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| 1250057086
| 9781250057082
| 1250057086
| 3.96
| 2,863
| May 12, 2015
| May 12, 2015
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it was ok
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My eye twitched after I finished Velvet. I rubbed it, it twitched again. Apparently, my eye didn't know what to make of Velvet any more than I did. Wa
My eye twitched after I finished Velvet. I rubbed it, it twitched again. Apparently, my eye didn't know what to make of Velvet any more than I did. Was it bad or was it good? Did I enjoy it or did I hate it? Is it possible to say yes to all of those questions? Just a heads up that this review is going to be even more convoluted that usual and skip around a lot. I regret nothing. At first glance, Velvet appears to be the same Paranormal Vampire Romance novel we've all read a hundred times. Girl moves into a new town. Girl meets Hot Guy who's never shown interest in any other girls in town. Girl almost dies, but Hot Guy saves her. Blah, blah, blah... romance. So if you are tired of this kind of set up, then prepare to be highly disappointed for the first 40% of the novel. That fact is, if Velvet had been published during the Twilight Era--let's be honest, it totally belongs there--it would have probably been a huge hit. But now, it has a lot working against it. Readers expect more from their PNR and the Twilight-esqe model is, frankly, played out. But moving on to what you actually really care about: was this any good? That is such a complicated question so, I will give an equally complicated response. Velvet is like an Oreo Cookie. It's not the best cookie you can have, but it will satisfy your desire for one. The end pieces are pretty terrible by themselves and the icing in the middle is just way too much high fructose corn syrup in one go. The cookie works okay when it's together, but still kinda leaves this weird aftertaste in your mouth. It's like your body subconsciously knows that you fed it a sub par treat and denied it a chocolate chip cookie. But at the same time, you find yourself reaching for another Oreo and your body is strangely okay with this. And after you've finished the entire pack, you end up craving a real Cookie. [image] The first 40% is an absolute struggle. It features a ridiculous premise (Adrian's demon, vampire father wants to impregnate Caitlin to produce more vampire babies for reasons), awkward dialogue (though some parts are chuckle worthy) and scenes that is sure to make your eyes roll. In fact, most of it is so unreal, that I often wondered what went through the author and editor's head when green lighting this. I really hate to say that because it sounds like an insult, but it was so bad to the point of hilarity, which made me wonder if I was reading actually reading a satire. If that was the case, then bravo to both West and her editor because they nailed it. Oh shit. That's totally what Velvet is, isn't it? West purposefully stuffed every overused cliché into Velvet to both poke fun at PNR and attempt to write a better one at the same time! AHHHH, the world just came full circle! Or maybe I just read it as a satire to actually make it through the book? Also a possibility. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I need to really tell you guys how ridiculous the first half is. Many would say Velvet is just like Twilight. That's true, but not true enough. Others would say Velvet is nothing like Twilight. I guess, in a way, that's true, too. But again, not true enough, in my opinion. Velvet has an explanation for how vampires came into existence and it's as confusing as all getup, but at least the attempt is there. Then the love interest, Adrian, is actually a decent guy. He respects boundaries and goes away when Caitlin tells him to hit the road. So, I'd say Velvet is like Twilight with manners, science and a ridiculous/frustrating/fascinating plot. [image] While I was reading Velvet, I found some parts so unbelievable, that I went to find out what inspired West to write it. What I discovered was something shocking... she was inspired by Twilight! She wanted to write a vampire novel with a slightly different spin and therefore, it is inevitable for this novel to be compared to its inspiration. Just like how we all love to compare Fifty Shades of Grey to Twilight. Oh damn, I just went there. Anyway, in many ways, she did improve on an existing Vampire Novel Template. She excelled where Stephenie Meyer didn't for me. And I can't believe I'm about talk about some things I liked about Twilight. WTF has this world come to? Twilight's beginning, while super slow, allows a good amount of build up for Edward and Bella to meet. I'm not referring to the insta love, because that definitely happened, but they had several interactions woven into Bella's boring life of cooking her dad dinner before things got started. Obviously, it goes downhill from there because the insta love arrives and sets everything on fire. On the other hand, Velvet doesn't have the same setup and it makes it harder for the reader to be thrust into the novel with no real introduction. As soon as the novel starts, suddenly, Caitlin is in trouble and Adrian is there saving her. "I nearly killed you, to keep you alive." HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. It was completely jarring to me because I was still trying to figure out who, what, when, where, why and WTF. And from then on there was a barrage of not-so-carefully constructed scenarios that forced the couple to be in close proximity. At one point the end up in a closet together and then a bed all in the same night. Yup. Adrian literally goes from not caring about any girl at the school to picking Caitlin up for school the next day. "You're here two days and he just offers to drive you home?" But of course, all these "happenings" are not without a purpose. I mentioned before that Adrian saved Caitlin from his demon vampire dad who wants to impregnate her. So it's his job to stay with her at all times to protect her. "What did you mean when you said you were my personal shadow?" As per the usual characterization of a PNR heroine, Caitlin brushes off the impending danger until she finds out what he wants. And if those quotes made you slow blink, feast your eyes on this gem: "He wants to impregnate me? Like, with a baby that kind of impregnate?" Because of course making someone want you, even when they actually don't, isn't rape. It's totally consensual! Like I said, the for the first 40% of Velvet, the struggle is REAL. [image] But then something strange happened when I hit the cream filling. I started to enjoy Velvet. My friends, who had the misfortune of being there when I decided to tell them every painful detail about the beginning, are convinced I suffered from Bookholm Syndrome. They say Velvet took my brain hostage and I started falling for my captive. But I think the real reason is, once West ditched the clichés and let the romance develop, it wasn't half bad. Unlike Twilight, Caitlin and Adrian's romance is very slow burn. For most of the novel, they aren't "together" and don't particularly want to be, but they do have an attraction. And I have to admit, it was nice seeing their banter and watching their obvious feelings growing. West never rushed it and therefore made me appreciate it more. The only thing I have to complain about with this was that the sexual tension got ridiculous. Once Caitlin and Adrian finally admit their feelings for one another, the spend the night as his place, in his bed, clothes off, cuddling. I just don't buy that. Another thing Velvet did right was female friendships. Caitlin's best friend is considerate and kind as well as the other girls in the novel. They hang out outside of Adrian's presence, have sleepovers and talk about topics other than boys or Adrian. Basically, what I'm trying to say here is that Velvet completely passes the and that's something I never expected. Even some of my favorite YA novels fail at this. All good things came to a swift end when the final conflict caught up with the plot. Unfortunately, I was let down. I went through the entire novel waiting to find out more information about why Adrian's dad sought out Caitlin in particular only to discover nothing. I was given virtually no new development! It just ends on the same note it began, but with more romance. It was so frustrating! It feels like it was a cheap attempt to get me to read the second book and goddamn it, I think it worked because yes I'll fucking read the sequel and I'm not happy about it. UGH! Where's a real cookie when you need it?! [image] I don't know if I'd seriously recommend Velvet to anyone. Well, that's a lie. I kinda do want some of my friends to read it because I'm super curious of what their face would look like while doing so. And now you all know what gift you're getting on Friendship Day. I'm an awesome friend. All jokes aside, I don't really know what to make of Velvet and I suspect its target audience is smaller than it would have been 5 years ago. If you are in the mood for cliché-filled vampire romance, double-stuffed with occasionally overly sweet, witty banter, smashed in between two, over baked, sad excuses for cookies, then this might be a good choice on a rainy day. Just remember, "C" doesn't just stand for Cookie, it stands for Crap, too. BAM! For you visual folks, here's a book talk video on Velvet. (Yes, I drew fangs on my picture. I had one job in photoshop.) ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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May 2015
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May 22, 2015
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Apr 20, 2015
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Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
| 0062235796
| 9780062235794
| 0062235796
| 3.86
| 47,935
| Sep 02, 2014
| Sep 02, 2014
|
liked it
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I think on some level I should probably have disliked this book, but I ended up enjoying it quite a bit. It's a light read and I sped through pretty f
