Ugh...
Mare is a Red in a world where Reds and Silvers have been waging war for over a hundred years. They are separated by the color of their blood. But there is a problem, Mare has the unique ability among her fellow Reds. And when the Silvers find out about it they decide to keep it a secret by making her their new princess. All seems okay at first, but things turned sinister very fast. Love, betrayal, death... how much can Mare stand before she cracks under pressure? I don't read books like this and this is why: the main characters are usually naive and annoying like nails on a chalkboard. They make you want to just jump in the book and slap some sense into them. The storylines are completely cliche and I feel like I have read them a hundred times before. And the plot twists are completely predictable and not surprising to me at all. I got a headache from rolling my eyes so much at this book. To me this book has about as much substances a stick of chewing gum. I understand that this book is very popular right now and if you are into young adult fantasy novels chances are you will probably like this one, many people do. But honestly it is just not for me in any way. I feel like I need something darker or deeper or something with more passion in it. This, to me, was like chewing a dry piece of toast. Just not my cup of tea. I would recommend this book to you if you like young adult and/or fantasy novels simply because of this book's popularity and not because of my opinion.
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A good read!
People are disappearing one by one at the fairgrounds. Zoe and her friends and family are in danger. Who is doing this to them? Why? Zoe feels like she is always being watched... and maybe she is! Can Zoe make peace with her telepathic nature and stop the kidnapper before more of her loved ones turn up missing? Another good one from Roxanne Walker. This is a gripping young adult novel meets mystery thriller. Again this one picks up right from the beginning and keeps you going till the end. This book gives you a couple different perspectives from different characters which is great for the reader to anticipate the villain's next move. Only not too much of course. you also get to read text messages back and forth from the characters which really gives the book a present day edge. As with the other book I enjoyed this book immensely. It was easy to read and follow. The character's stories were developed in a great way. The main character is definitely relatable. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone who likes a good coming-of-age/young adult meets mystery/thrillers. Great storytelling!
Kai's dream of becoming a Smithsonian intern for the summer has come true. She is off to Washington DC! but something is plaguing her other than the mysterious death of her parents years ago. Strange dreams, mythical creatures roaming the basement and missing artifacts start to add up quickly pointing at something sinister. Can Kai did herself out of this seemingly never-ending hole? You will find amazing writing in this book. This story is written as a coming-of-age novel with spins on real life current events. The two are masterfully interweaved with each other to create a very realistic tale. What an incredible story. The characters are believable and relatable, the writing is easy to follow and the plot twists are written with perfect timing to keep the reader on their toes and engaged in the story. I definitely enjoyed this book and would recommend it to pretty much everyone. Especially if you like mysteries and thrillers meets coming of age novels. Two thumbs up!
A grisly murder on Salisbury Hill at the legendary Stonehenge and the world famous detective Sherlock Holmes is on the case. Aided by his trusty associate Dr. Watson, Holmes is plunged into a world of Celtic lore. When more people start showing up dead in ritualized fashion with blood symbols painted on their bodies Holmes find some self in a race against time to stop the killer from striking again. This was a great adventure. The beginning picks you right up where the story begins to rise and doesn't stop until the end. I love that the Ogham symbols were included in the book as they would have been very difficult to describe. It gives the reader more of a feel for the story at hand. Okay there is one flaw that I found in the book that I have to point out just for myself... In the book that uses the words Gael and Gaul interchangeably as if they were synonymous when in fact they are two separate peoples in history. But of course I'm nitpicking here and the Casual reader looking for a good story would definitely not pick that up unless they were a history not like I am. I understand that this is just a fantasy story but I am anal and that is like nails on a chalkboard for me LOL. I enjoyed the story at great lengths. I think besides the minor flaw that I pointed out the author really did his homework on the subject. It must have taken him a long while to gather all the information he needed in order to write this book and I greatly respect that. The Sherlock Holmes character and the Doctor Watson character are both very believable and true to the characters that we've come to know and enjoy. I believe Arthur Conan Doyle would have been very impressed with this work. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good murder mystery or the great Sherlock Holmes adventure series. Deeply depressing.
Esther Greenwood is talented and successful. She has decent looks and is in New York on a big fat scholarship. She has her whole life ahead of her. But things go downhill very quickly for Esther. Things get so bad to the point that her doctor recommends shock therapy which traumatizes the poor girl and since her spiraling even further downhill. During her steady decline she tries to commit suicide and is consequently thrown into a mental institution. And that's when things get really serious... or crazy rather🤔 This book dives into the deepest pits of our psyche. It chronicles the dark descent into psychosis. And as the main character is also the narrator we get an inside look at what's going on inside her head. It is almost maddening in itself to read the pages of this book. And it is heartbreaking to watch such a strong successful woman go down so quickly in flames. Very reminiscent of Girl, Interrupted... Or should I say Girl, Interrupted is very reminiscent of The Bell Jar since the latter was written first? The Bell Jar definitely takes place in a decade way before Girl, Interrupted did. However they ended in very much the same way. I devoured this book in one sitting but then again it's not a very large book. This was my first Sylvia Plath book and I have to say I'm glad I gave it a chance. It seems to me that people who have read this book either love it or hate it. To be honest I kind of feel indifferent about it. I didn't adore the book but I didn't loathe it either. Perhaps this is one of those classics that everybody should read once because it acts as a time capsule as well as a look into mental illness and psychosis, both of which it is written beautifully for. With that in mind I would definitely recommend reading this book at least once to take a look into are human past and what may be even more scary, I look into our own human minds. Interesting.
