Review: the Registry by Shannon Stoker

Title: The Registry

Author: Shannon Stoker

Rating: 1/2

Who Should Read It? Like chick lit? Into dystopian fiction? Ever thought you might want a mix of both? Then this book is DEFINITELY for you!

What I Have to Say:
The Registry is a cute story about a dystopian future in the United States. To call it cute is perhaps somewhat weird, as it takes place in a future where women are groomed uniquely to be married, then sold off to their husbands, who are allowed to do with them what they please, via a registry; where boys are given to the government as soon as they're born, then thrown out, with nothing, when they're teenagers, to try to survive a heartless world until their military service. So cute? It doesn't really sound appropriate, and yet, that's what it felt like to me. Because of Mia. A completely innocent, somewhat refreshing girl who spent her entire life dreaming of marriage, until. . .

Mia, just like nearly every other girl, was groomed to be a "perfect fit" for any husband - brainless and entirely concerned with her looks, makeup, fashion. The story is told from her point of view, and so even though it takes place in a dystopian future, and even if their are quite a few deep political undertones, everything just seems innocent and simplistic. At first, this is great, but I would have liked her, along with the other characters, to develop a little bit more as the story develops. She doesn't, and neither does Andrew, her love interest. As such, it becomes hard to believe why she thinks some of the things she supposedly thinks, why they do some of the things they supposedly do.

As characters, though, they were far-more developed than any of the others, who remained somewhat 2-dimensional (or even 1-dimensionl) throughout. While this was frustrating, it was also, in a weird way, refreshing. For one thing because it made it very clear that it doesn't take a genius to see that change needs to happen, but also because it made a somewhat intense story seem somewhat fluffy while still managing to hold tight to the message.

Overall, I liked it. It was fluffy but intense, deeply political yet innocent. Even though it takes place in the future in the United States, I sort-of felt like I was reading about North Korea, and it seems more likely that something like this story happen there than here. Though I'm not sure the author meant for it to, reading it I felt the need to become more aware of the plight of North Koreans. It was a whirlwind of excitement and action. And while there were definitely some negatives about this book, I definitely enjoyed it. And I'm definitely looking forward to the next one to come!

Summary:The Registry saved the country from collapse. But stability has come at a price. In this patriotic new America, girls are raised to be brides, sold at auction to the highest bidder. Boys are raised to be soldiers, trained by the state to fight to their death.

Nearly eighteen, beautiful Mia Morrissey excitedly awaits the beginning of her auction year. But a warning from her married older sister raises dangerous thoughts. Now, instead of going up on the block, Mia is going to escape to Mexico—and the promise of freedom.

All Mia wants is to control her own destiny—a brave and daring choice that will transform her into an enemy of the state, pursued by powerful government agents, ruthless bounty hunters, and a cunning man determined to own her . . . a man who will stop at nothing to get her back.

Cover Story: I'm going to be honest - I don't get it. That's all.

Note: I received this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Review: The Secret of Ka by Christopher Pike

So, things in my life are changing, and it seems like over the next few months, I'm going to be having quite a bit of free time. . .at least for the months of February and March. And I'd really like to take that free time to get back into book blogging. . .so I'm hoping to take the month of January to ease into it, and I figured I'd start with this lovely little book I read a while ago from Net Galley. Enjoy! And say hi! :-)

Title: the Secret of Ka

Author: Christopher Pike

Rating:

Who Should Read It?
I've always thought of Christopher Pike as a horror author. If you've never really been into that aspect of him, you could still love this book. It's a beautiful, wonderful mystery style YA book that's got a little something for everyone! As long as you can deal with the occasional discrepancy.

What I Have to Say:
The Secret of Ka reminded me of the 80's, and for those of you wondering, that's a good thing. A great thing, even. I used to love R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike and the Babysitter's Club and Sweet Valley High, and this book somehow managed to feel to me like all of those things combined while reading it. It's a lovely, somewhat fluffy, magical mystery, with bored teenagers, love, and magic carpets.

So it was good, a super fun read! Unfortunately, that's all it was. I don't feel like we really got to know Sara and Amesh, the two main characters, all that well. They were lacking in dimension, and I didn't really like what I did learn about them. And I never really understood why they came to like each other. . .they somehow just didn't seem like a good fit to me. Also, I felt like, since the author decided (seemingly at random) that the story was to take place in Turkey, I felt like he could have done a little bit more research on Turkey itself.

The thing is, though, it didn't have to take place in Turkey, as so much of it was in this beautiful, fantasy place of Pike's creation. I almost felt like it would have been better if the entire thing had just been in some fictive place or even some place totally boring and plain, like Montana. I'm not entirely sure why Turkey had to even come into the picture.

All of this aside, I really did enjoying reading. It was a quick, light read with lots of twists and turns and enough action and thinking to keep you turning the pages right up to the very end. Final verdict - I liked it, despite the bad things I have to say about it!

Summary: One minute Sara's bored on vacation in Istanbul. The next, she's unearthed a flying carpet that cleverly drags her to the mysterious Island of the Djinn—or genies. By her side is Amesh, a cute guy she has a crush on but doesn't yet trust. When Amesh learns the secret of invoking djinn, he loses control. He swears he'll call upon only one djinn and make one wish. The plan sounds safe enough. But neither Sara nor Amesh are any match for the monster that that swells before them. It hypnotizes Amesh, compelling him to steal Sara’s flying carpet and leave her stranded on the island.

Discovering the carpet has sparked a new path for Sara, one that will lead her to battle creatures even deadlier than djinn. In this fight, Sara can save mankind, herself, or the boy she cares for. Who will she be forced to sacrifice?

Cover Story: Love love LOVE this cover! It's absolutely GORGEOUS with the dark blue night sky and the stars twinkling in the sky. And then Sara majestically flying on the carpet. Just lovely!

Disclosure: I received this book for free via net galley. This in no way affected my review.

Review: Debt of Bones by Terry Goodkind

Title: Debt of Bones: Sword of Truth Prequel Novel

Author: Terry Goodkind

Rating:1/2

Who Should Read It? Lovers of Terry Goodkind. I would really recommend that you do what I didn't do and read the other Sword of Truth books FIRST.

What I Have to Say: When I started this book, I didn't know that it was a prequel novel. I for some reason thought that it was the first book in the Sword of Truth Series. As such, I felt kind of lost. I mean, it was the before to things that I was supposed to already know, even though they hadn't already happened. That's just a weird feeling. I really wish I would have known so that I could have read it AFTER reading the books.

That said, I really enjoyed it. Not enough to make me feel the need to go immediately read the other books or anything, but enough. Enough to read through the whole thing without ever feeling that I wanted to stop.

BUT, it just felt, well. . .generic. And that could be because I hadn't read any of the other books to be curious about the back story, but, well,. . .I wasn't curious. I never felt like I got to know any of the other characters, and I kept going back to it getting it mixed up with other epic fantasies. It was short, and there just wasn't enough. . .feeling. Again, this could be because I was supposed to ALREADY know and love the characters.

If I could just get over the lack of caring about the characters, it really was a good, solid piece of epic fantasy. The story was convincing and enthralling. It was solid and well thought out, and despite me not loving it so much, it convinced me that Terry Goodkind is definitely an author worth reading.

Summary:A milestone of storytelling set in the world of The Sword of Truth, Debt of Bones is the story of young Abby's struggle to win the aid of the wizard Zedd Zorander, the most important man alive.

