Kari
Ugh. I can't believe this is the same Cate Tiernan who wrote Immoral Beloved, but it is what it is.
The series is starting to take a hokey kind of cheesiness that Wicca fiction books tend to lean towards.
And also, Morgan is kind of an idiot.
I still have, like, 100 books left in this series. I've got 4 more in my hand now so I'll continue to read ‘em. At 200 pages per book they're super fast reads so it's not that bad. And who knows, maybe they'll get better?
There were things I could do without in this book. Cal, of course he was the most beautiful boy ever to grace the Earth. Isn't that how it always is? And the beautiful best friend who will, I'm sure at some point, become the mortal enemy after previously mentioned most beautiful boy chooses the plain main character over her (a la Haven in the {I greatly hated} Immortal series). Then of course there's the goth/porn/emo chick who will undoubtedly become best friends with recent made ex-best friend of Morgan.
Yeah, I suppose that's what makes it a story, right? And it wasn't bad it was just formulatic. We've all seen that story play out before.
But the Wicca. It brought me back to my late teenage/early twenties years when I studied. I still have, tucked away in my closet, my ‘tool chest' of Wicca things and books line my bookshelf. Cate Tiernan does the religion well with her own little tweaks here and there. For me it was nostalgic and comfortable.
I did like Morgan, though she was a little too goody-goody for me. She's no Nasty, but she's growing on me.
I agree with a lot of readers that a fourth book was kind of unnecessary, but I'm not really complaining because I do love these characters. I wish she would just do a series about Simon, but it looks like he's a package deal with the Shadowhunters.
You can read my full review here: http://knowitnotsomuch.blogspot.com/2011/04/city-of-fallen-angels.html
Better than the last, but not by much. The suspension of disbelief you must have to just accept that all of a sudden all around him, Brockton is surrounded by donation cases. The missing limbs of a buried body coincidentally connect with a case the FBI suddenly needs Brockton's help on and is also related to Eddie's hands and is also related to a company building and designing replacement parts for people. It was just too many things that end up being connected. And Miranda is intolerable. Get her out of here.
There were moments that I didn't think I could keep reading this. Heartbreaking and horrifying, these are parts of our history that we can never really understand. Dolen Perkins-Valdez captures much of this in a very clear and concise voice. Too clear sometimes.
Still, Iris Johansen is showing her age. A 20 something year old should not say ‘good Lord' or ‘dear heavens' so many times if ever. Jane speaks like a 70 year old woman and there is not one character in this book that is pleasant. Even the ones that work together speak as if they hate each other. It's tiresome.
At this point the most amusing thing about these books is the author's name. Michael Scott. Every time I read that I think of The Office.
If you didn't know if from the beginning of the series you have to know now that the downfall of Josh & Sophie Newman is not Nicholas & Perenelle Flamel. It is Josh.
When being Awakened Sophie is nervous & scared, but determined. Mastering Air, Fire & Water she is amazed, but reserved. She understands the great responsibilities that come with the gifts she's been given and yet wishes she could give them all back. Josh on the other hand says ‘cool' and crows to himself how his fire tattoo is so much cooler than his twins.
So it is no wonder when all is said and done that Dee continually targets Josh to weaken his opponents. And it is no wonder that it works. Josh thinks that he knows better than anyone, including his twin, including the Elders who pass on their knowledge.
There are still two books in left in the series, not counting the two short stories centering around Billy the Kid & Joan of Arc. I imagine we'll have to learn more of Virginia Dare and her backstory and then we'll come to the culmination of this mess.
Not a fan.
This one was all over the place, but goooood. It kept me guessing and kept me on the edge. I'd love to see Wendy in another story. Her character was flawed, but knew it and tried her best to make up for it. She was so real. Loved her!
Back in 2009 I read Runemarks by Joanne Harris. I wasn't in love with that book, mainly because I felt that Harris assumed the reader was already familiar with Norse mythology so at times I felt lost. Still, while reading Thief Eyes, I felt like this was just a less complicated, watered down version of Runemarks.
The only commonality they have is the mythology. Munin & Freki are really the only two recognizable characters from Norse mythology, but it is implied at one point that Odin is on his way though neither Freki or Munin ever refer to him by name.
