Review: The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller

Haven Moore has always lived in the town of Snope City, Tennessee. But for as long as she can remember, Haven has experienced visions of a past life as a girl named Constance, whose love for a boy called Ethan ended in fiery tragedy.

One day, the sight of notorious playboy Iain Morrow on television brings Haven to her knees. Haven flees to New York City to find Iain and there, she is swept up in an epic love affair that feels both deeply fated and terribly dangerous. Is Iain her beloved Ethan? Or is he her murderer from a past life? Haven asks the members of the powerful and mysterious Ouroboros Society to help her unlock the mysteries of reincarnation and discover the secrets hidden in her past lives, and loves, before all is lost and the cycle begins again. But what is the Ouroboros Society? And how can Haven know whom to trust?

My Thoughts: First of all, there will be no spoilers in this review. I realize I'm probably spoiling the books for you guys in my reviews, so I'm going to try not to anymore! Oh and I know this review is a bit late, but it took me awhile longer to finish this novel. Now onto the review :)

I did not enjoy this novel as much as I thought I would. Don't get me wrong! I'm sure a lot of people found it a fantastic read, but it just wasn't for me. First of all, I found Haven to be quite stupid. I'm sorry, but come on!! I'm just going to say this: She should have followed her heart. Her lack of trust in Lain was stupid... Even if I was in her situation, there were still solid facts that proved his innocence. Ugh. And Lain was a pretty typical character. He did lie to Haven to make her think otherwise BUT he what he did was to protect Haven. Oops... that's not really a spoiler right? I'm not giving too much away! Well anyways I actually liked Lain's character. But it wasn't the characters that made me dislike this novel.

Okay so I'm the type of girl who enjoys a happy ending and not a lot of drama. There was WAY too much drama in this novel. Too much going on, and I hated it. I hate how clueless the characters were, and I hate the fact that it wasn't completely a happy ending. I mean it was, but it wasn't. If you've read it then you might understand what I mean. Anyways, I almost couldn't finish the novel. It was starting to really piss me off. But there was one character that kept me going: Beau. Every scene that Beau was in, I couldn't help but laugh! He's hilarious :) I'm glad he came back into the novel towards the end! Otherwise I would not have been happy at all. But still! I wanted to go to sleep in a good mood dreaming of my own happy ending, but instead I couldn't sleep because I couldn't stop thinking about the stupid characters or the stupid drama. Like I said, I like perfect endings. I know, I'm a hopeless romantic =)

I finally finished the novel thinking it would at least have been a perfect ending, but no. Almost, but not quite. Here is what I rated the novel, oh and I changed the rating again :) Ha ha its easier this way:

2.5

Why?

It just wasn't for me

Too much going on

The .5 was because of Beau. I loved his character and it made me enjoy the book WAY more than I probably would have.

I would LOVE to hear what you guys thought of the novel :)

Thanks for stopping by!

-Liz

More contests!!

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The sky is everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life—and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they're the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't collide without the whole wide world exploding.

My Thoughts: This novel literally pissed me off. It also made me cry. And it made me laugh and wish I was in love. It was a very emotional novel, and as you can see, I got pretty emotional... but I'm not afraid to admit it!! Anyways, this review will have spoilers.

Lennie lost her sister. This is something that I hate thinking about because of my own sister. I don't know how I would handle it. But Lennie seems to be handling it with her sisters fiance. That's what pissed me off. Toby, its just, no. No. NO!! Gross. Not meant to be! Every time I read Toby's name I put the book down and yelled "GO AWAY". Seriously... He was ruining her life!!!!! And then Joe caught them -_- UGH. Now she has nobody. Obviously she was devastated. I really hated Toby... until later in the novel.

Joe. How can I describe Joe? PERFECT. It was too good to be true for Lennie because Joe was the guy every girl wanted and Lennie was the girl no guy noticed. Kind of sad but true. But he loves her and she loves him. The novel was so cute and romantic. I loved it. Later Toby and Lennie did stop making out and were more like a brother and a sister. They both knew they did it becaue of their sadness towards Bailey. It sounds weird but I started to like Toby because of there new friendship. No more kissing. Yeah :)

I loved the characters in this book, mostly Lennie. She wrote poems on random things such as a candy wrapper to the bathroom wall at the school, and left them at the most random places. Poems that showed her love for Bailey, and memories between them. I think thats the coolest thing ever... I'm debating on trying it myself. Plus Lennie was a mean clarinet player, one who will most likely get into Julliard. Honestly, this is an awesome book and I loved it. Its a must read!! Im not really telling you guys much, it probably doesnt sound all that good with my little details on stuff. But it is. So read it!

10

Why?

Because I freaking cried.

It was super cute and romantic

and I did I mention I freaking cried.

