Review: Spellcaster by Claudia Gray

Title: Spellcaster Author: Claudia Gray Series: Spellcaster #1 Reading Level: Young Adult Publisher: HarperTeen | March 5, 2013 Pages: 389 Add it: Goodreads Buy it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Books-A-Million  Synopsis:  When Nadia’s family moves to Captive’s Sound, she instantly realizes there’s more to it than meets the eye. Descended from witches, Nadia senses a dark and powerful magic at work in her new town. Mateo has lived in Captive’s Sound his entire life, trying to dodge the local legend that his family is cursed - and that curse will cause him to believe he’s seeing the future … until it drives him mad. When the strange dreams Mateo has been having of rescuing a beautiful girl—Nadia—from a car accident come true, he knows he’s doomed. Despite the forces pulling them apart, Nadia and Mateo must work together to break the chains of his family’s terrible curse, and to prevent a disaster that threatens the lives of everyone around them. Shimmering with magic and mystery, New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray’s new novel is sure to draw fans of the Hex Hall and Caster Chronicles series, and fans of the hit CW TV show The Secret Circle.

My thoughts {bzzzzzzzzzzz}:

The Scene

Spellcaster is like so many young adult titles nowadays. It has a main character (female) with side characters (friend), and love interest (hot boy). There's also some sort of supernatural going on (magic) and an evil villain (evil witch). I'll tell you right now, I didn't like Spellcaster very much. It was just very...bleh. Yeah, it had so many elements of YA books currently but it was actually quite boring.

The Girl

We'll start with the main character. It's been awhile since I read the book but all I can remember about Nadia is...nothing. Seriously, I can't really remember what Nadia is like because her character lacked any type of depth. She was completely one-dimensional. She bored me to death and I couldn't connect with her at all.

The Boy(s)

The love interest, Mateo, seemed so forced to me. It was like Gray was forcing it down our throats that MATEO AND NADIA ARE GOING TO BE TOGETHER ARE SUPPOSED TO BE TOGETHER AND WILL BE TOGETHER. Like, okay we get it.

On top of that, I didn't like Mateo really. He was just kinda flat like most of the characters in Spellcaster.

The WTF?!

1. the characters - I didn't relate to them at all. Maybe it's me but I just couldn't connect with Nadia, Mateo, or even Verlaine.
2. the plot - let me just say, booor-ing. Don't get me wrong, it had heaps of potential but it was so slooow.

The Buzz

Sadly, Spellcaster had very little buzz. It had potential but it didn't live up to that potential.

Rating

WOW - Waiting On The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa

This week I'm waiting on

VENGEANCE WILL BE HERS Allison Sekemoto once struggled with the question: human or monster? With the death of her love, Zeke, she has her answer. MONSTER Allie will embrace her cold vampire side to hunt down and end Sarren, the psychopathic vampire who murdered Zeke. But the trail is bloody and long, and Sarren has left many surprises for Allie and her companions—her creator, Kanin, and her blood brother, Jackal. The trail is leading straight to the one place they must protect at any cost—the last vampire-free zone on Earth, Eden. And Sarren has one final, brutal shock in store for Allie. In a ruined world where no life is sacred and former allies can turn on you in one heartbeat, Allie will face her darkest days. And if she succeeds, triumph is short-lived in the face of surviving forever alone. Release Date: April 15, 2014

Ohmygosh. Ohmygosh. Ohmygosh. Ohmygosh. Ohmygosh.

That ending.

I. Need. This. Book.

Now.

 

Review: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Title: City of Bones Author: Cassandra Clare Series: The Mortal Instruments #1 Reading Level: Young Adult Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books | March 27, 2007 Pages: 485 Add it: Goodreads Buy it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Books-A-Million  Synopsis:  When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing―not even a smear of blood―to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy? This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know... Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.

My thoughts {bzzzzzzzzzzz}: 

The Scene

NYC. Half-human, half-angel hybrids (aka Shadowhunters) who hunt and kill demons. 15 year old girl who doesn't know what anything about this alternate world and is thrown into it unexpectedly. Sound like a typical young adult book yet?

