Review: Insatiable by Meg Cabot

Title: Insatiable

Author: Meg Cabot

Rating:

Who Should Read It? People willing to put away their serious for a minute and read Meg Cabot doing a romantic comedy esque social commentary on vampires. I can see it not being for everyone, but I thought it was fabulous!

What I Have to Say:
It's really hard for me to review Meg Cabot books for many reasons. First, because I just love her, and in my mind, she can do no wrong. So, even if she does do wrong (which, I'll admit, she maybe did a little bit in this one), I just don't notice, or at least don't want to admit it. Second, because I just want to gush and squeal and say the same thing about EVERY SINGLE ONE of her books.

And that same thing is - Meg Cabot has done it again!

While Insatiable in no way takes a fresh, new, or exciting look at vampires, it did manage to be adorable and make me forget that, ultimately, I am SO OVER vampires (though with the books I've been reviewing lately, you might not know it). Cabot herself seems to know that there is WAY TOO MUCH vampire out there lately, and through snarky, sees-when-people-are-going-to-die Meena, her can't-seem-to-get-it-together brother John, and the ever so hot Lucien Antonescu, she actually seems to be making fun of the fact that she caved and wrote a vampire book.

All of her characters are fun and quirky and lovable, with slight personality disorders, which just makes them even more lovable. the romance is sickening and sappy while at the same time making fun of sickening and sappy. The plot is completely over the top, but researched in such a way that you're like "Oh yeah," and you suddenly find yourself believing in vampires and dragons and crazy when none of the other vampire books you've read ever made you feel that way. And then you laugh at yourself because you fell for the extreme.

This book is a hilarious social commentary on the vampire craze, and it should be read as such. It's not trying to be serious, but it does seriously kick butt.

Summary:Sick of vampires? So is Meena Harper. But her boss is making her write about them anyway, even though Meena doesn’t believe in them. Not that Meena isn’t familiar with the supernatural. See, Meena Harper knows how you’re going to die (not that you’re going to believe her; no one ever does). But not even Meena’s precognition can prepare her for what happens when she meets—then makes the mistake of falling in love with—Lucien Antonescu, a modern-day prince with a bit of a dark side . . . a dark side a lot of people, like an ancient society of vampire-hunters, would prefer to see him dead for. The problem is, he already is dead. Maybe that’s why he’s the first guy Meena’s ever met that she could see herself having a future with. See, while Meena’s always been able to see everyone else’s future, she’s never been able look into her own. And while Lucien seems like everything Meena has ever dreamed of in a boyfriend, he might turn out to be more like a nightmare. Now might be a good time for Meena to start learning to predict her own future . . . If she even has one.

Cover Story:I just noticed the tattoo. I'm SUPER tired of YA books where the cover girl is missing her head. I wonder if this, too, is supposed to be some kind of social commentary.

Review: the Dark Heroine: Dinner With A Vampire by Abigail Gibbs

Title: the Dark Heroine: Dinner With a Vampire

Author: Abigail Gibbs

Rating:

Who Should Read It? I honestly wouldn't recommend it to anyone, and I'd even advise people against it, as it is awful. But I know there are a LOT of fans of this book out there, so I recommend reading my review then reading a couple other more positive reviews and making the choice for yourself.

What I Have to Say:
Let me start off with a quick one sentence review: This book was awful.

It is VERY rare that I read a book that is part of a series (or a trilogy or that just has a sequel) and, at the end, decide that there is NO POSSIBLE way I will read the next book in the series. Usually, no matter how much I dislike a book, there's always at least that SMALL possibility that, somewhere along the line, I'll end up reading the next one.

the Dark Heroine: Dinner With a Vampire, is an exception to that. I have NO desire to read the next one, and I will remember this book forever just so that I remember not to read it. That sounds harsh, and I know it is, but this book lacks every quality ever known to a good book.