I think on some level I should probably have disliked this book, but I ended up enjoying it quite a bit. It's a light read and I sped through pretty fast and none of the characters irritated me too much. This might have something to do with the fact that books that explore a Reproductive Dystopian world fasciate me. I didn't really love the romance because it is on the "quick" side of things, but somehow that did not seem to bother me much. The plot seemed to more than make up for that, and The Jewel had good pacing and even better anticipation. One thing you might want to consider is that this book does have a terrible cliffhanger. It's the worst. I know I'll end up reading book two just for that alone. I only hope that book two either expounds on the romance or gets rid of it completely. I can't compare this to The Selection because I haven't read it, so if you are looking for me to do that, I'm not the best person to ask. ...more |
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1
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not set
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Aug 30, 2014
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Jun 25, 2014
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Hardcover
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| 0345539788
| 9780345539786
| 0345539788
| 4.27
| 603,589
| Jan 28, 2014
| Jan 28, 2014
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This is the first review I've ever written where I'm leaving a book unrated. I both loved and hated this book equally. There were parts that really fr
This is the first review I've ever written where I'm leaving a book unrated. I both loved and hated this book equally. There were parts that really frustrated me, bored me, excited me, and completely hooked me. I'm not even sure what Red Rising is really classified as. One half of the book feels very Dystopian/sci-fi while the other half reads like an entirely different genre, perhaps High Fantasy. If I were to even attempt to describe what this book is I'd say image Gladiator and Lord of the Flies having an illicit love affair on an acid trip. Their baby would be Red Rising. How do I fit a book like that on a 1-5 star rating scale? Darrow is a Helldriver on Mars, drilling in mines with the belief that one day his people will live on the surface once the planet is ready. He and his people live under strict rules. While Darrow is more than happy to keep his head down and do his job, his wife Eo, has a different dream. She considers her people slaves to the Gold, the ruling class, and wants to take action to free them from their chains. Through a course of unfortunate events, Darrow finds himself on the surface disguised as a Gold, and with the help of other rebels, enrolls in the Academy with an ending goal to rise in the ranks of the Gold's society. The only problem is that the school is literally a war among the students. I was initially drawn to this book because of the interesting premise and the glowing early reviews from my friends on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ. I was a little surprised to not have heard of this book, but was eager to find out what the fuss was about. The only thing that worried me was that a few of my more critical friends had either DNF'd or gave it a lower rating. As I started reading I could immediately see why so many gave up. Red Rising's beginning is very slow and often times a little dull. I did struggle through the first 100 pages and almost gave up myself a few times. Darrow isn't the most interesting guy to read about in the beginning and I didn't really connect well with him at first. HOWEVER When Darrow goes through his transformation and enrolls in the school SHIT GOT REAL really fast. I don't know what I was expecting when he got the academy. Desks, chairs, tests, teen drama on a grander scale, probably. What I didn't expect was for Darrow's first test to include killing a boy with his bare hands, placed in a House Mars with other killer teens with the expectation to conquer the other Houses through warfare. I mean, WHAT. That's the part where I had to go back and re-read the blurb, because WHAT WAS I READING? (Let me just say I can see this all playing out marvelously on the big screen. No wonder they .) So naturally I abandoned Real Life and become hopelessly addicted to the story. Darrow, a boy filled with rage due to the injustice placed on him as a Red, is placed in House Mars with a bunch of other hotheads and psychopaths. Due to their nature, it's hard for them to agree on anything and the House quickly becomes divided with the stronger tribe being controlled by Titus. The House struggles to find food and water, some resorting to eating animals raw. Tensions continue to rise between the Housemates until it ultimately results in a few brutal deaths. The Houses continue to battle between each other in a battlefield that resembles many High Fantasy stories, complete with castles and Grecian allusions, while their teachers watch on. For Darrow, winning this "game" means more than just getting a better career option in the Gold's society like the other students. It means being in a position of power to help the rebels free the Reds from slavery. Over the course of months, battles are lost/won, enemies are made and alliances formed. Darrow begins to see that it's not just Reds who are trapped within their color. What I loved most about Red Rising was the action and premise. I don't think I've ever read a book that had such a jarring genre mesh up that actually works to the point where it feels like you've read two different books at once. The strategy of the battles and ambushes were well thought out, the characters were well-developed and the world building very rich, reminding me of The Bone Season . There are a lot of slang words that initially turned me off because there's so much and each color (think: caste system) has their own. The terms blooddamn, glorydamn, and goodman were the three that seemed to annoy me the most, but by the end, I felt I really had a good grasp on it all. I also enjoyed Darrow as a character and his development from a person who was willing to stay under the Golds' boot to someone who was willing to poke the lion. I'm not sure at what point I started rooting for this guy, but by the end where Darrow is going HAM on everyone, I was completely entertained and couldn't turn pages fast enough. He reminded me of Huntsalone from The Seven Realms series in that way due to how tactical he had become. I also have to agree with the other reviewers that say Darrow is a Gary Stu, Mary Sue's more perfect and cuter brother. Ha. It's so true. He's one of those The One characters where it can only be him that brings the society to his knees. No other Red has gotten as far as him, who is as smart as him, has been this awesome. He does have his moments where he does fail and almost die, but for the most part he's The One. I personally didn't really care because I was having too much fun by the end, so there's that. If there is one thing that really bothered me it would be the way rape was handled in the story. I understand that in times of war this happens and I wasn't bothered that it was included, but it was the way it was used to develop certain characters that did not sit well with me. This is one of the reasons why I'm just unsure what to rate Red Rising. The rape really bothered me to the point where I saw red, mainly because it was so unnecessary. But, at the same time, I did really enjoy the novel. I'll go into that deeper in my spoiler tag. (view spoiler)[Titus' character was one that I felt lacked. His entire back story involves a tragedy where his wife was raped by Golds. So in an effort to gain revenge, he decides it's only fair to rape Gold women from other Houses who were captured during different battles. This is not a great way to use rape in a story. Titus' character is demonized and therefore viewed as unredeemable by the reader because he's done The Ultimate Bad Thing by raping women. This later justifies his death and makes Darrow look like a savior. Then, while Darrow and a female character are camping out in a cave, boys enter and sexually assault her while Darrow is away. He comes back to see her in her underwear tied up. He punishes these boys by hunting them down and killing them. Again, he is the awesome savior of women. Later, another situation of almost rape comes up when Darrow is in charge and he's left with the responsibility of punishing the criminal. Rape in that situation was used as the catalyst to make Darrow out to be The Ultimate Hero for stopping rape. Why is it that most of the Bad Guys are sexually assaulting women just for Darrow to come swooping in to the rescue? Using rape to condemn certain characters and raise others up is tasteless, in my opinion, and is a complete turn off. The sad thing is that Red Rising didn't need any of it to show the brutality of the Academy's warring Houses. There was enough killing to go around to prove that point. Having your female characters sexually assaulted just because they have vaginas and because rape must be the worst thing to happen to a woman is not the way to go. (hide spoiler)] The ending was nothing short of entertaining. Lots of planning, revenge, battles and death. Just how I like my action. There really isn't a cliffhanger, thank goodness, but I REALLY want to know what happens next. I'm wondering if Golden Son will have as much action given where Darrow is headed next, but Pierce Brown has convinced me that I need to stick around to find out what happens next. I would recommend this to mature YA readers as this is considered Adult with crossover appeal to the YA audience. If it feels like you're stuck on those first 100 pages, take heart, the second half will blow your socks off, sucker punch you in the kidneys and feed your innards to the dogs. But you'll like it. ARC was provided by the publisher for an honest review. No monies or gifts were exchanged. More reviews and awesome things at . ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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not set
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Mar 22, 2014
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Nov 21, 2013
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Hardcover
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| B0DT11NJ4G
| 4.09
| 43,790
| Feb 20, 2012
| Feb 21, 2012
|
liked it
