Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Book reviews in March 2013

Cursed by Darkness (Befallen Tides, #1) 
Cursed by Darkness (Befallen Tides #1) by Anna Sanders  

So, I'm not too sure what was really going on in this book.

It started off good. I liked Winx for the most part, but found her to be rather cowardly, and unreasonable.
So, you meet Miss Winx, she's a Daevor, or demon, and she's getting her wings clipped and punished to...what exactly? Something about being on earth for ten years killing zombies or something. o.O
Two years later, she is somehow not serving her time, instead, she's dancing at a strip club. Enter Keaton. What was going on with him? He reminded me of a super happy Japanese tourist...not your run of the mill American gypsy. But anyway. There was no real action...the plot...what was the plot? I still don't quite see where this was going or where it was coming from.
Another character enters the fray...miss Evy. I'm not entirely sure what her purpose was in the book...from what I read, she wasn't necessary.
The only thing I did like was how the zombies were created.
I was unable to determine an age range....it started off rather mature. But as the book progressed, it was rather juvenile.
Not going to bother with the rest in the series.

Read from February 28 to March 01, 2013  
Run (The Hunted, #1)
Run (The Hunted #1) by Patti Larsen

True Rating: 3.5 Stars.

Now he understand how it feels to be nothing, inconsequential.

The Good

It hits the ground running and doesn't stop! Jam packed with suspense and overwhelming mystique of what is really going on.
Reid is a thinker. Sure, he's impulsive at times, but when he is, it is completely understandable and almost expected given the circumstances.
I loved the word play; it reels you in better than a hook, line, and sinker.
I loved the supernatural element; and initially, I was happy with how long what they were was kept hidden. I was eager to know more about the hunters but, at the same time, I was almost satisfied with the information given and the pace in which you were learning different things.(That changed.)

And then! A few monkey wrenches were thrown at you.


The Bad
Plot holes and/or contradictions.
The poachers supposedly parachuted into the cage. But, when the helicopter came, it was blown up by anti-aircraft weaponry. The poachers would have had to use some kind of aircraft to get over the fence in order to parachute in...so?
The so-called pact with the hunters went against everything you first learned about them. They liked the hunt, they liked the thrill, they liked to kill. Period. Nothing about what I witnessed of the hunters showed them capable of being bargained with. My other issue: How did Joel supposedly "negotiate" with them? They only growled and grunted from what I was being told by Larsen.
And I am sure I am not alone in noticing that the only time the hunters "payed with their food" was when Reid was dealing with them. They didn't bother playing with the first kill you witness, or with Monica. They sure didn't play with Trey. So, that annoyed me, because it was glaringly obvious that these instances of dealing with the hunters were supposed to be for show....rather than feeling like he actually had a chance or got away through his own sheer luck.
Disintegrating into dust upon death? How convenient. This would have done well to be explained. You even could have taken the route that it was to prevent the kids from using their claws and teeth as weapons. But no, there was nothing to explain this.
There were a few editing issues throughout the book. Misplaced words, and a few extra letters...and the wrong usage of 'too' from time to time. It really didn't take anything away from the read though, as the action going on made short work of any annoyance I felt.
There was no real character development, though I will say that it didn't stop me from enjoying the characters--I just wasn't attached to any. Not even Reid really.
My biggest problem, though, was that you learned absolutely nothing about what was going on. So there is no real desire to read the next book--other than to do so because you know there's another one.



Overall
This was a fast paced read. It was entertaining. Suspenseful enough to encourage page turning. It just really lacked in finesse, and tying up loose ends.
I'd still recommend it.

Read from March 01 to 02, 2013 
Afterlife (Afterlife Saga, #1)
Afterlife (Afterlife Saga #1) by Stephanie Hudson [Spoiler, Rant Alert]

I made it a little over half way. Which is longer than most of the books I have been reading lately. So, I think that I gave it a fair chance before giving up on this horrible...idea.

This drags....on...and on...and on. It is so very, very boring. I don't know that you ever figure out what the hell is going on in this book, and like Keira, I found myself just not giving a fuck anymore.

Keira was PATHETIC. What a waste of character. There is so much that could have been done with her. But she is left an empty shell of a woman, who lusts after a man for-- from what I can gather, nothing more than his looks. She was dull, timid, insecure, so fucking clumsy, and stupid.
Then she'd go and do shit completely out of character just so Hudson could continue on this train wreck of a so called "book".
She was not witty at all. All of her "come backs" were lame, and just earned eye rolls.
There's no development for Mr. Dominic Draven. The only thing you get an understanding of him is that he is an overbearing, presumptuous, controlling, stalking, asshole. Wow, how attractive. He also had a thing for talking in a bunch of random languages as if that was meant to impress you.
And how was he attracted to Keira, exactly? Because she was too stupid to live.

There was no development to the romance. Basically, Keira has some unnatural obsession with Dominic that is completely one sided. Then all of a sudden Mr. I can't give you straight answers without any actual reason other than "You're not ready" decides he's going to kiss her one time, while she's in a state, thinking she is being held against her will, and she's like, you know what? Sex sounds like a great idea, even though I don't know if I can trust you, since you lie to me over and over and over again, while treating me like I'm less than the shit on your friend of a friend's shoe! I am so confused as to how this book got decent reviews! This thing was terrible.

I was annoyed with how the American characters in this book did not sound American at all. They sounded just as English as Keira. This really ruffled my feathers. Why bother making this take place in a country that you have no idea how to show a reflection of?

From the beginning, and throughout the middle of the book, you are overburdened with useless information.
I don't give a shit about her clothes. I don't give a shit about her bathroom. I don't give a shit about this stupid clearing that has absolutely nothing to do with anything. I don't give a shit about all these rooms she will never set foot in again. I don't give a shit about these dreams that amounted to nothing. I don't give a shit about her grandfather and his working habits. I don't give a shit about her fucking scars that kept being brought up but not explained until I was too far gone to care about it anymore.

So, honestly, this bullshit about her just dismissing what she sees and experiences got old REALLY fast.

The stereotyping did not help this book at all. Your idea of Gothic was terrible. Everything was described as gothic...just yuck. If you don't know what you're talking about...just don't.

