The Book Thief

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.

Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.

The Book Thief

I'll admit it, The Book Thief was a bit of an impulse buy. I had heard all of the rave about how poetic and insightful it was and I was planning to read it but it never really came. So there it went, into the shopping cart, taking another bite into my mother's credit card. I have never made a better impulse buy.

In the beginning, I was apprehensive. Slow plot, Death (Really?) as the narrator and of course Nazi Germany. I guess the main part that had me stuck was Liesel. She just didn't do anything! She was helpless, illiterate and under the power of German rule (And Rosa Hubermann). However, as I read on it got slightly better and the character development was actually starting. I found cocky and witty Rudy to have me laughing on many occasions. Liesel became more independent and I could feel the plot starting to unravel before my eyes. Then before I knew it, I was off. The pages could not turn fast enough and I was trapped in this world of Nazi Germany; I was in Nazi Germany. 

I loved the way Liesel and Max spoke to each other and Zusak's writing could not have been any better to support their dialogue. His writing was brilliant, definitely the best I've read in years and had me beating my heart and fanboying so hard at how good he was.To date, Zusak's writing brings me to joy. I can't really say much else other than greatness. The plot ventured well after the rocky start and the events that occurred had me in tears, laughter and suspense. But my favourite character of all was Hans Hubermann.

Hans had this wierd, quirky intellect about him that I could not get enough of. He was both poised and flawed which I admire in a character and in an author. His realism and hardship was displayed with his actions and it reflected on what trouble and war he had witnessed and learnt from. Hans was-is my favourite book character of all time.

And that's just about it, The Book Thief in a nutshell. This is a classic twist on Historical Fiction. Zusak...I am speechless. What you have crafted out of these characters is pure gold; the more mistakes they made, the more I grew to love them. This book is as sacred as scrolls, but once deciphered; can unlock a new world of discovery.

5 out of 5 stars.

The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Review by BookInABag

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls. Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift. Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

Review: The Maze Runner is a Dystopian/ Science Fiction novel starring the main protagonist Thomas. Thomas is a curious character and, like us, wants to know as much about the Glade as possible. The Gladers were very pretentious in the beginning of the book and their dismissal of answering one, at least one, of our questions instead of just saying, "You'll learn soon enough, Greenie" was agonisingly annoying.

 Furthermore, the mystery and suspicion caused by the recent events that occurred soon after Thomas's arrival was intriguing and drove me to continue reading the book, yearning for answers. The plot was decently paced, and whenever things started to get dull, some dramatic action would always occur. The plot, although sometimes being a bit uneventful, had a good bit of action and excitement in it which compensated for some of the long exposition scenes with Thomas and the Gladers. 

The Maze Runner interested me with its deep, complex story and it's shocking plot twists. These plot twists or 'OH SNAP!' Moments were definitely my favourite part of the book and added an element of drama to the book which made it even more thrilling.

 The character development was decent too, with some friendly relationships formed between Chuck, Teresa, Minho and Thomas whose friendships added life and perspective into the text. The characters could be very frustrating sometimes and whilst I did grow fond of some, their arrogance and smart comments put me off too much for me to fully like them.

However I enjoyed the overall read and found it exciting and suspenseful and had me thoroughly engaged with its cunning mystery.

3.5 stars out of 5