Monday, August 11, 2014

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The Good, The Bad, and the Undead:

Rating: 5 Stars
Author: Kim Harrison
Version: eBook

GoodReads:
Rachel Morgan, sexy witch, independent bounty hunter, prowls the downtown Cincinnati for criminal creatures of the night. She can handle leather-clad vamps and a cunning demon or two. But a serial killer who feeds on the experts in the most dangerous kind of black magic is an ancient, implacable evil that threatens her very soul.

Review:
The second book in Kim Harrison's "The Hollows" series entitled The Good, The Bad, and the Undead did not disappoint! The book continues right where the first left off, except now Rachel and Ivy are both owners and full time runners for their business Vampiric Charms. If you haven't read book one, well firstly you should, and secondly, a runner is someone who tracks down/arrests wanted criminals - not unlike Dog the Bounty Hunter. Anyways, just like every new business, Rachel and Ivy are having a difficult time establishing their name. However, much of the struggle falls into Rachel's lap, since Ivy is a well known and talented runner.

Speaking of Ivy, something major happens to her and it was heart wrenching to read. Obviously I can't tell you what is was, but needless to say, I didn't expect such a powerful, independent, and strong-willed character to be victimized. Furthermore, the first book underscores Ivy's struggle with accepting who she really is, but that struggle is intensified to the extreme in book two.

On the other hand, Rachel spends the majority of the book working on an FIB run that's seemingly connected to Trent Kalamack - the man she's determined to take down. I seriously hate the FIB, mainly because they treat Rachel like crap. Yes, Rachel is impulsively intuitive and a bit rash, but without her the FIB would be next to useless with Inderlander cases. I really wanted Rachel to show them just how useless they truly were, but instead she kept seeking their involvement.  In addition to dealing with the FIB, Rachel has some seriously close calls with a few powerful/influential characters, such as master vampires, a demon, Trent, and let's not forget the precarious situation with Ivy.

A few other characters I want to touch on are Jinx and Trent. Jinx, the pixy, is still awesome. Enough said. However, Trent is a more complicated story. It's pretty obvious that he's dangerous and possibly evil. notice how I chose the word possibly? Well, that's the problem, because the ending had me questioning where Trent lies on the good vs. evil indicator. At the moment he's straddling the middle somewhere and it doesnt help that the author makes him such a likable character.

Overall, I throughly enjoyed reading The Good, The Bad, and the Undead and I plan to continue reading the series. Truly, it's been a while since I've been able to fully immerse myself in a book and and I'm looking forward to seeing wherever Harrison's writing takes me.

Monday, August 4, 2014

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Dead Witch Walking

Rating: 5 Stars
Author: Kim Harrison
Version: eBook

GoodReads:
All the creatures of the night gather in "the Hollows" of Cincinnati, to hide, to prowl, to party ... and to feed.
Vampires rule the darkness in a predator-eat-predator world rife with dangers beyond imagining -- and it's Rachel Morgan's job to keep that world civilized.

A bounty hunter and witch with serious sex appeal and an attitude, she'll bring 'em back alive, dead ... or undead.

Review:
I was very skeptical about starting Dead Witch Walking after first viewing the cover - Yes, I do judge books by their covers. However, after seeing that over 71,000 people gave the book a combined rating of over 4 stars I decided to give it a shot.

Now I've said it before, but I love books with witches and magic. With this restated, I was a little disappointed in the type of magic Rachel practices. To give some background, there are three categories of witches in this book:

  1. White Earth - Witches who use plants to make potions and amulets. The theory is that the plants dilute and store ley line magic. Requires a small amount of blood (finger prick).
  2. Black Earth - Witches who use animals/people as sacrifices. 
  3. Ley Line - Witches who tap directly into the "ever after", which is where demons are believed to live. This type of magic doesn't use blood, but instead feeds off the user's/victim's soul. 
Rachel is a white earth witch, so she relies primarily on charms, potions, and amulets as source of magic. One thing that irked me was the difficulty level assigned to creating potions and spells, despite some only having a few simple instructions (referencing Rachel's mink transmutation spell). In fact, most witches in this book have to rely on purchasing their charms, which was a little lame. However, towards the end of the story, Rachel has to rely on making her own charms and the lameness started to fade away. 

In terms of action and suspense, this book is packed full of it!  A death threat was placed on Rachel by her former boss and he goes to the extreme in an attempt to kill her. So, much of the book involves fighting off/eluding hired Vampire, Were, and Fairy assassins. There were honestly times that I just couldn't put the book down. 

I also found Dead Witch Walking to contain quite a bit of humor. The banter between Jinx (an awesome pixy), Ivy (Rachel's partner and living vampire), and Rachel had me literally laughing out loud. One particular instance I can recall was when Rachel suffered major blood loss and became delusional. Some of the things said were not unlike the videos you see on YouTube of people after being released from Dental surgery (example)

This book seems to be fairly well known, but if you haven't given it a chance yet, I recommend doing so. 

