Friday, March 11, 2011

Review: My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison

My Fair Godmother (My Fair Godmother, #1)My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


As if things couldn't be hard enough in Samantha's life - being an average student, having good looks, being dumped by her boyfriend Hunter for her sister Jane with prom around the corner, and just being embarassed in front of the whole popular clique by Tristan, she has a "fair" godmother, Chrissy. That's right, not good, not great, but one that flits around transporting her back and forth to the Middle Ages messing up Samantha's wishes. Unfortuately, with the last wish, Samantha involves Tristan but finds that she can live up to tasks at hand. Ms. Rallison creates a wonderful adventure filled with ogres, dragons, Black Knights, mystery and romance. I loved turning the pages with the adventures unfolding as Samantha peeled away and transformed.



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Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Review: The Girl Who Chased The Moon by: Sarah Addison Allen

The Girl Who Chased the MoonThe Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Emily Benedict is sent to live with her grandfather, Vance Shelby (the Giant) after the death of her mother. Her mother never talking about the town that she grew up in, Mullaby,NC , her family, or the people there ever certainly didn't prepared Emily for what the town had not forgotten about her mother. The mystical changing wallpaper in her bedroom, the Mullaby lights, and the Coffeys - especially Win are all mysterys Emily is trying to unlock.

Julia Winterson lives next door to Vance and has been helping fill in some of the blanks for Emily, but being back in town herself for over a year and still bearing a secret has her hiding from Sawyer Alexander, a one time love.

With love and a dash of something "wondrous" when going back we don't have to repeat what has been done before, but forgiveness and redemption can lead to new path.



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Review: The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

The Weird SistersThe Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Three sisters Rosalind (Rose), Bianca (Bean), and Cordelia (Cordy) are all flung back together under one roof to help with their mother who is battling breast cancer. Rose never left home, the oldest, the most prepared, is feeling her world slip as she prepares for a wedding and her fiance is in another country with a job offer; Bean swore never to come back, loving the big city, bright lights, has had an emptiness that she has filled with self destructive behavior - some of which has caught up with her; Cordy, the youngest, the free spirit who flitty and floated finds herself pregnant and wondering if she can ever settle down and put down roots.

The normal jealousies arise, the sharp tongue that only a sister could give, but Ms. Brown encapsulates the bond of siblings, the love that remains steady and strong. The flaws in each girl, as well as in their parents, are so raw and realistic, that you embrace them.



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Review: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Water for ElephantsWater for Elephants by Sara Gruen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Through the soft focus of 93 yr old Jacob Jankowski's eyes the reader goes back in time to experience his life in the depression era spent working at the "Benzini Bros. Most Spectacular Show on Earth". A young man at the time, running away from the death of his parents, the pressures of college, and an unsure life ahead, Jacob jumps onto a train.. a circus train. Thus begins this woven tale of good versus evil, forbidden love, the scenes and characters jump off pages. Jacob's vet experience takes him to the animals, as caring as he is with them he is with the other people in the circus. There is great symbolism within this novel matching some of the characters with the animals or the theatrics of the show. I really enjoyed how complex each character was, from August and his charisma and cruelty rolled together to Walter and his tough exterior that hid insecurity and fear. Ms. Gruen's ending let's the reader take off once again with Jacob.



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Thursday, March 3, 2011

Review: Friendship Bread by Darien Gee

Friendship Bread: A NovelFriendship Bread: A Novel by Darien Gee

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Gather up some friends and some copies of this book to read together.

In a small town outside of Chicago, Avalon Park, we meet an assortment of women whose lives have intersected. Each one,as life will have it, going through their own grief, loss, crisis, or personal growth lesson. Ms. Gee has brillantly made each character identifable and relatable through their inner dialogue to interactions. The community, though small, each person is disconnected from one another until a bag of frienship bread shows up making the receiver mix the starter and share the portions with three others (so forth, so forth). The bonding over something as simple as sharing starter, or a recipe change highlights what occurs when the characters reach out beyond themselves. Friendship Bread highlights just that - simple friendship.

I have my starter that I just can't wait to share, along with this book. *Recipes are found in the back for those that feel like savoring Avalon Park a little longer.



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Review: Beastly By Alex Finn

BeastlyBeastly by Alex Flinn

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


An orginal take on an amazing fairy tale, Beastly takes Beauty and the Beast and introduces a new generation to this wonderful story. Kyle Kingsbury has it all, so it seemed until the ugliness that he spewed forth was settled back onto him. It was one act of simple kindness that gave him two years to break a curse that was put on him. Abandoned by his father, left with a maid, a blind tutor he settles into routine - until, he is offered a girl by her drug addicted, crime spreeing father to get out of trouble. As the fates have it Lindy is the same girl he showed kindness to, transformed as the Beast and with a new name Adrian he sets out finding himself and love - with hope of breaking a curse curing the beast finding beauty once again.

I loved how this was written. Had humor, emotional tugs, growth, and life lessons, and happily ever after - what else can you ask for in a fairy tale?



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Review: Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston

Wondrous Strange (Wondrous Strange, #1)Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Brilliant! Ms. Livingston combines Shakespeare's Midsummers Night with a modern day fairy tale. This book shimmered with amazing writing, a tale of a faerie princess stolen from the court (Kelley), a human stolen to guard the realm (Sonny), the battle amongst the court (Auberon and Mayb), the Hunt, and a wild assortment of secondary characters that pop off the pages and come to life. I was enchanted, put under a spell, possibly "glamoured" by this novel. With other novels in this series, it proves only to be a treat.



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Review:A Kiss In Time by Alex Finn

A Kiss in TimeA Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


A modern day take on Sleeping Beauty. Talia, the princess, in a country (Euphrasia) that has been hidden from the modern world and forgotten in time, is awaken by Jack. She escapes her father, releases him from prison under the condition of him taking her with him - traveling far, far away - the need for the escape. Talia's character is richly developed and brings forth the richness of Jack's family, and even that of the "evil" or maybe misjudged fairy Malvolia. Although the curse is in place, Jack faces certain trails, as does Talia - again an interesting take Ms. Finn takes on this tale. The ending is of course happily ever after, and nicely done with realistic prose.



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