Please welcome our guest blogger Jenny Chen to the blog!

Guerrilla Internet by Matt Sayer

Synopsis

The story was about this guy named Charlie, who worked in a company called mBition. One night, his co-worker Joel is murdered and their office is robbed by a man named Kyle who works for "Big Boss". After this, he begins to work with a previous security guard named Mel on the case. They find evidence that allows them to link the crime to several other robberies, including a raid on the EA, a while ago. They manage to find a person named Mike who confesses to having helped "Big Boss" and his henchmen to rob the places. Charlie and Mel then gather more evidence leading them to Japan. So they fly to Japan to look for "Big Boss" and Mike stays in the US where some of "Big Boss's" henchmen had been ordered to kill Mike. Will Mike survive? What will happen to Charlie, Kyle and Mel? Read this book to find out!

Review

To be honest, it wasn't the best book. Ehh, who am I kidding? This book was just downright sad.

I found that it just wasn't interesting enough. Judging by the writing alone, the writing was pretty good in most places, although kind of boring in other places. However, the dialogue kind of ruined everything. Almost all the dialogue just wasn't captivating at all. The author put in way too much stammering, and all of the character's dialogue seemed to be the same so they didn't have enough of their personality in their words. 

The plot wasn't all that great either though. It was so incredibly boring in many parts of the book that I really didn't want to continue the book. The book may not have been that bad without the dialogue though. I feel like they kind of all had the same personality.  They all stuttered, they all seemed to talk the exact way, so there wasn't any good character development.


So to sum up everything, it had a pretty boring plot, pretty bad dialogue and nothing was really GREAT about it. There were some good parts as all books have, but there was just way less good than there was bad.

But if you still want to check this book out, here's a giveaway for you: 


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Zero Alternative by Luca Pesaro (Jasper's Review)

*I was provided with a free copy of this book through Goodreads

DO YOURSELVES A FAVOUR AND GO GET THIS BOOK NOW. IT WAS AMAZING! A. M. A. Z. I. N. G.

Click here for Amazon Kindle
Zero Alternative by Luca Pesaro

OK, so what is this book about?

This book is an exciting thriller, crime and mystery novel. A little mix of James Bond action and 'Bonnie and Clyde' -esque romance. This book follows the adventure of the ex-Banker Scott "Yours" Walker and his quirky and funny Spanish stripper, mercenary, spy, tech geek, sidekick Layla.

When the new elections in Italy come around, the financial state of the whole world could be ruined if the wrong man is elected. 4 weeks before this election, a software name DeepOmega predicts the outcome, correctly down to the percent. All is good until it's creator, DM, is tortured and killed. Leaving only one person that could have a chance of accessing this software; Walker.

Chased across Europe by a murderous criminal, Walker must make sure the software doesn't fall into the wrong hands. Can he succeed?

The Review

Characters

The characters in this book are relatively realistic. Who am I kidding? They were almost walk off the page believable! That's what made me love this book so much. Luca manages to create such realistic characters in Walker and Layla. I swear, I was screaming at Walker for more than half the book! The way that Luca manages to entwine them in a web of love without making this book become chick-lit astounds me. Believe me, when you read this book you will understand what I mean.

Plot

The plot in this book was well written. It was not rushed at any point in the book, Luca always manages to keep it at a pace where the reader is still interested but slow enough so we don't have to flip back a couple pages to remember who the heck Pinaar is and what the heck he had to do with the story (a lot.) I am glad that the ending for this book was mostly conclusive instead of a sloppily written chapter tacked onto the end. I myself was a little disappointed with the outcome of the book but C'est la vie!

The Verdict.

I give this book a 4.5/5 because while this book is awesome and everything, the repetitive killing gets a little... Repetitive. Do not read this book if you have a weak stomach! Read this book when you're in a mood for something a little more than the traditional love story.

The Fallen - Sophie Tong

The Fallen - an original poem by Sophie.

They fall for the living who yet to have lived.
They cry for the dead who have already fallen.
They carry the ones who are on the edge.
They are the broken who were meant to stay.

