Epic by Conor Kostick

"Do you ever dream of dueling Central Allocations and winning?"

"Always."

Naming a book Epic might seem a bit ambitious... at least, that's what I thought before I started reading it. Because honestly, Epic really is epic.

Epic is placed in the future so I think all the stuff about civilization falling apart and people moving to a new planet goes without saying.

Because of the collapse, on New Earth, all violence is outlawed. Every problem people have is resolved in a video game named (wait for ittttt...!) Epic. People create characters and try their best to be successful in Epic. If you're successful in Epic, you'll be successful in the real world.

New Earth is governed by a committee of the best Epic players on New Earth. Over time, the committee has become tyrannical and hated for not doing anything to help the people of New Earth.

The main character is named Erik. He was always very unsuccessful in Epic until one day he made a new Character named Cindella.

People always made characters that looked like themselves and they made them as strong, rich, etc. as they could at the start of the same.

However, when Erik made Cindella, he made her as beautiful as possible.

And thus starts an adventure of playing Epic in a way that no one else ever dared to.

The next thing he knows, Erik is in the position to destroy the committee and all of their heartless ways.

Will he succeed?

I can't tell you- you'll just have to see for yourself. ;-)

5/5

-SEP

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

I was going to write a review on the sequel to The Hunger Games. However, I don't want to put any spoilers into it so I'm not going to write a review of Catching Fire. But just for the record, Catching Fire is just as good as The Hunger Games.

5/5 to both.

I can't wait for the final book (Mockingjay) to come out! D-:

-SEP

Review #1: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

"Destroying things is much easier than making them."

In the years to come, war will break out across North America and everything you currently know will be destroyed. Out of the ruins emerges a new nation called Panem. There's thirteen districts and each year, the districts are required to send one boy and one girl to participate in the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is a competition to the death between the tributes from each district. The tributes are put into an arena and have to learn to survive in the wild and keep from being killed by a fellow tribute. Only one tribute can come out alive. The Hunger Games is televised all across Panem and the winner will be given riches and fame.

"You don't forget the face of the person who was your last hope."

The main character of The Hunger Games is Katniss Everdeen. Originally, her little sister Prim was supposed to participate but Katniss took her place.

This story is very intense and really plays with your emotions... it even has romance in it.

"Remember, we're madly in love, so it's all right to kiss me anytime you feel like it."

This story is filled with politics and parallels with things that have happened in history.

It's also one of those stories that you say you're only going to read the first chapter and end up reading and reading and reading.

"Deep in the meadow, hidden far away
A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray
Forget your woes and let your troubles lay
And when it's morning again, they'll wash away
Here it's safe, here it's warm
Here the daisies guard you from every harm
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true
Here is the place where I love you."

Most definitely 5/5.

-SEP

15

Greetings, Freaks!

For quite some time now I've been begging Angela to get a Facebook account. She's finally relented- with one condition. I have to write fifteen good reviews on here before she'll sign up... now what qualifies as a good review, I don't know... I guess that's up to Angela since she's supreme and all knowing. So watch out Blogger! SEP has fifteen, hopefully good, reviews on the way!

-SEP

Ranger's Apprentice book one: The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan

"A littel over an hour?" Will said. He saw Halt's eyebrows draw together in a frown and remembered that the Ranger also disliked being answered with a question. "Are you asking me, or telling me?" Halt said. Will shook his head, annoyed at himself. "A little over an hour," he replied more confidently and, this time, the Ranger nodded agreement.
Will is one of the orphans who live in the keep of the Baron. Unlike the others, however, he doesn't know who his father is, who his mother is, or even what they did. All he knows is that he's different from the others. Will is the shortest of all the orphans, he's fast, quick, can climb anything, and knows how to be out of sight without hiding. He also dreams of being a knight- nearly impossible for a boy shorter than the rest.
When Choosing day finally comes, the battlemaster won't accept him. None of the craftmasters will. Will thinks he's destined to go out to work as a field hand- until the Ranger, Halt, shows the Baron a piece of paper. Will doesn't know whats on it. He doesn't know anything- until he tries to steal the paper. Becoming a Ranger's apprentice isn't what Will wants, but if it stops him from working in a field, he's good. Through a series of (many) events, Will has to help stop the evil lord Morgarath... and he's not even a real Ranger yet.
"Very well, Salt Peter, I want you to take a message to Baron Arald."
"Baron Arald?" the farmer asked nervously. Halt frowned again. "See what you've done?" he said to Will. "You've got him answering questions with questions now!"
This book was, I thought, going to be stupid. I picked it up from the library because of a reccomendation. Not because I would ordinarily pick it up. It just seemed to be one of those stupid popular books that everyone is crazy about now, and in a couple of years no one will remember it. I read it, though, and I have to say "don't judge a book by it's cover." This book was well written, funny, had amazing characters, exciting, and it described EVERYTHING. :) I ♥ this book. I would give it five stars, and recommend people to read it.
It was an unearthly sound that twisted the stomach into knots of fear and turned the blood cold. Involuntarily, the Baron and Sir Rodney reined in as they heard it. Their horses plunged wildly against the reins. It came from straight ahead of them and rose and fell, until the night air quaked in the horror of it. "Good God in heaven!" The Baron exclaimed. "What is that?" His face was ashen as the hellish song soared through the night toward them, to be answered immediately by another, identical howl. But Will had heard the terrible noise before. He felt the blood leave his face now as he realized his fears were being proven correct. "It's the Kalkara," he said. "They're hunting."

