Battle of the Books: The Epic Battle

In my school district we have this reading competition called battle of the books. I do not think this exists any where else, so boy am I glad that we have it. Essentially, you read around 10 books over a two-three month period and then you answer crazy detailed questions about the books. An example would be like, in which book do characters have to think about a clock? Then you pick which book out of the 10 this would happen. (The answer to this one is Eye of Minds). So yeah, its difficult. Well my team of lovely ladies are our school champions and we made it to semi finals at the district battle. (I know very impressive, especially considering we never finished reading all of the books!) I thought I would share some of the fun we had by sharing my reviews of the books we read. I did not finish all of the books because I was way too busy so a review of These Shallow Graves will hopefully come soon. Other books that I had already read that were part of the battle were Everything Everything, 1984, and the Red Queen, but I had not read them recently enough to give a good review. Happy Reading!

1. Yes, the Book Title is Cheesily Mentioned in the Book Several Times 

This book was one of my favorites that I read for battle of the books. Unfortunately, I was not very good at answering questions about it because so much happens over the course of the book. One thing this book severely lacked was humor (as I find with many thrillers or action packed books. They can't all be Sara J Mass or Cassandra Clare). Also, if you know how to code, this book will bug you because it makes it look like hacking is extremely easy, so be warned. Do not read this book if you want something to keep coming back to over a month, it won't be as good as just powering through and reading it all in one week. 

Zero Day by Jan Gangsei
My rating: ❤❤❤❤
Similar books: Diplomatic Immunity (I don't know why it just feels similar. If you want a little bit a mystery, an interesting main character, and a whole lot of romance try this)
The Fixer (Also about the government, warning, the beginning was so bland I could not keep reading)

Kidnapping, hacking into complex technology, the fate of the world at stake, and a fast paced look at the US government, what more could you want from a book? (Romance of course, but guess what, this book has that too!) Addie Webster was kidnapped eight years ago, leaving her family, her best friend, and her country mourning her loss. Now her father, Mark Webster is the President of the United States and is desperately trying o fight against cyber terrorists. After tragedy strikes, Addie is suddenly returned, seeming to be the same lost little girl she had been eight years previously. But nothing is the way it seems and when the secrets start pouring out, the fate of the entire country becomes placed in Addie's hands. When I saw the cover of this book, I immediately assumed it was some historical fiction war novel that I had no interest in reading. When I actually looked at the back cover and read the synopsis I almost jumped for joy. This book hits all my book wants with a thrilling plot, tons of secrets, a little romance (I wish there was a bit more), and a contemporary setting that still feels adventurous. I also happen to love books with a political theme to them because I love government (might be why I hope to be a judge some day). I had three issues with this book. First, the characterization of Addie was done in a way that was meant to keep you asking questions about her secrets, but it wasn't pulled off. The author either needed to be more ambiguous or give Addie a slightly more relatable and believable personality, because she feels very robotic and fake. Second, the point of view was constantly changing up and we would get information from an unnamed character or the main character, or some minor character. Now this when done right (cough cough Cassandra Clare) can be a really great way to tell a story, especially if it is a series and we get lots of time for characterization of our main character. This book is a standalone and this style resulted in a lot of confusion and missed opportunities for us to relate to Addie more. Finally, while the book had a lot of twists and turns, the areas that were meant to be big shockers were easily predictable, and that made them big disappointments. There were too many hints about what was coming and that made the book a lot less enjoyable. Overall, this book was super entertaining and a fast read. I gave it four stars because despite its faults, the author got their message across and created a very enjoyable read. I would recommend this if you are in a reading slump and need a fast paced standalone to get you back in the reading mood.

2. If the Story was just Slightly Different, the Author would Definitely have a Foot Fetish

Just don't read this book. Honestly, if any of you have similar taste to myself, you won't really enjoy it. There is a lot of historical fiction out there that is much better.

