Review: Feed

Feed by M.T. Anderson

My rating: 0 of 5 stars



I was turned off by the dialogue and I felt no draw toward the characters. This book gets zero stars because I did not read enough of it to give a rating.



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Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



Warning: Spoilers.

I think this just is not in my taste category. I tend to steer clear of mystery books and this book seems to be in that genre. I did decide to read it because of course it was getting plenty of attention a few years back. While the mystery of what happened to Harriet is appealing, I did not enjoy the characters. Lisabeth did not strike a "you go girl" feeling. (Basically I did not find myself rooting for her.) Then recently I watched the movie and did not find myself enjoying that, but the ending and mystery of what happened is pretty much ruined. I do know that Harriet is still alive and from looking it up on Wikipedia. I do know that she is supposed to be living in Australia. So I have rated this book based on what I did read of it. I rated it 2 stars because the book was OK, I did not LIKE it so therefore I cannot rate it a 3 star book. I basically put a rating up here because I felt that way about the book. Even having looked up the ending then skimming the last few pages I felt no draw toward the novel.



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Review: Carrier of the Mark

Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon

My rating: 0 of 5 stars



Based on what I read of the book it seemed like an ok plot. Yet I couldn't find myself to care for the characters and want to finish the book so I stopped reading it. Perhaps I will go back and read it at some other point in time but at this time I have shelved it on the did not finish shelf and have given it no stars. (Anyone know if zero stars counts against a book?)



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Review: Speak

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I have read one other Laurie Halse Anderson novel, [b:Wintergirls|5152478|Wintergirls|Laurie Halse Anderson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1275799515s/5152478.jpg|5219477], both Wintergirls and Speak have a way of grabbing me by the heart strings and making me believe I am in the story. There is something about the way Anderson writes that makes me believe I am Melinda (actually my name IS Malinda...) or in the case of Wintergirls, makes me believe I have an eating disorder because I am that dang wrapped up in the story. (True story, I had to eat a 10 piece Chicken Nugget from Mickey D's to convince myself otherwise.)

While reading Speak I found myself...not speaking. Seriously, I was that into the mindset of Melinda that I stopped really saying much to my family. I had to keep taking breaks in order to come back to reality. Sort of like when you play Sims for too many hours. (Once I played Sims 2 for so long that I kept trying thinking I needed to give my husband commands to make him do stuff...and Sims 3 is so much worse HaHa...I keep wanting to use the "motherlode" cheat when I need to buy something. Anyways back to the review.)

I checked this out from the library because I figured it was high time I experienced what most high school English classes are examining as part of their assigned reading. I went to high school in a small town and we didn't read things like Speak...we stuck to the older classics and Animal Farm. I wish I was a high school student again just so I could have someone to discuss this book with...indepth and for many hours.

You know how people say there is a difference between showing and telling in a novel? Well this definitely showed more than told. Definitely well worth the time spent reading. The characters were appealing, the subject matter was touching, and the voice or lack there of in the heroine's case was moving.

Melinda came across as a very troubled and emotionally shattered young woman. She found herself lost, and no one seemed to care. Now I know some would say that there is no way a girl could exhibit these signs of distress without someone noticing and trying to get to the root of the problem. That is not always true. Young adults slip through the cracks everyday because people can't tell who is just a moody teenager and who is showing signs of depression, mental illness, or any other emotional/physical trauma. It happens every single day....every single minute....every single second. And the heartbreaking thing is that it doesn't just happen with children and young adults...it happens with mature adults, senior citizens....even our animals.

That is what makes this book so mind-blowing....because we all could end up like Melinda. (Maybe not experiencing exactly what she did but experiencing some sort of trauma.)

All I can say is I am very happy I read this book. And it will be one of the first books I recommend to anyone who asks.



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Review: Nightlight: A Parody

Nightlight: A Parody by The Harvard Lampoon

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



There were a few laughs and a few witty moments. I get that it isn't really making fun of Twilight, more like it is making fun of the way sometimes fans get too obsessive. It just didn't grab me the way I hoped it would.



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Review: The Summer Before

The Summer Before by Ann M. Martin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I think this was a pretty good prequel for setting up the characters in the BSC. The characters were consistent with the series.



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Review: Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later

Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later by Francine Pascal

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



There are so many reasons I did not enjoy this book. The first reason being that perhaps I did not connect with it the way readers who grew up with the various Sweet Valley series would when presented with an "all grown up" Elizabeth and Jessica novel. Growing up I read The Babysitters Club, which many feel is like the "gateway drug" to SVH and it's spin-offs. But I never got into SVH. I remember seeing them in the school library and I remember hearing other girls talk about them. But for some reason or other I never picked them up. So recently I read the first in the SVH series [b:Double Love|529252|Double Love (Sweet Valley High, #1)|Francine Pascal|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1264841703s/529252.jpg|3257147]to get a general idea of the content of the early books. (I know the later ones became much more....serious)So I kinda had an idea of Elizabeth and Jessica's character, the world building, and the plot setup.

The main reason I did not like this book was because of the characters. I just could not connect with either of the twins. And I could not find myself relating to their issues even though I am the same age as the twins. And it was nothing to do with who they are, they are still the same characters from the first book. Elizabeth is still a good listener and considerate of others and Jessica is still rather..selfish. Yet they have changed so I give the author credit for that. They have become more mature. Elizabeth has taken on a more cynical view of the world. Yet she is filled with feelings of revenge (not the little revenges she did during the SVH series) and to a degree, self-loathing. Jessica has learned to be a little less selfish and a lot more loyal.

