[Review] Teardrop

English Cover

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‚Teardrop‘
by
Lauren Kate

Teardrop # 1
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Synopsis:
Seventeen-year-old Eureka won’t let anyone close enough to feel her pain. After her mother was killed in a freak accident, the things she used to love hold no meaning. She wants to escape, but one thing holds her back: Ander, the boy who is everywhere she goes, whose turquoise eyes are like the ocean.
And then Eureka uncovers an ancient tale of romance and heartbreak, about a girl who cried an entire continent into the sea. Suddenly her mother’s death and Ander’s appearance seem connected, and her life takes on dark undercurrents that don’t make sense. Can everything you love be washed away? (Source: Goodreads.com)

My thoughts about the book:
I really wanted to love the book, at least so far that I may be able to recommend it – I mean, have a look at this wonderful cover and also the synopsis sounded very promising – particularly, because it sounded like a fresh and new story. And also the beginning was really good, has carried me away immediately and I found the writing style nice, even if it was sometimes a little bit too poetic and then at the next moment it was too uncouth again.

At first I could still sympathize with the central character Eureka, understand her thoughts and actions. We accompanied her through the first chapters as she handles the death of her mother and the funereal processing afterwards, with her class-mates, whom now look differently at her or when Eureka visits her psychiatrist. All along her best and cheeky friend Cat is on her side or also her best and the joke-making friend Brooks.
Soon I liked Brooks very much and also up to the end he’s my explained favorite of the story. But unfortunately the author has another love hero in her mind for Eureka and therefore, the mysterious Ander has appeared over and over again. With Ander, only the readers know who he really is, what he wants or why he appears at Eurekas side over and over again. And therefore Eureka asks herself all the time whether he wants to harm her or if he wants to help and besides, she constantly feels drawn to him in a romantic way. Furthermore it also happened, that she kissed Brooks – her best friend – but, actually she thought of Ander at the same time. But no problem in the love-triangle, because Brooks will be turned to the bad person of the story, so then Eureka can snug with Ander without feeling guilty. *jipie*-> YES, this was sarcastic, if you ask yourselves.

Everything was so ridiculously, also the contained love story and how it has developed, or as well the story of the book, which went in a direction I liked less and less. At first old legends were dug out, myths were indicated of the city Atlantis – which I really liked, but then the power of Eureka were for me too much fantasy and also a little absurd. No, maybe that is the wrong saying. It wasn’t due to the fact that there was too much fantasy, but rather how it was described and how Eureka has handled the whole exposures around her person. It was really gross, what she has found out, but she has just swallowed it and has simply used her strength without freaking out. Thereby for me it was, combined with the plot, simply too much and an overkill. So at the end I only could incredulous shake my head. Hence I was disappointed by the initial good book and I will also not continue this series and I’ll also stop my experiment with Lauren Kate. Unfortunately, the book wasn’t meant for me.

Cover:
A wonderful cover, which shows also perfectly the plot of the book and it’s simply charming. *great*

All in all:
Unfortunately, the magnificent cover, which has animated me to read the story, is already the only wonderful thing about the book. The plot, as well as the characters, weren’t understandable for me and everything was too detached for my taste and this, although I usually have no problems with a good fantasy story – but here, everything was too much and too unbelievable.

Rating:
2,5 of 5 points – (it was okay)

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Quotes: (© Kate)

„Love was a dance floor where everyone you loved left a mark behind.“
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„Wisdom holds a candle to experience, but you’ve got to take the candle and walk alone.“.

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Succession:
# 1:  Lauren Kate – Teardrop »»
# 2:  Lauren Kate – Untitled
# 3:  Lauren Kate – Untitled
…

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(© goodreads)

About the author – Lauren Kate:
Lauren Kate grew up in Dallas, went to school in Atlanta, and started writing in New York.
She is the author of Fallen and The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove. She lives in Laurel Canyon with her husband and hopes to work in a restaurant kitchen, get a dog, and learn how to surf.
She is currently at work on the sequel to Fallen.
(Source: goodreads.com)

Visit her Website »»

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A huge Thanks for the reviewer’s copty to:

© Random House UK

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[Abgebrochen] City of Dark Magic

( © goodreads)

( © goodreads)

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 ‚City of Dark Magic‘
by Magnus Flyte.

