Review: Beautiful Creatures

Title: Beautiful Creatures
Author: Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Genre: Yong Adult
Series: Book 1 in The Caster Chronicles
Pages: 563
Release Date: December 1, 2009
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Summary: Is falling in love the beginning . . . or the end?

In Ethan Wate's hometown there lies the darkest of secrets . . .

There is a girl. Slowly, she pulled the hood from her head . . . Green eyes, black hair. Lena Duchannes.

There is a curse. On the Sixteenth Moon, the Sixteenth Year, the Book will take what it's been promised. And no one can stop it.

In the end, there is a grave.

Lena and Ethan become bound together by a deep, powerful love. But Lena is cursed and on her sixteenth birthday, her fate will be decided. Ethan never even saw it coming.(via Goodreads)

My Rating:

| Goodreads | Amazon | My Goodreads Review | 

This review was originally posted on my Goodreads, and may contain spoilers to this book. 

I picked this book up because I saw the trailer for the movie. Not because the trailer 'wow'd' me but because if it is good enough to be made into a movie I'm willing to give it a chance (plus I have seen so many books destroyed when they are made into movies that I do not judge books by their movies). To be honest, though, this book did not wow me. there were a lot of things that had potential but it just did not follow through. 

First of all it ended up being a romance, but the narrator is a male. This is something I found interesting because most of the times these type of books are from a female perspective. Second the actual basis for the plot was interesting, not the best I've read, but interesting non the less. Unfortunately I felt like it was not handled well. 

Overall I thought that it felt like another post-Twilight mess. (Please do not mistake me, I loved the Twilight series -minus the first book- but in the wake of Twilight's popularity there were a lot of books with basically the same plot put out and they are mostly a mess.)In fact I found myself seeing parallels to the Twilight series the entire way through. The main difference being that the role of Bella was filled by Ethan. 

Example: Ethan meets Lena who he is instantly drawn to. He cannot get him out of her head even though she insists that she is dangerous. He finds out he is a supernatural Caster(much like a witch) from a family of Casters who all have different gifts and who might hurt him, but accepts this overly easily. He doesn't care and they spend a short period of time together at their high school happy. Then a bad supernatural Caster comes along and tries to kill Ethan. Luckily Ethan’s Amma(?) is easily deceived even though she is constantly said to be very powerful. Ethan loses a fight with said villain and almost dies but luckily due to what Lena is she saves him. 

Which sounds a lot like:
Bella meets Edward who she is instantly drawn to. She cannot get him out of her head even though he insists that he is dangerous. She finds out he is a supernatural vampire from a family of vampires who all have different gifts and who might hurt her but accepts this overly easily. She doesn't care and they spend a short period of time together at their high school happy. Then a bad supernatural vampire comes along and tries to kill Bella. Luckily Bella’s well meaning father is easily deceived even though he is the Chief of Police. Bella loses a fight with said villain and almost dies but luckily due to what Edward is he saves her. 

It wasn’t bad enough that I will read the second book in the series, and the last few chapters were pretty good, but it was mostly a disappointment. 

What book did you feel got a lot of hype but ultimately fell short?

Review: Transformed

Title: Transformed
Author: E.V. Fairfall
Genre: Young Adult
Pages: 273
Release Date: January 1, 2014
Publisher: Silver Stag
Summary: Thea, all-mighty Mother Earth, only had one rule to follow above all else, one promise to keep to her brother: never take a human form. She would've kept that promise if it weren't for Brice. He's handsome and confident, but above all he's merciless.

He's also a hunter who has tormented Thea for years. She believes if she could teach Brice compassion, she might finally be able to save her creations and herself from his savage ways. Then she meets Chamber: another hunter.

She soon finds herself fascinated by−and torn between−the two boys: Brice and Chamber. Lost within a torrent of human emotions, Thea starts to lose who she is as she falls in love with the one thing that she's always hated: a hunter… a human.(via Goodreads)

My Rating:

| Goodreads | Amazon | My Goodreads Review | 

I received this book as a free ebook from the author in exchange for a honest review, so a big thank you to E.V. Fairfall for this opportunity!

