Vacation...

I will be absent from this blog until July 5th. The reason is I'm going on vacation to lovely Boulder, CO to visit family and so will not have much access to a computer. I will be hopefully finishing up a bunch of books to review that week though:
Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Gilda Joyce 4: The Dead Drop by Jennifer Allison
Insatiable by Meg Cabot
Sunshine by Robin McKinley

So I hope everyone has a great fourth of July weekend!

Book Review: Wake

TITLE: Wake
PART IN SERIES: Book 1 in the Wake Trilogy
AUTHOR: Lisa McMann
PUBLISHED: 2008
CATEGORY: Young adult
GENRE: paranormal, romance, trilogy
PREMISE: Janie has the annoying (in her opinion) gift of visiting people's dreams. Whether she wants to see the dreams or not.
MY REVIEW: Perhaps it's a bit unfair, but I was expecting a lot more from this book then what I actually got so I was a bit disappointed. But I did like it. I liked the idea which for once was different then what is going on in YA (no vampires, or werewolves, or love triangles! YAY!). Janie was an interesting heroine and some of the lines and scenes in it were hysterical.
My issue is that one) I didn't care for the writing style. It doesn't even have to do with my annoyance about presant tence usage. It has to do with the way the beginning jumped around a lot. Two) It was rushed. I wished the author had taken time to flesh out more details and give us more info. I mean, why does Janie get this power? Is she the only one? Are there other people like her? What? Perhaps more will be explained in the rest of the trilogy though so I'm not extremely disappointed.
So my feelings on this book are a little mixed. I did enjoy it and will be reading the rest, but I felt more could have been done with it and would have appreciated a less awkward way to tell the story. But I still do recomend it if you're in the mood for good old fashioned paranormal things that don't include vampires or werewolves or a love triangle.
WHO SHOULD READ: paranormal fans
MY RATING: Three and a half out of Five pillows

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In My Mailbox (2)

This is a weekly meme started by The Story Siren showing what new books you've gotten in the week.
Well, I only have one book this week:

Wake Trilogy Book 1: Wake by Lisa McMann.
Got this one from the library and it's the only new one I got as I'll be going on vacation this coming Wednesday and I don't bring library books with me on vacation for fear of losing said library book or something happening to said library book. I'm equally paranoid about this one as it's a brand new one that they just got in (brand new as in I'm pretty sure I'm the first to check it out). Anyway, real excited about this as I've heard some good things about this trilogy.

MOVIE REVIEW: Toy Story 3

TITLE: Toy Story 3
DISTRIBUTER: Pixar/Disney
PEOPLE INVOLVED: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Whoopi Goldberg and many many others.
CATEGORY: family movie
GENRE: animated, adventure, comedy
PREMISE: Woody and Buzz are back and dealing with the fact that Andy has grown up. Now faced with a uncertain future, what will become of them?
MY REVIEW: I have a big fondness for the Toy Story movies. Some have argued it's actually not Pixar's best work but I don't think that really matters. Pretty much everything Pixar does is good in my (completely biased, I'll admit) opinion. But anyway, back to my fondness, Toy Story is the first computer generated animated feature and introduced me (and others) to Pixar. So while my favorite Pixar movie will probably always be The Incredibles (seriously guys WHEN ARE YOU DOING THE SEQUEL TO THIS?), Toy Story will always be special to me. I also have to commend them too, because I watched the first two movies recently before seeing it yesterday and you know what? It still holds up. I still love it and I'm in my mid-twenties now!
Luckily, Toy Story 3 continues the idea the Pixar makes excellent sequels. It opens with the toys trying to get Andy's attention. See, he's now grown up and their future is uncertain. The once toy cluttered room is now just down to a few toys. Then through a series of events, the toys almost get thrown out. So they decide instead to get themselves donated to the local daycare.
I won't give away the rest of the plot or where they end up but just know the third movie is just as wonderful and heartfelt as the other two. One of the highlights for me in this though were the Ken and Barbie moments. I just love the fun Pixar has with these two (Michael Keaton is incidently the voice of Ken. I'll pause to let you adults giggle over that for a minute). Oh, and did anyone else notice the My Neighbor Totoro doll? As always with Pixar, the animation is georgeous and pays great attention to detail. There are also great jokes in there (spanish Buzz=great love from me) as well as the great heart that Pixar always puts in their films.
Now, Pixar? Please get on that fantasy film you were talking about making. Because you doing fantasy equals me in total heaven. I also wouldn't mind an Incredibles 2 or a Monsters Inc 2. Just saying. We can skip that Cars 2 film you said you were doing though. Cars is quite frankly my least favorite of the films you've done. I still liked it and everything, it's just...I don't really want a sequel for it as much as I do the other two I mentioned.
WHO SHOULD SEE: Pixar fans, those who have seen the first two films
MY RATING: Five out of Five toys (yes, you saw that. There is nothing wrong with this film whatsoever in my opinion)

