* everywhere. But

I'll do my best.

This book was funny, moving, romantic, tragic, and relatable all at once. When I closed the

book, I wanted to sit down and write my own book about an amnesiac. It made me become

fascinated with them, with the idea of losing all your memories for a given amount of time and

then just being thrown right back into the life you were living before, not recognizing the faces

around you, not being able to tell if that girl is a person who you've known for years or someone

you just met yesterday. It made me think, if I forgot everything from six years ago to now, who

would I know, who wouldn't I recognize, what tragic or joyous events would I be clueless about?

Imagine walking into my room- decked out in Twilight posters- and not having any idea who

the people on the posters are or why they're on my wall. It's a crazy thought. I'm glad it didn't

happen to me, but it really was enjoyable to read about it happening to someone else- to see

who stuck with her, who lied to her, and who she realized she didn't really know at all, even

when *Spoiler alert* her memory eventually came back. I recommend, hands down, read this

book.

My age recommendation for readers:

13+

© 2010

My Lovely Little Bookcase

Contents from left to right (right to left in real life):

Bottom row:

Publisher: Square Fish

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

Publisher: No one

My Quotes Journal

Random Empty Journal

Old Story Journal (it's small and hard to see, between the Random Empty Journal and the pink one)

Writing Journal (all sorts of little treats and secrets in there, full of pink post-its)

Writing Journal #2 (#1 is almost full)

Journal That Has Not Yet Been Put To Use But is Very Nice Looking

Publisher: Flux

Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater

Lament by Maggie Stiefvater

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Linger by Maggie Steifvater

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Publisher: Little Brown (my favorite publisher)

Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Hedley

Twilight Director's Notebook by Catherine Hardwicke

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Producer: Summit Entertainment

New Moon the movie three-disc Target edition

Twilight the movie three-disc Target edition

Top row:

(Publishers not categorized in this section)

It's Happy Bunny: Life. Get One. by Jim Benton

Fairest of All by Serena Valentino

Get Well Soon by Julie Halpern

Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen

Love Rules by Dandi Daley Mackall

Becoming Beka: The Masquerade by Sarah Anne Sumpolec

High School Debut (manga) 9 by Kazune Kawahara (Shojo Beat Manga)

Witch: The Disappearance by Unknown published by Hyperion

Perfect Strangers by Jahnna N. Malcolm

(missing from picture) To Catch a Pirate by Jade Parker

The Pretty One by Cheryl Klam

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Ex-mas by Kate Brian

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Publisher: Speak

Speak (platinum edition) by Laurie Halse Anderson

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

(Lone Publisher, here because of author) Publisher: Viking

Along For the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Publisher: Razor Bill

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker

Publisher: Think

(missing from picture) Match Point by Erynn Mangum

Rematch by Erynn Mangum

Miss Match by Erynn Mangum

Lone publishers:

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen published by The Penguin English Library

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen published by Harper Teen

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer published by Little Brown

And on top:

Lone Publisher:

Taming a Liger: Unexpected Spiritual Lessons from Napoleon Dynamite by Jeff Dunn and Adam Palmer published by Think

So, over a course of time, I'm going to reviews for all of these books, starting from the top of this page and working my way down. If you have any books you want me to read and then review, I'm a pretty fast reader, and you can leave your request in the comments. If you exist.

So, here's the first of many Book Reviews To Come (the stars next to the title indicate my rating of the book on a scale of one to five):

***** Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin (published by Square Fish)

I read this book about three years ago and have since half-re-read it before I lost it and

then found it again. So, forgive me if this review isn't too detailed. Here we go!

From what I can remember of this book, it was brilliant. The author catches you

right away and takes you on an unforgettable journey to a world past death known

as "Elsewhere". I'm not usually a person who enjoys books about "life after death"

as I'm religious and they usually go against my beliefs or are just plain old weird.

And creepy. Creepy+weird+anti-Christianity= no. However, despite that, I

thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was an interesting way to look at the world we

live in through the eyes of someone who has left it, and Elsewhere itself was an

obviously well-thought out masterpiece of a world. The idea of aging backwards,

of watching people you used to know living their lives without you, of meeting

people who died long before you were even born, is fascinating and wondrous.

It is an enjoyable read from start to finish.

My age recommendation for readers:

13+

© 2010