Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans (REVIEW)

Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 (Michael Vey #1) by Richard Paul Evans

Genre: YA Science Fiction - Publisher: Mercury Ink - Publication date: August 9, 2011 - Pages: 326 - Source: Simon Pulse It

My name is Michael Vey, and the story I’m about to tell you is strange. Very strange. It’s my story.
To everyone at Meridian High School, Michael Vey is an ordinary fourteen-year-old. In fact, the only thing that seems to set him apart is the fact that he has Tourette’s syndrome. But Michael is anything but ordinary. Michael has special powers. Electric powers.

Michael thinks he's unique until he discovers that a cheerleader named Taylor also has special powers. With the help of Michael’s friend, Ostin, the three of them set out to discover how Michael and Taylor ended up this way, but their investigation brings them to the attention of a powerful group who wants to control the electric children – and through them the world. Michael will have to rely on his wits, powers, and friends if he’s to survive. (Goodreads.com)

I think that the best part of this book is that it is suitable for all ages. This book is clean, fast-paced, and an all around fun read! I was hooked from the beginning!

This book is original. I;m just putting that out there. I read a lot of YA and electric kids - who call themselves the Electroclan - do not pop up very often. The first time that Michael demonstrated his powers I was absolutely amazed, and then here comes Taylor, who also has these awesomely mind-blowing powers.

One thing that was incredibly impressive to me was the research that must have gone into this. I mean, I'm no expert on electricity, so if some of the facts were wrong I would have no idea, but there was obviously a lot of work put into figuring out electric waves and whatnot. And the best part is, the author puts it into terms that are not very confusing. There is nothing I hate more than a confusing plot!

Michael has a fun voice and a great personality that I really enjoyed reading, however, I felt sort of disconnected from him towards the end. In the beginning his emotions came through loud and clear but in the end they were a little fuzzy. The crush that Michael had on Taylor was definitely amusing, and didn't subtract from the plot at all, which is obviously essential if there is going to be a romantic aspect.

The bad guys were intriguing and I actually loved reading their dialogue and speeches in my mind and seeing what they had in store next. I loved the variety of powers that the different electric kids had. The unique ways that electricity was used to make powers added a really cool twist to everything.

In my opinion, all of the characters were great. The ending was marvelous. It was happy, but not resolved. The plot for the next book was set up, but the characters got a little breathing time.

This book, while it had violence in it, was a light read that provided a good distraction from the paranormal.It's definitely a book that'll leave you wanting more and waiting for the next installment.

• The premise. Original, clever, and fun! I've never read anything like it before.
• The protagonist. I love male main characters. That's something I've been saying for a while, and something I'll continue to say for a while. And I don't just say it because guys are guys and I like guys. I say it because guys have a totally different perspective of things than girls. Michael has some totally awesome qualities about him that make him incredibly loveable. First of all, he's strong-willed even if it doesn't appear that way. Second of all, boy loves his mama! He's courageous and funny. I love that he has Tourettes, too, because it just adds more depth to his character, and he doesn't let it get in his way.
• The action. Like I said before, there is violence in this book. There are guns and grenades and mind crippling, but none of it is gory. I think that's important because I really don't want my stomach to turn when I'm reading a book like this.
• The solutions. A group of kids with powerful electric inside of them and a genius. Odds are that if they put their brains together than they could figure out a problem to any solution. And they did. It didn't always come easy and it didn't always come quick, but instead of panicking and completely shutting down, the group managed to come up with clever ways to get themselves out of certain ruts.

If you liked...

The Maximum Ride series by James Patterson

Then you'll certainly LOVE LOVE LOVE Micheal Vey!

Amazon - Kindle  - B&N - Nook - Indiebound

Announcements

Hello everyone! It has been a busy week for me so I haven't been able to post everything, so I'm doing a quick post with a few announcements.

First, I'm going to tell you that me and Bree from The Magic Attic are hosting an October blog hop called Once Upon A Blog Hop

(Thanks for the beautiful button, Bree)

Once a week during the month of October we will feature a different genre.

