Department 19

Jamie Carpenter's life will never be the same. His father is dead, his mother is missing, and he was just rescued by an enormous man named Frankenstein. Jamie is brought to Department 19, where he is pulled into a secret organization responsible for policing the supernatural, founded more than a century ago by Abraham Van Helsing and the other survivors of Dracula. Aided by Frankenstein's monster, a beautiful vampire girl with her own agenda, and the members of the agency, Jamie must attempt to save his mother from a terrifyingly powerful vampire.

This one had a bit of a slow start, and I didn't get pulled into the story right away. It did get better in parts, but I had to do some skimming or I was never going to be able to finish it. I often found myself not really wanting to read, which is definitely a sign that I'm not really liking a book, because normally I always want to read.

I was hoping for some good vampire YA fiction, but I didn't really get that here. I honestly think it was just about on the same level of writing as Twilight, but aimed at boys. There are going to be some people that just love this, but others, like me, who think it's subpar.

I got a little annoyed at the author writing "the teenager" when referring to the main character. It seemed to be almost on every page, and while it's not necessarily bad writing, I found it overused. But, as far as writing a teenage character, the author did quite well. Some YA authors write adult characters where the only thing that tells us the character is a teenager is their age. Will Hill didn't do that here. Jamie was definitely a teenager, including all the selfishness, rashness, and hot-headedness that you usually find with a teenage boy.

But he was also inconsistent. He went from being kind of a wimpy (at least that we saw) boy who got beat up to the best vampire fighter that Department 19 had ever had? Or at least, he did for a minute--he did better than men who had had years of training on a simulated test, better than anyone else ever had. And yet, he is still told to stay behind when they go on missions. He still is a bit meek (mostly) when the group is fighting. Either he's a natural when it comes to fighting and weaponry, or he's not. It can't be both ways.

For secondary characters, the addition of historical characters like Frankenstein, Van Helsing, etc., was fun but also seemed a bit lazy. The author took already established literary characters (although Frankenstein was the monster and not the scientist) and didn't really come up with anything new for them, which seems like cheating a little bit.

Overall I can't say I loved this one, but I think it'll appeal to males who are looking for a bloody, gory, action story.

Book Details

Title: Department 19

Author: Will Hill

Genre: YA Urban Fantasy

Page Count: 540

Publishing Info: March 2011 by Razorbill

Why I Read It: read good reviews

Grade: C-

Cover Thoughts: The cover looks pretty cool. My husband (a non-reader) commented and said it must be a good book. When I asked why he said it was because the cover was so awesome. Unfortunately, the story didn't live up to the cool cover.

Review: Green Eyed Demon

I was a little disappointed in this one.  I have to say, I thought the first book, Red-Headed Stepchild, was just okay.  But then The Mage in Black was a lot better.  This third book took a step way back in the wrong direction, and I think was probably the weakest of the series so far.

Sabina does seem to have grown as a character.  She's not so quick to get angry and want to do violence at every turn, but there was another character just like that to make up for it.  I'm just finding it really hard to like any of these characters.

Each of the books in the series has taken place in a different city.  This time we were in New Orleans, and the setting was very well-written.  I could really get a feel for the place, and I liked it better than any of the characters.  :)

Those who read the first two books in the series will most likely want to continue on with this one, and there's really no reason not to.  Although the series has been fairly uneven, I'm hoping that the next book will be better.  This is definitely not my favorite urban fantasy series, but it's interesting enough that I'll keep reading.

Book Details

Title: Green-Eyed Demon (Sabina Kane)

Author: Jaye Wells

Genre: urban fantasy

Page Count: 400

Publishing Info: February 22, 2011 by Little, Brown and Company

Why I Read It: netgalley review copy, third in a series

Grade: C- (not great, good enough to keep me with the series)

Cover Thoughts: I'm definitely not in love with this cover, although I think it goes well with the rest of the covers in the series.

