Book Review: Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer

 

Book: Midnight Sun by Stephenie Myer
Genre: YA romance/paranormal
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Back in the day, when the beginning of this book was online, I think I managed to read the first couple of chapters before it disappeared. And I remember Stephenie being so mad about the leakage of it, or the unapproved sharing, or whatever the issue was, that she said she would NEVER finish and publish it. That made me sad. 

So it was a good day when I heard she was actually publishing it all these many years later! And great timing because I was in SUCH a perfect mood for this in my life again! 

Yeah, so pretty sure we all know this is the Twilight story told from Edward's point of view. It's been a long long time since I read Twilight, and I haven't gone back to re-read since finishing this one, but I think we got a lot more detail regarding lots of things this time around. We got a lot more back story of the vampires. We got a lot of angst since Edward was VERY VERY stressed out from the moment Bella entered his life. Poor guy. LOL. 

My biggest issue with the book was trying to read it without picturing whatshisface Robert Pattinson in the lead role. I really want to remember my original whoever was in my head the first time I read Twilight which was years before the movie. But I can't recall that image! I'm so bugged about that! So then I tried to picture some favorite kpop boys who can REALLY REALLY pull off the whole vampire look well, but that didn't work very good either. In the end, I think I pictured a morphing of ALL the above... a bit movie Edward, a bit kpop boy, and a bit my own invention. I guess it worked. But wow, that was a frustrating thing!

Being in Edward's mind was... I don't know... hard. He really struggled, didn't he? Wow. It's amazing they managed to get to a place where he didn't want to constantly kill her, yeah? I think this book does an amazing job of describing what it might be like to be a vampire. LOL... as if anyone knows, but she really captures something here...I mean.. I FELT it! That's crazy!

You may or may not remember that I was always a big fan of Jacob. It was sad he was not really even a part of this book. Did Edward only cross paths with Jacob like twice during this whole story? Wow. And how he just dismisses him in his head. If only he knew...yeah? I wonder when it hits him that Jacob is going to feature more than just an annoying kid with a crush? But I guess we will get no more books from Edward's POV if I understand correctly. This is it! So we will never know!!

So yeah, I'm happy to have this book to add to the collection. It was very fun to go back to Forks and live all this over again. Good times!

Kdrama Review: Chicago Typewriter

Drama: Chicago Typewriter
Genre: Historical, and other things
Starring: Yoo Ah In, Im Soo Jung, Go Kyung Pyo
Rating: ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

This drama was unlike anything I've watched so far. Such a different premise than ALL THE DRAMAS! And I was totally invested.

Also, it's going to be hard to summarize.

Basically, the story follows two different time lines. One in the 30s during the Japanese occupation of Korea, and one in the present day involving a popular author and his friends. The interesting thing is that the characters are the same in both timelines since the present day people are reincarnations of the 30s people.

And the premise is that they are remembering the events that happened in their past lives and writing it down as the next novel for our author dude. He's been in a bit of a slump, but when these friends reappeared in his life, things got interesting again and together, they write the novel, ,which they are calling Chicago Typewriter, which is a kind of old fashioned gun I guess, that sounds like a typewriter when being shot off.

Our characters in the 30s

Our characters in the present day

The drama also actually features an old typewriter... from Korea, that ended up in Chicago, but was found again. And is a key part of this story.

I guess that's the basics. That wasn't so hard after all, eh? Lol, but I am leaving out one very important thing that I don't really want to give away as it feels like a big spoiler, since it's something we as viewers aren't aware of until several episodes in. Even though I'm pretty sure all the summaries out there give it away.

But yeah. I loved it. I love the time jumps, I loved the intensity of the stuff in the 30s. Our characters are freedom fighters, fighting to win back independence. And it's really quite painful to see what they went through. I loved the character development and how our main dude went from a very self centered dude, to extremely compassionate and loving. I loved the book love that is shown (again, with the book love! I do seem to be getting a lot of that lately!) and the painfulness of the writing process. That was great!

I was introduced to another "new to me" actor, and he was awesome. And another actor who I sort of knew, but got a much better feel for what he's like in this one. And he was also awesome. Yeah.

This drama is another one that features a fabulous bromance full of awesome
banter between these two! So good1

The last couple episodes I pretty much sobbed through the whole thing. Man. Emotional intensity I tell you!

And I fell totally in love with one of the theme songs and looked the singer up and realized he also sang the song from Encounter, another recent drama favorite. So I proceeded to listen to all his songs and he's also awesome.

All the good things!

I loved this one. It's a few years old and I'm glad I finally fit it in!

Here's a trailer (actually three quick trailers in one):





And here's clips to the song I love. It's called Satellite and it's by a guy that goes by MYK but he has a band of sorts called Saltnpaper. This song is in English, so maybe some of you might actually give it a listen and see what you think:




Ah. SO GOOD!!!

Kdrama Review: Master's Sun

Drama: Master's Sun

Genre: paranormal romance
Starring: So Ji Sub, Gong Hyo Jin, Seo In Guk
Rating:  ❤ ❤ ❤

Since I have been having Seo In Guk withdrawals, I decided it was time to watch this one, even though he is "only" the 2nd male lead. But despite the fact that he doesn't have a huge part (though he is in every episode of course) it was fun to see him again.

This is an older drama (like five years now I think?) that made a pretty big buzz back when it aired. It's about a girl who can see ghosts (I see dead people. Yes, she says it a couple of times.) but when she accidentally comes across the rich CEO of the big mall called Kingdom and accidentally touches him, the ghosts that are plaguing her disappear. She quickly figures out that there's something pretty special about him and she wants to be touching him all the time. She can finally get a good night's sleep!

