Fame by Karen Kingsbury

The first novel in Karen Kingsbury's Firstborn series stars two world-class actors. After his shocking discovery in Kingsbury's Redemption series, Dayne Matthews returns to Hollywood. Meanwhile, young thespian Katy Hart receives the opportunity of a lifetime: a lead part opposite Dayne in a major motion picture.

  

Karen Kingsbury is really good at what she does, which is cheesy Christian fiction with a little bit of romance thrown in. It's very "sweet", and at times a little too much. I'm sure there are people out there like these characters, but I don't know any.

But the writing flows smoothly, and is a style that is easy to read. I liked the book, and was left wanting to read the next in the series at the end. I would definitely read the Redemption series before this one, though, because this book constantly refers to things that happened there, and I think you'd feel a little lost and wouldn't be able to connect with or care about most of the characters.

 Book Details

Title: Fame (Firstborn Series-Baxter 2, Book 1)

Author: Karen Kingsbury

Genre: Christian Fiction

Page Count: 354

Publishing Info: May 2005 by Tyndale

Why I Read It: trying to clear off my shelves

Grade: B- (liked it, a little annoyed by the cheese-factor)

Cover Thoughts: My cover was different than the one shown above.  The one above is okay, but on my copy the "man" looked like a sixteen year old boy instead of a Hollywood actor who is in his 30's.  It was silly.

In the Garden of Iden

This is the first novel in what has become one of the most popular series in contemporary SF, now back in print from Tor. In the 24th century, the Company preserves works of art and extinct forms of life (for profit of course). It recruits orphans from the past, renders them all but immortal, and trains them to serve the Company, Dr. Zeus. One of these is Mendoza the botanist. She is sent to Elizabethan England to collect samples from the garden of Sir Walter Iden.
But while there, she meets Nicholas Harpole, with whom she falls in love. And that love sounds great bells of change that will echo down the centuries, and through the succeeding novels of The Company.

This book has been on my TBR list for quite some time, so I'm glad I finally got around to reading it. The writing was in a very easy to read style, and I got through it pretty quickly.

I loved the time travel idea, and I think I was hoping for a little more of it. Instead, we got one time travel to gloomy England, and there we stayed. And then it turned mostly into a love story with a typical obsessed heroine. There was more romance than science fiction in this story, it seemed.

With that said, I still liked the book, for the most part. There were definitely some interesting ideas here, and I'm quite looking forward to reading more in the series, especially if it gets better, as I've heard. I think this book could be read and enjoyed by fans of any genre. It seems to be pretty light on the science, and the writing style flows pretty nicely, except I felt that it started to fall apart a little bit near the end.  

Book Details

Title: In the Garden of Iden (Company)

Author: Kage Baker

Genre: science fiction

Page Count: 329

Publishing Info: December 2005 by Tor

Why I Read It: Beyond Reality group read

Grade: B- (good, but could've been better)

Cover Thoughts: I'm not in love with the cover, especially since it looks like some woman is driving a spaceship, and that doesn't really go along with the story at all.

Review: Contra Alliance: Shadows of the Past

The year is 2035. America's preeminence has withered. Global warming, scarce resources, and conflict have pushed the world to its breaking point. Throughout the increasing turmoil, a rogue group called The Revolution has risen to prominence seeking domination over humanity.
Shadows of the Past explores the adventures of a NATO Counter-Revolutionary (CONTRA) Strike Force as it battles against the mysterious organization. Elite Special Forces operators use advanced military technology to hunt The Revolution, finding its feared wickedness is worse than imagined. When secrets of the enemy's origin threaten accepted reality, dangers intensify.
Disturbing evidence exposed by CONTRA uncovers stunning truths about the galaxies. A covert faction of extraordinary messengers race to save Earth. Legends of the past and visions of the future collide when a long-dormant evil resurfaces to challenge the most powerful space alliance in the universe. The course of human history irrevocably alters, setting the world on an unforeseen path.

The first third of this book was a little hard to get into. There was quite a bit of infodumping and very little of the actual story. It made things hard to read and I think definitely could have been done more smoothly. The story takes place in the future, and it seems we were given every detail about what had previously gone on, the state of things now, etc. And then we got background details on just about every character. It began to get tedious.

Once I got past 100 pages or so, we got into the real meat of the story and it moved at a nice pace. There were still times when I was taken out of the story when the author stopped telling the story to give us more information. I did enjoy the story, but I think I could have liked it a whole lot better if not for that.

