Mockingjay: A Book Review

Mockingjay is the second book in The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins. I haven't reviewed the first book because I wasn't reviewing at the time I read it, but you can find millions of reviews on Goodreads. That being said there are spoilers to the first two books in this review!

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Published: 2010
Format: Hardback
Source: Borrowed

If you're coming directly into this book from the last, Catching Fire, you're a little confused and completely hyped up. This book doesn't slow down too much from the ending of the last. It's nothing compared to the arena, but it remains interesting. I really enjoyed this as the finale and I was, mostly, happy with the direction Ms. Collins chose to take her trilogy.

Katniss Everdeen has survived the arena, not once, but twice. But going in, she couldn't have known how far reaching the rebellion she sparked was. Saved form the arena during her second Hunger Games, Katniss is pulled into District 13, the center for the rebellion against the Capitol. She's accompanied by a few other victors, some friends from home, her family, and Haymitch. But Peeta was left in the arena and in now being held captive in the Capitol! Katniss has a decision to make and many things to learn.

With this book, I didn't feel the initial slow, dragging feeling I did with the beginning of the second book. This one comes nicely directly out of Catching Fire. It picks up a time after Katniss is pulled from the arena, but not too long. She's still struggling with her injuries and confusion. A bit after that, action picks up a bit, but nothing to rival the action in the arena. This book is, largely, about the people in the districts and about the rebellion, not so much the war. There are a few nice "war" scenes, so that's something I liked.

The characters in this book are lovely continuations of their previous selves. I adore the development of Finnick and getting to see him and Annie. Peeta in this book, I thought, was unlikable (all be it with good reason...). I'm not a big fan of Gale, but he, eventually, turned out a bit better. Katniss, herself, is still interesting. I don't like the way her character is taken in the end, but I'll handle that issue in another post.

Despite how much I disliked the epilogue, I give this a 4 star review. The plot continued wonderfully. The characters developed interestingly. The writing was wonderful, as always. If you enjoyed the first two books, I can't see how you'd not want to finish the series! It's a wonderful end, if you ignore the painful epilogue.

How did you like the finale of this trilogy? What did you think of Peeta's character in this one? Do you think this book provided the ending the trilogy deserved?

His Black Wings: A Book Review

 

Today I'm going to tell you about and review a new, "lesser-known" author's book, His Black Wings!

His Black Wings by Astrid Yrigollen

When I received the request to be a part of this blog tour, I read through the summary and decided I'd sign up for a review. I'm happy today I do not regret that decision.The plot of this story was really original and really interesting. I found the characters interesting and individual. Sadly, there were major flaws in the style of the writing.

His Black Wings is about a young girl, Claren, whose parents have just died. The day of her funeral, some rather horrible circumstances befall Claren and she is forced to flee her childhood home and leave her inheritance behind. While running, she realizes that the money she has cannot hold her forever and she must seek work. Luckily, there is an ad in the local town's newspaper requesting a live-in secretary at a distant country estate. Seeing the perfect opportunity to get away from her troubles, Claren applies and gets the job! But her employer is quite strange and dark with many secrets. Finally leaving for the country estate of Westwind, Claren learns there may be more secrets in that house than she's ready for.

This book is set in a future neo-Victorian era. The setting is interestingly built, but I felt it was lacking in conveying the author's research of the Victorian era. The terminology and word structure were often awkward and not characteristic of the era she was trying to create. As I said, the plot was extremely interesting and original. The deformity, the cause of that deformity, the story itself, were all very nice and I liked them.

The characters were all individual. That is to say each had a voice and a personality seperate from the others. I really liked that. Many times you will find the side characters have less personality and tend to blend together, but that doesn't happen with any of the characters here. Even Timothy, a young member of the staff at Westwind who never speaks, has his own personality. I also really loved the unique relationships the characters develop. The boys, Dekker and Horace, are cute on their own, but together they make a beautiful set of friends. Etrigan is extremely interesting in that we get to actually see his character grown and learn social norms. Claren as a character is a little weak, but not enough to cause serious issues in the story. The relationship between Dekker, Horace, Claren, and Etrigan is amazing and I adore it!

