Brilliant (Avery Sisters Trilogy #3)

by Rachel Vail

"Everybody knows who Quinn Avery is. She's the smart, calm, responsible Avery sister, the one who's kept it together in spite of all that's happened since their mom lost her job. But when the family house goes up for sale and Quinn faces the prospect of losing the home she loves, something snaps inside her, and a new, wild, reckless Quinn emerges. Soon Quinn's lying, sneaking out, and partying with a brand-new crowd. When Quinn adds ditching her best friends and kissing the wrong boys ? including her sister's boyfriend and her own piano teacher ? to her list of crimes, she may finally have gone too far. Can Quinn find her way back to the family that needs her and the only boy she's ever loved."

I did not care for this book. I don't feel like the three books in this series really fit together and I don't think they were as well written as the author is capable of.

Quinn is supposed to be the heroine of Brilliant.  She is supposed to be, well... brilliant.  I didn't really get extraordinary from this character.  I got confused, I got selfish, I got pitiful, I even got delusional, but not brilliant. I wanted to like her, but Quinn seemed just as clueless and vapid as the rest of the Avery women.

What was the plot of Brilliant?  No, I'm asking... I have no idea. Quinn is a fake, self-absorbed girl.. My dislike does not stem from her making very normal, human mistakes; it's that she barely recognizes that she's made them and fails to atone for her wrongs. It makes me wonder what Oliver sees in her, until he is revealed to be just as immature and self-righteous as Quinn.

The one good thing about Brilliant is that it was only 250 pages, so I only wasted half of my day with this one.

Darkest Mercy (Wicked Lovely #5)

by Melissa Marr

"Send the messengers for the Faery Courts. This is the end.

The Summer King is missing; the Dark Court is bleeding; and a stranger walks the streets of Huntsdale, his presence signifying the deaths of powerful fey.
Aislinn tends to the Summer Court, searching for her absent king and yearning for Seth. Torn between his new queen and his old love, Keenan works from afar to strengthen his court against the coming war. Donia longs for fiery passion even as she coolly readies the Winter Court for battle. And Seth, sworn brother of the Dark King and heir to the High Queen, is about to make a mistake that could cost his life.
Love, despair, and betrayal ignite the Faery Courts, and in the final conflict, some will win...and some will lose everything."

It has been quite a few years since I read the 4th installment of the Wicked Lovely series, so it took longer for me to get the gist of Darkest Mercy.  I will say that it is obviously not a stand alone novel, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.  I hate when series spend the entire book rehashing the previous book, so not knowing what was going on was actually a good thing to me.  Eventually I pieced together what I had forgotten, but this review is based on Darkest Mercy alone, as opposed to part of a series.

I enjoy Marr's writing style.  I also admire the multi-faceted world she has created; making each court with an individual, almost living, personality and characters that live inside. That being said, I wasn't super impressed with the book.  It was good, but lacked the drama of the rest of the series.  Also, five books later and the ending of the series is a little lackluster.  These books have been fraught with peril and heartache and loss, but suddenly everything is right in the world, true love conquers all and Keenan is human. Everything was just a little too easy; Anti-climatic is an understatement. Still, Marr does remain true to the hope she has fostered and the book did not leave me wanting.

The Scorch Trials (The Maze Runner #2)

 by James Dashner

"Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.
In the Maze, life was easy. They had food, and shelter, and safety . . . until Teresa triggered the end. In the world outside the Maze, however, the end was triggered long ago.
Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, the earth is a wasteland. Government has disintegrated—and with it, order—and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim . . . and meal.
The Gladers are far from finished with running. Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.
Thomas can only wonder—does he hold the secret of freedom somewhere in his mind? Or will he forever be at the mercy of WICKED?"

Mediocre. That's about the sum of book #2 in the Maze Runner Trilogy.  While The Maze Runner was difficult for me to get into, but easy for me to finish, The Scorch trials was just the opposite. I was optimistic in during the first several chapters, but eventually it just kind of fizzled.  Book two brought up even more questions, and it ended with even fewer answers. 

