KEEP CALM AND LOVE BOOKS: rebel

Publication Date: July 25th 2006

Publisher: Tor Books

Pages: 541

ISBN: 076531178X (ISBN13: 9780765311788)

In a world where ash falls from the sky, and mist dominates the night, an evil cloaks the land and stifles all life. The future of the empire rests on the shoulders of a troublemaker and his young apprentice. Together, can they fill the world with color once more?

In Brandon Sanderson's intriguing tale of love, loss, despair and hope, a new kind of magic enters the stage — Allomancy, a magic of the metals.

Now, What I Thought:

This was really good!!! It was super long but considering how fast-paced it was, it was almost perfect. So the world we're set in is a fantasy dystopia. The sun has turned into a red giant and instead of clear skies, ash rains down almost indefinitely. The story follows this bad-ass 16 year old girl, Vin, and 35 year old, another hugely bad-ass, Kelsier. So there are two classes basically, the Skaa and the Nobles. The Skaa, which Vin is classed in are serving people, they are the 'poor' in this world. The Nobles on the other hand sometimes have access to magic in this world known as, Allomancy. Magic in this world is fuelled by elemental and alloyed metals. This magic can enhance abilities like super strength for example and the abilities differ from different metals the nobles ingest. This whole book is basically a heist for Kelsier and Vin's thieving gang to overthrow the Lord Ruler of the land.

It was really exciting to read and the way we got introduced to the characters was such a brutal and honest way! This whole world is just a wasteland, it's almost like this could happen to us, in real life, in about a couple billion years. We all know our sun is going to burn out sometime and become a red giant like all of the other stars have, it's just a matter of time. I really really really enjoyed this book, and I do wish I had read it sooner! During the book we obviously get a couple attempts by the gang to overthrow the Lord Ruler. Lets just say the first try did not go well. We really get to see why the Inquisitors, unbeatable and unstoppable powerful guards, are so feared of and holy crap that was intense.

There were a lot of moments when I literally thought Sanderson was going to kill the main characters because taking on that big of a heist was bound to have many, if not, all casualties.

WARNING: This is not a happy book. This is a sad, intense, thrilling adventure but not happy. The world Sanderson built and made is living in poverty and a literal wasteland with ash to cover their grounds, do not expect a happy ending. Kelsier was definitely one of my favourite characters, maybe tied with Vin. He was so bad-ass and a complete Dumbledore-like character that his words were so strong and wise. He really was a legend to people.

“That’s where he got those scars, you know,” Disten said. “The ones on his arms. He got them at the Pits, from the rocks on a sheer wall he had to climb to escape.”

Harmon snorted. “That’s not how he got them. He killed an Inquisitor while escaping—that’s where he got the scars.”

“I heard he got them fighting one of the monsters that guard the Pits,” Ulef said. “He reached into its mouth and strangled it from the inside. The teeth scraped his arms.”

Disten frowned. “How do you strangle someone from the inside?"

The only word I can think about for this novel is, intricate. It was so finely wound and woven into this thick, deep and thoughtful plot line and story in general. The whole book was so believable and possible because of the actual realness in the setting and the background behind the people and not to mention the actual world, and what happened for it to get to this point. Again, I really did like this and I'm very happy I finally read it! The characters are simply amazing and so memorable that I absolutely loved everything in this entire novel. This is such a raved about book that it deserves all of the hype it's getting!

Allomancy - 12:42:00 AM

Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) by Brandon Sanderson | Review

Publication Date: July 25th 2006 Publisher: Tor Books Pages: 541 ISBN: 076531178X (ISBN13: 9780765311788) In a world where...

Pages: 342 pages

Publication Date: May 5th 2015 by HarperTeen

ISBN: 0062349856 (ISBN13: 9780062349859)

Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won Prince Maxon’s heart. Now the time has come for Princess Eadlyn to hold a Selection of her own. Eadlyn doesn’t expect her Selection to be anything like her parents’ fairy-tale love story. But as the competition begins, she may discover that finding her own happily ever after isn’t as impossible as she always thought.

