Karissa's Reading Review

Graphic Novel Review - Bake Sale by Sara Varon (4/5 stars)

2012-01-28T00:31:00.000-08:00

Reading level: All Ages
Genre: Graphic Novel
Size: 160 pages
Publisher: First Second
Release Date: August 30, 2011
ISBN: 978-1596434196
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars

I borrowed a copy of this graphic novel from my library; it was a cute book that I enjoyed reading with my son. It wasn't awe-inspiring or anything just a cute book about running a bakery and friendship.

Cupcake runs a bakery and is dying to meet his baking idol Turkish Delight. When his friend Eggplant says he is going to Turkey to meet his aunt Cupcake thinks it is the perfect time to make his lifelong dream come true. Cupcake works very hard to make extra money to make his dream of meeting Turkish Delight come true. Will he make enough money to join Eggplant on an excursion to Turkey?

This was a cute book that gives some insight into how a bakery runs. My son and I enjoyed the cute pictures and the talking food. It touches on some good lessons as well. Basically Cupcakes has to work hard to make his dreams come true. When something bad happens to Eggplant, Cupcake has to make a tough decision about what is more important to him his personal dream or his friendship. It is a great lesson on hard work and the value of friendship.

There are a number of delicious looking recipes sprinkled throughout the book. I didn't get a chance to try any of them and would be curious about if they are any good. The pictures are simple and colorful, super cute and fun to look at.

Overall I enjoyed reading this. It was a cute read that addresses some good life lessons while showing how a bakery is run. It's a graphic novel the whole family can read together. To be honest it probably isn't something I would read again or go out and buy, but it was a quick read and a sweet diversion. I'll be interested to see what Varon comes up with in the future. I'd recommend this as a great read for the graphic novel baking enthusiast in your family.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Graphic Novel Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

News - Book Releases for Week 5 (Jan 29th - Feb 4th)

2012-01-28T00:01:00.000-08:00

Review - The Dragon's Tooth (The Ashtown Burials, Book 1) by N.D. Wilson (4/5 stars)

2012-01-27T00:46:00.000-08:00

Reading level: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Size: 496 pages
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Release Date: August 23, 2011
ISBN: 978-0375864391
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Ashtown Burials series
Source: From Amazon Vine for Review
Rating: 4/5 stars

I got an advanced reading copy of this book to review through Amazon Vine. The book starts out a bit slow but ends up being a solid and engaging middle grade adventure and fantasy read.

Cyrus, Antigone, and Dan Smith live in a rundown motel that they barely make a living running. When an old tattooed man shows up demanding to stay in a certain room things start changing fast. Within hours of the man's arrival the motel is burnt to the ground, Dan is missing, and Cyrus and Antigone are whisked away to the Order of Brendan.

I thought the book started a bit slow, but as it progressed it picked up pace quickly and introduced the reader to an adventurous and fantastical, if grungy, world. I liked that the book followed both Antigone and Cyrus; it made the book easy for both boys and girls to relate to and engage with.

The Order of Brendan is an order the kids' parents belonged to and an Order that doesn't like the Smith children much because of things that their past relations have done. Cyrus and Antigone are faced with with a lot of hatred from the moment they arrive at the Order of Brendan. They find help in unexpected places though and discover the secrets behind the keys and tooth that the old tattooed man left with Cyrus.

In their exploration of the halls and corridors of the Order of Brendan they find adventure and surprises at every turn. They also find some nifty magical items and meet some fascinating people. Soon though they are on a run for their lives as a very evil man seeks possession of the tooth that Cyrus was given.

Cyrus and Antigone were wonderful characters I enjoyed reading about them and enjoyed the stoicism with which they accepted all of the horrible situations they were put in. They always tried to make the best of things and persevere; they supported each other with bravery and determination.

I loved the Order of the Brenden and all of the secrets that were in its halls. There is a ton of adventure in this book. There are also traitors, spies, and some scary bits...so only for middle grade or older. I should mention the book takes place in a lot of creepy and gross settings. From the moldy and bug infested motel the characters start in, to the water-logged stone halls with scuttling Whip Spiders that they are forced to sleep in at the Order of Brendan; there is a lot of yucky in this book. I found myself wondering how they could ever sleep in those conditions and got a little itchy from time to time. Still, the descriptions were wonderful and really made the settings come alive.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It was an excellent middle grade adventure fantasy and I enjoyed the world and the characters. You never knew what crazy character you would run into next or what fantastic magical thing you would find around the corner. I highly recommend this to fans of middle grade fantasy. If you enjoyed Fablehaven by Brandon Mull or The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens you should definitely give this book a try.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge
- TBR Pile Reading Challenge

Early Review - Witchful Thinking (Jolie Wilkins, Book 3) by H.P. Mallory (3/5 stars)

2012-01-26T00:07:00.000-08:00

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Size: 336 pages
Publisher: Bantam
Release Date: February 28, 2012
ISBN: 978-0345531452
Stand Alone or Series: 3rd book in the Jolie Wilkins series
Source: From Amazon Vine for Review
Rating: 3/5 stars

This is the third book in the Jolie Wilkins series. I got a copy of this book through the Amazon Vine program for review. It was a fun read but the cliffhanger ending of the book made me roll my eyes and wonder if I want to keep reading this series.

Jolie's been crowned Queen of the Underworld...whether she wants to be or not. Rand is trying to deal with all the fallout from the battle in the second book and is still unsure about his relationship (or lack of one) with Jolie. Sinjin has wholeheartedly supported her reign and has vowed to be her top protector. Constantly tugged between these two powerful men Jolie is having trouble managing her personal life, let alone all the creatures of the Underworld.