Plot holes out the ass. The plot was, actually, pretty non-existent. Everything in this book was disjointed and made absolutely no sense. So much time was spent telling you about useless shit. Any time the book seemed to pick up and get interesting, it would plummet back into boring, dragging, bullshit. Hudson was seriously in need of putting a lid on her senseless rambling. This book was boring enough as it was. The writing was horrible. Just absolutely terrible. Honestly, why was the majority of this "book" spent on Keira's insecure monologue? There is NOTHING attractive about that. Nothing! Stop telling these fucking girls you write for that they will get these incredibly sexy people by being horribly plain, insecure, nitwits.

Let's think about this for a second: If a friend thinks you are in danger, they keep you in the dark while trying to warn you. I don't know what kind of "friends" Hudson keeps, but that is not how a friend would behave.

I was such a fan of how many times Kiera conveniently fell into someone's arms. Fucking ridiculous.

I came to the realization that Hudson didn't know the meaning of a lot of words she was using. "Complicated" was one. "Racist" was another. I hate to break it to you, but "Homo" refers to being gay...Being gay has nothing to do with your skin colour. Since when did royal mean attractive? Don't know if you've looked at the English royals lately...but they're butt ugly.

I just...yeah. Yuck. Absolutely do not recommend to anyone.


Read from March 03 to 04, 2013 
Forsaken (The Demon Trappers, #1) 
Forsaken (The Demon Trappers #1) by Jana Oliver [Spoiler, Rant Alert]

Yuck.
This was an incredibly offensive read.

If this was meant to be some kind of demonstration of girl power--you failed miserably. I seriously don't like the message this book is screaming. Do you not have a son, brother, father, boyfriend or husband? Do you really condone this type of behaviour? It was absolutely atrocious. I just simply cannot stomach any more Riley. She's deplorable. The fact that you made a big deal about her being a girl, and how bad it is to be judged and treated badly because of it, but then to have her doing the exact same thing toward men? You disgust me. This is not the way to be encouraging young women to behave. This shit needs to stop. I very much hope that you do not have children. No girl should grow up thinking it's okay to act like this without consequence, and no boy should grow up expecting to be treated this way and have it be okay.

This started out very juvenile. I was thinking I was too old for this. It was very conflicted for the target age, I think. The demons were acting more like mischievous faeries than demons, which had me thinking this was written for eleven year olds, and then out of no where you get drunk mothers who don't care who fucks them--which I'd hope wasn't for that age group! But having finished this, it wouldn't surprise me if it were intended for such a young audience. You clearly have no shame.

It was primarily in third person, but would randomly drop into first person perspective to give lame commentary. That annoyed the fuck out of me.

Nice open disrespect toward soldiers serving for their country. Not everyone likes everything about their job, but fuck you for making it out to be a blasphemous thing to serve in the military and go to war. Anyone who joins knows that they can be called. It's not like they're just thrown into it without knowing it can happen. If they don't want to go to war, they shouldn't sign up.

Riley

I am hoping you were supposed to hate her, and hold no sympathy for anything that happened to her in this book. Because I had no respect for her, and I could care less of the shit she had to endure. Quite frankly, she didn't get all she deserved by half.
She was incredibly short sighted, spoiled, rude, disrespectful, single minded, presumptuous, ridiculous, immature, and self absorbed. She didn't give a shit about anything. Not even her father, regardless of what she claimed. I saw no evidence.
She bitched about having to sit vigil over his body so he wouldn't be resurrected for sucks sake. She didn't feel guilty about her "fuck up" with the Grade One--sure she was disappointed with herself, jumped to conclusions with her dads reaction, and worried about what would happen to her, but she didn't care about the sanctions being placed on him. She didn't even offer to slow down with her training or anything of the sort.
She treats Beck terribly. And all of this is supposedly because he didn't reciprocate her feelings for him. I've noticed this a lot. And it pisses me off every time. No, that is not a reason to treat someone like shit. And it would be okay if she was brought to task about it! She slapped him for crying out loud! Just because you're female doesn't mean it's okay for you to strike a man without retaliation. This encouragement of abuse is just down right disgusting. Why didn't he slap her back? Especially when she told him that she didn't want him and if he really cared about her dad, he would have died in his place! What the fuck is wrong with you? She never apologized for that. She was never brought to task about that. She never even felt bad for fucking saying it! But then later in the book she's thinking "Why do you always make things personal?" Oh...I hated her with a passion.
It's quite a shame, this book may have been enjoyable without her bratty, disrespectful attitude. She wasn't funny. She was horrific! And as a female, I am seriously disgruntled with this fucking representation of our sex! I don't want to see people in real life acting like this, so stop encouraging it! Don't reward this little bitch with boyfriends, and people who care about her. Punish the fucking shit out of her. Send a decent message: You get what you deserve. Not what you think you're entitled to!
The one thing I will give you about this: She was consistent. I hated her from the beginning, and never once did that hatred waver.
I should have known when P.C Cast was mentioned in your acknowledgements that I shouldn't read this. But I wanted to give you a chance.

Romance

Horrible. She meets Simon a few times, and then all of a sudden she's in love with him. Familiar, isn't it?
Should have just left him for dead. In fact, bringing him back solidified me not reading any more of your books. Ever.

Beck

The only decent character in the book, and the only reason I continued to read it to the end. I loved him. But the one thing that ruined him for me was that he was clearly in love with Riley, and with all she pulled, he shouldn't be. I also thought he was a bit too much of a pansy taking all of her shit. She needed a reality check. But alas, he never gave it to her.

Over all: Horrible. I only recommend this if you are a fem-nazi and anti-military. Or even just a fem-nazi. This has fem-nazi written all over it. Disgusting.


Read from March 04 to 06, 2013  
Freefall (Infected, #4)
 Freefall (Infected #4) by Andrea Speed

Book One

I love how these books progress. I am so addicted. I save these for after I've had a shitty book streak because I know I won't be disappointed.

One thing about this book I was unsure of was why have him killed when trying to get the computer? I thought they'd do the whole theft attempt first, also. But if he's dead, how were they planning on getting the computer?