Thanks for reading my thoughts :)

-Liz

Contests :)

The link below will direct you to a contest to win Minder + Adversary by Kate Kaynak!!


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Shut out by Kody Keplinger
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Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

My Thoughts: I actually just finished reading Catching Fire last night. I should have finished it like 8 months ago when I got half way through it and stopped at the part when Gale told Katniss that he loved her. I am a Peeta and Katniss fan and I had to stop after that. Dont get me wrong, it was a great book but once I put it down I didn't pick it back up for a while. I forgot about it. I borrowed the book from a friend and when she kept asking for it back, I decided I should finish the novel. Once I picked it back up again, I couldn't put it back down.

Katniss is a fighter. She is not one to give up. All she wants to do is save everyone she loves, and that means to even sacrifice herself if it comes down to it. I admire her for all of that and more. She doesn't care how she looks, she only cares for one thing: family. Everyone she loves is considered familey. She won't go down without a fight, and even though she may not have realized it, but with her determination, she can go a long way. Katniss is an awesome character, and even though she may not think things through or makes the best choices, she's super smart and no matter what, she will always figure a way out.

In Catching Fire, Katniss is not just fighting for family anymore, but for freedom. The districts are starting to have an uprising, and Katniss is what gives them all hope that they can win against the capitol. Without her, there is no hope. It becomes so intense and dangerous that Katniss doesn't even know what she stands for until the end of the novel. Its safer if she's clueless. People team up with her in the games and it seems like she is having a much easier time then the first time she played. She notices as people are doing things for her and trying to keep her alive, which she doesn't understand until the end. At the end, Katniss is the symbol for freedom. She understands that thats the reason people want her alive. But what I didnt see coming: no more district twelve, Peeta is captured by the capitol. Not exactly what I wanted to end the novel with. At least I have easy access to the third novel.

I have read lots of reviews for the Hunger Games novels, and they all sound pretty much the same. Obviously, they are amazing. I agreed with most of them. The novel is addiciting, you can't get enough of it. Catching Fire is the first novel that I will be using my new rating system:

9

Why?

Because the characters are amazing

Made me think about family

Cliffhanger left me unhappy

Overall, Catching Fire in an amazing novel, and I do recommend it.

And by the way, Im back :)

Thank you!

-Liz Tapia

Ruined by Paula Morris

Rebecca couldn't feel more out of place in New Orleans, where she comes to spend the year while her dad is traveling. She's staying in a creepy old house with her aunt. And at the snooty prep school, the filthy-rich girls treat Rebecca like she's invisible. Only gorgeous, unavailable Anton Grey seems to give Rebecca the time of day, but she wonders if he's got a hidden agenda. Then one night, in Lafayette Cemetery, Rebecca makes a friend. Sweet, mysterious Lisette is eager to talk to Rebecca, and to show her the nooks and crannies of the city. There's just one catch: Lisette is a ghost. A ghost with a deep, dark secret, and a serious score to settle. As Rebecca learns more from her ghost friend -- and as she slowly learns to trust Anton Grey -- she also uncovers startling truths about her own history. Will Rebecca be able to right the wrongs of the past, or has everything been ruined beyond repair?

I won this book in a contest LAST summer, and it took me until yesterday to start reading it again. I actually did start reading it when it came in the mail, but by then school was starting and I was too busy to keep reading. I only read like 2 chapters last year so I didn't get hooked. It started out kind of slow, except for the prologue! It kept me thinking. Anyways, I was really bored at home and decided to finish it. I started reading it all over again. Now this is what I thought:

Rebecca is a really mature and smart girl. She's a person who doesn't care what other people think of her. She is very brave, and honest. She's not afraid to argue her point. I wish I could be more like her. Anton is very mysterious. He's secretive but trustworthy. He did everything to protect Rebecca. There wasn't really any romance but the mystery in the book made up for that. Rebecca comes into New Orleans a nobody. No one likes her but Anton. Rebecca's only friends are Anton and Lisette. Lisette is the beautiful ghost girl. She has a lot to say. But Lisette could only talk to certain people. And Rebecca is the only one who sticks around and talks back to Lisette. I did enjoy all the characters in this book. Lisette was my favorite. She was also mysterious but not secretive. She pretty much told Rebecca everything she wanted to know.

The book was very predictable. I knew who Rebecca and her family was. I knew the ending was not going to happen the way they planned and I knew who was going to die. But I really liked reading this book. There were some other things that happened that was not as predictable. And it didn't catch my attention right away but I did eventually get hooked. I loved the mystery on Lisette and Rebecca. It was fun trying to figure it all out!
I'm rating this book a...

4.0

Why?

because it was an awesome mystery

But very predictable

I liked the characters

It was kind of slow in the beginning

But all in all, I really liked it