Review: Death Cloud (Young Sherlock Holmes #1) by Andy Lane

Book: Death Cloud (Young Sherlock Holmes #1)
Author: Andy Lane
Release date: 02/01/11

Blurb:
It is the summer of 1868, and Sherlock Holmes is fourteen. On break from boarding school, he is staying with eccentric strangers—his uncle and aunt—in their vast house in Hampshire. When two local people die from symptoms that resemble the plague, Holmes begins to investigate what really killed them, helped by his new tutor, an American named Amyus Crowe. So begins Sherlock’s true education in detection, as he discovers the dastardly crimes of a brilliantly sinister villain of exquisitely malign intent.

Review:
So i originally got this book for my sister for her birthday last march. Every time i walked into her room i would see it un-read sitting on her book shelf. Well i decided to pick it up and start reading it. Interesting enough the first thing i found out is that this is book was authorized and endorsed by the estate if Arthur Conan Doyle. Seeing that i knew it had to be good. I'm glad to say i wasn't disappointed.

The book starts out with thirteen year old Sherlock Holmes getting read to leave Deepdene School for Boys. He's waiting for his father to pick him up, but unexpectedly Mycroft Holmes is the one to collect him. Mycroft did not come bringing good news. Sherlock's father has been called to duty in the East Indies and his mother is too sickly for him to come home. Neither does Mycroft have the time to watch in in London. Therefore he is going to stay with a uncle he's never met in a town called Farnham. Needless to say Sherlock is not the least bit pleased. Course Sherlock being who he is and destiny decided to come a knocking early. No sooner had he gotten settled in that a second man is found dead of a mysterious illness. Sherlock, along with his friend Matty, American tutor Amyus Crowe, Amyus's daughter Virginia, set out to discover why.

My impression of this book is that it definitely was worth it's endorsement by the Doyle estate. Written in a tone similar to Conan Doyle's you really feel like your reading about the earlier adventures of Sherlock. Not quite the detective mastermind yet you can see how Sherlock would turn into the man he would become. Interesting enough i'm quite curious as to see what happens to Matty and the Crowe's later on. To my knowledge they don't appear in any of the original stories.

Needless to say i'll be reading the sequel that is to come out. Whether i'll be getting it for my sister of myself is the question.

Final Rating: 4 1/2 Bunnies. There were some minor flaws in the book that kept it from being a 5. Plus a 5 star book for me is one where i jadored it. I liked this book, but didn't love love love it.

Review: Soon I will be Invincible by Austin Grossman

Book: Soon I will be Invincible by Austin Grossman
Release Date:  June 5th 2007

 

Except:
Doctor Impossible—evil genius, diabolical scientist, wannabe world dominator—languishes in a federal detention facility. He's lost his freedom, his girlfriend, and his hidden island fortress.

Over the years he's tried to take over the world in every way imaginable: doomsday devices of all varieties (nuclear, thermonuclear, nanotechnological) and mass mind control. He's traveled backwards in time to change history, forward in time to escape it. He's commanded robot armies, insect armies, and dinosaur armies. Fungus army. Army of fish. Of rodents. Alien invasions. All failures. But not this time. This time it’s going to be different...

Fatale is a rookie superhero on her first day with the Champions, the world's most famous superteam. She's a patchwork woman of skin and chrome, a gleaming technological marvel built to be the next generation of warfare. Filling the void left by a slain former member, we watch as Fatale joins a team struggling with a damaged past, having to come together in the face of unthinkable evil.

Soon I Will Be Invincible is a thrilling first novel; a fantastical adventure that gives new meaning to the notions of power, glory, responsibility, and (of course) good and evil



Review:
First thing first i wasn't sure what to think coming into this book. I got this book from bookswamp on a whim and have had it sitting on my shelf for awhile. The other day i decided i wanted to read something different and grabbed it. I'm so very glad i did. 

First props to Austin Grossman for staring out with Doctor Impossible's POV. If it was Fatale's POV first i'm not sure i would have been as hooked as i was. Mainly because Doctor Impossible was the star of the book for me. I loved him and would have been just as happy reading only from his POV. Being that this book is a satire of the superhero genre i would have to say he was a mix of Magneto and Lex Luthor. Though in my mind since i read DC Comics and Dark Horse he was more of a parody of Lex Luthor mixed with some Riddler, Toyman, and the Penguin. I don't really read any Marvel. That being said of course CoreFire was a direct parody of Superman/Spiderman if i ever saw one. Away from that, most Superhero books rarely ever go into the minds of a villain. If they do it's often one dimensional. The same cannot be said for Doctor Impossible. You really got to see him dive into his psyche and see's what drives him. And the thing about it as a reader i could associate myself with him more than any of the Superhero's. Whom among us who were picked on or ignored at school would love just to be a super villain and rub it into those people's faces. Course the sane ones of us don't. One thing i really loved about Doctor Impossible is that he's not insane. He just knows he's better and smarter than everyone-else and why not flaunt it. Therefore when he breaks out of prison why not take over the world. He's obviously the right person to run it. At least in his head.

