The Thorn and the Blossom

The Thorn and the Blossom: A Two-Sided Love Story by Theodora Goss
Grade: 3.8 stars out of 5
Published: January 17, 2012 Buy from Amazon
Source: Quirk Books

When Evelyn Morgan walked into the village bookstore, she didn’t know she would meet the love of her life. When Brendan Thorne handed her a medieval romance, he didn’t know it would change the course of his future. It was almost as if they were the cursed lovers in the old book itself . . .

The Thorn and the Blossom is a very short love story so my review won’t be as long as it normally would be (close to 600 words).

The first thing you’ll notice about The Thorn and the Blossom is the way the book is printed. Like an accordion. Like a really cool accordion that doesn’t make music, but rather gives you a nice story to read. I freaked out a bit when I first got it and played with the book for 5 minutes or so. Warning: don’t read book while moving or in a moving vehicle. The book kept falling out my books and the pages were falling everywhere unless I had a death grip connecting the ends together.

taken from author's blog

With the story itself I was a bit let down. It was a bit rushed for my liking and the ending felt…unfinished. If Goss had shown us rather than told us the emotions that went through Evelyn and Brendan, I could have connected better to The Thorn and the Blossom. Then again I wonder how the increase in size will impact the binding of the story. Who knows, it might just collapse or fall apart when the reader opens the first page.

The Thorn and the Blossom packs quite a lot in very little. I read Brendan’s story first followed by Evelyn.  I have to admit that the experience, which I feared would be tiring and redundant, was quite charming, new, and fascinating the second time you read it from a different POV. Those subtle nuances that were dismissed earlier or assumed to be something else, becomes more important than you first believed.

The tale of Green Knight (or Man) and the Queen was hinted just enough for the reader to keep it in the back of their thoughts while still letting the characters be themselves. Rather than Brendan being the Green Knight, Brendan is Brendan. The comparison between the two cursed lovers was laced throughout the rest the novel almost seamlessly.

Evelyn’s story is magical (mixed with an odd psychoanalysis/mental illness explanation) while Brendan’s story is saddening (he has really back luck with girls and people close to him). Together it’s a beautiful haunting tragedy that just may have that happily ever after in the end. The two characters show how to move past a love if it doesn’t work out, but there’s still the possibility of coming back.

Cover B+

P.S. Apparently if you remove the sticker/book synopsis from the back of the slip, there's a picture of the Green Man. So I carefully removed the sticker and it was not worth it. It's just his face and it's about the size of my thumb nail.

Hiding in a Treasure Box (Wayfair Product Intro)

Officially finished with my fall '11 semester! I will know my final grades come Tuesday, but the stress is over. The anxiety still lingers though. One good thing that finishing school is the fact that I can blog again! I have boxes full of books to dig into and reviews to post and contests to announce.

Speaking of boxes full of books, is anyone else having trouble finding a place for their books? I am. I can barely see the floor anymore with the amount of books I'm stacking. Know a different way to store books for someone else to discover? Toy Boxes:

rediscover treasures!

or something more neutral

I store a couple of my older books away for future uses. The books that I loved when I was a child? I still have it; maybe some time in the future someone else will love it too. Plus it isn't always books that need to be stored away.

Wayfair, formally known as a CSN, has graciously offered a product for me to review. And while I won't be reviewing a toy box it doesn't mean you shouldn't check it out! They're really adorable.

This Side of the Grave (Night Huntress #5)

This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Grade: 3 stars out of 5

In an unexpected installment of the Night Huntress series, Cat and Bones are back. In This Side of the Grave, Cat continues to learn more about her powers and build up her network of powerful friends and powerful enemies. Readers may need to read about the companion series to fully understand what happened with some of the side characters, or at least read their synopses. Other than that, This Side of the Grave is fairly straight-forward.

This Side of the Grave was not my favorite installment to the series. The tension was too heavily played for such a quick ending. The bad guy wasn’t really hard to deal with since Cat pretty much kills him in less than a page. Things happened in This Side of the Grave but more so internally than externally. Cat is dealing with a load of stress especially in terms of family relationships, but other than that nothing “action-y” happened. The ending was grrr—a cop out.

This Side of the Grave is a filler installment where readers calm down and have a little peek on how the characters grew up. Cat and Bones have an equal footing in the relationship, and things do get STEAMY in the novel. Vlad starts to shine in the series. (I am really hoping Vlad will be the next star in the Night Huntress World series).

Source: personal

Cover B

Published: 2011, March 1; mass market paperback

Amazon

Caleb + Kate [DNF]

Caleb + Kate by Cindy Martinusen-Coloma

Grade: DNF 

"When Kate's family purchases a hotel in the Pacific Northwest, she enters a world that is wholly unknown to her. She never has any privacy because of the constant flow of guests. And as the hotel owner's daughter, she struggles to make friends.

