Gone

Gone
Michael Grant
10/10

Gone is a book that tells the story of a small town that suddenly gets cut off from the rest of the world. it gets surrounded by an impenetrable dome and nothing can get in or out except for air, the Dome can still regenerate a viable atmosphere. The thing that makes this book really great though is the last effect that the dome has. All humans over the age of 15 disappear, there's no flash or anything, they're just gone. Oh, and it mutates some of the inhabitants, giving them super powers.

The book is great and I really enjoyed seeing how the assorted characters react to the dome and how each one tries to adapt to the situation. Some form cruel gangs, others form humane gangs. Some try to seize control, others just listen to and follow those in power. What would you do? I've made a poll to find this out. Also what would be a cool power to get? What would be useful? what power would you want someone else to have that could work with yours? Leave a comment, I'm really interested.This is also the first post that I'm linking to from Facebook. I want to see if I get any more followers as opposed to just telling people via word of mouth.

The book is great and it provides a good medium for how well you know your friends, what would they do on Domeday? (yes i gave it a name) Would they team up with you so that you could hoard more food and supplies? Or would they ditch you and leave you at the mercy of the bigger stronger factions? It's a fantastic book and well worth a detention, either reading in class or arguing with your friend, who might not be as much of a friend as you thought.

Hunger Games II - Catching Fire

Hunger Games II - Catching Fire
Suzanne Collins
9/10

This book was somewhat a disappointment because it did not live up to the expectations set by the first book. Don't get me wrong, it was a fantastic book but, the first was still better. After reading the book I felt that it reminded me a lot of the Pirates Of The Caribbean series of movies. The first was great(9/10), the second was not as much (7/10), and the third was fantastic (10/10) I found that the middle movie was really just a set up that would make the third really good. I hope that his holds true with the hunger games.

After a really late night I cant think of anything more to say about the book this morning other than, read the book, the whole series is awesome and this book is no doubt a fantastic sequel to the hugely popular Hunger Games. Not as Good as the first one but good enough for a detention in a really boring subject like math or maybe RE. Mr Kessler makes my RE classes moderately interesting but others might not think as much about their own teachers. They therefore they may think a detention is the lesser of two evils. Which is ironic because a lesson about god is not often considered evil. Oh well...Read the book!

Shadow's Edge, Beyond The Shadows

Shadow's Edge, Beyond The Shadows
Brent Weeks
11/10

I'm really sorry:(

I rated the first book in this series as 10/10 and consequentially said that it was a book that could not be better. However after reading the other two whilst I was away on camp I realised no matter what I thought it went above and beyond anything I could have expected. Therefore to say that these books are better than the first I have to rate the book as 11/10. It's so good,It's off the scale!

The biggest thing that struck me in these two books were the plot twists. A number of things are revealed or changed in the books and they left me reeling. Yes i know that reviews say that all the time "Oh, the plot kept me guessing. It was full of surprises...Yeah, whatever. This time I'm serious. you read that last line at the end of the chapter and then you just sit there going o.O

Everything else I could say pales in comparison to this but there are a heap of other things that make the story (excuse the cliche) unputdownable. if your looking for good long series to read then definitely go out and buy the Night Angel Trilogy and then buy another copy and give it to your friend as an early Christmas present.
The books are easily worth sitting in your tent and being treated like an introverted bookworm for(side effect may include unpegged tents and name calling of the highest level)

...

But it's totally worth it:D

One Dead Seagull

One Dead Seagull
Scot Gardner
7/10

ATTENTION ALL YOBBOS!
"This product may contain traces of sand, sex, toothpaste,nudity , lamb chops, sun, sunscreen, feathers, deodorant,love and/or wisdom, laughter,rock music, cigarette smoke, tears and blood."
This is a warning label from the front of the book and the reason i decided to read and review a book that the less intelligent, more animalistic creatures among us could enjoy.

I found this book moderately interesting, it has a decent storyline and a good plot however it was simply a story that had no really moving parts to it. it's really the perfect book for an analysis in English. (Don't get any ideas, sylvo)

The book really is a decent read though, it has enough things in it to keep it interesting and it also contains a thorough understanding of what many teenagers are going through at certain times in their life. The main character is in year 10.
Like me:)and i felt that he was an accurate representation of the average Yobbo in my year level however I may be wrong I don't claim to know the feelings of your average Yobbo.

I quick and easy read with a whole lot of information it was good enough for me to read but nowhere near good enough for a detention.

Best Served Cold

Best Served Cold
Joe Abercrombie
9/10

Best Served Cold is a book that seems to have a way of pulling you in. It makes sure that when you put it down you pick it up again, even though it is quite heavy. for those of you who don't know Revenge is a dish best served cold and this book is heavy with revenge. It follows the story of a mercenary who seeks revenge on her jealous employer after he kills her brother and seriously maims her trying to kill her at the same time. This leaves her with a horribly scarred body and a thirst for revenge. She sets out to kill everybody related to her attempted murder with only a handful of allies. These allies are what made the book so interesting for me. they each have their own quirks, vices and behaviours. My favourite being an exceedingly polite serial murderer who is obsessed with numbers and only wishes he could return to the order of his medieval prison. Along within arrogant poisoner, a drunk who both hates and loves her and a viking mercenary who only wants to be the best man he can be. The cast of characters makes sure that the seven men who must die, do so in a way that satisfies a thirst for revenge that is harboured in the heart of the most feared and revered woman in all of Styria.

