Tilt by Ellen Hopkins is a companion novel to her adult novel, Triangles that I read back in 2014. I did enjoy this book quite a lot and again it is a very thought provoking, emotional and engaging read.
In this novel we read about Harley, Shane, and Mikayla, who are the children of the characters in Triangles. This is their stories and how they perceived their lives, and the ups and downs of every day living as they deal with teen pregnancy, adoption, HIV, chronic illness, and loss. Also we as the readers come face to face with decisions concerning these issues.
Again, I felt so much while I read this book and it makes me rethink different things that I thought I already knew everything about. This book really opens the readers eyes to many issues that today's teens and their families may have to deal with throughout their lives. Sadly there are consequences to poor decisions and there is not always happy endings. One thing that I did not like as much with this book was that it seemed like every character in the book had their own personal spot in the book, and not just Harley, Shane and Mikayla. Because of this it made the book a little less personal I think.
The characters, again, very realistic as we know so much of what is in this books exists in the world today. I felt so much for these kids but I think I liked Shane the most. His thoughts were the most realistic of the 3 we read about. He deals with many more different issues than Harley and Mikayla do and his issues seemed to stem more from his family than his own doings and I think affects him so much more mentally. Either way all of the characters are well developed and believable.
I recommend Ellen Hopkins books to everyone! There are triggers in her books and may not be suitable for some readers I just feel like she should be experienced. If anything her books help us to understand many different issues better, and I think that is important.
Monday, March 30, 2015
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Scarlet - Marissa Meyer - 5 stars
I have heard a lot of mixed reviews for this book, both positive and negative. I have to say that I loved this book, better than Cinder? Maybe just a little bit, but it was definitely not any worse. I found this one to be very engaging and very fluid. I really liked the way Cinder was introduced into this one as well.
In this installment we get most of the story surrounding Scarlet and her grandmother, while Cinder is dealing with her own very personal problems. Cinder running and then hiding from who she is and Scarlet trying to figure out where her grandmother is and what it will take to find her. Then in the whole mix of things creating her never ending chaos is Queen Levana, enemy to both Cinder and Scarlet.
I just love the Meyer's writing style and I also love this world building and how all these worlds are linked together simply by the characters. I did not expect the characters to carry over into each installment but I love that they do. I love that the plot lines run parallel to one another and kind of meet in the middle. It makes for a very exciting story. The imagery is also very pleasing in this series. I really don't have too many complaints.
The characters, wow, they are so easy to fall in love with. Even the antagonists are wrote in a way that makes them the perfect villains, everything you love to hate about a bad guy. I also like having to guess which characters to trust and which not to trust. I am not gonna mention in this review which characters I love and hate because that would take away from the surprise that comes along with the characters. Just know that each and everyone of them play a vital role in the story and they are all developed so very well.
I recommend this series to anyone who loves a good fairytale retelling, and also anyone who likes an awesome YA fantasy. This is definitely a series that needs to be read and experienced. I can't believe it took me this long to get to it. Now I look forward to the next one on the series, Cress, and we can't forget Winter coming in November I believe. Also to throw another book into the mix there is Fairest, a prequel, all about Queen Levana. Absolutely fantastic series!
In this installment we get most of the story surrounding Scarlet and her grandmother, while Cinder is dealing with her own very personal problems. Cinder running and then hiding from who she is and Scarlet trying to figure out where her grandmother is and what it will take to find her. Then in the whole mix of things creating her never ending chaos is Queen Levana, enemy to both Cinder and Scarlet.
I just love the Meyer's writing style and I also love this world building and how all these worlds are linked together simply by the characters. I did not expect the characters to carry over into each installment but I love that they do. I love that the plot lines run parallel to one another and kind of meet in the middle. It makes for a very exciting story. The imagery is also very pleasing in this series. I really don't have too many complaints.
