Hello my lovely amazing literary comrades! Wow, we've made it to 40 reviews! I can't believe it. It seems like yesterday I was starting a blog, inspired by a friend of mine. Here's to 40 more! :) Anyway there's lots to talk about, so lets away!
Heist Society is by Ally Carter. It's the first book in the Heist Society series. It centers on Katarina Bishop, a 15 year old girl who comes from a long and distinguished line of thieves. She is a thief herself, but realizes she no longer wants this life, and scams her way into the best school in the U.s. Only 3 months into her new life, she is framed for a crime and expelled from school. Realizing it's her old friend and conspirator Hale, she finds out from him that a man named Arturo Taccone has had a few of his most prized paintings stolen, and her father is the only suspect. Kat's only recourse is to steal the paintings back from who really committed the crime. She has less than two weeks and a teenage crew. Will she be able to pull it off in time?
This book ROCKS. It's fabulousness can not be measured. Fresh and unique, filled with great writing and great characters, with some nice twists added in. I adore this book and it's amazing story. I was glued to my Nook like nobody's business. Some compare it to Ocean's 11 with kids, and I can see that. But this supersedes Ocean's 11 comparisons for me. I loved reading this, hoping Kat, Hale, and co would succeed and make it in time. The suspense was mind-boggling. The moments when I gasped were the best, because a book that makes you gasp rocks hard.
Kat is a fantastic character. I admire her so much. She could have been a typical heroine, but she wasn't. She wanted more than the life she had. Didn't want to be thief for her entire life. It felt a little bit Godfather-esque (you know that line from Part III.) when she gets pulled back into her old life. Kat is a smart, cunning, kick-ass character who I'd want to be friends with in real life. As a reviewer I admire once said, yes she was clueless about how Hale felt towards her, but other than that she is an amazing leading heroine (I'm vaguely paraphrasing). I loved reading her journey throughout the book. Hale, oh Hale. Why are almost all of the male leads I read about so sexy? Hale is a brilliant character. I loved reading all of his scenes. He was sexy, smart, sweet, etc. I loved his and Kat's relationship. You could tell there was chemistry, but neither acted on it. I loved how jealous he was about Nick. I so wish he were real so I could ask him out. The Bagshaws were hilarious, I loved them. Simon was funny as well as smart and could be smarmy. Gabrielle, Kat's cousin, was fascinating. In the book, she's "the hot one," the one who uses her sexiness, and in doing so usually acts the part. But she's every bit as smart and cunning as Kat, especially when she drops the act. I loved her scenes with Kat, their verbal sparring was hilarious.
Carter has a fantastic writing style. She makes me want to read her Gallagher Girls series, and I just might do so. It was fresh and crisp, yet fun and fabulous. I loved the world she created of the thieves, and the characters and everything. She wove art history perfectly into this novel.
I absolutely recommend this book to anyone, anywhere. You will all enjoy it :)
I'll next be reviewing Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble by H.P. Mallory.
Until next time comrades.
Viva la literature!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
Currently Reading #1
Hello my lovely amazing literary comrades! Happy Monday! :) I hope all is well for everyone. Anyway, lets get started.
So despite the fact that I could just add the currently reading widget from my Goodreads account on here, I thought this would be a lot more fun. So here are the books I will be reading/reviewing in the upcoming time:
1. Heist Society - Ally Carter
2. Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble - H.P Mallory
3. Falling for Hamlet - Michelle Ray
4. The Red Pyramid - Rick Riordan
5. Confessions of a Shopaholic - Sophie Kinsella
6. 7th Victim - Alan Jacobson
7. Gone - Michael Grant
Can't wait to share my thoughts on these books with you! :)
Until next time comrades
Viva la literature!
