Book Review: Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult

Title: Change of Heart | Author: Jodi Picoult 

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton UK

Genre: Family Drama, General Fiction, Thriller

Format: Paperback, 461 Pages

Date Finished: October 2, 2012

CoffeeNCrackers Rating: 3 Cups of Coffee

"Your daughter needs a new heart. The only match comes from a murderer. What would you do?" 

June has survived what no mother should face. twelve years ago, her husband and young daughter were murdered. For the sake of her unborn child, she managed to carry on living. But now she faces losing a second daughter. Claire has a heart defect, and unless they find a donor soon, she will die. When a match is offered, it seems like a miracle. Until June learns that the new heart will come from the man who killed Claire's sister. She thought she would do anything to keep her child alive. But how can she give her daughter the heart of a murderer? - Back Cover

My Review

When I read the synopsis of "Change of Heart", I thought was, "Oh my, here is another germ from Jodi Picoult." When her husband and daughter were murdered, life had been so meaningless for June. But for the sake of her unborn daughter June kept on living with the past shadowing her life. But, like any other books by Picoult, life won't go easy for the mother as the daughter, Claire was diagnosed with a heart defect.  Shay, the murderer, wanted to donate his heart to Claire but the death sentence he was facing didn't permit him to do so. And even that he could do so, will June and Claire accept the heart of a murderer?

As usual, I like how Jodi Picoult tackles some serious and sensitive issues happened in the society and turned it into an interesting reading. In "Change of Heart", she highlighted about organ donation and organ transplant as well as the death sentence. Shay, the murderer, would like to donate his heart to the victim's family which I think that it was a way for him to atone for his crime. Thought he was a convicted murderer, I kind of like Shay's characters partly because I think he's innocent, and I was proven right (partly) about that as towards the end of the story, when he revealed the story (which I don't really know it was true or not) about what had happened during the day when the father and daughter were murdered. June in the other hand was not really a likable character because I think she was an ignorant mother to both Claire and Elizabeth. I kept asking "Why not taking the heart, if it is the only way your daughter could live?" 

Though it is a good read, I have to say that this book is not as enjoyable as some of the previous books I read by the author. The first half of the book was boring and dragging especially reading from Michael's point of view. Partly because most of the time Michael will relate his thought with Christianity and bible, which I am not really familiar with and partly because Michael himself was such a boring character. When Picoult's story suppose to be believable and real, she offered some illogical paranormal events in this book. For examples, Lucius's AIDS was suddenly cured, Shay's brought the dead Robin the raven back to life, and the wine came out from the prison's pipe? Well, I like these kind of Stephen King's paranormal mysteries, but for Picoult's story they didn't blend well. 

Favorite Quotes:

 “Would you give up your vengeance against someone you hate if it meant saving someone you love? Would you want your dreams to come true if it meant granting your enemy's dying wish?”

Note: This review is linked to Saturday's Situation by Candace's Book Blog. 

First Malaysian Author Shortlisted for Man Booker Prize

Today I came across an article in NST of Man Booker Prize, the equivalent to  Oscar Award for the writers. To my utter surprise a Malaysian author Tan Twan Eng is one of the six authors who are shorlisted for the prize. This is the historical moment for the Penang born author, as he is the first Malaysian who has been shortlisted for such a great event for authors all around the world! I am so proud mself to be a Malaysian. 

About the Prize 

The Man Booker Prize for Fiction is a literary prize awarded each year for the best original full-length novel, written in the English language, by a citizen of the Commonwealth of Nations, Ireland, or Zimbabwe. The winner of the Man Booker Prize is generally assured of international renown and success; therefore, the prize is of great significance for the book trade.

Tan Twang Eng has been shortlisted for his novel "The Garden of Evening Mists" which is published in January. This is the second time he is listed for the prize since 2007, when his debut novel "The Gift of Rain" made the Booker longlist. Well, it was such an acknowledgement to a writer to be longlisted in the prize itself, and to be shorlisted together with the Booker Prize Winner, Hillary Mantel, this year, it is such a great accomplishment I would say. Well done Mr Tan!! 

The Booker comes with a £50,000 (RM250,000) prize. Wow! That's a lot. But the most important thing is the sales of the books will increase at every stage of the selection process. In the week of shorlist announcement, sales of Tan's novel shot up from 174 to 950 per cent. Pretty damn impressive!