Roan has such a strong presence as a character. Which, I know, should be the case, but you'd be surprised with the novels out right now. He worms his way into your mind, and you just can't get enough of him. I love his attitude, but more than that, I love that he can back it up with action.

I loved this "episode". Really, it was such a smooth read and extremely captivating. Nothing got done around my house. And this is why I just adore Speed's writing.

Book Two

"No one really wanted something up their dick, did they?"

I was laughing my ass off. Speeds characters are all incredibly witty. Even with Roan's dark humour, you can't help but snicker at the very least.

Such great character development. And not just for Roan. Every character has a purpose, a specific personality, and they feel very real. They don't fall out of what you'd expect of them. Most writers I have been reading lately are not able to do this. Speed does it well. I really think that everyone should read these novels. Even if you aren't into the whole "gay" thing. I just love it. And I am attached to every single character in these books. They're hard not to appreciate--even the villains. I will miss Eli. He really was one to make me chuckle. But I will say, I am really fond of Fox. And I can't wait to see where he goes next.

This series is easily one of my favourites. I love the story. I love how the whole cat thing is a disease rather than a race. I love how it affects society, and how well Speed integrates it to being part of everyday life. I might also like that it's set in Washington...might be a bit bias. I don't think I've actually seen where it is set written in the book, but my guess is Tacoma, which really is as seedy as the book makes it out to be.
Anyway I recommend it to everyone. READ IT.


 Read from March 06 to 07, 2013




Dark Angel's Ward (Angel Warden, #1)
Dark Angel's Ward (Angel Warden #1) by Nia Shay

Real Rating: 3.5 Stars.

What's a girl to do? I drew back my foot and kicked him in the stomach.

Well I can say that I wasn't quite expecting that.

This wasn't a horrible little book. I was quite happy to read it. I did like that things kind of just happened without much prelude to the actual happenings. But at the same time, it lacked a lot of explanation and character development. And in short: I'm still a little confused as to how things came about.
Jandra was a tease. I did not approve of this; and I never do. She starts shit, gets Zeph all hot and bothered, acts like she wants him...and then stops. More than a handful of times. I was okay with the first couple, because she had a decent reason behind it. It was understandable, even if it is fucked up. But the reason this shit annoys me so much is because if it were to be the other way around, you know how women act. They get all butt hurt at the rejection, and can be down right nasty about it. But men are expected to be gentlemen about it. Wouldn't bother me if women were understanding about it too. And then there was this: Not that I'd been waiting on him to agree on anything--the heated response of his body told me all I needed to know.
So...only men need to make sure it's okay to proceed, then? If he has a boner, then clearly, because all men are the same, it's all go! But not true for her, is it? He had her body screaming out for him, but he better be sure that's what she actually wants. Double standard, don't you think?
For the most part I liked Jandra's attitude. Though she was a bit full of herself and bossy for my liking. For someone who didn't like to be ordered around, she sure had no problem bossing around others. And she wouldn't shut up long enough to hear a word from anyone else. Not very attractive. But she was funny. And a lot of the aspects of this book had me chuckling.
It was just missing a few back stories, and elements to draw certain scenarios into place, and failed to give you a decent understanding of what was really going on in the book, and between the characters.
I didn't know what to make of Zeph. I guess he was supposed to be eye candy or something. But I didn't get a real feel for what he really looked like, or what he was like as a character. Here's what I saw: A whipped little bitch. So, not very appealing.
And Brax? He was unnecessary love triangle...that flopped hard core. There was not enough involvement with him. So she damn near fucked him in her dreams--not enough to make him worth the while of being in the book really.
And the corruption wasn't conveyed enough to really accept. It was a great idea, the whole book was--it was different to most of the angel novels I've read yet--it just wasn't executed in a way to make this a fantastic read. But, like I said, it wasn't horrible.
I liked it enough to see how the next one plays out
.

Read from March 07 to 09, 2013
Beautiful Darkness (Caster Chronicles, #2)
Beautiful Darkness (Caster Chronicles #2) by Kami Garcia

I didn't hate it. But this was just a revision of the first book, only less exciting. It was so predictable that I don't know why it took so long to tell you things you already knew. I knew about the cat long before it ever got there. I knew about Macon as soon as the archlight was brought into the story. The only new information that I really didn't get until you were told was what John was. This book even ended the same as the first book, for the most part. I wasn't impressed.
Lena, again, spent the book treating Ethan like shit. Ethan, again, spent the book being her lap dog. There was a lame semi-attempt at a love triangle/square that flopped tremendously. I was really expecting a lot more than I was given.
And what is up with keeping the romance within the family? That's very southern of you, but also extremely skeevy. I know they're not related, but good lord, they may as well be.
Where was the action in this book? It was very anti-climatic.
I felt bad for Liv. What a sacrificial character. She got nothing out of the story--all she did was give.
I skipped over 60% of this book. There was so much downtime. And it was so boring. I don't know if I'll bother picking up the next one. If I do, it won't be any time soon.

Read from March 09 to 11, 2013  
The Lost Code (The Atlanteans, #1)
 The Lost Code (The Atlantians #1) by Kevin Emerson

This got some pretty low reviews, so I was wondering if I made the right choice to dive into this one. Either this was a decent book, or I have been reading some serious trash lately.

But, this was actually okay. I didn't have an issue with the pace. I found it quite fascinating. I really liked that the dystopian elements in the book were rather feasible.

It was rather unique. The storyline was smooth and the plot was established very well. A little too well at times, as I found it rather predictable.

This would certainly suit younger readers. Not only is it clean, but it's not very barbaric either. Sure, there are parts of the story where there are horrific happenings, but it's kept to a minimum, and even the descriptions of them are rather mild.

The lack of reactions from Owen were my biggest gripe. It was explained away as him feeling peace and just knowing it was true. I find that this type of thing just shows a lack of effort in describing emotional situations. And perhaps that's not Emerson's strengths as a writer, but I think there should have been some. It would have added that extra layer to Owen's character development, which I think he needed. He was lacking the emotional element to make him really stand as a solid character, leaving him rather dull. However, I was happy to be spared a bunch of repetitive inner turmoil.

