Spirit Bound

Spirit Bound Plot Summary

Another mediocre book I'm sorry to say.  Better than the book before this one but not as good as the first three by a long shot.  We have finally reached the end of the school year after 5 books and numerous chances Rose gets to take her final fight tests, I've been looking forward to this since book one.  She did very well and I'm glad the author actually went into what was required for the test and didn't just breeze over the experience.  After finally becoming a guardian Rose trashes everything once again by ignoring her duties despite her talk of honor and runs off.  This is where Rose's complete selfishness takes over once again, except this time she enlists her friends to help her.  She uses and endangers her friends throughout and ignores any consequences for her or her friends.  I understand why but my lord all that effort and deceit over a man that you're not even sure you can save seems a bit much.  A lot of drama and the story moves along ok I wish there were more fighting and magic and less obsession but we can't always have what we want.  The spelling mistakes continue I was hoping that as the books went on and became more popular that they would have found an editor that would resolve this continuing problem but alas that was not the case.  This book was definitely an improvement  but I'm really hoping the final book will be more like the first ones, otherwise, anything beyond the third book will have been a waste of my time.   

Rating ~ 3

Blood Promise

Blood Promise Plot Summary

NO! No no no... we did so well, we got past that halfway point with the first three books just to be knocked down at four.  The first three books were so good and this one was just meh.  Not necessarily bad but just eh.  Toward the end things improved but overall I was unhappy with this book.  It was very slow and overall boring.  Compulsion makes everything more boring, everyone just rolls over and takes it without a fight so lame.  I understand why this was supposed to be interesting with the hunt for our lost love and bringing him to justice or whatever but ugg.  Watching a strong character (physically not so much morally) turn into a drooling addict just sucks.  She gets past her problems by sheer will power and  a little trickery which is impressive and takes care of business briefly which I totally liked.  Unfortunately, afterwards someone dangled hope in front of her and after that, you just know how the next book is gonna go.  I'm hoping the next will be better, but I forsee issues from here.

Rating ~4

Shadow Kiss

Shadow Kiss Plot Summary

Another good book finished and the action continues to get better.  I really liked this book they are definitely getting better as we go, and I'm glad to see that the series overcame the typical half way terrible book.  Granted, I don't know if the series is done or not but I'm glad to see that the story is progressing well.  We see a lot of the good stuff starting with more fighting and training but between everyone this time, the guardians and their charges.  We see the major development of magic all over campus and the slowly changing perceptions that go with it.  Unfortunately, all the magic seems to make the main character extremely whiney the majority of the book.  She gets pretty dark and full of teen angst but, it gets better toward the end.  There are also some interesting developments with dear Rose, her visions are pretty interesting, turns out not only the moiri have powers after all.  Finally, our star-crossed lover's story comes to a peak while taking a drastic left turn.  It's a rough few month for poor Rose.  The politics follows suit with the rest of the book, I like the way things are turning even if the politics of it all is ridiculous.  I'm not usually one to notice such things but this one I see.  If you can get past that then this book is totally worth the time!

Rating~1

Frostbite

Frostbite Plot Summary

As promised another review is rolling out.  I finished this one a few days ago and I am just now getting to the review.  This book did a much better job keeping me interested than the first book.  Not that the first book wasn't interesting but I liked this one better.

They kicked the action up in this book compared to the previous book, by like a lot, and I think that was why I liked it so much better than the first.  The ending was sad but much more interesting to a lot of magic and beatings and testosterone.  The action is not the only thing that got kicked up a notch.  The forbidden love story from the first book continues to develop in this book as well.  The majority of the time it seems more like a war between the body and the mind between the two characters, sexual tension and forbidden temptation are hard to overcome especially at 17.  I forget how intense first loves are when you are in high school and hormones are raging and everything is ridiculously important to you.  This story is a little different than a normal teen's story considering the circumstances but, not really, all the typical pining and whining is there.  The spelling/grammar mistakes are much improved, it only happened once or twice this book.  A step up from the first book in a lot of ways.

