New book, new review!
Evermore - by Alyson Noel. When Ever survives the car crash that takes the lives of the rest of her family, she returns back to the living with strange new abilities. She is able to 'read' peoples' auras and hear their thoughts (I know, I know....Edward you started this all!). Once the most popular girl in school, Ever now dresses in oversized clothing, dark sunglasses, and loud earbuds to drown out the voices and retain some anonymity. A strange new student in an unfamiliar school, Ever's life has taken a nose dive for the worst - until the super sexy, dark Damen shows up. He's everything a girl would want - rich, good-looking, kind, and best of all, he makes the voices in Ever's head go away. But Damen is not your average guy, and there's more to him than meets the eye. What is it about him that causes the supernatural abilities Ever has to stop working? Soon Ever's world is turned upside down as she tries to cope with the truth about Damen, and her very own existence.... Ok, I have to be honest, not the best book I've read . It seems that now I'm reading a string of 3 stars to counter all the 5 stars I reviewed when I first started this blog. What didn't I like about it? RUSHED STORY! Like previously stated, this could've been a really great book, the concept was really cool and it took the supernatural to a new level (aka not a Twilight rip-off). But the romance was rushed, there seemed to be no reason why Ever was suddenly in love with Damen, and in terms of the bad guy, that definitely could've been fleshed out a bit more in order to create a more satisfying ending. One other thing I didn't like was the immature language of the writing - which I promptly realized was characteristic of Noel's writing, since previously she had only published teeny bopper stories about girls in Laguna Beach, etc etc. All in all, I was glad I read it, but I really don't understand what some of the hype was about (in every bookstore this was featured in the teen section as a must read). It was, on a very basic level, entertaining, but lacking in any real substance. I may possibly check out the sequel (due out this July), but only if I can't find anything else to catch my attention.
*** 3 stars
'Evermore' is book one in Noel's "Immortals" series - I believe book two is called "Blue Moon"
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Another trilogy by my favorite adult romance writer, so here it goes...
The Sign of Seven Trilogy by Nora Roberts - In the small town of Hawkin's Hollow, every seven years, during the seventh month, for seven days a darkness infects the residents and creatures living within its borders causing them to act wayyyyy out of character and do the most horrific and unspeakable things to each other. The main protagonists are three men who are inadvertently responsible for this spooky and dangerous phenomenon - as ten year old boys they snuck into the dark woods of the Hollow and performed a ritual to make themselves blood brothers, but they also unwittingly released an evil force which had been imprisoned in the Pagan Stone - an altar like boulder that lay center of the clearing. Escaping with their lives, they walk out of the clearing with the ability to regenerate and heal inhumanly fast and each is granted a particular pyschic ability. Since that time, each "Seven," as Roberts dubbs it, is getting progressivly worse and Cal, Fox, and Gage have vowed that this upcoming Seven of their 31st birthday (oh yeah they all share the same birth date), will be the last. In come three women - Quinn, Layla, and Cybil - who bring fortitude, brains, skill, and determination to the table in order to help stop an evil from perpetuating itself, for all involved know that this is the final win or lose, live or die battle against evil. But have the women arrived there by coincidence? I think not - everyone is connected and Quinn, Layla, and Cybil have something very important to bring to the fight, even if they're unaware of it. Can 6 ordinary people with some extradordinary abilities stop, once and for all, the darkness plaguing their town? Stay Tuned! Like I'd written previously, The Key Trilogy by Roberts is still my all time favorite of her supernatural stories (there is one that is about vampires, which I may write about later but that one falls flat in the third and final book). I enjoyed the Sign of Seven trilogy, considering I've already read it twice since I've purchased it, but that's hardly surprising since I normally re-read most, if not all, my Roberts. The idea is really great, the execution is somewhat mediocre. The story still has those typical literary devices that make Roberts' fiction enjoyable, and I enjoyed the romances (especially between the first two couples), but there is one thing that really really really drove me crazy, which became apparent the second time I read it.... and that is Roberts' over-writing of the "All for one, and one for all" theme she had going. I understood the need to emphasize the group effort to thwart the evil bad guy, because hey, everyone had something to contribute to the weapon they ultimately try to use, BUT, every freaking chapter seemed to contain at least one Cub Scout Campfire scene. The story probably would've benefitted from fewer of those scenes and a little more development between the characters or something. It became pretty apparent pretty soon that this was a group - don't really need to be reminded of it all the time. Other than that, it was enjoyable, if very easy to read. Again, perfect for the beach or the commute to work or whatever.
