Reviewing: Switched by Amanda Hocking & My Goodreads Challenge Pt. 2

Last time I posted something similar (January 20 [ here, btw]), I had read 6 books of my goal of 60, then reviewed Something Strange and Deadly [here] and made that 7.

I'm kinda disappointed that in 14 days since then I've only read five books, but I've been insanely busy. Like I mentioned in a post a little while back, I have a big test this week.

So, the five books:

1. Flash Gold by Lindsay Buroker (a mere 42 pages so I'm not really sure if this counts)
2. Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis (320 pages. I reviewed it here.)
3. Double Crossed by Ally Carter (just 60 pages)
4. The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross
5. Switched by Amanda Hocking (bought this one yesterday and finished it today)

The following is my review (on Goodreads) of Switched.

The book begins with Wendy's sixth birthday, on which her mother tries to kill her.

From the first paragraph, I decided I would like the sense of humor in this book. Dry humor/sarcasm always wins me over. 

The main issue for me started when I was about one-third in. Let me say this before I begin: I am very picky about love interests. This time, I was bothered by how quickly Wendy changed her mind about Finn Holmes. The guy started out creepy. Too creepy for her to even think about the fact that he was attractive. (Her words not mine.)

BUT THEN SUDDENLY his gaze is so intense it takes her breath away and OH she wants to be with him every second of the day and MY GOSH he's the only one she trusts and he'll protect her forever and ever and--

Yeah. That just really bothered me, because their interactions were so amusing and fun at first, and Wendy seemed like a level-headed, sarcastic girl that would be really hard to win over. I wanted them together solely because they could keep each other on their toes. (Well... maybe not Finn. I don't know if anyone could do that to him.) 

One other thing that really isn't a big issue is the fact that is takes Wendy a really long time to figure out things that were super obvious (in my opinion). 

That aside, I really did enjoy reading this book. I loved exploring the world and meeting all the different characters, along with discovering how their world functioned. All the titles and powers were absolutely fascinating and I'll definitely be reading this again whenever I need something to make me laugh or simply want something in the fantasy genre to read.

So yeah, there you go. 

Later loves!

Tansie G.

Reviewing: Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis

Regret was for people with nothing to defend, people who had no water. 

Lynn knows every threat to her pond: drought, a snowless winter, coyotes, and, most importantly, people looking for a drink. She makes sure anyone who comes near the pond leaves thirsty, or doesn't leave at all.

Confident in her own abilities, Lynn has no use for the world beyond the nearby fields and forest. Having a life means dedicating it to survival, and the constant work of gathering wood and water. Having a pond requires the fortitude to protect it, something Mother taught her well during their quiet hours on the rooftop, rifles in hand.

But wisps of smoke on the horizon mean one thing: strangers. The mysterious footprints by the pond, nighttime threats, and gunshots make it all too clear Lynn has exactly what they want, and they won’t stop until they get it….

With evocative, spare language and incredible drama, danger, and romance, debut author Mindy McGinnis depicts one girl’s journey in a barren world not so different than our own.

I read this book a couple days ago and figured I should write a review for it since I've had 0 ideas for anything else. 

You'll probably enjoy this if you enjoyed the Hunger Games. Wanna guess why?

EVERYBODY DIES.

EVERYBODY.

It's not like I expected much else-- this is set in a dystopian, futuristic setting with guns and death-- it says it clearly in the synopsis.

Lynn makes sure people who come to the pond leave thirsty, or don't leave at all. Yeah. And that's just it. I expected people to die-- just not ones that I cared about.

And lemme tell ya-- it was hard to care about Lynn. She was not an instantly likable character. At least, not for me. She was tough, she was angry, she was stubborn, and she didn't mind blowing someone's brains out with a rifle. No second thoughts, just BAM.

This book had constant shooting, and it was tense. Lynn's constantly checking over her shoulder and doesn't trust anyone. Until, well, she meets a trio of people that I can't tell you about because of spoilers.

The main key throughout the book is this: We have to survive, and we need water to do that. 

Water. Water, water, water, water.

And Lynn and her mom have a pond.

Pond = source of water.

Source of water = competition for source of water.

Competition for source of water = not good.

So, yeah. The smoke? The footprints? Nighttime visits?

It's all because of the water. They're basically like this:

And Lynn and her mom are like:

And about the romance? I thought it was cute, but I wasn't really into it, ya know? I just... I couldn't feel that they really loved each other. You know how in some books you're just like-- "THEY'RE A PERFECT COUPLE, THEY REALLY LOVE EACH OTHER, AND THEY NEED TO BE TOGETHER FOREVER."

It wasn't like that for me.

It was a serious work-in-progress. And I still felt like Lynn didn't deserve him.

SORRY, OKAY? I know the girl's been through some rough stuff but that doesn't justify the killing sprees she goes on. Even if she's just killing coyotes.

All in all, this book was okay. It kept the action going, and the secondary characters were awesome. Lynn just seemed too, dunno, harsh... to love. There weren't that many plot twist, and in my opinion, the main one was tossed aside too easily to really shock me. It was like-- OH, THERE IT IS-- and then Lynn was like-- Doesn't matter. This does not affect our plans for world domination in any way. (minor exxageration)

So it was tossed aside. I didn't really get to be shocked, it was over that fast.

I liked the main idea, I just felt like it could've gone deeper than it did.

3 stars.

Bye, guys!

Later,

Tansie G.