In My Mailbox (48)

This is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren that tells people about what new books we got over the week. All the links in this post go to the books Amazon page if you want more info.

Downloaded to Kindle (aka more books from the Big Deal sale which is sadly over now):
13 to Life by Shannon Delany-series I've been meaning to check out anyway.
Another Faust by Daniel and Dina Nayeri-see above
Angel Burn by L.A. Weatherly-Ditto.

From Library:
Through Her Eyes by Jennifer Archer-interesting looking paranormal book from this year.
Sookie Stackhouse Book 11: Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris-Library FINALLY had it. Now I can catch up with Sookie and co.

Book Review: Storm Front

TITLE: Storm Front
Book 1 in the Dresden Files Series
AUTHOR: Jim Butcher
CATEGORY: adult
GENRE: urban fantasy, magic, mystery
SHORT PREMISE: a wizard detective goes on a case.
MY REVIEW: Harry Dresden is one of the only publicly working wizard PIs in the business. When something wierd pops up, which in Chicago tends to happen, Harry gets called in to consult with the police. This time however, the case gets complicated when the council suspects HIM of murder and he's trying to prove his innocence now...
One of my goals this year is to read stuff I've heard of and have meant to look at but never got around to it, this book is one of those books (so was If I Stay). I heard of the Dresden Files of course, but somehow never got around to picking up one of the books. I'm glad I finally did read this. Is it brilliant? Not really. It's pretty much like every other detective novel series out there, it just has magic added in. So it's not without the stereotypes that come along with PI novels. Also sometimes the writing irked me.
But as a whole this is a fun series and I see why it's so popular. Will definitely be checking out the rest of it because I'm dying for more backstory on Harry. Other books to come in my quest to read stuff I've been meaning too: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (coming up soon, I'm almost finished), A Game of Thrones book 1, Paper Towns by John Green (plus all his others), and many others.
WHO SHOULD READ: urban fantasy fans, PI Novel fans, fans of the Dresden Files TV Show
MY RATING: Four out of Five pentagrams

Book Review: Cryptic Cravings

TITLE: Cryptic Cravings
Book 8 in the Vampire Kisses series
AUTHOR: Ellen Schreiber
PUBLISHED: 2011
CATEGORY: Young adult
GENRE: vampires, romance, drama
SHORT PREMISE: vamps come to Dullsville to open a club
MY REVIEW: Vampires come to Dullsville to open a club in town for teens similar to The Coffin Club but Raven feels there's an ulterior motive...
I gave Vampire Kisses one more shot to impress me and it frankly didn't. Once more Raven finds trouble with vamps that feels like deja vu because didn't something like this stuff happen a few books ago? Once more, none of the issues in the Raven/Alexander relationship are addressed in fact they're completely brushed aside simply because Raven wants to be a vamp, so all is okay. Once more all the characters fill their stereotype roles: Jagger is bad dude to tempt Raven away from Alexander (and of course she doesn't fall for it), Becky is cheerleader for their relationship, Trevor is there...to be annoying I guess, and of course everything happens oh so cheerfully and alls well that's ends well. I don't even enjoy Raven and her antics anymore, she's actually become rather bratty.
Sigh. I'm done with Vampire Kisses. It started off promising but quickly but has become drivel. Even worse, it's pointless drivel.
WHO SHOULD READ: those still reading these books
MY RATING: Three out of Five coffins

Book Review: Good Omens

TITLE: Good Omens
AUTHOR: Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
PUBLISHED: 1990
CATEGORY: Adult
GENRE: parody, fantasy
SHORT PREMISE: The end of the world is coming in one week.
MY REVIEW: According to a prophecy the end of the world is coming in one week. So the forces of good and evil assemble as they do in these things and with varying levels of anticipation. Unfortunately, someone seems to have misplaced the anti-christ...
I'll sum this book up in one word: hilarious. Seriously, this book had me rolling on the floor. Granted the plotting is a wee bit zany and I sometimes had no clue what was going on but it's a parody and plots aren't super important in parodys. But it does have that humor and sly social commentary that I've come to associate with these two fabulous writers.
If you're looking for a book to put you in a good mood I highly rec this book.
WHO SHOULD READ: Terry Pratchett fans, Neil Gaiman fans, fans of Discworld, fans of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, fans of Monty Python
MY RATING: Four and a half out of Five angels and demons

Top Ten Tuesdays (3)

MY TOP TEN FAVORITE CHILDREN'S/MIDDLE-GRADE BOOKS/SERIES-self explanatory. These do not include Children's classics like Peter Pan though as most of those popped up on my favorite Classics book list. These are in no particular order.

1) The Harry Potter Series by J.K.Rowling-Do I even need to say why this is on here? It's Harry Potter. If you haven't heard of it or know anything about it, you must have been living under a rock or something. Just read the books, there is very good reason these are hyped and have become so popular.

2) The Percy Jackson/Kane Chronicles/Lost Heroes books by Rick Riordan-All of these take place in the same universe from what I've been able to see so I count them as one series. But for your sake I'd start with Percy Jackson which is the best. Mainly these books deal with mythology. The gods are still among us and breeding halflings all over the place. Percy is the son of Poseidan which is not as fun as it sounds.

3) The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis-Admitedly I have issues with some of the sexism in these books but that is the time period. But these books have lasted long for a good reason.

4) The Chronicles of Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander-If you're trying to place this series, The Black Cauldron is the second book. Now you're remembering, right? This series has never gotten enough love (Disney's version of Black Cauldron did NOT help matters0 and it's a shame. It's well written, and has all the makings for a great series of movies if they would be done right. But sadly I don't see that happening in the future.

5) The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi-This little known gem is about a girl who goes on a sea voyage and winds up being involved in a power struggle between the crew and the captain and becoming a sailor herself when women simply didn't do that sort of thing. I read somewhere that there is a movie in the works with the blond girl from Atonement as the lead. Please dear God let this be true and let it get made. I WANT THIS MOVIE even more then I want the Hunger Games movie ;ducks from Hunger Games fans;

6) The Sister's Grimm series by Michael Buckley-Another little known series that doesn't get enough love. This is a hilarious series about two girls who live in a town that's full of the real life people from fairy-tales who are known as the Ever Afters. They are descendants of the Brothers Grimm who help the Ever Afters whenever there's a crisis. Great series especially as it follows the BOOK versions of the fairy tales, not the more well known movie versions. It's a great series to intice your kids into reading the books instead of the movies and I dare you not to fall in love with Puck. This is also apparently being made into a movie. Please happen, movie just please be better then Inkheart.