The Blurb

It's Malaya, 1949. After studying law at Cambridge and time spent helping to prosecute Japanese war criminals, Yun Ling Teoh, herself the scarred lone survivor of a brutal Japanese wartime camp, seeks solace among the jungle-fringed plantations of Northern Malaya where she grew up as a child. There she discovers Yugiri, the only Japanese garden in Malaya, and its owner and creator, the enigmatic Aritomo, exiled former gardener of the Emperor of Japan.

Despite her hatred of the Japanese, Yun Ling seeks to engage Aritomo to create a garden in Kuala Lumpur, in memory of her sister who died in the camp. Aritomo refuses, but agrees to accept Yun Ling as his apprentice 'until the monsoon comes'. Then she can design a garden for herself. As the months pass, Yun Ling finds herself intimately drawn to her sensei and his art while, outside the garden, the threat of murder and kidnapping from the guerrillas of the jungle hinterland increases with each passing day. But the Garden of Evening Mists is also a place of mystery. 

I think, I a few years back I bought "The Gift of Rain" but I haven't get the opportunity to read it since it had been eaten by termites. So, I have to get both of the book soon. Well, I'm not sure who's gonna win this time!

Note: Other books shortlisted for The Booker Prize 2012

• Hilary Mantel "Bring Up the Bodies"
• Will Self "Umbrella"
• Jeet Thayil "Narcopolis"
• Deborah Levy "Swimming home"
• Alison Moore "The Lighthouse"

First Impression: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Title: Mockingjay | Author: Suzanne Collins

Series: The Hunger Games #3

Genre: YA Fiction, Action, Dystopian

Format: Paperback, 455 Pages

Date Started: June 10, 2012

The Blurb

Young Katniss Everdeen has survived the dreaded Hunger Games not once, but twice, but even now she can find no relief. In fact, the dangers seem to be escalating: President Snow has declared an all-out war on Katniss, her family, her friends, and all the oppressed people of District 12. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My First Impression 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Advanced Rating: 4 Stars

I stare down at my shoes, watching as a fine layer of ash settles on the worn leather. -1st line

Now comes to the last part of the "game". Katniss' final battle. Well, at the beginning of the book I found out that Katniss is having a hard time to figure out whose side she should be on. Feeling betrayed by Haymitch and utterly disgusted by what the Capitol had done to District 12, she's trying to figure out what is the best move she should do next. Separated from Peeta but having Gale by her side, I can't wait what will happened in this final part of the Hunger Games. I really think that Katniss' characters is more mature in this final part, so does her sister Prim. I adore them.

Coming Soon: The Kill Order

I just completed the Maze Runner trilogy and it was such a great read. Then, I find out that this one will be coming out soon, I am pretty excited. How it all started will be revealed in this book and I just can't wait to find out more about it. 

 

Title: The Kill Order | Author: James Dashner

Series: The Maze Runner #0.5

Genre: YA Fiction, Dystopian, Adventures, Action, Sci-Fi

Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages

Expected Publication: August 14, 2012

Publisher: Delacorte Press

 

The Blurb

 

Before WICKED was formed, before the Glade was built, before Thomas entered the Maze, sun flares seared the earth and mankind fell to disease.

The Kill Order is the story of that fall.

A prequel  to The Maze Runner trilogy, The Kill Order has been in the works since the completion of The Maze Runner. The  story of civilization's fall was kept under wraps and is the explication of the events that began this bestselling series.

“The prequel is something that has churned in my mind since before "The Maze Runner" was even complete. It's been hard to keep it a secret! I'm excited to finally share the news and I can't wait for my readers to see how it all began," shared author James Dashner.

 

 ** Preorder "The Kill Order" now at Amazon.com or visit the James Dashner's  website for the updates.

Feature & Follow Friday #1

Feature & Follow Friday is hosted by two awesome book bloggers Parajunkee @ Parajunkee.com and Alison @ Alison Can Read. This is a medium for us blogger to discover new blogs and to get people to know about our own. It makes our circle of friends even bigger. Well, happy Follow Friday!!

Question

What is one book that you would be nervous to see a movie adaptation of because you think the movie could never live up to the book.  

Some good stories from books turn out so really good on big screen like The Time Traveler's Wife and  Water for Elephants. But some failed to do justice to the books; The Hunger Games is a good example for that.Well, to answer the question, instead of one I would like to list two books that I am nervously anticipating and have pretty high expectation on its consecutive movie adaptation of; City of Bones by Cassandra Clare and Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl. Both of them are from the YA realm, yes, same like The Hunger Games, but I really hope that these two won't disappoint me like what The Hunger Games did.

