tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84103006262803612002024-03-05T07:02:57.707-08:00..........MY PRECIOUSThe Ramblings of a Kindle AddictGina @ My Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01895568426820464572noreply@blogger.comBlogger469125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8410300626280361200.post-53132791099716051782022-05-08T15:02:00.007-07:002023-05-24T12:46:29.109-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHRilrt1Shf0ayJAoGIradkvMj0l6CqrTwFkG_cuSwt_QyZp85CDDMurXfM5qVRIAVDW4NqlWVbjAp4XrL4cd6YKR6nnL7D1NcILpPBV6H1msBjD7UwkYlDm34FehpWZO1Fspq7Exzyzb2G8j_vYC6I2HMo02u858IoDSrLZORlAhncuHXCMCg3Xun1g/s461/Swimmers%20Book%20Cover.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="318" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHRilrt1Shf0ayJAoGIradkvMj0l6CqrTwFkG_cuSwt_QyZp85CDDMurXfM5qVRIAVDW4NqlWVbjAp4XrL4cd6YKR6nnL7D1NcILpPBV6H1msBjD7UwkYlDm34FehpWZO1Fspq7Exzyzb2G8j_vYC6I2HMo02u858IoDSrLZORlAhncuHXCMCg3Xun1g/w158-h230/Swimmers%20Book%20Cover.jpeg" width="158" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(1, 255, 255);">The Swimmers</span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="color: #6fa8dc;">by Julie Otsuka</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Publisher: </b>Knopf Publishing</div>
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<b>Length: </b>144 pages</div>
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<b>Format: </b>Kindle</div>
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<b>Source: </b>Library</div>
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<b>Genre: </b>Literary and Contemporary Fiction</div>
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<b>Series: </b>No</div>
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<b>Completed: </b>April 17, 2022</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc;"><b>SUMMARY</b></span></div><div style="background-color: #fafafa; background: rgb(250, 250, 250); border-bottom: rgb(0,0,0) 1px dashed; border-left: rgb(0,0,0) 1px dashed; border-right: rgb(0,0,0) 1px dashed; border-top: rgb(0,0,0) 1px dashed; border: 1px dashed rgb(0, 0, 0); padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 5px; padding: 5px 8px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>From Goodreads:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The swimmers are unknown to each other except through their private routines (slow lane, fast lane), and the solace each takes in their morning or afternoon laps. But when a crack appears at the bottom of the pool, they are cast out into an unforgiving world without comfort or relief.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); color: #181818;">One of these swimmers is Alice, who is slowly losing her memory. For Alice, the pool was a final stand against the darkness of her encroaching dementia. Without the fellowship of other swimmers and the routine of her daily laps she is plunged into dislocation and chaos, swept into memories of her childhood and the Japanese internment camp in which she spent the war. Narrated by Alice's daughter, who witnesses her stark and devastating decline, </span><i style="caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); color: #181818;">The Swimmers </i><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); color: #181818;">is a searing, intimate story of mothers and daughters, and the sorrows of implacable loss, written in spellbinding, incantatory prose.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); color: #181818;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The most commanding and unforgettable work yet from a modern master.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0525423648" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; border: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; padding: 0px;" width="1" /></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc;"><b>SETTING PACE AND STYLE</b></span></div>
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The setting takes place in both a public swimming pool and a memory care facility. The writing is very sparse with short, broken sentence structure, sometimes repetitive for emphasis. Reads like a memoir in places, with a reflective melancholy, tone. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc;"><b>CHARACTERS AND PLOT</b></span></div>
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Many nameless characters with one main character, Alice. A woman who is losing her mind. The author begins with Alice's active life as an avid swimmer, following it through her admission to a memory care faculty, then continuing to a point where she is unable to speak. Her daughter narrates the story. The reader never really learns her name.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc;"><b>PERSONAL NOTE</b></span></div>
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<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0035RPFE6" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; border: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; padding: 0px;" width="1" /><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24);">This book "dives deeper" in meaning than my "shallow water" mind can digest. Much of the book was fraught with </span></span><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24);">satirical statements and metaphorical language. </span></span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24);">A very unconventional narrative, beginning with a wide lens, switching to a more focal one, zooming to a single character, Alice. Daunting how the author can begin a book in a swimming pool with a group of avid, healthy swimmers, but end with a demented woman in memory care. Quite a literary journey packaged in a short, quick read. At times it almost read like a memoir, with a realistic portrayal of memory care facilities and one woman, Alice's slow decline. This one hit a little too close to home, with my own mother being a victim of dementia. Truly a literary read, not light or fun but certainly worth reading.</span></span></span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24);"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc;"><b>RECOMMENDATION</b></span></div>
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Strongly recommend this book to book clubs, literary readers and those interested in learning more about life in a memory care facility.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc;"><b>RATING</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>Gina @ My Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01895568426820464572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8410300626280361200.post-91708875681305835152015-04-24T00:00:00.000-07:002016-04-25T20:40:23.995-07:00Book Reviews: The Fault in Our Stars<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">The Fault in Our Stars</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">BY JOHN GREEN</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/014242417X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=014242417X&linkCode=as2&tag=mypre0d-20&linkId=UPGIAOPHL6UJ43YP">AMAZON</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=014242417X" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />| <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11870085-the-fault-in-our-stars?from_search=true&search_exp_group=group_a&search_version=service">GOODREADS</a><br />
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<b>Publisher:</b> Dutton (January 10, 2012)</div>
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<b>Print Length: </b>313 Pages</div>
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<b>Format:</b> E-book</div>
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<b>Source:</b> Amazon.com</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> Contemporary, Young Adult</div>