This was my least favorite of the Jolie books to date. I guess I am getting sick of the constant non-resolution between Jolie and Rand. The number of times Jolie states she needs to move on with her life and then doesn't gets really repetitive throughout this story. This book also features journal entries by Jolie which, for the first half of the book, recap events that happened in previous stories. I think this was supposed to make the book stand on its own, but since I have read all of the previous books in the series I found this recapping a bit tedious.

The story has a lot more Sinjin than previous books and I like Sinjin as a character; but the plot hints at darker aspects of Sinjin than I wanted to know about. Sinjin was my favorite character in this series, by the end of this book...not so much.

This book is pretty soap operaish. Most of it deals with the fallout of the battle in book 2 and with Jolie setting up her reign as Queen. I found it a bit disturbing the Jolie is so weak yet is crowned Queen of the Underworld. The prophetess Mercedes is pretty much running the whole show and Jolie trusts her blindly. Jolie serves as mostly a figurehead and the fact that she never questions some of Mercedes more questionable behavior made me think a lot less of Jolie as a character. There is very little action and very little to propel the story forward; although there is mention of a new group of enemy mostly human part vampire type creatures that Jolie and crew will eventually have to face off with.

Usually these books are overly sweet and fun. While this book was well written and easy to read I didn't find it as fun as previous books. Jolie seemed tired and I was tired with her; I just wanted her to stop letting herself get pushed around and do something.

The book ends on a total cliffhanger that promises even less resolution between Jolie and her men in the future. It made me sigh in exasperation; I mean come on let's get on with the story and move past Jolie and Rand and their issues.

Overall, although this was a fun and easy read, it was my least favorite book in the series. Jolie seemed tired and doesn't really exert herself as a character; she spends a lot of time following. Jolie also gets pretty much no resolution with her guy situation and I just want to move past her guy issues and get on with the evil human vampire baddies. I guess the series is a getting a bit too chick-lit for me. At this point I am not sure if I will be reading future books in the series.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

Young Adult Giveaway Hop

2012-01-25T18:29:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Young Adult Giveaway Hop. This hope is being hosted by I Am a Reader Not a Writer and Down the Rabbit Hole.

For this hope I am giving away all of the below books to one person. All of the books are ARCs. This is a US only giveaway. Please fill out the form below to enter and make sure to visit all of the other blogs in this fun Giveaway Hop.

The Secret of the Water Knight by Rusalka Reh

Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Secrets of the Magic Ring by Karen McQuestion

In Darkness by Nick Lake

The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Loading...&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

Waiting on Wednesday - 1/25

2012-01-25T00:37:00.000-08:00

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

This week my Waiting on Wednesday book is Nice Girls Don't Bite Their Neighbors by Molly Harper. This is the fourth book in the Jane Jameson series which is absolutely hilrarious. Click on the image to go to Amazon and read more about this book.

Nice Girls Don't Bite Their Neighbors (Jane Jameson, Book 4) by Molly Harper

Release Date: February 28, 2012
Publisher: Pocket Books
Length: 368 pages
ISBN: 978-1451641813

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

"Just as Jane Jameson’s unlife seems to be stabilizing, fate sinks its fangs firmly into her butt. Despite her near-phobia of all things marital, her no-frills nighttime nuptials to her sexy boyfriend Gabriel are coming along smoothly. But the road to wedded bliss gets bumpy when a teenage acquaintance is fatally wounded in front of Jane’s shop and she turns him to save his life. The Council pronounces Jane responsible for the newborn vamp until he can control his thirst.

Jane’s kitchen at River Oaks barely holds enough Faux Type O to satiate the cute teen’s appetite and maintain Gabriel’s jealous streak at a slow simmer. As if keeping her hyperactive childe from sucking the blood out of the entire neighborhood isn’t enough to deal with, the persnickety ghost of Jane’s newly deceased Grandma Ruthie has declared a war on the fanged residents of River Oaks. Suddenly,
choosing monogrammed cocktail napkins and a cake that she can’t eat seems downright relaxing in comparison.

Tensions inside the house are growing…and outside, a sinister force is aiming a stake straight for the center of Gabriel’s heart. Most brides just have to worry about choosing the right dress, but Jane fears that at this rate, she’ll never make it down the aisle for the wedding all nice girls dream of…"

DNF Early Review - Fractured Light by Rachel McClellan (1.5 stars)

2012-01-25T00:00:00.000-08:00

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Size: 312 pages
Publisher: Cedar Fort, Inc.
Release Date: February 7, 2012
ISBN: 978-1599559421
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in a new series?
Source: eGalley from NetGalley.com
Rating: 1.5/5 stars

I got an eGalley of this book to review through NetGalley(dot)com. It was describe as a YA fantasy read and I was excited to read it. Unfortunately it really isn't what it was marketed as; this is more of a teen paranormal read. There were a number of things I disliked both about the writing and the story. I read about 40% of the book and then gave up.

Llona Reese is an Aura who can manipulate light. Normally her life calling would be to help people and use her light to make people's lives better. Her mother was killed by the Vyken and after that Llona is determined to play it safe and stay alive. She is determined to stay out of the limelight in school and determined to be insignificant so that she can hide what she is.

There was a lot I disliked about this book. It is marketed as a fantasy but ends up being a pretty typical YA paranormal fare; there is a lot of high school drama in the book and of course hot guys that Llona is drawn to despite her best efforts. That right there is enough for me to kind of not like that story but there were also a number of technical writing errors in the story.