The cover is what initially caught my eye with this book, but it was the plot that drew me in! This was a very unique idea that I've never seen before in young adult books. It's a story of a not-so-young girl: Mother Earth.

I was initially a little bit frustrated with Thea because she went from being this ancient being who has seen so much, to being a stereotypical teen with a crush, but as the story plays out I saw that it was very much part of the character development. I'm still not sure how I feel about it, because dress it up however you like, she was very typical of YA protagonists, but it helped the story along and set up for a delicious plot twist!

I loved the way the romance was handled between Brice and Thea. I was, again, a bit concerned but the wonderful way it was written I feel like when things went bad, I could feel it just as though I was being hit with a bag of bricks, much as I imagine Thea did. It was a nice illustration of how things can go bad so fast. 

I did have one complaint, the time did not seem to flow quite right. I found myself flipping back to see if I had missed something, or feeling like I had missed a chunk of time. Nothing huge, but enough that I noticed it a few times. 

I particularly enjoyed the mythology, can I call it that, in this. The back story of Thea and her brother and how they interact with a sentient Earth. Even though they are titled 'Mother Earth', 'God', 'Earth' I got more of a 'God' feel from the Earth. I liked the fluidity of the whole thing. 

It was a wonderful, well written, interesting book that kept me on the edge of my seat on more than one occasion! I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys books with spiritual fiction in it, or someone who enjoys light fantasy and contemporary books. 

What is your favorite fictional religion or religious mythology?

Review: Once

Title: Once
Author: Anna Carey
Genre:Dystopian
Series:Book 2 in the Eve Series
Pages:354
Release Date: Jan 1, 2012Date
Publisher: HarperCollins
Summary:When you're being hunted, who can you trust?

For the first time since she escaped from her school many months ago, Eve can sleep soundly. She's living in Califia, a haven for women, protected from the terrifying fate that awaits orphaned girls in The New America.

But her safety came at a price: She was forced to abandon Caleb, the boy she loves, wounded and alone at the city gates. When Eve gets word that Caleb is in trouble, she sets out into the wild again to rescue him, only to be captured and brought to the City of Sand, the capital of The New America.

Trapped inside the City walls, Eve uncovers a shocking secret about her past--and is forced to confront the harsh reality of her future. When she discovers Caleb is alive, Eve attempts to flee her prison so they can be together--but the consequences could be deadly. She must make a desperate choice to save the ones she loves . . . or risk losing Caleb forever.

In this breathless sequel to "Eve," Anna Carey returns to her tale of romance, adventure, and sacrifice in a world that is both wonderfully strange and chillingly familiar.(via Goodreads)

My Rating:

| Goodreads | Amazon | My Goodreads Review | 

Part two in a pretty typical YA dystopian series.  I enjoyed this book marginally more than Eve but it still did not really wow me. I expected something more, although like book one, I'm not sure what that was. 

It was a pretty typical second book, like I said. I still enjoyed the unique setup for the first book of schools where girls are groomed to be breeding stock, but that's where the uniqueness is pretty well over. Even the fact that in book one Eve was pretty useless in the wild and it was not one of the unbelievable stories where the girl is all of a sudden able to do all manner of things, doesn't follow through to this book. The straight forward love interest morphs into a love monster (that's what I'm calling it. I do not apologize. It's not exactly a love triangle but it's something where everyone inter connects). 

That's not to say that I didn't enjoy this book. It was OK. The back story was pretty interesting, and it was, like book one, a quick read. The change of setting was nice, and I liked seeing the City of Sand. 

To be honest that's about it. I did like it, and will finish the series, but It didn't wow me. I think it would appeal to someone new to YA, who hasn't over read these plot lines. 

Review: Frostfire

Title: Frostfire
Author: Amanda Hocking
Genre: Young Adult - Fantasy
Series: Book 1 in The Kanin Chronicles
Pages: 336
Release Date: January 1, 2015
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Summary: The first book in a magical new YA series from New York Times bestselling author Amanda Hocking that invites readers back to the beloved world of the Trylle.

