Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (Book Review)

Book: Anna and the French Kiss

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Published: December 2, 2010

Pages: 372

Obtained: Amazon

Started Reading On: March 6, 2013

Finished Reading On: March 7, 2013



Summary (Brought to you by Goodreads):
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6936382-anna-and-the-french-kiss

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming,beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend. But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss? 

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?

Review:

Cover - I purchased this amazing piece of literature on Amazon for my Kindle, and sadly do not have the physical copy. This is a mixed blessing of sorts. I do LOVE this cover. It represents the story of the book quite nicely, but the third book coming out will have a different cover design. LIKE WHURT?! They did create a cover design to match for the two previous books (will be released on July 16th, I believe), but what about all the people who have already purchased them?!Don't get me wrong, the new cover design is GORGEOUS! But still. Luckily, it's on my Kindle and is not available for all eyes to see. :) Like I said, mixed blessing.

Plot - The plot was so great. Yesh, it was predictable at points, (what love story isn't? C'mon now.) but it was written so beautifully. Not even kidding, guys, I felt like it was written like a Movie Script at points, especially at the end when she ties everything together. BEAUTIFUL. ^.^ It blows my mind how much I would love to go to France, especially after reading this lovely book. It sounds so wonderful. <3

They gradually fall in love with each other. They become friends, then best friends, then lovers. It's so sweet and beautiful. It's the kind of love everyone wants to have. It's realistic, and not BOOM instant love as in most books. Perkins did a fantastic job portraying how their love blossomed. <3

The book flowed fairly well for me, seeing that I finished it in two days. I COULD NOT put this book down. 

There were some Kindle errors, as there tends to be with Kindles. Eh. But the writing was so comfortable and relatable, as were the characters. 

It was a relief to read a book, and not be afraid that one of the main characters would die by some paranormal aspect. It was truly a happy, fun read. c:

Characters - The characters were so great, and I had an appeal to all of them. I'll talk about in detail the three I thought were the most developed.

Anna was so down-to-earth, and fully represented your every day teenage girl. (Excluding the author father and going to a prestigious boarding school in France. Yea, that. But PERSONALITY WISE, yes.) She is flawed, and she does make mistakes. This is what makes her so relatable. She has a major fight with her best girl friend, now tell me how many times that's happen in real life. WAY to freaking many, that's how many. She makes those stupid choices every teenage girls makes at least one point in her adolescence; she crushes on that guy with the girlfriend, dates a complete, gross douche, and feels like she doesn't have a chance with her best friend. It happens to everyone. We're all embarrassed of our younger selves (like for instance, I can't stand the thought of me at age 15.) And knowing that we were all at the one point a stupid, idiotic, teenage girl over a boy is what makes Anna so perfect. She's just herself. 

Etienne is so, god, HOTHOTHOTHOT. Let me take a quick breather. fakdlfjl;dkfjaidfjkfjaigoijadlkfjad;lkfjad;kfjdlkfja;kfjasf Whew. 

ANYWHOO, I actually found him just as relatable for unspoken reasons. Things he is going through in the book is similar to things I've dealt with. This only made me love him MORE. He is a deeply flawed character, and is not the perfect boy he seems to be. This boy has some major Anger problems for all you who read and didn't notice. He's like a firecracker. Light 'em up and watch 'em burn when you piss him off or bump into someone he cares about. But this is also really touching. He's passionate about life and people he loves; he would do anything to protect them.

Rashma is so exotic and beautiful. At first, I didn't particularly like her. I don't know why exactly, but I just didn't. As it turns out she's dealing with quite a lot and everyone seems to overlook her in their group. But once you begin to figure out about this blooming blossom, you'll fall in love with her all the more. 

The other characters were great as well, such as Bridge, Toph, and Etienne's ladylove, Ellie. They added so much to the storyline. But then there were characters we didn't really learn that much about. Meredith likes Etienne, plays soccer, and drinks hot chocolate. But I wish I had gotten to know more about the first friend Anna makes at her new school. And Josh, but I'll learn tons about him in the third book coming out. ;)

And there were some characters (aka da bad guys) that served the purpose to fully annoy me and I'm glad they weren't a huge part. You will know what I mean when you/if you have read it. 

Series - This book is going to be a part of a Three Part Companionship. The second book, Lola and the Boy Next Door, was published on September 29, 2011. The third book, Isla and the Happily Ever After, will be released on September 17, 2013! WOOOO! I cannot wait!

Rating - I would definitely rate this lovely book, 5 stars.

GO GET IT!

I plan on rereading this book in the future, and as of now, it is one of my favorite all time contemporary young adult books.

Here is the BookTube video review I made for this book:

My next review will be on Starfall by W. A. Fulkerson!

Happy Reading!

VF, xoxo

The Name of the Star by Maurine Johnson (Book Review)

Book: The Name of the Star

Author: Maurine Johnson

Published: September 29, 2011

Pages: 372

Obtained: Purchased on Amazon for the Kindle

Started Reading On: March 9, 2013

Finished Reading On: March 13, 2013



Summary (Brought to you by Goodreads):
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9802372-the-name-of-the-star

The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago. 

