Dorothy Must Die Review

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

5 of 5 stars

This was one of those books I was anxiously awaiting and when the store I work in got it in, I was so excited to check it out, but was also nervous that it would fall short. It did not disappoint.. I finished it in 3 days. I couldn’t put it down. And I didn’t know it was part of a series. I don’t read books that have a sequel until all of the books are published. Because it makes me crazy to get to the end of a book and know that there’s more and have to wait for it. This was definitely a great example of this. I’m going to try to be as descriptive as possible without giving anything away.

What I liked:

*I love the new take on the Wizard of Oz. I love that Dorothy and her friends are the villains. I love that the lines of Good and Wicked have been blurred.

*The world building was beautiful. The descriptions of Oz itself were fantastic, but the descriptions of everything else going on were also lovely.

*I liked the development of most of the characters.

*This was a <very> dark twist on the original story and it works well.

*There is a lot of action going on.

*Even though she was a stereotype a lot of the time, Amy was clever and witty.

*There was very little romance. While I’m usually all about romance, it’s often a frustrating subject in teen books. There was some very minor romantic interest, but no one is making decisions based on the love of their life that they just met.

What I didn’t like:
*I hate pop culture references and they tend to be all over the place in teen fiction. Fortunately, like many other books, the references stop after a short while.

*There was a lot of angst going on. I wanted to slap Amy during about ¼ of the book.

*Some of the foreshadowing was way too overt, but it never led to anything.

*You can tell that the writing is from a new author, but it wasn’t awful.

*This is a series. How did I not know this was a series??? It felt like the book just stopped. I understand cliffhangers, but ugh.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes retellings, but I would probably suggest to wait until the next book is out, if not all 3.

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

My Rating: 5 out of 5

I’m finally writing this review after a week and a half of sitting on it. I’ve been a little busy with the gosling (this is her new name since she’s a silly goose like her daddy, who may be called Goose henceforth), but mostly it’s just incredibly hard for me to write a review for a book that I love this much. I try hard not to write gushing reviews often, mostly because there are very few books that deserve it, and I think that people use reviews to get fair opinions of a book before delving in and spending so much of their time reading it. This is an exception, however. Much like this one (which also happens to be a Beauty and the Beast retelling, perhaps not a coincidence).

I’m in the midst of a fairy tale retelling kick and this was the second one I read in a week’s time (there are 3 more sitting on my shelf and several on my Kindle that will be part of this adventure into once-upon-a-time land). This was the better of the two for that week, but was also one of my new favorite books. Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite stories to begin with, and I was not let down by this one. I feel like I should also admit that this was a book that I actually paid for, which has not happened for a while since I usually check them out at work or get an advanced reader. Even paying for it, it was worth the $9.

So, per usual, we’ll go with the good and the not so good (well, I’ll try to come up with what I didn’t love about it, though it will be hard).

What I loved:

*The characters. They were realistic and flawed and beautiful. I loved Nyx and Ignifex together. I loved Nyx and Shade together. I loved that no one was perfect, but at the same time they were.

*The plot/mythology. I loved the back story of the Gentle Lord and how it unfolded. The twist on the classic was a nice one.

*The setting. I’ve found that my favorite retellings tend to be set essentially in “once upon a time.” These places could be anywhere, and something about this really appeals to me.

*The ending. I like books to have closure at the end, but you can still walk away thinking about where the characters would be now.

What I didn’t love so much:

*The father. It irritated me that he was never remorseful. Though, he was still well-written as this character.

*At times I got really frustrated with Nyx. Even though she was believable, I still got irritated with her.

*The ending. It shouldn’t have had one.

I should put this in the not so good column, I guess. I would classify this as mature teen. There weren't sex scenes, but there were implications about it. I would recommend that parents read this first if their younger teen (13-15) wants to read it.

As a whole, I would recommend this to pretty much anyone that I could. If you like fairy tales, if you like romance or fantasy, if you like books at all. Okay, maybe not for everyone, but I really do think a wide variety of people would enjoy this, and I loved it.

Review for the first book I finished after having a baby

While Beauty Sleptby Elizabeth Blackwell

My rating: 3.75 of 5 (the more I think about the story, the closer it gets to 4)

Fairytale retellings are one of my favorite types of books. I love to see what authors can do with a classic story to make it their own new fascinating tale. So when I found this book while looking through the list of e-advanced readers I could download, it stood out. This story was to be different from other fairy tales or even their revised versions. This one was said to be the “true” story of Sleeping Beauty, not of magic or witches, but of a curse brought on by events that could have actually taken place.