The characters, wow, they are so easy to fall in love with. Even the antagonists are wrote in a way that makes them the perfect villains, everything you love to hate about a bad guy. I also like having to guess which characters to trust and which not to trust. I am not gonna mention in this review which characters I love and hate because that would take away from the surprise that comes along with the characters. Just know that each and everyone of them play a vital role in the story and they are all developed so very well.
I recommend this series to anyone who loves a good fairytale retelling, and also anyone who likes an awesome YA fantasy. This is definitely a series that needs to be read and experienced. I can't believe it took me this long to get to it. Now I look forward to the next one on the series, Cress, and we can't forget Winter coming in November I believe. Also to throw another book into the mix there is Fairest, a prequel, all about Queen Levana. Absolutely fantastic series!
Monday, March 23, 2015
Champion - Marie Lu - 5 stars
This was part of a read along I did with my friend Courtney. I don't read many dystopian novels because they all seem to be the same type of plotline, this series was the same, but it was so engaging I could not help myself. I have to say that this was by far my favorite of the trilogy. I think it was also a great wrap up to the story, it was beautifully done and I could not ask for a better ending to the trilogy.
In this installment things seem much more serious to me, a lot more at stake and a lot more sacrifices to be made. Day and June safely residing in the 'new Republic' with June being a Princeps-Elect, must now take on the Colonies. Day is the Legend, June is the prodigy, but who will be the champion.
This was a very engaging action packed adventurous story from beginning to end. I love all the action in this one, the twists and turns as well. The new plotlines were fabulous. The world building in all of these books were fantastic with amazing imagery and realism. There some very intense emotional sections of this book that gives readers the feels like crazy.
The character development is phenomenal! I love the protagonists and the antagonists alike. Both are believable. I love the relationship between Day and June. It doesn't have that instanlove aspect to it. I also loved the respect they had for each other as well. In this installment all of that becomes more real. They really come to know devotion love and sacrifice. The antagonists are brilliant. I was definitely against Thomas in the first two books and ten in this one I was on the fence where he was concerned. Jameson I still hated. LOL All of the characters played an awesome role in this series.
I recommend this whole series to anyone who likes dystopian novels. If you wear your heart on your sleeve then have the box of Kleenex handy. I look forward to other books my Marie Lu because this series was amazing.
In this installment things seem much more serious to me, a lot more at stake and a lot more sacrifices to be made. Day and June safely residing in the 'new Republic' with June being a Princeps-Elect, must now take on the Colonies. Day is the Legend, June is the prodigy, but who will be the champion.
This was a very engaging action packed adventurous story from beginning to end. I love all the action in this one, the twists and turns as well. The new plotlines were fabulous. The world building in all of these books were fantastic with amazing imagery and realism. There some very intense emotional sections of this book that gives readers the feels like crazy.
The character development is phenomenal! I love the protagonists and the antagonists alike. Both are believable. I love the relationship between Day and June. It doesn't have that instanlove aspect to it. I also loved the respect they had for each other as well. In this installment all of that becomes more real. They really come to know devotion love and sacrifice. The antagonists are brilliant. I was definitely against Thomas in the first two books and ten in this one I was on the fence where he was concerned. Jameson I still hated. LOL All of the characters played an awesome role in this series.
I recommend this whole series to anyone who likes dystopian novels. If you wear your heart on your sleeve then have the box of Kleenex handy. I look forward to other books my Marie Lu because this series was amazing.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Breaker's Reef - Terri Blackstock - 3 stars
I got this book through BookLook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review and it is a mystery so I was game for it. However, when I got the book I was not aware that it was book #4 in the series. So that was kind of annoying, but decided to read it anyway.
In this book we have a murder of a young girl that takes place. And ex con, Sheila Caruso, discovers that the man she works for, an author named Marcus Gibson, has a scene in one of his books that mimics the crime scene of the recent murder in Cape Refuge. The story goes on from there.
