Book Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Well, I'm aware that my last review was on May 4th, but currently, books aren't interesting to me right now.

Series: The Lunar Chronicles (#1)
Genres: Young Adult, SciFi, Fantasy, Dystopia
Published: January 3, 2012
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Very interesting book. I must admit though, the beginning was kind of confusing, but that didn't stop it from becoming more and more intriguing. The story was awesome. If I remember correctly, it was told from different points of views, which, made it more interesting. However, I kind-of got confused while we switched back and forth, especially when it didn't tell who's perspective/brain we were in. Overall,this was an awesome book! The second book Scarlet; the main character will be Scarlet. I guess..Right?Or did I do my research wrong?

This story is basically "inspired"...or a retelling of Cinderella, except Adri(stepmother) and the sisters are described more than the step mother and sisters in the short story: Cinderella. As like in Cinderella, Adri is such a bloopz. Her youngest daughter catches the plague, she blames Cinder and signs her up for plague research. To be honest, I don't even think Adri can feel a thing. I HATE HER. I hate how she's her legal guardian. I hate everything about her.

The reason why it had lost a star was because of two reasons.

1 - It took me a while to get into the story. I guess that's because it was confusing by the POV's switching, but it was also not...very interesting in the beginning. The hook of the story beginning wasn't enough to make me seem interested into the book.

2 - It has a slow start. I guess I kind-of mentioned that in reason number one; where I couldn't get into the book. I stopped reading it at one point, but decided to give it another try. It turns out, I won't be regretting that decision. After all, It does have a 4 star rating.

Now enough of the book rant. I loved the characters. Like, you know in Cinderella? The Disney one?  It was just a very short story about a girl who's lost her shoe at the ball and the young prince goes around from house to house and eventually finds the perfect fit: Cinderella. Then they get married and live happily ever after. But no. This Cinder was amazing, the characters and the storyline was different, but similar in some ways, which is nice. I loved the "SciFi" aspect of this novel, with the lunar people and Prince Kai. Cinder also isn't your typical average teen. She's like...amazing and not stupid.

Also, the world building. Simply fantastic and can outdo most of the world building in many popular YA novels out there. It's just extraordinary and something you would want to read and savour for the rest of your lives. This is nothing like Cinderella, but is something like Cinderella.

The Beautiful Dead Blog Tour: Author Interview + Giveaway!

Title: The Beautiful Dead

Genre: Post- Apocalyptic

Publication Date: August 2013

Tour Host: Dreams Come True Promotions

Author: Daryl Banner






Today's Stop: Author Interview with Daryl Banner, who is currently on tour for his novel: The Beautiful Dead! An excerpt from his book and a giveaway!

Hello Daryl Banner, and thanks for stopping by my blog!

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What inspired you to write The Beautiful Dead?

This may sound funny, but I actually never approached this story as a zombie story. When I first started writing it, I hadn't seen a lot of zombie movies, I didn't know Warm Bodies existed, and hadn't watched a single episode of The Walking Dead.
I was inspired by the idea of unexplainable "dark magics" somehow bringing bits of the world back to life; a sort of necromancy, instead of the popular bitten-style zombies, or virus-borne zombies. I liked the idea of an undead with intelligence ... an "organized" and--dare I say--"civilized" undead society.

Is there a message in your novel you want readers to grasp?

I don't aim to push 'messages' at readers. I like to present a situation and a story as honest and unbiased as I can (despite the narrator's obvious bias) and let the reader decide what to take from it. I will go ahead and say that, if the reader picks up on a 'theme' of the book, it will likely be redemption, second chances, letting go the past ... Forgiveness, mostly of yourself. I know these seem like heavy themes, but despite them, the book has more the feel of a dark comedy.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

I don't want to spoil anything for anyone who hasn't read the book, so I'll give a hopefully-spoiler-free answer. There is a chapter in the book that breaks away from the narrative entirely -- a very necessary-to-the-plot break -- in which you (and the main character) suddenly learn a LOT of information all at once, and very quickly. The chapter is meant to be overwhelming to the reader, and yeah, it was also overwhelming for me to write. And very, very thrilling. But hard. I'll admit, I avoided that chapter for a good while. In fact, I went past it and finished writing the rest of the book ... then came back, a cocktail of fluttery dread and terror and sadness and sick joy in my belly, and finally wrote the chapter.

What books have most influenced your life most?