Now for the main problems I have. I felt that the story was poorly edited. For instance, at one point the author writes "less," instead of "lest" and another "awaking," instead of "awakening." I also found myself wanted more comma usage than there was. The punctuation and styling and diction were all very awkward and I disliked it. Maybe they were stylistic choice made, but I disliked them nonetheless and they made the book seem unfinished and poorly edited.

Though the formatting, punctuation, style, and word choices were questionable, the story itself was very nice. I enjoyed reading it, when I wasn't mentally correcting grammar, adding punctuation, or questioning word choices. Perhaps that is just the English major in me. I would suggest this book if your like original plot lines and can easily over look strange wording and lack of punctuation. Over all, 3/5 stars.

Have you read His Black Wings? What did you think? Did the stylistic and wording choices made bother you, or was that just me?

Catch Fire: A Book Review

Catching Fire is the second book in The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins. I haven't reviewed the first book because I wasn't reviewing at the time I read it, but you can find millions of reviews on Goodreads. That being said there are spoilers to the first book in this review!

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Published: 2009
Format: Hardcover
Source: Borrowed

Assuming you've read the first book, you have some idea of what's going on and what to expect. I adored the first book and couldn't wait to continue the series. This one slows down a bit at the beginning, compared to the first book, then picks right back up. Many people complain about the characters changing, but I didn't have a problem with it. In fact, I liked the developments between characters and seeing them change over time. Over all, I really enjoyed this book and it made a lovely sequel.

After winning the Hunger Games in the first novel, Katniss returns home to her family and settles into a new life in Victor's Village, next door to both Peeta and Haymitch. Returning home after the games is difficult on Katniss as she contends with possible feelings towards Peeta and working to understand the new relationship she has with her long time friend, Gale. Before she can really work anything out, she and Peeta are taken on their Victory tour around the districts, but it's nothing like Katniss imagined. She and a handful of berries set a spark of rebellion in the districts. Snow warned her a fire's hard to control, even for the Girl on Fire.

As I said, the beginning of this book is rather dull and it takes a while to actually get into it. I would say Collins's strongest point in the first book is the action within the games and the high stress situation. The Victory Tour is neither exciting or high stress. I suppose for Katniss it's high stress knowing a rebellion is brewing at her feet, but it isn't nearly as exciting as the first book. That being said, when the action does pick up it's great, as always. I love Collins's style of writing action scenes. The main action scene (if you've read it you know what I'm talking about ;) ) is amazingly done and I loved the new characters!

Speaking of the characters, I was happy with them. Ever present minded and caring Peeta is there in all his glory.You get to see a lot more of Gale, who is extremely interesting and one of my favorite males. The other Victors you meet are lovely. Beetee, Finnick, just, ah! I love them so much! Now Katniss, everyone says that Katniss's character changes, becomes weaker, but I kind of disagree. I'm planning a whole post on this one after my review of Mockingjay, so I'll talk more about it there.

Over all, I give this book a 4 star review. It was wonderful for a sequel, though the action was missing in the beginning, I understand the necessity of it. The new characters are beautiful and wonderful. The returning characters are as I expected them to be. The writing was very well done and I recommend it highly!

Have you read Catching Fire? What did you think? Was it a good sequel to The Hunger Games?

Coexist: A Book Review

Coexist by Julia Crane
Published: June 2011
Buy: Amazon or E-book
Format: E-book
Source: Smashwords

I grabbed this book off Smashwords thinking it sounded like a good idea, so I sad down and read it rather quickly. I wasn't blown away, but it was good and it kept my attention. The plot was a good idea, but I felt the execution was a little lacking as was the character development. There were also a couple of typos, but those could be over looked.

Coexist is the story of a young elf named Keegan. She is living, mostly, seamlessly in the human world biding her time until she turns 18 and can meet her chosen, her one true mate. Little does she know the war between the Light and the Dark is nipping at her heels, her chosen, Rourk, is secretly protecting her, and the war will change everything she ever thought to be true.