Then she meets Caleb, a strange combination of working-class, Hawaiian culture, and Christian bad boy. He talks about love in an all new way that she finds so alluring. But the two have nothing in common. He rarely smiles, rides a motorcycle with a rough crowd from town, and worst of all, he totally ignores Kate. But Kate has something that he needs and she resolves to prove to him that what she has doesn't define who she is."--from GoodReads

I did not finish Caleb + Kate. Perhaps it was just the wrong book at the wrong time, but deep down I think not. It was just not for me. After browsing through GoodReads’ reviews, it seemed quite good with an overall rating of 4.something. I went and purchased the book and [tried to] read it several days after it arrived. Never made it to page 100. This is rare.

Caleb + Kate has its audience, I mean look at those ratings! But there are reasons why it didn’t work for me:

• I am a jaded reader. I’ve had enough with instant first love, pow wow, fireworks in the eyes. Even before talking to each other, Caleb and Kate seemed to be already in love with each other. There’s a lot of sap, cheese, and candy sweet things going on in the novel. Even I have my limits.
• Monica, Kate’s best friend, is a flip-flop character. She’s deemed self-centered and prejudiced against all things not rich by Kate. Her actions follow that statement. Yet a few chapters over she’s also considered extremely loyal, intuitive of people’s feelings, and caring. So Monica is a witch who’s nice. Totally makes sense.
• Two perspectives from Caleb and Kate. One was hard to stomach, but two? I don’t think I could handle all that sweet.
• Why Caleb + Kate so reminiscent of Perfect Chemistry? Gorgeous, blonde, (did I mention Christian because the author likes to point that out) smart girl. Hot, tattooed, dark-skinned and dark-haired boy (from Hawaii because I didn’t catch that the first 3 times). Girl is rich, doesn’t really lift a finger, but she’s so nice. Boy isn’t rich, working constantly and hard around the edges. Girl of course softens him up. Then again it’s not such a novel idea.
• This is a religious novel. I just had no idea how religious it was. I have no qualms with religion and respect people’s decisions, but I’m not Christian or Catholic or any other religion involving God. I'm fine with a few scenes, but Cindy Martinusen-Coloma brings up faith and God quite a lot. I just can't connect to any of it.

Cover B-

Source: purchased for myself

Published: 4 May 2010; paperback

Amazon

Nightlight: a Parody

Nightlight by The Harvard Lampoon

Grade: .8 / 1 star out of 5

Nightlight is a parody that I expected to blow me away. It was supposed to make me laugh so hard that I’d burst a gut. But no, sadly enough it only made me want to vomit my gut out. Okay, I’m exaggerating slightly. Just slightly.

Please note this is my second published Twilight parody I’ve read. The first one I wrote a review of here. I’m not exactly one of those people who love Twilight to death and attack anyone who bashes it. While I did enjoy the series I’m open to parodies for that quick laugh.

With Nightlight my main issue is how it focuses so much on making fun of the characters that the book loses its plot. Nothing makes sense. How did this event result in that conclusion? Is the Harvard Lampoon making fun of Twilight by saying that it has no plot? Is the Harvard Lampoon making fun of the silliness in Twilight by exaggerating characters and scenes? Frankly I don’t really care. Instead of guessing I want them to show me.

I was just irritated by the whole thing from start to finish. My God, they made Bella (Belle Goose) so freaking stupid that it passes the line of believable to ‘are you serious?’

I wasted my time with this.

Cover: C+ (based on the UK edition, the one I read)

Source: personal copy from me

Published: 03 November 2010

Amazon

Wicked Game

Wicked Game by Jeri Smith-Ready

Source: Won from Brooke at Brooke's Reviews

Grade: 3.8 stars out of 5

Ciara Griffin is a con artist trying to go the straight path, but old habits die heard and turning WVMP into a vampire radio show maybe the biggest con of all. Because it’s true. But the truth is deadly and the stakes have been raised—literally and figuratively. 

Wicked Game was a different sort of paranormal romance than I have read in my time. Why? Because of the novel had a surprising strong plotline and focused on that plot and characters. One most occasions there would be a heavy dose of sexual tension and dragged-out scenes of releasing that tension that the reader loses track of what is the actual book about. Or the plot can be overly simplified and the sexual tension is the main focal point of the entire novel.

With Wicked Game there are several layers to the plot: the big picture, the radio show, the multiple relationships (inner/external), etc. With Ciara, there were layers that I think she didn’t even know she had and that like Shane, I am interested in peeling back those layers.

However I felt that the build-up, slower than I wanted, to the grand finale was better than the actual climax. It was understated and big twist had me cringing just a tad. And I have to admit, when this is my second attempt reading Wicked Game because the first time it was boring that I had to stop.