Rating~1

Vampire Academy

Vampire Academy Plot Summary

This is a new series for me suggested by a friend and, it was a good suggestion. If this opinion continues throughout the sequels, there may be several entries in close succession rolling out.

This book was a little slow to start but it did well enough to keep me interested.  It has one of those, start just past the beginning and piece it together as we go, beginnings.  Good tactic because you want the whole story before you veto a book and by the time you get all the information you might as well finish it right?!  Grammatically, there were several misspellings, more than usual.  Now I know my spelling sucks too but I don't get paid to write.  It was annoying when I had to re-read a line over and over again because a "T" was missing or there was an extra letter in the middle of a word that changed the word to something else entirely.  This may have just been a problem at the printer and not with the writer in general so it will in no way change my opinion on the story.

I enjoyed this book more than the majority of the Twilight books, and I liked the twilight books.  This story had better vampires, better fighting, and magic!  Who doesn't love magic mixed with the elements?   The main characters are two teenage girls, which is a refreshing change from the normal YA structure that is inevitably boy+girl.  One of the girls is in training to be a bodyguard so she gets her ass kicked a lot, so the action is somewhat there.  Then there is, of course, the drama that goes with being  a teen girl in high school.   This book like so many others does have some of that YA predictability; like the sole virgin amongst all the sinners, but not nearly as bad as some.  So, we have the typical teen drama for the guilty pleasure and then fighting and magic for the story line. A- but, I would definitely call this a chick book so male readers beware.

Rating ~1

Go Ask Alice

Go Ask Alice Plot Summary

The holidays are officially over and it's back to the grind.  I picked this book up at Target of all places with some Christmas money, mostly because it sounded not boring.  I'm not sure if Target really defines fiction vs. non-fiction so when I picked this book up I did not notice which category this book fell into.  I was going on face value and the cover description.  All I knew is that once again I had chosen teen literature.

This book was portrayed as a teen's private diary detailing her tragic downward spiral into drugs Anne Frank style (the diary part not the drug part).  This image was further encouraged by the lack of an author and the almost complete absence of names and, very generalized locations throughout the book.  As I began to read the book, it seemed to read as more of a cautionary tail rather than a true depiction of events.  I looked at the publication date which was the early 70's the early years of the drug revolution, as  I see it anyway.  I know drugs were big in 60's but still they were becoming more widely publicized in the late 60s early 70s, am I showing my age?  This furthered my doubt about the legitimacy of this "diary."  Turns out the "true" diary part of the story was a fabrication.  The book was written by a pseudo-psychiatrist that published several books using the diary style of writing.  The "true diaries" it seems were mostly the author's elaborations combined with very small amounts of true journal entries from troubled teens.

I wouldn't say I enjoyed the book because as the context would suggest it is not a book you enjoy.  It was a tragic story that I finished within 2 days.  The writer did a good job in building a relationship with the main character, I felt sorry for her, and the terrible web she was thrust into, at first, not of her own choosing.  The authors style of writing made it easier to connect with the character and feel remorse for her; when you compound that with the final sentences of the epilogue (basically somewhere out there very similar things are happening to teens every day and everywhere) it's almost heartbreaking.  That being said, I found that the sequence of events seemed a little hasty.  The entire book took place over a period of about a year and a half and I can't believe that in so short a time an underage girl can become hopelessly addicted to drugs, deal them at school, move out and come back twice, get clean with no withdrawals, and then ending the way it did within such a short time frame.  I have always heard that if you do drugs once that's all it takes and your whole life goes to hell, but such a waterfall of events in such a short time is astounding.  Having no personal experience to verify that this is how the world of no drugs to heavy drug use works I assume it was an accelerated dramatization to help discourage teen drug use.   If I haven't already painted the picture for you the book was a downer but if you don't mind the buzz kill it's a decent quick read.  I don't know how I feel about it for the youth of America but I may be just showing my age again.