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My opinion – English Review: (German Review further down)
Unfortunately, I had to break up the book after approximately 20%. In general I always try to finish every book, particularly when I’m reading reviewer’s copies or books, which I got by netgalley, but this here has made it impossible for me to carry out this plan any longer.

On the one hand the English writing manner of Flyte wasn’t very easy to read and I needed some time to find into it, and on the other hand it was also an extremely tough reading. What was due to the fact that there was much, too much written about the musician Beethoven; about his history, his life and also his music. Half of my 20%, which I’ve read, were only about his music and the history of music, what somebody composed and when, where, why and all that stuff. In addition to that I also got a detailed story about the castle in Prague and about many artists, who have made a picture or a statue there.
So yes, if someone hasn’t studied art history or has no extreme interest in it, it soon becomes dull, boring and you can also always skip some pages, without missing something important in the action/ plot.

After 20 % of the book, there hasn’t happened much in it, except that Sarah, the main protagonist and an American student, who has studied history of music and particularly is a Beethoven expert, is called to Prague to help there to index Beethoven’s works.
When she arrives there, she meets also other art connoisseurs, who work in other departments, like to index weapons for this museum or paintings and all possible things, which you can find in museums.

Immediately on the first day at the dinner with all the other colleagues in Prague, it happens, that Sarah, quite horny from the flight (okay?! yeah, very logically ^^), gets touched from one of her colleagues, under the table with his hand … like – how should I say it, … in the ‘right place’ – while the others are chatting, laughing and eating. *yummy* Of course Sarah jumps up when it becomes too much for her and hurries to the small bathroom and what a surprise, she doesn’t turn on the lights, while she waits for ‘Mr. Hand’. Not two seconds later a guy enters the little bathroom, they have a briefly sex adventure. After that the man disappears without that Sarah could see his face. After she leaves the bathroom to go to the fellow colleagues, she almost runs into the man, who touched her earlier under the table.

The question now: With who had Sarah slept just now in the bathroom? This asks Sarah not only herself, but also the reader, with rolling eyes and shaking head. Particularly because two weeks later we still have no answer to that question and Sarah just continues as if nothing had happened, and she also doesn’t really mind.

I’m sorry, but this was the point for me when I didn’t want to read on any further. On the one hand because it was often too dull and boring and on the other hand because I also didn’t like any of the characters in the slightest. None of was interesting to me and also Sarah’s thoughts or her actions weren’t understandable for me most of the time. Unfortunately, the book wasn’t for me and I also wouldn’t recommend it to anybody, except to someone, who is interested in Beethoven or music/ art history. I wish everybody much luck, who still wants to try the book.

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Meine Meinung – Deutsche Rezension:
Leider musste ich dieses Buch nach circa 20% abbrechen. Generell versuche ich immer jedes Buch zu beenden, besonders Leseexemplare oder Bücher, die ich über netgalley bekomme haben, aber dieses hier hat es mir schier unmöglich gemacht meinen Plan auch durchzuführen.

Zu einem war die englische Schreibweise von Flyte nicht sehr einfach zum Lesen und man brauchte einige Zeit, um in diesen Schreibstil hinein zu finden, und auch dann war es ein äußerst zähes Lesen. Was auch daran lag, dass sehr viel über Beethoven geschrieben wurde; über seien Geschichte, sein Leben und auch über seien Musik.
Die Hälfte meiner 20%, die ich gelesen habe, handelten nur von Musik und der Musikgeschichte, wer Was, wann und wo komponiert hat und wie es dazu gekommen ist. Dazu noch eine ausführliche Geschichte über das Schloss in Prag und aller Künstler, die dort ein Bild oder eine Statue gemacht haben.
Also ja, wenn man keine Kunstgeschichte studiert hat und kein extremes Interesse daran hat, wird es bald sehr langweilig und man beginnt einige Seiten weiter zu blättern, ohne etwas Wichtiges in der Handlung zu verpassen.