Book Review: The Amaranth Enchantment

TITLE: The Amaranth Enchantment
PART IN SERIES: standalone novel
AUTHOR: Julie Berry
PUBLISHED: 2009
CATEGORY: Young adult
GENRE: fairy-tale retelling
PREMISE: Lucinda is down on her luck. She's gotten booted out of her home and now finds herself involved with a theif and a witch called the Amaranth witch...
MY REVIEW: While I appreciated that this was a different take on the Cinderella story...I didn't absolutely love it. I didn't see why Lucinda fell for Gregor, I actually would have preferred she got with Peter. I also didn't understand why the author did a old-fashioned story in the telling of a modern story because present tence storytelling is a very modern thing and it felt out of place for a fairy tale retelling and for a story taking place in a medieval like setting.
It's not a horrible book. Peter cracked me up and there were enjoyable bits. But honestly, this was just ho hum for me. But I do reccomend it for those looking for a different take on Cinderella.
WHO SHOULD READ: fairy tale retelling fans
MY RATING: Three out of Five amaranth flowers

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Book Review: Frostbite (may contain spoilers for those new to the series)

TITLE: Frostbite
PART IN SERIES: Book 2 in the Vampire Academy series
AUTHOR: Richelle Mead
PUBLISHED: 2008
CATEGORY: Young adult
GENRE: series, vampires, romance, paranormal
PREMISE: Rose's life gets hectic when Strigoi go on a killing rampage and it looks as though morai royals are their targets...
MY REVIEW: Aside from the constant summarizing that Mead felt she needed to do for some reason, I loved this as much as I loved the first vampire academy novel. She starts off fast with the main idea: rogue strigoi, cools down for character and world development and then goes back with interesting plot again up until an exciting finale that will leave you dying for the next book.
I really felt for Rose in this book. She's dealing with the fallout of her thing with Dimitri but she doesn't wallow. She deals with it and tries to be happy for him as well as move on herself (oh how I wish Bella Swann had taken a page from Rose's book...it might have made New Moon more bearable). We also get introduced to new characters who are just as great as the ones in the first book: Rose's mother (lets just say, we learn where Rose gets her stubborness from...),Tasha (I liked her, I'm sorry, and I'm glad Mead didn't try and make her into this she-devil out to ruin Dimitri and Rose's relationship), and Adrian (MY FAVORITE! I am still all for Dimitri and Rose but I really wouldn't mind if these two get together instead, plus it would give us more spectacular hilarious banter/snarkiness). Then we get cute moments with Christian and Lissa (Christian is still my absolute favorite in this, Lissa you lucky woman you) and all the wonderful character interaction that just makes this series for me. I was also pleasantly pleased by the turnaround of Mia. It shows how much these two have grown and been through that by the end of the book they're able have a civil conversation. Just one thing though: MASON! ;goes to sob in a corner;
So in short: just as good as the first. Cannot wait to read the next one. Oh and in case you Vampire Academy fans have been living under a rock, Spirit Bound came out just this past month and Blood Sacrifice comes out later this year (I hope to have caught up with the series by then).
WHO SHOULD READ: those who have read the first book in the series
MY RATING: Four and a half out of Five silver stakes

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Book Review: The Adoration of Jenna Fox