First, I felt like Gibbs is still trying to figure out her writing style. Some parts were so long and overly drawn out that they nearly put me to sleep while other parts were so extremely compact and filled with pointless action that I wished they were putting me to sleep, just to get it over with. Her characters, while trying to be full of spunk and umpf, were completely lackluster. When they did, occasionally, do things to make them stand out, it was mostly to make me sincerely dislike them. Violet, the main character, is annoying, petty, and delusional (She thinks that only vampires do bad things, never humans. Um, seriously? Everything about her screams annoying, snotty, bratty spoiled rich kid), and yet we are SUPPOSED to like her. Oh, AND she's vegetarian. Which normally, being a vegan, I would think was awesome. But I wish she weren't, because she gives a terrible name to vegetarians everywhere, and the fact that she is doesn't become nearly as much a part of the book as it should.

And then there's the fact that the love interest regularly tries to rape the main character, and this is written about as if it's totally okay. And she falls in love with him for it. I feel like there are ways to treat falling in love with your rapist, and this is TOTALLY NOT IT! (Yet somehow, when someone ELSE tries to rape her and drink her blood, he deserves to die. Yeah,. . .)

Lastly (though not really, just lastly for this review), there's the plot, which was supremely awful and awfully developed. I kind of got the feeling that she herself didn't know what the plot was going to be until somewhere around the last chapter of the book. Which means there was no buildup to it, because the author herself didn't even seem to know where she's going. And when finally the plot reveals itself, it's in such an underwhelming way that you expect that there has to be something more. There never is. It's undeveloped, boring, and full of holes.

Seriously, don't ask me how I managed to finish this book. I really don't know. I feel like screaming DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME!!!!

Summary: A chance encounter on a darkened street draws Violet Lee into a world beyond her wildest imaginings - a timeless place of vast elegance and immeasurable wealth, of beautiful mansions and lavish parties, where a decadent group of friends lives for pleasure alone. A place from which there is no escape... no matter how hard Violet tries.

All the riches in the world can't mask the darkness that lies beneath the gilded surface, embodied in the charismatic but dangerous Kaspar Varn.

Violet and Kaspar surrender to a passion that transcends their separate worlds - but it's a passion that comes at a price

Cover Story: I WISH the cover were less cool, then maybe I wouldn't have ready it.

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

Review: Vampire Academy 2: Frostbite by Richelle Mead

Title: Vampire Academy 2: Frostbite

Author: Richelle Mead

Rating:

Who Should Read It? I feel like most readers of this blog that would like this book have already read it. But if you haven't and you're into strong female leads in a series with a unique take on vampires (and you've read and enjoyed the first one), you should totally check this book out!

What I Have to Say:
As someone who is not over vampire series because I was never actually able to get into them (with a couple exceptions, of course), I was shocked when I more than enjoyed the first book in this series. I read the first one shortly after reading a few books from another vampire series that I absolutely did not enjoy at all, and so when I liked it, I thought it must just be a fluke. I felt like I wanted to read the second one, but I thought there was no way I could continue enjoying a YA series about good-guy vampires.

Which is why I was once again shocked when I enjoyed this book. It was once again well-written, refreshing, unique, engaging, and most of all, enjoyable. How could it not be when Rose, Dmitri, Lissa, and Christian are all back and just as likable as ever! Well, maybe likable is the wrong word, as Lissa is too meek and Rose is too obnoxious and selfish (and yet self-sacrificing at the same time - hmmm) and well, all the characters are sort-of annoying. But in that annoyingness, they are oh so totally real. Believable. I don't want to include any first-book spoilers in this review, so we'll just say that this starts right where the last one ends, and the reader is immediately thrown back into the world of the dhampir and moroi and strigoi.

What I think I enjoy most about these books is the whole complicated class structure that Mead has created. Where the first book explored loyalty, this book went a bit deeper and explored that class structure. It seems so ridiculous and psychtoic, and yet the people living in the system can't imagine it any other way. They wouldn't want it any other way. As an outsider looking in, I want to grab their heads and shake them and say "CHALLENGE THE SYSTEM!" And in this book, the system is actually examined by some of the characters. Richelle Mead inadvertently makes fun of the system she has created, and I really enjoyed this under the surface humor. I also enjoyed seeing the characters themselves at times understanding just how ludicrous their situation really is. I think it is because of this, and the introduction of Tasha, my new favorite character, that I actually enjoyed this book MORE than the first one.