Nach 20 % hat sich nämlich nicht viel getan, außer dass Sarah, die Hauptfigur und eine Amerikanerin, die Musikgeschichte studiert hat und besonders eine Beethoven – Expertin ist, nach Prag gerufen wird, um dort beim Katalogisieren von Beethovens Werken zu helfen.
Dort angelangt sind auch andere Kunstexperten zugegen, die Waffen für dieses Museum vorbereiten oder Gemälde katalogisieren, wie auch alle anderen möglichen Dinge, die man in einem Museum findet.

Sofort am ersten Tag beim Abendessen mit allen Kollegen in Prag, passiert es, dass Sarah, ganz geil vom Flug (okay?! ja, sehr logisch ^^), von einem ihrer Kollegen, versteckt unter dem Tisch, mit der Hand … wie soll ich sagen, … an der richtigen Stelle berührt wird, während die andere plaudern, lachen und essen. Natürlich springt Sarah auf, als es ihr zu viel wird und eilt in das kleine Badezimmer und welch Überraschung, dreht das Licht nicht auf, während sie auf ‚Herrn Hand‘ wartet. Keine zwei Sekunden später kommt ein Typ herein, sie haben kurz ein sexuelles Abenteuer und Sarah geht wieder zu den anderen, nur um dort fast in den Kollegen zu laufen, der ihr vorhin mit der Hand ‚geholfen hat‘.

Die Frage nun: Mit wem hat Sarah nun im Badezimmer ihren Spaß gehabt? Das fragt sich nicht nur Sarah, sondern auch augenrollend und kopfschüttelnd der Leser. Besonders da zwei Wochen später noch immer keine Antwort zu finden ist und Sarah ganz normal weiter macht, als ob nichts passiert wäre, und es sie auch nicht besonders kümmert.

Tut mir leid, aber das war dann der Punkt für mich, als ich nicht mehr weiterlesen wollte. Zum einen, weil es seitenweise oft totlangweilig wurde und ich alle Charaktere nicht im Mindesten sympathisch fand. Keiner von ihnen hat mich interessiert und auch Sarahs Gedanken oder ihre Handlungen, konnte ich die meiste Zeit sowieso nicht nachvollziehen.
Das Buch war leider nichts für mich und ich würde es auch niemanden weiterempfehlen, außer das Interesse an Beethoven oder Kunstgeschichte ist derart groß, um sich dieses Buch anzutun. Viel Glück an alle, die es dennoch versuchen möchten. .

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Thanks for the reviewer’s copy to:

© netgalley.com

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[Snapshot] Easy (eng.)

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‚Easy‘ by Tammara Webber.

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(© goodreads)

My opinion:
Actually, at first I didn’t wanted to write a review to this book, but because there are too many and too good reviews out there, which are floating around on the internet, and so I couldn’t resist to get rid of my critic. Due to the fact, that I want to reach here with my review the people, who have already read the book or who want to read it, therefore I won’t say much about the synopsis.

I’ve to admit, that it was a quick and easy to read and it could also be convincing at certain places, but, unfortunately, they were the exceptions.
On one hand the writing manner was too ‚slang-like‘ for me and above all, the dialogues have snapped me totally out of my reading rhythm, with these endless ‘slang words’ and ‚cool‘ abbreviations. I found this not great or even perfect youthfully, but just irritating and often I had to roll my eyes. Moreover, after short passages there is always a time jump over and over again, without any marks or indication, which has extremely confused me, particularly at the beginning and it led to the fact that I had to read some phrase twice.

