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.

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.

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.

The Actor and the Housewife

by Shannon Hale

Sigh. Shannon Hale REALLY needs to stay away from writing about the 21st Century.

This book bugged me so much. I desperately wanted to like it, but it was ridiculous. The cheesy and predictable cliches about Mormonism, the preachy, holier than thou attitude made it necessary to read next to a garbage can in order to keep the puke off my rug. Don't get me wrong. I'm active in the LDS church and I think it's admirable that Hale gives voice to fictional characters in "real" life without compromising her values. However, she went the easy route and offered the often perceived self-righteous within their imperfection Mormon, which is really quite sad as she could be using her acclaim to stomp on those stereotypes. Ugh.

The characters were one-dimensional, the plot laughable, and the writing itself was hardly sub-par.The whole thing was so contrived! Near the end of the book, when the alleged point of the relationship between the actor and the housewife comes to light, I literally rolled my eyes. The entire relationship was ridiculous; the person she portrayed as the goody-goody Mormon housewife would, in my humble opinion, never demean themselves by having such a personal relationship with the actor. (Don't miss the sarcasm there.) At this point, I can't even remember the names of these lackluster characters.

A Curse Dark As Gold

by Elizabeth C. Bunce

A Curse Dark As Gold is take on the classic fairy tale, Rumpelstiltskin. We all know what a pushover I am for books like these, especially ones that are less often spun.

I will admit that I'm a bit behind in my reviews, so, while I'm sure I had a few distinct impressions about this one, I'm not exactly sure what they were. I did enjoy that the dark story remained true to its original vein and that, while there was a good amount of creepy, curse-y and paranormal happenings, it didn't get to be too unbelievable. I also liked that there were multiple antagonists, both realistic and supernatural. This facet made the story more complex as I tried to sort out if and how certain events were connected. The setting, in England at the pivotal beginning of the Industrial Revolution, also complemented the story well, marrying the primitive, seemingly sinister with the glorious promise of new horizons.

I enjoyed the romance that was woven into the story, but it really irritated me that Charlotte refused to confide in her husband, choosing omission and deception instead, (that never goes over well) especially when she chooses to give her uncle, an over the top dandy she's never met before, so much credit. Overall, the characters were wonderfully developed and there were many personalities within the story.

A Company of Swans

by Eva Ibbotson

Ms. Ibbotson, you've outdone yourself.

I am a huge fan of Eva Ibbotson and I think I'm close to having read all of her books. This one is by far my favorite. It kept many of Ibbotson's trademark themes, but it was the largest departure from her other books.

Harriet is a typical character of the author. She is strong within herself, but not overbearing, almost timid in her interactions. She is pretty, but not beautiful in an obvious way and is outshone by most of the other female characters in the book. That being said, Harriet is special. She is smart and kind and has a gift for dancing. She runs away, not to a European countryside, which one might expect from Ibbotson, but to South America, to dance with a small ballet company. There, she meets Rom. Again, typical in his good looks, his rags to riches past and his money grubbing ex-love. However, Rom is a philanthropist, and a kind one at that. I loved this character. Usually the men in Ibbotson's books are arrogant and conceited and can't believe they are attracted or drawn to in any way someone below their lofty status.

The difference in the love story was pronounced as well. Rom falls in love with Harriet with no mind for any other woman. His greedy, contriving ex spends the entire book trying to get back to him so she can woo him with her feminine wiles and their shared past. Harriet and Rom's true obstacle takes form in Harriet's unwelcome fiance, a cold and controlling Father and a shrewish Aunt.

I love this book and I know it is one I will read over and over again. Ibbotson's prose is, as always, breathtaking, her descriptive imagery unrivaled and her characters compelling and dynamic.

Falling For Romeo

by Jennifer Laurens

This book was something I might have liked when I was in Jr. High. Didn't really do it for me at this point in my life.

My biggest complaint about this book is that Laurens was obviously trying to develop the story with family conflict and teenage pressure, but as soon as the literal last curtain fell and the insecure lead actress is validated by her prince, everything else just disappears. There is no conflict resolution at all.

The writing was not great and the tone was extremely juvenile. A very fast and uninteresting read.