Bryn Aven is an outcast among the Kanin, the most powerful of the troll tribes. Set apart by her heritage and her past, Bryn is a tracker who's determined to become a respected part of her world. She has just one goal: become a member of the elite King’s Guard to protect the royalty. She's not going to let anything stand in her way, not even a forbidden romance with her boss Ridley Dresden. But all her plans for the future are put on hold when Konstantin– a fallen hero who she once loved – appears to be up to something dangerous, kidnapping changelings. Bryn is sent in to help stop him, but will she lose her heart in the process?(via Goodreads)

My Rating:

| Goodreads | Amazon | My Goodreads Review | 

What a refreshing and exciting beginning to a series! 

I had this on my to read list for a while but didn't start it until I saw the upcoming 3rd book and gave it a chance. I don't see a lot of books about trolls so this was very exciting. I also found that this book barely fell into the young adult category and was more of a fantasy book. Not that I dislike YA, obviously, but it was a nice change of pace. 

The world building in this book was very well scattered into the plot of the novel. I generally love this part the best so it was nice to see it in bits through the whole book. I also liked the way that Bryn is very much an adult, but obviously newly one. She has a job, an apartment, and her own life, but she seems to be new to it all. I am glad it was not the same old 17 year old lives with parents who for some reason let her do really dangerous stuff. 

The intricate political and racial complexities were also very interesting. I really enjoyed hearing about them, who can speak with who and to what degree and who can live with who and where. I think that it speaks to a lot of different situations in today's world. 

I will defiantly be reading the next few books in this series!

Review: Eve

Eve by Anna Carey
Eve on Goodreads


I have been eyeing this book up in Books-A-Million for over a year now, and I finally read it! I have to say it was not what I expected, but it was still really good.

This book is a dystopian young adult book with a love story incorporated into it, so while this is a very unique dystopian young adult book with a love story, it is still a snowflake in a blizzard, which unfortunately means, that not a whole lot of this book really stuck with me. That being said, I will be continuing this book because I think there is a lot of potential in this series.

This book follows Eve, a young girl who escapes from her 'school' where she learns they are preparing girls to be baby machines, and teaching them to fear and hate men. I think that that is a really interesting idea, that has some really great ties to today's society.

I really enjoyed the fact that Eve was not a special little flower who everyone loves and dotes on at all times, but is also not a hard core Katness Everdeen type character who kicks some butt, and scares everyone, while being emotionally unavailable. I found her very realistic, and it actually really broke the mold in that respect.

Ultimately, however, it did read like any number of first books in post apocalyptic dystopian worlds. Luckily the second books are always the best!

My review on Goodreads

Review: Marked

Marked by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

**This review was originally posted on Goodreads**

I had heard about the House of Night series books a lot, and thought I'd give them a try, although I admit, I really did not expect to like them all that much. That being said I thought that this book was really well written, and laid out. 

I particularly loved the matriarchal society that P.C. and Kristen Cast have designed and the very unique way in which they write the vampyres. This is not your run of the mill vampires are scary, but these ones are not all bad story. It presents vampires as more of a secret society. 

It isn't a book for everyone, but It reminds me of the popular television show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, in the way that it takes normal problems that teens and young adults would be going through, and makes them into supernatural or magical issues. 

There was a slight(ok, not so slight) undertone of feminism in the book, but it was not irritating, or overpowering. It did not overpower the plot as many of the feminist themed books tend to do. I am pretty sure that there were also ties to Wicca but I am not 100% on that as I am not familiar with that group. 

I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought that I would and honestly the thing that held me back from 5 stars was the language. It was clearly trying to be 'hip' and 'cool' but came off childish, unrealistic, and to use a lame word, lame. That combined with some of the choices Zoey made were frustrating, however I guess that's just part of her character. 

Overall I think that this book would appeal to a wide variety of readers, including those looking for a romance, and those looking for something with a little bit more plot to it. I recomend that you give this series a chance!