7) Bridge to Terebithia by Katherine Paterson-A fantastic book about friendship that is a good one if your kid is struggling with the idea of death. This will open the discussion for it at least. If not it's a good book anyway about a boy and a girl who become friends and deal with their issues by escaping to a fantasy world in their imaginations. I also rec the Disney movie which didn't totally ruin it for a change. If this makes you interested, it has the guy who is playing Peeta in it if you want to see if he's got any acting skills (he does, see also The Kids Are All Right).

8) The Inkheart Trilogy by Cornelia Funke-Please ignore the horrible movie that was made from this, it totally ruined it. Inkheart is about a father and daughter who have the gift of making things come to life when they read out loud. For instance if they read a passage describing Tinkerbell from Peter Pan. Tink pops out of the book. Unfortunately this gift causes loads of problems for their family. Like I said, movie screwed things up, when you read it, you'll see why.

9) The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman-A deliciously spooky book from the brilliant mind of Gaiman (see Stardust, Coroline, and others) about a boy who's family is murdered and he gets taken in by a family of ghosts and lives his life in a graveyard.

10) Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh-A book about a girl who wants to be a spy and gathers gossip by writing it in her notebooks. Unfortunately her notebook falls into the wrong hands and her friends and classmates learn what she really thinks about things. Great coming of age book, I also recomend the movie with Rosie O'Donnell and Michelle Trachtenburg (Dawn from Buffy).

Well that it's for me. You guys have no idea how hard it was to choose just ten. I had to leave out Black Beauty, Anne of Green Gables, From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Charlotte's Web and many more. So what are your favorites?

Next Week's Top Ten: Urban Fantasy books

Book Review: 100 Cupboards

TITLE: 100 Cupboards
AUTHOR: N.D.Wilson
PUBLISHED: 2007
CATEGORY: Childrens
GENRE: Fantasy
SHORT PREMISE: A boy discovers a wall of a 100 cupboard doors.
MY REVIEW: Henry is sent to live with his aunt and uncle for the summer and discovers that his room has a bunch of cupboard doors under the plaster. When he and his cousin finally manage to open one, they see another world...
For the age group this book is aimed at (I'm guessing tween age boys) this book is all right. Honestly though, I just found it boring. Anyone who's ever read Narnia could tell where this was leading and much of the writing is flat and it's slow and doesn't have much character depth.
So if you are above the age group it's intended for, don't bother. However if you're looking for something for your grade-school boy to read, they may get a kick out of this.
WHO SHOULD READ: Younger grade-school boys
MY RATING: Three and a half out of Five cupboards

In My Mailbox (47)

This is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren that tells people what new books we've gotten over the week. All the links in this post head to the books Amazon page if you want more info.

Downloaded to Kindle (because the Big Deal sale is going on and my pretties it is lovely)
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke-fantasy book that came out last year that I've been meaning to pick up. Mostly because it has been recced by Neil Gaiman whose taste I trust whole-heartedly (he is a Doctor Who fan, after all).
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls by Steve Hockensmith-I've read PP and Zombies so I figured I might as well read the prequels/sequels.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dreadfully Ever After by Steve Hockensmith-See above.
Dark Hunter series Book 1: Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon-Yes, I realize it's absurd that I haven't read any of Kenyon's stuff till now. At least at 2.99, if I don't like it it's not a big deal.

From the Library:
Fever series Book 5: Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning-FINALLY getting to the end. ;prays there's an explanation for Barrons cause she's deeply confused (and turned on) about him;
Vampire Kisses 8: Cryptic Cravings by Ellen Schrieber-I'm giving this series one more chance. If something doesn't change or plot doesn't happen in this book too, I'm giving up on it.

Book Review: Perchance to Dream

TITLE: Perchance to Dream
Book 2 in the Theatre Illuminata series
AUTHOR: Lisa Mantchev
PUBLISHED: 2010
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: fantasy, romance, drama
SHORT PREMISE: Bertie and Ariel search for Nate
MY REVIEW: Bertie has lost Nate to the Sea Witch and goes hunting for him along with the help of Ariel and her trusty fairy sidekicks. Unfortunately things would be a lot easier if her magic that she now has due to being Mistress of Revels actually worked or if she didn't find herself falling for Ariel as well as Nate...
The Theatre Illuminata series will not appeal to everyone. It's a quirky series and if you don't like odd narration writing or telling then you probably won't care for it. Admitedly even I, a huge fan of this series, sometimes do scratch my head over what's going on. But on the whole, the series is worth it. It's hilarious for one, mostly due to the comedic fairy sidekicks. Plus, it's refreshingly original with it's magic usage and ideas. Even the cliche love triangle is somewhat refreshing because for once we have no idea who Bertie would go for and actually Bertie is in fact equally in love with both (which totally gives me hope for a threesome even though that will probably never happen as it's YA). It was nice getting backstory on Bertie's past as well as character stuff.
So if one is willing to overlook the slightly zany plotting and the fact that it can be occasionally slow, this series is a real treat. I'm definitely looking forward to reading the third book that comes out in August.
WHO SHOULD READ: Terry Pratchett fans, fans of Eyes Like Stars
MY RATING: Four out of Five excitable fairy sidekicks