Once again, Dashner shows his love of words, but also his lack of finesse. His imagery simply falls short.  He creates this epic story filled with too many faceless, nameless characters.  He does occasionally introduce these characters, graces them with a name for all of two paragraphs and then back to anonymity.  He also did himself a disservice in giving the old characters that endeared themselves to the reader less of a voice in this sequel.  He focuses on yet another new set of characters and the inevitable climax blazes in out of nowhere only to leave us confused and unimpressed. Also, Thomas is obviously talented in inspiring others to action, but he's also kind of a wimp.

I'm not rushing out to read the third, although, I do think I will finish the series eventually.

Days of Blood and Starlight

by Laini Taylor

"Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.

This is not that world.

Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.

While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.

But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?"

This sequel to Daughter of Smoke and Bone, was unprecedented.  It is rare that a sequel fully lives up to its predecessor, but to surpass it is practically impossible.  Days of Blood and Starlight left me breathless for the conclusion of the series.  It provoked deep emotion and incited a familiarity with the characters.  I love Karou.  I ache for her; her loss, her heartache, her great, back-crushing responsibility, which she bears with the most beautiful and realistic grace.  She doesn't do these things because she is noble, or brave or good- she does them because she has to.  When life pushes you down and leaves you to rot, you stand up and keep going because you must.  Even in the unending desert, surrounded by creatures of myth, with a past and future twain by the schism of your two selves.

The relationship between Karou and Ziri is heartbreaking.  I found myself rooting for them, but almost guiltily as there has not been true closure between Karou and Akiva. Ziri's monstrous form is lost in his compassion, his genuine and pure nature, his humanity.  I love his sacrifice, so unselfish and heartfelt, not the product of unrequited love, but driven by a desire to make things right.

The developing characters of Hazael and Liraz are also a compelling part of this sequel.  Their relationship with each other and Akiva is tender and strong.  Additionally, we see more of Zuzana and Mik, who bring humor and sass and impossible things to the Chimaera camp.

This book, more than anything, gave me a feeling of family. The relationships between friends, kin, lovers... they are deep, emotional and extremely gratifying to be a part of.

Before I Fall

By Lauren Oliver

"What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?
Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.
Instead, it turns out to be her last.
Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing."

I saw another review that said this book was basically "Groundhog Day" meets "Mean Girls". Nailed it. That's about it, review done.

Okay, I guess I could go into this a little bit more deeply.  It bothers me that Sam completely changed and did a 180 in less than a week. That she fell in love with someone she hadn't spoken to in seven years, in less than a week. The reason behind her death and ultimately the sacrifice of her life, was beautiful and tragic and worthwhile. Sam's friendships, however vapid seeming, were actually extremely precious and substantial. I did like the premise and the book, overall, was not a waste of time.

Alice in Zombieland

By Gena Showalter

"She won’t rest until she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever.
Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.
Her father was right. The monsters are real….
To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies….
I wish I could go back and do a thousand things differently.
I'd tell my sister no.
I'd never beg my mother to talk to my dad.
I'd zip my lips and swallow those hateful words.

Or, barring all of that, I'd hug my sister, my mom and my dad one last time.

                                                                        I'd tell them I love them. I wish... Yeah, I wish"

I don't know exactly what I was expecting from this book, but I wasn't expecting what it is. Gena Showalter does have some very interesting ideas and unique takes that vary the paranormal genre. This book is no exception.  Right away, her concept of zombies that are spirit, not undead flesh and bone, had me captivated. The idea that only some individuals can see these monsters and that one can only fight them by leaving their body and duking it out in the spirit realm, is a pretty great twist.

The characters... Alice is not a particularly strong heroine, but she does have good, real qualities: here vulnerability wen it comes to her sister, her regret over how she treated her father, her desire to avenge her family's death. I really liked her ability to stand up for herself, even against the gang-like group of hardened zombie slayers. Her loyalty to Kat scores points for her. Also, the fact that she and Cole, although confronted with an obvious connection and attraction, tried to create a relationship slowly, was something I enjoyed seeing progress. I love that Showalter made Ali's grandparents so sassy, trying out teen lingo and discussing sex, drinking and drugs openly.

There was a lot of emotion in this book. There were unavoidable and irreversible events leading to death and sorrow and defeat. The thing that I was irritated about was how anti-climatic her reunion was with her zombified father. Also, it was lacking in the promised malevolence that was indicated by Emma. I know this is a series, but there were too many unanswered questions. Jury is still out pending book two of The White Rabbit Chronicles.

