A New Collaboration

Good news guys! Instead of juggling my own blog (which I will most likely not keep up to date) I am collaborating with FireStarBooks to write guest reviews and posts for her. :3

Keep you eyes open on her blog to see yours truly bring some awesomeness to the blog. The first book review I hope to post is The Enemy by Charlie Higson. Cannot wait to hear from your guys over at FireStarBooks.

- Love Stella

A Sheriff's Hat, Some Brains and Love?

Halloween is next week and being the kid that I am, I am guaranteed to pig out on anything chocolate. Unfortunately, no matter how young I am at heart, I'm not a kid anymore. Besides working on a 3-hours biology lab that day, I've also go a calculus midterm to write. 

So to fill the void of going trick-or-treating, I am currently watching The Walking Dead and reading two zombie themed books. The first is The Enemy by Charlie Higson. This book is, simply put, The Walking Dead with only kids...with only kids eh? Who let GONE and The Walking Dead have a love child?

         +      =

Since I have a thing for anything apocalyptic, I love The Walking Dead and the GONE series by Michael Grant. (In fact, they are all packed into my Apocalypse Survival Kit.) So naturally I am loving The Enemy so far. It's action pack, suspenseful and gives you a rush for emotions from anger to sympathy. 

Speaking of sympathy and love child, this brings me to the second zombie book I am currently reading: Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion. 

The story is told from a zombie perspective....A freaking Walker/Grown-Up? Yup. And believe it or not, this zombie actually falls in love. It really is an unique experience to read this book alongside The Enemy because you almost forget they are two different books and their worlds start merging. One second you hate the Grown-Ups from attacking the children then the next you feel sorry for the hungry zombies. I'm currently working through these two books so I hope to upload a review soon on here or onto Goodreads.

Also keep your eyes open for the Warm Bodies film adaptation. It's set to be released on February 1st, 2013. To be honest, I have no interest in this film, whatsoever. I mean, JUST LOOK AT IT!   

Lastly, I shall leave you guys with one of my favourite songs by Imagine Dragons. Enjoy Demons.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSoIWEGL1YM

5 Things I Want To See More In Young Adult/New Adult Novels - Part 2

In the previous post, I listed off 3 things I really want to see more in YA/NA novels. Here are numbers 4 and 5:

4. Different ethnicities and cultures.
One prominent things I like about reading is the ability to take readers to places he or she has never been, whether to a fictional place like Narnia, or somewhere halfway around the world like Papua New Guinea (I'm still waiting on this one). Maybe it's the fact I live in Canada and read books published by English-speaking publishers that I find it difficult to encounter a story who has a "person of colour" as a main character. I want to experience something that is not easily accessible to me, like other cultures' traditions, their festivals, their beliefs and myths. And yet, I'm left with dystopian this, angels that and shy girl with a special power that can safe the world, instead. 

The Kite Runner and The Book Thief were two novels that I've read which left me feeling satisfied (and sad). Some other books that I've heard about are: The Memoir of a Geisha, Eon: Dragoneye Reborn, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and A Fine Balance.

                         

If you guys know any other "cultural reads", please feel free to comment and let me know.


5. Can I haz funnies?
Surprise! The sci-fi/fantasy fangirl is a huge fan of David Sedaris! Yes, if you ask any one of my close friends, they will tell you Stella laughs a lot.

This mystical creature finds almost anything humourous and she isn't afraid to let you know. Common behaviour includes shrieking laughter and intense knee-slapping.

Comedy is definitely a microscopic field in the world of YA. I have personally never read anything that is purely funny. I've encountered funny characters with awesome personalities but nothing to the scale of what the Internet can't provide. The two books (that really can't be considered YA) I am looking to check are by Matthew Inman or more commonly known as The Oatmeal (www.TheOatmeal.com). They are called:

5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin In the Mouth (And Other useful Guides)

and

How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You.

That's it! Five things I want to see more in YA/NA. Let me know what are your top five in the comments.