Book Review: The Iron Witch

TITLE: The Iron Witch
Book 1 in a new series
AUTHOR: Karen Mahoney
PUBLISHED: 2011
CATEGORY: Young adult
GENRE: urban fantasy, witches, faeries
SHORT PREMISE: A girl gets her friend back from faeries.
MY REVIEW: Donna has always been different due to her powers and the marks on her arms. Now her best friend has been taken by faeries and with the help of a boy she's falling for, she goes to get him back.
You ever read a book that you were super excited for but then you read it and it's basically more of the same old instead of something new and shiny like you were hoping for? That was me with The Iron Witch. It's not that it's bad. It's a perfectly decent debut book. It's just that this is more of the same thing that I wish YA authors would stop. Whiny self-entitled main character? Check. Love triangle with obvious love interest leaning towards the magical guy even though it makes more sense for the girl to fall for the guy she actually knows? Check. Underdeveloped and boring stock male love interests? Check. Typical mean girl picking on loser main character who of course has no depth cause she's girly and popular? Check. Yep. Nothing new to see here.
It's not that the book is bad, it's just that I'm tired of reading the same storyline over and over again. If you must do the cliche at least bring something new to the table. All this book was a nice little diversion and good enough but it never got to be more then just a passing time book. It's not memorable or overly interesting. I rec if you just want a urban fantasy read but don't care about quality.
WHO SHOULD READ: those just looking for a quick fantasy read that don't care about quality
MY RATING: Three out of Five faerie charms

Book Review: On the Edge

TITLE: On the Edge
Book 1 in the Edge series
AUTHOR: Ilona Andrews
PUBLISHED: 2009
CATEGORY: Adult
GENRE: Urban fantasy, romance
SHORT PREMISE: A girl meets a demon who wants to marry her but she's having none of it.
MY REVIEW: Rose has been hunted for her powerful gift for years so she's understandably suspicious of Declan who comes and proposes marriage. She gives him three challenges, if he fails he goes away, if he wins, she marries him. But now Rose isn't so sure she wants Declan going away anymore...
On the Edge is more romance based then the Kate Daniels series and it's still good. If you must write cliche romances at least do it well like Andrews does here. Declan and Rose are fun snarky romantic leads and we all know I like my snarky couples ;). So it was a tad predictable and I didn't feel as great attachement to it like I did with the Kate Daniels series but it's still fun and decently written and once again, Andrews creates a fantastic world that fascinates me and I want to know more about.
If you're in the mood for a good urban fantasy romance then I definitely rec this series. No, it's not as good as Kate Daniels but it's definitely a step above your typical romance book.
WHO SHOULD READ: Kate Daniels fans, romance fantasy fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five shifters

My Top Ten Tuesdays (2)

MY TOP TEN YA BOOKS/SERIES (doesn't include Harry Potter or Percy Jackson because those are children's books). This is in no particular order

1)Circle of Magic series by Tamora Pierce-I know everyone loves Tortall more and I do heartily recomend those books too, but this series spoke more to me. It was more character driven, had awesome world building and frankly is what made me fall in love with fantasy books in the first place. If you have never read Tamora Pierce, pick up Sandry's book immediately as well as Alanna: The First Adventure.

2)His Dark Materials Trilogy by Phillup Pullman-If you've only seen the movie version, please ignore that movie. It was woefully cut because of censorship rearing it's ugly head and it didn't explain the brillaince of Pullman's world well. While I do sort of think Pullman is an Arrogant ass, he at least has the skills to back up his arrogance. Seriously, the man can write. This trilogy deals with heavy topics that some (particularly the religious camp) may not thrilled with but if you are open to different ideas and don't mind beliefs being challenged, I strongly urge you to pick up this wonderful trilogy. If nothing else, enjoy it as a fantasy trilogy with excellent world-building and block out the religious stuff if it makes you uncomfortable.

3)The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins-Unless you've been living under a rock the past year you've probably heard about this trilogy. Well, believe the hype my friends, for once the bestseller list does actually deliver. I for one am pumped for the movie though if I hear one more ignorant reporter call it "the next Twilight" I will scream. Hopefully they won't screw it up. My lovely Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, and Stanley Tucci are in it though so it shouldn't totally suck.

4)The Book Thief by Markus Zusak-A brilliant coming of age story set in Germany during WWII and narrated by Death. There's a very good reason this book has gotten tons of awards and praise. I personally don't want there to be a movie because I'm sure it'd be bad.

5)Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson-Everyone should read this powerful book about a girl dealing with her rape. If you only read one YA book, make it this one. Bring tissues while reading.

6)Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver-A powerful book dealing with bullying and the pressure of fitting in and its consequences. Also read the author's more commercial but still well done dystopian novel Delirium. This author has become a favorite of mine pretty much from book 1.

7)The Gemma Doyle Trilogy by Libba Bray-I discovered this trilogy only last year and I must say, it is brilliant. It's got magic, feminism, historical accuracy, great writing, fascinating characters, a bittersweet first romance, and none stop guessing. I enjoyed every minute of this complicated fantasy and pretty much all of Bray's other books (haven't read Beauty Queens yet, I'm getting on it).

8)Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones-This was my first intro to Jone's books and yes, I read it because of the Miyazaki film and I am very greatful to Miyazaki for introducing me to this wonderful and vastly underappreciated fantasy author. Also read her Chrestomanci Chronicles series.

9)Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer-A engrossing dystopian novel about a girl living in a quickly changed world that is devasted when the moon is knocked closer to the Earth by a comet. A very scary premise as it could possibly happen and well written to boot.

10)The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot-I discovered Princess Diaries ten years ago when the movie first came out. It introduced me to Cabot who is one of my top authors period. Yes, her books are simple and sometimes predictable but they are nicely written, she knows how to have topics that concern teens in her books without being condescending while discussing it. Plus, her books are freaking hysterical. I have never not enjoyed a Cabot book. If Princess Diaries isn't your cup of tea, I rec The Mediator, 1-800-Where-R-U, All American Girl, the Airhead Trilogy or her adult books such as Insatiable or the Heather Wells mystery books.

So those are my top ten. Ones that aren't on here because I haven't gotten to them yet include the Uglies series by Scott Westerfield (I just got the first book though). If you have your own top YA book list feel free to drop a note. Maybe I'll discover something to new to read!

