Book Review: The Fiery Heart – Richelle Mead

The Fiery Heart –Richelle Mead

In The Indigo Spell, Sydney was torn between the Alchemist way of life and what her heart and gut were telling her to do.  And in one breathtaking moment that Richelle Mead fans will never forget, she made a decision that shocked even her…

But the struggle isn’t over for Sydney.  As she navigates the aftermath of her life-changing decision, she still finds herself pulled in too many directions at once.  Her sister Zoe has arrived, and while Sydney longs to grow closer to her, there’s still so much she must keep secret.  Working with Marcus has changed the way she views the Alchemists, and Sydney must tread a careful path as she harnesses her profound magical ability to undermine the way of life she was raised to defend.  Consumed by passion and vengeance, Sydney struggles to keep her secret life under wraps as the threat of exposure—and re-education—looms larger than ever.

Pulses will race throughout this thrilling fourth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where no secret is safe.

5/5 stars (it was amazing)

Okay I didn’t think this series could get better but then it did!  This book is from Adrian’s point of view and Sydney’s point of view.  They got together at the end of last book and nothing is holding them back in this one.  Well except that they have to keep their very physical relationship a secret.  Sydney learns more about being a witch and Adrian becomes a better Adrian.  We also get to see some of our favorite people like Eddie, Jill & Angeline.  Also at the school is Zoe, Sydney’s little sister.  So much happened in this book!  Then ending was great and I really wish that I had the next book in my hand!

Book Review: Princesses Behaving Badly – Linda Rodriguez McRobbie

Princesses Behaving Badly – Linda Rodriguez McRobbie

 

You’ve read the Brothers Grimm, you’ve watched the Disney cartoons, and you cheered as these virtuous women lived happily ever after.  But real princesses didn’t always get happy endings.  Sure, plenty were graceful and benevolent leaders, but just as many were ruthless in their quest for power—and all of them had skeletons rattling in their royal closets.  Princess Stephanie von Hohenlohe was a Nazi spy.  Empress Elisabeth of the Austro-Hungarian Empire slept wearing a mask of raw veal.  Princess Olga of Kiev slaughtered her way to sainthood while Princess Lakshmibai waged war on the battlefield, charging into combat with her toddler son strapped to her back.  Princesses Behaving Badly offers true tales of all these princesses and dozens more, in a fascinating read that’s perfect for history buffs, feminists, and anyone seeking a different kind of bedtime story.

2/5 stars (it was OK)

I was given this book by Quirk books for a review.  I was really looking forward to this book but was a little disappointed.  Although interesting, I felt like there was just too many stories in this book.  It was basically fact after fact in each page.  I would have rather had the author focus on the lives of a handful of women and write more about them.  I really liked the cover and artwork for each story.  I also like how there were sections such as Warriors, Schemers, Floozies (just to name a few) that really made it interesting.  Overall the book was okay.

Book Review: Daylighters - Rachel Caine

Daylighters – Rachel Caine

 

While Morganville, Texas, is often a troubled town, Claire Danvers and her friends are looking forward to coming home.  But the Morganville they return to isn’t the one they know; it’s become a different place—a deadly one…

Something drastic has happened in Morganville while Claire and her friends were away.  The town looks cleaner and happier than they’ve ever seen it before, but when their incoming group is arrested and separated—vampires from humans—they realize that the changes definitely aren’t for the better.

It seem that an organization called the Daylight Foundation has offered the population of Morganville something they’ve never had: hope of a vampire-free future.  And while it sounds like salvation—even for the vampires themselves—the truth is far more sinister and deadly.

Now, Claire, Shane and Eve need to find a way to break their friends out of Daylighter custody, before the vampires of Morganville meet their untimely end…

4/5 stars (really liked it)

It’s sad to see this series ending but I think that Rachel Caine did a great job putting an end to it.  After everything that Claire, Shane, Eve and Michael have gone through it was good to see where they ended up.  I like how this book was full of many characters we know and newer ones that we had met before.  I would love to see where these characters are in five years.

Book Review: The 100 – Kass Morgan

The 100 – Kass Morgan

In the future, humans live in city-like spaceships orbiting far above Earth’s toxic atmosphere.  No one knows when, or even if, the long-abandoned planet will be habitable again.  But faced with dwindling resources and a growing populace, government leaders know they must reclaim their homeland…before it’s too late.

Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents are being sent on a high-stakes mission to re-colonize Earth.  After a brutal crash landing, the teens arrive on a savagely beautiful planet they’ve only seen form space.  Confronting the dangers of this rugged new world, they struggle to form a tentative community.  But they’re haunted by their past and uncertain about the future.  To survive, they must learn to trust – and even love – again.

