Monday, December 14, 2009


I apologize for taking so long to post this review! I managed to miss the fact that though I reviewed it on Good Reads I never got around to it over here.

Living Dead Girl
by Elizabeth Scott is told from the point of a 15 year old girl who was abducted and abused since she was ten years old. Her captor, Ray, has molded her into his twisted version of the perfect girl. When the book begins all she's waiting for is the day she gets too old to fill Ray's fantasy so he'll kill her. That desperation remains throughout the book though we do get to see the barest hint of hope towards the end. The book's ending is not what you expect to see but perhaps the only ending that matches the tone of the book.

Goodness this was a hard read. Not the language, but the content. Like I said when I started the book, this wasn't the story I expected to read. It is powerful, it is chilling, and honestly? It's a bit harsh for my tastes when it comes to YA. I think it's an excellently crafted book, but when I was a teen I would not have gotten any enjoyment out of this story. I can't see myself recommending this to anyone under the age of 18.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Reading Update

I haven't posted a review in over a month. For that I apologize. I have been reading, but the books have been pretty fluffy. I will get reviews up for two "cozy" mysteries I read in August soon. Currently I'm reading a YA novel that is a very hard read. When I saw the title "Living Dead Girl" I was sure it would be some type of light humor about a teen goth - that's what I get for not reading the book jacket. This is YA Realistic Fiction - gritty and emotional without being sappy in any way shape or form. I'll post a full review when I finish it. But as I usually only get time to read during my lunch break I've drug my heels on this one. Every page makes me lose my appetite so it's usually left sitting on my desk while I find a writer's magazine or a book on MS Vista to flip through instead.

But since I have to turn it back in to the library next week I'll finish it up and post my review by Thursday. Have a great weekend!

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

American Gods

American Gods Two reviews in one day, I'm on a roll!

American Gods by Neil Gaiman


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I started reading this the first time about four years ago and I never finished it. But, since it is a source of inspiration for Scion, the tabletop game I absolutely adore I decided to give it a second chance. Not the mention I happen to think Neil Gaiman is a brilliant author, so I figured my first time around with American Gods was just not the best time for the book.

I was right, because this time the story grabbed me and I really enjoyed it. Shadow is a character that is incredibly illusive. He doesn't give away much of what he feels or thinks and is, in general, a good guy that made some mistakes along the way. He more than makes up for them once Mr. Wednesday hires him. The story unfolds slowly and builds to an intriguing climax before it gives an ending that satisfied me.

What I think I enjoyed the most however was the game of trying to decide who all the characters represented. I'm pretty sure I got all of them, but of course there's no answer key to tell me if I'm right or wrong. Now I just have to find the novella Shadow is featured in as well, I'd like to know what happened to him.

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Bad Moon Rising

Bad Moon Rising (Dark-Hunter, #26) Bad Moon Rising by Sherrilyn Kenyon


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I've been anticipating this book for ages now. See, I love the Dark-Hunters but the Were-Hunters really really intrigue me. I think Vane may be my favorite of all the characters in these books. But this book isn't about Vane, it's about his brother Fang and his star crossed love Aimee Peltier, the only daughter of Mama Lo and Papa Bear, the owners of Sanctuary. The Peltiers are a fantastic family full of great characters. Frankly I hope we get to see a book for Dev and Kyle as well sometime.

Fang is an interesting character but I didn't connect with him the way I expected to. Aimee is marvelous, you just can't help but like her and want to see her happy. Getting to see Savitar in action was great, and meeting the Hellchaser Thorn added a new character I want to know more about. Given this was a Were-Hunter novel instead of a Dark-Hunter novel it made sense that we saw very little of Acheron but I missed his presence anyway.

What I enjoyed in this book was Fang and Aimee's devotion to each other and their loyalty to their families. That worked really well for me and fit the characters as we've come to know them through other books. The one thing I didn't like was the lack of time line for the book. I found myself getting confused in some areas trying to determine which timeframe different portions of the book took place.

No matter what the Dark-Hunter series continues to entertain and inspire, I'm just disappointed that I have to wait a while for another book to come out. :)

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Thursday, July 2, 2009

Graceling

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

Graceling 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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Saturday, May 16, 2009

Graveyard Book

The 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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Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Sweet Love

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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Thursday, March 26, 2009

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.

Monday, January 12, 2009

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.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

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.