Sounds so professional, right? Like a legit traveling post or something.  Unfortunately, though, I shall have to advise you to not get ...

Lives I've Lived; Venues I've Visited

Alexa Mintah

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Sounds so professional, right? Like a legit traveling post or something. 

Unfortunately, though, I shall have to advise you to not get your hopes up because I haven't been more than 30 minutes outside my hometown in the past month.

Sorry about that.

I only mean “lives” and “venues” in the figurative sense of armchair adventuring—lives I’ve lived and venues I’ve visited all through the pages of a book.

Rather than being one big book review, this thing is going to unfold like my Other Dimensions post and Ally’s Rated not Revieweds. And hey, if you like it, let me know in the comments, and maybe I’ll do it again sometime.

Flip by Martyn Bedford

Rating: 5 stars out of 5.

I totally loved this book. It began brilliantly, throwing me right into the story of a kid who wakes up in another boy’s body six months after his last memory. I was intrigued from the start and thoroughly captivated throughout his journey to—quite literally—find himself. The characters are realistic and relatable, the writing is perfect for this kind of story (deep, thoughtful, and slightly creepy), and the concepts it explores are absolutely fascinating. Highly recommended for anyone who likes paranormal or is looking for a contemporary with a touch of creepy.

Bird by Angela Johnson

Rating: 4 stars out of 5.

I found this book... intriguing. I liked the idea of the intertwining plotlines: Bird, the girl who ran away to find her stepfather; Jay, the boy whose brother died; and Ethan, the boy who needed a new heart. Watching them all come together—plotlines and people—was, like I said, intriguing. The characters were fun to follow, and even though it's a contemporary, the writing had a lovely, sort of lyrical feel. It was... sweet. Sort of lightly enchanting, if that makes any sense.

The only thing I didn’t like was that, in my opinion, the ending was left a little too open. Considering the length of the book (140 pages) and all they’d been through in such a short time, I would’ve liked a bit more on the characters before everything closed down. But that’s just my personal preference, and I really did enjoy the rest of it.

The Lost Stories by John Flanagan

Rating: 4 stars out of 5.

This is actually the 11th book in the Ranger’s Apprentice series, so I wouldn’t recommend getting this one unless you’ve read all the others.

But if you have read all the others...

This book was great. I think my favorite story was “Purple Prose,” and my favorite aspect was the Ranger’s conversations with their horses. Because OMW, that was absolutely hilarious. I have to wonder if the horse were actually replying, or if the Rangers had just spent a bit too much time in the wild with only their horses for company.

Some of the plots were a little predictable, but at the same time, I loved how the author packed so much fun and excitement into such short stories. Seriously, the tension at some of the climaxes felt the same as if the buildup had lasted 200 pages instead of 20.

So yeah, this one was awesome, full of Ranger action, antics, and signature hilarity. (Yes, I know that last one missed the alliteration memo. I couldn't find a word for hilarity that began with “a.”)

Sent by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Rating: 4 1/2 stars out of 5.

Again, this is the second in a series, but since the last book literally took 250 pages to get started (then ended 50 pages later), I almost feel like you could scan the summary of the first one, read a few spoilers in various reviews, and then pick up here without a problem.

The sequel starts off way more interesting, and the fun doesn’t stop until the book does. Sent was intriguing, fast-paced, and gripping. It’s a quick read, drew me in from the beginning, and really had me thinking about the fascinating problems and possibilities with time travel.

Which sounds really nerdy. But I did warn you about that in my blog description.

Swipe by Evan Angler

Rating: 3 1/2 stars out of 5.

This is another one with a brilliant beginning... but, in my opinion, it kinda fell from there. I mean, the plot was still gripping, the writing still great, and I still wanted to know what would next; but the characters started to get on my last nerve. Or more accurately, Erin started to get on my last nerve. I mean, I understood her goal—and it was a great one—but I felt like she was being super childish and super selfish about the whole thing.

Then again, she was only thirteen, so maybe I’m being too harsh.

I did like Logan though. He felt real—if a little paranoid—and the author made me care about what happened to him. Maybe that’s why I disliked Erin so much, lol. Because her crazy plans and selfish actions kept putting him in danger. Besides that, she didn’t seem to care very much. Or if she did, she was too focused on her own goals to let a little thing like his life being on the line get in her way.

Back to things I loved, though.

This writing was awesome. I literally cannot fault it. It flowed beautifully, portrayed descriptions so vividly it was like I was there, and the fear and foreboding packed into the words? Practically sent chills up my spine.

Overall, I’d recommend this book. I might be being unreasonable about Erin anyway.

***

So there you have it! Recent lives I’ve lived and venues I’ve visited! Sidenote, looking over that list lets you know I read a lot of different genres. So, I guess, this is also a taste of my diverse reading interests, lol

Question time: What’d you think about all these books? Would you read any of them based off of my reviews? And is this the sort of thing you’d like to see me do again? Comment below, please!

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