Ruin and Rising

Ruin and Rising (The Grisha #3)

by Leigh Bardugo

3 stars

422 pages

Published June 17th 2014 by Henry Holt and Co.

I'm wavering between 2.5 and three stars, because this book just wasn't all that great. Actually the whole series wasn't all that great. Not bad, just not stellar. But I read all three, so I guess that says something.

Maybe it was the whining characters, or the endless killing, or maybe it was just boring.

I'm glad it's over.

Don't Expect Magic

Don't Expect Magic (Magic #1)

by Kathy McCullough

4 stars

256 pages
Published Nov. 8, 2011 by Delacorte Press
 
After reading waaaay too many dystopian novels, this was a welcome change.

Uplifting, free from swearing, sex and "dark," I enjoyed it thoroughly. And the best thing??? It's a stand-alone novel! Those are hard to come by nowadays.

Waterfall

Waterfall (River of Time #1)

by Lisa Tawn Bergren

3 stars

369 pages

Published Feb. 1, 2011 by David C. Cook

There was so much unbelievable stuff in this book, I hesitated to give it 3 stars. Like: Gabi being able to speak medieval Italian or sword fight with no problem. Plus the "romance" was a bit cheesy - I'm so tired of love triangles! But the premise was interesting, and I wanted to see how the author imagined life in the 1300s to be like. Also, the writing was decent, and the author knew how to move the plot along.

I doubt I'll read the next in the series, though. This book just didn't hold that much interest for me.

Mistborn

Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn #1)

by Brandon Sanderson

4 stars

541 pages
Published July 25, 2006 by Tor Books

Wow. This book was actually pretty awesome. I enjoyed it immensely. Brandon Sanderson knows how to write an epic fantasy novel. He has created a world with well-thought-out rules and ways of life. And of course, his characters are fully fleshed out and real. I would have been disappointed if they weren't - Sanderson's novel has p.l.e.n.t.y. of pages to develop his characters. Yet if I had one gripe about the novel - it would be that ... the length. I know most fantasy books are long, long, long, but this one seemed like it could be condensed quite a bit. Some of his explanations on how the metals worked seemed redundant and overly verbose.

I am happy that the book had a good ending - enough questions remain to facilitate a sequel, but enough tied ends to make it a stand-alone book if you wanted to end it there. Which I may do, I haven't decided yet.

Jinx

Jinx (Jinx #1)

by Sage Blackwood

3.5 stars

368 pages 
Published Jan. 8, 2013 by HarperCollins
 
This a fabulous little fantasy adventure for those kids in the middle grades. It has magic, apprentices, lessons on love and loyalty, and myriad other life lessons. The writing is spot-on for the intended audience - no cumbersome words that force kids to the dictionary - although sometimes that isn't a bad thing. When I was a kid, my parents gave me a dictionary for my birthday so I'd quite bugging them with the question "What does this word mean?"

If you have a kiddo looking for a new adventure fantasy book, this one will fit the bill nicely. No swearing or bad stuff.

I'll be reading the next in the series.

Siege and Storm

Siege and Storm (The Grisha #2)

by Leigh Bardugo

4 stars

432 pages

Published June 4, 2013 by Henry Holt and Co.

After reading the first in this trilogy, Shadow and Bone, I couldn't wait to read this one.

I actually tried to read another book before reading this one (a light Meg Cabot book) - but I got too antsy. I had to know what was going to happen next in the lives of Alina and Mal! When that happens, I know that what I'm reading is good - the words are reaching out and grabbing me by the wrist and forcing me to sit down and read.

And luckily, No. 2 in the Grisha trilogy delivers. It's such a relief when you read a sequel and it's just as good (if not better) than the first.

We continue to see growth in all the characters. We follow the struggles to free Alina's world from evil. And just to make things more interesting - the love story hits some snags.

Little to no swearing and no sex.

Can't wait til the last book comes out. It's already on my To Read list.

Shadow and Bone

Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1)

by Leigh Bardugo

4 stars

358 pages
Published June 5, 2012 by Henry Holt and Co.

Happy, happy day! This fantasy is right up my alley. Part coming-of-age story, part love story and part magical power story.