3/5 stars (liked it)

This book is told from four points of view.  Earth has been unlivable for nearly 300 years and there is a group of humans on a ship that is close to Earth.  They decide to send 100 Juvenille criminals in a shuttle to see if Earth is safe for them to return.  Bellamy has a sister Octavia that is aboard the shuttle and he does everything in his power to get on the ship to be there to protect his sister.  Glass is aboard the ship but as a commotion occurs, caused by Bellamy she escapes the shuttle and back into the ship.  Clarke is also aboard the shuttle as well as her ex-boyfriend Wells, whom did something in order to be sent there with her.  So the story takes place on Earth with the 100, which turns to less because of the shuttle crashing and other circumstances.  Also the food supply is low and they still don’t know how toxic Earth really is.  Glass is aboard the ship still and has to hide.  As the book progresses we find out more about each character and what they did to be confined (aka sent to prison).  Also how the society aboard the ship works and how there is an elite class, middle and lower class and they live in different sections of the ship.  The ending really made me want to read more and I hope there is a sequel.

Book Review: After Dead: What Came Next in the World of Sookie Stackhouse – Charlaine Harris

After Dead:  What Came Next in the World of Sookie Stackhouse – Charlaine Harris

Dead Ever After maked the end of the Sookie Stackhouse series—novels that garnered millions of fans and spawned the hit HBO television show True Blood.  It also stoked a hunger that will never die…a hunger to know what happened next.

With characters arranged alphabetically—from the Ancient Pythoness to Bethany Zanelli—bestselling author Charlaine Harris takes fans into the future of their favorite residents of Bon Temps and environs.  You’ll learn how Michele and Jason’s marriage fared, what happened to Sookie’s cousin Hunter, and whether Tara and JB’s twins grew up to be solid citizens.

This coda provides the answers to your lingering questions—including details of Sookie’s own happily-ever-after….

2/5 stars (it was OK)

This is an alphabetical listing of every character that survived in the Sookie Stackhouse universe.  I think I would rather have had an actual story months or years later and see where my favorite characters were.  I mean the only characters I really cared about where Sookie, Sam, Eric, Bill, Pam and Jason.  The book is very short and some of the characters I didn't’ even remember.

Book Review: Allegiant – Veronica Roth

Allegiant – VeronicaRoth

 

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal.  So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready.  Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind.  Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless.  Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves.  And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Told form a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

4/5 stars (really liked it)

The last book in the Divergent Series.  This book answers many questions I had, such as where did the Factions come from and is there other cities out there.  I must say that I am actually happy with what the author did in this book.  Although sad since there were a few deaths I am glad she did not give it a typical happy ending that some books give.  I really like the Epilogue that takes place 2 years later.

Book Club: The Leftovers – Tom Perrotta

The Leftovers – TomPerrotta

What if—whoosh, right now, with no explanation—a number of us simply vanished?  Would some of us think it was the Rapture?  Would some of us fall apart?  Would others go on just as we did before the world turned upside down?

That’s what the confused citizens of tidy suburban Mapleton have to figure out.  Kevin Garvey, the mayor, wants to speed up the healing process, even as his own family has atomized in the wake of what’s become known as the Sudden Departure:  Kevin’s wife, Laurie, has left to join a homegrown cult, the Guilty Remnant; his son, Tom, is gone, too, dropped out of college to follow a shady “prophet” named Holy Wayne and join his Healing Hug Movement.  Only Kevin’s teenaged daughter, Jill, is still with him, opaque and drifting since October 14^th.  Kevin yearns to connect with her, even as he is distracted by a new relationship with Nora Durst, the saddest woman in Mapleton, trying to cope with the disappearance of her entire family. 

With heart, intelligence, and a rare ability to illuminate the struggles of ordinary people, Tom Perrotta has written a startling, thought-provoking novel about love, loss, and connection.

3/5 stars (liked it)

This book follows several characters in the years that follow what is being called “The Rapture”, which is basically the sudden disappearance of many people.  A man named Kevin, who is also mayor of a small town Mapleton.  Although he did not lose anyone in The Rapture his family is never the same.  His son Tom drops out of college and joins a man called Holy Wayne.  His daughter Jill, who is still in High School, makes friends with kids that are not great influences and parties quite a bit.  His wife, Laurie joins a cult called Guilty Remnant.  This cult takes a vow of silence.  Also being followed in this book is a woman named Nora.  She lost her husband and two kids.  All of these people grieve the lost of someone, a family member, a friend or a person from their past in many different ways.  I actually ended up liking this book and saw the changes in each character.  Although the end just seemed a little rushed and just kind of ends.

Our Next Book:  Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert