The 100 Review

A teen at the library recently picked a book up off the shelf called The 100 by Kass Morgan, and she loved it. She was really excited about it, so I decided to read it, and was lucky enough to get an e-book copy of it through NetGalley. Some of you may have heard of the new TV show on the CW that is based on the book, and although I haven't seen the TV show yet, it's on my list of shows to watch after reading this book.

The 100 Summary:
In the future, humans live in city-like spaceships orbiting far above Earth's toxic atmosphere. No one knows when, or even if, the long-abandoned planet will be habitable again. But faced with dwindling resources and a growing populace, government leaders know they must reclaim their homeland... before it's too late.

Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents are being sent on a high-stakes mission to recolonize Earth. After a brutal crash landing, the teens arrive on a savagely beautiful planet they've only seen from space. Confronting the dangers of this rugged new world, they struggle to form a tentative community. But they're haunted by their past and uncertain about the future. To survive, they must learn to trust - and even love - again.

The 100 Review:
This book reminded me a lot of Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan in a few different ways, with a little bit of Lost mixed into it. I love worlds where civilization is living on space stations, so right away this book appealed to me. The plot itself is a little formulaic with 100 teenagers being sent down to Earth to see if they can survive, but I thought the novel overall was very well done. Background information was revealed at exactly the right time in the story, and the characters were very well developed.

There are four main characters that the book follows, and each character brings something different to the table. Each character was hiding a large secret, not only from everyone else, but from the readers as well. Although those secrets were hinted at throughout the book, they weren't revealed until the end, which could be frustrating for some, but overall I would say was very well done. And not only that, but the book itself kept secrets from not only the readers, but the characters too, and left the story open to a highly anticipated sequel.

Out of the four characters, I would definitely say I enjoyed Glass's story the most. She's a rich Phoenix girl, who falls in love with a poor Walden soldier. But their story is much more complex than that, and I loved it. And just when you think you've finally uncovered the characters' secrets, you get hit with another one. The same can be said for Wells, Clarke, and Bellamy's stories, which were also enticing reads.

If you're looking for a gripping read, a book based in space, or a book about survival, then this is the book for you. If you get the chance, pick this book up, it's well worth the read.

Anna and the French Kiss

I finally got around to reading Stephanie Perkins, and I'm glad I did. Sometimes it's really nice to be able to read a cute romantic story, and get a break from the suspense and action of many of the other books I read.

Anna and the French Kiss Summary:
Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend.


But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?

Anna and the French Kiss Review:
I really enjoyed this book. It had a fun, sometimes sarcastic voice, which I loved, and was overall, a really cute story. If you're looking for a super serious novel with lots of heavy thinking, or action, this book isn't for you. But if you're looking for a sweet, fun, love story, I definitely recommend picking it up. Anna has a great voice, and each of the characters were all well-developed and added their own flare to the story.

My only complaint about it is that Anna was stuck on her crush back home for way too long. He was a musician who you could tell didn't care about her at all, and she spent the whole book fighting what she had with St. Clair, because she was trying to convince herself she was still into the musician back home. And all the while, St. Clair is doing the same thing. You can tell they're both really into each other, and have a strong connection, but for some reason they're both stuck on other people who are clearly wrong for them.

But then again, what kind of a plot would it be if there weren't any problems, or tension? I also happened to be reading this book while I was in Europe, so it coincided nicely with my trip to Paris. Overall a fun, sweet romance that I would highly recommend picking up.