Stork (Stork #1) - Wendy Delsol

The Gist

Stork
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Katla Leblanc is a city girl and she always has been. But when her parents get a divorce and her mother get's custody, it's off to Norse Falls, Minnesota , her mother's hometown, and bye-bye to California beaches and city-scapes. Kat can't image a worse fate than having to live in Norse Falls forever, but her mother tells her to try and embrace her heritage. But when weird things start to happen to her, and family secrets come out, Kat's left wondering if she really does fit in with Norse Falls after all, and if Jack, a sullen boy who insists they know each other, might have more to him than meets the eye.

What We Think
Reviewed by Dream Catcher
Number of Pages: 355 
Well, I started out reading this book for no reason at all. Honestly. I saw it at a bookstore in the "slightly hurt" (and therefore cheap) section and thought I recalled it from our to-read list on goodreads. I said what they hay, bought it, went to check it on currently-reading and suddenly it seemed we had not ever marked it as to-read. What a waste of $5.75, right?
I read it anyway, though and I was surprised to find that it actually wasn't that bad. Ridiculous and a little juvenile, of course, but other than that...I mean for what I expected, I was pleasantly surprised. Which brings me to first item on my agenda, the cover. I mean, look at it. Look at it. Is that supposed to be Kat? If so, what is she smirking at? She honestly doesn't have all that much to smirk about. Gah. I would change that cover in a heartbeat. Less than a heartbeat. Half of a quarter of a heartbeat.
And don't get me started on characters. I'm kidding. They weren't that bad. Kat, for a somewhat stubborn, somewhat smart, somewhat derp protagonist, wasn't half bad. She wasn't completely oblivious, which was a nice change of pace from most protagonists in most book (that is, flighty, undecided, clueless bumpkins who wouldn't know a clue if it smacked them in the nose) and she tended to figure things out quickly enough. The only thing I didn't love about her was her relationships with her friends and boyfriend. With her parents she seemed normal but around her friends she just sounded off, like she wasn't all there, like she wasn't invested in the conversation. As far as Jack goes, hoo-rah to Wendy Delsol for making another perfect-guy clone. He wasn't as glaringly obvious as a, let's say, Edward or Jacob, and he did have his angsty-teen moments, but I feel like overall he lacked a little depth. I'm not even going to mention the other characters; they were wallpaper. I lied. I just decided to mention Hulda. Who is Hulda? you ask. Naturally, you wouldn't know who Hulda was because there was no space for her in the gist, but Hulda was a crazy old bird-lady and probably my favorite character in the whole book. She was from Iceland and was full of crazy spells and potions and wisdom. I think she was supposed to have an accent because of the grammar of her dialogue...if not that's how I envisioned her anyway. She was awesome. I want to be just like her when I'm an old lady.
I think I'm only going  to mention one more thing. The plot/idea of the story. It was, to say the least, different. And I don't necessarily mean that in a bad way. You can, or should, infer by the title that this book has something to do with storks, the mythical baby-bringing beings. I didn't include it in the gist because I wanted a sort of ambiguity, but I'll spoiler it right now; it's about storks. But only in the technical sense - there aren't literal birds who bring babies, but there are some stork-like things..or people...if you catch my drift. Don't worry, there's only one pregnancy in the book, and it's nothing truly scandalous, I assure you. Honestly, though, have you ever heard of a book about something like that before? I haven't, so MAJOR props to Wendy (for real, this time) for a completely original idea. They're hard to come by. In addition to that, the plot was multi-layered. There were small story-lines beneath the over-arcing one, so it was hard to get bored when reading.
Overall, I would say this is a perfectly nice bit of fluff, which I know sounds like an insult, but isn't. Everyone needs a fluff book every now and again, and this would be okay for that sort of thing. If you're looking for philosophy, look somewhere else. But as far as simple pieces of YA fiction go, this takes the supernatural-romance YA book cake. Not my favorite book ever, but I don't regret reading it. And it's a series....so there's still more to come...

Real Teen Rating ~ C+ : Well, I guess it was good...

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Lincoln - Daniel Day Lewis, Sally Field, and Tommy Lee Jones

The Gist
Throughout the civil war, President Abraham Lincoln must deal with the immense carnage on the battlefield, the struggle for morale throughout the country, and the endeavor to emancipate the slaves.

What We Think
Reviewed by Dream Catcher
Run Time: 150 minutes
Rating: PG-13
I was really hoping to like this movie. After that whole mess of a movie Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter I wanted things to end on a high note this year for Mr. Lincoln. And everyone was talking about how amazing it was and how brilliant Daniel Day Lewis was and what-have-you. I didn't want to be the odd man out there, either. But I was a little weary. I like historical movies, sure. But how much is too much when it comes straight from the history books, you know? Turns out I had nothing to worry about.
I cannot even begin to describe how perfect Daniel Day Lewis' performance was. Nowhere on Earth or anywhere beyond that could you find a better guy to play him. I completely forgot who he was - he just became Lincoln. Whenever his character told a story, it wasn't Daniel Day Lewis talking, it was President Abraham Lincoln. When he was trying to convince his son not to join the army I was convinced that was really his son and he honestly didn't want him to leave. When he argued with his wife, it wasn't Sally Field and Daniel Day Lewis arguing. It was Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln. He was so believable I can't even imagine him not getting a Golden Globe or an Academy Award for Best Actor. Similarly, Sally Field was amazing. She played the craziness of Mary Todd Lincoln perfectly, and I found her performance completely believable, though she never usurped Daniel Day Lewis as Almighty King of Lincoln Acting. To round out the Best Acting Nominees, Tommy Lee Jones was better than amazing. He had some great lines, and some great speeches and I hung on to every word of every one of them. He deserves an award for her performance as well. I can't think of a single way he could have played it better.
I'll move on to the script, which is also Golden Globe nominated. Sensing a pattern of greatness, huh? The script for Lincoln as so unbelievably good...I can't even talk about it. It was so good. So. Good. So good. I loved every second of what I was watching, what I was listening to, what I was seeing. It was so entertaining, historical, and surprisingly funny. I never knew it, but Abraham Lincoln was quite the story teller, and he told a few great stories throughout the film. All of them were written so perfectly. Gah, I don't know what else to say. The script was just awesome. And that's all there is to it.
I guess that's all, folks. I've only really talked about two things (acting and the script?) but those were the two major aspects of the movie that were beyond fantastic. There were other elements of the movie I appreciated (what comes to mind: the filter. The darkness in the shots was really beautiful and I think kind of emphasizes the darkness of the times) but the ones I just focused on were what made the movie truly great. The only slight complaint was that it did feel long. I was never bored, but the long-factor was getting to be a bit too much. Any longer and it would have been too long. But other than that the movie was magical. I felt as though I was watching Lincoln himself, confiding to his loved ones, grieving over his lost son, never crumbling under the stress of his proclamations. It was such a strong sort of film. So beautifully put together it made me wish I knew more about that time, more about that president. And despite the inevitable ending, there was a spark of hope, so I left the movie theater feeling full, instead of empty. I think that's how movie's should be.

Real Teen Rating ~ A : You MUST watch this movie!