| Actual rating: 3.5 stars Usually I don't like reading novellas. I find that I have a harder time connecting with the characters with such few pages. So Actual rating: 3.5 stars Usually I don't like reading novellas. I find that I have a harder time connecting with the characters with such few pages. So I was surprised that by the time I read the last page of Shadows I found myself missing Dawson and Bethany. Perhaps it's because I devoured Shadows right after completing Obsidian. I'm not sure. Or maybe it's because despite Dawson and Bethany's absence thus far in the series, I can still feel that they play a much bigger role than perviously realized. Whatever the case, I found this novella to be entirely bittersweet. If there is one thing that I take away from reading Shadows it's the reasons behind Daemon's interactions with Katy in Obsidian. Don't get me wrong. That doesn't make his actions okay in any shape or form. But it does give the reader better insight. Basically, it's nice to know Daemon wasn't just being a complete jackass just for the hell of it (though, I do think he enjoyed tormenting Katy at times and she him). What's interesting was seeing the almost the exact same events that happened with Daemon also happening with Dawson; something Daemon tried very hard to prevent. Going into the novella, I already knew the general story behind what happened to Dawson and Bethany since it's referenced a bit in Obsidian, but to actually see it play out was a different story. Dawson is the kinder twin of the Black family, so it was relatively easy to grow attached to him and root for his determination at staying with Bethany despite the obstacles in their relationship. Unfortunately, I didn't have the same feelings for Bethany as I did Katy. She wasn't a bad character and I didn't dislike her, but I don't feel I got a good feel for her. I think it's because most of the events were focused around Dawson than Bethany. And not to mention I was still riding my "Katy high" when I dived right into Shadows. I did like Dawson and Bethany together.  And I usually don't like "love at first sight" stories, but there wasn't any insta-love to be found, just instant attraction that later turned into something more, which is perfectly realistic. If fans are looking for a more action packed story, this one probably isn't it since it does focus mostly on Dawson and Bethany's first meeting to their getting-to-know-you's and dates. It's a much slower paced book than its processor and less witty. I thought that was appropriate considering the novella carried a certain level of foreboding from the first page that demanded seriousness. All throughout the novel you are watching them go through the motions, attempting the impossible, all the while heading for the inevitable. I wanted to reach out and tell Dawson to not go to that movie theatre that night, but alas, the book was already written. *sigh* All in all, this was a very good novella and I will definitely be continuing with the rest of the series. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 23, 2012
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Aug 25, 2012
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Aug 23, 2012
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ebook
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| 0062048546
| 9780062048547
| 0062048546
| 3.88
| 20,007
| Jul 03, 2012
| Jul 03, 2012
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it was ok
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Actual rating: 2.5 stars This is a difficult review to write. Most of the things I want to talk about (good and bad) involve giving away huge spoilers. Actual rating: 2.5 stars This is a difficult review to write. Most of the things I want to talk about (good and bad) involve giving away huge spoilers. Â Once has a pretty big plot twist early in the story - one that I'm almost ashamed to admit I didn't see coming - making it close to impossible for me to adequately express my thoughts. But I'm going to try really hard to give a nice little run down of the book without ruining it for you. Once picks up a few months after the events in Eve and our protagonist finds herself miserable in Califi, missing both Caleb and Arden. In this installment Eve, despite her best efforts, ends up in the King's clutches in the Sand City. There she is reunited with Caleb and members of the trail, who is now a wanted man for murder of New American soldiers. However, this doesn't seem to deter Eve and Caleb from stealing moments away together. But little does she know that the King has other plans for her. Big plans. As always, I'd like to start with the good. I was really looking forward to reading Once due to the crafty little cliffhanger at the end of Eve. I hate that nagging feeling of needing to know how things end because it bothers me over and over until I know. Thankfully, I got to find out my burning question of why the King wanted Eve so badly within the first 20% of the novel. Yay for me, but boo for you since you'll be reading a review where I attempt to skate around all the plot twists and revelations this book seemed to be chock-full of. Â One thing that I really liked about Once was the setting. The City of Sand is in essence a restored Las Vegas and I could definitely visualize the different locations. Carey succeeds at painting the mental image of the city and bringing it to life. I expected no less considering I did enjoy Carey's writing in Eve. I also felt myself warming up to Eve this time around too. That is partly due to her making a better attempt at helping the friends she left behind and showing more concern for others. Unfortunately, I didn't quite enjoy this one as much as I did Eve, but I think that is mainly because I connected with the minor characters, who for the most part, are absent in Once. (I missed the dugout boys!) Instead we are introduced to a few newbies including the King, Beatrice (Eve's maid), and members of the trail. But most of the novel focuses on Eve and her constant struggle to break free from the hold the King has on her. And while I did start to warm up with her, after a while I found her actions to be a little too reckless (as they were in Eve) and I started feeling genuinely frustrated with both her and Caleb. It almost seemed like their decisions were intentionally poor just to move the plot in the direction Carey wanted it. For example, when Eve sneaks out the palace to meet Caleb, she's very concerned that he may get caught, but Caleb shrugs all concerns off. I understand that some teenagers feel invincible, but this felt like he didn't have any common sense. That surprised me because he seemed like a smarter character in Eve. He was much more cautious, but here I found him throwing all caution he used to have to the wind. By the end, he was practically flaunting a sign around his neck that read, "HERE I AM!" Despite my bigger disappointments with this installment, I didn't hate it and did find myself enjoying the interesting relationship between Eve and the King. And c'mon, that ending! I felt like Carey and HarperCollins punk'd me when I went to turn the page and all I saw was: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. Cruel, I tell you! I'd recommend this book to fans of the first book, Eve. But if you disliked Eve, chances are Once will have little to offer you. ARC was provided by HarperCollins via Edelweiss. Thank you! *cough* on the blog! More reviews and other fantastical things at . ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Apr 13, 2012
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Apr 27, 2012
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Jan 18, 2012
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Hardcover
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| B00850ZM28
| 4.13
| 291,643
| Nov 29, 2011
| May 08, 2012
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really liked it
| Actual rating: 3.5 (I think? Geez, I don't know! I just know I liked it a lot, okay?) Wow. I did not expect to enjoy Obsidian as much as I did. For som Actual rating: 3.5 (I think? Geez, I don't know! I just know I liked it a lot, okay?) Wow. I did not expect to enjoy Obsidian as much as I did. For some reason, I've just been avoiding it, but it was always there in my Twitter and GoodReads feeds. Daemon was frickin' invading my life. Finally, after seeing everyone change their avatars to the Lux series' covers, I felt I had to check it out. Almost all of my friends have given this book anywhere from 3-5 stars, but most averaging around 4. So naturally I had to read it to see what the big fuss was about. I was initially wary because I had heard Obsidian was Twilight all over again and we all know how I feel about Twilight and its reincarnations. But surprisingly, I really liked it! Weirdly enough, I could probably go on and on why I didn't like it, but I don't have that urge. I have an urge to hug this book closely because it made me laugh on more than one occasion. Also, Armentrout. I want to hug her too. Because despite Obsidian's headdesk-worthy clichés, I cannot deny... it's an enchanting read. Either that, of I probably shouldn't be drinking while reading.... Ha! Yeah, right. Another reviewer said, "It was as if the author felt obligated to fix Twilight catastrophe and tried make it right again" and I completely agree with her. I'll even take it a step further and say it was like Armentrout woke up one day and said, "I'm going to write a book using all the tropes and clichés people usually hate and they're still gonna love the shit out of this book." You might be wondering, "How can one possibly make Twilight better?!" Well, let's take a look at Armentrout's plan for blogosphere domination: Step One: Create a likable and relatable main character. How do you make a female main character instantly relatable to most of the female blogging community? The answer is so simple I'm honestly kicking myself that I've never thought of it before. You make her one of them. There are so many books I've read where the protagonist is an avid reader. And now I usually find myself going, "YAWN. She can read. Good for her." But not here in Obsidian. Because not only does Katy love to read, but she is a book blogger. Say what? This main character has a... hobby other than staring at her hot next-door neighbor? Nice. Not only that, but Katy is smart, funny, witty and gives Jerkface Daemon a run for his money. Step Two: Add a bad boy with two scoops of asshole. Ah, the bad boy. Almost every girl goes through the "bad boy phase." It's like a black hole, totally unavoidable, unless you