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Wednesday, July 30, 2014 - 1 comment

Stacking the Shelves (3)



It's been a little while since my last Stacking the Shelves post, because I had SO many books to read. However, this week I'm going to share the books I've purchased and/or received since then! Anyways, Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where book bloggers share what we've recently added to our physical and/or virtual shelves!  So lets get started, shall we?

This week I only have three eBooks to share, but I'm looking for some recommendations!

eBooks:


1. Dead Witch Walking: Kim Harrison
  • I was a little afraid to start reading The Hollows Series, because it has at least 11 books in it! However, I'm already around 40% through Dead Witch Walking and I'm really enjoying it!  
2. We Were Liars: E. Lockhart
  • I've already finished reading We Were Liars and you can find my review here!

3. The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Stephen Chbosky
  • Already finished this book as well and I really enjoyed it. I didn't write a review, because there's not much I wanted to say other than 4.5/5 stars. I didn't give it a full 5 stars since it's not a book I want to reread. 






Monday, July 28, 2014

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We Were Liars

Rating: 5 Stars
Author: E. Lockhart
Version: eBook

GoodReads:
A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart. 

Read it.

And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

Review:
I went into reading We Were Liars pretty much blind, since all I knew was that it was a contemporary and about a group of kids. Throughout the book, what I thought the story was about changed not once, not twice, but THREE times. I'll try to explain what I mean without giving away too much:

At first I believed the story was about the narrators's childhood. Since most of the content was memories and her experiences on their private island. For this reason, I was disinterested in the first 30-40% of the book. Yet, as I continued reading, the story changed into a manipulation game and power struggle between family members. My interest level spiked. Then, the final part of the book blew me out of the water and became something I didn't expect entirely!

One thing I found unique was the narrator's use of graphic metaphors. For this reason, the opening of this story was a bit of a shocker. Even more so shocking, is that she doesn't give you any indication it's a metaphor until you keep reading and realize not to take it literal. Here's what I  mean:
That June, summer fifteen, Dad announced he was leaving… My father put a last suitcase into the backseat of the Mercedes… Then he pulled out a handgun and shot me in the chest. I was standing on the lawn and I fell. The bullet hole opened wide and my heart rolled out of my rib cage and down into a flower bed. Blood gushed rhythmically from my open wood,then from my eyes,my ears,my mouth. 

Yeah... upon first reading this, my jaw dropped. Oh and by the way, metaphors not unlike the one above, are selectively placed throughout the whole of the story.

Another detail unique to the narrator is the incorporation of fairy tales, which help to illustrate current situations and foreshadow future ones. The first few tellings I took lightly, but by the third or so I started to read further into the lines and decrypt what she truly meant. It was fun to say the least.

As I said earlier, the ending of the book was mind blowing! It had me questioning SO many things. Who/what are the group of Liars? Why didn't they plan their actions logically? Is this even a contemporary? Seriously, read this book, but go into it blind or without knowing anymore than what I've written above.

Saturday, July 26, 2014

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Faking Normal

Rating: 3 Stars
Author: Courtney C. Stevens
Version: Hardcover

GoodReads:
An edgy, realistic, and utterly captivating novel from an exciting new voice in teen fiction.

Alexi Littrell hasn't told anyone what happened to her over the summer. Ashamed and embarrassed, she hides in her closet and compulsively scratches the back of her neck, trying to make the outside hurt more than the inside does.

When Bodee Lennox, the quiet and awkward boy next door, comes to live with the Littrells, Alexi discovers an unlikely friend in "the Kool-Aid Kid," who has secrets of his own. As they lean on each other for support, Alexi gives him the strength to deal with his past, and Bodee helps her find the courage to finally face the truth.

A searing, poignant book, Faking Normal is the extraordinary debut novel from an exciting new author-Courtney C. Stevens.

Review:
I enjoyed reading Faking Normal, but I was very, very frustrated with the main character, Alexi. Throughout the whole of the book she was constantly berating herself for not saying “NO” when she was statutorily raped. Yet, throughout the whole of the book "Lex" is constantly refusing to stop any sort of contact or situation that her mind tells her to. So, what you have is a girl who’s mutalating herself for keeping silent and regretting her past decisions, while also continuing to make those same decisions in the present. Maybe this is what people who’ve gone through a situation like Lex’s experience, but as a reader I was extremely frustrated. 

A large part of Lex’s struggle is that she cannot determine why she’s so passive and lacks voice. This mystery is a good 2/3’s portion of the book and the underlying reasons are extremely week in my opinion. For instance, she’s plagued by a memory of seeing a naked boy, who was at the time the same age as she was… ~6 years old. I’m sorry, but children see each other naked when they’re little, they are innocently indifferent, and it’s not something that should haunt her for 10+ years. There were just so many instances in the book that made me want to turn against the victim and I had to almost constantly remind myself not to do so. 


All in all, the book sends out a very good message to those applicable, which is to find your voice, don’t blame yourself, and speak up. Yet, the build up and foundation of the story is extremely weak and very predictable at times. However, the author’s letter, as well as her video on Amazon, clearly express how passionate she is about getting her message out. For that, she’s earned my respect. 

