Krista:

 Characters

One thing I am going to say is … oh man did Jennifer Rush get something right about this group of boys. Each one was not only sexy, but had their own characteristics so that every reader will end up relating to one of them (or all of them). The strong supportive one, the funny one, the smart and witty one and of course the brooding angsty one. Although our main character is a little on the naive and timid side, she has huge growth and character development, you’ll definitely root for her.

Favourite

Sam, the pensive leader who cares just as much for everybody’s safety as much as finding the answers. Also the main character’s dad comes in as a close second favorite.

Least Favourite

I didn’t really have a least favourite until the end of the story (spoiler) but if I have to choose one I had a lot of doubts about the mother.  But I felt her character lacked a lot, I wanted more photos, more diaries.

Beginning

Anna and her father run a lab in their basement. The boys are all caged in separate glass rooms and have unusual scars and tattoos on their bodies. Over the last 5 or so years Anna has become close with all of them, monitoring them and forming a bond with Sam. But the fact that none of them can remember their pasts is upsetting and eventually they must get free to find the answers.

Storyline

As the story progresses we find out that even with the loss of their memories, the boys have clues to their past. They must solve the puzzle while running from the corporation which is always one step ahead. But where does Anna fit into the story? The clues unravel and she has more to do with their past lives than even she ever knew about. The pacing of the story becomes a roller coaster as they have very little information to go on, and cannot trust anybody. Very little down time and a twist or two that you won’t see coming.

Ending

Lots of action, twists and feelings. Yay no cliffhanger! Story wraps up very nicely, but also leaving a couple of possibilities the direction book 2 will go.

Thoughts

My favourite thing about this story is the variety of characters. I was surprised that even with everything that they experience, it’s like in some way all of the characters are soul-mates (not the romantic kind)  – they all have some destiny that is tying them together. They don’t fight with each other as much as I would have expected and are so close it’s like they read each others minds. At first I was on the edge about the main character and her connection to the story but was very happy with the end results and found it a page turner. I really enjoyed every minute. *Also a quick note that I listened to the audiobook. The narrator Casey Holloway does a great job, especially in giving a voice to Anna.

Quote

“You’re the only person I trust. That’s not something to waste.”

Bel:

Cover

I have a weakness for sexy images of men’s backs, so this one is a BIG hit with me. The tree overlay will make more sense after reading. Promise.

Characters

They all go through hell in this book so it’s not easy to pick a favourite.

Favourite

Anna. Strong. Female and not wimpy.

Least Favourite

Trevor. Spoilers so you’ll have to read to find out why.

Beginning

4 guys are trapped in the basement of the house of a scientist and his daughter. They are effectively lab rats.

Storyline

They escape and take Anna along with them.

Ending

The boys have had their memories altered by the people who were experimenting on them, however you’ll have to read the book to find out just how twisted this all gets.

Thoughts

I thought this was along the same threads as Partials by Dan Wells, in so much as the characters are just the play toys of a much larger entity. However, it’s not set in a futuristic or post apocalyptic world.

I did enjoy the ethical questions raised. The characters finding out just how corrupt the world they live in really is, was enough to make me want to throw the book away, but that’s not always a bad thing.

Quote

When he didn’t answer, I muttered, “Maybe a stone to sharpen your horns?”

He called out as I headed back to my desk, “How about a fifth of vodka?”

Anna’s dialogue with Nick.

 Lisa:

Cover

Uhmm, who doesn’t want a piece of man candy on the cover of such an amazing story?

Characters

Altered has a great cast of characters and my favourite things about them is that no one is who they seem to be or even they think they are…

Favorite

I really liked a lot of the characters in Altered! Anna was down to earth and her heart is devoted to Sam. Sam is protective and caring to Anna. Cas is flirtatious, but absolutely harmless. Trev is Anna’s best friend, which she desperately needed at times. And Nick is big and angry, but by the end of the story, the reader gets to see a more gentle and kind side of him.

Least Favorite

I can easily say I don’t dislike any characters in this book. Everyone is interesting and mysterious; no one is who you think they are, which allows for a lot of twists and turns throughout the story!

Beginning

Altered doesn’t hesitate to throw the reader right into the action. The story first introduces you to a very quiet girl named Anna; home schooled, helps her dad with work, and normal. Altered also introduces the reader to four boys named Sam, Nick, Cas and Trev, who are living in Anna’s basement as science projects. Having tests run on them, and being monitored twenty four hours a day; Anna’s dad’s work!

Middle

Follows the five on their run from the agency who is trying to take back Sam, Nick, Cas and Trev. Throughout their journey the five discover a lot about the boys, but they also discover a lot about Anna… things she didn’t know… things she would have never seen coming…

Ending

Uhh… mind blown!

Overall Thoughts

Altered overall was amazing! I couldn’t get enough of it. Not only did I fan girl over Anna and Sam’s “relationship”, I also wanted to learn more and more about the boys; how they became experiments, who they were before. But by reading Altered you learn a lot more than you even thought you would, you learn more about Anna and how she’s connected to these four boys, even before she discovered them in her basement!

 LOVED Altered and can’t wait to see what Erased has in store!