Technical errors can be forgiven somewhat since I read this as an advanced reading copy (ARC). I have to say though, outside of self-published novels, I don't think I have ever read an ARC with so many mistakes. After multiple spelling errors and reading about a lady's high heals (they were supposed to be shoes) I started getting irritated. I mean seriously if you are going to market this book to the masses, the least you can do is make sure spelling and punctuation doesn't have too many errors.

I tried to look beyond that but the dialogue between characters was awkward and didn't sound at all natural. Then there were staging errors...let me explain. Llona's best friend would be in up in the bleachers and Llona would be talking to this boy while she was standing on the other side of the gym. Then all of the sudden there is someone else talking with Llona and the boy; who is the mystery person? where did they come from? Ends up it was Llona's best friend, who magically drifted all the way across the gym to join the conversation without the reader even knowing it. Things like this happen a number of times; its like the author isn't exactly sure where her characters are located in the settings. It was confusing and hard to read.

So, were the characters engaging? Not really, Llona is your typical whiny girl who is different and has powers but is trying not to stand out. In an effort to not stand out she starts using her powers to make people feel better; which will totally not make you stand out. The boys (I can't even remember their names) are super hot and one of them is really nice to Llona and gives her a lot of attention that she is leery of, yet enjoys immensely.

The plot, well I am not sure where it was going. Obviously Llona's life was in danger from some bad people and these bad people were getting closer to discovering Llona. I am not sure if this ends up tying in with a broader story (I hope it does) but it didn't in the first 40% of the book.

The only cool thing about this book was that Llona's power follow the cycles of the moon; so at some points she is super powerful and at others she really drags. Think Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (which I definitely recommend over this story) but a longer time cycle.

Overall I cannot recommend this book. There are so many great YA paranormal books out there. There are so many technically poor aspects to this book outside of the lackluster story. I would like to repeat that I read an advanced reading copy of thsi book, so the final book may have undergone a massive overall and be great. But what I read wasn't great, it was sloppy, confusing, and not all that engaging. Check out Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes or Nightshade by Andrea Cremer or any other of the millions of great YA paranormal series out there.

Review - Fodor's Costa Rica 2012 (4/5 stars)

2012-01-24T00:53:00.000-08:00

Reading level: Everyone
Genre: Non-fiction/Travel
Size: 620 pages
Publisher: Fodor's; Pap/Map edition
Release Date: October 18, 2011
ISBN: 978-0679009399
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: ARC through Amazon Vine
Rating: 4/5 stars

I got a copy of this book to review through the Amazon Vine program. This is a great book with a lot of wonderful information on Costa Rica. Most of the information is focused on eco-tourism and adventure travel; although there are some pointers for family travel as well they are infrequent.

My family and I were considering taking a trip to Costa Rica this spring so I was very excited to be offered this book through the Amazon Vine program. The book comes with a very nice full size map that is easily removed from the book. The first section of the book does an excellent overview of the region and suggests some iteneraries for various lenghts of stays.

The second chapter focuses on the biodiversity of the region and tells what you can expect when visiting rain forests, volcanoes, cloud forests, dry forests, wetlands, and shoreline areas. After that the book is broken down by region. There are chapters focusing on: San Jose', the Central Valley, the Northern Plains, the North Pacific, the Central Pacific, the South Pacific, and the Caribbean. The chapters start out with a map and then talk about the top things to see in that region. This is followed by more detailed information by city on where to stay, eat, etc (normal travel guide stuff).

Overall it is a very informative travel guide with nice pictures and a lot of great information. The only thing I noticed is that this book is pretty focused on eco-tourism and adventure travel. There is a little information here and there about traveling with kids, but it is definitely not the focus of the book. I think I tagged maybe three or four places in the book where there were mentions of good activities to do with kids.

There are also a number of comments throughout that hint that you have to be cautious traveling to Costa Rica and also many mentions of how few short hikes there are (most are all day activities). This, combined with the lack of things to do with small children, made us decide to hold off for a few years until my son is older for this trip (he is five now and many of the activities mentioned required an age of 8 or older). I think when we do plan our trip to Costa Rica we will find this book useful, but we will also have to get a more family focused guide that helps us find activities the whole family will enjoy. If my husband and I were going by ourselves this would be an excellent guide.

In general this is an excellent guide; but if you are traveling with children I would supplement it with something more family friendly as well.

Review - Courtney Crumrin in the Twilight Kingdom (Courtney Crumrin, Book 3) by Ted Naifeh (4/5 stars)

2012-01-23T00:43:00.000-08:00

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Graphic Novel
Size: 128 pages
Publisher: Oni Press
Release Date: October 12, 2004
ISBN: 978-1932664010
Stand Alone or Series: 3rd book in the Courtney Crumrin series
Source: Gift for Xmas
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the third book in the Courtney Crumrin series; I believe there are four books in this series with the fourth book titled, Courtney Crumrin's Monstrous Holiday. It was a fun read but I didn't like it quite as much as the previous two books.

Courtney has switched schools again; she is in the Coven's special school for magical studies. Courtney takes a trip back to her old home to hang with an old friend. Then she helps her fellow classmates journey into the Twilight Kingdom to fix a problem they create when a magic spell goes wrong.

The first chapter was all about Courtney going back home so that her parents can sell their old house. She hangs out with an old friend who has changed for the worse. I didn't enjoy the first chapter as much because it didn't really have anything magical or mystical. It basically just gave a little back story on Courtney and solidified the fact that her parents are losers.

