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The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #2)
Dante Valentine: The Complete Series
3.5-4 starsI don’t have much experience with books about mermaids, so I may either be perfect or incapable of reviewing this properly. I have, however, read two other books by Karen Amanda Hooper and I feel more than qualified to review her as a writer. And I really love her! Her books are always entertaining, well-written and so funny and Tangled Tides is no exception. It was fast-paced, funny and I had such a hard time putting it down (seriously, school, workouts and housework should be on hold whenever you’re reading something amazing!). The story starts out with a storm and takes off pretty fast from there. Yara is only human for like 5 or 6 pages and then her new life begins. It may seem a bit rushed, but I liked it. There was so much to know about the merfolk and Yara’s role in events to come that the beginning being a little rushed was a small price to pay. But frankly, it didn’t stop at that. A few things through the story were a bit rushed and not quite explained to my satisfaction and even if it didn’t ruin the story for me, it annoyed me quite a bit.I really liked Yara. She was sassy, funny and didn’t put up with anybody. She was a bit whiny at first, but she was just turned in to a mermaid, so I figured I could cut her some slack. I loved her bantering with Treygan and the development between the two of them was so sweet. Rownan was an awesome character and he was so complex! I never guessed any of his secrets and I loved that.The world building was amazing. Everything was described and explained so well and I loved how it wasn’t ‘just’ about mermaids, but had all sorts of creatures and mythological appearances. I’ve read a lot of reviews trashing the book because of things like the c-weed and seagarettes that Treygan and Rownan smoke to stay alive, but I didn’t find it insulting. I found it rather hilarious along with a bunch of other stuff re-written to fit the universe below the waves. Yes, drugs and cigarettes are bad, but there had to be some sort of thing keeping them alive THAT THEY WANTED TO GET RID OF by getting back home and the c-weed and seagarettes are the perfect tool for it. Overall I really liked this book. It isn’t as good as The Kindrily series, but definitely worth a read.
2.5-3 starsI wasn’t very intrigued by the first book in this series; Undeclared. You can read my thoughts right here. But I decided to give this one a chance – after all, it focuses on Bo and he’s kind of cute. Let’s get one thing strait before I start my criticism: Jen Frederick really knows how to write a coherent story and her writing makes the reading so easy and enjoyable. I whizzed through the story in no time and I was completely caught up in the story the second I turned on my Kindle.AM is kind of a Mary Sue and I disliked her A LOT at the beginning. The girl has no idea how to stand up for herself and lets everybody else fight her battles. She is such a push-over and I hate girls like that. The only reason I kept on reading was Bo – he is so real and sweet and sensitive and funny and adorable and gorgeous and amazing and… I think you catch my drift. He is in no hurry to have sex, like Noah was, and it makes the love story seem so much sweeter and believable. After all, if you really love someone your only thought wouldn’t be to get them in bed – it would be important, but not the most important thing! Anyway, back to AM. She becomes more tolerable through the book and I even started to like her at some point. I also ended up thinking that she and Bo where perfect for each other.The story contains a very specific moral and tries very hard to show exactly how awful rumors can be and how they can change how people respond and react toward each other. It’s very interesting, but honestly I never paid much attention to it – I wanted hot-Bo-scenes and I got plenty of those! One of the things I liked most about the book was the humor. It was so much fun! My favorite part: The whole mayonnaise-scene – I LOVED it. It was so much fun and I laughed my ass off!Throughout most of the story I really loved it. I was stuck between 4 and 5 stars and it seemed like the book just got better and better. But then the end happened – or something happened very close to the end – and it completely changed my view on the story. It wasn’t at all realistic and it made both AM and Bo seem like idiots. I was so disappointed and that’s why the book ended up with ‘only’ 3 stars (which is still pretty good, though!)After reading this I have to admit I’m intrigued – I actually want to read the rest of the books and hear about the rest of the Woodland-Guys. They are so different and their stories may be interesting. I’ll definitely keep an eye out for more books from Jen Frederick!
