Review: Sweet Valley Confidential

Title: Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later
Author: Francine Pascal
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 293
Where I Got This Book: Library
Rating: 2.5 Stars

Goodreads Summary: Now with this striking new adult novel from author and creator Francine Pascal, millions of devoted fans can finally return to the idyllic Sweet Valley, home of the phenomenally successful book series and franchise. Iconic and beloved identical twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield are back and all grown up, dealing with the complicated adult world of love, careers, betrayal, and sisterhood.





My Thoughts: Sweet Valley High (and all its spin-offs, from Twins to University) were pretty much all I read in elementary school and going into junior high, so obviously this book was a must-read.

**Warning**: There are spoilers in this review, although I use the term spoiler lightly since I believe that this book is incredibly predictable. After the first chapter, you know exactly where the story will end up.

I finished this book in less than two days and I was left with very mixed feelings about it. I loved reading Elizabeth's chapters and learning about her new life as a journalist in NYC. Elizabeth has always been my favorite twin and it was nice to see her living the life she wanted (at least as far as her career was concerned). As for Jessica, I outright hated her in this book. I always knew she was self-centered and narcissistic but she had always had a charm to her too. In this book, there was no charm. She was just a cold-hearted b**** who slept with her twin's fiance.

Thinking back on SVH books, though, I have to admit that Jessica has done some pretty screwed up things in the past. The first thing that comes to mind is when she spiked her sister's drink at a school dance. Elizabeth ended up leaving the party with Jessica's boyfriend (Sam Woodruff? I'm not 100% sure on the name)-not aware she was drunk-and crashed the car, killing Sam instantly. Jessica basically called Elizabeth a murderer and did not fess up to her part in all of it until Elizabeth had already begun defending herself in court for the charge of manslaughter. Yep, pretty screwed up. Alright, enough of memory lane. On with book at hand.

I hated reading about that part when Jessica had the [month long!!] affair with Todd in college. Reading about how it all happened did not justify it for me at all. She didn't even try to stop herself. They kissed once in the car and then sped to Todd's apartment to have sex, while poor Elizabeth was lying oblivious in her room, sick with the flu.

Reading Jessica's parts was not only frustrating for me because of her actions but also because it was just poorly written. There were so many "likes" and "sos" thrown into her narrative, and it was like so totally annoying to read. It also made her sound stupid, as if she really was just some dumb barbie-doll Valley girl.

I have to admit, though, that I started to warm up (a tiny bit) to her character once Elizabeth finally confronted her. The twins had been split apart for the whole book, and the first real scene when they're together doesn't happen until about 200 pages in. Just having the twin dynamic back made me more open to Jessica--I was becoming more like Elizabeth and willing to forgive her for anything. However, despite all that, I thought Elizabeth forgave her twin way too quickly. What Jessica did was incredibly wrong and she had no justification for it (I just wasn't buying that she and Todd were truly in love-they had zero chemistry). Even after everything she did, she still got her happy ending. Ugh.

I was really happy that Elizabeth got together with Bruce Patman in the end, though. I thought they made an interesting couple. It almost made up for the screwed up way that her and Todd's meant-to-be relationship ended.

All in all, I'd recommend that you don't buy this book but check it out from the library instead. I don't think it's worth spending money on, but it's not a waste of time to read either, especially if you're a die-hard SV fan.

Top Ten Book Endings That Left Me With My Mouth Hanging Open

Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. You can find upcoming topics at their Top Ten Tuesday page.

1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

I expect to see this book on a lot of people's lists. A very beloved character dies at the end, and that was highly unanticipated. At least, I never saw that coming. When my parents saw the movie, they were in denial at the end and expected to see a resurrection in the 7th movie. I was just like "Sorry Mom and Dad, but said character is gone for good' (Am I being too cautious by not revealing this spoiler? Are any Harry Potter spoilers a secret anymore?)

2. Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy, #3) by Richelle Mead

Noooooo! This can't be! Not Dimitri!! Those were my only thoughts at the end of this book. You just don't expect these things to happen to main characters. It was only the third book in the series (out of six), so I had no idea where this turn of events would lead.


3. Rebecca by Daphe du Maurier

The last sixty pages of Rebecca really sucked me in. I was so keyed up as I tried to guess what would happen to Maxim. I came up with half a dozen scenarios in my head, all of them worse (as in unhappy) endings than what actually happened. I was never so invested in trying to figure out the mystery in a book before. Wow. It was a trip.

4. Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz

WORST CLIFFHANGER EVER!!! I am dying for the second book in this series. I refuse to believe that Freya's soul-mate is actually evil. I mean, he's her true love and has been for centuries. It would be way too sad.

5. Hamlet by William Shakespeare

I'm not a huge fan of plays. I like them alright, but every play I've read has been for a class. However, Hamlet I genuinely love and I've reread it a couple of times for pleasure. I think one of the main reasons for that is how mindblowing the ending is. The last scene is just death after death after death. There's no break from the mayhem. The play ends with a bunch of dead bodies littering the floor.

6. The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

I thought this book was pretty slow for the majority of it. I still really enjoyed it, but there wasn't any action in it at all. That is, there wasn't any action until the very end (as in the last ten pages) when the characters are suddenly being hit from all sides and fighting for their lives.

7. Shadowland (The Immortals, #3) by Alyson Noel

Ugh. This book frustated the heck out of me, and the ending was so awful. I can't believe the decision that Ever made regarding Haven. Hasn't she learned not to trust her impulses by now? I found myself disliking Ever more and more as I was getting into the series and that choice she made at the end of book 3 was the last straw for me. I utterly hated her after that and I decided to stop reading the series. I'm sorry to anyone who loves this series, but I just couldn't handle the characters anymore. I was getting way too annoyed with most of them and the ones that didn't frustrate me were still not quite likeable. I just felt neutral towards them. It didn't make any sense to continue a series that I wasn't enjoying.

8. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood

I honestly did not see the twist coming. I was so certain about the identity of the blue-blood woman who was having an affair and the reveal at the end truly came as a surprise to me. I feel like I'm the only one who felt this way though. Based on the reviews I've read, no one else seemed to be thrown by the ending.

9. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

This seems to be a love it or hate it type of book. I, personally, loved it. I can't say that the ending really surprised me because I never completely trusted Elspeth, but it did leave me wondering if Elspeth ever actually had good intentions toward Valentina or if she was just purely manipulative.

10. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

This book didn't actually leave me "with me mouth hanging open," but I needed a tenth book and this was the best one I could think of. I just reviewed it on this blog and I mentioned that the ending was a nail-biter, which is true. There were very little pages left and Miranda was stranded out in the snow, waiting to die. I had no idea how this story was going to conclude, and as the pages dwindled down I was actually getting nervous that the book would just end with Miranda freezing in the snow.

Review: Shiver

Title: Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #1)
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 390
Where I Got This Book: Library
Rating: 3 Stars

Goodreads Summary:


the cold. 
Grace has spent years watching the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—watches back. He feels deeply familiar to her, but she doesn't know why.

the heat.
Sam has lived two lives. As a wolf, he keeps the silent company of the girl he loves. And then, for a short time each year, he is human, never daring to talk to Grace...until now.

the shiver.
For Grace and Sam, love has always been kept at a distance. But once it's spoken, it cannot be denied. Sam must fight to stay human—and Grace must fight to keep him—even if it means taking on the scars of the past, the fragility of the present, and the impossibility of the future.

My Thoughts: When I first heard of this series, there seemed to be a lot of controversy about whether or not Stiefvater had stolen a few of Meyer's ideas from her series. That and the fact that I'm just not that into werewolves prevented me from giving this book a try. What finally convinced me to read it was discovering that each book in the series was printed using a different colored ink for the text. I thought that this was such a neat idea and it was something I had never come across before, so that made me curious enough to pick it up.  

I thought it was well-written and I loved how the author wrote about the wolves. It was interesting that once a person shifted they truly become a wild wolf, with very little to no connection with their human counterpart. I honestly did not see any connection between Shiver and Twilight. Even the mind-reading thing was written quite differently. My only problem with the book is that I couldn't really feel anything for Sam and Grace, and since they are the two main characters that turned out to be a big problem. I didn't hate them or anything--I was just 'meh' about them and their relationship. Actually, if I'm being really honest, I would have to say that I actually did dislike their relationship at times--there were some cutesy scenes between the two that were just cringe-worthy to me.

I also believe that with the way Shiver ended, it could easily have been a standalone novel. I saw no reason why the author felt the need to expand the story into two more books. However, I will continue reading the series to see what the author has come up with, and so that I can hopefully feel something more for Sam and Grace and see their relationship grow.

Review: Life As We Knew It

Title: Life As We Knew It (Last Survivors, #1)
Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Pages: 337
Where I Got This Book: Library
Rating: 3.5 Stars

Goodreads Summary: Miranda’s disbelief turns to fear in a split second when a meteor knocks the moon closer to the earth. How should her family prepare for the future when worldwide tsunamis wipe out the coasts, earthquakes rock the continents, and volcanic ash blocks out the sun? As summer turns to Arctic winter, Miranda, her two brothers, and their mother retreat to the unexpected safe haven of their sunroom, where they subsist on stockpiled food and limited water in the warmth of a wood-burning stove.
    
Told in journal entries, this is the heart-pounding story of Miranda’s struggle to hold on to the most important resource of all--hope--in an increasingly desperate and unfamiliar world.

My Thoughts: When I first started this novel and realized it was written in diary entries, I was a little unsure how much I would actually enjoy it-I don't really like epistolary-type novels.  However, the writing didn't really come across as a teenage girl's diary.  It was very detailed and had full dialogue.  This certainly ruined the effect of reading a diary, but that proved to be a good thing for me.

It started out kind of slow, but once I got halfway through I zoomed through the rest.  The entire concept of the moon being knocked out of orbit and causing numerous natural disasters (tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions) was very realistic to me. However, it did surprise me that no one, according to Miranda, had thought of this possibility when they all first discovered that the meteor would hit.  No scientists/astronomers ever seemed to consider how it could affect the earth.  I think if I was ever told that a meteor would hit the moon, I would be a little more worried than any of the people in this book appeared to be.  Miranda actually thought the whole thing was rather boring--until the meteor actually hit and caused all the disasters of course.

This is a great apocalyptic novel. You can really feel the characters' hunger, how freezing they are in this new world with no sun, and how isolated they feel. They can't risk going out into the world, so the family sticks together and lives out the months of winter in their small house. The small setting actually seems to help bring the story to life more. It becomes very character-driven and each family member was very well-rounded.

I liked how well Miranda's relationship with her Mom was written--all of the tension, heated arguments, and bonding moments mixed in together. It all felt very true to how a teenage girl and her mother would act with one another.  And I disagree with Miranda's belief that her younger brother Jonny has the best chance of surviving.  Miranda seems like the real survivor in her family, and I'm really rooting for her (for all of them). The ending was quite a nail biter and I loved that.

The second book in the trilogy,The Dead and the Gone, sounds amazing.  I'm excited that it takes place in NYC because I've been curious about how things are in other places in the country/world.  I wish the last book went on to focus on a third person in another location so I could get an even bigger picture of what the world was like, but it will be nice to continue Miranda's story, so I won't complain that the author decided to finish out the series by going back to Miranda and her family.

Some Awesome Banned Books

Here are some of the banned/challenged books I love that have been challenged in the past decade (you can find the entire list of banned books here):

Update: The list above was only for 2000-2009 but I found two other lists for 2009-2010 and 2010-2011, and I added books from those lists as links.

   

 

 And, of course, the Harry Potter series (I was having too hard of a time getting the image to line up, so I decided to just give the link)

Also:
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer
The Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Winterson
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
Vegan Virgin Valentine by Carolyn Mackler
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

Here's a list of recently challenged books that I want to read:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Beloved by Toni Morrison
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
Staying Fat for Sara Byrnes by Chris Crutcher
And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson (I read a post at Let's Book It about this book for banned book week that convinced me to read this sweet picture book about the true story of two male penguins at the Central Park Zoo that raise a chick as their own)

Contest Craze: Zombie Survival

Amanda at That Teen Can Blog is hosting a mini challenge for Princess Bookie's Contest Craze.

The Zombie Apocalypse Preparation Challenge:
(Use any book you've read)

• Choose two characters to fight along side you
• Choose the fictional world you will be fighting in
• Choose a weapon/superpower/ability you will use to fight
• Go to this site: http://creativitygames.net/random-word-generator/randomwords/8 and choose one of the 8 words to be your mode of transportation (this WILL get silly!)

My Fighting Partners: Alice (from Twilight) & Emily (from Emily the Strange)

My World: the fictional world from Dark Life--it's a community under the sea! What? There could be zombies there.
My Power: I'm going to borrow Chloe's supernatural ability (from Darkest Powers) and control the dead! Haha! Those zombies won't stand a chance!
Transportation: Lasers (I'm not sure how this would work, but it sounds cool)

Why I Love Wednesdays: Banned Books

Why I Love Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Alexis at Reflections of a Bookaholic. Every Wednesday, she discusses a different literary topic. The topic this week is to share a banned book that you love.

Why I Love . . . Sophie's Choice by William Styron

Reasons why the book was challenged (found at ALA website): "Banned in South Africa in 1979. Returned to La Mirada High School library (CA) in 2002 after a complaint about its sexual content prompted the school to pull the award-winning novel about a tormented Holocaust survivor."

Warning: Spoilers Ahead

 The narrator, Stingo, is a struggling writer (he's sort of Styron's persona) who meets a couple living in his building and ends up getting caught in the middle of their tumultuous relationship. I really enjoy books told from the voice of a narrator who is not the main focus of the novel (ex. The Great Gatsby). The reason why reading Sophie's Choice from Stingo's point of view makes the novel so appealing is because the reader finds herself caught up in the mystery of Sophie's character. Why is she in this relationship? Why does this beautiful, smart, kind woman subject herself to the abuse and humiliation of this mentally unstable man? (These may not be such pressing questions for someone who has seen the film, but I read this novel knowing nothing of the plot except what was on the book jacket. I didn't even know the surprise ending. So needless to say, I was furiously turning the pages trying to get more insight into Sophie's motivations.)

There is one highly disturbing scene that I'll never get out of my mind: Sophie is lying in the dirt in the middle of the woods after being hit by a drunk Nathan and Nathan tells her to open her mouth so he can urinate in it, and she does so without hesistation. That scene showed me just how broken Sophie was. She is completely tortured by her past and the choice she was forced to make, and it's heartbreaking. She has lost all respect for herself and believes she deserves nothing good out of life. She seeks out punishment, needing it in order to go on living.

The complexity of this story is amazing. I even found Nathan to be a sympathetic character at times; he was someone whose mental illness had stolen from him the incredible potential he had been born with and turned him into a monster.