happen to be smarter than the rest of us, in which case, you rock. But there's just something about the thrill of fooling around with someone you know you have no business fooling around with. It can be the best and worst days of your life. That is... until you grow up and get married! XD Anyway, that's kinda what Daemon is for Katy in Obsidian. He is the irresistible, hot, bad boy who Katy can't deny she's attracted to. But the kicker is that even though Daemon treats her awfully (reasons are revealed in Shadows), she's not one of those heroines that sits back and accepts that. It's one of the first times I've seen a YA heroine differentiate between love and lust. Here's a girl who is saying, "Okay this guy pretty much sets my panties on fire and I would totally exercise him in my bedroom (and possibly in the kitchen by the buttered rolls), but I'm not gonna because he's a complete asshole and I'm better than that." How refreshing! And yeah, maybe Daemon is a nice guy underneath all his Jerk-titude, but that doesn't mean Katy has to bend over backwards and ignore his past behavior. Armentrout sets up Daemon's character for redemption because finally someone is saying, "Enough with all the douchebags treating the heroine like shit and still ending up with her in the end just by apologizing." And that is why Obsidian ultimately won me over. At first I couldn't figure out how everyone could love a book when the love interest was a complete tool, but when Katy gave Daemon the one finger salute with a nice "fuck you very much," I knew I was won over. |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 19, 2012
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Aug 23, 2012
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Oct 03, 2011
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Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||||
| 1442421762
| 9781442421769
| 1442421762
| 4.02
| 188,652
| Sep 27, 2011
| Sep 27, 2011
|
it was ok
| Hmm...Where do I even start with this book? I guess I should start by saying The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and I have this awkward love/hate relationshi Hmm...Where do I even start with this book? I guess I should start by saying The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and I have this awkward love/hate relationship. If this book were a person, it'd be the boyfriend I sometimes had fun with, but never wanted to take with me in public because I knew he would do something stupid and embarrass the hell outta me. For majority of the first half of the book, I wanted to stomp it into the ground with my pair of patent leather pumps. However, somewhere along the lines, I started to enjoy myself a bit. I'd hear a strange sounds coming from my mouth only to realize, "Oh my, that was a chuckle." In many ways, I can really see why so many people would really like this book, but I can also see why others would want to gorge their eyes out with a high school cafeteria spork. Mara Dyer wakes up in a hospital bed one day with no recollection of how she got there or what happened to her friends who were killed in the accident that she managed to survive. Hoping for a new beginning, her family packs up and moves to Florida. As the memories Mara thought were lost start to slowly make a reappearance and dead bodies seem to pop up like daisies, she notices something is not quite right with her. She, then, struggles to keep hold of reality while trying to figure out the mystery of what really happened to her in her old hometown. The Good: I'll start with the good first since there are a few things I did like ...okaaayyy so that's all I got for the good. The Bad: This book had a lot of potential and for the longest time, I couldn't exactly put my finger on what bothered me about the book. If it weren't for the following issues, this could have been a 4 star read for me, possibly more. The books biggest issues are the actual characters and all the sterotypes that come along with them. They were completely extra. The gay black guy, the extra bitchy popular girl who hates the MC for some vain, insignificant reason accompanied by tweedle dumb (her trusty side kick or fashion accessory. I can't decide which.), the bad boy who truly isn't bad (he has feelings, he's deep and likes to "fix" people), and the obnoxious, perfect, older brother. 1. Jamie. Jamie is Mara's new best friend in Florida. He also happens to be a bisexual, Jewish, Black male with dreadlocks and a tongue ring. Oh, and he's adopted. Yes, I know. He is quite a little token cocktail, isn't he? Hodkin, you want to put a PoC or a bisexual or a Jewish person in your story? Be my guest. But, why, oh why, did he have to be all THREE AT ONCE? And if he wasn't "Black enough" let's give him dreads. And, oh noz, he isn't "gay enough" either, we must add a tongue ring! And what the hell, let's urbanize him while we are at it. Funny thing is he knows he's the token character: “But none of this matters, because you’re not going to listen to your token black Jewish bi friend, are you?�That is the part where Hodkin almost owed me a new Kindle. I literally had to stop reading or I was going to lose it. His characterization was poor, poor, poor. It felt like he was trying entirely too hard to be both gay and Black, neither of which I found convincing. About halfway through the book we don't see him again and I couldn't even be mad at that because I was too busy celebrating the fact I no longer had to endure his weird hip-hop lingo anymore. I realize this may have been Hodkin's attempt to add diversity to her story, but guess what? [image] 2. Daniel. Or as I liked to call him: The kiss-ass perfectionist. He was just too over the top to be believable. He is perfect in every way: Perfect student, perfect son, perfect brother. I can totally see why Mara was annoyed by this. Every time Mara wants to go somewhere, Daniel has to first talk with their mother about it. AND IT ALWAYS WORKS. I have an issue when one sibling seems to hold that much power in a hosehold. There is a scene in the book where he is looking at the mail and says “What lucky institution of higher education accepted me today?� he asked, eyes on the envelopes. “Ah, Harvard. That’s nice. And Stanford!�Wow, so not only is he a kiss ass, but he's conceded too! If I ever saw Daniel out in public with his mom, it would go something like this: I would to tap him on the shoulder and go, "Hey, buddy. You dropped something." "Huh? What? Where?" he'd say. And I would respond, "Your lips. I see them over there dangling off your momma's right ass cheek. Go and get 'em, will ya? It's distracting." 3. Noah Noah is the bad boy love interest of the story that has had sex with the entire female population of the school. >insert eye roll here< His character is also over the top with bad boy stereotypes. He gets away with everything because everyone loves him. He is loaded with cash money. He's ridiculously good looking with a *le gasp* English accent. He's incredibly arrogant, rude and tactless. Oh, and most importantly, he only has eyes for Mara. Of course. Once he enters the picture, Mara completely forgets about everything. *cough*the plot*cough* I suppose it really isn't her fault. After all, Noah possesses a "panty-dropping smile." Hide your daughters! [image] Later in the story, a small piece of me actually started to like him, but unlike Mara, I couldn't excuse his original jackassness. Nope, couldn't do it. 4. Mara (What is your real name anyway?) I didn't entirely dislike her, but I felt she made some really crappy decisions. This story could have really taken off and gone to an interesting place if she didn't become so obsessed with Noah. There were times where I thought she would use that crazy brain of hers, but then she would turn right around and ignore the problem. There was one scene when Jamie tells her (view spoiler)[ that Noah caught him with his hand up Noah's little sister's skirt and Noah runs off and has sex with Jamie's older sister as revenge. (hide spoiler)] When she actually talks to Noah about it, he admits it and what does she do? She just changes the subject and they never talk about it again. Then, there are times when Mara's logical skills seem to fail her all together. What could I say? Noah, despite you being an asshole, or maybe because of it, I’d like to rip off your clothes and have your babies. Don’t tell.Oh, yeah, Mara. That makes total sense. Or how about when you and Noah are in his room about to kiss, but you decide you don't want to kiss him (view spoiler)[because the last time you did, he almost died. (I'm still not clear if this was one of her hallucinations or not.) (hide spoiler)] Yet, you think having sex instead would be safer? [image] Because of situations like this, I just could not connect with Mara at all. I suppose I was supposed to feel sorry for her when her teacher threw chalk at her and made fun of her in front of the entire class. Sorry, Mara. [image] Then the teacher gave her an 'F' for showing her up on her oral exam. She told you to sit your ass down, Mara. That means do not pass go. Do not collect your $200. It means STFO. And you wondered why you got a failing grade. Then you went off, (view spoiler)[killed her (hide spoiler)], and had a psychotic break down and lost two hours of your life. Was I supposed to care then too? [image] 5. The Plot I think The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer ran into the same issue Incarnate did. It got so wrapped up in the romance; it completely discarded the premise of the book. When something exciting actually started happening it completely came out of left field and hit Mara in the head. I was really disappointed that we really didn't find out more about Mara's abilities. The explanation given by the end of the book was easy to guess and I was expecting more answers. And I read somewhere that this book is supposed to scare you. Lies. All lies 6. The Ending Damn that cliffhanger. I actually finished reading the book and I'm rewarded with the worst cliffhanger possible. I started screaming at my poor Kindle Touch (which is awesome, by the way. Thanks for asking. :D). WTF, dude! Okay, I have to stop naming things that irked me or I'll start sharp shooting a star off this review. I'll read the next book, but along with Incarnate's sequel, it's going right on my "You're on probation" shelf. Oh, and riddle me this: How is this book considered paranormal? You go the entire book with alomst nothing supernatural until the very end and suddenly it's paranormal? That's just lazy. Okay, I'm really done this time. More reviews and more at . ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Nov 21, 2011
