Book On The Move

*** FORGIVE GRAMMAR AND SPELLING, THIS IS A RAGING, RAW, STRAIGHT-OUT-OF-MY-HEAD-RIGHT-AFTER-READ REVIEW *** Actual rating: 3.5/5 First of all, I would like someone to explain to me what the fuck it is that I have just finished reading. In other words: The book was great, it was amazing, I thought I was going to give it a full five stars until the ending came. Don't get me wrong, I actually liked this book, I actually enjoyed it. Which is more than what I can say for any other book I've read in the past few weeks. Up until the 250 page mark, I couldn't put this book down and then Kaelyn started showing her bratty teenage self. In all honesty, I think it was a good add on, showing how a teenage would really react to any situation, but then she became a cold-hearted shell. First of all, she clearly has none of her priorities sorted. Does she want a boyfriend or does she want to save her family ( Or what's left of them anyway ). And who does she care more about? Her boyfriend or her friend? This is shown when all she can do is talk to "Gav" when Tessa's pissed as shit with her and she just lets her stay in her room. Normally letting people cool down is a realization that comes after someone tries their level-best to talk it out with them. But no, instead Kae just lets Tessa run into her room and shut the door behind her and rarely talks with her. Their relationship does get better towards the end, but guess what she walks home one day and sees Tessa making plans for planting, and makes tea; so everything is somehow magically fixed. Girl, if it were that easy to reconcile with someone then I would be making tea everyday and have all the friends I've pissed off back, but that's now how it works. And the fact that Kae, the bitch, has this weird obsession with this kid named Leo whom she hasn't seen in a while, and she's writing to him in the form of a freaking journal just means that she's this crazy lunatic. Or maybe she's not writing to him, and she named her journal after him. Yeah, that makes it ok (not really). All in all, this book was disappointing. Which is a shame because I went into it thinking I was going to absolutely hate it, but then I actually started liking it towards the middle, but then "Mortality" came and everything went downhill from there. Things I liked about this book 1. Gordon Weber, Kaelyn's dad. I imagine him being played by Anderson Cooper if this ever gets adapted into a film. Gordon is practical, but I guess the only reason he's portrayed as the practical adult is because this book was actually written by an adult. Which would explain why the teenagers in this novel were so fucked up and the adults so practical. 2. Tessa, the level-headed best friend whose always calm. Unlike Kaelyn Tessa is actually grateful for the things she has and focuses on those things only in order to stay calm; whereas Kaelyn is always freaking out and trying to save the day.3. Meredith, because who doesn't love a little seven year old? She's the beacon of hope in this novel, or so I'd like to think. And I love the beacon of hope.4. The portrayal of the teenage social hierarchy. 5. Lots and lots of tea and plants.6. Kaelyn contracts the virus Things I didn't like about this book 1. The writing style. It could have been so much more dramatic in first person. Putting it into third person really limited the effect the character's words and reaction would have on us.2. There were barely any vivid imagery. It's almost as if, just because we live in the world, the author expected us to know what the world looked like. 3. Everything happened way too fast. People started believing in the virus way too fast. I remember when swine flu struck my community didn't even believe it until someone within it contracted it. So I guess the reader response depends on reader experience.4. Kaelyn could have been a really kick-ass character, but instead she turns into a heartless shell.5. There was no sense of surprise! Everything was predictable!6. Kaelyn survived the virus. I thought she was going to die, like that would have been so much better. I love it when authors kill off the protagonist and the narrator. But no, she fucking survived Now for the only part I'm excited to write about: THE CASTING! I'm not even going to bother with Kae, I hate her so much. Gordon Weber: Anderson Cooper Tessa: Isabelle Fuhrman Gav: Logan Lerman! Yeah, I'm shallow; deal with it.