Now onto the Superhero crowd. First things first, i didn't like Fatale or any of the superheroes much. They pretty much all annoyed me. I found Fatale to be a bit to whiny and the other hero's dull. I will admit i share Fatale's wish to hurt Elphin and kinda of wanted to see Rainbow Triumph die. They were all such one deminsion. The only one of interest was Regina. Whose story was a direct rip of Narnia. Still she was the most interesting for some reason. 

Plot wise sometimes "Soon I will Be Invincible" lagged. As in speed it up. The beginning went quite fast and the end was very much a page turner. Especially the twist with Lily. That was something i never saw coming. You hear about two separate people the whole book and not once do you put them together. Till you read it and it all makes since. What type of superhero book would be without a Joker like beginning.

All in all, i'm looking forward to the next in the series. ^^
Final rating:
4 Bunnies. Interesting plot and characters that left me wanting to read more. Does have some corny bits to it though. 

Review: A Werewolf in Manhattan (Wild About You #1) by Vicki Lewis Thompson

Book: A Werewolf in Manhattan (Wild About You #1) by Vicki Lewis Thompson

Release Date:  01/04/2011

Excerpt:

 Emma Gavin writes about werewolves, but that doesn't mean she believes in them-not until a pack of real-life New York weres decide to investigate the striking accuracy of her "fiction".

When Aiden Wallace, son and heir of the pack leader, tries to sniff out Emma's potential informant, he discovers something even more dangerous- an undeniable attraction to her.

Review: 

I was very excited about this book. I love Vicki Lewis Thompson since i read "Babe on a Broomstick" and couldn't wait to start this one. If only i had the same enthusiasm to finish it. To put it blankly i know Vicki tends to walk a fine line between sex and erotic sex. The thing is that in the books i've read is that the sex was secondary to the bigger storyline. A storyline that is often so witty and funny i can't put it down. This book seemed to have the word "sex,good looking", or similar adverbs/adjectives every other page. I get it. Both Emma and Aiden just seem very very oversexed. I felt the need to yell at them to go get a room and get it over with so i can get back with the story. Needless to say i never finish the book. I just couldn't take it anymore. So i'm putting it on my bookshelf to try it perhaps some other time.  

Final Say: This was a great disappointment. I'm almost glad it's going to be about a year before the next one comes out. It'll give me time to decide if i want to read it or not.

The Ruins of Gorlan (Ranger's Apprentice, #1) by John Flanagan Review

Book: The Ruins of Gorlan (Ranger's Apprentice, #1) by John Flanagan
Release Date:  June 8, 2006

Excerpt: 
He had always wanted to be a warrior. The Rangers, with their dark cloaks and shadowy ways, made him nervous. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now fifteen year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger's apprentice. What he doesn't realize yet is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And as Will is about to learn, there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is gathering his forces for an attack on the kingdom. This time, he will not be denied . 

Review:
WOW! I was a bit doubtful about this book, but WOW. I jadored it! The idea for the ranger apprentice series isn't all that original and it's certainly not without its problems. Still it left me wanting more. More likely i think because it brought a sense of wistfulness back to me. Mainly because it reminded me of the Jedi Apprentice series by Jude Watson. In fact i'm quite curious if the JA series did inspired John a bit. I know he said he wrote this book for his son, but it so reminded me of Jude Watson's work. 

The story takes place in the kingdom of Aruluen. The make believe place is your typical action adventure kingdom with Knights, lords and ladies, and in addition "Rangers". Rangers are sort of like the Navy Seals/cost guard mixed with a bit of special forces/Jedi. So far it seems like they're a boys only club (No female has been mention as of late. Neither in the Knights or Rangers). Now Baron Arald, Lord of the Redmont Fief, has a special soft spot for orphans and takes them into his care. He then helps them get apprenticeships with the various tradesman, governmental offices, Knights, or sent to become farmers. Now Will has always been a bit "special" and after being tricked into committing a break in to see his skills he gets chosen as Ranger Halt's apprentice. So the story begins..... 