Abby is trapped, not only between both sides of the war, but in a mortal conflict between two powerful men. For Zedd, who commands power most men can only imagine, granting Abby's request would mean forsaking his sacred duty. With the storm of the final battle about to break, both Abby and Zedd are caught in a desperate fight to save the life of a child...but neither can escape the shadow of an ancient betrayal.

With time running out, their only choice may be a debt of bones. The world-for Zedd, for Abby, for everyone-will never again be the same.

Discover why millions of readers the world over have elevated Terry Goodkind to the ranks of legend.

Cover Story: Maybe it's just me, but I tend to find all Terry Goodkind covers relatively boring. This one is no exception.

Review: Karma Bites by Stacey Kramer and Valerie Thomas

As I think has been evidenced by my lack of presence in the blogging world lately, I haven't really been feeling the desire to say anything about books lately. I want to read them and not feel like I HAVE to have something to say. It's weird, as I used to feel like I was just DYING to get something out every time I would finish reading something. Anyhow, I'm going to give this a try here, but it's been a while. Also, have you entered this awesome contest yet? If not, you should. So go do it. Now.

Title: Karma Bites

Author: Stacey Kramer and Valerie Thomas

Rating: 1/2

Who Should Read It?
This is a book that will really appeal to middle grade readers. It's absolutely brilliant for the age range to which it's aiming, and adults might still enjoy it for nostalgia purposes.

What I Have to Say:
Karma Bites was cute. Really cute. An absolutely adorable read for any middle grade reader, I think. I feel like the problem I have, a lot of times, with middle grade books, is that I am so far away from being that age that I'm just totally incapable of understanding the main character. Which leaves me finding them absolutely annoying and unsupportable. Franny Flanders, while slightly annoying at times, managed to escape the annoying middle grade main character stereotype.

She was funny and ballsy and ridiculous, and even though she often had absolutely nothing going for her, she managed to be just the right amount of OCD neurotic ridiculous (which is something, I must say, I can totally understand). And maybe that's why I almost ended up loving her at the end. She messed up EVERYTHING, but in that way that it's just messed up enough so that everything is okay. And this is something I also do regularly in my daily life. Which made her, despite our age difference, totally relate-to-able.

Franny Flanders aside, the rest of the characters, from the into the occult Granny with the magic box to Alden, the supposed love of Franny's life who once managed to touch her ear for a whole few seconds, to her two best friends who can't talk to each other, were all just the right amount of ridiculous. I loved reading about everything and everyone Franny managed to screw up.

Unfortunately, there were also times when this book lagged. Some things that were funny in the beginning just kept going on and on and on and on and on (and then on and on some more), when I really wished they would just end. The twists never really felt like twists, instead feeling more like inevitabilities. The plot was just too easy at times. And then, while I'm into magic and therefore loved that aspect of the book, I'm also tired of reading about stereotypical cliques, and without those, this book couldn't have existed.

Still, my final conclusion is that it was an overall pleasant and funny read, best read in one sitting.

Summary: Life seems to have it in for Franny Flanders.

Her best friends aren’t speaking, her parents just divorced, and her hippie grandmother has moved in. The only karma Franny’s got is bad karma.

Then Franny gets her hands on a box of magic recipes that could fix all of her problems. It could even change the world! Finally, life is looking up.

But Franny is about to learn that magic and karma aren’t to be played with. When you mess with the universe, it can bite back in unexpected ways.

Ouch!

Cover Story: I really enjoy this cover! I don't know why, but it sort of reminds me of a Goosebumps cover. I used to LOVE those books back when I was, like 10. Definitely got the nostalgia feeling going on!

Disclosure: This book was sent to me for review for the publisher, which in no way affected what I had to say. :-P

Review: the Mortal Instruments, City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Title: the Mortal Instruments Book One: City of Bones

Author: Cassandra Clare

Rating: 1/2

Who Should Read It? If you don't mind watered down derivatives of YA urban fantasy books you love, this book could be for you. I think this book might appeal more to true fans of URBAN fantasy than it did to me.

What I Have to Say:
I'm sad to say that I was disappointed with this book. It was good, and I liked it, but I was expecting to extraordinarily love it, and the sad fact of the matter is that there is really nothing extraordinary about it.

In City of Bones, Clary, a normal girl finds herself thrown unexpectedly into the world of shadowhunters, unseen people who have dedicated their lives to hunting the evil of the world - the vampires and werewolves and other things that would prefer to kill humans than live with them. Supposedly.

We'll start with things I liked about the book. Cassandra Clare has a vivid way of explaining herself and describing things. She has an evident love of adjectives that translates well into writing (if you like to be hit in the face with clear, to the point descriptions, that is. I guess I occasionally do). It almost seems like she had FUN writing, and that made the reading fun. At the same time, I occasionally felt like she was having too much fun. There was the occasional point in which I felt like she needed to remember that she was writing for a general audience and not just her inner circle.

And the dialogue - if there is one thing that Clare should be known for, it is her ability to write engaging, believable dialogue. The conversations between the characters were real and emotional and, well, satisfying. I was especially impressed with some of the conversations between Clary and Jace, a shadowhunter. While I occasionally found the dialogue between Clary and her best human friend, Simon, to be forced and awkward, Clary and Jace had deep yet believable conversations that made me think and made me love them together. This is a book that makes you feel like you have to pick teams, and I am totally Team Jace. All the way. I liked the way that she used conversation to have aspects of the Shadow world explained to Clary. It seems like it could have been hard to bring her up to date, but I liked that most of her knowledge came through talking to Jace. It was much more real than, say, if she had just picked up a book and suddenly known everything (this happened, too, for the record, and it sort-of rubbed me the wrong way).

The PROBLEM with the book, though, was it's overwhelming lack of originality. Clary, while well-developed, was a well-developed character that I have read a million times over. And while reading through some of the situations that she managed to get herself into, I couldn't help but feel that I was reading a slightly more adult, slightly more feminine Harry Potter.
I'm serious. I sometimes thought I was reading Harry Potter minus all of the characters and places that I have grown to know and love. And as such, it was frustrating to read. I feel like I already knew not only what was going to happen but HOW before the initial storyline was even set-up.
It was so derivative wasn't fresh, it wasn't unique, and as such, it wasn't engaging. I always finish books, but if I hadn't been sitting for several hours in an airplane followed by a train followed by a bus, I think it would have been hard for me to finish this one. Simply because it was so hard for me to care about anything happening, because it felt like a watered down version of something I'd already read a thousand times over.

That said, I feel oddly compelled to pick up City of Ashes, the second book in the series. And I guess that means I was slightly more engaged than I thought I was. I'm sort of curious to see what happens between Clary and Simon and Jace. And then there's the expectations thing - I had such HIGH expectations of this book, and I can't wonder if that plays some minor role in my disappointment. I will start the second one with lower expectations. I also feel that Clare has the potential to be a truly good author, and I am curious to see if she will grow is an author.

Summary: When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder - much less a murder commi...more When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder - much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing - not even a smear of blood - to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know....

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.

Cover Story: This cover is stunning! It was actually more for this cover that I wanted to read the book than for all of the raving reviews!

Review: the Elf of Luxembourg by Tom Weston

Title: the Elf of Luxembourg

Author: Tom Weston

Rating: 1/2

Who Should Read It? Readers who are more interested in plot based stories than character based stories. This is a great book for those who love mysterious, magical stories that are full of history!

What I Have to Say:
The Elf of Luxembourg takes place in the present and the past simultaneously. In the present, we follow two very different, American sisters, as they visit their aunt and uncle in Luxembourg. They (very) slowly come to discover that there is quite a bit more to Luxembourg than they ever could have thought. In the past, we follow Cuchaquicha on his quest to refind his wife and give his message to the gods, after he has been taken into slavery by the Spanish and the vampires (aka the Germans).