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.

The Secret Life of Prince Charming

by Deb Caletti

I picked this book up at the Library randomly and took it home because the main character's name was Quinn. It took me a while to get interested in reading it, but from the first sentence of the first paragraph I was hooked.

Deb Caletti is a phenomenal writer. There is an ease and flow to her writing, but her insights are poignant and inspire moments of clarity. I honestly can not say anything bad about this book. Was it perfect? Of course not. But there was nothing it that was overwhelmingly, or even noticeably, annoying to me. There were too many uses of the F-word, but as far as the plot, characters, writing, etc. I thought it was extremely well done. I liked the characters and Caletti did a great job of developing them as the story went on. She didn't rush the relationship between Quinn, Sprout and Frances Lee. The romance between Quinn and Jake was perhaps a little too good to be true, but I enjoyed the way Jake rose above stereotypes and was comfortable in his own skin.

There are so many other things I can say about this book that I liked, but there's really no need. It was one of those books you want to read through, mark up and refer to over and over again.

The Thirteenth Tale

by Diane Setterfield

The Thirteenth Tale has made me evaluate the way I review books. Since reading is an escape for me, I tend to base my "ratings" on how entertaining the book was and, consequently, if I would read it again. This book, while it was entertaining, intriguing, well written, was one I probably won't read again.

That statement might sound a little contrary, but this book held such a beautiful mystery and, now that the secrets have been revealed and the story is over, I don't feel like it would ever be as good as it was this first time. The jacket states that "The Thirteenth Tale is a love letter to reading..." I can't explain how, but that phrase seems to sum it up well. This book is for those that cringe at the sight of a loose binding or torn page, but simultaneously love a book more for these obvious signs of wear, as they indicate that what lies inside is more than a story; it is a treasured friend, a memory that may as well be your own. Oddly, this is not really what the book is about at all. The story, the tales that are interwoven to create a life, is not about books, exactly.

The characters in The Thirteenth Tale, in looking back, are familiar, yet ordinary. I am not quite sure how I even came to know them; but somehow they pushed though the misty ghost story and delved into me. The conclusion to this book was achingly beautiful. There were loose ends, secrets taken to the grave long before Vida Winter's story began, but somehow the wondering and the realization that there are no answers is a fitting conclusion.

There were some instances of violence and abuse, though not graphic. Wonderful.

The Morning Gift

by Eva Ibbotson

The Morning Gift didn't quite live up to my expectations. I thought A Song for Summer was phenomenal and this simply wasn't as good. I think it was a bit predictable and Ibbotson seemed to skip right over what should have been a much larger part of the story and a great climactic conclusion.

The characters were a little hard to like. Ruth was a little infantile in her I Can't Believe How Blue The Sky Is attitude. I had a hard time remembering she was twenty years old. Quin was a benevolent character, but it seemed he felt no true passion when helping others, only obligation. He seemed quite detached. It really bothers me when characters keep holding back and instead of just saying, Hey, I don't want a divorce, I love you, Quin and Ruth had to dance around, playing this self-deprecating game of denial.

I do very much enjoy Ibbotson's writing. I think her words and imagery are beautiful and her style is unique and a little reminiscent of a different time period. She also makes it very easy to keep track of a large amount of characters.

I wouldn't read this again, but I am willing to give her another chance to impress me again.

Cold Sassy Tree

by Olive Ann Burns

This book was a lot like Charms for the Easy Life, in that it was a story about life. There was no great antagonist, no long quest. The synopsis says that it is the story of a boy becoming a man or some such thing, but that's not really what I got from it. Will Tweedy, at fourteen, was more man than many of the males I've met in their twenties.

The story was very interesting. There was a subtle romance hidden amongst the every day cow milkings and egg gatherings, but the real love story was that of a family. I enjoyed the "accent" of the book, set in Cold Sassy, Georgia. Eventually I could almost hear Grandpa's irreverent and raspy tone. Cold Sassy Tree was tender and sweet and I liked that it was told from Will Tweedy's young perspective. It gave a realistic glimpse into life at the turn of the century and I really enjoyed the depiction of the country's wonderment and excitement over "artermobiles", electricity and indoor plumbing.