The Girl

Clary was like of lot of main female characters in YA. Kind of normal then gets thrown into a world where normal is anything but. I actually liked her a lot. Surprising because I usually like the more kick ass variety of female main characters. I wouldn't call Clary hardcore like Rose from Vampire Academy but she's still pretty tough.

The Boy(s)

If you like cocky, sarcastic, blond, and, well hot, look no further then Jace Wayland. Jace is very infuriating from the start and kind of a jerk. Buuut, he's also a badass demon hunter who will do anything to protect his brother and sister (not by blood) Isabelle and Alec. Also, Jace really knows how to crack those one-liners. Simon is the other guy in the equation. He's Clary's best friend and kind of in the friend zone. Simon is hilarious! I think he's a great character and definitely is another great reason why I love City of Bones so much.

The WTF?!

I don't really wanna spoil it for ya'll but I have to say it. One word: incest. Yeah, it was really frickin' weird when I found out about this. Trust me, you'll be shocked too. Luckily, almost all the other books are out so you don't have to wait to read what happens next.

The Buzz

I was completely engrossed in City of Bones and read it really fast. I loved the world building and all the different elements of the book. The characters were great, the plot was great, and it kept me thinking about it all the time.

Rating

Really, it should come as no surprise that

WOW - Waiting On City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

This week I'm waiting on

ERCHOMAI, SEBASTIAN HAD SAID. I am coming. Darkness returns to the Shadowhunter world. In the long-awaited conclusion to the acclaimed Mortal Instruments series, Clary and her friends fight the greatest evil they have ever faced: Clary's own brother. Sebastian Morgenstern is on the move, systematically turning Shadowhunter against Shadowhunter. Bearing the Dark Cup, he transforms Shadowhunters into creatures out of nightmare, tearing families and lovers as the ranks of his Endarkened army swell. The embattled Shadowhunters withdraw to Idris -- but not even the famed demon towers of Alicante can keep Sebastian at bay. And with the Nephilim trapped in Idris, who will guard the world against demons? When one of the greatest betrayals the Nephilim has ever know is revealed, Clary, Jace, Isabelle, Simon, and Alec must flee -- even of their journey takes them deep into demon realms, where no Shadowhunter has set foot before, and from which no human being has ever returned... Love will be sacrificed and lives lost in the terrible battle for the fate of the world in the thrilling final installment of the classic urban fantasy series The Mortal Instruments!

I am simultaneously annoyed and excited for City of Heavenly Fire. On one hand, I love this series and I really want to read the ending. On the other hand, I'm so annoyed that it's taken two freaking years for it to be released since City of Lost Souls. 

Seriously. Let me read the book already.

Are you excited to read the last Mortal Instruments book? What are you most excited about? Is it Malec? Simon and Izzy? Clary and Jace? Or is it the overall ending of the series?

City of Heavenly Fire releases May 27, 2014.

My New Rating System!

Hey guys!

You know all those rating systems that bloggers seem to conjure like magic specifically tailored to their blogs? Yeah, well I kinda got tired of my plain old star system. So, I've been thinking that maybe I should create my own rating system, but I've been putting it off for so long because I didn't know what each rating should be called. 

Then it hit me.

My blog name, Brianna's Book Buzz, is the perfect way to base my rating system off of. So, without further ado, here is my new rating system:

No Buzz Whatsoever: It was horrible. I did not like this book at all. There was no buzz in this book. I definitely would NOT recommend this book.

Little to No Buzz: It was okay. Really didn't have much buzz going for this book. This book wasn't completely horrible but it still wasn't my cup tea. I would not recommend this book.

Some Minor Buzz: It was just good. Definitely wasn't great but not horrible either. I had some problems with this book but was still mildly enjoyable. I would maybe recommend this book.

Some Major Buzz: It was really good. I enjoyed this book a lot but it didn't quite hit the buzz factor. Still, a wonderful book and would recommend.