Twisted

By Gena Showalter

"Sixteen-year-old Aden Stone has had a hell of a week. He's been:
Tortured by angry witches. Hypnotized by a vengeful fairy. Spied on by the most powerful vampire in existence. And, oh, yeah, killed—twice.
His vampire girlfriend might have brought him back to life, but he's never felt more out of control. There's a darkness within him, something taking over…changing him. Worse, because he was meant to die, death now stalks him at every turn. Any day could be his last.
Once upon a time, the three souls trapped inside his head could have helped him. He could have protected himself. But as the darkness grows stronger, the souls grow weaker—just like his girlfriend. The more vampire Aden becomes, the more human Victoria becomes, until everything they know and love is threatened."

Book three in Gena Showalter's Intertwined series left me excited for the final book in the series.  With that said, wow, was Twisted difficult to get through!

I like these characters, that's already been established.  However, I was a little irked when from page one, Aden wasn't really Aden.  It took nearly half of the book for him to fight off whatever vampire change induced douchebaggery he had been victim to. I also was unimpressed by Mary Ann's little adventure, and the fact that she magically came back to herself at the conclusion of the book.  Why?  What happened there? I did enjoy Victoria's foray into the land of mortality.  She needs some humility in her life. That, and I like the duality of her and Aden, switching places so to speak, instead of becoming vampirisms power couple.
I was glad that there was a focus on the souls; I was irritated when nothing progressed there in the second book. I found Julien's release cathartic, although his story was a little less emotional or realistic than Eve's. I was also happy to see Aden's parents and back story furthered in book three.  It did surprise me that his father was so intent on keeping Aden out of his life, but seemed to know an awful lot about what he insisted he hates. I would have liked a tad more closure there.

About three quarters of the way through, it finally became a page turner, and that's saying something since the  book is over 500 pages.  I've seen a few reviews rampaging over the ending and Aden's decision to rewind everything (which I think would be a good name for the 4th book if it really does go that way), but I'm actually intrigued by how Showalter's going to bind up all these loose ends.  It really was quite a disaster at the end of Twisted, everyone dead or injured or becoming human; things were dire. It will be interesting to see what happens, if Eve and Julien will be back inside Aden, etc. All in all, seemed a little like an interim book, just stringing things out unnecessarily to get to the end.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

By Laini Taylor

"Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.
And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.
Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.
When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?"

I literally could not put this book down.  It was so beautifully written, all I could think of was Eva Ibbotson's flawless imagery.  The setting of Prague was an excellent choice of setting for this strange tale.

Right away, I fell in love with Karou.  No simpering, lovesick little girl, but a smart and capable woman, even at the age of 17.  This character was neither unrealistically savvy, nor pathetically incapable.  Karou has sass, smarts, and incredible sense of self.  Her awareness that something seems to be missing is proof of that.  Akiva is a character that I was determined not to like.  However, his story, his strength and pain and the realization of his dreams of peace pulled me onto his side.  I enjoyed the glimpses of his vulnerability when he was around Karou, which stemmed from his love of Madrigal.  As a supporting character, I have to mention that I really loved Zuzanna as well.  She is a remarkable example of friendship.   I could go into all of the characters, they were really very well developed, but instead I'll just leave it at that.

As the story unfolds, mystery is stacked upon intrigue until the reader is salivating over the inevitable fitting together of this puzzle.  Taylor does an incredible job of creating a world outside of our world, playing off of myth and religion and legend to create something almost tangible within a pocket of the heavens.  I absolutely loved that she told the story of Karou, which was followed by an entirely different story of Madrigal, which all fit together seamlessly.

I can't fully articulate how much I enjoyed this book, I'd just end up rambling for another six paragraphs. I loved it.  Can't wait to find out what happens next.

Touched

By Cyn Balog

"Nick Cross always listens to the voice in his head. Because if he doesn't? Things can go really, really wrong. Like the day he decided to go off script and saved a girl from being run over . . . and let another one drown. Trying to change the future doesn't work. But this summer at the Jersey Shore, something's about to happen that Nick never could have predicted. He meets a girl named Taryn and finds out about the Book of Touch. Now the path that he thought he was on begins to shift . . . and there's no way to stop things from happening. Or is there? In a life where there are no surprises, nothing has prepared Nick for what he's about to discover--or the choice he will be forced to make. . . ."