Adding to that, I couldn’t stand Jackie very much. She has irritated me so much, like no other character did for a long time, and her actions were absolutely contradictory to her experiences and thoughts. Though I’ve tried and she even stirred my interest at the beginning, because of her almost-rape, but then it got constantly downwards and I couldn’t stand her. As mentioned, Jackie almost got raped in the first chapter and escapes only, because another guy saved her. What I found very awkward and very idiotic afterwards was, that only few days after the attack she runs around totally unconcerned and she even buys herself a sexy little dress, short and a cut up till to the hips … to look sexy and ‘easy to have‘… and I don’t know how think about that, but if I just escaped an almost-rape, than I probably would be a little inhibit. But not Jackie, except if she meets briefly once again her almost-rapist – then it seems, as if she remembers again, what almost could have happened.
Don’t misunderstand me, I wouldn’t want, that she is frightened all the time or doesn’t dare to leave her room any more, but if such a brutal thing almost happens, you would thinks, that one handles oneself with a little more carefulness and has to thinks about other things, than how to the hot guy, who has saved her…

Moreover, the love story between Lucas and Jackie doesn’t develop as usually slow, by talking and where they get to know each other – but the other way around – by snuggling. Because there are almost no talks and they even don’t get along in their ‘normal‘lives, but instead they only function, while they are together to make out. I found that a great pity and I also didn’t like it at all. Though there were many love scenes in the book, but because I didn’t like the characters (except Lucas), hence the romanticism also made no difference to me and I’ve read it rather uninterested.

Furthermore the plot was very predictable (Lucas/Landon), Hello?? And all the time I‘ve guessed long in advance what will happen next and there were no real plot-highlights in the whole book. The plot simply meandered along without a central theme and that was it.

Just the end with Lucas and his background was surprising, but it was presented in a way that it hasn’t fitted for me. His stroke of fate was tragic and could have built up great emotions, but even that has the author ruined. It’s really a pity.
The longer I write, the more I notice how much this book, the plot and the characters did annoy me, so that I must reduce my rating from 3 to only 2 points. Unfortunately it didn’t function for me at all and I also wouldn’t recommend it to anybody.

If to you want to read books in the genre ‚Contemporary Romance’, please rather read ‘Beautiful Disaster‘ or as a YA version of it: ‚Pushing the Limits‚ – there are characters with brain and charm, who will move you and don’t frustration you.

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Quotes:

Lucas: „The night we met-I’m not like that guy.“ His jaw was rigid.
„I know tha-“ He placed a finger over my lips, his expression softening.
„So I don’t want you to feel pressured. Or overpowered. But I do, absolutely, want to kiss you right now. Badly.“

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A huge Thanks for the ebook to netgalley:

© netgalley.com

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[Snapshot] Dearly Beloved (eng.)

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‚Dearly, Beloved‘  by Lia Habel.

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(© goodreads)

My opinion:
I‘ve really tried to like this book, more than part one, with which I already had my problems, but again it hasn‘t worked. If I had to use two words to describe it, I can only say ‚too long‘ or ‚boring’. Honestly, you just have to read the synopsis of the book to recognize that here is somebody, who has immense problems to be brief – and it’s like this in the whole book. I‘ve read more than 500!! pages, with a slow, tough course, which could also be written in 250-300 pages, and everybody would have been happier with it.

The plot ran incredibly slow without building up a great tension and it was a too much unnecessary gossip in between. As annoying was also the fact, that again with every chapter the narrator view changed from one character to the other. Of course this happened primarily between Nora and Bram, the main characters of the story, but nevertheless, many others figures also got a chance to speak, like the best friend Pamela, or also they ‚bad persons’ in the story, what I found absolutely unnecessary, because it didn’t interested me what they thought or felt. For me it’s enough to get a summary at the end, where I can read why they have done this or that.
Furthermore at the beginning were too many info and characters, so that it was hard to picture every character or to classify them properly.

In the second part, it was positive, that I’ve better got along with Pamela, because she appeared more realistic and authentic and also in spite of her big problems to handle all the things with the zombies, she didn’t duck her head, but instead admitted her weakness. But not in an annoying way, but it felt real, as one could imagine react, in such a situation. Hence her chapters were almost my favorite ones and I found her development with this Lord very interesting and this is also the reason, that I wanted to read on – and that I’ve got the second book on netgalley 😉
Here I was also more thrilled by Nora than in the first book, though I found her sometimes a little too outstanding and too fearless, but then I also liked her cheeky, independent behavior. Whether her character fits in this described background of the story or not, because on the other side everything in the story is presented very strict and prude.