This was written as historical fiction, rather than fantasy. Usually I’m not a fan of historical fiction, but I’ve been in a reading slump and thought maybe I should give it a try since it was still a fairy tale. It took me a while to read since I started it before I had little miss ma’am and it took me a little while to adjust to a newborn. (I finally learned that feeding her/rocking her was the perfect time for reading – though not so great for trying to write. Though, I recently found that I may be able to write while wearing her in the Moby Wrap we finally got!)

I wanted to love this book, but it wasn’t what I thought it would be. It did get me through the reading rut I’d been in though and I read 2 more books in the 3 days following finishing this one up so I give it credit for that. I’m still honestly a little torn on how I feel about the whole thing. I fluctuate between a 3 and 4 star  depending on which part of the book I think of. But as a whole, I would recommend this to anyone who likes fairy tale retellings or possibly even if they just like historical fiction. (Though, full disclosure, as I’m not a reader of it, I can’t vouch for whether it’s historically accurate to any time period.)

Anyway, here’s what I liked and what I did not.

The Good:

*Very well written descriptions and most of the characters were well developed. Many of them I missed once the book was over, and those are the good kind. The villains were well developed too, but I can’t say I miss them.

*Elise’s love story.

*Even though it was written as a historical version of the story, it still felt like “once upon a time” was the setting. I’m not sure if that was intentional, but I liked it.

The Not So Good

*The pacing was by far my biggest issue. It felt like there were pieces of the story that were dragged out far too long, but then the ending felt rushed.

*The foreshadowing was kind of awful. It seemed like almost every page had a line something like this: “If only we knew then what this would truly mean.” It was all. the. time. And it got really redundant. We get it, something terrible is going to happen, and you didn’t see some of the signs (or sometimes you did, and pointed that out as well).

*So as not to say any spoilers, I just want to say that I really didn’t like some of the events that played out.

The “It’s not really bad, but this made it not what I expected”

*There was very little about Rose herself. This was not her story until almost the very end, she was barely

in it. She was a driving force behind some of the story, but it was really Elise’s story.

*I still haven’t decided how I feel about the ending.

One of those books you get stuck in your head that you hope will never leave.

Well, I think I left the book I really wanted to read tonight at work so I wrote up a blog post for you guys. I know it's been quite a while. I still haven't decided what to write about our big move so I went with the easier option and did a book review. It's one I've been trying to get finished for a while so here it is!

Of Beast and Beauty

By Stacey Jay

 **Disclaimer: I received a free E-ARC of this book from the publishers due to my employment with a bookstore. No compensation was received for this review (although, I am seriously gushing over it and I'm fully aware that I may sound ridiculous)**

This is the first book I’ve read by Stacey Jay, although I have a copy of both Juliet Immortal and Romeo Redeemed to read at some point. This has to be one of my all time favorite books now, and I do believe it has ruined any chance of my finding another book I love this year. I read it right before we moved and it’s still stuck with me. This is a retelling of “Beauty and the Beast.” Well, kind of. For starters, it’s the beast who is trapped with Beauty. The curse is much more elaborate as well. I was devastated in the best possible way when this one was over.

So before I ruin the entire story, I’ll just cut to my highlights.

What I loved (there was no like here, I swear I loved it all):

• The setting was so beautifully done. I’m usually not such a big fan of fantasy worlds, I like my novels in the real world with some magical elements. This world painting was so well done, though, that I lived in this land for the two days it took me to read the book.
• The curse was mythological and I loved it. So I don’t ruin anything, I’ll stop there.
• The characters. I love them both. They were realistic and wonderful.
• The narration went back and forth between the two main characters which I very much enjoyed. I liked seeing both perspectives.
• The ending. I cried. Both at the fact that this book was over and for the loveliness that was the end of this tale.

Things that maybe annoyed me but I didn’t care:

• There were a few questions I felt were left unanswered with the curse’s back story. Maybe I’ll have to reread the book to see if I just missed something.
• I didn’t like some of the minor characters. One in particular was supposed to be a bad guy but was kind of a waffle about how he would behave each day.
• 400 pages just wasn’t enough. Okay, if it had been longer, it probably would have felt like filler, but I just wanted to live in this world a little longer.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys teen novels, anyone who enjoys romance (clean romance), anyone who likes to read. This book comes out in July so be ready for it!

A Debut Novel Review

I got a copy of this book from work as an advanced reader, and I was pretty excited about the concept. I was also excited about reading something from a brand new author. Without further ado, the review.