The remaining chapters were much more interesting. Courtney and her classmates journey through the Goblin market and the Twilight Kingdom. Her classmates get into trouble and she helps get them out of trouble. It was interesting, fun to read about, and action packed.

The illustration matches the mood of the story well. The pictures are easy to follow and add a lot to the story; it is easy to tell the characters moods by their expressions.

The story is wrapped up nicely and things are set up for Courtney's monstrous holiday with her uncle.

Overall I really enjoyed this installment in the Courtney Crumrin series. I was a bit confused about what relevance the first chapter had and didn't enjoy it as much as the rest of the book. I highly recommend this series for fans of fantasy graphic novels. This graphic novel is appropriate for middle grade and older.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Graphic Novel Challenge
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge
- TBR Pile Reading Challenge

Dreaming of Books Giveaway Hop Winner!

2012-01-22T05:03:00.000-08:00

Hi Guys! Thanks so much to everyone who participated in the Dreaming of Books Giveaway Hop. Also thank to everyone who follows this blog :-)

The winner of the $10 Amazon gift certificate was:

Juana

There were 497 entries into this giveaway. The winner was chosen using random.org.

In My Mailbox and Mailbox Monday - 1/23

2012-01-22T00:01:00.000-08:00

IMM is a meme started at The Story Siren with some inspiration from Alea of Pop Culture Junkie.

Anyone can participate in IMM and you are not limited to only sharing books that arrive via your mailbox. You can also share books that you've bought or books that you've gotten at the library.

Mailbox Monday can be found at: The Printed Page

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

This week I got ten books. Most were from the library. One was for review and two I bought. You can watch the video below or click on the images below to go to Amazon.com for a synopsis.

Hope that you all got some great books and are looking forward to a wonderful week of reading!

For Review:

Filaria by Brent Hayward

Bought:

The Bride Wore Black Leather (Nightside, Book 12) by Simon R. Green

Glitches by Marissa Meyer

Paperbackswap.com:

Blue Noon (Midnighters, Book 3) by Scott Westerfeld
At the Gates of Darkness (The Demonwar Saga, Book 2) by Raymond E. Feist
Gauntlgrym (The Neverwinter Saga, Book 1) by R.A. Salvatore

Library:

Bake Sale by Sara Varon

Foiled by Jane Yolen

Dark Wraith of Shannara by Terry Brooks

The Hour of Dust and Ashes (Charlie Madigran, Book 3) by Kelly Gay

News - Book Releases for Week 4 (Jan 22nd - 28th)

2012-01-21T00:55:00.000-08:00

Novella Review - Bewitched (Jolie Wilkins, Book 2.5) by H.P. Mallory (4/5 stars)

2012-01-21T00:35:00.000-08:00

Reading level: Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Size: 242 KB
Publisher: Bantam
Release Date: December 12, 2011
ASIN: B0067AMY2O
Stand Alone or Series: 2.5 book in the Charlie Madigan series
Source: Bought for Kindle
Rating: 4/5 stars

This was a short Novella that describes the events that take place near the end of the second book of the series but from Rand's point of view. It was a fun read and it was fun to see things from Rand's point of view.

This novella doesn't cover anything new; it just covers part of book 2 but is written from Rand's point of view. It gives some additional insight into why Rand did the things he did and made the decisions he made. Some of Rand's actions which seem a bit mysterious from Jolie's perspective are well explained from Rand's perspective.

It was also nice to read this right before I started reading Book 3, Be Witched (which I got for review). This novella does an excellent job jogging your memory about what happened in Book 2 and sets up things nicely for where the story starts off for Witchful Thinking. Included in this is a excerpt from Witchful Thinking as well.

Overall worth the read if you are a fan of this series. It is a fun series and it was fun to hear things from Rand's perspective. It also does a nice job summing things up so that you can remember where book 3, Witchful Thinking, is going to pick up at.

Review - The Darkest Edge of Dawn (Charlie Madigan, Book 2) by Kelly Gay (4/5 stars)

2012-01-20T00:26:00.000-08:00

Reading level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 384 pages
Publisher: Pocket Books
Release Date: August 31, 2010
ISBN: 978-1439110041
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Charlie Madigan series
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the second book in the Charlie Madigan series. The third book is already released and is titled, The Hour of Dust and Ashes. The fourth book will be titled, Shadows Before the Sun, and is scheduled for a July 2012 release. I enjoyed this book; it is a solid urban fantasy and was a good addition to the Charlie Madigan series.

Charlie is struggling to learn to control her new powers and is learning to live in a city covered in darkness. The war between Charbydon and Elysians/Humans is tipping toward Charbydon's favor because of the all encompassing darkness. Charlie is drawn into more conflict when she finds that a serial killer is on the loose and killing high level Elysians. Her and her siren partner Hank; have to figure out what is going on. This may not be a simple matter of a serial killer on the loose; it may be a battle for the city itself.

This was an excellent novel; I really enjoy the complex world in this series. You basically have three alternate worlds or realities: Charbydon (hell-like), Elysium (heaven-like) and Earth (stuck between the two).

I liked Charlie better as a heroine in this novel than in the first one. Charlie is tough, but she does a pretty good job balancing taking care of her daughter with her job as an investigator and her complicated home life. At times though she is a bit too stereotypical of all the other urban fantasy heroines out there.

Hank really comes into his own in this novel; he adds humor but also serves not only as Charlie's friend and co-worker, but also as a solid source of her support for her. Charlie's daughter, Emma, continues to steal the show at points in this book...Emma is just a fabulous character and is developing interesting powers of her own.