But overall: it was a good read.


Read from March 11 to 12, 2013
Painted Blind
 Painted Blind by Michelle A. Hansen  [Spoiler Alert]

True Rating: 2.5 stars.

"I'm not a fairy!"..."C'mon Tinkerbell, you don't have to be ashamed."

I was really intrigued by the book description. It kind of gave it a beauty and the beast feel--but that wasn't what it was, at all.
I was actually really disappointed with this. It did not live up to my expectations. And I really felt that it fell flat with what I thought it was supposed to be projecting. I was thinking this was supposed to go against shallowness. But everything about this book--especially the ending--was shallow.

Psyche was a model, but no one wanted her, yet at the same time, everyone wanted her--and for only one thing: sex, apparently.. There was no real evidence of this. And if you don't want to be looked at, why the hell would you be a model?

That was the first strike for me.

Why was Psyche scared to be touched? It was rather odd to me that she didn't have a valid reason for her timidness. I don't know that I've ever heard of a model without any confidence. Insecurities? Sure, everyone has them. But Psyche was hedging on self hatred.

Most of my issues with this book have to do with Psyche. Her character development was extremely conflicted. For someone with severe issues with men, she was incredibly hell bent on getting back with Erik, after she did the one thing he asked her not to do. But it was more than that. For some reason she felt entitled to this. Kind of like a spoiled child not getting her way and being upset with being punished. It really came across that the only reason she was interested and determined to get back with him was because of what she saw. Which would be the reason why he didn't want to be seen.
I'm not sure how I was supposed to support her through her trials when there was nothing redeeming about her. She was a horrible person. Selfish, untrustworthy, callous, rude; she only ever thought about herself. She used her friends, and lied to them. The way she treated everyone she came into contact with before Hades was just disturbing. It wasn't surprising that she had little friends, and no boys interested in her for anything past her looks. Back to her conflicting character development: Psyche was a shrew. She cowered inside herself at every opportunity. And then you have her braving all these ridiculous tasks, standing down intimidating people...and I'm sorry, but that doesn't coincide with her initial development, at all! I would have enjoyed this more had she actually been a strong person from the get go. The insecurities I could handle, if they weren't so severe that everything else that happened in the book seemed completely unattainable for her character. Then, after all these shows of bravado, she goes back to being a timid little girl. Her whole story just didn't add up.

The tasks undertaken by Psyche seemed very rushed, and entirely too simple. The only one that really worked well was the 3rd one. And there was so much missing from that adventure that really could have made this book something special. So many elements that could have been employed with these quests were left untapped. And it really was a shame. Ultimately, the entire story was rather dull.

There were some comical moments. And I found Erik to be very charming even though the romance itself was rather non-existent, leaving this book feeling rather empty by the end of it.

The ideas in here were really interesting, but they just weren't explored enough.


Read from March 12 to 14, 2013
The Arena Wars (Arena Wars #1)
The Arena Wars (Arena Wars #1) by Samantha Hoffman

...What did I just read...?

This was horrible...absolutely awful.

There was no structure. Things happened just to happen without any real reason. There was no plot...like I said--things just happened. Nothing added up, nothing made sense. It was like a bunch of half thoughts put on paper, but never completed.
Where the fuck did anything that happened in this book come from? You explained nothing. You set up nothing. Why was Roger introduced? Why was he interested in Alana? Why was Ilene so jaded? You gave lame half excuses, but nothing substantial--nothing that held any ground. There was no evidence of anything. Every time a new scene came into play I was left going "What the fuck? How did this happen?"

Okay, so you cannot become a natural...you either are, or you're not.
What was this "fussy werewolf" business? I think you were trying to portray that they were stuck up or something...but all I could think about was a crying baby or a picky eater.

You can't claim that people are willing to do anything for your safety when they won't consider moving to keep you out of harms way. That's just ridiculous.

How can you lose a fight to the death and survive? Explain that to me. I just couldn't wrap my head around it. If you lose a fight to the death--you're dead. There's no life left to be sacrificed.

There was no character development. There was no story build up. It was just a bunch of nonsense. What's worse is that I could see the actual idea of this book as a good one--it was just executed so poorly that it is utterly ruined.

No, I will not read any further into this series.


Read from March 14 to 15, 2013
Exit Kingdom (Reapers, #2) 
 Exit Kingdom (Reapers #2) by Alden Bell


I loved it. The delivery was very poetic. At times it got a little wordy, with broken speech which made it difficult to pin down what was being said. But eventually it all came together to make sense. I just love all the philosophy embedded in the read.

"Your life ain't a target for the world to shoot at. The world is a target for your life to shoot at."

Nothing sounds more like annihilation than deafening quiet.
 


Read from March 17 to 18, 2013
Velveteen
 Velveteen by Daniel Marks

Oh, boy.

So, this was not what I was wanting.
The whole premise behind this was awesome. But...nothing really happened.
There was about 30% story, and the remaining 70% was useless nonsense, descriptions of places, random half completed memories, and loose attempts at romance.

There was no actual explanations for anything in this book. You don't get a real feel for what is truly going on in Purgatory. You don't find out, for sure, the reasons behind the uprising. Everything is left ambiguous and speculative. You have no idea how these salvage groups came together--what formed the order in the first place--but you do find out how they were tested to find their aptitude, if you will.
There were two villains, who were just that--villains. You get half memories of Bonesaw from Velvet, but not the whole story in one piece. It was broken into little pieces throughout the story, much like how she ended up in the end, I suppose. But still, there was no real closure for that whole mess. I was under the impression that her haunting of Bonesaw was going to be a pretty big deal in the book. And it wasn't. It was stretched out to be used in the underlying plot of uprising, angry souls eager to flee Purgatory. I don't think it fit well in the book. Maybe it would have been better if it was kept separate, so there could be some emotional closure there.
There certainly wasn't any closure from Clay. You are left rather confused with that whole debacle. He is a character that is attempted to be hidden well throughout the story. But, there is no surprise of who he is. His identity, like the majority of the plot, was very predictable, even with the attempt of a wild goose chase.
Velvet, herself, is a very angry character. And it is supposed to be due to the manner in which she died, I suppose. However, it seemed to me, that everyone in purgatory met a pretty violent death, so a lot of her snarkiness just irritated me. 