The plot also got to me. It got to me hard. The way it was set up was interesting. With flashbacks in relation to the current events. But I felt too much time was wasted on the build up. If the facts were laid bare and not so much time was spent beating around the bush, the novel would be cut in half. When the finale finally did happen, everything was wrapped up into too nice and neat of a bundle. It felt to gushy romance at the end and my black as night heart was choking on the lurve being put out from the couples. And too many plot twists and character personality changes. It's like someone decided to flip the script on every single person in Sweet Valley. Their motives have become question. Their lives have become fictionalized too far in the opposite direction. And the only thing that drove the plot was would she forgive or would she continue to harbor a deep hatred. It lacked complexity.

I hate giving low ratings and it made me sad to do this. I even looked at the book entire as a standalone with no relation to the SVH series. I just could not bring myself to enjoy it.



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Review: Immortal Beloved

Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



HOLEY MOLEY...I did NOT expect to like this as much as I did. Need to go off for a few minutes and contemplate exactly how to tell you how fantastic this book was.

********

Ok I have returned. Ok. So listen. I am only going to say this once. (Maybe) This book was aaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwessssssssssssommmmmmmmmmmme. First let me set the scene. We have Nasty (short for Nastasya) who in her 450 plus years of immortality has gone by many names and changed her appearance many times. But the main constant in her life has been her almost reckless abandon of caring or even wanting to deal with the bad parts of her life or the lives of her fellow men/women. Then one day it hits her like a slap in the face when she sees her best friend commit an action of such unspeakable cruelty that..there are no words to describe it.

So Nasty takes a chance and runs away from everything and every immortal she has ever truly known. She seeks an immortal she met once, for a mere moment in the expansive life she has lived. Nasty finds herself in BFE, Massachusetts. Feeling out of place and woe is me, Nasty embarks on a journey of inner peace, goodness, and MAGIC!!!

This is book is totally worth dealing with the adolescent mindset of Nasty you will experience for a decent majority of the book. This book is totally worth dealing with the oh so overused "Oh Em Gee He is so HAWT! He is so GODLIKE! He is so *insert every adjective to describe an astoundingly sexy and attractive guy*!" There is the good guys, the bad guys(girl), and the shades of gray.

I loved the flashbacks. Usually when an author does a flashback, it goes awry somewhere and ends up being info dump in the worst kind of way. But this time the flashbacks were done in a manner that made sense, gave me some background on Nasty, and didn't make me wish I could skip them. (How many times do you find yourself skipping the flashbacks or at least skimming over them cause they are so dull and drawn out?)

Basically what I am saying is read this book. This book is definitely not your average immortality tripe. This gives to immortality the pizzazz that IMO My Name is Memory gave to reincarnation. Now I am off to tear through the second book. [b:Darkness Falls|7977037|Darkness Falls (Immortal Beloved, #2)|Cate Tiernan|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1316458499s/7977037.jpg|12307536]



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Review: Kill Me Softly

Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Mira never knew her parents. They died in a fire when she was three months old. Her guardians took her away from her birthplace and raised her under their protection. They kept her safe. Now she is throwing it all away. She is running away to the town of her birth, to a town where fairy tales come true, and where secrets abound. Mira is running away to her destiny.

The setting of this book was interesting. Imagine a world where fairy tales are real and they take place in the present. What would it be like? I imagine it would be something like this story. I liked the idea of this book. I liked trying to find out which characters belonged with which fairy tale.

I didn't like Mira for the most part. She seemed so intent on putting herself in danger. Even when it was not her fairy tale she was playing a part in, even when her destiny was entwined with someone else. Blue struck me as the real hero here. He was the voice of reason at times when Mira was trying her damnedest to face danger for no other reason than lust. Poor Freddie seemed like your typical nice guy, always in the friend-zone. I would have liked to know more about him. Alas that is not how the story goes.

The pace was surprisingly fast in my opinion. It seemed that things escalated in a rather quick manner. I blame it on the curse. Things happened to fast and too intensely for it to make real sense. I mean who buys sexy lingerie at sixteen less than 48 hours after meeting a guy...who is 21!!??

But I loved the ending. I loved that you can change your destiny, yet still fulfill your curse. You can risk it all to help someone else. I loved that there was a somewhat happy ending.

However it just didn't reach me like I hoped it would. I just couldn't bring myself to feel more strongly about this book. But I would not kick it to the curb. It's just one of those books I will read once and leave it be afterwards. But don't let that stop you from checking out Kill Me Softly. I will be looking for more from this author in the future.



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Review: Sweetly

Sweetly by Jackson Pearce

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I loved this re-telling of Hansel and Gretel. The main characters Ansel and Gretchen are trying to carry on with their lives after being kicked out by their stepmother. Unfortunately, fate has a way of stepping in and re-routing destiny. For years after the disappearance of Gretchen's twin sister, they have feared the woods and the witches they believe live there.

I liked the detail of this story. I haven't read Sisters Red by the author yet. So some of the connections between this book and Sisters Red were lost to me. The plot flows along at a steady slow pace until the last few chapter. At this point the pace picks up and we find out the secret that the candy lady, Sophia, has been hiding.

I liked the characters but Ansel seemed a little secondary, Gretchen is the main star of the show. I feel she really grew as a character and found a strength that wasn't too far fetched to be believable.

Overall I enjoyed Sweetly and I can't wait to read what Jackson Pearce has lined up next. (After I read Sisters Red of course.)



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