There were a lot of characters and I did get them confused at times, especially because they all had code names like Xxplosive, Justice, Rapidfire, Breakdown, and a lot more. And the bad guys had code names too (or their names were just weird like that), so when the story switched to the bad guy POV, it always took me a minute to realize.

I really think fans of military science fiction would like this one. It's not my usual genre, which may be why I struggled a bit with it. The book seems to be a very well thought out, well planned start to a series, and even though this book includes quite a lot of setup, I still liked it, and will continue on with the series. I'm quite interested to see what happens next. 

Book Details

Title: Contra Alliance: Shadows of the Past (The Contra Alliance Trilogy, Book One)

Author: Tom Kolega

Genre: Military Science Fiction

Page Count: 365

Publishing Info: January 2010

Why I Read It: review copy from author

Grade: B- (good, but with a few flaws)

Cover Thoughts: The cover is pretty cool.  It almost reminds me of X-Men, especially with the Professor X looking guy on the right.

Review: Celebrity Space

Set in the not too distant future, a worker hopes that his new job at the spaceport will allow him to get his life back on track. While taking passengers to the space hotel "Moonwalk", a collision with an unknown object brings his dreams... and possibly his life... to a screeching halt.

  It's hard to really rate or review this story, as it is only 13 pages. I've read short stories before, but nothing as short as this. Because of the length, there are very, very few details about how things look or who the characters are or anything.

But, I did like the authors style, and the idea for the story was interesting enough. I'd like to read a full book by this author, as this just seemed like the first chapter to a book, with a very abrupt ending.

If you're into short stories and are looking for something really quick to read, check this one out.  The author definitely has talent.

 

Book Details

Title: Celebrity Space (Space Hotel Series)

Author: Alain Gomez

Genre: Science fiction short story

Page Count: 13

Publishing Info: December 2010, self-published

Why I Read It: author inquiry, received in e-book form for review

Grade: B-

Cover Thoughts: There's not a whole lot to this cover, but then, for a short story it works okay.

Review: 47 Echo

Book Details

Title:
47 Echo

Author: 
Shawn Kupfer

Genre:
Military SF

Page Count:
236

Publishing Info: 
January 17, 2011 from Carina Press

Why I Read It:
netgalley review copy

Grade: 
B- (promising, but could've been better)

Cover Thoughts:
I really love this cover--from the buildings in the background, to the silhouettes of the soldiers, it's just perfect for the story.

My Review

In a futuristic society, Nick Morrow is a convict who is assigned to 47 Echo, a suicide squad in war-torn Russia.  47 Echo has only the hardest criminals, and from the start you get the sense that Nick doesn't really belong.  He's smart and has a great analytical mind, but he's half Chinese, and in a world where China attacked the U.S., that doesn't do him any favors.  This one grabbed me right from the start.

Nick is a great character, and was definitely one that I could really root for.  There were so many other soldiers coming in and out of the story so that, besides one or two others, I couldn't even remember who was who.  That made it a little harder to care about what happened to some of the characters.  Someone could die, and since I had no idea really who they were, it didn't really phase me.  It was just a character name.

47 Echo is set in a future world that is at war, and is classified as science fiction, but I didn't really see a whole lot in the way of sci-fi.  Sure, it takes place in the future, which I guess already takes it out of the realm of regular fiction, but for the most part it just felt like military fiction with a few things that I didn't recognize, like the vehicles.  The story is so straightforward and to the point that you really don't get many details on how things look or what the world is really like.

This one started off so good, but I was a little disappointed as I continued reading and found the writing lacked depth.  It was great as a quick, entertaining read, but I kept wondering when I was going to get to the meat of the story.  Where were the intricacies, the surprises, the plot twists . . . anything?  I couldn't really get a feel for what the story was supposed to even be about besides a group of soldiers.  And that's when I realized that was the story.  It's like the mindless action movies you watch when you don't want to have to think and you just want to see stuff blowing up.  

In fact, as I was reading, I kept thinking this would make a great action movie.  Maybe the author should look into writing movie scripts.  There is quite a bit of language in this one, and violence, of course.  And if the word "smirk" bothers you, steer clear of this one because the author uses it constantly.  All in all, I would probably read another book by this author, and would recommend it to someone who was looking for a quick action-style read.

