Review: Going Rogue by Robin Benway

 
Title: Going Rogue
Author: Robin Benway
Publisher: Walker Childrens
Series: Also Known As #2
Link: Goodreads

Being permanently based in a local New York City high school as an undercover operative has its moments, good and bad, for 16-year-old safecracker Maggie Silver.
Pros: More quality time with her former mark-turned-boyfriend Jesse Oliver and insanely cool best friend, Roux.
Getting to spend quality time with her semi-retired and international spy honorary uncle, Angelo.

Cons: High school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations.

But when Maggie's parents are falsely accused of stealing priceless gold coins, Maggie uses her safecracking skills to try and clear their names.

Too bad it only serves to put her and everyone she loves in danger. Maggie and her "new team" flee to Paris where they must come up with a plan to defeat their former allies.

My Review

This book was a nice little light read for me. I know, I know. It wasn't intended to be a light read, but that's what it ended up being in my eyes.

Who was the intended audience for this book? Just wondering. 

I liked Maggie and Jessie Oliver's thing! CUTE! (I can't just say Jesse, it doesn't sound right without the Oliver part). Even with the corny jokes, they just grew on me. I want to pinch their cheeks! They are so adorable!

The pacing was just right for me, and I really enjoyed  Angelo and Roux's friendship. Can I call it a chess-father-ship? No? Well, back to the review, then. That girl needs all the love in the world, and I'm so happy that Angelo is able to distract her from some of her worries when the time is right. 

The pacing in the book was alright, but I wished for more action. I understand that I was supposed to get a sense of danger all throughout the book, but I didn't feel that.  

In Going Rogue, Maggie and her parents are "blacklisted." The collective is no longer what it used to be and it gets hard to tell who you can trust. Mags and her parents (along with Roux, Jessie Oliver, and Angelo) get pulled into a conflict that requires them to stand up against the Collective. 

I think the major problem for me with this book was that I didn't think they were in any actual danger. As gruesome as everything looked, I couldn't believe that any serious harm would come to the characters. I mean, I'm glad nobody died, but I would've wanted to atleast feel as if somebody was going to die.

Another problem: Insta-love? Roux meets a guy for the very first time and pretty soon, she's trusting him with all her secrets. Does this happen in real life? I'm sorry for my pessimism, but I didn't buy the whole insta-love story. Sorry. Though with Roux, I kind of let it go a little  because that girl has some messed up parents. They barely show any sort of love to her. Those jerks! Plus the guy seemed nice enough. 

I was satisfied with the ending, but I didn't get any major thrills. Either way, I think everybody should give this book a chance! :) 

Feature A Blogger: Olivia!

Please welcome Olivia from FictionallyObsessed and BookBirdDesigns to the blog!

  What's your favorite part of having a blog?

 COMMENTS. I love comments. I die for comments. They just make my day! I love comments because it shows that people read your posts, and it just makes me feel great about my blog! :D Any one of you here want to leave a comment for me? Hehe. FictionallyObsessed

Which author are you dying to meet?

This is an evil question. Too many out there to choose! I've already met Marissa Meyer, so that's off the list, but either Cassandra Clare, Kiera Cass, or Pierce Brown, though I'm pretty sure that if I REALLY had to choose I'd say Cassie. I'd probably spend a day trying to get to her and fangirling over Will and asking her questions such as 'What's Will's shoe size?'

Name 3 books you think everybody should read.

The Selection by Kiera Cass- This book is just so ADORABLE and CUTE!

Red Rising by Pierce Brown- Too awesome for any words.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer- For all lovers of fairytale retellings! 

Now, name 1 book that you think everybody should runaway from?

Clockwork Angel so I can keep Will all for myself. HES ALL MINE! *insert evil laugh here*

How many books do you think you've read? Guess! :)

This is a hard one, I mean come on, I'm a book blogger! I swear I've read at least 50 this year but if you're talking about my entire lifetime, I'd say more than my bookshelves could hold. If you want an exact number, I HOPE that I have read at least 150.

Are you a fan of love triangles?

Random Fun

What's one question nobody ever asks you, but you wish they would? Now Answer it! :)

I'm stumped on this one...trust me, I've spend like nights pouring over this question, and I've come up with nothing! I'll pass :P

Pizza or chocolate? You can only choose one. 

Haha! Thank you for signing up for Feature A Blogger, Olivia! 

If you want to be featured on my blog next, sign-ups are still open for Feature A Blogger

The YA Prom

 Gaby from Queen Ella Bee Reads & Alexa from Alexa Loves Books hosted the YA prom twitter chat tonight! I came late (as usual) but I still had tons of fun! 

