The following reviews are the cluster of books I've read so far in 2012.
A Beautiful Evil by Kelly Keaton 4/5 Stars
A lot of times the second book in the series doesn't add up to the first but in this case it does. Unfortunitly that means that the romance level is the same as in the first book and to me still disapointing. It just seems to fake, unrealistic. I wish she had a deeper conection with Sebastian that everyone could feel. But besides all of that I loved the book.
Ari is now training to fight Athena to save her father and her friend. She spends all her time studying in 'the bottle' which is a secret library. She runs into Athena a few times. It's packed with action, a tad bit of romance, and sorrow.
Overall I suggest reading this series, it's no Harry Potter but it's definitly way above the House of Night books.
Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton 5/5 Stars
The first time I went to the bookstore I didn't buy it. I wanted to but I didn't have enough for that many books so when I went again I just had to pick it up. It was like a book written perfectly for me. I love Louisiana and it being a fantasy story about gods and mystery it was perfect. The pace was great and I never wanted to put it down. Everything is explained and their are no lose ends everything comes together with no unanswered queastions. The end does have a nice cliffhanger though making you want to rip open the next book and devour it as well in a day or two.
The story is about a 17 year old girl who was adopted she knows nothing of her past but she has always been different with her silver hair and violet eyes. She goes to New2 Louisiana after three hurricanes. There she gangs up with other 'different' kids from New2 to discover who she is. It includes a nice little romance although I thought it was slightly flat definitly lacking depth. One second he hates her and the next he's in love the next he's scared of her and the next he's back. I wish he had more depth Ari had a great amount of depth. But the romance was just thrown in there I wish it was a bigger portion of it.
Overall a great read, and I would recommend to everybody who loves fantasy.
Stay by Deb Caletti 2/5 Stars
I thought I would NEVER finish this book. Don't waste your time with it, I promise you you'll regret it. The book was about a girl with an obsessed ex boyfriend who controlled her every move. After a huge mysterious event involving said ex boyfriend she leaves to a far off place Bishop Rock. The book is written in a unique way were one chapter is the present and the next chapter is her talking about when she was home with Christian (her now ex boyfriend). I found myself dragging through the PRESENT parts to get to the interesting Christian parts but even they became dull quickly. When I got through one third of the book I knew already I hated this book and knew it would be a challenge to get past it. Ironically enough the main character Clara said the same thing about a book she was reading.
I trudged on through the dull characters, with no cliffhangers, no mysteries just bland emotionaless pages telling me a story but not showing a story not making me feel conected. Finally the last fifty pages were infront of me and it finally became a tad bit more interesting. It still involved the flat characters, flat emotions of love, etc. but at least I was at the end where two mysteries were finally answered in a terrible way and I got to close the book and put it up for swapping so I would never have to see it's horriblenss on my shelf again.
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher 5/5 Stars
An amazing read. I heard all the hype about it for years and I finally bought it. I'm very glad I did. The writing style was very different and it kept you reading.
The main character makes out a few tapes with thirteen people assigned to all of them. Each person she sends it to must listen to the tapes of why she killed herself and how they relate and pass them along.
A sad but eye opening read.
Welcome to Dead House 5/5 Stars
I needed some more shelf space so I took down an easy read and finished it really quick. Obviously older readers probably wouldn't sit down and read through the Goosebump books but I have a whole stack of them UNREAD. And I don't like UNREAD books cluttering my shelfs. It gives me an excuse to feel guilty abut buying more better, newer books.
Overall it was a good fast read I enjoyed it a lot. I never am disapointed with R.L. Stine exspecially his goosebump series. And even as an older reader I loved the ending. Two kids move into a new neighborhood and everythings strange about it. All the people are just a bit odd and finally when they discover what the problem is they get out with barly their lifes. Or do they? ;) Read it and find out!
The Beast by Walter Dean Meyers 1/5 Stars
This book dragged. I picked it off my shelves of 'to read' thinking it'd be a quick entrancing book. I have read and loved lots of Walter Dean Myers work so I was stunned when I had to force myself to keep going. I admit I skipped over paragraphs in the book because I couldn't bare to read through them. I felt like my life had been wasted getting through this book.