Next Week: Top Ten Childrens Books/Series

Book Review: If I Stay

TITLE: If I Stay
Book 1 in the Mia Hall series
AUTHOR: Gayle Forman
PUBLISHED: 2009
CATEGORY: Young Adult
GENRE: Realistic fiction, drama
SHORT PREMISE: A girl is in a car accident.
MY REVIEW: Mia's family goes for a drive and wind up in a accident where her parents and brother are killed and she's in critical condition. Mia sees the reaction of her family and learns the news and now has a choice to make: does she want to live or die?
Have you ever had a book where you do honestly think the writing and plot and characters are good, it just doesn't click for you a lot? I've had this happen before, mainly with classics (Hunchback of Notre Dame, Phantom of the Opera, Wuthering Heights to name a few). If I Stay is like that for me. It never really got to the point where I thought myself OMG!this is amazing! but I do honestly see that it is a good well written solid book. My only complaints really are that the whole girl watching people grieve and thinking over her life thing is a tad cheesy and contrived but it's at least done well here. I also found the whole flashbacking between the past and present vaguely annoying as I cared more about the present even though I understood why the author was doing it. But really, this is a solid book. Characters are believable and nicely fleshed out, it talks about grief, it's well written. I was just sort of passive while reading it and I don't understand why to be honest.
So despite not really getting into it, I do really recomend this book because it is good. I just guess it wasn't my thing. However I am going to read the sequel that just came out this year because I'm curious about how things turned out for Mia. I just hope it doesn't include the going back and forth between the present and the past.
WHO SHOULD READ: fans of Jodi Piccoult, fans of Sarah Dessen, fans of realistic drama
MY RATING: Four out of Five tissues

In My Mailbox (46)

This is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren that tells people what new books we got over the week. As always the links in this post go to the book's Amazon page if you want more info on them.

Bought at Books a Million which was having a awesome 4 dollar sale on good YA books:
The Demon's Lexicon Book 1 by Sarah Rees Brennan-I've heard good things about this and it sounds right up my ally so I'm hoping it lives up to the hype or at the very least is enjoyable.
The Last Survivors Book 2: The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer-I loved Life as We Knew It and I'm eager to continue this trilogy.
Uglies series Book 1: Uglies by Scott Westerfield-I have become a big Westefield fan after reading Leviathan and The Midnighters. People say this is his best work so expectations are high even though I'm trying to keep it down.

From the library:
Theatre Illuminata 2: Perchance to Dream by Lisa Mantchev-Third book comes out this summer so I'm trying to catch up on this series as I loved the first one.
100 Cupboards Book 1: 100 Cupboards by N. D. Wilson-I've been intrigued by this series for awhile and people have been telling me it's good. Now that my library finally has a copy and I can read it.

That's all I got in my mailbox this week. What did you get in yours?

A Harry Potter Appreciation Post

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II opens today (I will be seeing it tomorrow ;fangirl dance;) and it markes the end of the Harry Potter movie franchise (unless they do that Beetle and the Bard thing that was rumored). But I don't think it marks the end of Harry Potter like some (mostly non-fans) have claimed. Because people are still discovering Potter, you have Pottermore coming out later, and I don't know about you guys but if I ever get kids as soon as they're old enough I'm giving them Harry Potter to enjoy for themselves. Not to mention there's the encyclopedia from Rowling to look forward too and maybe she'll do more school book things (just throwing this out there, Rowling: Hogwarts, A History-pretty, pretty, please?).
Potter has been a fun ride that's for sure. I discovered the books way back before the fourth book came out and just as the deal for three HP movies was announced. I won't lie to you and say Harry Potter made me a reader, I was reading long before HP. But it definitely made me a happy person because I was in middle school by then and growing frusterated with the lack of good fantasy out there. At this point, there really wasn't. You had the old school fantasy books like Lord of the Rings (which then I wasn't really old enough to appreciate) or The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander which were fine but sometimes felt dated and there was definitely a lack of female characters as well except for Tamora Pierce's books or The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede. Many think calling Harry Potter a phenomenon is an exhaggeration, well I'm not so sure because thanks to Potter the childrens section and YA section suddenly became much larger especially in terms of fantasy. Thanks to Harry, we got stuff like Percy Jackson, The Last Apprentice series, Artemis Fowl, and heck even Eragon (though I don't think that series is particularly good, sorry Eragon fans). I still say that Twilight probably wouldn't have had half it's readers in the first place if Harry Potter hadn't made those teens readers first when they were younger.
Harry Potter to me felt fresh and new, it had a wide variety of characters to relate too, it was well written and didn't pander to it's audience, and things especially got interesting for me after reading Prisoner of Azkaban because it felt like things had suddenly become a lot darker and by then I was hooked and had managed to even get my mother into the books. I have basically been a Potterhead ever since. While I don't think the movies are as good as the books, I do appreciate them still and think they're a nice companion. As book adaptations go, it could have been far worse (Golden Compass movie, anyone?).
I still love the HP fandom especially. We are wide variety of open-minded friendly people. I have made great friends from Harry Potter and love that it is still luring people into becoming readers. I will miss the movie and book events for sure but I think even without them, Harry Potter is here to stay and will probably be counted as a classic years from now. That said, I will be having a review of Deathly Hallows 2 up tomorrow and whenever it opens up online you guys can catch me over at Pottermore for sure!

Book Review: The Dark Lord of Derkholm

TITLE: The Dark Lord of Derkholm
AUTHOR: Diana Wynne Jones
PUBLISHED: 1998
CATEGORY: Childrens
GENRE: fantasy
SHORT PREMISE: Derk becomes a Dark Lord to battle evil
MY REVIEW: In a fantasy world a tyrant has risen forching magical beings to host tourists and mock battles and the council has had enough. They choose a wizard to step into the role of Dark Lord in the hopes of getting rid of the tyrant once and for all. To bad, that wizard is Derk who would rather not be bothered at all.
For those that don't know because there was barely any acknowledgement of it all, the wonderful Diana Wynne Jones passed away earlier this year. I am still in morning because this woman was one of my favorite authors. If you have not read Howl's Moving Castle or The Chrestomanci Chronicles then I suggest you do so. If you have, then Dark Lord of Derkholm is more of Jone's wonderfully hilarious and creative writing that lovingly pokes fun at the fantasy tropes. Like all her books, this one keeps you laughing and is an enjoyable ride. Could it be a tad more structured and did it maybe drag? Sure. But it was still a good read.
I am going to miss Jone's books. She was a great author. If you have never picked up one of Jone's books, I strongly rec them.
WHO SHOULD READ: Diana Wynne Jones fans, Terry Pratchett fans, Neil Gaiman fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five griffins

My Top Ten Tuesdays (1)

I don't know if there's something like this out there already, if so oh well. I'm going to be trying to do this every week. Now, note, these are MY Top Ten meaning it's opinion and not everyone will agree. You're welcome to reply with your own top ten nominations for the subject if you wish. These are in no particular order.