The romance between Velveteen and Nick was...well, very dull, to match this story overall.
I am assuming that there will be more to this because there were so many loose ends. If this was meant to be a stand alone, then I would drop the rating to 1 star.


Read from March 18 to 20, 2013
Lark (Lark, #1)

Lark (Lark #1) by Erica Cope

 Actual Rating: 2.5 Stars.

I started off really liking Mia. Rather than your typical maudlin, bitchy girl, she seemed very chipper and had a healthy respect for her parents.
It went down hill pretty quickly, though. Her personality kind of did a 180, and she lost the head she started off having on her shoulders.

The initial upbeat nature of this book, also quickly jackknifed into somber territory, and then rushed right into ridiculous territory, where it pretty much stayed.

I also had a problem with Mia being a long lost royal descendant. How unoriginal. But it gets better! A ridiculous prophecy gets added to the mix. And all was lost after that.

Greyson was emasculated by being referred to as beautiful. I like my men manly. Not feminine. You just can't be badass while looking like you belong in a tutu.

"Does that make me a freak or something?" Why? Why can't you just leave Twilight out of this?

I think the book Greyson gave to Mia should have played a larger role in this story. It really ended up being rather pointless. I think it might have been better had she come across the prophecy herself, perhaps in the book, and made some connections on her own.

There was a lack of description. Magic shit just kind of happened, with tingling being your explanation for how it works. Hmm. I was not satisfied. 


Mia at least had a fair number of necessary breakdowns. However, she didn't really do a whole lot of thinking for herself. And the thinking she did for herself, only proved her to be a fucking moron. 
Why are girls always morons? 
And, unfortunately, there was a lot of telling, and very little showing. I can't stand that.

Leaving out the cruelties of what supposedly took place in the Underworld was another thing that held this book back from being great. How are you supposed to get a feel for the kind of danger Mia is supposed to be in when you pussyfoot around what goes on down there? Why bring it up at all? Everything that ends up happening later in the book just kind of feels out of place due to this.


I feel sick to my stomach as I remember what I read about these Dark Elves. Uhm...she didn't read shit about the fucking elves. She read like, 1/4 of a page of that book and then didn't bother with it anymore. She made a big show about how she wasn't reading it. And it really killed this book because it is so lame and watered down. I was so disappointed.

I was really thrown off with the way that Brian was treating Mia. She had been nice to him. His cruelty was unreasonable, and I didn't care for the explanation given when she asked him about it. It just came across as lazy to me.

I was really irritated with Mia wanting to go off without anyone watching over her. It just didn't fit with the fact that she had already been kidnapped once, and therefore knew what she faced should it happen again. It didn't seem likely.

"Not trying to offend. Just trying to insult you," You do realize that insulting someone is offending them, right?

I am not a fan of love triangles, but in this case I was okay with it. I liked that the guy she ended up with is not the one you probably thought she would, even considering the circumstances. That one just seemed more likely, because of the whole forbidden aspect of it. But, I also liked that the back and forth wishy washy wasn't on Mia's part. She also let him know how it was affecting her.

Anyway, this had a lot of potential. And it fell extremely flat. I give it 2.5 stars because it could have been a lot worse, and it tried for some originality. It was just full of a lot of disappointment for me.


Read from March 20 to 21, 2013
Guardian of the Dead 
 Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey

Real Rating: 4.5 Stars.

This was awesome. I also understood most of it since I am a Kiwi and know a lot of the Maori myths and legends.
But I have never read anything like this. I loved the originality of the plot. It was written very well.
Ellie was a strong character, and she felt real. I loved that. She didn't feel like she was changing to suit the needs of the story. She felt very alive. I liked that she had quirks that weren't standing out like a shining beacon, but rather something you observed, subtly, as you read from her perspective. She was not overdone, nor was she underdone.

I also enjoyed that this wasn't a heroine trying to save the world from the apocalypse, but rather, part of her country from certain death. A smaller feat, but still an enormous one. Keeping it local, rather than spread world wide, isn't really done anymore, for some reason. And I think when you take "ordinary" characters and throw them into something as dire and enormous a task as that, it becomes rather ridiculous and you can't really take it seriously, so, you don't really bond with the character as much. But on a smaller scale, and with how this was written, it was easy to fall in love with Ellie, and cheer her on, while even relating to her struggles.

The romance in this book was another nice change. No horrible insta-love, no horrid attempts at a love triangle, and it wasn't rushed in any way. I also liked that there wasn't a true, miraculous happy ending to any part of this story, adding to the "realistic" factor of the fantasy. When shit of this enormity happens, you can't have it all abated without any consequence. I was happy that it held true to that.

It would have been nice, I think, to have some of the Maori legends explained earlier in the book, to give readers--especially those who haven't heard of them at all, a real feel of what to expect out of the book. I was also not a fan of all the feminist hype throughout it. It was a sharp thorn in my side, because often times, it had no place in anything. So, that's why this couldn't be a 5 star for me.
I would have enjoyed to see some more of the Maori language incorporated into this, as well. It would be nice to get it out of our little bubble and grace otherwise ignorant people with it. There were English interpretations of what was "said", but there was no actual Maori beforehand. And I thought that to be a shame.
Aside from that, it really was a beautiful book. So original, and I am glad to have read it.


 Read on March 22, 2013
A Job From Hell (Ancient Legends, #1)


A Job from Hell (Ancient Legends #1) by Jayde Scott
 
"Look at Clare. I know what she wants with a dude like him--smoldering, volcanic passion. That's an easy fix. I can erupt any time she wants."

"You freaking bit me."..."You're lucky I don't call Animal Control."

There was no real structure to this book. Things just kind of jumped around haphazardly, without rhyme or reason. I found it difficult to fall into a comfortable rhythm, and was rather distracted.

Amber didn't have any true reaction to the things going on around her. Her actions had no real motive behind them, ever. This whole thing was really slapped together. The plot and subplots followed no direction, and took you on a half-assed ride. I was very disappointed.
As crappy as the plot and subplots were, and as horribly as this book was delivered, it was down right hilarious at times.

