Sunday, December 30, 2012

Review: Beautiful Creatures By: Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles, #1)Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have found another series to get lost within, filled with mystery, voodoo, witchcraft, and good ole Southern charm. Once you enter these pages, you will get lost in the style, the imagery, the storyline and you won't want to come up for air.
Written in Ethan Wate's point of view as the reader you find that it was a great decision.
Gatlin is as small as a small town can get, in the south at least. Generations that live and die in the same house, go to school oat the same school their parents went, not much happens.. until along with a rainy day Lena Duchannes enters. If anything her family has claim to the town and the land way before any Civil War or Independence War, yet they are outsiders - for good reason.
Unlocking a curse and the mysteries that surround almost everyone is the least of the worries of Ethan, but getting Lena through her birthday should be simple enough - but dontcha know nothing is simple in the south, just the appearance of it being.

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Review: Whispers At Moonrise By: C.C. Hunter

Whispers at Moonrise (Shadow Falls, #4)Whispers at Moonrise by C.C. Hunter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am in love with The Shadow Falls series and I was not disappointed by this, the fourth, installment. To be honest, I found this to be more superb than the others and I am anxiously awaiting the next.
Kylie has now found out her kind, very rare, almost unheard of - which makes her an interest to the good, the bad, and the ugly. She also is caught between Lucas and Derek, and finds herself withdrawing and hiding things not only from the counselors, Holiday and Burnett, but also her best friends and roommates, Della and Miranda.
As a ghost with the spitting image of Holiday appears, a mystery must be solved and the bad guy seems to be closer than one would think- with new kids and teachers, everyone can be suspected.
I found Kylie's character much more developed and arising into her new voice, can't wait for the next one.

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Review: With or Without You By: Domenica Ruta

With or Without YouWith or Without You by Domenica Ruta
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Domenica Ruta has written a raw, no holds bar memoir. It is filled with such confessions that one at times cringes at it's revelation. A story of a dysfunctional family whose dynamics have been around generation after generation, from a grandmother that ran drugs for money, a mother that used drugs and loved strangers rather than her daughter.
This memoir is more than the smoke cloud room or a confessional, not a chronological beginning, but a deeper understanding of the journey that life takes you on. We are not determined by what has come before, what has happened, or even what we once did - it is the moment you step out and define yourself that the universe unfolds just as it should, and we can see this in this mercurial memoir.



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Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Review: Lullaby By: Amanda Hocking

Lullaby (Watersong, #2)Lullaby by Amanda Hocking
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Watersong series continues and only furthers my addiction to this series.
Gemma is now a Siren and with that comes a hunger, for the hearts of men. She agreed to be with Penn and the girls to protect her family, but she is fighting what she has become (even as the hunger calls and she begins getting sick).
Alex and Harper are in a desperate search to save Gemma and with help from Daniel, they just might be able to do it.
A quick, easy read - one that fills in time until the next in the series comes out (I hope Tidal is better and has more plot). Ms. Hocking has left many ties undone, questions unanswered and I can't wait for this original series to continue.

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Review; The Spark: A Mother's story of Nurturing Genius By: Kristine Barnett

The Spark: A Mother's Story of Nurturing GeniusThe Spark: A Mother's Story of Nurturing Genius by Kristine Barnett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An amazing and inspirational memoir of a mother's love, devotion, determination, and the fight to remove the boundaries and stigma of autism in her son's life.
There are many lessons to find within the pages of The Spark, but a mother's drive and faith permeates off each page. Never giving up, thinking unconventional has lead her son, Jacob, from life skills class to teaching class in college and being in line for a Nobel Prize. This was not an easy road, it was filled with negativity, low expectations, and set backs, but Ms. Barnett fought and never took no for an answer. She has left some words and lessons to live by- to have faith in your child, ignite their spark, and let them fly, for the only thing in the way is limited thinking.. you remove that and everything is possible.

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Review: Dearly, Departed By: Lia Habel

Dearly, Departed (Gone With the Respiration, #1)Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I think I could give this closer to 3 1/4 stars.
Written in first person under a slew of characters the picture of the future is painted, a future that involves a virus that re animates the dead - yes, zombies. Part steampunk, part sci fi, part horror, the storyline is original but at times getting lost within and between the chapters. I felt that I had to push myself to keep going, with a great storyline and somewhat developed characters (although some, were so underdeveloped I was questioning why they were given a first person voice and multiple chapters).
Nora Dearly has the ability to fight off the virus that causes people to become zombies, her father supposedly dead yet the doctor in a specialized unit looking for the vaccine. A zombie army developed to fight off other zombies, even as New Victoria is and has been at war with the Punks.
Maybe there was too much going on, details unneeded and some not given, too many voices - if you are interested in a "new" zombie story, look for this..anything else, look elsewhere.

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Thursday, December 13, 2012

Review: The Gathering Storm By: Robin Bridges

The Gathering Storm (Katerina, #1)The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was quite impressed with the magic that flowed through the pages and brought me into the late 1800s Russia. The imagery, the people all flowed out to create a memorizing story to life.
Katerina Alexandrova has a secret along with all too many around her. From witches, vampires, lychans, sorcerers, fairies, and necromancers - the story of old Russia comes alive with the Courts (Light and Dark), with old vendettas and plots of conspiracy.
Katerina is a necromancer which makes her wanted by all parties. Against her will she uncovers the evil that lies within bloodlines and finds that she can be either a pawn or something more powerful.
I really enjoyed this book. I had to get through all the titles and names, but once the story develops a flow occurs making it an amazing journey. I recommend people to get lost within the pages and look for a continuation.

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Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Review: The Hobbit By: JRR Tolkien

The HobbitThe Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this twice over the years, once in my teens, then again in my twenties, and now in my thirties. I have found Tolkien to be an amazing writer that I can easily get lost within his pages.
The Hobbit is an old friend, that I like to re visit, a tale of the incredible, of rising up to the unlimited potential that one has. I can't wait for the movie and hope that Mr. Jackson does it justice (I think he did an amazing job on the trilogy).

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Thursday, December 6, 2012

Review: Promise Me By: Richard Paul Evans

Promise MePromise Me by Richard Paul Evans
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another win for Mr. Evans.
A story of life, disappointment, sacrifice, discover, growth, forgiveness, and love.
It is a story of Beth Campbell and the secrets that she has had to keep waiting for the moment to tell them, waiting for the mystery to unravel. With a touch of science fiction (aka time travel) her story comes to life.
I found myself excited for the development of the characters, for the ending. Perfect for the inspiration that his books leave, perfect for the season.

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