Wake by Amanda Hocking

About the book

Wake is the first book in the Watersong series by Amanda Hocking. The book was published by Tor on 16^th August 2012 and the book is 356 pages long. Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy for review.

Synopsis (Taken from Goodreads.com)

Gorgeous. Fearless. Dangerous. They're the kind of girls you envy; the kind of girls you want to hate. Strangers in town for the summer, Penn, Lexi and Thea have caught everyone's attention—but it’s Gemma who’s attracted theirs. She’s the one they’ve chosen to be part of their group.

Gemma seems to have it all—she’s carefree, pretty, and falling in love with Alex, the boy next door. He’s always been just a friend, but this summer they’ve taken their relationship to the next level, and now there’s no going back. Then one night, Gemma’s ordinary life changes forever. She’s taking a late night swim under the stars when she finds Penn, Lexi and Thea partying on the cove. They invite her to join them, and the next morning she wakes up on the beach feeling groggy and sick, knowing something is different.

Suddenly Gemma is stronger, faster, and more beautiful than ever. But her new powers come with a terrifying price. And as she uncovers the truth, she’s is forced to choose between staying with those she loves—or entering a new world brimming with dark hungers and unimaginable secrets.

What I thought

There are very few mermaid/ under the sea kind of creature books in the young adult genre which is why I wanted to read this one so much. The premise sounded very different from the other few mermaid books I have read so I was immediately interested.

Wake tells the story of sisters Harper and Gemma although technically, I guess Gemma should be called the protagonist. Harper generally keeps to herself and is the complete opposite of her beautiful, swimmer sister Gemma. Their mother doesn’t live with them anymore and Harper has taken it upon herself to play that very role, being very overprotective of Gemma and what she gets up to. I really liked that the two sisters were very different and they had varying interests. It gave each character their own distinct voice and made their personalities clear.

While the beginning of the story is a little drawn out, it sets the scene well. Gemma loves her late night swims and is determined to keep them up even though there has been a few people gone missing recently. While out at the bay swimming, Gemma notices a group of insanely pretty girls, girls who are new in town but have definitely been noticed. Both Gemma and Harper think something is off with these girls but can’t quite put their fingers on it. A large chunk of the beginning of the story is spent getting to know the girls and where they live and I think the main plot could have been gotten to quicker.

There are slight romantic themes throughout Wake although they do not overpower the main plot. Love interests Alex (for Gemma) and Daniel (for Harper) were both great characters and again, very different. Daniel is the smouldering older guy who randomly lives on a boat while Alex is the boy next door and also Harper’s friend. I have to say, as nice as geeky Alex was, I much preferred Daniel. He seemed like a slight bad boy with a past and someone who could be a whole lot of hot trouble in the future. Alex was just too nice and predictable for me.

So, the main plot. Wake isn’t actually about mermaid but Sirens. This was something that I absolutely loved and was very thankful for something different. There is actually quite a lot of background information about the Sirens and where they came from/ why they came to begin with. The mythology behind this new and exciting creature was fantastic and I loved learning more about them. However, I did hate to see Gemma tricked into something she wouldn’t have wanted but the end outcome and cliff-hanger was amazing and so exciting.

While I do think Wake could have been better, it was still a really good read and now I’m looking forward to reading the sequel, Lullaby. 

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

About the book

Second Chance Summer is a stand-alone young adult novel by Morgan Matson. The book was published by Simon and Schuster on 7^th June 2012 and it is 480 pages long.

Synopsis (Taken from Goodreads.com)

Taylor Edwards’ family might not be the closest-knit—everyone is a little too busy and overscheduled—but for the most part, they get along just fine. Then Taylor’s dad gets devastating news, and her parents decide that the family will spend one last summer all together at their old lake house in the Pocono Mountains.

Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. And Taylor discovers that the people she thought she had left behind haven’t actually gone anywhere. Her former best friend is still around, as is her first boyfriend…and he’s much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve.