My Top Ten: Favorite Classics (not including Harry Potter in this just so you know)

1)The Diary of Anne Frank-This is one of those books that I think everyone should read at least once. Even if you end up not neccessarily liking it. You should understand the history behind it. Especially considering that no, racism has not gone away just because Obama was elected.

2)The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgins Burnett-This was one of the first books I read on my own and I love it still. I also recomend the author's other book, A Little Princess and rec the Secret Garden movie made in the nineties with Maggie Smith and the M. Night Shamylan version of A Little Princess (this was made back when he was actually GOOD and not a total joke). Those two are the most accurate and well done book adaptations of these novels (although if you want cheesy then by all means, watch the Shirley Temple Little Princess one).

3)Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen-Before Austen I sniffed at all romance novels as a teen. I still do to some extent nowadays but that's probably because I now can't help but compare them to Austen. It's a lot to live up too, you know? But Austen is proof that romance novels can be good. I also rec all her other books.

4)The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle-If I judge my romance novels against Austen, then Holmes is probably what I judge mystery novels by. Again, terribly unfair, I know. But Holmes is one of the main reasons I'm such a mystery book/tv show junkie. Yes, I am terribly excited for Sherlock Holmes 2 coming out in December (I love the Downy Jr. version, sorry purists) and if you are a Holmes fanatic you should totally check out BBCs Sherlock, a reimagining of Sherlock in present day. Let me give you a hint: Watson blogs. If that doesn't strike your fancy you'll be seeing more of these two as both are in new Hobbit movie (the guy who plays Watson is Bilbo as a matter of fact) and the guy who plays Sherlock is in Spielburg's movie version of War Horse which is already getting Oscar buzz.

5)A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens-Sappy? Yes. Do I care? No. I love this tale of redemption by Dickens. My favorite versions of Christmas Carol are the new Disney version with Jim Carrey (no really, it follows the book! Aside from that chase scene anyway) and the origional black and white one. I also am fond of Patrick Stewart's version and for sillyness Mickey's Christmas Carol and Muppet's Christmas Carol (am I the only one kind of pshyched for the Muppets movie? ;is a geek;) Other Dickens greats: Great Expectations and Oliver Twist

6)Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll-Well, duh, it's Alice. It makes no sense whatsoever yet I loved every minute of this book. Best versions of Alice: Disney's Alice in Wonderland animated film. Yes, I liked the Tim Burton film, it was not as bad as everyone was saying. I also rather liked SyFy's mini-series Alice which has a grown-up Alice going into a steampunk like Wonderland and falling in love with Hatter and helping the rebels rise up against the Queen of Hearts (fantastically played by Kathy Bates).

7)Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie-My intro to Pan was actually the book itself. My Grandmother read it to me as a kid and I still remember dying to go to Neverland and wanting to hang out with the Lost Boys (although unlike Wendy I would have told them to make their own dinner). My favorite Pan versions: Hook (this was GOOD, why do people hate on it so much?), Finding Neverland, Peter Pan (the Jason Issacs version), Peter Pan animated Disney movie. I saw an ad on SyFy last night and they are doing a movie on it similar to Tin Man and Alice and I look forward to it.

8)The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R.Tolkien-These books are just some of the ones that made me a fantasy junkie for life. If you've read it, you know why. If not, what are you waiting for?! The Hobbit comes out next year! These books are LONG. Get on it now. At the very least read The Hobbit.

9)To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee-One of the best coming of age stories ever written. All other coming of age books WISH they were this awesome. Also really recomend the old James Stewart movie version. It's one of the best book adaptions around.

10)Jane Eyre by Emily Bronte-Another romance that I tend to judge other romances by. In the debate of which Bronte book I prefer (her sister Charlotte wrote Wuthering Heights for those that don't know) it's this one all the way. Rochester and Jane I can sort of get behind (although I still have issues with Rochester). Catherine and Heathcliff? Nope, not a bit.

My next Top Ten: Top Ten YA Books

Book Review: Dreamfever

TITLE: Dreamfever
Book 4 in the Fever series
AUTHOR: Karen Marie Moning
PUBLISHED: 2009
CATEGORY: Adult
GENRE: Urban Fantasy, Faeries, drama, romance
SHORT PREMISE: In a war torn Dublin Mac fights faeries.
MY REVIEW: Dublin has been overrun with faeries, Mac is in danger of losing herself as she's raped over and over by faeries but is rescued by Barrons and Dana. After much struggle she finally comes back but not without a few scars, namely that she and Barrons had sex (lots of sex) while she was unhinged. Now she deals with a faerie run Dublin and Rowena who is trying her darnest to kill her.
I was only mildly into the Fever series during the first two books. I enjoyed them but they were just ho hum. Then book 3 happened and Moning upped the ante and this book is no different. We see a Mac finally say "to hell with it all" and while it's nice to see, it's also a tad scary because it doesn't feel like the Mac I've come to know and adore. But still, all the stuff that made you fall for the fever series in the first place is still here: Barrons and Mac bickering, V'Lane being...V'Lane, plot developements up the wazoo, and a nail biting ending that makes me eager to get my hands on Shadowfever. I totally understand why this series gained a large following. I loved that Moning is not afraid to take her characters to dark places and she doesn't ignore the complications that come with people like Barrons and V'Lane.
Sometimes I admit I wish she would have slowed down a bit, but we're nearing the end so I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon. Will be getting Shadowfever as soon as possible (possibly this week if my library has it). I am definitely a Fever fan and can't wait to see what Moning has in store for us next.
WHO SHOULD READ: those that have read the first 3 books, urban fantasy fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five daggers

In My Mailbox (45)

This is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren that tells people what new books we got over the week. All the links in this post go to the book's amazon page if you want more info.