Entice by Carrie Jones (Manali's Review)

Entice by Carrie Jones
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

SO this book was quite a bit better than the previous ones. Also, I'm extremely happy that Nick and Zara and kinda not a couple anymore, because I really like Zara with Astley. I think they're brilliant together. So here is the synopsis:

Zara and Nick are soul mates, meant to be together for ever. But that's not quite how things have worked out. For starters, Nick has gone. He has been taken to the mythical place for warriors known as Valhalla. Zara and her friends might be able to get him back, it's just not going to be easy. Meanwhile a group of evil pixies is devastating Bedford, with more teens going missing every day. An all-out war seems imminent, and the good guys need all the warriors they can find. But even if Zara and her friends do discover the route to Valhalla, there's that other small problem: Zara's been pixie kissed. When she finds Nick, will he even want to go with her? Especially since she hasn't turned into just any pixie... She's Astley's queen.

Okay. SO let me just start of with this: I liked this book better, because there was less Nick. I hate Nick. I love Astley. Astley is cool. And, Astley treats Zara way better than Nick does. Nick is really boring, and he's kinda a SOB. But enough of that for now.

The writing seemed to have matured a bit, so the book was more likable than the rest. It was a lot less lame (mostly due to Nick's absence), and the character Astley, brought a more serious and real feel to it.

To the point: I love Astley. Astley is one of my favorites. He brings out something in Zara that makes her a bit less stupid, which is good, because her being around Nick just makes her more stupid.

I was so mad when Mrs. Nix died. I really liked her, because she was really sweet. I think the deaths of innocent people also brought a serious feel, like it made Zara realize it's no longer some simple world with some pixie problems; it's full on war.

So basically, Zara matures a lot more in this book, and I think Astley has a positive influence on her. The book is a huge improvement over Need and Captivate.

So 4 stars for this book. Pretty legit, a lot better than the rest. And, I just wanna say this now, if Zara doesn't end up with Astley, I will be seriously mad.


- Mannytee

View all my reviews

Captivate by Carrie Jones (Manali's Review)

Captivate by Carrie Jones
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

*WARNING SPOILERS*

So. I kinda hated this book. It was worse than the first one, which I didn't like much either. I can barely find words for how much I dislike this book.

This is the synopsis:

Zara and her friends thought they'd solved the pixie problem. And they did - sort of. The pixie's are all locked away, deep in the woods. But the king's needs grow stronger each day that he is in captivity, while his control over his people weakens. And it's enough to draw a new king into town. Astley claims he is different. He claims there are pixies who can live peacefully with humans, that it doesn't have to be all violence and nastiness all the time. Zara wants to believe him...until Astley also claims that she is fated to be his queen.

There is no way Zara would ever turn pixie. And she's got good friends who will make sure of that. Besides, she and Nick are so in love they're practically inseparable. But when they very thing Zara wants to protect most is exactly what's at risk, she is forced to make choices she never imagined....

The writing for this book was even worse than that of the first one. It was all the more immature, and Zara and Nick's little nick names bothered me so much. I mean, "Baby" was a little bit too much. "What is it baby?" "What's wrong baby?" and so on. It sounded incredibly insincere and cheesy. And lame.

The "baby" thing irritated me so much that I almost liked Astley with Zara more than Nick. And I wasn't at all upset that Nick died. Because like in any lame book, the boyfriend never really dies. He either fakes death, or they somehow find a way to bring him back.

I found Nick and Zara's love very premature. Like they're already calling each other the loves of each others's lives, calling each other soul-mates etc., after only knowing each other for a little while, not even a few months. It seems like such simple love, like there's no depth to it, and it doesn't seem real. It's not developed, and therefore not real love.

Though there was a really nice quote in that book, right after Nick left, which went something like, "My story has lost it's male protagonist." I only liked the quote because I found it funny how true and false it was at the same time.


I don't mean to be mean (haha) but this book was really bad. I am really not looking forward to reading the rest, but I have to, due to the OCD part of me. 2 stars for this book.

- Mannytee

View all my reviews

Need by Carrie Jones (Manali's Review)

Need by Carrie Jones
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

*WARNING SPOILERS*

Okay. So this is my second proper review. Please excuse the bad-ness of this one as well. I'm reviewing this book almost 2 months after I read it, only because I'm going to review the next one, and it won't feel right in my head if I don't do both. I call myself OCD.

So this is the synopsis for the book:

Zara White suspects there's a freaky guy semi-stalking her. She's also obsessed with phobias. And it's true, she hasn't exactly been herself since her stepfather died. But exiling her to shivery Maine to live with her grandmother? That seems a bit extreme. The move is supposed to help her stay sane...but Zara's pretty sure her mom just can't deal with her right now.

