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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
This book.
It is awful. I couldn't even finish.
The plot:
It was very boring. I can't say much, but it was giving me mixed signals.
The Characters.
They were so bad. It felt like they came straight from a template.
Most of the Characters where racist, sexist, classiest (is that a word?), and were not at all respectful to adults.
This book is by far one of the worst books I have read in the past few years.
*SPOILER*
At the start of the book, a man commits suicide and the main character fails to save him. The next chapter, the character barely feels sad about it. They mention it is passing and then go and make fun of the man and the situation with their friends.
It is awful. I couldn't even finish.
The plot:
It was very boring. I can't say much, but it was giving me mixed signals.
The Characters.
They were so bad. It felt like they came straight from a template.
Most of the Characters where racist, sexist, classiest (is that a word?), and were not at all respectful to adults.
This book is by far one of the worst books I have read in the past few years.
*SPOILER*
At the start of the book, a man commits suicide and the main character fails to save him. The next chapter, the character barely feels sad about it. They mention it is passing and then go and make fun of the man and the situation with their friends.
A little slow to start but endlessly absorbing once you get into it! Shy thought it would be an easy summer working on a cruise ship, anything to get his mind of his grandmother who recently passed away from Romero's disease, but things are about to get a lot more complicated. Things are all fun and games on the ship, until they're not. When a huge earthquake takes out the west coast, massive tsunamis are headed towards the cruise liner and Shy is in for the ride of his life. He's worried about his safety, his crush Carmen, and of course the safety of his crew mates and the passengers, it's going to take everything in him to survive. It's an emotional roller coaster and an excellent survival story. There are also political and ethical quandaries for teens to ponder. An excellent read, I can't wait for the next in the series. For fans of Ashfall and other natural disaster survival books!
I went in to The Living not knowing to much about it, but once I started reading, I couldn't stop! This book was one of those books that surprised me, and I came to found out, that it was a great surprise. One thing that was very interesting in this book was how Matthew mixed many genres into the mix. I thought that was extremely well done and I was definitely surprised with all the mystery and the many turns and twists!
NOTE: I was given a review copy by the publisher.
NOTE: I was given a review copy by the publisher.
Good story! Scary story since it could be real one day. Just hate that there's a sequel!
Oh my god! What the hell did Matt de la Pena ever do to you, Brilliance Audio? The reader on this audiobook not only can't remotely pull off de la Pena's contemporary language (we knew we were in trouble when he made "score some new kicks" sound like a distasteful drug reference), but the accent he shifts into for the Australian underwear model Kevin is so ludicrous that my sons have adopted it for all of their doomed characters when they play Forbidden Desert. I want Kevin to die soon, and not for the right reasons.
I can't even tell if the story's any good. Matt, call your agent.
I can't even tell if the story's any good. Matt, call your agent.
We are going to include this book on our list of choices for rising 9th grade students...lots of adventure and excitement with some social conscience built into the characters. I can't wait for the sequel!
I enjoyed it overall, but unfortunately it checks a lot of YA cliche boxes that made me roll my eyes throughout. Those include: 1) a love triangle (seriously, why the hell does every teen book need two love interests?), 2) an unfulfilling ending because the author was more interested in setting up a sequel than writing a complete book, and 3) an obvious, trendy disaster (you don't officially find out until later in the book what's going on, but lots of people are infected with "Romero" disease. If you read that name and you still don't know what to expect, I won't ruin it for you).
The characters were also incredibly dumb, especially near the end of the book. The main character would have everything spelled out for him, then have some kind of internal dialogue like, "I just can't figure out what this all means!"
Anyway, for as much as I'm complaining, it really wasn't a bad book. It's solid YA, and an easy one for me to recommend to reluctant readers, especially boys. Fun, easy reading, cool concept, and even some social commentary that isn't tooooo heavy handed, at least for YA.
The characters were also incredibly dumb, especially near the end of the book. The main character would have everything spelled out for him, then have some kind of internal dialogue like, "I just can't figure out what this all means!"
Anyway, for as much as I'm complaining, it really wasn't a bad book. It's solid YA, and an easy one for me to recommend to reluctant readers, especially boys. Fun, easy reading, cool concept, and even some social commentary that isn't tooooo heavy handed, at least for YA.
It is difficult to review this book without giving any spoilers! It is a thrilling, action-packed text that is sure to keep readers on their toes. I loved how it kept me guessing, and I found it to be utterly unpredictable. By the end, I was surprised when I realized there would be a sequel! I fell in love with Shy's honest voice, and he reminded me of many teens I know. Matt de la Peña proves, once again, that he can write books that are incredibly different from each other. His character development truly shines in this title.
This would make a great literature circle text. I loved all of the directions that the plot took, and it would be interesting to have students map the plot in a diagram. This book proves that all books don't fit a perfect mold, and I think students could have a lot of fun trying to capture the different turns the plot took. I would also use this text to have students make predictions.
This would make a great literature circle text. I loved all of the directions that the plot took, and it would be interesting to have students map the plot in a diagram. This book proves that all books don't fit a perfect mold, and I think students could have a lot of fun trying to capture the different turns the plot took. I would also use this text to have students make predictions.