I read a lot of fantasy throughout high school, namely Piers Anthony, Lloyd Alexander (ahh... The Black Cauldron) ... then Harry Potter found me in college, and when going to Psychology and Theater classes, I pretended I was going to Potions and Divinations. True story. I also really enjoy the dry and hilarious voice of Chuck Palahniuk and the way he builds plot (I wrote him a fan mail once and he replied back with a box full of glitter that exploded in my laundry room -- another true story.) I also read about half of the Song Of Ice And Fire series, which is really amazing, but also a bit confusing when you watch the show Game of Thrones at the same time. Confusing in a good way, I think (I love a puzzle of television versus paper...) Speaking of, Charlaine Harris really inspired me with the Sookie Stackhouse series (not so much the show) ... Her "southern ease" of the books made me realize that really good plot and atmosphere can build slow-and-unassumingly ... and only a handful of chapters in, it's won your heart without you realizing it.

How did you come up with the title?

There were a number of very questionable titles before it (as is the case with every book I've written so far, I guess) ... but in brainstorming, I was considering how ugly and grotesque I found corpses and death and decay (and unfairly/fairly skewing how my main character views those same things) ... then realized that what this macabre subject matter needed wasn't more disgust and scorn; it was a hug. So I hugged the Dead with the word Beautiful and there you go.

When did you decide to become a writer?

When I was a lil' kid mashing thumbs into Nintendo controllers, I also taught myself how to program games on the computer (think 1990's text-based role-playing games, not nowadays games/computers) and also basic music theory. Yeah, they went hand-in-hand to me. I kinda joke that I come at writing a story more like a programmer; almost everything I introduce in a story (even small things, details, seemingly minor characters, an odd way I write a sentence) gets a payoff somewhere later in the story. I don't even mind if the payoffs go unnoticed; I like the idea of easter eggs hidden throughout my books (especially my time-travel book, Super Psycho Future Killers .... There's still a gigantic bucket-full of things that *no one* has yet to point out to me or ask about. Someday someone might, and that thought makes me smile)  It's things like these that made me want to start telling stories. I wrote plays throughout high school and college, where I studied under the great (and late) Pulitzer-prize-winning Lanford Wilson, whose advice takes permanent and welcome residence between my ears. After graduating, I took my experiences and released my first novel Psychology of Want. That first novel beget the second one, and then The Beautiful Dead. Like code to a program, to a game with a plot and lovable and hate-able characters ... I love writing.

What book are you writing now?

I'm working on the first book to a new "epic" urban fantasy / dystopian series I plan to release in the summer. Here's a brief word on the story: It's set in an unknown future where people no longer need to sleep, and each person is born with a unique and special ability. The story unfolds through *several* main characters, some who live in luxury, the rest who live in the crime-riddled slums below. There's violence, sexuality, explosions, betrayal ... I'm so, so, SO excited to share this book (and all the crazy characters in it) with the world.

There is a charity anthology released on May 16th called Moments In Time, and among lots of awesome authors, the anthology includes a story of mine called "The Slum Queen", which is actually a companion short story / kinda-prequel to my new series. The anthology is for a good cause, and if you want a little taste of my new book, you'll find it in there :) :) :)

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She’s dead.

In fact, the whole world’s dead. Every single person, apparently. Unburied and reimagined into a beautiful living-dead woman called Winter, she is doomed to spend the rest of eternity in a quaint, peaceful city with no hunger, no sickness and no bills to pay. Her Second Life is perfect in every way possible.

So why is she so bent on destroying it all?

After angering the mayor, befriending rebel headless teenagers and igniting romance with a dark and brooding neighbor, she finds herself wrestling madly with a First Life she cannot remember and this Second Life she cannot accept. Not to mention the maniacal army of rotting corpses who want her dead. Again.

But none of that matters in comparison to an even worse problem. There’s a guest in her house. A rude, good-looking man on the run ... a man with a heartbeat.

Add to GoodReads

Daryl Banner is a writer and composer who graduated from the University of Houston with a degree in Theatre and Psychology.

He does not write in any single genre, as his stories tend to span several. He is most inspired by the smart and unlikely hero, but urges you (the reader) not to fall in love with them; they may deceive you with their innocence. He is thrilled by putting his characters in terrible situations where they must face choices and challenges that seem impossible to overcome.