As the summer progresses and the Edwards become more of a family, they’re more aware than ever that they’re battling a ticking clock. Sometimes, though, there is just enough time to get a second chance—with family, with friends, and with love

What I thought

I loved Morgan Matson’s other book, Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour and I couldn’t wait to this one, although I didn’t have it in the summer when it was released. Instead, I got bought it as a Christmas present and read it soon after New Year. Let me start by saving DO NOT BE DECEIVED BY THE COVER! Yes, it looks like a happy, summer book but it is more than that and you won’t be expecting what is inside.

Main character Taylor has a habit of running away whenever things get tough. When he Dad gets some bad news and the family decide to go away for the summer, back to their old summer house in the mountains, she definitely doesn’t want to go. Things happened five years ago at the summer house and with everything going on with her Dad, it’s more than she can handle. I really enjoyed getting to watch Taylor grow and deal with the harder things in her life.

It was really good to see a slightly different family dynamic throughout this book. Taylor isn’t incredibly close to her Mum, younger sister or older brother although she does have a special relationship with her Dad. This family was slightly different because they weren’t perfect and they didn’t get along all of the time, which made them a real family in my eyes. Having her family around though made it possible to get to know them although not quite as well as we get to know Taylor herself.

While at the summer house, Taylor is reminded of what happened there years ago. She has to try to rekindle her friendships with old friends Lucy and first boyfriend Henry. I really liked these two as characters and thought that they made great additions to the book. Lucy is mad at Taylor for whatever it is what happened (this is revealed throughout the book) and refuses to talk to her while Henry is shy, quiet and doesn’t really know how to react to Taylor being back. The tension and awkwardness between the characters was fantastic and really gave this book that something extra. Henry is the love interest of the book although it isn’t the main theme of the story. It was nice to have a little bit of romance without it consuming the whole book.

Second Chance Summer is more about love and loss. Taylor’s Dad is terminally ill and the family’s idea was to spend one last summer away together. It was heart-breaking to see Taylor’s Dad slowly get worse and worse and become less like himself. This aspect of the story is drawn out right through to the very end. I was sat on a train reading this book, tears absolutely streaming down my face and me thinking; ‘I thought this was a happy summer book?!’. It is not! However, Second Chance Summer is sad in the best possible way because it has a story which makes you feel and characters who really make you feel for them.

While this was not the book I was expecting to read, it was wonderfully written, heart-breaking and lovely all at the same time.

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Spirit and Dust by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Speaking to the dead is no new thing for Daisy Goodnight. The living, on the other hand, can occasionally be a problem. Especially when they knock you out, kidnap you, and force you to be their magical police dog. 

Donald Maguire—mob boss, extraordinaire—has a missing daughter and Daisy is his first choice to track her down. But he didn't actually ask her for help. When she woke up in his guest bedroom, she was told. But why her? And who—or what—in the world is the Black Jackal?

Release Date: 14th May 2013
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (US)

Book to Film Review: Interview With The Vampire

About the film

Interview with the Vampire is a fantasy film that was released in 1994 and based on the novel of the same name by Anne Rice. The screenplay for this film was also written by Anne Rice. The film is rated 18 due to bad language, moderate sex/ nudity and strong bloody violence and it has a run time of 122 minutes.

Plot

In San Francisco, Daniel Malloy, a reporter, sits down to interview a man names Louis. Louis claims that he is a vampire and begins to tell Daniel how he became a vampire and how he got to where he is today.

The story then goes back to 1871 where Louis lives in Louisiana, aged 24. Although quite a wealthy plantation owner, he is struggling to cope with the death of his wife and child and he decides that he no longer wants to live. The vampire Lestat sees how sad and pathetic Louis is and offers him the chance to choose between life and death although both options turn out to be death in a way. Even though Louis chooses to become a vampire, he still has his morality and cannot bring himself to feed on humans.