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<b>Series:</b> Stand Alone</div>
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<b>Completed:</b> July 2014</div>
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<b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">SUMMARY</span></b></div>
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<u>FROM GOODREADS</u>: <span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText9924448000415984287" style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><br />Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, <em>The Fault in Our Stars</em> is award-winning author John Green's most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"> </span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">SETTING PACE AND STYLE</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">The story takes place in the US and abroad. Writing style, beautiful, with easy to read flowing words that travelled off the page right to the gut. Written with robust feelings, watch out it has the ability to rip your heart right from your chest. Its narrated in first person by our heroine, Hazel Grace Lancaster, a teenager battling cancer.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">MAIN CHARACTERS</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">The characters were rich, with great depth. Hazel, the narrator is amazing. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Her perspective on life, legacies, and human existence aligned with my beliefs. I really felt connected to her throughout the story. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">She's ultra intelligent and her take on life is inspirational. Her conception and thought processes were complex. It was almost like she developed her own philosophy on life. Reading happened to be one of her favorite past times, which certainly helped develop her mind. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Augustus Waters, the perfect love interest, a real life knight in shining armor. The way Hazel and Gus's relationship blossomed was done with perfection. It was slow and meaningful, each one having their own reservations because of his/her disease. Gus also proved to be a wealth of knowledge. He was caring, thoughtful and selfless. I adored how he gave himself to Hazel in every way he could, trying to make her life more livable. Just witnessing how he could even begin to have feelings for someone with a fatal disease was commendable.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">PERSONAL NOTE</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Working at a hospital with children, I see these types of kids first hand. Its </span></span><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">desperatly</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> sad, totally unfair. </span></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">So, naturally I didn't want to read this book. It just hits too close to home. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;">There should be some unspoken rule that cancer shouldn't strike children. Its just not RIGHT! I put it off for the longest time. Then, a coworker convinced me it was too good to pass on. Begrudgingly I picked it up and started reading. Guess what, I was engulfed in the story just from the first couple of pages.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Hazel, the narrator and main character of the story is so real. I love her voice, its raw, powerful and believable. Seeing the disease through the eyes of someone living with it was important to me, giving me insight and perception I never would have gained had I not picked up this book. What really scored points with me about this story is its plot lines do not surround the cancer. Believe it or not having the disease is not the main focus of the story. Instead, its a sweet romance, more of a coming of age story. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Throughout this book there are some pretty decent twists and turns. I guessed the biggest one, but some of the smaller ones I clearly had no idea about. The main reason I put off reading this one is I knew it was going to be a tear jerker. Sometimes I just don't want to read something sad, more so because I'm afraid of the feelings it will pull out of me. The plot was fast moving. Its a difficult book to put down. Once you start you will not want to stop until you find out what happens to these two star crossed lovers. There are even villianous characters in this book, totally unexpected. It also has a healthy dose of philosophy between these pages. Its great that this is not part of a series. Its a stand alone novel and the ending is exactly perfect and very fitting for the story.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">RECOMMENDATION</span></b></div>
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<img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0035RPFE6" height="1" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">I would recommend this to all readers. Don't be afraid to pick this one up. Its a great story and gives important insight to how those with a terminal illness feel.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">RATING</span></b></div>
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Gina @ My Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01895568426820464572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8410300626280361200.post-46304638762305291272015-04-08T00:00:00.000-07:002015-04-08T00:00:10.321-07:00Book Reviews: Shadow Scale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-large;">Shadow Scale</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">BY RACHEL HARTMAN</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375866574/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0375866574&linkCode=as2&tag=mypre0d-20&linkId=U3SQV6BFCZEYGQ4N">AMAZON</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0375866574" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> |<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16085457-shadow-scale?from_search=true">GOODREADS</a><br />
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<b>Publisher:</b> Random Chilrens (March 10, 2015)</div>
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<b>Print Length: </b>608 pages</div>
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<b>Format:</b> E-Arc</div>
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<b>Source:</b> Netgalley.com</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> Young Adult Fantasy</div>
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<b>Series: </b>Duology (Book 2 of 2)</div>
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<b>Completed: </b>April 2014</div>
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<b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">SUMMARY</span></b></div>
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<img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0035RPFE6" height="1" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" />FROM GOODREADS:<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">The kingdom of Goredd: a world where humans and dragons share life with an uneasy balance, and those few who are both human </span><em style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">and</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"> dragon must hide the truth. Seraphina is one of these, part girl, part dragon, who is reluctantly drawn into the politics of her world. When war breaks out between the dragons and humans, she must travel the lands to find those like herself—for she has an inexplicable connection to all of them, and together they will be able to fight the dragons in powerful, magical ways. </span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"> </span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">As Seraphina gathers this motley crew, she is pursued by humans who want to stop her. But the most terrifying is another half dragon, who can creep into people’s minds and take them over. Until now, Seraphina has kept her mind safe from intruders, but that also means she’s held back her own gift. It is time to make a choice: Cling to the safety of her old life, or embrace a powerful new destiny? </span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">SETTING PACE AND STYLE</span></b></div>
