Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz ☆☆☆☆

I learned something pretty cool when reading this book. When you know an author, have heard them read, and hear them talk on a regular basis...yeah you hear them reading the book to you when you're reading it. It was really weird, but amazing at the same time. Saenz is a professor of mine, currently and in the past, and hearing him read and talk so many times, I could hear his voice in my head reading the book to me. Another cool superficial thing about this book, the cover is extremely beautiful! Ok, now to the real stuff.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is about two 15 year old boys that each have a hard time identifying with other people and find friendship in each other. And although this book is about two teenage boys, I could still completely identify with it myself. Ari is angry all the time and many say he also always looks sad. He hasn't quite found his place in life and isn't sure he ever will find it. Dante is charming and easy going, but although people easily take to him, he doesn't easily take to other people. One of my favorite parts of YA Lit is that it covers the topics of trying to understand yourself and how you relate to the world. I'm working on my Master's and I still don't feel like I've found my place, so this book was a great look into the characters and also into myself. Many reviews have said that this is a great book for boys, but I would argue that it's a great book for anyone.

Now, obviously I wasn't completely in love as I only gave it four stars, but it was within reason. I felt like a lot of portions of the beginning were too predictable and actually took me out of the story because of it. After finishing it, I realize that those sections were completely necessary, but I do still feel that they could have been toned down a little. They weren't subtle enough. But I do still love this book and believe that it's another great example of his writing. It's also been my first experience with a lyrical novel and I'm looking forward to reading more of them in the future.

The Lost Files: Nine's Legacy by Pittacus Lore

The Lost Files: Nine's Legacy (Lorien Legacies #2.5) by Pittacus Lore ☆☆☆☆☆

I was lucky enough to borrow this from someone because I just couldn't wait to read it. And it didn't disappoint.

When first meeting Nine in The Power of Six, he's almost wicked. He's described as being about the same age as Four, but there's something scary about him and you crave to know why. Starting Nine's Legacy you would never anticipate that they were the same person. Nine is a regular teenage boy that's impulsive and even a little shy. And all that changes so effortlessly that you can't help but hurt and feel a little wicked with him. I loved getting to know Nine and I can't wait to see how much further, and how he can change Four in the process.

The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore

The Power of Six (Lorien Legacies #2) by Pittacus Lore ☆☆☆☆☆

This book went in so many directions I would have never expected, especially as the sequel to I Am Number Four. The most interesting was that this book was told in alternating narratives between John and number Seven, Marina. While alternating narratives isn't necessarily strange (as many books use it now), what was strange was how they used it. As you started a chapter, there was never any indication who was narrating. There was no name at the top of the chapter as a clue. You have to figure it out as you read based on contextual clues. And swapping between a male perspective and a female perspective is even more jarring. At first it happens two chapters at a time, and once you get used to the pattern it changes. A couple chapters even have both narratives speaking in tandem. It was incredibly interesting.

I loved how far John and Sam's friendship grew, and how their friendship with Six further developed. I loved getting to know Marina and how she relates to her Cepan and the people around them. I even love that I got to hate two characters that I should have loved. One I loved and then hated, the other I hated and grew to admire in the end. This book was incredibly complex in how everything was pulled together, and the battles with the Mogs were extremely detailed. There was even small things that became so interesting. Parts of Six's backstory were pulled into the narrative, but I still found it beneficial that I read the Lost Files: Six's Legacy before picking up the sequel. I can't wait to read the next novella installment, Lost Files: Nine's Legacy, (hurry up library and get this ebook), and the next full book, The Rise of Nine, in August!

The Lost Files: Six's Legacy by Pittacus Lore

The Lost Files: Six's Legacy (Lorien Legacies #1.5) by Pittacus Lore ☆☆☆☆

Much thanks to my local library for carrying this ebook so I didn't have to buy it :)

I really liked this book. I Am Number Four is one of the few instances where I watched the movie before reading the book, and yet I loved them both nearly equally in the end. And one of my favorite parts of both is Six. I especially loved her toughness in the movie with her motorcycle and leather jacket (and Australian accent haha). So, getting to see her story and her background after seeing Four for so long was pretty awesome.