What ensues is a story of magic, mythical creatures, mystery, and betrayal. And what's more: history. While I wouldn't go so far as to call this historical fiction, Tom Weston weaves historical fact after historical fact into his telling. He combined it with so much magic and folklore that I was left curious as to what was actually true and what wasn't - and as I always say, any book that makes me want to learn something can't be bad.

The best part of the book (in my humble opinion) was the story of Cuchaquicha. The things that he goes through to try to find his wife and get his message to the gods are exciting and mysterious and will have the reader turning page after page, wondering whatever is going to happen. The story of Alex and Jackie was also suspenseful and exciting - I spent the entire book wondering how the two stories were going to intertwine.

The writing style of this story was also very unique. The title "the Elf of Luxembourg: being a love story" really says it all. It's not outwardly a love story at all, except, through his style, it is obvious that the author loved his book and put a lot into it. It also has subtle undertones of love being something entirely different than what we think about on the surface, and through this new idea of love, it really is a love story. His style is poignant and to the point, and very thing descriptive. I think if you like the cover and the title, you will most likely enjoy the style.

Unfortunately, though, I found the characters lacking in development. I never really got to know any of the characters. Sure, I understood that Cuchaquicha was a good man, and I was able to see the kind of person that he was, but I never really got to know him. And Jackie and Alex, I felt like I knew them even less. They were two flaky, slightly annoying girls who supposedly loved to shop (though we never saw them shop), and that was all I ever felt that I knew. I never was able to get into their heads and see how they saw things. I have no idea how they reacted to the twist, and since I didn't really get a feeling for them, I couldn't even imagine. I also never really understood what made them special and unique. We were given just one word to explain it, and that word was never really explained. I found this frustrating.

Because of this, though the story was quite good and engaging, I felt as if it was lacking in a way. Because the characters could have been anyone, and I like to engage with the characters, to care about them.

Overall, though, I loved this book, and on the whole I had trouble putting it down. If you like magical, exciting stories and don't mind uninteresting (or, rather, slightly underdeveloped) characters, then this book is definitely for you. It's full of vampires and elves and and magic and even a mermaid. It takes an already exciting city and turns it into somewhere even more mysterious. Readers will enjoy his unique writing style and the massive amount of history thrown in!

Summary: What's an older sister to do? It's not all fun fairs and ice-cream. Well, it is - but that's beside the point. When one is in Luxembourg, there is a certain standard to maintain, and vacationing with Elves and Vampires is just so old school. But can Alex convince her younger sister, Jackie, of that? No, of course not, so she may as well get used to it. But deep beneath the ancient city of Luxembourg there lies a secret. The Vampires believe it is protected by the Elf. The Elf believes it is protected by a prophecy concerning Alex and Jackie. And the sisters? They believe shoes in Luxembourg are too expensive. Why are the Vampires going toe-to-toe with an Elf for the pleasure of the sisters' company? Why does the Elf think Alex and Jackie can sing? And just who let Sir Walter Raleigh and the Conquistadors into this story? To answer these questions will take all of the sisters' cunning, bravery and imagination, as well as some souvenir shopping. Because this is the Elf of Luxembourg and this is an Alex and Jackie Adventure.

Cover Story: I am a HUGE fan of puzzles, and I therefore love this cover! It's super cool, and it fits with the book wonderfully, as I spent a lot of time trying to puzzle all of the different pieces together.

Disclosure: This book was sent to me by Pump Up Your Book! for review. This in no way affected my review.

Review: Between Two Kingdoms by Joe Boyd

Title: Between Two Kingdoms

Author: Joe Boyd

Rating: 1/2

Who Should Read It? This book is a very obvious llegory for the constant war between Good and Evil, God and Satan, and yet, I still would recommend it to Non-Chrisians. Christians will enjoy this book through their ability to relate to the trials in faith of the characters, but non-Christians will also enjoy the story and find something to be gained from this book, if they keep an open mind!

What I Have to Say:
This was a beautifully written, endearing story. Tommy, along with his friends, all live in the Upper Kingdom with the Great King and the Good Prince. They are eternally 7 years old, and it shows through their adorable innocence. And yet, because they are eternally 7, they also have life experience which allows the reader to relate to them as if they are adults. And when they go into the Lower Kingdom, that is what they become.

The Lower Kingdom is populated by miserably, unhappy people who don't believe in the Upper Kindgom, most of whom need saving of some sort. They are headed by an evil king who has come up with an even more evil plot to retain control over all of his citizens and to never have to fear losing them to the joy and beauty and hope of the Upper Kingdom.

It is a very obvious allegory for heaven and hell and the eternal fight between Good and Evil, God and the Devil, and that's what it's supposed to be. Still, when Tommy and his friends are sent by the Great King into the Lower Kingdom to help build treehouses and open people's eyes to the magnificence of the Upper Kingdom, the reader will find themselvses drawn in despite themselves. For Christians and Non-Christians alike, it is impossible not to enjoy the adorable, action-filled story that follows. Most people will be able to relate in some way to the trials faced by Tommy and his friends as they battle their way through the non-believers to the castle and the king in the lower kingdom.

This story is told with such simple brilliance that, while reading, I had somewhat the feeling of sitting by a campfire, chewing sugar cane, and listening to my grandfather tell one of his crazy stories. Because more than anything, that's what this is, a story, a tale to be passed down through the ages, and Boyd communicates it to the reader in such a way to keep them curious, engaged, and turning page after page, wanting more.

My favorite thing about this book, though, was that it questioned. Each of the characters, after an extended period of time in the Lower Kingdom, was forced to question their faith and their belief in the Upper Kingdom and the Great King. They did not just blindly follow and blindly believe (well, one of the characters did), and their reasons for questioning were all valid things that I am sure are faced my most Christians. As such, in a way, if you are Christian, this book WILL make you question your faith, and it will also help you make decisions about your life and yoru faith accordingly. As someone who is a firm believer in constantly questioning everything (and then CHOOSING to believe, as opposed to just BELIEVING - I mean, heck, I believe in unicorns!), I think that this book was fabulous.

Between Two Kingdoms is a great story with a great message delivered by a brilliant writer. It is filled with well-developed, developing, likable characters, exciting plot twists, and a boatload of creativity. And, since it's such a quick, easy read, I feel like I can recommend it to everyone. Adults, young adults, Christians, and non-Christians alike will all find something to be gained from this book.

Summary: In this work of allegorical fantasy, author Joe Boyd takes us on a pilgrimage to a land of two kingdoms, but only one true King. An ancient land, where children never grow old. A living land, where foundations grow in trees and rivers sing and breathe. But also a dying land, where the darkness of a false prince threatens to swallow everything in its shadow.

Enter the adventure with Tommy, a child of the Great King, as he and his friends accept the challenge to live as grown men and women in the Lower Kingdom—where hope is hidden, vision is clouded, and pride twists truth into a beautiful yet deadly deception.

Cover Story: The cover is actually what attracted me to this book to begin with. I find it mysterious and fantastical, and I absolutely adore the font!

Disclosure: This book was sent to me for review by the publisher, which in no way affected my review.

Review: The Swimming Pool by Holly LeCraw

Title: The Swimming Pool

Author: Holly LeCraw

Rating: 1/2

Who Should Read It? This is a book for people who are willing to take time TRYING to relate to characters, knowing that when they finally do, they will be relating to their misery. If not, it can also be an enjoyable light read for most middle-aged women.