Bought:
Fairy Bad Day by Amanda Ashby-cute looking book published this year.
Parasol Protectorate: Heartless by Gail Carriger-I love the Parasol Protectorate and suspect I will love this book too.
Song of Fire and Ice Book 1: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin-Yes, I'm jumping on the Games of Thrones bandwagon. I suspect I will love this series as I've seen a few eps on HBO (now that I actually HAVE HBO) and I got into those so I have high expectations for this and I'm sure I'll love it. Or at the very least enjoy it.

From the library:
The Edge series Book 1: On the Edge by Ilona Andrews-I love the Kate Daniels books (if you haven't read those yet, do so) so I decided to give her newer series a try.
If I Stay by Gayle Forman.-Apparently the only way to guarentee a book gets into my library is if it gets a Truman Award nomination. Whatever, I finally get to see if it's actually as good as people say.

That's all I got in my mailbox this week. What did you get in yours?

Book Review: Darkest Mercy

TITLE: Darkest Mercy
Book 5 in the Wicked Lovely series
AUTHOR: Melissa Marr
PUBLISHED: 2011
CATEGORY: Young adult
GENRE: Faeries, urban fantasy, romance, drama
SHORT PREMISE: the conclusion to the Wicked Lovely series
MY REVIEW: Everything comes to a head in the final book in the Wicked Lovely series. Irial has been poisoned and is near death (or is he?), Niall is letting grief take over, Keenan makes a decision that startles everyone, Donia is trying to rule and ignore her feelings for Keenan that never went away, Ash deals with a weakening Summer Court, Seth deals with the repercussions of becoming a faerie, and all of them are dealing with the growing threat of a Dark Queen who wants blood.
Unlike many fans, I am still deeply into these books about faerie politics. I love the twists and turns of the plots and that the author takes time to do character study and developement. It's just fascinating to me and I never knew where she was going to take it. Plus, the imagination she put into it as well as following faerie lore just makes me want to hug her. Yes, it is sometimes slow, the thing with Irial was awfully convenient, and occasionally I wanted to shake someone (usually Keenan or Niall). But overall this is still a wonderful series and I'm a bit sad to see it go.
This is the final book apparently, but I don't know, I feel there's definitely room for more books. Or at least more short stories. But in the meantime I'm definitely checking out Marr's new adult series, Graveminder which sounds awesome.
WHO SHOULD READ: those who've read books 1-4, faerie book fans, you like court-intrigue books
MY RATING: Four out of Five Summer Girls

Book Review: Demonglass

TITLE: Demonglass
Book 2 in the Hex Hall series
AUTHOR: Rachel Hawkins
PUBLISHED: 2011
CATEGORY: Young adult
GENRE: magic, fantasy, romance, mystery
SHORT PREMISE: Sophie deals with her demon powers during her summer break.
MY REVIEW: Sophie and co. return in the sequel to Hex Hall. Sophie is headed to England to spend time with dear old dad and learn about her demon heritage with her friends Jenna and Cal who never bothered to mention they were betrothed while she was flirting with Archer who is in England and who she no longer has feelings for. Really.
Hex Hall was one of my top ten books from 2010 so I anticipated this book something fierce. Only reason it took me so long to get to is because I had several other books I need to finish first. Damn reading pile keeps growing you know? I devoured this in a few short hours and oh man, I could not approve more with what Hawkins has done. She took it totally in a direction I didn't expect. She introduced new characters and plot developements and made a love triangle that didn't drive me nuts with it's pointlessness. Oh, for the record, Team Cal y'all. I know Sophie will probably end up with Archer cause that's how these things go but damn, I'm rooting for Cal if only because he is made of awesomeness (and so is Archer, I just like Cal more). Isn't it nice having male leads that don't make you want to roll your eyes with their sexism or one-dimensionalism? Yay for good male love interests!
The only thing that keeps this series from being brilliant is that it's not terribly original. However, the way Hawkins writes it and what she focuses on makes the series feel fresh and shiny and the wit and fiesty heroine is definitely a breath of fresh air. After that cliffhanger (JENNA! NO! PLEASE DON'T BE DEAD! Sorry, she's my fav)I cannot wait for the next book that is sadly not till next year.
WHO SHOULD READ: Those that read Hex Hall, Harry Potter fans, Sabrina the Teenage Witch fans, magic school book fans
MY RATING: Four and a half out of Five grimoires

Book Review: Fire (warning: contains ranting about fans)

TITLE: Fire
Book 2 in the Seven Kingdoms series
AUTHOR: Kristin Cashore
PUBLISHED: 2009
CATEGORY: Young adult
GENRE: Romance, adventure, drama
SHORT PREMISE: Fire finds her place in the world.
MY REVIEW: Fire is a girl who can see into people's minds and is feared for her gift. While helping a prince and his family Fire finds acceptance and her place in the world.
I really enjoy Cashore's writing. It's absorbing, her worlds are fantastically laid out and you can see the amount of thoughtfulness and work she put into it. In a time of sloppy commercial get em out in 3 months books like House of Night, it's a very nice change. Sadly her readership is not as mature as she is. If I see one more person bitch about Katsa and Po not getting married and having kids (and saying that makes the books man-hating because apparently we haven't progressed as much as we claim) I will make a rant post that is longer then this. Katsa's story is DONE. She has found Po and her place in the world, and she was perfectly happy at the end of the first book. Why on earth do you need her to get married and have kids as some sort of validation? Also, that traveling stuff was CHARACTER DEVELOPEMENT and yes, it was neccessary for stregenthing Katsa and Po's relationship as well as giving you an idea of what the land Katsa lived in was like. Ugh, makes me mad every time I think about the amount of complaints Cashore gets and doesn't deserve.
Despite what you've probably heard, Fire is good. Is it as good as Graceling? Maybe not. Sometimes I admit I felt vague deja vu while reading it. But Fire IS NOT Katsa, she has a different personality and deals with things differently then Katsa would. Her relationship IS NOT like Po and Katsa 2.0. And if I hear any more griping about Fire not getting married either I will scream. Now, if you have actual legit complaints about writing style, or this character or that plot developement, then I hear you. But it is a rare reader of the book that has said something like that and the ones who do I love and will happily debate with.
This post has sort of become less about Fire and more of a rant, sorry. I just get very irritated whenever I see all the negative comments about the marriage thing as if that makes a well written book bad. Personally I really liked Fire and all it's political intrigue. I am definitely looking forward to Bitterblue (which has apparently been pushed back to 2012, damn) but I will continue to avoid forums about it because I know going into them will make me want to stab something. If you weren't bothered by Katsa not getting married or wanting children then you'll enjoy this probably, if you did not for whatever reason then you probably won't like it.
WHO SHOULD READ: Those that read and liked Graceling, fans of Tamora Pierce
MY RATING: Four out of Five graces

