One Year Anniversary!!!

Happy Birthday to meeee! Exactly this day, one year ago, I uploaded my very first post on the Booksmartie. 

It's been a great, sad, adventorous and exciting year for me - in the blogging universe and beyond - and in the next few days to come I want to share the highlights with you guys! I hope you enjoy!

Greetings, the Booksmartie

Looking Back on... My First Month of Blogging

Can you believe it? Because I can't. It feels like it was just yesterday, or say, last month that I slowly started typing my first book review. 

Back then, 

I had my nose stuck in my English textbook, devouring the section that dealt with book  reviews 

- tried to put some words together  that would eventually become a sentence. 

- Guess what? There was a handful of sentences at the end of the day

- but those sentences never became a blog post. I gave up and swore to never try again

- I was sure I could never do it. 

I didn't leave it at that, obviously. I took to Blogger again. After all, I had a design now and I knew what I wanted to do and everybody else - or so it seemed - could do it, too. 

So I tried again.

- this post that I started with the words "Hello Internet!" 

- I was shy and insecure and wanted to appear cool and confident 

- The only thing I  didn't want was for anyone I knew in person to find out (sooo embarassing!)

That's not to say I'm not proud of what I did in March 2012. My first blog entry might not have been a big hit and my first reviews weren't straight to the point, but I started and I tried and from that day on I never wasted a thought on quitting. Not once. 

My first real review (Veronica Roth's Divergent).

- Looking back on it now I realize I made one very big mistake - I was not completely honest. With myself, 

   that is.

- I was new to the blogging world and fascinated by how enthusiastic some people could get over books

- I wanted it, too. So I told myself I loved Divergent and had to write a raving review on it, although actually, I liked it - but was never completely obsessed with it. 

The complete opposite was Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. 

- I didn't like that book at all

- I was a bit nicer in that review than I would be today 

- still learned an important lesson when I had the review finished and uploaded 

- there is a way to write a negative review if you find the right words and the reasons why you didn't enjoyed

   the book.

I did memes on my blog from the very beginning

- it's a great way to interact with other bloggers because you have a topic to start awesome conversations

  with

- first meme I did was Feature & Follow Friday, the second  one Tune in Tuesday, I believe but that is a   

  topic for the April post.

There were Geeknotes, as well 

- where I shared thoughts that just came to my mind for a second

- I do consider starting that again...I think it's fun

- what do you think?

I wrote little introductions before I started the actual review

-that doesn't strike me as a bad idea, either

-would you like to have that again?

-because I think I would like to do that again....

By the way...do you like this format of the post better than long texts? Because I could get used to the keyword style :)

Tell me what you think in the comments!

Review: Crossed by Ally Condie

Crossed

by Ally Condie

The hotly awaited second book in the dystopian Matched trilogy
In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.
Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever

LONG STORY SHORT:

I loved Crossed at least as much as I loved Matched - maybe even more. The story continued and went exactly the way I wanted it to go, but the plot was never too obvious. Condie's writing style is awesome, very poetic but also fluent, so that you don't get stuck after a few pages because it seems like the author won't ever get to the point. It was great to meet Cassia, Xander and Ky again, but I was also immediately attached to the new characters that were introduced and that - as the world itself - had interesting back stories, too.

REVIEW:

I know that there are a lot of mixed views on this book and the Matched series in general, and although in my review of Matched I said that I understand it  - I honestly actually don't. Some people seem to hate this book like crazy. I mean, I get that most dystopian novels are faster paced and have more action than these ones, but what I often missed in those - even in Divergent - was getting to know the background of things, the overall development of the world. I actually like that Cassia, Ky and Xander don't always find themselves running from everything and everyone because that leaves time for explaining the details of the story.

Crossed might not be for everyone but there are  a lot of elements in this book that make up for Condie's stronger focus on development. As I said the writing is so fluent that you can race / float through the book like nothing...and when it gets emotional like when Cassia tries to figure out her feelings for the people she's with or when she thinks about what's the right and wrong thing to do, I could identify with her really well.

Character growth is an important aspect in this second novel as well. All of the protagonists made a huge step towards adulthood - especially Cassia has really left her state of naive conformity and turned into a girl that more or less knows what she wants.

All in all, if you didn't like Matched you probably won't like Crossed either, but for everyone who liked the world-building in Matched and the writing style and who fell in love with the characters, Crossed is a great sequel.

Review: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Pandemonium 

by Lauren Oliver

"So what was your name before?" I say, and she freezes, her back to me. "Before you came to the Wilds, I mean."
For a moment she stands there.
Then she turns around.
"You might as well get used to it now," she says with quite intensity.
"Everything you were, the life you had, the people you knew... dust."
She shakes her head and says, a little more firmly, "There is no before. There is only now, and what comes next."
After falling in love, Lena and Alex flee their oppressive society where love is outlawed and everyone must receive the "cure" - an operation that makes them immune to the delirium of love - but Lena alone manages to find her way to a community of resistance fighters. Although she is bereft without the boy she loves, her struggles seem to be leading her toward a new love.