Now as i said earlier the book isn't without its failing. Most of the failings fall from the fact it should have been longer. John spent such a long time setting up the story and characters that the main plot felt rushed. Not that i'm complaining really since i love the setting up of characters and stories, but i really wished it could have been longer. In face i don't really understand the title at all. It really should have been called "The KalKara Beasts" since the ruins were barely present. All in all very solid writing with a very solid characters. Made me really really want to read more. ^^ 

Rating: 5 Bunnies. Brilliant. Well done characters, made me want to read more, and good series set up.

The Intrigue at Highbury (Mr. and Mrs. Darcy Mysteries #5) by Carrie Bebris

Book: The Intrigue at Highbury (Mr. and Mrs. Darcy Mysteries #5) by Carrie Bebris
Release Date: Feb 27,2010

Excerpt:
  Mr. and Mrs. Darcy are looking forward to a relaxing stay with dear friends when their carriage is hailed by a damsel-in-distress outside of the village of Highbury. Little do the Darcy's realize that gypsies roam these woods, or that both their possessions and the woman are about to vanish into the night. 

The Darcy's seek out the parish magistrate, who is having a difficult evening of his own. Mr. Knightley and his new wife, the former Miss Emma Woodhouse (the heroine of Jane Austen's Emma are hosting a party to celebrate the marriage of their friends, Mr. Frank Churchill and Miss Jane Fairfax. During dinner, Mr. Edgar Churchill, uncle and adoptive father of the groom, falls suddenly ill and dies. The cause of death: poison. 

When the  Darcy's and the Knightley's join forces to investigate the crimes, they discover that the robbery and Edgar Churchill's death may be connected. Together they must work to quickly locate the source of the poison and the murderer's motive--before the killer can strike again.



Review: 
This book surprised me. I was expecting this to be a good read, but i didn't expect an excellent read. The author, Carrie Berbris, explains on the cover that her premisis for the Mr & Mrs. Darcy mysteries is the "Thin Man" movies. I had to tell her, but Lizzie and Darcy are no Nick and Nora. Despite that Ms. Berbris seems to capture the Austen characters in a way i haven't read in awhile. 

In this particular mystery we see Mr and Mrs. Darcy in Highbury after getting robbed on the road. There they find themselves entangled in a possible murder mystery. They of course they meet Emma and Mr. Knightly. I was quite surprised at how well the author managed to keep the "Emma" characters true to form. None of them acted out of character. Even Mr. Woodhouse, Miss. Bates, and the Eltons were in character. Something i highly applaud the author and made the story highly enjoyable. 

The mystery of the story was quite well done. You knew at once "Miss. Jones" was involved in the robbing somehow, but it was quite a surprise she was involved in the murder as well. Add along some new characters and you have a really good book. I applaud the author as well for taking a side storyline that could have been soap operaish and turning it into a nice add one. I'm not going to spoil it, but it involves a "long lost family member". Whom that person is i shall leave a secret. 
Final rating: 5 Bunnies. Great story, staying true to most of the original Jane Austen characters, and for adding in some truly humorous parts. A "must buy" as well. 

 

Gryffindor Tie and Scarf from Tragic Mountain

I'm planning on going as a gryffindor student to the Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows part 1 and i'm in the middle of getting my outfit together.

I got a great deal from Tragic Mountain  on a Gryffindor Tie and scarf combo.The two were just $27.99 together. The tie is made of silk and fits all adults. And even those of us who are vertically challenged. It was brand new and still in the original HP merchandise packaging.  The scarf is wool and is about the size of a regular scarf. I've worn it around some and it's nice and warm. My only concern is that the Gryffindor patch doesn't seem to be all that secured on it.

Product Rating:

* Ignore the jacket. I've had that for awhile.

Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson "review"

Book: Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson by Ian Halperin
Release date: July 14, 2009

Excerpt:
  In late December 2008, Ian Halperin told the world that Michael Jackson had only six months to live. His investigations into Jackson's failing health made headlines around the globe. Six months later, the King of Pop was dead.

Whatever the final autopsy results reveal, it was greed that killed Michael Jackson. Friends and associates paint a tragic picture of the last years and days of his life as Jackson made desperate attempts to prepare for the planned concert series at London's 02 Arena in July 2009. These shows would have earned millions for the singer and his entourage, but he could never have completed them, not mentally, and not physically. Michael knew it and his advisors knew it. Anyone who caught even a fleeting glimpse of the frail old man hiding beneath the costumes and cosmetics would have understood that the London tour was madness. Why did it happen this way? After an intense five year investigation,New York Times bestselling author Ian Halperin uncovers the real story of Michael Jackson's final years, a suspenseful and surprising thriller.