TITLE: The Adoration of Jenna Fox
PART IN SERIES: standalone
AUTHOR: Mary E. Pearson
PUBLISHED: 2008
CATEGORY: Young adult
GENRE: Science Fiction, drama,
PREMISE: Jenna is told she is Jenna Fox yet she doesn't remember anything before the accident and coma she was told she was in that she wasn't supposed to have survived...
MY REVIEW: Some of you may or may not recall a movie Steven Speilberg did back in the nineties called A.I. If you don't, this is not a movie reccomend (really, avoid the movie at all costs, it's in no way as interesting as it sounds in the summary). This book reminds me a lot of the questions asked in that movie. But whereas that movie bored me to tears, this book is actually interesting and thought provoking and reminds me about why I don't give up on the YA genre despite the Twilights and the Cliques that are popular nowadays.
Casual readers and teens probably won't look twice at this book which is a shame because it's well written, has suspense, and is an interesting look at what the future may or may not bring in terms of science, healthcare, ethics, even school. There were interesting characters aside from Jenna and the story progressed naturally. But because it's not all action and romance it's probably overlooked in favor of the fluffier stuff. Sigh.
My only annoyance is the present tence style is used yet again (but written well and I see why it's used...just it's not my preference) and why did they feel the need put in discussion questions? I hate it when publishers put in discussion questions at the back of the book. It's like they're saying "well, you're probably not intelligent enough to catch all the ideas thrown around in the book so I'll just provide the questions for you." Again, this isn't really anything that takes away from the story, it's just a personal grievance. I also would have appreciated a less abrupt feeling ending and I felt like some stuff could have been explored more (more background on minor characters like Ethan and Allys for instance would have been nice). But other that that, the book is wonderful. So please, if you're willing give this book a chance. It's well worth the time.
WHO SHOULD READ: anyone inclined to pick it up
MY RATING: Four and a half out of Five mechanical robots

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In My Mailbox

Trying to get back into the swing of memes as I've been horribly lax about them this past month...So for a start the return of my participation of In My Mailbox, hosted by Kristi over at the Story Siren. Here's what I've got in to review:

This Week's library loot:
The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry.
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson.

Books I've snagged at the stores/book fair:
Gilda Joyce series Book 4: The Dead Drop by Jennifer Allison.
Insatiable by Meg Cabot
Vampire Academy Book 2: Frostbite by Richelle Mead
Sunshine by Robin McKinley
Womens Murder Club Book 1: 1rst to Die by James Patterson
Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Never Trust a Dead Man by Vivian Vande Velde

Ones I'm most excited about are the Meg Cabot one (I've been dying to read it since I first heard the synopsis of it), Vampire Academy 2 (I've been holding off on this since I've had other books but now that my list is pared down I'm going to catch up on this series), Sunshine (which I was going to buy eventually anyway but then they recently released it in that GORGEOUS cover. So that one was a pure impulse buy), and Gilda Joyce 4 (my favorite kooky girl in my old hometown of D.C? Words do not describe how this pleases me).

Book Review: Fragile Eternity

TITLE: Fragile Eternity
PART IN SERIES: Book 3 in the Wicked Lovely series
AUTHOR: Melissa Marr
PUBLISHED: 2009
CATEGORY: Young adult
GENRE: series, faeries, urban fantasy, romance
PREMISE: Aislinn is torn between her duties as Queen of the Summer Court and her love for Seth. Seth is feeling inferior around all these faeries and realizes he's a danger to his girlfriend and new friends...
MY REVIEW: I have to say, I'm loving what Marr is doing with this series. She doesn't shy away from the complicated and dark emotions of the faerie court. All the conflicts that arose from the first and second books she deals with effectively and realistically. Things are not happily ever after and rosy for these guys. There are consequences for their actions.
This is just as absorbing as Wicked Lovely, though maybe the melodrama is a bit more then the first. I also think there's going to be something big in the future books. Probably a major conflict of some kind because it sort of feels like a chess game. Marr is setting up all the major players and letting us get a feel for them all the while their actions are moving towards something...big that is going to go down. Or that could be me just reading to much into it all...
Either way, the series continues to be fantastic. Can't wait to get my hands on Radient Darkness and for the next book which is apparently going to be called Darkest Mercy. The paperback copy I got also includes a short story with the characters from Ink Exchange and that's just as good and resolves some of the issues left unsolved in Ink Exchange (though some people may be squacked by the implications Marr put in...I don't particularly care myself and loved that she had nerve to put it in there).
WHO SHOULD READ: those who read and loved the first two books, faerie book fans, fans of Tithe
MY RATING: Four and a half out of Five faerie charms