Review: The Mysterious Lady Law

Book Details

Title:
The Mysterious Lady Law

Author: 
Robert Appleton

Genre:
Steampunk

Page Count:
108 on my reader

Publishing Info:
January 31, 2011 by Carina Press

Why I Read It:
review copy from Netgalley

Grade:
C- (not really my thing)

Cover Thoughts:
The cover is quite possibly the best thing about the book.  I've always been drawn to steampunk covers, and that's probably why I keep trying steampunk, despite my bad luck with it. 

My Review

After her sister is mysteriously murdered, Julia accepts an offer from Lady Law to solve the case.  Lady Law has successfully solved every case she takes on.  No one knows how she does it, and therefore a lot of people are very suspicious of her.

This book was so short that I really couldn't get a feel for any of the characters, which makes it hard to care what happens to them.  There was a bit of a romance between Julia and a constable named Al, but I wasn't really feeling that either.

The Mysterious Lady Law is a steampunk set in Victorian London.  There were a whole lot of things that were described that I couldn't quite picture, which may be usual in the steampunk genre, but I think this story just needed to be fleshed out more.

A Sample of the Writing:
By five o'clock the gas lighter was already making his rounds, lighting the streetlamps with surgical precision.  Steam-powered cranes billowed white clouds as they raised workmen to dismantle scaffolding from the new submarine factory.  Tired shopkeepers dragged their advertisement stands inside, paid the window cleaners and errand boys, and then set about tidying their storefronts.  Men with faces blackened by oil and coal lumbered home from the factories.  As dusk descended, London wound down for the day.

I think the fact that I didn't care for this book may be chalked up to the fact that steampunk isn't really a genre (or sub-genre) that I enjoy.  I like the idea of it much more than the delivery, for the most part.  Fans of steampunk may very well enjoy this one, but I do think it suffers quite a bit because of it's length.  It's more of a novella, so if you're looking for a fleshed out story, this isn't it.  Still, I think there's definitely an audience for this book, it's just not me.

Review: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

Book Details

Title: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (The Inheritance Trilogy)

Author: N.K. Jemisin

Genre: fantasy

Page Count: 412

Publishing Info: February 25th 2010 by Orbit

My Review

Why I read it: women of fantasy book club

The Plot: Yeine Darr is an outcast from the barbarian north. But when her mother dies under mysterious circumstances, she is summoned to the majestic city of Sky. There, to her shock, Yeine is named an heiress to the king. But the throne of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is not easily won, and Yeine is thrust into a vicious power struggle with cousins she never knew she had. As she fights for her life, she draws ever closer to the secrets of her mother's death and her family's bloody history.With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, Yeine will learn how perilous it can be when love and hate - and gods and mortals - are bound inseparably together.

The Characters: I felt like Yeine was kind of a weak character.  She didn't really seem to care about anything, and in turn, neither could I.  There was this odd sort of detachment that I felt all throughout the book, and I really think it was because of the first person narration, and the fact that Yeine seemed so blah and accepting of everything.  Some of the secondary characters were almost cartoonish in how one note they were--like her cousins who were fighting for the throne; there just wasn't any depth.  I did think some of the gods were interesting, but again, some were not fleshed out at all.

The Setting: This is another area that I couldn't really get a feel for.  There weren't many descriptions of Sky, and besides what I see on the front cover, I really can't picture the place at all.

A Sample of the Writing:

I am not as I once was.  They have done this to me, broken me open and torn out my heart.  I do not know who I am anymore.

I must try to remember.

My people tell stories of the night I was born.  They say my mother crossed her legs in the middle of labor and fought with all her strength not to release me into the world.  I was born anyhow, of course; nature cannot be denied.  Yet it does not surprise me that she tried. 

Who Should Read This? I think most fantasy fans will enjoy this, but there will be others like me who won't care for it.  It's a toss-up.

Final Thoughts: I really felt that the style of the writing wasn't very coherent, and while that may work for some people in building up suspense, it mostly just annoys me.  I know how popular this one is, and I wanted to like it more than I did, but if it wasn't such a quick read, I don't know if I could even have finished it.  That said, there are some interesting concepts here, and I would be willing to give the author another try in the future.