Cover C
I am never a fan of paranormal romance covers. They just lack *something*

Purchase Wicked Game: Amazon / Indie Bound / Book Depository

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean

Source: Personal

Grade: 4 stars out of 5

I was never a big fan of historical romance novels. I’ve tried Julia Quinn (twice), but to no avail because frankly it was one big yawn. Was the novel just not for me or was it just the right time and place? I’m not too sure of it myself, but Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake was the right novel at the right time.

"Lady Calpurnia Hartwell has always followed the rules, rules that have left her unmarried—and more than a little unsatisfied. And so she's vowed to break the rules and live the life of pleasure she's been missing.

But to dance every dance, to steal a midnight kiss—to do those things, Callie will need a willing partner. Someone who knows everything about rule-breaking. Someone like Gabriel St. John, the Marquess of Ralston—charming and devastatingly handsome, his wicked reputation matched only by his sinful smile.

If she's not careful, she'll break the most important rule of all—the one that says that pleasure-seekers should never fall hopelessly, desperately in love..."--from GoodReads

I found the novel to be a delightful, good wholesome fun (just what the doctor ordered). Unlike some reviewers who managed to write 7 freaking huge paragraphs, I don’t have much to say about Nine Rules. I found Callie endearing and Ralston spicy (?). You know what? Heaving bosoms, tugging heart strings, silk blue gowns, and gunshot wounds; let’s see you make out of that.

Cover C

inside flap

T2T Tour: Rise of the Fire Tamer

Rise of the Fire Tamer by Kailin Gow

Source: author for blog tour

Grade: 3 stars out of 5

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory meets Narnia in Rise of the Fire Tamer. Five avid fans of the game Wordwick are invited to the creator’s home and test drive the newest game. They find out that this game is all too real. Armed with weapons and their choice of words, they fight to the end.

Rise of the Fire Tamer creates a new world much like that of Narina with wondrous creatures and deadly traps in Anachronia. But the biggest plus for Rise of the Fire Tamer is not the actual storyline, which by the way is unique by itself, but for the educational bonus the reader gets. Rise of the Fire Tamer is full of SAT words that would provide a much more fun way to learn. There are context clues from when the gamers speak the word and an action occurs with a glossary in the back as the last resort.

Kailin Gow writes strong heroines and heroes that hold its own various strength; not all brute strength, but intellectually as well. Gow forces against stereotypes and goes a different route with the characters to create memorable personalities (likable or unlikable is not a major concern for these gamers).

The novel is fast-paced and borders on predictable, but there is a slight twist at the end. It’s very much a true action adventure tale where the scenes are easy to follow, but enjoyable nonetheless.

However I still have many lingering questions and overall reluctance with the “game” though the sequel may answer them. The flow was also quite...odd. At the end of each chapter, the reader gets an insight to their minds. Overall the narration is focused solely on Gem but these short bursts of change of narration at first had me confused then slightly irritated. There is also the editing. I believe that my copy is an ARC; I hope that it is because there are some words that are missing letters (“her” was meant to be “here) and skewed formatting where there are extra lines between paragraphs or not enough lines.

Stop by the Traveling to Teens homepage for the rest of the stops

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Kailin Gow is the author of over 40 books. She is also an adventurer, having traveled all over the world, conducting research, and collecting stories. Some of the more interesting places she's been to are: Dracula's Castle in Transylvania where she was presented with a sketch of Dracula, The Stanley Hotel in Colorado where she saw something quite odd, the lost city of Pompeii where both her cameras were drained of battery, St. Petersburg where she held an hour-long conversation with a Russian soldier who didn't speak English and she didn't speak Russian, and the orphanages of Thailand where Kailin distributed toys and books to and hugged hundreds of disabled orphans.

She holds a Masters Degree Communications Management from USC's Annenberg School of Communication, and Bachelors Degrees in Drama and Social Ecology from UC Irvine. She is a mother, a mentor for young women, and the founder of the social group for girls teen and young adult girls called Shy Girls Social Club at shygirlssocialclub.com.

More EDGE books.

Vampires Suck, the Movie - Review

Have you ever watched a movie where all the funny stuff happens in the trailer!? Yeah well Vampires Suck is that movie. I watched the movie with my brother (because he hates all things Twilight) and we had some laughs. We had those exact same laughs while watching the trailer, see below:



I was damn pissed. The overall movie is nothing impressive with more embarrassing mortification than laugh-out-loud funny. There are so many potholes that I think you can fall through. I love parodies when done right and this was done wrong! It felt like a feature length YouTube video with better camera angles than anything.

Positive:

• The characters were spot on trying to impersonate the Twilight cast. Rebecca? She blinks and twitches as often as Kristen Stewart when playing Bella.
• They made fun of Fox News! Yay! I hate Fox News!
• There were some good songs. I am thinking of looking them up later.
• Team Edward vs. Team Jacob FTW!
• It showcased the Vampire Diaries book *beams with pride*

Neutral:

• I can’t tell if they were making fun of the Twilight movies special effects or they just didn’t have any. On the fence with this one.