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Book Review: East

TITLE: East
PART IN SERIES: Standalone
AUTHOR: Edith Pattou
PUBLISHED: 2003
CATEGORY: Young adult
GENRE: Fairy tale retelling, fantasy, romance
PREMISE: A retelling of the tale East of the Sun and West of the Moon.
MY REVIEW: This book was just okay for me. There wasn't anything OMG fantastic about it, nor were there any real complaints about it. It was just your standard retelling. About the only thing that stands out to me is that this is one of those tales that I don't actually know much about. So in that aspect it was nice.
The writing is average but had a nice fairy tale quality to it, characters were okay (though Rose's Mother I wanted to STRANGLE), and while it was interesting getting the other POVs of the characters, I really think the book would have been better served by just sticking to Rose and the Polar Bear.
So if you're in the mood for a fairy tale that's not as well known as say...Cinderella. You're in luck with this book. It actually goes by rather quick and is a nice retelling. Other than that though...can't say much else about it.
WHO SHOULD READ: fairy tale retelling junkies
MY RATING: Three out of Five Polar Bears

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Book Review: Dream Life

TITLE: Dream Life
PART IN SERIES: Sequel to Dream Girl
AUTHOR: Lauren Mechling
PUBLISHED: 2010
CATEGORY: Young adult
GENRE: paranormal, mystery
PREMISE: Claire is once more drawn into a crazy mystery via her visions
MY REVIEW: Do not get me wrong, I enjoyed this book. It was as much fun as Dream Girl. My problem is I didn't really see why she bothered to write it. It didn't really solve any of the issues in the first book. The first book had me questioning where these dreams come froom, is there a history behind it, do others get the visions and whatnot. Instead, all I got was basically more of Dream Girl but a different mystery. So while I didn't hate it, it disappointed me.
But luckily the books humor made up for my disapointment that there weren't any questions answered. I loved that there was more Kiki (my favorite character in these two books hands down), and the fashion, and Ian being all fanboy (seriously, I know guys who are JUST LIKE HIM only not as adorable...), and a crazy secret club thing. I will say though, I found this mystery VERY farfetched. I mean, a Mayor trusting TEENAGE GIRLS to install an important cable on an important landmark? I'm sorry, he couldn't have found professionals to do it on the sly? It just...didn't jive for me. But the book is still fun and a good mindless book to lose yourself in. I just hope that if Mechling continues to write these she will a)Figure out some of the backstory behind the visions (I mean why Claire and her grandmother?), and b)have mysterys that make more sense.
WHO SHOULD READ: those who liked Dream Girl, you want a silly fun mystery
MY RATING: Three out of Five crescent moons

