Review: Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr

Book: Story of A Girl
By: Sara Zarr
Published: January 10, 2007
Published By: Little, Brown books for Young Readers

Description: When she is caught in the backseat of a car with her older brother's best friend--Deanna Lambert's teenage life is changed forever. Struggling to overcome the lasting repercussions and the stifling role of "school slut," she longs to escape a life defined by her past. With subtle grace, complicated wisdom and striking emotion, Story of a Girl reminds us of our human capacity for resilience, epiphany and redemption.

My Thoughts: I got this one a long time ago from I have no idea where, and I never felt like reading it. When I saw it in audio format at my library, I decided it was time to give it a shot. I should have listened to my earlier feelings.

The audio format of this book is pretty monotone, and I always found myself getting bored. The storyline didn't make it much better. It was just day to day with nothing actually happening, and the MC trying to overcome something she couldn't actually overcome because of her stupid decisions. Most of the book was spent with her talking about all the things that would be different if only she did this or that, and despite knowing that, she kept making the stupid decision. It's funny that I didn't like that since in real life, that's what people do all the time, but it was annoying to read about her dumb statements and inadequacies. Deanna was whiny, pathetic, depressing and annoying. Her family, friendships, and relationships are dysfunctional, and I can see any hope for her in the future. I wanted to quit this book so many times, but the only thing that held me was the fact that it was a book award finalist, and I was sure it would turn out amazing at the end, but I still didn't like it, and I feel like I've lost time that could have been spent reading something epic. I refuse to spend even more time writing this review than I already have so I'll just say, I don't like it, though there were some good reviews for it. I couldn't stand Deanna, or her decisions, and I just didn't like the book at all. I give it 1 star.

Random Rant Thursday: A Break

Hey Everyone.

I'm here to tell you all that unfortunately, I will be taking a bit of a break from my blog for a bit, if that wasn't already obvious from my lack of presence.

I've had a few deaths in my family in the last couple of months, and it's began to take a bit of a toll on my overall mood and reading. I do have a few reviews that are stockpiled and scheduled and will go out some of the days this month, so you will have a bit of me for a little while. But I'm not sure how I'll feel at the end of this month so I dont want to make any promises that I'll be back by then, though I hope I am. I love this blog and I love my readers, but I've noticed my mood in some of the reviews that will be going up shortly, and I imagine you may be able to tell I'm a bit sad over here, so I think my best option is to take some time to myself to get over the loss of some of my family.

Thanks for understanding. I'll probably stop by every so often and stalk your blogs, so no worries. See you later!

Quickie Review: The Essence by Kimberly Derting

Book: The Essence (Pledge #2)
By: Kimberly Derting
Published: January 1, 2013
Published by: Margaret K. McElderry books

Description: “Danger, dread, mystery, and romance” (Booklist) continue in the second book of The Pledge trilogy, as Charlie’s reign is under siege from the most unusual of enemies.At the luminous conclusion of The Pledge, Charlaina defeated the tyrant Sabara and took her place as Queen of Ludania. But Charlie knows that Sabara has not disappeared: The evil queen’s Essence is fused to Charlie’s psyche, ready to arise at the first sign of weakness.

Charlie is not weak, but she’s being pushed to the brink. In addition to suppressing the ever-present influence of Sabara, she’s busy being queen—and battling a growing resistance determined to return Ludania to its discriminatory caste system. Charlie wants to be the same girl Max loves, who Brook trusts, but she’s Your Majesty now, and she feels torn in two.

As Charlie journeys to an annual summit to meet with leaders of nearby Queendoms—an event where her ability to understand all languages will be the utmost asset—she is faced with the ultimate betrayal. And the only person she can turn to for help is the evil soul residing within.

My Thoughts: This will be a quick review because I just dont have that much to say about this book. I had high hopes for The Essence after reading the Pledge, but it didnt quite live up to my idea. As you can read from the description, Charlie is having trouble controlling Sabara who still remains in her body, and having trouble taking her place as queen. This book is all about those struggles, and it was pretty much boring throughout. It took me forever to read because I just wasnt invested. There were some big things that happened, and every so often, I got a bit interested, but I really just held on hoping for an amazing end, such as was the case with The Pledge. Also, Charlie kind of bothered me in this book and I can't explain why. Perhaps it was her sneakiness and her problems with sharing her issues with those around her. Whatever it was kind of turned me off with this book. This book pretty much disappointed me, despite having a few high points. I give it 2 stars.