As short as that description is, I feel that it is an accurate summary of the events. This novel is less than two-hundred pages with not too much story to it. My initial reaction when finishing the book was excitement and annoyance, but with further thought and calming down from the action, I realized there wasn't much there. The main character, Keegan, was underdeveloped and I felt she was unlikable in her naivety and perfection. The secondary character, such a Keegan's friends, are picked up and dropped as they are needed. I dislike losing characters or character traits simply because it's no longer of use. I feel the story could use a lot more thought and planning.

That's not to say I didn't like the book. I did, while I was reading it. I really did like Thaddeus, Keegan's younger brother. He was interesting and a nice character. I feel he acted responsibly, but not unrealistically, given his age and role in the book and war. I also liked Richard, Keegan's father. And, of course, Keegan's chosen, Rourk. They were all much more developed and likable than Keegan herself. I would love to hear the story from Thaddeus's point of view.

Over all, I'm giving this book a three-star rating because it was decent enough to keep me interested and invested in the relationship between Keegan and Rourk, but I really was not impressed at all by the style or the character development. I probably will not choose to pick up the second book. In truth, I wouldn't have picked this one up were it not free. It's worth the read if you have the time or nothing else to read and you like fantasy novels, but do not expect anything extravagant or well thought out.

Have you read Coexist? What did you think? Think I'm being too critical? 

Do you think the standard for free/self-published e-books is much lower than for printed books? 

French Lessons: An Adult Book Review

“Sometimes we have to run away from ourselves in order to find ourselves.” 
― Ellen Sussman, French Lessons

“Why does naming a thing give it so much power?” 
― Ellen Sussman, French Lessons


“We don't need to talk. We need to love.” 
― Ellen Sussman, French Lessons

French Lessons by Ellen Sussman
Published: July 2011
Buy: Amazon or B&N
Format: Paperback
Source: Library

When I first saw this book on Goodreads, I thought it might be a decent read for my sorority book club. Then it didn't get chosen and I'd all but forgotten it. Then at the library, I saw it again, refreshed my memory and decided to bring it home. My hopes weren't too high, as I seldom like books like these (adult contemporary). I was so pleasantly surprised. This was one of those rare books that I sat down with, walked away from, and returned happily. I read this in just about two days. I wasn't trying to rush it, nor was I unable to put it down, I simply enjoyed reading it more than surfing the net or watching another TV show. Excellent job, Ms. Sussman. Hush now and tell everyone what the book is about!

This book is essentially broken into 5 parts. The first and last are short and show the relationships between three private french tutors working in Paris.

The second is about Nico, a tutor, and Josie, an American french teacher. Josie is in Paris nursing her broken heart. Perhaps, luckily she is paired with Nico the bleeding-hearted poet. 

The third is about Phillipe, a tutor and horrendous flirt, and Riley, a lonely expatriate mother living in Paris. Riley moved to Paris with her small beginnings of a family and has failed to fall in love with the city as she'd hoped. She hasn't even managed to learn the language after a full year!

The fourth is about Chantal, a beautiful Parisian tutor, and Jeremy, the American husband of a Hollywood actress. Jeremy is a man out of his comfort zone. He's a homebody and would prefer to stay in his home in California, but his wife drag him to Paris with her to shoot a film.

Each person involved will learn things about them selves they never would have guessed.

I adored this book. It was such a lovely story about personal growth and knowledge! It's also a story of love and heartbreak and family and happiness and sadness and... ALL THE EMOTIONS! It is certainly an adult novel that touches on some very mature content, and I loved it. After almost solely reading YA lit, it was a nice wake-up call into the real world of adult life that I've begun to dabble in. 

For the characters, I related most to Chantal. Maybe not all of her at the moment, but some of her now and some of her in the past. One quote in particular hooked me to her more than anything else. Jeremy asks her "What are you drawn to?" and she replies with an answer straight from my heart: "Language. Words. No, not teaching. Perhaps one day I'll write something." I just... too many emotions in those couple of lines to even express! I also really loved Josie's story and I love the relationship Nico and Josie develop. I liked Phillipe and Riley the least. I couldn't find myself even semi relating to either. I don't have a family to relate to Riley and I can't imagine being like Phillipe.