Rex, the Revenant that has possessed Charlie's husband's body, is also a surprisingly wonderful character. He is the one who helps Charlie keep her home life together and he has surprising depth. So basically all of the characters are interesting to read about and add a lot to the story.

The plot is very well put together; I love how these books all starts with something seemingly simple...like a serial killer and then gets more and more complex until the whole city is at stake.

The book ends well with the major story wrapped up but more left for future books. The book is very easy to read, very well written, and incredibly engaging. I had trouble putting it down and really enjoyed reading it.

Overall this was a solid addition to the Charlie Madigan series. There is some excellent world-building and I enjoy the complexity of the world presented here. I really enjoyed all of the characters as well. I like how these stories start with one simple investigation and then building into something epic.

The only thing I didn't love about this novel was that Charlie is a bit too much of a stereotypical urban fantasy heroine. Still, she is growing on me and I am starting to enjoy her as a character. I would definitely recommend this series to urban fantasy fans out there. I also recommend the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews, the Elemental Assassin series by Esterp, and The Disillusionists Trilogy by Carolyn Crane.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge
- TBR Pile Reading Challenge

DNF Early Review - Touchstone (Glass Thorns, Book 1) by Melanie Rawn (2/5 stars)

2012-01-19T00:21:00.000-08:00

Reading level: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Size: 368 pages
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: February 28, 2012
ISBN: 978-0765323620
Stand Alone or Series: 1st in Glass Thorn Series
Source: ARC though Amazon Vine
Rating: 2/5 stars

This book is the first in a new series by Rawn called the Glass Thorns. I loved Rawn's Dragon Prince series and was excited to see what she's been up to all these years. Well I was sorely disappointed. I read the first 120 pages of this book and finally just gave up. The beginning is confusing and there is no real goal driving the plot forward.

Cayden Silversun is trying to put together a troupe of players that will rise to the top and eventually end up on the Royal play circuit. He ends up bringing together a group of diverse individuals (both in temperament and race) and starts having some success at creating really awesome plays. Then the group is invited to partake in a contest to see if they can stand up against other troupes.

I don't really even want to spend time writing a review for this book; I was just so disappointed in it. The beginning of the book throws a ton of terms at the reader; each of which is a special part that a member of the troupe needs to perform to make the show a convincing whole. They each use special magical tools that have strange names to do this. I tried to just go with it, but for the first fifty pages or so I had no idea what was going on.

Cayden comes off as a weak character; he is easily swayed and constantly struggling to keep his troupe under control. I found him uninspiring. Some of the other players are equally obnoxious; for example Mieka who is the new member to the troupe is very annoying and likes to drink a lot...but because he is very good at what he does is tolerated by the rest of the troupe. None of the characters jumped out as especially easy to relate to or interesting.

The other big problems are the world and the plot; the characters are a complex mish-mash of different types of Elven heritage, Trolls, and numerous other races that are never very well explained. The plot doesn't have much to drive it which prevents the story from having any urgency. Yes, they want to win this contest...but that is pretty much the only thing driving the plot. Most of the plot deals with the characters internal struggles to balance winning with their own beliefs and principles. So most of the plot is driven by the characters' internal struggle...and I didn't like the characters, so I kind of didn't care about their problems all that much either.

It is an interesting idea for a story and if there had been a little glossary at the front of the book explaining all the foreign terms the whole thing would have been much less painful to read. If the troupe were fighting against some other treachery outside of their own internal struggles it would have made the story more engaging.

I finally put it aside after struggling through the first 120 pages over the course of three days. I still couldn't figure out the point to the story.

Overall I really disliked this book. It was hard to read and pointless. I can't in good conscious recommend this book to any of Rawn's fans; stick with her earlier works.

Waiting on Wednesday - 1/18

2012-01-18T00:32:00.000-08:00

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

This week my Waiting on Wednesday book is By a Thread by Jennifer Estep. This is the sixth book in the Elemental Assassins urban fantasy series which I love. Click on the image to go to Amazon and read more about this book.

By a Thread (Elemental Assassin, Book 6) by Jennifer Estep

Release Date: February 28, 2012
Publisher: Pocket Books
Length: 384 pages
ISBN: 978-1451651768

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

"When killing people is your job, there’s no such thing as a vacation.

Then again, how often does an assassin live long enough to enjoy her retirement? In this line of work, you either get lucky or you get dead. And since I destroyed my nemesis Mab Monroe a few weeks ago, all of Ashland’s lowlifes are gunning to make a name for themselves by taking out the lethal Spider—me, Gin Blanco. So I’m leaving behind my beloved barbecue joint and heading south with my baby sister, Bria, to cool my heels in a swanky beach town. Call it a weekend of fun in the sun. But when a powerful vampire with deadly elemental magic threatens an old friend of Bria’s, it looks like I’ll have to dig my silverstone knives out of my suitcase after all. Complicating matters further is the reappearance of Detective Donovan Caine, my old lover. But Donovan is the least of my problems. Because this time, the danger is hot on my trail, and not even my elemental Ice and Stone magic may be enough to save me from getting buried in the sand—permanently."

Audiobook Review - Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (3/5 stars)

2012-01-18T00:13:00.000-08:00

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Size: 448 pages
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Release Date: May 10, 2011
ISBN: 978-1606842119
Stand Alone or Series: 1st in Series
Source: Audiobook from Audible.com
Rating: 3/5 stars

I really loved Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes so I decided to go pick up an earlier book from her, I've heard mixed things about Raised by Wolves but decided to give it a read. In general I ended up having mixed feelings about the book. I loved the ending, I thought the rest of the book was kind of ho-hum and boring. I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook was decent; nothing especially outstanding but it was well enough read.