The first third of the book I was pulled in immediately. Haley and her father return to Iceland because Haley must see with her own eyes the place her mother was last seen. There is talk of an affair, of a spell, of ancient debts and bargains with fire and everything was oh-so-interesting. But then it just kind of drags on. Ari (who of course, is gorgeous) and Haley must trek some 200 kilometers (or miles, I can't remember which) and so the rest of the book just seems to focus on this walk. Until finally, the climax of the story and then another two chapters of wrap up that were completely unnecessary.
When compared to the Faerie books (Bones of Faerie & Faerie Winter) this book doesn't hold a candle. I loved the Faerie books and this one I could have done without.
Sooooo interesting. Confusing and different. Exciting ... all I wanted to do is fly through the pages and find out what happens, but I forced myself to slow down. Of course, the book ends right on the edge of the cliff and The Forgotten Locket doesn't come out until this summer! Whaaaaa!!
I liked the back and forth of the storytelling. I wish it was longer though! I wanted more of Tara's story!
This one was recommended to me by a friend. I went to the library and found the first volume and now I wish I had put the others on hold! Grrrrrr
Volume 1 begins in Germany, 1986 with a young Dr. Tenma, rising star at Eisler Memorial Hospital. Destined for big things and engaged to the daughter of the hospital director he's also dedicated and hard working, but his ideal life begins to show signs of tarnish when he wonders if the man he looks up to is really someone worth idolizing. When he goes against the directors orders to save a gravely injured young boy his life goes into a tailspin.
Fast forward 9 years later and life is much different for Dr. Tenma and he seems to be happy with his new outlook on a doctor's life. But things that happened 9 years ago are threatening to come back to haunt him.
I was told that Naoki Urasawa is Japan's Master of Suspense and that's evident here in this first volume. But he's also really good at creepy. There's a few creepy characters (I don't want to name any names so as not to spoil the story for you) and a few despicable ones too! The other thing I really like is that I can easily tell the different characters apart! One thing that always bums me out with lots of mangas is how everyone kind of looks the same. Not necessarily main characters, but the supporting cast of friends, co-workers or relatives all tend to have that same look and I start getting people confused. But Urasawa's artwork is unique and distinctive.
The story is goooood and leaves you with pretty much no closure. What I expected to happen, happened, but that wasn't a bad thing and now I need to get my hands on Vol. 2!
Wish is the first or a two part series by newcomer Alexandra Bullen I got the book when it was offered for free by the Sony eReader store. It probably wouldn't have been on my radar before then, but it sounded interesting so I thought, why not?
Olivia Larson and her parents move across the country to get away from the ghosts of their past. Namely, Olivia's twin sister Violet, who died tragically. In a new town and quite shy Olivia is floating along, lost until she meets Posey, a mysterious tailor.
The story is your run of the mill YA book, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth reading! Alexandra Bullen does a great job of capturing the sorrow and emptiness that Olivia feels after losing Violet. She created characters full of life and kindness without a sense of falseness. She firmly placed the story in San Francisco, bringing the city to life in her book.
That was probably my favorite thing about the book. I could literally picture every place they were at during the story because I have been there, seen them. I was surprised to find that Bullen didn't live in the Bay Area!
A great read, I highly recommend it! I plan on getting my hands on the sequel Wishful Thinking immediately!
http://knowitnotsomuch.blogspot.com/2011/02/wish.html
This is one of those books where the author has too much going on in their head and tries to put it down on paper. Then because of the subjects she touches on, school shootings and Asperger's the book is lauded to be amazing and wins awards. It becomes The Book Everyone Should Read.
I don't think that's untrue. I think that Mockingbird does give us a good insight into what it means to have Asperger's, but kind of in a way that the author read a lot of books about what having Asperger's is like and then put it into her fictional setting. At times it feels incredibly contrived. Caitlin never feels like a real person to me, but like a caricature of a child with Asperger's. But of course, I have no experience with anyone with Asperger's so I'm not a good judge. It's just to me, Caitlin felt like a made up character (which, of course, she was) who never became more than that to me.
