Book 3/30: Ready Player One

I've been sick this week which is awful, but it does allow reading time so here goes my book 3.

 My husband receives Loot Crate (a monthly nerd box) and we received a book a few months ago.  It was Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.

I'm a nerd and the book instantly appealed to me. If it came in Loot Crate, it must be a nerdy book :).  I was NOT disappointed.  So here is the description from Amazon and then I'll tell you my thoughts:

In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines—puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them.
   But when Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.

 So the "pop culture of decades past" they refer to is the 80's.  Every 80's lover will call to mind those old video games, movie references and catchphrases. Just think about being in a virtual reality heading to Tatooine in your DeLorean.  Yes, I know I just mixed two completely different things - but that is the stuff you find in this book.  PvP zones, hit points, 8-bit, magic casters, dystopian reality, pinch-rolled jeans, and zero-gravity party spheres...and oh so much more :)

Book 1/30: Different (Tainted Elements Book 1)

Sadly, this isn't a very exciting way to start things off.  I had this book loaded onto my tablet when I decided to start all of this back up and I was pretty excited about a new fantasy-ish series.

First off, the cover looks great and represents the story.  That is not always the case with free books on Amazon.

Secondly, the plot sounded interesting.  Who doesn't love a world of people with strange elemental abilities?  Below is the synopsis straight from Amazon (because I'm lazy today):

Eighteen-year-old Moira, an air elemental, never thought that waking up with an unusual blue fire on her arm would turn her life upside down.

Determined to figure out why she has an element she shouldn't have, her parents take her to a secluded island to keep her safe from anyone who might want to experiment on her.

There she meets Noah, a boy who seems to know a lot about her elements. As he introduces her to a group of a new kind of elementals who are more powerful than anyone could have imagined, she doesn't know if she can trust them, especially because the group's leader, Jaiden, has an extremely dangerous ability.

But when her parents get kidnapped by a mysterious man, she has no choice but to turn to Noah and Jaiden for help.

 SO - now for my thoughts:

I didn't hate it.  I knew that I was reading a YA book, so my bar was set somewhere in the middle when it came to expectations.  I've read some amazing YA stuff before, and I've read some really terrible YA before - the result is that I never expect much going in.  That way I'm pleasantly surprised or only a little let down.
The author stays true to the mindset of a young adult and thoughts, or what I think of as mental conversations, tend to get repeated.  It inhibited the flow of the story a little for me, but perhaps it would help someone like my son to hold on to the information better?  Maybe he'll consider reading it and tell you what he thinks.
Overall, I'm cautiously optimistic.  Perhaps this was the author's first book (I couldn't find an absolute timeline of books she's written) and the next book will be written in a clearer way. Maybe this is just her writing style, done with intent, and the next book will be the same.  I know I'm going to purchase the second book and give it a shot - I'm just not running to my tablet to order it now.


If you like stories that fall into the categories the author has put her books in, according to her Website, then I'm sure you will like this book and perhaps you will be motivated to go further in the series, as quickly as possible.

  “Let us read, and let us dance; these two amusements will never do any harm to the world.” ― Voltaire