***SPOILER ALERT***
In the book, The Future of Us by Jay Asher, the two main characters Josh and Emma find their facebook pages fifteen years into the future. It is 1996 at the time so facebook hasn't been invented yet. It started out when Emma made an AOL and when she logged in, she logged into facebook but she has no idea how. At first they think it is all a prank but one picture on Emma's page changes it all. When they both agree it is a real website from the future, they take a look at their future lives and how they turn out.
When they first out found what was going on, Emma was thinking this probably isn't a prank, but it took a lot to get Josh to believe it. I think Josh is the kind of character who isn't fooled easily, he has a skeptical mind and is very clever. Josh's character really helps me understand the conflict and what is going on in the story. In a story, it isn't always clear about the problems going on, but the way Josh questions everything kinda makes you understand the plot, the setting, and why Josh and Emma are wondering about their lives.
The conflict basically is that whatever happens in the present, affects their future in ways they don't know how to control. They find out everything that happens, but whatever they do somehow affects their future. For example, when Emma was in a bad mood and didn't feel like eating mac and cheese, her status changed from eating mac and cheese, to eating lasagna, since she didn't like mac and cheese at the moment. I think this conflict really makes us realize that whatever you do in your life can affect your future in big ways! Not only does it affect your appetite, but it can affect your marriage too! Josh ends up marrying Sydney Hills in the future, the girl every guy crushes on at school, but since he never talked to Sydney before, he has to change that so he remains married to her.
I think the message in this book is to really think about your actions. Don't mess up your whole life with one little mistake you make along the way. In the book since Josh and Emma get to look at their future all the time, they know what they need to change, but since that doesn't happen in real life, I think you have to make the right choices and go down the right path. When a person is young, they don't really think about what they are doing so they don't know that is can change their whole life, so I think this book is trying to get across that you have one life, don't mess it up by ruining it with one mistake.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Blog Post #18: The Slayer Chronicles First Kill by Heather Brewer- Book Review
***SPOILER ALERT***
I finally finished "The First Kill" by Heather Brewer. I am going to write a retell/appreciation. The end of this book was actually pretty bad to me. It ended with a really boring cliff hanger. In the book the main character Joss is training to be a vampire slayer, and in the end he obviously becomes one and moves on to really start to rid the world of these, so they say, "blood sucking creatures." But most of the time at the end of the book, you except a big bang and something that you never seemed coming happens, right? Wrong! It does end with somewhat a suprising ending, but it still seems a bit too dull.
This book leaves the reader with a cliff hanger. Towards the end of the book, Joss's slayer friend/mentor Sirus turns out to be a vampire. Joss felt as if he'd been an idiot for trusting him the whole time, and soon the vampire hive eventually gets blown up. I predicted this the whole time, the character who seems innocent eventually becomes the enemy. I predicted this towards the middle of the book so it wasn't a big shocker to me. After that happened, Joss started to really begin his slayer days by being sent to Bathory to complete a mission, a mission to kill the Pravus, which is a vampire who will make the lives of vampires so much better and easier by getting rid of mankind and anything else besides themselves.
I thought this ending was pretty dull because there was no big event that made the reader rethink the plot, and think about everything that happened before in the book. Yes, there was apparently a twist, but it wasn't a big enough twist to get the reader completely shocked and wonder about maybe the next book, if there is going to be a sequel. The ending made me think about the last series, because in the last series, it was told from the point of view of Vlad, the Pravus Joss was sent to kill. I thought maybe the reason why I found the book very dull and boring because I was already told this story, kind of. This is basically the same story just told in a different point of view, but I thought the middle of the book was a bit interesting. When Joss was nearly killed several times, I started thinking about what was going to happen in the end of the book. Will he keep training or will he give up? Will he tell Kat about everything since she is so worried? Or will he die? I also thought about how Joss was framed several times for killing fellow slayers, I wanted to know who was the killer so bad. I thought a lot about these things, and when I got to the ending, I was a bit dissapointed because it wasn't as dramatic as I expected it to be.
In conclusion, the book was pretty dissapointed, the book wasn't all that bad, but, it wouldn't be the first book I would recommend to a friend. The middle was very shocking and interesting, but the ending was not anything you would expect, and I am not saying this in a good way.
I finally finished "The First Kill" by Heather Brewer. I am going to write a retell/appreciation. The end of this book was actually pretty bad to me. It ended with a really boring cliff hanger. In the book the main character Joss is training to be a vampire slayer, and in the end he obviously becomes one and moves on to really start to rid the world of these, so they say, "blood sucking creatures." But most of the time at the end of the book, you except a big bang and something that you never seemed coming happens, right? Wrong! It does end with somewhat a suprising ending, but it still seems a bit too dull.
This book leaves the reader with a cliff hanger. Towards the end of the book, Joss's slayer friend/mentor Sirus turns out to be a vampire. Joss felt as if he'd been an idiot for trusting him the whole time, and soon the vampire hive eventually gets blown up. I predicted this the whole time, the character who seems innocent eventually becomes the enemy. I predicted this towards the middle of the book so it wasn't a big shocker to me. After that happened, Joss started to really begin his slayer days by being sent to Bathory to complete a mission, a mission to kill the Pravus, which is a vampire who will make the lives of vampires so much better and easier by getting rid of mankind and anything else besides themselves.