So despite the fact that I could just add the currently reading widget from my Goodreads account on here, I thought this would be a lot more fun. So here are the books I will be reading/reviewing in the upcoming time:
1. Heist Society - Ally Carter
2. Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble - H.P Mallory
3. Falling for Hamlet - Michelle Ray
4. The Red Pyramid - Rick Riordan
5. Confessions of a Shopaholic - Sophie Kinsella
6. 7th Victim - Alan Jacobson
7. Gone - Michael Grant
Can't wait to share my thoughts on these books with you! :)
Until next time comrades
Viva la literature!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Review #39: The Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roecker
Hello my lovely literary comrades! I hope the weekend went well for everyone :). Lets talk some books :)
The Liar Society is by sister writing team Lisa and Laura Roecker. It centers on Kate Lowry, a pink, witty and snarky girl who is still reeling from the death of her best friend Grace. One day she receives an email from the deceased Grace, saying she must solve the mystery of her best friend's death. Already convinced Grace's death was not accidental, Kate goes on a journey to avenge her friend and find out the truth behind what happened, as well as fall in love along the way.
I quite enjoyed this novel. It was a mix of a number of genres - romance, mystery, action, etc with the theme of dealing with the death of someone close to you and learning to let go and move on. At first I thought that was a lot to deal with, but the Roeckers blended them all together nicely. I loved how quick the plot moved and all of the twists at the end (and there were quite a few). I didn't enjoy the flashbacks, but they were alright.
I enjoyed Kate as a leading character. She was fiery and spunky and didn't take sh*t from anyone. I loved how she would not back down in her quest for justice. Also I liked watching her road to finally accepting Grace's death and learning to let go. She was level headed and a dynamic character to follow. I also loved that she had pink hair, because it's such a cool thing. The one thing I did not like about her was only calling Bethany by her mean nickname, even though it was appropriate. It wasn't really mature even though they're all in 10th grade. Still, it bothered me. Liam, such a sexy guy, I want him to be real. He had secrets and his own burdens, but also truly cared for Kate and wanted to be with her, which was incredibly sweet. Then Seth, the nerdy best friend who wanted more. Oh but he was such fun. I loved every scene he was in, laughing at some of his lines. Shame he couldn't get Kate to reciprocate his feelings, but they worked so well as friends. The three as a trio working together was fun. Liam and Seth were hilarious when put together, I could not stop laughing. The three were such a great team as a crime solving group. The other kids were such a colorful cast of people. Maddie was a nice one to read, because of all that she did and went through, and how she came together at the end. Others such as Taylor, Alistair, etc were nice to read, and how integral they really were with the story was sort of startling, but in a good way. The adults? Frankly I wanted to slap them all, except for Ms. D. Kate's parents were total buttheads, even though I understand their concern. But they should have took the time to listen to Kate instead of forcing her to do things she did not want to do. And the principal, X_X. I do not even want to get into his character. He scared and pissed me off at the same time.
I loved the Roecker's styles. They blended well and made for a great book. I do feel like the end was a bit of an infodump with all the twists and everything that came out. But in the end it was all really important.
I can't wait to read the sequel.
If you want a fun and fast read, pick this up.
Until next time comrades.
Viva la literature!
The Liar Society is by sister writing team Lisa and Laura Roecker. It centers on Kate Lowry, a pink, witty and snarky girl who is still reeling from the death of her best friend Grace. One day she receives an email from the deceased Grace, saying she must solve the mystery of her best friend's death. Already convinced Grace's death was not accidental, Kate goes on a journey to avenge her friend and find out the truth behind what happened, as well as fall in love along the way.
I quite enjoyed this novel. It was a mix of a number of genres - romance, mystery, action, etc with the theme of dealing with the death of someone close to you and learning to let go and move on. At first I thought that was a lot to deal with, but the Roeckers blended them all together nicely. I loved how quick the plot moved and all of the twists at the end (and there were quite a few). I didn't enjoy the flashbacks, but they were alright.