Reconstructing Amelia

3 out of 5 (if I’m feeling giving)

It's been a little while since I read this, but I’m honestly still not sure how I feel about it. It was a good for a first novel, but I’m surprised at the hype it’s gotten. I guess I’ll just give my likes/dislikes so you can make up your own mind.

Things I liked:

This novel brings the bullying issue (that does lead to real suicides) to light. It’s an important piece of our society that needs to be brought up in more than just teen series.

It had a compelling storyline. For the most part, I wanted to know what happened to Amelia.

Some of the relationships were portrayed well. I liked Dylan and Amelia’s most of the time. And I liked Sylvia and Amelia’s relationship, it was a pretty realistic portrayal of teenage friends.

The entire book was fast paced.

The book goes back and forth between Kate and Amelia’s perspectives, which I liked, and it was done well, for the most part.

Things I did not like:

I really didn’t like the text message parts. Or some of the other social media type chapters. I think these could have been done much better. It felt like it was written from a mom’s point of view on how they think a teenager types/texts, not how they actually do. This may not be true of all teenagers, but for someone who is very book oriented and smart, it seems silly to me that they would actually text “u r” for your/you’re.

There were a few things that seemed a little ridiculous. Several of these were twists so I don’t want to say what they are and ruin them, but let it suffice to say the twists got to be unnecessary and unbelievable.

As for the ending, it was very anticlimactic and there were far too many loose ends. I think this was due to the vast amounts of twists thrown in.

I would still recommend this book, probably to people who like Jodi Picoult. Picoult is a much more seasoned author and writes on an entirely different level, but McCreight has done a decent job for her debut novel. She is an author that I look forward to reading more from as she builds up experience and perhaps develops her writing a little further.

Title Pending Until I Have More Energy

Another book review, since I did decide to call my blog "Books and Dirt" and all that. 

In Search of Cleo: How I Found My Pussy and Lost My Mind by Gina Gershon

2.5 Stars

My best friend got me this book for Christmas, with a card that said, “I have no idea what this is going to be about or how good it will be, but I know you like cats and thought the title was hilarious.”

I read this book in one afternoon since it’s very short, and I have to say I was not so impressed. I think this had at least a little more potential than what it actually lived up to, but it felt like a mess for most of it.

But here are my highlights:

My favorite line: “ ‘To be a meat eater, you have to be able to look at a cow or a chicken or even a fish for that matter. You have to be able to look them straight in the eye and be able to say ‘I just ate your daddy.’ If you can do that with a clear conscience, then you will have no problem defending your carnivorous ways. I’m just not that guy.’” ~Hell’s Angel (p. 65) This sums up my feelings about vegetarianism very well.

What I did like:

There were some really funny anecdotes. They were spread out, but there were parts that were laugh out loud funny. (My favorite was the Player Ball, which had nothing to do with the cat).

The ending was really sweet when she finally gets Cleo back (I feel like this is not a spoiler since she’s pictured with him on the cover and the title includes her saying she found him.).

You can tell that Gina Gershon genuinely loves animals, from her childhood pets to the cat she is currently looking for.

A portion of the proceeds from the sales of the book go to animal rescues. I think this made up for a  lot.

What I didn’t like:

There were several errors that should have been caught by an editor. Examples were sentences with subject verb disagreement and changing tense in the middle of a story, or even in the middle of a sentence. This was very distracting.

The first half jumped around to so much that was completely irrelevant to the book. As I mentioned before, some of these stories were funny, but they could have been put in order so that at least if they were irrelevant, they’d make sense.

Speaking of not making sense… I was aware that there was supposed to be a psychic and other strange ideas to find a cat in this book. Some points in the book make you question if she was drugged and her cat was there the entire time.

All in all, I don’t think I could recommend this book to anyone. I really wanted to like it and while I was able to finish it, and I was satisfied by the ending, it just wasn’t something I’d tell someone else to read. 

A Cookbook Review Just in Time for the Day After Valentine's Day

I hadn't done a review in a while (okay, so I haven't posted much of anything really), but I put this one up on Amazon tonight so I figured, hey why not also put it up for the lovely readers of this blog! So here ya go, just think of it as a belated Valentine's Day present :) (Maybe I could have done something more related to romance... Maybe next year.)

Meatless

I've been a vegetarian for a few years now so I have a few other books on the subject, but most of the cookbooks I have are healthy cooking books that I just take the meat out of recipes for. I wish this had been out a couple years ago when I made the switch; it could have saved me time, money, and some frustration. In an age when I can look up most recipes that I want on Google, I still feel like this would still be a good investment. For now, I have it checked out from work. Because I can do that.