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Book Review: White Cat

TITLE: White Cat
PART IN SERIES: Book 1 in the new Curse Workers series
AUTHOR: Holly Black
PUBLISHED: 2010
CATEGORY: Young adult
GENRE: series, mystery, urban fantasy
PREMISE: Cassel is the only (semi)normal one in a dysfunctional family of workers. Or so he thinks...
MY REVIEW: I really enjoyed Tithe and The Spiderwick Chronicles so I've been looking forward to Holly Black's new book series ever since I heard about it. I'm happy to say, Black does not disapoint. In fact, I even enjoyed this more then her previous works. I will say I'm sad she has gone the present tense route like all these other authors seem to be doing lately but luckily for Black she writes present tense well and effectively so I don't mind it as much.
This book is very different from Tithe for those wondering and I love Black for that. It has a male protagonist (a rare thing in YA fiction nowadays), it doesn't focus on romance (another rare thing in YA fiction nowadays), and it's actually a lot more funny then Tithe. Cassel is a teenage guy after all, therefore, sarcasm is his friend. It helps take the edge off of the angst and makes it enjoyable.
I also liked that Black wasn't afraid to take time for things to develop. She devoted time to setting up these characters and their situations and she didn't try and make Cassel into this wonderful human being, he was just that: human. The world she made in here was interesting as well and I liked that she didn't give everything away at once. We learned about the world where it was appropriate and we still don't really know everything.
This book is probably not for everyone. If you don't like books that explore those morally gray areas or like your characters to have morals and such, it is not for you. Also it does not have much romance in it, and the romance that is there is...not happy per say (unless you count the cuteness that is Sam and Daneca). But if you don't mind that this book is a fun ride and I personally can't wait for the next one.
WHO SHOULD READ: Holly Black fans, fans of Tithe, fans of The Godfather (just...read, and you'll see)
MY RATING: Four and a half out of Five cats

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Book Review: Sphinx's Princess

TITLE: Sphinx's Princess
PART IN SERIES: Book 1 of 2 so far
AUTHOR: Esther Friesner
PUBLISHED: 2009
CATEGORY: Young adult
GENRE: Historical Fiction
PREMISE: Nefertiti travels to Thebes and becomes part of the dangerous court life there.
MY REVIEW: I wasn't sure how much I was going to like this as opposed to Friesner's Helen of Troy series (of which I still want another book) because I know next to nothing about Nefertiti. I know she was an Egyptian Queen and was one of their most beautiful rulers. That's about it. Luckily that didn't hinder the enjoyment factor because Friesner manages to draw you into her books so well it doesn't really matter if you don't know much about Egyptian history.
Her writing and characterization are very solid. This time around there was more court intrigue going on then in the Helen of Troy books and it made for interesting reading. The only real complaint I have is that maybe there were parts that dragged a bit and it ended somewhat abruptly but it definitely makes you want to read the next book that's for sure. For those interested, the sequel (Sphinx's Queen) comes out September 28th of this year.
WHO SHOULD READ: Fans of Nobody's Princess, Tamora Pierce fans
MY RATING: Four and a half out of Five cats

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Book Review: Loving Frank

TITLE: Loving Frank
PART IN SERIES: Standalone novel
AUTHOR: Nancy Horan
PUBLISHED: 2007
CATEGORY: Adult
GENRE: Historical Fiction
PREMISE: The tale of the affair between Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Cheney
MY REVIEW: As a former design/art student I love Frank Lloyd Wright and therefore was really interested in this book and thrilled when I snagged a copy at the book fair. Unfortunately...it was kind of a let down for me.
I'm not sure what I was expecting but I know I wanted more from it then this. I guess I was hoping for some great insight to Frank Lloyd Wright himself and his character and ideas but instead the book mainly focuses on Mamah and what she goes through. While that's not horrible the problem is that Mamah...is rather boring compared to Wright. Most of it is her babbling on and on about stuff. The weird thing is I actually liked her character more when she was on her own and thinking for herself instead of worrying about her husband or when she was overshadowed by Wright. It got to the point where I really felt she was better off on her own and was then disappointed when they get back together and then of course the untimely fire. Call me crazy but I don't think that's supposed to be the case?
Then there's the fact that it's just...dull. The writing is dull, Mamah is dull, the pacing is dull. I was just sort of bored throughout. I won't say it completely stinks because that may be just me. A lot of other people seem to find something good in this book. But me personally? Didn't care for it.
WHO SHOULD READ: historical fiction fans, those who are interested in Frank Lloyd Wright
MY RATING: Two and a half out of Five stained glass windows

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TV Show Review: Pretty Little Liars