*** 3 and 1/2 - 4 stars
Trilogy Includes:
1. Blood Brothers
2. The Hollow (my personal fave)
3. The Pagan Stone
The Sign of Seven Trilogy by Nora Roberts - In the small town of Hawkin's Hollow, every seven years, during the seventh month, for seven days a darkness infects the residents and creatures living within its borders causing them to act wayyyyy out of character and do the most horrific and unspeakable things to each other. The main protagonists are three men who are inadvertently responsible for this spooky and dangerous phenomenon - as ten year old boys they snuck into the dark woods of the Hollow and performed a ritual to make themselves blood brothers, but they also unwittingly released an evil force which had been imprisoned in the Pagan Stone - an altar like boulder that lay center of the clearing. Escaping with their lives, they walk out of the clearing with the ability to regenerate and heal inhumanly fast and each is granted a particular pyschic ability. Since that time, each "Seven," as Roberts dubbs it, is getting progressivly worse and Cal, Fox, and Gage have vowed that this upcoming Seven of their 31st birthday (oh yeah they all share the same birth date), will be the last. In come three women - Quinn, Layla, and Cybil - who bring fortitude, brains, skill, and determination to the table in order to help stop an evil from perpetuating itself, for all involved know that this is the final win or lose, live or die battle against evil. But have the women arrived there by coincidence? I think not - everyone is connected and Quinn, Layla, and Cybil have something very important to bring to the fight, even if they're unaware of it. Can 6 ordinary people with some extradordinary abilities stop, once and for all, the darkness plaguing their town? Stay Tuned! Like I'd written previously, The Key Trilogy by Roberts is still my all time favorite of her supernatural stories (there is one that is about vampires, which I may write about later but that one falls flat in the third and final book). I enjoyed the Sign of Seven trilogy, considering I've already read it twice since I've purchased it, but that's hardly surprising since I normally re-read most, if not all, my Roberts. The idea is really great, the execution is somewhat mediocre. The story still has those typical literary devices that make Roberts' fiction enjoyable, and I enjoyed the romances (especially between the first two couples), but there is one thing that really really really drove me crazy, which became apparent the second time I read it.... and that is Roberts' over-writing of the "All for one, and one for all" theme she had going. I understood the need to emphasize the group effort to thwart the evil bad guy, because hey, everyone had something to contribute to the weapon they ultimately try to use, BUT, every freaking chapter seemed to contain at least one Cub Scout Campfire scene. The story probably would've benefitted from fewer of those scenes and a little more development between the characters or something. It became pretty apparent pretty soon that this was a group - don't really need to be reminded of it all the time. Other than that, it was enjoyable, if very easy to read. Again, perfect for the beach or the commute to work or whatever.
*** 3 and 1/2 - 4 stars
Trilogy Includes:
1. Blood Brothers
2. The Hollow (my personal fave)
3. The Pagan Stone
Friday, June 5, 2009
So I took a chance and read a book by a new author who's taking her own little dip into the vampire young adult genre...
Evernight by Claudia Gray - When Bianca is forced to attend the prestigious, yet eerily gothic, Evernight Academy she recognizes that something is seriously wrong at the school. Stuck there since both her mother and father are teachers at the school Bianca, painfully shy to the point of anxiety attacks, hates every moment - until, during a weak runaway attempt, she meets the handsome Lucas Ross. The two have an instant connection and chemistry, emphasized by Lucas' strangely overprotective tendencies towards Bianca. But things are not really what they seem at Everynight - it turns out to be a school, and safe haven, for vampires. As certain events unfold, Bianca discovers the lengths she's willing to go to be with Lucas and make sure their love survives.... Where to start? This was an interesting read, but I felt that Gray could've taken it to the next level and didn't. The worst part of the story wasa how rushed the plot felt, for example Lucas and Bianca had great instant chemistry and connection almost immediately, but for some reason Gray just decided to go from that to instant, head over heels love without really having the characters discover each other beyond a superficial level. The unfortunate thing about that is she had the opportunity to write a really great romance, one that comes with all the confusion, misunderstandings, and heartache that usually precedes a satisfying happy ending but not of that was present in the novel. The one thing I did like was that (SPOILER) Gray made Bianca the vampire here, not the boy. Yet again, however, there was no indication that Bianca was a vampire until half-way through the book, which I found really unusual since the story is told from her perspective. A revelation like that would've been more appropriate from third party perspective but not in this case. I also thought Lucas' reaction to the new was unusual considering his role in the book. Gray also ripped off the Stephenie Meyer tool of making the prologue the ending, and then having the first chapter go back to earlier events. All in all, it was an ok read, one that really would've benefitted from more plot development since everything was rushed, not well explained, and the ending was a bit anticlimactic - seriously could've had anywhere from 100 - 150 extra pages with no lag in the story. I'll probably pick up the second book because I'm curious to see what happens to Bianca and Lucas next, and because Evernight felt like the very brief introduction to what will hopefully be a more rich, and complex story (but I won't be holding my breath in hopes that the Evernight series becomes a particular favorite of mine).