Rating ~ 3

State of Wonder

State of Wonder Plot Summary 

 I just finished another book and it definitely was not what I expected.  I haven't really decided if I liked the book, but it was interesting.  This book is more on the scientific side and in no way an action packed or even sprinkled book.  If you're looking for a book that you just cannot put down this is not that book.  This was a book you can read when you have other things going on like waiting for an appointment or the laundry to finish.  It was very easy to set down and pick back up at will.  This was a slow paced book almost like the ebb and flow of the river that the story centers around.  On that note the location and research mixed with the natives are what we made the book worth reading.  The descriptions were well done and there were relatable characters that also carried my interest.  If you went to college you would have had a teacher like at least one of these scientists, if you were a science student you may have had them all.  Unfortunately, there is no real climax and I was rather disappointed in how the book ended.  Not so much as to damn the book to my never read again category but when the story ended I was scratching my head in a bad way.  The main reason for my disappointment was a problem I have run into before, the author wrapped up the ending too quickly causing an abundance of unanswered questions most in the last 7-10 pages.  I really hate when they do that, just "oh I'm tired of writing so let's just end it abruptly".  I seriously doubt there will be a sequel so there are these questions forever unanswered.

Rating ~ 3

Zoo

Zoo Plot Summary

I've made it through another book.  I seem to be doing a better job picking books that keep my interest.  Maybe I need to steer away from the chick books for a bit, since they don't seem to be doing it for me as of late.  This book however was awesome.  Obviously a guy wrote it, I can tell by where he put his emphasis in the story line.  More on the action and science than on romance and relationships.  I'm absolutely not faulting him for this, it was refreshing.

Let me preface this entry by saying; i'm a huge lover of animals, not in a crazy vegan eating save all the animals no matter what kind of way, but more like animals deserve to be treated with respect considering they keep us alive and happy kind of way.

This book is not for kids or those who aren't ok with violence that is somewhat graphic.  I wouldn't say it was overly so but there were definitely times when I thought "Ouch, that would really suck," and added a line to "the ways I would never want to die" list.  The storyline was definitely an interesting view on how human pollution can affect the animal population, so much so that it resulted in catastrophic unforeseen consequences.  There also seemed to be a thought process that the animals (or more specifically mammals) were acting as the executioners to humanity as a result of their own selfish actions.  Hopefully, this does not reveal to much more than you would read in the synopsis if it does let me know.
The author jumped around a lot, usually at the most frustrating times and for which I became a little irritated.  They were like little cutaways that didn't have anything to do with the main story line (other than death by animal).  Of course I know this was to build and continue the suspense but arrg! Touche Mr. Patterson Touche.  This is a book that can be enjoyed by men and women which I find to be a rare occurrence.  Women are drawn by the animals men by the violence.  Yes, I'm stereotyping a little but hey they exist for a reason.  There is also a lot of scientific and political tones spread throughout the book but it isn't nauseatingly bad.   This is my first Patterson book and I must say I am impressed.  Good story line, seems well researched (not really my area but sounds accurate) and most important good grammar.  All of this attributed to my positive favor of this book, managed to finish it in about 3 days.

Rating ~ 2

The Martian

The Martian Plot Summary

So when I stared reading this book I didn't realize that it was about to be a movie.  A friend of mine gave me the run down on what it was about and e-mailed me the book.  Yes, that's right e-mailed.  This was my first experience with an electronic book.  I had to download the kindle app and read it on my tiny iPhone screen.  While I appreciate my friend giving it to me i'm so glad I never got an e-reader y'all techies can keep 'em i'll stick to my paper copies.  I know they take up more space but they don't require batteries and they don't make my eyes/head hurt after reading for too long.  On a separate note since this was an electronic copy I had no cover so I just went with the basic non-movie cover.