Over all, this book is definitely a 5 star book! Perhaps it's the Linguist or the French major in me, or perhaps it's the realist and the romantic, whatever it is, this book struck a chord and I'm so glad I read it. If you like thought provoking adult novels, this one may just be to your liking. If you like travel literature that ends with the characters learning about themselves, you will most likely love this. I find it difficult to recommend this to a "type" of person because it's such a great book. I want to just recommend it to everyone, but it may not be your forte. It's still a wonderful book and if it begins to interest you at all, I highly highly recommend it!

Have you read French Lessons? What did you think about it? Which character did you connect with or like most?

Cinder: A Book Review

“Even in the Future the Story Begins with Once Upon a Time.” 
― Marissa Meyer

Cinder by Melissa Meyer
Published: January 2012
Buy: Amazon or B&N
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library

I picked this one up at the library after first seeing it in a bookstore when it was first released. It sounded decent enough at the time and I figured I'd come back for it in paperback. Then everyone online started reading and reviewing, giving it rather good review, so I grabbed it up (quite a bit behind the review train). I wasn't over whelmed, but it was good. I think fans of retellings would enjoy this. Though, if it hadn't been outright stated, I probably would not have seen the Cinderella correlation. I think I could have enjoyed the book a lot more had I not been trying to peg characters to their counterparts in the original tale. It's seldom good when I compare novels to originals.

As I said above, Cinder is a retelling of the classic Grim tale Cinderella.
Cinder is a 16 year old cyborg living in New Beijing with her adoptive mother, sisters, and a little android name Iko. She is known as the best mechanic in New Beijing, but she is still a second class citizen. Cyborgs are seen a lesser than humans and are used for researching a cure for the plague that has wreaked havoc on the Earth. Cinder hates her life with her step-mother, Adri. Iko and her step-sister Peony are her only friends and even those friendships are at risk of Adri's tyranny. When Prince Kai, the son of the Emperor of the Eastern Commonwealth, has trouble with his beloved android, he brings it to Cinder with a story of childhood attachment and a joke of "national security." Despite the joke, Cinder thinks there's more to the importance of this old robot. In hopes of impressing the Prince, she starts work. But soon her sister Peony is diagnosed with the plague and Cinder is blamed. In her anger Adri "volunteers" Cinder for research, which no one has survived. Once at the research facility, the doctor quickly realizes Cinder is incredibly special.

As for a retelling of Cinderella, I would say this one is decent enough. There was nothing done exceptionally well, but it was interesting. If I had not known the correlation, I think I would have enjoy the book much much more. It seemed to me that Cinder was her own "fairy godmother," which was equally refreshing and annoying. I've always liked the fairy godmother in other versions. (It could be said Iko was the "fairy godmother," but I don't feel a strong enough argument to believe it.) I felt like the emphasis on the fact that this is a retelling took a lot away and left me waiting for certain things to happen that did not or were not easily recognizable. I wish I'd never known that aspect of the story.

But I did enjoy the book despite the problems I had with it. I really liked Iko and the doctor at the research lab. Iko was such a fun character throughout the book and I loved loving her. The doctor was also interesting, even if predictable. I liked him a lot and liked the role he played in the story.  As for the obvious unique quality to this book, the cyborg/futuristic world, it was interesting. I liked the challenges and new things it provided for the story.

I thought the writing was really good, but, for me, the plot fell a little flat and short of the original. (Grim Brothers left big shoes to fill!) I would recommend this book to those who like sci-fi or fairy tale retellings. It a wonderfully written, neat not-so-little book and I don't think many people who find the idea of it interesting will be disappointed. I certainly do intend to read the next books in the series.

Have you read Cinder? What did you think of it? How do you think it did as far as being a retelling?

Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge: Accepted.

I've just learned about the Witches and Witchcraft Reading Challenge over at Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf and I accept the challenge! Click the picture above for details on the challenge and the linky!
I'm signing up as an Initiate saying I'll read between 1 and 5 witchy books and review them. I only aim so low because of my late start, but I hope to exceed my goal.
Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft, which I read and reviewed last month is/was my first witchy read of the year so I'm counting that.
Make sure you check out Melissa's blog! I've just found it and I'm greatly enjoying it!
Do you like witchy reads?