TITLE: Pretty Little Liars
BASED ON: Pretty Little Liars books series by Sara Shepard
CHANNEL AND TIME: ABCFamily, Tuesdays at seven
REVIEW: So I just read the first book in the Pretty Little Liars series this past weekend, mostly due to the show starting up. I didn't particularly care about the characters but I did get intrigued by the mystery part of it. So I tuned in (and it was on right before Glee's season finale so that helped, any fellow gleeks out there want to sob with at no more new eps till September?!). I am happy to say they are following the books.
Granted, they are switching stuff around. The ending of the first book happens in this episode but other storylines that happened in the first book are obviously being dragged out and I can't blame them because if they do everything at once then what's the point? I'm pleased to see they are mostly sticking to the mystery part of this as well as keeping the main parts of the drama that were important to the mystery but skipping unneeded filler.
I also am sorry to say this, but am I the only one who feels this actually translates BETTER on screen? Part of my issue with the book was that Shepards writing was terribly amatuerish and I got annoyed with her constant pop culture references/name dropping of brands. We don't get that with the show and on screen it's much more tolerble even if I still feel like the characters bring this all on themselves due to selfish privlidged behavior.
So will I be watching? Yes, but mostly because there's really nothing else on and I want to find out who A is what the Jenna thing was and what it has to do with all of this. Oh, and this really isn't anything constructive but I want Aria's whole wardrobe.
WHO SHOULD WATCH: fans of the books, Gossip Girl fans, you watch ABCFamily regularly (is guilty ;loves Greek;)
MY RATING: Three and a half out of Five-guilty pleasure show

Book Review: One for the Money

TITLE: One for the Money
PART IN SERIES: Book 1 in the Stephanie Plum series
AUTHOR: Janet Evanovich
FIRST PUBLISHED: 1994
CATEGORY: adult
GENRE: series, mystery, chick-lit
PREMISE: Stephanie Plum is dead broke and in desperate need of a job. So her cousin sets her up with a bounty. Only it turns out this bounty is her old flame Joe Morelli...
MY REVIEW: I've heard about this series for quite awhile and people buy it a lot at work so I finally decided to give it a try when I saw a cheap copy at my book fair. Turned out to be a good buy because I ended up enjoying the heck out of this. I will admit it probably isn't terribly realistic, and the writing could be a bit better, but I still loved it.
Part of the charm are the characters. They are widespread and colorful and frank about life and if you don't like it, oh well. Stephanie was refreshing as well. For once we have a female murder mystery lead who isn't a) in the business so she automatically knows stuff and we have catch up with her, b) unrealistically smart so sometimes the reader feels stupid, and c) constantly bed hops. In fact, there's no sex in this (aside from the creepy rapist but he doesn't count). Yes, Plum is snarky and not a wimp but she's learning this stuff as she goes and thus we the readers learn along with her. I also appreciated that the author didn't wimp out on some of the less then pleasant things that come with being a bounty hunter (see dumpster hopping and naked old guy).
The side characters are also equally as great as Plum. Morelli and Ranger are hysterical (I got the feeling throughout this that Ranger was helping out for the sheer entertainment factor) as were her family dynamics (I personally loved the grandmother even if she got mortifying sometimes). The book was fast paced and interesting and all in all a fun ride. Oh, and will someone PLEASE make this into a murder mystery type tv show? Pretty please? Cannot wait to read the rest of this series.
WHO SHOULD READ: mystery fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five guns

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Book Review: Real Murders

TITLE: Real Murders
PART IN SERIES: Book 1 in the Aurora Teagarden series
AUTHOR: Charlaine Harris
PUBLISHED: 1990 (rereleased 2007ish)
CATEGORY: adult
GENRE: series, mystery
PREMISE: Librarian Aurora Teagarden is part of the Real Murders club and during the meeting she discovers the dead body of one of the club members and arranged to resemble the case the club was just about to discuss...
MY REVIEW: As with Harris's other mystery books (Harper Connelly, Lily Bard) I mostly was intrigued by the mystery part of this. I like Harris's mysteries. She manages to keep them fast-paced, to keep you stumped, and get the atmosphere just right.
The writing is average and I was tired of the love triangle business (not her fault but since this is the current trend going on right now...) but other then those qualms this was a fun quick cozy mystery to read. Will be looking into the rest of this series for sure.
WHO SHOULD READ: Charlaine Harris fans, cozy mystery fans
MY RATING: Three and a half out of Five mystery books