The Scorch Trials

Book Details:
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Page Count: 360
Publication Date:  Oct. 12, 2010
Why I read it: 2nd in series
Grade: B-

The Plot:
Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.
In the Maze, life was easy. They had food, and shelter, and safety . . . until Teresa triggered the end. In the world outside the Maze, however, the end was triggered long ago.
Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, the earth is a wasteland. Government has disintegrated—and with it, order—and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim . . . and meal.
The Gladers are far from finished with running. Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.

My Review:
I remember being really frustrated with the lack of information we were given in The Maze Runner.  The Scorch Trials was, if possible, even more frustrating.  I'm getting awfully tired of every single thing being so mysterious, especially after two full books.  I feel like we should have some answers by now.

This is an action packed story with one thing after another after another happening.  There is hardly time to catch your breath.  At times it's almost too much.  But at the same time, and I know this is contradictory, so much of the action happened off page.  Thomas gets separated from his friends, and with how hard and terrible everything is supposed to be, we're left wondering if he'll ever see them again.  But of course, time after time, they make it through and there they are!

There were many times in the book I wanted a point of view from someone other than Thomas.  I don't really even like the guy!  I'm not saying his situation was easy, but he just seemed incredibly stupid--like if you hear a noise, and there's bad guys all around, hey, let's go check it out.  In fact, the lack of likable characters or character development in general was another bad point in the book for me.

But then I am interested in seeing what happens.  James Dashner definitely kept me turning pages, and I had a hard time putting the book down, so that's got to count for something.  I will read the next in the series, but I better get some answers, darn it!

Allegra Fairweather

Book Details:
Genre: Paranormal
Page Count: 209
Publication Date: May 26, 2010
Why I read it: netgalley review copy
Grade: B-

The plot:
Allegra Fairweather here. Paranormal investigator. Got problems with specters? Shapeshifters? I'm the woman to call. Just don't call me a Ghostbuster. The last guy who did that ended up flat on his back with my boot at his throat.
With my 99.5% success rate, solving the mystery of a bleeding rose that has sprung up on the shores of Loch Furness should have been an easy gig. But already I've heard the shriek of the local banshee, discovered two bodies (and then lost two bodies), and had a near-death encounter with a three-hundred-year-old ghost. And perhaps most dangerous of all, the hot pub owner who hired me now wants to show me exactly what's under his kilt.
Luckily, I'm ably assisted by my very own guardian angel. I'm grateful for his help-but he's also drop-dead gorgeous. A bit distracting when I've got a mystery to solve, and the clock is ticking...My review:
Let me tell you right up front that I think this book is only available in e-book edition. I enjoyed this one, but it was really nothing more than a fun, easy read; a good way to pass a couple of afternoons. What I liked best, I think was the setting. I would love to travel to Scotland. Forget the handsome men in kilts, I'm jealous of Allegra just for the scenery. And it was very much a part of the story, so that's good.

Allegra is a fun character, even though she seemed to have a bit of a hard time figuring anything out. If she really does have a 99.5% success rate, I don't know how she did it. She kind of bumbles around and figures things out only with luck. But still, she's fairly tough (although it does help that she has a guardian angel to get her out of all kinds of scrapes), and definitely likable.

There was a little bit of romance here, but not too much. It didn't overshadow the story, at least. It seems that this is the start of a series. Book two is already written and has been acquired by the publisher. So that's good news for those who liked this first one, but I'm afraid of the direction it'll take. I didn't think her romantic interest in her guardian angel was all that great, but I think it'll become more and more the focus. We'll see, it could be done well. I would recommend this to fans of paranormal romance, especially if you're not as interested in the romance. If you're looking for a hot and heavy bodice-ripper type novel, this isn't it.

Nightshade

Title: Nightshade
Author: Andrea Cremer
Genre: YA fantasy/paranormal
Page Count: 464
Why I read it: ARC Tour
Grade: B-
Publication Date: Oct. 19, 2010

Synopsis:
While other teenage girls daydream about boys, Calla Tor imagines ripping out her enemies’ throats. And she wouldn’t have it any other way. Calla was born a warrior and on her eighteenth-birthday she’ll become the alpha female of the next generation of Guardian wolves. But Calla’s predestined path veers off course the moment she saves the life of a wayward hiker, a boy her own age. This human boy’s secret will turn the young pack's world upside down and forever alter the outcome of the centuries-old Witches' War that surrounds them all.