I thought the story had a great plot line and the mystery aspect of the story was good although I found that it was a little predictable. I just feel like I wanted more to it. This is a Christian fiction as well so there were a lot of religious undertones to the story as well and I think they were in there quite randomly. I feel like it took a little away from the story.
I did not really connect all that well with the characters in this story. I did not have that feeling of really knowing who they were. I think that they were even unrealistic at points because everyone was nice despite who did what to who. And that is not how this world works. There were 2 antagonists in this story. The main antagonist was developed pretty well but the 2nd one was not really a substantial part of the story so I am not sure why he was even written into it at all.
Overall I enjoyed the mystery aspect of the story and I can recommend this to anyone who likes Mystery if you don't mind the religious undertones or if you enjoy Christian fiction.
In this book we have a murder of a young girl that takes place. And ex con, Sheila Caruso, discovers that the man she works for, an author named Marcus Gibson, has a scene in one of his books that mimics the crime scene of the recent murder in Cape Refuge. The story goes on from there.
I thought the story had a great plot line and the mystery aspect of the story was good although I found that it was a little predictable. I just feel like I wanted more to it. This is a Christian fiction as well so there were a lot of religious undertones to the story as well and I think they were in there quite randomly. I feel like it took a little away from the story.
I did not really connect all that well with the characters in this story. I did not have that feeling of really knowing who they were. I think that they were even unrealistic at points because everyone was nice despite who did what to who. And that is not how this world works. There were 2 antagonists in this story. The main antagonist was developed pretty well but the 2nd one was not really a substantial part of the story so I am not sure why he was even written into it at all.
Overall I enjoyed the mystery aspect of the story and I can recommend this to anyone who likes Mystery if you don't mind the religious undertones or if you enjoy Christian fiction.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Tuesday Talks - How do you choose your next book?
So Tuesday Talks is a Good Reads Group started by Janelle and I where we discuss book related topics every Tuesday. Here is the link to the Good Reads Group. Tuesday Talks!
I think that any way a person chooses their book is great as long as they are reading. We have to choose what works best for us. Some are mood readers, some are TBR users some choose at random. For me I have used every one of these options.
Now I used monthly TBR's and there are several factors I consider when adding books to my monthly TBR. First off, I make my review books top priority and they will go on my monthly TBR accordingly. Then there are series that I want to get through this year, so I consider those too, and then lastly I consider any buddy reads I have planned. If I decide I don't want to read s pecific book on my TBR, which does not happen often, then I have no problem with switching out.
When I make up a monthly TBR I plan on a wide array of genres so I don't get bored with what I have chosen for the month and this keeps my TBR pretty fun and exciting and does not cause me too many problems when it comes time to read those books. How do you choose your next book to read? Let me know in the comments. If you are interested in my video of this Tuesday Talks then you can just click here. Thanks for stopping by!
I think that any way a person chooses their book is great as long as they are reading. We have to choose what works best for us. Some are mood readers, some are TBR users some choose at random. For me I have used every one of these options.
Now I used monthly TBR's and there are several factors I consider when adding books to my monthly TBR. First off, I make my review books top priority and they will go on my monthly TBR accordingly. Then there are series that I want to get through this year, so I consider those too, and then lastly I consider any buddy reads I have planned. If I decide I don't want to read s pecific book on my TBR, which does not happen often, then I have no problem with switching out.
When I make up a monthly TBR I plan on a wide array of genres so I don't get bored with what I have chosen for the month and this keeps my TBR pretty fun and exciting and does not cause me too many problems when it comes time to read those books. How do you choose your next book to read? Let me know in the comments. If you are interested in my video of this Tuesday Talks then you can just click here. Thanks for stopping by!
The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes - 4.5 stars
I found this book at our local Good Will and decided to buy it for $2. I picked this up to read as a buddy read not really knowing what to expect from this one. It was one of those cases of what would you do? How can you judge without being in a particular position. I have to say it was definitely a very profound read. It made me really think. I am so glad I picked it up.