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Anna Karenina - Keira Knightly, Jude Law, Aaron Taylor-Johnson

The Gist

Anna Karenina
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Anna Karenina is an honorable, married woman with an important husband and a son who is dear to her. And she is, for the most part, content with her life. It doesn't matter so much to her that her husband is twenty years her senior or that he doesn't care to spend time with her and their son; he is a good man. When her brother, Stiva, writes to her for help she leaves St. Petersberg for Moscow immediately, altering her life forever. There, after convincing Dolly (Stiva's wife) to forgive him for cheating, Anna is persuaded to attend a ball. Her sister-in-law, Kitty, is certain she will be proposed to there by one handsome officer named Alexei Vronsky. Much to Kitty's displeasure, at the ball it's not her Vronsky can't take his eyes off of; it's Anna. It becomes clear to both Anna and Vronsky after only a few dances that they have a connection. Unable to shake her feelings for Vronsky, Anna faces more than just scandal in response to her ensuing love affair.

What We Think
Reviewed by Dream Catcher
Run Time: 129 minutes
Rating: R
My first reaction, directly following the credits, was That was the most depressing movie I've ever seen. And though I've amended my statement to be simply one of the most depressing movies ever, it doesn't change the fact that the movie as a whole is ridiculously sad. Very tragic, really. But I shouldn't give away the ending.
Let me first say something of the score, which is Golden Globe nominated, because I'm listening to it as I type. It is so beautiful. It just makes me want to leap up and dance some traditional Russian Waltz. Equal parts elegance and melancholy, always with a great deal of lamenting violin. I want to play them as I go to sleep so I can dream of something romantic and sad. If it doesn't win Best Original Score I'll be very upset. My favorite song might be the one to go along with the credits, Curtain, or maybe the one to start off the whole movie, Overture, of perhaps the symphony of when Vronsky and Anna fall in love, Dance With Me. I don't know. It's so hard to pick. They're all so wonderful.
Speaking of wonderful, the art direction, which I usually keep out of the review, was just amazing as well. The whole thing was made as if being performed on a stage, in an abstract way. Doors of offices would open to reveal grassy fields or ballet stages. It was crazy, entrancing, and completely unique. I'd never seen anything like it before. I thought it added something to the film, distinguishing it as something greater than just a romance movie. Though the plot may not be anything beyond that, I feel as though the art of the movie itself makes it worth seeing.
I might as well say something about the plot and script while I've brought it up. Though the book it's made from is really in-depth, the movie is not. It is, simply, a romance. A fantastical, heart-breaking romance, but nothing more. This, with critics and fans alike, left something to be desired. What is there beyond scandal? Beyond affair and forbidden love and shame? Well, there's nothing. This is a story of love, of passion, of mistakes and regret and shame. Though the book dives deeper, it has longer. Who wants to watch a four-hour long movie as the script attempts to delve into the inner mechanisms of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina? You could read a few chapters of the book every so often, finish it eventually, and think, Wow, Tolstoy really hit the nail on the head. But he didn't have two hours to do it, did he? People are searching for something that can't be there: substance beyond romance. I thought it was a superb romantic-tragedy, a tale-of-woe perhaps, but philosophy of life? Not there, my friend. And it wasn't intended to be there. The screenwriter didn't accidentally leave it out of the script, or forget to write it in. It just wasn't what everyone expected. My advice: if you want a simple, elegant romance, better than some romantic-comedy, watch it - anything beyond that...read the book. One major complaint is that it felt like Anna and Vronsky fell in love too quickly. They danced all night at a ball (oh, the scandal!) and suddenly they couldn't bear to be apart. Does love work that way? Does dancing work that way? I dunno, maybe in Imperial Russia it does.
I guess last and not least is acting. I thought Keira Knightly as Anna was great. She played all of Anna's emotions well. When she was missing her son, crazy with uncertainty, longing and in love, desperate and sad. I know a lot of people thought she was fickle, but I would describe her more as confused, innocent maybe. I thought, after what she'd been through, her emotions didn't seem so irrational, and I think Knightly's portrayed helped with that. Jude Law as her husband was really good, too. He hardly ever showed much emotion, but in that he made the character very believable. The only other I'll mention is Aaron Taylor-Johnson, the guy who played Vronsky. I thought he played the part well, too. His character was well-bred and full of pomp, giving an air of elegance himself, despite his (let's say) womanizing beginnings. This, I daresay, isn't very hard to play - nevertheless, Taylor-Johnson played him well enough, and there's really not a lot to say about it. The entire cast was decent, and even good, but none Oscar or Golden Globe worthy.
In conclusion, I think the movie should be more known for its art direction, costuming, score, and cinematography - all of which were beautifully executed. Though the script left a little something to be desired, for what it was - a romance - it was very good. I would recommend it, but not to everyone. I think it was a little long for some people; if you're one of those who notice a movie's length and are bored beyond two hours, I wouldn't say you should see it. But if you'd like to see a tragic love story with beautiful backgrounds and stunning costumes and elegant dances, give it a try. I don't think you'll be sorry.

Real Teen Rating ~ B : Rent it to save for a rainy day.

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Wilfred - FX

The Gist

Wilfred
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After a failed suicide attempt, ex-lawyer Ryan Newman (Elijah Wood) feels like everything in his life is slipping through his fingers. Hours after the attempt, his cute neighbor, Jenna (Fiona Gubelmann), who's hardly given him the time of day before, asks if he could watch after her dog, Wilfred (Jason Gann), for a few hours. But Wilfred is no ordinary dog. Though he may appear a normal, average dog to everyone else, to Ryan Wilfred appears to be a full grown, Australian man in a scruffy dog suit. Freaked out at first, Ryan isn't sure what do to with this dog who can speak and act like a person. But after a bit of bonding, Ryan finds that he'd have a hard time finding a more loyal friend than Wilfred.