Moreover, I find it – sorry to all fans – disgusting, how Nora could make out with Bram. I mean, this guy is a zombie! Okay, sure – he is one of the zombies, who haven’t rotted yet in a strong way, like the others, and he also still looks rather nice …, however, but he’s still a zombie, damn! He has scars, his body is already patched up several times and he virtually rots away during the story … and Nora smooches with him! *gag*  – Here for example an extract from the story – this just doesn’t work for me at all!:

His lips found my brow, the sensation instantly identifiable due to the bit of thread that stitched his broken lower lip together. I loved his every scar.

After the second part I’ve decided to break up this series. But because I’m still a little curious what will become of the zombies (–I count on a healing, so that Bram don’t has to die), and I would like to know how the relationship of Pamela and this Lord develops in the next book. Therefore I simply plan to read the reviews from the last book. But not more, that’s really enough. 🙂.

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Thanks for the reviewer’s copy to:

© netgalley.com

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Snapshot: Never Let Me Go

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‚Never Let Me Go‘
by Kazuo Ishiguro

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(© goodreads)

This book tells about a world in which the people have been able to create complete human clones. With it the humanity caused to cure the most fatal illnesses and to guarantee a long healthy life. Hence the human clones are virtually only ‚produced’ for later, when they are adults, to donor their organs and to let operate on them over and over again for donations, till they are ‘completed’, which means up to death.
But this story isn’t about the people who have got a better life because of this new ‚achievement‘, but about the human clones.

The story is told from the point of view of 31-year-old Kathy, who is after 12 years as a ‘carer’ just before the time when she will also become a donor. The whole book Kathy remembers about her past live: It is starting with her childhood in the boarding school in Hailsham, through her youth time in the cottages and later to her time as an adult, working as a ‘carer’. But not the question of the donation and the inevitable death stands in the centre of the topic, but above all the friendship and love between the three central figures Kathy, Ruth and Tommy, who all grow up together in Hailsham. They already got explained as little children what’s the reason for their existence is, but they never really got to know the whole information, but always only fragments of it and in times when they’re still too young to understand.
It also behaves like this in the whole book. Kathy tells anecdotes, flashbacks over and over again and because of that there’s never a proper central theme in the book, but a constant change to and fro of a time in the next, in the present and again back to 2 years before it or 3 years ago. *totally confusing*

I don’t know how the book has managed to get nominated in 2005 for the highest British book price the ‚Booker Prize‘, or why it was added by the ‚Time’ to their list of the hundred best English-speaking novels from 1923 to 2005. Maybe they haven’t read the complete book, but only the synopsis and liked that. Who knows!? ^^

Unfortunately the book hasn’t worked for me at all, although I’ve found the description and also the circumstances which ruled in the book very interesting. Moreover because of the topic it would be a really exciting book for group discussions or for school classes because it raises many questions as for example: How would we handle an inevitable death if we were the clones? Or the question whether we would also close our eyes on how the clones were treated, if we were the organ recipient and it was about our own survival. Who has more right to live and who decides which methods are justifiable to provide the collective health? Is it tolerable to clone ‘humans’, only to harvest their organs afterward like ripe fruits? What is a defensible progress of science or what is morally wrong?

As I said, it’s a book which is very keen of discussions and the subject really leaves nobody cold and makes everybody think over their own opinion and to ponder the Pros and Cons. Hence the two points for the book, on account of the topic and the given conflict.

BUT now to the things which I haven’t liked in the book and have reduced the rating so drastically: The writing manner was okay and it also was easy and fluently to read, but the narrative perspective was dreadful and these whole flashbacks and time jumps were the pure horror. I didn’t like these whole jumps in the time in the least.

First it was confusing and I couldn’t get into a reading fluently, because it was too chopped off and incoherent. Furthermore the whole tension and the motivation were taken away and it wasn’t like in other books where I want to read on as fast as I can to get to know what happens after some actions, because here Kathy has always told what resulted out of some actions first and then how it came to it. Hence, it was never really thrilling to read on because I always already know before a new memory started how I would end and what happens as a result, because Kathy already told beforehand.