My review:
I really liked the writing here. The flow was good, and it was never slow. Unfortunately, this book falls victim to the love triangle of death that has been killing my enjoyment of most YA novels lately. I don't mind a little romance in my books. In fact, I prefer it. But I'm talking about a little romance. And I'm sick to death of love triangles. To me, it shows a definite lack of imagination and creativity on the part of the author. I imagine it's a lot easier to write a book when you can devote at least half of it to the internal angst of the main character who must choose between two hot guys who are in love with her. "I want him to kiss me . . . now he's kissing me . . . I like this . . . this can't happen! . . . stop kissing me . . . oh no, maybe he's mad at me and will avoid me . . . oh, there he is again . . . I want him to kiss me . . ." This seemed to be a major theme throughout.

Plus, it seems that if there is a love triangle, I inevitably like the wrong guy. The one that is never chosen, which is really frustrating! Okay, now that I've got my major reading pet peeve off my chest, I'll get back to the story. It's good. I thought a lot of it was very original. I felt like there was just enough information given at just the right times that the suspense was kept up without me feeling completely lost. That is, until I got to the end, and realized that I really knew nothing, and had no idea what was going on. There is a cliffhanger ending, so bad that it's almost like the book ended mid-paragraph. I don't care for endings like that, where the reader is forced to read the second book. I've said it before, but if you make your first book good enough, readers will read the second book without you having to leave them hanging quite so much.

If it weren't for her inability to just choose a man and stick with him, I would have really liked Calla. She is strong, mostly independent, and interesting. The love triangle just ruined her for me, though, and I had a hard time liking her in that context. Also, I just never connected to Shay (the human boy she saves) as a character. I didn't find him attractive at all, I actually found him kind of annoying, and he is such a central character.

So, if it sounds like I hated this book, I really didn't. I thought the writing was wonderful, and therefore was even more disappointed than I would usually be over the stupid plot devices. The author has so much potential. I will definitely be reading the next in the series, but I'm prepared to be disappointed some more. I would recommend this one to YA fantasy fans, but if you hate love triangles as much as I do, beware--it's one of the main themes of the book.

The Secret of Ka

Title: The Secret of Ka
Author: Christopher Pike
Genre: YA Fantasy
Page Count: 416
Why I read it: Netgalley review copy
Grade: B-
Publication Date: September 13, 2010

Synopsis:
One minute Sara's bored on vacation in Istanbul. The next, she's unearthed a flying carpet that cleverly drags her to the mysterious Island of the Djinn—or genies. By her side is Amesh, a hot boy she's starting to love but doesn't yet trust. When Amesh learns the secret of invoking djinn, he loses control. He swears he'll call upon only one djinn and make one wish. The plan sounds safe enough. But neither Sara nor Amesh are any match for the formidable monster that that swells before them. It hypnotizes Amesh, compelling him to steal Sara’s flying carpet—the ancient Carpet of Ka—and leave her stranded.

Discovering the Carpet of Ka has sparked a new path for Sara, one that will lead her to battle creatures even deadlier than djinn. In this fight, Sara can save mankind, herself, or the boy she loves. Who will she be forced to sacrifice?

My review:
So, I spent a good portion of my teenage years reading Christopher Pike. Probably, at the time, he was my favorite author. I haven't gone back to read any of the same books to see how they stood the test of time. I suspect the writing quality is about the same now as it was then. Easy, entertaining reading that will appeal to teens.

The story here was different than most of the other YA fantasy that's on the market right now. There wasn't a love triangle in sight, thank goodness. The problem was that I found the romance completely unbelievable, and almost annoying at times. It was possibly because I found Amesh to be an entirely unlikable character, with almost no redeeming qualities. He is selfish, rude, jealous . . . and that's before he is badly influenced by a djinn. I just can't understand how or why Sara falls in love with him, except that she thinks he's attractive, which is so annoyingly shallow I just can't get behind a romance like that.

Sara was an interesting character--definitely not my favorite, and not one that I would want to be friends with in real life, but she's a fairly strong female character, which is nice because that can be so rare in YA these days. This wasn't the best written story, but it was entertaining enough that I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened, and the end, which I assume was the set-up for another book, was pretty intense and enough to make me pick up the next one. It was a bit too abrupt and cliff-hangery for me, but that's the norm--it's rare to find a standalone novel anymore.

I would recommend this to fans of YA fantasy. Just don't go in with your expectations too high. Now I want to go back and re-read some of my old teen book loves by Pike, and see how they compare.