What I Have to Say:
It's really hard for me to know what to say about this book. On the one hand, I quite liked it. The story was fresh and interesting, the writing style was slightly poetic and beautiful, and the characters were complex and, well, not likable, but enjoyable. It was easily read, easily enjoyed, and and the time passed by nicely while I was reading.

Which makes me want to call this a fluff read. While I was reading, I felt like it jumped out at me and screamed "AVERAGE!" On the surface, it seemed as if there was nothing special about this book; just another book for a 20 or 30 (or even 40) something woman to read while taking a leisurely break from life.

It doesn't draw you in, you probably won't be thinking about the characters for a long time after it's over, and in my case, I was actually trying to think of what books I'd read recently that I could review today, and it didn't come to mind until I looked at my shelf (for the record, I finished it three days ago). I mean, there was nothing about it that made it stick out in my thoughts.

And yet, there is SOMETHING about it, though I can't really place my finger on what. The characters are just a little bit more complex than you except them to be, the plot line takes a few more twists and turns than you expect it to, and there are quite a few subtleties and intricacies to the plot that aren't immediately apparent. The characters go through a lot over the course of the book, and thinking back now, I'm feeling like I wasn't being an active enough reader. I passively let the book go by, never feeling a connection with any of the characters, but if I had been more invested in it, I believe that I could have felt the true depth of the characters misery, of what they had suffered.

Of course, the fact that I am only realizing that now, after having finished the book, makes me feel like I must have missed something, and I'm intrigued enough to think about going back and reading it again sometime soon. I think that anyone who chooses to read this book will enjoy it, as I did, but I highly recommend putting forth a little bit of energy into the reading process in order to get all that Holly LeCraw has to offer with the Swimming Pool.

Summary: A heartbreaking affair, an unsolved murder, an explosive romance: welcome to summer on the Cape in this powerful debut.

Seven summers ago, Marcella Atkinson fell in love with Cecil McClatchey, a married father of two. But on the same night their romance abruptly ended, Cecil's wife was found murdered—and their lives changed forever. The case was never solved, and Cecil died soon after, an uncharged suspect.

Now divorced and estranged from her only daughter, Marcella lives alone, mired in grief and guilt. Meanwhile, Cecil's grown son, Jed, returns to the Cape with his sister for the first time in years. One day he finds a woman's bathing suit buried in a closet—a relic, unbeknownst to him, of his father's affair—and, on a hunch, confronts Marcella. When they fall into an affair of their own, their passion temporarily masks the pain of the past, but also leads to crises and revelations they never could have imagined.

In what is sure to be the debut of the season, The Swimming Pool delivers a sensuous narrative of such force and depth that you won't be able to put it down.

Cover Story: It's a lovely cover, and it fits the book to a t.

Disclosure: This book was sent to me for review by the publisher, which in no way affected my review.

Review: Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healy

Title: Guardian of the Dead

Author: Karen Healy

Rating: 1/2

Who Should Read It? This book is a great choice for all fans of paranormal YA, as long as you don't mind a super slow start. It is an especially good choice if you are interested in the Maori of New Zealand.

What I Have to Say:
"Guardian of the Dead" was, unfortunately, hard to get into. For the first hundred pages or so, it felt like things kept starting to happen without ever actually happening. Some of these things, which were, in the scheme of things, mostly unimportant, were never really fully explained, which left me feeling slightly confused and turning back pages, trying to see if I had missed something. I hadn't.

In the beginning, I found it hard to get to know Ellie, and I found it hard to understand her relationship with Kevin and Iris. Her supposed obsession with Mark was never enough elaborated on to give me a sense that she actually had a crush on this strange, unwashed boy. Things that I assume were supposed to be used as foreshadowing or to add a bit of suspense left me frustrated more than anything else. I almost felt like the entire first 1/3 or even 1/2 of the book could have and should have been diminished down to 20 pages or so. She started too much that was unnecessary, and she didn't fully explain it.

Luckily, the book did eventually pick up. Ellie turned out to be a super cool, kick-butt, totally likable heroine. Her relationships with the people around her, once they started to make sense, were fun and fresh, even if her attraction to Mark was never developed enough to be believable. Things that had seemed boring in the first part of the book suddenly became interesting and full of life, as if they had just been introduced too early. The story itself was engaging, and, in the end, suspenseful. The descriptions seemed so accurate that at times I felt like I really was in Ellie's head, making sense of this new paranormal aspect to my previous normal world in the same way she was. I felt lost or confused when she felt lost or confused; I had amazing bursts of clarity at the same time she did. And when I finally understood what all of the action was about, what it was I was rooting for, I was absolutely on Ellie's side.

The story, as I said, ended up being exciting and engaging, but my absolute favorite part of this book was all of the Maori history and tradition that was so seamlessly weaved into nearly each and every page. Healy introduced characters from aspects of their legends and creation myths with elegance. I loved hearing about the Maori and their beliefs, as outside of Australia/New Zealand, they are very little talked about. What made it even better was that, at the end, she explained what was true and what wasn't, and she gave some great recommendations for books I can read to learn more.

If you think you can handle wading slowly through the first 100 pages, this book can be a great read for all fans of paranormal YA.

Summary: In less than a day I had been harassed, enchanted, shouted at, cried on, and clawed. I’d been cold, scared, dirty, exhausted, hungry, and miserable. And up until now, I’d been mildly impressed with my ability to cope.

At her boarding school in New Zealand, Ellie Spencer is like any ordinary teen: she hangs out with her best friend, Kevin; obsesses over her crush on a mysterious boy; and her biggest worry is her paper deadline. Then everything changes: In the foggy woods near the school, something ancient and deadly is waiting.

Karen Healey introduces a savvy and spirited heroine with a strong, fresh voice. Full of deliciously creepy details, this adventure is a deftly crafted story of Māori mythology, romance, betrayal, and war.

Cover Story: I've heard people say negative things about this cover, but I actually love it. It's what made me want to read the book to begin with, more than the name or the summary or anything else. I think it's kinda spooky and pretty at the same time, with the big mask like that.

Disclosure: This review is based on an ARC of this book that I won from a GoodReads giveaway.

Review and GIVEAWAY: the Bird Room by Chris Killen

Title: the Bird Room

Author: Chris Killen

Rating: 1/2

Who Should Read It? I don't really know how to say. It's an interesting book. I guess if you like black comedy this will appeal to you.

What I Have to Say:
I thought that maybe putting a little time between the end of this book and my review would give me more clarification on how I felt, but nope. I still think that it was just weird. Did I enjoy reading it? Yes! Did I LIKE it? Maybe yes, maybe no. Because really, it was just plain weird.

My favorite thing about this book was that I absolutely adored the writing style. It was one of those books where you sort of feel like the main character is talking to you while at the same time feeling as if he doesn't care about you at all. It just sort of plods along, if that makes sense, and yet the story itself is completely non-linear. It goes back and forth and back and forth while at the same time slowly and succinctly moving forwards. In a way, this caught me off guard, and yet it was also a pleasant surprise. I love books that are written like this.

This book is also extremely interesting in that you never actually get to know any of the characters, which could come from the fact that they never really get to know each other, and yet it is very much character driven. Who is Will, who is the other Will, who is Alice? None of this is really important, as they are only important characters inasmuch as they are important to the first Will. They are all so flawed and confused.

While the style of this book makes it easy to read, the content does it. It's an intriguing look at the sex-lives of adults, at our perception of love and sex . It's an intimate look at relationships, and it's so real. While I didn't relate at all to the relationships in the Bird Room, as I didn't relate at all to the characters, the ideas presented through their relationships did make me think a little bit about the relationships in my life. And how real they may or may not be.