What is the YA Prom? Well, all can be explained in this intro post, YA Prom is a chance for you to pick your favorite YA date and attend prom in the YA world!

So.....the obvious question is who did Monique choose to take? Ummm....do you even have to ask? I took Emperor Kai! 

Emperor Kai

I'm not a girl that is into all the details of prom such as the hair, dress, nails, and all that other extra stuff, but I had so much fun with the twitter chat! Fun fact: I discovered there were some people with twenty dates at the prom. Whoa! Thank you Gaby and Alexa for hosting! It was loads of fun! :)

PS. Obviously Kai and I were going to late, we kept getting distracted. 

Which YA guy would you take to the YA prom?

Author Q&A with Sheldon Greene

Please welcome Sheldon Greene, author of After The Parch to the blog!

 It's 2075. California is nothing like we know it. The USA has broken up and California has become an independent refuge dominated by a single omnipotent corporation. Eighteen-year-old Bran, a shepherd, is given a mission to traverse the California republic in ten days, in order to save his rural community from forfeiting its land. On the way, he teams up with a seventeen-year-old girl who has the skills and prowess of a warrior, an eleven-year-old wild boy with uncanny survival skills, and a wandering musician with a secret revolutionary agenda. After the Parch is a fast-paced, vivid, dystopian fantasy with a chilling resemblance to the way we are, and a vision of what we might become. It's a well-crafted story and the plot flows naturally from one crisis to another, with three-dimensional characters right up to the taut and positive climax.

About the Author

Sheldon Greene has been called "a born storyteller" by the Los Angeles Times for his book Lost and Found (Random House). This is his fifth novel. "I felt the need to describe our country as what it might become if we continue on the current trajectory." He is a lawyer and an executive in a wind energy development company, and has a background of high impact public interest litigation in health care, labor law, land policy, and immigration. He also sings in the Oakland Symphony Chorus and serves on several boards.

Author Interview


1. Tell us something about yourself.

I am an executive in Oak Creek Energy, a wind energy development company, and serve on two other boards, Great Lakes Energy Institute, and Berkeley Art Center. As a lawyer I have a background of high impact public interest litigation in health care, labor law, land policy, and immigration. I have published five critically acclaimed novels, Lost and Found, (Random House), Burnt Umber (Leap Frog) Prodigal Sons (Book Surge), Pursuit of Happiness (Create Space) and now, After the Parch. (Strategic Publishing).

2. What can you say about your latest novel, After the Parch?

It’s the only one that is set in the future, 2075, in California Republic, after the break-up of the United States and after a long drought. The novel is much simpler than the others. It’s linear, and takes place over just ten days. A shepherd, think of Candide, must travel the length of California to save his rural commune. On the way he encounters, a tricky magician, a runaway girl, a wild boy, and an itinerant musician with a secret agenda. He learns something about reliance on strangers and trust.

5. How do you develop your novels?

I start with an idea, maybe the seed of a story, and let it grow. For example the idea for, Burnt Umber came from noticing a sculpture in an Italian Restaurant. When I have a story, I expand it into an outline, develop bios of characters, and do a lot of research related to time and place. Then I start to write and let the characters interact and engage. It’s kind of mystical given that once the characters are alive in my head they do much of the work. They sometimes even take unpredictable turns. The settings, landscapes, interiors, incidental characters simply appear all out of the imagination. Then when the work is done, I revise and revise again until I am satisfied with it.

6. What do you like and don’t like about the process?

I enjoy the conceptualization, and the writing. I find revision tedious, but necessary. And I hate punctuation.

7. How long does it take?

Years.

8. Do you have a routine?

No. I write when the spirit moves me and stop when I feel that I’ve done enough or have nothing more to get on paper.

9. Is there anything unusual about writing fiction, from your standpoint?

Yes. The process of characters, events, places, blossoming in the imagination. Sometimes it feels as if they are coming from somewhere else. But of course it’s my imagination wandering the pathways of my brain.

An End to Five Days of Features

Hello amazing browsers! :D

I hope you guys enjoyed the 5 days of Features (more like two weeks) I forced upon you all! I had fun writing those posts! I hope you guys didn't mind me rambling about some of my favorite things. 

Let's review the features introduced:

-Slap A Character Award (SAC)
-Browsing: The Treasure Files
-Series Overview
-Theories For A Series
-MBTI: Fictional Character Edition

That's a lot! Accompanied by our veteran features: Feature A Blogger and News Alert

I'm super excited about doing these features again!