Unwind

Title: Unwind
Author: Neal Shusterman
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Page Count: 335
Why I read it: sounded interesting
Grade: B-

Synopsis:
In a society where unwanted teens are salvaged for their body parts, three runaways fight the system that would "unwind" them.
Connor's parents want to be rid of him because he's a troublemaker. Risa has no parents and is being unwound to cut orphanage costs. Lev's unwinding has been planned since his birth, as part of his family's strict religion. Brought together by chance, and kept together by desperation, these three unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey, knowing their lives hang in the balance. If they can survive until their eighteenth birthday, they can't be harmed -- but when every piece of them, from their hands to their hearts, are wanted by a world gone mad, eighteen seems far, far away.

My review:
Unwind has an interesting, if unbelievable, premise, and was good enough to keep me reading for an entire afternoon until I finished it. There were parts that I could actually see happening. I could see this country coming to another Civil War (or the equivalent) because there is so much hatred on both sides of the two party system. What was not believable was the "Bill of Life", which was what the entire story was based on, that wouldn't have been acceptable by either the pro-life or the pro-choice sides.

But, if you can ignore that, the story is fast-paced with lots of varied characters. It was told from rotating points of view between characters, with third person narration. That way I never got tired of a certain character, which was nice.

I think this would be a great book for a book group, because there are lots of discussion possibilities here. Lots of moral questions raised--it would make for a great discussion.

Heist Society

Title: Heist Society
Author: Ally Carter
Genre: YA Adventure
Page Count: 287
Why I read it: looked fun
Grade: B-

Synopsis:
When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre...to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria...to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own--scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving "the life" for a normal life proves harder than she'd expected.
Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring her back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has good reason: a powerful mobster has been robbed of his priceless art collection and wants to retrieve it. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat's father isn't just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat's dad needs her help.
For Kat there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it's a spectacularly impossible job? She's got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in history-or at least her family's (very crooked) history. 

My review:
This was a fun story that kept me reading. The only thing I didn't really care for was that I was annoyed when the author would say "the boy and the girl stood there" instead of just saying their names. I get why she was doing it, it just bugged me. Oh, also too many loose ends at the end of the book.

But still, it was a quick easy read, which was perfect for me right now. I'm having trouble concentrating on anything too involved. The characters were fun, even though I ...more This was a fun story that kept me reading. The only thing I didn't really care for was that I was annoyed when the author would say "the boy and the girl stood there" instead of just saying their names. I get why she was doing it, it just bugged me. Oh, also too many loose ends at the end of the book.

But still, it was a quick easy read, which was perfect for me right now. I'm having trouble concentrating on anything too involved. The characters were fun, even though I think the characterization was a bit shallow.  There were also times when I didn't understand exactly why a character did what they did--their motivations didn't quite make sense.

I would recommend this to fans of YA, or for someone looking for a fun adventure read.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox

Title: The Adoration of Jenna Fox
Author: Mary E. Pearson
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Page Count: 265
Why I read it: sounded good
Grade: B-

Synopsis:
Seventeen-year-old Jenna has been told that is her name. She has just awoken from a year-long coma, and she's still recovering from the terrible accident that caused it. Her parents show her home movies of her life, her memories, but she has no recollection. Is she really the same girl she sees on the screen?
Little by little, Jenna begins to remember. Along with the memories come questions—questions no one wants to answer for her. What really happened after the accident?  

My review:
This book had a fairly predictable plot.  I don't think I was really surprised once while reading it, and I know I was supposed to be.  Still, the writing was pretty good, and I liked it enough that I wasn't bothered by the predictability.

The characters were okay, but we really only get to know Jenna in this novel, and the other characters are not fleshed out at all.  It's just a journey of self-discovery for Jenna, and that's pretty much it.  She does have interactions with other characters, but even those seemed to be interactions to help us understand who Jenna is, and not who anybody else is.

I'd recommend this for a quick read, especially if you like YA books.  This book was eerily similar to Skinned by Robin Wasserman--so many plot points were the same, except the stories seemed to go in totally different directions.

The Woman Who Rides Like a Man

Title: The woman Who Rides Like a Man
Author: Tamora Pierce
Genre: YA Fantasy
Page Count: 284
Why I read it: third in a series
Grade: B-

Synopsis:
Newly knighted, Alanna of Trebond seeks adventure in the vast desert of Tortall. Captured by fierce desert dwellers, she is forced to prove herself in a duel to the death -- either she will be killed or she will be inducted into the tribe. Although she triumphs, dire challenges lie ahead. As her mythic fate would have it, Alanna soon becomes the tribe's first female shaman -- despite the desert dwellers' grave fear of the foreign woman warrior. Alanna must fight to change the ancient tribal customs of the desert tribes -- for their sake and for the sake of all Tortall.