Jorge Duran from The Spotlight Report gets a quick word with Sandra Bullock at the red carpet premiere of The Heat in Sydney

Lisa Smith says:  This recipe is SUPER easy, and takes no more than five minutes to prepare; overall about twenty minutes, with the baking time. My friends and family all love Nutella recipes, and this was one that I’ll have to make again REALLY soon!

Ingredients:

1 Cup of Nutella spread

2 Eggs

10 Tablespoons of all purpose flour

Method:

1. Whisk together the two eggs in a small bowl.
2. Add the Nutella spread and the flour and completely combine.
3. The dough should be a little bit textured. It shouldn’t be too smooth!
4. Take a small spoonful and fill all your mini cupcake liners.
5. Bake for about 14 minutes (depending on your oven) at 350 degree Fahrenheit!
6. Once the tops of the mini brownies look dry, they are ready to come out. Let cool for about five to ten minutes before popping these sweet snacks in your mouth!

I make no secret of how much I adore Brigid Kemmerer’s Elementals series. It’s so difficult for me to act my age with the thought of the Merrick brothers being involved in another chronicle in the not so distant future. I have also been exploring the new world (for me at least) of ebooks.

What better way to lure me in, Brigid, than putting out Elemental novelettes that are only in eBook/ Kindle format. So after I’d charged my new tablet, downloaded the Kindle app, and sat my butt down in a coffee shop (I don’t have wifi at home) the very next thing I did was download, book 0.5 otherwise known as Elemental, book 1.5, AKA Fearless and signed myself up to receive Breathless, which just happens to be book 2.5. And then between review books I delved into the luscious lives of the magnificent Merrik boys.

We are treated to bits and pieces that happen between the physical books, and though they probably aren’t mandatory reading to have things make sense, I feel these eBooks add even more depth to an already rich picture for each of these young men, who do their best to make it in the world.

Elemental follows Michael Merrick and his exploring new ground (Ha, he’s an earth elemental, get it?) with fellow elemental Emily Morgan. Typical parental units cannot keep their noses out of things and you’ll have to read it to find out more.

Fearless allows us to view the inner thoughts of Hunter Garrity, who, though he isn’t a Merrick brother, doesn’t mean he isn’t smoking hot in the broodingly powerful department (you may remember him from Storm as the guy with the dog). And you guessed it, you’ll have to read more to find out how and why he is the way he is.

Breathless blew my mind with its twist. You will now be forced to go back and reread every section of Storm and Spark with Nick Merrick in it. I promise it’s worth it.

So now having read all these delicious bite-sized pieces of plot from the well crafted characters and amazingly vivid world these stories take place in, there is little for me to do but wait. Wait until Brigid can take pity on us fan girls and throw us a brand new book to rip through in a matter of hours, only to throw our hands up in frustration that we now have to wait until the next time we shall wander along with the Merrick boys.

Sigh!

Elemental

Kindle Edition, 1st Edition, 50 pages

Published March 27th 2012 by K Teen (Kensington)

ASIN B006MLKZAG

Fearless

Kindle Edition, 44 pages

Published July 31st 2012 by K Teen (Kensington)

ASIN B0085TK5A8

Breathless

Kindle Edition

Published April 30th 2013 by Kensington Teen

ASIN B00B1UVSAY

The Maze Runner Trilogy was always one that was recommended to me over and over again, by my friends, by different bloggers, and even by my school librarian. When I purchased the box set, reading these books was long overdue, and I knew it was time to finally see what everyone was raving about! Besides having this trilogy recommended to me well over thirty times, another thing that caught my attention was that readers compared it to The Hunger Games Trilogy!

“When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every thirty days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.”

Is it sad that until I actually started reading The Maze Runner, I had no idea what it was really about? I had never read a review, I was just always told how amazing the characters were and how unexpected the ending was. I never knew that the characters were all boys, or that these kids were just dropped into this unknown place with no knowledge of who they are, or why they were there.

The Maze Runner has a VERY interesting set of characters! While I usually like a strong female lead character, I didn’t find that in this story…I didn’t find any kick butt girls at all, expect for one who showed up at the Glades unconscious… so she wasn’t too kick butt.!Even though, the cast was filled with nothing, but boys, I actually really liked that. It made the story stick out, and unlike anything I’ve read before. It was what pulled me in and kept me reading!

Thomas’s journey of getting out of the Glades seemed never ending, whenever he seemed to get closer to the exit, somehow he always got farther away from it. As the reader, I felt like I was right there with him, trying to figure out what all this meant … why these boys and this one unconscious girl where put here, and how to get out. The Maze Runner had me wrapped around its finger, and wasn’t letting go; I loved it!

Just as I was told, what seemed a million times over and over again, the ending was something I would have NEVER expected! I couldn’t believe how things ended!! While The Maze Runner did leave us off with a bit of a cliff-hanger, but with such an unbelievable I didn’t really care!  All I care about is reading the next book and finding out what’s going to happen next!

It’s true, The Maze Runner is comparable to The Hunger Games; kids are thrown into a dangerous place to fend for themselves and survive. But other than that The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner are completely different. While The Maze Runner isn’t usually the type of book I grab for, James Dashner has sucked me in with his amazing story, characters, and cliff-hanger that left me wanting more! I’m really happy that I purchased the box set, so I can continue the trilogy right away!