Week one: Fantasy (Paranormal/Supernatural included)
Week two: Steampunk
Week three: Contemporary (Romance, Edgy, etc)
Week four: Dystopia (Post apocalypse included)

There will be giveaways and we will be asking you questions about the genre and it will all be a bunch of fun, so make sure that you stay tuned for that!

Also, I am going to be taking part of some book tours, so here are the dates:

October 10: Flames of Surrender by Rhiannon Paille (I think I spelled that right!)

October 21: Blood's Voice by Aine Massie

October 23: Savor by Megan Duncan

November 5: Blood Bound by Aine Massie

So make sure you come back on those dates!

*If I forgot you, email me at gabbicalabrese@hotmail.com and let me know!

Something else I wanted to announce is that EVERYONE should head over to Ivy Reads because she is hosting a program that is absolutely fantastic, in my opinion. It is a big sib/little sib program where you fill out an application and you get a blog sibling! If you are a veteran blogger you get to be a big sib, and if you are a novice blogger like me you get to be a little sib! I thought it was a great idea and it definitely deserves some recognition.

Also, don't forget to head over to my new writing blog, WriTEEN Adventures, and if you are a teen that likes to write, fill out the application in the sidebar to become a part of the Team!

And don't miss your chance to WIN A COPY OF VAMPIRE ACADEMY BY RICHELLE MEAD!

In My Mailbox (3)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren!

HEY ERRYONE! Welcome to my third IMM. I didn't get many books this week, but the ones I did get are all really exciting.

FOR REVIEW:

First Kill (The Slayer Chronicles #1) by Heather Brewer (ARC)

My review!

I was so excited when I opened this and found it! I loved the Vlad Tod series, and when I saw that she was making a spin-off for Joss I was like :O Needless to say receiving an ARC for it was, like, magical. Especially because this was my FIRST PHYSICAL ARC EVER! I really wanted to do a giveaway of this, but I mean, how could I give away my first ARC?

Anyway, this book comes out September 20, 2011. It is suppppperrr good, so I for sure recommend it. I'm already making my friends read it! Now, I don't know if I won this in a giveaway, because if I did I didn't receive any emails letting me know, and I don't remember entering one. But the package said it was from Penguin, and I don't remember giving them my address, but whatever! I have it! If I won this from you, just leave me a comment and I'll link you.

EBOOKS:



Andraste by Marissa Mills.

Paradox by Patti Roberts. Uh, this is actually a funny story. I requested a review eCopy of this book from the author (which I received) and then I won a copy from In Times Like These... so if I figure out how, I'll probably be doing a giveaway for that!

Fairy Metal Thunder by JL Bryan. This book has an awesome title...just sayin! I actually heard about this book on Twitter from The Bookish Brunette, who is a big supporter of JL Bryan and has an awesome blog. I'm excited to read it! If you want a review copy tweet @jlbryan

That's what I got in my mailbox this week. What about you? Leave a link so I can check it out!

Top 100 YA books

I found this list at The Book Cellar. I have no idea where it came from, but lists are fun!

Bold = I've read it.

Italics = On my TBR list.

1. Alex Finn – Beastly2. Alice Sebold – The Lovely Bones
3. Ally Carter – Gallagher Girls (1, 2, 3, 4)
4. Ally Condie – Matched
5. Alyson Noel – The Immortals (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) I've only the first 3, but still.

