The Hunger Games movie!

 

I know The Hunger Games isn't out in the US yet, but today was the premiere here in the Netherlands. I won't do a review just yet, so I won't spoil the movie for you, but I can tell you it was FREAKING FANTASTIC!


I LOVED IT!


Seriously, I can't wait for Catching Fire to come out now. The actors and film directors did such an amazing job.


Big love for this film. Let me know what you think after you've seen it!

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater 

Published: August 1st 2009
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages hardcover: 390 

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can’t seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again.Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It’s her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

I bought this book with sky high expectations. I've head so many great things about this book, but it didn't live up to my expectations at all. I did not even finish it unfortunately. The cover is absolutely gorgeous. Props to the publisher, because the blue lettering is really cool. However, it's the story that counts. 

I could not connect to Grace or Sam. I did try, but the only hobbies they had, I felt like, were being obsessed with one another. I like for characters to have some debth and to have other friends than just their love interest and I didn't feel like that was the case in this book.

I struggled to get through it, but 2/3 in the way I gave up. I wanted to like Shiver, I really did (then I would have to buy the other pretty books in the serie as well, haha), but couldn't. It just felt flat and very similiar to Twilight.

A lot of bookreviewers do seem to love this book. Everybody's taste is different, so don't let me discourage you from reading shiver. But for me, it just wasn't worth it.


1 out of 5 stars.

Also: I don't want to discredit Maggie Stiefvater, because I also read the Scorpio Races and that one was pretty good. 

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

Published: February 14th 2012 

Publisher: Walker Childrens 

Pages hardcover: 292 

Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance. 
Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in. 
It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for. 

Can I first say that I love Robin Hood? Because I do. Ever since I was young I have loved the story about the young noble thief that lives in the wood and steals from Prince John. I have watched the Disney movie several times and therefore I just had to read this book. And it was good, it was, but not amazingly perfect. However, I still enjoyed a whole lot.

In this book one of Robin's merry men is Scarlet, who goes by Will Scarlet. She is the real thief of the group and very secretive about her past. Only Robin, John and Much, the members of the band, know that she really is a girl. When her past is catching up to her, she has to start to open up to her band, and letting people in is the last thing she wants.. or think she deserves.

The writing style of this book is brilliant. Scarlet's voice is very rough and brave and it fitted her and the story perfectly. While I normally don't like it if a book isn't written in normal English (I could not get into Blood Red Road), for once it didn't bother me. Instead of 'of course' it would say 'course' and instead of 'was' it would always say 'were', but it fitted and made the story extra good. Scarlet needed to be rough in order to keep it all together and it fitted the time in which the book takes place.

 I loved the setting of this book - I felt like I was there with them in the woods - and I loved the adventure. I thought Scarlet was an amazing, very well fleshed out character. She had flaws which made her even more real. I also really liked to sweet Much who stood at Scarlet's side. Robin Hood was pretty amazing and also Little John gave the book a funny twist. Only Robin could lighten up a little at times, but I still loved him. He was noble and caring. 

The romance was pretty good. You know from the start that Scarlet has feelings for Robin and even though he likes her too, nothing happens for a really long time. There is a lot of miscommunication in this book and sometimes I just wanted to scream 'Kiss already!' at them. However, it fitted the story of Scarlet and Robin, who are more similar than you might think.  

 The ending was to abruptly for my taste. I wanted to know what would happen next and it just ended. I was left with some unanswered questions.I also felt Gisbourne, the villain, could have been fleshed out a little bit more, but overall I really liked the story. If you like adventure, you should definitely give this one a try. 

 3,5 out of 5 stars.

 This book needs a sequel. Why isn't there a sequel? A.C. Gaughen, write a sequel!

Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

Article 5 by Kristen Simmons 

Published: January 31th 2012
Publisher: Tor Teen
Pages hardcover: 364

New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have been abandoned.
The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes. There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested usually don't come back. Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren't always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it's hard for her to forget that people weren't always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. It's hard to forget that life in the United States used to be different. Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the military. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow. That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings—the only boy Ember has ever loved.    

Article 5 was everything I wanted it to be and more. It is quite a dark dystopian and I loved it. This future of the US is terrifying. If you don't stay under the radar and obey the Moral Statues you get send to prison or worse. Ember's mother is caught for breaking Article 5, basically being a single mom. When she gets arrested,  Ember is sent to a reform school for girls. Ember is determined to break out and save her mom. 


This isn't your dystopian where some things are wrong and it is not pleasant, but you'll live. No. It is a dystopian where people who won't obey get beaten up or killed. Where you can't trust anybody. The pace is great and the story is amazing. It is so realistic it gave me chills. I could picture everything in my head even though I sometimes really didn't want to.


The characters are what really made this story. Ember was strong and fierce, maybe a little naive, but she had to be in order to make it through. But Chase, oh Chase, he is just amazing. He has been through a lot and makes mistakes, but he loves Ember more than anything in the world. He is one of the best male protagonist out there for sure. He has been scarred, but still tries to protect Ember, even though there is a lot at stake for him. Also Sean, one of the soldiers from reform school, was a great secondary character. I loved how he was woven into the story and tied everything together. 


I can't believe there isn't a hype surrounding this book. It is definitely one of the best dystopians out there and I really encourage you to read it. I will preorder the second book for sure! I wish it could be 2013 already..


5 out of 5 stars!