A Long Story Short!

Writing and character development are once again Oliver's highest scores, but this time she upgrades to (relatively) fast paced action as we saw her do at the very end of Delirium. After experiencing another huge cliffhanger at the end, though, I really hope for a mind blowing Requiem - everything else would ruin this series in the end!

Review for You:

What was missing (a bit) in Delirium, came with Pandemonium - that's what most people think, I guess, and I  can only agree. If you thought Delirium was too slow and sacrificed story for world building, you'll probably like the sequel better. This book is based almost entirely on plot - on Lena's story - but still not ignoring the wonderful aspects we loved in Delirium, writing style, characters, development, and quotability.

The most important element in Pandemonium is undoubtedly the Then and Now feature Oliver uses to continue telling Lena's story. This way, we can experience two exciting plots that made my heart rate speed up more than just a couple of times.

To change things up even more, we have to let go most of the characters we grew to know and love in the first book to make room for a whole bunch of new ones - most of whom are unique, different and realistic. 

Anyhow, although I loved Raven, Tack, Blue, Sara and of course Julian, I still think excluding the rest from this book completely was kind of harsh. I'd hoped to see some more of Lena's family and old friends. 

Besides, Pandemonium is sad - heart wrenching, even. Sometimes to the point where I found it a bit too harsh, too dramatic. Then again, sure, it adds to the page-turning factor.

As this is a book by Lauren Oliver, I don't think I have to talk writing, but I will do it anyway, because not mentioning it would come close to an offense towards the author. So - brilliant. Period. I don't think there are many authors who can reach that level of beauty. It's extraordinary.

All in all? Read Pandemonium. I know Requiem was a disappointment for many (haven't read it yet) but after reading this book I can't help but feel excited for the final installment.

What about you? Have you read the trilogy? Do you plan on doing it? 

Time for Change...

For those of you who visit blogs directly - and not with feedreaders, like I do - you probably already know. For everyone else - I finally worked up the courage to change my blog design...pretty much completely.

This is unusual for me, because typically I hate change. In any way. It doesn't matter if it's moving from one place to the other or having to find a new pair of favorite jeans - I like to have things the way they have been since forever. 

So why, you might ask, did I even change anything on my blog where I make the rules? 

The answer is simple. Although I hate change, what I hated even more these past few days was the same old boring design I was staring at every time I uploaded a new post. And now, weirdly enough, I feel relieved. I am really, really happy with how it turned out. I wanted something a bit more clean and bright,and not as busy as the old design. I also think this one looks more...modern. 

However, this is of course not only about how I feel. This is about my readers, you guys, as well. So, let me know what you think! Like the new design? Want the old one back? Is the new font comfortable to read?

I'd love to know your thoughts!

Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder 

by Marissa Meyer

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Hardcover, 1st Edition, 387 pages
Published January 3rd 2012 by Feiwel & Friends

A Long Story...Short!

Marissa Meyer did an overall fantastic job with Cinder - there's no better way to put it. Every aspect of this book has been perfected with wonderful care and a love for details. The Cinderella retelling? Very well done. The storyline is so close to the original - it's almost scary! Talking about scary - our villain(s) in this book definitely deserved that spot. Whether we're talking about the evil queen or the mean stepmother - they both are "bad" in a way that is not only fun to watch but also draws you into the story more and more because you. just. want. the main character to have her big triumph in the end. The pacing and plot is another bonus, because even if you don't have the time, or you don't feel like reading you will make time to read Cinder and you won't be able to stop turning pages until the book is over and even then your inner voice will scream for more. So you better head out and get Cinder and Scarlet to guarantee you won't go crazy!

RATING:

3/3 smarties...and a cupcake!

Review for You:

There should be something like a book hype appreciation day. Seriously, the only reason I eventually went and picked up - and read - Cinder was the fact that everyone - bloggers and youtubers united - talked about this book and its sequel. It appeared on every website and in every video and at one point I just wanted to see for myself - and it was worth it. Oh man, what a book!

Even though I consider myself a very avid reader and even though I have not been in a reading slump in a very long time I can be very...petty about the books I read. Very. I can't pinpoint what makes me go absolutely crazy about books like Delirium, Tempest or Cinder. I think it's the mix of combined awesomeness. It's not only good plot and pacing, not only great characters and their development, not only beautiful writing, because none of those details are what I think about when I'm reading.

It happens in the bus as that's where and when I read the most. It's when my mood shifts from sitting in my seat, cozied in next to the heater, and enjoying a good book. It's when suddenly I find myself in the book, shrinking every time the bus stops because I

a) have to realize I'm in the bus, not in a futuristic Asian world and

b) that my bus stop will come eventually and that I'm going to have to stop reading at some point in my life.