In this book we have CeeCee Wilkes who had made a bad choice that would greatly impact so many different lives, including her own. This is the story of that choice she made, and the sacrifices involved. This is wrote from 2 different perspectives, hers and her daughters.
Wow this was such a profound read for me. So much realism, so many feels involved. So make sure to have your box of Kleenex handy. What a great plot line it was, so intriguing and yet so heartbreaking at the same. I did have one issue with the fact that a 16 year old was dating a 22 year old with sex involved. I am too aware that things like this really do occur and the author made that clear with this writing. The story was super engaging and had I not been busy with life I would have read it all in one sitting. I really enjoyed the author's writing style.
The characters were very realistic and so well written. I could relate to CeeCee and I could never even imagine the struggles she was dealing with. She went through so much as a pre-teen and then thrown into a mess at 16 that she had no business being a part of. I think the author showed her strengths very well. I really did not like a couple of the characters in this book, there were almost villain like even though it was more of a contemporary.
I would recommend this anyone who likes books with real life situations. It will definitely draw you in and engage you through the whole book. I am giving this book a 4.5 star rating and I look forward to finding more from this author.
In this book we have CeeCee Wilkes who had made a bad choice that would greatly impact so many different lives, including her own. This is the story of that choice she made, and the sacrifices involved. This is wrote from 2 different perspectives, hers and her daughters.
Wow this was such a profound read for me. So much realism, so many feels involved. So make sure to have your box of Kleenex handy. What a great plot line it was, so intriguing and yet so heartbreaking at the same. I did have one issue with the fact that a 16 year old was dating a 22 year old with sex involved. I am too aware that things like this really do occur and the author made that clear with this writing. The story was super engaging and had I not been busy with life I would have read it all in one sitting. I really enjoyed the author's writing style.
The characters were very realistic and so well written. I could relate to CeeCee and I could never even imagine the struggles she was dealing with. She went through so much as a pre-teen and then thrown into a mess at 16 that she had no business being a part of. I think the author showed her strengths very well. I really did not like a couple of the characters in this book, there were almost villain like even though it was more of a contemporary.
I would recommend this anyone who likes books with real life situations. It will definitely draw you in and engage you through the whole book. I am giving this book a 4.5 star rating and I look forward to finding more from this author.
Saturday, March 14, 2015
The Titan's Curse - Rick Riordan - 5 stars
This is book 3 of the Percy Jackson Series. This is also one of the series I wish to complete this year. I gotta say these books just keep getting better the more I read them. I love that they are so engaging and so fast paced. It is so easy to lost in Percy's world, among these God's and monsters. I am so glad I decided to read this series this year. I have not been disappointed yet.
In this installment We meet some new characters as they go on a quest with Percy and Grover to rescue Annabeth and a goddess in chains from the clutches of the those intent on destroying Olympus and everything that has to do with it. Percy makes some more enemies along way.
This installment was really fast paced as the plot thickens and the story draws closer to the prophecies that revolve around Percy. We get some interesting new twists in this plot line surrounding the Oracle yet again. One thing that I really enjoy about this series is that nothing comes easy to any of our characters. Everything has to be worked for. There is always something their to hinder their progress and they proceed to overcome the obstacles. I was so engaged with this one and the characters that I was sad to see it end. There were also some pretty good feels with this one.
I really like watching these characters develop as the story progresses. I have say that Percy is no where near as annoying as when he first started out. We also have some new characters introduced into the story that rubbed me the wrong way in the beginning, but as the story goes on I was able to understand those characters. I am not entirely sure about all of them yet, but I am sure it will be made clear soon enough in the upcoming books.
I can recommend this book to anyone. Does not matter if you are teen or adult it is a great series and should be experienced by everyone. Great series so far and I look forward to the rest of the series.