Louis is tormented with what he has become and doesn't know how to live with himself or Lestat as they have completely opposite views on life. He begins to tell Daniel just how hard life as a vampire can be.

What I thought

Brad Pitt plays Louis and after reading the book, I think he was the perfect choice. Even though his performance is quiet and brooding most of the time, you can easily see the pain and torment that Louis experiences and I ended up really feeling for his character because of what he had to deal with.

Tom Cruise was a big surprise as Lestat. Many people, Anne Rice included had doubts about his ability to perform as such an evil and mysterious character but the risk with him definitely paid off. Cruise was charismatic and sleazy but charming, dark and scary at the same time. Interview with the Vampire was a film that showed just how versatile an actor he is.

There are some minor differences from the book and while these things normally really annoy me, I don't think they were don't badly this time. One of the most notable changes is in Claudia, the young vampire played by Kirsten Dunst. In the book, she is about 5 years old but in the film version, she is around 10 to 11. I understand that for a character as complex as Claudia that a child so young could not have played her well at all or understood anything about the character. While every other cast member were fantastic, Dunst clearly outshone them all. She played the part with such maturity and passion that it is hard to believe that she was just 11 at the time. I think that this has been her best film ever and unfortunately, nothing else she has done can compare to this.

Character development is something that Anne Rice took very seriously. Each main character goes through so many changes, whether it be physical, biological or mental. Neither Lestat, Louis or Claudia stay the same throughout (even though their physical appearance does after a while) and some of the changes they experience are life altering for all three of them.

The difference in locations were so perfectly done. Every little detail seems to have been paid attention to and whether in Louisiana or Paris, it really felt like you was there. As the mood changes quite a lot throughout the film, the atmosphere changes too. It is quite easy to distinguish times of happiness from times of pain and suffering and this had a lot to do with where the characters were and how lighting and effects were used. Even though the story is dark and mysterious, it is also visually beautiful. Each scene is extremely atmospheric which adds to the eerie feel that you are supposed to get.

The story itself is exciting and thrilling throughout. The changes of location add to the excitement levels as you never really know what is going to happen or what surprises await. As I hadn't read the book when I saw this film, I didn't see a fair amount of the story before it happened and I loved each shock as it came.

A classic vampire film and highly recommended. 

Easy by Tammara Webber

About the book

Easy is a New Adult novel by Tammara Webber. It was published by Razorbill on 3^rd January and the book is 304 pages long.

Synopsis (Taken from Goodreads.com)

Jacqueline seems to have a knack for making the wrong choices. She followed her boyfriend to his choice of university, disregarding her preference. Then he dumped her. She chose a minor she thought she could combine with her music studies, but she's falling behind. And then, leaving a party alone one night, she is attacked. If it wasn't for the timely intervention of a stranger, she would have been raped. Now she must make a choice - give up and give in, or toughen up and fight on. Only the support of the man who is tutoring her and the allure of the guy who saved her from the attack convince her that it's worth fighting on. Will Jacqueline now have to make a choice between them too? And can she make the right decision? It's not easy . . .

What I thought

Easy was the second of two New Adult novels I read in one day. This, along with The Vincent Boys was the most recommended and I couldn’t wait to get around to reading it.

Easy does not start off nice and slow. The book begins with protagonist Jacqueline leaving a party and nearly being raped by one of her recently ex-boyfriend’s friends. While I was quite shocked at the beginning of this book, I also think it was one of the strongest and most memorable openings I have read in such a long time. The content is a little graphic, and a little uncomfortable to read, but it makes the situation so real and so scary. The opening of Easy also introduces the other main character, Lucas, who saves Jacqueline from a terrible ordeal. I loved that Tammara Webber tackled such an important issue so early on in the book and it doesn’t stop there, the themes of rape and consensual sex run throughout.