Choker: A Book Review

“The Ethan of her dreams had disappeared. He was just another person who was sad. She was kind of glad, actually. Dreams disappeared when you woke up. The real thing was better anyway.”
--Elizabeth Woods

I picked this book up from the library on the sole suggestion of my friend Ariel. She raved about this book, then while at the library returning and rechecking books before going to Colorado, it sat there on the shelf. I snatched it and off I went. I do not regret this decision. I officially trust Ariel, without question, in all that is book related.

Choker is about two best friends, Cara and Zoe, who were separated when Cara, was forced to move by her parents. Several years later, Cara is in high school and feeling rather miserable. She's not popular in the slightest bit and she feels that she has no friends. She even accumulates the nickname "Choker." Then, one day, Zoe appears on Cara's bed after school. She's run away from a horrible home life and begs Cara for refuge. Cara, of course, agrees, because "What are best friends for?"

This is going to be a very short review because this book is so amazing. I have no complaints what so ever. This book also needs to be read knowing as little about the story as possible. I can't even properly tell you who I recommend this book for without ruining it! All I can say is this book is though provoking, surprising, and amazing. If you're interested in good books, Choker is certainly the book for you!

Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft: A Book Review

When the author approached me for a review of this book, I was little apprehensive. It sounded like a good idea, but so many books do. I'm extremely happy to say, I enjoyed this book. I would like to thank Jody Gehrman for the opportunity to review, and love, this book! I eagerly wait the sequel!

Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft by Jody Gehrman
Format: E-book
Published: 30 June, 2012
Publisher: Magic Genie Books
BUY IT

This was the very first book I read on my new Nook Color, and I loved that, but this is a book review. This book is quirky, suspenseful, humorous, and exciting! I easily read a few chapters a day for the first couple of days, but once I hit chapter thirteen, I was hooked. I did not put down my Nook for anything more than a moment. I became enthralled background story of a relationship Audrey develops, not to mention the main story line: chasing the bad guy to save Audrey's mother.

In this book, Audrey Oliver is a 17 year-old girl living an ordinary life. She loves baking, like her pastry chef mother, and chemistry, like her late father. She has a best friend and a talented sister. One day, Audrey just feels that something is terribly wrong. When Sadie, a young estranged cousin, shows up, her suspicions are confirmed. With the story of her mother having to attend to "family business," the girls continue in their life. But weird things are happening to Audrey. She sees weird visions and seems to make things happen. Finally, she learns that she, and her mother, are witches. After that life shattering news she learns her mother is fighting an evil man and that Audrey may be in danger too. How is Audrey supposed to balance family loyalty, self-preservation, and her new magical abilities, not to mention falling in love? What's a witch to do?

As far as the story itself, I liked the idea of it. What can I say? Throw some witches onto paper, have them fight evil and fall in love, I'm sold. I also really loved the characters and their development. Sadie was, by far, my favorite character. I love her quirky personality and how lost she is at first in the Oliver home. I also love her menagerie/entourage.  Meg was also an interesting character, being entirely without knowledge of the truth. Then there's Julian. I love that man. I'm so glad that Ms. Gehrman didn't make him evil or sketchy like so many authors feel the need to do.

My only real complaints are stylistic. I questioned the use of some metaphors and found, I think, two typos (only one I marked as distracting). My first complaint, though was the vocabulary. I'm an avid reader and English major with, what I consider, an advanced vocabulary, but within the first 10 pages, I had to look up 2 words and noted one as and unnatural words for a high school junior. If she was said to be an extremely intelligent or advanced student, I'd probably over look  these words, but for a Young Adult novel I found them to seem pretentious and unnatural. After page 10, though, the unusual wording stopped or died down enough I forgot to notice.