She's a little touchy, yeah. 

Of course, he is having none of this, and is pretty appalled. This girl is quite, shall we say, below him in society and he tries pretty hard to get rid of her. But she sticks around, even getting a job at the mall. And the more she is around, the more he starts to become intrigued and charmed.

Each episode includes a ghost story of sorts that she (with the help of him) has to solve. Essentially making it so the ghost can move on and not be stuck here. Some of them are silly and some of them are surprisingly moving. Like when the dead dog comes back to comfort his master who is on the brink of suicide. I cried.

But one such ghost solving story ends in near tragedy and that's when our girl decides she is putting the guy in too much of harm's way. And of course, that's when our guy decides he loves the girl and is ready to have her by his side forever.

Yes. It ALWAYS happens! And so they have to now figure all that out!

It's a fun drama. The ghosts are weird and silly at times. The romance is a bit... I don't know, lacking I guess. I wanted more from it. It's cute though. There are many laugh out loud bits, which I love. It starts a very famous leading dude So Ji Sub, who I love and yet it he also makes me crazy! Maybe both the dramas I've seen him in his character is gruff and closed and a little mean, so it would be fun to see him in one where he is less grouchy and bristly!

Seo In Guk is adorable in this one, as a body guard that falls for our girl. When he quickly realizes he has no chance, he doesn't care and is just her friend and is there when needed. He is the sweetest ever. Okay, what should I watch next that has him in it? I can't get enough!

So he doesn't get THE girl, but he does get A girl. So there's that, right In Guk ssi!? :)

There's drama also features Kim Myung Soo also known as L from the lovely and amazing band called Infinite... I enjoyed getting to know him a little better. He plays our lead as a teenager. He is adorable. He's in a ton of other things, so I have lots to catch up on there too.

L from Infinite

Here's a fan made trailer that's pretty good:





 Here's the song: (This drama actually has a really good soundtrack. All on Spotify!)


 

Book Review: The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade

Book: The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade
Genre: YA paranormal
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

This book came up in a conversation the other day I had with friend Jenny. And we remembered she gave it to me many Christmases (I think) ago and WHY HADN'T I READ IT YET???? Lol.

Well, why indeed. So, I came home and read it, then and there!

I love it when that happens.

It's a fun, quick little story about a girl who is hit by a bus and killed. And she is now stuck in the in between world of living and dead. She realizes quite quickly that a dude from school, a dude she looked down on because she's in the top tier of popularity (cheerleader, homecoming queen and all) and he's in the very bottom (goth, druggie and all that... only he's not that, she just THINKS he is)... she realizes that he can see and hear her.

So she harasses him until he agrees to help her figure out how to move on. In the process, they learn each other's back stories, and find out that there is much more to them then they assumed. And isn't that always the case? Yes. Backstories guys. The key to all books and stories and real life!

There is much lovely banter is this book. These guys really get on each other's nerves, but they of course, love it and find out that they actually enjoy each other's company. A lot. But how is THAT going to work out if she has to "move on."

But yeah, Jenny was right. It's a cute fun one and I'm glad I finally read it!

Book Review Discussion: Death Wish by Megan Tayte

Book: Death Wish by Megan Tayte
Genre: YA Paranormal
Rating:★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ 
 For: Review
From: Received for free from the author. All opinions are my own.

Short Synopsis: Scarlett has come to her empty grandparent's house in a little coastal town in England to be alone to deal with her sister's death. Also, she wants to ask around to find out exactly what happened here when her sister was alive. Maybe someone knows something. In the process, she ends up connecting to these people and finding love.

My Response: I went in to this expecting nothing, but once I started, I was hooked and ending up loving this story. I loved the setting and the descriptions. I want to go here! There was lots of surfing going on and I just finished another surfing book (Love, Lucas, review to come soon!) so I'm wondering why all these surfing books suddenly! Maybe I need to go learn. Ha. Anyway, I totally enjoyed the writing and all the British-isms and fabulous characters. There was the hint of mystery surrounding the sister's death and the strange business with a guy named Jude, all quite ominous. Scarlett was very relate-able and the romance was delightful.

Bottom Line: I really enjoyed this one! A sad and lovely story. There are so many more questions though, which is why there's another several books to come! And guess what! At the time of this writing this book is free on Kindle. Get it. Now.

Let's Talk About: I just wanted to say, don't you love it when you don't really mean to read a book right at that moment, but you start it just to see what happens, and bam, before you know it, you've read the whole thing! Yeah, I love it when that happens. This is one of those sorts of books. What sort of book have you read that's like that?

Other Reviews:

This story is extremely well written with just the right amount of mystery and intrigue. From The Reading Cafe

I didn’t read this novel; I devoured it! From Chick Lit Plus

I thoroughly enjoyed it and every fibre of my being wants to read more! From Samantha Kilford

And to be honest, I think this book is the perfect example of how the first book in a series must be. It definitely made me want to keep reading and I honestly can’t wait to read more books in this series. From Maureen's Books

Book Review Discussion: Half Bad by Sally Green

Book: Half Bad by Sally Green
Genre: YA Paranormal/Horror
Rating:★★★★★
For: Review
From: Received for free from the publisher through Big Honcho Media. All opinions are my own. 

