Month: August 2014 (Page 35 of 43)

BOOK REVIEW – We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

BOOK REVIEW – We Were Liars by E. LockhartWe Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads


The four of us Liars, we have always been. We always will be.

I really don’t even know what to say when it comes to this book. In so many ways it had everything I have grown to adore in storytelling-a mysterious, not-as-it-seems story line, characters you never know if you can trust, beautiful, poetic writing, and overall just a vastly different way of delivering inevitable blows: slow, one-two punches to the gut. But with all this being said, there is one truth I can tell you about this story:
Everything I hate in a book, is this book.
Weird, isn’t it? How there can be so many things I love about a book, but more that I hate? I do so love a turn of phrase. 😉

It doesn’t matter if one of us is desperately, desperately in love.
So much
in love
that equally desperate measures
must be taken.

See, I have this fatal flaw where I literally feel guilty for rating a book low. Even now as I type out my reasons for rating this thusly, I feel guilty. But one thing I can say with absolute certainty is that when I clicked the 2 stars, it felt right. I have rated a few books that are written poorly with a shitty story-line 2 stars and in other books rated them 3 even though my feelings merited a 2 star rating. I feel that if a book is written well and I just didn’t love, it doesn’t deserve to be so low as a two: But I’ve found the exception. I can’t give this more than a two. I’m known to overrate for books that most likely don’t deserve it and STILL can’t give this more than two stars. The writing was beautiful and spectacular and the story was masterfully woven…but I felt like shit for every minute of it. I felt horrible and sad and depressed and, sure, I was so excited to see what the end was and, yes, I had been right in some of my assumptions, but I feel that while the end was awesome, this is a case where the end doesn’t justify the means.

“Do not accept an evil you can change.”

I wasn’t satisfied. I felt even more deflated, in fact. And more than that, the liars weren’t such bad liars. Whatever the fuck that means. View Spoiler »

One day I looked at Gat, lying in the Clairmont hammock with a book, and he seemed, well, like he was mine. Like he was my particular person.

I’m sorry to bring other books into this, but I am just so damn anal about what people think of me and my rating system. Ultimately, I want you, my GR friends, to see my reviews and be like, ‘Yeah, I trust what she’s saying and I can relate-she’s not being a total bitch for no reason.’ And I think if people can put into perspective my crazy method of thinking, it will help them to understand that while this one didn’t work for me, it might possibly work for them. So, here is a comparison where the reviews are mixed and I was entirely fair in my rating-View Spoiler » is the book I’ll compare. Now, I knew something horrific was coming in the aforementioned book, and, Hell, I was very damn depressed as I read, but I loved and enjoyed the story and the beautiful and vivid writing. It worked for me because, in my mind, the end did justify the means. Like….it was all built up and nobody wanted anything bad to happen, but you just knew deep in your bones something bad was coming, but at the end of it all…..did you or didn’t you enjoy the story? Did you enjoy the ride? Were there also enjoyable parts, or MORE enjoyable than disdainful ones? Did the story as a whole work for you?? It did. And that, my friends, is where WWL lost me. I don’t like to pay for depression-we get enough of that with the news, thank you.

She made me act normal. Because I was. Because I could.

I can’t really talk about this book. There isn’t a way to do so. But what I will say is, I bet this will be a spectacular movie. Honestly. And, most assuredly, I will likely be first in line to go see it. How does this make sense, you ask? Well…lemme explain. Look, it’s awesome that this book was all twisty and suspenseful and we didn’t know what was going on, but reading it was like stabbing my gut with knives at every twist and turn-in a movie, it plays out quicker and I won’t have to read all her inner depressing thoughts and instead it will be played out on-screen much more dramatically and….I don’t know. That hardly makes sense-but to me, it makes all the sense in the world-I’d rather watch the horrid truth that is this book on screen than ever have to lay eyes on this book again. In this case-the movie will be far superior to the book, in my humble opinion. And no, I didn’t rate this so lowly to make a statement-sometimes, you just don’t gel with books. I completely missed the boat on this one.

Maybe, maybe.
If only, if only.

And most importantly, why would I try to explain what this book is about?
It’s all a lie, isn’t it??

BOOK REVIEW – Half a King (Shattered Sea #1) by Joe Abercrombie

BOOK REVIEW – Half a King (Shattered Sea #1) by Joe AbercrombieHalf a King (Shattered Sea #1)
by Joe Abercrombie
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads


“You may need two hands to fight someone. But only one to stab them in the back.”

I really enjoyed this one!! I think this is going to be short and sweet, because while I enjoyed it, there is so much that happens that I just can’t say…and the story will be that much better when you decide to read it if I leave a ton of things in the dark. Like when View Spoiler » or when View Spoiler » or when View Spoiler » and last but not least, when he View Spoiler » Aaaaaah revenge…..a dish best served cold :P.