My review:
This one started off a little slow, and I was afraid that the series was going to start going downhill or something. I think it's just that I really love court intrigue, and since she was out in the desert in this one, it was a little different.

It picked up, though, and I got sucked in once again in Alanna's adventures. She's such a strong character, and I really love the feminism in this book. Not just because it says that a woman can be what she wants to be, but also because here, in book three, Alanna learns how to do some traditional women's tasks (like weaving) from the desert women that she didn't previously know how to do. And she's learning because she wants to. I love that feminism here doesn't mean "try to do everything just like a man", but that the message is more to do what you want to do, and what feels right to you.

I'm really looking forward to book number four, but I'll be sad to leave Alanna when it's all over. It's a great series.
 

The River Kings' Road

Title: The River Kings' Road
Author: Liane Merciel
Genre: Fantasy
Page Count: 385
Why I read it: received review copy
Grade: B-

Synopsis:
A fragile period of peace between the eternally warring kingdoms of Oakharn and Langmyr is shattered when a surprise massacre fueled by bloodmagic ravages the Langmyrne border village of Willowfield, killing its inhabitants—including a visiting Oakharne lord and his family—and leaving behind a scene so grisly that even the carrion eaters avoid its desecrated earth. But the dead lord’s infant heir has survived the carnage—a discovery that entwines the destinies of Brys Tarnell, a mercenary who rescues the helpless and ailing babe, and who enlists a Langmyr peasant, a young mother herself, to nourish and nurture the child of her enemies as they travel a dark, perilous road . . . Odosse, the peasant woman whose only weapons are wit, courage, and her fierce maternal love—and who risks everything she holds dear to protect her new charge . . . Sir Kelland, a divinely blessed Knight of the Sun, called upon to unmask the architects behind the slaughter and avert war between ancestral enemies . . . Bitharn, Kelland’s companion on his journey, who conceals her lifelong love for the Knight behind her flawless archery skills—and whose feelings may ultimately be Kelland’s undoing . . . and Leferic, an Oakharne Lord’s bitter youngest son, whose dark ambitions fuel the most horrific acts of violence. As one infant’s life hangs in the balance, so too does the fate of thousands, while deep in the forest, a Maimed Witch practices an evil bloodmagic that could doom them all...


My review:
This book started off really strong, and I was hooked pretty quickly.  Unfortunately, it didn't stay quite as strong throughout.  The writing was good, and the story is definitely interesting.  At times I had a hard time figuring out the time period--exactly how much time had passed, a few days, weeks?

The baby they were carrying was really sick.  In fact, Odosse mentioned that she had seen a baby who looked similarly ill who had died within a few hours.  But it seems that this baby lives on for weeks in a weakened state near death.  I couldn't quite figure that out.  It's not a huge thing, but if I can't figure out how much time is passing it makes it harder for me to stay immersed in the story.

There were a lot of interesting characters, although some things could have been fleshed out a bit more.  The back story that was given in places wasn't quite enough to get a feel for what was going on and why.  It seems, at times, the author wanted to bring in too many different cultures and characters and so instead of being given a richly detailed world, a lot of what we were given was just surface stuff.

I really did like the writing, though, and will definitely read the next in the series.  The story didn't go at all where I thought it would; it went in a completely different direction, so I'd like to see where it goes from here.  I would recommend this to fans of fantasy, and will watch this author in the future.

Captain America: Road to Reborn

Title: Captain America: Road to Reborn
Author: Ed Brubaker
Genre: Graphic Novel
Page Count: 176
Why I read it: I like comics
Grade: B-

Synopsis:
Sharon Carter's dreams are forcing her to relive the death of Steve Rogers - and her time under the control of Dr. Faustus. But will these dreams also reveal hidden secrets about what she saw and did on the day Steve died Collects Captain America #49-50; #600-601.



My review:
Once again I find myself reading a Captain America where about half of the book isn't Steve Rogers as Captain America.  Luckily, some of it was told in flashbacks, so half of it was Steve Rogers.  I wish my library had a bigger selection of Captain America graphic novels, because this is all I seem to be able to find.  I would love to read the older ones.

