Weekly Geeks #12 (Book Reviews Q & A Style)

Dewey Monster suggests that in order to get caught up on book reviews we enlist the help of others.  We are to:
1) post books that we’ve finished but haven’t yet reviewed.
2) ask people to ask us questions about the any of the books in the comments section.
and
3) write the reviews by answering the questions that commenters have left.

If you leave your web address in your comment, I’ll be sure to link to your site when I refer to your question in the review.

So, here it goes.  Give me some good questions that will generate interesting details about the following books.  I really want to get caught up on my reviews.

TWISTED SISTERS by Stephanie Hale

UNDONE by Brooke Taylor 

CHOSEN by P.C. and Kristin Cast

LITTLE BROTHER by Cory Doctorow

EVERNIGHT by Claudia Gray

UNBELIEVABLE by Sara Shepard

I’m looking forward to reading everyone’s questions.

 

CITY OF ASHES by Cassandra Clare

CITY OF ASHES is the much anticipated sequel to last year’s City of Bones.  Never have I been more excited to get a book in the mail.  I have to admit, I was looking forward to CITY OF ASHES even more than when I was waiting for Harry Potter 7.

Re-entering the world of the Shadowhunters was thrilling.  Clary and Jace are dealing with their father’s theft of the Angel’s Cup and are continuing to struggle with the fact that they are brother and sister.

In CITY OF ASHES we meet Alec and Izzy’s parents with Mrs. Lightwood being the most prominent.  She is doesn’t trust Jace since Valentine has revealed himself.  She is afraid that Jace is a spy for Valentine and tells him to move out of the Institute.  She also calls The Inquisitor to determine Jace’s punishment for his “alleged” role in theft of the Angel’s Cup.  Neither The Inquisitor nor Mrs. Lightwood believe Jace about the new plan Valentine has come up with to steal another of the Mortal Instruments – the Soul-Sword.  Valentine will do whatever it takes to get it.  His plan, once he has the sword, is to transform it from a sword that will kill demons to a sword that will kill members of the Clave.  The transformation requires the blood of Downworlder children which leads to danger for Simon, Clary’s best friend, and Maia, a member of Luke’s pack.  It falls to Jace and Clary, with the help of Luke and Magnus to engage Valentine in battle to prevent him from accomplishing his goal.

After reading CITY OF ASHES we know a little more about Alec, get to know Magnus better, discover some special abilities Clary and Jace possess, and get a hint that there might be more to Jace’s lineage than we already thought.  Cassandra Clare has the ability to create the kind of emotional tention that I haven’t found since Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight.  You’ll be sorry when you get to the last page and be tempted to turn back to page one and start the adventure all over again. 

 

TIM: Defender of the Earth by Sam Enthoven

What secrets does your government keep from you?  Nanotechnology?  Genetic engineering?  In TIM: Defender of the Earth, this and much more is going on. 

Anna Mallahide is the daughter of scientist that works for the government.  She is used to being the new girl at school because her father’s work requires that they move quite frequently.  Chris is a guy who cares more about what people think than about doing what is right.  He wants to be cool, but feels like he really has to work at it.  When Anna and Chris get paired up on a field trip at the Museum their lives become intwined in a ways they can’t even imagine.

While wandering around the Museum, Chris runs into a woman who has been in charge of guarding a bracelet meant for a person that will be the channel for all the life force on the planet.  By the way the bracelet reacts when Chris is near, Mrs. Plimpton determines that Chris is the person she has been waiting for.  It will be up to Chris to funnel all of the world’s life energy to the Defender because danger is coming and the earth is in trouble.  The Defender has been called into action and he can only win if Chris cooperates.

TIM (Tyrannosaurus: Improved Model), is the Defender.  It is up to him and Chris to save the world from Professor Mallahide, Anna’s father, who has developed nanobots that devours everything in its path in order to “improve” the way of life.  While Professor Mallahide’s intentions are true in the beginning, power soon changes the outlook on his mission and he becomes the most dangerous and unstoppable emeny the world has ever known.

With battle scenes like the old King Kong vs. Godzilla movies, TIM provides heartstopping action and an incredibly entertaining storyline.  The lesson of selflessness and friendship run throughout the story and make it clear that sometimes you have to think of others in order to have a life worth living.

 

I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder

 

Ava loves Jackson and Jackson loves Ava.  Her life has improved greatly since she met him and they started dating.  So when Jackson dies unexpectedly at a school party she is devastated.  Even the simplest things like getting out of bed and eating seem beyond her abilities.  Her feeling of guilt over his death weigh heavily on her and prevent her from beginning the healing process. 

During one of her darkest moments she feels a brush of coldness against her skin.  Hope fills her up as she thinks it could possibly be Jackson.  Thinking there is a chance that he hasn’t completely left her makes her happy, but it also causes her concern because she thinks she might be going crazy.  Soon after the first encounter though, she receives proof that Jackson is, indeed, still with her.

After some time with Jackson around, Ava begins to think about everything that happened and how she completely lost the sense of herself while she was with him.  When asked what makes Ava special, her reply is, “Being Jackson’s girlfriend.”  She experiences the love of her friends and family which allows her to gain perspective and be able to start the process of healing, even if that means giving up the thing she loves the most.

Lisa Schroeder has written a thoughtful story about love and loss, but with an interesting supernatural twist.  Its free verse style makes this such a fast-paced story.  You will not be able to stop yourself from turning the page to see what happens next and with it being a book of poems you won’t have an excuse not to keep reading until you finish.