This is what happened with Cinder again. The characters were well rounded, realistic, unique and likable - well, almost all of them. Of course, there's no way I could not fall for our love interest in this  book and wish and hope for him and Cinder to be together, but Cinder's very special friend Iko found her way into my heart as soon as she appeared on the pages as did Peony. The awesome aspect in this book is that I also grew to "like" the evil characters because they were so well done! I love when you can feel the danger coming from them or - in the case of Cinder's stepmother - want to punch them in the face nonstop. And that again makes you cheer the heroine on even more.

On to the actual story.

I'm sure almost everyone knows the original Cinderella - or at least one or two versions of it. I myself had a few doubts about how that storyline would be translated into futuristic Asia - but that was unnecessary. Meyer did it perfectly. It's amazing how Cinder's story was wrapped around that storyline and how the whole world evolved around it.

The world, by the way, is not just something for Asia-obsessed geeks like me. Marissa Meyer's dystopian world is a mix of futuristic world building a la carte and fantasy elements that rock your socks :)

Besides, it's easy to understand how everything works together, the social system and hierarchy and everything. For that, maybe, Meyer's writing style is to blame. The author has no problem being precise and understandable while still scoring points for beautiful language and fast pace.

All in all, you might have guessed it already, I was completely in love with Cinder and cannot wait for Scarlet.

Questions for You:

Have you read Cinder? If so, what do you think?

If not, what has kept you from it?

Can you recommend any similar books?

Wishlist Wednesday

Hey there! Yup, it actually is me. The Booksmartie. Haven't heard from me in a while, have ya? Oh, well. Let's just say school is keeping me busier than ever right now and I really need to focus on that! The good thing is, though, that I'm done with actually going to school in 1 1/2 weeks - crazy, right? Until then, i probably wont be reading (or blogging) all too much, but I hope you guys wait for me - I promise its going to be better days from now :)
Okay, on to the purpose of this post -  a book I'm wishing to see on my shelf soon...mhm...let me think. I know I chose this one before, but I pre-ordered it and it has not come until now!!! So annoying! But here it is:

If you haven't read the first book, Partials, i highly recommend you do - I loved it!

Review: Speechless by Hannah Harrington

Speechless

by Hannah Harrington

 

 

Everyone knows that Chelsea Knot can't keep a secret
Until now. Because the last secret she shared turned her into a social outcast—and nearly got someone killed.
Now Chelsea has taken a vow of silence—to learn to keep her mouth shut, and to stop hurting anyone else. And if she thinks keeping secrets is hard, not speaking up when she's ignored, ridiculed and even attacked is worse.
But there's strength in silence, and in the new friends who are, shockingly, coming her way—people she never noticed before; a boy she might even fall for. If only her new friends can forgive what she's done. If only she can forgive herself.

 

Paperback, 288 pages

Published August 28th 2012 by HarlequinTeen

 

A Long Story Short

 

Speechless was a good, but not great contemporary book that I'd recommend to everyone who does not expect extraordinary things from the Story. I read this book, influenced by all the Hype around Hannah Harrington and this novel in General, I expected a great message, an even better romance - and all I got was average. I understand that the characters are fleshed out and that they really have chemistry, but I don't understand why I'm supposed to be completely blown away by the Story.

 

RATING:

2/3 Smarties

 

Review for you:

I hate These kinds of Reviews. I can't rant because it wasn't horrible, I can't rave, because I didn't even come Close to being obsessed with it.

What I liked? The characters. No matter which one, really. They were all authentic, most of them like-and lovable, the Boys respectful, the Girls strong and confident. I mean, it does say something if the only Thing you get from the Heroine are her inner thoughts and throughout the whole book you don't ever find her whiny or annoying in some way, not redundant, either.

Also, I won't spoil anything but there's something about the atmosphere around a workplace where People are cooking, that....just Appeals to me. If anyone of you has read Sarah Dessen's The Truth About Forever, or What Happened to Goodbye you know what I mean. It's just...ha, the atmosphere!

Anyway, the actual plot...dragged a Little bit towards the end. I felt like the ending should have come sooner. It's true that there were still some final endings to tie together, but I was not up for it anymore. Do you know that Feeling when you know there are still a few things in the plot that have to happen before the book is over, but you don't want to read them anymore, because you know how they'll turn out and you are satisfied with the Story as it is? Yeah, that. If I remember correctly it took me about three evenings to read the last 10% of the novel on my Kindle.

So, okay, you might be thinking right now. You found the ending a bit dragging and that's why you didn't like the entire book? Mhm...not quite.

My main Problem was the Hype. I expected a miracle. That sort of Story that makes you love and cry and that you remember forever and that teaches you important lessons for your life and everything after you die and...you know where I'm coming from, don't you?

Speechless was cute, maybe even good but by no means - in my opinion - was it a brilliant novel every single Person on this planet should read. Especially the actual premise, the speechlessness, came too short for me. I thought it'd be such a great deal, but it wasn't. Not really.

I think I've said it enough - I'm disappointed, but I guess without the expectations - or with more negative ones in my head - I would have enjoyed this novel!