Amber seemed to think that going willingly with someone translated to her being kidnapped. She also thought that her boyfriend seeing someone else while they were broken up, meant that he was cheating on her. This stuff made no sense, at all.

The romance between Amber and Aidan was just annoying and very, very redundant. It was poorly done.

There was not enough explanation about the Lore behind this book, nor was there enough about the rivalry between vampires and shadows. You were left with a lot of questions, but not enough answers.

The action was...pathetic. I was not impressed.

Overall, this was a mediocre book. That didn't stop me from reading it, though. I loved the side characters more than the main characters. Cass and Kieran really helped out a lot. Their banter was just hilarious. So...2 stars.

Read from March 22 to 23, 2013
Falling Kingdoms (Falling Kingdoms, #1)
 Falling Kingdoms (Falling Kingdoms #1) by Morgan Rhodes 

This was slow to start, and it didn't catch my attention very well. I found that I really couldn't follow because I was bored. Even the killing was boring. But I got to the whole incest part and decided I just didn't want to bother venturing further. I may give it a second shot...but I doubt it.
Read from March 23 to 24, 2013
The Lonely (The Lonely, #1)
 The Lonely (The Lonely #1) by Tara Brown  [Spoiler Alert]


Real Rating: 2.5 Stars.

I feel sick wiping her off everything that's hers. I feel sicker that she's okay with it.

I liked this in the beginning. I found myself easily caught up in the mystery. But as this book progressed, I felt lied to by the book description.
She did not meet Sebastian and fall for him. She met Sebastian and treated him like shit. She took him on a wild ride of chasing a goose that was never there to begin with. And I absolutely despised reading it, because I don't think that Sarah actually paid her dues for all she did.


I would have liked to know some of her life before going off to college with Michelle, so we could have witnessed her New Leaf attempt.


I also did not find Sarah to be a strong character, at all. She was weak and never grew out of it. She had no self respect, and at the end of the book she tried for some, but never did find herself with any. She followed Eli's rules to the letter. And decided that not answering her phone was the ultimate defiance. Ridiculous. I never did see how he ended up as her "benefactor". And I didn't see how she became trained to do everything he told her to do.
The romance between the two was awful and down right gross. I don't know if any of you have read Captive in the Dark, but this was a sad shadow of that, except it was just crude and disgusting. It was poorly done.
I think had Eli at least shown some signs of kindness rather than just being Mr. Mysterious, especially during her "kidnapping", I could have seen how things might have turned out the way they did. But Sarah did not even have the right reactions to the way she was being treated. Sure, she got angry, but she never really took it anywhere. And it really created this whole bullshit effect for the entire book. It took me out of the read, and just angered me. I was sickened by the attempts of justification, unlike when I read Captive in the Dark, where I found myself completely at odds with myself, yet understanding the connection. In this, there was no real connection, other than hero worship. But that wasn't the true route taken here.
There were a lot of terrible grammatical errors. Sloppy.

2.5 stars, because it did hold my attention pretty well until the triangle, and shitty representation of love between Sarah and Eli. This could have been done with a lot more class and perhaps if more time was spent on creating the right connections between characters, it would have been a 5 star book. But it was seriously lacking.


Read in March, 2013
Unlikely Allies

Unlikely Allies by Tiffany King  [Spoiler Alert]

Spoiler Alert. Do Not Read This If You Want To Read This Book.


***********************************************************************
I am sorry, but this book was horrible.

Now, before you get your panties in a twist, I have very good reasons for why this is awful.

What was the plot? Where was the character development? There was only one subplot...the rest...was...well meaningless and completely unnecessary. Where was the romance? What the fuck was this supposed to be about!?

There were good intentions in this book...This book could have been pretty decent--if it were completely rewritten.

I have to ask...who the hell says LOL instead of laughing???? Who does that!? And what was up with all the shitty acronyms? It came across as a desperate attempt to be hip...and well, you failed. Hard core.

So let me start at the beginning. Beach Bunny Kim was not aware of who her father was growing up. Her father was also unaware of her. Apparently her mother just decided to let her know, and her father know spontaneously, an event you were not a witness to, which really was a shame. So, she goes to meet him for the first time. Instead of spending quality time with her stranger-father, she is thrust into a job of counseling kids at a camp she wasn't even aware he ran. That's right, she shows up in Colorado knowing nothing about where she is going, where she will be staying, or what she will be doing. She wasn't curious enough to ask questions before hand, no, she just thought she'd jump ship and go stay with him because she was pissed off at her mother.
[image error]
Yeah...That needed a lot of work, don't you think? I don't give a fuck how pissed off you are; only a moron would willingly got to stay with a stranger, knowing absolutely nothing about them.

The first person she encounters is her foster bother-turned lover (I know, awkward.)who treats her like shit for no real reason. And for some reason, she just takes this. Her father notices that they are not getting along, but does nothing to actually sort this situation out. No, instead, knowing his daughter's discomfort, pairs her with this asshole for a demonstration in front of everyone. Does this sound fatherly to you? Because it sounds down right fucked up to me.

I'm not really sure what the camp really had to do with anything in this story. I'm not really sure why her father being absent had anything to do with this story. It just got more fucked up as things "progressed".