That said, I can say the same thing about this book that I said about the first one - it's super cute and fast-paced with an addictive plot line. I was glad to be reading it on a train, because otherwise my life and studies and friends WOULD have been neglected for the duration. If you haven't read this yet, what are you waiting for?

Summary:
Rose Hathaway's got serious guy trouble. Her gorgeous tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason has a huge crush on her, she keeps g...more Rose Hathaway's got serious guy trouble. Her gorgeous tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason has a huge crush on her, she keeps getting stuck in her best friend Lissa's head while she's making out with her boyfriend, Christian.

Then a massive Strigoi attack puts St. Vladmir's on high alert, and the Academy crawls with Guardians-including the legendary Janine Hathaway...Rose's formidable, long-absent mother. The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy's not taking any risks. This year, St. Vladmir's holiday ski trip is mandatory.

But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only provide the illusion of safety. When three students run away to strike back against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. Only this time, Rose-and her heat-are in more danger than she ever could have imagined.

Cover Story: Ummm, if that guy is Dmitri on the cover, can I just say NO! That is NOT what he looks like. And that is all I have to say about this cover.

Review: Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Title: Vampire Academy

Author: Richelle Mead

Rating:

Recommended? To all YA Vampire lovers out there; this book is great!

What I Have to Say: This was super cute, fast-paced read with likable main characters and a fantastic, addictive plotline. Add in the fact that it's all about vampires, and we've got ourselves a winner of a book.
Richelle Mead's vision of a world in which vampires exist in the underground, unknown to MOST humans (except the feeders - um, ick!), is vivid and unique, something different from the typical vampire world most YA readers have been getting used to recently.
The Moroi are the living vampires, who are protected by the half-human half-vampire Dhampirs from the Strigoi, the dead vampires. In the beginning, it was a little bit difficult to keep all of this straight, but as the story continued, her world became as natural and real as the world I am living in today.
Honestly, I was amazed and awed with the way in which Mead populated a world full of the good guy vampires we have come to love, but without letting go of the evil undead blood-sucking vampire image.

Moroi = good but weak. Strigoi = bad and vicious. Dhampir = good and loyal.
And loyal the Dhampir are. Rose, a Dhampir and our narrator, is so loyal to her protege, Lissa, princess of a dying Moroi line, that it could almost be considered a fault. Rose's relationship with Lissa, while being paranormal, is also something all teenagers can relate to, either because they have a best friend or they dream of having a best friend as loyal as Rose. I know that I personally have sacrificed much for friends. I can be loyal to a fault, and so, while I think it's extreme how Rose would sacrifice EVERYTHING for Lissa, how her entire life is about protecting her, I can also understand.

Mead brings this loyalty to a whole new level, though. Because it's not just about two people, about Lissa and Rose. It's also about two races of people (vampire?). The relationship between the Moroi and the Dhampir, in general, is horrifying in that an entire race is willing to sacrifice their lives and happiness for another, weaker race. And yet, because Mead has written the story from Rose's point of view, it also seems completely natural. Like the only way things could possibly be.

And that was one of the greatest things about this book. It was written from Rose's point of view; Rose the protector, Rose the bodyguard. The character who rarely has a voice was allowed to express herself loud and clear.
This book was dark yet fun; easy to read yet with a whole slew of deeper meaning.
This book had me neglecting everyone and everything in my life while I was reading it, unable to stop turning the pages, unable to put it down for even a second.
In other words, I liked it. :-)

SummarySt. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger. . . .

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.

Final Question:To whom in your life are the most loyal? Are you more loyal to your family or your friends? How do you feel about loyalty in general? What does it mean to you?