Book Review: The Carrie Diaries - Candace Bushnell

The Carrie Diaries - Candace Bushnell

A teen prequel to "Sex and the City, The Carrie Diaires" is the story of how small-town girl Carrie Bradshaw becomes "the" Carrie Bradshaw.

2/5 stars (it was ok)

I read Sex and the City and watched the TV show a while ago.  I even went to see both movies.  So I was curious to see what this book was about and what Carrie was like in HS.  Plus there is a TV show that will be airing on the CW this fall.  Well I read this and thought it was okay.  Carrie is very immature and so are many of her friends.  Looks like she's had boy problems since High School.  Overall the book was okay. 

Book Review: Deadlocked - Charlaine Harris

Deadlocked - Charlaine Harris

With Felipe de Castro, the Vampire King of Louisiana (and Arkansas and Nevada), in town, it’s the worst possible time for a body to show up in Eric Northman’s front yard—especially the body of a woman whose blood he just drank.

Now, it’s up to Sookie and Bill, the official Area Five investigator, to solve the murder. Sookie thinks that, at least this time, the dead girl’s fate has nothing to do with her. But she is wrong. She has an enemy, one far more devious than she would ever suspect, who’s out to make Sookie’s world come crashing down.

3/5 stars (liked it)

Wow I can't believe I have read 12 of these books.  They are still good but I'm not sure what else she can do with these and I think I'm ready to see the end.  I thought this book took a while to take off.  It pretty much starts off with a murder and the killer is not found until almost the end.  I was surprised at who was behind it.  Also the ending just kind of ends and I'm assuming that things will be resolved/answered in the next one.  Pretty much felt like a set up for the next book.

Book Review: The Lost Boy - Karen Mahoney

The Lost Boy - Karen Mahoney

‘The Lost Boy’ started life as a story written for an anthology of urban faery tales. The anthology was eventually cancelled (although I’d withdrawn my story long before that happened) leaving me with a homeless story. It’s about half-fey Xan from The Iron Witch, and is set several months before that novel – before Donna even meets him – so there are no major spoilers for the trilogy. But the story does of course give some insight into Xan himself, as it’s written from his POV and we’re in his head for the duration.

Sign up for Karen Mahoney's monthly newsletter, and you’ll receive a PDF of ‘The Lost Boy’ completely free.

4/5 stars (really liked it)

Xan, who we know from The Iron Witch Series is part Fae.  I really enjoyed seeing Xan and finding out part of his story and his relationship with Ivy (a changeling).  I think Xan needs his own book, maybe some kind of prequel about what it was like growing up and having his powers emerge.  Xan's world is a world that we don't get to see too much in the series.   

Book Review: The Knife of Never Letting Go - Patrick Ness

The Knife of Never Letting Go - Patrick Ness

Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men. Ever since the settlers were infected with the Noise germ, Todd can hear everything the men think, and they hear everything he thinks. Todd is just a month away from becoming a man, but in the midst of the cacophony, he knows that the town is hiding something from him -- something so awful Todd is forced to flee with only his dog, whose simple, loyal voice he hears too. With hostile men from the town in pursuit, the two stumble upon a strange and eerily silent creature: a girl. Who is she? Why wasn't she killed by the germ like all the females on New World? Propelled by Todd's gritty narration, readers are in for a white-knuckle journey in which a boy on the cusp of manhood must unlearn everything he knows in order to figure out who he truly is.

3/5 stars (liked it)

I found this book a while ago and have had it on my reading list for a while.  Finally got a round to reading it.  I thought it was very slow getting going and really it took until about the middle of the book for me to really start enjoying it.  I think my favorite character in the book is Manchee (the dog).  I hated how Todd treated Manchee even though the dog was so loyal to him.  It really made me look at my dog differently after reading this.  We really got to know Todd but we didn't get to know Viola nearly as much as I wanted to.  I hope that we find more answers in the next books.  I am planning to read the rest but I'm not overly eager to.

 

Book Review: Turned at Dark - C.C. Hunter

Turned at Dark - C.C. Hunter

Independent and strong-willed Della Tsang hadn’t believed in ghosts until she saw her dead cousin darting into the shadows of an alley. She hadn’t believed in vampires until in the dark of that same night she is turned into one. Introduced to a strange world of supernaturals, she struggles to accept this new reality. Unfortunately, the boy she loves senses something different about her and can’t accept her. Should she follow her vampire cousin’s lead–walk away from everything she’s knows and loves—and fake her own death? Or should she set her pride aside and ask for help from the camp leader of Shadow Falls—a camp where supernaturals go to learn how to cope with their powers. Either way, her life as she knows it, will never be the same.

4/5 stars (really liked it)

This ebook is available for free at Amazon, which was great since I have an e-reader and I love free books.  I am so glad I read this short story.  This book is about how Della became a vampire and all the things she went through.  I love that we got to see a side of Della we have never seen before, not so badass.  Also got to meet her cousin Chan and her former boyfriend Lee.  I would love to see another short story on Miranda or possibly Holly and what happened between her and the vampire. 