What I like:
There are pictures for every recipe! This really isn't a huge deal usually, but it is a really nice bonus.
The layout is easy to navigate and recipes are categorized/cross-referenced well. Plus, there's an index with recipes listed by ingredient.
I'm a pretty picky eater, but these recipes are (for the most part) not so adventurous that I won't try them. There are a few that I'm hesitant about, but they still look so good, maybe one day, I'll attempt them. The vegetables aren't limited to just a few selections, they span a wide variety. Some books tend to focus on just a few vegetables and it's nice that this one is so diverse.
There are a lot of "extras," including some basic skills needed (the different ways to cook an egg, how to prepare some of the most essential staples of vegetarian cooking - tofu, nuts, legumes, etc), stock recipes for soups and sauces, and combinations of recipes to make more complex menus. Each recipe also has a few extra tips and suggestions.
Nutrition facts are included! And not just calories and carbs, but also protein and fiber. Protein is something I struggle with at times because I don't have the patience to cook tofu, and it's more difficult for me to track in just raw vegetables, but this lets me know how much is in it right off the bat.

Things that I didn't mind, but may be important for people to know:
**This is not a vegan book.** The recipes include cheese, milk, and eggs. Invariably, there is always someone who will comment at some point that the recipes aren't vegan friendly. Take the cheese out, make it with egg substitute and soy milk. Or skip those recipes.
This isn't a raw diet book and does include tofu. I believe there are only 10-15 of these recipes though, out of 200.
It's paperback. This isn't a huge deal for me, but I know it is for a lot of people. My suggestion though, is to get some clear plastic and put it on the counter anyway. Or, if you're going to be using it for a long time, just be ready for it to get a little messy.
The words are a little small. This is probably so that they could fit the recipes and the pictures into a book this size.

Overall, this is one of the most complete, but still simple enough vegetarian books I've found thus far.

Merry Christmas!

So don't say I didn't get you anything. Because seriously, what could you possibly want more than me writing a review of a Batman graphic novel?? Okay, probably pretty much anything. Fortunately, though, I was unable to go home to see my family for Christmas because I work in retail so I spent most of the day enjoying laying around, thinking about cleaning, and deciding to write a review instead since I read some Batman recently that's fitting for today. So, here goes, and you're welcome!

Batman: Noel by Lee Bermejo
4.5 stars (although, that's seriously never an option on any website so I round it down on Amazon and up on Goodreads, trying to be fair.)
I really wasn't sure what this was all about, I just knew it was a Christmas type Batman story and the artwork caught my attention. Boyfriend gave it to me a while back so I thought, "Hey, I should read this before Christmas this year." I am so glad I did! It turns out it was Dickens' "A Christmas Story" retold.
I hate that the Amazon blurb gives away which characters play the traditional roles of the story. I had no idea who would make an appearance and that made it better for me. Because it's pretty common knowledge, I won't worry about spoiling it with this review.
What I loved:
I liked the idea of Batman being portrayed as tortured and struggling to walk the line of justice and revenge. Too often, I feel like superheroes are above emotions. Batman has always felt more real and with this, we see a path he very well could have gone down, making the fact that he hasn't even more important.
I really liked Superman in this. I usually am not a big fan of his, but in this we see a gentle man who wants to bring reason and help a friend who needs him.
I love everything about the ghost of the future and the ending. I don't want to give it away, but it was just, well, it was amazing.
I really like Catwoman, and this graphic novel was no exception. She brings something to Batman's world that just can't be found anywhere else.
I love the narrator aspect. It gave something more to this story. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about having someone other than Bruce himself giving direction, but this really was a brilliant addition.
The artwork (which is always important to any comic/graphic novel, but usually not something I'd comment on) was breathtaking at times. This added so much to the book.
What I didn't like:
It was so, so short. While this was excellent for my attention span, I felt like so much was missing. The Robin and Catwoman parts were the parts I felt suffered the most. I think it would have been much more emotionally pulling if these had been given a little more. Usually, I hate extra fluff, but in this case, I felt there were some gaps.

Overall, I would recommend this one to anyone who loves Batman, or even someone who just kind of likes him. This is a story of beautiful artwork and hope and a reminder that no one is ever lost.

Happy Winter Solstice and Happy Whatever Holiday You Celebrate Today!

Thanksgiving Surprise

I feel like it's always a surprise when I finally write up something to put on here, and here it is a holiday and I'm still posting! Well, I didn't do much else today so may as well.
As promised, the next review is for the book Faitheist by Chris Stedman. This is one that I was really looking forward to writing because I'm going to tell my own story on here as part of the review. (The Amazon version of this will be cut to exclude my personal business.)