Book Review: Blood Magic

TITLE: Blood Magic
Book 1 in the Blood Journals
AUTHOR: Tessa Gratton
PUBLISHED: 2011
CATEGORY: Young adult
GENRE: magic, urban fantasy, drama, romance
SHORT PREMISE: A girl discovers a dark use for blood.
MY REVIEW: Silla has just discovered her father may not be as crazy as everyone else believed because it turns out that magic actually exists. New boy Nick helps her and her brother figure out the magic without realizing it's deadly consequences.
Blood Magic is a debut book and for a debut book, it's not bad. I've certainly read worse. The idea of the blood magic was very interesting and I liked that the author was not afraid to go as dark as she went with the magical consequences. I also mildly liked Silla and her character. HOWEVER, the writing and characters in this don't do the book any favors. Because this is a first book, the author does many of the first book mistakes: instant love with no developement, stereotyped characters in high school, non-fleshed out main characters (though Silla and her brother did have something going for them so it wasn't a complete loss), and the ever annoying alternating pov. Seriously, what was the point of that? You could have done the entire book in Silla's pov without losing anything major and it would of made it better because frankly Nick was annoying and a jerk. I found myself skipping his povs because he didn't add anything useful and I found him irritating.
It was a decent effort, don't get me wrong. But the author needs to work on prose and needs to not bother with alternating povs next time. She also needs to develop characters and relationships better. With some work this author could be very good. But her first book is just okay. It never really got into that OMG!I love this phase.
WHO SHOULD READ: fans of magic books, you don't mind alternating povs
MY RATING: Three and a half out of Five dead rabbits

Book Reivew: Runaway

TITLE: Runaway
Book 3 in the Airhead Trilogy
AUTHOR: Meg Cabot
PUBLISHED: 2010
CATEGORY: Young Adult
GENRE: drama, mystery, romance
SHORT PREMISE: Em has her final showdown with Stark
MY REVIEW: Since getting her brained switched into a supermodel's body, Em has had to go through a lot. Now she's held hostage by Brandon Stark, is dealing with the REAL Nikki Howard who wants her body back ASAP, Christopher who is being difficult, and on top of everything the evil Stark Enterprises.
If you're a regular reader of this blog you know I'm a huge Meg Cabot fangirl. I've been a fan of hers for a long time (back when she was only 4 books in the Princess Diaries and just starting The Mediator and 1-800-WHERE-R-U) and this book is no exception. I loved it. It's maybe not the best of Cabot's work. I sort of wish the Stark thing hadn't happened so easily, and it sort of felt like everything tied up way too easily at the end but it's Cabot so despite some flaws I still adored it. Her writing is nice and crisp and hilarious, she gets into the head of her characters, the characters are always entertaining, and I have to admit what Stark was doing stunned me. In fact I wish we had spent more time on the creepy factor of that but oh well. What Cabot doesn't get enough credit for in my opinion is the great messages in her books. She manages to talk to teens through her work without hitting you over the head with her message like some authors do (Adornetto, I'm looking at you). In this book she tackles the beauty issue and I love how she handles it. She has several different views in here and never tells you which is the right way to think but it's enough to get the teen reading to think (I'm hoping anyway) and I really appreciate that aspect of Cabot's work. This is why I will always rec her stuff to teens no matter what. To top it off, her heroines are great.
So this book is no exception to my Cabot love. Next up I'm reading Abandon (on my shelf now) and Overbite (will be bought as soon as possible) by Cabot. I love consistant authors, don't you? For those wondering, my favorite character in this is Lulu. She was made of win throughout.
WHO SHOULD READ: Meg Cabot fans, those that read Airhead and Being Nikki, fans of Maureen Johnson
MY RATING: Four out of Five stilletto heels

In My Mailbox (44)

This is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren that tells people what new books we got this week. All the links in this post go to the book's amazon page if you want more info.

Bought:
Abandon Book 1 by Meg Cabot-Mostly bought to tide me over till I read the sequel to Insatiable and because it's Cabot.

From the Library:
The Blood Journals Book 1: Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton-Actually checked out last week but I didn't do a mailbox last week so here it is. So far I'm not very impressed sadly although the idea is creative and interesting the writing and characters leave a lot to be desired. But I'm only about 1/4s through so I'm hoping it gets better by the end.

Wicked Lovely Book 4: Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr-The final book in the Wicked Lovely series that I have been salivating for ever since the evil cliffhanger of book 4.

Fever series Book 4: Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning-Next book in the Fever series that I hope to be wrapping up this year.

June 2011 in Review

I've decided to do monthly recaps of all the books I read. So here it goes.

Well, I got sick around the beginning of the month so I'm afraid my book reading suffered a bit. But here are the ones I managed to read and review:

Wings series Book 1: Wings by Aprillynne Pike-loathed with every fiber of my being. Such a disappointment. Good thing it was free on Kindle.

Mercy Thompson Book 4: Bone-Crossed by Patricia Briggs-Just okay like the rest of the series. Not sure if I'll be continuing this series.

The Darkest Powers Trilogy Book 3: The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong-Good conclusion to a trilogy and universe I have gotten hooked on. Expect review of The Gathering ASAP.

The Evernight Series Book 4: Afterlife by Claudia Gray-Series is now done but fear not, Gray is doing Balthazar's Story! Also a Titanic thing with werewolves.

The Replacement by Brenna Yavonoff-Interesting and gloriously creepy. Author has another book coming out this year that I look forward too.

Vampire Academy Book 6: Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead-awesome conclusion to the awesome Vampire Academy series. Cannot wait for Bloodlines.

Kiki Strike Book 1: Inside the Shadow City by Kirsten Miller.-Cute and great girl power message but ultimately a very mediocre book. Read for Book Battle 2011.