5 Things I Want To See More In Young Adult/New Adult Novels - Part 1

I have loved reading for as long as I can remember (well, the same probably goes for you, if you're reading this), so I am pretty open to any sort of novels or stories. With that said, ever since I've made the transition from middle grade books to young adult novels, I've noticed the lack of some of my favourite things about stories. Here are 5 things I want to see more in Young Adult/New Adult novels:

1. More standalone books.

Series are great if you want to spend a large chunk of your year rolling on the floor crying waiting for the next book in the series. But, I already belong in way too many emotions draining, pain causing fandoms to last me my whole life so no thanks.

I want to pick up a book that leaves me satisfied, from the first page to the last. No cliffhangers, no waiting. I believe, it takes real talents to write a good story, develop settings and characters in just one single book. Any aspiring authors out there, you get a pixelated high-five from me.

Some examples are: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, The Fault In Our Stars by John Green and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Of the three, I've only read The Book Thief but I'll definitely be reading the other two. 

2. More spy/espionage novels.

Hello high-tech gadgets, awesome fight scenes and bucket loads of suspense. What is not to love? With the teen readers consisting mostly of females, an expansion in this genre not only will draw in much-needed male readers, but it also spoils yours truly silly.

People who knows me well knows I am a die-hard kaboom-shazam fangirl. I have a soft spot for big explosions, well choreographed chase/fight scenes and heroic comebacks. Can we have a love child of Kill Bill and 007? Pretty please?

3. More mystery/detective/whodunits 

I am sick of "mysteries" being thrown around in practically every urban fantasy novel. 

"But Edward is not like everyone else. He has a secret. A secret so dark that everyone he loves is in danger..."

Hold up. Stop right there. I'm afraid I cannot let you enter Stella's brain. There seems to be an incompatibility with you and the system. Please step back and walk to the other side of the world so the system can be safe from you?

I miss Sherlock Holmes, Nancy Drew, Cam Jansen mysteries. I want clues, neat tricks for finding fingerprints. I want to be amazed by the killer's method and motives. Once you're qualified, you may be granted access into Stella's brain.

As for number 4 and 5, I will save those for another day. For you series readers out there, I'm sure you're used to waiting, anyways. 

Comics Cornucopia

Comic books read this week: 

Fables Vol. 4 - March of the Wooden Soldiers by Bill Willingham 

5/5 stars

Batgirl Vol. 1 (The New 52) - The Darkest Reflections by Gail Simone

3/5 stars

Aquaman Vol. 1 (The New 52) - The Trench by Geoff Johns

5/5 stars

The Flash Vol. 1 (The New 52) - Move Forward by Francis Manapul

4/5 stars

Fireflies - Cory Archie

A dystopian short story 

When I say short, I meant it. It's less than 1,500 words so, why not try it out.

Rating: 3/5

Plot: Confusing at first but overall a good dytopian plot.

Characters: Of the 3 main characters, Noel/Noah's storyline was the darkest and most interesting. The other 2 could use some beefing up.

Strengths: The dark, gloomy mood given to the story. Its length (you can literally read it in less then 15 minutes).

Weaknesses: Its length - not enough details given to wow me on this one. Lacking in explanations and descriptions for me to get a clear picture of the surroundings.

Final Verdict: Due to its length, I say this is worth a read.

The Exiled Queen - Cinda Williams Chima

Book 2 in the "Seven Realms" series.

Rating: 5/5

Plot:  Well woven, intense, adventurous, heart pounding. 

Characters: Multi-layered and very well developed. The characters you were suppose to hate, you hated and the characters you were rooting for, deserved your support. 

Strengths:  The complexity of the story. The two separate point-of-views from the two main characters. Well written and developed supporting roles. Interesting mix of ethnicities and equally neat political system.

Weaknesses: The RaisaXAmon relationship - too whiny and was a drag to read at times.

Final Verdict: Buy it and treasure it!