Wonderful book, rare writing, and overall enjoyable.

The Devil and Miss Prym

by Paulo Coelho

The Devil and Miss Prym is the story of temptation and the rediscovery of faith. It was very well written and the conversations between characters had depth, but Coelho managed not to be patronizing.

This book approached very controversial ideals and yet the book was pretty simple and easily read in a few hours. It was a very interesting examination of humanity and it was startling to realize the justification a person can make in doing evil. The depiction of God was one I did not completely agree with as the religious tone and the beliefs held by the characters were, in many ways, different from my own, but even these thoughts incited new perspectives, which I appreciate.

Overall, I liked the book, but may not ever read it again.

A Song For Summer

by Eva Ibbotson

Oh, I loved this book. It was beautiful; the story, the characters, the writing. It had adventure, politics, war, humor, friendship, culture, art, music, and romance. No, not romance, that's much to soppy a word; love. True love, the kind that waits and suffers and still clings tightly and truly, enduring through joy at its peak and misery at its depth.

A Song for Summer was not what I expected it to be- a common occurrence among my recent literary adventures. I read A Countess Below Stairs not long ago and expected this to be similar, but the author seemed to deviate wildly from the somewhat amateur tone, even while keeping her style consistent. This was a book I would expect from someone like Gene Stratton-Porter, not a contemporary author. Ibbotson's transitions from one character's point of view to another's is rare and seamless. It was extremely impressive to find that, with upwards of ten streams of consciousness trading off, I never got lost within the transitions or wandered upon a loose trail of thought. She tied together so many elements and, even though Part II is less than one fourth of the book, there was no rush to the end and no unanswered questions. I laughed out loud at times, I brushed the dewy ghosts of tears from my lids, my heart ached for Marek and Ellen, leaped for Isaac and I could scarcely keep from smiling at the sheer loveliness of language and the stark, green imagery.

This book is one that has a few things that may be conceived as taboo, but it is in no way graphic or offensive.

Mr. Darcy's Diary

by Amanda Grange

Mr. Darcy's Diary is a depiction of what Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice may have been thinking during that time period. I really enjoy books like this that give the reader a peek into a vague perspective. It somehow makes the character more real and gives greater depth to the story.

This book was written as a literal diary, so it was an easy and entertaining read. The breaks between entries made the speech style less difficult to grasp than authentic Austen can be. I liked that it portrayed Darcy in the same light that we see him in P&P, showcasing his faults and illustrating the change that takes place in him as his love for Elizabeth grows. It also offers a peek into the Darcy's married life, which I always find interesting.

Appropriate for anyone and very entertaining.

Austenland

by Shannon Hale

~SPOILER ALERT~ Austenland is the story of a woman unconsciously obsessed with Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. She stays at a Regency themed vacation estate in which guests interact with actors to be completely enveloped in an experience from that time period. It's a story of self discovery and love. Or at least, it's supposed to be. It was an easy and light read, slightly above juvenile fiction, in my opinion, which is perhaps what Hale should stick to.

The one redeeming part of the book is the last three pages. When the Darcyesque actor shows up at the airport it is cliche and a little silly. However, as he follows Jane onto the airplane and asks for an opportunity to get to know her better, it is a sweet and uncontrived effort. The actor's previously revealed history and his realistic grasp of the situation makes it seem as though he may be an example of a less than perfect, but just less as to be enough to seem like an actual nice guy, literary character. Honestly, the sincerity of the ending made me sigh with longing.

Overall, not great,but pretty clean.

Bridget Jones' Diary

by Helen Fielding

I'm not sure what to say about this one. I saw the movie first and I LOVE it, so I almost wanted the book to parallel the movie more closely. However, the book originated the character and it was nice to see the development and personality in black and white.

Bridget Jone's is hilarious, obsessive, flawed, and loyal. She is an average woman, with common insecurities and typical fixations. She is such a relateable character, yet the humorous spin keeps the story from getting too personal.

There is really not too much to say about this one. It was a fun read and I'm excited to read the sequel. There is some language, but the content is not graphic and barely suggestive.