What would you do if you learned you only had 24 hours to live? Would you visit friends and family? Would you gain as much knowledge as you possibly could? Or would you do something dangerous? Maybe like upsetting the balance between Good and Evil... RG Granville is visited by a strange individual known as Morrow who tells him his life is about to end. Evil jumpers between the worlds are vengeance driven and after his earthly soul. Evil is unleashed and RG is now in a race against time to save his family and maybe even himself. The book was very well written. The story, other parts of it we're not new ideas, was very unique. The characters are believable and relatable. All in all it was very good book. I did enjoy this book but I have to admit the beginning is a little slow. It's difficult to jump right in and run with but it ends up picking up steam rather quickly. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys dark sci-fi & paranormal reads. Better than some of the others.
Quinn Blackwood is a newly made fledgling vampire. He is trying to learn the ropes and rules of the covens. But he also has a terrible demon on his back... literally! He seeks out the Vampire Lestat for help to rid himself of this otherworldly presence that has been with him since childhood and has no become more powerful and menacing. Lestat calls in the help of a powerful witch in vampire named Merrick. Can their combined powers help Quinn to finally be free? Vampires and witches combine in this tale. Very well written (as usual). The tale of The Vampire Quinn Blackwood is both captivating and horrifying. I enjoyed this book very much but as with a few of her previous books the majority of the book is Quinn telling Lestat his story from beginning to end. I think it was literally the last three chapters that were the ending to the story at hand instead of backstory material. As with all of her books the backstory is extremely detailed and full of information that you can either take or leave. The roller coaster ups and downs are masterfully written but that is normal for an Anne Rice book. this is definitely a come back from her last couple of books in the chronicles series however, which was a nice relief for me. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes vampires, paranormal, witches, dark fantasy, or someone who is simply finishing the chronicle series. This is one of the better ones for sure. Adorable story!
Kate and her mother Cara are new in town in moving after her father's death. She immediately be friends a young boy named Gabe. The circumstances in which they met or a bit hazy. Nevertheless they become lifelong friends. Having grown up together they eventually become adults and fall in love which pleases everyone around them. But there's just one problem... Gabe is hiding a very big family secret. One that could definitely rock the waves in the ocean of Kate's life. This book was great but I did find a few issues with it. Let me address those real quick: The beginning of the book is very difficult to follow and develop a straight timeline. I think when they first arrived Kate was 5 years old. As she grew older we revisit the story when she turned 17. But I could be wrong. But you do not actually learn that Kate is indeed 17 years old until chapter 6. Before then it seems like a little bit of a guessing game. Perhaps a little fine-tuning on the beginning of this book would help the reader to understand a lot better. There are characters that seem to pop up out of nowhere at times and have not been introduced or developed or don't get those two until later in the book. It would be great if when the characters are being introduced that we get a little backstory on who they are and how they relate to the main characters we already know. I have found a few grammatical and punctuation errors in the book as well. Re-editing this book would definitely be a good idea. All these points aside, the story was absolutely adorable. I really enjoyed reading this coming of age fantasy novel. The ups and downs in the story are written almost perfectly. The characters are believable, even being set in fantasy, and very relatable. Great praise to Errin Stevens for weaving such an intriguing web that pulls you right in for a nice little swim with a siren. After errors the are fixed, I would definitely recommend this book to everyone. Amazing!
Frozen in carbonite and imprisoned in Jabba the Hutt's palace Han Solo awaits his rescue by Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Lando Calrissian. But the battle has just begun as the empire has gathered together their largest fleet to decimate the Rebel Alliance once and for all. And even worse, the Death Star is rebuilt and operational! Can Luke Skywalker and his friends stop the evil empire before they claim the galaxy has their own? Perfectly written just like the other two books. Again true to the movie so much that it is like reading a screenplay. The lines that they say the characters that they play and everything surrounding was just like in the film. Though this book was not written by George Lucas it was written off of his original screenplay and story. Hence the reason why they're probably so much alike. I am very sad to report however that this is the only book out of the three which starts with a page that says those immortal words: "A long time ago in a galaxy far far away..." Very sad. But I guess when these books were first published (mine are first editions) Star Wars hadn't really become as big of a franchise as it is today and those words weren't really a big deal until the third movie was released. So it all makes sense and I will forgive them. As the third and final installment in the Holy Trilogy this is definitely something that every Star Wars fan needs to complete their Star Wars library. True to the film.
After there triumphant battle with the empire, the rebels have established an outpost on the freezing planet of Hoth. But of course they cannot escape Lord Vader for long. When he finds the base he pursues with full force and the rebels are forced to flee to the four corners of the galaxy. The epic pursuit leads Han and Leia to the planet of Coruscant where they team up with an old friend of Han's named Lando Calrissian. Good and bad happen in this epic tale. But I'm sure you already knew that 😉 Another great book. Written almost in the form of a screenplay this book is true to the film in nearly every aspect. Even the lines that they say are spot-on. I do believe however that the book came first. With that in mind I would be comparing the movie to the book instead of the book to the movie however it is difficult for me to do so with a movie that I know by heart and have grown up with since I was a child. This book was very well written very easy to follow and sums up the film very nicely with just enough detail that you can still see the scenes that George Lucas has painted for us. As the second installment of the Holy Trilogy this is definitely a must for Star Wars fans. |
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