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<img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0035RPFE6" height="1" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pacing for this book is fairly slow going for the first third to half, then things change up and move along significantly faster. Its a very, very long book with over 600 pages, but again, I was entertained enough that it really didn't feel that long. This book is a journey and has lots of discovery. It takes place in numerous fantasy lands as Seraphina travels with her group to locate the other half dragons. Its still told in a first person narrative, through the eyes of our heroine, Seraphina.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">CHARACTERS AND PLOT</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The main characters remain constant: Seraphina, Glisselda and Prince Lucian Kiggs. All of the grotesques in Seraphina's garden are discovered and introduced to the reader, each with distinctive and peculiar personalities. Orma, Seraphina's uncle is less present in this installment. Abdou, (aka Fruit Bat ) plays a fairly big role in this story, as he accompanies Seraphina on her quest. Janouella, who is present in the first book becomes Seraphina's arch-nemesis. We find out so much about this young lady as pages are turned in this one.</span></span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">PERSONAL NOTE</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This book is pretty much a continuation of <b><i>Seraphina</i></b>. Its great because it does open up with a prologue of sorts, told in a third person narrative which gives a very nice synopsis of the first book. Its a great refresher and the perfect way to bring the reader back up to speed after a long break from reading the first book. Anyways, this book focuses on Seraphina's quest of finding all of the half-dragons in her mind and convincing them to return to her home and fight for Queen Glisselda's kingdom where a dragon war is brewing.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Overall, I enjoyed </span></span><i style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><b>Shadow Scale</b></i><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> slightly more than I did</span></span><b style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><i> Seraphina</i></b><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">. Discovering and meeting all of the grotesques in real life form entertained. It was interesting to see how each ones special traits manifested in human form. Each one had his/her own unique abilities too. I was intrigued by the lore about the saints and how the author weaved them into the plot. It was peculiar, but interesting. The concepts of racial discrimination, overcoming weaknesses and learning to love yourself are all explored deeper in this installment. The romance between Kiggs and Seraphina gears up a notch but then fizzles out as the novel concludes. World building was unique, but had some holes, especially when it came to Orma's fate. I was unsatisfied with how that situation wrapped up. Again, the conclusion to this one has an epic battle-like scene pitting Seraphina against Janouella. It was a fitting wrap up to the series. Seraphina experienced a great deal of growth and changed into a much better, stronger person over the course of this novel.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">RECOMMENDATION</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I would recommend this to Seraphina fans. I almost feel like this book may be slightly better than the first, well if you can make it through the slow start.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">RATING</span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaiD3RWWgFvjcNgaWdnDnoty3BYB99tHaycMNGlDUQmTgljJF1s95G2vaDlRQoROr4tR_X_CFx4lfVw1BBZDOSlMbOBrab74T2TPWMzVsyhFZwFf6ASK47KEw1P88JHwpstx81qtjUw6sT/s1600/Four+Rings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaiD3RWWgFvjcNgaWdnDnoty3BYB99tHaycMNGlDUQmTgljJF1s95G2vaDlRQoROr4tR_X_CFx4lfVw1BBZDOSlMbOBrab74T2TPWMzVsyhFZwFf6ASK47KEw1P88JHwpstx81qtjUw6sT/s1600/Four+Rings.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">4 out of 5 Rings</span></td></tr>
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Gina @ My Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01895568426820464572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8410300626280361200.post-50349045593319829182015-03-31T00:00:00.000-07:002015-03-31T00:00:10.325-07:00Book Reviews: Seraphina<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: x-large;">Seraphina</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">BY RACHEL HARTMAN</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375866221/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0375866221&linkCode=as2&tag=mypre0d-20&linkId=2CQKHZILUQENZQIO">AMAZON</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0375866221" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19549841-seraphina">GOODREADS</a><br />
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<b>Publisher:</b> Random House Books for Young Children (July 10, 2012)</div>
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<b>Print Length:</b> 499 pages</div>
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<b>Format:</b> E-book</div>
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<b>Source:</b> Purchased @ Amazon.com</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> Fantasy, Young Adult</div>
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<b>Series:</b> Book 1 of 2</div>
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<b>Completed:</b> March 2015</div>
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<b><span style="color: #674ea7;">SUMMARY</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #674ea7;">SETTING PACE AND STYLE</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">The story is set in a fantasy world called the kingdom of Gorred, during medieval times. Pacing is slow to moderate, picking up near the end where we encounter an involved battle scene. With a frightful length of almost 500 pages, the story might be intimidating. Surprisingly, it didn't seem very long to me. Its not tedious, and I was able to make my way through fairly quickly. This book is told in a first person narrative in the voice of our brave heroine, Seraphina.</span></span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #674ea7;">MAIN CHARACTERS</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">In this book, there a so many characters to keep track of, not unlike most fantasies. So, I'm only going to touch on a very select few. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Seraphina Dombegh, the main character, is a brave and heroic young lady. She spends her life trying not to be noticed, while at the same time hating herself for hiding her true self. She is embarrassed of who she is, believing if anyone were to discover her secret they would be repulsed. With a musical talent, its difficult to fly under the radar. Plus, she's been schooled about dragon lore by both her Uncle Orma (a dragon) and her father (a human). So, its very difficult not to be opinionated. One thing Seraphina isn't very good at is holding her tongue. Her greatest strengths are her fearless nature and compassion for all creatures. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Prince Lucian Kiggs, Captain of the Queen's guard is an intelligent, perceptive young man. He investigates anything puzzling to him and usually is able to work out people's thought processes. Also, by being a bastard, he is very sensitive to others. He is enchanted by Seraphina as they become unexpected allies in uncovering who is behind the recent death of the Prince. Prince Rufus's death is suspected to be at the hand of a dragon. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Princess Glisselda, second in line to the throne, is a fifteen year old girl who Seraphina tudors in music. Glisselda is wiser than her age, quickly becoming a friend and confidant to Seraphina. The caveat is she's engaged to Prince Kiggs. Of course there are many, many other characters. These three are very integral to the story. </span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #674ea7;">PERSONAL NOTE</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I really like dragon books, so Seraphina has been on my radar for a long time! When Netgalley recently offered <b><i>Shadow Scale,</i></b> the sequel, as an E-Arc the moment presented itself. I went ahead and took the plunge. Seraphina covets a secret. She's a half breed, with a dragon mother and a human father. In this era, dragons are the enemy, only a peace treaty keeps them from attacking humans, interbreeding is illegal. All of her life, Seraphina's father has kept her origin hidden, for fear of what her fate would be if anyone discovered her secrets. He's begged her to lay low, keeping out of the public eye. Despite these precautions, at the prince's funeral Seraphina is noticed after playing a beautiful moving, musical piece. The royal family invites her to become a musical assistant. Against her father's wishes, she agrees. The book springboards from here. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This story covers many years of Seraphina's life. Its primary focus is when she's in her later teens. It does touch on her birth and also details a scene where she first discovers she's a half breed. One unusual part to this story is what Seraphina refers to as her "garden". Seraphina is plauged with visions. The only way she can control them is to reach out to the creatures who haunt her, which she refers to as "her grotesques" and find a spot for them to reside happily in her mind "garden". This was a unique concept and is continued to be developed as the story progresses. It will also play a much larger part in the sequel. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Romance is present in this story. Its more of a forbidden romance. There are not any love triangles which I could see forming. Throughout the book both the mystery of the Prince's death and the continued concern Seraphina's secret would be revealed kept me turning pages. As she and the Prince become closer, you keep hoping she will find a way tell him her secrets and of course that he will be able to accept her.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">World building is crafty and creative. </span></span><span style="line-height: 19px;">Gorred contains, not only humans, but also dragon and quigs. Humans and dragons live in peace alongside one another because of a treaty. They don't exactly trust each other. Quigs are a lesser variety of dragons are treated as second class citizens, living and bartering on the outskirts of town. Half breeds are legend, but if they existed most people, dragons included would treat them as abominations.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The ending was action packed and very powerful. It involves an incredible life or death battle between two dragons. The conclusion was solid with a definite resting point. This book sets the stage very nicely for the next book where the heroine will need to accomplish new goals which will involve an exciting quest in the anticipated conclusion to the series. </span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #674ea7;">RECOMMENDATION</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">I would recommend this book to readers who like reading about dragons and love creative world building and fantasies. Also, those who enjoy strong female leads characters will also find a lot to like about this book.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #674ea7;">RATING</span></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">4 out of 5 Rings</span></td></tr>
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Gina @ My Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01895568426820464572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8410300626280361200.post-51765193299432832832015-03-24T00:00:00.000-07:002015-03-24T00:00:01.098-07:00Book Reviews: Code Name Verity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">Code Name Verity</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">BY ELIZABETH WEIN</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007Y7UVHE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B007Y7UVHE&linkCode=as2&tag=mypre0d-20&linkId=AUDJAKXLIWBKYPPQ">AMAZON</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B007Y7UVHE" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13481748-code-name-verity">GOODREADS</a><br />
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<b><span id="goog_214752368"></span><span id="goog_214752369"></span>Publisher:</b> Electric Monkey (Feb 6, 2012)</div>
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<b>Print Length:</b> 353 pages</div>
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<b>Format:</b> Kindle + Audio</div>
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<b>Source:</b> Amazon.com (purchased)</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> Young Adult, Historical Fiction</div>
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<b>Series:</b> No, but does have companion novel</div>
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<b>Completed:</b> March 2015</div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">SUMMARY</span></b></div>
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<u>GOODREADS:</u><br />
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<span id="freeText12088075380872713331" style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Two young women become unlikely best friends during WWII, until one is captured by the Gestapo. Only in wartime could a stalwart lass from Manchester rub shoulders with a Scottish aristocrat, one a pilot, the other a special operations executive. Yet whenever their paths cross, they complement each other perfectly and before long become devoted to each other.<br /><br />But then a vital mission goes wrong, and one of the friends has to bail out of a faulty plane over France. She is captured by the Gestapo and becomes a prisoner of war. The story begins in “Verity’s” own words, as she writes her account for her captors. Truth or lies? Honour or betrayal? Everything they’ve ever believed in is put to the test…</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">BACKGROUND</span></b></div>