Marked on Goodreads

My review on Goodreads

Review: The Last of the Firedrakes

The Last of the Firedrakes by Farah Oomerbhoy

I received this book as an advanced reading copy through Netgally from Wise Ink Creative Publishing and before I say anything I would like to say a big thank you to them for allowing me to read this book. 

The long asked question of 'what to read after Harry Potter' has been answered, as long as you don't mind a bit of déjà vu. I thoroughly enjoyed Oomerbhoy's masterpiece, from the stunning cover, to the cliff hanger at the end, and all the wonderfulness between. It took me a bit to get going, but once I did I couldn't put it down! 

I was initially a little put off by the similarities in the plot to the Harry Potter series, it felt like someone chopped the books into chapter sized hunks, mixed them up and stripped away the details, then put them back together and filled in with a new story. As the book went on, however, the comparisons lessened and it grew in it's own right, blooming into a very compelling story. It still puts you in mind of Dursleys, Hogwarts, and a certain blonde would-be villain, but it has a flavor all it's own. 

I was very impressed with Aurora's character. She was flawed, and young, but she was very likable. I don't always love main characters, but she felt very real to me. She was not obnoxiously over confident, but she also did not float about putting herself down so others would praise her. I liked that she has dark hair, and that she loves her dark hair. This stuck with me for some reason, and I started to picture her like princess Jasmine from Disney's Aladdin!

There was a romantic side to this book, and again, I must say it was beautifully written. I am normally left on the outside of romances looking in thinking 'good, she is happy,' or 'they want to be together' but that was not the case here. There is a point in this book, where Aurora and Rafe's inevitable romance just hits me! Not only did I want it to work out, but Oomerbhoy paints such a beautiful picture of longing that it leaks out of the page and you can feel it. 

Rafe was probably my favorite, and I couldn't help but picture him as a cross between Flynn Rider, and Aladdin! He put me in mind of a Robin Hood character immediately and I loved the depth his character has! I really feel for him in his current mess he find's himself in, and I can't wait to see how he fixes it! 

I think the biggest drawback to this book was that there were places that the plot similarities did become a bit overwhelming, mainly in the begining of the book, so if you are someone who is bothered by that you may not enjoy this book as much as you should. But the similarities are less as you go, so I have high hopes for the next book. No word on when the next book will be out, but I'll be here waiting when it does!

This book is set to be published on August 15, 2015 hop on over to Amazon right now and pre-order your copy!


The Last of the Firedrakes on Goodreads
My review on Goodreads

Review: Graceling

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

I'm very late to the game here, but when it comes to this book it's most defiantly better late than never! I know that the book world and the world of young adult has been raving about this book for, well, forever. I myself have had it on my to-read shelf since September of 2011! Well I finally got around to reading it and let me tell you, it is marvelous!

Right off the bat you get thrown right into the middle of a world, and in the middle of the excitement! There is no winding up period in this book, you learn about the world, and the political situations on the fly! As you race around with Katsa, you begin to learn about Gracelings and how this beautifully crafted world functions. There is something wonderfully realistic about a society that would fear and hate these gifted individuals, and their mismatched eyes, and it allows the book to have the touch of fantasy, while the majority of the world is carrying on as normal. 

Katsa reminded me of a more likable Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games. I particularly loved that she focused on the important things going on in the world, and was not immediately swept away by a man. Although there is eventually a romance that unfolds, it is not overwhelming, and it does not eclipse the overall plot of this book. It felt more like a story of building trust, and a true relationship, than the terrifyingly unhealthy obsessions that I am seeing more and more. 

I am really looking forward to the sequel, especially because this book actually contained what I would have thought would be the climax to this series, so I can't even begin to imagine what is coming next!

What's a book that everyone read long before you did, and are you feeling like you missed the excitement train?

Cinder on Goodreads

My review on Goodreads

Review: City of Bones

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

**This review was originally posted on Goodreads**

There has been a lot of hype about this book lately and I noticed that it was being made into a movie so I figured I would give it a chance.

I think that there was an interesting, well thought out plot, with a unique world in here somewhere, and if you scrape off the poor romance, Mary Lu's, and stagnant characters you might be able to catch a glimpse it.