Grade: C-

Cover Thoughts: I find this cover very interesting, and I actually didn't even notice that there was a woman's face in the background until I looked more closely.

Review: Cryer's Cross

Book Details

Title: Cryer's Cross
Author: Lisa McMann
Genre: YA
Page Count: 240
Publishing Info: Simon Pulse, February 8, 2011

My Review
Why I read it: ARC Tour
The Plot: Cryer's Cross is a very small town, so when a teen girl disappears the town is shaken.  Who would do something like this in a town where everyone knows everyone else?  She is never found, and weeks later another teenager disappears.  This time it's main character Kendall's best friend.  Kendall starts finding new messages carved into the desk next to her, and when she touches the desk, she can hear voices.  Something weird is going on, and Kendall (who has OCD) fears she may be going crazy.  The story is told in third person present tense, which brings a sense of urgency to the story, but can also, at times, be annoying.  When the mystery was revealed at the end, I found it unbelievable and almost laughable.  I was hoping for a little bit more. 
The Characters: Kendall isn't bad as far as girl characters in YA books go.  She's not a silly, whiny girl who everyone seems to be in love with, so there is that.  That being said, of course there is a love interest, and he's not bad either, but you can see it coming a mile away.
The Setting: Cryer's Cross is an interesting little town, and it was really the only setting where this story could have worked.  It's a farming community with a tiny population.  So tiny that there is a one room high school with about 24 students total.  I found the setting interesting, and would actually have liked to read a different type of story set here.  Maybe one with less horror and more with a fun, small-town life feel.
Who Should Read This? Fans of the authors previous books will probably enjoy this, Although I didn't like it as well as Wake and Fade, it was miles better than the mess that was Gone. 
Final Thoughts: I really didn't love this one, and I wasn't sure what to expect because I feel like this author has gone downhill with her writing.  I was mostly underwhelmed, especially with how it ended, but it was a quick read, and interesting enough to keep me going, so not a total loss. 
Grade: C-
Cover Thoughts: The cover is pretty creepy, and fits the story well.

Review: Christmas Letters

Book Details

Title: Christmas Letters
Author: Debbie Macomber
Genre: holiday fiction
Page Count: 272
Publishing Info: Mira, October 1, 2006

My Review
Why I read it: book club pick
The Plot: Katherine (who is called K.O.) has a sister who has twin daughters.  This sister has read a parenting book called The Free Child, and has decided to implement it with her children.  It has turned her children into monsters.  So Katherine thinks the author of this book is an idiot, to put it bluntly.  But, the whole plot here is about how she meets and falls in love with this author.  The guy whose worldview is completely different from hers.  This isn't a small thing, either, but they just decide not to talk about his book or his ideas about children or anything.  Even though that's his job--it's what he does for a living.  I don't expect my holiday reads to be completely believable, but this one was pretty bad.
The Characters: First of all, what kind of a nickname is K.O.?  It's horrible and ugly, and I don't believe any woman would go by that name.  Besides that, Katherine is very unlikable.  I found her obnoxious and at times a little stupid.  Same with her sister.  And the author of the book who she falls in love with is no prize either.  In fact, I really didn't care for any of the characters in this one, and they had me rolling my eyes throughout.  Nobody says the things and acts the way these characters did at times.
The Setting: The book takes place in Seattle, and the setting was actually quite cozy.  I would have liked the setting a lot better if the story and characters were more to my liking.
Who Should Read This? Fans of Debbie Macomber and those who are desperately looking for a holiday read and can't find something else.
Final Thoughts: As much as it sounds like I hated this book, I didn't actually hate it.  I didn't really like it, and definitely wouldn't recommend it to people I like, but it was a quick read, and did have a cozy holiday feel (sometimes).  I'm not mad about time wasted while reading it, I just didn't think it was my style of book.
Grade: C-
Cover Thoughts: This seems to be a fairly typical type of cover for Christmas stories.  It's got that cozy feel that makes you want to be in the cover.