Ties That Bind, Ties That Break by Lensey Namioka
My rating: ❤❤
Similar (and better) Books: Snow Falling on Cedars (Court trial with Japanese immigrants in a small town in the Pacific North West, an adult novel but mature young adults can handle it)
How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents (Sisters move from the Dominican Republic to New York, the chronicling of it is very interesting time wise and reminds me of Chronicle of a Death Foretold)
House on Mango Street  (Beautiful vignettes about a young Latina girl in Chicago)
Lensey Namioka gives an interesting viewpoint into the life of an intelligent female mind just trying to break free from the constricting chains of Chinese society. The time has come for Ailin's feet to be bound just like many young girls before her. But Ailin is much more interested in running free and attending school, things that are not at all proper for a young lady of her social standing. Readers follow her on her journey to find a place to call home in a world of strict rules and standards. I think I might have liked this book more if I was in like 5th grade. The writing was just too simple. Also I have never read a book that has repeated its main theme so many times. The phrase "Why can't my feet be free and unbound?" or just "bound feet" was essentially repeated at least once every page. sometimes motifs are meant to be subtle. This one felt like the author was trying to pound it in my brain with a hammer. I do have great respect for the way the author portrayed the setting and wove in information that taught me a lot of Chinese culture and history. honestly, if I was younger and she had toned done the feet stuff, I think I would have enjoyed this more. Also, the romance did not make any sense. You don't meet someone and then just fall into eternal happiness and romance at like 14, it doesn't make any sense. (Unless you are Cassandra Clare and you handle it right). I hate it when people tone down love to give a convenient ending to a book. The only thing I really liked with this book was how the character actually did something with her life. I won't spoil it, but there is some cooking involved (and I love cooking). Overall, you either need to read this book not expecting much from it, or you are really into learning about Chinese foot binding, or you are in like 5th or 6th grade.

3. It's like Ready Player One, But not Nearly as Good

Honestly James Dashner and I need to have a talk. His writing in this book is way better than in the Maze Runner. Unfortunately he really likes major plot twists that completely turn things are around. I am really starting to think that he has a hard time coming up with a good plot that can be sustained through a whole series so he just keeps making up random stuff to keep readers interested. Also, don't listen to this as an audio book. It is horribly confusing. Overall, only read this if you are desperate for a book like Ready Player One.
The Eye of Minds by James Dashner
My rating: ❤❤❤
Similar Books: Ready Player One (Virtual reality and a mystery)
I honestly wish I was a middle school boy because that would have made this book way more enjoyable. Michael is a gamer in the VirtNet and like most people, he spends his life in the bliss of virtual reality. But something is disturbing the VirtNet and the government wants Michael and his gang of hackers to help them solve their problem. Will it be dangerous? Yes. Will they kill him if he doesn't help? Yes. Will the mysterious gamer get him first? You will just have to read it to find out. This book is good and bad on many different levels. The plot is all over the place. It is completely unbelievable, like this feels like it should be fantasy instead of science fiction. This also misrepresenting coding and hacking. I am getting really tired of authors just deciding that all nerdy gamers are good at coding and just teach themselves how to hack into extremely hard systems and are always better than those who do it professionally. Even my friends how are great with technology and know how to code have no clue how to hack and just because someone knows how to play video games, it does not mean they know how to hack into the system. Hacking is basically the majority of the character's personalities. The characterization is very low in this book. Also, the government is totally wacky. The virtual reality is really cool though. The setting is interesting and the adventure is interesting. But a lot of the book felt like it was forced and like the author just wanted as many twists and turns as possible. Much of the book was predictable, but the ending came out of nowhere. Like way too out of nowhere. Like the author went all Divergent on us and basically took the plot of multiple different societies and forced them together. The only reason this book go three stars is because it was kind of entertaining. Endings don't usually surprise me so I respect the author for that. Once you get 2/3rds of the way through the book the plot starts to make sense, there is a bit of humor, and you actually want to keep reading. The beginning is way too slow and there is a lot of necessary stuff. Basically, if you want a book that might confuse you a ton, but has an interesting quest then this book is for you.

4. Answer, Other People's Houses Smell very Different 

This was my favorite book out of all the books in battle of the books. It was fantastic and made me want to go back to Alaska. Honestly there isn't much more I can say. Just read it.
The Smell of Other People's Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock
My rating: ❤❤❤❤❤
Similar Books: I can't think of any because I have never read anything like this book. (If you think of one please tell me!)
Prepare to be taken on several amazing journeys of heart break, love, and the eternal bond of family. There is one rule in Alaska, you keep to yourself. This keeps things from falling to pieces, at least on the outside. This keeps Ruth's secret safe from embarrassing her family, keeps Dora from ever really getting away from her past, keeps Alyce from her dream, and Hank and his brother's from getting caught. But you can't hide everything, and in this story many beautiful tales are woven together throughout one fateful summer. This book is truly amazing. The writing is engaging and poetic, but still holds love, humor, action, and mystery. The book is slightly predictable, but in the right ways. Plenty of things keep you guessing and a lot of it makes you want to cry. Even though I have nothing in common with any of the characters, I felt myself connecting with each and everyone one of them on a very deep level. It is hard to discuss this book without spoiling it, but it is a perfect read for any person and any mindset. Definitely my favorite book up until this point for 2018.