I really enjoyed this book.  The main character was funny and likable, I actually laughed out loud while reading this book which doesn't happen often.  The main guy was easy to root for all alone in that wasteland.  He kept good spirits despite insurmountable odds and horrible loneliness. The technical stuff and NASA protocol from what i've heard is pretty accurate and incredibly in-depth.  The writer really did some major homework to make sure the book was as accurate as possible. On the down side, there were times that I zoned out while reading just like I did in school.  I never claimed to be a genius, except in boastful jesting, and reading this book made that fact glaringly obvious.   The main reason for the wandering mind was on several occasions I had no idea what the hell the main charter was talking about; mechanics of oxygenators, engineering tasks, and scary math are not my forte.  It's hard to stay focused on what I could never comprehend, but at least I can admit that.  Other than the content that skyrocketed over my head I enjoyed this book, which says something because when stuff gets too technical I get bored.  This is one of the few non-chick books I've read in a while and it was totally worth it.  As always my best advice is read the book before seeing the movie!


Rating ~ 2

The Virgin Suicides

The Virgin Suicides Plot Summary

So I bought this book at Half Priced books with the movie cover.  Since I hate that I found this one cover I liked better.  Kind of a spoiler on what happens but that happens within the first chapter anyway so it's not that big of a spoiler.

  This book was written very well.  Very descriptive, a little wordy, author got off topic at times, but good.  Other than being sad, which with a title like that you shouldn't expect anything different, I enjoyed the majority of the book and finished it in about a day.  There is no foreplay in the beginning you get about 1/2 chapter of description and bam!  You basically hit the ground running with this one.  The middle of the story I found a little annoying only because I was screaming at the parent characters "Are you morons?!"  it is basically a manual for what  not to do with your teenagers at a time of tragedy.  I did get invested in the girls which I believe is a sign of a good book.  I do not mean to offend anyone but the parents went about things in all the wrong ways.  The dad tried but he let the wife make the ill-advised decisions.  They may have had good intentions but they managed to make things so much worse.  Good read but I don't suggest it for the emotionally unstable especially if it's a youngish person who can relate to  any of the characters.  Am I saying this book will incite suicide in the youth of our readers?  No I'm not, but let's not add fuel to a fire.  
    One of the oddest things about this book is what I found in it.  Like I said I bought this from Half priced books meaning it was used.  I found a hand written note in the front that said "Chris I want you to have this.  For when we fall to pieces.  I love you, wholly -Kerry 1/27/2006"   There were various passages underlined throughout the book, some were very odd.  I can't decide if the person was trying to explain something or justify something, I can only hope they didn't take a page from the suicide playbook.  

Rating ~ 3

The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby Plot Summary

  I finally finished The Great Gatsby after 5 months of avoiding it for whatever reason.  It was a good book I don't why I was being so difficult,  maybe because it had the stigma of being required reading in school.  I mean no one wants to read something they are required to read. Once I shook that feeling I was reminded that I actually liked this book then and now.
  The language/dialect was difficult for me initially so I drifted in and out some but over all I land firmly in the yes column for read again. I find to my dismay that language and dialect tend to hinder me a lot in reading, so I will no longer hold that against the author unless it's really ridiculous.  Guess that's that Arkansas education coming out... Moving on...
  If you know nothing of this book then know this, the book is definitely a tragedy.  If you are looking for a feel good then pass on this book for now but come back to it when your more in the mood, it's worth it.  I'm not always one for the sad and depressing but this wasn't jump off a bridge sad, more like look at  baby pandas afterward sad. This is definitely one of those book club jackpots, if your into that kind of thing, lots to discuss and argue over.  I think the tragic parts balanced out with the very deep underlying moral, and some really great quotes.   The story centers around Nick who befriends his very rich and mysterious neighbor.  Nick's new friendship with the obscenely popular yet somehow lonely neighbor (Gatsby) lands him in the middle of a Days of Our Lives style plot line.  Our friend Gatsby tries desperately throughout the book to regain something he lost long ago, Gatsby did not seem to grasp that once lost you can't get some things back; no matter how much you want them.  "There are all kinds of love in the world, but never the same love twice"  It's was a hard lesson Gatsby had to learn.  "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."  As I stated Nick was caught in the middle of a very awkward orgy if you will.  I kind of felt bad for Nick, he just was being nice and trying to make a friend, not get all wrapped up in this drama.  The ending had the biggest moral of all and may have shown the authors less than positive opinion of the rich and powerful.

