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.

Palace of Stone (Princess Academy #2)

by Shannon Hale

"Coming down from the mountain to a new life in the city is a thrill to Miri. She and her princess academy friends have been brought to Asland to help the future princess Britta prepare for her wedding.There, Miri also has a chance to attend school-at the Queen's Castle. But as Miri befriends students who seem sophisticated and exciting she also learns that they have some frightening plans. Torn between loyalty to the princess and her new friends' ideas, between an old love and a new crush, and between her small mountain home and the bustling city, Miri looks to find her own way in this new place.

Picking up where "Princess Academy" left off, and celebrating the joys of friendship, romance and the fate of fairy tale kingdoms, this new book delivers the completely delightful new story that fans have been waiting for."

Another slow starter, but that could be blamed, once again, on the lack of momentum from reading book #1 so long ago. Once I got into this book, it did have a compelling plot and lovable characters.  The story was predictable, but not without the charm Hale's Books of Bayern possess.

I enjoyed Miri's journey of self discovery, her coming of age. Specifically, I liked the fact that Miri, while sometimes confused or lost, never wavered in her loyalty and remained herself throughout the story.  I also enjoyed the continuance, although subtle, of Britta and Stephan's romance.  Peder is darling; perhaps the most endearing character.  Another favorite in this story is Frid whose personality shines through the writing.

All in all, a good follow up to The Princess Academy.

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.

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.

The Bar Code Tattoo (#1)

By Suzanne Weyn

"Individuality vs. Conformity
Identity vs. Access
Freedom vs. Control
The bar code tattoo. Everybody's getting it. It will make your life easier, they say. It will hook you in. It will become your identity.
But what if you say no? What if you don't want to become a code? For Kayla, this one choice changes everything. She becomes an outcast in her high school. Dangerous things happen to her family. There's no option but to run...for her life."

This review is barely a review at all. The unthinkable has happened: I have given up on a book. Sure, there have been times when I've lost momentum and put a book down, intending to pick it back up again one day, but I don't purposely return it to the library with no plans to ever try again. What have you done to me, Suzanne Weyn? I have absolutely no desire to see this book ever again. It was so boring, tedious even. The main character irritated me; I can't even remember her name to be honest. The plot was boring, the pace was slow, the characters were flat. I don't know if I was able to read even half of this teeny 256 page book. I gave it a valiant effort, but The Bar Code Tattoo and I just weren't meant to be.

Branded (Fall of Angels, Book #1)

By Keary Taylor

"Jessica's had the nightmares for as long as she can remember. Nightmares of being judged for people who have died, of being branded by the angels. Her friends and family think she's a crazy because of it all. Yet she carries the mark of the condemned, seared into the back of her neck, and hides it and herself away from the world.
But when two men she can't ignore enter her life everything changes, including the nightmares. The two of them couldn't be more different. She will do anything to be with one of them. Even tell him the truth about angels, why she never sleeps, and the scar on the back of her neck. But one of the two has set events into motion what will pull her toward her own judgment and turn her into the object of her greatest fear."   This book starts out slow... and never really speeds up.  Everything happens at a very leisurely pace, despite the dark subject matter within the story.  However, the pace didn't really bother me.  Taylor created a very mesmerising character in Jessica, who is very self-contained, but extremely strong and enduring and good.   The role and motivation of Cole were elements I never fully grasped. Every story must have a villain, though, and Cole made a very sinister one. Alex on the other hand was a little too good to be true, a real knight in shining armor.  The coupling of Alex and Jessica was just a little too idyllic, too perfect. Even the lack of your typical romance plot, in which the heroine and hero are tricked into a miscommunication that ultimately leads to either grave results or the final unveiling of the antagonist, was missing.  Still, I like the story and it being devoid of common cliches made it surprising.

The Maze Runner (Book #1 in The Maze Runner Series)

By James Dashner

"When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.
Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every thirty days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.
Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.
Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind."

The maze Runner started out slow.  I had a hard time getting into it until maybe 17 chapters in. From there, it was exciting and action packed and I had a hard time putting it down.  That being said, I thought the book was excruciatingly predictable.  There were very few times my eyebrows tilted together in surprise and all of those small twists were ones that I immediately saw in hindsight.

The characters were well developed and Dashner did a great job giving each endless Glader a personality, but there were just too many to keep track of.  Teresa seemed to get the short end of the stick in the personality development. I actually really liked the specialized slang of the Gladers and the way they had banded together to create a "normal" semblance of society.  I kept forgetting these were prepubescents running the "world".

The end of the book was a little anti-climactic for me.  I was also left a little confused; more questions than answers.  I understand that he's setting up for two more books, but there should be a few "ah ha" bits of information that lead into the next book, not just more mystery piled onto the end of book one. Interested to see how the next book plays out.

