Firelight

By Sophie Jordan

Goodreads Reviews

How refreshing! It was nice to read a book with new "creature" ideas and also not have to be bogged down by any nasty language. I'm thinking a lot of the new YA books aren't so young adult, and since I don't even consider myself a young adult, does that mean I'm an adult so I can read that kind of garbage?? Anyway, I regress :), Firelight was good...but for some reason, and this is weird for me, I don't really feel like I NEED to read the next in the series right away. I'm good with waiting until it comes out. I might even need to be reminded when it does come out.

About the story, I enjoyed the concept of the draki, a descendant of a dragon that can adopt the human form. The book is a fast read, just a few hours, so definitely something for a lazy afternoon. I don't feel like I got into the story as much as I could have. The main character, Jacinda, lacks any real character quirks or something about her that makes her endearing to the reader. I want to feel for her, but honestly, she's kinda boring! Maybe the next books will be more revealing for her character. I recommend this book if you're looking for something fun and light. 3 stars. It could have been so much better if the characters had more umph to them. Something was missing. The writing just didn't pull me in like I wanted it to.

Storm Glass

By Maria V. Snyder

Goodreads Reviews

This series is a continuance of the Poison Study series. I enjoyed it, but because it wasn't a new idea, it wasn't as much fun as when I first started Poison Study. If you enjoy Maria Snyder, then this book won't disappoint, but I recommend taking a break between the two series'. 4 stars.

Knight's Ardor

By Teresa Swift

Goodreads Reviews

Coolest moment ever! I was the first person to rate this book on goodreads. I feel so important. I found this book on the library's "new books" shelf and grabbed it because medieval books are some of my favorite. If anyone knows a good one, feel free to leave a comment. PLEASE!

What I liked about this book: it was medieval....it was a love story.

What I thought could use some work: The plot was so simple it was almost silly. There wasn't really even an antagonist. Weird! I guess if you can count some people creating small amounts of havoc??? The last book I reviewed, I talked about the author creating problems so that she could hit her conflict quota, but this one does't really have any!

I did enjoy the love story though. It somehow gave off Pride and Prejudice vibes...but should not be compared in the least way! Very predictable, but I seriously read the book in 3 hours! I love pre-school/baby-nap-time!

This book is getting 3 stars.

The Eternal Ones

By Kirsten Miller

Goodreads Reviews

I read a blog that compared this book to fallen angel books. Yeah...not so much. It's about reincarnation. How does that relate? Anyway, It was a totally fun read. I felt like her idea for the plot was completely original (at least I haven't read any reincarnation books lately.) Problem: it's one of those books that makes you so ticked off at the main character for making such obvious bad decisions. For that one reason, I didn't like it as much as I could have. I hate it when authors make their characters stupid in order to create conflict. BUGS ME! Definately darker themed though which dragged me down a little. It had some "swears" in it, but not half as bad as the book I was just reading, Glass Houses. I don't think I'll even review that book, but if you're curious, look it up on Goodreads.com.

If you're looking for a good paranormal romance, I don't think it gets much more paranormal. This book is going to get 5 stars for originality, 3 for predictability and using Haven's stupidity and stubbornness to create problems. Averaged out = 4 Star

Dusty Britches

By Marcia Lynn McClure

Goodreads Reviews

Do I even admit that I read this? I feel dumb. But...did I read it in less than one day....yes, I did. I am dumb. Anywayyy, this author pretty much just writes romantic fluff. But, man, she's good at it. It's just a love story on a ranch, but I wanted to see the people get together SOOOOO badly! I can't compare this with other novels. This kind of literature just isn't my thing, but all of my books I'm waiting for are still on hold at the library. I was desperate and remembered a friend from college telling me about this author. Whatever. It was a fun read. If you're looking for a sappy love story without a lot of twists and turns and crazy creativity, this will be just fine.

4 stars. It can't be compared to a 4 star book of another genre, but for the sappy love story kind, 4 stars it is.

The Seer and the Sword

By Victoria Hanley

Goodreads Reviews

Okay....so... I don't really know what to say. Some of the books that I read, I read because I'm running out of books. If I read 3-4 books a week, other people's recommendations start running out. I found this book on a librarian's list. I'm glad I did. It was fun to pass the time with, and I enjoyed getting to slow down and enjoy some good story telling.

Princess Torina's father gives her a slave, Landen, the former prince of a neighboring country. She set's him free immediately, and then.....they grow up.....ahh! I can't say anything without giving things away. (Great review, right?!)

I hate reviewing books like this. It's fantasy if that helps. If you need a book to read and are tired of the usual YA FIC books that people are reading (i.e. paranormal romance), this book won't be disappointing. I won't be recommending it when people say, "What's your favorite book?", but really, it's good.

Should I give my books stars? Maybe?? Okay. This gets a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Matched

By Ally Condie

Goodreads Reviews

Funny thing. This book makes a lot of people argue. If you want to know where this book comes from, it's pretty much The Giver made into a much more casual read. I actually really liked it. I don't know how much I can really say about it without giving a lot away. Reading it on your own without knowing what's coming is much more fun. It's about a girl in a society where everything around her is completely controlled, but the people do have some semblance of freedom. I think if you are looking for a fast and enjoyable read that has what I thought was a great love story, here you go!

The Undaunted

By Gerald Lund

Goodreads Review

I enjoyed this book a lot....at the end. It was a good 300 pages before the story really got going. If you're looking for a quick read, this is not the book. 1/2 of this book contains little side notes about the history around the story. It was very interesting history, but it didn't really make for a speedy page turner. I felt myself wishing I could read more about the story when I finished though because it was such an involved story. I recommend it based on the fact that I learned so much and the story really was a good one, although it was a little slow...but not too slow. You can handle it!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

By Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Goodreads Reviews


This book was refreshingly different. The first 50 pages or so were a little slow. The book is a compilation of letters that tell a story. Reading a ton of letters one after the other kinda slowed my interest down a bit, but eventually the story became so interesting that I was looking forward to the next letter. It's amazing how the author captured their personalities so well through only letters. It was interesting historically as well! (World War II) Where could you go wrong with this book. I hope everyone gets a chance to read this book. I'm glad I didn't put it off any longer. I would've missed out!

The Handmaid's Tale

By Margaret Atwood

Goodreads Reviews


If ever a book has been labeled as "disturbing," this book takes the cake. All I can say about this book is, Ewwww!, Ugh!, Wrong!, and why would someone write about this?! I got to the point that I was reading the first sentence in every paragraph only. I do understand how this book became famous because it's turning the idea of femanism completely upside down and showing what life would be like without it, but REALLY! This was a bit much. Just because the book is controversal doesn't make it amazing literature! It's about a handmaid, obviously, kind of like the handmaids in the bible (given to husbands when the wives couldn't conceive). So the book basically trashes the bible, and the idea that men should provide for women all at once. The author is conveying her idea that if you took away femanism, that women would pretty much be considered worthless, childbearing robots who could do nothing unless they were protected by men. She's obviously portraying the need for balance, but I'm thinking she's a bit messed up. Is she married? Her poor husband! Stupid! So Wrong! Do Not Read This Book! I have to hurry and read another "feel good" book just to try to forget about it. Bleh!