Wishlist: April 12, 2012

Seriously I have no idea how to start blogging again. It seems like all my ideas just stuck in my head, couldn't come out into words. I didn't review for almost half of the year, thanks to my working life! and I'm damn sure that my writing is getting rusty. Well, it is rusty. But I am so happy to write again and hopefully I can do it more frequently from now onwards. Maybe, piling up my wish-list would be a brilliant start. Don't you think so? Well, I do.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Divergent Book 2

One choice can transform you or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves and herself while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.

Note: I've reluctantly rated the first book, Divergent, with two stars. Mixed feeling. Though I like the premise and the setting of the story, but the characters development failed to impress me. The story also was a bit dragging in the beginning but towards the end of Divergent, the story started to catch my interest, the reason why I'm so looking forward for this second installment.

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

The Mortal Instruments Book 5

The demon Lilith has been destroyed and Jace has been freed from her captivity. But when the Shadowhunters arrive to rescue him, they find only blood and broken glass. Not only is the boy Clary loves missing–but so is the boy she hates, Sebastian, the son of her father Valentine: a son determined to succeed where their father failed, and bring the Shadowhunters to their knees.

No magic the Clave can summon can locate either boy, but Jace cannot stay away not from Clary. When they meet again Clary discovers the horror Lilith’s dying magic has wrought Jace is no longer the boy she loved. He and Sebastian are now bound to each other, and Jace has become what he most feared: a true servant of Valentine’s evil. The Clave is determined to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. Will the Shadowhunters hesitate to kill one of their own?

Only a small band of Clary and Jace’s friends and family believe that Jace can still be saved and that the fate of the Shadowhunters’ future may hinge on that salvation. They must defy the Clave and strike out on their own. Alec, Magnus, Simon and Isabelle must work together to save Jace: bargaining with the sinister Faerie Queen, contemplating deals with demons, and turning at last to the Iron Sisters, the reclusive and merciless weapons makers for the Shadowhunters, who tell them that no weapon on this earth can sever the bond between Sebastian and Jace. Their only chance of cutting Jace free is to challenge Heaven and Hell a risk that could claim any, or all, of their lives.

And they must do it without Clary. For Clary has gone into the heart of darkness, to play a dangerous game utterly alone. The price of losing the game is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul. She’s willing to do anything for Jace, but can she even still trust him? Or is he truly lost? What price is too high to pay, even for love?

Darkness threatens to claim the Shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series.

Note: First of all, the cover is so gorgeous. Second of all, I was so enchanted by City of Bones and currently absorbed with the City of Ashes. Third of all, I have all four books including City of Glass and City of Falling Angels. And fourth of all, I don't see any reason not to have this one as well.

Booking Through Thursday #1

I find out that this is interesting. Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Tribute Books Mama.

Question

What book took you the longest to read, and do you think it was the content or just the length that make it so?

There are several books that took me longer time to finish. But so far the book that took me the longest is World Without End by Ken Follett. It's not because the content as I thoroughly enjoyed the book and it is listed as one of my favorite books, and instead I would love to recommend this book to all historical fiction fans. It was the length that make it so, and I am not a fast reader though.

Coming Soon: Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

I don't even started this series yet and the third book of Caster Chronicles is going to be published soon! I have the first two books Beautiful Creatures & Beautiful Darkness, but haven't got the chance to flip through the pages just yet. But, for sure I will one day or another. So, I can't give much of a comment about this series. But, based on the reviews I've been reading through, the first two books did get good feedbacks. Furthermore, the covers for those two novels are just stunning (the reason why I bought them) and this one also the have the same charm. Have to get to them soon, I guess. 

Title: Beautiful Chaos | Author: Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Series: Caster Chronicles #3

Genre: YA Fiction, Paranormal, Magic

Format: Hardcover, 528 Pages

Expected Publication: October 18, 2011

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

The Blurb

Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home, strange and impossible have taken on new meanings. Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena's Claiming. Even Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals is affected - and their abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question becomes clear: What - or who - will need to be sacrificed to save Gatlin?

For Ethan, the chaos is a frightening but welcome distraction. He's being haunted in his dreams again, but this time it isn't by Lena - and whatever is haunting him is following him out of his dreams and into his everyday life. Even worse, Ethan is gradually losing pieces of himself - forgetting names, phone numbers, even memories. He doesn't know why, and most days he's too afraid to ask.

Sometimes there isn't just one answer or one choice. Sometimes there's no going back. And this time there won't be a happy ending.

** Preorder "Beautiful Chaos" now at Amazon.com or visit the Caster Chronicles website for the updates.