Short Synopsis: Nathan is half White witch and half Black witch. The White witch community appears to be in charge of things and they are determined to figure out which half of him is dominate. Meanwhile, they are watching him closely. He pretty much scares the crap out of them. His grandma takes care of him until he's about 15 or so and then one day, he is basically kidnapped and whisked away to be held by one of the White witch people while they watch him closer. What she does to him is... terrible. Really really terrible. And then he escapes and things get even crazier as he goes on a search for his Black witch dad to find out more about himself and to hopefully get the three gifts all witches get on their 17th birthday.

My Response: This book killed me. I mean. I really really loved it, but I had to take breaks in order to handle it. I loved the short sentence, simple, matter of fact style. But wow. There is some hard hard stuff in this book! Many of the hard parts are written in second person, because it's even too hard for the narrator (Nathan, the boy himself) to tell us the readers about. I loved that the author choose to do that. It was perfect. Such awesome writing all around.

Bottom Line:  I totally enjoyed it. I was randomly sent this book to review and it worked. The second book (Half Wild) comes out soon and I'm totally hooked. You go Nathan! You get 'em!

Let's Talk About: Here's the thing. Even as readers, we don't really know if Nathan is good or bad. I mean, we totally feel like he's good and we are on his side, but, BUT, he does some pretty bad things. He has a HUGE temper. His black side is volatile and we, all of us, aren't sure what that means. It's awesome. I love it so much. What do you think about this particular literature device,  to create a character that could be both the hero and the villain? The good guy and the bad guy? And which part of him would you root for? I love this mash up of things. Brilliant. (Speaking of, this book is also thoroughly British. So many British-isms that I totally ate up loved with all my heart.)

Other Reviews:

There is something refreshing about the lack of definitive answers, unclear paths, and and hints at future reveals that diminishes the impact of any similarities and allows readers to focus on Nathan and Half Bad as a unique and exciting story in its own right. From That's What She Read

His “voice” as narration was brilliantly written, and his strength even in what can only be described as a bleak existence was admirable. He is a strong character yet at the same time is incredibly vulnerable and isn’t afraid of showing pain From Book Nerd Reviews

I loved Nathan’s character, and his will to survive (he personifies the phrase, “What does not kill you, makes you stronger!” From Bart's Bookshelf

Oh WOW. This book is SO GOOD! I was hooked instantly and had trouble putting this down. Nathan is just such a perfectly imperfect main character. From Sarah Reads Too Much

Book Review Discussion: Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

Book: Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: YA Paranormal
Rating: ★★★☆ ☆
For: Review
From: Received for free from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own. 

Short Synopsis: This is the third book in the Raven Cycle series where Blue, who lives with her clairvoyant aunts, has befriended a bunch of boys from the local prep school. These boys have mission.. find the burial spot for a dead king. Well, one has the mission, the rest are on a mission to help him. In this book, they are getting so very close! And they go cave exploring and find... all sorts of other things, but not the dead king. And Blue's mom is missing and so they also need to find her. Meanwhile there's bad guys and bad.. things... trying to stop them every step of the way.

My Response: Okay. I love these characters. LOVE them. But I had no idea what they were trying to do in this book and I had so many questions. Maybe my brain was just on low function this week, but this book had me so confused. I love the writing style and the feeling we get of these characters through this style, but sometimes it feels so cryptic to me that I feel like we are left guessing exactly what's going on. And I have no idea what's real and what's the all mysterious weird stuff. Know what I mean? 

Bottom Line: I will keep reading and so should you if you love these boys! Gansey is GOING to find that king if it... dang it.. KILLS him! Sigh. I just wish I remembered why he wants to find him in the first place. One book to go and I'm nervous!

Let's Talk About: The book fog... that's what I call it when you are reading something that you just aren't getting. . . and you feel like the true thing that's happening is being obscured from you. I mean, it's not that it's that complicated, but the author is being so vague and/or poetic that you are just... say what? Do you find this happening much? Does it make you crazy or do you just roll with it and enjoy the beautiful words? 

Other Reviews:

Mysteries and magic, complicated friendships, myth and murder, trust and betrayal, psychics and dream thievery all blend together. From A Garden Carried in the Pocket

I am in love with the characters, the tone, the unexplained magic of it all. From In Bed With Books

Like the other books, this one has an ending that will leave you saying "Wait, what?" and then wanting the next book immediately. From Read This Instead

It's a heady experience giving yourself over to one of Maggie's novels and not a decision to be taken lightly. From Angieville

Book Review Discussion: Unbreakable by Kami Garcia

Book: Unbreakable by Kami Garcia
Genre: YA Paranormal
Rating:★★★☆☆
For: Review
From: Received for free from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Short Synopsis: The book starts out with Kennedy's mom suddenly dying. Really strange and creep circumstances too. And suddenly there are these two really cute guys coming to her, Kennedy's, rescue. They tell her strange stuff like it was a "vengeance" spirt that killed her mom and that it is now after her. When this spirit up and destroys her house, the two boys whisk her away to be part of their "Legion" .  She is baffled and feels like she truly should have no part in this strangenes. But she does become a part of it and they are off to find the thing that will harness the bad spirit once and for all. Hopefully. Meanwhile, she is trying to figure out which one of the boys... who happen to be identical twins.... she likes the best. 

My Response: So much like Supernatural that I could not get that out of my head. Imagine if Dean and Sam were identical? BUT.... each with their currently personalities. Yeah, this book is THAT! And instead of fighting all sorts of supernatural stuff, they are mostly "just" fighting scary ghosts. The book has lots of creepy scenes that can have a person biting their fingernails should they be in the right frame of mind. Sometimes I was, sometimes I wasn't. I rolled my eyes a lot, and yet, I was pretty intrigued at the same time. Also, there's lots and lots of background-y stuff that while interesting, seemed a little long and too detail-y at times. 