In this installment We meet some new characters as they go on a quest with Percy and Grover to rescue Annabeth and a goddess in chains from the clutches of the those intent on destroying Olympus and everything that has to do with it. Percy makes some more enemies along way.
This installment was really fast paced as the plot thickens and the story draws closer to the prophecies that revolve around Percy. We get some interesting new twists in this plot line surrounding the Oracle yet again. One thing that I really enjoy about this series is that nothing comes easy to any of our characters. Everything has to be worked for. There is always something their to hinder their progress and they proceed to overcome the obstacles. I was so engaged with this one and the characters that I was sad to see it end. There were also some pretty good feels with this one.
I really like watching these characters develop as the story progresses. I have say that Percy is no where near as annoying as when he first started out. We also have some new characters introduced into the story that rubbed me the wrong way in the beginning, but as the story goes on I was able to understand those characters. I am not entirely sure about all of them yet, but I am sure it will be made clear soon enough in the upcoming books.
I can recommend this book to anyone. Does not matter if you are teen or adult it is a great series and should be experienced by everyone. Great series so far and I look forward to the rest of the series.
Friday, March 13, 2015
Wordle Me This
Ok so again from The Reverie there is a post on "Wordle me this" where words are supplied and you use them to write a poem. So I thought I would try my hand at this. So first, here are the words that were provided.
storm
liar
noise
bitter
rampant
thief
lurks
redemption
exposed
consumption
caverns
vestige
revival
And here is what I came up with for this one. Please be gentle. LOL
As a storm rages
a bitter thief lurks
in the caverns of my heart
dispersing its bitter venom
my heart is exposed
while this thief relishes
in it's consumption
storm
liar
noise
bitter
rampant
thief
lurks
redemption
exposed
consumption
caverns
vestige
revival
And here is what I came up with for this one. Please be gentle. LOL
As a storm rages
a bitter thief lurks
in the caverns of my heart
dispersing its bitter venom
my heart is exposed
while this thief relishes
in it's consumption
The Fire Sermon - Francesca Haig - 4 stars
I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. This book is a YA dystopian. I don't read a lot of dystopian but this one sounded interesting so I decided to pick it up and give it a try because the concept was different from most. I am really glad I did because I found the story very engaging and fast paced.
In this story we have a world of Alpha and Omega. Alpha are the strong people and Omega are considered the weak, dead ends, and poisonous. When children are born they are born as twins, one boy and one girl. One will be born Alpha and one will be born Omega. Alpha babies are born perfect and beautiful while Omega babies have some type of deformity. As they grow in the family eventually they will have what they call the split when the omega baby is pushed out and sent away to a refuge belonging only to the Omega community. Cass is born the Omega and Zach the Alpha, neither have any deformities except for the fact that Cass has a secret that Zach tries to expose. The Omega people live in Segregation while being oppressed by their stronger counterparts, the Alpha. In the beginning, as babies, the Alpha and Omega will live together, but in the end they will die together as well. This world is dependent on Cass and Zach, which will overcome?
I thought the plotline was so different in this dystopian story. I also found it to be fast paced and very engaging from page one. Rather than having a dystopian Government who oppresses it's people you have a group of people who oppress a weaker group of people. I love the concept of twins being born with one weak and one strong. I also love the connection between them that if one is in pain and dies, the other one is also in pain and dies. I think the imagery was also good, because of this, the world building is done very well, very visual.
As for the characters I think they too were developed well. I have a complaint though which kept this from receiving 5 stars. I found our protagonist rather whiny and I did not see a lot of growth in her until the very last chapter of the story. She was born Omega and was oppressed and pushed out sure, but let me tell you she showed her weakness too well. She played the poor pitiful me too well. I would have liked to see her much stronger by the end of the book. I mean she had 3 or 4 different people telling her she was much stronger and much more important that she thought and it was still not enough for her to see it herself? There will be a sequel to this one and I hope to see Cass grow by leaps and bounds. I really like Kip a lot. I feel like his personality was much better and he would stand up and fight more for injustice than Cass would. He knew he was dealt a rotten hand and he worked with what he had.