*** 3 stars (barely...)
Series so far includes:
1. Evernight
2. Stargazer
Evernight by Claudia Gray - When Bianca is forced to attend the prestigious, yet eerily gothic, Evernight Academy she recognizes that something is seriously wrong at the school. Stuck there since both her mother and father are teachers at the school Bianca, painfully shy to the point of anxiety attacks, hates every moment - until, during a weak runaway attempt, she meets the handsome Lucas Ross. The two have an instant connection and chemistry, emphasized by Lucas' strangely overprotective tendencies towards Bianca. But things are not really what they seem at Everynight - it turns out to be a school, and safe haven, for vampires. As certain events unfold, Bianca discovers the lengths she's willing to go to be with Lucas and make sure their love survives.... Where to start? This was an interesting read, but I felt that Gray could've taken it to the next level and didn't. The worst part of the story wasa how rushed the plot felt, for example Lucas and Bianca had great instant chemistry and connection almost immediately, but for some reason Gray just decided to go from that to instant, head over heels love without really having the characters discover each other beyond a superficial level. The unfortunate thing about that is she had the opportunity to write a really great romance, one that comes with all the confusion, misunderstandings, and heartache that usually precedes a satisfying happy ending but not of that was present in the novel. The one thing I did like was that (SPOILER) Gray made Bianca the vampire here, not the boy. Yet again, however, there was no indication that Bianca was a vampire until half-way through the book, which I found really unusual since the story is told from her perspective. A revelation like that would've been more appropriate from third party perspective but not in this case. I also thought Lucas' reaction to the new was unusual considering his role in the book. Gray also ripped off the Stephenie Meyer tool of making the prologue the ending, and then having the first chapter go back to earlier events. All in all, it was an ok read, one that really would've benefitted from more plot development since everything was rushed, not well explained, and the ending was a bit anticlimactic - seriously could've had anywhere from 100 - 150 extra pages with no lag in the story. I'll probably pick up the second book because I'm curious to see what happens to Bianca and Lucas next, and because Evernight felt like the very brief introduction to what will hopefully be a more rich, and complex story (but I won't be holding my breath in hopes that the Evernight series becomes a particular favorite of mine).
*** 3 stars (barely...)
Series so far includes:
1. Evernight
2. Stargazer
Thursday, June 4, 2009
wow wow wow! Brand new series, totally awesome, and it needs mentioning!
The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare - by far, my new favorite series that I can remember in recent history (well, at least since Twilight :). Here's how it breaks down - on a typical weekend night, 16 y/o Clary Fray doesn't expect to witness a murder at her favorite Brooklyn club, much less committed by a group of teenagers covered in strange and elaborate markings. What follows is totally bizarre: Clary's mom randomly freaks, demanding they pack up and go, but goes missing before hand and Clary is confronted by the deliciously sexy Jace, a golden god, and one of the teenagers who participated in the previous night's "murder." Clary is sucked into the world of Shadowhunters, an elite group of people who are descended from the Angel Raziel and are committed to ridding the Earth of demon kind. With her perception of reality totally skewed, Clary discovers that the stuff of nightmares, and other unworldly creatures like vampires, werewolves, warlocks, and fairies, do in fact exist and live among us. Clary also develops the Sight, the ability that allows her to see this other world normally blocked to everyday humans. In doing so, however, she has to deal with questions about the circumstances of her birth and dealing with a new found ability unique to only her. Filled with drama, excitement, danger, love (and triangles!), and frustrations this was freaking AWESOME! I've loved a lot of the books I've recently read, but this is one of those series that I took with me to my new apartment in New York because I was unwilling to part with it and knew that two months from now I'm probably going to re-read it. And, the last book was recently published so for all those who take a shine to the Mortal Instruments, there is no waiting involved! I'm seriously psyched for the next series Clare writes (called the Infernal Instruments), even if that is still long in coming. Perfect for the summer and if you're looking for something that is totally engrossing.
***** 5 Stars!
Trilogy Includes:
1. The City of Bones
2. The City of Ashes
3. The City of Glass
The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare - by far, my new favorite series that I can remember in recent history (well, at least since Twilight :). Here's how it breaks down - on a typical weekend night, 16 y/o Clary Fray doesn't expect to witness a murder at her favorite Brooklyn club, much less committed by a group of teenagers covered in strange and elaborate markings. What follows is totally bizarre: Clary's mom randomly freaks, demanding they pack up and go, but goes missing before hand and Clary is confronted by the deliciously sexy Jace, a golden god, and one of the teenagers who participated in the previous night's "murder." Clary is sucked into the world of Shadowhunters, an elite group of people who are descended from the Angel Raziel and are committed to ridding the Earth of demon kind. With her perception of reality totally skewed, Clary discovers that the stuff of nightmares, and other unworldly creatures like vampires, werewolves, warlocks, and fairies, do in fact exist and live among us. Clary also develops the Sight, the ability that allows her to see this other world normally blocked to everyday humans. In doing so, however, she has to deal with questions about the circumstances of her birth and dealing with a new found ability unique to only her. Filled with drama, excitement, danger, love (and triangles!), and frustrations this was freaking AWESOME! I've loved a lot of the books I've recently read, but this is one of those series that I took with me to my new apartment in New York because I was unwilling to part with it and knew that two months from now I'm probably going to re-read it. And, the last book was recently published so for all those who take a shine to the Mortal Instruments, there is no waiting involved! I'm seriously psyched for the next series Clare writes (called the Infernal Instruments), even if that is still long in coming. Perfect for the summer and if you're looking for something that is totally engrossing.
***** 5 Stars!
Trilogy Includes:
1. The City of Bones
2. The City of Ashes
3. The City of Glass
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