Heaven's Queen

Heaven's Queen (Paradox #3)

by Rachel Bach

4 stars

379 pages 
Published April 22, 2014 by Orbit
 
A great, happy ending to this action-filled sci-fi romp through the universe. Loved it!

There is a sex scene and more than a smattering in s-words throughout the book. I may just have to read some of Rachel Bach's other books; let's see if they are as good as this trilogy was.

First Date

First Date

by Krista McGee

2 stars

336 pages

Published Jan. 10, 2012 by Thomas Nelson 

 

If you like christianity being shoved down your throat and all things "The Bachelor," this book is clearly for you.

Now, I am a christian, but this book is just not my cup of tea. Every page has some religious ideology and prayer on it. Religion for me is a personal thing. I go to church - I enjoy it, but I don't want my beliefs turned into a YA romance filled with saccharine, eye-rolling and lack of plot. It may have helped if the writing was better and the relgious down-the-throat-shoving was toned down to just "religious overtones."

The only reason I gave it two stars is because there is no swearing, sex or bad stuff. And it obviously touts the benefits of christian thinking - forgiveness and love.

And I finished the thing. I guess that counts for something.

The Secret Prophecy

by Herbie Brennan

2 stars

 

368 pages

Published Oct. 30, 2012 by Balzer + Bray

 

I wasn't a huge fan of this book. The concept was good-ish, but it just didn't work. There was too much Da Vinci Code shenanigans, but without the panache. And the ending??? Don't get me started on such a poorly written, confusing, abrupt end to a lackluster book.

There was too much dialogue and too much conspiracy theory to make this an acceptable book for the YA genre. Characterization was blah. Em was a wuss; Charlotte would have made a much better main character. At least she had some gumption and smarts.

At least there wasn't any swearing or sex. That was a positive. And it was a stand-alone book. Thank goodness.

Serendipity

Serendipity (Only in Gooding #5)

by Cathy Marie Hake

2 stars

336 pages 

Published Nov. 1, 2010 by Baker Publishing Group

I was in the mood for a romantic novel, but I don't like all the graphic sex scenes, so I opted for a Christian version. I was quite happy with the lack of swearing and sex, but that's basically all the good I can say about this book.

It was booooring. And the ending was abrupt and did not satisfy many loose ends. But what bugged me the most was the mother-in-law. She was a horrible, horrible person. And for a Christian novel, I was surprised that the author did not offer any glimmer of kindness or charity in this character. All she did was berate, insult and degrade the woman her son had married.

I was confused, too, at the development of the love between the two main characters. It was choppy and terribly written.

I will not be reading any more books by this author 

Kissing Shakespeare

Kissing Shakespeare

by Pamela Mingle

2 stars

352 pages

Published Aug. 14, 2012 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers 

 

Not a fantastic book by any stretch of the imagination - just because you are writing about Shakespeare does not make your writing automatically great.

I was bugged, like others, that the vast majority of the book was focused on how the main character - Olivia/Miranda - needed to "bed" Shakespeare as the only possible way for him to avoid joining the Jesuit brotherhood and thus never writing his plays.

The book reads like there was no way Shakespeare could make up his own mind without the sex. All that work-up and stress was allayed with one sentence towards the end of the book. Nothing had needed to be done by the main character. This really negated the whole purpose of the book - changing Shakespeare's mind, when in one sentence, he did it himself with no help from Olivia.
Lame.

The only reason I give this two stars is because of Olivia's decision regarding whether or not to jump in the sack with Shakespeare.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: A Trilogy in Four Parts

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: A Trilogy in Four Parts (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy #1-4)

by Douglas Adams

2 stars

590 pages

Published 1992 by Pan Books (first published 1986)

I just didn't get it. Got all confused. Maybe I should watch the movie first? So I at least know what's going on?

Why is this so popular?

Turned

Turned (The Vampire Journals #1)

by Morgan Rice

2 stars

 
150 pages

Published Jan. 24, 2011

Not a huge fan of this book, mostly because the "I'm in love with a vampire the moment I meet him" theme is overdone. I was hoping that this would be different. It was not. At least it was short.

A bit of strong language, too, so watch out.

I will not be reading the others in the series.

Enchanted

Enchanted (Woodcutter Sisters #1)

by Alethea Kontis

2 stars

308 pages

Published May 8, 2012 by Harcourt Children's Books

This first half of the book was pretty amazing, and held so much potential! And then ... it just got weird and foundered and sank. I think the author was trying to cram every single fairy tale into one story - it just got too confusing and too lame. If she would have just stuck to one concept - the Frog Prince - things would have turned out much, much better.

Also, all the characters, with their odd names, made it that much more confusing.