Rating -- 2

The Dark Heroine Dinner with a Vampire

The Dark Heroine Dinner with a Vampire

 First of all sorry for anyone who tried to visit my site and it redirected you to Spam.  Thanks to a super great computer whiz I know hopefully that problem is fixed.

So I have had little time lately and though I would decompress with my fav genre, vampire books.  Unfortunately, this was not a good one to get back in with.  The little stamp you see in the picture was a total lie.  This was not the sexiest romance of the year and if it was then those bestowing this award should really get out more.  There was like one sex bit and after that the sex scenes are just breezed over.  I' m thinking this was a teen romance or hoping so to explain the sexy scenes, but if that was the case the editors should not have advertised the book with that stamp it's false advertising.
Warning there are some spoilers to follow... but the title is a spoiler in and of itself so I guess you better get used to it.  This was a predictable book from the very beginning, predictability is not always a bad thing as long as the story to get there is worth my time.  I mean  come on I liked Twilight and those vampires sparkled for God's sake!  This book was a waste, it was basically a book about Stockholm Syndrome, which they mention on several occasions so of course my mind kept going there.  The female character started out with morals and beliefs and aside from crying every other page was an ok character.  She really did cry an obscene amount she had good reason i'll giver her that, but come on suck it up "girly" you can't cry your whole life.  Of course in the end she caved and gave up on everything she stood for the man who kidnapped her, treated her like dirt, hurt her, and left her to die.  Sounds like a healthy relationship to me.  The fate bit wasn't to bad I liked that part and kept me reading.  I'll admit I really like the fate idea, which may make my opinion of the female character tossing her morals hypocritical, but it's my opinion.
  
**SPOILER** Worst part of the book is there is no real climax, there was two huge build ups in this story and both ended with great disappointment.  The first was between King and Daddy and NOTHING happens, no fight no nothing just a talk of "disappointment" between father and daughter and the end...gag.  The second was the hype of the main female character becoming a vampire, it begins in basically the first few chapters and goes all the way to the end  and the book ends before she even turns!! I wanted to throw the book out the window.  I lost sleep for this horrible ending  What a disappointment.  Around the middle I was actually hooked and thought that it might actually get better, but it didn't. 

Rating ~~ 5

Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore

Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore Synopsis

So I totally splurged and bought a bunch of books recently, so hopefully I will be able to get them all read and more reviews for whoever is still reading!

 This one I think I enjoyed, I know how that sounds but I just couldn't decide.  So Mr. Penumbra lands right in the middle.  The good parts included the book store and the mystery surrounding it's purpose.  Its a secret society kind of thing but for big code nerds.  This of course means there was a lot of computer stuff that I didn't much understand.  I tended to check out when they were going over the computer programming stuff which may have caused me to miss more than I meant to in the story. That was not really the authors fault though, it's mine for being a cyber dud.  During the computer stuff was when my indecision occurred,  the story was not bad I just didn't get it, which means I had trouble staying interested.  Overall, I would say this book was a good way to spend my time I don't feel like I lost out on anything. I just wouldn't consider it one my my favorites.  That doesn't mean I won't suggest it to someone who may get more out of it than I did.



Rating~~ 2.5

The Kitchen House

The Kitchen House Plot Summary

  Finally it has happened after many long months of meh.  A book I enjoyed and couldn't put down!  There may be hope for me yet.  I finished the book in one day, not even the pull of a Law and Order SVU marathon could sway me.