Thanks for sticking around! :) Also, thanks for your wonderful comments! I love them so much! 

If you want to get featured on my blog remember that Feature A Blogger sign-ups are always open.

MBTI: Fictional Character Edition- Jacin Clay

Do you know what MBTI is? You can go check it out here. I thought it'd be fun if we were able to identify the MBTI of fictional characters based on their personality traits. Don't take this one too seriously, guys. It's just pure fun! :)

Today, we'll dissect: Jacin from The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. 

Who is Jacin? A moody royal guard from Luna.

Characteristics: negative, rude, sarcastic, loyal to his princess, possess dark humor, sees the logical side of things, critic of love stories and romance, insensitive, operates by logic rather than emotion,  manipulative

My Verdict: I think Jacin is an INTJ 

More about this personality type: INTJ Personality Type

Quotes by Jacin and about Jacin:

Jacin gaped at her like she'd just sprouted an android arm from the top of her head. "You think that you are capable of overthrowing Levana?"

"Oh, come on. Please don't tell me you're obsessing over this wedding because you actually think you're in love with him."

He glared at her, disgusted. "Don't try to push your swoony psychodrama on me. I'm sworn to protect her. Can't very well do that from down here, can I?"

Jacin stood against the wall beside the corridor that led to the crew quarters and the galley, turned sideways as if he could only be bothered to give Cinder half his attention.

"Let's say you manage to pull this off, not that I really think you will."

If you had to identify Jacin's MBTI, which personality type would you identify him as?

Theories For A Series: The Lorien Legacies #5

Theories For A Series: The Lorien Legacies #5 (The Revenge of Seven)

Expected Publication Date: August 26, 2014

The worst was supposed to be over. We were reunited after a decade apart. We were discovering the truth of our past. We were training and getting stronger every day. We were even happy...
We never imagined the Mogodorians could turn one of our own against us. We were fools for trusting Five. And now Eight is lost forever. I would do anything to bring him back, but that's impossible. Instead, I will do whatever it takes to destroy every last one of them.

I've spent my entire life hiding from them, and they've stolen everything away from me. But that stops now. We're going to take the battle to them. We have a new ally who knows their weaknesses. And I finally have the power to fight back.

They caught Number One in Malaysia.

Number Two in England.

Number Three in Kenya.

And Number Eight in Florida.

They killed them all.

I am Number Seven.

I will make them pay.

As of now all fans of The Lorien Legacies are waiting for The Revenge of Seven by Pittacus Lore.

You guys know how Pittacus Lore likes to give us cliffhangers at the end of each book. It makes me crazy when authors do that (crazy in a good way.....I think). I can't keep all the thoughts inside. I have to share it with you guys. How do you guys think the series is going to play out? I'll go ahead and start with my theories. WARNING: Spoilers for the previous books are included in this post

The Revenge of Seven by Pittacus Lore

Monique's Theories

-Sarah gets a shining moment! If you haven't read Fall of Five by Pittacus Lore, go ahead and read it now. Sarah is a much better character in that book than in the previous ones. I think she'll probably continue to grow as the series continues. She's still not on the level of my favorite characters from the series, but she's tolerable now. Maybe she'll try to sacrifice herself in an attempt to save the others?

-Six and Sam get more involved with each other. I'm so glad Sam is there to take Four off Six's mind. I remember in The Power of Six when she said she liked both Four and Sam. I almost had a heart attack. I did not want a love triangle and preferred Henry's theory about the people of Lorien falling in love only once. All love triangles just need to die. Seriously.

-Eight comes back. I'm sorry guys, but I just really want him to come back. Why is Marina's life always so complicated? She keeps losing everyone she loves. 

-Obviously, Seven gets revenge. Could you not tell from the title?

-This is the second to last book. According to the author, the plan was to tell the story in six books, so I'm thinking this is the second to last book if he decides to stick to the original plan. I can't wait to see how it all wraps up

-Setrakus Ra is from Lorien. I'm sorry, but I think that's the main reason why he's so powerful. I don't know if you guys noticed, but the Mogs aren't really that bright ;)

-Ten is.....Pittacus Lore? Setrakus Ra's grandaughter? I don't really know, but she must be some special person. What does he mean by she's the heir? Ahhh!!! Why can't Pittacus Lore just tell us these things?!

-Another character dies. I'm sensing another character death for some reason. It might be Ten, Sarah, Seven, or that new kid, Adam.