I was so sad when this book ended, because so much was left wanting - a fabulous idea destroyed in the execution.

Everbound

Everbound (Everneath #2)

by Brodi Ashton

2 stars

358 pages
Published Jan. 22, 2013 by Balzer + Bray
 
I so wanted to love this book. I used to live near Park City, Utah, which is where the book is set, so I know the places mentioned in the book. That eased visualization a bit. But in the end that "plus" just wasn't enough for me.

The first book in this series, "Everneath," had such great potential. Teenage angst, which is usually annoying to me, was dealt with in a "See what can happen if you act rashly, not rationally!" Yeah, you get sucked underground and your life force is bled from you. Delightful. I loved it.

But this second book ... I felt like half of it was getting to the place where something actually happens. And it was SO dark. Dark and depressing. It was like I was in the Tunnels getting my life force sucked out. I need to watch a light, funny romantic comedy to counteract all the happiness suckage.

My favorite part was the very end. You gotta give Cole props. Nice one, mister.

I'm not sure if I'll read the next in the series. I kinda don't really care what happens next. We'll see.

Size 14 Is Not Fat Either

Size 14 Is Not Fat Either (Heather Wells Mysteries #2)

by Meg Cabot

2 stars

344 pages 
Published Nov. 28, 2006 by William Morrow Paperbacks
 
I would have given this book an extra star except for the horrible language it contains. I think this was Meg Cabot's chance to cram in as many f-bombs as possible to make up for what she doesn't put in her YA books. It's too bad, though. The language didn't even further the story.

Doubt I'll pick up the next in the series. Life's too short to have your ears burn while reading.

The Crown of Embers

The Crown of Embers (Fire and Thorns #2)

by Rae Carson

2 stars

410 pages

Published September 18th 2012 by Greenwillow Books

The first half of the book was booooring. It took me forever to get through it. Slog, slog, slog.

Once I got through that though, it picked up. But then that part went way too fast. Why couldn't Carson skip the lame stuff and concentrate on pacing the good stuff? The final "battle" was like a page long, maybe two.

Don't know if I'm going to read the third in this series.

Dust Girl

Dust Girl (The American Fairy #1)

by Sarah Zettel

2 stars

 

304 pages

Published June 26, 2012 by Random House Books for Young Readers (first published Jan. 1, 2012)

 

Meh. Not a great book. I think its first mistake was pairing the Great Depression/Dust Bowl with Fairies. Not a good match. It's like that awful movie a while ago - "Cowboys and Aliens." No amount of Daniel Craig-ness could pull that one out of the gutter. 

This book wasn't quite that bad, but it was sure weird. Weird. Weird. Some things just shouldn't be paired.
Will not be reading anymore in the series.

The Moon Riders

The Moon Riders (Moon Riders #1)

by Theresa Tomlinson

2 stars

381 pages
 

Published Oct. 31, 2006 by Harper Teen (first published Feb. 6, 2003)

I have given up on this book. It's just not my style and a bit boring and sloooow. The only reason I gave it two stars is that it's not a bad book, I just can't get into it. I gave it a good try though - made it halfway before going on to other books.

If you are into the Battle of Troy and the legend of the Amazons, then you should give this a go.

When in Doubt, Add Butter

When in Doubt, Add Butter

by Beth Harbison

2 stars

338 pages

Published July 17th 2012 by St. Martin's Press 

 

Meh.

I wasn't a fan of this book - at all. It was too saccharine for my tastes. Harbison tries to grit it up by liberally showering the f-bomb throughout the book. So tacky.

And let's talk about how horrifically predictable it was. I had the entire book laid out from start to finish with the first mention of Mr. Tuesday.

So why did I actually finish the thing - in one day, at that? Hmmm ... Despite all the negative crap contained within those pages, there was something about the writing that caught me and wouldn't let go - like a fly caught on one of those sticky fly tape trap things. It was - I don't want to say addicting - but it sort of was. Harbison definitely has writing talent. She just needs work on her imagination - plot and vocabulary specifically.

I can't honestly recommend this book to my friends because of the bad language. And I probably won't pick up anymore of Harbison's books, either. Life's too short to waste on bad books.

The Cry of the Icemark

The Cry of the Icemark (The Icemark Chronicles #1)

by Stuart Hill

2 stars

494 pages

Published May 1, 2006 by Chicken House (first published Dec. 31, 1999) 

 

This wasn't an awful book. But I am not going to read the rest of the series, though, because it wasn't a great book. Bland and forgettable. Just like this review.

The Actor and the Housewife

The Actor and the Housewife

by Shannon Hale

2 stars

352 pages
 

Published June 9, 2009 by Bloomsbury USA (first published Jan. 1, 2009)

Sometimes YA authors should stick to their genre. (Kathy Reichs, I'm not talking about you! I adore your YA books!)