Not bad, but not great either. Kind of meh. The sex-parts and the making out seemed weird to me. Like the words didn't really fit the situation:"When his tongue crept into my mouth, I greeted it with my own. My hands reached up to strike the strands of his hair and mold them against the shape of his beautiful head."I may be alone in this, but for me words like 'crept' and 'mold' just aren't fit for this kind of situation. I didn't really care for Noah at all. He only seemed interested in sex even when he tried justifying it with "feelings" - it always ended up with him wanting her in his bed. It got old! Besides, the whole fighting part made the book seem a bit much like Beautiful Disaster - only with fewer feelings and less crazy!Grace is quiet the Mary Sue at the beginning, but she gets better. I never really liked her, but I tolerated her at the end. Apparently, girls in NA books have to be pushed toward everything. Sigh.The story had a lot more depth than I imagined and I really liked that. I loved that most chapters started with a letter - it made the backstory seem more real. And it was really well written. I'm going to read the next in the series, but only because it's about Bo!
I’ve read both The Forgotten Garden and The Distant Hours and I liked both of them very much. But The Secret Keeper was different. I didn’t just like it. I LOVED it. Kate Morton wrote an amazing book and I loved every second of it.The story takes place both in 2011 from Laurels POV and in 1941 (in war-torn London) from Dorothy’s POV. I loved how the two storylines complimented and supported each other into making a rich and powerful story. By creating the extra storyline instead of just telling what had happened back in 1941 the reader gets to experience the whole thing and make up his/hers own mind about the events and the characters. Personally, I believe it made me think of Dorothy, Vivien, Jimmy and Henry in a different way. I think it made me like them so much more.Kate Morton writes so vividly and her characters are filled with life and soul. It makes them feel like old acquaintances. She is capable of writing characters that I hated in one chapter, but loved in the next. They felt so real! The story is reeks of desperation, but it’s also filled with hope, love and survival. The mystery was so very well done and had one twist after the other. Every time I thought, I had it all figured out, something happened that complete changed everything! It was so captivating and impossible to put down. If you like a good mystery, strong characters and a well-plotted book, The Secret Keeper is definitely worth checking out!
It had it's moments, but overall I really didn't like it. Unrealistic and filled with flaws.Let me start by saying that focus on mental illness and problems among young people are very important and I support it highly. But it has to be done rightfully. It has to be serious without being boring and it must be realistic. A Really Awesome Mess is neither.Both Justin and Emmy are horrible main characters. They’re selfish, naïve and obnoxious. The story changes between the two of them, but their narrative voices were completely alike and I had so much trouble separating them.I had some difficulties with the way the school was run. Justin wasn’t admitted because he ate a lot of painkillers to get attention – he got admitted because his dad caught him getting a little too cozy with a girl. At the school he has to be part of a group to talk about his relationship with sex. Admittedly, it may be because I’m not from the States, but to me it’s not that bad for a 16 year-old to be interested in sex and porn – to me it’s a natural part of growing up and exploring your sexuality. The book makes it seem so wrong and I just don’t get it.Emmy is admitted because she has bullied a boy from school on Facebook and because she lost a lot of weight due to anorexia. And once again I don’t get the story; if she has anorexia, why isn’t she regularly weighed and why aren’t they watching what she eats? She obviously can’t control it herself. I just don’t get it! Besides, her entire approach toward food is no way realistic and where does she get all that energy if she doesn’t eat? If you want to read a great book about anorexia, read Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson.It seems to me that the authors wanted to write a book about young people with problems, but didn’t really care for it anyway and ended up writing a book about young love and friendship – and that’s just not good enough when the premise promises more. I was outraged and shocked more than once, shook my head over and over and I was so angry at the way the school is run – nobody seems to notice anything! If you want a realistic, well told and interesting story, this is NOT the one you want!Just for the fun of it, let’s take some examples of this lousy school:- The group counselor begs the management and the parents to take the group to a market and is granted the wish, if she promises to keep an eye on them and make sure they don’t get into trouble. When they arrive, the kids get to run around as they please and when they return to the bus, the group counselor is on the roof of the car, making out with some dude!!! Who does that when they are in charge of a group of mentally unstable kids?! - It’s possible for the kids to keep a pig hidden in their room and sneak food up to it. They never get caught, despite the smell and noise.- The kids are allowed physical violence against each other in group therapy because it helps them open up and reach a common goal. What? Seriously, how is this school running?!
It had it's moments, but overall I really didn't like it. Unrealistic and filled with flaws.Let me start by saying that focus on mental illness and problems among young people are very important and I support it highly. But it has to be done rightfully. It has to be serious without being boring and it must be realistic. A Really Awesome Mess is neither.Both Justin and Emmy are horrible main characters. They’re selfish, naïve and obnoxious. The story changes between the two of them, but their narrative voices were completely alike and I had so much trouble separating them.I had some difficulties with the way the school was run. Justin wasn’t admitted because he ate a lot of painkillers to get attention – he got admitted because his dad caught him getting a little too cozy with a girl. At the school he has to be part of a group to talk about his relationship with sex. Admittedly, it may be because I’m not from the States, but to me it’s not that bad for a 16 year-old to be interested in sex and porn – to me it’s a natural part of growing up and exploring your sexuality. The book makes it seem so wrong and I just don’t get it.Emmy is admitted because she has bullied a boy from school on Facebook and because she lost a lot of weight due to anorexia. And once again I don’t get the story; if she has anorexia, why isn’t she regularly weighed and why aren’t they watching what she eats? She obviously can’t control it herself. I just don’t get it! Besides, her entire approach toward food is no way realistic and where does she get all that energy if she doesn’t eat? If you want to read a great book about anorexia, read Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson.It seems to me that the authors wanted to write a book about young people with problems, but didn’t really care for it anyway and ended up writing a book about young love and friendship – and that’s just not good enough when the premise promises more. I was outraged and shocked more than once, shook my head over and over and I was so angry at the way the school is run – nobody seems to notice anything! If you want a realistic, well told and interesting story, this is NOT the one you want!Just for the fun of it, let’s take some examples of this lousy school:- The group counselor begs the management and the parents to take the group to a market and is granted the wish, if she promises to keep an eye on them and make sure they don’t get into trouble. When they arrive, the kids get to run around as they please and when they return to the bus, the group counselor is on the roof of the car, making out with some dude!!! Who does that when they are in charge of a group of mentally unstable kids?! - It’s possible for the kids to keep a pig hidden in their room and sneak food up to it. They never get caught, despite the smell and noise.- The kids are allowed physical violence against each other in group therapy because it helps them open up and reach a common goal. What? Seriously, how is this school running?!
Often NA books are about a young man and a young woman who meet and has to get through an awful lot before they can be together, at least one of them has to have a serious childhood trauma and sex has to be a big part of the story. Luckily, Friday Night Alibi is nothing like that. Instead, there are great characters with realistic emotional baggage and a very cute story.Chase may come off as quiet an ass at first, but I really liked him. He’s funny, geeky and so cute – I’ll admit it, I kind of swooned. Kelli isn’t likeable at first either, but I liked her thoughts and I loved how she saw everything; Chase, her life and everything with Alex. She isn’t some snobby rich kid, which is nice. I was kind of put off by the amount of religion in the story, but it never gets preachy. I loved the relationship between Kelli and Chase. They are so nasty toward each other, but in a very fun way. They change so much as their relationship evolves, but the teasing never stops. I adored the nerdy parts, especially since I’m a big HALO fan myself, and I loved their nicknames and their obsession with oranges – it’s all so very cute! What I didn’t like was the alibi-part – I just don’t get it. I don’t see how she gets anything out of it. Money, sure, but she doesn’t need them. And it doesn’t really seem like she has other customers than Alex. I didn’t care for Kelli’s friend either. She seems like a filler-character and I hate those. The story isn’t that hard to figure out, but there are a few surprises and overall it’s a nice and funny story. I really enjoyed it and I highly recommend it for a cute summer-read.