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