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The Ghoul Next Door (Monster High, #2)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I loved this one just as much as the first, if not more because of how many more characters are involved. I don't expect anything from this series, so maybe that it why I am not disappointed by the lack of originality and that it's clearly written for a generation younger than me.

It is my guiltiest of guilty pleasures in the reading world. I am not afraid to admit it. The book is filled with stereotypical teens (minus the whole monster factor) that live in a stereotypical world (minus the humans trying to destroy them). Once you accept that this novel is not meant to be the next great American novel filled with thought provoking passages and a great original plot, than you can sit back and enjoy all the ridiculousness. I love it because I take it at face value.
  
Perfectly Normal
Perfectly Normal
Amy Martin | 2017 | Mystery, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Loved it
* I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review*
This was a great YA read, however I did have a couple of things I didn't like about it. It started off slow, and the teens were a little unrealistic at times.
Other than that the book was great. Things quickly took an unexpected turn making it impossible to put the book down. I also really liked that this book didn't focus on romance. The YA genre usually throws unnecessary teen romance around everywhere, so it was nice to read a book where the characters had other things going on.
I will warn future readers that this book does end in a cliff. I was still satisfied with the ending, but I'm definitely going to pick up the next book as soon as possible.
  
Lightweights And Gentlemen by Lau
Lightweights And Gentlemen by Lau
2007 | World
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"This would battle Sufjan Stevens for my favourite album. Lau broke onto the folk scene around the same time as us, and we always felt a kinship because we were also trying to push the boundaries of what we were doing. Where do we fit into folk? I don't know. It's funny you saying you think of us as really established, but we've only won two Radio 2 Folk Awards out of 13 nominations in all those years, and one of those was an audience vote. Good old audiences!
 I've known Aidan since his teens, and he's a really interesting, experimental fiddler. Kris has a great voice, and like me, grew up with his family loving folk. Becky's worked with Martin too, who's great. Live, they're always on fire, often quite anarchic, so exciting, and so full of energy."

Source
  
The Sparrows of Unity
The Sparrows of Unity
Sen Jayaprakasam | 2019 | History & Politics, Young Adult (YA)
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
What I liked best was the basic idea of two groups who wanted to better the world. (0 more)
What I didn't like was the fact that I kept questioning exactly how the Unity was planning on achieving their goal (at least I think it was the Unity) (0 more)
Honest Review for Free Copy of Book
The Sparrows of Unity by Sen Jayaprakasam was an interesting book to say the least. The first chapter was very interesting and grabbed my attention right away. I wanted to keep reading it, and was instantly hooked. Each chapter was titled with the character's name who was going to be telling that section of the story. I understand the need to change the point of view in a story like this but it is still a little jarring, so the titles helped a lot amd was considerate of the author. It says that this is only the first in the series and I hope the following books offer more explanation and detals.

The book opers with Lacy meeting her father who is Current in jail. She has believed her father to be a murderer her whole life and that her and her mother have been running from what he did. Now she is visiting him because of a message she found in her mother's journal that she read after her mother died in a car crash. Before he mysteriously disappears her father tells Lucy the truth about him and her mother.

Lucy ends up warking with Rit, Si, and Anna after they all see one of their teachers attacked and killed. The four teens all follow clues to race acros Britain while trying to stay one step ahead of the attackers, who are now trying to kidnap them. Along the journey they discover it is the Unity who are follawing them and trying to prevent them from reaching the other Sparrows. The four teens believe that once they get to the end of the Sparow's Path they will be safe from the Unity. Once they reach the end they can't help but to wonder if they just accidentally lead the Unity to the Sparrow's safe-house?

What I liked best was the basic idea of two groups who wanted to better the world. The idea that they were going to make the world better by eliminating racism, homophobia, and other foms of prejudice was interesting because this is not usually the goal of such groups in books. I liked that people were indirectly trying to make things better for everyone. It also helps that the puzzles where interesting and well thought out. What I didn't like was the fact that I kept questioning exactly how the Unity was planning on achieving their goal (at least I think it was the Unity). It talked about using fear and scare tactics but other than that it wasn't well explained. The ending was also very confusing with so many people either pretending or thinking that they were something they actually were not.

The target readers for this book would be teens and young adults. Anyone older may still enjoy this book for a quick read but it lacks the depth that I believe many adults would probably enjoy in a book. However, the following books in the series may make up for that and as a whole hold the attention of adults as well. I rate this book 2 out of 4. I found it to be a little dull frequently, with the teens just avoiding capture. Also it got very confusing towards the end and started to lose me. While the first chapter did get me hooked it did not last. After finishing the book I am still unsure as to the belonged to which group.