6. Anastasia Hopcus – Shadow Hills
7. Angie Sage – Septimus Heap (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
8. Ann Brashares – The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (1, 2, 3, 4)
9. Anna Godbersen – Luxe (1, 2, 3, 4)
10. Anthony Horowitz – Alex Rider (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
11. Aprilynne Pike – Wings (1, 2, 3)
12. Becca Fitzpatrick – Hush, Hush (1, 2)
13. Brandon Mull – Fablehaven (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
14. Brian Selznick – The Invention of Hugo Cabret
15. Cassandra Clare – The Mortal Instruments (1, 2, 3, 4)

16. Carrie Jones – Need (1, 2, 3) I've only read the first 2.
17. Carrie Ryan – The Forest of Hands and Teeth (1, 2, 3)18. Christopher Paolini - Inheritance (1, 2, 3, 4)
19. Cinda Williams Chima – The Heir Chronicles (1, 2, 3)
20. Colleen Houck – Tigers Saga (1, 2)
21. Cornelia Funke – Inkheart (1, 2, 3)22. Ellen Hopkins – Impulse
23. Eoin Colfer – Artemis Fowl (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
24. Faraaz Kazi – Truly, Madly, Deeply
25. Frank Beddor – The Looking Glass Wars (1, 2, 3)
26. Gabrielle Zevin – Elsewhere
27. Gail Carson Levine – Fairest
28. Holly Black – Tithe (1, 2, 3)
29. J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) Only read the first 2.
30. James Dashner – The Maze Runner (1, 2)
31. James Patterson – Maximum Ride (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) I've only read the first, like, four. 32. Jay Asher – Thirteen Reasons Why33. Jeanne DuPrau – Books of Ember (1, 2, 3, 4)
34. Jeff Kinney – Diary of a Wimpy Kid (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
35. John Boyne – The Boy in the Striped Pajamas36. John Green – An Abundance of Katherines
37. John Green – Looking for Alaska
38. John Green – Paper Towns
39. Jonathan Stroud – Bartimaeus (1, 2, 3, 4)
40. Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl – Caster Chronicles (1, 2)41. Kelley Armstrong – Darkest Powers (1, 2, 3)

42. Kristin Cashore – The Seven Kingdoms (1, 2)
43. Lauren Kate – Fallen (1, 2, 3) Only read the first 244. Lemony Snicket - Series of Unfortunate Events (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13) I know I haven't read all of these, but I have no idea how many of them I have read.

45. Libba Bray – Gemma Doyle (1, 2, 3)
46. Lisa McMann – Dream Catcher (1, 2, 3)
47. Louise Rennison – Confessions of Georgia Nicolson (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)

48. M.T. Anderson – Feed
49. Maggie Stiefvater – The Wolves of Mercy Falls (1, 2, 3) I've only read book 1.
50. Margaret Peterson Haddix – Shadow Children (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

51. Maria V. Snyder – Study (1, 2, 3)

52. Markus Zusak - The Book Thief
53. Markus Zusak – I am the Messenger
54. Mark Haddon – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
55. Mary Ting – Crossroads
56. Maureen Johnson – Little Blue Envelope (1, 2)
57. Meg Cabot – All-American Girl (1, 2)
58. Meg Cabot – The Mediator (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
59. Meg Cabot – The Princess Diaries (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)

60. Meg Rosoff – How I live now
61. Megan McCafferty – Jessica Darling (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
62. Megan Whalen Turner – The Queen’s Thief (1, 2, 3, 4)
63. Melina Marchetta – On the Jellicoe Road
64. Melissa de la Cruz – Blue Bloods (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)65. Melissa Marr – Wicked Lovely (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) Only read the first 2.

66. Michael Grant – Gone (1, 2, 3, 4)

67. Nancy Farmer – The House of the Scorpion
68. Neal Shusterman – Unwind69. Neil Gaiman – Coraline
70. Neil Gaiman – Stardust
71. Neil Gaiman – The Graveyard Book
72. P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast – House of Night (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 )73. Philip Pullman – His Dark Materials (1, 2, 3)
74. Rachel Caine – The Morganville Vampires (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)

75. Rachel Cohn & David Levithan – Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist
76. Richelle Mead – Vampire Academy (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) BEST SERIES EVER!