This book was sad but great.  If you've read The Help it had that kind of writing style to it I think.  There are two main characters whose stories, while intertwined, are separated through chapters.  A lot of the plot is pretty predictable but that's not always a bad thing, there was a little bit of a shocker at the end.  I was surprised by this book in a good way, I stayed interested and didn't want to stop reading.  One of the big surprises was that the slaves were so willing to interfere with the house family, especially when the results so often ended in being sold, death, or often severe physically altering punishment. This book was not particularly graphic when it came to punishments but it did insinuate some pretty terrible behavior.  I liked the end even if it was kind of sad.  Overall love it!


Rating~~ 1

City of Dark Magic

City of Dark Magic Plot Summary

So, I found this in a box of books at my mom's house.  It had a bargain sticker on it from Barnes and Noble and I see how it ended up there.  This was not a bad book it had a good story, it was just missing something.  I don't know what exactly, I just couldn't into it, it was missing that hook that made me care what happened to the characters or follow them to the end.  The girl was kind of a slut bag and the boy/girl aspect was predictable.  The story on a stretch highlights the addictiveness of drugs, real or imaginary, and what people will risk for them.  I will say though, magical toenails is really pushing it even for me, not to mention really freakin gross.

 I am beginning to wonder if maybe I am a little harsh on these writers.  Am I making bad choices in books or becoming more difficult to entertain?  Ever since that horrible Laurell K Hamilton book nothing I have read has been worth it.  She better not have ruined my love for fantasy.  This book I finished weeks ago, but I was bored just writing the review for the book.   I would say if you run across this is a book store keep skimming the shelves.  If your're in an airport faced with this or Kim Kardishian's  biography then go ahead a grab this, i'm sure this will keep you interested longer.  When I was looking for the information for this book I saw the author has written a sequel.  This is a series I will not be continuing.

Rating ~~5

The Kestrel Waters

 

The Kestrel Waters Synopsis

So the publisher of this book is a serious marketeer! (probably made that word up but I'm ok with that)  I received an e-mail randomly asking me to read and honestly review this book.  They provided me with a copy of the book and I will say I was flattered.  Since my website is not even that popular, less that 3000 hits, I'm amazed they even found me in my lowly corner.  I wondered briefly if I should review positively no matter what I really thought due to the circumstances and because  it could give my blog more exposure, alas that would be unethical/political/ not my style and they said they wanted an honest opinion and honest is what they will get.  Which means this may be the one and only time I get someone asking me what I think!  I shall savor my moment...

I found several issues with this book along with a few highlights.  The language the book is written in while appropriate for the characters, setting, and time,  is very hard to understand.  I had to  re-read the first "chapter" (they are actually called verses throughout the book) about four times before I could grasp what was actually being said and even then it was iffy.  I would call it redneck southern hillbilly.  I grew up in Arkansas so I understand that this language actually exists and sadly people do talk this way I just don't know that using it as a writing style is a good idea.  I finally got the hang of words like spake (spoke) and the broken sentences about 40-50 pages in.  The storyline is in no way straightforward, the book starts at the end, and then jumps back into the past and continues from there until time catches up with itself at very end of the book.  There are numerous questions presented throughout that are never really answered.  There are breadcrumbs so that you can deduce some of the answers but nothing is ever really explained.  There were a few verses where I swore that I missed something but when I looked back I realized nope we just skipped over how that happened.  This was not one of those books I had trouble putting down.  I found it kind of boring for the most part.  I would almost say there was no climax, and who wants to put in all that effort for no climax? I mean really.  The storyline while discombobulated was ok once the puzzle is pieced together and you know what is going on, which takes the majority of the book.  I actually enjoyed the last 75 pages or so since something interesting was finally happening, but then the end came and bam more questions no answers the end.  Is this a new style I'm not aware of?  I feel like this is happening a lot in the books I've been reading lately.  I don't like it...  On a more positive note there are some pretty great quotes in the book.  They are mostly song lyrics but I think there may be some poetry in there also.  There was one I liked enough to mark the page and write it down, which means the effort wasn't a total bust.

