11.11.2010

hook review day

so i  (christy) popped into the local barnes and noble to pick up the book If I Stay by Galye Foreman(recommended by my good friends, erica, stephenie meyer and possibly everyone else in the blogosphere), but got sidetracked and decided to peek at some first pages beforehand (also recommended by erica--see here--).

i have to say, i read books differently now that i'm a writer. what used to be fun is now work. what used to be funny is now cliche. what used to be. . .okay, you get it. i did my best to read these hooks as a reader. if you've read them, or have comments about what hooks you, please comment. oh, and yes, i've gone paranormal here, because that was my first love (as a writer). someday erica will step in and post about contemporary, her first love.

 based only on first page reads, here are several hook reviews:

 
Halo by Alexandra Adornetto



I picked this book for two reasons:  I love the picture and coloring on the cover.  Unfair?  Perhaps, because how much input do authors have where their covers are concerned? (but of course i shouldn't be thinking about that, because right now i'm a reader)  I'm admitting to you that many books I've purchased over the years are mustardy in color.  They matched my bedroom.  (Ug...a horribly embarrassing confession.)  I also love the font and design of the title.  The font and design of the first pages did not disappoint.  The chapter titles appealed to me also, the first being:  Descent.

 So I turned and began reading.  I was hooked in just wondering who was speaking.  "Our arrival didn't exactly go as planned."  Whose didn't and why?  Obviously I assumed it was the angel on the cover.  Page one described the setting the angels descended on and the lone boy who witnessed it. 

The first page served it's purpose. I give it a YES, I WOULD TURN THE PAGE AND READ ON. I would read the first chapter before deciding whether to buy it or not. I am definitely intrigued to find how this paperboy from page one gets involved with the angels.


Intertwined by Gena Showalter



This one I picked up only because it's sequel which just came out called my name.  Unravelled.  I love the word.  I love the word Intertwined also.  So, okay, covers AND titles get me every time.

 This one is a little unfairly judged because there were two "cheater hooks" or previews/excerpts in the pages before the actual page one.  I should have skipped them for the sake of sharing an accurate opinion of the hook, but I didn't and I'm sorry.

Based on the first page it wasn't enough because I read on halfway through the second page.  Well, if I'm being honest, I guess it was enough to make me want to read on to find out what was really going on.  So, it's a YES, I'D READ ON.  Page one almost turned me off in the first paragraph because it started out with the MC upset about ending up in a cemetary and my first thought was that he just discovered he'd died.  Reading on I thought "whew" because he was still alive.  Although apparently by stepping  into a cemetary voices come alive in his head and the dead also come alive, or something.  I'd read on, especially since romance is promised in the future.


Fallen by Lauren Kate



Oh, I'm terrible at this.  Okay, so this one started with a prologue chapter.  I read the first page of that then skipped ahead and read the first page of the actual first chapter.  They were tremendously different.  Different voices, different time periods.  YES, I WOULD READ ON to find how one relates to the other.  As erica would say, JEESH. 

 Based on first pages alone, this is my least favorite of the book hooks i reviewed today.  Purely based on the historical voice in the beginning. I'd have to be in the right mood to read it.  And because the MC in chapter one is in a hospital where meds are discussed and, again, it was a mood thing for me. 

 I DO very much like the font of the title.  And the author's name. 


The Fallen 1:  the Fallen and Leviathan by Thomas E. Sniegoski



So now I have to admit that when I picked up the other Fallen (above) I thought it was this one.  You probably already knew that there are several books and series of books with this title.  I am behind in my reading.  I picked this one up a while back (over the summer), flipped through it, and wanted to go back for it ever since.

 I reread the first page and YES, WOULD READ ON and most likely WILL BUY and read this one for a complete book review in the future.  hint, hint...tune in one day in the next month or two.  I won't lie. It'll be a little while.  I'm busy, but it WILL happen.


That said, I would buy the last one purely because it's been on my mind for a few months.  BUT my favorite after reading hooks alone (for the most part) was the first one, Halo.  I'll get that one eventually and review it, too.  I would have bought that one tonight if my sole purpose for going to the bookstore wasn't to buy my book for next week's review.  (Read on for an explanation.)
now, i did eventually just buy the book i went for and will actually read the whole thing.  so next tuesday expect a completed book review of If I Stay by Gayle Foreman. 

and maybe another hook review or two in the near future.

9 comments:

  1. Hmm... Never thought of doing HOOK reviews before... It's a pretty cool idea :-)
    (I have to confess that when I saw the title of your blog post I wondered if it was a typo and meant to be "book"!)

    If I were to judge by covers alone I'd go for HALO first and then Lauren Kate's FALLEN...

    Thanks for the mini reviews :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Interesting concept. I kind of like the twist.

    Good job Christy!


    Michael

    ReplyDelete
  3. nice now wait you are friends with Stephenie Meyer? the Stephenie meyer?

    ReplyDelete
  4. How fun! I love your hook reviews! These all look very promising. I can hardly wait to hear more!

    ReplyDelete
  5. christy - I love the first cover, too, the author must be super happy about it!

    Joanna - in a virtual world, we can be friends with anyone, right? But no, not real friends with SM - however, I do know someone who's friends with her, does that count? (no, it doesn't)
    erica

    ReplyDelete
  6. The first line, first paragraph, first chapter is so important. Even after rewriting it a hundred times I still wonder. Will this hook the reader? Will you (the reader) keep turning the page. I'm a chicken or I would ask this in a post. Well...maybe I will anyway. Now I'm scared. I want to thank you for sharing, but I would really like it if you shared each line specifically and told me why it hooked you.
    Nancy
    P.S. I am late for your contest but I will add it to my sidebar.
    N. R. Williams, fantasy author

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks all! The reason I decided to do this is I've struggled with my own "hook" in my first MS so I thought this would be good "research" to help me out. If I examine other hooks for myself, perhaps I can use what works (for me) and TRY to apply it to my own writing.

    Joanna, nope. I don't actually know Stephenie, but she recommends the book (or so the cover says)...so I just "pretended" that she was my good friend and loaned me the book. :0)

    Nancy, Thanks. Great suggestion. I will share my line by line thoughts next time (and possibly add to this one, too). I can see where that would be more helpful.

    Our 100th follower contest goes until this upcoming Sunday, so you can still enter!!!

    ;0) christy

    ReplyDelete
  8. Christy- hooks are everything, and it's so cool when books have them. I know its going to be good when I get "hooked" in the beginning. I too like to look at them and see how I can create my own hook.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I have a definite weakness for paranormal too, as both writer and reader. Count me as another one who is loving that Halo cover. If I were choosing on cover alone, no contest...

    ReplyDelete

Stay and chat with us! Share your thoughts.