Review: 
First things first, i wasn't planning on reading this book. In face i've never heard of it till i saw it in the "new" shelves at my library. My curiosity then took over. 

I am not of the Micheal Jackson generation. I was born in 1986 and frankly only heard of him in passing. I've heard his music, but never really paid much attention to the man. It wasn't till his second child molestation trail that i became knowledgeable of his life. Unfortunately because of this i have never been able to see him as the phenomenon as the world knew him. 

I was deeply interested then in reading this book. The author did a lot of research and presented Micheal in a fair light. This book really has some incredible reveling facts about the singer though.

Such as:

* Micheal Jackson was gay. He preferred teenage boys and young men. The author managed to track down numerous past lovers and a few even had private photos shown.

* John Travolta is gay. The author found this out by successfully infiltrating the Scientology religion. They highlight Travolta as proof that their cure for "homosexuality" works. 

* It is more than likely the scienteology center arranged Michaels and Lisa Marie's marriage. 

* Micheal contracted a lung disease called "Alpha 1" and had recently discovered he had skin cancer before he died.

* Micheal was highly depressed and told many people in his final months that he wanted to die.

* Chances are that because he was so weak and sickly he would have died sometime in the summer anyways.

* The two older kids are not biologically Micheal's. 

And these are just some of the facts that Ian unraveled about his life. The book was a really good read and one that fills in some of the mystery of Micheal Jackson's life. 


Rating: 4 bunnies. Interesting facts and presented an unbiased look on the performer.  

 

"The Crowning of Calla Lilly Porter" reviewed.

Book: The Crowning of Calla Lilly Porter" by Rebecca Wells
Release Date: July 1st 2009

Excerpt:

The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder is the sweet, sexy, funny journey of Calla Lily's life set in Wells's expanding fictional Louisiana landscape. In the small river town of La Luna, Calla bursts into being, a force of nature as luminous as the flower she is named for. Under the loving light of the Moon Lady, the feminine force that will guide and protect her throughout her life, Calla enjoys a blissful childhood—until it is cut short. Her mother, M'Dear, a woman of rapture and love, teaches Calla compassion, and passes on to her the art of healing through the humble womanly art of "fixing hair." At her mother's side, Calla further learns that this same touch of hands on the human body can quiet her own soul. It is also on the banks of the La Luna River that Calla encounters sweet, succulent first love, with a boy named Tuck.

But when Tuck leaves Calla with a broken heart, she transforms hurt into inspiration and heads for the wild and colorful city of New Orleans to study at L'AcadÉmie de BeautÉ de Crescent. In that extravagant big river city, she finds her destiny—and comes to understand fully the power of her "healing hands" to change lives and soothe pain, including her own. When Tuck reappears years later, he presents her with an offer that is colored by the memories of lost love. But who knows how Calla Lily, a "daughter of the Moon Lady," will respond?

A tale of family and friendship, tragedy and triumph, loss and love, The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder features the warmth, humor, soul, and wonder that have made Wells one of today's most cherished writers, and gives us an unforgettable new heroine to treasure.

Review:

What in the world happen here Rebecca? Seriously? I've waited a year and a half to read this book? I don't understand. The three YaYa books were magical. I couldn't put them down. I was so excited to find this one at the library that i snatched it up. Was i ever disappointed. I could barely finish the thing. There were no magic. No feelings of warmth. Nothing to make me care for Calla Lilly of anyone in this book. In fact it makes me wonder if Rebecca lost her edge here. I was so emotionally attached to the YaYa's that i was sad to let them go. I don't even want any of the characters here. The only part that pulled on my heartstrings was the chapters where "M'Dear" was dying. Mainly because it was like reading my Aunt Bev's death in print. Except take out breast cancer and insert colon cancer.

So so very disappointed... I hope Rebecca either returns to the YaYa's or makes characters i can care for in her next novel....

Too tired to write anymore and frankly i have nothing else more to say.


Rating: 2 bunnies.

Review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Excerpt:
Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

Review:
I'm a bit on the fence on this one. Not in the way whether it's a good book or not, but how i feel about it. The one thing i can say for certain is that i liked the first book more. I literally could not put the first one down. The same could not be said about this one till Katniss got to the games again. 