I'm thinking this just wasn't my style of book.  There was a lot of remembering and holes to fill in and that seems like a lot of work for what should be a relaxing habit.  So if you like puzzles, remember little details and are not easily distracted you may enjoy this book more than I did.


Rating ~ 3

The American Heiress

The American Heiress Synopsis

Back to reading for the moment.  Finally found a little time to dive back in!  I have had this book for a while and finally felt the urge to read it. It turns out in the UK this book has different title called My Last Duchess, they are the same book, FYI.  It was a good read, kept me interested and I didn't want to put it down at 2 in the morning!  I finished it in about 4 days.  That being said if this book was based in reality of the lives of the rich and powerful thank god that is not me!  I would have lost my mind if I was Cora.  I don't have the patience or restraint to put up with rich politics, care of image, or deceit.  People with manners are very vindictive and hateful people.  I actually felt sorry for the main character the majority of the book even if she was a spoiled brat.  It's amazing somebody could be so naive and I think that is why I felt so bad for her, she wasn't bright enough to figure out what was going on around her or directly in front of her face.  Maybe I am too American but she let way too many things slide in public and private.  Cora was way too worried about what other people think, I blame her mother for that.  That is the way of high society though, gossip and humiliation is a currency. 

This is a definite chick book if the title didn't already give that away, no boys allowed.  It was written well with the exception of one thing.  The use of the word learnt, the author used it throughout the book and every time I saw it it made me cringe.  When I finished the book I looked up whether that was a real word of if the author used it to make me nuts.  Turns out learned is an American word and learnt is what every other English speaking country uses.  Even my spell check is telling me learnt is spelled wrong.  So I concede that the word is in fact real and used properly and since the book is based in England the use is legitimate.  As much as it pains me I will give the author leniency.  Still kind of annoying though.

Rating ~~ 3

Dragonfly in Amber

Dragonfly in Amber Plot Summary

I re-read this book trying to prepare for the next new release this summer, but I did not get far in the series and the new book is now out.  They are so long that it takes forever to get through them and there are 6!  None the less I did manage to finish book two again.  I love these books.  I am looking forward to the upcoming Starz series based on these books too,  hopefully STARZ does better than HBO did with true blood.  When you first begin the book you think that you have missed something from the last book, maybe this is the third book on accident?  No worries if you thought this, when I first read the series I actually looked it up to make sure it was the second book.  In case you haven't noticed the author likes to play with time and she takes full advantage in this book.  You start in the future and flash to the past rather abruptly; this method did well keeping the reader engaged and wondering what happened and maybe skipping ahead to see.  You have a bit of a "wait what happen" moment at the major time jump and you have to get nearly to the end to find out what happened.  We get to see Jamie and Claire's kid and the story explaining where she came from because she certainly wasn't there the last time we checked.  My big initial question was why on Earth would Claire leave Jamie to go back to her normal time?  I will say that on the whole I liked the story and activity of a courtly Paris entrepreneur much better than the stable boy at Leoch with nothing.  The couple move to Paris and try to stop a war.  We also get to see Jamie's actual home of Lallybroch if only briefly.  There are a few crazy characters that I love and wish we would see again: the apothecary owner is one of my favorites and of course Buton the hospital nun's "assistant".  Jamie proves himself an ass a few times but most men do so I guess that isn't news.  One of these instances was very bad and almost cost Claire her life.  You see a very different life style for the couple in this book, now they have money and political standing while previously they had no money or anything else but their family.  The upgrade is lavish but it is more dangerous and conniving too.  I had  difficulty of keeping up with the politics and plots all around in this book, my mind is just not devious enough to play such games, trying to look at a situation from so many sides, it was almost as bad as the politics in castle Leoch.  The book ends in the present and with a pretty hard slap for Claire.   