Book Review: Goddess Interrupted - Aimee Carter

Goddess Interrupted - Aimee Carter

Becoming immortal wasn't supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she's as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he's becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate's coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans.

As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person who is the greatest threat to her future.

Henry's first wife, Persephone.

3/5 stars (liked it)

This is the second book in The Goddess Test, which I read last year in July.  I had forgotten what had happened in the first book but was quickly caught up when I started this one.  Kate spent the summer in Greece with James (Hermes) and is now back in the Underworld to be crowned queen and be with Henry (Hades).  But something goes wrong in the underworld and the Titan lord Cronus is awaken.  In order to save Henry, Kate must find Persephone to help her.  I liked how Kate risks her life for those she loves and the end left such a cliffhanger that I definitely want to see what happens next.  I thought Henry was being a real jerk to Kate.  Also Kate was being very immature.  I thought the last two chapters were probably the best ones and that is what really made me want to read the next one.

Book Review: The Last policeman - Ben Winters

The Last Policeman - Ben Winters

Hank Palace, a homicide detective in Concord, New Hampshire, asks this question every day.

Most people have stopped doing whatever it is they did before the asteroid 2011L47J hovered into view. Stopped selling real estate; stopped working at hospitals; stopped slinging hash or driving cabs or trading high-yield securities. A lot of folks spend their days on bended knee, praying to Jesus or Allah or whoever they think might save them. Others have gone the other way, roaming the streets, enjoying what pleasures they can before the grand finale. Government services are beginning to slip into disarray, crops are left to rot.

When it first appeared, 2011L47J was just a speck, somewhere beyond Jupiter's orbit. By mid-October it revealed itself to be seven kilometers in diameter, and on a crash course with the Earth. Now it's March, and sometime in September, 2011L47J will slam into our planet and kill half the population immediately, and most of the rest in the miserable decades that follow.

All of humanity now, every person in the world--we're like a bunch of little kids, in deep, deep trouble, just waiting till our dad gets home. So what do I do while I wait? I work.

Today, Hank Palace is working the case of Peter Zell, an insurance man who has comitted suicide. To his fellow police officers, it's just one more death-by-hanging in a city that sees a dozen of suicides every week. But Palace senses something wrong. There's something odd about the crime scene. Something off. Palace becomes convinced that it's murder. And he's the only one who cares.

What's the difference, Palace? We're all gonna die soon, anyway.

As Palace digs deeper, we are drawn into his world. We meet his sister Nico and her screwup boyfriend, Derek, who are trying to beam S.O.S messages into outer space; we meet Erik Littlejohn, a "spiritual advisor" helping his clients through these difficult times. Palace's investigation plays out under the long shadow of 2011L47J, forcing everyone in the book -- and those reading it-- to confront hard questions way beyond "whodunnit." What basis does civilization rest upon? What is life worth? What would any of us do, what would we really do, if our days were numbered?

Book is released July 10th, 2012
3/5 stars (liked it)
I like the idea of a book about the end of the world (basically) where everyone knows the end is coming months in advance.  Everyone will react differently and as the asteroid nears Earth, people will change their reaction to it.  This book focuses on Hank Palace, a detective who is still determined to find justice.  He investigates the hanging of Peter Zell, an apparent suicide but Hank believes he was murdered.  Through his investigation, which he pretty much has to do on his own since the other cops just believe it was a suicide, he meets several people that had contact with Peter.  The person that I had guessed was the killer was not in fact even part of it.  The killer game me a surprise and I like how the author built up the suspense in the reveal of the killer.  I also like how Hank changed in the course of the book.  I would love to read a follow up book especially when it gets closer to when the Asteroid collides with Earth.

 

Book Review: Taken at Dusk - C.C. Hunter

Taken at Dusk - C.C. Hunter

Kylie Galen wants the truth so badly she can taste it. The truth about who her real family is, the truth about which boy she’s meant to be with—and the truth about what her emerging powers mean.  But she’s about to discover that some secrets can change your life forever…and not always for the better.

Just when she and Lucas are finally getting close, she learns that his pack has forbidden them from being together.  Was it a mistake to pick him over Derek? And it’s not just romance troubling Kylie. An amnesia-stricken ghost is haunting her, delivering the frightful warning, someone lives and someone dies. As Kylie races to unravel the mystery and protect those she loves, she finally unlocks the truth about her supernatural identity, which is far different—and more astonishing—than she ever imagined.

4/5 stars (really liked it)
We meet some of Kylie's family and we finally find out what Kylie is.  Although we have to wait for the next book to really understand what she is.  The aftermath of her healing her friend Sarah occurs although Kylie won't admit it to Sarah that she healed her.  Her boy trouble continues although Kylie does make a decision.  I love Holly and Burnett and I'm so glad there were in it as much as they were.  We also meet a few ghosts.  I can't wait to see what else in in store for Kylie.