Flash Burnout- L.K. Madigan

Synopsis: 

"Click.

 Telephoto lens. Zoom. In a shutter release millisecond, Blake's world turns upside down. The nameless woman with the snake tattoo is not just another assignment. "That's my mom!" gasps Marissa. 

Click. 

Saturated self-portrait: Blake, nice guy, class clown, always trying to get a laugh, not sure where to focus. 

Click. 

Contrast. Shannon, Blake's GF. total. Babe. Marissa, just a friend and fellow photographer. Shannon loves him; Marissa needs him. How is he supposed to frame them both in one shot?

 Click. 

Chiaroscuro. Lightdark. Marissa again, overexposed. Crash and burn. Talk about negative space. 

Click."

Summary: I recently heard about L.K. Madigan when I read that she has stage IV pancreatic cancer. I posted a contest to a book giveaway featuring this book and another one of hers a few days ago, but when I saw this book at the library, I knew I had to read it.

After reading this book, I have to say that it was refreshing reading a book featuring a male main character, but more than that, as I've read plenty of books with male protagonists, one who really seemed like a real guy. I mean, I wouldn't exactly know how a guy thinks, but I think if I did, I would find that it resembled Blake. 

This story revolves around Blake and two relationships he has. One is with his funny, cool girlfriend. The other is with a girl who's just a friend- Marissa. After accidentally shooting a photo of her meth-addicted, missing mother, Blake begins to find out more and more about Marissa's troubled family, and really becomes one of the only people Marissa has to rely on. Obviously this causes some issues for Blake as he tries to deal with having a girlfriend and a girl friend. 

I liked that this wasn't just a story about Blake slowly falling for Marissa. Blake truly does love his girlfriend Shannon, but he also cares a lot for Marissa, and wants to do his best to help her get through what she's going through. 

I liked the other main characters as well. They were all real and funny and enjoyable to read about, especially Blake's older brother Garrett, and his parents. This is a great story with many funny parts, and many parts you could sympathize with Blake about, and many serious moments as well. 

I can't wait to check out L.K. Madigan's other book, The Mermaid's Mirror.

Rating: A

Other Recommended Books: 

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Deadline by Chris Crutcher

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Going Bovine by Libba Bray

Ship Breaker- Paolo Bacigalupi

Synopsis: "Even at night, the wrecks glowed with work. The torch lights flickered, bobbing and moving. Sledge noise rang across the water. Comforting sounds of work and activity, the air tanged with the coal reek of smelters and the salt fresh breeze coming off the water. It was beautiful.

In America’s Gulf Coast region, where grounded oil tankers are being broken down for parts, Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper wiring just to make quota — and hopefully live to see another day.

But when, by luck or chance, he discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip the ship for all it’s worth or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl who could lead him to a better life…"

Review: 

Real, powerful and completely original. From the moment I started reading this amazing dystopian book, I was struck by just how much the future Bacigalupi has created struck home with me. Especially in light of the Gulf Coast oil spill, and with the move towards green energy, the idea of a future in which fossil fuels have been used up and raging storms have caused massive amounts of flooding across the country, I found that the world Nailer occupies is a frightening, but very real view of where our country, and our world could be headed.

A few times in the novel Nailer refers to the "Accelerated Age", presumably the age we occupy now in which the rate at which technology grows is incredible. However, as can be seen from this book, all things have consequences. New Orleans is shown as a destroyed, completely flooded city, left to rust and rot. The characters in this novel are very real and in some cases, very awful. Nailer's father is abusive and kept me frightened almost the entire novel.

What I liked about this dystopian book is how Nailer isn't trying to change the entire world. He just wanted to save his friend, while at the same time allowing the reader to glimpse this frightening world. I've heard that there might be a sequel or two, and I certainly think, and hope their will be after the ending, which leaves many things about the world unexplored.

I highly recommend this book.

Rating: A

Other Recommended Books: 

Leviathan and Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld

Worldshaker by Richard Harland

Boneshaker by Cherie Priest

The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

Worldshaker- Richard Harland

Synopsis:

"Col Porpentine understands how society works: the elite families enjoy a comfortable life on the Upper Decks on the great juggernaut Worldshaker, while the Filthies toil Below. And Col himself is being groomed by his grandfather, the supreme commander of Worldshaker, to be his successor. He has never questioned his place in the world, nor his illustrious future.

When Col mets Riff, a Filthy girl on the run, his world is turned on its head. All his life he has been taught that Filthies are like animals, without the ability to understand language or think for themselves. He has always known that all they are good for is serving in the Below, keeping Worldshaker running. But Riff is nothing like he ever expected. She is clever and quick, and despite the danger, Col is drawn to her. Can all the Filthies be like her? If Riff is telling the truth, then everything Col has always believed is a lie. And Col may be the only person with the power to do something about it — even if it means risking his whole future.

Richard Harland’s sweeping steampunk saga of romance, privilege, and social conscience will take readers on the ride of a lifetime to an enormous moving city that is at once strange and familiar."


Review: As soon as I saw this book I expected to love it. Dystopian, steampunk, romance... three of my favorite things. Unfortunately the book didn't completely live up to my expectations.

From the beginning I felt like the characters weren't completely realized. Many were underdeveloped and felt like stock characters. The relationship between Col and Riff didn't develop as much as I wanted it to either. I felt as though the author wanted Col to feel something for Riff, but never showed how it got to that point. In addition the plot of the story was rather predictable, although I can usually predict much of many books I read, this one seemed something that would be more enjoyable if I were a bit younger.

