After the pretty positive response I received last month , I decided to make mini-reviews a monthly thing! Also, because I am weird and en...

Interdimensional Travels: Log One

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After the pretty positive response I received last month, I decided to make mini-reviews a monthly thing! Also, because I am weird and enjoy attempting originality, I decided to title these posts “Interdimensional Travels.” For me, reading a story isn’t just reading. I mean, it is, but when they’re written well, I’m transferred to another reality, another dimension if you will, where I get to meet all kinds of cool people and do all kinds of cool things and follow those cool people on all kinds of cool journeys.

And so, once a month, I will share a mission log on some of my recent travels and armchair adventures.

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An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

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Rating: 2 1/2 stars out of 5.

Review: I wanted to like this book. Honest, I did, and while it definitely had an intriguing beginning, everything that happened after that just drove me away. The main characters had all the makings of people I could love: a formerly cowardly girl going to the ends of the earth to save her brother, and a super soldier who’s sick of being forced to kill. But then... things happened and they just started to annoy me: both mains made several poor decisions and they were often led by their love (or more accurately, lust) rather than logic and common sense.

Which makes me sound like Spock, but that’s just the way I think.

Besides that, there was a lot more emphasis on sex and violence than I’d prefer to spend my time reading. Truthfully, I don't like much sexy stuff in a book at all, however, I can be okay with violence (I do adore HG, you know). But this world felt extraordinarily brutal, and I just got so annoyed with everything that, by the end, I wasn’t even really angry, just filled with a strong sense of irritated disgust with their whole world and everyone in it.

Which sounds so mean, so of course I’ve gotta end with something nice: the writing in this book was really good. Quite vivid, actually. So maybe that’s part of why it bothered me so much, the vivid descriptions of brutal violence.

Freedom’s wings by Sharon Dennis Wyeth

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Rating: 3 1/2 stars out of 5.

Review: I don’t have much to say about this one, lol, but it’s not because it was bad. Quite the reverse actually, it was a nice little story with pretty good everything: plot, characters, writing, voice. I finished it in one sitting and I enjoyed it overall, but it’s not one of those really strong, unique stories that I think will really stick in my brain. Still, it is for younger audiences, so if you or a younger siblings are looking for a nice, quick historical, this is a great choice.

Sneak by Evan Angler

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Rating: 3 1/2 stars out of 5.

Review: I reviewed the first one in this series last time, and I think I might’ve liked that one better. The plot was still interesting and the writing still great, but I didn’t like many of the characters this time around. Erin still annoyed me (though she kinda redeemed herself at the end), and Logan didn’t exactly fall out of favor with me--kid was still super sweet--but he was a lot braver which made him a little... well, dumber.

As I mentioned above, I really value logic and common sense in characters, but these kids kept going against their government with half-baked plans and almost no idea what they were doing. It’s kind of a miracle they didn’t all die.

Also, the intrigue and the take-down-the-government bit felt a little forced to me. Peck, the leader of the resistance, still didn’t seem like a savior, and this whole Dome being the bad guy thing... I just didn’t see it. Sure, Dome wasn’t the best government ever and there were some definite problems, but I didn’t feel like I’d been shown anything super horrible yet. For most of the book, Logan and the resistance had almost no proof; they basically just ran off of conspiracy theories. So even though it’s a dystopian and obviously the government is terrible, based on what they actually knew, I felt like they were kind of blowing things out of proportion. It just... Dome wasn’t like HG-level bad; it was more like, we’re-having-some-misunderstandings-so-let’s-have-a-chat-with-our-leaders-and-see-if-we-can’t-work-something-out bad.

Then again, the resistance was mostly kids, so maybe taking down the government seemed more achievable than actually getting to talk with the leaders.

Overall, though, I did enjoy it. It's just... I feel like there're some pieces missing in the logic of it all.

***

And that’s the post! Tell me, have you been to any of these dimensions before? What’d you think of them? And where have your armchair adventures taken you recently? Comment me!




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10 comments:

  1. I haven't read these books, but they certainly don't look to be my style. :P At least you enjoyed some parts, even if they weren't superb!

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    1. Yeah, I mean, they weren't the worst books ever. Just... a lot of things didn't work for me. :p

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  2. I haven't read these, although I was bit on the fence with An Ember in the Ashes. I think I've decided not to read it, though. Sneak, too. Like you, I value logic. It drives me crazy when characters decide to act on their gut instinct even when common sense tells them not to.

    Great reviews! Hehe, I love my little armchair adventures.

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    1. So I'm not the only one! Well, there was a book I read recently, Hacker, where the characters were overall pretty logical. That made me very happy. :D So maybe you'd enjoy that one too. :)

      Thank you! :)

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  3. I have read the sequel to Corey's Diary and while it was ok, it was just to childish for me. But that might have to do with the fact that it was written for kids 10 years younger then me!

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    1. Hehe, yeah, probably! I think the books are probably good for that age group, but they don't really extend beyond that.

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  4. Armchair Adventures. Oh my goodness. Genius?! I think YES!

    I haven't read any of these, but I enjoyed reading the reviews just the same (even though you weren't 100% impressed with these books, which is absolutely okay!) - ahhh. I seriously, seriously love these mini reviews. :') You did this so well! :"D

    I recently read All Fall Down by Ally Carter (because it had been recommended to me twice via bloggers, so, I was like, MUST GET THIS AND TRY IT), and oh my word. O_O I really, really liked it. XD I was sitting there all afternoon reading it. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars, but shh, I think I might review it on my blog, so you didn't read that. ;) Have you ever read it?! dkfajklsda. I was a little disappointed that the next book in the series isn't coming out until January next year. XD But bah, what can you do? ;)

    I can't wait to read the next Armchair Adventures! Or, Interdimensional Travels. :D *highfive*

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    1. Haha, thanks! "Interdimensional Travels" is mine, but I actually didn't come up with "Armchair Adventures."Heard it somewhere or other. It is totally genius though!

      Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the reviews at least! :D

      Hehehe, well I look forward to reading your review! And no, I haven't checked that one out yet, but if you liked it so much, I might have to!
      And, IKR???!!! I totally feel that struggle. I have been waiting DESPERATELY for MONTHS for Winter to come out. *dies*

      *high-fives back* THANK YOU! :D <3

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    2. Both are genius. XD <3

      That's okay, and sure, if you'd like to! It might not be everyone's kind of book, but yes, I really liked it. :D
      AHHH. SERIOUSLY? *faints* OH MY GOSH. That is another series I have been wanting to read as well; The Lunar Chronicles. O_O *scribbles down onto library list* How long to go?

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    3. Thanks! :D

      ALMOST 3 MONTHS (it comes out in November). AND YES, YOU MUST READ IT. IT'S BEAUTIFUL.

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