Looking for Alaska in The Mortal Instruments

Sep 04, 2010 Joyzi rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-books, 100-books-tfg, disappointing-books, realistic-fiction, banned, reviewed, e-book, contemporary-romance, religion, fiction

Book Review...down there somewhere

Caution : This book review was ridiculously self-absorbed and will not be entirely wholesome (R-16 will do).

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(You can skim this through, these are just self-absorbed anecdotes, scroll down for the Pros and Cons )

First off I'd like to say that I've seen like this book Looking for Alaska for so many times in Listopia( a feature here in goodreads) and when I've met The Filipino Group in Goodreads last last week John Green's Abu ...more

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Jul 07, 2008 Marcy Jo rated it it was amazing

Shelves: personal-favorites

I will preface this by saying that I was completely unprepared for this book. I read it primarily for three reasons. #1. Because of the controversy surrounding it's being taught in certain school districts. Bring on the banned books. #2. When learning of the banning of the book, I stumbled across John's youtube channel and blogs, and he is amazing. Amazing and witty and hilarious and sarcastic in the way that so many try for, and so very few accomplish. His description of the "Awkward, embarrasi ...more

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Feb 17, 2011 Brianne rated it really liked it

For someone that is not a women, John Green always has really interesting female characters. Of course the main character Miles is a male, but the whole story is based around Alaska, a very eccentric and slightly mysterious girl. It's a really heartbreaking story about come kids in a boarding school that like to break the rules. Loved it, almost cried, but didn't. ...more

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Jul 19, 2009 Amy rated it really liked it

The chapter titles alone keep you constantly waiting for what is going to happen; everything is "This-May-Days Before," so you're like "Before what?" and then it happens, and you're like "... O.M.G!" It's pretty intense :)

The first half of the book (the "before") was much more relaxed and fun, something you wouldn't be surprised to hear about some high school kids with interesting personalities. The second half of the book (the "after") was much more intense because of the event that had occured ...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Jenny rated it it was ok

My review of Looking for Alaska will be quick so as not to make it too painful.

Yep. Tiny bit painful for those who liked it so much.

I'd like to say that I adooooored John Green when I first read one of his creations and that's The Fault in Our Stars. However, I'm disappointed with this book. Since there's a lot of people talking about it, what with it earning multiple literary awards (School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2005), Booklist Editors' Choice (2005), NYPL Best Book for the Tee My review of Looking for Alaska will be quick so as not to make it too painful.

Yep. Tiny bit painful for those who liked it so much.

I'd like to say that I adooooored John Green when I first read one of his creations and that's The Fault in Our Stars. However, I'm disappointed with this book. Since there's a lot of people talking about it, what with it earning multiple literary awards (School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2005), Booklist Editors' Choice (2005), NYPL Best Book for the Teen Age, An ALA/YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2006), Los Angeles Times Book Prize (2005), Printz Award (2006), ALA Teens' Top Ten (2005), Michigan Library Association Thumbs Up! Award Nominee (2006), Deutscher Jugend literaturpreis Nominee for Jugendbuch (2008), ALA's Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults (2006), The Inky Awards for Silver Inky (2007), Abraham Lincoln Award Nominee (2009) ). I was looking forward to something inspiring. Something that will make me look at things with different perspective. But sadly what I got what this dragging book I can't wait to finish so I could move on to a new book. Leaving it unfinished feels like a crime.

I actually didn't know what the book was all about before I read it but I always see it on bookshelf and it's always on my Goodreads newsfeed so I thought, Ok. Let's give it a shot. Well, the book revolves around a few main characters - Alaska, Miles/Pudge, and Colonel. There are other characters of course but I mainly see them as supporting actors and actresses.

So, I had a hard time getting a clear image in my head on how the characters look like. It's very vague which can either be because of 1. The book didn't capture my interest to make me go as far as to actually imagine things in my head or 2. The author failed to actually capture the image of his characters. If I like a book, character usually have a clear face in my head.

Now, speaking of characters, I didn't like them even one bit. Especially Alaska. For me she's a crazy girl who does crazy things, who does crazy things out of nowhere, who pulls off pranks which I didn't think was cool, who cheats on her boyfriend, who seduced her friends, and who has an effed up childhood. The last part was probably the reason why she was kind of, more or less, a bitch. But she's not the typical bitch you see in movies like Mean Girls. She's just not nice either. Now with Pudge and Colonel, they're just two boys following Alaska around.

I don't even see what's the deal about this book. The plot revolved around two main events: Before the event and After the event. I don't want to spoil anything so I won't say what's the plot twist that happened. The event was very significant but I don't see the moral lesson at the end.

I'm having a hard time doing this review without giving anything away. *sighs*

Anyways, what I'm trying to say is, I understand if everyone's life shifted after the event. Of course it was a big deal, even if I was in their position, it would be a big deal for me. But aside from the obvious, is there anything else? There's no depth. Yes there was mystery but there's no big revelation worthy of a good ending.

This is a confusing review, I know. Sorry. I said this will be quick so he're my conclusion:

It was boring. No I didn't like it. Gah. ...more

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Apr 10, 2008 Brittany rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya, 2007

Looking for alaska is by far a fantastic book. I read this book in September of last year, in my "death faze". The book starts out when Miles a teenage boy with little to no friends is a few day away from going to a boarding school in Alabama. When he goes there he is fast friends with his roomate and his friends. One of them being Alaska the hottest girl Miles has ever seen. with witty humor and heart breaking scenes. This book deserves all its praise. Mils/Pudges obsession with last words is a ...more

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