Like I said, because of the lead protagonist I could not give this book a 5 star, but it is very worth reading and I recommend this to anyone who likes YA dystopian, post apoc and even sci fi could enjoy this book. Very different and very enjoyable. I look forward to the next in this series.
In this story we have a world of Alpha and Omega. Alpha are the strong people and Omega are considered the weak, dead ends, and poisonous. When children are born they are born as twins, one boy and one girl. One will be born Alpha and one will be born Omega. Alpha babies are born perfect and beautiful while Omega babies have some type of deformity. As they grow in the family eventually they will have what they call the split when the omega baby is pushed out and sent away to a refuge belonging only to the Omega community. Cass is born the Omega and Zach the Alpha, neither have any deformities except for the fact that Cass has a secret that Zach tries to expose. The Omega people live in Segregation while being oppressed by their stronger counterparts, the Alpha. In the beginning, as babies, the Alpha and Omega will live together, but in the end they will die together as well. This world is dependent on Cass and Zach, which will overcome?
I thought the plotline was so different in this dystopian story. I also found it to be fast paced and very engaging from page one. Rather than having a dystopian Government who oppresses it's people you have a group of people who oppress a weaker group of people. I love the concept of twins being born with one weak and one strong. I also love the connection between them that if one is in pain and dies, the other one is also in pain and dies. I think the imagery was also good, because of this, the world building is done very well, very visual.
As for the characters I think they too were developed well. I have a complaint though which kept this from receiving 5 stars. I found our protagonist rather whiny and I did not see a lot of growth in her until the very last chapter of the story. She was born Omega and was oppressed and pushed out sure, but let me tell you she showed her weakness too well. She played the poor pitiful me too well. I would have liked to see her much stronger by the end of the book. I mean she had 3 or 4 different people telling her she was much stronger and much more important that she thought and it was still not enough for her to see it herself? There will be a sequel to this one and I hope to see Cass grow by leaps and bounds. I really like Kip a lot. I feel like his personality was much better and he would stand up and fight more for injustice than Cass would. He knew he was dealt a rotten hand and he worked with what he had.
Like I said, because of the lead protagonist I could not give this book a 5 star, but it is very worth reading and I recommend this to anyone who likes YA dystopian, post apoc and even sci fi could enjoy this book. Very different and very enjoyable. I look forward to the next in this series.
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Cycle of the Werewolf - Stephen King - 4 star
I received this book from a dear friend on BookTube as a gift. I have not read or seen this book for 20 years at least and as soon as I opened the packaged I dived into the book and read it. Wow such a great story with great illustrations that make the story even more exciting.
In this book the author tells the story about a werewolf by way of the moon as it cycles through each month. Each month a tragedy transpires in a pattern of events and the townspeople are terrified. Even though the cause is obvious, no one really wants to come out and say accept for Marty that is.
This is a very quick and engaging read from start to finish and can be read in just a few hours. I love the illustrations in the book because I feel like it adds so much more to the story. I almost felt like a little kid again flipping back to the picture when I read about what the picture was telling. The author paints a story that is quick and to the point with this one. Not like werewolf stories of today with all the glamour.
I think had this been a longer novel, our characters would have been developed a lot better with some more backstory, but I have to say I still really enjoyed Marty who is of course our child protagonist. I think that he is still one of those very memorable characters despite not having a lot of development.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves King or loves engaging quick werewolf stories. Or maybe someone who likes graphic novels as well. Either way I don't think readers will be disappointed by what they read with this one and I am pretty sure most King lovers have already read this book.
In this book the author tells the story about a werewolf by way of the moon as it cycles through each month. Each month a tragedy transpires in a pattern of events and the townspeople are terrified. Even though the cause is obvious, no one really wants to come out and say accept for Marty that is.