So, there was an opening to helping children that was really not explored. There was mention of Kim trying to bond with one of the girls--though you never saw any true evidence of this. It was just there to get her in the woods with Mason.
[image error]
What, you say? I don't really know what to tell you. All of a sudden, without any real warning, aside from other campers telling Kim that he clearly likes her, Mason does a total 360, and decides he can't take it anymore, and has to be with Kim. There was no random moments where he was nice to her, unless you count him asking her if she was crying, and catching her so she wouldn't fall over. The only interaction they shared was Mason being an asshole, and Kim occasionally having something snarky to say back. No buildup to a truce, no friendship, just insta-love from random angst-ridden bullshit.
Moving on, the door that was opened with trying to get a little girl under her wing, was abruptly shut because she was being awarded back to her shitty father. She runs away, apparently seeking to live in the woods. For some reason, Mason decides that Kimmie needs to roll with him. I suppose he was supposed to be more capable than her dad....Anywho, they fall off the fucking mountain. See, now, I think the whole relationship between them should have started here. It would have been more acceptable, and easier to understand that during all this strife, they found common ground and fell in love with each other...but no, no, no...they established this from nothing, just minutes before this whole shebang got under way.
So, for some reason, King forgets about the fact that Mason lost the radio. I think help would have come for them sooner than the book was suggesting, because I doubt Kimmie's dad would have just assumed they were holed up due to weather. He would have tried to make contact via radio, and when he couldn't, he would have thought the worst. No one just assumes you're okay and figures you'll show up if you show up!
Now that they're all safe and sound and poor Mason lost his leg he pushes Kim away. There was a real chance here for some serious bonding and healing to be had, instead King takes this on a whole different route--one that I have no fucking clue as to why she did it--and has Kim be this supposed depressed girl seeking--but not really seeking--some love triangle business, that doesn't really attempt to be anything at all. All it did was annoy the fuck out of me. She mopes around, pining for someone who made it pretty clear he wasn't interested. And I could have understood this had it been maybe a month or so. But there was no contact. AT ALL. She made no effort to move on. Then out of no where she pretends she's going to move on, just so he can come back out of nowhere to steal her heart away.
[image error]
Meanwhile, Kim has forgiven her mother, and apparently so has her father, as now they are all a happy little family again. This was just... uh...yeah...

There were so many missed opportunities. There really could have been some awesome gems with the camp kids. Seriously. I was really hoping there would be some life changing shit there. But no. There really could have been some inspiring shit going on with Kim and her mom...but, again, no. There was no real point to Kim having a father, she hardly saw him. That could have been sweet and tear-jerk worthy shit, too. But...no. The entire recovery for Mason--which wow, why would you rob the story of that?--could have been awesome and heart felt....but it was, again, not included.

Talk about falling flat.
Completely disappointing.
 

Read from March 24 to 25, 2013
Michael (The Airel Saga, #2)

 Michael (The Airel Saga #2) by Aaron Patterson

 I like these books. I like that Airel isn't some bratty, self depreciating attention whore. But she doesn't quite meet bad ass criteria.
I found it odd that she didn't really give a shit about her supposed best friend. For the most part she left her to herself. I just didn't see the legitimacy in that. She was also the last to notice severe drastic changes in her. She kept pushing aside thoughts about it, instead of addressing them and seeing how her friend was truly holding up.

I liked all the mini stories, but they were lacking a lot of relevance. I know they served a purpose, which was to give you a bread crumb trail for the opposition, but they weren't incorporated very well. Ultimately, they were throw away scenes and characters, which really pulled this story down, rather than added to the thrill. 

How did Airel's father know who Harry was? I was so confused by that whole encounter. It made no sense, and again, it distracted me from the read, versus enhancing it.

I felt that the confirmation about Kim should have been from Airel's perspective rather than Michael's. There was certain reactions missing from her, that should have been included, considering the nature of their relationship and the circumstances they found themselves in.

I would also recommend re-reading Airel, or at least skimming it, because it had been a while since I read it, and I was really confused as to what was going on. It came together in the end, but there was not a whole lot of adequate references to the happenings in Airel, which left me scouring my brain for connections. 

There were a few grammatical errors, but not so many that it was much of an issue.
Sadly, the book was really quite predictable. Especially the end.
But the story was still awesome. I love the plot. I even like the way that it shifts between characters and time. It is also written rather poetically at times, and I devoured this easily.
I am looking forward to Uriel

 Read from March 25 to 26, 2013
 Isolation (Partials #0.5) by Dan Wells

Fucking awesome.

She was a broken doll, dancing on the end of their strings.

This really could have stood on it's own. But it also brought the first book into the right perspective. Just how this shit got started. And Heron was a badass.

I am really liking Wells writing style. So looking forward to Fragments, which I have but don't want to read until the next one is closer to being out. Because that is such a tease!


 Read on March 27, 2013

Punished (Arelia LaRue, #2)

 Punished (Arelia LaRue #2) by Kira Saito

Hmmmm...

I read this kind of blind. I don't remember much from the first book and there was inadequate reflection done in this book to piece together a lot of what I was missing.
But that didn't stop this book from being really predictable. I knew Louis' identity in the first book, so it pissed me off that it took as long as it did to get to that. Nothing in this book was surprising.
Arelia did not act her age. And she surely didn't act like someone to be respected in any aspect of this book. She was whiny, ignorant, stupid, and hypocritical. She was told many times to be respectful to the loa, but she never was. In every encounter she had with them, she was rude, and refused to listen, even after asking for their help. I just found it completely unlikely that the spirits would waste their time with her. I also felt that she did not suffer from any of the karma she has wracked up.

This book was very shallow. It was quite disturbing.
So many errors in this book. There were a lot of words missing and commas in places they didn't belong, among other things.
I may look into the next book because the plot isn't half bad. It's just the delivery is awful. But because these books are relatively short, it's easier to deal with I suppose.


Read from March 26 to 27, 2013
Unremembered (Unremembered, #1)
 Unremembered (Unremembered #1) by Jessica Brody

True Rating: 3.5 Stars.

"Everybody knows the memories that really matter don't live in the mind."

"Trust your heart."..."It's the only thing that will never lie to you."


What a fantastic plot. The problem was there were more than a few holes in it.
Sera's reaction to Zen is just completely unrealistic, and quite frankly, contradictory to what she was supposedly wanting. He had answers. But she refused to hear them, yet bitched about not having answers...It annoyed me greatly. Especially because her reasons were flimsy at best.
If the people of Diotech wanted Sera so badly, why would they have her risk her life to get to them? It was just a lot of unnecessary drama.

I wasn't pleased with the encounters with the villains, either. I just hate how all the plans were dumped in a form of bragging. It's unbecoming. And I feel it's lazy and lacks creativity.

Text speech does not belong in conversations, ever. "OMG, Lacey..." Was this oh my god or O. M. G.? Because I read it as O. M. G. Which, of course, is just ridiculous, isn't it?

