Thursday, February 27, 2014

Ignite Me: Review

Use Grammarly to check for plagiarism because, while mispelling if forgivable, plagiarism is not.

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Juliette now knows she may be the only one who can stop the Reestablishment. But to take them down, she'll need the help of the one person she never thought she could trust: Warner. And as they work together, Juliette will discover that everything she thought she knew - about Warner, her abilities, and even Adam - was wrong.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
So many feels. Just.




Despite the feelings though, this book was far from perfect. It was actually probably the farthest from perfection out of the whole series(and that's saying a lot). There were so many plot holes and stupid decisions on Mafi's part. But first, the good news(or bad news for some of you).

The romance was very...steamy/swoony. If you were team Warner before, this book is made for you. Ignite Me lets you get to understand Warner and his reasoning behind his actions. Because of this, I pushed aside the bad parts of Ignite Me. I practically didn't even notice the problems of the book until after finishing the book, because of the FEELS. However, for this review, I also need to highlight the less-than-perfect parts of the book. And, yes, I am forever team Warner.

I also admired Mafi on writing Juliette's character. She finally wasn't a whiny little brat! She took control of the situation and took action! I admire Mafi for deciding to do this(though I predicted this would happen).

Onto the first problem. For those of you who were team Adam, I am truly sorry. In Ignite Me, she paints Adam such a horrible color of anger and hatred. She almost seemed to take out all of his emotions besides those two. I can't tell you the exact reason without spoiling everything, but it is fairly obvious. Although Adam isn't my favorite character, I was so sad to see how Mafi handled his character in Ignite Me.

Second problem. There is absolutely(essentially) no plot. Well, there is a "plot". But it is such a horrendous one that I can't even call it a plot. Basically _ happens. Then _. And then the ending. I was looking forward to surprises in the plot, etc. Nope, nothing. I mean, seriously, there was NO SURPRISES besides Warner of course.

Third problem. This problem ties into the plot problem. Plot holes(and I'm talking about towards the ending here). I was just left so angry at the book, because WUT JUST HAPPENED? HO-WHAT IS GOING ON. Mafi did a horrible job about the realistic-ness.

The ending: sorry, fans, you're not gonna get much for closure. That's all I'm saying.

All together, this book wasn't horrible, though it was nearing towards there. The feels in the book saved me from hating the book, but I had so much hope for a better plot, characters, and did I mention the no-plot problem?

Saturday, February 22, 2014

The Art of Lainey: Review

16068910Soccer star Lainey Mitchell is used to getting what she wants, and when her boyfriend Jason breaks up with her for no reason, what she wants is to win him back before the start of their senior year. Lainey and her friend Bianca check the interwebz for tips and tricks, but the online dating advice is all pretty lame.

Then the girls stumble across a copy of The Art of War. Didn't someone once say that love is a battlefield? Jason isn't going to stand a chance once Lainey and Bee go all Zhou Dynasty on him...

Old school strategy and subterfuge meet modern-day dramarama in the story of a girl who sets out to win at all costs and ends up discovering what's really worth fighting for.






How do I even start this review? I can't even form an articulate thought about what to say. Okay, starting over.
This book is the best contemporary I've read for a long time. There are multiple factors to why it's better than most contemps  I've read. So, guess what? I've decided to go the list route.

1.Lainey, the main character, is such a different character from most romances. Stokes decided to go the opposite direction most readers would expect of a romance: A popular girl and an unpopular boy. Just that should convince you to read it, if only for the new perception you get by the end of the book.


2.Snarky, fun, and awesome all packed into one. I'm one of those readers that adore snark in characters! It is basically what I thrive in, especially in contemps. Fortunately, these characters had a lot of snark packed into them. If you're into snark as well, I suggest you pick up a copy of this immediately!


3.Micah. Obviously, you new that this was coming. It's impossible to like a romance without liking the romance interest. In this case, Micah. Oh my, he is the definition of perfect. First of all, I loved that he doesn't let other people's opinions define him. Second of all, I loved that Micah is actually sensitive and caring underneath his punk outfit. Third of all, he's hot...in a bad boy way. I don't particularly like bad boys, but Stokes has officially changed my mind on that matter!

Yes, that is Zac Efron with a Mohawk. It is a perfect combination.

4.The side characters are also perfection incased.  Stokes nailed all of the side characters. Each of them were different and real. They just fit perfectly in this story. And, plus, I wish I had Lainey's friends that's how awesome they are.


5.The slow-burning romance is so cute and adorable. This contemporary definitely has a slow- build up romance(which is awesome by the way). Stokes really knew how to build up the romance from friends-to-romance status, while maintaining the realism throughout. There were struggles too, which only made it more realistic. There are snippets of romance through the book, but the climax didn't happen until towards the end. So then you're just kind of screeching in delight at the cuteness of the ending.


Overall, this book is just a perfect adorable book to read. Guys, just read it okay.