This is a very quick and engaging read from start to finish and can be read in just a few hours. I love the illustrations in the book because I feel like it adds so much more to the story. I almost felt like a little kid again flipping back to the picture when I read about what the picture was telling. The author paints a story that is quick and to the point with this one. Not like werewolf stories of today with all the glamour.
I think had this been a longer novel, our characters would have been developed a lot better with some more backstory, but I have to say I still really enjoyed Marty who is of course our child protagonist. I think that he is still one of those very memorable characters despite not having a lot of development.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves King or loves engaging quick werewolf stories. Or maybe someone who likes graphic novels as well. Either way I don't think readers will be disappointed by what they read with this one and I am pretty sure most King lovers have already read this book.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Tuesday Talks - Should Authors provide the books for review?
Absolutely yes. I feel like if the Author approaches the reader and asks them to review their book then they should be the one to provide the book whether it be paper form or e-book form, either works. It seems like simple etiquette doesn't it. There have been a couple of times when I was approached by an author and they thought I should buy that book. That does not work for me.
The way that this can differ is if the reader approaches the Author. If the author is self published then they are responsible in letting the reader know if they can or can not provide the book for review. If they can not then the reader should be courteous enough to either buy the book or walk away from the situation.
If a reader really wants to review books there are other ways to do just that. Websites like Net Galley and BookLook Bloggers can provide that service. Net Galley provides e-book format for their review books, and BookLook Bloggers have the option for either. So there are always resources available for serious reviewers.
If you would like to be a part of Tuesday Talks please come join us on Good Reads by joining the Tuesday Talks Group. We would love to hear rom you. You may also watch the vlog version if this discussion by clicking here.
The way that this can differ is if the reader approaches the Author. If the author is self published then they are responsible in letting the reader know if they can or can not provide the book for review. If they can not then the reader should be courteous enough to either buy the book or walk away from the situation.
If a reader really wants to review books there are other ways to do just that. Websites like Net Galley and BookLook Bloggers can provide that service. Net Galley provides e-book format for their review books, and BookLook Bloggers have the option for either. So there are always resources available for serious reviewers.
If you would like to be a part of Tuesday Talks please come join us on Good Reads by joining the Tuesday Talks Group. We would love to hear rom you. You may also watch the vlog version if this discussion by clicking here.
Ask the Dark - Henry Turner - 3 stars
I received this book through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. This is a debut novel of the author and I was a little hesitant about that at first. This is a mystery and also classed as YA, but I am not sure as to why it would be YA because the language used in this books was pretty bad.
In this book we have a boy named Billy Zeets who has been less than perfect in the eyes of those in the community. Billy does not have a clean record, he has been know for stealing and trashing the community he lives in. He does make a promise to do better and not revert to the life he once lived. That was before he stumbles upon a crime and he makes it his mission to solve the crime in his small town.
I was a bit confused by this book being classed as a YA since it read more like an adult book. I say that mostly because of the language. Normally bad language does not bother me but in this book the language at times was a bit over the top for me with all of the cursing and it put me off a little bit from really enjoying the story. I love a good mystery, but I don't feel like I got that with this book since you know at the beginning of the story pretty much what is going to happen. The only mystery was really figuring out who did and I have to say it was pretty predictable and not really a surprise. I felt like that hurt the story a lot. Despite my issues with the story I found it was an engaging, fun read simply because we have an unlikely hero as the protagonist of the story.
I did find that Billy grew on me despite his use of a few choice words constantly throughout the story. I think he was developed ok, but I think a bit more backstory would have really benefitted the story a lot. I did not really find much connection with any of the other characters in the book. I thought the speech/accent of our protagonist was written very well and gave him more character.
I really cant class this book as a YA mystery and I don't think people should go into it thinking it is. There is some mystery to the story, but it is very much an adult book IMO. If you like a mystery but more on the fun side rather than serious, then you may like this book. I was on the fence about what I wanted to rate this book since I had some issues with it. I decided that since it was pretty engaging and fun I would rate it a 3 star. I think that is pretty generous.