Overall, I give this book a 4 duck rating. I really really enjoyed it, despite me minor, English major-esque, complaints. I really think that anyone who enjoys exciting fantasy novels, novels about witches and magic, or just really good, fast paced reads would really like this book. I, personally, am patiently (or perhaps impatiently) awaiting the sequel! Look below the rating for where you can purchase your own copy to love.

Check out the e-book, available for $0.99 HERE!
Or get a copy from Amazon for only $9.99

The Espressologist: A Book Review

Honestly, when I picked up this book my hopes were not overly high. One reviewer I have come to generally trust, Claire, gave this book a good 4 "star" rating in her review. Not long after reading Claire's review, I saw the book displayed in my local library and decided to snatch it up. After Claire's review, I knew the book was out of my normal style, but the review made it sound like something that would be worth picking up. I was not disappointed, but I was not overly impressed either.

This book is certainly a Young Adult, feminine book. I think it's a cute, fluffy read, but it certainly doesn't make you think or invoke much participation on the readers part. It's a neat story for an afternoon or weekend Summer read.

Jane Turner has been working at Weird Joe's coffee shop for several months now. As she served drinks and observed people, she began to see a pattern: She could tell what kind of person someone was by what drink they ordered. As she became more interested in this phenomenon, she started to keep notes on what kind of person drank each drink, and surprisingly, she was spot on every time. Finally more confident in her informal study, she began matchmaking friends and frequent customers based on their drink orders. Each time the couples were ecstatic. When word gets out, more and more people want to be matched by the "Espressologist." With all her matches, Jane was happy to see she'd help couples find happiness, but what about her happiness? What about her match?

I really enjoyed this book for the style. Matchmaking is not generally a genre I'd venture into, but I thought it sounded good for a quick summer read. I was certainly right. This is a great book for a quick summer read, but don't expect it to be well researched, perfectly written, or surprising. I'd say I have very few complaints about this book. I think Ms. Kristina Springer wrote an interesting new take on the YA romance scene. Wonderful debut novel.

But with all the good I have to say, one major thing brought the entire rating down. The Ending. I felt that the book ended suddenly, as if Springer simply tired of her story or her characters and wrote a quick easy ending without thinking it entirely through. I also felt that the ending was extremely unrealistic. Not so much in what ended, but in how Jane and other characters acted in the end. I understand this is fiction, but it's a realistic fiction about teenagers with teen drama that suddenly drops. I was very disappointed. Before I reached the final few chapters, I thought this book would be a 4 duck book, but the ending got me. There were also problems with the writing and phrasing, especially one character's use of British slang (incorrectly, might I add).

Over all, I thought it was a decent summer read and good for something light and frilly, or should I say frothy. If you're looking for something a bit romantic, very light, and very quick, you should think about checking this one out.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: An Adult Book Review

So, a long time ago, many weeks ago, I got an audio book from the library, one which I expected to be great. Why did I expect it to be great? Because the movie the book inspired was fantastic, one of my favorites, in fact. What book was this? Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy!

 

Like I said, I expected this book to be amazing. I was sadly disappointed. Perhaps it was the fact that I was listening to a man read the book, but I was not impressed. It wasn't bad, but it certainly isn't something I would make a point to read again. I will say, though, this book is entirely out of my normal reading style and may be a wonderful sci-fi comedy, I haven't read any others so I would not know.

This book is, as I said, a Sci-Fi comedy about a man named Arthur. This man is entirely ordinary and unimportant. He lives a normal life, that is, until some men decide to destroy his house to build a by-pass, oh, and some aliens decide to destroy his planets to do the same. His friend, Ford, is from a small planet and had recieved news of the planet's impending doom. Ford, being the good man he is, chooses to save his confused best friend and they hop onto an enemy ship, only to be tossed out into the horrors of space, and picked up by another, less diabolical ship. On this ship, the earthling meets a man, and remeets a woman, with whom he travels the universe and learns much. 

 So much more happens in the book, but that's a simplistic explination.

In truth, the idea of the story and the execution are fantastic. I love the story, the characters, the quirky feel, but the audiobook was not overly pleasant. I believe that the style of the book and the story in general lend themselves more to a visual representation, rather than textual or audio. I really think the movie is much better than the book, which I have never said before. Again, I admit this is certainly not my area of expertise. If you find that sci-fi is your style, or comedy, or especially, sci-fi comedys, then you may love this book, I personally only barely enjoyed it because it reminded me of one of my favorite movies.