Faitheist by Chris Stedman = 4 stars
This was a very different book from anything I have ever read about atheism. It was refreshing and wonderful. Mr. Stedman discusses his struggles with fitting in and wanting a community to belong to. He thinks he's found it at church, but is also coming to terms with the fact that he is gay, and this is not allowed. He has a silent struggle with this and it is heart breaking to watch unfold.
The important thing to note is that he does not leave the church or God because of this. He simply realizes that what he believes does not match up with the ideas of the church. He is unable to find a way to believe in God any more. He says it's like he came home one day to find that God was no longer there; that he had packed a bag and not even left a note. He was simply not a part of his life anymore.

I honestly don't know the reasons why people leave religion. But I do feel like I need to share mine here because it's a story I don't tell. It's one that's hidden away because either people will a. not care to hear it or b. try to convince me to go back. (If you want to get back to the review just skip down, this is a personal insert break for my own therapy purposes.) Church was a safe place for me for a long time and it was a place to belong. For some reason I was more open there than at school. I was shy and didn't have friends at school so I made them at church. I was able to help people when I went on missions trips. That's what I miss the most.
I moved away and gradually fell away from the church. I began looking at other religions because I realized I had been very closed minded previously. I was fascinated by them all, but looked at them all objectively. They are part of people's lives but not mine. They are the motivating factors behind people's actions, but this does not directly affect my own thought processes. I slowly realized that I had nothing to base a belief in Christianity on, other than fear. And I found that fear, and the contradictions and hypocrisy found in the organized church were enough to not need it in my life.
I hid this. For a while. I was terrified to tell my parents that I was that awful term called an atheist. That I had turned my back on what I had been raised to believe. When I told my mom, I saw the fear and the heartache it caused her. It was painful and so very difficult. I broke it to her slowly, saying I didn't want to attend church and that I was questioning. We don't talk about religion anymore now. It's just easier that way.
For a while, I didn't openly admit that I didn't believe in God to anyone unless I was posed with the question. I wouldn't lie, but I didn't volunteer the information. I still don't go around advertising this piece of my life, but people who get beyond my first couple layers find out.
Stedman talks about feeling like an imposter pretending to be a straight Christian and hiding who he was, a gay agnostic. While I am not gay... I do relate to the hiding your beliefs because people don't want to know or don't like atheists.

This brings us back around to the book review part of this. A lot of atheists have a bad reputation because the loudest voices are ones that people find offensive (Hitchens, Dawkins, etc). There is finally a voice telling a story of not religion bashing, but wanting to work together to find a way to better the world regardless of religious affiliation. I enjoy reading the other atheists' works, but this is necessary as well. We can't be constantly bickering or nothing will change for the better.

So
What I liked: This was the easiest biography I've ever read. I was sucked into his life story and wanted to know more about him. I loved his explanations of how he was raised without religion and still turned out to be a good moral person.
This is a call to action not to erase religion but to find common ground. There are enough calls to end religion already.
He is so young and has already figured this much out, and is working to put his words into action.
What I didn't like so much: Toward the end, it got pretty repetitive about needing to work together. Probably could have cut out 20 pages of it.
I think the "New Atheists" or "angry Atheists," however you want to look at them, were/are vital. Atheists needed someone to stand up and say, "Hey, not everyone agrees with religion." There is tolerance for any belief system except the lack of one. There are so many books written about why people should be Christian, or Jewish, or Muslim. But there needed to be some about this as well. Stedman negates everything that this men say. While we do need balance, I think they did a great service to atheists by helping them come out about their lack of belief.

This was a wonderfully written book, truly engaging, and I would recommend it to anyone. Of faith or not. It finally offers the position of someone who wants to just get along.
*This book was received as a free advanced copy from the bookstore I am employed with*

Happy Thanksgiving :)

Since I Procrastinated All Day

I guess I will write this now, at 3 am. I spent so much time looking for my little notebook with all my notes about my books (yes, this does exist) that I was late getting my paper done (also I didn't want to do it so it took longer) and thus it is now super late, I still haven't found that notebook, and I really want my review done for Lost Prince. I have several other books to review at this point (they are all in the missing notebook too), but I want this one done first. So, without anymore back story, and without any idea what I was going to write (since I read this a couple weeks ago), here's that review much promised.

Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa - 2 Stars (And I think that's being a little too nice)

This is the 5th book in the Iron Fey series, well kind of. The first 4 all go together and wrap up very nicely by the end of book 4. (See previous review for that one since I REALLY loved that series). This, though, is the tale of Megan and Ash's son (that's kind of a spoiler, but not really because it's not a hard thing to figure out, especially if you read Iron's Prophecy). So anyway, we have Kierran (their son) and Ethan (Megan's brother) and their trying to save all the half-bloods and exiles in the human realm. They don't know what's  destroying them (also, not hard to figure out if you've read the other 4), but they're determined to risk their lives to find out. Ethan has also managed to charm a girl into coming with them, without actually meaning to. Mostly, Kenzie is just being really stubborn and is bored with her life. That's the plot without giving much away.

What I liked: Not a whole lot, honestly. I liked having Grimalkin around again. I liked a few scenes of Ethan with his martial arts. I did really like getting a glimpse at how the Iron Realm was doing after the fey wars. I also really liked Kierran and his girlfriend. I wish the story had been about them. Kierran reminds me of Puck, but in a good way. I liked seeing Puck and Ash for the 15 seconds they show up, but I was lead to believe they'd be in the story more than they were.

What I did not like: I feel like I've already read this, really. There are so many elements of this story that were too much like the first series: There's a new type of Fey and the Fey world is going to have to learn how to adapt so they can all live happily together.
 Ethan has a macho attitude and it's just silly a lot of the time. Kenzie is said to be this strong, brave warrior type heroine, but really if I have to be told that's who she is, rather than shown, it's not the same. I felt like she was annoying and in the way for the most part. Kagawa writes a few "shocking" moments in, but they are foreshadowed so blatantly that it's not a shocking moment at all.

I felt about this book the same as I did the first one of the first series. It doesn't seem like Kagawa knows her characters well enough to write them. And it seems she is riding the wave of the popularity of the first 4. Maybe the second one will be better. This faerie world was one I was so engulfed in that I didn't want the first 4 books to be over so I picked this up as soon as we got it in at work. I will still read the rest of the books that go with this as they come out, but I think I could have been happier just ending with the original Iron Fey series. If you read the first ones, I would not recommend this. I have no idea how this book got such great reviews, unless a lot was overlooked and/or the audience reading this did not read the others.

Next up: Faitheist

Mandiy

I'm Such a Slacker

Well, no I'm not really, but between work and attempting to hopefully eventually finish this whole college shebang, I'm just taking a really long time to get any reviews put up on here. I know I said in the last post that I'd be putting up The Lost Prince next, but I can't really do that yet because I have to review The Iron Knight first. I won't be giving a great review to Lost Prince so I feel I owe it to the author to first rate my favorite of her series, and the reason why I read the last one at all. Also, since very few people read this, it's not like I'm really letting anyone down. I'm pretty sure no one reading this is going to read the teen books I'm recommending, but I shall do so anyway.

Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa (fourth book of the Iron Fey series)


Ash was one of my favorite characters throughout the entire Iron Fey series, and when I read in one of the reviews that he and Megan don't have a good ending in the Iron Queen, I actually put the series away for a while. I asked a friend who had read them if it was worth reading and on her recommendation, I finished the rest of them. It was so worth it.
**Warning** **There are a few minor spoilers!**
In The Iron Queen, we finally see Megan get a backbone and stand up for herself. She annoyed me up until this point, but redeemed herself. At the end of Iron Queen, however, Ash has to leave because he can't stay within the Iron Realm with his queen without dying from the poison of the iron. In Iron Knight, we are able to get inside Ash's head and we finally see his emotional side. We see how much he loves Megan and how he would do anything for her. It's one thing to see it from Megan's side and hear him say it, but when he commits to being her knight and doesn't quit even when she becomes part of the Iron Kingdom, we really see it.
So what I liked:
Seeing Ash and Puck work together. After the Twilight books, it seemed everyone was "Team Someone." In this, however, we see them bickering still, but they are former best friends and they work together for what is best for Megan.
The wolf, especially when interacting with Grimalkin. Grim started out as a play on the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland, which was frustrating since it felt like she stole a character, but he turned into my favorite of the characters. He took on a life of his own. And we get to see him being more helpful in this book.
I loved everything about the quest and Ash's persistence. The quest for Ash to become human really brings into question what it means to be mortal and whether it is worth it. While he would gain a soul and would be with his queen again, he would have to give up everything it means to be immortal and a winter prince.
The ending. Everything is sorted out and every aspect is addressed and tied up well by the end of the book.
What I didn't like (**Spoiler**):
Ariella: She is necessary on so many levels, but I didn't like that Ash even has to question who he wants to be with for a minute. (At the same time, I thought this was handled very well and realistically.)
Some of the writing still annoyed me. There were times that were repetitive or silly (I thought Ice-boy was probably the worst nickname I'd ever heard of). This was true throughout the entire series and it had to simply be overlooked for the most part. By this book, most of that was gone and the writing was much better, but there were still times when I thought to myself  "really??" before I kept reading on.