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Nov 28, 2011
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Sep 07, 2011
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Hardcover
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| 0312575955
| 9780312575953
| 0312575955
| 3.93
| 9,246
| Jul 05, 2011
| Jul 05, 2011
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it was ok
| Actual rating: 2.5 stars This book didn't annoy me as much as I thought it would. Actual rating: 2.5 stars This book didn't annoy me as much as I thought it would. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 15, 2011
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Jul 22, 2011
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May 10, 2011
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Paperback
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| 0312650086
| 9780312650087
| 0312650086
| 3.91
| 70,403
| Apr 12, 2011
| Apr 12, 2011
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liked it
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Ummm....WOW. Enclave was a breath a fresh air. If you are looking for a book with lots of action, a strong, ass-kicking heroine, and romance that take Ummm....WOW. Enclave was a breath a fresh air. If you are looking for a book with lots of action, a strong, ass-kicking heroine, and romance that takes a back seat, Enclave is your book. This book is marketed towards, "Fans of The Hunger Games." Ummm...why? The only similarities I can possibly see is the strength of the main characters. Katniss and Deuce (how awesome is her name?!) are both hunters and get into a lot of fights. And both books do feature dystopian societies. Enclave is very fast paced in the beginning. The book begins right before Girl15's naming ceremony. She finds out her name is Deuce and she officially owns the title of "Huntress." As a Huntress, it is her job to brave the dark tunnels and bring food back to the enclave. It is a very dangerous job. Why? Because there are The zombies in this world are rather interesting. They do not seem to infect anyone, they just want to eat you. Deuce lives in her enclave which is underground. She has never seen the sun and no one in her enclave lives very long. They are lucky to live to be 25. (view spoiler)[lack of vitamin D, perhaps? (hide spoiler)] No one seems to know how they ended up there and where the freaks came from. The enclave has strict rules that she firmly believes are there to protect everyone. However, after she is paired up with Fade, a boy who grew up Topside, she slowly begins to question everything she is taught. One day Deuce and Fade are exiled from their enclave and forced to live Topside where vicious gangs battle it out over territory. Add in the zombies and you have one hell of an adventure! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE strong heroines. I can not stand a damsel in distress. Thankfully, Deuce can hold her own and then some. Seriously, the girl was a badass. She had me sooo happy at parts, I found myself saying, "Oh Hells yes!" during the battle scenes. One thing I really appreciated about this book was the question of, "What is strength or weakness?" In the beginning of the book Deuce measures that with how well a person can defend themselves. As a huntress, she was always taught showing emotion was a weakness. However, she later learns that strength can be measured with ones ability to endure. This proves especially true for the character Tegan. She is viewed as a very weak character, but IMO was the strongest of all. Deuce realizes she doesn't possess the physical strength of most fighters, but Tegan has a mental strength that keeps her pressing forward. Deuce later acknowledges that those emotions are not a weakness, and that causes her to reassess her own character. I really liked how this book moved fast. It is a quick read, but the way Ann Aguirre writes it, it feels longer. There were a lot of unanswered questions about the world they live in and I expect it will be answered in the next book based on how this one ended. I can't wait! More reviews and more at . ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Apr 29, 2011
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May 2011
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Apr 11, 2011
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Hardcover
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| 0061668125
| 9780061668128
| 0061668125
| 4.17
| 24,758
| May 01, 2012
| May 01, 2012
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it was ok
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**spoiler alert** Actual rating: 1.5 stars Oh, geez this is awkward. I've just finished Destined and can't find a single thing to say about it because **spoiler alert** Actual rating: 1.5 stars Oh, geez this is awkward. I've just finished Destined and can't find a single thing to say about it because it's not very memorable. No wait. It's all coming back to me now. Mmmmmhmmmm. Let me get my glasses for this one. [image] Ah, that's better. And yes, there will be spoilers. I'll be honest and admit that the Wings series has been of a guilty pleasure of mine. It's not the best written book I've ever read or the worst for that matter. But it had a level of entertainment that kept me around till the end. At least that's what I tell myself because as I dove into Destined I just couldn't help but think how incredibly boring it was. And that greatly disappointed me since I was just looking for a light, fluffy read. Instead I was left with a story cornier than a box of Kellogg's cereal. So very, very corny. So the plot is a simple one. We all knew based on the ending of Illusions that Yuki would eventually escape with Klea and go after Avalon. She also happens to have an entire army of trolls ready to bust the doors down. That leaves David, Laurel, Tamani and Chelsea to race to Avalon and warn everyone. Fantastic. It was a fine beginning with promise. Unfortunately, that promise died when we are introduced to the biggest cop out I've read in a long time. Jamison asks David to fight against the trolls using Excalibur. It was truly a Disney movie moment. I knew at that moment it could only go down hill from there. [image] "David, with the name of Kings," Jamison said formally, >_> "It's time to discover if you are the hero Laurel has always thought you to be. Will you join us in defending Avalon?" It seemed that they were *thisclose* to breaking out in song and dance. Then David had his Sword in the Stone moment and was told nothing could hurt him while he wielded Excalibur. And I do mean nothing. If someone were to strike him with a sword, it would conveniently miss him. Or if someone were to shoot him with a gun, the bullets would just drop in front of him. Not even poisonous AIR could harm him. [image] *facepalm* David had no previous fighting experience, but all he had to do was swing the sword and trolls would just die on the spot. He went all deus ex machina throughout the entire book. [image] And that's when I lost all desire to finish the book. Everything was was just too carefully placed and never felt organic to me. The Queen orders Jamison to stay out of the fight, but when she finds out he's disobeyed her she doesn't do anything. Jamison gets taken out during the battle early on and forced to rest, but when the gang goes up against Yuki, he appears out of nowhere ready to assist. Speaking of Yuki, she turned out to be the biggest disappointment of them all. She supposedly has the ability to kill other fairies or at least be really powerful. But she was pretty much useless. Of course with any battle there are deaths. I feel the impact of a character death is at its greatest when I actually care about the character that's dying. Duh, right? Well, there are two characters who are killed that the reader is familiar with, but I never really felt any kind of sadness for them. Laurel and Tam cared deeply for them, but they weren't around enough in the previous books for me to grow an attachment to them. They were expendable characters. Another reviewer noted that with everything that was going on, and there was a fair amount of action, it actually felt like nothing was happening. I've been pondering how that's possible and I believe it's because there didn't appear to be much anticipation or build up to any of the scenes. At least I didn't feel any. I just went through the motions of finishing the book to be able to say I completed the series. There was exactly one part where I felt a twinge of emotion and it's where Tamani thinks he sees Laurel die and goes off on his own to kill Klea or be killed by her. But before those feelings get a chance to develop, Laurel goes running after him. End scene. That left me so angry! Then my biggest pet peeve about YA novels starts flying around left and right. The whole, "I can't live without you!" trope. I really hate when that's used because it gives off the appearance of teens ready to end their life over a boyfriend/girlfriend. They're in the midst of a battle for Avalon, saving other fae's lives, and they start wondering why they would bother if the other were to die. Ummm... because your friends and family are still in danger?! Gah!!! [image] Then we get to the ending where there is a deadly toxin seeping into the land and killing Tamani courtesy of Klea. It's up to Laurel to save not only Tamani, but all of Avalon. And she's all: "She wasn't sure if it mattered if the toxin infected her. Was her life worth living without Tamani? Was the risk worth one last kiss? One final embrace?" So, you're just going to forget about Avalon then? [image] "He had to be alive. She wasn't sure if she could live another moment if he wasn't with her. What did any of this matter if, in the end, she was too late to save Tamani?" FFFFFUUUUUUUU!!!!! [image] *inhale, exhale* *whoosah* Whew, sorry about that. I started seeing red again. The ending was your typical "... And they lived happily ever after" in true Disney fashion. In hindsight, there were casualties, but none that anyone cared about (I find it interesting that Tamani never went back to check on his niece after she lost her mother! O.o Laurel was more important, I guess.). The only thing that mattered is that Tamani got to be with his one true love forever and ever. The end. Lame. So, I guess if you enjoyed the first three books, you'll probably enjoy this one to some extent. But for everyone else, I wouldn't go into this one expecting much. Overall it was a big ol' pile of MEH. ARC was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss. Thank you! More reviews at . ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 12, 2012