Daryl Banner writes contemporary fiction, sci-fi/fantasy (both in medieval and futuristic senses), unique takes on the apocalypse and paranormal romance genre, as well as magic realism. He cannot wait to hear what you think about his stories and welcomes (and responds to!) all feedback.

1. I was born and raised on video games, from Nintendo classics to Final Fantasy. I even have a scar on my right eyebrow from a fight I had with my brother over a game when I was four years old.

2. I'm miserably single and enjoying every miserable minute of it. Anyone who says they're happily single, y'er a liar! Just kidding, everything's amazing.

3. I have an unhealthy obsession with Lego, ever since I was a kid. I even still have five Lego castles that I've rebuilt from my childhood (ah, what calming therapy that was) that my nephew destroys every weekend.

4. When I'm having a particularly stressful night and cannot calm myself to sleep, I watch an episode of Bob Ross's The Joy Of Painting. Really feeds the soul, too. (Look at all that burnt umber and magic white in the sky!)

5. I have spent hundreds (maybe thousands) more hours than I will admit on such time-draining life-consuming games like World Of Warcraft, Final Fantasy, and RollerCoaster Tycoon. I maybe still do.

6. For my acting resumes, I round up and say I'm 5'5 because I count the thick-soled shoes I'm wearing and no, I don't have a shortie complex. What, you think I'm short? You calling me short? You better not be calling me short.

7. I double-majored in Theater and Psychology at the University of Houston, and at my time of graduation, I was exactly one hour short of being able to proudly say that I earned a "double degree" ... Whatever that is.

8. I was the first person in Katy High School history to be invited onto the Yearbook staff without having taken the prerequisite Journalism class.

9. I have not spent a single dollar on movie tickets or popcorn in the last nine years, as I've been (and currently am) a senior manager at a movie theater since 2005.

10. My brother is kinda named after the hulk by accident. Don't piss him off.

11. Though I was born and raised in the south (Texas) both my parents are from the north (Canada & New York)

12. I've been a suburban cat my whole life, born and raised in the burbs, dangerously close to the farms and countryside of my small-yet-growing hometown of Katy (which rests just outside the smoggy clutches of Houston)

13. While initially writing "The Beautiful Dead", I typed with black background and glowing green letters in my word processor to "set the mood" of the story.

14. My fanboy letter written to Chuck Palahniuk resulted in him sending me back a box full of glitter, toys, and a homemade necklace, as well as a letter of encouragement. He says sometimes even he gets sick of words, but felt it necessary to write me. I couldn't stop smiling for weeks.

15. I taught myself to play piano when I was still a little Nintendo-playing kid, learning all my favorite video game tunes by ear. There are two full-size upright pianos in my house that I sometimes refer to as my two goddesses. Seriously. They were both passed on to me, one from a dear friend, the other from my mom's ex-husband's ex-friend's ex.

16. I tour in a trilogy of comedy musicals with two opera divas in which I act, play piano and keyboards, and beatbox. We will be touring the Houston area this summer!

17. I had a black cat named Stormy ever since I was five. She developed diabetes and sadly passed away six years ago. I sometimes see her in the shadows of my house.

18. My late-night cravings are Chinese food, crispy tacos, and freeze-n-squeeze margarita pouches.

19. For fun, I do digital covers of popular songs and TV show themes (and a lot of 80's-and-90's-born radio hits) in an old-school Nintendo 8-bit music style. Because I bend some of the strict four-track-only rules of 8-bit (and sometimes include real drums instead of the obligatory noise track), I call my remixes "Hyper 8-bit" and release them on my YouTube page. "http://www.youtube.com/darylbanner"

20. Though I primarily write novels now, my main focus throughout highschool and college was playwrighting. At 16, my first play "Seeing Slowly" won a contest, earning it a production at a regional theater in Houston (Alley Theater, HYPE 2001) and at 18, I directed my second play "Fake Love" at my high-school as one of two senior-directed shows. In college, my play "Permanent Daylight" was selected from hundreds to be produced as part of the Edward Albee Playwrighting Workshop, mentored by the great (and late) Lanford Wilson, who taught me more about writing and people than I could ever express in mere words. I owe him so, so much, and sometimes when I'm writing, I hear his voice in my head telling me "No!" and "Ugh!" and "!??" and then "There you go, Daryl ... That's better."