All that being said, I couldn't not finish the book. Usually if I don't like a book so much I have no trouble leaving it unfinished, but I couldn't with this one because I liked it enough that I wanted to know what happens. While I felt that there was much of this book that could have been further developed I did enjoy reading it. Apparently there is going to be a sequel called Liberator, although I don't know when it is to be released. I will probably end up reading it, although I will get it from a library this time. The first book wasn't good enough that I would want to pay for the second one as well.

Rating: B-


Other Recommended Books:
Leviathan and Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi 
Boneshaker by Cherie Priest

Contest

I stumbled across another contest today, unfortunately this one came attached with some sad news. There is an author, L.K. Madigan, whose books I've been planning to check out for awhile, who has been diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer. She wrote a very touching entry about this at her blog here http://lkmadigan.livejournal.com/185246.html

To celebrate her life and the books she's written and to help share them with the world, there is a contest to give away 40 sets of her books. That can be found here http://community.livejournal.com/debut2009/1059044.html

So check this out and share it with your friends.

Contest- Neil Gaiman Pack and Living Dead Girl By Elizabeth Scott

Another Contest- http://bethebooks.blogspot.com/p/contests-giveaways.html

You could win a pack of Neil Gaiman books or Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott so check out this great contest as well!

Contest- Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Lots of Contests today everyone. Here's a link for a giveaway of Catherine Fisher's Incarceron Series
http://bookinwithbingo.blogspot.com/2011/01/professor-bingo-presents-award-winning.html

Check it out!

Contest- Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Hey everyone, another contest to tell you about.

Teen author Lauren Oliver is hosting a contest to give away 5 signed copies of her new book Delirium which will be released on February 1st so check it out here!

http://laurenoliverbooks.blogspot.com/2011/01/delirium-has-just-one-question-for-you.html

Wuthering Heights- Emily Bronte

Synopsis: "Set amid the wild and stormy Yorkshire moors, Wuthering Heights, an unpolished and devastating epic of childhood playmates who grow into soul mates, is widely regarded as the most original tale of thwarted desire and heartbreak in the English language."


Summary: This book was told in a format I wasn't really expecting. The reader first meets Heathcliff, a young woman named Catherine who were are told is his dead son's wife, and another boy named Hareton. Soon an old servant/housekeeper begins to tell the tale of Heathcliff from when he was a child, up until the present. Most of the story the reader is kept in intrigue about Catherine (the elder) and Heathcliff and what has happened to them since they were children. I really enjoyed that mystery aspect of things.

As I read this book, I can honestly say this may be the only time I've ever wanted two characters to end up with one another so badly, despite my thinking that both of those characters were horrible, almost evil people. Anyone who reads this book and believes that Heathcliff is one of the best romantic characters in literature (and trust me, I've heard that), clearly doesn't remember all the abusive, cruel treatment he bestows on everyone in his path for love and revenge.

Definitely a dark, twisted sort of book, but an enjoyable read nonetheless.

Rating: I'm not going to rate this book because it isn't remotely like the other books I rate and I would feel compelled to compare it to them, which I really can't do. Know that I enjoyed the book however and would recommend it.

Other Recommended Books:
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

The Last Hero- Rick Riordan

Synopsis:

"Jason has a problem. He doesn’t remember anything before waking up on a school bus holding hands with a girl. Apparently she’s his girlfriend Piper, his best friend is a kid named Leo, and they’re all students in the Wilderness School, a boarding school for “bad kids.” What he did to end up here, Jason has no idea—except that everything seems very wrong.

Piper has a secret. Her father has been missing for three days, and her vivid nightmares reveal that he’s in terrible danger. Now her boyfriend doesn’t recognize her, and when a freak storm and strange creatures attack during a school field trip, she, Jason, and Leo are whisked away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood. What is going on?

Leo has a way with tools. His new cabin at Camp Half-Blood is filled with them. Seriously, the place beats Wilderness School hands down, with its weapons training, monsters, and fine-looking girls. What’s troubling is the curse everyone keeps talking about, and that a camper’s gone missing. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist they are all—including Leo—related to a god."


Summary:

When Rick Riordan finished the first series about demigods and Camp Halfblood, it left off with a prophecy, about the seven children of Gods who would, together, help save the world, both mortal and immortal. The Heroes of Olympus series picks up where that prophecy left off as we are introduced to 3 of the 7 demigods who will play a critical role in the fate of the world.

From the very beginning of the story, Riordan fills every chapter with action and intrigue, especially in regards to Jason, the demigod who can't remember anything about his past. Even more strange is the one thing that makes him so different from the other demigods at Camp Halfblood. He keeps referring to the gods by their Roman names, rather than their Greek names, and he speeks Latin, not Ancient Greek. Chiron, returning from the last series, seems to know more than he's letting on, but he has sworn not to tell a soul.

The book is told from the alternating perspectives of Jason, Leo and Piper, something I greatly enjoyed, as I honestly didn't even have a favorite character- I love all three of them. The book is reminiscent in many ways to the first book in the Percy Jackson series, only I thought it was much better.

By the very end of the book, Riordan finally reveals some of the big mystery surrounding Jason, the disappearance of Percy Jackson, and the real meaning behind the Great Prophecy. Unfortunately now, I have to wait until the fall to get my hands on book 2: The Son of Neptune.

Rating: A


Other recommended books:
The Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan
The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan
Artemis Fowl Series by Eoin Colfer
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of World Mythology by Arthur Cotterell and Rachel Storm

Contest

So there's this blog, located at this link http://bookalicio.us/2011/01/two-year-blogging-anniversary-giveaway/ who is doing some HUGE giveaways that you should all check out. http://bklc.us/2y 


That is all! Also, once I have finished it, the next book I will be reviewing is The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan.


Have a good day!