The whole first half of the book was quite depressing and a bit disturbing at times. I understand that Suzanne Collins was trying to represent a tyrannical government and she succeeded. Perhaps she succeeded a bit too much. When i go to pick up a YA book i look for a good time. Not something that gives me nightmares and disturbing thoughts for days. I really wasn't prepared for it. In some ways i think it crossed a line from being a YA book to an adult book. 

That isn't to say i don't think the book was brilliantly crafted. I loved the expanded characters and the small rebellions that were going on. I loved Katniss the best when she stopped being self absorbed and was being kick ass and f-you to the Capital. I understand the girl is seventeen but there comes a time when she needs to stand on her own two feet and suck it up. She really appeared quite weak in spirit sometimes and always seemed to need to be told what to do. I hated how the other tributes had to make sure Peeta stayed alive so Katniss wouldn't fall apart. That really shouldn't have been the case. A good leader needs to face adversity and be willing stay strong in the face of loss. I really miss how she was more self-reliant in the first book. From what i heard about the next book Katniss is just going to keep on becoming a more and more pathetic heroine. 

I will say Peeta grew on me some in this book. The only thing is that i still like Gale better. Peeta really has no place in the rebellion. There is no fire to him. While Gale is burning with it. He'd be more suited to stay with "the girl on fire" than the boy who can't even make it down a beach without needing to be saved. 

I'm not sure when i will get my hands on the third book since i'm at the bottom of the pile at the library. I'm almost glad since it'll give me a reprieve to be able to digest things over a longer period of time. 

Final rating: 4 1/2 Bunnies.

Even with some disturbing elements it's better than half of the other YA books out there (cough twilight series sucks cough)

"The Education of Bet" reviewed

Book: The Education of Bet by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Release Date: July 12, 2010  

Excerpt: 
Bet is sixteen, very intelligent, but only knows as much as her limited education will allow. In Victorian England, girls aren't allowed to go to school. 
Will is also 16, and though not related by blood, he and Bet act like brother and sister. In fact, they even look like brother and sister. And though they're both raised under the same roof, by the same kind uncle, Will has one big advantage over Bet: He's a boy, and being a boy means he isn't stuck in the grand house they call home. He gets to go out into the world--to school. 
But that's not what Will wishes. He wants to join the military and learn about real life, not what's written in books. 
So one night, Bet comes up with a plan. She'll go to school as Will. Will can join the military. And though it seems impossible, they actually manage to pull it off. 
But once Bet gets to the school, she begins to realize the education she's going to get isn't exactly the one she was expecting

Review:
It's a book review! Ya! I finally have a review i can post on here after seemingly so long. Anyways.... I love a good gender bender and "The Education of Bet" certainly delivers. The book is set in an undisclosed period of time in the 1800's. My guess is sometime in the very late 870-1890's. I believe this because Bet mentions Dickens whom wrote the majority in the 1850-60's before dying in 1870. Also the fact that Bet's only complaint in dress is a corset. Therefore it's obvious the book is set after the hoop skirt trend of the 1860's. Trains haven't made itself to be known yet therefore i don't place it anytime in the late 1890's. But i'm getting off of the point here.  The book centers around Bet and, as the excerpt clearly states, her adventures in an all male school parading as Will.  The book is rather short at 186 pages and thus you really don't get info into her daily life or happenings at the Betterman's academy.  The shortness of the whole thing is really my chief complaint. I really enjoyed reading the story and didn't want it to stop. It was like letting someone have a bite of chocolate cake and then whipping the rest out of their hands. I wanted to read more about Bet's adventures as Will and her attempts to keep her feelings about James secret. I also wanted to see more interaction between Bet, Mrs. Hunter, and Mrs. Smither's. The whole issue of women's rights was at the authors door step and the only she did was jump on it once, ring the door bell, and then run away.  As my endless complaining clearly states i thought the book too short (Yep we've seen that tree before in this review).

Final rating: 4 1/2 bunnies. Great writing that left me wanting more. Unfortunately, the author didn't deliver the  pizza or nummies as the buns would say.