“When you’re in hell,” murmured Yarvi, “only a devil can point the way out.”

Yarvi’s life, while somewhat fulfilled, is a sad one. He is always angry. He is always sorry. He is mocked in public for his half a hand. Then the day comes when he is called upon to become King…but his not-so-obvious enemies have other ideas in store for him-namely, death.

Always he was angry. As soon as it was too late to do him any good.

I think I liked this story so much because it’s so different from what I usually read. It wasn’t so far out there that I felt awkward reading it, and it wasn’t so mild as to pretend that it’s not a brutal book with harsh ends for those who deserve it. This is a story about revenge. Getting back at those that wronged or hurt you…no matter how much you once cared about them….and finding kinship among the most unlikely allies.

The fool strikes, she had said. The wise man smiles, and watches, and learns.
Then strikes.

I really enjoyed the simplistic writing. In so many novels that reach far beyond my normal spectrum, the writing astounds and confuses me because of my lack of focus for that particular story-I’m simply just trying to spread my wings and I end up getting overwhelmed by the siege and storm tactics, the manner of speak, the overdrawn and utterly overwhelming dialogue, and most of all the strategizing. Allllll of these books tend to overly strategize and strategize and strategize….all the while losing me in all the heavy handed dialogue. But not this book-each scene was perfectly placed and well thought out-not once was I bored when they were trying to figure out their next move. I actually quite enjoyed their bonding time-it was heartwarming. Even more than the bonding was his gradual growth of feelings for one of the people trapped on the ship with him, one of his fellow slaves. It was so sweet to see them growing tender towards one another-without even realizing it.

Perhaps even those we raise highest never get that far above the mud.

Overall this story was heartbreaking, but I loved pretty much every minute of it. I think I once again didn’t have time to fully immerse myself into the story, but more than that I think it disjointed the most pivotal moments-I severely hate when life gets in the way. More than once, though, I did feel something a little…odd about a scene. Like, I’d be reading about what was going to happen, and then in a blink of an eye, the scene was halfway through what was ‘about’ to happen. This might have just been exhaustion and fatigue on my part, and thank God it didn’t ruin the story for me. I loved Yarvi and his struggles with acting strong and becoming the person he was meant to be. He was a strong-willed character with a good heart and an even more cunning mind…and I loved following him on his journey for revenge.

That ending doooeee….

BOOK REVIEW – The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles #1) by Mary E. Pearson

BOOK REVIEW – The Kiss of Deception  (The Remnant Chronicles #1) by Mary E. PearsonThe Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles #1)
by Mary E. Pearson
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads


**Arc kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

It can take years to mold a dream. It takes only a fraction of a second for it to be shattered.

Admittedly, I had started this months ago when I first received it from the publisher. I was SO excited because it was the only book I requested that I just REALLY wanted and HAD to have. But as I jumped right into the story, I started to gradually notice how little I felt for the characters and how bored I was….but I knew there was a chance that if I kept going, I might find that it was just the beginning I didn’t care for. Well, here we are months later, and I can say without any hesitation that, while I DID have to skim quite a bit and was STILL disappointed up to a certain point, I WILL be continuing onto the next installment.

If one can’t be trusted in love, one can’t be trusted in anything. Some things can’t be forgiven.

At first, when I started reading this again, I just knew there was no way I could finish this and that I’d force myself to get to 60% at least, no matter what. I am SO glad I did. I rarely tell myself that I am going to DNF something and then finish the book, so I think that tells you how much better this got….at around 60%. Ironic, isn’t it?

That’s the way of death. There’s no dignity in it.

The thing I want to make abundantly clear is that while the story was not doing it for me, the writing was what kept me reading-it’s as simple as that. There were no errors, it had a nice flow that kept me reading even as I wanted to put it down-I saw something great in the writing that made me think that there was something the author was leading up to, something bigger than our main character, Lia. And I was right.

His arms circled around me, his face nestled in my hair, holding me so tight I could almost believe we would never part again. I breathed him in, his touch, his voice, and for a moment as long and short as a heartbeat, all of the world and its problems disappeared and there was only us.

I think my biggest problem with the story was Lia. She was dreadfully boring and I found myself skimming the parts she was in without the two male leads. I felt the only interesting thing about their love triangle was the presence of the two males, Rafe and Kaden. One is a prince, one is an assassin sent to kill Lia-but we don’t know which one it is. At the beginning of the story, Lia was about to marry the Prince whom her father, the King, had arranged a marriage for….but it wasn’t for love, and it isn’t what she wanted for her life, so she fled the palace with her best friend early on the morning of her wedding…never to be heard from again.