Rating~~1  

A Shiver of Light

A Shiver of Light Plot Summary

So I have finished moving (sort of) and started into reading again.   I began with the series' newest release 2 years in the making Merry Gentry.  I have one word after this long anticipated book...DISAPPOINTED.  I know that stories go in waves and they can't all be winners but man sad day.  I actually finished the book a few days ago but afterwards I was so mad I couldn't even think about writing.  I should have know when I saw this ridiculous cover that it was gonna be a let down.  I like consistency and changing it up mid-series is ridiculous, you don't even associate this book with the other books in the series.  Not all of the book was a let down though, it started out strong, Merry has her babies and seeing how they all turned out and their mixes was pretty cool.  The combination of all the men in the babies was interesting, even if the sharing fathers were completely predictable.  If you've read any of the series you will know which fathers shared a baby.  My sadness and anger began in the middle of the book and peaked at the very end.  By the time I turned the last page I was so mad I couldn't even sleep.  They say if a book gives you a strong emotional response that means it was a good book, but I just don't think so in this case.  There was no climax in the story.  There was a villian, a plot and potential for a  great climax (ha ha) but as happens it was disappointing in the end.  You read a book especially these books for a big finish, the aha! at the end or to see certain characters get what they deserve and there was none of that this time.  The big "climax" began 40 pages before the book ended, which when your reading does not seem like enough time at all to wrap up properly, (which for the record it didn't) and when is came to what could have been the good part the author was like okay this this and this happened the end.  A confession, revenge, a new monarch, a funeral and banishment all summed up in 2 pages the reader heard nothing else of it.  No details no elaboration just done.  It was complete horseshit!  I could have done with out the never ending Frost, Doyle, Merry triangle and substituted it for those lost details.  She explains everything else in lengthy detail why not this?!  The finale is supposed to be the best part of the story its why you read a book.  There was just so much waste in this book.  I had no problem putting it down because I was getting bored.  I would bet the author wasted 2 chapters on the exact same character descriptions used in all the other books.  Yes, it's good to remind the reader who is whom especially after such a long wait but this was a bit much.  It was like she was introducing them all over again TWICE! Waste waste waste.  Two big twists happened at the end and one had no explanation, I imagine it is setting up for the next book but how do you drop a huge bomb on the reader and not give them an elaboration?  Its just this is how it is now sorry.  Sadly, after the first few chapters Merry doesn't even interact with her kids unless she is randomly holding one during a conversation.  They were always being watched by the fathers while she is off doing princess/goddess things.   I haven't been this mad at an ending since the Sookie books ended so pitifully.   This book has a feel that the author looked at the calender and realized this book was due tomorrow and  it was only half finished; so she wrote the end the night before it was due and called it good. Maybe I should just stop reading series' as they progress it's like the writers don't care anymore or just give up and let it all go to shit.

Rating ~~ 5

When Rabbit Howls

When Rabbit Howls Plot Summary

Holy terrifying.  This was a good book but oh so disturbing.  A personal account from a woman with 92 personalities.  Just the thought of the trauma required to splinter that many personalities is mind blowing.  Now I said personal account, it was supposedly written by a woman who actually experienced this disease and suffered the trauma, not her psychiatrist.  In the past, books on MPD were typically written by the doctor treating the patient not the patient themselves.  At times I did wonder if that was a legit claim or just a ploy to sell more books.   I wouldn't say there is anything in the book her shrink wouldn't know, but no way to really know at this point.  This is one not for the kiddos its very disturbing.  It contains abuse, bestiality, and torture beginning on a 2 year old up to like 16.  If you can't read the synopsis/review then pass on this read quickly.  If you are sick and love a good psychology read (like me) then this is it.  It didn't end out like I wanted it to but I guess real life never really does, its depressing that way. 


Rating~ 2