I really enjoyed this book. I think that the premise was extremely unique. Nick's constant inner monologue could have gotten confusing, but Balog managed to keep the story controlled. I like the characters of Nick and Taryn, although their romance seemed a little rushed and out of nowhere, which is admittedly the case in most YA romance novels, especially in the supernatural genre. Nick, specifically was a very likable character. I was definitely rooting for him throughout the book.

The resolution of the book was beautiful. The sacrifice that Nick's grandmother made for her family was touching and a very fitting ending. It bothered me a little bit that Nick was the only one that remembered everything, which wasn't really explained. I liked this book so much, that I can overlook that detail.

Sleepless

by Cyn Balog

"Eron DeMarchelle isn't supposed to feel this connection. He is a Sandman, a supernatural being whose purpose is to seduce his human charges to sleep. Though he can communicate with his charges in their dreams, he isn't encouraged to do so. After all, becoming too involved in one human's life could prevent him from helping others get their needed rest.

But he can't deny that he feels something for Julia, a lonely girl with fiery red hair and sad dreams. Just weeks ago, her boyfriend died in a car accident, and Eron can tell that she feels more alone than ever. Eron was human once too, many years ago, and he remembers how it felt to lose the one he loved. In the past, Eron has broken rules to protect Julia, but now, when she seems to need him more than ever, he can't reach her. Eron's time as a Sandman is coming to a close, and his replacement doesn't seem to care about his charges. Worse, Julia is facing dangers she doesn't recognize, and Eron, as he transitions back to being human, may be the only one who can save her. . . .
Even once they've become human again, Sandmen are forbidden to communicate with their charges. But Eron knows he won't be able to forget Julia. Will he risk everything for a chance to be with the girl he loves?"

I am in love with the concept of Sleepless. The idea of Sandmen, charged with "seducing" mortals to sleep and watching over their dreams is fresh and enticing.

Eron was a well-developed character and I adored his old world gentlemanly mannerisms and mentality. It seemed a little odd that he was so distanced from the world, but I suppose life is a little limited when you hang out mostly in trees for 100 years. I was also bothered by the fact that the originals, who seemed to run the whole operation, were ignorant of the modern world as well. Naive Chimere was endearing at times, but the fact that she was meant to be an authority figure made her wide-eyed, seemingly spacey personality a disappointment. However, her small betrayal in the end was a surprise to me; both innocent and contriving in its purpose.

Julia. I feel less impressed with this character. Balog's back story of her isolation and self-consciousness leaked through into the real world and I don't feel that I really had a good grasp of who Julia was, even despite her narratives. I'm not quite sure what it was that made Eron fall in love with Julia; perhaps a lifetime of familiarity, but also the thought of him being essentially her babysitter since birth is slightly disturbing.

Griffin was an excellent villain. His motivation was pain and loss and selfishness. I liked seeing the progression of his grieving process, which took him from the always smiling jokester to the slightly manic, near homicidal evil doer.

The book ended too abruptly for me and I would have liked a little more conflict resolution after all the build up. However, overall, this was a fun read.

Endlessly (Paranormalcy #3)

by Kiersten White

"Evie's paranormal past keeps coming back to haunt her. A new director at the International Paranormal Containment Agency wants to drag her back to headquarters. The Dark Faerie Queen is torturing humans in her poisonous realm. And supernatural creatures keep insisting that Evie is the only one who can save them from a mysterious, perilous fate.

The clock is ticking on the entire paranormal world. And its fate rests solely in Evie's hands.

So much for normal."

"...when you are happy, you don't do anything! If you are content, the rest of the world and those who need you fall away into the background." -Reth

Yep. That's pretty much it.
Saying that it was better than the second book is not saying much. Endlessly actually had good storyline and I liked how the characters all ended up coming together. Terribly predictable, but warm and fuzzy, nonetheless. I'm still bothered by Evie and Lend's relationship, although I do have to say that water boy is a good guy; ALMOST too good, but I found enough flaws to make him at least realistic as a fictional character. I think I dislike Evie even more. I understand her annoyance at being manipulated and feeling pushed into her fate, but I really wanted this heroine to be a little more noble, a little less short-sighted and I could do without the influx of hormones as well.