The Buzz Factor: It was AMAZING. This is the book that's worthy of an award. It's the book that sucks you in where you're incapable of doing anything remotely productive because your eyes are super-glued to the pages. I HIGHLY recommend this book.  

What do you think? Do you like it? Anything I should do different? :)

  

Review: Fated by Alyson Noel

Fated by Alyson Noel My rating: 2 of 5 stars Series: The Soul Seekers #1 Reading Level: Young Adult Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin | May 22, 2012 Pages: 352 Add it: Goodreads Buy it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Books-A-Million Synopsis:  Until now, he's existed only in her dreams - but fate is about to bring them together. I shove through the crowd, knocking into girls and bouncing off boys, until one in particular catches me, steadies me. I feel so secure, so at home in his arms. I melt against his chest-lift my gaze to meet his. Gasping when I stare into a pair of icy blue eyes banded by brilliant flecks of gold that shine like kaleidoscopes, reflecting my image thousands of times. The boy from my dream. The one who died in my arms. Strange things are happening to Daire Santos. Crows mock her, glowing people stalk her, time stops without warning, and a beautiful boy with unearthly blue eyes haunts all her dreams. Fearing for her daughter’s sanity, Daire’s mother sends her to live with the grandmother she’s never met. A woman who recognizes the visions for what they truly are—the call to her destiny as a Soul Seeker—one who can navigate the worlds between the living and dead. There on the dusty plains of Enchantment, New Mexico, Daire sets out to harness her mystical powers. But it’s when she meets Dace, the boy from her dreams, that her whole world is shaken to its core. Now Daire is forced to discover if Dace is the one guy she's meant to be with...or if he’s allied with the enemy she's destined to destroy.

My thoughts {bzzzzzzzzzzz}:

The Scene

Some girl named Daire has some weird things happen to her. Then, she goes to this one-horse town and stays with her grandmother that's she's never met. Then, her grandmother trains her to be a Soul Seeker and she meets some twins with weird names.

The Girl

To be honest, Daire was just kinda blah. No, that's not right she was annoying actually. Daire complained a lot and she called her mom Jennika. Yeah, she called her mom by her first name. Like I said, annoying.

The Boy(s)

Okay, let me think. The twin brothers in Fated are like yin and yang I think. Uh, maybe not. Oh, right yeah I think the Dace dude was the good one and the other guys name I think Cace? was the evil one. Oh, now I remember it's Cade. Talk about some weird names. Other than their names I really didn't like Dace and Cade too much. Obviously I thought Cade was a douche but Dace just felt like the author was pushing the reader to like him a little bit too much. I think cause maybe she was going for the whole like this guy because he's GOOD and hate this guy because he's EVIL thing.

The WTF?!

The first thing that irked me was Daire. The second thing that irked me was the names. Really, what kind of names are Daire, Jennika, Cade, and Dace. I applaud the concept of trying to find something original but that's a little over the top. The third thing that irked me was the slow pacing. It was very slow and very boring.

The Buzz

They're really wasn't much buzz in this book. I think the whole book overall annoyed me. The characters, the slow pacing, even the world building bothered me. Don't get me wrong there is a lot of potential for this book but it just fell flat for me. I have the second book on my to read pile but I don't know if I'll pick it up.

Movie Review: Vampire Academy

Vampire Academy
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
Director: Mark Waters
Genre: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Released: February 7, 2014
Duration: 1 hr 44 min
Cast: Zoey Deutch, Lucy Fry, Danila Kozlovsky, Gabriel Byrne, Sarah Hyland
Rated: PG-13

Synopsis:

Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir: half human/vampire, guardians of the Moroi, peaceful, mortal vampires living discretely within our world. Her legacy is to protect the Moroi from bloodthirsty, immortal Vampires, the Strigoi. This is her story.






My Thoughts {bzzzzzzzz}:

Guys. So, I watched Vampire Academy last night. I don't know if the trailers were any indication but IT WAS FUCKING HORRIBLE.