I enjoyed Kate as a leading character. She was fiery and spunky and didn't take sh*t from anyone. I loved how she would not back down in her quest for justice. Also I liked watching her road to finally accepting Grace's death and learning to let go. She was level headed and a dynamic character to follow. I also loved that she had pink hair, because it's such a cool thing. The one thing I did not like about her was only calling Bethany by her mean nickname, even though it was appropriate. It wasn't really mature even though they're all in 10th grade. Still, it bothered me. Liam, such a sexy guy, I want him to be real. He had secrets and his own burdens, but also truly cared for Kate and wanted to be with her, which was incredibly sweet. Then Seth, the nerdy best friend who wanted more. Oh but he was such fun. I loved every scene he was in, laughing at some of his lines. Shame he couldn't get Kate to reciprocate his feelings, but they worked so well as friends. The three as a trio working together was fun. Liam and Seth were hilarious when put together, I could not stop laughing. The three were such a great team as a crime solving group. The other kids were such a colorful cast of people. Maddie was a nice one to read, because of all that she did and went through, and how she came together at the end. Others such as Taylor, Alistair, etc were nice to read, and how integral they really were with the story was sort of startling, but in a good way. The adults? Frankly I wanted to slap them all, except for Ms. D. Kate's parents were total buttheads, even though I understand their concern. But they should have took the time to listen to Kate instead of forcing her to do things she did not want to do. And the principal, X_X. I do not even want to get into his character. He scared and pissed me off at the same time.
I loved the Roecker's styles. They blended well and made for a great book. I do feel like the end was a bit of an infodump with all the twists and everything that came out. But in the end it was all really important.
I can't wait to read the sequel.
If you want a fun and fast read, pick this up.
Until next time comrades.
Viva la literature!
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Review #38: Sounds of Murder by Patricia Rockwell
Hello my lovely wonderful literary comrades! Hope today was wonderful. Went to see Horrible Bosses and it was freaking amazing. I didn't expect it to be so funny, but it was. Me and my parents were laughing our butts off. But I digress. Lets talk books!
Sounds of Murder is the first Pamela Barnes book by Patricia Rockwell. It stars acoustics expert/professor Dr. Pamela Barnes. After conducting a late night class, she and her assistant Kent Drummond (bit of a pun possibly?) find the body of well known and well disliked Charlotte Clark, a colleague of Pamela. After speaking with the police, Pamela discovers a recording accidentally made while the murder was being committed. Consumed by a sense of obligation, Pamela scrambles to use the recording to identify the killer.
Damn this book was fantastic.I mean it dragged a bit in the beginning, but it got progressively better as I continued reading. I liked how this wasn't the normal murder mystery. , and it wasn't cookie cutter which made it even better. I loved the plot, how Pamela felt like she needed to avenge Charlotte, how the plot twists played out, everything. It wasn't the most suspenseful mystery, but you didn't figure out who it was in the first couple of chapters, which I loved.
Pamela was a great character. Well developed, relatable and not unlikeable, which was nice. She was driven by purpose and a need to find the killer, even though she was an everyday person. Plus her inner thoughts could be quite humorous at times. Then there was an array of colorful characters such as Pamela's fellow professors. Such as Jean and Arliss, etc. No side character was flat and one dimensional. I love it when the side characters have personality. Kent was fantastic, even though he wasn't in the story all that much. I hope there is more Kent in the next novel. I also quite enjoyed Pam's husband Rocky and daughter Angela. Rocky is that sweet protective husband every girl dreams of. I loved how much he cared for Pam and enjoyed reading all of the scenes he was in. Angela was a great and fun character. She could be very witty and charming at times.
I enjoyed Ms. Rockwell's writing style. I'll admit it was a bit dry at the beginning, but it was overall fantastic. I loved how she wrote everything, and she is quite good at surprising her readers with a twist.
Overall I loved this book and recommend it to anyone if they want a different kind of mystery novel.
Until next time comrades.
Viva la literature!