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Book Review: Pretty Little Liars

TITLE: Pretty Little Liars
PART IN SERIES: Book 1 in the Pretty Little Liars series
AUTHOR: Sara Shepard
PUBLISHED: 2006
CATEGORY: Young adult
GENRE: series, drama, mystery, chick lit
PREMISE: four girls at Rosewood all have something in common: secrets. It turns out someone else knows these secrets and is threatening to use it against them.
MY REVIEW: If you think this sounds an awful lot like Gossip Girl, you're pretty much right. At least this is slightly more interesting then Gossip Girl though. However, it's only slightly. The problem is I don't care for any of the characters at all. I don't like any of them. I find all of them to be self-privledged whiny brats who quite frankly got themselves in the situations because they were immature and slightly stupid. So it's a little hard for me to want to continue the series but the thing is, I really want to know who A is so I may or may not pick up the next one in the library, or I'll just watch the TV Show which looks like it'll be less painful.
The writing is amatuerish at best, there's next to no plot, except for the painfully slow revelation of secrets which doesn't really count because nothing is ever solved. I found the heap of sex, drinking, and altogether immoral activity (shop-lifting, cheating) to be slightly ridiculous. I'm not naive, I know teens drink, swear, and think of sex but everyone in the town doing it which is what it seems to be in this book? That's over the top. Plus there was a lot of annoying name-dropping of pop culture references and brands. It got tiresome.
I am aware however, that I'm not the target audience and I do give Shepard credit for not being afraid of having same-sex situations in it even if I didn't care for how she handled it. For those who want something like Gossip Girl though, this series is probably great for you. As for me, I will be watching the premiere of the TV Show on ABCFamily which is on Tuesday to see if I like the show better. But I'll probably skip on the rest of the series.
WHO SHOULD READ: fans of Gossip Girl, Clique etc.
MY RATING: Two and a half out of Five handbags

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Book Review: Beauty

TITLE: Beauty
PART IN SERIES: standalone
AUTHOR: Nancy Butcher
PUBLISHED: 2005
CATEGORY: Young adult
GENRE: fairy tale retelling
PREMISE: Ana has made herself ugly in order to please her jealous mother. But then she goes to school and discovers a dark secret her mother is hiding...
MY REVIEW: This was one of those random books that I found at my local library's book fair. It was only a quarter and sounded vaguely interesting so I figured so what if I've never heard of it. Books you never hear of can go either way. They can be either really bad, or just not noticeable enough for it to gain enough momentum for people to reccomend to others. Beauty is one of those that just aren't noticeable enough to reccomend.
Beauty is essentially a loose retelling of Snow White. I did find some of what the author had to say on beauty interesting but other then that the book was unremarkable in every way. The writing was average. The characters were average and not that memorable. In short, it was just one of those books that you read once for the hell of it and then promptly forget about once you pick up the next one.
WHO SHOULD READ: those who like fairy tale retellings
MY RATING: Three out of Five mirrors

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Book Review: Need

TITLE: Need
PART IN SERIES: Book 1 of two books in the Need series so far
AUTHOR: Carrie Jones
PUBLISHED: 2009
GENRE: Young adult, series, faeries, werewolves, urban fantasy
PREMISE: Zara's mother sends her off to freezing cold Maine after the death of her father. While there, she meets friends and discovers things about herself she didn't even know.
MY REVIEW: At first, this book seems like your standard YA fantasy. For the most part it is. But unlike most standard YA, it managed to make me care about its main character. I like Zara. For once we have a teen lead who cares about more then just her own love life! Not only that, she has a backbone! Interests outside of cute boys and who is dating who! She's not totally Mary-Sued out. Thank you, Carrie Jones.
Now that said, the book is not totally perfect. It's in present tense and that may not thrill everyone but I will say it's well written present tense for a change. So many authors nowadays just use present tense because it's trendy or something and they don't write it well so the writing ends up feeling awkward (see Evermore) but Jones writes it well so it's not as big of a deal. The ending was also a tad bit rushed I felt.
But all in all, this was a fun book with refreshing characters and a refreshing romance (and great repartee and banter between the characters;I loved Grandma Betty and Issie and Devyn). I did find the weres vs. faerie thing a little strange but it was still a cool idea and I can't wait to read the next one.
WHO SHOULD READ: fans of Shiver, fans of Tithe, fans of Twilight (particularly those in the Team Jacob camp)
MY RATING: Four and a half out of Five