Turned, Loved, Betrayed, Destined, Desired

Novels 1-5 in The Vampire Journals Series
By Morgan Rice


"In TURNED (Book #1 of the Vampire Journals series), eighteen year old Caitlin Paine finds herself uprooted from her nice suburb and forced to attend a dangerous New York City high school when her Mom moves again. The one ray of light in her new surroundings is Jonah, a new classmate who takes an instant liking to her.

But before their romance can blossom, Caitlin suddenly finds herself changing. She is overcome by a superhuman strength, a sensitivity to light, a desire to feed--by feelings she does not understand. She seeks answers to what’s happening to her, and her cravings lead her to the wrong place at the wrong time. Her eyes are opened to a hidden world, right beneath her feet, thriving underground in New York City. She finds herself caught between two dangerous covens, right in the middle of a vampire war.

It is at this moment that Caitlin meets Caleb, a mysterious and powerful vampire who rescues her from the dark forces. He needs her to help lead him to the legendary lost artifact. And she needs him for answers, and for protection. Together, they will need to answer one crucial question: who was her real father?

But Caitlin finds herself caught between two men as something else arises between them: a forbidden love. A love between the races that will risk both of their lives, and will force them to decide whether to risk it all for each other..."

The plot continues... with seven sequential books.  If there was ever a series written for no other reason than to make money, this is it.  I keep reading them, HOPING that things will get better, but I really don't think I can keep going.

 

First off, let's discuss the writing: It is horrendous.  If you're going to write a book... No, I'll even forgive the author... if you're going to PUBLISH a book, for the love of God, PLEASE PROOF READ IT!  If you're going to write a book, gift yourself a thesaurus. The writing is so frustrating.  It is redundant and stale and cheesy.  I find myself mentally rewriting it. 

However, even that is impossible, since the characters are under-developed and, frankly, dim witted. I don't think there is a single character, and there are a great many, that I even like.  Maybe that's the problem; there are too many people in this book. Rice is name dropping like you can't believe.  Between cities and countries spanning the globe, at least three villains at a time, a whole island of identifiable vampires, she's dragging in historical figures like Marie Antoinette and Napoleon. 

The books are harried and lack attention to detail. It's like watching a three year old play: one minute she's wrapped up in dolls, the next, she's watching Sesame Street, and before they even have time to announce the number of the day, she's all caught up with sidewalk chalk. There is absolutely no reasonable amount of time for the characters to be so wrapped up in each other. They spend two minutes together and suddenly they are best friends, worst enemies or soul mates.

The story is a mishmash of events and people and motivations.  I think the underlying journey for Caitlin to find her father is going to end up the ultimate point, but from a few reviews that I've read which contained spoilers, I honestly think that if I finish this series, I will roll my eyes and laugh out loud over the ridiculousness of it. Seriously, It's worse than the House of Night series, and I have definite issues with that one.

I really can't think of one redeeming quality of this series.  The reason I keep picking them up is because I have an OCD compulsion to finish what I start. I think The Vampire Journals series will lead to my imminent institutionalization, because I just don't think I can read one more sentence!

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.

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.

Across the Nightingale Floor (Tales of the Otori, # 1)

by Lian Hearn

The debut novel of Lian Hearn's Tales of the Otori series, Across the Nightingale Floor, is set in a feudal Japan on the edge of the imagination. The tale begins with young Takeo, a member of a subversive and persecuted religious group, who returns home to find his village in flames. He is saved, not by coincidence, by the swords of Lord Otori Shigeru and thrust into a world of warlords, feuding clans, and political scheming. As Lord Otori's ward, he discovers he is a member by birth of the shadowy "Tribe," a mysterious group of assassins with supernatural abilities.

The Otori series was literally thrust into my hands by a friend. I was intrigued by the premise, but not necessarily eager to start Across the Nightingale Floor. However, I was soon captivated by Hearn's Japan, Takeo's potential and Shigeru's mystery.

I enjoyed this book immensely and, although Takeo was an almost flawless protagonist, fell in love with him immediately and really wanted him to succeed. I was also rooting for Kaede and Takeo's romance to work out. The plot was fantastic and I think Hearn wove the story together beautifully. There were many sides to this book, as there were many dimensions to the characters.

There are things about this book, both good and bad, that I'd like to expound on, but my overall impression is simple: Across the Nightingale Floor was a stand alone book that definitely made me eager to dig into the sequel.

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 Mermaid's Madness

by Jim C. Hines
The Mermaid's Madness is a companion to The Stepsister Scheme. I say companion, because it doesn't necessarily continue any plot from the first book, although it does continue shortly after the conclusion of The Stepsister Scheme.

I really enjoyed getting to know these characters better. I loved the plot of this second book and the way it continues on in revealing the truth behind beloved fairy tales. Adventure, intrigue, romance and sacrifice were all prevalent in this story. It was fun and engaging, heartbreaking and tragic. I can't wait for the next installment!

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.