Bryn has literally been raised by wolves; she was marked and raised by a werewolf pack after her parents were brutally murdered by a rabid werewolf. Bryn likes to keep her own space and push the bounds in a society that is incredibly rigid and strict. This all comes to a head when Bryn finds that Calem, the pack alpha who helped raise her, is keeping a secret from her. Bryn finds out the secret is Chase, a boy who survived a werewolf attack just like Bryn. Then Bryn finds out the secret goes even deeper than she could imagine.

There were a lot of things I didn't like about the beginning of this book. Bryn was obnoxious, she did a lot of things just to get on Calem's case. I guess typical teenage behavior but it was annoying to read about. Then there was all the times Bryn chants "obey, obey, obey" or "tests her will" against the pack bond. I just thought it was boring and was waiting for something to happen besides watching Bryn struggle between her own identity and the pack's identity.

I also found Bryn's love at first sight thing with Chase to be incredibly annoying; I do understand it was for a reason and was explained later in the book. Early on though there was a lot of eye rolling going on; I hate it when two characters have an unexplained heated attraction to each other instantaneously. That and I didn't really like Chase all that much; he just wasn't there for Bryn early on in the book.

There were some things I really did like. The idea of having a "normal" girl being raised by werewolves was unique and interesting. The last third of the book was also incredibly interesting. I am not going to talk about it much because I don't want to spoil it. But especially when Bryn's best girlfriend joins the story things get crazy and surprising. I ended up really liking how the story turned out and was impressed with how nicely everything came together at the end of the book.

Overall, because of the spectacular ending, I think this ended up being an okay book. There wasn't much world building though and I didn't really click with any of the characters. I didn't like Bryn or Chase much and I thought their relationship was a bit, well, too love-at-first-sightish for me. The pacing was a bit off as well; the first half of the book moved slowly and all the good stuff happened way late in the story. I probably won't be reading anymore books in this series. Fans of werewolf urban fantasy might find something here to like, but I would recommend this strictly for the teen crowd...it didn't have much appeal to me as an older reader.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge
- TBR Pile Reading Challenge

Review - The Iron Thorn (The Iron Codex, Book 1) by Caitlin Kittredge (5/5 stars)

2012-01-17T00:06:00.000-08:00

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Steampunk
Size: 512 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Release Date: February 22, 2011
ISBN: 978-0385738293
Stand Alone or Series: First book in the Iron Codex series
Source: Bought
Rating: 5/5 stars

This is the first book in the Iron Codex series by Kittredge. It is the first book in a planned trilogy. The second book, The Nightmare Garden, is scheduled for a February 2012 release. This book was a wonderful blend of fantasy, steampunk, dystopia, and gothic elements. I absolutely fell in love with the world and the characters.

The city of Lovecraft is ruled by the Protors and powered by The Great Engine. The necrovirus is blamed for an epidemic of madness that affect certain citizens, it is also said to be the cause for the dark creatures that hunt in the streets at night. Aoife is a ward of the state and one of the only girls to make it into the School of Engines; the most prestiguous school in Lovecraft. Aoife's family has a dark history though; they carry latent necrovirus and go mad at their sixteenth birthday. Aoife's 16th birthday is just around the corner and she will have to unravel the dark secrets of her family and face the darkness in Lovecraft if she even has a chance at staying sane.

This book is dark and gothic, full of wonderful descriptions that create beautiful and haunting imagery. I loved Lovecraft; I wanted to visit Lovecraft and along with Aoife explore the dark alleys and secrets. It was just a wonderful blend of steampunk, gothic, and dystopian elements. Not to mention madness as a contagious virus; it sends chills up my spine just thinking about it.

Aoife herself is an incredibly entertaining character. She is trying to be a good girl; but she is just too smart and too tough to not do what she has to do to survive. She has a good balance of courage, smarts, occasional vulnerability, and daring. She isn't your typical kick-butt heroine but she has a core of steel to her personality and she is willing to the extra mile when she has too. I loved her fascination with engineering and gears; it was nice to see a female heroine in this role. Aoife was an incredibly realistic and multi-dimensional character and I loved her.

There is a bit of a love triangle going on here. Although that didn't bother me because it was well done and Aoife's choice was clear from the start. Cal comes off as a nagging but loyal friend until you discover he has secrets of his own. Dean is a bit of a mystery but the respect with which he treats Aoife and the way he supports her when she has tough decisions to make made him one of my favorite male leads.

Now as if the setting of Lovecraft wasn't awesome enough, Kittredge throws in Aoife's father's clockwork house. A house that is nearly living and breathing all on its own. On top of that we get honest to goodness fairies involved in the story as well. I love stories that have fairies in them, and unlike some YA books, this book doesn't shy away from the dark side of fairy.

The story ends well, but there is a lot more to be settled. There were so many wonderful things in this book, so many twists and turns. I can't wait to read the next one!

Overall I loved, loved, loved this book. The world is incredibly complex and interesting, but never confusing. There are a ton of creative elements in this story. The characters are very well done; I loved them all. The story is a perfect blend of steampunk, gothic, dystopian, mystery, and fantasy elements. I recommend to anyone who loves dark fantasy or steampunk. I would actually recommend to everyone, but those who don't like a heavy dark element in their stories might want to look elsewhere.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Dystopia Reading Challenge
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge
- TBR Pile Reading Challenge
- Steampunk Reading Challenge

Early Review - Katana by Cole Gibson (3/5 stars)

2012-01-16T00:48:00.000-08:00

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 384 pages
Publisher: Flux
Release Date: March 8, 2012
ISBN: 978-0738730400
Stand Alone or Series: First book in Katana series
Source: eGalley through NetGalley.com
Rating: 3/5 stars

I got a copy of this book through NetGalley(dot)com for review. It was an interesting idea but I was hoping for more action. It would have been nice to have more Buffy-like butt kicking from the main character and less whining.