Will (the first) disgusts me, and he absolutely deserves everything he gets. I would NOT deal well with having a person like him in my life. And yet, the book is narrated from his point of view, and I absolutely ate it up. He made me laugh, he made me think, and he almost made me sad while at the same time shunning him.

So it's a good, well-written book, but it will not make you feel good. It might even depress you. And you may like it without actually liking it's content. It's GOOD while at the same time. . .leaving you unsure as to what exactly there was about it that you liked.

Summary (from Amazon): Painfully average and introverted Will finally has a bird. Her name is Alice. She's smart, sexy, and much to Will's surprise, she is in love with him. But the course of love never did run smooth, and soon devotion—and its uglier manifestations—lead Will to a dark place within himself.

Elsewhere in the city, Helen is an actress—or she will be some day. For now, she finds work as a "model"—or whatever her online acquaintances need her to be. Her real name is Clair, but she desperately wants to be someone new, someone glamorous and real—someone worth something.

A love story with a twist, this exuberant and funny debut novel brings Will and Helen's lives together in a tale as tight as a rope and as black as tar. Sharp, playful, and brimming over with wicked comedy, The Bird Room heralds the arrival of a major new literary talent.

Cover Story: I actually love this cover. It's like it examines every part of this beautiful girl. It fits with the book in a weird way.

I'm so excited that I have one copy of this book to give away! Just click here to fill out the form.
(Sorry - I tried to embed the form, but there were some issues; the colors weren't showing up right, and you couldn't see the words.) Be sure to comment on my review before you click to fill out the form!

Disclosure: This book was sent to me by the publisher for review.

Review and GIVEAWAY: Riddle of Berlin by Cym Lowell

Title: Riddle of Berlin

Author: Cym Lowell

Rating: 1/2

Who Should Read It? Lovers of international thrillers that don't mind taking a little extra time to sort things out for themselves.

What I Have to Say:
It's weird, but I really don't know how to review this book. I feel like there are so many critical things I could say about it, but I don't really want to, because when it comes down to it, I liked it. It was a good book. I'm not really your typical reader of thrillers, but when I hear the word thriller, I think fast-paced page turner. And so I went into this book trying to read it that way, and I found myself incredibly confused. I kept thinking I had missed something. I tried sitting down for long periods of time, thinking that I wasn't going to want to put it down, even though there was really so much information that I felt like I needed a break after every chapter.

After about a third of the book, when I realized I had no clue what was going on, I stopped and took a minute to put everything together. I summarized all of the facts in my head and put them together so that I finally was able to form a cohesive story out of everything.

After this, I read much more slowly, taking a short break every two chapters or so. And suddenly I found myself actually enjoying the book, enjoying the story, and curious about what was happening and what was going to happen. This is not a fast-paced, action-packed, page turner of a thriller. There is action, but this is more an intelligent, information-packed international thriller, and it needs to be read as such.

In Riddle of Berlin, Cym Lowell has written of the terrorist plot of the decade (or the century or the millenium), and it was almost funny sitting back watching (reading) as NATO made idiotic mistake after idiotic mistake and idiotic assumption after idiotic assumption trying to get to the bottom of the non-stop terrorist attacks. There were times when I was absolutely baffled by some of the conclusions that they came to, sometimes so much so that it was almost unbelievable.

Cym Lowell has peopled his book with intriguing characters, most of them in the wrong place at the wrong time, but luckily, as the book moves on, some of them start finding themselves in the right places. As I slowly got to know them over the course of the book, I found myself caring for them and hoping that things turned out well for them. There were certain character story lines that I enjoyed more than others, but they were all intriguing and some were even slightly funny (imagine a terrorist arms dealer dressed up as an old granny). My only real complaint about the characters is that their emotions were expressed almost stoically. I managed to get attached to the characters, but I thought that the emotions were presented as only facts should be presented.

Anyhow, so in the end, I would definitely say that I enjoyed this book. Even if there were some things I was still confused about when it was all over. And even if it wasn't the page-turner of a read I was expecting it to be. It was still exciting and suspenseful. I definitely recommend this to lovers of international thrillers; just be ready to think. :-)

Summary: An arms dealer orchestrates acts of terrorism throughout the world, vexing international authorities. Mark Anton is an Internet wunderkind living in Germany, a 27-year-old Californian who went abroad to take advantage of the wild free market conditions in Eastern Europe. Little does Anton know that his empire has caught the attention of an international terrorist mastermind. The Lion, frequently posing as an old German frau, is a sophisticated and cultured criminal holdover from the Old World who orchestrates attacks from a plush library in his suite at Berlin's finest hotel. The shadowy international financier decides to frame Anton-as well as his unsuspecting mother-as the perpetrator of a series of attacks on NATO intelligence and civilians in Germany, using Anton's online venture, an auction site for sports memorabilia, as a coverup for arms dealing. Anton's only hope of escaping this nefarious web-one that also includes the American vice president (who is a friend of his mother's) Chinese militants and the FBI-is an investigator named John Jaëgerman, a decorated war hero and skilled soldier who somehow knows to warn Anton a few days before the first attack. Jaegërman, however, jumps off the Notre Dame Cathedral into the Seine shortly thereafter, in hopes of meeting a mysterious female entity who resides in the water. He is rescued by a Slovakian nurse driven by her own carnal and spiritual desires. For such an integral character in the book, Jaegërman is touched upon too infrequently and without enough emphasis. His relationship with the Slovak Carmen is distracting and even unnecessary in light of the tremendous amount of action going on elsewhere in the book. These disparate storylines eventually come together, but the novel as a whole feels overly plotted. The European settings are top-notch, a Jason Bourne-like mix of sex, immense manses and fast cars. However, NATO seems like a prosaic and harmless target for such a skilled criminal to focus on, and more so, the ability of The Lion to repeatedly defeat the authorities is not entirely plausible. A dense amalgam of genre elements, but fans of international thrillers will be pleased.-Kirkus Discoveries

Cover Story: It's pretty cool. I don't really know where it is, unfortunately, or else I might like it more. I like the color with the sort of numbers ensconced in smoke.

Now, first of all, if you haven't checked out Cym Lowell's blog, do so now. It's awesome!

Secondly, I am SO EXCITED to announce that, thanks to the awesomeness of Cym, I have a SIGNED COPY Of this book to give away! Just fill out this form to enter. Or you can fill it out right below there.



Disclosure: This book was sent to me as a gift by the author.

Review: the Legend of the Caryph by Lynn Moyle

NOTE: I haven't received a single address for Pay It Forward. If you want to receive a gift, please comment on this post and send me your address. The first three addresses I receive will be participants. Thank you!

Title: the Legend of the Caryph

Author: Lynn Moyle

Rating: 1/2

Who Should Read It? This is a great read for all fantasy lovers, though I would say it's geared more towards an older audience because of one sex scene.

What I Have to Say: "The Legend of the Caryph" was a pleasant, creative surprise that totally caught me off guard. Going into the book, I had no idea what a caryph was, and I just assumed that it was some kind of ancient amulet and that this book was the story of the legend come to life. I'm glad I didn't read the summary more carefully, as my ignorance on the subject left me awed and excited as I watched the story unravel, as Moyle introduced me to a world full of demons, with caryphs being the witches fighting to maintain the balance between good and evil.