Now, What I Thought:

Wow, 20 years in the future and now we have America and Maxon's daughter, Eadlyn. Clearly the name choices haven't gotten better, I mean you have Eadlyn, Henri, Ean, Kile, Ahren, Aspen and plenty more weirdly spelled names haha. As much as the concept of this novel is pretty dumb and over-exhausted, Keira Cass just has such an addictive way of writing that you can't put the book down! I loved the Selection series, where we were reading through America's P.O.V., but to add on her daughter's experience with this stupid competition.. I don't know, I really didn't think it was going to work. But like I said before, it was super addictive and I actually read it in one sitting. I think just the idea of a bunch of guys fighting for this one girl's attention was so juicy that we had to read and actually like it. If I hadn't said before I'll say it now, I really did like this book, and I'm super excited for the next in Eadlyn's P.O.V.

Eadlyn, to say the least, was and still is a brat. She's a bratty little snob and know-it-all. Sorry but it's true and many would agree. I did however like the storyline, surprisingly. Again, something about all these men fighting for her hand in marriage is so juicy and I think we all just covet her secretly. It also doesn't help that these guys are supposedly attractive, smart, foreign, and you name it. I'm pretty sure by the end of the book I knew who she would ultimately end up with because it's pretty obvious. As for America..... she definitely changed I found, maybe because of the crown or power but she was just not the same. Maxon however, really impressed me when he was in 'daddy mode.' I liked how he took charge of things and actually listened to his daughter and spoke to her to make sure she was alright with his, being as he had to go through it once before.

Anyways, I'm really excited for the next book to come out and I'll be counting down the days to read it! It was an interesting enough story and really addictive. Hope the next one is even better!!!

dystopia - 12:26:00 AM

The Heir (The Selection #4) by Kiera Cass | Review

Pages: 342 pages Publication Date: May 5th 2015 by HarperTeen ISBN: 0062349856 (ISBN13: 9780062349859) Twenty years ago, Ameri...

Pages: 336 pages

Publication Date: April 24th 2012 by HarperTeen

ISBN: 0062059939 (ISBN13: 9780062059932)

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself—and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

Now, What I Thought:

I was a bit confused before reading this book. I mean, on Goodreads the review rating was 4.16/5, which is really good! Yet in the comments and written review portion, most of them were ranging between 1-2 stars. You could see my dilemma, whether to read the book or not? Boy was I glad I did. Guys. I can't stress enough about how if you want to read the book, like the concept of the book and even love the cover of the book, don't listen to the reviews that'll put you off. You can never know how you'll like a book by just reading reviews, you have to actually read it yourself. And that's exactly what I did.

This was The Bachelor meets The Hunger Games. Yes, the names were ridiculous but besides that, I actually liked America's journey to find herself and to find true love that might not be Aspen. The Caste System was pretty interesting to me, how the amount of money you had would class your family by a number. So America was a 6, therefore her and her families last name was Cohen. Now, her family moved up to a 5, in which her last name has now changed to Singer. SO WEIRD, cool but weird. The fact your last name changes with your class. It was pretty cool to see how controversial the caste system was/is. It actually plays a huge role in the later books as America and plenty of other defiant citizens wish it gone, once and for all. Of course the king isn't too happy about that and it causes America some trouble.

Prince Maxon was everything you can expect from a prince who played in riches. Nice enough, handsome, ignorant towards the poor, oh yeah and sorting through 35 girls like a game to find his wife. Guys, I KNOW it sounds so foolish and dumb but once you get into the book, it's pretty hard to put down. Cass just sucks you in with all of this detailed information about the world and the history of how it's come to this way of monarchy. Among all of the hate and dislike toward this series, there are people, like me, who actually enjoyed this book and the others to come. Read it if YOU want to read it and judge it by your own personal experience, not by others.

FYI, can I just say how funny and incredibly lucky we are to dodge the bullet of the leaked script for the adaptation tv show of this series. HOLY CRAP, it was so bad, and so different. I'll definitely link it below because EVERYONE needs to read this crap. Btw, they made Maxon into some sex-addicted teen boy lololololol.
The Selection 2.0 Script