Sounds of Murder is the first Pamela Barnes book by Patricia Rockwell. It stars acoustics expert/professor Dr. Pamela Barnes. After conducting a late night class, she and her assistant Kent Drummond (bit of a pun possibly?) find the body of well known and well disliked Charlotte Clark, a colleague of Pamela. After speaking with the police, Pamela discovers a recording accidentally made while the murder was being committed. Consumed by a sense of obligation, Pamela scrambles to use the recording to identify the killer.
Damn this book was fantastic.I mean it dragged a bit in the beginning, but it got progressively better as I continued reading. I liked how this wasn't the normal murder mystery. , and it wasn't cookie cutter which made it even better. I loved the plot, how Pamela felt like she needed to avenge Charlotte, how the plot twists played out, everything. It wasn't the most suspenseful mystery, but you didn't figure out who it was in the first couple of chapters, which I loved.
Pamela was a great character. Well developed, relatable and not unlikeable, which was nice. She was driven by purpose and a need to find the killer, even though she was an everyday person. Plus her inner thoughts could be quite humorous at times. Then there was an array of colorful characters such as Pamela's fellow professors. Such as Jean and Arliss, etc. No side character was flat and one dimensional. I love it when the side characters have personality. Kent was fantastic, even though he wasn't in the story all that much. I hope there is more Kent in the next novel. I also quite enjoyed Pam's husband Rocky and daughter Angela. Rocky is that sweet protective husband every girl dreams of. I loved how much he cared for Pam and enjoyed reading all of the scenes he was in. Angela was a great and fun character. She could be very witty and charming at times.
I enjoyed Ms. Rockwell's writing style. I'll admit it was a bit dry at the beginning, but it was overall fantastic. I loved how she wrote everything, and she is quite good at surprising her readers with a twist.
Overall I loved this book and recommend it to anyone if they want a different kind of mystery novel.
Until next time comrades.
Viva la literature!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Review #37: Ascend by Amanda Hocking
Hello my lovely literary comrades! I hope the weekend will be fantastic for everyone :). I have to gush about this book so lets get to it ^^
Holy schneikes I am in love with this book. I want to marry it and buy a house with it. xD Yes it is that good. I can't believe how the book ended. That ending! Holy crap that ending. It shocked me and made me happy and all these different conflicting emotions. And that is such a wonderful thing. I literally gasped at some points. I loved how this book flowed nicely plot-wise. There were some twists that I could not believe (hold on it's 11:11. Ok I'm back.). I'm honestly sad that it's come to an end, but it was a very satisfying ending, and for that I'm glad.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching Wendy's growth into a mature young woman, who takes responsibility and is such a wonderful person. I feel like I was right there with her on her 3 book journey. She was so selfless and always tried to help everyone. Finn was Finn. He wasn't in the book as much but that was ok, because another man from this series has stolen my heart. What can I say about Loki? He's completely stolen Finn's thunder. I loved how his relationship with Wendy was set up in Torn, and it just blossomed in Ascend. I won't tell you what happens but I will say it was fun to read ;). Wisecracking, funny and very sweet, Loki stole my heart and threw away the key (cliche but it works). Ugh why can't he be real? Why? Loki was amazing. Of course, Willa and Matt were wonderful as always, they had lesser parts as well but were still present and potent. Tove, man oh man. I liked the interesting turns his character took in this novel. At one point I was literally shocked at his actions. But he was still Tove and still the loveable guy he always was.
I still adore Amanda's writing style. It was perfect and fabulous. She expanded upon her world even more, and added a glossary of some things at the end, which was nice. Again, that ending she wrote. *Gives applause* Kudos Ms. Hocking, kudos. You truly know how to suck a person into your story, and for that I applaud you.
I recommend this to anyone, this series is wonderful and utterly deserving of all the praise it gets. I will be thinking about this series for a while.
I'll next be reviewing Sounds of Murder by Patricia Rockwell.