Negative:

• You can clearly tell where the foundation line ended and where the natural skin-tone began.
• I don’t get why the werewolves didn’t you know…shift! Jacob turns into a Chihuahua and the rest of them dances with jean short-shorts. But does the rest of the pack not transform!?
• Why happened to Angela? Did she get so little screen time that I completely missed her?
• The ending. W.T.F. That doesn’t even make sense.

2 stars

Blog Tour: Maid of Murder

Maid of Murder by Amanda Flower

Source: author for blog tour

Grade: 3.3 stars out of 5

India Hayes has been a bridesmaid several times already (but never the bride), but this wedding may be the most exciting yet. The bride—a childhood friend of India’s—Olivia Blocken is killed just before her wedding and the main culprit is her brother who asked Olivia to meet him by the fountain just before her death. All the trails lead up to Mark: ex-boyfriend still pining for Olivia and a rendezvous that led to death, but India is determined that Mark had nothing to do with Olivia’s death. 

Maid of Murder, while it may sound odd, biggest asset for me was not the murder mystery, but the cats. That’s right: the cats. Not just ‘a’ cat, but two cats: Templeton and Theodore. Two freaking awesome cats that duke it out in the bedroom with claws and biting fur flying everywhere. Before you call PETA on me, I am not into animal cruelty, but this scene was freaking hilarious. Or maybe it was just the dialogue that was funny?

Okay, back to the novel. The mystery aspect as very straight-forward and is a classic mystery—one that I already solved when all the characters were introduced mind you. There is no extremely challenging or “original” I could say to Maid of Murder, but it still provided a light-hearted (as far as a murder mystery can be light-hearted), delightfully fun read.

The characters themselves were caricatures: exaggerated, bigger-than-life, but funny as heck. We have Ina, the landlord for our heroine, so proud of her Irish heritage that her apartment is completely green and her lawn covered her ornaments. The parents: the mother is a Reverend and the father fell down the roof paralyzing his lower half, but they are both huge activists. Picket signs, chaining themselves to trees, chants, the whole shebang. The sister: pregnant with twin girls and very loud. What’s not to love?

In all, Maid to Murder is a well-paced mystery novel that is humorous, but still leaves lingering desires for a sequel.

Cover C-

You can find more information about the tour and the next stops at the author's website.

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1. Your novel features two cats that held my undivided attention from the start. Can you tell me a little more about your cats and if they were your inspiration of Theodore and Templeton?

I’ve received so many compliments about my cat characters, and I’m thrilled because they are two of my favorite characters in the book too. Both cats are based on my own cats. Templeton is based on a black cat that I had growing up, and Theodore is based on a Maine Coon cat I’ve had since I was fifteen. He’s now fifteen-years-old himself, and in his prime, he tipped the scale at twenty-seven pounds. He now weighs eighteen due to old age and a strict diet. Unlike Templeton and Theodore, my two cats grew up together and rarely fought. However when they did it was usually an all out war as I described in the novel.

2. Are you an avid fan of crime solving dramas? What is your favorite? I'm partial to NCIS.

Right now, my favorite crime solving show is Castle on ABC. It’s about a mystery writer who helps the police solve crimes. The characters are quirky, and I love the banter between the main characters. During the opening credits, the main character does a voiceover that says, “There are two kinds of folks who sit around thinking about how to kill people: psychopaths and mystery writers.” Every time I hear that I chuckle because it’s true.

3. Do you see a little of yourself in India Hayes? After reading your biography I realize that you both are academic librarians for a small college.

It’s true India and I share the same occupation, and I do see some of myself in her. For one, we both share a heartfelt affection for flip-flops. As far as her occupation goes, many things that happen to her in the library have happened to me. We differ the most in our personalities. India’s phlegmatic and takes all of the craziness that happens around her in stride. I wouldn’t be that calm about it. I certainly would never try to solve a real murder. I’d happily let the police do that.

4. Where is your favorite destination to travel?

This is a tough question because I’ve been to so many wonderful places all over the U.S. and the world. If I had to pick, I’d say America’s National Parks. I have a National Park passport that I get stamped at every park I visit. I have friends who can attest to the crazy lengths I will go for a National Park stamp. I started visiting the parks because I read Nevada Barr’s mysteries. Her protagonist is a park ranger. Because I enjoyed her books so much, I wanted to see the places she described so beautifully. I’ve been to many of the big parks, such as the Grand Canyon, Glacier, and Arches, but I’ve also visited many of the lesser known ones. This summer, I visited Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. I loved it and am ready to go back.

