Vanished by Meg Cabot REVIEW

I was not really sure what I was expecting in this book when I first read it. It turns out the author, Meg Cabot, is extremely talented. This book got me thinking pretty well. In short, I liked it.

Jessica Mastriani was your average sixteen year old girl... until she got hit by lightning. Did she die? Was she injured? No. She seemed fine. That is, until she discovered she came find missing people dead or alive. In the second book, she had already discovered that not everyone wants to be found. Some very important people wants to meet her... knowing that the powers can be used for both good and evil. For Jess, one misstep can lead to deadly danger.

For the first book, the plot was thick. Every chapter ends with a strange twist in the story and kept us wanting for more. I love the author's writing style. Some humorous moments lightened up the story. I especially liked the Darth Vader one... since I love Star Wars. For the second book, it was still pretty addicting for me. Humor is still there, and mystery and other elements made the story interesting.

I really liked Jess. She was the kind of girl that stood up for herself and for others, yet had feelings. She can punch and fight, yet play flute. She was no damsel in distress, yet she was able to call for help when she knew she needed it. Her romance I don't like that much, but it was acceptable. Rob doing a lot for her was pretty touching for me, and when the whole gang showed up I was glad Jess had great friends. Ruth was okay, but she was too... girly for my taste. I liked Shane too. Though he may be a pain in the butt, he sure knows how to play flute. He was stubborn (or tenacious), curious, heroic, and maybe a little mean. He's my age, and I would have liked to meet him. 

The flaws of the book actually wanted me to take of two stars, but then the seductiveness of the story made up for it. First of all, I don't mind some profitany but this story is so full of it, I was reluctant to continue. I'm not that kind of romantic person and I don't like the mentions in there. The second book was a bit slow to start, but still addicting. The brush at the cave needed more action.

In conclusion, I liked the book even though it has its flaws. If you're not the kind of person who minds bad language or *romance* that much, I suggest you go for it.

My Edits #5 :)

I feel it's time for another update for edits... I've been doing a lot lately. Special thanks to Robyn at Simple Creative By Robyn for so many new tricks at photoshop such as transparent background, shortcuts, etc. She's been giving me many critiques as well. Please note that these ones are before she gave me new ways to make them better... I'm currently tweaking this and that and I may post the improved versions soon.

You might already see this from my Star Wars Day post... so nothing special. Robyn said I should blur the lightsaber edges that disturbed me, and it turned out awesome.

Theoden. He's not my hero or anything, but my brother wanted it and when I was done he didn't want it anymore. I'd rather do Legolas *sigh*, but I wanted him perfect so I get frustrated with every single mistake. Anyway, I need to adjust the words on this one, as Robyn said...

I used too much faces on this... gotta re-adjust things a bit. Thanks for that critique, Robyn. :)

My brother needed this for a school assignment. He's the king of Thailand... where we came from. And where we are now. Oh, and I did this before Robyn taught me new tricks...

I did this before Robyn taught me new tricks too. My brother needed this for his school assignment as well, but he discarded it later. I don't really like it that much, but oh well... like Legolas, I wanted him perfect because he's done so much for our country.

Robyn suggested I should make the red symbol in the middle a little darker and make the opacity higher on the two Ahsokas in the middle. It helped :)

I played with photoshop on this one like the shadows on her face and so on. I got "Reach for the stars" from Moves like Jagger (Love that song, by the way) and changed it a little. I liked the word "star" so much because, well, STAR wars... and star suggests a bright burning light...

Oh well, that's it for now. May the Force be with you!

Wild Space by Karen Miller REVIEW

After this book, there is only one book I haven't read yet in the Star Wars prequels, so I guess I know the style by now. The books ranged from five stars good to ten stars awesome (even though there is technically none), never below five stars. For me, this book is between the good and the awesome. A typical Star Wars novel, yet it is engaging and I felt like I knew Star Wars better reading this book. Karen Miller wrote this book well.

The two sides of the exploding Clone Wars are desperate to win, but there is a traitor at the heart of the Republic. When the sepratists launched a sneak attack on Coruscant, Obi-Wan was wounded. With the information he had he insisted for Skywalker and his Padawan Ahsoka Tano to go agains Greivous. Bail Organa reveals explosive intelligence that could turn the tide of war in the Republic’s favor, and Kenobi accompanies him to the far reaches of the galaxy to verify the facts. They don't relize that they are walking into a trap set by Palpatine... and escape may not be an option.