Soon “Rippermania” takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.

Review:

Cover - I loved the cover of the book! It looks so mysterious and was the definitely the aspect that first drew me to the book. The synopsis and the cover definitely walk hand-in-hand. This is definitely a beautiful cover!

Characters - Rory Deveaux is a strong female character who sought to take care of herself, and my favorite character to read about. When faced with the danger of the Ripper, she faced him head on. She handled nicely the large news that was dealt to her. She also talks a lot, especially when she's nervous. This was funny at first, but it grew tiring. She had the opportunity of pizzazz but lacked the fulfillment thereof.

Jazza is so sweet and I loved her spicy, open to adventure side. Her sarcasm towards Charlotte kept me laughing!

Boo had great character development. We first see her as a crazy slacker, but then we figure out what's really going on with Boo. 

Other than those three ladies, I had problems with the characters. They didn't exactly appeal to me. I feel like I wasn't served what I ordered. The character development was not as strong as I had wished it was. There were a few characters I would have loved to learn more about, such as Jerome. Sure Jerome knows his fair share about the Ripper, but what else? This is the same with her "police" friends, Stephen and Callum. We know some back story, but not much else. That is SO frustrating. 

Plot - UGH. The Plot was SO FREAKING SLOW. Especially at the beginning. Let's read about eating, school, news, eating, school, eating. *yawn* And then when it FINALLY did speed up, it sped up way too fast. The End just flew by. I was like, "what?". And that ending. Really? Nothing else could have happened. But I do understand why, I mean that's what will continue the books, but it just wasn't what I was hoping for.

Not to mention, I expected this to be a thrilling, scary novel. No. Just no. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad, but it also did not have any real horror aspects to it. *disappointed* That's what had attracted me to the novel. 

I was also hoping to read more about the setting of London, but she only ever remained at the school. Hopefully in the next book, Ms. Johnson will include more descriptive detail about this beautiful city.

All in all, this wasn't the best story I've ever read, and more than likely it will not be a reread for me. 

Series - This book is going to be a part of a series. The next book is The Madness Underneath and it was published on February 26, 2013.

Rating - I would rate this book 3 stars.

My next review will be on Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins!

Happy Reading!

VF, xoxo

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (Book Review)

Book: Beautiful Creatures

Author(s): Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Published: December 1, 2009

Pages: 563

Obtained: Purchased from Wal-Mart

Started Reading on: February 15, 2013

Finished Reading on: March 1, 2013

Summary (brought to you by Goodreads):  

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6304335-beautiful-creatures

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything

Review:

Cover - First of all, I loved this book. Both authors did a fabulous job of bringing their ideas together to create a fantastic storyline. It was hard not to be pulled in to Lena and Ethan's love and their tragic situation. Sadly, the book I purchased had the Movie Cover. This was greatly to my dismay as I really love the original cover.

Characters - The main characters were nicely developed. I loved the three sisters, Macon, Amma, Link, Ethan, and Lena. And let's not forget about Boo Radley! I did have some conflicting thoughts with a certain character towards the end, but I'm not one to give things away.

Plot - The plot was, in all honesty, slow for me. It felt like it took FOREVER to read this book since normally I can read one in a few days. I also understand that the book To Kill A Mocking Bird was a big theme in the story, especially in the beginning, but in one aspect it seemed unrealistic to me. What are the chances that both Macon and Ethan would compare Macon status in Gatlin to To Kill A Mocking Bird, especially to name their dog after the character Macon supposedly represents. Maybe it's just me. 

But there were parts of the plot that were FANTASTIC! I loved how everything links up, and you better understand both of their families as you continue to read. I also love that the story is told from Ethan's perspective. It was quite a relief to take a break from the regular female POV. Though at times he bothered me, I still found him likable.

The writing was beautifully done, descriptive, joyful to read. I loved the southern aspects, and coming from the south, this made the book that much more enjoyable. 

Series - If it is unknown to you, this book is the first book in a saga. The three preceding books are already published and released. 

Rating - Overall, I would rate this book: 4 stars

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read it!

My next review will be on: The Name of the Star by Maurine Johnson

Happy reading!

VF, xoxo

Introduction

I've created this Blogger to pair with my website, allowing my reviews to be more accessible and organized. This way, at any point of time in the future, if you wish you view a certain review, this will be the way to go. Seeing that since I created my website (http://www.vivaciousfiction.com) and since I created this Blogger, 

I have not done a physical review on BookTube. 

I will link the reviews I have done in the past (since I began my BookTube in January) below.

The next physical review I will be doing will be post on March 19, 2013 on Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. Stay Tuned!

17 February, 2013

10 January, 2013

Sometime this month, I will also be posting a review of

The Name of the Star by Maurine Johnson! 

Considering it's my Spring Break week, there will possibly be more than that!

Be sure to subscribe to my blog, and I hope all of you lovely people have a fantastic day!