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<img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0035RPFE6" height="1" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">I wanted to read this book ever since I saw all the encouraging reviews come out early on. Some of my most reliable blogging friends only had great things to say. Like usual, though, will all my other obligations, this one got buried on my "To Read" until recently. For my son's birthday, I was tasked with finding a thought provoking book we could buddy read. Well, I searched high and low for a book we both could enjoy. I was a little concerned, since this was a book about two young ladies, maybe it wouldn't capture his interest. The more reviews I read, the more I was persuaded we could both enjoy this book. Even though it wasn't perfect, we both liked it enough to give it 4 stars.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">SETTING PACE AND STYLE</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Set in England in 1941, this story is about women's roles in WWII. Pacing is peculiar, at times its moving along very quickly and then, bam it stalls, gets back on track and then picks up briskly again. I can't really even describe the narrators with giving away too much. All I will say is at the beginning of the story, it starts in the present, then it goes back in time, by the narrator writing the story down for a confession. For a long time I felt the narration to be haphazard and rambling. There were bits and pieces of the past intermixed with what was going on in the present. I'd say in order to really enjoy this book, the reader must possess quite a bit of patience. </span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">CHARACTERS</span><span style="color: #274e13;"> </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">I appreciated reading detailed accounts on women in the WWII and what roles they actually played. This book did a great job with that characterization. </span><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">The main characters in this book were likable and fairly relatable.</span><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"> One way the reader comes to know them is through their own writing styles, or other peoples accounts of them. In this fashion, since its mainly in third person, I felt like I never really get the opportunity to totally get into the characters heads.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;">This book is about a spy and an pilot. The entire story is loosely based on historical accounts with fictitious names and places. Initially, I went into this thinking I'd experience a lot of twists and turns. Oddly enough, I don't feel like there were really very many. Now, if you read people's reviews, like I do, the aspect most talked about is the ending, I was really hoping for a powerful, tear-jerking type ending. This is probably the primary reason I took a ring off and couldn't give it a perfect 5, the ending didn't "wow" me in the way I had hoped. In fact, the emotional part was literally over in almost one sentence. It was a lot to process in an absolute blink of an eye. Anyways, it was a great book, my son appreciated it. We are now in search of another great book to read together which will spark a good discussion. Suggestions are welcome!</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;"> </span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I would definitely recommend this book to history lovers, those who want to discover more about women and their involvement in the military during this time period and book clubs. Why book clubs, well because this one is a book where in the end you are able to get a great discussion going about, "What would you do?".</span></span><br />
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Gina @ My Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01895568426820464572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8410300626280361200.post-14293382299240167942015-03-20T00:00:00.000-07:002015-03-23T16:46:42.921-07:00Book Reviews: Our Endless Numbered Days<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: x-large;">Our Endless Numbered Days</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">BY CLAIRE FULLER</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1941040012/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1941040012&linkCode=as2&tag=mypre0d-20&linkId=WPW4J5JX7MKURE5T">AMAZON</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1941040012" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24912074-our-endless-numbered-days">GOODREADS</a><br />
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<b>Publisher:</b> Tinhouse (February 16, 2015)</div>
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<b>Print Length:</b> 382 pages</div>
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<b>Format:</b> E-Arc</div>
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<b>Source:</b> Publisher</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> Adult, Survivalism, Contemporary</div>
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<b>Series:</b> Standalone</div>
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<b>Completed:</b> March 2015</div>
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<u>FROM GOODREADS</u>: <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1976: Peggy Hillcoat is eight. She spends her summer camping with her father, playing her beloved record of The Railway Children and listening to her mother's grand piano, but her pretty life is about to change.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Her survivalist father, who has been stockpiling provisions for the end which is surely coming soon, takes her from London to a cabin in a remote European forest. There he tells Peggy the rest of the world has disappeared. And so her life is reduced to a piano which makes music but no sound, a forest where all that grows is a means of survival. And a tiny wooden hut that is Everything.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Peggy is not seen again for another nine years.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">1985: Peggy has returned to the family home. But what happened to her in the forest? And why has she come back now?</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #674ea7;">SETTING PACE AND STYLE</span></b></div>
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Pacing to this story is slow moderate with somewhat of a nail biting finish. Narration is from Peggy's point of view. The only caveat is the setting and time frame changes up every now and then between Peggy in her present life back and Peggy in her past life in the woods.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #674ea7;">CHARACTERS AND PLOT</span></b></div>
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Peggy, or Punzel (as she ends up referring to herself while in the wild) is an innocent victim. She's only eight years old when she's abducted by her father, forced to live in the wilderness. Her father lies to her claiming her mother is dead. Now they are the only two people left living in the world. Peggy is a resilient little child. She pretty much doesn't really have a choice but to be this way. Both the disgusting conditions and situation she endures living life in the wild are both unimaginable and unfathomable. Despite all this negativity, Peggy is a fighter, a hearty little girl with spunk, vigor and spirit. She's a true heroine, even ends up rescuing her father at one point in time during the novel. Its difficult not to get behind this precious little girl. Over the course of the novel I appreciated her character growth she experiences as she changes into a precarious teen from a timid little girl.<br />
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James, Peggy's father is a raving lunatic. He starts off the novel on shaky ground, then by the end he's totally off his rocker. I could appreciate him somewhat in the beginning, it was evident he cared about his daughter a great deal. He has plenty of issues, depression and fixation, just to touch on a select few. The farther I went into the story, the more I witnessed him losing his sense of reality. Sadly, the repercussions were nasty.<br />
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Ute, Peggy's mom, makes some very bad decisions in her early years. I feel like she is partly to blame for everything that happened to her daughter. She's brutish and a tough love kind of mother. I thought Ute was sort of a cold and callous mom. Even though, in the end she did get better, she still has a lot of ground to cover. <br />