-Number Nine goes on a guilt trip. It's sort of his fault that whole thing happened with Eight. I love Nine, but seriously shhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! next time dude. I don't want anyone else to die. Maybe he'll change a bit? He'll be more serious? I just know he'll feel guilty

-They're going to try to rescue Ten. Well, duh!!!

-Bernie Kosar is alive? I sure hope so! 

-Sam's father now has immunity. He cannot die. When Four heals him, that sealed his fate for the rest of the series. The author probably wants him to be able to go back to his wife when the series is over. It'll be a waste if they let Ten get kidnapped just to keep Sam's father alive and then he ends up dead. I just don't see that happening. Yeah, he's not going anywhere.

-We find out more about Five. What really makes him tick? Why does he turn his back on his own kind? We need to know this information for the series to move on. Ofcourse he's going to go back on the good side. Haha! There's not even a doubt in my mind that'll happen. 

Do you guys read this series? Any theories? 

News Alert: Fairest by Marissa Meyer

Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?

I love this! I'm interrupting five days of features to tell you that the announcement is finally out!! Here's the news we've all been waiting for: Marissa Meyer is releasing Fairest in January 2015. We were all sad that we had to wait till November 2015 for Winter, but here's our consolation. Fairest by Marissa Meyer will be Queen Levana's background story. We get to see Levana and Channary as teenagers! Woohoo!!! :D I'm so excited! 

Marissa Meyer has warned us that there is a reason why Queen Levana is so psychotic and now we'll finally find it out! I don't want to feel sorry for her, but from what I gather so far, her life was freaking depressing. Ouch! Maybe I shouldn't have given her a Level 3 SAC Award. Anyways, in this story we will see other characters such as Dr. Erland in his days serving the queen and even Cinder and Winter as children. We'll even get an excerpt from Winter! Hurray!!!! :) 

You want more excitement? It's not a short story, it's actually the length of a full-sized book. Score! 

Here's the info:

Fairest by Marissa Meyer

You can add this to your TBR pile right now on Goodreads. It gets released on January 27, 2015. 

Do you guys think this news is worth the wait for Winter??? 

Series Overview: Delirium Series

The Delirium Series by Lauren Oliver

*This Post Contains MANY Spoilers!*

First of all, I finished the series! Yay!!! :)

Delirium The first book! I completely loved it. Delirium set the stage for an interesting world where people are not given the freedom to love. Love is a disease that should be cured. I loved this book because the characters were written well and I loved Alex. To be honest, he was my favorite character, and the main reason why I kept reading.

Pandemonium The second book I loved only because of the last page. The book starts off making us feel that Alex is really dead, but in my heart. I just knew that he wasn't. I kept gettting mad at Lena because she was falling in love with Julian. Seriously? How long has Alex been "dead?" How much did he really mean to you if you can just forget him just as soon as the next guy comes along? The whole time I was like WHERE IS ALEX? Stop touching Lena, she doesn't belong to you, Julian! Haha! Seriously why would she just forget Alex like that? I was  upset because even if Alex was dead it felt like she was disrespecting his memory by moving on so soon. The last page saved the book. Alex returns. It made me excited for the sequel. Just as I thought wow, she's really serious about this Julian guy, Alex steps in and he sounds angry. I would be angry too.

Requiem The third book I loved the least. After knowing Alex was still alive...I wanted more. There were all these scenes of Julian and Lena, it made me sick. Seriously? I actually wanted Julian to die. He's a great character and all but he was the only thing standing in the way of Alex and Lena. Lena actually made me angrier in this book. She kept thinking about Julian. *rolls eyes* It made me want to scream for her to shut up. I don't get it. Alex saved her life and taught her about the Wilds...Julian was just there and then he gave up his old life so he could live free and love freely. What Julian did was great, but I felt they could've just been friends and he would've done the same thing. I felt like Lena loved Julian because he was there when she was lonely and missing Alex...that's about it. 

My favorite part of the last book is when Alex finally loses control and rearranges Julian's face. YES!!! I was totally cheering him on even though he felt bad about hurting Julian and ranaway afterwards. In the end, I got what I wanted. It was a bit unclear, but this is my interpretation/version of the ending. I filled in the gaps to make myself feel better. Pathetic, I know, but what more can a girl do when an author refuses to give a clear ending to a story?