Some of this book was wonderful and the detail was great, with interesting and as I've said, unique ideas, but then there were the scenes that just overstated things, or restated them. I feel like some of the times there will be a well written passage, and then Cassandra Clare would just cut and paste it later on in the book. I found a lot of the writing poor if I'm perfectly honest.

Another problem I had with this book was that just about every character was impossible to like. Clary and Jace were quite irritating and I could not ship it. I couldn't get involved in the 'love story' which overwhelmed the whole book, so it made reading this hard. Alec was irritating and irrational. At one point Clary met him, then he hated her. I had to flip back to the previous page to see if I missed something, but no. No, he just hated her. No reason. Isabelle was similar, although she started out with some potential (I guess). I think that most of this book could have been edited down to the first half of a book (the boring- get used to a world half). 

Because I am a crazy person, and I can not just abandon series, I will continue on in this series, but I really do not recommend this book to anyone, and it blows my mind how many people are completely obsessed with it.

City of Bones on Goodreads
My review on Goodreads

Review: Dead to the World

Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris

**This review was originally posted on Goodreads**

**This review contains expicit spoilers for this book**

This is book 4 in the Sookie Stackhouse books, and I thought that it was about to par with the third book, and quite a lot better than the first two. I guess I'll take this moment to mention, in case you haven't seen my reviews of the first 3 books that before I decided to read this series, I watched all 6 of the currently aired seasons of True Blood, so my opinion of this book is obviously not what it would have been had I read the books first. 

The book begins with Sookie at a new year's eve party where Sookie makes the sad, but circumstantially impressive resolution not to 'get beat up' this year, even if this means spending less time with Bill. I was actually really proud of Sookie for this, and in the long term (books 1-4) the author way she handled Sookie and Bill's relationship. I admit that in the first few books I assumed that this was another whisk-me-away, I-am-nothing-without-you stories where, the treatment of the leading lady by her love interest makes me cringe at it's presentation as a beautiful story. This does not seem to be the case though, because this book (as far as the relationship aspect of it) read to me like a healing, moving on story. I particularly liked the scene in which Sookie morns the loss of her 'one partner status' because I think that it is something that a lot of people don't think about until they, or someone they know are put in the situation. She had fallen in love with Bill, and slept with him, and I think she believed that they would end up getting married (pending legal changes) and that was that. I liked the very real pause she had when she slept with Eric, and the little internal debate about her own self image, because I know quite a few people who have had one of those moments.

Even though I enjoyed Sookie being with someone other than Bill, I'm not sure that I liked it being a memory wiped Eric. Somehow it felt a little bit shady her starting up a sexual relationship with someone who had no idea who he, or anyone else was (but I guess it's a little bit less shady because he obviously wanted to have sex with her before, during, and after his memory was wiped...). 

I actually was able to enjoy the mystery aspect of Jason's sorry line, even though I already watched the show, because I guess it just didn't click with me where he was because of the differences throughout the show I just assumed it was different. I was a little disappointed in the way that his captivity ended though, because Jason running through the wood shouting about werepanthers was one of my favorite parts of the entire show, but I have hopes that it might happen in the next book. 

I continue to be disappointed because of the lack of sub plots in the books, because as far as the series went I felt like Sookie and Bill's collective story lines (and to be honest, their separate ones) were the weak link. 

I think that this book was better than the previous three, at least partially because it seemed to be structured better, with a more easily followed plot. Reading this book felt a lot more natural, and less like wading through muddy water that the previous three. I feel confident that I could have enjoyed this book without the crutch of the show to help me figure out where I was at some points. 

I would still recommend this book to people who enjoyed the Vampire Diaries series and Beautiful Creatures, but I think that this one would appeal to a wider range of people (if they could get past books 1-3, or they didn't mind reading books out of order).

Dead to the World on Goodreads
My review on Goodreads

Review: Club Dead

Club Dead by Charlaine Harris

**This review was originally posted on Goodreads**

**This review contains expicit spoilers for this book**

I liked this Sookie Stackhouse book better than the previous two. I liked the relationship between Alcide and Sookie, maybe because they didn't just jump into it declaring their love from the get go. I don't really enjoy Bill as a character and even less so as one half of Sookie's love life. I think that he is a fictionalized image of an abusive, and controlling relationship. 