Have you read this book? What did you think of it? What about the movie?

The Princess Diaries: A Book Review

Surely, we've all seen the two Disney Princess Diaries movies starring Anne Hathaway, yes? I love these movies, and pretty much anything starring Anne Hathaway, so at my best friend's insisting, I decided to read the first book in the series by Meg Cabot. Man, was I in for a surprise? My best friend had told me that the movies and books were different, but I hadn't foreseen another Ella Enchanted (yes, another Anne Hathaway movie) style adaption, that is to say that the books and movies happen to have the same name and a few similarities.
As much as I love the movies, I also loved this book.

As always, I'll begin with a kind of "who-would-love-this" section. This book is really, obviously, aimed for the teenage, female population, as most of Meg Cabot's YA books are. Honestly, I think anyone who likes the books about the life of off-beat girls would enjoy this one. I would, personally, classify this as a YA Chick-Lit book. Despite the fact that I mostly dislike Chick-Lit, I love YA and really enjoyed this book. I really like the character of Tina (removed from the movie) and I hope to see much more of her throughout the rest of the series. I also really liked Grandmere, even though she's kinda horrible. One character I really dislike, not as a character but as a person, is Lily. I kind of like that the character exists, but I dislike her as a person.

If you didn't already know this, Meg Cabot's The Princess Diaries is a book about a young girl named Mia. It is her diary as she goes through her life of mediocrity. She goes to a private school in New York (Not San Francisco), has a cat names Louis, a best friend named Lily, and a mom who is dating her teacher. She also has a dad who is a diplomat in a small principality called Genovia. Here's the kicker, not too far into the book Mia's dad find out that he will have no more children and he now has to tell Mia she will inherit the throne of Genova, because by diplomat he means Prince. The rest of the book follows Mia's understanding and experiences as she discovers her heritage, the world discovers her secret, friends betray her, and her Grandmere tortures her with "Princess Lessons."

As I said before, I really enjoyed this book. I liked coming into it having seen the movie and knowing the story, then having everything I thought I knew turned on its head. I like Mia's outlook on things and her writing is certainly, I think, true to a 15 year old's journal. I really enjoyed reading it and thinking back to being 15, thought I'm not a princess, and remembering the horrors of being 15 and imaging placing being a princess on top of that! I also really liked how she reacted to the news in the book verses in the movie. It's hard to explain without spoiling the differences, but if you've read it, you know what I'm talking about.

Have you read The Princess Diaries? Did you enjoy it? What did you think of the movie?

Beauty Queens: A Video Book Review

This is a review of the book Beauty Queen by Libba Bray. I hope to write one in text as well, but, for now, this is all there is. Please enjoy and subscribe!

The Dream-Hunter: An Adult Book Review

"What mattered most was the present, and that was what he focused on. Always."
        - Sherrilyn Kenyon - The Dream-Hunter



"Feel? Why would anyone in their right mind wish for that? Feelings are for fools."

        - Sherrilyn Kenyon - The Dream-Hunter

"Geary had never been aroused, amused, and highly offended all at the same time before."

        - Sherrilyn Kenyon - The Dream-Hunter

"The key to humanity is simple. Life your life with purpose."

        - Sherrilyn Kenyon - The Dream-Hunter

For my first Adult Romance in a while, this book was absolutely perfect! I really enjoyed it. Sherrilyn Kenyon is one of my favorite romance authors, and she's wrten a YA! Excitement abounds! I really like the new myths she's added into the mythology of Ancient Greece.

Summary: Arik is a Skotos, cursed by the gods to have no emotion and to feed off the emotions in the dreams of human. He has spent his life drifting from dream to dream looking for the emotions to make him feel alive.

Meageara hated her father's hunt as a child, but when he's on his death bed, she swears she'll carry on the quest and clear his name. A hollow promise then has become her life's purpose. She searches for Atlantis, keeping a stern, strong air in the patriarchal society of academia.