5. And a little something odd to keep you on your toes ;) If you were to find yourself killed, would you rather come back as a: ghost; vampire; zombie; werewolf?

A ghost? Naw—too spooky.
A vampire? Nope—too toothy.
A zombie? Pass—too creepy.
A werewolf? No, thanks—too furry.

Thank you for the interview, Yan!

Damaged

Damaged by Pamela Callow

Source: Media Muscle

Grade: 3 stars out of 5

Kate Lange is hired by a law firm and handed a custody case when it’s discovered that the young girl is dead. Now Kate is out to solve this crime that may lead her to more than just the killer.

Pamela Callow’s debut novel is a memorizing, suspenseful novel of crime, mystery, and thrills. For fans who want just a sprinkle of romance, not too much now, and mostly focused on the plot this is a novel for you. Callow does wonders with her characters, embracing their different traits and personalities without having them all become one giant blob. The novel, itself, is an eye opener in terms of medicine and science that gives a definite depth to the novel.

I felt that the main character, Kate, had a strong purpose and had layers of emotional baggage that made Damaged even more interesting. But there were times when I just wanted to scream at her. Then there were times when I thought some parts were too melodramatic and done before.

All in all Damaged is a good debut novel with the sequel, Indefensible, potentially on my to-read list.

Cover C+

Damaged is a mass market paperback: Amazon / IndieBound / Book Depository

Ripley's Believe It or Not: Enter If You Dare

Ripley's Believe It Or Not: Enter If You Dare

Source: Public Relations Firm (William Wellons Communication)

Grade: 4 stars out of 5

Last year I had the great pleasure of reviewing Ripley's Believe It or Not: Seeing Is Believing! which was loads of fun and this time I can do it all over again! In this installment there are 12 chapters: Strange But True, Weird World, Extreme Sports, Body Oddity, Travel Tales, Incredible Feats, Bizarre Mysterious, Fantastic Food, Artistic License, Amazing Science, and Beyond Belief. It gives you a general outlook to the book with two-headed, 6 legged animals, 12 fingered hands,Giant Gummi Bears (1,400 times bigger than the average bear), and so forth. There are also fold out pages one of which features sixteen-year-old Jyoti Amge from India. She is 23.5 inches (60 cm) tall so the fold out pages is her actual height!

Some highlights that I found particularly interesting:

"Leandro Granto...paints pieces of art using only his eye as a paintbrush. First, he puts the paint into his nose, next he forces the paint up through his eye and finally squirts it into a canvas."

"the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals started a fat-fighting club for animals with weight problems, and Socrates the cat was one of the nine chosen animals. The fat cat...loves to eat cheese-and-onion potato chips and weighs a massive 22lb (10kg). This is more than double his ideal weight and makes him "morbidly obese".

Albino turtle! (It reminds me of a chicken....)

There were also some "Believe It or Not!" that were not so awe-shocking, but those were far and few. Overall Enter If You Dare is another excellent installment to this series that I think would be perfect and entertaining for any age!

Ripley's Believe It or Not! Enter If You Dare! releases on the 10th of August.

The Double Blog Dare Tour

Alison Dare, Little Miss Adventures and Alison Dare, The Heart of the Maiden by J.Torres and Jason Bone

Source: Tundra Books for blog tour

Grade: 3.5 stars out of 5

The Adventures of Alison Dare follows an unstoppable (a.k.a stubborn) girl named Alison Dare. She's always curious, and whenever bored, creates a new adventure for she and her friends, whether they want to or not. However, sometimes curiosity kills the cat (or is that how the saying goes?) and Alison gets in more trouble than she bargained for. Though with a renowned archaeologist mother, a superhero father, and an international superspy uncle, she should be used to it.

There are actually a couple stories in one graphic novel. Sometimes it halts one story to begin another one then goes back to the original first story to build suspense (it works). The story lines are simple and easy to follow even for a first time reader of Alison Dare such as myself. The same applies to the artwork--simple but gets the job done.

I think out of all the adventures I read, the most favorite one has to be where the nuns of the school (I think Alison attends an all girls Catholic school?) battle a group of ninjas. It has me laughing from the bizarre scenario.

Alison Dare is a quick, fun, and easy read for all ages and for both genders.

Alison Dare battles the fire-breathing glow-in-the-dark dragon!

Alison Dare as she heroically leaps over spikes!

Alison Dare as she triumphantly defeats the Evil Old Lady Who Lives In A Shoe!

Alison Dare as she fights against a new evil-doer--herself! EVIL CLONES!

(Yes I know, she's quite busy isn't she ;P)

Find more Alison Dare at the other tour stops!

