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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
LOVED IT! The book was amazing and kind of a break from all the crap I've read till now. Now I have to go on about the parts I did not like in the book. It's a pain in the ass, but it has to be done. I couldn't understand Jasmine that much. She kept going back from a hard core kick-your-ass kind of chick to a scared little girl. It was kind of confusing, trying to find out which was her real rhythm. I HOPE there is a second book, because, frankly, it was too short. The book could've had more and I found it to have a cliff hanger ending. I don't know why they put Jason in the book, it could have gone well without him. I don't mean to say it was a bad decision to put him there, I just mean it wasn't necessary. The whole thing with Sean seemed rushed. She went from hating him to noticing how cute he was to kissing him. She didn't really say she liked him that much. It wasn't until she kissed him that I got the feeling she liked him (How could you not?) But it was a good read and I loved it.
Every girl dreams of being a guitarist in a rock band and Jasmine is giving up everything, including going to Stanford, to live this dream. But before she goes off to college, she wants to know if she can do it and her new band, C-side, is truly going to test her to make sure she is able to.
This book really made me reminisce about my high school years when I listened to live music every weekend, went to many big concerts a year, lived to buy new CDs, had googly eyes over musicians and truly breathed rock and roll.
This book really made me reminisce about my high school years when I listened to live music every weekend, went to many big concerts a year, lived to buy new CDs, had googly eyes over musicians and truly breathed rock and roll.
This was a decent read. Not bad, not amazing either. Sometimes the conversations seemed awkward but it still turned out okay.
All of the characters were great and well developed. Jasmine was annoying at times but not the most annoying voice in YA.
The great thing about this book was that Jasmine did not get everything that she wanted in the end. It was very shocking but absolutely refreshing. I mean, if there were a sequel she probably would get the spoiler but still...at least she didn't in this one. One thing I would have liked to see was the issues with the dad being addressed. They don't have to fix things but I wanted something from it.
Who knows? Maybe there will be a sequel. We can see the band and see Jasmine work out her issues. I wouldn't mind reading a sequel but I also am okay without reading one either. I guess that's my main point. The book was good but I'm not dying for more.
All of the characters were great and well developed. Jasmine was annoying at times but not the most annoying voice in YA.
The great thing about this book was that Jasmine did not get everything that she wanted in the end.
Spoiler
She didn't even get the guy!Who knows? Maybe there will be a sequel. We can see the band
Spoiler
go on tour
this was a good quick read. i liked all the characters and i enjoyed the story which was not too complicated.
My Review's here: http://geekyreading.blogspot.com/2011/12/review-amplified-by-tare-kelly.html
Read the review also at Book Filled Blog.
I will come straight out with it, I LOVED Amplified. Loved it! I read it one sitting, I actually didn't want to put it down!
Amplified is the second music-based Young Adult novel I've read and reviewed in the past two days, the other being Struts & Frets. I loved both. There is something about Amplified that just stands out for me. I think it the authenticity in Jasmine's voice.
There is a realism in the book about how dreams rarely live up to expectations in reality. Sure, Jasmine has music to play but can she overcome her lack of stage presence?
I really connected with Jasmine. She is one tough cookie with great retorts. She is not afraid to speak her mind. Jasmine does not let people in yet under her icy exterior there is a vulnerability. This vulnerability is caused by feeling abandonment as well as the fear of failure and having to show her father that she was wrong. This, to me, was realistic because I know first-hand that teenagers hate being wrong!
I must say, I have a soft spot for Sean and by soft spot, I mean, I think I kinda love him. He's just my type of guy. Got to love a guy in a fedora. ;) Snarky yet caring at the right times. The electric chemistry between Sean and Jasmine really gave the book an even more addictive quality. I liked the fact the relationship between them is not pushed, it's just natural and steady!
All the other secondary characters such as Veta, Bryn, Felix and Jason had something endearing about them as well that made you keep reading. I liked how all the C-Side member bounced off each other personality wise yet musically made the perfect match! I would love to have heard more from Jason.
Amplified will be a stand out novel for me in 2012 (despite being published in 2011 but shhhh) with well-written rock n' roll scenes, a lot of comebacks and insults, a bit of romance and a lot more music.
I will come straight out with it, I LOVED Amplified. Loved it! I read it one sitting, I actually didn't want to put it down!
Amplified is the second music-based Young Adult novel I've read and reviewed in the past two days, the other being Struts & Frets. I loved both. There is something about Amplified that just stands out for me. I think it the authenticity in Jasmine's voice.
There is a realism in the book about how dreams rarely live up to expectations in reality. Sure, Jasmine has music to play but can she overcome her lack of stage presence?
I really connected with Jasmine. She is one tough cookie with great retorts. She is not afraid to speak her mind. Jasmine does not let people in yet under her icy exterior there is a vulnerability. This vulnerability is caused by feeling abandonment as well as the fear of failure and having to show her father that she was wrong. This, to me, was realistic because I know first-hand that teenagers hate being wrong!
I must say, I have a soft spot for Sean and by soft spot, I mean, I think I kinda love him. He's just my type of guy. Got to love a guy in a fedora. ;) Snarky yet caring at the right times. The electric chemistry between Sean and Jasmine really gave the book an even more addictive quality. I liked the fact the relationship between them is not pushed, it's just natural and steady!
All the other secondary characters such as Veta, Bryn, Felix and Jason had something endearing about them as well that made you keep reading. I liked how all the C-Side member bounced off each other personality wise yet musically made the perfect match! I would love to have heard more from Jason.
Spoiler
What also made the book feel natural for me is the fact that Jasmine and her Dad did not work things out and hugged it all out in the end like in most books. He did not come to the gig and say 'I see it now. This is what you are meant to do for the rest your life' and I am glad that because I was getting sick of those endings!Amplified will be a stand out novel for me in 2012 (despite being published in 2011 but shhhh) with well-written rock n' roll scenes, a lot of comebacks and insults, a bit of romance and a lot more music.
I think it's necessary for one to have a thorough understanding of, or at least invested interest in music and how it's created in order to fully enjoy Amplified. I have neither, so sentences like this one: "I heard a gentle delay texture bouncing over the top of the verse-- just subtle enough to complement Veta's riff but not distrup her vocals" just left me bored and confused. Other than that, I didn't have huge issues with the book other than that the dialogue was flat and dull, none of the characters really jumped out at me (figuratively), and there was a psychic element to the story that I felt was strange and unnecessary. So, not a book for me, but I think a musician or music-lover would really enjoy it.
Honestly, I wasn't expecting much from this book. I had to fill up a music themed book for a challenge and stumbled across this and I loved it! It felt like such a breath of fresh air, this isn't like every single contemporary romance novel, it's okay to not get the guy in the end
I loved the characters and the rock band played so nicely with this. I can't wait to get a hold of the next book!
Spoiler
even though I'm hoping in book 2 they do :)I loved the characters and the rock band played so nicely with this. I can't wait to get a hold of the next book!
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No