What We Think
Reviewed by Dream Catcher
Number of Seasons: 2
I've been meaning to watch this show forever, but have never known what channel it was on, or what time or what day or what ever. I finally got around to it this summer - like a lot of TV shows, actually. I had a feeling just from the premise and the few commercials I'd seen that this show would be quirky to say the least. And I was right. But it's the kind of indie quirkiness that makes you laugh and think and love. In short, I think this show is pretty great.
So I'll get this over with first. It's pretty inappropriate. Lots of swearing, sexual references, drug use, and whatnot. For a TV show, how scandalous! But honestly, if you've ever watched a PG-13 movie, you're all right. There's a lot of crude humor, and more pot-smoking than is really necessary, but you'll live. I don't really mind it, but I just thought I should warn you.
Characters, and I'll start out with the greatest; Wilfred. I may never look at a dog the same way again, but he's hilarious. He's the crudest of them all, but he's a dog. The humor of it is voicing the thoughts of dogs, but also adding some swearing and drug-addiction and stuff that absolutely makes no sense for a dog to be doing (ex: in one episode Wilfred is using a typewriter to write his will, in many episodes he smokes a cigarette - how could a dog do that?). The simple blunt-ness and ridiculousness of Wilfred as a character is what makes the whole show so funny. He's so well-written that even when he does something obviously wrong, or mean, or stupid you still be angry with him. And Jason Gann does such a ridiculously good job playing the part. Ryan, played by Elijah Wood, is very different from Wilfred. Having almost killed himself, he's pretty much hit rock bottom by the time he meets Wilfred. And if you think about what it would be like to be him for a moment and hallucinate a talking, cussing, smoking man in a dog suit in place of your neighbor's pet...that would be pretty freaky. Ryan is the constant voice of reason to Wilfred's constant voice of insanity. I think that Elijah Wood plays him well. As far as the first season goes (I haven't completed season 2 yet) there isn't really a point where I got annoyed with Ryan or even Wilfred, which is good considering they're the main characters. So many shows now write characters that annoy you so easily. They're too whiny, they're too harsh, they're too boring, blah blah blah. You know? But not here. Sure, the show has some annoying characters -  but only the ones that are so obviously meant to be annoying are actually annoying. I root for Ryan to get his life together, and for Wilfred to help him and be his friend. I want things to work out for the both of them. A refreshing change of pace since lately shows such as Glee have left me hanging on so many fronts (yes, I'm calling Glee out on it's increasingly awful character-problem). I believe that Wilfred has some well-thought-out, lovable characters that (to my delight) and actually well-written.
I'll just mention one more thing, and that's plot. I know this wasn't an original. This was adapted from an Australian show by the same name (which, trust me, I intend to watch right after season 2 is over), and it really is one of the stranger things I've watched in my life. But I think that's what makes me like it so much. I've read a few other reviews that have, disappointingly ended with vague well..it's strange verdicts, and I have to say that a lot of people would not like this show in the slightest. A lot would think it's not even funny. Some would say that the only reason it airs at all is because it's different, not good. I dunno. I guess I don't believe it. Yeah, it's strange. Yeah, it's unlike anything else on TV, and that doesn't necessarily make it award-winning and legendary, but it means something, right? If it's different enough...I dunno. I always think different is worth a shot. People thinking outside the box is rare enough these days. Let's not squander it.
I've gone on a tangent and I apologize. Plot...let's see. Like I've said, it's about a guy and his best friend...who's a dog. Different. I like it. There's a lot of comedy, a lot of heart (surprising, but there really is some feeling in there, too!), and even some wonder. What is Wilfred, exactly? Is Ryan just hallucinating? Or is there something a bit more mysterious to the whole thing? I honestly have no idea. They've lead me to believe both at one time or another. I enjoy not really knowing, having them trick me every few episodes, throw in a HUGE twist at the end of season 1. To the writers of Wilfred: You are Awesome.
That's all, folks. I guess this show isn't for the faint-of-heart or what-have-you. But I like it. I do. It's different, it's funny, it's indie, it's addictive.

Real Teen Rating ~ A : Definitely check it out!

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The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Gist

The Great Gatsby
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Nick Caraway moved to West Egg and things in his life changed. Not just because of the careless, irresponsible people, but the over-the-top, party-every-night atmosphere of Long Island. He's a working man, and working men like him - without endless family money to fall back on - live in the much less fashionable West Egg, right across the Sound from East Egg, the place for wealthy people who don't have to work. Immediately he is alerted to the differences when his next door neighbor, Jay Gatsby, throws a party to which every person in West Egg and beyond goes to. At the other end of the Sound, on East Egg, Nick meets with a distant cousin, Daisy, her husband, Tom Buchanan, and a friend of their's Jordan Baker. Though Daisy is beautiful and exciting, she's not everything. No one from East Egg, or even West Egg, for that matter, seem to be all they appear, or all they want to be. Including, the mysterious Gatsby.

What We Think
Reviewed by Dream Catcher
Number of Pages: 180 
Let me tell you (though you probably don't need much telling) reading a book for class is no simple feat. I love reading. Everyone who's ever read anything I've written should know that. But somehow - and it's always been like this - reading a book for class lacks the usual shimmer of reading for yourself. But this book wasn't that way. I couldn't wait to read it everyday for class and discuss it with my American Lit. teacher. So great. This is one of my all-time favorites. I find myself wondering lately, though, if my love of the author has clouded my judgement as far as how I actually feel about the book. F. Scott Fitzgerald is awesome. But I think I love the book because it's truly a fantastic piece of writing, not just because it was written by Fitzgerald. Love.
What I love most about this book is what I'm going to address first. The writing style. Out of all the aspects of this book the writing style is my favorite. It's slightly poetic with enough description to understand your surroundings and be satisfied without ever being bored. He uses a lot of metaphor to get his point across, which I like. I really don't know what else to say...I've been putting off this review for awhile because, honestly, the hardest reviews to write are the ones you love. It's so much easier to rant about something you hate than describe your love for something. I dunno...I just love a lot of things without explanation. I guess with the Great Gatsby I should really just write about what I didn't like, as opposed to what I did, because it would make everything a lot shorter. Except there really wasn't anything I didn't like. Moving on...I'l just hurry up and get on with it. Now, I don't what to sound like a literary snob, talking about the symbolism of Daisy being names Daisy, or Jordan Baker being names for two car companies which relates to this which symbolizes that. I got all that from my discussions in American Lit. I would never have gotten any of it on my own, despite my love of metaphor. Nope. I take things pretty literally, in general. I found the whole symbolism thing fascinating, but I mostly really love the bare bones of a book like this; the love story. If Fitzgerald really meant for all that symbolism, then he's a true genius and you got to love him for that. If not, he's a romantic and you should love him anyway, because, in conclusion, his writing his spectacular. (That was the most random tangent-filled paragraph I've ever written...)
Yes, I am finally moving on to something else; characters. Nick is the main character and just an all-around loyal narrator. What I liked about his characters was his some times silent observation and simple truthfulness. He was a faithful friend to Gatsby and didn't like to make trouble where it wasn't needed, which was refreshing. He was a relatively straight-forward character; someone easy to like. Gatsby was another great character - though he was certainly more complex than Nick. With a mysterious past and a to-an-extent-unrequited love, he was a character you always rooted for, despite his occasional creepiness and bootlegging. He's a guy with a big heart and a lot of ambition. He's always one step behind everyone else, but so hopeful that the future will be better. Its impossible not to root for him. Daisy was a very...interesting character. At first I really liked her characters, in a weird way, because she was so out there. As my dad would say she's a bit of a space-cadet, like I said, someone who's a little out there. But as Fitzgerald reveals more about her character you really begin to understand who she is and how thoughtless she can be. His character development of her is really great in relation to the book as a whole. At the end he really makes you hate her. Tom Buchanan, on the other hand, is someone you hate consistently, and for good reason. He's a raging racist and a plain old jerk. Such a jerk. But you're really supposed to hate him, so on that front Fitzgerald did a great job again. Tom Buchanan is a truly nasty dude. The last real main character is Jordan Baker, and I really don't have much of an opinion of her. She was just kind of there; I didn't love her and I didn't hate her. She kind of annoyed me at the end but, again, she was supposed to. She was another straight-forward character. She served a purpose to the plot, so she was an important character, but I don't really have all that much to say about her. There were some other minor characters that played important roles in the story but are minor enough they just get some mentioning - Wolfsheim, a man who worked with Gatsby semi-illegally was a true-to-life interesting character. Mr.Wilson and his wife Myrtle were quite the pair. They weren't people so much as symbols for big ideas. All essential and all very unique. Well done.
I'm talk about the plot very briefly. Under all the symbolism and metaphor it really was just a simple love story. So maybe it wasn't the most creative story ever created but, keep in mind, this was written in the 20s - before there was such thing as stupid YA fiction. This is a story of real love - not trashy teen werewolf love. It felt real, which is what made the ending so sad. Its a tragically beautiful story.
Lastly I must talk about the beginning and the end, the title and the cover. Trivial things, perhaps, but I value them. The beginning is just Nick telling his back story with a little foreboding foreshadowing. When I first read that, I wasn't too pleased, because it didn't make me want to read more. I suppose it's needed and all...but it wasn't as impressive as I had hoped. The ending, however, makes up for that fact completely because it is so thoughtfully put together and thought-provoking. A great, great end to the book. The cover is very interesting, but considering the fact that its a classic, the cover doesn't really matter that much - neither does the title. It's reputation proceeds it. I really do like both though. But. In place of where I would outline the details of liking or disliking the cover and title, I have an interesting fact for you. Scott Fitzgerald had a relatively hard time coming up with a title for this, and after thinking of a few he wasn't crazy about he thought up The Great Gatsby, a title he was equally un-enthused about. But he really wanted to publish it so he asked his editor if he could change the title for the second printing of the book, and the editor agreed, thinking it wasn't going to be that popular. Much to their surprise, their book was a huge hit and by that time it was too popular and too well-known to change the title. Fitzgerald was not pleased. I think that's hilarious, though. I love weird facts like that.
Well. That's my review. The book's fantastic and everyone should read it, whether or not you have to for school. It's a classic for a reason; love stories like that are timeless. They never get old, and neither will this book.
Real Teen Rating ~ A+ : Why are you still reading this, go buy this book NOW!