I thought this ending was pretty dull because there was no big event that made the reader rethink the plot, and think about everything that happened before in the book. Yes, there was apparently a twist, but it wasn't a big enough twist to get the reader completely shocked and wonder about maybe the next book, if there is going to be a sequel. The ending made me think about the last series, because in the last series, it was told from the point of view of Vlad, the Pravus Joss was sent to kill. I thought maybe the reason why I found the book very dull and boring because I was already told this story, kind of. This is basically the same story just told in a different point of view, but I thought the middle of the book was a bit interesting. When Joss was nearly killed several times, I started thinking about what was going to happen in the end of the book. Will he keep training or will he give up? Will he tell Kat about everything since she is so worried? Or will he die? I also thought about how Joss was framed several times for killing fellow slayers, I wanted to know who was the killer so bad. I thought a lot about these things, and when I got to the ending, I was a bit dissapointed because it wasn't as dramatic as I expected it to be.
In conclusion, the book was pretty dissapointed, the book wasn't all that bad, but, it wouldn't be the first book I would recommend to a friend. The middle was very shocking and interesting, but the ending was not anything you would expect, and I am not saying this in a good way.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Blog Post #17: The Slayer Chronicles First Kill by Heather Brewer- Conflict
In "The First Kill," the conflict is very unique because it is between 2 people you would never expect to have major problems. The conflict in this story is obviously Slayers vs. Vampies, but in Joss's situation specificly, I think there is more to the story.
In the story, the only reason why Joss is spending the summer with his uncle Abraham is because he wants to get revenge on the vampire who killed his little sister. So basically, Joss is here because of vampires, and that is the main problem! But the conflict that is just about Joss is his uncle. Joss always tries to impress his uncle by doing everything he tells him to, and he even tried to kill a vampire with barely any training!!! Joss is only 13 years old, Abraham acts like he is an 18 year old. In one part of the book, Abraham trains Joss by making him take down Abraham and 2 other slayers at once, and when Joss completes that task, Abraham walks away without a word, like he is dissapointed! Joss never understood his uncle, and this trip to him isn't making him like his uncle any more. I think Joss works way to hard to impress his uncle. He is willing to run 10 laps on the long trail on a hill, and it will take you almost an hour just to run 1 lap! But even after Joss does everything Abraham wants him to, Joss still didn't earn his respect.
I think one of the reasons why Joss is still even there training with his uncle is because if he leaves, then he can be killed since he knows to much information about the Slayer Society, and the second reason is because he wants to get revenge for his sister and since Sirus is there, it isn't all bad. Sirus is Joss's friend, mentor, and father like figure. He looks out for Joss and protects him. Without Sirus there for Joss, he would probably dead right now! Abraham is Joss's uncle, but that is just a name, he does not treat Joss like a nephew, he barely treats him like a living thing! Abraham acts like Joss is a machine or robot, and whatever he tells him to do, he will do it! Abraham creates the tension most of the time, he thinks being hard on Joss will make him a better slayer, but in the end, yes Joss will become a better slayer, but Joss will end up remembering Abraham as the man who tortured him for months just so they can kill creatures.
The conflict in this story, isn't easy to spot, but focusing on the main characters, it will eventually come to you. This book can be confusing sometimes because of all the things that happen, but the thing the reader should be focused on the most, is the journey Joss takes to be a slayer, and what happens to him along the way and the people who go along with him.
In the story, the only reason why Joss is spending the summer with his uncle Abraham is because he wants to get revenge on the vampire who killed his little sister. So basically, Joss is here because of vampires, and that is the main problem! But the conflict that is just about Joss is his uncle. Joss always tries to impress his uncle by doing everything he tells him to, and he even tried to kill a vampire with barely any training!!! Joss is only 13 years old, Abraham acts like he is an 18 year old. In one part of the book, Abraham trains Joss by making him take down Abraham and 2 other slayers at once, and when Joss completes that task, Abraham walks away without a word, like he is dissapointed! Joss never understood his uncle, and this trip to him isn't making him like his uncle any more. I think Joss works way to hard to impress his uncle. He is willing to run 10 laps on the long trail on a hill, and it will take you almost an hour just to run 1 lap! But even after Joss does everything Abraham wants him to, Joss still didn't earn his respect.
I think one of the reasons why Joss is still even there training with his uncle is because if he leaves, then he can be killed since he knows to much information about the Slayer Society, and the second reason is because he wants to get revenge for his sister and since Sirus is there, it isn't all bad. Sirus is Joss's friend, mentor, and father like figure. He looks out for Joss and protects him. Without Sirus there for Joss, he would probably dead right now! Abraham is Joss's uncle, but that is just a name, he does not treat Joss like a nephew, he barely treats him like a living thing! Abraham acts like Joss is a machine or robot, and whatever he tells him to do, he will do it! Abraham creates the tension most of the time, he thinks being hard on Joss will make him a better slayer, but in the end, yes Joss will become a better slayer, but Joss will end up remembering Abraham as the man who tortured him for months just so they can kill creatures.