Rileigh Martin is a relatively normal girl that is until she is attacked in a parking lot by some thugs. She totally schools all three of the big thugs and then goes unconscious. She can barely remembered what happened, the doctors tell her it was adrenaline...but Rileigh remembers a voice in the back of her head and a feeling of silk up her spine as something else took over her actions. Rileigh finds out she might be harboring a 500 year old samurai spirit and now that she's been outed she may be in a huge amount of danger.

This book is described as Kill Bill meets Buffy; I love both Kill Bill and Buffy and as a result was excited to read this book. There is enough drama in here to warrant the Buffy comment (although not nearly as much humor), but the Kill Bill comparison...hmmm...not really. There are some good fight scenes in this book but not a ton.

The idea is an interesting, if not totally, original one. Rileigh is being taken over by a Samurai spirit. The main question in her mind is...is this spirit part of her? Or is it trying to take over her? It is an interesting problem and an interesting idea. The way Rileigh suddenly knows how to fight awesomely is something I wish I could do and is a fun fantasy to explore. It kind of reminds of the line in the Matrix "I know Kung Fu!"

My main problem with this book is Rileigh. A good portion of the book is spent dealing with her in denial of what's happening. Rileigh whines a lot and complains about loosing herself. Another good portion of the book is spent with Riley angsting about being attracted to the hot Asian guy who harbors the soul-mate spirit to her ancient spirit instead of wanting the other hot guy from her high school. I am not a fan of teenage angst and drama; especially when the heroine spends more time worrying about which hottie to go after than she does the fact that she is being controlled by an ancient samurai spirit.

I did enjoy Kim as the main male lead; he had a lot more depth than Rileigh and was an awesome fighter. His devotion to Rileigh was admirable if a bit creepy and stalker-like at times.

The plot was completely predictable and transparent. The author tries to mislead the reader into thinking one person is the bad guy but then surprise another person is; the big problem was this diversion is that the outcome is totally predictable. The writing style of the book was decent and the writing was easy to read. The book was fairly engaging as well.

Overall this book had some good and bad points. The idea behind the story was interesting and the book was well-written and easy to read. I found that there wasn't as much awesome action as I had been hoping for. Rileigh was too whiny and Kim a bit too stalker-like for me. The plot was way to predictable. This was an okay read but not what I was hoping for. Young adult readers who enjoy a lot of teenage drama with some supernatural possession and fighting mixed in might find this enjoyable. I am trying to think what to recommend in place of this book...if you like kick-butt young adult urban fantasy I would recommend Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver or Nightshade by Andrea Cremer.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge
- Debut Author Reading Challenge

Short Story Review - Tortured by Caragh O'Brien (3/5 stars)

2012-01-15T00:43:00.000-08:00

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Dystopia
Size: 239 KB
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Release Date: December 6, 2011
ASIN: B00633W62I
Stand Alone or Series: Part of the Birthmarked series
Source: Bought
Rating: 3/5 stars

This free short story for Kindle is a "bridge" story between Birthmarked and Prized. It basically tells about how Leon escaped into the Wastelands.

It is free and well written so those are the positive points. It is very, very short though. I think it took me 10 minutes to read. The second half of the download is a preview of Prized (which I have already read and enjoyed).

I also thought this didn't add much to the series overall. It basically tells us that Leon was tortured and then, with the help of his mother, escaped into the Wastelands. It doesn't cover any of Leon's journey through the Wastelands or talk about how he survived his journey to Sylum. We don't even get to hear much of Leon's thoughts, so it doesn't really fill out or give additional insight to him as a character.

Overall it is an okay read if you are a huge fan of this series. It is well written and it is free. I didn't feel that it added much to the series overall or to our understanding of Leon. I guess read it if you really are dying to read more about these characters and have already read Prized and Birthmarked. Otherwise if you have a lot of other great stuff to read I would skip it.

In My Mailbox and Mailbox Monday - 1/16

2012-01-15T00:41:00.000-08:00

IMM is a meme started at The Story Siren with some inspiration from Alea of Pop Culture Junkie.

Anyone can participate in IMM and you are not limited to only sharing books that arrive via your mailbox. You can also share books that you've bought or books that you've gotten at the library.

Mailbox Monday can be found at: The Printed Page

This week I got 6 books; all but one of them were e-books so you can see the covers below. Two I bought (although Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side was free for Kindle).

Two are for review. I am dying to read The Kingdom by Amanda Stevens because I loved the first book in this series, The Restorer. The last I got through Paperbackswap.com.

Hope you all got great books and have a wonderful week of reading ahead!

Bought:

Reign Fall: Demon Princess (Volume 3) by Michelle Rowen

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

For Review:

Dust Girl: The American Fairy Trilogy Book 1 by Sarah Zettel

The Kingdom (The Graveyard Queen Series, Book 2) by Amanda Stevens
The Mourning Emporium by Michelle Lovric

From Paperbackswap.com:

Scat by Carl Hiaasen

News - Book Releases for Week 3 (Jan 15th - 21st)

2012-01-14T00:54:00.000-08:00

Graphic Novel Review - Hatter M: The Looking Glass Wars (Volume 1) by Frank Beddor, Lez Cavalier, and Ben Templesmith (3/5 stars)

2012-01-14T00:35:00.000-08:00

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Graphic Novel/Urban Fantasy
Size: 176 Pages
Publisher: Automatic Pictures
Release Date: October 16, 2008
ISBN: 978-0981873701
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Hatter M series
Source: Bought
Rating: 3/5 stars

I read Beddor's Looking Glass War series and enjoyed it but I wanted to know more about Hatter M! I was excited to see that this graphic novel was supposed to cover just that...Hatter M's backstory. Unfortunately the artwork was vague and hard to follow and the story itself didn't add nearly as much as I had hoped.

