Review: The Strain

The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Vampires that kill people.

Vampires that believe people are cattle.

You sing the song of my people.

I very much enjoyed the Strain. It's a little slow to start, but once the story gets going, it's hard to ignore and hard to put down. Exciting and terrifying at the same time, The Strain tells the story of a flight that lands and goes utterly dark. As you read, you're wondering: What is going on? Is this worth the read? I feel like there should be something here. And there is. You just have to hold on because once the excitement and terror begin. They don't stop. Not for a moment. All you can do is read on with your heart lodged somewhere up in your throat.

I'll admit it, I really like vampire novels. And I'll also admit (to my shame) that I have read Twilight and almost all of its sequels. Yes, my great shame. And I am very pleased to say that Hogan and Del Toro's vampires do not sparkle. They do not seduce. They cannot seduce. They infect and terrify. They haunt and hunt. If you're looking for a vampire tale that will send chills down your spine with its reality and its potential, then start looking for the Strain and ask yourself: Do I need to sleep at night.

The answer is no: Sleep is for the weak. Start reading.



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Review: The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Actually it's more like 3.5

I enjoyed Maze Runner, but I'm not sure how I actually feel about the whole story. It is very well written and it definitely has the power of drawing a person in, but I don't think I actually felt invested with the narrator Thomas. Rather my interest lay in other characters such as Minho, Newt, and Frypan, even Alby and Chuck. As much as I wanted to feel some kind of connection, I just didn't. It was simply a different story. A new world to explore. I feel rather lackluster about it. Not that I wouldn't recommend it to people who like The Hunger Games and such, this book definitely fits in that category, but like the Hunger Games, I simply didn't feel anything.

I was really ready to give this book a really good review and to promote it to anyone and everyone around me, but I can't really do that. Not when it was just another story. Something that didn't make me feel anything at all.



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Review: The Selection

The Selection by Kiera Cass

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I honestly wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this book. When I first read the back I thought that it was an interesting premise. A mix between an arranged marriage and The Bachelor. And I have to say that I enjoyed myself very much reading it. Though I won't lie and say it was an easy read. Very well written, America comes to life. And with that in mind, she's very much a teenager. There are times I wanted to strangle her. There were times when I was seriously questioning her sanity and reason. And, of course, there were times when I really wished she would just open her eyes and grow up (still waiting on that so we'll see).

But I think that those little flaws in her, are what I like. She's not some perfect little grown up. In some ways she is still a child which is very appropriate for her age. And yet she also has those moments that, as a big sister, I can empathize with. The worry. The command. The simply wanting time alone or with friends who don't mind you being yourself. I've already decided I'm reading the second book as soon as I can get my hands on it. Kiera Cass has certainly brought this world to life.

With an interesting view for a future world, The Selection has this feeling of being both distopic and elegant at the same time. It is not the dark hardships of The Hunger Games or Divergent, but at the same time it is not some sweeping romance like Pride and Prejudice or Austenland. It is somewhere in the middle. Now some might question my choice of comparisons, but I feel that is the best way to describe the rich world that Miss Cass has begun to build. A world that I eagerly hope to return to very soon.



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