This is a story about a girl who discovers her inborn powers and her struggle to learn to use them - and not be used by others. She also loses her innocence and naivete by trusting the wrong people.

I was intrigued by the premise and held captive by the plot. I read this book quickly - much to the dismay and neglect of my family.

Pick this up. It's fantastic. No swearing and no sex. Yay!

A World Without Heroes

A World Without Heroes (Beyonders #1)

by Brandon Mull

4 stars

 

457 pages

Published Mar. 15, 2011 by Aladdin (first published Mar. 1, 2011)

 

For a juvenile fiction book, this one is fantastic. My 10-year-old was recommended this book by her friend, and she LOVED it! It's got action, adventure, a quest, puzzles, some gross stuff - all things that my kid loves. I also enjoyed it.

She's now well into the second one.

Let me just tell you, it warms my heart to see my kid reading a nice, fat book.

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 Bitter Kingdom

The Bitter Kingdom (Fire and Thorns #3)

by Rae Carson

4 stars

448 pages 

Published Aug. 27, 2013 by Greenwillow Books

This is the way a trilogy is supposed to end. Happy, with all loose ends tied up and the main character ending up with the guy she's supposed to end up with. Throughout the trilogy you see the queen grow from a wimpy, but intellectual, girl - into a strong, fierce woman. And likewise, the author Rae Carson has matured and developed into a competent and exciting storyteller. She figured out pacing and plot. She developed deep characters with myriad facets to their personalities. It was a delight to read her literary journey.

I hope Carson keeps writing, because I'll keep reading her stuff.

No swearing and just one glossed over sex scene.

Can recommend!

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.

Glimpse (Zellie Wells #1) by Stacey Wallace Benefiel

Glimpse (Zellie Wells #1)

by Stacey Wallace Benefiel

3 stars

262 pages

Published May 9, 2010 by Write Free (first published Apr. 20, 2010)

I got this ebook for free on Barnes and Noble for my Nook more than 2 years ago. I didn't have high hopes for it, but it surprised me. I actually enjoyed it! If you can overlook some flat characterization and uneven plotting, you will enjoy it, too.

Didn't like the adultery aspect, though. Or the mild swearing.

Skulk

Skulk

by Rosie Best

4 stars

Expected publication: Oct. 1, 2013 by Strange Chemistry

It's official. I'm excited about this book! A fresh new voice in YA fiction has made her debut with panache and creativity. I am anxious to see where her career goes and how many awesome books Rosie Best can churn out.

Her debut, Skulk, is filled with fast pacing, horrible Roald Dahl-esque parents, an eclectic group of shape-shifters, a seriously evil bad guy, betrayal, wonderful writing and clever plot. It has been a while since I read a book I couldn't put down - this revived my faith in great YA novels.

Her character development is stellar. As a reader, you can easily know what is going on in the mind of the main character - her thoughts and feelings - allowing you to connect and sympathize with what she's going through. Some of the other characters are a bit flat, but I'm hoping/assuming more will come with Book Number 2 in the series.

I would have loved to give this book 5 stars, but there are aspects that prevent me from doing so.

Gore - quite explicit gore, actually - is peppered throughout the book. Also, the language is rough - one f-bomb and some strong British cursing - mar the overall fantastic-ness of Best's story.

I am ecstatic that a new - and great - author has made an appearance on the vast stage of YA literature. If her writing continues on the same vein as Skulk, Best will be a powerful player for years to come.

Thank you NetGalley.com and Strange Chemistry/Angry Robot Ltd. for allowing me to review this fantastic ARC.

Broken Stone

Broken Stone (Souls of the Stones, #3)

by Kelly Walker 

3.5 stars

 
Published by Kelly Walker and All Night Reads (first published May 31, 2013)

 I was a bit sad when this trilogy ended, which I read in its recently published Souls of the Stones Omnibus form. I was fully intrigued and invested in the lives of Emariya and Torian, along with their faithful and loyal friends.

Right from the start, I was launched into a plot filled with good pacing, quick action and political intrigue. The bad guys get what they deserve (although it would have been cool if those scenes were drawn out a little more); and the good guys prevail. A happy ending - my favorite.

I also appreciated the epilogue. I love epilogues and this one was especially good. It outlined where everyone was 15 years later. So, thank you Kelly Walker!