The Summer of Skinny Dipping

The Summer of Skinny Dipping by Amanda Howells

Source: ARC from Sourcebooks Fire

Grade: 3.8 stars out of 5

Similar to: Twenty Boy Summer

Mia has always loved the summers spent with her cousin at the beach of their summer house in the Hamptons. But this summer everything changes when her cousin has transformed into this different person. She and her sister has gotten closer, she now drinks and does drugs, and calling her mother a hypocrite. Mia finds solace in the ocean; the one thing that Mia can count on to remain the same. But during of her nightly escapes to the ocean she runs into Simon, the boy who’s family is renting a house for the summer (something that’s frowned up in her cousin’s circle of friends). Now Mia lives in two worlds: daylight and nighttime. The two worlds finally collide in an explosion of emotional highs, but deadly lows.

The Summer of Skinny Dipping takes a while to get comfortable in mostly because Simon does not appear until later in the novel. While sweet romance is the most prominent in the book, it also deals with grief, finding oneself, and even abuse. It is both a heartwarming yet heartbreaking read that will leave most readers pleased.

However I found myself not liking many of the characters in The Summer of Skinny Dipping. I guess for me it’s because I know certain like that—people who pretend to be someone they aren’t, trying to help but just making things worse, and the liars—and have been on the blunt end of the force. So why they might have motive behind each action and a reasonable excuse, it doesn’t make them likable.

Overall: The Summer of Skinny Dipping stops short from reaching that level of excellence I was hoping.

Cover B

Shadow Bound

Shadow Bound by Erin Kellison

Source: ARC from Dorchester Publishing

Grade: 1.8 stars out of 5

Age Group: 18+

Oh books that I decide to take a blind shot at because of blurbs—never again. Erin Kellison’s Shadow Bound is what one might call intense, captivating, and exciting if you skim…a giant chunk of the novel. While the idea of Death (Shadowman, the Reeper, whatever you want to call him because he has a bajillion nicknames) fathering a child is…unique, it holds no substance or any strength of credibleness. What sets the tone of the novel was the prologue, this WTF mess.

A short recap of the prologue/synopsis of story: Death falls in love with a woman named Kathleen who has been sick, deadly sick, in and out. On a visit, Death appears before Kathleen and they said ‘to the heck with it’ and did “it”. Death has no real shape, but Kathleen envisions him as a man—strong and well formed if you catch my drift. (This is the part where I ask how does she know the image of a male anatomy because she is the one that creates Death’s appearance.) But by committing this action, Death inversely “parted the veils between life and death” and “Chaos escaped and took root in the mortal world” (Kellison, 314, ARC). Kathleen dies shortly after the birth of their child, Talia—half human and half-whatever you want to call it—oh! Kellison calls her part fae (whatever that means) so she’s able to hide herself in the darkness kind of like a curtain.

We’re now in the present and there are a bunch of supernatural, dead, vampire-like creeps who suck people’s souls (the last part totally reminds me of Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds [sorry, was deathly bored that weekend morning]). Segue, a group trying to tame this group and pretty much finding a way to destroy them because bullets or fire doesn’t work, is run and created by Adam whose own brother has turned into one of those soul-sucking evil bastards.

Really the entire thing does not sound bad at all. It’s just the execution of the book that had me a little displeased. Fine, a LOT displeased. I found the novel to be dragged, beaten, and locked in an old cellar to be fermented. It seemed as though the novel went ‘round in circles going nowhere until finally a swarm of people (bacteria) pops up and speeds things along. Way too fast in comparison to the little development that occurred in the beginning half of the novel. Somewhere in that time Adam and Talia falls in love though I would just like to call it lust. I read in another review that that relationship was the strongest part in the novel—well not for me it wasn’t. My favorite part was when they broke out the guns.

There’s a lot of dying, killing, running around. There are a lot of sexual tensions. There’s a lot of money being spent and I’m wondering how much money Adam has because he’s funding Segue on this own with full-time employees and scientists! Then there’s a whole lot of WTF, huh, and oh-kayyyyyy’s.

P.S. Shadow Bound book is awfully tiny. It has the thickness of my pinky finger nail or a water bottle cap.

First Drop of Crimson

First Drop of Crimson by Jeaniene Frost

Source: Personal Bookshelf

Grade: 1.8 stars out of 5

First Drop of Crimson picks up immediately where Destined for an Early Grave ends. What readers have come to know about Frost’s novel—action packed, tension ridden romance, and a bad-ass villain—is what you’ll find here…just somehow more extreme yet unfulfilling.

Denise has just recently become a widow but she doesn’t get much time to grieve. Instead she’s playing a high stake game of cat and mouse for her life and for love. Spade has always been interested in Denise, but never tried to get anywhere with her incase it might anger his best friend’s wife who is best friends with Denise. Now these two are thrown in together for better or for worst.

Denise does not make a strong heroine that we first saw in Cat. She’s the typical heroine in the past: whiny, distraught, annoying, and darn I say, stupid? I’m talking about in a classic horror movie where the audience screams RUN and the girl either just stands there or traps herself stupid.