Until next time comrades
Viva la literature!
Monday, July 4, 2011
Review #36: Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien
Hello my lovely literary comrades! Hope the 4th of July was filled with barbecues, fireworks, and fun. :) Anyway, lets get to the review.
Birthmarked is by the talented Caragh M. O'Brien. It's a dystopian novel that centers on Gaia Stone (is it pronounced Guy-a or Gia? I never know xD). She is 16 years old and a budding midwife. Charged with the mission of "advancing" 3 babies each month to the walled Enclave, Gaia's life is changed when her beloved parents are arrested and taken in for questioning. On a mission to save them, Gaia's life will be forever changed as she learns horrifying news and questions everything she knows.
I thoroughly enjoyed this. I mean really like it. I thought it was a bit tough to get into at first but I am so glad I stuck it out. Because it is unlike any other dystopian novel I have ever read, and when most people (including myself) have given that title to Megan McCafferty's Bumped, that's saying something. This is so unique and different, which is entirely refreshingly brilliant. I loved this book from the moment I got into it (which was about almost a quarter in.). Although I do wish the author explained some things (such as: What do the terms mabrother and masister mean? I have no clue.), but that did not deter me or inhibit my enjoyment. I loved Gaia's journey through the Enclave, what she learns, how everything happens, and what Gaia does. I also loved how subtle the romance aspect was. It was not instantaneous love (or "insta-love" as it's known in the blogosphere), which was nice. I liked how the relationship developed, and how it correlated with the story directly, and was not an aside. When there was action, it was intense, and every moment was amazing.
Gaia is a rockstar, truly. I thought she was a perfect character to lead this novel. Her scar made her an outcast in her town, which made her sort of a loner, and not like everyone else. She was also strong, curious, and unyielding. She did not take crap from anyone. I loved seeing what was going on through her eyes, and reading her inner monologue and reading her trying to figure things out. Her questioning nature led to quite a bit of trouble, and I loved reading those moments. Leon, oh Leon. He is not like most YA male leads. He really did not brood all the time, and he was just swoon worthy. I love love loved reading his exchanges with Gaia, and how subtly and deeply they fell in love. He was tough and strong and hard to comprehend at times, but I adore him utterly. Characters such as Myrna, Masister Khol, and others were fabulous characters to read. No one was one dimensional, and everyone was enjoyable in one way or another.
I truly love Ms. O'Brien's writing style. It was perfectly suited for this book, and made it even better. She created this whole world and did not convolute it with random plot holes. Everything was set up perfectly, and the twists were lovely.
I suggest you find this book somewhere and read it, you will not regret the decision.
I'll next review Ascend by Amanda Hocking.
Until next time comrades
Viva la literature!
Birthmarked is by the talented Caragh M. O'Brien. It's a dystopian novel that centers on Gaia Stone (is it pronounced Guy-a or Gia? I never know xD). She is 16 years old and a budding midwife. Charged with the mission of "advancing" 3 babies each month to the walled Enclave, Gaia's life is changed when her beloved parents are arrested and taken in for questioning. On a mission to save them, Gaia's life will be forever changed as she learns horrifying news and questions everything she knows.
I thoroughly enjoyed this. I mean really like it. I thought it was a bit tough to get into at first but I am so glad I stuck it out. Because it is unlike any other dystopian novel I have ever read, and when most people (including myself) have given that title to Megan McCafferty's Bumped, that's saying something. This is so unique and different, which is entirely refreshingly brilliant. I loved this book from the moment I got into it (which was about almost a quarter in.). Although I do wish the author explained some things (such as: What do the terms mabrother and masister mean? I have no clue.), but that did not deter me or inhibit my enjoyment. I loved Gaia's journey through the Enclave, what she learns, how everything happens, and what Gaia does. I also loved how subtle the romance aspect was. It was not instantaneous love (or "insta-love" as it's known in the blogosphere), which was nice. I liked how the relationship developed, and how it correlated with the story directly, and was not an aside. When there was action, it was intense, and every moment was amazing.