Overall, one of the best finales to a series. It truly made the series what it was. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants a fae story.

I've got the notes written up for The Lost Prince and a couple others so I'll get to them soon. Until then have a great day!

New Project Time!

I feel like I start projects that I never finish all the time, but this one won't really be hard to keep up with. J asked me recently "What's the most books you've ever read in a year?" I realized I had no clue. My guess is probably around 50-60. I usually average a book or so a week, making around 4 books a month, putting us around 48 if it's 4 per month up to 52 if it's a book a week.
This got me really interested in whether or not I really read as much as I feel like I do so I'm going to track it. If you don't follow me on Goodreads, well, that's where my  list will be. But I also want to put up reviews of many of the books on here. I will also be including a few graphic novels to indulge the nerdy side. Before the project begins, though, there were two books I wanted to write up reviews on mostly because they had such high ratings, and I did not feel either deserved it. The first book was Comet's Tale by Steven Wolf. The second was The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa. I've written up the first, but will do the second later so as a precursor to the project and to make this posting a little longer, I'm adding the review of Comet's Tale here.

I am such a sucker for any animal stories. I have read a few so far, but mostly have a long list of them to read still. This one caught my attention because my mom is disabled and has her own service dog. I have recently been looking into how the service dog training works and how I can get involved so this struck a cord instantly. That being said, I had to force myself to finish this book, and I read a lot.So what I liked: I liked Comet. I am not usually a fan of the greyhound breed, but I did like (some) of the descriptions of her personality and appearance and found myself smiling at times when he talks about her. I liked learning more about the breed itself. Wolf goes into the history of the breed, and I thought that was very interesting. I also really liked that she was brought from such a life of despair to being able to help someone and get so much enjoyment out of life. I loved the way her love of men in uniforms was portrayed. I found that very funny.What I did not like: The descriptions were so redundant. I read about her cinnamon coat and elegant manners so many times and often in the exact same phrases. The outline of the book itself was jumbled. Wolf would go from talking about how well she was doing training to talking about the history of the greyhound (which was interesting, the first time around). It would have been better if he had talked about his research on the breed all at once and taken care of it in one shot. It may have also saved his readers from having to read some of his repetition. Also, while I understand that he was going through a lot, his attitude really did not make me like him at all. I know he was trying to convey what he was going through, but he put everyone (Freddie, his daughters, his dogs) on a pedestal and beat himself up. This was very repetitive as well. Seeing a trend?I really think this could have been a much better story had he been a better storyteller or had the person who co-wrote had more input. I hate sounding so very heartless, but this was just so hard to get through.

The review of The Lost Prince should be forthcoming soon(ish) so I know you'll all be waiting with bated breath. Also, as a fair warning, I'm on a paranormal romance kick so there may be some "garbage" titles coming up soon in this project now that I've found some new series!

Have a wonderful day!

Between the Lines: Had So Much Potential

I'm trying to play a little catch up and get some of my reviews done so I may be posting multiples at a time. Hopefully, I won't be going 2 months between them again.

This was my third Jodi Picoult book (19 Minutes and The Pact were the first two). I loved both of her other works and understood that this one would be much different. I knew that this was an idea based on something her daughter brought to her. I knew that this was directed toward a younger audience. This being said, I was still disappointed.
***Warning: May contain minor spoilers!***
What I liked: I loved the artwork in this book. There are doodles on the sides of many pages and art at the beginnings of the chapters. It was eye catching, and I liked seeing how Oliver would look. While I can often imagine a character, it was nice to see one of them painted out for me this time to see how the author wanted him to be seen.
I loved the idea of a character interacting with the real world and even trying to join it.
What I did not like: I wonder how much of this was actually written by Jodi Picoult and how much may have been penned by her daughter. The writing was not on par with her other works. It was often repetitive and borderline obnoxious. With as much as the same ideas were repeated (told rather than shown), the book probably could have been cut down 50+ pages. The "daddy" issue was a little overplayed. I understand growing up without a dad is difficult, but she still had a mother who was there and cared for her. This honestly made me feel like she was being kind of an ungrateful brat. I know she's a teenager, but even still, I was not a big fan of Delilah's.
The ending was so anticlimactic. The resolution takes place in the last 10 pages or less, and fairly predictable, with only a slight twist.