There wasn't anything in particular I disliked about this book to give it four stars instead of five. I guess mostly it was just because I didn't love it. I liked it a lot, but didn't love it. Part of that may have been because it skipped through time very quickly to be able to cover all her backstory over the course of about eight years in about eighty or so pages. Definitely a recommended read though for anyone interested in this series.

Crossed by Ally Condie

Crossed (Matched #2) by Ally Condie ☆☆☆☆

When I started the book it immediately took me off guard. It was an alternating narrative between Cassia and Ky, and I had to go back to the first book to see if I potentially forgot that the first book was that way. It was not. It was a little weird to suddenly jump into an alternating narrative without any forewarning. That being said, it was also definitely interesting. Seeing inside Ky's mind was a nice twist. The only downside was that often the narratives were very close to being the same and it dragged the story line a little.

Overall, I liked the book. The first book I had problems with the first half of the book, but quickly fell in love with the characters and the half way point and couldn't put it down. With this one, I had the desire to read it and finish reading it, but I didn't feel excited enough through the process. That's where it lost a star for me. I liked it, I'm still going to finish the series as the next book comes out, but I didn't love it.

In my review of the first book, Matched, I shared my favorite quote from the book, so it's only fitting that I do the same for this book. And so, my favorite quote from the book, the only one I highlighted: "I don't fool myself that I hold her together--she does that on her own--but holding her keeps me from flying apart."

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay (Hunger Games 3) by Suzanne Collins ☆☆☆☆

I just finished this book the night before last and I've been considering my review ever since. I gave the first two books of the series 5 stars each, and yet on this one I only gave it 4. I had to repeatedly question why I was taking away from the score like I was.

I mean, there are things I love about this book. Out of the three it was the only one to make me cry. Without being spoilery, I cried about halfway through the book when Katniss realized what it meant to break. And I was bawling uncontrollably at the end, especially with the cat. Those that have read the book will understand these well.

Basically it came down to this... I didn't like a lot of the things that happened in the book, but it's a book about a war and needless to say people will be lost. I'm actually coming to the conclusion I need to stop reading books where a war breaks out (especially after Harry Potter). The more I thought about it though, it wasn't why it lost a star. Even if I didn't like certain scenes, I have to admit that they are necessary to the story. No matter how sad that makes me.

My gripe with this book came in the last chapter or two. Time moved WAY too quickly. Days, weeks, and months were skipped over in the course of one sentence. And this seemed to happen every other page. It was driving me crazy because so much could have been done in that space. Besides all the wasted time, it was entirely focused on Katniss and I hated not seeing what happened with the other characters. I invested so much time in all the other characters besides her to never see their actions in the end.

In the end, there was so much that could have happened that was left out and so much I wanted to know that was never answered. It lost a star because I wasn't satisfied. That doesn't change the fact though that it was an amazing series and I'd read it again in a heartbeat. Can't wait for the movies!

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire (Hunger Games 2) by Suzanne Collins ☆☆☆☆☆

A lot of second books end up being nothing more than filler to get the reader from the excitement of book 1 to the finale of book 3, this book didn't follow that schema. Catching Fire was equally thrilling and well developed as Hunger Games, in some aspects perhaps more so. I expected to be entertained by this book, but I did not expect to be filled with more anxiety than the first book. If it was hard enough to put down Hunger Games, it was impossible for the sequel.

In Hunger Games, you ask a lot of questions involving "how is that possible" or "what if this happens instead" trying to get to the ending that our happily ever after wiring that has been programmed into us. And while those questions are answered, they come back ten fold in this book, just as puzzling and painstaking as before, with twists and turns no one could have anticipated. If I could give this book more than 5 stars I probably would. I can't wait to finally pick up the last installment!