In a sort of acknowledgement or afterword, Erksine talks about the Virginia Tech shootings and how close that was to her home, how it affected her. She wanted to write a book that talked about it. I don't know that this feeling came across in this book. The school shooting was not something discussed at length in the book because it wasn't something that Caitlin necessarily understood as anything but The Day Our Life Fell Apart. We were privy to the process of dealing with losing a sibling and at a weaker view losing a child, but not really what it meant after that.
I think maybe I would have liked the book more had it just been Caitlin dealing with everyday life and counseling. Wading through mainstream school and life with a single father who seems to not really know how to deal with her. The introduction of a school shooting seemed unnecessary. It didn't bring anything relevant to the table.
Probably the most political book that had little to do with politics I've ever read from King. Mired in Covid and recovering from Trump, the time period here was depressing. But the story itself was tense and full of near misses. I was glad we weren't going to read about another Outsider.
This review was first published on my blog at http://knowitnotsomuch.blogspot.com
When John Green & David Levithan decided to collaborate on a book together they decided to split up the work as evenly as possible. Green wrote the odd numbered chapters, Levithan the even. Levithan chose the first names of the characters and Green chose the surnames. It seemed to work out quite well.
What I loved about this book was despite how over-the-top things started to get there was an air of reality to the whole thing. Neither author writes their parents to be annoying, controlling or hated parents the way a lot of ya books do. Despite Will Grayson #2's depression and overall hatred towards everything his mother is the one person he truly loves and she is a fully fleshed out character. She is compassionate and wise and normal. Will Grayson #1's parents are the same way. Normal. And I liked that.
The writing is spectacular, of course. The story jumps back and forth between each Will Grayson and you are able to see the evolution of both characters as the story progresses.
Where WG#1 is insecure and teenaged angsty in an almost stereotypical way WG#2 is medicated and gothy with a sharp, witty mind. He is sarcastic and self-deprecating, but probably the one character who seems to struggle less with his emotions than others.
This was a good read. Not as good as Paper Towns. While the characters are similar, Paper Towns just really had me devouring that book.
Creepy, funny, sad and hopeful are the words I would use to describe this series of books. I picked them up at the library when I was waiting for Emma the other day thinking she would like them, but the cover for The Parting was slightly creepy so I decided to read them first. Good thing I did!
I've seen the books recommended for ages 7+ and also 9+ and I think the 9+ is more accurate. The books deal with some heavy issues, like death, child abuse and terminal illness. Nothing too graphic, but heavy nonetheless. While I'm sure Emma could ‘handle' it, I think we can wait a couple of years first.
But I did enjoy them! The art is reminiscent of Calvin and Hobbes, especially Max. The full color books lend to the richness of the Elsewhere world that the kids find themselves in. Despite their issues the kids are bonded and only want to look out for each other and help keep everyone safe. While they are certainly brave and courageous, there are always moments of showing their age so that it's clear that these are still, despite their adventures, children.
There are still many questions left unanswered and things begin to get a little confusing near the end of The Parting, ending with a ‘To be continued' cliffhanger. And yet, I can't find anything about another volume coming out anytime soon. Hopefully, that's change soon!
loved this book. you can read my full review (spoiler free) on my blog at http://knowitnotsomuch.blogspot.com/2012/09/heartsick.html
A little slow at times and not at all what I expected, but I loved Lana, Beth and Jack (especially Jack). Plus an extra star for taking place in Salinas Valley/Monterey County. Felt like home!
I think I would have liked this more if he hadn't compared doing conventions to being a battered wife (specifically Nicole Brown).
This book was no fun, but you can read my full review at my blog here: http://knowitnotsomuch.blogspot.com/2012/09/naked-heat.html
These are super cute and fun to read. Karin is a klutz and pretty much hilarious. I love Anju's creepiness and her dolls are definitely up there in the scary factor. I didn't expect the interesting side stories going on while Karin is still trying to figure out how to seal with Kenta so those are an added bonus.
I'm looking forward to delving into the rest of the series!
Kenta is super suspicious of what happened between Karin & his mother that day in the park so he is determined to find out what is going on. Meanwhile, Anju is leaning towards telling Kenta everything he needs to know to help her sister.
Karin is a mess, but luckily she has her sister to help her out. However, we know that Anju is worried about when she becomes an adult vampire and won't be able to help clean up Karin's messes!