Enna Burning

by Shannon Hale

Enna Burning is the sequel to The Goose Girl. The story is told from the perspective of a character, Enna, who played a minor role in the first book.

I really think this type of book is Hale's niche. Very fun to read, well developed plot and characters and a great continuation of the series. One thing I particularly liked is that Hale managed to continue Isi's story as well in this installment, while still allowing Enna to be the main voice.

This book was just a simple, enjoyable read and I don't have a lot of criticism. I'm excited to read the remaining books in the Bayern series.

Happens Every Day

An All-Too-True Story

by Isabel Gillies

*CONTAINS SPOILERS* The perfect life. Loving husband, gorgeous house, two beautiful children; Isabel Gillies never saw the end coming.

This autobiographical account of a women's idealistic life falling apart when her husband leaves her, seemingly out of the blue, is touching and raw, told with humor and true introspection. Gillies lays it all out on the table, bearing her soul, her faults, her fears and her heartache.

Gillies is obviously not a writer by trade, but the style of the book allows the reader to overlook that. I got totally caught up in the story she was telling, and forgot about the words I was reading. Her emotions were palpable. Some of the events she recounts, such as her Summers listening to records with her brother, didn't really seem to have a place, other than to aid in making one feel like you KNOW this woman.

I would like to read a book from Gillies husband's perspective, because I was never exactly clear on why he had changed so much, so quickly. Truthfully, this book scared the crap out of me. If a beautiful, talented, smart, strong woman with a perfect life and marriage can get the rug pulled out from under her, how in the world can I hang on to my flawed, far from perfect life?

This book contains some harsh language.

Bloodfever

by Karen Moning

Bloodfever is actually book two in Moning's "Fever" series. However, I don't feel like I missed anything in Darkfever. This book stands alone and seems to have recapped its predecessor successfully.

This is one of those books that I felt was a little too much like a placeholder; a segway into the next book. I don't have a lot to say about this one. I enjoyed it, it was a very fast read and it left me wanting to read the next installment.

There is so much mystery in Bloodfever, it seems something more should have been revealed by this point in the story, and certainly the reader should be let in on some serious secrets by the end of book two. I have no idea who, or what, Barrons is. Mac keeps making really dumb mistakes, which should be refreshing, finding a less than extraordinary heroine, but it's almost like a bad horror movie, the cliched kind that possesses one to yell at the movie screen, "Don't go that way! Run!"

I like this somewhat original perspective of the Fae world. The different breeds of Seelie and Unseelie are interesting. Moning does an excellent job of giving Mac a voice within her writing which is casual and real, where it could be forced and difficult to read.

There is language and mild sexuality in this book.

Twilight~New Moon~Eclipse~Breaking Dawn

by Stephanie Meyer































Let me start by saying that I am in no way your typical, obsessed Twilight fan; I do not believe that Stephanie Meyer is in any way a "genius" and I have many critical remarks. That being said, this is the second time I've read the series.

Collectively, the series is intriguing, which is the reason Meyer got four successful installments out of it. However, my biggest criticism is that the characters are too perfect. Everything fits together like a perfect little puzzle, from Bella's maturity making it possible for her to connect to a 90 year old man, to the rivalry between Edward and Jacob, on Bella's behalf and because of their respective species.

Twilight is romantic and idealistic. The vampires that Meyer has created are unique and the special talents that some of them possess add drama.

New Moon is a little irritating in that Bella is so mopey and does not come off as mature at all. She's needy and helpless and a little crazy. Jacob is a sweet, endearing character, and has a few flaws that make him a little more relateable.

Eclipse is probably my least favorite in the series. Bella's attempt to maintain a friendship with Jacob is selfish and screams of High School drama. The whole book is forgettable to me.

Breaking Dawn is my favorite of the series. However, it was extremely anti-climatic.

Stephanie Meyer is a pretty good writer, but she is extremely long-winded and drones on with too many inner monologues. It's exhausting to remain aware of Bella's every thought. These books could each have been shortened by a few hundred pages. This time around, I found myself skimming paragraphs, sometimes skipping whole pages, and didn't feel like I'd missed anything.

Personally, I do not relate to any one of the characters Meyer has created, which I think is the real flaw. They are too perfect, too romanticised, too in love, too talented, too attractive. It would be easy to have a perfect relationship if you were in love with a perfect, attractive, ageless person with more money than you could ever spend. They don't get tired, or fat or even hungry. If I could spend my days admiring my flawless self in the mirror, tearing apart feather pillows with my flawless husband, studying art and music and whatever else I wanted to, and flying off to Italy at a moment's notice, my life would be pretty great.

I think this was a better read the second time, but I'm not sorry the series stopped at #4.

Lonestar Secrets

by Colleen Coble

Lonestar Secrets is the story of a single mother who moves back to the hometown she swore she'd left behind forever. The book incorporates mystery, suspense, and romance as Shannon Astor finds a way to make a new life for herself and her family against unlikely obstacles.

The elements in this story were interwoven successfully, although the plot was not very realistic. I enjoyed the dilemma centered around Shannon's twins. However, I think that could have made up the bulk of the plot line instead of being solved so easily. I was bothered that she was so hung up on Jack's supposed betrayal. I was expecting a huge scandal or an accidental murder and was met with a very silly and immature act which should have been left in High School.

Coble has an easy way of writing, but does give in to some cliches when developing the romance. She took a lot of random things and made them into a huge, interlinking conspiracy of sorts and there were a few details, like Mary-Beth's involvement with a certain man of note in Shannon's small community, that were a little too perfectly lined up.

The characters all seemed to be very uninteresting without the extraordinary events. That being said, Shannon's sass and confidence were very appealing in a heroine, especially one that let the reader glimpse some vulnerability behind her very genuine strength. Jack was also a likable, if predictable, character.

Overall, this book was an easy and enjoyable read, if not taken too seriously.