The conflict in this story, isn't easy to spot, but focusing on the main characters, it will eventually come to you. This book can be confusing sometimes because of all the things that happen, but the thing the reader should be focused on the most, is the journey Joss takes to be a slayer, and what happens to him along the way and the people who go along with him.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Blog Post #16: The Slayer Chronicles First Kill by Heather Brewer- Cross book Inquiry
In this book, The First Kill, the plot is a 13 year old boy named Joss, who is training in Rhinecliff, NY in the summer with his uncle, to become a slayer. This story has many similar aspects like for example the personality of the characters, the themes, the setting, etc. as the book, The Power of Six, by Pittacus Lore.
In The First Kill, the setting is in Rhinecliff, and in The Power of Six there are many settings, but to me the main setting is in the old abandon house the characters stay in throughout most of the book. Both these settings are similar, but also very unique. The setting in the first kill is a place in New York not really known by many people, and it is unique because it is a place that is mysterious and the perfect place to use as a setting in a book like this one where the main character is trying to become a vampire slayer. It is in upstate New York where they use trains to get in and out of that area, which gives the book even more of that old fashion vampire stereotype movies setting. In The Power of Six, the setting is also similar because it is in the middle of nowhere, and it is someplace that no one would ever try to look for ailens in. Both these settings are sort of a hide out thing, where it is the last place someone would look for vampire slayers or ailens/FBI's most wanted.
Another thing that is similar between these 2 books is the main characters and supporting characters. The main character of The First Kill is Joss, and he has 2 supporting characters that are kind of his closest friends, as well as in the book The Power of Six where John is the main character also with 2 close friends. In The First Kill, Joss's mentor is Sirus. Sirus is much like Number Six in The Power of Six, they both teach some knowledge to the main character. Sirus sort of shows Joss the way throughout his training, he teaches him how to defend for himself against Abraham, and he looked out for him. Number Six taught John all the knowledge she had about Lorien and things like their chests and the animals on their planet. Number Six faught for him sometimes, she trained him to fight like how Sirus trained Joss, just not for physical fights. Sam in The Power of Six is kind of like Kat in The First Kill. In the beginning these to characters are sort of clueless (for now Kat still is) and they are just that friend that is your one and only. But I predict sooner or later Kat will learn about the Slayer Society and act like a sidekick like Sam does.
Lastly, the themes in this 2 books are very similar. The plot is for the main character to learn about killing their enemy. Joss is learning how to become a slayer to kill their enemy which are vampires. And John is learning how to fight against their enemies, which are the Mogadorians. In the beginning these main characters are still the newbies, but sooner or later they get the hang of how everything is done in the position they are in.
These 2 books are very similiar. They connect in a very special way, and are 2 very good books to read. But writing a cross book inquiry kind of makes you wonder if one book was inspired by the other because of the ways they are similar.
In The First Kill, the setting is in Rhinecliff, and in The Power of Six there are many settings, but to me the main setting is in the old abandon house the characters stay in throughout most of the book. Both these settings are similar, but also very unique. The setting in the first kill is a place in New York not really known by many people, and it is unique because it is a place that is mysterious and the perfect place to use as a setting in a book like this one where the main character is trying to become a vampire slayer. It is in upstate New York where they use trains to get in and out of that area, which gives the book even more of that old fashion vampire stereotype movies setting. In The Power of Six, the setting is also similar because it is in the middle of nowhere, and it is someplace that no one would ever try to look for ailens in. Both these settings are sort of a hide out thing, where it is the last place someone would look for vampire slayers or ailens/FBI's most wanted.
Another thing that is similar between these 2 books is the main characters and supporting characters. The main character of The First Kill is Joss, and he has 2 supporting characters that are kind of his closest friends, as well as in the book The Power of Six where John is the main character also with 2 close friends. In The First Kill, Joss's mentor is Sirus. Sirus is much like Number Six in The Power of Six, they both teach some knowledge to the main character. Sirus sort of shows Joss the way throughout his training, he teaches him how to defend for himself against Abraham, and he looked out for him. Number Six taught John all the knowledge she had about Lorien and things like their chests and the animals on their planet. Number Six faught for him sometimes, she trained him to fight like how Sirus trained Joss, just not for physical fights. Sam in The Power of Six is kind of like Kat in The First Kill. In the beginning these to characters are sort of clueless (for now Kat still is) and they are just that friend that is your one and only. But I predict sooner or later Kat will learn about the Slayer Society and act like a sidekick like Sam does.
Lastly, the themes in this 2 books are very similar. The plot is for the main character to learn about killing their enemy. Joss is learning how to become a slayer to kill their enemy which are vampires. And John is learning how to fight against their enemies, which are the Mogadorians. In the beginning these main characters are still the newbies, but sooner or later they get the hang of how everything is done in the position they are in.
These 2 books are very similiar. They connect in a very special way, and are 2 very good books to read. But writing a cross book inquiry kind of makes you wonder if one book was inspired by the other because of the ways they are similar.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)