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<b><span style="color: #674ea7;">PERSONAL NOTE</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Our Endless Numbered Days</i></b> is about an eight year old girl called Peggy who lives with her mother and father. Her mother, Ute, is a famous pianist and her father, James, is a wacked out survivalist. Mom spends her days at the piano, while dad is obsessed with making list after list of items to survive a national disaster. Evidently, they are drifting apart. When Peggy's mother is away on a pianist's tour, her father decides to take her on a camping trip which ends up stealing 9 years of her life. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Overall, this is one difficult and challenging book. Throughout the story, it read like a survivalist's tale. Peggy and her dad suffered so many hardships, learning eventually to live off the land and especially how to respect mother nature. Their story was well detailed, making it real and raw. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The strange part for me was, even though I knew ahead of time Peggy would somehow escape her father, the culmination was still very much anticipated. In the end, the story concludes abruptly. An unexpected twist occurs, which I didn't see coming. In fact, I totally missed it on my first read. I had to re-read the last 2-3 chapters a second time to make everything come together for me. Much of what really is going on is only hinted at or made slight reference to. When I finally had an epiphany about what was really going on, it gave me a sick feeling. It made the story even more gut wrenching once I realized the truth.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #674ea7;">RECOMMENDATION</span></b></div>
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My recommendation for this book would be to people who like to read survivalist stories, as more than a fair amount of this story is about living off the grid. The lion's share of this story is about surviving in the wilderness and the battles one goes against with nature. Next this book would also be great for book clubs because of the subtle twist at the end. It would definitely promote some good discussions.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #674ea7;">RATING</span></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">3.5 out of 5 Rings</span></td></tr>
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Gina @ My Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01895568426820464572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8410300626280361200.post-43341614132274746972015-03-18T00:00:00.000-07:002015-03-18T00:00:10.318-07:00Book Reviews: The Imaginary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: magenta; font-size: x-large;">The Imaginary</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">BY A.F. HARROLD</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802738117/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0802738117&linkCode=as2&tag=mypre0d-20&linkId=XN3XD5R5GBH27HY6">AMAZON</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0802738117" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22443909-the-imaginary?from_search=true">GOODREADS</a><br />
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<b>Publisher:</b> Bloomsbury Children (March 3, 2015)</div>
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<b>Print Length:</b> 224 pages</div>
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<b>Format:</b> E-Arc</div>
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<b>Source:</b> NetGalley.com</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> Middle Grade, Fantasy</div>
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<b>Series:</b> No, Stand Alone</div>
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<b>Completed:</b> March 2015</div>
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<b><span style="color: magenta;">SUMMARY</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><u>From Goodreads:</u></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Rudger is Amanda’s best friend. He doesn't exist, but nobody's perfect.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Only Amanda can see her imaginary friend – until the sinister Mr Bunting arrives at Amanda's door. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;">Mr Bunting hunts imaginaries. Rumor says that he eats them. And he's sniffed out Rudger. Soon Rudger is alone, and running for his imaginary life. But can a boy who isn’t there survive without a friend to dream him up?</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: magenta;">BACKGROUND</span></b></div>
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<u>From Goodreads:</u><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">A brilliantly funny, scary and moving read from the unique imagination of A.F. Harrold, this beautiful book is astoundingly illustrated with integrated art and colour spreads by the award-winning Emily Gravett</span><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0035RPFE6" height="1" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" />.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: magenta;">SETTING PACE AND STYLE</span></b></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><i>The Imaginary</i></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"> is told in a third person perspective. Its set in a suburban neighborhood. Pacing is slow-moderate with an action spike near the culmination of the book. Its written for a younger audience, but adults may enjoy the story more than kids. It may also border on being a bit scary for younger kids, too. Rudger (not Roger) Amanda's imaginary friend, is the narrator</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: magenta;">CHARACTERS</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">The characters were slightly bland. Amanda, is somewhat spoiled and self-absorbed. I didn't like that she cared more about herself than anyone else, even Rudger. Rudger, the imaginary, seemed to at least have a conscience. Other than that redeeming quality, he was pretty simple minded, unable to imagine anything for himself without Amanda, which fits the story line. He also wasn't very good at figuring out how to get back to Amanda. I didn't like his decision to actually hurt another child, just so he could get to the hospital to find Amanda. It was nice to see he regretted his decision, after the fact. Fridge, the dog, Amanda's mother's childhood imaginary friend, may have been my favorite character. He liked to take it easy, he's old and sleeps a lot, but had gained wisdom in the years he's hung around kids being an imaginary friend.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"> He seemed grounded.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: magenta;">PERSONAL NOTE</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Did you ever have an imaginary friend growing up? I know some kids do, but not everyone. Who would have guessed an entire middle grade book would be written devoted to this subject? <b><i>The Imaginary</i></b> is a peculiar middle grade read about a very creative girl, Amanda. With a very active imagination, she is able to create her friend Rudger. No one can see Ruger except for Amanda. They go on many made up adventures together. Life is good. Well, it wouldn't be much of a story if we stopped there, now would it? So, here we go... one day, Amanda gets hit by a car and smacks her head and totally forgets about Rudger. Without Amanda to imagine him, Rudger will eventually cease to exist or "fade". He will not stop at anything to get his friend back and make her remember. </span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">I found </span></span><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">the</span></span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> beginning of this book confusing because the story opens at a certain place in time, backtracks and then catches up to the original opening place, moving forward. That odd progression seemed little weird. </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">The author does a mediocre job world building to set the stage for how an imaginary friend's life cycle works. When Rudger is separated from Amanda in the middle of the story, the reader is finally filled in on how one becomes an imaginary and how one eventually fades. I would have thought better of the world building if this had been explained early on. Getting this information in the middle of the book wasn't as helpful as it could have been in the beginning. </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Another issue, the villain in the story, Mr Bunting, is creepy. </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">I mean, he eats imaginary friends or their "reals" so he can keep himself alive for another year.