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Jun 18, 2012
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Apr 07, 2011
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Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
| 0061668095
| 9780061668098
| 0061668095
| 4.10
| 33,027
| May 03, 2011
| May 03, 2011
|
it was ok
| Actual rating: 2.5 stars After reading Spells I have to admit I was not excited to read Illusions. I thought Wings was unique and offered a different s Actual rating: 2.5 stars After reading Spells I have to admit I was not excited to read Illusions. I thought Wings was unique and offered a different spin of your typical Fey story, but Spells fell short for me. However, I'm happy to say, I did enjoy Illusions much better. We begin with Laura at the beginning of senior year of high school. She is attempting to lead a normal life despite the troll attacks from the last book. Right from the start this book kicked off with Tamani enrolling as a foreign exchange student at her school. Obviously, this complicates her and David's relationship. In addition to this, Klea has asked Laura to look after a mysterious Fey named Yuri. The plot in Illusions was very interesting this go round. However, I have three major pet peeves about this book. 1. The Love Triangle To a certain extent, I can tolerate love triangles, especially when they noticeably help move the plot along. But in Illusions the love triangle turned into an all out pissing contest between Tamani and David. I could feel the testosterone rolling off the pages. And David! I was so tired of him whining about Laura. But I have never liked David very much because his character feels underdeveloped to me. This is book 3 and I still don't feel like we actually know much about him. Tamani is a much more interesting love interest and their connection/relationship makes sense. 2. The Mystery surrounding Yuri Our characters are supposed to be trying to figure out which season Yuri aligns with, but for most of the book they are too busy fawning over Laura, while Laura thinks about college and acts as a referee to the two hormonal, teenage boys. I felt like most of the chapters were pretty useless to the book. And by the end of the book, Yuri's season is pretty much the only thing we've found out. The premise was so interesting and I kept turning pages hoping to find out more about Yuri, but all I got was David and Tamani glaring at each other. Or, Laura yelling at David and Tamani. Or, David and Tamani duking it out in the school's hallway. It got old really fast. I felt like Pike had a lot of potential with this book and she wasted it to prolong a series that has no business having a "book 4." 3. The Ending Don't worry I won't spoil it for you. But I will tell you that after all that anticipation on finding out what Yuri is, you find out and the book just ENDS. I actually turned the page and thought, "No way was that the ending!" I felt ripped off. I suffered through all the relationship drama and this was how I was rewarded?! Talk about a letdown. Will I read book 4? Yea, I probably will in hopes that Pike pulls it together. More reviews and more at . ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 09, 2011
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Jun 27, 2011
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Apr 07, 2011
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Hardcover
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![Midnight Sun [2008 Draft]](https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png)
| B0DTRQKLX9
| 4.01
| 148,895
| Aug 28, 2008
| Aug 28, 2008
|
it was ok
| About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a stalker and a creeper. Second, there was part of him � and I didn't know how potent About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a stalker and a creeper. Second, there was part of him � and I didn't know how potent that part might be � that suffered from Manic Depression. And third, I was strangely and unashamedly entertained by it all. I know what you are probably doing. Right now, you may have your head cocked to the side with your eyes squinted, wondering if you read that last part correctly. I will repeat: I was entertained. First, let me clear the air. I was not entertained by the story or the writing. However, I will touch on a few standout parts that really tickled my pickle. Manic Depressed, murderous vamp with feelings: Like I mentioned earlier, Edward definitely suffers from manic depression. He first starts off as an extremely condescending vamp, but as soon as he lays his eyes on Bella and gets a whiff of her sweet-smelling blood, he quickly becomes a murderous hunter. Now, this I can understand to a degree because vamps, ya know, drink blood and all. BUT, as he is thinking of various ways to murder everyone in his biology class and eat Bella, he starts whining. He literally has a "woe is me, fuck my life!" moment. Why did she have to come here? Why did she have to exist? Why did she have to ruin the little peace I had in this non-life of mine? Why had this aggravating human ever been born? She would ruin me.It's all about him, isn't it? He isn't the one who's *thisclose* to being eaten, but here he is singing the, "Why cruel world?!" song. And his bitch fest continues... Who was this creature? Why me, why now? Why did I have to lose everything just because she happened to choose this unlikely town to appear in?*sigh* Are you done? Why had she come here!Sometimes people move, Edward. It happens! Man the hell up! I didn't want to be the monster! I didn't want to kill this room full of harmless children! I didn't want to lose everything I'd gained in a lifetime of sacrifice and denial!*Rubs temples* I wouldn't. She couldn't make me.You tell that little human, Eddie. *Pats back* Feel better now? Then, the next page over he gets back to work plotting Bella's murder. You know who Edward reminds me of best in the beginning of Midnight Sun? Have you ever seen ? Remember old Gargamel and how he was always either planning some lame attempt to catch and eat the smurfs or crying from failing so hard? [image] *Evil crackle* Yessss...I'll get those little blue smurfs! I'll sneak into their village while they sleep and boil them alive! Won't we Azrael? (view spoiler)[[image] Hmmm...what a weird coincidence. I found a pic of that on Google... Oh, fangirls. Still feel like swooning now? (hide spoiler)] Okay, now imagine Eddie just like that while he says, She would go home to an empty house. Police Chief Swan worked a full day. I knew his house, as I knew every house in the tiny town. His home was nestled right up against thick woods, with no close neighbors. Even if she had time to scream, which she would not, there would be no one to hear. Conniving little bastard, isn't he? ^_^ Of course, then he runs off to Alaska and throws himself one hell of a pity party. Then, he goes back to Forks and falls head over heels in love with the most [image] *sigh* Eddie, Eddie, Eddie. You need help, son. And there is also another human who had the misfortune to make Edward's personal hit list: Mike. I actually felt sorry for the douche bag in Midnight Sun. If Edward wasn't thinking about eating Bella, gently caressing her lips (LOL, who does that?), or how she looked in that damn blue blouse, he was thinking of "annihilating" the "obnoxious boy." Oddly enough, that too, had me LOL'ing. I know, I know. I'm a strange one. Heh. And when he said, "I wasn't going to stand around arguing with the wretch," I fell out. LOL. He creeped, He perved, He stalked: The creepiest thing, yet hilarious to me, about Midnight Sun is when Edward watches Bella sleep. I was repulsed by myself as I watched her toss again. How was I any better than some sick peeping tom?LMAO, you fucking aren't! This book is a Stalker's Handbook. In five easy steps you can become the best stalker eva! Step 1: Wait until you beloved and her loved ones are fast asleep. It would be uncool to be found snooping around your one true love's house during some ungodly hour. This is especially important if there is a loaded weapon on the premises. Step 2: The window or entry of your liking may creak. Don't forget to bring along a can of oil! This is imperative to your stalking success! You must be unseen and unheard. Like a ninja...a really creepy ninja. Step 3: Watch your honey bunny sleep. Maybe she's dreaming of you. Stay awake, lest you miss the action. For maximum effectiveness drink a 5-hour energy drink. By all means, snoop around her room. This is your show. You run this! Step 4: Leave before the stalkee awakens. I can't even begin to tell you how awkward it would be if you are discovered! Step 5: Congrats! You have done it! You've stalked your soul mate! Now repeat these five steps again and again to receive your Jedi Master level of stalking badge. Edward loses his mind and everybody knows it: The star of this book for me was Emmett. He always said what everyone else was thinking. The "voice of reason," if you will. "Kid's lost his mind."And my favorite part is when Charlotte and Peter (Jasper's vamp friends) come to visit and Edward is there in a corner looking crazy again. [image] And they all sort of stare at him, yet Emmett sums it up perfectly, "Madman." Oh and I can't write a Twilight review without throwing in a few hits at Bella. I just love it how Edward knows she has got to be crazy, but still wants to be with her. Maybe he finds it endearing like her inability to stand on her own two feet with out her face kissing the pavement. *shrugs* I really don't know what goes on inside the head of Edward. There is one part where he sits down and questions her sanity. He even goes as far to think about having her institutionalized: How was I supposed to protect someone so...so...so determined to be unprotected?She possesses zero self-preservation skills. Give up, Ed. She was impossible. I started to wonder if she was entirely stable.You're just starting?(view spoiler)[ [image] (hide spoiler)] I supposed that I could arrange for her to receive the best care available... Carlisle would have the connections to find her the most skilled doctors, the most talented therapists. Perhaps something could be done to fix whatever it was that was wrong with her, what ever it was that made her content to sit beside a vampire with her heart beating calmly and steadily. I would watch over the facility, naturally, and visit as often as I was allowed... I now truly believe both of these clowns are meant for each other. Crazy is as crazy does. Even though I may have liked Twilight and Eclipse at one point, I feel the same way I felt about Midnight Sun the first time I read it, "Is this a parody? This can't possibly be legit. It is? Bahahahaha! Somehow that just adds another layer of LOL'ing!" If you are looking for quality YA literature, this ain't it folks. Run away! If and when this book is ever finished and released, it will only be good for one thing: [image] The lolz Next up is Eclipse, but in case you missed it: My Twilight review and My New Moon review. And in case you are wondering why I'm re-reading the series, stop on over to check out at my blog . Follow if you like? /Fin. ***BONUS*** Can you guess my favorite line from Mike? (view spoiler)[ [image] That pic is so creepy...it's perfect! (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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3