77. Rick Riordan – Percy Jackson and the Olympians (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
78. Rom LcO’Feer – Somewhere carnal over 40 winks
79. S.L. Naeole – Grace (1, 2, 3, 4)
80. Sabrina Bryan & Julia DeVillers – Princess of Gossip
81. Sarah Dessen – Along for the Ride82. Sarah Dessen – Lock and Key83. Sarah Dessen – The Truth about Forever
84. Sara Shepard – Pretty Little Liars (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)

85. Scott Westerfeld - Leviathan (1, 2)86. Scott Westerfeld - Uglies (1, 2, 3)87. Shannon Hale – Books of a Thousand Days
88. Shannon Hale – Princess Academy
89. Shannon Hale – The Books of Bayern (1, 2, 3, 4)
90. Sherman Alexie & Ellen Forney – The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
91. Simone Elkeles – Perfect Chemistry (1, 2, 3)
92. Stephanie Meyer – The Host
93. Stephanie Meyer – Twilight Saga (1, 2, 3, 4)
94. Sue Monk Kidd – The Secret Life of Bees
95. Susan Beth Pfeffer – Last Survivors (1, 2, 3)
96. Suzanne Collins – Hunger Games (1, 2, 3)
97. Suzanne Collins – Underland Chronicles (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)98. Terry Pratchett – Tiffany Aching (1, 2, 3, 4)
99. Tonya Hurley – Ghost Girl (1, 2, 3)

100. Wendelin Van Draanen – Flipped

Wow! I haven't read very many of these! I need to get to it :D

Tell me what you think? Did you agree with these books, disagree? Did you think something needed to be added?

First Kill by Heather Brewer (ARC REVIEW)

First Kill (The Slayer Chronicles #1) by Heather Brewer

Genre: YA Paranormal - Publisher: Dutton Juvenile - Publication date: September 20, 2011 - Pages: 309 - Source: Publisher

You've heard Vlad's side of the story . . . now, it’s Joss’s turn.

With over a million copies already in print, The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod is still sinking its fangs into new readers every day. Now, bestselling author Heather Brewer brings us the other side of the story, from the perspective of Vlad’s former friend turned mortal enemy: vampire slayer Joss Macmillan. In five books that can be read alongside Vlad Tod or entirely on their own, Joss discovers his powers as the youngest, strongest slayer in history. And just in time, too: with all the vampires running rampant, he’s going to need all the help he can get. This action-packed series will quench the thirst of even the hungriest veteran minions. (Goodreads.com)

Let me start by saying that this cover is absolutely perfect for this book. It's simple but you can definitely detect a ton of teenage angst in it!

Now, this book blew me away. It's been a while since I read the Vlad Tod series, so I forgot A LOT of details. I was totally wary about starting this book, but my concerns were totally unnecessary. This book takes place before the Vlad Tod series, therefore you don't need to have read it before reading this book. FIRST KILL definitely provides a grade-A example of a fabulous spin-off debut.

I didn't really get into this book until about the third chapter when Joss discovers that he is going to see his uncle for Slayer training. After that, I clung to each page for dear life. That was when things began to tumble downhill for Joss, and that was when everything changed for him.

Personally, I think Heather Brewer's writing is a lot better in this book, which makes sense because now she has a whole series under her belt. Her writing is difficult for me to explain. It's very formal and precise, yet it captures Joss's voice perfectly! The pacing and the tragedies were absolutely magnificent. There was not a single section of this book that I just thought, "Okay, can we get to the exciting part yet?" Every part of this book holds an air of mystery and tension, even when the tension had supposedly vanished.

The plot was great. I felt like it progressed naturally everything just flowed!

Every single character was extraordinarily written. They each had a tortured past, a good back story, and a specific belief about their lifestyles. I like the different skills and hobbies that they all have, like exploding things or cooking and taking care of others.

This book had a way of making me feel. When Joss would describe his pain, I felt my stomach tighten. Sometimes I forgot that Joss is only thirteen, because he's so intelligent and mature for his age, having experienced too much in such a short time. The weird thing for me was that this book had absolutely zero romance in it, yet I didn't want there to be. I just knew it wouldn't fit. That has never happened before for me. Ever.