I requested this book from NetGalley thinking it was a the current book that Kami Garcia was releasing last weekend. Well, no. I messed up! It was actually the first book that released LAST year! And the next book, Unmarked, came out last week. I don't know why they have such an old book on the list to request, but it sure mixed me up! However, I'm glad I wasn't accidentally reading the second book. I mean, that would have been a totally tragedy!

Bottom Line: Despite the occasionally eye rolling, I do feel interested enough to hopefully get my hands on this new next book and see what happens with Kennedy, Lucas and Jared next!

Let's Talk About: What are your feelings about a book that seems really quite tied to a TV show? I mean, I think it's good to use TV shows as inspiration, but to have them seem so similar? Does it bug you? Do you actually like it? (For instance.. The Selelction books are totally The Bachelor. And I think there are tons of other examples that I'm not going to be able to think of right now!) So.. what do you think?  Are those ideas are fair game?

Other Reviews:

Unbreakable is a worthwhile read for people who love demon hunters and want an action-packed plot. Readers who want deeper characterization and angst, however, should probably look elsewhere. From Dear Author

I will admit, the whole demon fighting, exorcism ghost thing is kind of cool. BUT, there’s never a moment where everything clicks in my head and I am like oh yeah fist pumps of excellence. From Good Books and Good Wine


I feel like this series has some serious potential and I am really keen to see where the next book takes us. If you love shows like Supernatural, you’ll probably really enjoy Unbreakable. From Book Nerd Reviews

I JUST WANT A HAPPY ENDING GOSH. From YA Book Queens

Book Review Discussion: Bad Moon Rising by Lorraine Kennedy

Book: Bad Moon Rising by Lorraine Kennedy
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating:★★☆ ☆ ☆
For: Fun (and research!)
From: Free on Kindle

Short Synopsis: Mya goes to live in the Navajo Nation reservation to work with her uncle for a sort of police internship. There's been a rash of murders and she is helping with the investigation. She learns that one family is accused of being Skinwalkers and everyone assumes they are responsible. She also learns another group, a gang if you will, is looked upon as strange and sinister and not to be messed with. They are the enemies of the Skinwalkers. She is attracted to one of these guys and ends up learning some crazy secrets they have and also some crazy things about her own life.

My Response: Well, wow. When I saw a free book that said it's about Skinwalkers I decided, what the heck. I'm anxious to learn what others are saying about these creatures! However, there wasn't much Skinwalker talk at all, and it ends up being much more about (spoiler) werewolves instead. Sigh. And the romance? Gag. This is not my cup of tea, this sort of romance! Wham bam! And lots of cliche. Actually, it's great to read stuff like this now and then so as to see how NOT to write a book. Or, at least how I don't want to write a book. Am I right? So, anyway, I was disappointed. It was a little interesting and I kept reading, so there's that. And the Navajo talk and customs, Skinwalker and other, was all very interesting to me.

Bottom Line: It was okay. The story was, tolerable. The romance was awful. But the setting was awesome.

Let's Talk About: Misleading covers and titles! This one says... Bad Moon Rising, Skinwalkers Trilogy 1... or something like that. I was really expecting much more with Skinwalker stuff! What to do what to do? Does it bug you if you see the title and/or cover and expect one thing, but get another? It doesn't happen to me very often, but it does happen and it makes me quite crazy.

Other Reviews:

Can't really find other reviews on blogs, but the Goodreads reviewers seemed to like it okay. Lots of 3 and 4 stars. Even some 5's! Wow. To each their own, eh? I wonder if those people would give my 5 star books, 2 stars. Probably.

Book Review Discussion: Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor

Book: Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor
Genre: YA Paranormal
Rating:★ ★ ★ ★ ★
For: Fun
From: I bought this one at B and N.

Short Synopsis: This is the third and final book in this trilogy. So spoilers for the first two books may appear! In this book, the bad angels have gone through the portal and appeared in the mortal world. Karou and Akiva have joined their forces in an uneasy alliance to stop them. Many wonderful and awful things happen in the process. In the end, a whole new crazy aspect to this story is discovered and the craziness continues!

My response: The writing is so beautiful that I have no words to gush. I just love it so so much. The plot gets a bit complicated and sometimes makes my head spin, but I love it too. But most importantly, I really really love the characters Such unique characters. Angels and demons? I mean, hello. And these are not your typical angels and demons. Sometimes the angles are pretty demonic and the demons are pretty angelic. It's all a bit confusing! But makes for such a compelling story. And our resident humans, Zuze and Mik, are just the perfect touch to keep the humanity in the story. I want a whole book just about them, you know? And Ziri? Sigh. I loved him too, like, so so much.

Bottom line: I loved this book. I love this series. Totally and completely.

Let's Talk About: What is it,  for you, that makes writing... good writing? Awesome metaphors? Unique adjectives? Descriptions that are perfect and not overdone or cliche? Funny, humorous moments? Writing filled with emotion? It's all of that for me. And I wish it was something I could learn, but seriously, I think it's just something one comes with. And I just realized this author is coming to my area in a couple of weeks. Here's hoping I manage to get there to see her. Do you think if I ask her... "how do you write so well?" she'll tell me? Ha.

Other Reviews:

There is so much action, emotion, and tension packed into every page (or every minute of the mp3 in my case) that it forces the reader to race on. From My Books. My Life.