In a way, this book reminded me of a slightly more hardcore "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Only Regan seems to fight exclusively demons (where Buffy, not just slaying vampires, is sort of all over the place), and her powers far outweigh anything Buffy could ever dream of having. As Regan develops her powers and learns what it means to be a caryph and to live in a part of her world about which she had previously never even suspected the existence, the reader won't be able to stop themselves from loving her gutsy, independent, straightforward, and sometimes goofy character. Her interactions with everyone around her absolutely brought this story to life and helped to unveil the personalities of all of the secondary characters.

Regan reacts so well to all of the changes in her life which, as opposed to seeming unrealistic, just serves to reinforce her caryph nature. And when things start to really not go well for her, she totally steps up to the plate. I was rooting for her all the way. And the twist at the end, well, I was unprepared. I was so busy worrying about Regan that I never thought to think that the bad guy might, well, be the bad guy.

I really only had two problems with this book. The first is that the humor occasionally seemed forced and unnatural. Even when the humor seemed somewhat wrong or out of place, though, I did find myself laughing. The second is that, towards the end, there was a totally unnecessary, irrelevant, and lude sex scene. It was disturbing and, more than anything, it seemed out of place. The love story was adorable, and the sex just made it seem more like lust than love. It felt wrong. Without this scene, I would have wholeheartedly recommended this book to any and all fantasy lovers, young and old alike. Unfortunately, though, because of this scene, I'm going to have to say that this book is for the adults.

I greatly enjoyed this read, and I am super looking forward to the next installment in the story of Regan the Caryph and the gang.

Summary (from GoodReads): Centuries ago, an Order was formed to protect a select group of women who possessed powerful magic. These witches, known as Caryphs, were called upon to fight demonic forces released on the earth in an effort to enslave humanity. Regan Thompson is an inexperienced young college student whose life is suddenly ripped apart when she discovers she has inherited the powers of the Caryph. Like the others before her, Regan must somehow learn to harness the pure, raw magic that is buried deep within. But when a demon is set loose upon the earth, it is up to Order members Wendell and Alec to help Regan overcome her sheltered ways and quickly master her abilities in order to protect herself, her friends, and humankind. Lynn Moyle grew up in Humboldt, Iowa and now lives with her husband, Troy, and their children, Autumn and Archer, in Des Moines. When not writing or spending time with her family, Lynn works as a personal property claims adjuster for Allied Insurance. Legend of the Caryph is her first published book and she is currently working on the next installment.

Cover Story: I think this cover is beautiful, and it is a nice change from all those covers with butt-kicking women that I have been seeing lately. I find those to be a turn-off, where as this circle makes me think of stonehenge and definitely inspires me to open the book.

Disclosure: This book was sent to me by the author.

Review: A Blue and Gray Christmas by Joan Medlicott

So I know that Christmas is over. We're now at the 12 day mark, which I'm pretty sure is the official time to start taking down Christmas decorations. But I DON'T WANT IT TO BE OVER!!!! I'm not ready yet! And besides, my boyfriend and I still haven't gotten the chance to celebrate Christmas together. I defo will NOT be taking down the decorations before then. So, to keep the spirit alive, I've got a review for you guys today of a Chrismasy book! YAY! And then when I finally DO get around to celebrating Christmas with the bf, I'll have another Christmasy review. YAY encore! :-) Then perhaps I'll let Christmas be over in the blog until next season.
So, without further ado. . .

Title: A Blue and Gray Christmas

Author: Joan Medlicott

Rating: 1/2

Whe Should Read It? People interested in the Civil War, people that like cute, quick stories, and definitely people that have read and enjoyed the other Covington Ladies books!

What I Have to Say: It's hard for me to really know what to say about this book. On the one hand, the premise was wonderful and the story itself was intriguing and engaging. I found myself wrapped up in the lives of the Ladies of Covington as the read through the old Civil War letters and discovered new things about themselves and the world in the process.
The letters themselves were extremely well-written, and I really felt as if I was reading things from the points of view of these two Civil War soldiers - one a confederate soldier, one a Union soldier. Joan Medlicott did a great job of giving them separate, distinct voices.
On the other hand, there was something about this book that was only so-so for me. The writing and ideas all seemed kind-of scattered, and there were a couple back stories going on that seemed to have NOTHING to do with the main story. This could have been okay, but to me it felt unnecessary, as if she was just trying to make the book longer. It's entirely possible, though, that this is because I haven't read any of the other Covington Ladies novels, so I sort-of came into the middle of it all. That aside, it also seemed like nothing ever actually happened, and when the occasional thing did happen, we heard about it several times from several different people.
So, as you can see, I'm torn. I loved it, but at the time time, I only sort-of liked it. It's heasy to say, though, that it was a quick, enjoyable, easy read.

Summary (from Amazon): In this stunning holiday story, a cache of Civil War-era letters and diaries sweeps the ladies of Covington up into a dramatic and heartwarming historical saga that inspires them to plan an unforgettable Christmas for two families forever changed by war.

When a rusty old tin box is unearthed at the Covington Homestead, longtime housemates Grace, Amelia, and Hannah discover that it contains letters and diaries written by two Civil War soldiers, one Union and one Confederate.

The friends are captivated by the drama revealed. The soldiers were found dying on a nearby battlefi eld by an old woman. She nursed them back to health, hiding them from bounty hunters seeking deserters. At the end of the war the men chose to stay in Covington, caring for their rescuer as she grew frail. But while their lives were rich, they still felt homesick and guilty for never contacting the families they'd left behind.

Christmas is coming, and the letters inspire Amelia with a generous impulse. What if she and her friends were to fi nd the two soldiers' descendants and invite them to Covington to meet? What better holiday gift could there be than the truth about these two heroic men and their dramatic shared fate? With little time left, the ladies spring into action to track down the men's families in Connecticut and the Carolinas, and to make preparations in Covington for their most memorable, most historic Christmas yet.

Disclosure: Thanks to Sarah from Pocket Books for sending me this book to give an honest review.

Blog Tour Review: The Evolution Conspiracy by Lisa A. Shiel

Title: The Evolution Conspiracy

Author: Lisa A. Shiel

Rating: 1/2

Who Should Read It? Anyone who has ever been interested in evolution; anyone who has ever questioned.

What I Have to Say: This book was decidedly informative. In some ways it read like a text book, but at the same time it made me laugh, and there were times when I was so interested that I really felt like I couldn't put it down.
When it comes to evolution, Lisa A. Shiel really does know what she's talking about. She presents her points in clear, concise chapters, using words and a writing style that are easily accessible to the layman. She tried to stay neutral, and for the most part, she did a good job of this. Occasionally, though, she would sarcastically refer to Darwin as "the evolutionist's god, Darwin" or she would say negative things about evolutionists from a standpoint that was obviously bitter as opposed to factual. This bothered me slightly, but it in no way negated her arguments. She also has a clear and concise biblography at the end of every chapter and a glossary at the end of the book, for some of the more difficult terms.
As a child, I never learned evolution (or creationism, for that matter) in school, and I have therefore never understood it to be fact. It's something that scientists think about, that they would like to prove, but that they are unable to prove. After reading this book, I have a much better understanding of why they are unable to prove it. And how they hide this inability from the layman, masking the incongruities with their fancy talk. Unfortunately, a lot what she said seemed to be based on the idea that EVERYONE is taught evolution as fact when they are in grade school. I wasn't, so this didn't really click for me.
Shiel concludes with "Evolutionists must stretch, manipulate, and outright ignore evidence to shore up established theories about life's origins and expansions. Myriad problems plague the research." If this is what she set out to prove, she succeeded. She more than succeeded. If, however, she set out to prove that there is no way that evolution could exist, she didn't quite reach her goal.
I found this book exciting, and I learned so much from it, things that I have always wondered about. This book is for anyone who ever wanted to know a thing or two about evolution.

