The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Title: The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner
Summary: Thomas is the newest arrival to the Glade in this Truman-meets-Lord of the Flies tale. A motley crew of half a dozen kids is all he has to guide him in this strange world. As soon as he arrives, unusual things begin to happen, and the others grow suspicious of him. Though the Maze seems somehow familiar to Thomas, he's unable to make sense of the place, despite his extraordinary abilities as a Runner. What is this place, and does Thomas hold the key to finding a way out?



This book was the perfect hybrid of dystopia and mystery. There was just the right amount of suspense to keep me going. I literally had to keep reading because I needed to know what was going to happen. If you're looking for a page-turner, this is a novel I highly recommend. I've been on a dystopia kick this past year and of the many dystopia novels I've read, this one is definitely up there in terms of favorites. The plot is amazing and is always moving, the characters are versatile and fairly well devloped, and the setting is frickin' awesome. The characters and the Glade were definitely the best part of this book. Also, the mystery surrounding the whole plot keeps the book moving along nicely. I can't wait to read the sequel, The Scorch Trials, and the conclusion to the trilogy, The Death Cure, which is out next month. This is definitely one to pick up!

Thanks for reading!
Theresa
The Book Nook

Top Ten Tuesday (7)

The Book Nook's Top Ten Books That:

I Need to Read Already!

This week's Top Ten Tuesday features the Top Ten books that everyone has read but me. There are many so be prepared.

1. Divergent- Veronica Roth (Don't worry its on my immediate TBR).

2. Bumped- Megan McCafferty

3-6. The Mortal Instruments Series- Cassandra Clare

7. Beauty Queens- Libba Bray (Some stupid spoiler spoiled the ending so now I'm waiting until I forget what happened to read it).

8-10. The Iron Fey Series- Julie Kagawa

What books are you out of loop on?

Thanks for reading!
Theresa
The Book Nook

The Bar Code Tattoo by Suzanne Weyn

Title: The Bar Code Tattoo
Author: Suzanne Weyn
Summary:
Individuality vs. Conformity
Identity vs. Access
Freedom vs. Control
The bar code tattoo. Everybody's getting it. It will make your life easier, they say. It will hook you in. It will become your identity.
But what if you say no? What if you don't want to become a code? For Kayla, this one choice changes everything. She becomes an outcast in her high school. Dangerous things happen to her family. There's no option but to run...for her life.

I actually really enjoyed this book and the style in which it was written. It had a vague similarity to XVI by Julia Carr and my feelings for the two novels are alike. The premise was interesting but in some parts the execution feel thorugh. For me, the biggest issues I had were the idea of showing versus telling and last minute plot developments. Throughout the beginning hlad of the novel, Weyn relied more on telling us about the world she invented rather than slowly revealing it to us throughout. At times, this was distracting because I was more worried about what the slang words meant than the development of the plot. Weyn also throws in rather large plot points that should take the whole novel in a few paragraphs. Even with the fact that there's a sequel some of the points are too much for one novel. A little suspense could have taken the book farther.

This is a great dystopia novel for the younger half of the young adult reading group. There's not much violence, no bad language, and no thematic elements. It still has the dystopia themes but its packaged in a lighter form.

Thanks for reading!

Theresa
The Book Nool

Book Nook Reviews Giveaway

Want to win either Across the Universe by Beth Revis or Plague by Michael Grant? Click the link for more information.

Theresa
The Book Nook

Book Nook Reviews on YouTube

This is me, Theresa.

This link will take you to my YouTube.

If you click it, you can see me talk about books.

I think you should click it.

Click it.

Just do it.

Click....

You'll be happy that you did.

Click it.

Click.

Okay, I'm done.

I still think you should click it.

Did you click, yet?