It is an investment, but you will not be disappointed. From Annette's Book Spot

The entire point of this book: peace is worth whatever it takes. A New Kind of Living is worth giving your life for. From The Book Nest

Laini Taylor has a talent for writing a modern epic story in a poetic style that is not hit you over the head poetic. This I completely appreciate and think her unique style of writing makes this story. From My Little Pocketbooks

Book Review Discussion: Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

Book: Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor
Genre: YA Paranormal
Rating:★ ★ ★ ★ ★
For: Fun
From: Bought at Costco awhile back

Short Synopsis: Continuing where the first book left off (Daughter of Smoke and Bone) we have the two sides made of up chimaera (demon monsters) and seraphim (angels) warring against each other. Of course, we love the heroes on both sides! This is SO not what these characters had in mind according to what we learned in book one! And who's a reader to root for? They are each doing terrible things, and yet they both want to figure out how to make it stop so bad and so this story is about how each one of them is trying in their own way to find peace between the two races. And then, what about their relationship? Longing and hate abound.

My Response: Oh! My! Word! This book! So painful, so wonderful and so so good! I pretty much read it with an ache in my heart the whole time. I  mean, you want Karou to be happy and to make amends for what she "thinks" she's done, and yet, you want her to forget it all and just give it up and go to Akiva! And then there's Akiva who has to at least ACT like he is in alliance with all the angels, but still, he's doing stuff that just makes you want to CHEER right out loud. He is so awesome. This book is told from several points of view which really makes you get into the heart of the story and know what's going on all over the place. The writing is amazing and just, I don't know, how can people write so good!? We all have the same words to use, you know? Just... HOW? And speaking of side characters (which I was in a previous review here on the blog if you are paying attention) how about Suze and Mik? I LOVE these guys! I'm so glad they are part of this story and somehow keep themselves all mixed up in these paranormal happenings.

Be warned though, this book is graphic and violent and bad stuff happens. Like, I'm not sure there's anything happy at all in this particular book.  But...

Bottom Line: I loved it! Really really loved it. I knew it would end with a... NO! feeling so I've already got book three in hand have plans to jump right into it because, dang, I have to know! And Karou and Akiva? If they don't figure things out and you know, get together, I may just have to boycott reading! :)

Let's Talk About: Second books in a series. Sometimes they aren't too great. This one is awesome. BUT, still, it always seems like first books are about getting the characters together and second books are always always about ripping them apart again. Right? Am I right? I hate that. What do you think?

Other Reviews:

...one wonderful bright spot throughout the book is the inclusion of Zuzana and Mik, who bring a very contemporary/human feel to this otherworldly fantasy. I think many other authors would have left Karou’s human friends behind once this story relocated across the portal, but Laini Taylor doesn’t and this dark tale feels fresher and younger for it. From The Readventurer

Taylor has created a complex political situation which pits Karou and Akiva, who we all know are still in love, against each other. From My Books My Life

The world building is amazing and one of my favorite parts of this series. From Reflections of a Bookaholic

The Days of Blood and Starlight is DARK! DARK! DARK! and gruesome. From My Little Pocketbooks

Book Review Discussion: Split Second by Kasie West

Book: Split Second by Kasie West
Genre: YA Paranormal
Rating:★ ★ ★ ★ ★
For: Fun
From: Bought it... somewhere...

Short Synopsis: This continues the story which began with Pivot Point where Addie sees the future and makes a decision about which parent to live with. In this book, we see the consequences of that decision and the changes that happen in her life. In the first book she makes a promise that's awfully hard to keep and in this second book, we find out if she manages to keep it. This second book is also a lot about her friend Laila's story. In fact it flips back and forth from the points of view of each of them. We get more familiar with the world of the Paranormals, and also we learn some interesting things going on the Normal world. It's all very complicated! And I'm feeling crazy here because I can't spoil anything!

My Response: I love this story! And I would suggest reading these books really close together, something I don't normally suggest. They are truly like one continuous book. I had to find my Pivot Point and re-read the ending and a bunch of other scenes just so I could know what was going on. We as readers know more than the characters in this second book and that's really quite an interesting place to be. It's one of those instances where you feel like shouting through the book and into the pages so the characters will know what's up! Laila's story is fun and I enjoyed getting to know her unique personality too and having her own funny love story to follow.

Bottom line: This is a great story with lots of twists and turns and not easily predictable. At least for me. I enjoyed the unique plot and fun romance. Read it.. read them both... together!

Let's Talk About: Stories with two points of view! Like or don't like? I think many readers where bugged about this two point of view story, but as I said, I found it interesting and fun. Sometimes one  point of view stands out and that's the one you always want to be reading, but sometimes you are okay getting a two for one, you know? What's your take on this? Do you enjoy reading two or more points of view, or would you rather we stay in just one person's head?

Other Reviews:

Split Second is a one day sort of read with action and an interesting world and answers all the questions you had from Pivot Point. From Good Books and Good Wine

I'm a sucker for funny, and Kasie West does that very well, whether it's Addie/Laila banter, Laila/Connor banter, or watching Laila and Connor try to ignore their attraction to one another while Laila's brother Eli practices his ability at their expense. From YA Romantics

This book was a fast-paced read. I wanted to book to keep going and have something else happen, but sadly it ended. From Books With Bite

We all need Trevor in our lives. I’m totally being serious. From Deadly Darlings

Book Review Discussion: Evertrue by Brodi Ashton

Book: Evertrue by Brodi Ashton
Genre: YA paranormal
Rating:★★★★☆
For: Fun, Supporting Local Authors
From: Bought at the launch party

Short Synopsis: This is the third book in the series. Nikki's goal is to destory the Everneath, the world down under. She figures that if she can accomplish this, everything will go back to normal and she will be saved from the curse she's under to become an Everliving herself. Jack will help her do anything. But it remains to be seen if Cole will do anything but thwart her in her desires.