As for "Road to Reborn", there were some parts that I really liked.  The artwork was awesome, some of the stories were great, but the problem I had was that it was really confusing.  It jumped all over the place, from person to person, and setting to setting.  It was a little hard to follow.  I wouldn't recommend this to graphic novel readers, unless you are big Captain America fans or love Marvel.  And I wouldn't recommend it at all to non-graphic novel readers.

The Language of Love and Respect

Title: The Language of Love & Respect
Author: Emerson Eggerichs
Genre: Christian Non-Fiction
Page Count: 368
Why I read it: Received review copy from Thomas Nelson publisher
Grade: B-

Synopsis:
Finally an answer for the number one problem in marriages—communication! This analysis of the vital principles of cross-gender communication helps couples recognize they speak two different languages. They are sending each other messages in "code" but won't be able to crack that code until they realize that she listens to hear the language of love and he listens for respect.

Most advice on this subject fails to understand that husbands and wives are wired very differently, and when those wires get crossed, the communication sparks can fly!


My review:
There seemed to be a whole lot of repetition in this book.  Men and women are different (blue and pink, in this book).  Men desire to be respected by their wives, and women desire to be loved by their husbands.  When one spouse isn't feeling the love or respect, the crazy cycle begins, and it goes round and round until one of them decides to stop it.  It's not good to live in the crazy cycle.  And even if your spouse doesn't show you love (or respect), it'll be best for all involved if you show respect (or love) anyway.

So, that was pretty much the message of the book.  Repeat as necessary for 368 pages.  But, it's a good message.  Really good.  I think if one or both spouses really followed what was in this book, they'd have a happy, content marriage.  So, while I felt that the book could have been shortened quite a bit, I think it was a good book, for the message.  I'd recommend this to Christian couples who might be having trouble in their marriage.

The Lies of Locke Lamora

Title: The Lies of Locke Lamora
Author: Scott Lynch
Genre: Fantasy
Page Count: 499
Why I read it: "read before I die" challenge
Grade: B-

Synopsis:
An orphan's life is harsh—and often short—in the island city of Camorr, built on the ruins of a mysterious alien race. But born with a quick wit and a gift for thieving, Locke Lamora has dodged both death and slavery, only to fall into the hands of an eyeless priest known as Chains—a man who is neither blind nor a priest.
A con artist of extraordinary talent, Chains passes his skills on to his carefully selected "family" of orphans—a group known as the Gentlemen Bastards. Under his tutelage, Locke grows to lead the Bastards, delightedly pulling off one outrageous confidence game after another. Soon he is infamous as the Thorn of Camorr, and no wealthy noble is safe from his sting.
Passing themselves off as petty thieves, the brilliant Locke and his tightly knit band of light-fingered brothers have fooled even the criminal underworld's most feared ruler, Capa Barsavi. But there is someone in the shadows more powerful—and more ambitious—than Locke has yet imagined. 

My review:
I'm quite late to the party in reading this one, as it was published years ago, but it's been on my to-read list for so long that I finally put it on my list for the "Books to Read Before I Die" challenge.  I wanted to get to it, and having it on my challenge list made me do it.

I've struggled with my feelings about this book, to the point where I don't quite know how to grade it.  On the one hand, I really loved the plot.  It was original and complex.  And once I figured out that the timeline wasn't necessarily chronological, I stopped feeling quite so lost.  But the fact that I was lost for a bit, trying to figure it out lessened my enjoyment a little bit.  For nearly a whole chapter, I was trying to figure out if I, as a reader, had previously been tricked or if something else was going on.  Maybe that was the author's intention.  I don't know.

I also could have done without the endless descriptive details about every building, every bit of history, every single place the characters happened to be.  I don't mind some details.  It definitely adds to the story when you have them, but there are times when I really don't care, and I just want to get back to the meat of the story, so I end up skimming over paragraphs.

All in all, though, I did like Lies of Locke Lamora, and I will continue on with the series, even though I've heard the second isn't as good.  I really liked the plot and the humor in the first, and we'll see how the second turns out.  I would recommend this to fans of gritty fantasy (although there really is very little fantasy in this one), and to those who like a little intrigue in their stories.