My Ending
1. Raven is alive....they somehow heal her
2. Tack and Raven get married and have a baby named Blue
3. Alex and Lena stay together (forever!)
4. Julian lives and he's bitter and angry that Lena choose Alex, but Coral comforts him and he moves on
5. The invalids win supporters and somehow get control over the government
6. The cure is obliterated
7. Fred doesn't die but he goes to prison
8. Hana finds her soulmate and remains best friends with Lena
9. They no longer have to hunt for food....food is plentiful
10. The rest of Lena's family is safe

This is what happened.
I love you. Remember. They can't take it.

Browsing: The Treasure Files - These Boys in Books are Better

Today's treasure file has been on the internet for awhile, but I just found out about it a few months ago, and I've shared it with awesome friends who enjoyed it as much as I did! Today, I share it with you! It's a very quick video that talks (sings) about how Boys in books are better. It is hilarious and all types of adorable! :D

Go Watch it Now!

Well, what did you think? Did you absolutely love it just as much I did? 

Slap A Character Award: Queen Levana

Slap A Character Award

Today's SAC Award goes to: Queen Levana

Nature of the Slap: Level 3- Slap with a Baseball bat

It is only fitting that Levana was the first to receive this award. After all, She was the character that inspired it all.

Queen Levana is the current Queen of Luna (the moon). She is gifted with the ability to take control of a person's actions with bioelectricity and manipulating what they are able to see. Her disregard for anyone that threatens her throne, her cruel punishments, and her belief that she is superior to all (especially Earthens) has earned her a Level 3. Congratulations Levana! Does anybody have a baseball bat?

What people have to say about Queen Levana.......

She was indeed beautiful, as if someone had taken the scientific measurements of perfection and used them to mold a single ideal specimen. -Kai's POV, Cinder

"I didn't think it was possible to hate anyone as much as I hate her. She's evil."-Kai, Cinder

"Levana and her entourage....Everything about them is so fake." 
-Kai, Cress

"My Queen, you would not like to die in this room. I suspect you would tear off your own flesh if forced to stare at it for so long."
-Dr. Erland, Cress

Quotes from Queen Levana.....

"The idea that a pile of metal could experience emotion is insulting. Send this monstrosity away."-Levana, Cinder

"You can't think her prettier than me."-Levana, Cinder 

"Ignorance is your defense? How trite. You must see the truth, the fact that you should be dead. It would be so much better for everyone if you were."-Levana, Cinder

"What do I care if Earth sees them coming? I hope it gives them time to beg for mercy before we destroy them."- Levana, Cress

I'm sure we all can't wait for Levana to go bye bye! 

Book Bangin' -Historical Fiction

Book Bangin' is a feature hosted by Kelly @ Belle of the Literati where, once a month, we talk about boys in books! Today we're talking about the men of historical fiction. 

I love historical fiction! Judith McNaught and Jane Austen are  some of my favorite authors! :) Let's do this! 

 Ian Thornton

-fast reader
-intelligent
-stubborn
-weird
-likes making snarky comments! :)

Clayton Westmoreland

-determined
-patient....sometimes
-umm....a little possesive? (okay....a lot)
-does not trust easily

Gavin Montgomery

-alpha male
-strong
-resourceful
-possessive (this is an understatement)
-a bit rash






Royce Westmoreland

-alpha male
-nicknamed "The Wolf"
-strong
-intelligent
-willing to learn
-learns humility

I'm sorry, but would it be wrong to offer you a quote? 

"Behold your new mistress, my wife. And know that when she bids you, I have bidden you; what service you render her, you are rendering me; what loyalty you give or withhold from her, you give or withhold from me." -Royce Westmoreland

Alex Montgomery

-dutiful
-patient
-respectful
-bound by honor
-extremely loving
-simply wonderful...


 Mr. Darcy

-prideful
-judgmental (sometimes)
-handsome
-good friend
-introvert
-induces the swoons


 Frederick Wentworth

-proud
-rich successful Captain
-jealous
-makes hasty decisions





And those are all my favorite guys from Historical Fiction! Did I miss any? Let me know! :)

Announcing Five Days of Features

Greetings, my lovely Browsers!


This will be a very short post! :)

Remember when I said that I had 5 new features bouncing around my head, but haven't introduced them yet? Well, I'm introducing them! I figured if I waited too long all my ideas would just pile up and it'll seem impossible to get them all done, so here we are! I'm announcing five days of the features my brain has managed to come up with. I'm so excited! Don't worry, guys. I won't be overwhelming you with these features all the time, they will be used sparingly. I'm just worried that if I don't go ahead and show you them now, I'll never get to it. Stay tuned for the next two weeks!

I hope you guys enjoy them!

Also Feature a Blogger Sign-Ups are open again!

Happy Browsing!