The Farm- Amy McKay

Title: The Farm
Author: Emily Mckay
Source: Bought New
Series: Yes
Rating: 2/5















Summary:


Life was different in the Before: before vampires began devouring humans in a swarm across America; before the surviving young people were rounded up and quarantined. These days, we know what those quarantines are—holding pens where human blood is turned into more food for the undead monsters, known as Ticks. Surrounded by electrical fences, most kids try to survive the Farms by turning on each other…

And when trust is a thing of the past, escape is nearly impossible.

Thoughts:

I loved the premise of this book when I read the back of it plus the blurb said it was a mix of resident evil and The Hunger Games which sounded completely fabulous so I picked it up and read it as soon as I had time to squeeze it in. I was completely sucked into the story in the beginning and the farther I got into it I found it harder to get into and put it down for a bit and picked a few books in between in the hopes of having more enthusiasm with it.

Plot:

The plot was really intriguing. People being kept on farms like animals and vampires running things. Totally cool and original idea. Lily must keep her twin sister Mel safe on the farm. Mel is autistic and Lily promised her mom to watch out for Mel. In the before, Lily and Mel were just ordinary girls and now they are fighting to survive. Lily is plotting to leave the farm with her sister as soon as she can. One day a friend from the before comes to the farm.

Characters:

This is where the book went a little downhill for me, I loved Mel and her point of view. I loved seeing things through her eyes. I was not a fan of Lily. She drove me crazy by diving into things without thinking it through and not even noticing she was putting others in dancer with her carelessness. I thought she was a little judgemental of everyone and jumped to conclusions to quickly about other characters. Carter was a bit of a jerk too.

The ending

This is usually what makes or breaks a book for me. I really did like the ending but unfortunately it was not enough to turn things around for me.

Stacking the Shelves (56)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

I bought a book. I told myself I was going to resist but I was in Target and I seen it was 30% off and I was all excited that I picked up my wedding dress so I bought it and I have already devoured it. Totally worth it.

Bought New

Just One Day- Gayle Forman

What did you get in your mailbox? Leave a comment below.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian- Sherman Alexie

Title:  The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Author: Sherman Alexie
Source: Gifted from my secret Santa
Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5














Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.

Warning: I am a total fan girl of this book and may have ramble slight so I apologize in advance.

I started 2013 with this book and I finished it on New Year's day a few hours after I finished it. I am really glad I started 2013 with such a great book. I  got this fabulous book from my secret Santa.

Junior makes a decision to leave the Indian reservation to go to a all-white farm town high school. He is shunned by the people he lives on the reserve with and he feels like he does not fit in with the kids at his new school either. Junior was so brave. It took a lot of courage for him to step out of his comfort zone and better himself.

The plot is amazing. Sherman Alexie based his book of his own experiences. This book really just grabs you and makes you realize that this author is telling a real story, the things that Junior is experiencing is happening and will continue to happen unless more awareness is made and more help is given.

This book is just so good. It's beautiful and sad. I hope that this book gets taken off the banned book list because really more people should read this book. I am sad I waited so long, I want to tell everyone I know to read this and do not put it off like I did because you will love it.

A Midsummer's Nightmare- Kody Keplinger

Title: A Midsummer's Nightmare
Author: Kody Keplinger
Source: Borrowed from the library
Series: No
Source: 4/5
















Whitley Johnson's dream summer with her divorcé dad has turned into a nightmare. She's just met his new fiancée and her kids. The fiancée's son? Whitley's one-night stand from graduation night. Just freakin' great.

Worse, she totally doesn't fit in with her dad's perfect new country-club family. So Whitley acts out. She parties. Hard. So hard she doesn't even notice the good things right under her nose: a sweet little future stepsister who is just about the only person she's ever liked, a best friend (even though Whitley swears she doesn't "do" friends), and a smoking-hot guy who isn't her stepbrother...at least, not yet. It will take all three of them to help Whitley get through her anger and begin to put the pieces of her family together.

Filled with authenticity and raw emotion, Whitley is Kody Keplinger's most compelling character to date: a cynical Holden Caulfield-esque girl you will wholly care about.

This has to be the most awkward wakeup ever. Whitley wakes up after a one night stand to find out that the gorgeous boy she woke up next to is the son of her father's fiancée. She tries to supress her feelings for him since she will be stuck with him for the summer.

I was a big fan of Keplinger's first book The Duff so I was beyond excited when I got this from the library.

I loved all the awkwardness in this book. Whitley finds out that her father is engaged to a woman she has never met and now Whitley must spend the summer with her and her children. She does not take the news well, she only gets to see her dad once a year and now she has to share him with his new family. She tries to confide to her mother but she is still upset about the divorce and only has bitter things to say about him. Whitley's brother has a new wife and baby and does not always have time for Whitley. She starts to party and tries throwing herself at other men to distract herself from her feelings for her future step-brother. Whitley was pretty selfish, I could see where it came from but I liked that the other characters put her in her place.

The plot was interesting and hilariously awkward. I love how Keplinger will go places most people would be to afraid to go. The plot was pretty twisty and went places I could not even have imagined it would go. I hope that she writes more books soon because I only have one more book of hers to read and I feel like that will not be enough. There is just so many amazing things that happen in this book that I cannot possibly explain them without giving too much away. The only thing I can say is read this as soon as you can.

Queen of Cool- Cecil Castellucci

Title: Queen of Cool
Author: Cecil Castellucci
Source: Gifted
Series: No
Rating: 4/5

 















On the outside, Libby Brin is the most popular girl in school. She has the coolest friends, the hottest boyfriend, the trendiest clothes, and the hippest parents. But on the inside, Libby is dying - of boredom. In a moment of desperation, Libby signs up for an internship at the L.A. Zoo, much to the dismay of her friends, who'd prefer she spend her time with them, shopping, partying, and making fun of everyone else. To Libby, the zoo gig seems like something, anything, different to do, even if it means she has to work with two nerds - Tina (aka "Tiny"), a little person and aspiring actress, and Sheldon, an introverted boy with a brilliant, inquiring mind. But what happens when Libby realizes she actually enjoys working at the zoo and may even like Tina and Sheldon? Will the QUEEN OF COOL be forced to give up her crown?

Libby is considered one of the most popular girls at her high school. On the outside her life looks perfect, she has popular friends, the right clothes, and parents that allow her to bend the rules. On the inside is completely bored and starts to realize how boring her friends really are. She notices a sign up sheet for an internship at the L.A. Zoo and decides to sign up. After she signs up she realizes that she will be stuck with two people she considers "nerds" one including Tina (Tiny) who goes to her school and Sheldon who is obsessed with finding out about other life forms. Libby finds herself starting to enjoy her time at the zoo and she starts to like spending time with Tiny and Sheldon but she is not sure if she is ready to lose her crown of cool.

The cover is completely cheesy but the story inside has a lot of hidden gems. I wish the cover would have reflected the book more, I found the cover put me off from reading for a long time. Libby was a smart, sarcastic character. She starts to notice how boring her life is becoming so she decides to change it and do something completely out of her comfort zone.  I really liked Tiny and Sheldon. They were really awkward but refused to mold themselves into what would make them more popular. I really enjoyed all the characters, even liked Perla who was a complete flake. I thought Kenji was a jerk but to my relief Libby does not seem to take him seriously, there is some romance between the characters but it does not take over the story.

The story is engaging. The characters blended well together and I liked how it ended. The book was not bogged down with romance like I first imagined it would be. I also like the internship about the zoo. I cannot think of any other YA books that include a zoo. I thought it was a quick, interesting read. I enjoyed it a lot more than I ever imagined I would. I devoured this book in one sitting.