Gaia is a rockstar, truly. I thought she was a perfect character to lead this novel. Her scar made her an outcast in her town, which made her sort of a loner, and not like everyone else. She was also strong, curious, and unyielding. She did not take crap from anyone. I loved seeing what was going on through her eyes, and reading her inner monologue and reading her trying to figure things out. Her questioning nature led to quite a bit of trouble, and I loved reading those moments. Leon, oh Leon. He is not like most YA male leads. He really did not brood all the time, and he was just swoon worthy. I love love loved reading his exchanges with Gaia, and how subtly and deeply they fell in love. He was tough and strong and hard to comprehend at times, but I adore him utterly. Characters such as Myrna, Masister Khol, and others were fabulous characters to read. No one was one dimensional, and everyone was enjoyable in one way or another.
I truly love Ms. O'Brien's writing style. It was perfectly suited for this book, and made it even better. She created this whole world and did not convolute it with random plot holes. Everything was set up perfectly, and the twists were lovely.
I suggest you find this book somewhere and read it, you will not regret the decision.
I'll next review Ascend by Amanda Hocking.
Until next time comrades
Viva la literature!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Review #35: In the Belly of Jonah by Sandra Brannan
Hello my lovely literary comrades! Hope the weekend was good to everyone. :) Happy almost Fourth of July! I hope all the barbecues go well and that it doesn't rain. Anyway lets get to this review.
It will be a short one as I gave up a bit quickly. I just could not take it.
In the Belly of Jonah is by Sandra Brannan. It's the first in the Liv Bergen series. It mostly centers on the series namesake, Liv Bergen, who is an amateur detective, and gets called on a case that has a somewhat personal connection to her.
I found this on a friend's facebook page where she posts cheap or free books for Kindle, Nook, etc. I got this and the second book for free. I thought it might have been good. I was wrong.
It just occurred to me that this is my first truly bad review. Well almost.
The plot was alright, going as so far to say it was interesting enough. Not enough to hold my attention though. I just did not latch onto it.
As far as the characters, Liv wasn't very good. I did not like her voice/POV. I felt it was dry and very detached. I couldn't identify with her in any way, and that was a bit scary for me. The only interesting character I liked was Jill, and she did not last long :(.
The writing style was extremely dry for my taste. There are people out there who love dry writing styles and I do not fault them, to each their own. But I know myself and I didn't enjoy it.
Maybe one day I'll possibly return to this book, and I might even like it. But for now, I give it 1 star and unsatisfactory.
I'll next be reviewing Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien.
Until next time comrades.
Viva la literature!
It will be a short one as I gave up a bit quickly. I just could not take it.
In the Belly of Jonah is by Sandra Brannan. It's the first in the Liv Bergen series. It mostly centers on the series namesake, Liv Bergen, who is an amateur detective, and gets called on a case that has a somewhat personal connection to her.
I found this on a friend's facebook page where she posts cheap or free books for Kindle, Nook, etc. I got this and the second book for free. I thought it might have been good. I was wrong.
It just occurred to me that this is my first truly bad review. Well almost.
The plot was alright, going as so far to say it was interesting enough. Not enough to hold my attention though. I just did not latch onto it.
As far as the characters, Liv wasn't very good. I did not like her voice/POV. I felt it was dry and very detached. I couldn't identify with her in any way, and that was a bit scary for me. The only interesting character I liked was Jill, and she did not last long :(.
The writing style was extremely dry for my taste. There are people out there who love dry writing styles and I do not fault them, to each their own. But I know myself and I didn't enjoy it.
Maybe one day I'll possibly return to this book, and I might even like it. But for now, I give it 1 star and unsatisfactory.
I'll next be reviewing Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien.
Until next time comrades.
Viva la literature!
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