A Mini Review of Spirit Bound and A few UTF's

Title: Spirit Bound

Author: Richelle Mead

Published: May 18th 2010

Source: The Library

Synopsis from Goodreads:

*Spoilers if you haven't read the rest of the series!*

Dimitri gave Rose the ultimate choice. But she chose wrong…

After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri’s birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir’s—and to her best friend, Lissa. It is nearly graduation, and the girls can’t wait for their real lives beyond the Academy’s iron gates to begin. But Rose’s heart still aches for Dimitri, and he's out there, somewhere.

She failed to kill him when she had the chance. And now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and she knows in her heart that he is hunting her. And if Rose won't join him, he won't rest until he's silenced her...forever.
 
Wow. Wow, wow, wow. Every book I just love this series even more, and that's hard to do! Basically I was enraptured with this book. I read it in as close to one sitting as you can get for an almost 500 page book. It was just great. I'm a devoted Team Dimitri member, but I was definitely questioning things throughout this book. Ugh, I really, really need it to be December so I can read the next (and last!) book!
 
Now on the UTF's (Unable-To-Finish). It's a sad, sad thing when you start a book and can't finish it, so I'm going to try and give these their due on the blog:

 

Title: Numbers

Author: Rachel Ward

Published: February 2010

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Whenever Jem meets someone new, no matter who, as soon as she looks into their eyes, a number pops into her head. That number is a date: the date they will die.

 

Burdened with such an awful awareness, Jem avoids relationships. Until she meets Spider, another outsider, and takes a chance. But while they’re waiting to ride the Eye Ferris wheel, Jem notices that all the other tourists in line flash the same number. Today’s number. Today’s date. Terrorists are going to attack London. Jem’s world is about to explode!

I got about half way through this book before I realized that I really wasn't very interested in it, and was only thinking about finishing it so that I could get on to the other books that I wanted to read. That's definitely NOT why I want to be reading a book, so I stopped and moved on.

Title: Fever Crumb

Author: Philip Reeve

Published: April 2010

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Fever Crumb is a girl who has been adopted and raised by Dr. Crumb, a member of the order of Engineers, where she serves as apprentice. In a time and place where women are not seen as reasonable creatures, Fever is an anomaly, the only female to serve in the order. Soon though, she must say goodbye to Dr. Crumb-nearly the only person she's ever known-to assist archeologist Kit Solent on a top-secret project. As her work begins, Fever is plagued by memories that are not her own and Kit seems to have a particular interest in finding out what they are. Fever has also been singled out by city-dwellers who declare her part Scriven. The Scriveners, not human, ruled the city some years ago but were hunted down and killed in a victorious uprising by the people. If there are any remaining Scriven, they are to be eliminated. All Fever knows is what she's been told: that she is an orphan. Is Fever a Scriven? Whose memories does she hold? Is the mystery of Fever, adopted daughter of Dr. Crumb, the key to the secret that lies at the heart of London? Haunting, arresting, and astonishingly original, Fever Crumb will delight and surprise readers at every fast-paced, breathless turn.

I was about 130 pages in and I really just wasn't interested. I couldn't get into it at all, which is a shame because it seems like a really good book.

Title: For the Win

Author: Cory Doctorow

Published: May 2010

Synopsis from Goodreads:

In the virtual future, you've got to organize to survive.

At any hour of the day or night, millions of people around the globe are engrossed in multiplayer online games, questing and battling to win virtual gold, jewels, and precious artifacts. Meanwhile, others seek to exploit this vast shadow economy, Running electronic sweatshops in the world’s poorest countries, where countless “gold farmers,” bound to their work by abusive contracts and physical threats, harvest virtual treasure for their employers to sell to First World gamers who are willing to spend real money to skip straight to higher-level gameplay.


Mala is a brilliant 15-year-old from rural India whose leadership skills in virtual combat have earned her the title of “General Robotwalla. In Shenzen, heart of China’s industrial boom, Matthew is defying his former bosses to build his own successful gold-farming team. Leonard, who calls himself Wei-Dong, lives in Southern California, but spends his nights fighting virtual battles alongside his buddies in Asia, a world away. All of these young people, and more, will become entangled with the mysterious young woman called Big Sister Nor, who will use her experience, her knowledge of history, and her connections with real-world organizers to build them into a movement that can challenge the status quo. The ruthless forces arrayed against them are willing to use any means to protect their power—including blackmail, extortion, infiltration, violence, and even murder. To survive, Big Sister’s people must out-think the system. This will lead them to devise a plan to crash the economy of every virtual world at once—a Ponzi scheme combined with a brilliant hack that ends up being the biggest, funnest game of all.

This book is big. It's almost 500 pages, and has really small font. It's quite a lot to get through, and I just wasn't up to the task. Maybe if it was less explanation heavy and more stuff actually happened I would have liked it more. Or maybe if it wasn't in third person and I felt more connected to the characters. Basically I got 100+ pages in and wasn't feeling it.