Facebook | Author Website | Author Goodreads | Amazon Author Page | Youtube Channel

Twitter: @darylbanner

 
Amazon - Barnes & Noble

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YA Book Release: Of Neptune by Anna Banks

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Genre: Young Adult, Mermaids, Romance, Fantasy, Mythology, 
Series: The Syrena Legacy (#3)
Release Date: May 13th, 2014

Emma and Galen’s kingdom and their love is threatened by long-lost Syrena in the brilliant conclusion to Anna Banks bestselling trilogy.

Emma, half human and half Syrena, and her Syrena love, Galen, need time together alone. Away from the kingdoms of Poseidon and Triton. Emma’s grandfather, the Poseidon king, suggests the two visit a small town called Neptune.

Neptune is home to both Syrena and Half-Breeds alike. But Emma and Galen didn’t sign up to be peacemakers between the ocean and the land-dwelling, freshwater Syrena. They didn’t bargain for meeting a charming Half-Breed named Reed, who can barely disguise his feelings for Emma. And they especially didn’t expect to find themselves in the middle of a power struggle that threatens not only their love but their ocean kingdoms.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

About the author:

NYT Bestselling YA author of The Syrena Legacy series: OF POSEIDON (2012) OF TRITON (2013) OF NEPTUNE (2014). Repped by rockstar Lucy Carson of the Friedrich Agency. I live with my husband and daughter in the Florida Panhandle. I have a southern accent compared to New Yorkers, and I enjoy food cooked with real fat. I can't walk in high heels, but I'm very good at holding still in them. If you put chocolate in front of me, you must not have wanted it in the first place.NYT Bestselling YA author of The Syrena Legacy series: OF POSEIDON (2012) OF TRITON (2013) OF NEPTUNE (2014). Repped by rockstar Lucy Carson of the Friedrich Agency. I live with my husband and daughter in the Florida Panhandle. I have a southern accent compared to New Yorkers, and I enjoy food cooked with real fat. I can't walk in high heels, but I'm very good at holding still in them. If you put chocolate in front of me, you must not have wanted it in the first place.

Goodreads | Blog | Facebook | Twitter 

Email: byannabanks(at)gmail(dot)com

It's Monday! What are you reading?

Hey guys! Welcome to the first blog meme! It'll be hosted on Mondays(just not all the Mondays) and it is... It's Monday! What are you reading?

This meme is hosted by @Book Journey.


I am currently reading:

Half Bad by Sally Green is a breathtaking debut novel about one boy's struggle for survival in a hidden society of witches.

You can't read, can't write, but you heal fast, even for a witch.

You get sick if you stay indoors after dark.

You hate White Witches but love Annalise, who is one.

You've been kept in a cage since you were fourteen.

All you've got to do is escape and find Mercury, the Black Witch who eats boys. And do that before your seventeenth birthday.

Easy.



What are you guys reading right now? Feel free to leave a comment!

Movie Discussion: Divergent by Veronica Roth, Directed by Neil Burger

 What's everyone saying?!

Non-readers:
"You know that one movie? It was so cool!"
"The popular one? Have you seen it yet? It's called Divergent!"
"Omg. It was amazing!"
Readers:
"Amazing! The action was well done."
"They left out the best scene! You know? The chasm scene!"
"Woah, the factions and the premise at the beginning. Cool!"

If I were to review this on a book-movie adaptation, there would be many errors. Like: BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. But for now, I won't and I'll review it as a non reader/reader combined.

Wee. I loved the sound effects! They were on time and not even one was off during the action scenes(or I didn't catch the mistake). The camera was steady to watch and no off-beat/off the scenes sound was caught. I don't know. It was just an amazing transfer from a book to a movie.

They missed the scene, I understand because of time, but it's like 15 minutes away from 3 hours(if I'm not mistaken and I won't search it up) and I bet you they would've had time to add that particular scene. Hey! The Amazing Spider Man #2/Spider Man movies are about 3 hours! This isn't very much of a review, it's much of a rant! Haha. No matter.

Watched on: March 22, 2014.

I should've went on March 20, 2014 for the premiere items! I'm so mad. Haha.

Add the book to your goodreads at: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13335037-divergent?ac=1

It's almost at 1million reads! Holy cows! Did you know that there will be a new director for Insurgent? And the fact that Allegiant will be split into two parts/movies?! I feel like they just want the money, I'm pretty sure they can fit a ton of stuff that happened in Allegiant in one movie. I'd prefer it to be one movie. What about you?