I know this sounds a little bewildering but to be honest, it was like this all the time in the book and in addition also just irritating and unnaturally. If I didn’t have to read this book for my ‘Book2Movie’ Challenge, then I probably would have broken it off several times.
For me the reading was very strenuous and I had to force myself over and over again to continue to read. But at some point I simply wanted to know, after all I have been through, how it would end. Not because I’ve cared so much for the characters, (this wasn’t the case and in my opinion her best friend Ruth was a ruthless, rotten piece who I wouldn’t have told any secret), but finally to know what the whole book actually was about. After the whole exertion I just wanted to get some answers after countless vague indications and these temporal jumps, but even here I got disappointed.

Even if there were also every now and then sensitive passages, which particularly described the special friendship of the three main characters or the perspective on life in general and on which reasons the people react and what results from which actions. But it wasn’t enough and I also never got a connection with the main character Kathy because she never really told how she felt. She didn’t let anybody look behind her facade and she just told her memories and hasn’t given anything from herself as a feeling person.
I’ve thought this book pursued a higher purpose and that at the end a solution or something like that would be presented, or an end that gives an ‘aha’-affect, but I didn’t even get that. It just ended and I as a read was virtually left hanging in the air without anything. It was very disappointing and I’ve still a grudge against that ending.

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I’ve read this book for the ‘Book2Movie – Challenge’ 2012 !

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Snapshot: The Woman in Black

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‚The Woman in Black‘
by Susan Hill.

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(© goodreads)

I don’t know exactly where I should start. I’ve read it in the English original and although I never had problems with the English language in other books, here in this book it has been difficult for me. The writing style wasn’t liquid at all, but had many nested sentences with which I couldn’t make friends, although it has become better after some time.

Moreover it was particularly at the beginning that a lot of the story was told from the past, so things which had happened to this Arthur Kipps and he described them like he was looking back. I was never a fan of that and therefore I also didn’t like it here. But luckily this changed throughout the story and it thereby also become better and more interesting.

Parts of the plot weren’t really bad and at times I have also been frightened and at some pages I also was interested tensely and wanted to know what to happen next. But more often it was only a reading to finally finish the book.
I recognize the fact that I don’t like a book very much, if I start to look occasionally at the page numbers and calculate for me how much I still have to read. If I start like that than it’s not good – and unfortunately here it was like this for the most part.

Moreover the construction of the arc of suspense, when it really became creepy and scary, was stressed too much and then it simply flattened, without something really happened, and the ghostly situation just passed and then it was over. *very strange*

Also the end was for me – the only shocking thing in it – because the rest of it with the children and the approximate family background wasn’t hard to figure out by myself.

But the fact that it really ends like this – okay, I also kind of saw that coming – but what was hard is that it came so all of a sudden and was simply over afterwards. There happened something big and then the book just ended without any concluding sentence or a final chapter and I found this a little awkward. On top of that the book often dragged for me and hence it gets only two points.

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I’ve read this book for the ‘Book2Movie – Challenge’ 2012 !

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Snapshot: The Forest of Hands and Teeth

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‚The Forest of Hands and Teeth‘
by Carrie Ryan.

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(© goodreads)

The first book in ‚The Forest of Hands and Teeth’ series kidnaps the readers in a surreal dystopia, in a world which could come straight from a horror movie. The story is told in the present by Mary, who lives in a village in the middle of a wood which is surrounded by a fence and the Forest of Hands and Teeth. The fence is there to protect the people in the village from the inhabitants of the wood who are deadly.

Who still couldn’t figure out from the name of the book… at this it deals with zombies and they are also described as we all know them: away eaten bodies, hanging limbs, sacked eyes and everything together bloodied and they wander around groaning,  undead for all eternity in their search of living meat.

From topic the book has been really interesting for me and I also liked the world construction of Ryan and it has persuaded me, but sadly this was already everything I liked in it.

Because of the writing manner of Ryan I had the whole time the feeling to read the book only from a distance. Nothing was described definitively which concerns feeling, reactions and the plot and often there were longer time spans in between which then were told afterwards.
I don’t like that at all because I prefer a plot and a story which happens while I read it and where I’m totally in the story and can be anxious with the characters and their fate.
But well, here it wouldn’t have mattered to me anyway because I’ve never really become warm with the main character Mary.