Hunger

Book Details:
Genre: YA Fantasy
Page Count: 180
Publication Date: Oct. 18, 2010
Why I read it: netgalley review copy
Grade: C-

The plot:
Lisabeth Lewis has a black steed, a set of scales, and a new job: she’s been appointed Famine. How will an anorexic seventeen-year-old girl from the suburbs fare as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?

Traveling the world on her steed gives Lisa freedom from her troubles at home: her constant battle with hunger, and her struggle to hide it from the people who care about her. But being Famine forces her to go places where hunger is a painful part of everyday life, and to face the horrifying effects of her phenomenal power. Can Lisa find a way to harness that power — and the courage to battle her own inner demons?

My review:
This book felt pretty depressing all the way through. I guess, given the subject matter, that's not surprising. It's just that reading so much about the mind of an anorexic girl isn't my favorite thing. Probably not anyone's favorite thing, but that's beside the point. The whole book just made me feel sick and uneasy.

The reasons behind things were also pretty unclear. It was never really clear why Lisa was chosen as famine, what she was supposed to do, what her requirements were, etc. Could be because the book was only 180 pages, which makes it hard to pack in a lot of detail. Especially when the focus is on graphic details of a girl who won't eat, and everything going on with her body (including details about a bout of constipation). I was also subjected to a very, very detailed scene of Lisa bulimic friend in the bathroom. I'll leave any more of that to your imagination, which I wish the author would have done.

I understand the author suffered from these diseases at one point in her life, and maybe her goal was to help girls who are also suffering. Maybe it will inspire them to get help. I don't know, because I'm not one of those girls, and have never been close. So it's really hard for me to say if the author accomplished what she was going for or not. I almost feel like I'm not the target audience for this one.

There were a few scenes that I thought were pretty cool, and I felt I could have liked the story if it were focused on those things instead of eating disorders. I can't really fault the book for not being what I would have liked. I just realize it wasn't the book for me.

War for the Oaks

Book Details:
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Page Count: 336
Publication Date: 1987
Why I read it: bookclub on goodreads
Grade: C-

Cover thoughts:
There are other cover images for this book, but the picture to the left is what my cover looked like. I'm not a huge fan, but I guess it fits the story well enough.

About the author:
I couldn't find a website for Emma Bull, but here is her livejournal, if someone were interested. She's written quite a few books, but this is the only one of hers I've read.


The plot:
Music and fairies. If you're really into either of those things, especially music (to an obsessive point), you'll probably really like this book. Eddi is a musician who is recruited by a phouka (a man who can turn into a dog) to help the Seelie court in their war against the Unseelie court. She has also just left her old band, and is in the process of putting together a new one. I actually thought the first half of the book was pretty good, but then I got really bored and started skimming. And the end was so blah that I could have put the book down and not even cared what happened. I very heavily skimmed the last few pages. I just couldn't take it anymore.

Characters:
You know, I never really connected with the characters. They all seemed a little too "these characters are SO cool". Even with the book being quite dated, it felt like the author was trying a little too hard to make her characters hip (best word I can come up with at the moment). I thought the phouka was pretty funny to start off with, but he got less funny as the story went on. The rest of the characters, besides Eddi, just seemed so one-dimensional, and I really couldn't see what was so great about Eddi, except that we were constantly told she was great.

Setting:
This novel is set in the 80's in Minneapolis. And you very much know that it's happening in the 80's from the clothes (which are described in great detail) to the music (which is described in ever greater detail).

Notable quotes:
She could see the seams of the world around her begin to ravel and part, and the things waiting outside to pass through the holes were at once terrible and ridiculous. It was like being tickled--an unpleasant feeling that by some perverse reflex brings on laughter.