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Book Review: The Kingdom Keepers

TITLE: The Kingdom Keepers
PART IN SERIES: Book 1 of the Kingdom Keepers series
AUTHOR: Ridley Pearson
PUBLISHED: 2005
GENRE: Childrens, series, adventure
PREMISE: Finn learns that there is a secret in Disney World: at night, the park is not as quiet as everyone thinks.
MY REVIEW: A huge part of me wanted to absolutely love this. I am a major Disney freak and the idea of the characters of Disney becoming alive at night was just so darn cool. The problem is...while the idea is cool, the execution of the idea was rather thin.
The main issue is that the author just jumps right into the story and doesn't offer any plausible explanations for why this is going on and the explanations he does give, fall flat. Also, I am aware that this is a kid's book but would it kill the author to have character developement or for that matter, characters with a personality? Also, as someone who has sadly never been to Disney World (just Disneyland and only for a few hours) I would have liked a little more description of things because the author was writing it as if everyone has been there already. I've got news for the author: not everyone has the money to go.
I won't say this book is completely horrible because for it's target age, the books are decent. Unfortunately, it just left me wanting...more from it. Not a sequel, just...something better then what I got.
WHO SHOULD READ: Disney fans, younger kids
MY RATING: Three out of Five evil disney villians

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Movie Review: Prince of Persia

TITLE: Prince of Persia
RELEASED: May 27th, 2010
PEOPLE INVOLVED: Jerry Bruckheimer produced, Disney involved, Jake Gyllanhal(my main reason for seeing this film ;drools;), Sir Ben Kingsley (a very welcome bonus).
GENRE: video game based, fantasy, action
PREMISE: Prince Dustan helps his brothers sieze a city and then gets accused of murdering his father and becomes involved with the captured princess and her really weird time-changing dagger.
MY REVIEW: Every summer I indulge in at least one mindless silly action flick. Last year that flick was Transformers 2, this year it's Prince of Persia (assuming I don't end up seeing Sorceror's Apprentice or the A Team, that M.Night Shamalan screwed up The Last Airbender (which he better NOT have ;inserts evil fangirl glare of doom;) and that Inception is not as awesome as it looks (doubtful because hello Chris Nolan and Leo and Michael Caine, it's like my dream movie, the only thing that could make it better would be if it also had Morgan Freeman or Samuel L.Jackson)).
Where was I? Oh yes, Prince of Persia is unashamed sillyness and I think that's why it worked for me. They didn't try and make this into a ultimate epic, nor did they make it into utter mindless pointlessness (although it occasionally gets close). It just wavers between cheesyness and kind of awesome action flick so while it's definite escapist fare in the tradition of Star Wars, you don't feel like you've utterly wasted your money while watching it or that you're losing your brain cells.
There are undenialably roll-eye worthy moments (there are several slow motion moments and the romance is slightly cheesy). But there are also awesome action sequences and the characters are just fun. I would have loved more scenes with Dustan and his band of rascals in the early part of the film but that probably would have dragged the movie so there was sadly not much of it. But at least there was snarkyness between the hero and the Princess so I was happy with it, even if I felt like the Princess was mainly there for guys to ogle. At least she did more then just be the romantic lead or was the OMG!Shoes! type (yes, I'm glaring at you Sex and the City 2).
So, yes, there is no denying that Prince of Persia is silly, campy, and cheesy. But it's so much fun that it's hard to really mind it. This will not win Oscars (except for maybe soundtrack and effects), but if you're in the mood for a fun ride that doesn't cost you brain cells, this movie is worth seeing on screen.
WHO SHOULD SEE: Bruckheimer movie fans, action flick fans
MY RATING: Three and a half out of five back flipping persian princes