The ending sets up the plot for the next book in the series, but other than that it is a perfect stand-alone book. It didn't have that first-novel-feel that a lot of books that are first in a series have. There was no lack of violence or tragedies or action. All in all, I loved it and I cannot wait for the sequel...which is bad because this one hasn't even come out yet! I surely did not expect to love it so much, but I'm so glad I received it in the mail!

• The Protagonist. Reading about Joss was so weird for me at first, because he was sort of the bad guy in the Vlad Tod series, but it was really easy to sympathize with him and love him! He had clear motivations and goals, and he didn't do anything that made me think, "Is he stupid? Why would he do that?" He's smart and determined and plagued by guilt. He's SUPER easy to relate to, too. He just wants to be noticed and to be seen as more than a child, he just wants to prove himself.
• The constant twists. I wouldn't say that the twists are dramatic and made me gasp, but this book definitely kept me on my toes. When you think that something is going to happen...quite the opposite occurs.
• The prologue. A lot of prologues are revealing and unnecessary, but this one is totally awesome! It begins with Abraham, Joss's uncle, and as the story went on, my mind kept wandering back to the prologue with the same question in my head: Why? It was one of those things that I NEEDED to keep reading in order to find the answer. And I did!
• The world. I loved learning more about the Slayers and their rules and limitations. Their initiation process. It was all fascinating.

If you liked...

The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod by Heather Brewer

The Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead

Then you'll absolutely adore FIRST KILL.

Amazon - Kindle - B&N - Nook - Indiebound

Cover Gush!

So, many of you have probably seen this, and I am just going about my day like, LALALALALALA, totally out of the loop.

But today, I saw for the first time the cover of INSURGENT by Veronica Roth.

It is SOOOO beautiful! I wasn't that big of a fan of DIVERGENT's cover, but this.....

I LOVE IT!

What do you guys think? Better than the first one? Worse? I want to hear your opinion...because I think it is gorgeous!

.....I used a lot of exclamation points in this post.



Distance - An entry to Cassandra Clare's Crafty contest.

Hello everyone! A lot of you have probably heard that the marvelous Cassandra Clare is hosting a contest to see who will win her ARC copy of Clockwork Prince. I'm so siked for this book, and even if I don't win, I knew that I had to enter! This.is is a song that I wrote and it is my interpretations of Tessa's feelings for Will towards the end of Clockwork Angel. Originally, I was going to make a ideo of me SINGING the song, but no...my camera broke.

Don't laugh. It sounds a lot better when it is being sung.

DISTANCE

I don't get you,

Why you do the thingd you do.

But I want to,

And I'm not sure you want me to.

There's a distance between us,

And it's growing everyday.

Close the distance between us,

before I go insane.

Everytime I feel like I'm getting closer

To finding out who you are,

You turn it around and tear me apart.

Why do I feel like I'm the problem?

Did I do something wrong?

Is this distance all my fault?

I know it was there,

I saw it in your eyes.

I know that you care,

but I don't know why you're trying to hide.

I use to believe that nothing bothers you.

Now I'm starting to see that isn't true.

There's a distance between us,

And it's growing everyday.

Close the distance between us,

before I go insane.

Everytime I feel like I'm getting closer

To finding out who you are,

You turn it around and tear me apart.

Why do I feel like I'm the problem?

Did I do something wrong?

Is this distance all my fault?

Why, is my heart beating,

Is my mind screaming,

Is my body singing for you?

I, may not understand this,

May be wrong about this,

but I'm sure you feel it too.

There's a distance between us...

There's a distance, between us,

And it's growing everyday.

Close the distance between us,

before I go insane.

Everytime I feel like I'm getting closer

To finding out who you are,

You turn it around and tear me apart.

Why do I feel like I'm the problem?

Did I do something wrong?

Is this distance all my fault?

Oh this distance.

This distance.
I want this,

Distance,

Gone.