No, really like totally down the toilet bowl needs desperate help deserves a painful slow death needs to DIE cringe-worthy awkwardness really really really fucking awful shit.

I don't usually swear that much but man does this movie warrant that.

But now let's backtrack to BEFORE Vampire Academy the Book was even going to be made into Vampire Academy the Most Horrible Movie on the Planet.

Okay, ready?

Good.

I read VA and then I was like "Wow this is actually pretty good."

Then I read the next 5 books and was like "WOW this is a damn good series. Really Richelle Mead YOU deserve an award."

Fast foward a few years later. Me: 

"Oh, finally VA is being optioned film rights! Took you long enough to make the awesomeness that is Vampire Academy being made onto the big screen."

  

Then, we finally get the casting and blah blah blah.

But then one of the most important part comes:

the trailer

And my reaction was like "ehh...it doesn't look too bad but it doesn't look great either. I'm still excited though!"

Then, the second trailer comes out and I'm like "NOW this is more like it. Give me somethin' more like this."

Now, I'm generally pretty excited for February 7th and can't wait to see the movie. Finally, after a long awaited wait, I get to go the theater.

So, I sit down watching a blank screen (I got there around 45 minutes early don't ask me why), munching on my popcorn and anticipating this movie. I'm thinking, "I hope they really portray the quality of the book onto the big screen well" and "this is so cool, I can't wait to see Rose kick some ass."

Whoa, was I so very, so THOROUGHLY disappointed. 

Don't get me wrong, I had some doubts before I went to see the movie as I do with all YA book to movie adaptations. But did I ever in my wildest dreams think that VA would be THIS horrible as a movie? The answer would be no. I didn't think the movie people would or could screw it up this bad. Honestly, this was one of the worst movies I've ever seen and not to mention THE worst book to movie adaptation I have ever seen.

It's really a shame because the Vampire Academy series is one of my favorites and the movie was nothing like it. Not even close. The line of offenses are so long I can't even count. My tweets after the movie will give you just a few: 

I just watched Vampire Academy. I don't really know what to say. It sucked so badly that I have no words. No pun intended.
— Brianna (@briannabookbuzz) February 9, 2014

Please can I just unsee this horrible horrible film.
— Brianna (@briannabookbuzz) February 9, 2014

That was one of the most horrible movies I've ever seen. No joke. #VAMovie
— Brianna (@briannabookbuzz) February 9, 2014

Ohmygosh I just can't get over it. Richelle Mead's books are NOTHING compared to the movie. They totally RUINED it.
— Brianna (@briannabookbuzz) February 9, 2014

There were so many things wrong with VampireAcademy but 1 thing that was just horrible was the acting. Freakin atrocious that was. #VAMovie
— Brianna (@briannabookbuzz) February 9, 2014

I hate to say it but Twilight was better. Yes. TWILIGHT. and I absolutely HATE Twilight. #VAMovie
— Brianna (@briannabookbuzz) February 9, 2014

Ugh I just.... so bad, so unbelievably bad #VAMovie
— Brianna (@briannabookbuzz) February 9, 2014

The whole thing sucked but a huge thing that irked me was the acting and rushed pacing. It just blurred from one scene to the next and the scenes itself felt very rushed as well. Oh, and the acting. Couldn't you guys just get that one thing right? Is that too much to ask? That was HORRENDOUS.

The bottom line is when you go see a movie you really shouldn't be cringing and rolling your eyes every other second. That's just poor.

The really sad and disappointing thing for me was that the movie didn't do the books justice AT ALL.

@Ldnicolescu yeah it really was. And I  thought it was gonna be so much better. Very disappointing. Didn't do the book justice at all :(
— Brianna (@briannabookbuzz) February 9, 2014

The only best part I can think of was The Fault in Our Stars and Divergent trailers (if that counts). Oh, and the ending.

Have any you guys seen the movie? If you have, tell me what you think. Don't worry I won't bite your head off if you do happen to like it. It just wasn't my cup of tea.