I really liked Jacqueline. Although being put in a terrible situation to begin with after already going through a hard time due to the break up, she springs back well. Yes, her attack scares her and she isn’t quite the same person after that but she doesn’t let it ruin her life. This shows just how strong of a person she is which was something I loved about her. She’s also not an idiot. She’s very aware of what is going on around her and with the people she knows. Jacqueline is also such a normal girl. She goes to college, parties with her friends and has gossip sessions. She isn’t full of herself or arrogant but instead, she’s quite a lovely girl.

As much as I liked Jacqueline, I loved Lucas so much more. Knowing what Jacqueline has been through, he is the most sensitive and gentle guy although a bit distant and weird at times. He’s also quite a mystery, especially to Jacqueline. Lucas doesn’t really let on too much about himself and he ends up being the boy sitting at the back of class with his lip ring, tattoos and sketch book. I loved the mystery surrounding Lucas though because it made me want to find out about him so much more. He’s a complex character who is super-hot and super nice at the same time. What’s not to like?

What I really loved about this book though was that it wasn’t just a love story. Yes, there were strong elements of that throughout and some quite steamy scenes to go with it, but Easy has such a strong plot. Tammara Webber writes difficult themes beautifully and most importantly, she makes them real and easy to relate to. Although the rape issues are a strong part of this book, there is also so much more going on. Easy has so much to enjoy within its pages and I couldn’t put it down.

As you can probably tell, I completely loved this book!

Film Review: The Dictator

About the film
The Dictator is a comedy film that was released on 16th May. The film is rated 15 due to strong crude and sexual content, brief male nudity, language and some violent scenes. The film has a run time of 83 minutes. 

Plot
Haffaz Alladeen is the dictator of the oil-rich (fictional) African nation of Wadiya. Alladeen is as egotistical and ruthless as dictators come, executing anyone who disagrees with him by using his signature "head chop" signal. He spends his free time collecting photos of famous American women who he has paid to have sex with him, he wins the country's Olympic games by shooting the other competitors and generally gets what he wants... apart from being Time magazine's "The Most Dangerous Man in the World". 

When Alladeen is summoned by the UN to address their concerns about his nuclear program, everything begins to go wrong. Shortly after arriving, he is kidnapped by Clayton, a hitman hired by his treacherous uncle Tamir. Aladeen is replaced with a mentally-challenged body double, in order to manipulate him into signing a document democratizing Wadiya and opening the country's oil fields for business. Aladeen escapes, but his beard has been shaved off by Clayton, making him practically unrecognizable. He encounters activist Zoey who offers him a job at her alternative lifestyle co-op. Before the body double can sign away Aladeen's country and wealth, he must find a way to make himself known again and get back to his rightful place. 

What I thought
Having never seen one of Sacha Baron Cohen's films or Ali G, I had no idea what I was getting myself in for when I went to see this film. However, my friend swore to me that it was hilarious and she actually came with me for her second viewing of it. She doesn't do that often at all so I decided to trust her on this one. 

The film starts off by showing Admiral General Aladeen, played by Sacha Baron Cohen in his fictional homeland of Wadiya. The film opens by showing Aladeen in the kinds of crazy antics that he gets up to as a dictator and how he makes everything go his own way. The way that this film begins really does set it up for the rest of the time. Although Aladeen is a dictator, it is also shown that he has feelings too and wants normal things that everyone else has that he can't force people into doing for him. Sacha Baron Cohen plays the part amazingly and was extremely believable. While I wanted to hate him at times, I also felt sorry for him as well due to what he goes through in America. At the same time, he plays the part of the body double, who is insanely stupid, well and is a good contrast to Aladeen himself. 

Playing the love interest, Zoey, is Anna Faris who is well-known for her comedy films now. Unfortunately, I don't think that this was one of her best. Here, she plays a feminist living a somewhat alternative lifestyle. With short brown hair, hairy arm pits and terrible dress sense, she just didn't seem like the right person for the role. Her comedic timing wasn't as good as it normally is and I think she overdid things a lot of the time. While this works in her other films, I don't think that this role called for it and it ruined the character somewhat for me. However, she does have good on screen chemistry with Sacha Baron Cohen and I loved seeing the two characters together. As they are so different, it provided a lot of banter and disagreements. 

