Made You Up by Francesca Zappia

Synopsis:

Alex fights a daily battle to figure out the difference between reality and delusion. Armed with a take-no-prisoners attitude, her camera, a Magic 8-Ball, and her only ally (her little sister), Alex wages a war against her schizophrenia, determined to stay sane long enough to get into college. She’s pretty optimistic about her chances until classes begin, and she runs into Miles. Didn't she imagine him? Before she knows it, Alex is making friends, going to parties, falling in love, and experiencing all the usual rites of passage for teenagers. But Alex is used to being crazy. She’s not prepared for normal. 

 I’m not sure how this book turned out to be a feel good story. Nothing during the reading of it suggested it would be that way except, maybe, for the fact that it’s a Young Adult novel. I find, more often than not, Young Adult goes the feel-good route instead of soul-crushing route.

Now, there was one twist in this book that shook me to my core and nearly made me cry. I had to put it down and process it for a minute before I could continue.

The two main characters, Alex and Miles, are very strong and well developed. Made You Up gives you an interesting take on mental health and high school. There is a really weird side plot with the principal which ends up being an important plot point in the end, but I just thought it was really strange an unnecessary.

Overall, this book was really easy to get through. It doesn’t take long to read, and the characters are likeable. If you’re looking for a lighter read (with difficult topics) I would recommend it. Be warned, it will make you question everything that you know while reading it.

4/5 Stars

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Fang by James Patterson

Synopsis:

Angel says that Fang will be the first to die, and Angel is never wrong. Maximum Ride is used to living desperately on the run from evil forces sabotaging her quest to save the world--but nothing has ever come as close to destroying her as this horrifying prophetic message. Fang is Max's best friend, her soul mate, her partner in the leadership of her flock of winged children. A life without Fang is a life unimaginable.

When a newly created winged boy, the magnificent Dylan, is introduced into the flock, their world is upended yet again. Raised in a lab like the others, Dylan exists for only one reason: he was designed to be Max's perfect other half. Thus unfolds a battle of perfection versus passion that terrifies, twists, and turns . . . and meanwhile, the apocalypse is coming.

Fang seemed to go back to the formula that the first few books were following. There wasn’t as much political talk, and that made it a lot easier to read.

At the beginning of the book, it seemed as if the flock was coming closer together than they have been for a while. They were celebrating birthdays and having a good time. Then, things started going south and it wasn’t as positive.

Previously, they wanted to keep the flock together no matter what, now they face some hardships and they want to go away from that original plan. It was kind of weird to read, and I wasn’t sure where it was going.

This book was pretty sad to read if you have grown attached to the flock and them being together.

Not to mention, a new bird kid has been introduced to the series. I don’t like or dislike him yet. I will have to see if my opinion changes later.

I feel like something is up with Angel, but I don’t know what. This series is in a transition. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next book.

4/5 Stars

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The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Synopsis:

It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

I figured I had to pick this book up when I saw it because it is so well liked throughout the book community. I didn’t really know why, and I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t even know what it was about.

Normally, I shy away from books about the holocaust, because I was forced to read so many during school and I just needed a break. But . . . I bought this book without reading the synopsis, so I didn’t really have a choice. I am glad that I broke my rule for this book.

It was gripping. It was sweet. It was heartbreaking. It had a little bit of everything including a really unique POV.

All of the characters in The Book Thief are great. They are all central to the story and really make it work.

This book made me cry harder than any book has in a really, really long time.

This is just a beautiful book that I would label as a must-read.

5/5 Stars

Memorable Quotes: “When she came to write her story, she would wonder exactly when the books and the words started to mean not just something, but everything.”

“Even death has a heart.”

“He must have longed for it so much. He must have loved her so incredibly hard. So hard that he would never ask for her lips again and would go to his grave without them.”

“One was a book thief. The other stole the sky.”

“Humans, if nothing else, have the good sense to die.”

“She was still clutching the book. She was holding desperately on to the words who saved her life.”

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Maximum Ride: School’s Out – Forever by James Patterson

Synopsis:

In this eagerly awaited follow-up, brave bird-kid Max and her flock are discovered by an FBI agent and forced to go to "school." There is no such thing as an ordinary day as Max deciphers how and when she's supposed to save the world, and she faces her greatest enemy--a clone of herself.

In the second installment to the Maximum Ride series, the flock is still bent on finding their birth parents. They are somewhat successful, but sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for, as it may have an unexpected result.

I was a bit sad thinking that the whole flock wouldn’t be together anymore, but thankfully the bond of the flock is stronger than blood. They all just work too well together to have one of them leave. It may still happen in later books, but I hope that it doesn’t.

Max is still trying to figure out her purpose. She knows she has to save the world, but the prospect of that makes no more sense than it did when she was first presented with that information. The voice in her head is still driving her crazy, and she has to learn how to balance her insanity with trying to manage the flock.

I didn’t know exactly how I felt about Anne while reading this book, but I knew I didn’t completely trust her. I was sort of glad that I figured that out and give in to the front that she was trying to sell. I am glad that Max saw through her as well.

Max is a very strong character, it isn’t exactly a stretch for there to be strong teenage characters in YA novels, but it still takes me by surprise how mature they are sometimes.

For being so out of my genre on many levels, I am really enjoying this series so far. Sometimes it is good to step outside of your comfort zone and read something different.

4/5 stars

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