Origin

Origin (Lux #4)

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

3 stars

364 pages

Published Aug. 27, 2013 by Entangled Publishing

Although I give this book 3 stars, I can't really recommend it because the language was so bad. Unnecessarily. The plot was good, action was plentiful, but the violence was a bit over the top.

I'm not sure if I'm going to read the next in the series. I was actually hoping this book was the last.

Independent Study

Independent Study (The Testing #2)

by Joelle Charbonneau

3 stars

 

310 pages

Published Jan. 7, 2014 by HMH Books for Young Readers

 

I finished reading this book weeks ago, but couldn't convince myself that it needed a review immediately - there were other books that were more worthy of my words and attention. Not to say this book was BAD, it was just kinda meh. But I liked it mostly.

Confused, yet?

Yeah. I am, too.

This novel built a bit on the first book, but not too much. There were some well-written suspenseful parts - being trapped in an airtight container comes to mind - and some not so well-written parts.
There was no sex and mild-to-no swearing, which bumped it up to a 3 star rating from my original 2.5.

I haven't decided if I'm a-gonna read the last book in the series. I am not super invested in the characters - so if the author wants to "kill off Tris," it wouldn't break my heart.

Eon: Dragoneye Reborn

Eon: Dragoneye Reborn (Eon #1)

by Alison Goodman

2.5 stars

531 pages

Published Dec. 26, 2008 by Viking Juvenile (first published Jan. 1, 2008)  

 

I have a number of adjectives describing this Eastern-culture inspired novel:

slow
boring
repetitive
whiny
confusing
verbose
way too long
predictable

So why did I finish it? I'm not sure. Maybe there was something compelling about the theme - not the characters, though, they were one-dimensional and weak; or the plot - which was over-simple and over-written.

The theme - accepting strength in womanhood - is contrived, yes. And the book does it no justice with the weak characterization of Eon/Eona. But the universal truth of the theme made me interested to see how Eon/a came to realize it. Unfortunately, by the time Eon/a got her head on straight, the book was pretty much over, so I stuck it out til the end.

This book actually drained me so much that instead of reading the next book on my To Read list, I watched TV! Ach! The tragedy!

The bright spot was that there was no swearing and no sex. But there are some transvestite and eunuch characters, if that bugs you. Actually the best character in the book was the transvestite. S/he was pretty awesome.
 
I will not be reading the sequel.

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.

Crown of Midnight

Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2)

by Sarah J. Maas

4 stars

420 pages 
Published Aug. 27, 2013 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens

What a fantastic sequel to the Throne of Glass. We find out more about who Celaena really is and how she works. I especially appreciated the subtle Star Wars moment.

One thing bugged me, though, and that was the unnecessary swearing. This is a fantasy book - swearing should have no place in this world. And the horrific killings committed by Celaena. That was disturbing - but she is an assassin, so I guess that's expected.

I can't wait for the next book to come out.

Bitterblue

Bitterblue (Graceling Realm #3)

by Kristin Cashore

3 stars

563 pages

Published May 1, 2012 by Dial

The title of the book is perfect, because after I read the thing I was left feeling Bitter and Blue. Bitter, because I'm going to have to wait for the NEXT book to come out; and Blue, because this book is pretty dark, twisty and depressing. It's all about the effects that one person can have on so many other people. One person's choices can hurt many, many people - even after that person is gone.

I couldn't get this book out of my head for a few days - it really is that dark. I usually don't finish these types of books because I hate feeling depressed. The reason I stuck with it was because of the main character, Queen Bitterblue. She was a strong, good, decent person trying to rectify the wrongs of her evil father. She was trying to give hope to those who were deeply affected by her father's atrocities. So that glimmer of hope gave me the wherewithal to keep slogging through to the end.

Another great theme of this book is the importance of friendship. Bitterblue relies heavily on her friends and their loyalty. Surrounding yourself with good, decent people who are trying to do what's right will help you be and do better.

The reason for the three stars is that the story was convoluted and hard to follow. And some of the characters were pretty flat. I especially disliked how Bitterblue's love interest had such a reverse of feelings - it was love, hate, love. Bam, bam, bam. Very disorienting. AND the book was soo flippin' long! Edit, please!

Anyway, not bad, but not great. I'll read the next in line, but I may not go further if that one is anything like this one. I don't need any depression in my life.

16 Lighthouse Road

16 Lighthouse Road (Cedar Cove #1)

by Debbie Macomber

3 stars

377 pages

Published Jan. 1, 2001

I read this purely because I used to live in the town that is featured in this book - Port Orchard, WA. I loved the town when I lived there and miss it now that I'm away. I wanted a little reminder of my time there - and this book was a good answer to that.

Although it helped my home-sickness a little, the story was much like a soap opera. Drama everywhere, and a few love stories thrown in for spice. Not fantastic literature, but I can see how people can get hooked on it. 

I will probably read more in this series, but only when I am in the right mood. Which won't be too, too often. I know the books are there whenever I want them.