She couldn't be more wrong. Turns out the semi-stalker is not a figment of Zara's overactive imagination. In fact, he's still following her, leaving behind an eerie trail of gold dust. There's something not right - not human - in this sleepy Maine town, and all signs point to Zara.

Alright. Let's get to the point. I didn't hate this book, I didn't love it. It I could give it 3.5 stars I would. But I can't. SO I rounded it to 4 stars. I found the synopsis pretty okay, but it sounds a tiny bit typical. "After her stepfather died" is very typical.

The writing was the real problem for me. The plot was legit at best, but the writing...I find the writing of this author a bit immature. And the love story especially, is very lame.The attempt at humor didn't work for me. It just made everything so much more immature. And everything was so cheesy.

Also, the author made the story quite predictable. I mean, it was so obvious the Megan was a pixie. Ian was a bit more unexpected, but not by much. I mean, in a story like this, it's like, whoever she chooses is gonna be the good guy, and the other one is the bad guy. So again, predictable. And then, when Zara finds dog fur in Nick's car, I was just like, "He's a werewolf. He's a werewolf. N doubt about it." And then Nick shows up at her door as a wolf, and all I could think about was how even then, Zara was too stupid to notice it.

So in general, I didn't like this book very much. I rate it 3.5 stars out of 5. It wasn't great, it wasn't horrible. It just was.

- Mannytee

View all my reviews

Paper Towns by John Green (Yan Lin's Review)

       Before I start, I would like to note that like Manali, this is my first proper review, so don't expect this to be anywhere close good.

                                    *SPOILERS AHEAD*

 
      To start off, the main two characters. Quentin, at first I didn't really have much to think about him, but near the end, I realized how almost some-what addicted to Margo he was. I'm still not sure what to think of that, but moving on. Margo. She just because she doesn't want to be a "paper girl" living in a "paper town", she ends up doing a whole bunch of stuff (like, I don't know...to the opposite part of the country?), which sometimes it can sound like she kind of wants attention (like what Ben said) whether she actually does or not. Though so far, my reactions to the two characters that are basically the "main characters", sound quite negative, it doesn't mean that I don't like them. The way that Margo leaves clues every single time she disappears, and how Quentin figured them out is just brilliant.




   As for the plot and what actually happens in the book, I quite liked seeing Quentin and everyone else figure out where Margo was step-by-step, with all the twists and turns, and not like "I'm gonna try and figure this out...*a day passes*...OH! I know!!!".  Also, the part of the book that I absolutely loved the most, would have to be when they're driving to New York. Other than the fact that they we're basically forced under a time frame to get there, and that they hit a cow (did it die or not...?), they all bonded and became more close to each other. Plus, all the times Ben complained about needing to go to the washroom....like, I can't even...

   The ending upset me quite a bit. They had spent all this time looking for Margo, and then when they find her, she just simply stays there. Also, the brief fight that Margo and Quentin had, ended way too quickly. Though it was pretty cute at the very end just before Quentin left Margo, they had this super quick "moment"...which then gets cut off. *sigh*

   So overall, I would rate this 4 stars out of 5.

-YanLin Chen

Paper Towns by John Green (Manali's Review)

Paper Towns by John Green
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

*WARNING SPOILERS*

OMIGODS! This is my first review, so please excuse the bad-ness of it. So let me start with saying how brilliant this book is: THIS BOOK IS AWESOME. Now let me continue onto how much I love John Green: I LOVE JOHN GREEN SO MUCH.

So now onto the book. This is the synopsis:

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life—dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows.
After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues—and they’re for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees of the girl he thought he knew.

So this book was very cleverly written. The cleverness of the character: Quentin figuring out all of Margo's clever clues, Radar's intelligence, and so on. I also love the little side characters, who become part of the plot, like Lacey (Ben's girlfriend). Oh and let me explain something about Ben. He's kinda gross. Ben is very proud of his "large balls." I love the clever little quotes here and there, and the bits of philosophy. There's plenty of character development. And my favourite quote of the book which Radar says): "It's not my fault my parents own the world's biggest collection of black Santas!" It's just so ridiculous.

The problem, however, of this book, is that it starts to get a little repetitive eventually. He repeated the same thing and so on. I found the ending really sad, and so it made the entire journey pointless. Not emotionally, of course (he found love, etc.) but physically, it was a waste, it not emotionally. Which brings me onto my next point, it's very similar to his other books, particularly The Fault in our Stars, in which the characters go on a very emotional journey, only to have one of them die.

Otherwise, it was a brilliant, original book, and I loved it.

- Mannytee

View all my reviews>

Another Book to Read! (Note Sarcasm)

I just started Captivate by Carrie Jones...I didn't like the first one much, but now that I've read it, I

have to read the rest in the series... trying not to get too hopeful...
Mmmmmmm.......page 2 and I'm already bored. Nope. Not hopeful. 

Must. Keep. Going.

- Mannytee

Reading Progress for Zero Alternative by Luca Pesaro

Day 1-4/18/2014

Just started the first chapter. It's looking AWESOME!

Day 2(early morning) 2am 4/19/2014-

This book is getting more and more interesting. It seems to be set in a slightly dystopian world; which I love. But instead of making it drastically different from our own, its more like an addition instead of a substitution. And the pot smoking mathematician is...

Day 3(2:30am) 4/20/2014

Ahhhh. It appears this book is getting more and more like a thriller every time I turn the page! And the stripper isn't really a stripper! YAYYAYYAYYAYYAY! Now they can get married and have kids and buy a house and move to Canada and live happily ever after! Errrrr... maybe not. But I'm pretty sure that Scott luuuvs Layla! 90% sure. No.. 80% sure. Umm...50% su-. No nevermind. Don't give on him just yet Layla, he may seem like a cranky old bastard to you but I've read his thoughts...literally. Still.... Please don't die in the next 3 quarters of the book.

Day 4- Binge read rest of book. AWESOME!

Day 5- I wrote a review for ZA today. At 3 in the morning. *sigh* I will post the review on the 25th.

-JASPAR

Some Books I Promised Myself I'd Read

                           -JASPAR

Paper Towns by John Green (Jasper's Review)

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My rating: 3/5

   Hi everyone, so this is going to be my first review posted onto the blog. I'm excited!! So I did write a shorter version of this review on Goodreads you can check it out here.
  So if you've read our welcome post you would know that we do three reviews of most of the books we put on here. This is the first out of three Paper Towns reviews.

 Synopsis from Goodreads

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life—dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows.

After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues—and  they’re for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees of the girl he thought he knew.

  So on with the actual review.

If you read my review on Goodreads you'd notice that I said that I find John Green's characters are quite repetitive. While I have heard from some people that read my review say that he changes the characters enough for them not to be the same. But I still stand by my statement in that I find the similarities between Quentin and Margo too plagiaristic to the relationship between Augustus and Hazel. If you look closely enough, you'll see that 1) They are a couple 2)They fall in love really quickly 3) They're only with each other for a little while before they split up (a night for Q and Margo, a couple months in the case of Augustus and Hazel.) There are way more similarities but I would go through pages before listing them all.
   This book, if it had been written by another author, would have been spectacular. But after John Green has written so many books using the same template, it becomes more or less boring.
   But with that said, I still loved the plot and many of the characters in this book. Characters like "Radar" make this book so much better. He adds a lot of humour into the book that made it less of a boring read.

   See what I mean?

   So a bit about the plot. The plot of this book was paced at the perfect speed; leaving enough room for character development that make most of his characters seem so real. *Sigh* I keep on going back to his characters. Hmm... Ah. So the plot for this story was actually really good at the beginning and the end but in the middle, its basically just filler. John Green could've probably condensed this book a bit by removing some of that fluff in the middle. Like nothing happens. But if you keep reading through till the end, you'll see that it was worth the wait for that ending. But then again, this book ends rather abruptly killing the moment so I guess I didn't like that part either...

  To whom do I recommend this book?

I suggest that everyone read this book. Especially when you're feeling sad and down about life. Just to remind yourself that it gets better. It does.  

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Welcome

Hey everyone and welcome to Midnight Book Reviews. This is a new blog that I have created with a couple of my friends. The whole point of this blog is to have a let all you readers have a little more insightful reviews of books from us than from the regular one person blogs. There will be mainly three posters on this blog, Yan Lin, Manali and myself (Jaspar). We are three people with very different views on books. We are hoping to have a review up within the next three days. Our first book? Paper Towns by John Green<-----love this guy! I hope you enjoy this blog for a long time to come.