50/50 Friday - Underrated/Overrated Book

This is a meme hosted at The Butterfly Reader

This week's topic is an underrated and an overrated book

An underrated book

 

I've only read the first two as of yet, but I own the third. I can't bring myself to read it quite yet, though....I don't want Isobel and Varen's story to end! I hope Kelly Creagh writes many more books. I wish this series was more popular...it's one of my favourites!

An overrated book

   

I like the idea of The Hunger Games trilogy, I enjoyed the film and novel. I just didn't find the book good enough to persuade me to read the next one, and I'm not rushing to watch the film series, either (I haven't even watched Catching Fire yet!). I can see why others would find this trilogy amazing, but I honestly wish that the hype from this might have been shared with Nevermore, my pick for underrated book!

What do you think of these books? Are you a fan of Nevermore or The Hunger Games?

This meme was really fun! I hope to continue to participate in the future :)  

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

 

 Series: Pretty Little Liars
Author: Sara Shepard
Page Count: 286
Published: October 1st, 2006
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
  3 Stars ★★★ 

Aria, Emily, Spencer, and Hanna are four girls with one thing in common - they were all friends with Alison DiLaurentis, who went missing. Now, several years later, in their junior year of high school, Aria returns from Iceland where her father moved their family right after Alison's disappearance. The girls have drifted apart, Hanna shoplifts, Spencer is an over-achiever and Emily is struggling with her relationship.  

They begin to receive texts from someone who calls themself 'A'. And this 'A' knows about some of their most personal secrets, secrets that only Alison knew. But she can't be back, can she?

The thing that I liked the most about this book is the way that the chapters tell the stories of each of the four girls separately, yet describes the ways that they are still tied together. While in third person, the narration of some of their thoughts gave a great insight into how they were dealing with their various issues and where the story would go next.

However, I can't help but to think that this book seems almost unfinished. I understand that it's a series, but there wasn't a whole lot of action really going on throughout the book. There were smaller things, with personal tensions and a few more major incidents, but nothing too exciting or mysterious. Even the description of 'A's texts were disappointing. I was hoping for more thrills and more close calls, but this book didn't really deliver on that expectation.

It actually seemed almost like an extended beginning of a book, like a really long introduction. I can say, though, that the big reveal and 'A's message at the end definitely sets up some interesting ideas for the next book. For a short read, this was enjoyable, however I feel like it went too slowly and was too short. 

Fans of contemporary YA novels will like this. If you're interested in YA mysteries this could be a good read for you.

Find Pretty Little Liars on Goodreads

Books to Movies

The other day, I finally watched the trailer for the Fallen film. I am super excited for the movie, however, I think that the trailer seems a bit disappointing. I'm unsure if I will like the movie as much as I liked the book, and I don't know if I like the actors they cast for each role. I'm a bit frustrated, to be honest, because I waited for the Fallen movie to finally be produced for a long time! It was one of my favourite books, and I was ecstatic to find out it was becoming a movie, but it was such a long wait.




Other books I've read that have become movies include Twilight, City of Bones and The Hunger Games. I kept hearing that they were going to make Shiver and Hush, Hush into movies, but nothing ever came of it. Then there was my excitement at hearing that Skulduggery Pleasant was going to be brought to the big screen, but then my hopes were later shattered as it turns out they decided not to go through with it. Sigh. 

When I found out that Vampire Academy was being filmed, I hurried to read the book before I saw the movie. I didn't mind the movie, though I felt it had a completely different feel than the book. I've never really been disappointed by a book to movie adaption, however the Beautiful Creatures film didn't exactly live up to my expectations, although I enjoyed it.

Alright, so all of my excited rambling aside, I want to know: what is the best book to movie adaptation that you've seen? What about the worst? Are you excited for the Fallen movie?

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

 

Series: The Lunar Chronicles
Author: Marissa Meyer
Page Count: 400
Published: January 3rd, 2012
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
  5 Stars ★★★★★ 

In this retelling of the Cinderella story, Cinder is a cyborg mechanic living in New Beijing. Adopted by a man who died years ago, she is left with her hateful stepmother and two stepsisters. Being a cyborg comes with many tensions and inconveniences, including prejudice from fellow citizens and the cyborg draft, an initiative to help the scientists of New Beijing find a cure for the plague that has devastated the world.

Things change when Prince Kai approaches her, asking Cinder to fix his android. What starts as a business encounter turns into something more as Cinder faces new struggles and learns of hidden truths that could change everything. 

I was intrigued by this book's high ratings and seemingly endless praise. I finally decided to pick it up, and I can conclude that it is one of the most original, enjoyable and riveting books that I have ever read. I was skeptical at first, as stories of cyborgs and androids generally aren't included within my usual reads, but I must say that I agree with all the five-star ratings and raving reviews. 

The world-building in this book blew me away. I was completely and utterly engrossed in the world of New Beijing, and all of the social norms, prejudices and political issues that revolved around it. I feel that in a way, it mirrors our world: people are quick to judge those who are different (like many judged the cyborgs), people become desperate in hard times (for example, times of illness), and of course, there was the tricky and intriguing world of politics. All of these issues were portrayed in a way that made them seem incredibly realistic despite being dystopian and within the realm of science fiction, and this added a whole new dimension to the reading experience that I feel many books, unfortunately, lack. 

This was a refreshing retelling of Cinderella. The use of cyborgs and "hovers" and extraterrestrial beings made for an original tale and a nice break from the more fantasy-oriented retellings of fairy tales. Cinder herself was a perfect combination of the traditional view of Cinderella - mistreated, hopeful and pleasant - and an original personality. I hope that readers get to see more of her in the next book!

All of the other characters, including the stepmother, stepsisters (one friendly and one not-so-friendly) and the prince fulfilled their roles from the original fairy tale, however the author also went above and beyond to make them unique and much more than just overused, stock cliches. The combinations of the characters, unique twists and the world itself brought the book to life as I read it and I never wanted to put it down!

While there were some twists that I could definitely see coming, this didn't take away from the reading experience at all. Any disappointment that came from being able to guess some of the big reveals was erased by the author's writing style. I read it for hours on end without needing to take a break, and the time seemed to fly. I was sad when I flipped to the last page, because I don't have the next book yet! 

I recommend this to fans of YA and science fiction. Even if you're not a big fan of science fiction, give this book a try! You won't regret it. 

Find Cinder on Goodreads

Waiting on Wednesday: Skulduggery Pleasant, Book 10

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted at Breaking the Spine. This feature is for readers to discuss upcoming releases that they're excited for!

This is my first time doing this feature! There's a lot of books that I am excited over, however one stands out in my mind over all the others...

That book is the tenth book in the Skulduggery Pleasant series! It's currently not titled, and there is no actual synopsis on Goodreads as of today, but here's what's written:

"That’s right, Minions, Skulduggery and Valkyrie are back in a brand new adventure that takes the story to truly global proportions… while answering questions that go right back to the beginning.

‘I told myself that if Skulduggery and Valkyrie survived the series, I would leave the option open of returning to their world. There were still secrets I need to reveal, after all, and there were still horrors they had to face. They survived the first series. But they’re really going to wish they hadn’t.’ – Derek Landy"

Ahhhhhhhhh! I'm so excited! I recently finished book nine of the series, The Dying of the Light, and it was amazing! I can't wait to see where Derek Landy goes with the next book. I hope that he will write many more novels in this series in the future.  

 

Are you a fan of the Skulduggery Pleasant series? What books are you excited to read?