From the first pages one she fantasize about a guy, then she finally gets him, after the reader had to endure her whining for him for 2/3 of the book, and then he isn’t enough for her – because she wants to see the ocean! Exactly, you’ve read it right – all the time here it’s about the damned ocean which Mary unconditional wants to see and for this she’s ready to sacrifice everything and everybody.
On top of that she makes some very stupid and also selfish decisions, only to ask herself afterwards constantly why she has done that and wallows in her self-pity and bad conscience. And this central theme goes on throughout the whole book!

Moreover, it was more than senselessly that Mary has constantly thought about her love life and has also pondered about other unnecessary stuff, while in that time there was in a 1-meter-distance a wire fence where zombies groaned and lusted for her flesh and life. Hello?? What should I say? Guess, you just have to make priorities and anyhow in this book the characters have acted sometimes very bizarre. The only bright spot was Travis, or also the dog, but that was it. 🙂

Another low point was the end, which came actually somewhere in the middle of the story and none of the open questions, which the protagonists have raised up throughout the story, were answered.
I would have been quite satisfied if I knew that these questions would be answered in the next books. But no; Ryan rather likes to tell the next book from the point of view from another person and this was for me the key point not to read the next book in this series.

Now I am really disappointed from this book because the zombie and horror genre, mixed with a love story, have interested me very much. Hence, I am grateful to everybody which could give me good book recommendations on this subject! I would be grateful for it, thx.

Only out of my interest I’ve read a few reviews to the second book and because I found two of them really amusing, and also reflected partly the absurdities which were also in the first book, I would like to let you read them as well. Therefore, if you also want to read them, then just simply follow the links.

Review # 1 *awesome*

Review # 2 *also interesting*

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Succession:

# 1: Carrie Ryan – The Forest of Hands and Teeth
# 2: Carrie Ryan – The Dead-Tossed Waves
# 3: Carrie Ryan – The Dark and Hollow Places

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Review: The Lightning Thief

(© goodreads)

(© goodreads)

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‚The Lightning Thief‚
by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson # 1.

Synopsis:
After getting expelled from yet another school for yet another clash with mythological monsters only he can see, twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is taken to Camp Half-Blood, where he finally learns the truth about his unique abilities: He is a demigod, half human, half immortal. Even more stunning: His father is the Greek god Poseidon, ruler of the sea, making Percy one of the most powerful demigods alive. There’s little time to process this news. All too soon, a cryptic prophecy from the Oracle sends Percy on his first quest, a mission to the Underworld to prevent a war among the gods of Olympus. (Quelle: Goodreads.com)

My thoughts about the book:
This book was my first audio book and on account of that it can also be possible that my opinion has shifted in some way about this book or was changed. At the beginning I thought that my‚ experiment – the first audio book‘, and that listening to someone who is reading the book, is exciting. Furthermore, it was particularly funny when the speaker tried to sound different in the dialogs with every new character which appeared.
Hence, as mentioned above I was enthusiastic at the beginning by this ‘new‘kind of going through a book. But soon this first curiosity faded and it started to annoy me for example that the speaker shifted his voice over and over again in such a childish way. Moreover, because of the listening to the book I felt much less involved in the story and in the plot, than it would have been if I had read it by myself. On top of that comes that I’ve listened to the audio book just seldom, because I am, nevertheless, rather a person who prefers listen to music while going to work or while jogging – and also while this exercises I had to concentrate too hard not to miss anything and get all that happens in the book. As a summary I can say that my first attempt with an audio book hasn’t really succeeded. I’ve expected more and would have hoped for more passion at my part, but unfortunately, this wasn’t the case and now I consider and ask myself whether I should leave audio books be or if I should try at a later time with another series once again. The time will show it, but at the moment I remain with reading the books by myself.