My Response: I enjoyed this one better then the second book. That one left me in quite the fog. But this one was pretty good and I understood, mostly, what was going on. I enjoy the surface much better than the Everneath scenes. That Everneath place confuses me like crazy! But anyway, there was a surprising turn of events that moved the plot along, one that just made me want to say... really? I mean, I was sort of glad about it and sort of bugged. And I'm sorry, I can't tell you more because it's too spoilery (though I know some of you would come right out and discuss this one!) Anyway. I liked how it all ended, but still, not sure if I liked the way we got there!

Bottom Line: I enjoyed it! I enjoyed the whole series!

Let's Talk About It: This series is based on the myth about Persephone, and I'm not at all familiar with that. Anyone? Something about the underworld and her spending time there to atone for... something. Anyway, I sort of wish I knew more about this to help me understand things better, but still, I'm not sure it would have helped. What do you think? Do you think that knowing the story a book was based on enhances your enjoyment of said book?

Other Reviews:

FINALLY! A trilogy conclusion that doesn’t leave me disappointed or completely disinterested! From Working for the Mandroid

In Evertrue, we get it the whole enchilada -- the romance and the scheming and the action and a little bit of angst and quite a bit of gallows humor, which I loved. From YA Romantics

I finished this book within hours and I had wished it was longer. The book is fast paced and full of action, adventure, and love. From Books With Bite

Book Review: Felicite Found by Julia King

Book: Felicite Found by Julia King
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Rating:★★★☆☆
For: Supporting Utah Authors
From: the author for a blog tour of sorts

This author, Julia King, has been coming to our Utah blogger parties for several years now and this year, she brought her book to share with us! I love it when that happens. So we bloggers agreed to take turns with the book and to read and review it. Lucky me! I got to be first!

So, this is the story of Pierre and Felicite. They live in Paris (awesome!) and one morning as he is walking to school he sees a girl jump of the bridge into the River Seine. Of course, being the gallant and cool boy that he is, he saves her!

She has no memory of her past, but through a series of flashbacks and dreams she remembers that her name is Felicite. Pierre falls madly and passionately in love with her despite the curse that seems to be following his family for many generations, the one where all the males die before their time. Because of this he has vowed to never fall in love and marry and cause pain to his beloved.

That was before Felicite. Now, he wants to forget all the bad things and just take care of her and be with her forever. But then, she starts to remember more and more and all the happy endings they are both dreaming about, it appears, will never come true.

I totally enjoyed these characters, the setting and the Gothic feel to this story. The flashback bits were especially heart wrenching and Felicite's back story is quite brutal. I loved being able to picture Paris! And this the Pont Neuf and the view from the Eiffel Tower!

My only complaint was that perhaps this book could have benefited by a bit more editing help. And also, the insta-love thing is pretty strong! Beware if you are bugged by that! Pierre, dude!  I fell in love with him, and he's a sweet boy, but wow, he has it bad for this girl he saved! :)

Bottom line: It's a fun ghostly Gothic love story set in the most wonderful Paris. I totally enjoyed it.

Other Reviews:

Truly a haunting love story.  From Morgan

Written with just enough foreshadowing to anticipate what might be around the corner, only to be surprised and horrified by an unexpected turn. From Mariah

 I on more than one occasion found my self completely surprised by the turn of events.  From Elizabeth

Book Review: The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

Book: The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: YA Paranormal
Rating: ★★★★☆
For: Review
From: NetGalley (to be released September 17, 2013)

I loved the first book, The Raven Boys, so I expected great things from this second book. And while it was a blast and a really good read, it still didn't grab me quite as hard as that first book. Yeah, sometimes that happens!

But still, it was a great story. In this installment, Gansey is still on his quest to find the old Scottish (I think) king, but the focus is less on that and more on Ronan who, we learn, has a pretty powerful secret of his own. He can steal stuff from dreams! (Thus the title! So not a spoiler, right?)

Anyway, this power gets pretty complicated and causes all sorts of trauma and trouble. But the biggest problem with this power is that there's someone out there who wants it and has come to get it. Enter the villain who walks a gray line (ha! Gray!) and we aren't sure... is he bad, or is he good? Gah, these sorts of villains make me crazy! In a good way! Yes, I loved the introduction of this creepy dude. I hope we see more of him.

And then there's Adam. One of my favorite dudes in recent books. Wow, he has issues! You just want to give him a hug and fix him! I had a problem remembering exactly what happened at the end of the first book, but whatever it was, it really messed up Adam. (I still need to go and review that ending, so if you do pick up this the second book, be sure you remember what happened with Adam at the end of the last one. It will help.)

So, he is tied to the ley line somehow, the one they messed with and woke up in the first book which then stirred up all sorts of magical stress and chaos. In this book that continues, with Adam right in the thick of things. Poor Adam. As if he needs any more stress in his life. I don't' know what it is about this particular Raven boy, but I just adore him.

And then there's Noah and Blue... who have a little lesser role in this book, but they do have a nice moment, a surprising moment, and one you want to keep your eye open for!

So the book is a big set up for solving the whole "finding the king" issue. We get a bit sidetracked here with Ronan's "gift" and then by the end, we are on track again to help Gansey. I can't wait to see how it all goes down. I love these guys (though Ronan scares me a bit) and can't wait to find out what happens next!