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

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A Few Books I Love to Reread

I was looking at my shelf this morning and thought "how many of those have I actually reread?" Personally I don't reread often, so if I do reread a book, I consider it to be a definite favorite. After all, there's a lot of time invested in reading a book, so if I want to read it again it must be amazing, right?? Anyways, here are some of the books that I've reread and absolutely love:


1. The Night Circus:
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS BOOK! The story is nothing like I've read before, the setting is so alive, and the writing is extremely elegant. I honestly, don't think I've ever read a book and praised the author's writing style. Every time I open this book I feel as if I can truly see, and smell Le Cirque des Reves - The Circus of Dreams. 




 2. The Inheritance Cycle:
This might honestly be one of the first series I've ever reread. Although, part of the reason was because by the time Brinsingr and Inheritance were published, a two year time span had passed and I'd forgotten much of Eragon and Eldest. However, the second time I reread these books was purely because I missed them and wanted to step back into the world of Elves and Dragon Riders. As a side note, I've read that Christopher Paolini is writing a fifth book that follows Angel the herbalist, but it could just be gossip. 




3. Panic:
I wanted to reread Panic as soon as I turned the last page. Lauren Oliver literally had my jaw dropping when at the challenges, I still can't get over a few of them. For all it's worth, I managed to hold off a couple weeks before I read it again. 
Books I Want to Reread Soon:

1. The Raven Cycle:
I love this series and plan to reread it alongside a few other bloggers in a couple months. 
  


2. The Host:
Something about this book just clicks with me and I really want to reread it. For those concerned, it's nothing like the movie (which was horrible in my opinion), nor like any of Stephanie Meyer's other publications. I highly recommend reading this book if you haven't yet. 
3. Fangirl:
It's Rainbow Rowell, nuff said. All joking aside, I'm not entirely sure why I want to reread Fangirl. After all, this book wasn't my favorite Rainbow Rowell story, but it did rank pretty high (#2). It could be because I can personally relate to Wren who's shy and introverted. It could also have something to do with the nostalgia of growing up with Harry Potter, or sharing some of the exact same feelings that Wren had during my first year of college. Whatever the reason, I want to reread it. 

Now I have a couple questions for you! Have any of my rereads matched your own? Also, what do you plan on rereading soon? 

Monday, July 21, 2014

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Landline

Rating: 4 Stars
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Version: Hardcover

 GoodReads:
Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble. That it’s been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply — but that almost seems besides the point now.

Maybe that was always besides the point.

Two days before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her — Neal is always a little upset with Georgie — but she doesn’t expect to him to pack up the kids and go home without her.

When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally done it. If she’s ruined everything.

That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts . . .

Is that what she’s supposed to do?

Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?


Review:
Hmm.. I'm not really sure where to start with this one. I guess I could say I liked the book, but it might be the least favorite of my Rainbow Rowell collection - right behind Attachments. Speaking of Attachments, Landline definitely shared some similarities. For instance, Neal was very reminiscent of Lincoln and likewise with Georgie and Beth. Furthermore, the two stories seem to be paced similarly by progressing rather slowly at first and then sucking you in later. 

Don't get me wrong, after all I’m giving Landline a 4 star rating, but the story seemed a bit slow and I got a little tired of hearing Georgie ramble about Neal. I feel like that sentence is wrong since the Neal situation is a major plot theme, but yeah.. Sometimes it just got a little too "Neal, Neal, Neal..." for me. Also, I had a problem with the way the ending didn’t address the show, which was a huge part of the book. I really wanted to know if became a success and if Georgie and Seth made it big.

Now that the major negatives are out of the way, let me address some of the things I enjoyed. For starters, I love the way Rainbow Rowell writes and the way she tells a story. I don't really know how to describe it, but it always feels so... Warm? It's like sitting in front of a fireplace, while reading in a big comfy chair. Is that weird? If so, then let me adjust my sentence and say that her writing style is warm and comforting. Regardless, I liked the majority of characters in landline, but there were two that didn't seem developed enough. The two children, Alice and Noomie, came across as something that didn't quite fit or were perhaps misplaced. Maybe I was just thrown by Noomie's insistence on being a green kitty and her meowing habit that was never addressed, or maybe they just didn't get mentioned enough for me to like them. Whatever the reason, I feel that they didn't fit. The rest of the characters I enjoyed. For example, I liked Seth's personality, Scotty's humor, Neal's straightforwardness, Georgie's wit, the mother's flamboyant sexuality, and Heather's playful humor. Additionally I really enjoyed the crazy situations Georgie finds herself in. For those who haven't read Landline yet, you can look forward to a weird, but touching pug, dryer incident; a hellacious trip to Omaha; and of course a magic phone.

Overall, I liked the book and would definitely recommend it. I would especially recommend it to those who enjoyed reading any of Rainbow Rowell's earlier works and to those craving a good book that mixes contemporary with bits of fantasy. 





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