Good wrap up, but I'm glad the series is has ended.

The Ghosts

by Antonia Barber

When Lucy sat in the attic, she thought she heard the sound of voices calling...

That's when she started to believe the rumors in the village that the old house was haunted. But no ghosts appeared - until the day Lucy and her brother Janie stood in the garden and watched two pale figures, a girl and a boy, coming toward them. That was the beginning of a strange and dangerous friendship between Lucy and Jamie and two children who had died a century before. The ghost children desperately needed their help. But would Lucy and Jamie have the courage to venture into the past - and change the terrible events that had led to murder?

My sister owned a copy of this book at one time and I remember reading it when I was a young adolescent and thinking it was the bees knees of murder mystery novels, a genre I've never really gotten into, with the exception of a brief initiation into the world of Nancy Drew. For the last year or two I've occasionally thought of this book and have tried to track it down with only that old edition cover art to go on. A couple of months ago I was finally met with success on Amazon.com and waited in great anticipation for my find to arrive.

I have to say, the book failed to live up to my memory of it. Not that it was a crappy book, I guess I was just expecting the Juvenile Fiction story that my juvenile self read to grow with me into adulthood. That being said, I did enjoy the book. Barber created a beautiful ghost story, full of missed opportunities, heartache and regrets. The four children each have very distinct personalities that add immense dimension to the plot. The adults in the book provide an interesting foil for those personalities; the reader, if looking, is able to see the children's innocence and the adults manipulative, self-serving side-by-side, as well as those characteristics that will, inevitably, turn that innocence into those, if less malevolent, more adult qualities.

The writing is simple and genuine. The story is well developed, although I will say it might have been rushed just a little. There are many strands of plot that are all feeding into the main story, creating the mystery, and Barber could have taken just a little more time to go into some of those sub-plots and motivations. I liked the way Lucy and Jamie were able to enter Sara and her brother's world, feeling how they felt as ghosts.

The Ghosts really is a good, quick read and I know this is one I will pick up off my bookshelf every now and then to peruse again.

Warrior

by Marie Brennan

When a witch is born, a doppelganger is created. For the witch to master her powers, the twin must be killed. But what happens when the doppelganger survives? Mirage, a fierce bounty hunter, lives by her wits and lethal fighting skills. She always gets her mark. But her new mission will take her into the shadowy world of witches, where her strength may be no match against magic. Miryo is a witch who has just failed her initiation test. She now knows that there is someone in the world who looks like her, who is her: Mirage. To control her powers and become a full witch, Miryo has only one choice. To hunt the hunter and destroy her.

Warrior was a great concept, poorly executed. It took me way too long to get through this book. I wanted to get into it, but there was too much idle, pointless, trying-to-get-there. It was hard to move between the perspectives of Mirage and Miryo from chapter to chapter as well. Basically, it was just a lot of sleuthing without a lot of action.

I liked the characters and was rooting for the two women to find a way around killing each other. I appreciated that, while loyal to each other, the Hunters within the same schools did not take trust for granted, or blindly give it. I loved the fact that, while two halves of the same whole, Mirage and Miryo were two separate and unique individuals.

Overall, the story was good, if slow, the characters ingratiating, the setting unique.

The Awakening and The Struggle, The Fury and Dark Reunion (The Vampire Diaries #1-#4)

by L.J. Smith


I became addicted to The Vampire Diaries on the WB last Fall, and when I realized that the show was bast on a book series, obviously I knew what I had to do.

The first thing I like about the VD series is that the four books are contained in two volumes. Bonus. Secondly, there was HUGE character development. Elena really irked me at first. She came across as vain, selfish and materialistic. The first book found her inner monologues describing her outfits. However, as the series progressed, her desire to become the person that Stephan saw became more and more apparent and her personality warmed as well. I found myself rooting for her, if not exactly relating to her.

I was captivated by the mystery of the antagonist and oddly impressed by Smith's willingness to kill off so many characters, involving so many bloodbaths, no less. The dynamics between Elena and the Salvatore brothers, and the brothers themselves, were interesting to decipher.

The writing wasn't fantastic, but the face-paced plot made it more than bearable. I was irritated by Elena's sidekicks, but realized the need for them in the last book. That last book should really have its own review, but I'm lazy, so I'll just say that I was left with some unanswered questions and a faint sense of regret for even reading it.