In her dreams, Geary can let go. She can be herself in all her fears, doubts, happiness, and sexuality. A man takes the place of her sexual fantasy. But only in her dreams, until Geary finds him floating in the sea near her research vessel. A man stepped straight for her dreams with a promise to make her lifes work come true.

Will Geary let go and trust her dream lover? Does he deserve to be trusted?

Characters: I really love the characters. Arik is so beautiful and has an almost childish ignorance about the human world, but dry humor doen't escape him. The otehr Skotos I adore is Solin. He's cold and amazingly sweet and humorous. Meageara is a good, likeable character. She's a strong woman, which by now I'm sure you know I love. She doesn't just fall into Arik's arms (or bed) the moment he arrives and promises to make her dreams come true (erotic and otherwise). My favrite characters are Kat and Persephone. Kat is a major part of the story but you'll have to read it to see why I like her. Persephone is actually only a very small part towards the end, but I find her adorable! She is understanding and a good balancing act for the "cold" god Hades.

Plot: I really liked the plot. There isn't a lot of sexual scenes, but the few are done well and tastefully. I like that there aren't many sex scenes. Through out the book, especially when seeing Arik's point of view, about erotic ideas and thoughts, but it doesn't take away from the plot. There is a lot of action that I really enjoyed. My favorite thing about this book is that the book isn't about sex, it's about Meageara, Arik, Gods, Goddesses, Atlantis, a quest, and consequences.

Recommendation: I would say that I  suggest this one to anyone who likes Adult paranormal romances. This certainly isn't one I'd suggest for anyone under 17, at the youngest. Like I said, don't expect a lot of erotic scenes, expect some, but expects a lot of action and dry humor.

The Alchemyst: A Book Review

“At the heart of every legend there is a grain of truth.”
― Michael Scott, The Alchemyst

"Nothing is as it seems. You must learn to question everything.
― Michael Scott, The Alchemyst



Opening words: The first thing I have to say is that this book is fantastic, in every sense of the word! Mr. Scott obviously spent a large amount of time on this. His use of mythology is amazing and the "truths" he creates are wonderful. He does an excellent job at creating his world and his history within our own.

Summary: When twins Josh and Sophie move to San Francisco for the summer, they think getting jobs to buy a car is a great idea. Little did they know that their jobs would lead them into a world they'd always known to be fiction.
Nicholas Flamel died in the 1400s. Nick Fleming owns the book shop at which Josh works. When a man storms in and magic begins, Josh is caught in the middle. Sophie runs to help her brother and ends up learning more than she wanted to know about the store owners, Nick and Perry Fleming.
From that moment on, the twins are wound tight into a story of magic, immortals, and prophecy.

Opinions: Absolutely fantastic. Scott pulls in mythology from all over the world to create a web both complex and easy to follow. He creates characters with good and bad sides, selfless and selfish motives. He creates a world within our own that the reader can almost imagine is real.
My personal favorite character is Perenelle Flamel, Nicholas's wife. We see little of her in comparison to the other characters, but in that little bit you glimpse so many strong emotions and so much strong will that it's hard for me not to adore her.
I also love Scatty, a Warrior. She's spunky and makes even the tensest of moments easy to read.
Nicholas is a well developed character, while still keeping the bit of mystery that teaches you to love him but you're never sure if you fully trust him.
Dee makes a wonderful villain.
Sophie and Josh make the story. They are the center point of the story. Since they are two 15 year old kids, never having stepped into the world they're pulled into, the stories, the histories, etc. are all told to the reader naturally by their explanation to Sophie and Josh. They're also very different, which makes the story all the more interesting.
I really like that it is NOT a love story. Most YA books now, even in the face of apocalypse,are coated with a thick layer of love drama. Though you do see a bit of Nicholas and Perenelle's love, it's not a major part, but makes both characters very likeable.

Recommendation: I would certainly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy tales. Alchemy is, obviously, a major part of this story, as is magic. It is a YA fiction, but it's not one that reads slowly or like a story told to children. I highly suggest it.