The Spine Saver

Wow

2011-10-25T09:47:00.002-04:00

Ok wow, I've haven't posted anything since 2009! Well that's about to change because there are so many books I need to read and review! I'm joining this site called BookSneeze, it looks like they send you free books in exchange for a review on your blog. I am always in for free books! So I think I'll start doing that and see how it works for me. I'll be posting some reviews and updates real soon!

-Severa

Gone by Michael Grant

2009-09-30T19:53:00.004-04:00

Gone is a fantastic look on what would happen if everyone over 15 years of age just disappeared out of existence. I was very surprised about how suspenseful and captivating this story was. I've never read anything like it before.

Gone is about people 15 years and older just disappearing, and everyone younger gets left behind. Preteens,Toddlers and babies. No one knows why this happened and the kids of the story are trying to find out why throughout the story. Of course they would, I would too. On top of that, kids and animals start receiving strange powers and don't know why. The bullies reign, and a war begins between good kids and bad.

This is book that I will read over and over again. So mysterious and thrilling, you won't be able to put this book down until you've finished it. I thought all of the main characters were quite strong for what was happening to their lives and the lives of others, and that made it so much easier to read. I was very impressed about the way some of the characters just knew what to do in this situation, and for them to kind of understand that this is how things are now and we have to move on with our lives, made them so much more mature than the average 14 year old.

I'm glad I decided to buy this book. I actually bought it before I read it not knowing if it would be good or bad. But it was more than good and I'm glad I made the purchase.

It's sequel Hunger is out now and I can't wait to read it. Hopefully more will be explained in the sequel because Gone left me wondering long after I finished it. I recommend this to anyone who doesn't mind a thick book and someone who likes suspenseful unique YA novels.

-Severa

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

2009-09-22T16:40:00.006-04:00

Wow, is one out of many things I can say about City of Bones. When I first received this book from a book review site I thought it was going to be the same old cliche teen fantasy fiction that I'm so used to reading nowadays and getting annoyed with, but I was surprised to find after I finished reading it that it has many unique qualities that most YA fantasies do not include.

It's mostly about Demonology, and I was quite glad to find that it didn't include angels or "God" which can get annoying along with the demons/creatures. It's nice to actually read a book about demons and just see it as demons only, rather than angels too.

It was also a love story, a quite common love triangle occurs in the story that I've read in so many others, but the conclusion of the triangle turned out to take an unexpected twist you couldn't have figured out.

Where are my manners? Of course I should tell you what the book is about! City of Bones is about a 15 year old girl named Clary. Who all of the sudden can see people no one else can. These people turn out to be called: Shadowhunters, which are a secret tribe of warriors who are determined to rid the world of demons. The Shadowhunters discover she can see them and question why, because ordinary human beings do not possess The Sight to she them or any other Downworlder creature. So Clary is brought into a world she never even knew existed and has no idea what could possibly happen next.

This book is quite suspenseful and captivating throughout the entire story. Almost impossible to put down, and anytime I did put it down it always left me wanting more.

It also has a wide span of different types of creatures such as, vampires,werewolves,demons,mermaids,faeries,shadow creatures,cat like beings, and of course creatures the writer came up with herself. I was quite happy with the diversity of all the different creatures, it made me think and picture so many different things that made the story so much more magical and unreal. I love that in a story.

This book instantly became a favorite of mine. This was book one in the series, and I can't wait to read more of The Mortal Instruments. Because after all, City of Bones left me wanting more.

What I'm Currently Reading

2009-09-21T17:04:00.008-04:00

Hey Everyone!

As of now I am currently reading City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, Gone by Michael Grant and London Calling by Edward Bloor.

I'm going to finish City of Bones first because I won it in a contest and have to review it, I will put my review of it here on my blog. I'm reading Gone for a book club I am currently in at my library. And I'm reading London Calling because I just randomly grabbed it off the shelf at the library and brought it home.

I do that a lot actually,just grab random books. I don't judge a book by it's cover,that is not what I mean. I mean I give every type of book a chance by just reading whatever I can get my hands on.

I thought I would share what I'm currently reading so you can kind of have a look out of what reviews are coming next here on The Spine Saver.
I'm also thinking about starting one of those novel challenges my mother always does for her blogs. I'll keep you posted on that.

Anyway, there's just a quick update on what I'm reading.

A Poem I Wrote

2009-09-20T19:48:00.004-04:00

Hey everyone!

This is a poem I wrote for a contest to win a book about a year ago. And I won it! The book I won was Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen, and it's an advanced uncorrected proof. I haven't got around to reading it yet, but once I've read it I will post a review of here on my blog.