Now to the actual story of Percy Jackson, for which I’ve also had high expectations because of the great resonance around these books and also of the other members of the book forum, where I’m part of. Unfortunately, I was also disappointed concerning the contents of this book.
Though there were no serious mistakes which startled me or disturbed me intensely, but parts of the plot or of the characters haven’t worked right for me. From the beginning, I immediately felt that it’ about a children’s book, which would haven’t disturbed me further, because I’m also a big fan of Harry Potter and these were at the beginning of the series also children’s books. But here in Percy Jackson’s case, some things in the storyline and some thoughts of Percy weren’t coherent in my opinion.
Percy Jackson is a 12-year-old boy who experiences some unnatural things, until it’s revealed to him that he is a demigod and he’s also accused of being the thief of Zeus’s lightning bolt. The next things which are happening in the story or particularly how Percy reacts on them or also the other characters, are not quite realistic and are shown too heroically, as that it fits to a young lad, even if he’s full courage and pure heart. It was simply too exaggerated and unbelievable and which let me roll my eyes from time to time.

Also I didn’t found one character in the book which was really likeable or which let me worry for them much. For example Grover was for me not an amusing companion which should lighten the mood of the story, but he rather was a little bit annoying and too afraid and Annabeth was also not a very winning over character by her constant better knowledge and self-confidence. The plot, apart from the characters, was okay but hasn’t moved me in the way other books did or it wasn’t so exciting that I couldn’t put it away. Now it’s hard for me to say where the reason for that lies. Although I really try to stay objective, I think that it’s cased partially also because of using the audio book. Parts of the storyline were really interesting and I wanted to hear more, others were sucked from the fingers to pull the plot in the length.

Unhappily, the end was also not so good either and because of that I had to decrease my review points further down. Although I was surprised at the end when I got to know who really was the traitor in the whole story, there were still two or three things in it which I didn’t like very much. The most serious point was the letter to Percy from his mother, where she described how she has got rid of her boyfriend. I don’t know how someone can write such a thing in a children’s book? In a book where it is about heroism and morality, in the end it is virtually shown how the mother of the hero used the head of Medusa on her boyfriend and his buddies to transform them into stone. Not only that she has killed people with that, she has also shown an irreparable weakness. Which good characters would rather kill their enemies or somebody else to get away from, instead of pulling themselves together and show strength and face them, without murdering someone!? Moreover, especially unbelievable was the fact that there was also written that she has sold this‚ ‘stone sculptures’ for a lot of money. At first she murdered somebody and afterwards she also got a great benefit out of their death? Wow, I think it couldn’t be worse or more mean.
I am sorry, but I think that I need a longer break now before I’ll pick up the second book in this series and when it’s so far, then I’ll read it by myself and refuse to use an audio book.

German Cover:
I don’t think it’s very gorgeous, but I also don’t belong to the preferred target group. A boy at the age will probably like it and find it exciting.

All in all:
To be honest the book hasn’t really persuaded me, on account of several factors. But in some day I certainly will give the second book a change to impress me more than this one did.

Rating:
2,5 of 5 points

Quotes:

Percy: „If my life is going to mean anything, I have to live it myself.“

  Man: “How did you die?“
„We er….drowned in a bathtub.“
„All three of you?“
„It was a big bathtub.”

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Succession:

# 1: Rick Riordan – The Lightning Thief »
# 2: Rick Riordan – The Sea of Monsters
# 3: Rick Riordan – The Titan’s Curse
# 4: Rick Riordan – The Battle of the Labyrinth
# 5: Rick Riordan – The Last Olympian

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(© goodreads)

About the author – Rick Riordan:

Rick Riordan is an American author from Texas, famous for his Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. He attended The University of Texas at Austin in 1986, where he double-majored in English and History. He also wrote The Red Pyramid (Kane Chronicles) and, most recently, The Lost Hero (Heroes of Olympus). He also wrote the Tres Navarre series for adults and helped to edit Demigods and Monsters, a collection of essays on the topic of his Percy Jackson series. He also wrote book one of the 39 Clues (The Maze of Bones) and co-wrote book eleven (Vespers Rising) published by Scholastic Corporation. (Source: Goodreads.com)

Visit his Website »»

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I’ve read this book for the ‚Book2Movie – Challenge‘ 2012 !

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