This book held my attention much more so than the previous two, and didn't seem to drag on quite as much.I continue to enjoy that 'unique' southern voice that Sookie brings to the story. It isn't apologetic and careful like so many books these days, afraid to offend anyone. It feels closer to what people from small towns thoughts would be.

I will continue this series at least until the next book, although this is not one of those series that just scream to be finished. I will probably eventually finish them, but I'll most likely need to take a few breaks. 

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed The Vampire Diaries books, or the Beautiful Creatures series. Even though this is shelved/categorized as a mystery, I would not recommend this as a book to someone who is looking for a mystery. I also would probably not recommend this to anyone looking for a "serious" read, for lack of a better term. It was a little bit on the cheesey side, with some 'guilty pleasure' aspects to it. 

Overall though this was not a terrible book, and there are significant improvements from books one and two (mainly, the fact that it got away from the unassailable couple of perfection trap). 



Club Dead on Goodreads
My review on Goodreads

Review: Living Dead in Dallas

Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

**This review was originally posted on my Goodreads**
**This review contains explicit spoilers for the book.**

I think I should start out by saying that I was introduced to the True Blood show before I even knew about any of the Sookie Stackhouse books, and so I already had a picture of these characters, as well as opinions of and attachments to some of them. So I found it very upsetting when one of my very favorite characters was found dead right at the beginning. Although we had not seen much of Lafayette in the first book, I had hoped (due to how important he was in the show) his role would pick up, but I guess not.

I thought that this book was a little slower than the first one, and found the maenad confusing and a little juvenile. She just sort of skipped into Bon Temps, throws a few orgies, kills a few people, then shrugs her shoulders and tosses her hair with a painful 'oh well, I have to go somewhere else now' type goodbye worthy of a flirty 13 year old talking to a crush on AIM, and flounces right back out of the series leaving Sookie, or rather Bill and Eric, to clean up the mess. It felt like a cop out ending if there ever was one. So you found the villain, and they killed someone, and they attacked you, leaving you for dead just to send a message, what are you going to do next? Answer: watch her dance off into the woods like a crazy person and do nothing. In the sarcastic words of my 18 year old younger sister 'Cool story, bro, tell it again.'

But there is another story line here, you say? It's got a much better resolution to it, you say? Well, yes, you would be at least partially correct. Sookie is hired(bullied) into helping Bill's boss, Eric's friend find his kidnapped 'brother' from a crazed religious group called the Fellowship of the Sun, because an ancient, remorseful, child molesting vampire want's a buddy when he commits suicide to escape the guilt (and gain redemption?). I wasn't sure if I felt bad for this guy because he was thoroughly brainwashed to the point of stupidity by the Fellowship of the Sun, into thinking that this was God's will, or something like that, or not because he was a self proclaimed child rapist. 

But wait, you say, that's not the whole book! There is the wonderful, and romantic love story between Sookie and Bill! Now that you mention it, I do remember a deeply disturbing, and borderline terrifying relationship between the two of them. The entire book, while trying to show the deep love and devotion these two had for each other, was littered with alarming passages about Bill's controlling nature, and outbursts of rage. My favorite is when he demands that she take off Eric's shirt (given to her because her own was ruined in a vicious attack) because he could not stand to see her wear Eric's clothes. Other's included hastily brushed away bursts of fear from Sookie, and borderline rape, when Sookie, badly injured, does not feel up to sex, but Bill insists until she finally agrees. It almost played out as a what not to do for relationships, although their eventual split up at the end of the book makes me wonder if the author wrote it as a bad relationship (I hope so!).

Overall I didn't really like this book all that much, but I would recommend it to someone who liked the Vampire Diaries books, or Beautiful Creatures. I will probably finish the series, but it will most likely take me a while.

Living Dead in Dallas on Goodreads

My review on Goodreads