This graphic novel starts the story of Hatter M's years searching our world for Alyss. In this novel he finds a girl he thinks is Alyss and tries to save her from an evil Countess who is set on draining her imagination. Also drawn into the story is a reporter who wants a good story from Hatter M.

I had a hard time with this graphic novel. I didn't find the story all that engaging and the artwork was hard to follow. For large portions of the story it was hard to even tell what Hatter M was doing from frame to frame. The writing itself is pretty sparse so you are depending on the illustration to add a lot to the story. With the illustration so hard to follow it just didn't work for me.

There some interesting elements in the story. Hatter M gets involved with a secret society that is trying to drain white imagination from imaginative children. It is also amusing to watch as Hatter M tries to navigate the differences between Wonderland and our world. We get flashes of back story that show what transpired when Hatter M was forced to leave the Queen's side and hide Alyss; we get to see how Alyss was lost as well.

Overall I found the whole novel to be okay. There are some interesting additions to the story; it was great to get some more background on Hatter M and to fill out some of the events that transpired while Hatter M was searching for Alyss. The inclusion of this mysterious society in our world adds to the mystery in the story. The artwork is very hard to follow though and the story is sparse. With the story so dependent on the artwork and the artwork hard to follow I was a bit disappointed. I don't think I will reading future installments in the Hatter M graphic novel series. This might be a good read for a die-hard Looking Glass Wars fan; but it didn't add enough to the story for me to stay interested.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Graphic Novel Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge
- TBR Pile Reading Challenge

Review - Switchblade Goddess (Jessie Shimmer, Book 3) by Lucy A. Snyder (5/5 stars)

2012-01-13T00:31:00.000-08:00

Reading level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 336 Pages
Publisher: Del Ray
Release Date: December 27th, 2011
ISBN: 978-0345512116
Stand Alone or Series: 3rd book in the Jessie Shimmer series
Source: Bought
Rating: 5/5 stars

This is the third book in the Jessie Shimmer series. It was a wonderful book. It ties up a lot of things that started in the first two books and was just a lot of fun to read. I really loved the first two books in this series as well and I think if you enjoyed those books you will enjoy this book.

The book is broken into two parts. The first part has Jessie fighting the demon that has possessed the demigoddess Miko; Miko is the demigoddess who devastated a small town in the second book. Jessie and Pal end up fighting in Miko's own Hell in an effort to both save the innocent souls Miko has taken and free Miko from possession. The second part of the book deals with Jessie fighting her own possession and trying to find a way to heal Pal; she is also trying to make it back to her father. Cooper is in the story some, but is away dealing with other issues for large portions of the story. This story is really about Miko, Pal, and Jessie.

As I have said in previous reviews this series is not for everyone. It is incredibly dark and gritty and at times just plain nasty. If you are a fan of the Sandman Slim series I would recommend this as a good read for you. That being said this is a very creative and off-the-wall series and that is why I enjoy it. So just to be clear there is swearing, goriness, many offensive things said, strange sex scenes, and general yuckiness. There is also a very creative magic system, an absolutely crazy world, lots of action and butt-kicking, and incredibly complex characters.

Jessie is awesome. She is in bad shape for most of this book, but she keeps on going to protect those she loves. Despite all the violence and craziness she endures throughout she is incredibly loyal to her loved ones. She has gained some magical abilities in her last trip to the underworld, they have stunted her ability to do some white magic which complicates things for her. She also has a wonderfully dark sense of humor which makes the story a lot of fun to read.

The other awesome character is Pal, Jessie's familiar. He is in rough shape throughout the book as well, and like Jessie goes above and beyond to try and assist her and aid her.

I really like most of the side characters too. Cooper wasn't in the story much, but the time he was in the story was pretty intense. We learn more about Cooper's back story and why he is how he is. My only character complaint was that I didn't feel that Miko was filled out very well; we do gain some sympathy for her and learn some of her background but I still felt like I didn't understand her character all that well.

The book is well written and I enjoyed reading it. It was engaging and easy to read, I had trouble putting the book down.

Overall I really, really enjoyed this book in the series. I have enjoyed all of the books in this series. I think if you are a fan of dark and gritty urban fantasy you will find a lot here to love. As I mentioned above this is not a series for everyone; there are a lot of disturbing things in here, lots of swearing, it is gory and just plain yucky at points. That is part of what I like about this series though...you never know what to expect; it is incredibly creative, incredibly strange, and very different from every other urban fantasy I have read out there. If you are a fan of dark and gritty urban fantasy you should check this series out. If you liked the first couple books in the series you will love this one. I would recommend this to fans of the Sandman Slim series by Richard Kadrey.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

Dreaming of Books Giveaway Hop

2012-01-12T22:11:00.000-08:00

Hi! Welcome to the Dreaming of Books Giveaway Hop hosted by I am a Reader Not a Writer and Martha's Bookshelf.

Please fill out the form below to be entered to win a $10 Amazon.com Gift Certificate.

Also please stop by all of the wonderful sites listed in the linky below.