And then there’s Spade whom I really have nothing against. On his own he’s quite tolerable but throw in Denise into the pot and I’m gagging with the sickly sweet, forcible cheesy scenes that will put any Fabio cover to shame.

The actual plotline and execution may be dandy (though it appears not from some reviews), but I honestly cannot recall most of it because I am traumatize by the relationship of Denise and Spade. Really, this paranormal romance is generic that I am getting concerned with this series: Will it continue to only go downhill?

The “sequel” to the novel will follow Mencheres, Bones’s and Spade’s sire. And I am pretty confident that I will not read that addition to the series. The age of Mencheres is gasp-worthy. Edward from Twilight is pushing it, but no no no—Mencheres is just crossing that line for me.

Moon Called (Rant)

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

Source: Personal Bookshelf

Grade: 2.5 stars out of 5

I have noticed when I rant I tend to let things slip...so SPOILERS (perhaps) you guys!

“Mercy Thompson's life is not exactly normal. Her next-door neighbor is a werewolf. Her former boss is a gremlin. And she's fixing a VW bus for a vampire. But then, Mercy isn't exactly normal herself.”—Amazon

I’m going to add a bit to that. Mercy’s full name is Mercedes and she fixes Volkswagens—haha…ha? I personally did not think that was funny, but I think it was supposed to be. Then again I never did understand car humor. Her next-door neighbor is Adam; he’s the alpha where she lives. But one day there’s an attack, Adam’s daughter gets kidnapped, and he gets shot (almost killed). Mercy takes Adam up north and runs into an ex-lover from her younger years. Oh and her ex-lover is the son of another alpha. Blah drone blah blah blah drone. Facing the facts Moon Called was so boring. So freaking boring that I stopped reading. 5 times. I am a sucker for punishment because I kept coming back though.

So Mercy and the gang are trying to figure out who kidnapped Jessie, Adam’s daughter, and why. Every so often Adam and the ex-lover are puffing their chests out because Mercy is theirs. I don’t know why (seriously why!?), but everyone freaking loves her. I believe in one line Adam said he likes her because of her spunky attitude…oh-kay. And there’s the blah blah blah drone drone bore bore bored part again.

Then oh freaking gosh. The last third of the novel picks up to a pace where I’m not half-asleep and in actuality excited about! And oohh mystery and reasoning! I like it when authors provide concrete, believable reasons for why a situation occurs. The novel ends strongly with enough presence that I decided to pick up the second in the series. Despite my long rant of why I disliked the majority of the novel I am going to read the second.

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Twilight: the Graphic Novel

Twilight: the Graphic Novel by Stephanie Meter; Illustrated by Young Kim

Source: Personal Bookshelf

In this graphic novel adaption of New York Times bestselling novel, Twilight, Young Kim illustrates the meeting of Edward Cullen and Bella Swam. And by now YA book readers have probably know something about this series from movies or just friends so there is no point behind writing summaries. However, if you have not yet read the series (or watched the movie) and only know the general gist do not start with the graphic novel. There are scenes that will not make any sense because some of the inner monologue is missing. Even then the tension, anguish and self-doubt will not be as prominent as it was in the book (and for some that might be a positive aspect). I do feel that the graphic novel will get more people interested in Twilight since I already managed to get about two people to read the graphic novel. (Though when they finished I asked if they would like to continue the [graphic] novel to which they replied ‘no’.) The Twilight: the Graphic Novel is something you might read to pass the time that does not add much to the series.

While visually pretty, the artist Kim seems to favor stoic features on faces. There is nothing dynamic that compels the reader to stay interested. I wanted Kim to ‘ugly’ the faces up with more emotions—exaggerate the face—that does not seem to say ‘look I’m so pretty; I’m pretty from this and that angle’ and not seem so monotone (without relying so much on the thick effect lines). I would like to mention that I love the color pages. Amazon has a example of this with the scene where Edward sparkles (several of my friends laughed when they saw that picture).

For the price of the graphic novel—a whopping twenty dollars—and the chapters covered, around 14 chapters based off the original novel which is about halfway through the book, I feel like it is not worth it. The graphic novel reads and looks more like an American comic than a manwha* and the fact that it is first published as a hardback instead of a typical paperback shocks me. It is not a very thick comic and can easily be read under an hour. If you are a huge die-hard Twilight fan I would say go for it because it is a stunning piece of artwork, but if you are just curious about it, it’s not worth buying (at least until the paperback version releases).

*A Korean comic/“manga”

Read, Remember, and Recommend

Read, Remember, and Recommend: A Reading Journal for Book Lovers by Rachelle Rogers Knight

Source: Publishers (because my blog is under the resource section yay! and for tour)

Read, Remember, and Recommend is a personal book journal; a log of what you've read, some books you might want to read, and resources to visit to find new reads!