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THE END OF THE F***ING WORLD
THE END OF THE F***ING WORLD
2018 | Comedy, Drama, Film-Noir
The actors are well suited for their characters. (1 more)
Show stayed true to film noir through all 8 episodes.
The first two episodes were shown in the preview. (1 more)
Season was so short there was very little character development.
Film Noir Style Humor
This genre is my favorite, and very few movies or shows are successful at the dry, dark humor without giving up the true macabre nature of the subject. The teens that played the main characters are excellent, as are the two women that play the main detective constables.

I do wish there had been more character development. We know quite a bit about the kids by the end of the 8 episodes (roughly 20-25 minutes per episode), but we are only given a wisp of information about the detective constables relationship. This was very similar to how I felt about the end of Stranger Things season 1.
  
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Dean (6925 KP) rated Halloween (2007) in Movies

Feb 21, 2018  
Halloween (2007)
Halloween (2007)
2007 | Horror
Great update
I thought this was a very good film and a great remake. It's not entirely scene for scene like some and gives a lot more time to Michael as a young boy and reasons for him to turn evil. Rather than just a madman on the run from the asylum. Although some key scenes are kept and a few are changed slightly for the update, why change what worked so well in the original. Some people will just rate down remakes just for the sake of it, but seriously Halloween might have been scary if you saw it in your teens but today? This builds on what was a great horror classic and adds a few touches, more of a back story, a bit more violent and sexed up a little for todays audience. Whether you have seen the original or not you should check this out.
  
Red Queen
Red Queen
Victoria Aveyard | 2015 | Young Adult (YA)
10
8.0 (64 Ratings)
Book Rating
I have wanted to read this book since it was published. I'm in charge of the teens section at the bookstore that I worked at and I fell in love with the cover. I have been pretty excited to see that this book has been on the teen best sellers list since its publication and it definitely didn't disappoint.

The characters were really awesome. I could relate to the characters and I was definitely rooting them on. I loved how flushed out the characters were and the insecurities that presented themselves.

The plot was definitely fun. I loved how many twists and turns there were and was not able to guess what was going to happen next (which is usually the case with young adult books).

Ultimately, this book was amazing and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes Young Adult fantasy books.
  
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Leah (: (569 KP) rated Dangerous Girls in Books

Jul 10, 2018  
Dangerous Girls
Dangerous Girls
Abigail Haas | 2013 | Thriller, Young Adult (YA)
8
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book had me hooked from the start!!

It was a really compelling read as you gather the evidence and facts to decide if Anna is guilty or not. Abigail Haas has masterfully written the book so that your emotions are engaged throughout.

The writing style is quite choppy as you change between, present day, pre murder flashbacks, transcripts of phone calls/ interviews. However the style really works as it sets the scene for before the murder and gives you the evidence as it occurs. It also gives you the confusion I’m sure Anna is feeling, especially as she is blindsided by new evidence. It just seems as if Anna is recounting the story to the reader and the flashbacks are relevant.

I would definitely recommend this book particularly if you enjoys thrillers/ mysteries like Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train as this is similar but with teens.
  
The Twilight Saga (Twilight, #1-4)
The Twilight Saga (Twilight, #1-4)
Stephenie Meyer | 2008 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.1 (8 Ratings)
Book Rating
An intriguing story (0 more)
Bella needs a slap (0 more)
A Guilty Pleasure
Reading these in my (very) late teens, I could not help but be gripped by the romance, the forbidden nature, the utter devotion of the characters, and the tween take on some occult characters.
The way the world is explained is pretty good, and allows the story to realy flow. All the characters are interesting, often flawed and draw you in. The general themes as well as the juxtaposition of totally normal teenage crap, like meeting the boyfriend's family, and the danger faced by the characters is sometimes farcical, but no less compelling because of it.
The story feels complete, the characters develop, and Bella becomes less of an ass.
It was a lovely read, and I am looking forward to diving back in, a decade later, to see if I still feel the same.
  
I Am Alfonso Jones
I Am Alfonso Jones
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Would you pay more attention to police brutality, racism, and the #blacklivesmatter movement if everywhere you walked was the blood stains and plaque telling you another life that didn't have to be lost?

I loved this graphic novel, I believe it to be an incredible important read. Those comparing it to The Hate U Give is doing this novel injustice. This is just as impactful without the 400+ pages. The message gets across to the reader in the same way I know a lot of teens that would not sit and read that but may pick up a graphic novel.

The art style I really enjoyed though sometimes it did make a scene hard to understand. I also enjoyed the changing of timeline. We followed a lot of characters but the important one's stand out and don't seem to get lost in all the movement of the story.