TTYL by Lauren Myracle

mad maddie: helloooooooo, angela.
SnowAngel: hellooooooooo, madigan.
mad maddie: lovely morning, isn't it? the birds r singing, the sun is shining, the bald man from across the street has shut off his cursed lawn mower...
Who ever decided to say that highschool friendships never last? Tough Madigan (mad maddie), angelic Zoe (zoegirl) and Angela (SnowAngel) are convinced that they will ALWAYS be the three best friends, through the good times and bad. Nothing is going to tear them apart. Not even Jana, the "queen bee" or when Angela breaks all over the place because some jerky boy has gone and broke her heart. Again. Or when Maddie does something stupid. Nothing. But when Angela "falls in love" with a jerky boy, who takes her heart and smashes it into a million pieces; Maddie makes a horrible, HORRIBLE choice that hurts not only herself, but her friends also, and sends their school into a feeding frenzy, and Zoe falls head-over-heels for a teacher who may or may not be a "weirdo stalkerhead"; this resolve is put to the test. When Maddie is mad at both calm Zoe, and flirty Angela, when Zoe just can't say no, and when Angela can't do anything, what are they to do?
SnowAngel: hey, zoe girl
zoegirl: hey, angela
SnowAngel: any luck with maddie today?
zoegirl: no, u?
SnowAngel: she shot me a death look when i tried to talk to her in geometry. does that count?
zoegirl: maddie does give a good death look, i'll give her that.
SnowAngel: so, not to be self-absorbed or anything, but does this mean our cumberland island trip is off? thanksgiving's only 2 and a half weeks away.
zoegirl: i've been wondering about that 2. maddie was so psyched about it.
Just so you know, this book has swearing. Okay? Also- this book is written ENTIRELY in IMs. :) it was quite fun to read, and it did seperate you away from the story a bit (which is sometimes good) but if you don't like books that are written in an alternative form (my sister Veelacat hates books written like diaries) then you probably won't like this. This book was most definitely a "pink fluff" (quoted from my mother) book, but it was entertaining nontheless. It isn't a very long read (I read it in one night) but interesting, and the characters are loveable. I'd give it three and a half stars.

Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines

This is the American Title fight, so people are watching this one all over the globe. When a gladiator wins the American Title, this is his job: to look large, to be the largest man on Earth really. His name appears in novels, it's shaved into hair art.
In the age Lyn lives in, the biggest sport, the biggest entertainment, is gladiators. The sport came back as a way to (hopefully) stop war. It didn't really work, and now she lives in a world where life is all about blood, money, and a lot of publicity. Her mother has married seven gladiators- the seventh being the current, Tommy. The thing is, a glad wife is only allowed to marry seven times. If Tommy dies in a fight, she's done. When Tommy does die, and the enemy accidentally becomes Lyn's fiance, she says she'd rather die than marry him. And she means it literally.
He grows larger and larger. He becomes the sign. He becomes a giant where endorsments are concerned. He helps the population buy poorly assembled vehicles with tires that will blow out, and small overwrapped meals, and trillions of bottles of diluted water.
This book was very interesting. Very, very interesting. It is written in present-tense, which I think helps bring it to life. I cannot, however, say that it is one of the best books I've read. I really didn't like the ending- it was happy, sure, but it... it was just a let down, really. As most of you know, I take points off for a lame/bad/incomplete ending. So I'd say that, overall, this book really only gains a 2 3/4 amount of stars. Maybe a 3.

Dream Factory by Brad Barkley and Heather Hepler

She nods. "Luke, how was it today?" "Same. You?" "Mostly the same. A radical feminist fifth-grader wanted to know if I wasn't reinforcing negative female stereotypes with my dependence on Prince Charming." I laugh and sit beside her, kicking off my flip-flops. "How'd you explain that one?" "I think I said something along the lines of 'get away from me.' It seemed to satisfy her curiosity."
The characters at Disney World are on strike. As a result, the "happiest place on earth" has no characters. No one is playing Cinderella, Chip, Dale, Snow White, Jasmine, or anyone else. It may seem alright- after all, you still have everything else, right? Wrong. Without the characters, the show just can't go on. There aren't any shows. There are no character breakfasts. No one to sign autographs. What is Disney World with not princesses? No heros? No Damsels in distress, or villains? So they start hiring anyone they can. With the people, comes Luke S. (all you geeks out there- bet you can't guess his middle name), and Ella. Through a scavenger hunt, and the rest of their short time there as temporary replacement characters, Luke and Ella have to figure out whether they can make their own happy endings, out of the unmagical lives they have.
It was weird ending the date, if you could even call it that. It was more like three friends going out to eat and shopping, and taking along their very beautiful and very angry pit bull.
This book caught my attention because of it's cover. It's hot pink, with a catch title. I brought it home because of what it's synopsis was. How many romance novels take place in Disney world? Pretty few. Although this book is obviously a romance novel, that's not all it is. It also has lessons on how to make something out of what you have, how to turn your life around, being yourself, being true to what you believe in, and all that. I'd give it about 4 and a half stars.