It lacked depth, it felt as if he'd published an outline of an IDEA of a book but forgot to write the actual story itself. Even for a short story it lacked everything. The characters were boring and bland and the storyline could have been great but it was written with no feeling. The romance felt so fake I can only compare it to the facebook updates of the thirteen year old who is always in love with another person every week "Love my baby Sam!" one week later "My heart aches so bad" hours later "I love you Richard! I'm so glad I have you" you get the picture.
If you like things that lack feeling and you like to feel time drrraaaaaagging by while the other better books cry for your attention on your shelves go for it. But otherwise just send this along to someone who is guilty enough to read through it all.
I loved this book I wanted a good romance and I got it! A boy from the 'other side of the tracks' living in the gehtto area and in a gang finds a girl with a wealthy family on the other side of town. I really have always loved the idea of these stories and this one was written in it's own unique way. I really enjoyed it and Alex had a very sexy mexican twist to the story.
Fallen by Lauren Kate 3/5 Stars
Alrighty, okay, hm. Let me think here. I don't know. I just finished the book, just put it down and I don't know. Overall it was a good read, an interesting idea but I don't think I was very fond of it.
Fallen is about a girl Luce Price who goes to a boarding school after a horrible accident and instantly has a love at first site experience with Daniel Grigori. Daniel want's nothing to do with Luce but Luce feels like she's loved him forever and can't stop trying to get closer and closer to him. She knows he's hididng a dark secret and she wont rest until she discovers it.
So overall it was an interesting read but you know that fufilling happy dream like state you find yourself in after reading a GREAT book? Yeah, not here. I feel like the whole story was dragged on not to the point of being boring but to the point where the answer was at the very end and didn't go into depth enough at all. Everything up to the last two chapters was just one big queastion. Usually the problem is solved at the end and maybe a nice cliffhanger but this time it just seemed rushed unsolved and the cliffhanger made you interested but also look at your shelf of other books that you may want to read insted of the next in the Fallen series.
Another thing I had a huuuuge problem with and what agrees with most of the other reviews. This whole Cam Daniel thing was anoying. Like want to bash someones head in anoying. I would have loved if Luce was actually torn between Cam and Daniel like I'm pretty sure the author Lauren Kate wanted it to be but it didn't happen. Luce never liked Cam at all she was magically attracted to him but hated him? If he was really that ahem charasmatic you think he'd have more game. I don't care if a girls in love with one boy completely ususally she can still fall for another somewhat. It would have made the whole fight between the two boys much better as well as the cliffhanger ending.
And lastly besides the anoying unfulfilling romance and the long to come but rushed ending. Luce was pathetic. I loved her until she became completely in love with Daniel. There is a difference between pathetically in love with someone and just pathetic. She embarassed herself all of the time and acted like a complete moron! How could Daniel ever love someone like that?! I don't care how in love I've been with a man I've never acted that stupid. Yes I have blonde moments, etc. and get all blushed up but really? Come on now! Ugh. I'm just gonna stop there. Really. I hate when girls are that pathetically in love. It's one thing when their still strong and in love but that is just, no.
Overall read it it's not terrible. If you're looking for that paranormal romance that'll fill you up maybe don't read this quite yet. I'm hoping the next book will be better in all aspects exspecailly the love portion. ANd I know people said Twiligt fans will love it but hey I even loved the first Twilight and this just eh.
This book dragged. I picked it off my shelves of 'to read' thinking it'd be a quick entrancing book. I have read and loved lots of Walter Dean Myers work so I was stunned when I had to force myself to keep going. I admit I skipped over paragraphs in the book because I couldn't bare to read through them. I felt like my life had been wasted getting through this book.
It lacked depth, it felt as if he'd published an outline of an IDEA of a book but forgot to write the actual story itself. Even for a short story it lacked everything. The characters were boring and bland and the storyline could have been great but it was written with no feeling. The romance felt so fake I can only compare it to the facebook updates of the thirteen year old who is always in love with another person every week "Love my baby Sam!" one week later "My heart aches so bad" hours later "I love you Richard! I'm so glad I have you" you get the picture.
If you like things that lack feeling and you like to feel time drrraaaaaagging by while the other better books cry for your attention on your shelves go for it. But otherwise just send this along to someone who is guilty enough to read through it all.