I will find you.
In the farthest corner, I will find you.

One of my favorite things about this book would have to be the fact that the author completely tricked me on who the Prince was-I was literally reading the story thinking about one man as the Prince and one the assassin and then when they were revealed, I literally just stopped reading, went back a few pages, and tried to see what I had missed-had I skipped a chapter?? Was I looking at it wrong? So I went back EVEN FARTHER to about 20% when they all meet and tried to see how I could have been reading this so plainly-as if I just knew what was going on when I wasn’t even close to knowing at all. It was baffling to me and made me laugh, because I had no doubt in my mind what and who I was reading about. So…that was embarrassing.

I swallowed. He closed what gap was left between us, and I had to lift my chin to see him. He looked down at me. “Because ever since that first day I met you, I’ve gone to sleep every single night thinking about you, and every morning when I wake, my first thoughts are of you.” He stepped impossibly closer and lifted his hands, cupping my face, his touch so gentle it was barely there. “When I’m not with you, I wonder where you are. I wonder what you’re doing. I think about how much I want to touch you. I want to feel your skin, your hair, run every dark strand through my fingers. I want to hold you, your hands, your chin.” His face drew nearer, and I felt his breath on my skin. “I want to pull you close and never let you go,” he whispered.

I have to comment on the two men-one is the Prince, and one the assassin. All I will say is that while I like both guys, my Prince fetish flared to life again like a raging inferno in the last 30% of this book and it took me totally by surprise. I was just reading along, finally happy with where the story was going (out of that boring city they were in for 60%) and all of a sudden they are both revealed and I did something similar to the emoji scream face where your jaw totally drops and you look like a moron. Both sweet, considerate guys, but, for me, the Prince stole the show. (And no, I can’t even gush about their attributes because it would give it away. Grr).

The wind swirled between us, threw mist in our faces. Whispered. In the farthest corner…I will find you.
I wiped at my eyes, the real and true blurring.
But I knew this much. He came
He was here.
And maybe, for now, that was all the truth I needed.

So all in all, I would say that this is a pretty well put together novel, indeed. I didn’t think the random quotes and passages fit in very well, seeing as they were sporadically spaced throughout (maybe I missed the pattern before chapters?) and I know I skimmed quite a bit. I had this pegged as a two because I didn’t think there was a possible way the excellent writing and the two men could be the sole reason I gave this a three, but when the action started and these men showed their true colors, everything changed for me. A DNF case became an ‘I have to finish this and not skim‘ in a matter of seconds. The last 40% drew me in more than I could have imagined and I was so happy I decided to keep going. The ending had an awesome cliffhanger that left me begging for more, and now I have a very long wait before I get some answers. This is going to suck.

BOOK REVIEW – Eon: Dragoneye Reborn (Eon #1) by Alison Goodman

BOOK REVIEW – Eon: Dragoneye Reborn (Eon #1) by Alison GoodmanEon: Dragoneye Reborn (Eon #1)
by Alison Goodman
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads


“No one can ever truly know what is in another man’s heart.”

Okay….it so doesn’t feel right to give this such a low rating when I loved the beginning and really liked the end but….why push up a rating when I don’t even know what to say?? I can’t hide behind a three or four every time I have trouble deciding what to rate something. It’s come to that time where I’m reading a wide array of books and different genres and the lines are starting to blur-I’ve had to start rating (not always) more harshly and, unfortunately, this book has fallen into this current time period where I’m done sugar coating my ratings.

There was a saying that a man’s true character was revealed in defeat. I thought it was also revealed in victory.

The thing is, it’s quite unfortunate that I wasn’t more enthralled with the story. It went a little something like this: The beginning-Loved. Eon/Eona? Loved. The secret she was hiding in a horrible society? Loved. The middle of the story? Began to lose interestquickly. The end? Finally what I’d been waiting for. Now, see, call me stupid (again), but I really, really trusted the reviews. When I see someone say they were on the edge of their seat the entire time I guess I envisioned a ton of action and peril and fighting aaaaaannddd….that was minimal, at best. There was deception, which I loved, but then hardly any action to follow these new found errors in people’s demeanor. I kinda thought that was the whole point of their society? If you are deceptive, there is punishment or pain….yeah? Clearly I went in with my eyes wide open and I really needed to…close them a bit. Because when it came down to it, not that much happened. Sorry, but there it is-my glaring problem with the story.

My dragon was the Keeper of Truth. The irony made me shift in my chair.

I suppose, aside from lack of action, my other problem was the replacing of action with dialogue. Dialogue and more dialogue and more more more talking. Jeeeeezzzz, just…I don’t know. I had to skim quite a bit. And, okay, call me (again) stupid, because I know their culture and how harsh they are, but when View Spoiler » it really pissed me off and sickened me. I knew stuff like that could happen, but, when it actually happened I was just totally turned off by it. It’s like, you don’t take that action the whole story and then it happens in that particular fashion??? Sickening. And, sadly, that’s probably quite common.