Bottom line: Awesome book, awesome characters.

Other Reviews:

Imagination was superb and Ms. Stiefvater creates yet another spell binding book that brought out the true meaning of paranormal. From Books With Bite

I would be remiss not to mention a certain character that almost stole the show – and my heart – from the Raven Boys: the Gray Man. From Book Harbinger

The most exciting part? Seeing Gansey and Blue get a little closer … man, I wanna see them together! From Proud Book Nerd

It was so deliciously dangerous being inside Ronan's head for the duration of this dark, dark book. From Angieville

No one gets off easy here, Adam especially, and this book is more anger, and arguing, and angst than the first. From Read This Instead

Book Review: The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

Book: The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
Genre: Paranormal, with a touch of history
Rating:★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
For: Fun
From: bought for my Kindle

I started reading this one just as we were leaving London to come home from our trip. That very day, we passed up on the chance to go on a Jack the Ripper walking tour. (Mostly we were just too tired, and it was too hot and we had kids that weren't feeling well.) Then, I started this book and wished so bad we had just done the tour anyway! How much fun would that have been to have just barely seen all the things described in the book! Oh, well.

So yes, this book is about Jack the Ripper.... sort of. Our main character, Rory, has just started a boarding school in the middle of present day London just at the same time that a bunch of murders begin to happen which are mimicking Jack the Ripper from a hundred years before. Everyone gets very caught up in the sensation and there's  a media frenzy, and Rory's school is right in the middle of it all.

One night, when she and her friends sneak out to observe some of the media craziness, she sees a strange guy. That night, the murder takes place right at their school! And then she has to report what she's seen and suddenly, she herself is right it in the center of all the hoopla!

Boy, and then strange things really begin to happen. Rory thinks she is losing her mind, and then she finds out she is mixed up in something way bigger than a murder investigation!

Great story with a nice mixture of historical facts about Jack the Ripper, a good feel for the city of London, and some awesome paranormal touches. Those touches added a wonderful creepy element, though the subject of Jack the Ripper is pretty creepy in and of itself.

The book ends with quite the twist that makes you go, wait, what? So now we can look forward to more books! The Shades of London series.

Bottom line: I was totally wrapped up in this story and loved it.

Other Reviews:

If you judge a book based on your need to finish it, then it was well worth it! From Becky's Book Reviews

The Name of the Star is an incredibly entertaining book. From Devourer of Books

This book is effectively creepy in a lot of ways, enough to have me looking over my shoulder for a few days after I finished it, but not least is the idea that everyone knows when and where the murders will occur, yet no one seems to be able to stop it. From Fyrefly's Book Blog

Everyone and everything seemed so natural and real that I bought in to the world completely without it ever seeming gimmicky. From Logan E. Turner

Book Review: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Book: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
Genre: Paranormal-ish?
Rating:★★★☆☆
For: Review
From: The publisher

It was very exciting when this showed up in the mail the other day. I can't remember, did I request it? Maybe I did, but still, it was cool. I picked it up right away because the size of this one, which is very very small, was just what I needed this past week.

But.. to describe this book? I'm at a loss! I mean, I can tell you that it's about a guy who comes back to his childhood neighborhood and finds himself walking to the house at the end of the lane. He sits down by the "ocean" (pond) and proceeds to remember a very strange occurrence that happened to him when he was seven years old.

That's when he meets the ladies who lived there at the end of the lane.. a girl, a mom and a grandma. They were very strange and wonderful and special. This particular day, the girl took him for a walk and then a strange thing happened and they accidentally ( I think anyway) set lose a bad bad creature. The rest of the book is how they deal with this and solve it.

What a weird story! Now, I'm sure that there is some deep... very very deep... meaning to the whole thing, but I'm just not getting it. Maybe it's because my concentration level is very low right now, and then again, maybe I just don't get the deep things. But I guess you are going to have to go to other reviews to find out what it all means.

For me, it was a cute, quaint little story about this boy and his encounter with these women who appear to be some sort of witches, and the weird things that happened to him that scared him to almost literal death. Yes, it's a bit of a creepy book, and deals with very dark things... not a kid book that's for sure.

But I enjoyed the writing and the style and the story... but mostly, I just didn't' get it.

Bottom line: An interesting strange tale that was just plain weird for me!

Other Reviews:

Interpreting any successful narrative is a bit like seeing light through a prism: a story will reveal new themes and layers depending on the eyes of the individual reader through which it’s being filtered. From Things Mean A Lot

The magic that exists in The Ocean at the End of the Lane is so rich and complex. From The Allure of Books

The perfection of the tale is how Gaiman brings it all together, holding the reader's hand through nostalgia, comfort, sadness, fear and forgetfulness. From We Be Reading

Book Review: Everbound by Brodi Ashton

Book: Everbound by Brodi Ashton
Genre: YA paranormal
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
For: Fun and Local Authors
From: I bought it from Amazon... I think

This book continues the story of Nikki and her two boys, Jack and Cole. The last book (Everneath) ended (spoiler!) with Jack, her human boy, being sucked down to the Everneath where he sacrificed himself and took her place in the tunnels there, with his energy providing food for the everliving immortal creatures.

So this book is her quest to get him back. She solicits Cole's help in this endeavor and surprisingly, he decides to help her. He, of course, is the everliving guy that wants her to go live with him in Everneath and eventually become the queen. She thinks he is crazy to believe that she will ever do such a thing.