There were more than a few errors in this book. I am not sure that the editor even read it. There were missing letters. There were missing words.
Zen returns a few minutes later this was supposed to be Cody...
"Are you scared?" Maxxer asks me.
I contemplate his question.
Maxxer was female.

But there were good parts to this story. It was rather unique with how everything unfolded. There were some twists in there that were not too predictable, though quite a lot of it was foreshadowed to the point that it may as well have explained itself twice. I was surprised with the end, I was thinking it would have gone another way--which I must say, I am glad that it didn't go the way I was thinking. I just didn't think, despite the fact that I enjoyed this book, that I would be able to read it twice with some slight tweaking for the next one.
It was certainly entertaining enough for me to look out for the next one, but with the idea that there will be a love triangle in here...I think I might pass.


Read on March 28, 2013
The New Kid
 The New Kid by Temple Mathews
What do I think? I think I got confused somewhere. This started off rather humourous, but as I got toward the middle of the book, I just couldn't read it anymore.

What the hell was going on? This is what I understood about the plot...

Will was some Demon hunter that was after a particular Demon because said Demon kidnapped his dad...right? Right. However, this particular Demon was after some crazy weapon/device to take over the world, that Will was now in possession of...right? Right.

So, first of all, you are not told much about anything. You have no real idea as to why Will is where he is, how he got there, or even what he is. He has all this money...where did he get this money? He has all these gadgets...that I assume he got with this money that came out of thin air. He invents and builds weapons...with materials that come from where? Where did the knowledge to build these weapons and skill to create them come from?
Some book has something to do with things, it's like a coded bible of sorts, that explains the lives of ancestors doing the same thing as him. What were they doing? There is no backdrop to this story. But there is a major information dump that really tells you nothing at all.
Supposedly, Will has never had a friend since he was 8 years old. Miraculously, he makes two at this new school. He is so cool and collected and smart, that he was able to be spied on by them and ends up giving them a tour of his secret space. What the fuck?
He then goes to some hazing thing for football and gets his ass handed to him, and is saved by his new friends. Afterwards, he tells them everything about his life, even though he has only known them for maybe two days, and has never told anyone else before. How does this make sense? It doesn't!
There is no real sense of time in this book. What felt like perhaps a few days, amounted to the idea that it was supposed to be longer, maybe even a few weeks. I couldn't follow the timeline. It was rather nonexistent.
Don't get me started on the pathetic attempt at romance...yeah. No this book was horrible. I am not sure how it was published.

When reading a book, I expect there to be a plot. I expect there to be character development. I expect there to be subplots that fall in line with the original plot. I expect there to be world build up. I expect there to be explanations to the crazy shit going on so your book makes sense. I expect there to be dialogue that flows. All this should come together to create a reading experience where you are engrossed in the story, and completely forget you are reading a book.
This book encompassed none of those things.

Read on March 28, 2013
 You

 You by Charles Benoit

True Rating: 4.5 Stars.

This was written in a way that really enhanced this story. It's written in second person, almost like someone reading about you, to you. I enjoyed the way it felt. It was the perfect way to read this story, I don't think it would have worked as well written any way else.
It was spot on with the way life can be for a teenager struggling with life choices, spiraling out of control and unaware of how to get back to the right track.
I loved how he reflected on the teachers and what they were teaching and ultimately, how you really are taught to single things out.
There were a lot of comical scenes.
This wasn't exactly a heavy read, but it was far from empty.
I loved Zack. All his charisma and the way he was able to manipulate everything to his liking. He really was quite the director.
I really enjoyed how you could feel everything Kyle was feeling, and his thoughts were easy to imagine as part of who he was. The character development was done in such way that is so rare among books anymore, that you really could be in Kyle's place; understanding all of his choices, seeing exactly how he ended up where he was, but not faulting him entirely for getting there. You really see how he could be pushed in the direction he chose, while still seeing where he could have made different choices. It was very insightful, and reminded me of what it was like to grow up, trying to find out who I was and where I fit.
The ending was fitting, but I would have liked just a little more. It really kind of leaves you hanging. And that is the only reason I didn't give this 5 stars.


Read from March 28 to 29, 2013



 Embers in a Dark Frost 
Embers in a Dark Frost by Kelly Keaton


BORING.

It started off slow....and stayed slow...It was only mildly interesting in the beginning, but it never went anywhere.

I thought, at first, that maybe this would have gone a different direction because of this line: I should've been grateful for their charity, but I wasn't. I was angry. So I was expecting a darker read, not some bullshit impossible romance that you know is not so impossible after all. There was no originality to this plot.
Average looking girl meets awesome Adonis; they have a rough start to their relationship, as it is full of misconceptions, but it's obvious from the moment you meet Mr. Adonis that he will be the love interest in this story. They go on a quest that will end with Mr. Lovie losing his life, and along the way all these stupid secrets are kept from Deira because there needs to be reason for her to have doubt and nothing more.
Even the sex was boring! I mean...good lord. This book was such a drag. I got to just past the sex scene and just couldn't read any further.

Mr. Lovie--whose name I can't remember--is described as beautiful. He's supposed to be rugged. This description is conflicting with the rest of his description. What's wrong with handsome? That would be the equivalent of beautiful, only it doesn't make him sound like he has feminine features. Yuck.

I couldn't tell where one began and the other left off. This is one of the most overused lines I have ever read. And it pisses me off every time.

I am so tired of the whole -I don't want to tell people important information- shit. There is nothing original in that. Everyone does it. I was tempted to stop reading right there. But for some stupid reason, I thought to punish myself further with this.

The book is extremely predictable.

Errors. Missing words. Wrong words.
"That is you're right."
"Thank you I'm not used to looking like way..."



The romance was horrible. At least there was a bit of time before they were throwing themselves at each other. But there was still the lack of chemistry between the two. I didn't feel a connection. It was poorly done-much like the rest of the book.

The language in here annoyed the shit out of me. At times it was all formal and ancient sounding, but then at other times it was modern, and it didn't flow well.

It drones on and on. I was struggling to read it without falling asleep. I even tried skimming most of it, and still couldn't finish it. This would have to be the most boring book I have read this year. I do not recommend it.


Read from March 29 to 30, 2013

No comments:

Post a Comment