Summary (from GoodReads):Evolution. One word, deceptive in its simplicity, has transformed the way we look at ourselves and everything around us. Once thought of as unique, man has become one of the animals with no special claim on the planet. As children, few of us question what we learn in biology class about the origins of life and the position man holds in the hierarchy. Science textbooks present evolution as fact--indisputable, inevitable, and incomprehensible to everyone outside the exalted few with PhDs in the appropriate fields.

Yet this book promotes one key premise--anyone can understand evolution.

Evolutionists focus their defensive efforts on Creationist claims, giving the impression that nobody except religious zealots disputes evolution. Shiel approaches the subject from a different perspective. Instead of criticizing evolution in an effort to promote my personal beliefs, I've chosen to critique evolutionary theories and the evidence attached to them through a secular lens.

Read. Think. Decide for yourself.

"Shiel is consistently convincing...evolutionary scientists have circumvented the true scientific method."--Dr. Quinton R. Rogers, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Dept of Molecular Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis

"A decidedly irreverent view of evolution...[Shiel] translates the off-putting jargon while outlining some major scientific hypotheses, warts and all."--Tyler A. Kokjohn, PhD, professor of microbiology, Midwestern University

"This book takes a fresh look at evolution, time, and human origins... I do completely agree that the evolutionary presuppositions of our age stand in dire need of a thorough scientific reevaluation."--Paul Abramson, editor, Creationism.org

"Shiel systematically dismantles the arguments that have long been the cornerstone of Darwinian hegemony in the biological sciences in workmanlike fashion, illustrating exactly what is wrong with the theory in a compelling and easy-to-understand text. A triumph of logic over dogma!"--Timothy Birdnow, freelance writer & American Daily Review blogger

Disclosure: This book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review.

Final Question: At one point in the book, so shows pictures of the skulls of several different Hominids. She also regularly talked about what exactly a species is and how scientists are never in agreement about this. Some scientists, she said, would classify different sized humans as different species if they found our bones in the future. So my question is this - several million years in the future, do you think scientist will find human bones and classify Caucasians, Asians, and Africans as being from different species? Does the idea of this happening make you laugh or does it disgust you? Or whatever else? I think it's hilarious to think about. I was glad she broached this subject in the book, because it is something I have always wondered about.

Review: Evermore by Alyson Nöel

Title:Evermore

Author:Alyson Nöel

Rating: 1/2

Recommended? to all YA lovers everywhere, especially if you're into paranormal romance

What I Have to Say: This book was a light, easy page-turner of a read with believable, (sometimes) well-developed characters and relationships. I loved reading about Miles and Haven and Damen and Drina and Ever. Each of their separate stories was fun and exciting. The romance between Ever and Damen is one of those sweaty, grimy, heavy breathing romances, but dulled down with just the perfect amount of innocence for the YA crowd.
It's easy to understand how Ever ended up where she did and how she did; it's also easy to understand how she might blame herself for certain things. As such, even though I am no longer a teenager and, evidentally, no longer think like a teenager, I can really understand why she acts and reacts the way she does. This makes following her through her story easy and pleasant, even if I occasionally cringed at something she did or wanted her to act in a different way. She is stubborn and hormonal and suffering from something most teenagers don't have to deal with. I think, in the end, this is why I enjoyed the book so much, despite all of my complaints (see below). Ever never did what I wanted her to do, but she was independant and not annoying and had me rooting for her from day one.
Now, my complaints - First, I didn't really feel like the whole immortality thing was well-explained. It was just kind of thrown in there in such a way that it almost would have been better if she hadn't tried to explain it. Secondly, the ending of this book was a little bit too compact. Everything just suddenly came together and was all explained by the bad guy. It seemed so easy and typical, like a cop-out. To suddenly have the bad guy on the brim of completing his evil plan and yet feel the need to stop and explain every part of his mastery and intelligence. Also, it seemed to end several times but would then just keep pushing forward. Needless to say, I was slightly disappointed with the ending. Very lastly, Damen was sort-of lacking in personality. We heard about his personality from the other characters, but we never saw it in action. I liked him, but I'm hoping that in the next book I'll get a chance to know him better.
It was, though, at least good enough for me to be wanting more. I will without a doubt be reading book number 2 in the series, when it comes out.

Summary (from Goodreads)Since a horrible accident claimed the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever can see auras, hear people’s thoughts, and know a person’s life story by touch. Going out of her way to shield herself from human contact to suppress her abilities has branded her as a freak at her new high school— but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste. Ever sees Damen and feels an instant recognition. He is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy, and he holds many secrets. Damen is able to make things appear and disappear, he always seems to know what she’s thinking— and he’s the only one who can silence the noise and the random energy in her head. She doesn’t know who he really is— or what he is. Damen is equal parts light and darkness, and he belongs to an enchanted new world where no one ever dies.

Blog Tour Review: Japan Took the J.A.P. Out of Me by Lisa Fineberg Cook

Title:Japan took the J.A.P. Out of Me

Author:Lisa Fineberg Cook

Rating: 1/2

Recommended?To expatriates everywhere! Or to anyone that might ever someday be an expat; also to fans of Elizabeth Gilbert

What I Have to Say: I tend to enjoy memoirs, especially when they involve Japan. If I had understood how LITTLE this one actually did involve Japan, I probably wouldn't have read it. I went into the book excited to read about the Japanese culture and came out feeling like it could have taken place anywhere. I'm glad that I didn't know it would be like that beforehand, because I probably would have missed out on what turned out to be a great book.

Lisa Fineberg Cook and I have NOTHING in common. Well, very little, at least. I find her to be bratty, snobby, self-involved, and self-inclined. She is the kind of person that some of my friends might occasionally be friends with, and I would just never get it. This entire memoir is basically just her whining about Nagoya, Japan and how it is different from Beverly Hills/L.A. She's also an avid smoker (although she does occasioanlly try to deny this), and anyone that knows me knows that this is an immediate deal breaker for me. (I feel bad saying these things about the author, but I'm sure she would think I am too stuffy and moral for her tastes as well, so it's all good. Our ideas of fun are just very different.)

Now you might be thinking - but wait, I thought you "really enjoyed this book." And the fact is that, despite not really liking Lisa and knowing that she and I would NOT get along in life, I did like it. It was a fast-paced, witty, fun, and easy read. I would't go so far as to say that it's laugh out loud funny, but I did find myself smiling and laughing in my head on a regular basis.
More than that, though, she really does get across what it feels like to be an ex-patriot. I've been an ex-pat for over two years now, and I could relate on so may levels to the things she was going through. I would have dealt with them differently than she did, but she really made me understand that an ex-pat is an ex-pat no matter where they are. I could have written a similar book whining about Paris.
Reading about her experiences made me feel a sense of solidarity with her and helped me to understand her where everywhere else I just couldn't.

Oddly enough, despite my complaints, I found this to be an extremely enjoyable read that I literally could not put down. I read it in two sittings (I don't read books in one sitting, so this is pretty awesome for me).

Summary:This humorous, moving, and insightful debut memoir follows a young newlywed from Beverly Hills to Nagoya, Japan, where her husband has a new job.

Review: Elric: Stealer of Souls by Michael Moorcock

Title:Elric: Stealer of Souls

Author:Michael Moorcock

Rating: 1/2

Recommended?Yes, if you're into fantasy and anti-heroes, but only if you're willing to read 200 very difficult pages in order to experience 200 awesome ones.