One of the main things about this film is that the jokes are extremely racist. If you find that you cannot handle this kind of thing or just can't find the topic funny, then this is not a film for you. As bad as it sounds, I did find these parts of the film hilarious and I was laughing so loud for most of the time. Even though the jokes are racist, I think that many of them are done in a way where a lot of people will find them funny rather than taking them as serious racist remarks. Sacha Baron Cohen has a reputation for picking on everyone and this film is no different. 

The Dictator has an amazing soundtrack and this wasn't something I was expecting. Admiral General Aladeen has his own theme song; Dolly Parton's 9-5 is covered as well as REM's Everybody Hurts. While these songs are good and very catchy in another language, there is one song that is by far the best of the whole film. Dr. Dre's The Next Episode is covered as the song which runs through the credits. I went to see this film a couple of weeks ago and I still can't get it out of my head. The soundtrack is as catchy and funny as the whole film and is definitely a fantastic addition to the film. 

This is one of those films that I would happily watch over and over again. Although the plot isn't extremely complicated, there is more to it than in a lot of comedy films. I really enjoyed the whole storyline and think that it was only strengthened by how funny it was as well. For me to say this is a big thing but this is by far the funniest and most entertaining film that I have seen in a long time. I can't recommend this film enough if you are a fan of gross, wrong and disturbing comedy.

Hooked by Liz Fichera

This is the US cover as I hate the UK cover!

About the book

Hooked is the debut novel in the UK by Liz Fichera. It was published by Harlequin Teen on 29^th January and the book is 368 pages long.

Synopsis (Taken from Goodreads.com)

Get hooked on a girl named Fred...

When Native American Fredericka ‘Fred’ Oday is invited to become the only girl on the school’s golf team, she can’t say no. This is an opportunity to shine, win a scholarship and go to university, something no one in her family has done.

But Fred’s presence on the team isn’t exactly welcome — especially not to rich golden boy Ryan Berenger, whose best friend was kicked off the team to make a spot for Fred.

But there’s no denying that things are happening between the girl with the killer swing and the boy with the killer smile...

What I thought

I hadn’t heard much about this book before requesting it on NetGalley although it sounded very different in comparison to what I normally read, basically due to the main character. Fred is Native American which is something you see very little of in Young Adult books. The only other example I can think of is The Twilight Saga. I really like reading about people from different backgrounds, which made Fred a really interesting character for me. I loved learning about her life on the Reservation and the other people there.

However, Fred living on the Reservation and not having the luxuries that other teenagers had, made her seem poorer than she actually was. Before going to high school, I doubt Fred was really bothered about any of these luxuries and they were made out to be more important than maybe they actually were. This setting made the plot somewhat lacking and not exciting. Love stories between the rich and poor have been done many times before and I feel as though Fred’s ethnicity could have been used in a better way.

Even though I didn’t like the fact that wealth was used, I did like how different Fred was in comparison to Ryan, the love interest. Ryan is popular, loud and outgoing while Fred is extremely shy and generally keeps herself to herself. The difference in personalities made it possible for both Fred and Ryan to learn something from each other, to learn how to be different for good reasons. They were both a good influence on each other for very different reasons.

What is really different about this book is that it is about golf. Now, for a young adult novel, I have definitely not seen this done before and although I think golf is probably the most boring sport ever invented; I liked how it was used in the plot. Fred is the first girl ever to make the team at school and the boys are not happy about it. Not only does she get stick because she’s a girl and they don’t think she’s good enough but they also use her ethnicity against her. While Liz Fichera didn’t exactly make golf interesting, she did at least make it a bit more interesting for me which I never thought would happen.

Although some parts of Hooked were interesting and different, some were very samey. I definitely didn’t dislike this book but I didn’t love it either. I think it could have been so much better had the author tried to push some more boundaries.