She peered past him to the stove top. There were what looked like pancakes in her largest frying pan. "What are they?" she asked.
"Flapjacks." He rolled the word off his tongue, clearly pleased with it.
She scowled suspiciously. "Anything in 'em?"
"Why no, they're made of air and dew. Of course there's something in them, or they wouldn't be there."

Read this if you're in the mood for:
A book that was one of the pioneers of the urban fantasy genre. Also, if you like to read page after page of detail about how the music sounded when the band played. How the bass sounded, the drums, how it all came together, how the main character felt when she was playing, how everybody else felt, ad nauseum.

Continue or part ways?
I'm not sure if I'll read more by this author or not. I think the writing had potential, and there were parts that I liked (the very few that weren't so music centered), I just didn't care for this particular novel very much. I may try another one of her books some day, but I won't be in any rush.

Greek: Double Date

Title: Greek: Double Date
Author: Marsha Warner
Genre: YA Fiction
Page Count: 208
Why I read it: review copy from publisher
Grade: C-

Synopsis:
Two dates—same night!Major oops. When Casey Cartwright's brother begs her to be nerdy Dale Kettlewell's date to the sure-to-be-boring Honors Engineering Awards, Casey says yes. Even though Dale is totally not her type… and might have a crush on her. Ugh. But it's a nice thing to do, and Casey's always been the "nice" girl.
But now, that night conflicts with the biggest event of the semester, the All-Greek formal. Casey already has a date lined up: hot transfer student Rob Howell. He's her plan to get over her sexy-slacker ex, Cappie. And even nice girls get to be bad sometimes, right?
What to do? With a little help from BFF Ashleigh, unwanted advice from frenemy Rebecca Logan and even a push from Cappie, what Casey does may surprise even herself….My review:
I imagine reading this book was much like watching an episode of the TV show, Greek. I've never seen the show, but I'm thinking I'm not at all the target audience for this show. I like sci-fi and fantasy shows, and the occasional sit-com (but only if it's really funny). So I'd probably never sit down and watch this show, and for that reason I also had a hard time getting through this book.

The writing was okay, but I never felt invested in the story, and for taking place mostly o...more I imagine reading this book was much like watching an episode of the TV show, Greek. I've never seen the show, but I'm thinking I'm not at all the target audience for this show. I like sci-fi and fantasy shows, and the occasional sit-com (but only if it's really funny). So I'd probably never sit down and watch this show, and for that reason I also had a hard time getting through this book.

The writing was okay, but I never felt invested in the story, and for taking place mostly over the period of one night, it felt like it dragged a bit. I think for a person who watches and enjoys the show, and feels more invested in the characters and their lives, this would be a fun read. For someone like me, who is just coming into it without any previous knowledge, it's just not great.

So, with that said, I would recommend this if you like the TV show, or if you're a really big fan of sorority/fraternity stuff. Otherwise, I don't think it does a good enough job to stand on it's own for YA readers like myself.

The Name of the Wind

Title: The Name of the Wind
Author: Patrick Rothfuss
Genre: Fantasy
Page Count: 662
Why I read it: heard it was good
Grade: C-

Synopsis:
Told in Kvothe's own voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen.The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a fugitive after the murder of a king form a gripping coming-of-age story unrivaled in recent literature. A high-action story written with a poet's hand, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that will transport readers into the body and mind of a wizard. 

My review:
So many people have said this was an excellent book, and I can see why they'd think that.  It's well written, and Rothfuss definitely has a way with words.  You can really visualize what he's writing.  But I really didn't like this book.  It's not the longest book I've read--not even close, but it felt like it.  I felt like I was reading this forever, and that as I got near the end, more pages were being added on to the end.

It should not have taken nearly 700 pages to tell this story.  If someone were telling me about their life, and they got this wordy, I'd tell them to just get on with it already.  Get to the point!  It took so long to get anywhere, and meandered along, and got sidetracked, and I just wanted to stick to the trail.  Besides that I felt like I was reading the same thing over and over again.  Kvothe looks for Denna, he looks for her some more.  He can't find her.  Also, he doesn't have any money.  He doesn't know how he'll be able to pay for the next term at school.  Repeat for three or four hundred pages.