Water bound by Christine Feehan

Water Bound by Christine Feehan
Release Date: July 27th, 2010

      Rikki Sitmore is not your average female.  She has strange reactions to things people may consider normal.  She only likes to eat peanut butter and broccoli and likes everything to be pristine and untouched. She might also be a sociopath because her parents, foster families, and fiancé’s houses all burned down and many of them died. But being a possible serial arsonist is not even the oddest thing about her. The winner is that she has the ability to control water (think water-bending in “Avatar: The Last Airbender” style). Rikki is therefore surprised that she didn’t sense the giant tidal wave until it was literally crashing down upon her. The tidal wave doesn’t just bring water, however, but also the most dangerous-looking and handsome man Rikki has ever seen. Against her better instinct, she decides to save him. During the rescue, she shares a moment with this dangerous man that is sure to shake her world.

 

       

      Lev Prakenskii is a very dangerous, deadly, and handsome man.  This is the one thing he knows as he finds himself slammed against the rocks after falling into the ocean. The next thing he knows, he is saved by a beautiful woman whom he can’t help thinking must be a mermaid. She pulls Lev out of the ocean and the dizziness and uncertainly causes him to react in a way that would have King Triton stabbing him with his triton. Rather than throwing him back into the ocean, the strange woman responds angrily to his actions. This rather sobers Lev up to the fact that Ariel did not save him, since she is yelling and not singing to him. Despite his dangerous behavior, the woman takes him home. Lev soon realizes he can’t remember anything except that he has killed a lot of people. The one thing he does know is that he wants to spend his life with this mermaid-like woman.

    

         I’m the first to admit that I’m no literary expert, but my biggest problem with this book was what I found to be poor writing. The author overuses adjectives and has the tendency to be repetitive and redundant.  I did not need to be reminded on every page that Rikki is a strange woman. I also got the point after the first fifty times that Lev is a deadly and dangerous man who has killed a lot of people.  I was tempted to start a drinking game every time I came across the words strange, deadly, dangerous, handsome, and a quite a few others. Needless to say, I would have been very drunk by the time I came to page two hundred, and the book is near five hundred pages long. Also, do we need a twenty page sex scene? A paragraph about walking into a grocery store?  This book really could have benefitted from a strong editorial hand. The weak editing really ruined the story for me.  I could not concentrate or care about the story because I kept trying to edit it in my mind.

      

       Setting aside the editing issue, the story was rather weak as well. I really felt no connection to either Lev or Rikki. None. I’ve never read a book where I’ve never even felt a small connection. Because I felt no connection to either of the characters, I could not care less about what happened to them. There were exciting scenes here and there, but they are quickly overridden with the overuse of repeating themes and thoughts. I really thought when Lev’s past was revealed, the story would take an interesting turn. It didn’t. The major plot points are who is starting the fires and trying to kill Rikki and whether Lev can escape from his dangerous and deadly past. Both are resolved in the most lackluster way possible.

     Oh yeah, Rikki and Lev got together at the end and I was relieved that the book was over.  Those who don’t mind a lot of adjectives and repetitiveness will probably like this book better than I did.

"A Kiss at Midnight" by Eloisa James Review

A Kiss at Midnight by Eliosa James
Release date: Aug 1, 2010.

Excerpt:

Miss Kate Daltry doesn't believe in fairy tales . . . or happily ever after.

Forced by her stepmother to attend a ball, Kate meets a prince . . . and decides he's anything but charming. A clash of wits and wills ensues, but they both know their irresistible attraction will lead nowhere. For Gabriel is promised to another woman—a princess whose hand in marriage will fulfill his ruthless ambitions.

Gabriel likes his fiancÉe, which is a welcome turn of events, but he doesn't love her. Obviously, he should be wooing his bride-to-be, not the witty, impoverished beauty who refuses to fawn over him.

Godmothers and glass slippers notwithstanding, this is one fairy tale in which destiny conspires to destroy any chance that Kate and Gabriel might have a happily ever after.

Unless a prince throws away everything that makes him noble . . .

Unless a dowry of an unruly heart trumps a fortune . . .

Unless one kiss at the stroke of midnight changes everything.

Review:
This is the second book of Eloisa's I read and it didn't disappoint. In this book Eloisa recreates the fairytale of Cinderella with a more realistic flare. Kate aka the Cinderella is not that destitute. The evil stepsister isn't evil; just air headed and a lose woman. The evil stepmother actually a past whore. The fairy godmother isn't magical. The Prince has no kingdom. And the helpful creatures are three overly spoiled Maltese. 