I really liked how Karen Miller does Yoda speeches. Some writers mixed up the object+subject+verb format, but she doesn't. I also loved to see the beginning of Bail and Obi-Wan's friendship- how Obi-Wan compared Bail to Anakin and said the Force was testing him. Some humor in the story just makes me like it. Also, her style of writing is appealing. It was clear, a little descriptive, and nicely written. The idea of wild bantha chase... I liked that too. In addition, I liked how it was set in Duel of the Droids and Downfall of a droid time period, and how there was a reference in that too.

It was different to see Obi-Wan how affected he was by the dark side. He was not a hero anymore, but a man struggling to survive with enormous willpower. In this case I'd rather be Bail, since he did not need to suffer through the dark side. I liked how Padme seemed to be just herself-not a former queen, senator, etc. Just a wife with friends. Possibly my favorite character, Ahsoka, is still pretty young here and I liked how she goes on to be something of deadly beauty and grace. Anakin's emotions are also done well.

Okay, now for the flaws. The story was a bit slow to start off with. It began with lots of characters and then drops them off until Obi-Wan and Bail is the only major character left. I find that weird. Though I really liked the beginning, it wasn't really necessary until it was skipped until months later. I don't wish that is deleted though, since it helped understand AOTC better. The cover art also has little to do with the story. But I don't really care, because the day I finished this book (May the fifth) is special to me and I'm not going to let anything ruin it. May the Fourth is Star Wars day, May the fifth is the day ROTS came out, and now today I'm typing this.

In conclusion, I liked the book. It has its bad side, but I feel it was worth reading. I can't wait to read Star Wars: No Prisoners next, and soon I will be celebrating my reading all the star wars prequel books finally.

Labyrinth of Evil by James Luceno REVIEW

I remembered reading this book a year or so ago, when I was eleven, and I liked it then. I recently read it again, and I think I better understand it now. If this book is a stand alone, it won't be very good, but since it is all part of the star wars saga and I understand the galaxy pretty well now, this book is entertaining for me. James Luceno's style of writing is strongly shown here, and that is probably part of why I liked the book. I recommend huge Star Wars fans for this book, mostly because it will leave you hanging if you don't know where you are.

The Clone Wars is near its boiling point. Jedi Knights Obi-Wan and Anakin attempts to capture a treacherous ally of the Sith. Though they came up empty handed, their bravery gave them an unexpected prize: intelligence capable to leading the republic forces to their ultimate quarry: the ever eluding Darth Sidious, whom they suspect has been manipulating every aspect of the Separatist rebellion. As the trail takes a shocking turn, Sidious stays one move ahead, for he has set up a ruthless campaign to bring to Republic to its knees. 

This book, for those who don't know how events will unfold, would seem mysterious. For those who know, which would be the majority, this is a great set up for ROTS. I'm glad that he did not tamper with Mathew Stover's novelization, which is the most awesome Star Wars book I've read. It was amusing to see Grevious not knowing the identities of Sidious. It was also funny to see Anakin and Obi-Wan's relationship, even if it is a little too less. Anakin's emotions are also done well, but it would be good if there was more. I'm also glad that Windu and Shaak Ti is in the story. The continual references to other books and movies are good since it helps fit the story in. I like the idea of how it pretty much became a wild bantha chase since Sidious already knew...

It was interesting to see how Anakin's emotions played out, which eventually led to his downfall. I'm glad Obi-Wan was there next to him, and as Stover said, be part of the team. Padme, Bail, and other senators were pretty brave, and I liked to see how they reacted to the action and everything. I'm glad it was clearly stated that Yoda knew of the corruption in the senate and how the republic was falling as well.

In conclusion, I loved this book. It could be better some ways, but this is what I'm striving for if I can ever publish a Star Wars book myself- a dream come true.

Happy Star Wars Day! :D

Let's make this short and sweet. Happy Star Wars Day!!! May the Fourth be with you! I hope you have the happiest Star Wars day! :D

You may notice I posted this one day late. It's because I want to hear your stories too. :)

I do not have anything special to do for Star Wars Day, but I badly wanted to go to the celebration... but my parents can't possibly fly me there. It'll be hours and everything. I can't wait until I grow up! I'll do it on my own, no matter how much it costs me.

Since you have control over how bright your day would be, I made this the brightest day I can. My brother bullied me, of course, but even my math and science teacher wished me a Happy Star Wars day, and my friends of course.

I made this for you guys... feel free to use it.

I've also got other pics to share... from facebook.

That is from an Ahsoka Tano Page

Stephen Staton (Voicer of this dude :D)

I would also like to  take this opportunity to thank Star Wars for all it has given me. I don't know who I will be without Star Wars. It has given me imagination, inspiration, knowledge, and most of all, a friend. There are many more that I can rant on for hours, but as I said I'd keep this short and sweet.

Now I'm going to watch the Season five trailer... May the Force be with you!