The Maze Runner

Title: The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Page Count: 374
Why I read it: looked good
Grade: B-

Synopsis:
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. He has no recollection of his parents, his home, or how he got where he is. His memory is black. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade, a large expanse enclosed by stone walls.
Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning, for as long as they could remember, the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night, they’ve closed tight. Every thirty days a new boy is delivered in the lift. And no one wants to be stuck in the maze after dark.
The Gladers were expecting Thomas’s arrival. But the next day, a girl springs up—the first girl ever to arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. The Gladers have always been convinced that if they can solve the maze that surrounds the Glade, they might be able to find their way home . . . wherever that may be. But it’s looking more and more as if the maze is unsolvable.
And something about the girl’s arrival is starting to make Thomas feel different. Something is telling him that he just might have some answers—if he can only find a way to retrieve the dark secrets locked within his own mind.

My review:
When you have a book that's all about build up, you better deliver something really awesome at the end.  There has to be a pay-off, or all the unanswered questions and the feeling lost throughout the story isn't worth it.  James Dashner failed to deliver something really awesome.  At the end, I still really had no idea what was going on.  I don't care if it's the start of a series.  I hate it when authors try to force you to read the rest of their books.  Just write a good book, and readers will keep reading your books.  It's simple.

All that said, Dashner is a good writer.  The plot, if a bit frustrating, was very intriguing and different.  I kept turning pages, wanting to read more, so there were definitely good things about the book.  There was just so much build up, and when authors do that, I expect something really great at the end, but there was really just nothing.  My mind wasn't blown.

I would probably recommend this to YA readers.  Also, if you're looking to get your young adult son to read, this might be a good one.

REVIEW - It's All About Us

Title: It's All About Us
Author: Shelley Adina
Genre: Christian Young Adult
Grade: B-

From the back cover:
Lissa Mansfield is used to being in the "in crowd"--but being accepted by the popular girls at posh Spencer Academy boarding school in San Francisco is a lot harder than she thought.  And then there's her New York-loudmouth roommate, Gillian Chang, who's not happy just to b e a Christian herself--she's determined to out Lissa, too.  If Lissa can just keep her faith under wraps long enough to hook Callum McCloud, the hottest guy in school, she'll be golden.

But when Callum pressures her to go all the way with him, Lissa has to decide how far is too far.  How can she see that line when he's so gorgeous and popular and God seems so far away?  Between that and shopping for a knockout dress and booking the hottest celeb for the Benefactors' Day Ball . . . who knew finding a place at Spencer Academy would be so complicated.

My review:
This book was well written, but right off the bat I have to say I don't like the premise of the book.  The title is "it's all about us", and that seems to be the theme as well.  The characters even say "it's all about us, and God", as if God is an afterthought.  Maybe I'm being silly, but in my mind, it's all about God, not me, and that's the message I'd want my teen daughter to get.

Having got that out of the way, it was a well written book.  It kept my attention, for sure.  I found the main character highly unlikeable, but again, as mentioned in a previous review, it could be the first person narrative.  The other characters didn't really seem fleshed out, so it's hard to say much about them.  I will continue to read the series, and I'm hoping for a little bit of growth and change.  It looks like the following books are told from the point of view of different girls, so maybe that will help.  Honestly, I'm not sure if I would recommend this to young teens, but I guess I would recommend it to YA lovers.

REVIEW - Obsession, Deceit and Really Dark Chocolate

I finished Obsession, Deceit and Really Dark Chocolate by Kyra Davis last night, and while the writing was great, it was up to her usual goodness, I found myself having a really hard time enjoying the book. And the reason for that is because whoever wrote the cover blurb gave away things that didn't happen until 350 pages into the book. And this was a 390 page book. It took away a lot of what I felt should have been revelations and surprises.

I don't know, maybe we weren't supposed to be surprised by certain things, only the character was. Still, I think someone made a huge mistake (nod to Arrested Development there).

This was the third Sophie Katz novel, and since I can't even really remember anything that happened in the first two, it was kind of like reading a standalone book with references to previous things. In this one Sophie's friend enlists her help to try to seduce her husband, who she thinks is cheating on her. Well, it turns out her husband was not, and he ends up getting shot right after Sophie tries to seduce him at a bar. Now, I could go on to reveal everything the back cover does, and give away things, but I won't. I'll just say that chaos ensues as Sophie, with her ex-boyfriend Anatoly, tries to figure out who killed her friend's husband.

So this is your warning. If you pick up this book to read, don't read the back cover (or probably the blurb at Amazon or the like). Just go ahead and start the book. It was well written, and Kyra Davis hasn't let me down yet with her chick lit novels, so I would definitely recommend it, I just wish I hadn't been spoiled. I would rate it a 3.5/5, but it could have been higher.