Graceling

It's been a while since I added a new review. Sorry about that!

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this book. The main characters' exploration of their graces was fascinating. I enjoyed the romance in the story but I also liked the fact the romance didn't overshadow the plot of the story as well. The direction the romance took really surprised me simply because of the book's genre. In YA urban fantasy I'm not surprised by the exploration of a physical romance but in a more traditional fantasy it was a bit unexpected. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.


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Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was good book. I know, simple sentence, but it's true. It was an enjoyable story, with a very engaging plot. I didn't learn anything by reading it other than a reaffirmation that Neil Gaiman is a wonderful storyteller than can keep me entertained for hours.


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Sweet Love

Sweet Love by Sarah Strohmeyer

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
I started reading Sarah Strohmeyer's books after discovering the Lipstick Chronicles she and several other sassy authors contribute to. In the time I actively read that blog Strohmeyer wrote about this book a lot and I was looking forward to reading it. Finally picked it up last week and I have to say I enjoyed it. The recipes discussed sound incredibly good, but that's just the proverbial icing on the cake. The real heart of the story is Julie's relationship with her mother and her childhood crush Michael.



Michael seems too good to be true and their relationship blossomed fairly quickly on the page. But Julie and her mother's relationship seemed incredibly real to me. The only thing that really disappointed me was the lack of exploration in the relationship between Julie and her father. There was so much resentment built up on Julie's side, I really would've liked to see her father's side of things or even for him to have a few more lines - something that would give me the chance to see if their relationship would be salvageable after the story was over.



Would I recommend this book? Sure! It's not just a light fluffy read, there's moments that inspire strong emotion, but it also brings a smile to your face or even makes the reader laugh out loud in a few places.






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Dream Hunter

I just finished reading the Dark-Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon and I have to say I absolutely love it. I've become a huge fan of her work since stumbling into this series. Most of the series I read in order, but my first foray was Dream-Chaser, the second of the Dream-Hunter sub-series. It just worked out that my last book would be out of that sub-series as well.

Dream Hunter is about the renegade dream god Arikos. As one of the Oneroi, Arikos feels no emotion except what's reflected off the humans he observes in dreams. He's fascinated by one human in particular, Meagara "Geary" Kafeiri. Arikos comes to Earth with the intention of spending just a little bit of time with her and their story is a fascinating adventure. Arik as a character took a bit of time to warm up to but I liked Geary immediately. This book also contains readers' first introduction to Tory Kafeiri who we later see in the book Acheron.

It's enjoyable but the hero in this doesn't immediately connect with me in particular. It's an interesting read and even though this wasn't my favorite book in the Dark-Hunter series, I wouldn't miss it.

Confessions of a Part-Time Sorceress

I'm excited to read Confessions of a Part-Time Sorceress by Shelly Mazzanoble. I first came across this book last year and immediately ordered a copy for my library. Since we put it on the shelf it's regularly checked out and that confirms something I already knew. Girl Gamers are a mystery and people want to know more.

The author has a great conversational style, she makes it easy to understand the basic concepts of Dungeons & Dragons and table top games in general. I laughed several times while reading this book. It made me think back to my early experiences with D&D and wish I could get a game started up once more. Considering it's been a few years since I played D&D that's a big boost in the books favor. There were only two things I didn't care for with this book.

Number 1: The only accent color is a bright, almost obnoxious pink.
Number 2: Ms. Mazzanoble does a great job at debunking the gamer stereotype, but she plays up and comes across as delighting in the girl stereotype that women think of nothing more than shopping, hair, beauty, ect. As a female gamer that bugged me a bit, but this book is geared more towards women who are drug into the game by their significant others so maybe that stereotype fits the "target audience" better.

Overall it's a great book, one that is a fun read whether you're just getting into D&D and table-top gaming in general, or you're a veteran gamer and just want a bit of nostalgia.

Yule: Celebration of Light & Warmth

This is a short review because I already knew this was a good book. Yule: The Celebration of Light & Warmth is part of Llewellyn publishers Sabbats and Esabats product line. I've read other books in out of this line and enjoyed them. Yule provides some of the history of the holiday, the similarities between Yule and Christmas, and some great recipes. The rituals are laid out nicely with explantions for many - though not every step.

It's easy to read and entertaining. A great way to help get into the seasonal spirit!

This is the last review for the book-a-month challenge - even though some of the reviews were posted late (like this one) I still managed to finish. It's been enjoyable trying to choose books that fit the monthly themes.

Acheron

St. Martin’s Press did an excellent job marketing Sherrilyn Kenyon’s book Acheron. Their marketing campaign for “The Year of Acheron” caught my attention and I was curious. So I signed up for the updates. I read the short story “Fear the Dark” and was completely lost. A friend of mine had the first four books in the Dark-Hunter series and promised to mail them to me since we didn’t have them at the library. But I was impatient to start reading so I tackled Dream Chaser. Acheron intrigued me in that book so I snatched up his book as soon as I saw it on the New Releases shelf at work.

I found the first part to be very well written and engaging. Rissa was a sweet character, one I liked immediately. I was fascinated by Acheron’s interactions with Artemis, especially the early ones when he had nothing but hope for his future with her. Seeing his friendship with Savitar, the birth of the Dark-Hunters...I really came into the series at the wrong place, but I thoroughly enjoyed it anyway.

When the timeframe shifted to today the story really picked up speed. I loved meeting the various characters like Talon and Sunshine – characters that became favorites when I finally read their story. Soteria is a fun heroine. Like all of Kenyon’s female leads, she isn’t perfect and that makes her very likeable. She’s still a strong character but without that perfection you can easily identify with her.

Acheron is the end of the first part of the Dark-Hunter series according to the author. It’s an interesting read, thoroughly engaging, longtime fans get to see familiar characters once more and each one is a welcome treat. For me, it’s been fun to read from the beginning of the series and meet the characters I first glimpsed in Acheron’s book.

Something I found interesting about the character of Acheron is how due to his experiences in his human life he never expects anything from people. Nothing good at least. So when the people he’s given so much to come back to help him he’s stunned. Humbled in a way. It was a lovely scene, one I look forward to going back and rereading soon. It worked out nicely that I got to read this book in November when the Book-A-Month challenge theme was Giving. Acheron gives of himself everyday and he’s rewarded for it in the most wondrous ways. I couldn’t help but enjoy that.

If you’re a fan of vampires, mythology, or paranormal romance I think you’d enjoy the Dark-Hunter series, especially this book. It can be read on its own, but it is much more satisfying as part of the overall series.