Luna, by Julie Anne Peters

Title: Luna

Author: Julie Anne Peters
Publisher: Little, Brown

Release: May 26, 2004

Regan's brother, Liam, can't stand the person he is during the day. Like the moon from whom Liam has chosen his female namesake, his true self, Luna, reveals herself only at night. For years, Liam has been transformed himself into the beautiful girl he longs to be with help from his sister's clothes and makeup in the secrecy of their basement bedrooms. Now, everything is about to change- Luna is preparing to emerge from her cocoon. But are Liam's family and friends ready to welcome Luna into their lives?

This book is simply amazing. It reeled me in from the first chapter where you first learn of Luna's true identity. It is wonderful for me to truthfully be able to say that I read this book in less than 10 hours. I rarely ever put it down, only for dire need of food or water. Even then it hurt to take my eyes away from the pages. This story is such beauty, it is a wonder I didn't re-read the entire book after finishing it.

The only thing that upset me at times was the protagonist, Regan, got annoying and whiny at times and sometimes sounded slightly stupid. Even with that, I think this book is amazing and deserves an award of excellence.

The thing I found most compelling was how very emotional you felt throughout the entire journey. You really got to know the characters and their feelings and hardships. I admit that I had tears in my eyes during the very emotionally compelling ending because you see how strong sisterhood really is, even if it is between a boy and a girl. I very much enjoyed how Liam/Luna kept revealing her true self to more and more people throughout the book. It was really a great emotional experience for me.

If you have eyes, I suggest you go to your local library or bookstore and read this book. You will have no regrets you did.

Unwind, by Neal Shusterman

Title: Unwind
Author: Neal Shusterman
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Release: November 6, 2007

In a society where unwanted teens are salvaged for their body parts, three runaways fight the system that would "unwind" them. Connor's parents want to be rid of him because he's a troublemaker. Risa has no parents and is being unwound to cut orphanage costs. Lev's unwinding has been planned since his birth, as part of his family's strict religion. Brought together by chance, and kept together by desperation, these three unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey knowing their lives hang in the balance. If they can survive until their eighteenth birthday, they can't be harmed- but when every piece of them, from their hands to their hearts, are wanted by the world gone mad, eighteen seems far, far away.

I decided to pick Unwind up after hearing another review. I didn't think it would be all that special, but every page, every paragraph, every word proved me wrong. I found myself having to force myself to put this book down in the early hours of the morning, as my body was begging me for sleep. This extraordinary plot and terrible vision of the future reeled me in the second my eyes hit the first page.

I found very little I didn't like, in fact I don't think I found anything I didn't like. Everything was explained very well and I didn't feel as though there were any holes in the story.

The thing I liked most about Unwind was the character development. You see Connor go from a criminal to a sensitive soul mate for Risa. You see Risa go from a orphan who thinks nothing of herself to a strong heroine trying to protect the Unwinds. You see Lev go from a young tithe, hidden from the evils of the world to a loose cannon, willing to do what it takes to save the world from unwinding. Another thing I really enjoyed was all of the places the story took place. From the forest to the graveyard, every setting was described and explained with great detail, almost as if you were the Unwind witnessing it all.

Overall, I think that if you are reading this and haven't yet gone out and got Unwind, you're insane! Go get this fantastic dystopian novel.

In My Mailbox #1

In my mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. It explores the the books I have reviewed, bought, and borrowed, every week.

For Review-

Paper Towns - John Green

Borrowed-

Going Rogue: An American Life - Sarah Palin

Purchased-
Shadowland - Alyson Noel

Fire - Kristin Cashore

Revelations - Melissa de la Cruz

Masquerade - Melissa de la Cruz

Tithe - Holly Black

Uninvited - Amanda Marrone

The 13th Reality: The Journal of Curious Letters - James Dashner

Erec Rex: The Dragon's Eye - Kaza Kingsley

Revealers - Amanda Marrone

Intertwined - Gena Showalter

Wings - Aprilynne Pike

Fallen - Lauren Kate =)

Beautiful Creatures - Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Pendragon: The Merchant of Death - DJ MacHale

Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan - John Flanagan

Midnight For Charlie Bone - Jenny Nimmo

Witch & Wizard - James Patterson & Gabrielle Charbonnet

Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague - Brandon Mull

Library-

Unwind - Neal Shusterman

Lord of the Flies - William Golding

Troll Fell - Katherine Langrish

Troll Mill - Katherine Langrish

Troll Blood - Katherine Langrish

Jellicoe Road - Melina Marchetta

Luna - Julie Anne Peters

The Reformed Vampire Support Group - Catherine Jinks

First Post

Hey Guys,

I've been working on this blog for a while and finally decided to announce it. This blog will track my progress on my 50 Books, 1 Year challenge and will have text reviews of the books I read along with my video reviews. Thanks for all the support and welcome to Alex's Book Adventures!

Alex