“Are you frightened now?”
I nodded, shame flushing my skin.
“Is it going to stop you?”
“No.”
“That is the courage of a warrior.”

Now, I must say, generally if I don’t love or connect with a book I don’t continue onto the next book. But. But. I really liked Eona. I loved her, in fact. I also really enjoyed the Prince (when he was in it). There is more action and peril to come (again, trusting those dastardly reviews) and, *GASP*, romaaaannnccceee….so I will continue on. And I think that says something, the fact that I want to finish the series. I liked it just enough and have went through the same thing with other series, so I know there’s a chance I just might fall in love with the next book…and I sure hope that happens.

BOOK REVIEW – MacKenzie Fire (Shine Not Burn #2) by Elle Casey

BOOK REVIEW – MacKenzie Fire (Shine Not Burn #2) by Elle CaseyMacKenzie Fire (Shine Not Burn #2)
by Elle Casey
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Still bitter about his failed engagement and life on the family ranch, Ian MacKenzie has been cranky for nearly three years. His brother Mack’s married bliss hasn’t helped, and now his pregnant sister-in-law’s airhead best friend is coming for a visit.

Candice arrives to help with the new baby, even though it means swapping her Louboutins for snow boots and her flat irons for flannel. She’s far from prepared for the freezing cold and she certainly wasn’t expecting the sizzling heat of her attraction to a certain green-eyed cowboy. Ian may be rude and infuriating, but he looks sinfully good in those jeans of his.

The two clash at every turn, but there’s one thing they can both agree on—if they do give in to their undeniable chemistry, then it’s just a fling…because he’s a country boy and she’s a city girl, and their zip codes are on opposite sides of the map.

Review:

I laughed so much while reading this book that my husband kept asking me, “Are you ok?”, “Can you breathe?” and “What are you laughing at?!”. Elle Casey has this ability to write books that make me laugh hysterically one moment and before I can even catch my breath then I’m all antsy, hot and bothered….but in a reallllly good way! The males are HOT, the females are endearingly hilarious and the chemistry between the two of them is searing. Yet another book I love that she has written!

This time we get to hear what’s happening in the MacKenzie’s world from Candice’s point of view. No one can forget her from Shine Not Burn. Between the collagen (thin lips sink ships), holding in your gas (you spontaneously combust) and abhorring practicality she was one of my favorite people in that book. The girl is extremely loyal but she is a little crazy and her thoughts are sometimes all over the place. I loved being in her head and listening to her rationalization for her word and phrase choices and listening to her internal babble! It was SO entertaining and silly at the same time! Ohhh and I love that Google is her best friend lol!

“Just show me the guns. Which one is good for protection?”
Henry looks down into the case. “From lions? Well…I suppose any of these could work if you hit the lion between the eyes. Do you think you’re a good shot?” He looks up at me, hopeful, possibly a little stressed too.
I nod enthusiastically. “I’m sure I will be. I’m a hair dresser.”

So we start out with Candice flying to visit her best friend Andie for a few weeks. When Andie picks up Candice at the airport she brings in tow Ian, who is Mack’s younger brother. From the start, Ian gets under Candice’s skin. He knows how to push all of her buttons and she knows how to drive him absolutely insane. One thing leads to another and Candice ends up being on Ian’s I-will-get-you-back-if-it-kills-me-list. Ian trying to get Candice back and Candice trying to get Ian back is so high school BUT so funny! I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next. I think I lost brain cells during some of the pages because I was laughing so hard I couldn’t breathe! Fav partView Spoiler ».  But during all of their interactions Candice is realizing how much she likes Ian. But she is from a bottom right state (Florida) and he is from a top left state (Oregon), so how can it ever work?

I have lots of friends, both men and woman. I don’t really need any more, my funeral’s going to be standing room only as it is. But none of them have been able to make my blood boil one second and my panties get all twisted up the next. Not like Ian.

So many things were right about this book. The banter was hot and hilarious. The nicknames, which can be done soooo wrong, were perfect. He calls her City and she calls him Country and I absolutely adored that! Ian was a hot, broken, scheming, passionate mess and I loved every minute of him. And the ending was exactly what I wanted it to be. I’m so sad this is the end of the MacKenzie’s journey but I loved everything about it!

Reading Order & Links:
Amazon (click on covers) & Book Depository (click on book #)
shine-not-burn-elle-casey
Shine Not Burn #1
Reviews:

Jen
Chelsea
mackenzie-fire-elle-casey
MacKenzie Fire #2

Reviews:
Jen
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