In this book we have a boy named Billy Zeets who has been less than perfect in the eyes of those in the community. Billy does not have a clean record, he has been know for stealing and trashing the community he lives in. He does make a promise to do better and not revert to the life he once lived. That was before he stumbles upon a crime and he makes it his mission to solve the crime in his small town.
I was a bit confused by this book being classed as a YA since it read more like an adult book. I say that mostly because of the language. Normally bad language does not bother me but in this book the language at times was a bit over the top for me with all of the cursing and it put me off a little bit from really enjoying the story. I love a good mystery, but I don't feel like I got that with this book since you know at the beginning of the story pretty much what is going to happen. The only mystery was really figuring out who did and I have to say it was pretty predictable and not really a surprise. I felt like that hurt the story a lot. Despite my issues with the story I found it was an engaging, fun read simply because we have an unlikely hero as the protagonist of the story.
I did find that Billy grew on me despite his use of a few choice words constantly throughout the story. I think he was developed ok, but I think a bit more backstory would have really benefitted the story a lot. I did not really find much connection with any of the other characters in the book. I thought the speech/accent of our protagonist was written very well and gave him more character.
I really cant class this book as a YA mystery and I don't think people should go into it thinking it is. There is some mystery to the story, but it is very much an adult book IMO. If you like a mystery but more on the fun side rather than serious, then you may like this book. I was on the fence about what I wanted to rate this book since I had some issues with it. I decided that since it was pretty engaging and fun I would rate it a 3 star. I think that is pretty generous.
Saturday, March 7, 2015
11/22/63 - Stephen King - 5 stars
I just read this book as a reread for the reread along that I am hosting for March, 2015, and I have to say that I enjoyed it just as much this time as when I read it 2 years ago. I would keep it the same exact rating as well. This was such a pleasure to read again and visit with these unforgettable characters. The story rich in both plot and characters, everyone should read it at least once.
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Review from February 25, 2013
Again I was nothing but pleased with yet another King Novel. And again the characters were created with such life and vitality. I fell in love with so many of them. And all King fans know that he is the master in character development. In this novel my favorite would have to be Jake.
I found this is a very thought provoking story. When I first started it, I felt envious of Jake for being able to see his home in early years. The smells and the sights, the newness of everything. Then the further I read made me do a lot of thinking. What would I do? What would I sacrifice? Would I really change history if given the chance? Would I risk the possibility of catastrophic events due to changing the past? I can simply say, even though my heart would say yes, my head would not.
My beliefs are that everything happens for a reason. I know some people would not agree with that and some would, either way these beliefs are mine. And I felt each of Jake's struggles with this throughout the entire novel. This story will make you feel every emotion that you could possibly feel. You will be consumed from the first page to the last. King wrote it brilliantly with the perfect blend of mystery, danger, and a love so rich and deep it is almost overwhelming.
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Review from February 25, 2013
Again I was nothing but pleased with yet another King Novel. And again the characters were created with such life and vitality. I fell in love with so many of them. And all King fans know that he is the master in character development. In this novel my favorite would have to be Jake.
I found this is a very thought provoking story. When I first started it, I felt envious of Jake for being able to see his home in early years. The smells and the sights, the newness of everything. Then the further I read made me do a lot of thinking. What would I do? What would I sacrifice? Would I really change history if given the chance? Would I risk the possibility of catastrophic events due to changing the past? I can simply say, even though my heart would say yes, my head would not.
My beliefs are that everything happens for a reason. I know some people would not agree with that and some would, either way these beliefs are mine. And I felt each of Jake's struggles with this throughout the entire novel. This story will make you feel every emotion that you could possibly feel. You will be consumed from the first page to the last. King wrote it brilliantly with the perfect blend of mystery, danger, and a love so rich and deep it is almost overwhelming.
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