Something that I tend to do more out of habit then anything else is analyse the book (yes, I know, I'm supposed to read for fun) but it was really one of the things that made this book interesting. When you read it, think about the way that all of the main characters seem to try to get the best out of the situation in which they find themselves. Money is a big factor and stories of betrayal are told, made and revenged upon many times in the book. This story has no 'good guys' there are main characters but read the whole book and try to tell me that in the end there is a winner. The battle may have ended, but the war rages on, and the price of victory may have been too great. Read the book and then make your decision. Leave a comment, please, I'd like to discuss this idea.

This book is enthralling, entertaining and a very long read that is well worth reading slowly and pondering during class. Not worth a detention when is is a lot easier and much more fun to simply ponder and daydream about the horrible yet intricate enigma that is Revenge.

P.S There, happy? I tried to make a longer review after receiving criticism for making them too short.

A Word On Comments

Look I put a paragraph about it in my universal adress but for those of you who only hae time to read one post ten read this one so that next time you read a post then you will know what i want you to do. Leave a comment please, i've had a number of people come up nd tell me what they thought about the site, that's great but leave a comment so that other people know what you said, that way i can use the number of people who agree with you or don't agree with you to know if I should take your advice. Someone told me that my reviews are too short, do you agree? leave a comment so that I know. Please?

Check it out! I've put a poll on the site. It was a question put forward by the enigmatic Mr McPhee. If you are driving at 60Km an hour and a child chasing a squirrel runs out in front of you what do you do? He named four options and i've put a fifth up there (other) if you select other then please tell me what the other is in a comment on this post.

Please take my words of wisdom on board :D

The Maximum Ride Series

The Maximum Ride Series
James Patterson
9/10

This is my first series review, yaaay!:)
and What a way to start, The Maximum Ride is awesome. it consists of 5 books, The Angel Experiment, Schools Out Forever, Saving the World And Other Extreme Sports, The Final Warning and Max. They are super easy to read with no chapter being more than four pages long and the writing being simple and easy to understand.

The story revolves around around the endeavours of a flock of mutant bird kids. Yes thats right, MUTANT BIRD KIDS. They are human in almost every aspect, except they have wings. What procedes is essentially the tale of all the troubles that they run into as there are a number of scientists who do not want the world to know about their, 'experiments'

Outrageously funny, witty and with a killer storyline Maximum Ride is a series worth a detention and then another.

The Book Thief

The Book Thief
Markus Zusak
10/10

Attention All Saps! I have found a story worthy of your time! This book is perfect for those of you who want a story of love, courage, loyalty. All those other things that make a story fantastic- There is no epic hero, no legions of enemies hunting the hero who doesn't exist, no ring of power that could bring the end of the world. There is a mountain of fire, but it is not used to destroy a ring (that doesn't exist) being carried by a hero (who doesn't exist) who's being chased by an army of bad guys (who, also, don't exist)

Even though none of these things the book is still capable of moving even the most unfeeling of my classmates. The story follows a little girl who is living in Nazi Germany and unlike many of the other books written about this time, she's German!
(<:0Shock Horror) It tells us that not all of the Germans were Nazi's. Her family is against good ol' Adolf and everything he stands for. What they do whilst his leadership dooms Germany will prove that even in something as bad as the holocaust love can be found and everything that happens will come to a conclusion that may bring a tear to your eye.

Warning! Not for the not so faint of heart. this book is truly amazing and I'm telling you to make it a book that you read before you leave school. Worth a detention and a bad nickname for crying in class.

The Way Of Shadows

The Way Of Shadows
Brent Weeks
10/10

This book is, for want of a more technical term, really good. I thoroughly enjoyed reading a book about one of my favourite period of history, with a light sprinkling of things like magic and impossible occurrences. This delacate balance causes a book to be incredibly interesting and kept me geussing with a multitude of different twists and turns that finally ends with both an interesting conclusion and a cliffhanger opening that makes reading the sequel "Shadow's Edge" the top priority on my reading list.

The book centers around a young boys dream to become the apprentice of the deadliest assasin in the city. It's an awesome read and has all of the features of a book well worth reading. I fail to see a way that it could be any better and cant wait to read the other two books in the series. Well worth a detention.

A Clockwork Orange

A Clockwork Orange
Anthony Burgess
6/10

First and foremost I would like thank my English teacher Mr Carolan for attempting to scar me for life by asking me to read this book. Unfortunately, you failed, as I have been desensitised by violent video games and movies. Keep trying though, a fairy tail about communist Russia is also doomed to fail but you've got a whole term after that, so keep looking for a book capable of splitting my brain into tiny pieces, I hear padded cells are quite comfortable these days. :P

The book itself is quite a tough read, half the words are Nadsat, which is language invented solely for use in a book and boy does I make it tough to read. Don't try to analyse the book because then you've got to find a hidden meaning in a passage you don't know the obvious meaning of, but i digress.

If you can manage to understand Nadsat than read the book because it tells a great story about a boy who likes Rape, Drugs, Gang Violence and Beethoven's' 5Th. he then gets cured. a confronting book, but enthralling non the less.
Sadly, like all school books the cons outweigh the pros and as such I took a while to read the whole thing. There are good parts but i could not get really interested in it. The book is almost worth getting a detention for NOT reading.