Theresa

The Book Nook

Jane by April Lindner

Title: Jane
Author: April Lindner
Publisher: Poppy
Publication Date: October 2010
Summary: Forced to drop out of an esteemed East Coast college after the sudden death of her parents, Jane Moore takes a nanny job at Thornfield Park, the estate of Nico Rathburn, a world-famous rock star on the brink of a huge comeback. Practical and independent, Jane reluctantly becomes entranced by her magnetic and brooding employer and finds herself in the midst of a forbidden romance. But there's a mystery at Thornfield, and Jane's much-envied relationship with Nico is soon tested by an agonizing secret from his past. Torn between her feelings for Nico and his fateful secret, Jane must decide: Does being true to herself mean giving up on true love?  An irresistible romance interwoven with a darkly engrossing mystery, this contemporary retelling of the beloved classic Jane Eyre promises to enchant a new generation of readers.

       When I read modernizations or retellings of fairy tales or classic stories, I try to go into them thinkthat they are different, unique tales. That is, I don't compare them to the stories on which they are based. First, its unfair to both the original and the retelling. More importatly, however, it is unfair to me. In doing that, I close myself off to experiencing a novel. For these two reasons, I try not to compare retellings with the originals. With that in mind, I went into Jane viewing it as its own novel not as a retelling of Jane Eyre. In this case, however, it was very difficult to separate the novels because they were so similar. Lindner really stayed true to Jane for the most part. Jane stays true to the tone of Jane Eyre. The gothic nature, the beautiful prose, and the sweeping romances of Jane and Nico were all exactly the same. Sometimes, however, the similarity was to a fault. At times I felt like Jane was just the paraphrased Jane Eyre. There were whole conversations that were almost verbatim.
       In all, I enjoyed the book as a stand alone when not comparing it to the original. Plus, if you've wanted to read the classic version but are afraid or intimidated, this version is much more accessible.

Thanks for reading!
The Book Nook

Top Ten Tuesday (6)

Top Ten Tuesday: A Word of Gratitude

For this week, the wonderful ladies at The Broke and the Bookish have dedicated the Top Ten Tuesday meme to those books that we read because of other bloggers.This topic was fairly easy for me because I have looked to some of my favorite blogs for recommendations often this year.

1. Delirium- Lauren Oliver (Thanks to Bonnie @ abackwardsstory.blogspot.com)

 

2. Anna and the French Kiss- Stephanie Perkins (Thanks toMelanie)

 

3. Linger- Maggie Stiefvater (Thanks to multiple bloggers)

4.Hush, Hush- Becca Fitzpatrick (Thanks to Jessica and Stacy @ chapterchicks.com)

 

5. The Maze Runner- James Dashner (Thanks to Priscilla from The Readables, okay so that isn't technically a blog but, oh well)

 

6. Nevermore- Kelly Creagh (Thanks to Maxie Magyk)

7. The Forest of Hands and Teeth- Carrie Ryan (Thanks to Jessica and Stacy @ chapterchicks.com)

8. Jessica Guide to Dating on the Dark Side- Beth Fantaskey (Can't quite remember but I know it was recommended by someone, so thanks!)

9. Wither- Lauren DeStefano (Thanks to Bonnie @ abackwardsstory.blogspot.com)

 

10. The Hunger Games Trilogy- Suzanne Collins (Thanks to Miss Marm @ SparkLife)

 

What great/not so great books have you picked up thanks to other book bloggers?

Happy BBAW, ladies and gents!

 

The Book Nook

Top Ten Tuesday (5)

Top Ten Tuesday: Attack of the Sequels

For this week, the wonderful ladies at The Broke and the Bookish have dedicated the Top Ten Tuesday meme to sequels that we pine for.The following is my list.

1. Pandemonium- Lauren Oliver

2. Lola and the Boy Next Door- Stephanie Perkins

 

3. Linger- Maggie Stiefvater 

4.Silence- Becca Fitzpatrick

5. The Scorch Trial- James Dashner

6. Enshadowed- Kelly Creagh

7. The Dead Tossed Waves- Carrie Ryan

8. Jessica Rules the Dark Side- Beth Fantaskey

9. Fever- Lauren DeStefano

 

10. The Titan's Curse- Rick Riordian

Theresa

The Book Nook