Here's the poem:
Once upon a time there was a girl who loved to dance,
And anytime she danced she felt she was in a trance,
And she loved it so with all her might,
She would dance so long into the night,
And then one day when she was the best,
And was so much better then all the rest,
Money began to rise into her life,
And cut her heart just like a knife,
"This dance costs to much now." her parents said,
The girl cried "No!" and wished she was dead,
Her whole short life she was devoted,
And now sadly she must be demoted,
Her last day of dance was the sadest yet,
And was one class she would never forget,
She left her life there in that room,
And came back home and laid in her tome,
She cried so long and cried so loud,
That no one wanted to make her proud,
They left her there all alone,
And no one called her on the phone,
No one helped that girl so sad,
And that in itself makes me mad,
Months straight she laid in her bed,
Wondering if she was alive or dead,
It lasted for so very long,
No one ever thought she'd sing her song,
But then she did in her sadness and doubt,
And decided it was time to go out,
She found that she could still perform,
Even if it wasn't that same form,
She sang and acted and played her music,
The beautiful sounds of her acoustic,
Then one day she remembered the memories,
That started her off with new found remedies,
And in that note I'll tell you this,
Nothing is greater then happiness,
The girl is no longer sad and depressed,
Because she still is better then the rest!,
She learned that it was not the end,
And decided to begin again,
How do I know about this girl's time?,
Well my dears, that story is mine,
So when you feel it's over and done,
Just know that it has only just begun.

-Severa M. Drabczyk

Lye In Wait by Cricket McRae

2009-09-20T19:40:00.005-04:00

Notes on Lye In Wait I forgot to mention: One: The series is called The Home Crafting Mysteries and at the end of each book the author actually gives you recipes on how to make your own soap, lip balm, bath salts, etc. Two: There are currently three books in the series, all about Sophie Mae, but they are not connected to each other. Three: The video's picture cuts out torwards the end, but the audio is still there, I don't know why it did that, sorry peeps.

Hostage by Robert Crais CONTAINS SPOILERS!

2009-09-20T18:27:00.003-04:00

Ok so I'm obsessed with the movie, it's one of my favorite movies of all time so naturally I had to read the book to see what was left out and changed. I can't really say the book is better then the movie honestly, I can't say the movie is better either, they're about equal.

Though the book is much different then the movie. Here are some things I wish was in the book that wasn't, but was in the movie. One, I wish that the Hostage situation had taken place in the HUGE fucking rich people mansion isolated on a freakin mountain, in the book it was in a rich peeps development in one of the houses and I thought the mansion from the movie was much cooler.

Two, I wish that Mars had a fetish for girls in the book, he did in the movie. I thought that was an important part in the movie and made the Mars and Jennifer relationship a highly climatic sidestory. I think that the fact Mars had that lustful desire for Jennifer in the movie sort of proved that he was indeed human and had a weakness and wasn't this immortal criminal, but in the book it seemed he had no weakness and I thought there should have been.

Ok now things that were in the book I wish were in the movie.

One, the story behind Dennis and Kevin in the book I thought was important, because you actually end up feeling bad for them for what they've been through.You find out they've been through so terrible times and I don't blame Dennis for doing what he did. And he really did take good care of Kevin and that's not really shown in the movie well. Kevin had to follow Dennis around everywhere because he had no one else. And in the book it's shown that Dennis and Kevin were actually forced into the Hostage situation by Mars when in reality they never wanted it to get out of hand in the first place and because of that it ultimately lead them to their deaths.

Two, the story behind the guys that took Talley's family hostage. In the book you learn more about them and what they're about and that they're just human as well and are just as scared as everyone else in the book. And that's another thing in the book you find out that EVERYONE is scared, every single person in the book is scared shitless and that was one element of it that made it a fantastic thriller.

Three, the story behind the Smiths, in the book you learn more about the Smiths then in the movie, and Mrs. Smith is actually alive just in Florida visiting a relative at the time her family is taken hostage by Mars,Dennis and Kevin. And last but not least, you find out more about the famous Jeff Talley chief of police of the Bristo Camino Police Department. You learn more about his family, his weaknesses, his strengths and his fears. Though the movie did well representing Talley's mind and strategies.

All in all, I absolutely love the movie and book and I would say more about it but this is a very long review lol I hope you enjoyed it. I give it an R rating and 5 out of 5 stars. It's the best thriller there is, you should read the book if not see the movie.

The One by Ed Decter

2009-09-20T18:12:00.003-04:00

A few notes on what I say in the video. I messed up on a few things, one: Nika May is not a news reporter she's Chloe Gamble's agent and she writes a book about Chloe and bits of it are in it back and forth. Two, Chloe's brother's name is Travis, I forgot to mention his name because I had forgotten what it was. Three, Chloe is actually 16, not 17. And four, Ed Decter is a producer,directer and a writer. He wrote the screenplays for The Lizzie McGuire Movie,There's Something About Mary,The Santa Clause 2 and The Santa Clause 3. I read this 6 months ago, so some of the non-important details were fuzzy to me. My apologizes.