Overall, it wasn't terrible. It wasn't something I'd reread, but it wasn't a complete waste of time. I read a lot of teen fiction so I didn't have a problem with it being geared toward a younger audience, but with Jodi Picoult, I simply expected better writing. I don't think the writing had to be subpar simply because the content was different from the usual. It was a great idea, but I wish it had been better.

 Don't let this be the only Picoult book you read. She has much better work out there!!

Jemima J. Not Worth the Time to Read It

I picked up this book used for just a few dollars, and thought it had a pretty good premise with some potential. This is the second book I've read by Jane Green. The first (Bookends) wasn't great, but not so bad I swore her off completely. This, however, was one of the worst books I think I've ever read.
***Warning, this will contain minor spoilers.***
What I liked (short list): I liked the narration for the most part. I liked that it went between Jemima's first person and third person. I liked the voice of the third person and that it addressed the audience directly.
What I did not like:
Jemima was probably the most self-concerned, superficial, obnoxious character I've ever read about. She talks about how she's a good person, but no one sees it because she's overweight. I don't see her being a good person at all. I see her trying not to eat so much, but this isn't really helping anyone else. Once she does lose the weight, she still judges other people by their weight and is more judgmental than she blames others for being.
I hate that all of her relationships are based solely on her being thin. I understood that she lost weight for Brad. But the fact that Ben only really notices her when she's lost weight does not make me like their relationship either.
There were too many parts that were super repetitive. There was a lot of telling instead of showing. I think this was why I liked when it switched back to the third person narrator. I was so annoyed by Jemima.
This was incredibly insensitive to anyone overweight and the only time Jemima is even portrayed as being healthy is in the epilogue. We are told she's healthy, but really we don't see this. She is either "way" over weight or anorexic. As another reviewer said, I pictured her as 5'2 and 300+ pounds, not 5'7 and 200. While that is still overweight, it's not by 100 lbs (as the back of the book says). And it's doubtful she would have 3 chins, even in a picture. I don't think Ms. Green has much experience with this topic.

I don't think I'd recommend this book to anyone. I was hoping for a strong heroine, but instead lost respect for and interest in Jemima J. the more I read about her. I will give Ms. Green one more book to change my mind, but it may be a while before I can be ready for another disaster like this one.

First Book Review!

Forbidden by Syrie James

I read a lot of Young Adult fiction and also a lot of the supernatural/paranormal type romances. I have gotten so sick of vampires that I have been reading books mostly concerned with faeries (Iron Fey series, Fever Series). This was the first one I had read with the fallen angel theme, though. I don't know how similar it is to others (again, being my first one), but I thought it was a fantastic quick read. Even between work and schoolwork, I got it read in two days.

Things I loved (May contain *minor spoilers*!!):
Alec and Claire begin to have a connection before they realize who the other one is. While their natures may be part of what draws them to each other, you also get to see an actual relationship develop without just being about protecting the other. Of course, they find out quickly and that is probably a huge reason why they keep seeing each other, but it's not the first and foremost. This was a nice change.
The protagonist is actually able to rely on friends! This was a big deal to me after so many other paranormal type books make the heroine (yeah, it's usually a girl) completely on her own. While it's great to see a woman who is strong enough to handle everything she's given without the help of anyone except that one man, it was so nice to see additional characters developed a little more. We don't see Erica or Brian's side of the story, but they still play a major role in helping Claire figure everything out. She also is able to rely on her mother later on, which is, again, a nice change of pace. This, to me, is in someways more realistic. While it would be difficult to come out to your friends and say "Hey guys, I think I'm psychic...", it would also make dealing with it much more manageable.
The third person was really well written! I usually hate it beyond all belief, but the authors managed to use it to show both main characters perspectives clearly and showed the emotions very well.
All of the *good* characters were so likeable! Even the minor characters had distinct personalities and they drove the story because you want to know what happens.

Things that weren't quite as great:
While the authors did a great job developing the characters, I still felt like it wasn't quite enough. I wanted to know them even more. This is a lot to ask of just one book, though. I've gotten into the habit of only reading series because I love to get immersed in the lives of well written characters. I knew going in that this was only a one part story, but because it's pretty recent, I'm hoping there may be a second. The end ties up well enough to allow this book to stand on its own, but it is still open enough to continue, which I hope it does!
I think I would have liked a first person narrative better. The third person was so well written, but it's just a personal preference.

I really wanted to give it a 5 star. But I feel like without having anything to compare it to, this would not be a fair assessment. Although, I may have to come back and change it if, after reading some other books like this, it turns out this is far above the others. My next pick is the Fallen Series by Lauren Kate!