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;"> He's exactly the type of man kid's nightmares might contain. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;">On the flip side, this book has no romance, which for a middle grade book is just perfect! It also doesn't have a lot of action going on either. Most of the book involves Rudger searching for a way to reunite with Amanda. A decent battle scene pursues at the end, but I'm just not sure if there is enough going on to keep active little minds attention as the story progresses. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;">This story is a stand alone, so the conclusion was complete and fulfilling. It is a story about good vs evil. The ending is happy and I feel the story ended in a favorable fashion.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: magenta;">RECOMMENDATION</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">I'd recommend this book to middle grader readers who don't mind a slow read with only a little bit of action. Creative youngsters will appreciate this book, especially if they have ever tried to make up a friend before. I worry younger children may be a little bothered by the villain in this story.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: magenta;">RATING</span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-rZuftllKDaQkazkBx8hDtEr_speMYW5emLKwbHWAdaNhnvkU9O6RHMfyQtNYLNPXJhJeCXzWJvtX6eE2moOAYGAoeyHPLYWH2OAD2eFKkCiuf1_a25XYtUplyngm2d49yzR3pLpYilWP/s1600/3+Rings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-rZuftllKDaQkazkBx8hDtEr_speMYW5emLKwbHWAdaNhnvkU9O6RHMfyQtNYLNPXJhJeCXzWJvtX6eE2moOAYGAoeyHPLYWH2OAD2eFKkCiuf1_a25XYtUplyngm2d49yzR3pLpYilWP/s1600/3+Rings.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">3 out of 5 Rings</span></td></tr>
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Gina @ My Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01895568426820464572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8410300626280361200.post-65282967957411614742015-03-10T00:00:00.000-07:002015-03-10T00:00:07.528-07:00Book Reviews: Scarlet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">Scarlet</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">BY MARISSA MEYER</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009LRWVVY/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B009LRWVVY&linkCode=as2&tag=mypre0d-20&linkId=S75YLDCAFMC5I7ZW">AMAZON</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B009LRWVVY" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13206760-scarlet">GOODREADS</a><br />
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<b>Publisher: </b>Feiwel & Friends (February 5, 2013)</div>
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<b>Print Length: </b>452 Pages</div>
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<b>Format:</b> E-book</div>
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<b>Source:</b> Amazon.com</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> Young Adult, Fantasy, Fairytale Retelling</div>
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<b>Series:</b> The Lunar Chronicles Book #2</div>
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<b>Completed:</b> February 2015<br />
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<b>REVIEW OF BOOK ONE</b>: <a href="http://thecallawayfam.blogspot.com/2012/01/book-reviews-cinder.html">CINDER</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText191558915411192980" style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison--even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.<br /><br />Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"> </span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">BACKGROUND</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fafafa;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Marissa Meyer lives in Tacoma, Washington with her fiance and two kitties. In her free time she enjoys road-tripping, wine-tasting and hunting for antiques. </span></span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;"><b>Cinder</b></i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> her debut novel has made it to the New York Times Bestseller List. The Lunar Chronicles is at least a four part series, <b><i>Scarlet </i></b>being the second book in the series released in 2013. The </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">third book is called <b style="font-style: italic;">Cress </b>came out in 2014 and the final book named <b><i>Winter</i></b> is set to be released in November of 2015.</span></span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">SETTING PACE AND STYLE</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Scarlet</i></b> is a fast paced novel, thrilling and with plenty of action and adventure </span>between<span style="font-family: inherit;"> its pages. I classify it as a fairly tale retelling on steroids. Told in a third person narrative this story has multiple character point of views. The main focus is on our newest heroine, Scarlet.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">THE CHARACTERS</span><span style="color: #274e13;"> </span></b></div>
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Scarlet is a hoodie-doning strong willed young lady. When we first come across her she's in the midst of searching for her grandmother. We immediately see her spirit and vigor as she loses her patience with the police who have decided to give up the search. As the story progresses, we find Scarlet will stop at nothing to uncover what happened to her grandmother. Even if it means teaming up with a dangerous boy called Wolf.<br />
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Wolf is a fierce fighter. He has a strange tattoo on his arm signifying his old alliance to a gang of kids who act like pack wolves. When Scarlet meets him, he's trying to separate himself from his pack. He spends time fighting others to earn his keep. Scarlet isn't sure he's trustworthy. I was suspicious, too, not sure if he was being genuine and totally upfront, either.<br />
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Kai, the prince from Cinder, remains in this story, but much more as a background character in this installment. He struggles with trying to rule the empire, especially with Queen Lavanna wreaking all kinds of havoc for him and his country. He's unsure of what to do. Lind Cinder is still weighs on his mind, trying to sort out his feelings for her has him perplexed. <br />
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Cinder is present in at least half of this book. She's struggling with how to deal with the knowledge revealed in the first book, that she is the lost Princess Selene. She despises using her new found powers, but in many circumstances she's forced to. Cinder has a good heart and longs to do what is best for her people. First though, she must find some answers. Most of the story she's on a quest with another new character Thorne.<br />