Here, Shannon Hale, author of the popular Princess Academy books and Books of Bayern series dives into adult fiction. It's not a happy dip.

I've read 8 out of Hale's 10 published books, and there is an obvious trend - her YA books outshine her adult fiction books. So be warned.

The book starts out as every housewife's dream: meeting and having dinner with their movie star "crush." But from there, it just kind of got unbelievable - the two becoming best friends and all. That NEVER happens.

But what really bugged me is that Hale uses cancer to force some emotion into the book. Not cool.

Plus, her dialogue and repartee seemed just a bit too clever for its own good. Who talks like that? Who can come up with one-liners like that on the spot? It got old after a while.

Another thing, if you're not Mormon who has spent any time in Utah, you will not get half of the jokes.

Anna Dressed in Blood

Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna #1)

by Kendare Blake

2 stars

316 pages
Tor Teen First Edition

Published September 2011 by Tom Doherty

 
I can't recommend this book based on a couple of things.

First the language is horrible. Really, really bad. I felt like I was with a bunch of Marines, not a couple of teenagers. The F-bomb is liberally slathered throughout the book - and for NO REASON! I found myself skipping whole passages in order to cut down on the number of curse words I had to read.

Second, there is quite a lot of guts and gore. People dying right and left. Police didn't do much, which was not believable, especially with WHO the victims were. They asked maybe 3 or 4 questions and decided that was fine. The gore was all very slasher movie-esque.

The ending was OK, but I'm not sure I understood exactly what happened. There was an epilogue, but it only gave information about what happens in the near future. I wanted to know what happens much later on.

I will not be reading any other books by this writer if the cursing continues to taint the stories.

The Friday Night Knitting Club

The Friday Night Knitting Club (Friday Night Knitting Club #1)

by Kate Jacobs

2 stars

352 pages 

Published Jan. 18, 2007 by Putnam Adult (first published January 1st 2006)

 

I had waited a few years for this book to finally be added as an ebook at my local library. I thought I would like this book - yarn and women crafters with a touch of romance thrown in? Sounds good! I love working with yarn, although I enjoy crocheting more than knitting. Maybe I was hoping for a bit of inspiration to get me back into knitting. I rarely delve into adult fiction, but I thought I'd make an exception for this one.

Unfortunately, when I closed the cover on my Nook after reading the last sentence, I was decidedly underwhelmed and not a little bit disgusted. I remember all sorts of hype associated with this book. Why? The ending was crap. If I had known what was going to happen (and I purposely did NOT read any spoilers beforehand), I would not have wasted my time. The only reason I gave it 2 stars was that the writing was pretty good - except for the swearing. TOO MUCH! I mean, come on! This is a book about knitting! You don't need to be dropping the f-bomb when you're purling!

So, I cannot recommend this book to any of my friends. Sorry. Actually - I'm not.

The Camelot Caper

The Camelot Caper

by Elizabeth Peters

2 stars

352 pages

Published Jan. 9, 2001 by Avon (first published 1969)

 

I got through this. It was OK. If you can forget the fact that half the storyline details are dropped and just focus on the general plot, you will enjoy it.

Alas, it's next to impossible for me to ignore glaring gaps. The love story aspect is not developed correctly at all. Details are glossed over - then BAM! they're engaged. What just happened??

Character development was seriously flawed and jagged.

And the ending SUCKED - confusing and lackluster.

I think the reason I actually got through this was the writing. It wasn't bad. In places, it was quite witty and clever. It's like ... you have high quality ingredients for a cake recipe - but you put them together totally wrong and the cake flops. This is what this book was - a flopped cake with great ingredients.

So much potential. Such bad execution.

Requiem

Requiem (Delirium #3)

by Lauren Oliver

2 stars

391 pages

Published Mar. 5, 2013 by HarperCollins Children's Books

I didn't think I could be so disappointed by such a bad ending after "Mockingjay," but I believe this one tops that horrific train wreck. My first word after realizing the book just ended was, "LAME!"

The entire book was a pretty good read (which is why I gave it 2 stars), full of action and angst and plot. I read and read. And then the book stopped. It just stopped. I turned the page expecting some more - some answers to questions, some loose ends tied up ... something ... and all I got was the Acknowledgments page. Abrupt.

It was as if Lauren Oliver didn't know how to resolve all the issues and problems facing Lena and Hana, so she didn't. She just dropped everything. No resolution, no denouement, no closure, no nothing. Because if this is the last book in the series, then Oliver needs to grow some imagination, or perhaps request an editor change.

I am beyond disappointed. I'm actually kind of angry.

Bad form, Oliver, bad form.