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Melancholia - Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Kiefer Sutherland

The Gist

Melancholia
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Justine (Kirsten Dunst) just got married. Her sister and brother-in-law payed for and organized everything. All Justine has to do is be happy. And at first she is. But when her divorced parents quarrel at dinner she begins to feel a bit disconnected for her party, her family, and even her new husband. As Justine begins to feel more and more alienated she begins to withdraw herself from the party for long periods of time - her actions becoming more and more desperate.
Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg) is Justine's sensible sister. Though frustrated with her sister's moods, she understands Justine more than anyone else, and takes care of her no matter what. While trying to help her sister, Claire also has her own worries to deal with. Her husband, John (Kiefer Sutherland), is a scientist and talks of a planet hidden behind the sun for years. A planet that will soon be visible to the naked eye from Earth. A planet rushing through space towards them. A planet called Melancholia. Though John assures her Melancholia has no chance at hitting Earth, Claire feels sure that something bad is about to occur. But there's nothing she can do to stop it.

What We Think
Reviewed  by Dream Catcher
Run Time: 136 Minutes
Rating: R
So. I heard about this what seems like years ago but was probably a few months tops. My mind is weird like that. But anyways, I started hearing about it again recently. Where? Entertainment Weekly. They were trying to convince me to go out and watch this movie - they told me it was fantastic and beautiful and symbolic and all that jazz every movie aspires to be. So what did I do? I trusted my Entertainment Weekly and I watched it. The worst decision ever.
So, I think I'm going to start out with the thing that was the best; the acting. I'd heard Kirsten Dunst might get nominated for best actress in the Oscars for this. And, truth is, she was actually really, really good. Her character was really interesting and complex and she made everything about her believable, even things that shouldn't be. Like deserting your own wedding? Normally, people don't do that. Dunst somehow made me believe it. Charlotte Gainsbourg was actually pretty good, too. She did well as the emotionally stable sister in the beginning, and the one falling apart in the end. The other main character, Claire's husband, John, was pretty mediocre. He was nothing to rave about but he wasn't noticeably bad. His character was pretty bland, so you can't really blame him for that, I guess. The acting was by far the best part of the movie. It was really convincing. But when I say it was the "best part" I really mean it was the "only part". Because nearly everything else was terrible, contrary to popular opinion.
The script was written by the director, Lars von Trier. Ever heard of him? Apparently he's pretty famous. I've never heard of him OR his supposedly beautiful movies. Eh. Well, he wrote the script and it was perfectly average, except for the fact that nothing made any sense and the segments of the movie were unforgivably disconnected. The dialogue itself was fine. The sister-sister relationship was believable, the husband-wife relationship was fine, the end-of-the-world panic was good. But the script is the plot. And the problem wasn't exactly lack of one...it was the fact that the story contained two mostly unrelated plots. The first section is just about Justine's disastrous wedding and her even more disastrous depression (otherwise known as melancholia). The next thing I know I'm watching everything from her sister's perspective - Justine is comatose in her sadness and Claire is freakish in her panic. Suddenly it's not at all about the wedding or the effects of that. It's about a planet. Do those things seem at all connected? No. In a desperate attempt to understand, I went to the Melancholia website and was half-reading an interview with Lars von Trier about the movie. It shed some light on some things. Some. Melancholia  is an old-fashion word for depression, so if you have depression you're a melancholiac. That's why the movie is named Melancholia; Justine is a melancholiac (and because the planet is called Melancholia - who knows why). So, the movie is supposed to be exhibiting how a melancholiac deals with the end of the world versus how the average person deals with it. Moral being: melancholiacs are so apathetic they deal with the end of the world as if it's any other day - depending on the melancholiac there may even be some celebration involved. This is put up against the manic freak out of the average person. I think dear friend Lars is trying to subtly tell us something. I just haven't figured out if he's saying melancholiacs are better, or if he's just comparing and contrasting. If it's that latter, a simple Venn diagram would have sufficed, Lars. If it's the former, it would make a little more sense. Lars is a melancholiac, after all (another thing I learned on his website), so asserting his awesomeness via film would make some sense. Maybe. Except I really don't think that was his full intention when he wrote the script. I think he was going for something deep - and because he was so OBVIOUSLY trying for thought-provoking people bought into it. Wow, he has some wicked cool slow-mo images at the beginning that symbolize the meaning of the film as a whole! I think I'm supposed to be impressed! Critics say. But I don't buy it. Just because something is intended to be awesomely mind-blowing doesn't mean it is. I think some people forget that.
I will go into cinematography because it's something that I find to be really interesting and  - when pulled off correctly - makes the entire film a whole lot more beautiful. This was another good point of the movie. The cinematography was fantastic. And, though I did just recently taunt the opening scene symbolism, it was really beautiful. The pictures were grim with a sad edginess to them. My complaint there was that each was a little to dragged out - everything could have been cut a little better. If I based my grade entirely on cinematography, the movie would get an A for sure. But I don't. And though I loved this aspect of the movie - the aspect every critic focuses on with no mention of anything else - there has to be more than that to make a real film.
I'll finish ranting soon and you can go and finish watching the movie, or start watching the movie, or make plans to watch the movie, because I know my review is probably the only of its kind in the entire universe at the moment - I am the only one to dislike Melancholia. Or so it seems.You'll want to see it anyway, and I shrug at that; I would if I were you, too.
I'll end with two things. One thing I liked, and one thing I hated. Loved: there's this specific scene which I cannot get out of my head, and I honestly do love. Justine has just gotten to Claire's house and Claire has prepared Justine's favorite meal (meatloaf) in hope that it'll bring her back to the land of the living. She helps Justine in the room and into a chair in front of the dinner table. "Do you smell that?"
"Meatloaf." Dunst's portrayal is perfect. She cuts off a slice of said meatloaf and puts it in her mouth. Chews. Everyone watches intently. She puts down her knife and her fork and stops chewing. And starts crying. "It tastes like ashes."
My point in writing all that out for you is to say I didn't completely dislike Melancholia. I hated it, but I didn't entirely dislike it. If that makes any sense. There were some great scenes, but the problem was they were few and far between. Which brings me to the thing I hated: boredom. I got so bored when watching the movie that  I paused it a few times and did something else for a few minutes before getting myself to agree to resume watching. Sadly - as sad as it can ever be with movies, it had potential. But it fell flat.

Real Teen Rating ~ D+ : It passes time...barely...