Aside from the tabs, there is a table of contents page, which outlines the entire journal for you. Rachelle Knight makes it a priority to organize the journal for an easier time yet still adding vibrancy with bright colored dividers.

What I love most about this journal is its table of awarded books. It lists the title, the age recommendation, and whether you own it, was recommended to you, if it's a to-read books or you want it. This is great for parents because you know exactly what your children is allowed to read or should not read. Parents can keep a log for their child's progress and gives the children a sense of accomplishment to say 'wow I really read that many books'. Keeping them motivated is essential. It can, however, backfire because there is a great deal of titles, awards, table after table after table. And while this may be a preference because I can't imagine the cost would be behind this, but I would have liked to see various colors in the key map regarding age groups: juvenile nonfiction=gray; juvenile fiction=darker gray; fiction=even darker gray; nonfiction=black.

The next sections are the "Journal Pages" where you list the books you've read, some words that you didn't know and should define later, thoughts when you read the book and so forth. I read more books than the typical person would so the space given for the books you've read is small. The table spans for about 4 pages; in an estimation that would be about a year's worth of titles, maybe less, for me.

Rachelle Knight has a creative mind I tell you that! I think I laughed out loud when I saw the "Loaner List" section. I've been lending out books more frequently than rather and often times to more than one person. So this section is extremely helpful to me because my brain needs all the memory cell it has.

But again I would just like to reiterate that this journal is perfect for new and younger readers (despite slightly going against what the title of the journal states). The last few pages, before the index, are literary terms. It mentions various types of characterization , denouncement, plot devices, metaphors, types of point of views, irony! and so much more.

Parents should really consider this journal for their children. It's helpful, informative, and safe (look no paper cuts yet! ;P). Bibliophiles might find themselves running out of space and should consider buying new journals yearly (but I wonder if there'll be replacement pacts...). Just don't try to mail these journals in the mail.... My spine is not functioning as it should be (since I know how it should look, but it doesn't want to stay in that position) and I'm finding things that stick out being heavily creased.

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P.S. Have you entered the giveaway to win your own copy of this journal? If you haven't be sure to! Just follow the link and type in your email address--it's that simple.

Unpredictable

Unpredictable by Eileen Cook

Source: Personal Bookshelf

Sophie just got dumped by her boyfriend, which she totally didn’t see coming! Despite her best friend’s advice (and mine too! because he is ick), Sophie wants him back…badly (so badly that she wears one of his socks as a headband). So during one of her stakeouts (aka stalking sessions where she stole said sock) she finds her hiding underneath a sink in a laundry room in his apartment complex. Because coincidently her ex decided to come down and collect his load and starts to flirt with this tall, blond, and gorgeous girl (who doesn’t seem to lack in the chest area). It turns out that the new love rival seeks out psychics to predict her life. With this knowledge in mind what does Sophie do? She fakes being a psychic to potentially take back her ex. But wait, Sophie somehow manages to attract a radio show host and is now being featured on a talk show in Canada as a psychic!? Oh snap. Not to despair, Sophie manages to faint in her engagement party (but to whom is the question), dream a little dream, and knows just what to do with her future.

Sophie is this lost puppy type of person; you want to direct her and pet her, but she’ll only bite and growl at you. She’s larger than life and takes the extreme of situations. Her naivety, lack of consideration, and take-no-prisoner attitudes at times counteracts the hilarity of the novel. The reader may perhaps find themselves liking her then having the desire to shake her in the very next chapter. In my opinion, the annoyance I held on her outweighed my pity for Sophie making her an unlikable heroine towards the second half of the novel.

Nick is average height (for a female), has a moderate Scottish accent, and is a disbeliever of psychics that teaches Sophie all she knows about the facts to become a psychic. Did I mention that he’s also pining for Sophie’s love? Because he is. He’s the kitten in this novel. Sweet, innocent, and seems to be lingering somewhere behind.

So what happens when you mix Nick and Sophie together? A balance of sensibility and wildness; yin and yang; comfort and fun. That’s not to say that they end of together in the end because maybe, just maybe, Sophie ends up back with her ex. Or I can just be messing with your minds. Seriously I should have left enough cliffhangers in this review to make you curious at one point.

Unpredictable presents a small irony: The title. Unpredictable was very much predictable. However, this is a madhouse roller coaster ride and you are definitely going to watch something fall apart. This is a laugh-out-loud, I’m-so-happy-that-my-life-isn’t-like-that-sad haha, novel. But, just get those muscles in your hand clenching though because I was surely frustrated with this novel at times.

A chick-lit novel to the tittle of the i.

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I like to run my fingers down this cover. It's those bumps and shapes! Her legs are oddly positioned though, but goes on for miles.