There is some mild swearing and very glossed-over married sex.

Thank you NetGalley.com and All Night Reads for allowing me to review this book.

Second Stone

Second Stone (Souls of the Stones #2)

by Kelly Walker
4 stars

337 pages

Published Feb. 15, 2013 by Kelly Walker and All Night Reads

This, the second book in the Souls of the Stones series (which I'm reading in the recently published Omnibus), was thankfully a step up from the first one. More action, more character development, better pacing. Stuff actually happens in this one. Yay for stuff!
I quite liked it. Whenever I had to put it down, I found myself itching to get back to it!

I can recommend to everyone! No swearing or sex, and the main characters respect and love each other - that can be rare in YA literature today.

Thank you NetGalley and All Night Reads for the opportunity to read this book!

Beautiful Chaos

Beautiful Chaos (Caster Chronicles #3)

by Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl

2.5 stars

516 pages

Published Oct. 18, 2011 by Little, Brown and Company

I don't know why I continue to slog through this series. The books are too long, where nothing happens, and I don't really care about the (way too many to count) characters.

And to add to my dismay, this book ends with the cheesiest cliff-hanger ending ever. It's as if the authors knew that the rest of their book was boring and bland, so they decided to try and force the readers into actually caring about what happens next. I'm all for subtle manipulation, but this ventures into the realm of anvil-over-the head maneuvering.

The pacing of the story is dawdling and uneven. There are many chapters where nothing of importance is said or done. I'm a huge proponent of a good editor. I've said it before - USE one who is unafraid of the delete key! And if that shrinks the length of your book - fabulous. Trim the fat! 500+ page books are only as good as the writing. Condense and omit. It will make a better, more entertaining book.

I do appreciate the general lack of swearing and sex, though. That is a positive.

But we'll see if I get to the last book. It's not looking good.

Inheritance

Inheritance (The Inheritance Cycle #4)

by Christopher Paolini

2 stars

860 pages

Published Nov. 8, 2011 by Alfred A. Knop

 

What a boring book. Which makes me sad and a bit mad that I spent how many hours reading and reading, just to get to an "eh" ending. But do you know what really irks me?? All the freakin' loose ends!!! Who was Angela, really? Who was the woman with the sword-fighting teen-age girl? What happens to Elva when she grows up? What about the dragons? Do Eragon and Arya ever get together? Did Jeod ever get to ride Saphira? And what happens to King Orrin? Oh, sooo many loose ends ...
This book would greatly be improved with a lengthy epilogue. An EPILOGUE, I say!!!

Brisingr

Brisingr (The Inheritance Cycle #3)

by Christopher Paolini

3 stars

763 pages

Published Sept. 20, 2008 by Alfred A. Knopf

 

I re-read this book, and I have to agree with my first review of this book. SOOOOO slow!! And nothing of true substance happens. Honestly, this book could use some major condensing.

This was the slowest paced book of the three I've read. Lots of character development, but not much actually happening. I counted two battle scenes, which was far too little to keep me happy! I hope the last book will be a bit more of a page-turner.

Towering

Towering

by Alex Flinn

2 stars

293 pages 

Published May 14, 2013 by HarperTeen

I am pretty bummed I had to give this book so few stars. It had such potential - part love story, part paranormal mystery - but the execution was lacking.

"Towering" is touted as a modern re-write of the Rapunzel tale, but the only tie-in the book contains is that one of the protagonists has long hair, which she cuts to make a rope so she can escape her tower prison/safe-house. The rest is an anti-drug PA (which I'm all for: Drugs=Bad!), but it just didn't jive with the spirit of the original Rapunzel tale. That, paired with poor character development, uneven pacing, and too many unanswered questions at the abrupt and unsatisfying ending made this book an unfortunate and forgettable work.

I did dig the book cover, though.

Eldest

Eldest (The Inheritance Cycle #2)

by Christopher Paolini

4 stars

668 pages 

Published Aug. 23, 2005 by Alfred A. Knopf

 

A super-quick review. I re-read this book in my quest to finally finish the series. And it takes a lot for me to re-read something.
I again enjoyed it quite a bit.

But I'm hoping that all these loose ends get tied up neatly at the end.