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Prada and Prejudice- Mandy Hubbard

The Gist

Prada and Prejudice
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Callie Montgomery's school trip to England was supposed to fix everything. Her lack of popularity. Her lack of self-confidence. But why should things overseas be any different from back home? She's just as unpopular and clumsy in England as she was before, except now she's forced to hang out with three of the most popular girls in the school - they're her travel buddies. When Callie realizes that it'll take more than a few not-so-cozy days together to make them friends forever, she decides to do something drastic; she buys a pair of real Prada heels. The other girls are so seriously into fashion that the heels would have to impress them. But, on her way back to the hotel from the Prada store, she trips in her new heels and hits her head on the pavement. When she wakes up she's in another time. Victorian England. 

What We Think

Reviewed by Dream Catcher

Number of Pages: 238

I read this a long time ago as a sort of dare. My friends had bought me three books for my birthday that year. Pride and Prejudice, Pride Prejudice and Zombies, and Prada and Prejudice.  I have yet to read the other two.  But Prada and Prejudice called to me. For whatever reason it did. 

Let me rant a little. First about the plot. So it was okay. Eh. Time travel with Prada shoes. So. Question. If she hadn't gotten those Prada shoes would she have traveled back in time anyway? Did she just need to hit her head? Or were the Prada shoes magic? We will never know. Unless we all go out and buy some Prada shoes, trip five seconds after wearing said shoes, and hit our heads on the pavement. Ta daa. We'll either have a concussion or we'll be back in the Victorian era! Yeah. That's nice. You get the point. There were a few plot holes. It was a little romance-y and very victorian-y. But basically all it was was someone causing mischief in a time where mischief was scandalous. Which was fine. But not the makings of a great novel. I'm not asking for a paradox or anything like that. I mean, that'd  be  nice but they can't all be the best book ever. But at the very least I want something. There wasn't much of a plot here and that makes for a fluff book. You know the kind. The books you read when you don't really want to think. We all need a book like that every once in a while. But they're forgettable. That's what this was.
So let's get this over with; the cover and title. Eew. Scratch that. EEEWWW. They're the worst. I mean,  the cover is some girl's legs and her shiny, new time-travel shoes. With an aqua blue background. Ugh. If I were the publisher I would fire the cover artist. Sorry. The title is only slightly better. But hardly.  Kind of witty, but nothing genius. It's pretty laughable. But that certainly doesn't make it good. At all.
Characters...were actually not that bad. Yay. Callie (turned Rebecca) was a pretty decent character. Not the greatest character I'd ever read about but not the worst. Sometimes clever, sometimes relatable, sometimes interesting. But. You see I overused to word sometimes.  I did that for a reason - she was sometimes a good character. Sometimes. Emily - her medieval best friend - was a sweet character. Didn't have one mean or unpure thought in her head. She was polite and innocent - which honestly makes for a boring character at times. She was just okay. Alex - the Duke of Harksbury and complete jerk - was certainly an interesting character. Tall, dark and handsome, of course. He was the mean one who turned out to be more than that. Cliche, I know, but his character was important and never boring. His mother, the duchess of Harksbury, was just kind of there. I think she was supposed to be hated but I couldn't ever muster up enough enthusiasm to even dislike her. Eh. I think you can sense a pattern. Everything about this book is average. I didn't hate anything but I didn't love anything either.
Finally I'm going to write a few quick words on the writing. Pretty good. There. Done. That's really all that needs to be said. There was nothing remarkable about it but it wasn't bad. I think, as the author writes more, she'll improve on her style. She has potential.
So, if you're in the mood for some fluff book that you won't love and you won't hate, read this. And I'm not trying to be sarcastic. Sometimes you really just need one of those books. I know I do every once in a while. And this book fits the bill.  Not good, not bad, just forgettable. 


Real Teen Rating ~ C+ : Well, I guess it was good...

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Room - Emma Donoghue

* National Bestseller
* A New York Times Book Review Best Book of the Year


The Gist

Room
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Five year old Jack has never been out of Room - the small space he's been enclosed in his entire life. All he knows is what's in Room; a toilet, a rug, a small TV, a potted plant, a trash bin, a stove, a bed with a blanket, a table, and a wardrobe. Jack doesn't know there's such thing as Outside. The pictures, the people, the shows he sees on TV are all fake, and made just for him and his mother. No one else exists. Except for Old Nick - the mysterious man who comes in Room the same time every night.  Whenever Old Nick comes in - unlocks the door and locks it behind him - Jack's mother hides him in the wardrobe and won't let him come out until Old Nick is gone. Despite this, Jack is content in Room. But his mother's not. And she's determined to get them both out.

What We Think

Reviewed by Dream Catcher
Number of Pages: 336
I read this for school summer reading. I was glad to. I'd been meaning to read this book for ages. Ever since all the hullabaloo started about how great it was. And after reading it...eh. I don't particularly understand why everyone was so thrilled with it. Frankly, I found it disturbing that the whole thing was narrated by a five year old. Yeah. Little Jack was telling us the whole thing. Horrifying? Yup. But I'll get more into that later. Let's start the reviewing, shall we?
Let's start with something easy. Like characters. Jack. I don't know exactly how to judge him. He was so little and obnoxious. I didn't like his character at all. He was annoying. All he ever did was whine or yell or ask weird questions. Eh. Maybe that's just because he was a little kid, but it was so annoying to read. His mother wasn't any better, honestly. All SHE ever did was lie to the kid and annoy me. Ugh. Sigh. None of the other characters are all that important. And the ones that WERE sort of important I can't really talk about because that would give things away. So...that's characters for you. Wow. That is probably the shortest paragraph on characters I've ever written. You're all probably cheering.
Plot next. I found the beginning to be extremely slow and boring. Nothing really happened except for Jack watching his beloved Dora on TV and the mom telling "make-believe" stories of the outside world. About half way through the book things started to get a little more interesting, but by that point it was too little, too late for me. I think the author needs to improve on her pacing.
Cover and title are great. Perfect for the book, really. A crayon-written title is ingenious. It really makes the book seem as if it was written by a five year old - cover and all. The title is great, too, mostly because of how foreboding it sounds. Right? Room. It explains exactly what the book's about and it has a nice ring to it. Everything a title could ever need. Hooray.
Lastly I'll mention something about the writing style itself. This was the most impressive part of the book. Emma Donoghue made it sound like a five year old was narrating it. Which is really crazy. Not many people could do that, and of the people that could, even fewer would have the patience to. This is a sign of a good writer, and I have to give her props on that. It made the whole story seem a lot more real (and pretty disturbing. A five year old talking about living in a box. Creepy!) than if it had been written from a different point of view. This aspect of the book is why it's getting a semi-decent grade. It would be much lower if she'd been even a little off on the voice of her narrator.
So, basically, I wouldn't recommend this book. I don't really understand what all the hype is about. I don't get why it won so many awards or got so much attention. For summer reading, it's not the worst book I've ever read. But if I had known what it was going to be like beforehand, I wouldn't have even picked it up at the bookstore. I would have left it on its little pedestal for some unfortunate person to pick up and read. I honestly don't think it was worth the read. Others feel differently. I know the North Star thought it was good. But not me. Too boring, too bland, and too annoying. A waste my precious summer hours, if you ask me. 


Real Teen Rating ~ C - : Read it if you're bored.