I know there was more in there, and if some of the repetition could have been skipped, I may have been more interested.  There were some good parts.  There were some parts that I loved, but as my family can attest, I got really ornery while reading this book because it was never going to end.  I just knew I was going to be reading it forever.

Kvothe was an interesting character, and as arrogant as he was, I didn't dislike him.  I was rooting for him.  I honestly didn't care much about the secondary characters.  I feel like I didn't even really know them.  That's the problem with first person narration.

I probably wouldn't recommend this one, but I know that many fans of fantasy adored it, so what do I know?

REVIEW - Stealing Bradford

Title: Stealing Bradford
Author: Melody Carlson
Genre: Christian YA chicklit
Grade: C-

From the back cover:
The Carter House girls are just getting to know one another when the subject of boys comes up.  Rhiannon's dating Bradford, a fellow Christian and the most popular jock in school; Eliza's seeing Harry; and DJ was dating Conner, although now he acts as if he doesn't like her.
Boys aren't always easy to understand, but many girls in the house want a boyfriend--and will do just about anything to get one.  So when Taylor decides to put the moves on Bradford, Rhiannon is shocked and hurt.  Mistakes are made and feelings battered . . . there is forgiveness for some and bitterness for others . . . but at the end of the day, the girls learn a valuable lesson about what it means to be a family. 

My review:
I was really liking this YA christian stuff, but this one might have been too much for me.  It felt very young adult.  To the point where I feel like only a teenager might be able to relate to it.  The writing felt amateur, the storyline was kind of silly.  I just couldn't really get into it.  Also, there was too much talk of people being gay.  Not that any of the characters actually were gay, that we know of, anyway.  But too much of the girls speculating about teachers being gay or other girls being gay, and it felt over the top.

Maybe kids these days really do think about this all the time.  I don't remember thinking along these lines when I was in high school.  It didn't matter to me, and it was none of my business, but I feel like it's half the focus for this novel.  Granted, it's been over ten years since I was in high school, and I know things have changed, but that doesn't mean it's not annoying.  I don't really think I'd recommend this series.  The first one was okay, but this second novel wasn't great.  I'll try one more, and if it doesn't get better, that's it for this series for me.  Too many other excellent books out there.

REVIEW - Undead and Unwelcome

Title: Undead and Unwelcome
Author: MaryJanice Davidson
Genre: Paranormal Chicklit
Grade: C-

From the back cover:
Fifty thousand angry werewolves.  That's what Betsy is facing when she takes her werewolf friend Antonia's body to Cape Cod, where the Pack resides at Wyndham Manor.  Because Antonia died in her service, Betsy is alive and well--and wracked with guilt.  She has no idea if the Wyndham werewolves will greet her with fangs or friendship.

While Betsy and her husband, Sinclair, try to make nice, their legal ward, BabyJon, freaks out ever werewolf he meets.  Meanwhile, Betsy's posse back at the St. Paul mansion is not LOLing.  Increasingly frantic e-mails alert Betsy to her half sister's increasingly erratic behavior.  Looks like the devil's daughter is coming into her own--and raising hell.  All in the name of making Betsy's life easier, of course.

My review:
I don't know if I can continue reading this series.  The author tries to be funny, and I guess it's just not my kind of humor, because it comes of more annoying than funny.  And the main character, Betsy, seems to get more clueless and self-centered by the book.  I don't really care about her as a character, and I find that I don't really care about any of the characters.  They're not written in a way that you can become attached to them.

A lot of it may have to do with the first person narrative.  I've never cared for it.  I almost always find the character whiny, selfish, and unlikeable.  It makes it hard for me to get into the story.  For about half of the book, I contemplated giving up or heavily skimming.  But then it got fairly interesting, and since it's a short book with big words, I just kept on reading and finished it.  I wouldn't recommend this unless you're hooked on this series, or unless you're a glutton for punishment.