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Nov 17, 2011
not set
not set
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Nov 23, 2011
not set
not set
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Mar 10, 2011
|
ebook
| ||||||||||||||||
| 0316160172
| 9780316160179
| 0316160172
| 3.66
| 7,036,345
| Oct 05, 2005
| Oct 05, 2005
|
did not like it
| Actual rating: 1.5 stars. Believe it or not, there are actually a few books that are worse than Twilight. Ok, funny story. I was sitting on my couch wi Actual rating: 1.5 stars. Believe it or not, there are actually a few books that are worse than Twilight. Ok, funny story. I was sitting on my couch with my husband last night finishing up Twilight. I slammed the book shut and began rubbing my temples. Then, my husband goes, "So you finally finished, huh?" "Yes. I can't believe I used to like this book," I said. "Hahaha! Yeah, I remember you were on Twilight's balls hard." Yeah, yeah, yeah... There isn't a single book on my shelf that has fluctuated between all ratings besides Twilight. No, your eyes do not deceive you. I actually have read Twilight 4 times. I used to hail from Shelfari.com and the first rating I ever gave Twilight was 5 stars. After I made the switch to GoodReads, I decided to give it 4 stars instead. So, recently I was browsing my GoodReads shelf (I often do that to clean up ratings), I noticed Twilight was sitting pretty at 4 stars and was on my "favorites" shelf. At the time I thought, "Wow, that's not accurate at all. Maybe it deserves 3 stars?" But I quickly decided, no, no, no...I'll just do a fun little project and re-read the series and give them all better ratings. If your curious about the details of the project, stop on over here: . And hey, if you like what you see, won't you subscribe? Yes? /end shameless self promotion. The coolest thing about re-reading Twilight is that it has caused me to create really cool new shelves such as: "Kill me now" "Idiot heroine" "This is *not* literature" And my personal favorite: "Where's my chocolate?" One of the first things I noticed during this re-read was how incredibly boring it was. Bella is dull as a doorknob. And the first few chapters of the book are essentially a 'Bitch, Moan, Complain' session. So, we have Bella moving to Forks, WA because she wants her mother to be happy (more on that later). And she's all like, "Ohhhh, I hate this place. It's green. Ewww, it's wet. Fuck my life." And what's one of the first things Bella does when she arrives in Forks? She cooks Charlie dinner. No, I don't have an issue with a female character enjoying cooking, but it is practically thrown in my face that Charlie can't fend for himself; Bella has to cook. Well, what the hell was he doing before she arrived?! Oh, ya, did anyone else realize that despite the fact that she says she is not allowed to call Charlie by his first name; she almost always calls him Charlie? WTF. Bella goes to school and during lunch she first cast her eyes on the Cullen family. (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] Her next period happens to be Biology (because that's where you'd meet a vampire, right?) and as she walks past the fan Edward goes: And she's like, "WTF. Do I smell?" Little does she know that Eddie just wants to devourer her little, ivory skinned ass. His reaction is so off-putting that she cries when she gets back to her truck. All because Eddie doesn't like her. Who the hell cares, Bella? Conceded much? Get over yourself. But no, she just obsesses with it. "Edward Cullen didn't come back to school. Everyday, I watched anxiously until the rest of the Cullens had entered the cafeteria without him."Meanwhile, poor Mike is trying to put the moves on Bella and invites her to a beach trip. Speaking of the beach trip, here is something the editors should have picked up on. When the beach trip is first brought up it's supposed to be happening in two weeks. But, as Bella goes on and on about nothing in particular, a few pages later she mentions "...just because he'd happened to look at me for the first time in a half-dozen weeks."Wait, what? Anyone notice something? Six weeks have passed and the beach trip is where? Not only that, but the girl's choice dance was also two weeks away and here six weeks have passed... "I was surprised he would remember the name; I'd mentioned it just once, almost two months ago."Anyway, moving on. Some random shit happens causing Edward to swoop in and save danger prone Bella. The worst thing about Twilight is how incredibly dependent Bella is on Edward. When she's not with him, she is always thinking about him. And that doesn’t make any sense. She barely knows him. They've had like two or three conversations and she has thoughts like: "And what was my other choice--to cut him out of my life? Intolerable. Besides, since I'd come to Forks, it really seemed like my life was about him."And then, because Edward must always prove to Bella that he loves her more than she loves him, he pulls this line: "Don't you see? That's what proves me right. I care the most because if I can do it---if leaving is the right thing to do, then I'll hurt myself to keep from hurting you, to keep you safe."Are you kidding me? This is not love. But how could it be, with Edward torn between eating her and making out with her? Edward is a controlling creepy creeper. He had been watching her sleep for weeks before they started talking! Meyer are you condoning stalkish behavior?! Not.Fucking.Cool. I once read that Stephenie Meyer had a dream and that is how Twilight was born. She says she actually started writing from chapter 13 (The Meadow) to the ending. (view spoiler)[Oh, ya, that's where we find out Edward sparkles in the sun! (hide spoiler)] Then, she went back and wrote the first half. It totally shows. While it's true the entire book is a shit storm in action, the second half is noticeably worse. The first half can easily be summed up as "Bella's Bitch Fest meets Creep-ward" and believe me when I say, it's really not as bad as the second half. How is that even possible? I have no idea, but Meyer pulls that shit off flawlessly. And ya know? I have a theory on that. Because Meyer had a dream about Bella and Edward and their 'true love' and she went to work on the second half before the first, there is all this raw emotions, strange pet names, and banter that's supposed to be romantic but fails miserably. I just felt terribly uncomfortable reading it. And to top it all off, it was so bad, like, eye bleeding bad! It made me so angry I actually pulled out a pen and started marking this damn book up. Don't believe me? LMAO, seriously folks, I took notes. Feast your eyes on my personal copy of I've also noticed a trend with Meyer. She doesn't write fight scenes. There was a huge build up for a fight with James and we see nothing of the fight. Bella is informed of what happened after the fact. Good job, Stephenie. You totally ripped off your readers there. So, Carlisle is sitting there fixing up Bella on the ground (and he randomly has Morphine, by the way -_-) and Bella is in the process of passing out. But first, Carlisle has a little conversation about Bella's mom and she somehow finds the will to mention to Alice what she knows about James. Like, really? Go to sleep Bella. You talk too much. I won't bore you with the details of the ending. I'm sure you already know. But I do want to say that Bella's mother is the most selfish character (next to Bella, of course). First she ships her off to Forks so she could be with her new husband. And no, do not tell me Bella chose to do that. Renee is the parent and it's *her* job to make sacrifices. Then, when Bella is in the hospital after the fight with James, she acts like she can't be bothered to stay with Bella. Then she sighed and glaced guiltily over her shoulder at the big, round clock on the wall.Really?? Really, Renee?! Your daughter almost died and you are seriously acting like this? Un-fucking-believable. Oh, but this shit gets better: "I'll be back soon. I've been sleeping here, you know," she announced, proud of herself.Huh? Do you want a cookie for that? It's your job! "I can stay if you need me."And what does she think Edward and Bella are going to do? She has a broken leg, broken ribs, and cracks in her skull. C'mon now! Then Edward takes Bella to prom, he kisses her neck. The fucking end. Would I recommend this? Bahahahahahah! You're shitting me, right? I'm about to go do this to my bookshelf: But I'll tell you what I recommend. I recommend we all do this to our copies of Toilette. Amen. Continue on with the madness with my review of Midnight Sun and New Moon. BONUS TIME I love bonuses! They are so much fun! Have you seen the Twilight parody by The Hillywood Show? No?! Go watch now!! Twilight: New Moon: Eclipse: I personally love the Eclipse one. More reviews and more at . ...more |
Notes are private!