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Delirium (Delirium #1) - Lauren Oliver

The Gist

Delirium
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Lena Haloway lives in a world where love is a disease. An infection. She lives in a world where love has a cure. On her eighteenth birthday she, like everyone else, will get the Procedure. She will be cured of ever getting the disease. The deadliest of all deadly things. This is something everyone accepts. They believe love should be avoided and are glad for the procedure. Lena never really believed that. Until her mother died for love. Now? She can't wait for her procedure. She counts down the days until she can forget the pain of losing her mother and all the other pains love brings into life. But when her best friend Hana gets a little rebellious, Lena is forced to confront the underground world she never wanted to be a part of; forbidden music, forbidden parties, forbidden conversations. Along with that comes Alex. A boy. A handsome, mysterious, forbidden boy who takes an interest in her. But Lena wants no part of that either. The last thing she would ever want is to contract the deliria. The illegal, dangerous disease she's waited her entire life to be safe from. The delirium. It kills you both when you have it and when you don't.

 What We Think

Reviewed by Dream Catcher

Number of Pages: 441

I'd heard about this book a bit before I read it. You know, the usual thing a blogger tends to hear about a book; it's amazing. Every book has a least one fan that thinks it's absolutely fantastic - no matter how bad the book is. I wasn't sure what to think. Until I heard exactly what the book was about. A world without love. A fascinating concept. So the book immediately went to the top of my to-read list. And I kept hearing good things. So I took a chance and read it. Were all those fans gushing about Delirium right about it? WAS it amazing? YES.
As cheesy as that introduction may have been, it's true.  Starting with characters. Lena: our main character extraordinaire. Magdalena Ella Haloway. Frankly, she was a great main character. She is the exact product of growing up in a society like that. A strict rule-follower and proud of it. But then the deliria changes her. I loved her character completely. Usually main characters kind of get on my nerves. They complain too much, or they make ridiculously idiotic decisions (leading to their untimely downfall which they somehow survive past despite the fact they haven't changed at all), or they're too quick-to-judge, or too clueless. Lena wasn't this way. Lena never annoyed me. She complained, but not extensively. She make some not-too-smart decisions, but they weren't laughably stupid, just the-human-mistake type of decisions you can kind of understand. She was scared, but never TOO scared. I guess you understand my point by now. Everything in moderation. What was great was that the Lauren Oliver used character development. Lena grew throughout the story, and it made her more of a three-dimensional character, which is harder and harder to come by these days. So Lena was great. Alex. Equal part serious, determined, and all-around-likable. As the love-interest, these qualities are extremely important. It seems some authors somehow forget that, while you want love-interests to be "mysterious" (or whatever), you don't want to lose them completely in the thick fog of what's unknown. And there's always the book where you don't understand why the main character's in love with the guy. Nothing's more annoying than that. Obviously, that wasn't a problem in Delirium. I understood why she'd fall for him. He was what she needed and she was what he needed. Viola. The perfect match. I guess that's my roundabout way of saying his character was good, too. Hana. I wasn't sure whether or not I would like her at first. I thought she was going to be the practically-perfect-in-every-way, beautiful best friend character. To be honest, she turned out to be exactly that. But better than I expected. Because along with being practically perfect, she was a great friend to Lena and was always very supportive and unafraid. Loyal to the bitter end. Her bossiness was funny and her charm was, well, charming. Bet you didn't see that coming. She turned out to be an important character in the book, and she was a good one. A lot of the remaining characters were the same. I didn't mention them in the gist because they're really not worth mentioning in any gist. Rachel (Lena's older sister), Aunt Carol (Lena's aunt and guardian), Uncle William (Carol's husband) - all the same. They're all cured, you see. They're supposed to be the same. Bland. Unfeeling. Blank. They were obnoxious. But, of course, they were supposed to be. Along with being annoyed, though, I somehow felt bad for them. They had to live this monotonous life. Kind of sad. So the fact that I felt any sympathy at all shows they were all very well written. Two more people I have yet to mention are Jenny and Grace - Lena's cousins. Jenny was annoying but she was supposed to be. Grace was quiet and innocent. I loved her character, even if she wasn't in much of the book. The final, very important character in Lena's mom. You never actually meet her in the story, but she's described so much you feel like you know her. She was different from the other cured people;  strong and fearless. She was a character this book couldn't do without. So, as you've probably guessed, I thought the characters were fantastic. 
Briefly: Setting. PORTLAND. Loved that it was in Portland. I've been to Portland. Saw a Sea Dogs game a while ago. Anyways, I've been to Portland. It's cool to have gone to where this story takes place. Cool that it's not something as overused as NYC (though I can never resist NYC) but at the same time not some made-up town in the middle of the-author-conveniently-left-that-detail-out. It made the whole story seem more real. Like the government might declare love a disease at any moment. Really made me feel a part of the story.
Okay. First line. Here it is. "It has been sixty-four years since the president and the Consortium identified love as a disease, and forty-three since the scientists perfected a cure." This is a pretty good beginning line, I'd say. Really gets the point of the book across. No beating around the bush. At the same time it's a little detailed. Eh. I won't be nit-picky. It's a perfectly good beginning sentence. Ending line: AWESOME. Seriously. It's great. The perfect way to end the book. On that note, this book isn't really the end...two more books to come. I'm excited. The next one's called Pandemonium. Sounds intense. I cannot wait for it to come out. 
Don't worry. I'm almost done. Title. Delirium is the perfect name for the book. You might be getting tired of me saying how perfect everything in this book is, and I know I never really believe it when reviewers say this and that and everything was just dandy. But this book really was dandy. Read it. You'll see. So anyways, title was great. Cover. I really don't have much to say about it. It wasn't the worst cover ever, but it wasn't the greatest. I know they recently reprinted the book with a new cover (this of a girl staring dramatically at you) but I have the one that's blue with the author's name and the book title revealing the face of a girl. I think it's pretty good. It wouldn't get me to read it, but it certainly wouldn't drive me away. 
Moving on (finally) to writing. It was amazing. Poetic and beautiful. There were tons of similes, but never too many. She always just made everything sound graceful with them. They weren't humdrum, overused similes. They were different and special.  I dunno. Half of what made this book so great was that the writing wasn't boring or dull. It had a sort of sparkle. A Lauren Oliver sparkle, maybe. I don't know. But the writing was fantastic and I wish every book could be written in this style. I feel the need to include my favorite line. It's the type of thing that stays with you. Sticks in your memory. Makes you think. "I love you. Remember. They cannot take it."


Real Teen Rating ~ A+ : Why are you still reading this, go buy this book now!

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Mouthful of Diamonds - Phantogram (Single)

Reviewed by Dream Catcher

Mouthful of Diamonds
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Phantogram is one of those bands you hear by chance and are glad you did. I was listening to the different songs from Mtv's Teen Wolf soundtrack and heard this. I didn't really remember hearing it in the show, but I didn't care. Because I just liked it. I don't really know why. It was a song I'd never heard of by a band I'd never heard of. But it's one of my favorite songs at the moment. I don't deny that I have a new favorite song pretty frequently, but that doesn't mean the song isn't good. This song has an interesting vibe, very different. That's the music I've found I like recently. I'm always trying to find good songs by random bands I've never heard of, lately. It's weird. Like I'm trying to find my new favorite band by chance or fate or destiny or something. That may not happen in the near or distant future, but I've found that I do discover a few good diamonds in the ruff every so often. Example: this song.