What I Have to Say:I FINALLY finished! I really should have read at least the first line of the description of this book. Then I would have at least know that I was getting myself into yet ANOTHER book of short stories.
Reading through this book was like trudging through the muck-filled, mist-covered, at times deadly Swamps of Sadness; it was difficult and long to get through and sometimes made me forget my purpose in reading it.
Which is weird, because it non-stop mega action pack and was also actually really well written.
The first half of the book was separated into short stories that introduce us to Elric, his life, and his friends. And while they were interesting, they were also predictable and seemed to serve very little purpose. They were hard to get through, but for no fault of their own. I think my biggest issue was that they were short, and there was therefore so much that should have happened that couldn't - because there's just not enough time in a short story.
The second half of the book was four somewhat longer interlinked stories that, put together, could almost form a book. Yay!
Moorcock's easy use of adjectives and fluttery language creates vivid, believable, and sometimes devestating images of a dying world and its potential savior, Elric the albino emperor of a dead race of sorcerers. Elric's character is a tortured one, torn between Chaos and the Gods of his people, and the Lords of Law and what fate has planned for him.
Unfortunately, for all his verbosity, I don't feel that Moorcock developed Elric as a believable character; it was almost as if Moorcock himself did not understand what Elric must suffer (and the true power that Stormbringer, his sword, held over him) and therefore couldn't write it into the book. Because of this, up until almost the very end, it was hard to cheer for Elric. It was hard to understand that he really might be the good guy in all of this. Elric is THE anti-hero of anti-heros. . .I guess I should probably just say that he is one of the more extreme anti-heroes that I have ever come across.
Still, in the last four stories, Elric and his sword and his world and his quests and his dilemmas captured my attention and made me glad that I trudged through until the end.


Summary (from Good Reads, yay!):When Michael Moorcock began chronicling the adventures of the albino sorcerer Elric, last king of decadent Melniboné, and his sentient vampiric sword, Stormbringer, he set out to create a new kind of fantasy adventure, one that broke with tradition and reflected a more up-to-date sophistication of theme and style. The result was a bold and unique hero–weak in body, subtle in mind, dependent on drugs for the vitality to sustain himself–with great crimes behind him and a greater destiny ahead: a rock-and-roll antihero who would channel all the violent excesses of the sixties into one enduring archetype.

Now, with a major film in development, here is the first volume of a dazzling collection of stories containing the seminal appearances of Elric and lavishly illustrated by award-winning artist John Picacio–plus essays, letters, maps, and other material. Adventures include “The Dreaming City,” “While the Gods Laugh,” “Kings in Darkness,” “Dead God’s Homecoming,” “Black Sword’s Brothers,” and “Sad Giant’s Shield.”

An indispensable addition to any fantasy collection, Elric: The Stealer of Souls is an unmatched introduction to a brilliant writer and his most famous–or infamous–creation.

Good Grief by Lolly Winston Only Mediocre

Title:Good Grief

Author:Lolly Winston

Rating: 1/2

Who Should Read It?Anyone who knows what it feels like to break up with or lose someone you love

What I Have to Say: I've always wanted for someone to write the story of a really rough break up and the getting over of it. With mega focus on the process of getting over it. This is the closest I've ever come to reading something that seems to really get it. Even though it's not about a breakup, it's about a death.
Still, that's what I liked about this book. No longer being with someone you love, either through a breakup or a death, is HARD, and people don't just "get over it" and "move on." It takes time and a lot of hard work and sometimes drug and usually depression and hilariousness play a role. This book is brutally honest about that, and I loved getting to see the process of building new relationships through her pain that ultimately help her to push the pain further and further away from the front of her mind.
That said, this book was just GOOD, not GREAT. It's one of those books that you read and that you enjoy reading but that, in the end, leaves you without impression. The story is good, the characters are good, the "getting over it is good," and that's it. There was nothing so extra special that made me want to get up and scream "YES! This is the book about breaking up I've been looking for!!!!" Just,. . .mediocre.

Summary(from Publishers Weekly via Amazon):Sophie Stanton feels far too young to be a widow, but after just three years of marriage, her wonderful husband, Ethan, succumbs to cancer. With the world rolling on, unaware of her pain, Sophie does the only sensible thing: she locks herself in her house and lives on what she can buy at the convenience store in furtive midnight shopping sprees. Everything hurts—the telemarketers asking to speak to Ethan, mail with his name on it, his shirts, which still smell like him. At first Sophie is a "good" widow, gracious and melancholy, but after she drives her car through the garage door, something snaps; she starts showing up at work in her bathrobe and hiding under displays in stores. Her boss suggests she take a break, so she sells her house and moves to Ashland, Ore., to live with her best friend, Ruth, and start over. Grief comes along, too—but with a troubled, pyromaniac teen assigned to her by a volunteer agency, a charming actor dogging her and a new job prepping desserts at a local restaurant, Sophie is forced to explore the misery that has consumed her.

First Review!: Samurai William by Giles Milton

First of all, it's weird that this book ended up being the very first book I review. It's a true story, and I'm much more into fiction. But it's about Japan, and I love Japan, so there we go.
Now, on to the book.


Title: Samurai William - the Adventurer who Unlocked Japan

Author: Giles Milton

Rating: 1/2

Who should read it? Anyone interested in Japan before we really knew about Japan.

Summary (direct from Amazon): Samurai William tells how, in 1598, William Adams, an English seaman of humble origin, sailed out of Rotterdam on a Danish ship en route to the East Indies. After 20 months at sea in which they survived a series of disasters, starvation and disease, Adams and a few remaining sailors floated into a harbour on the island of Kyushu in southwestern Japan. Though not the first Westerner to reach Japan--Portuguese traders and Jesuit monks from Spain had arrived about 60 years earlier--Adams was the first Englishman to arrive. The impact this one man would have on future relations between East and West is the subject of this engrossing book.

After landing, Adams spent some time in prison and was nearly executed before he made an unlikely ally in Tokugawa Ieyasu, a powerful feudal lord who would later become shogun of Japan. Intrigued by the outside world and impressed with the sailor's navigational abilities, Ieyasu commissioned Adams to oversee the construction of some ships to be used for both trade and exploration. In time, Adams mastered the language and complex social customs of Japan, began teaching the shogun about geometry and mathematics and served as a translator and political counsellor to Ieyasu. For his service, he was awarded great wealth, land holdings and even a lordship, making him the first foreigner ever to be honoured as a samurai. When news of his high standing reached England, a small crew of Englishmen were sent to Japan to use Adams's political connections to open trade between the two countries.

What I have to say:
It's a beautiful story of how trade originally developed between the west and Japan the first time around, complete with fascinating details and citations from the people that were there. Milton's fast-paced story brings the characters and the settings to life. Throughout the course of the book, I found myself experiencing everything from shock and outrage to to love to devastation. At points, I even found myself siding with people that I would never ordinarily side with. Giles Milton took the facts and made a very readable novel out of them.
Unfortunately, I have heard that the story he told is not exactly factual. He has many references and gives many citations, but I've come to believe that not everything was 100% accurate.
There's also the small fact that the title was very misleading. I went into the book hoping to learn more about the life of William Adams, but the book was far more about trade. Very little was actually said about the life of William Adams. Upsetting.
Just one more negative thing - it also seemed very forumlated. As if he took lots of little parts of books he'd read and put them all together, as opposed to actually just writing the story. It kind of made me think that he'd written it as a (very long) high school history paper.