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4
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Jul 28, 2011
not set
not set
not set
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Oct 09, 2011
not set
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not set
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Mar 10, 2011
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Hardcover
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| 0141337117
| 9780141337111
| 0141337117
| 4.20
| 189,382
| Aug 23, 2011
| Aug 25, 2011
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liked it
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Up until around page 320 I was resigned with giving this book 2 stars, but thanks to a well placed plot twist, Bloodlines gets and upgrade to 3 stars.
Up until around page 320 I was resigned with giving this book 2 stars, but thanks to a well placed plot twist, Bloodlines gets and upgrade to 3 stars. I think it's important to point out I am a fan of Richelle Mead's work. I really enjoyed the Vampire Academy series (even with the second half less than stellar) and equally enjoyed the Succubus series. I enjoy Mead's witty writing style. It's both entertaining and down right hilarious at times. However, with the exception of Last Sacrifice, I usually do not see where the plot is heading until it is revealed. Unfortunately, Bloodlines will sit right up there with Last Sacrifice on my shelf of predictability. Plot I won't retell the book here, but the gist is that Sydney, along with Eddie and Adrian, travel to a prep school in Palm Springs, California to keep Jill safe while she is in hiding. While they are expecting clear skies and smooth sailing, we all knew it wouldn't be that easy. A new problem arises for our gang which includes a threat no one expects...vampire hunters. I think one of the biggest problems with this book lies with the fact that most readers have already read the Vampire Academy series. As such, we already understand the world Mead is describing through Sydney's eyes. This often led to me guessing at the plot's outcome before Sydney even realized something was off in the beginning. I think this book could have scored more points with me had I never known the back story of Adrian, Rose, Jill, Eddie, and Lissa. As a result, Sydney is left to look incredibly slow on the uptake, which is kind of ironic because she is supposed to be depicted as a very intelligent person. What saved this book, as I mentioned before, is the plot twist that seems to be setting the tone of the series as a whole. I'm actually looking forward to the next books in the series for this reason. One thing I have noticed from reading Mead's works is that she does very well plot wise mid-series. I'll be very interested to see where she goes with this new concept. Characters While I was looking forward to read Bloodlines simply due to is being a VA spin-off, I was not looking forward to being in Sydney's head. When we first met her in Blood Promise she seemed dry, boring, and stuck up. I'm happy to say, I didn't get any of those vibes while reading this book. Now, Sydney's head is not as fun to be in as Rose. Not by a long shot, but it wasn't as bad as I originally thought it would be. Sydney is analytical in every sense of the word (except when she couldn't put the pieces to the mystery together, that is. -_-), thus approaching every scenario she encounters with a scientific explanation. It was so bad, she couldn't tell when a boy was trying to ask her out. Basic human, social interactions went right over her little blond head. Hey, there's another piece of irony for you...While Sydney was busy thinking of the vamps as unnatural sins against nature, they seemed to have a better understanding social norms and she remained in the dark. Now, I know other reviewers regarded Sydney as discriminatory and racist against the vamps, but I'm going to slightly disagree with that. This is not another ethnicity or race Sydney was dealing with. It's another species that feeds off of humans. Let's say you are a human and you meet a vampire. Would you: Bring him back to your place of dwelling and cuddle him, swapping secrets? Frolic around in the forest on his back while he adoringly refers to you as "Spider Monkey?" Daydream of him biting you, turning you into his undead lover? Oh you would, huh? Well, perhaps the Alchemists need to send your crazy ass to a re-education center. If you are sane, then perhaps your reaction would be similar to mine: I'd spare no haste in hightailing my ass right outta there. But, the one thing I will say about Sydney is that her reaction to Vampire magic makes no sense when she has their blood tattooed on her skin. Call it a necessary evil all you want Sydney, but I'll call it BS. Lissa-----wait, scratch that----Jill seemed to almost be a carbon copy of a previous character. I just can't seem to put my finger on it. Oh, that's right! Lissa. I'm really hoping that this is just my first impression of Jill on our first date. Maybe when we get to know each other better, I'll feel differently. I also found her to be a bit whiny and many times her and Sydney's relationship resembled a mother daughter relationship. I was really happy to see Eddie again. It's weird, even though he was there, I don't feel his character was remotely explored enough. I'm hoping this will change too. Adrian, Adrian, Adrian. He still remains my favorite character. Damn you Rose for breaking him!! He is rather depressed in Bloodlines, but he still maintains that cocky little grin we have all come to know and love. The Writing As usual, Mead's dialog never disappoints me. There were plenty of times I chuckled at the banter between Adrian and Sydney. -------- Now, let's talk about some things I didn't really like. First and foremost is Sydney and her OCD tendencies about her weight. I didn't like how she constantly strived to be paper thin like Jill. There is a part in the book where she is upset that her uniform is a size 4 instead of size 2 (her old size) or even a size 0 (which is Jill's size, thus further infuriating her). Add this to the fact that she is described as just moving her food around on her plate or not eating much at all and it becomes quite disturbing. It's just not healthy. I just feel it's going to send the wrong message to young girls. Second, it seems we are going to dive further into the machinations of Spirit users and what they can do. That's great and all, but I noticed a little hole in that: (view spoiler)[When we find out Lee was restored, Sydney mentions he can't use his magic (air) anymore. At the end, Ms. Karp is sent out to help with the research regarding this issue. But how can she use her magic, if she too was restored?? Am I missing something here? (hide spoiler)] And lastly, some parts of the book were a little dry. It wasn't to the point that I would stop reading, but it was there nonetheless. Overall, it was an ok read, which will probably be a hit or miss for fans of the original series. More reviews and more at . ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 16, 2011
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Sep 21, 2011
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Mar 10, 2011
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Paperback
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| 1606840584
| 9781606840580
| 1606840584
| 4.02
| 16,767
| Nov 29, 2010
| Dec 28, 2010
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liked it
| I must say, I rather enjoyed The Last Saint! It started off a bit slow for me and at times I felt some scenes were forced, but overall it was a fun re I must say, I rather enjoyed The Last Saint! It started off a bit slow for me and at times I felt some scenes were forced, but overall it was a fun read. Grace has her hands full in the exciting sequel to The Dark Divine. In The Last Saint she not only struggles to hold onto her relationship with Daniel, but also resisting her inner wolf. Violence, once again, threatens the good city of Rose Crest and nothing and no one seems to be as they appear. The reason Daniel and Grace stopped talking to each other seemed forced or bland. I wish there was more depth there. I don't know. I just feel that part could have been better written. I found myself asking, "Why aren't they talking again?", a lot. But I was happy that this book did not seem as predictable as the first one. There were a few things I did guess, but the ending had a nice cliffhanger and I look forward to reading the next one. More reviews and more at . ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Mar 16, 2011
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Mar 22, 2011
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Mar 10, 2011
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Hardcover
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