It starts off choppy and fuzzy, kind of weird, but that's fine. Then there's some funky almost techno noises and they kind of become the background when the guitar starts. Then the singer starts up. This is probably a weird way to describe this song, but bear with me (I've always wondered...is it bear with me or bare with me...?). I'm a little delusional, but usually that makes an interesting review. I think I just write whatever I'm thinking when I'm tired, so the whole thing comes out in a long and very random rant that really has no relevance to the review, like what I'm writing now...Back to whatever I was saying before. The sounds of the song. Yes, it's kind of techno...to use the term loosely, I guess. I don't know exactly how to describe it, but it sounds different and cool. Perhaps not what everyone likes, but that goes along with anything, not just music. The singer is mellow, like most of the song, really. You can tell the singer's probably not the greatest singer in the world, but you don't have to be to sound good on this song, and the singer certainly doesn't sound BAD or anything. Sounds perfectly fine. Good. The chorus is my favorite sounding part of the whole song because it slows down a little and the singer has some eerie harmony which is pretty cool. The chorus blends together really well, which kind of balances out the rest of the song, which is kind of choppy - or at least choppier.

Lyrics. I won't try and convince you that they're genius song-writers. Because I'm not convinced they are either. But the lyrics aren't bad and I love the chorus. I love the lyrics because they're different. They're not exactly the type of things you hear everyday. I love that kind of thing in a song. When the lyrics are abstract and there are a few different ways you can interpret it. The lyrics really go with the sound of the song, too. I hate when there are these really sad lyrics to happy tunes or vice versa. Here they were fitting, I thought. I just think the lyrics were all-around pretty good. There's this one line that always stands out to me, whenever I look at it, but not in a bad way. It's "I wish I could believe the devils won't take you back out to the salty seas". I think it's the word "salty". It stands out. Not because the seas aren't salty, because they obviously are, but because I haven't heard people describe them as that. It's unexpected, but I like it. I think that describes the whole song, for me. Unexpected, but I like it!
Favorite Line: "You've got a mouthful of diamonds/ and a pocketful of secrets/ I know you're never telling anyone".

Real Teen Rating ~ A : Worth Buying!

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There is a Light That Never Goes Out - The Smiths

Reviewed by Dream Catcher
Song Time: 4 Minutes and 5 seconds

There is a Light That Never Goes Out
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Sadly, the first time I heard of the Smiths was when watching one of my favorite movies, (500) Days of Summer. The main character, Tom, loved the Smiths, and the first real conversation he had with his love interest (Summer) was about them. Summer actually hears him listening to this song and says he has good taste in music. Anyways, you don't really need to know the details of the movie (500) Days of Summer. Yet. That's another review, I guess. But, anyways, that's how I came to hearing about the Smiths. I looked them up. And then I heard this song. At first I wasn't sure what to think because they have an interesting sound that I'm sure not all people would like. But I have to say I LOVE the chorus. It make me laugh almost every time I hear it (it can at least get a smile), even if it isn't supposed to. It's just talking about different ways to die - only two reasons, actually - but the way they say it somehow makes it funny to me. A morbid type of funny, I guess. But my favorite line comes next and it's what makes the song: "To die by your side/ is such a heavenly way to die". I dunno. It's great. Then it goes onto "And if a ten-ton truck/ kills the both of us/ to die by your side/ well, the pleasure - the privilege is mine". But my favorite line is definitely "to die by your side/ is such a heavenly way to die". So that I love.

The song is sad and not at the same time. The meaning, I mean. Because it's about this guy who's out driving with someone they care about (be it friend or more than a friend, it doesn't really specify - but I'm going to go with more than a friend). He wants to drive somewhere where there's life. He doesn't want to go home because home isn't really home anymore. He's not welcome - for whatever reason. He likes being away from that - driving with this person he's singing to. He says he wouldn't care if he died right then, driving, because "to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die". I love that. Mostly the use of the word "heavenly", I think. It's not a word you hear very often (of course this song isn't exactly new...80s...still...) and it's not a word you would expect to hear when talking about being hit with a double-decker bus or ten-ton truck. But by that line he means that things aren't so bad, because he's with this person. Even dying would be heavenly. I love that. I just keep singing that line over and over. "To die by your side/ is such a heavenly way to die".  I was out driving today (basically learning how to drive with my mom, because I just got my permit) and I was singing this song under my breath. And then I was laughing, because singing about being hit by various vehicles isn't the greatest thing to be singing about during your third driving attempt. :) I'm proud to say I did not hit any double decker buses or ten ton trucks. Or any car, for that matter. I'm babbling. Anyways...

I don't know how to describe the tune. Kind of upbeat, I guess, but not like techno or pop or dance or anything upbeat like that. It's alternative/rock. There's some guitar but nothing crazy or distracting from the lyrics. Simple guitar that's in the background and doesn't change throughout the song. The drums are that way, too. They're there, but they don't jump out at you. The voice of the singer is interesting and different. Some people wouldn't like it, I think. But I do. It's cool. Like I said, different. And I appreciate different. And it's not like he can't carry a tune. Because he obviously can in this song. I dunno, I like it. But I also just love this song.  Overall I just think this song is really great. I've been listening to it on repeat (what I do when I decide to review a song/album) and haven't gotten tired of it yet. Not everyone will like something like this, because it's kind of different, but I think it's cool. And I'd recommend it. Listen to it. And love it. Now. Favorite Line (I'm sure you can guess it...) : "To die by your side/ is such a heavenly way to die".

Real Teen Rating ~ A : Worth Buying!

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The Magen - Joel Liriano

The Gist: 

The Magen
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Freddy and Gustavo get busted for talking during a test, and what is their punishment? The principal sentences them to a social suicide mission; go on a fourth grade field trip to a museum. The seemingly normal trip to a museum turns into an unexpected adventure revolving around a mysterious and powerful scroll with the power of time travel. The boys did NOT know what they were getting into.

What We Think 
Reviewed by Dream Catcher 
Number of Pages: 28 
I've never been one for ebooks of any sort. But, hey, this was recommended to us, and it was only 28 pages, and there was a free download on smashwords. Win, win, win, right? That's what I thought. So I went on to smashwords and just viewed it from there. And I read it. I wanted to like it. But I did not. 
First thing: the whole story was completely ridiculous. The only reason they're going to the museum at all is because they were talking during a test. They were sentenced to the principal, who promptly sentenced them to going on a FIELD TRIP (some punishment, right?) with fourth graders. That would never happen. Ever. UGH. Oh, and let me point out a plot hole. They travel back in time to the 1600s and meet a Native American shaman (basically a psychic). And he speaks perfect English. I don't think every single 17th century native american was fluent in English. A few knew it, but it's known that not every single native knew the language. So think of the odds that Freddy and Gustavo happened to come across one of the few who DID speak English. It's a small detail, but still. THEN, at certain points Freddy and Ochu (the shaman guy) say these spell type things that supposedly came from the spirits (or whatever) of the Native Americans. But if that was the case...why were the spells in LATIN? Native Americans didn't speak Latin, much less make important time-travel spells out of it! Now, the author never comes out and says it's in Latin. No, I just thought, hey that looks like Latin... It'd be funny if it actually was, because that really wouldn't make ANY sense at all. And I looked it up. AND IT WAS. The time travel spell just says, time past present future in Latin (very original, by the way), except he spelled 'time' wrong in Latin. It's tempus, not tempos.  Jeez. Get it right, man. The other spells aren't any more original, or any less Latin. So, points off for un-authenticity.
Another thing: the supposed plot twists. They weren't twisty! AT ALL. I saw everything coming and wasn't the least bit surprised by any of the character's epiphanies or the anything else. So...plot twists were kind of a fail. A complete fail.
I would mention something about the characters, but there's really nothing to report. They were dull and cliche. Oh! And awkward. How could I EVER forget awkward? Enough said.
Then there was the writing. It was awkward and half of the lines were run-on sentences that didn't make any sense. There was this prologue thing at the beginning that served virtually no purpose to the rest of the story. It would have been better if the prologue was worded differently (I could hardly understand what was going on because of the unclear sentence structure) or if it had been taken out completely. The dialogue was also really awkward. Most of it was too stiff and not something a normal kid would say (i.e. "hello mother" is weird, especially when compared to normal phrases like "hey", "hi" or even "hi, mom"). So that really could have used some work. Then there was the author's need to point out everything that was blatantly obvious to the reader. He'd point out something random and unnecessary. Something that everyone should have been able to figure out on their own. It was annoying to have everything spelled out over and over.
I won't even get into the horrific amount of grammar typos...ugh. An editor's nightmare.That's basically it...except I have to mention one more thing. At one point, Freddy's talking to his teacher and he addresses her, not as her actual name, but 'teacher'. He just says something like "But, teacher - ". Maybe it's just me, but I don't think people tend to say that. I dunno. It's something to think on. Sadly, there was NO redeeming quality at all in this book. I honestly couldn't find one thing I liked about it.  I wanted to like this. But I couldn't. Sorry. 