In all things considering it's amazing Kate ever landed the prince at all in this story. In fact rather than try to keep Kate away from Prince Gabriel the stepmother practically delivers her to his doorstep with ambiance. This is because Victoria, the stepsister, gets herself pregnant. In order to be able to marry her, her fiancée has to get the approval of his uncle aka Gabriel. Lucky for all parties the prince is holding his betrothal ball and Victoria and Algie are invited. Thus the stepmother has Kate pretend to be Victoria for the event so that no-one will see that she got pregnant out of wedlock. So as you can see Kate had everything going against her. No magic or love was to be expected. It's her own luck that everyone see's through her disguise and Gabriel is intrigued. 

My personal opinion of the book was that if it wasn't the godmother Henry it would have fallen quite flat. Kate and Gabriel really didn't have that many dimensions to them. It would have been Gilmore Girls minus Lorelei and the town people. Rory isn't too terribly interesting on her own and needed Lorelei and the extra characters. Thus was the same with the book. Henry was brilliantly funny and helped push Kate to do things she would have never done. She was also the one to set her straight at times. Gabriel also needed Wick and the rest of his crazy relatives to keep him going. Otherwise i believe he would have ravished Kate or headed to a archeological dig leaving her in the dust. Probably both in that order. 

I do like Eloisa's writing style though. I'm not a big fan of too many sex scenes and so was appreciative of the fact that they were to the bare minimum. 

So final rating: 4 Bunnies. Good story, plot, and characters. The thing was that the main characters were weak at times.   

 

"Shiver and Linger" by Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver by by Maggie Stiefvater
Release Date:  Aug 1st, 2009

Excerpt:
For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human ... until the cold makes him shift back again. 

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

Review:
This book came off as a surprise. I really thought when i rented it from the library that it was just going to be another badly written and over hyped book. I just picked it up out of curiosity. Now i won't say i'm bowing at the feet of the author since it had some issues, but i was really impressed. Impressed enough that i'm definitely going to be reading the next book in the series and hope they make a movie adaptation of it. 

The premise of the book is basically when she was a young girl Grace got attacked by wolves and also ended up being saved by one. This particular wolf became her "special wolf" and she started forming a relationship with it. Years later after a follow high school student gets attacked and supposedly killed that Grace finally realizes the wolves aren't regular wolves, but werewolves. This is confirmed when she finds "her wolf" in human form naked and bleeding on her front desk. Thus the story really starts.

As i mentioned earlier i was impressed with the book. I thought Maggie's take on werewolves was quite original. And written in a way that they don't have to sparkle like a fairy and look like greek gods and goddess. Now i have to admit as i said earlier i found some flaws in the book. I think this is mostly because it's directed at a younger age group than myself. Therefore i found the writing to be a bit "simple" at times where i wanted more substance. I believe though if i was in my teens when i read this i would have given it five stars and gold sparkles. It's just a matter of more mature taste. 

Final rating: 4 Bunnies. Good story, plot and characters, but not good enough to get five stars from me. 

Linger by by Maggie Stiefvater
Release Date: July 13. 2010

Excerpt:
In Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past…and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabel, who already lost her brother to the wolves…and is nonetheless drawn to Cole. At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love–the light and the dark, the warm and the cold–in a way you will never forget.

Review: 
Before i get to my review i'm going to say something up front. This book made me cry. No i didn't cry from the tragic love story. Nor any of the characters. I cried because of the deer and the bad memories it dragged up. I shall get to this later. 

I finished the book this morning and i have to wonder what happened? The first book was really good and entertaining. In this one i felt like i was reading a teen soap opera. Oh *puts hand to my fore head* the tragedy of not being able to sleep with you boyfriend every night. Oh the horror of being popular and famous. The agony of turning human and not knowing if it is going to last. Drama. Drama. Drama. 

How is it that characters i previously liked suddenly became shallow and a character cut out of the angst teen. Sam had no backbone. He was like "yes Grace. You're the smartest Grace. I kiss your freaking feet Grace". Grace was all to her parents "I hate you. You don't understand me". Runs away to Sam. Isabella was just Isabella though. I didn't like her that much in the other book. 

The only character i liked was Cole and i only liked him when he was using his brain. During the parts when he was dissecting the werewolf theory i was captivated. I couldn't put the book down. He really was the only redeeming character in the whole book. Funny thing is that it was his scene with the deer that made me cry. 

I cried because the deer dying brought back memories of previous bunnies i owned dying. I still remember their screams of agony and the hopelessness in their eyes. Then being completely helpless to do anything about it. I just couldn't enjoy the book after it. It made me upset as Cole was. It's amazing how a two page scene can ruin a book for you. 

Final rating: 3 Bunnies. 

 

* Cruddy review i know, but i deer scene really ruined the book for me. I think about it whenever i think of the book. 

