{A Blast from the Past} Warriors: Into the Wild by Erin Hunter

Today's review is about:

THE SUMMARY

FIRE ALONE CAN SAVE OUR CLAN...
For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to the laws laid down by their warrior ancestors. But the ThunderClan cats are in grave danger, and the sinister ShadowClan grows stronger every day. Noble warriors are dying - and some deaths are more mysterious than others.
In the midst of this turmoil appears an ordinary house cat named Rusty... who may turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all.

MY REVIEW

I got introduced to this series from my silly Dad who wanted to bring me back a present from a recent work trip. So he stumbled into the airport book store (they had those back then), told a nearby employee my interests, and asked if they had a book that I would like. Luckily enough, this lady was awesome, and decided to recommend the Warriors series to him, and he bought the first one. When he brought it home, I devoured every word and hungered for more. Since then, I have devoured around 20 of these books, but this one (Warriors: Into the Wild) is the most loved book that I own other than Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell (and by loved, I mean that the spine of the book has evidence of being bent many times from reading).
But enough about my obsession, let's get to the meat and potatoes.
This book is about a kittypet (house cat) named Rusty who has to choose between the comfort and care under his twolegs (owners), or to become a warrior cat and hunt in the forest, maybe even become leader of the nearby Clan. This choice is what I think is what I love most about this book. On the one paw (See what I did there? ;) ), you've got comfort and laziness, on the other adventure and the great unknown.
The fact that Rusty (obviously) chooses the adventure is what I love most about him. True, he chooses it at first for selfish reasons, but over the book you get to see him grow to love and fiercely protect the Clan that he chose as home. That, and he's feisty and doesn't take crap from any cat. He's got a sharp tongue that one...
Not only that, but time and time again he proves in the forest that no matter where a cat came from, be it from a Clan, a house, or a nearby street, they deserve respect and care as much as his Clanmates. He's willing to go into unknown territory to protect any cat that deserves it.
All that I'm going to say about the plot in this book is watch out. There are a small group of cats that you can't trust.
All in all, this book is a must read for cat lovers and adventurers alike of pretty much every age (obviously you have to be able to read XD). :) You will not regret delving into the world of the warrior cats.

A LITTLE EXCERPT

""But kittypets can't be warriors!" Graypaw blurted out. "They don't have warrior blood!"
"Warrior blood," Bluestar echoed with a sigh. "Too much of that has been spilled lately."
She fell silent and Lionheart meowed, "Bluestar is only offering you training, young kit. There is no guarantee you would become a full warrior. It might prove too difficult for you. After all, you are used to a comfortable life."
Rusty was stung by Lionheart's words. "Why offer me the chance, then?"
It was Bluestar who answered. "The fact is, ThunderClan needs more warriors."
"Understand that Bluestar does not make this offer lightly," warned Lionheart. "If you wish to train with us, we will have to take you into our Clan. You must either live with us and respect our ways, or return to your Twolegplace and never come back. You cannot live with a paw in each world.""

Well, that's all for now!

See you next time!

~Sea-Solo

EXTRA! EXTRA!

Visit the Warriors website to look at the cats, clans, and videos!:
http://www.warriorcats.com

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Today's review will be about:

THE SUMMARY

IF YOU AIN'T SCARED, YOU AIN'T HUMAN
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He's surrounded by strangers - boys whose memories are also gone.
NICE TO MEET YA, SHANK. WELCOME TO THE GLADE.
Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It's the only way out - and no one's ever made it through alive.
EVERYTHING IS GOING TO CHANGE
Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever.
And the message she delivers is terrifying.
REMEMBER. SURVIVE. RUN.

MY REVIEW

I've got to be honest, I went into this book with A LOT of skepticism. I'd heard about The Maze Runner from some of my friends, but I didn't think it was all that interesting, or that I would even be interested...
I've never been so wrong.
True, I didn't like the book in the beginning (it was a little slow to start), but as soon as Thomas entered the Maze the first time, I knew I was hooked. I was hooked BAD. What started as "Oh, I'm just going to read this so that I will know if I want to see the movie" quickly turned to "I NEED THE SECOND BOOK."
The Grievers were the thing that shocked and interested me the most about the Maze. I've got this thing about monsters and bad guys, and these ones were good! I'm dead positive that I would be like everyone's favorite character, Chuck, and I would just avoid the Maze and Grievers altogether. NO WAY I would go inside that thing without an extreme need to.

A glimpse of a Griever... wicked little fella!

Not only that, but the book was filled with (what I consider) clever curse words, and clever names for things in general. Poo is klunk, the sleeping/farming/eating area is the Glade, and shuck is commonly used to describe someone (Ex: you shuck-face!). The characters were well-written, they had some dark pasts and you could tell (even if they sometimes didn't know it themselves). Added to that is the mystery of the Maze and the boys that live in it. Why these boys? Why the maze? Who made all of this? Who would be sick enough to do this? The questions, I'm pleased to say, are mostly answered with only a couple left unanswered to continue the story. (Oh how I love the complexity of series plot lines!)
All in all, I liked this book very much, and I cannot wait to see the movie that comes out today (September 19th)!

A LITTLE EXCERPT

"He began his new life standing up, surrounded by cold darkness and stale, dusty air.
Metal ground against metal; a lurching shudder shook the floor beneath him. He fell down at the movement and shuffled backward on his hands and feet, drops of sweat beading on his forehead despite the cool air. His back struck a hard metal wall; he slid along it until he hit the corner of the room. Sinking to the floor, he pulled his legs up tight against his body, hoping his eyes would soon adjust to the darkness.
With another jolt, the room jerked upward like an old lift in a mine shaft.
Harsh sounds of chains and pulleys, like the workings of an ancient steel factory, echoed through the room, bouncing off the walls with a hollow, tinny whine. The lightless elevator swayed back and forth as it ascended, turning the boy's stomach sour with nausea; a smell like burnt oil invaded his senses, making him feel worse. He wanted to cry, but no tears came; he could only sit there, alone, waiting.
My name is Thomas, he thought.
That... that was the only thing he could remember about his life."

Well, that's all for now!

See you next time!

~Sea-Solo

EXTRA! EXTRA!

Watch the official trailer for the movie that just came out! :)

Visit The Maze Runner website to get some WICKED goodies!:
http://www.randomhouse.com/teens/mazerunner/index.php

BLOG UPDATE: The schedule for the next couple weeks!

Hello all!

I have some news about the schedule for the next couple of weeks! Starting tomorrow, I am going to be posting a new book review every week on the following days:

The Maze Runner by James Dashner - September 19th

Warriors: Into the Wild by Erin Hunter - September 27th

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater - October 4th

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter - October 11th

and last (but certainly not least)

Cinder by Marissa Meyer - October 18th

I will be posting more frequently now that I'm back from vacation, so look forward to more reviews after these!

Toodles!

~Sea-Solo