Real Teen Rating ~ F : Don't even bother.

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Hourglass (Hourglass #1) by Myra McEntire- Advanced Copy

The Gist

Hourglass
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Emerson sees things that aren't there. Not ghosts, exactly. Projections of people from the past. Or so it seems. But no one would believe her if she said they were images from the past. And they wouldn't believe her if she said the images were ghosts. She's just crazy. They label her, medicate her, and avoid her. Easy. Her brother, Thomas, and his wife Dru try their hardest to make her feel normal and completely accepted, but Emerson can't help but feel like she's too much of a burden - her and her visions. Too many people have tried to cure her - to no avail - for her to real believe in cures anymore. But when Emerson has to transfer to a new school - due to her old school scholarship being cut - Thomas tries one last time to find the perfect person with the right cure. He discovers the Hourglass. An Hourglass consultant - only a little older than Emerson and undeniably good-looking - comes immediately to their small southern town. Michael Weaver is handsome and mysterious, calm and collected. And the best thing is, he treats Emerson like a person. Not a crazy. He listens to her, believes what she says, and  - ridiculously - admits he can see what she sees. And neither of them are crazy; just special. But what is Emerson supposed to do? Believe this complete stranger? That would be crazy after all she's been through and every "cure" she's had to endure. But regardless of what is the smart thing, or the right thing, or the normal thing Emerson goes for it. She trusts him. But his reasons for helping her may not be what they appear, and Emerson may be more "special" than she could ever have imagined.

What We Think
Reviewed by Dream Catcher
Number of Pages: 397
I have been wanting to read this book for a long time. So when we received an ARC I got to read it first. Yay. Sad thing was, I read the first line, wasn't impressed, and put off reading it for awhile. My excuse? Too many other ARCs to read. Huh. Yeah, not like that was exactly a lie. But time went by (as it does) and I procrastinated (as I do) and here we are. I'm ashamed. But to be fair, I've been continuously working on project after project for various classes in preparation for the end of the year, AND there's finals to worry about...mer. Excuses, excuses, eh? But anyways, the point of all that was to say that the beginning could maybe use a little work. First line: "My small southern hometown is beautiful in the haunting way an aging debutante is beautiful." An interesting way to begin, right? Sure. Interesting, but it doesn't really make you think hey, this book is going to be the most epic thing I'll ever read. It sounds unique, certainly, but...I dunno I guess it's just not my type of thing. Maybe a little too formal sounding. I dunno. All personal opinion for beginnings. I thought it could have been better. 
Might as well say something about the ending, while I'm sort of on the topic. Kind of. Beginnings and endings are related. Yeah. I like the ending.  Good, good. What else is there to say about it really? It ends well in a way that isn't really a cliff-hanger but makes you want to read the second in the series. I'm not sure when that comes out, but it's probably not for a while considering I just read the ARC. Anyway, I thought the ending was good and made me want to keep reading into the next book.
PLOT. I actually really liked it. The whole crazy thing has appeal to me and my twisted mind. I'm joking. Kind of. But I really did love that aspect of it. I could totally see it coming without even reading past the back flap that she wouldn't actually have any mental illness. But as much as predictability annoys me...what she turned out to be kind of canceled out the predictability. That part of it was really cool and pretty unique. But I can't say anything because that would give the big secret away and ruin everything. Let's just say that the plot was good, but the characters made everything a little too easy to predict for my taste. I like not really knowing what's coming. And I was able to see most of the things coming from a mile away. But other than that I thought the plot was unique enough to  be good. So. Hooray.
Okay, characters now. And I'll start with Emerson, or Em. She was sarcastic and witty, which I appreciated, but what she described herself as didn't really match with what she did. Example? She said she was tough and frozen over and guarded. And she kind of was...but not particularly. Not more than the regular person, I think. So that was kind of weird. Also, there was this whole I'm-too-attracted-to-Michael thing. Which was annoying. She was always thinking about his lips or touching him or something weird. I hated that. I'm just thinking the whole time, SERIOUSLY YOU DON'T NEED TO TOUCH HIM, JEEZ. But that might just be me. Other than that I actually thought her character was really good. She was funny with her sarcasm and wit. Michael was an interesting character. He was polite...a little too polite at first. Awkwardly polite. But by the end he had completely grown out of that, and was NOT afraid to tell Emerson exactly what he was thinking. I'm not sure if that was a welcome change. I think it was. Yeah...yeah I think I liked him better in the end. He was a little corny for a chapter or two, but that was okay. If he had ended the book as a corny creeper then I would have welcomed the awkwardly-polite Michael back with open arms. But he didn't. So he is forgiven. He was pretty good, if a little aggravating (because he overreacted a little at stupid things). Thomas and his wife Drew were similar because they both had to take care of Emerson, to some extent. Thomas was sometimes not brotherly enough - a little too fatherly, which wasn't very realistic. Drew was motherly, but in a more natural way. I liked her character a lot, actually. She was spunky. Stern when she needed to be and a friend to Emerson when she needed to be. Emerson's bestie was a generic drop-dead gorgeous friend character. I liked her, but at the same time I realized that she wasn't very unique. General friend character. Kaleb comes in later and is a complete creeper. But I honestly loved his character. He was funny and witty, and I laughed aloud at some of his quotes. There were a few other characters, but I don't think they're important enough to mention. So overall I think the characters were really good.
I'll finish with the title and cover. LOVE LOVE LOVE that. The cover is amazing I think. Seriously great.  The optical illusion of it is amazing. It was what grabbed my attention in the first place. What made me want to get the ARC before I even read the synopsis. It is one of my favorite covers. Praise for Egmont USA publishing for that. Seriously. Title was great, too. Maybe not as great as the cover, but still cool. Hourglass. It sounds mysterious and intriguing. Love it. Cover and title get an A+ from me.
Overall I thought it was a good book. The plot was unique and the characters were funny and sarcastic. As I just ranted, the cover and title really grab your attention before you even know anything about the book, which is extremely good for a book and an author. The only thing I have to say is the beginning could have been executed better. All in all, though, I think it's a book worth reading. Maybe not immediately, but sometime you should definitely get around to reading it. I think the second in the series will be even better.

Real Teen Rating~ B+ : Wait for vacation.

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