Star Crossed Book 1 by Elizabeth C. Bunce.-Great fantasy epic with mystery and intrigue. Read for Book Battle 2011. Plan on reading author's more well known A Curse As Dark As Gold as well as the upcoming sequel later this year.

Fallen Series Book 2: Torment by Lauren Kate.-Mediocre continuation of a mediocre series. If library has Passion I'll continue it only because of the way the author left this book but if not, I won't bother.

Curse Workers Series Book 2: Red Glove by Holly Black.-awesome continuation of a awesome series. Black: write faster!

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson.-Cute. Will be checking out the sequel and the author's other work because I dug this.

Book I read but didn't bother reviewing cause I'd just repeat myself: Women of the Otherworld Book 4: Industrial Magic by Kelley Armstrong.-More of the same. Next book has a new character though so I will be reviewing that one whenever I get to it.

Ditched book: The Visconti House by Elsbeth Edger.-Couldn't get through it so I skimmed to the end and didn't review as I didn't read all of it. The main character was so WHINY and the mystery part took forever to get to and wasn't interesting and everyone was stereotyped to death. In short: it was boring.

Books I read this month but am reviewing in July: Faeriewalker series Book 1: Glimmerglass by Jenna Black.-Lame writing, irritating heroine. I'm parting ways with this author.

Bad Girls Don't Die Book 1 by Katie Alender.-Deliciously creepy and fun. Can't wait to read the next book.

Favorite book read this month: Red Glove by Holly Black
Most hated book read this month: Wings by Aprillynne Pike
Series complete/caught up on: 4 (Darkest Powers Trilogy, Vampire Academy series, Evernight series, Curse Workers series by Holly Black)
New Series/authors I started/or tried: 7 (Series: Faeriewalker series, Wings series, Star Crossed series, Kiki Strike series, Authors: Elsbeth Edgar, Aprillynne Pike, Maureen Johnson, Elizabeth C. Bunce)
Series continuations (not including conclusions): 4 (Women of the Otherworld, Mercy Thompson, Curse Workers, Fallen)
2011 Books completed: 2

Hopefully I will get more reading done in July.

Book Review: Bad Girls Don't Die

TITLE: Bad Girls Don't Die
First book in a so far two part series
AUTHOR: Katie Alender
PUBLISHED: 2009
CATEGORY: Young adult
GENRE: paranormal, mystery
SHORT PREMISE: A girl's sister gets possessed by a ghost.
MY REVIEW: Alexis is a rebel in a place that doesn't understand her or her sister. Then her sister starts acting strange. In order to find out what's going on with her, she must reach out to people she normally wouldn't including the head cheerleader, her parents, even a guy who's kind of cute (not that she noticed).
Yet another great offering by Disney Hyperion who are really impressing me with decent fantasy/paranormal books. So far I haven't found one bad book by their publisher. Alexis is a great main character. She has a personality but isn't perfect, she cares about stuff other then OMG!Who am I going to date? She could care LESS about popularity. She's assertive, thinks for herself, and cares about her family as imperfect as they may be. I further appreciated that Alender didn't stereotype in this book. In fact, she pointed out the fallacies of stereotyping. Goth kids can be just as mean and cruel as populars and likewise just because a person is popular doesn't mean they're mean and cruel. Even the mean girl was vaguely interesting (I hope she gets some developement in the next book). All the characters, even the side ones were nicely fleshed out and as a bonus it had ghosts and a old mystery in a creepy house. We all know how much I love those :) After this book I may never look at dolls the same way.
Is it a brilliant book? No. The romance could also have been developed better and the ending was a tad rushed but I am most definitely looking forward to the sequel which just came out in June so I better get on it.
WHO SHOULD READ: paranormal fans, fans of the Exorcist
MY RATING: Four out of Five creepy eyed dolls

Book Review: Glimmerglass

TITLE: Glimmerglass
Book 1 in the Faeriewalker series
AUTHOR: Jenna Black
PUBLISHED: 2010
CATEGORY: Young adult
GENRE: Faeries, urban fantasy, romance, drama
SHORT PREMISE: girl becomes a pawn in the faerie world
MY REVIEW: Dana has had it up to here with her mom so she goes to see her father in Avalon. While there she learns she is a faeriewalker which is somehow important and becomes involved in the cutthroat world of faerie politics while falling for dangerous guys.
I had bought this on sale for 4 dollars and at the same time had checked out Black's adult series. I was really annoyed by the adult series but I was hoping maybe her YA series would be better. I was wrong. Sorry Ms. Black, I guess your books just don't do it for me. On one hand, you have great and creative world building. On the other hand, your plots and you characters aren't nearly as interesting as your worlds.
Like Mogan Kingsley, Dana is annoyingly selfish with a major attitude problem that she gives to EVERYONE including the people who try to help her. Also I'm sorry, you claim to care about your mother so you figure the best thing to do is ditch her without telling her where you're going to a father you've never met, to a place you've never been? Yeah, that's smart. Never mind that the mother is an alcoholic so it would probably be dangerous to leave her on her own. Also again, the attitude thing. I can understand the snarkiness to the rude aunt, and maybe even to the guy who "kidnapped" you. But why the hell do you have such an issue with the girl who never said more then two words to you? Or why do you continue to be rude to the people after learning they're trying to help you? To top it off, I still don't get why Dana is so special, she doesn't actually DO anything in the book all the stuff just happens to her and she goes along giving attitude the whole way. There seems to be a incorrect idea among YA authors that if your heroine has a attitude that automatically makes her kickass. Um, NO. Some snarkiness is good. Best example of a good snarky heroine is Rose from Vampire Academy or any of Meg Cabot's main characters. But there's a fine line between being snarky and being just plain bitchy (pardon the curse word, but I'm sorry it's the only word to describe it). Like Morgan, Dana fell more along the lines of bitchy and thus I wanted to reach into the book and smack her. Thus making it hard for me to enjoy the book at all because it's from her point of view. Also the writing style needs work.
So I'm sorry, this is not for me and I will no longer be reading any of Jenna Black's work because clearly she's one of those authors I just don't get into.
WHO SHOULD READ: fans of Morgan Kingsley
MY RATING: Two out of Five faeries (because the worldbuilding is nice)