Overall, the series was entertaining, but I won't be spending time on a second read.

Tempted

by P.C. and Kristin Cast

Another from the House of Night Series. It's a compulsion; I MUST finish what I started.

This will be a short one. Same old, same old, for Mom and Daughter Cast. Bad writing, not enough development for the plot to take up an entire book and irritating teenagers. I will say that the last chapter actually made me excited to read the next book, so I'd say that's progress.

The Shack

by William P. YoungThe Shack, although on the bestsellers list, is not a book that I would randomly pick off the shelf at the library. I read it on the recommendation of a co-worker that is a self-professed non-reader. It took me a few chapters to really get into it, but I ended up riveted by the story.

This book is the story of a grieving Father. His family has been torn apart by tragedy and he is wracked by guilt and sorrow. He receives a letter from God inviting him back to the scene of his daughter's murder and, despite his confusion and skepticism, returns to the shack.

The story continues as Mack comes face to face with God and gains valuable insight into himself and his relationship with deity. The Shack is a really hard book to thumb down into a review~ at least for me. It contained startling and poignant ideas about religion and the relationship between God and his children. There was ideology that I'd never considered that made perfect sense and, being Mormon, I had to wonder where these things might fit into the doctrine of the church.

The book was touching and painful and extremely tender. Mack was such a genuine character, very real and his struggles and flaws and thought processes seemed very true to human nature. The stereotypes and preconceived notions about God were turned on their head a bit in this book. He appears as a plump black woman and Jesus appears as a young Semitic man, whereas the Holy Spirit appears as an Asian woman who's form is more like an impressionist painting and who appears more like the wind than an actual person. Mack spends time with each of these individuals, learning about trust, coming to terms with his guilt and grief, overcoming his anger at God and finally being able to heal.

The writing was beautiful, the complexity was as straightforward as possible and I thoroughly enjoyed Mack's journey.

Love and Other Natural Disasters

by Holly Shumas

I wish this book had turned out a little more like Happens Every Day. Where Gilles non-fiction might have been lacking technically, it had depth and humor and I wanted to keep reading. Shumas' novel about a woman facing emotional infidelity had the potential to be heartfelt, but fell flat.

One of the largest problems I had with Love and Other Natural Disasters was this: Holly Shumas is a psychologist. I'm assuming her work is the basis for this book. That's about what the story amounted to; a detached look at an emotional event in someone else's life.

The characters as a whole bothered me. The story was flat and dragged without a real direction. I don't feel that the characters really developed or grew. The writing was unimpressive. Basically, it was kind of a pain to read.

Dreamfever

by Karen Moning

Book four of the Fever Series. FINALLY!

This installment finally took the story further. While it was raunchy and blunt, the predicament that Mac ended Faefever in allowed the book and concept to take off. There were answers and development of characters and relationships. This book said so much I wasn't as bothered when it ended on another cliffhanger and I'm actually excited to read the last book when it comes out next year.

The Stepsister Scheme

by Jim Hines

The Stepsister Scheme is kind of like all your favorite fairy tales got together and took some Acid. The story's main characters, essentially Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and Cinderella, are Walt Disney meets Charlie's Angels.

I loved this book. It's no secret that I'm addicted to any and all spin offs of popular and obsolete fairy tales, Old Wives Tales and legends. This book was right up my alley and did not disappoint. I enjoyed the personalities of the three princesses and the dynamic between them. I loved the magical elements and the encounters with various mythical and fantastic creatures.

Hines took each well known story and uncovered the truth behind it. These horrific realities, somewhat more along the lines of what the Grimm Brothers may have envisioned, were heartbreaking and gave the princesses more dimension.

I loved this book; it's one that I could read over and over again.

Faefever

by Karen Moning

Faefever is book three in Karen Moning's Fever Series. Why am I still reading these books? Because NOTHING happens and I'm waiting, desperate for it to go somewhere!

Like Bloodfever, Faefever is an entire book dedicated to endless pages that tell a story without actually giving the reader any information to further the story. Once again the details slowly drip out, one little tidbit at a time, and just when you start getting excited, the book ends.

Faefever ends on a truly hopeless and violent note and I'm hoping that, finally, Moning will pick up the pace and really take this story somewhere.