But she doesn't care what his agenda is, she just needs him to help her find Jack. This adventure takes them to the Everneath several times where they have to make their way through a maze and all sorts of obstacles in order to get the tunnels where they hope Jack will be found.

I will not say anything about the ending, but let's just say there's a twist. And now I have no idea whatsoever which direction this series will take!

Anyway, I had a bit of hard time getting into this one at first. There was a lot of repeating stuff from the first book to catch us up to speed. Sometimes that's good, but in this book I was like... I know already! Get us to THIS story!!

I found it interesting to see another side of Cole in this book. In the first book, he is a pretty mean dude. But this one shows a softer side. I actually liked him, and quite a lot. However, for Jack fans, beware, he is hardly in it. Except for some sweet flashbacks to key moments in their relationship. I really enjoyed those actually.

So, despite the slow start, the end was pretty crazy and gripping. The supernatural weird stuff was fun, but sometimes a bit over the top and it was hard for me to actually understand or envision what was going on. I get frustrated with that sometimes. And I'm not sure if should be blaming myself or the author when that happens!

Bottom line: I ended up totally enjoying it and loved the crazy ending.

Other Reviews:

The plot was what saved this for me. It is such a interesting twist on classical mythos. From The Broke and the Bookish

My favorite part of Everbound was that we now get to see this underworld that we've heard so much about. From YA Romantics

Jack is too perfect to be convincing, and Cole is by far more interesting and attractive. From Rhapsody in Books

But the best part of Everbound is that nothing and no one can be taken at face value. Everyone has questionable motives and everyone’s fate is uncertain. From BiblioJunkies

Book Review: Transparent by Natalie Whipple

Book: Transparent by Natalie Whipple
Genre: YA Supernatural
Rating:★★★★★ 
For: Review and Supporting Local Authors
From: ARC from Edelweiss (release date May 21, 2013)

This is one of those "what if?" books. I love that.

So... what if back during the cold war in the 60s, people became especially concerned about radiation fallout. So they developed a drug to protect themselves from this radiation. And what if everyone had access to this drug and everyone took it? And what that drug caused some weird and bizarre side affects? Like mutations.

And what if that those mutations manifest themselves even worse in the second generation?

And... finally... what if one of those mutations was that you were born invisible?

Thus, the premise for this book! Yes, Fiona has this very thing happen to her! She lives in the present day world, but one that is very different from what we know. Because of the mutations, the government has lost all control and crimelord-like figures have taken control of the country, each with their own different territory.

Fiona's dad is one of these men and he has been using her and her transparent ability, all her life to his advantage. Finally, one day she has had enough and she and her mom break free.

But will they be able to stay hidden from him? Will they be able to figure out how to live a normal life? And how will the "regular mutated" kids handle her invisibility, which is a pretty much unheard of ability?

And thus we have the makings for a really exciting and unique supernatural tale! I loved it! I loved the mix of normalcy with strangeness. I loved the characters  There's an awesome family of crazy boys that will have you laughing a ton.

And yes there's two boys that interest Fiona, but don't worry, it's not really a love triangle. And I loved that. One of these boys has made it to my new favorite swoon worthy boy list! Yay! He is such a sweetheart!

Bottom line: I couldn't put it down. Really. Read it in nearly one sitting. Awesome.

Other Reviews:

I really loved this book. It caught my interest right off and I couldn't put it down. From Dark Faerie Tales

However, for me, this book was fun, lightweight, and ultimately forgettable. From Bookshelves Anonymous

I also did really like the ending climax when Fiona and her motley crew assemble to face off against her cruel father. From Bookworm1858

It gripped me from the very first page and by the end, I was on the edge of my seat. From Katie's Book Blog

Book Review: Doppelganger by Milda Harris

Book: Doppelganger by Milda Harris
Genre: YA paranormal
Rating: ★★★☆☆
For: Review
From: ebook bought at Amazon

Yet another book that slipped on in under the radar! Actually, this author approached me awhile back to participate in my Authors Pick Five feature and I said, sure! (See that post here.) But first I wanted to read one of her books, which I found easy (and cheap!) on Amazon.

This story is about a high school girl (named Citrus) who discovers when she gets to school that day that she is already there! Well, someone who looks like her, exactly like her. This freaks her out of course and she can't figure out what's going on. She pulls aside her boy crush and they, together, try to understand what's going on, who else has been "taken over" and what they should do about it.

It's a fun quirky story. I found myself going up and down in my interest level, however. I think it is best suited to a bit younger, perhaps even MG crowd. This girl, Citrus, is quite the character! We are so very much in her head and are privy to ALL her stream of conscious thoughts! Sometimes I found that to be fun, and sometimes it became a but much! She asks herself question after question, and repeats her thoughts over and over and over. She is, shall we say, going a bit crazy with this weird experience she is having!

So, for me, the first bit was fun and moved quite quickly, then the middle lagged a bit, and then the end was quite exciting and crazy and contained quite the twist that I did not see coming at all. That was great! And now it makes the story much more interesting and poses the question, how the heck will they deal with THAT?

Because, of course, then it ends and there are more books! Of course!

Bottom line: A fun quirky read geared for the younger teen set.

Other Reviews:

This is a great book for those who love and remembered the Animorphs. From Lizzy's Dark Fiction

I would recommend this book for a quick read, but be aware you will walk away wanting more. Which is both a good and bad thing. From The Book Maven

I am not exactly sure if we are dealing with a paranormal element or a sci-fi. I was intrigued the whole time just trying to figure that out. From Paranormal Wastelands

The action is in perfect balance with Citrus's amusing internal dialogue. From YA Reviews and News