"Never Dare a Duke" by Gayle Callen review

Never Dare a Duke by Gayle Callen
Release Date: Dec 1, 2008

I do believe this one of those times where you can successfully judge a book by it's cover. The cover of "Never Dare A Duke" is beautiful and captivating. It was what really drew me in. I'm glad it did. 

This is because Gayle Callen's book became the first romance i've read in a long long time where i literally could not put it down. The dogs even missed a walk because i couldn't stop reading. It was that good to me. Now it didn't contain any tragic or tortured hero. Nor were the chapters leaving on cliff hangers. Instead Gayle created an amazingly witty heroine whose sole desire is to find some scandalous past on the Duke aka Chris Cabot. 

Abigale's desire for this is to save her father's floundering newspaper and prove that women could write just as well as men can. So when her best friend Gwen asks her to accompany her to the Duke's sisters house party Abigale readily agrees. Together they set forth to find out the Duke's scandalous secret. Unfortunately things don't work as well as they plan. This is because everyone and anyone is so tight lipped about Chris's past. So Abigale makes a bargain with Chris that they should "pretend to be together". She does this in order for him to get away from the overbearing misses and for Abigale to secretly investigate Chris. Now Chris, of course, is extremely intrigued by Abigale and doesn't believe her for a moment when she said she wants nothing from him. This leads him into doing a little investigating of his own. These two separate investigation leads Abigale and Chris in finding more than they ever expected from each other. 

Abigale's and Chris relationship with each other was really brilliant. You could sort of say it was Nancy Drew meets Pride and Prejudice with a touch of Emma. Neither of them trusted each other to say the least. This is especially true of Chris. Yet during the course of the book they start to realize that each other is not as they seemed. That they both were wrong in the initial judgement of each other. This later leads them to having a more open and trusting relationship. One where they are on equal terms. 

I noticed that Abigale seems to get a lot of strife from other reviewers because they don't think she learned her lesson. I actually think she did. Her character had a lot of "Emma" in her and it took for her to see the possible consequences of her actions to realize they were wrong. She also makes up for them. After the horrid article was written about Chris she makes a point of writing one that contradicts it. She does this even though Chris swears he would never forgive her for doing so. Abigale loves Chris so much that she doesn't care. So not only does she write the article, but she makes sure that the world knows it was a lady journalist who did. Thus freeing herself to be what she truly wants to be while helping the damage done to her beloved name. Chris later uses this "lady journalist" scandal to propose to her in a really cute way. 
Final Rating:
5 Bunnies. Great set of main and side characters, interesting plot, and for being a non put-downer. 

 

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Review

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K.Rowling
Release Date: June 2, 1999

I haven't read this book in awhile and decided to read it again. Even though this book isn't one of my top three favorite harry potter books it shall always be special for me. This is because this was the very first harry potter book i had ever read from. It all started with me wanting to read the series, but my parents convinced that it was "the devils book". Well i finally got too when i was fifteen. I was babysitting a set of twins and they were reading this book for a bedtime story. So of course they wanted me to read the next three chapters to them. I started with the chapter called "mudblood and murmers" and read all the way past the deathday party. I had to be corrected a few times on pronunciation, but i soon became hooked. I ended up re-starting the book at the very beginning when i put the twins to bed and read for the next two hours. As soon as i got home i told my parents that i had read part of the second book and planned on getting the rest. Needless to say there was nothing they could do about it since i had already started the series. The next night my father went out and got the first movie on dvd and the rest is history. ^^ So i can officially claim this book and a set of twins was my entrance into the Harry Potter fandom. I'm still the only one in my family that has read the books though. 

This Harry Potter is really set more to a mystery than many of the other books. I say this because for most of the book Harry, Ron, and Hermione are only getting small clues into the mystery of the chamber of secrets and petrified people. It also flows more like a mystery than the other. Something i find rather funny since i believe McGonagall mentions that harry potter can't resist following on a mystery. 

In relation to the other books this was really setting things up for books 5-7. You have the first horcrux, the first glimps at voldemort's past, the introduction of the founders objects, the information the voldemort put some of himself into harry which becomes pivotal to the main storyline, volde's love of snakes, the mention that harry believes Snape can read his mind, and if you want to stretch things the early mentioning of death eaters. 

In regards to my thought they still remain the same as i said in my review for the first book. After reading and being a fan of the series for so long i now see it as a whole. Therefore it shall always be loved and get five Bunnies from me.