Thursday, November 3, 2011

Mini Reviews: The Espressologist, All the King's Men, Rival, Vampire Knight vol. 6

Title: The Espressologist
Author: Kristina Springer
Pages: 208
Publication: October 27, 2009
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Summary taken from goodreads:
What’s your drink of choice? Is it a small pumpkin spice latte? Then you’re lots of fun and a bit sassy. Or a medium americano? You prefer simplicity in life. Or perhaps it’s a small decaf soy sugar-free hazelnut caffe latte? Some might call you a yuppie. Seventeen-year-old barista Jane Turner has this theory that you can tell a lot about a person by their regular coffee drink. She scribbles it all down in a notebook and calls it Espressology. So it’s not a totally crazy idea when Jane starts hooking up some of her friends based on their coffee orders. Like her best friend, Em, a medium hot chocolate, and Cam, a toffee nut latte. But when her boss, Derek, gets wind of Jane’s Espressology, he makes it an in-store holiday promotion, promising customers their perfect matches for the price of their favorite coffee. Things are going better than Derek could ever have hoped, so why is Jane so freaked out? Does it have anything to do with Em dating Cam? She’s the one who set them up! She should be happy for them, right?
2.5 STARS - IT WAS A LITTLE BETTER THAN OKAY

MY REVIEW:

The matchmaking coffee concept was interesting, and Jane's interpretations of them were pretty entertaining, but like most typical YA matchmaking heroines, they easily find the perfect person for everyone but themselves because they don't realize who's there until the end of the book.

Basically a super quick read that helped distract me out of my bad mood earlier.






Title: All the King's Men
Author: Robert Penn Warren
Pages: 672
Publication: September 5, 2006
Publisher: Harvest Books
Summary taken from goodreads:
This landmark book is a loosely fictionalized account of Governor Huey Long of Louisiana, one of the nation's most astounding politicians. All the King's Men tells the story of Willie Stark, a southern-fried politician who builds support by appealing to the common man and playing dirty politics with the best of the back-room deal-makers. Though Stark quickly sheds his idealism, his right-hand man, Jack Burden -- who narrates the story -- retains it and proves to be a thorn in the new governor's side. Stark becomes a successful leader, but at a very high price, one that eventually costs him his life. The award-winning book is a play of politics, society and personal affairs, all wrapped in the cloak of history.
4 STARS - I REALLY LIKED IT

MY REVIEW:

After getting through with the beginning and also getting over my irrational stubbornness that I get from being forced to read a book for school, I really began to enjoy All the King's Men.

As I became used to the writing style which is full of similes, metaphors, allusions, and super long paragraphs, I was quickly engrossed in the plot, watching the rise and fall of Willie Stark, unraveling Jack's past and also his connections to all of the other fully fleshed out characters in the book.

Although some parts were quite dull, there was plenty of dramatic scenes and plot twists to keep you turning the pages!






Title: Rival
Author: Sara Bennett Wealer
Pages: 336
Publication: February 15, 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Summary taken from goodreads:
What if your worst enemy turned out to be the best friend you ever had? 
Meet Brooke: Popular, powerful and hating every minute of it, she’s the “It” girl at Douglas High in Lake Champion, Minnesota. Her real ambition? Using her operatic mezzo as a ticket back to NYC, where her family lived before her dad ran off with an up and coming male movie star. 
Now meet Kathryn: An overachieving soprano with an underachieving savings account, she’s been a leper ever since Brooke punched her at a party junior year. For Kath, music is the key to a much-needed college scholarship. 
The stage is set for a high-stakes duet between the two seniors as they prepare for the prestigious Blackmore competition. Brooke and Kathryn work toward the Blackmore with eyes not just on first prize but on one another, each still stinging from a past that started with friendship and ended in betrayal. With competition day nearing, Brooke dreams of escaping the in-crowd for life as a professional singer, but her scheming BFF Chloe has other plans. And when Kathryn gets an unlikely invitation to Homecoming, she suspects Brooke of trying to sabotage her with one last public humiliation. 
As pressures mount, Brooke starts to sense that the person she hates most might just be the best friend she ever had. But Kathryn has a decision to make. Can she forgive? Or are some rivalries for life?
5 STARS - IT WAS AMAZING!

MY REVIEW:

Rival is a wonderful book that touches on many aspects that teens go through today -- rivalry, misunderstandings, fitting in, and true friendship.

I can't even word how awesome this book is! With it's engaging plot, diverse cast of fleshed out characters, and easy but beautiful writing style, Rival is a great debut.

I can't wait for the author's next book!






Title: Vampire Knight vol. 6
Author: Matsuri Hino
Pages: 200
Publication: April 7, 2009
Publisher: VIZ Media
Summary taken from goodreads:
Cross Adademy is attended by two groups of students: the Day Class and the Night Class. At twilight, when the students of the Day Class return to their dorm, they cross paths with the Night Class on their way to school. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu are the Guardians of the school, protecting the Day Class from the Academy's dark secret: the Night Class is full of vampires! 
Yuki sneaks into an exclusive vampire party and sees Aido's parents introducing their daughter to Kaname. They, like many other Night Class parents, desire an alliance with the pureblood. Kaname is the most eligible bachelor in the vampire society--but will he choose Yuki?

5 STARS - IT WAS AMAZING!

MY REVIEW:


Beautiful art, great cast of characters with individual motives, and an intriguing storyline full of suspense and mystery sprinkled in with some comedic relief; what more could you ask for?

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