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Thorne is a prisoner who escapes along side of Cinder. At first glance, he seems to be more trouble that he's worth. Quickly, Cinder wins him over and he realizes just what an amazing girl she is and also how valuable. They work together to get Cinder's android functional again. Then use the android to control Thorne's ship which enable them to travel about.<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">PERSONAL NOTE</span></b></div>
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This series is simply amazing. Each story is loosely based on a fairy tale character. In book one <b><i>Cinder</i></b>, is modeled slightly after the Cinderella fairytale. Then, book two <b><i>Scarlet</i></b> is roughly based on Little Red Riding Hood. In the beginning, the reader is introduced to this new character, Scarlet. We get to know a little about her story and quickly realize she's searching for her Grandmother, who has unexpectedly and uncharacteristically disappeared. My first impressions of this story was well, how is the author going to integrate Cinder's story with Scarlet's? In fact, I almost feared the worst, that Cinder maybe wouldn't even be present in this story. <br />
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Refreshingly, <i style="font-weight: bold;">Scarlet</i> is a completely different story than <b><i>Cinder</i></b>. Its packed with of a fresh set of problems and new characters, too. I love how Cinder and Scarlet's individual stories slowly meld together as one. The author also does an impressive job creating, developing and integrating a mind controlling wolf society into the new story line. Even though this one is action packed, we still somehow are only slowly doled out the missing pieces to the puzzle. Many unexpected twists and turns make this story difficult to set down. In the end, <b><i>Scarlet </i></b>culminates with restful conclusion. It sets up the next book, <b><i>Cress</i></b> nicely with yet another set of objectives for our hero and heroines to go after. I can't wait to start <b><i>Cress</i></b>. I hear its even better then <b><i>Scarlet</i></b>, which at this moment, seems far-fetched and unfathomable. This series is gathering steam and momentum as it quickly rushes to the conclusion with <b><i>Winter</i></b>. I can't wait to see where this goes...its certainly an amazing ride.<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">RECOMMENDATION</span></b></div>
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Recommended to all readers who enjoyed Cinder. This one is even better! It is sure to get you hooked on the series.<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">RATING</span></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">5 out of 5 Rings</span></td></tr>
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Gina @ My Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01895568426820464572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8410300626280361200.post-32461054660015174092015-02-24T00:00:00.000-08:002015-02-24T00:00:10.740-08:00Book Reviews: Inherit Midnight<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">Inherit Midnight</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">BY KATE KAE MYERS</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00S6CYREO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00S6CYREO&linkCode=as2&tag=mypre0d-20&linkId=XYKBJ4HHID325RPK">AMAZON</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00S6CYREO" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22529345-inherit-midnight?from_search=true">GOODEADS</a><br />
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<b>Publisher: </b>Bloomsbury USA Childrens</div>
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<b>Print Length:</b> 390 pages</div>
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<b>Format:</b> E-arc</div>
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<b>Source:</b> Netgalley.com</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> Thriller, YA</div>
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<b>Series:</b> Stand Alone</div>
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<b>Completed:</b> February 2015</div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">SUMMARY</span></b></div>
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<u>FROM GOODREADS:</u><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Outlandishly wealthy Grandmother VanDemere has decided to leave her vast fortune to the family member who proves him or herself worthiest-by solving puzzles and riddles on a whirlwind race around the globe, from the mines of Venezuela to the castles of Scotland. There will be eight competitors, three continents . . . and a prize worth millions.</span></span><u style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></u><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</b></span></div>
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<u>FROM GOODREADS: </u><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Kate Kae Myers lives with her family in Boise, Idaho where she works for a local school district as a sign language interpreter. She invites you to visit her website where you can find her full bio, read a sample chapter from The Vanishing Game, follow her blog, and download Jack's clues: </span><a href="http://www.katekaemyers.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #666600; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">www.katekaemyers.com</a></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">SETTING PACE AND STYLE</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is a very fast paced book, utilizing multiple settings throughout the course of the novel as the would be heirs travel internationally to compete in challenges to earn their inheritance. Written in an absorbing fashion, it was a comfortable read and difficult to pull myself away from. Its told in a first person narrative through the eyes of Avery VanDemere.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">CAST OF CHARACTERS</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Avery is a obstinate, strong willed young woman. She's very brave, when we first encounter her she's escaping from the boarding school her grandmother sent her to. Right away we see she'll stop at nothing to achieve what she wants, not letting anything but maybe death get in her way. In the beginning, she's very standoffish because she's always been picked on growing up. She's the black sheep in her family and no one has ever cared for her even in the slightest. What I liked about Avery is she's compassionate and does consider others in her decision process. </span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Riley is the family attorney's 19 year old son. He ends up being Avery's guardian of sorts throughout the competition since she's not 18 years old yet. He's strong and of course very protective of Avery. I like how athletic he is, which ends up being helpful in many circumstances. Riley is also intelligent and has a great relationship with his father.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Mrs. VanDemere is Avery's ailing grandmother. She's quite the old coot. Concerned with how money changed her family she decides to make them earn their inheritance by proving they know about their family heritage. She designs a complicated series of challenges for the heirs to progress through. Each time the loser is eliminated and only received $100,000. As the story progresses, I don't really find much sympathy for this woman. She's crazy and most of the things she did to Avery were only for VERY selfish reasons.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">All the other VanDemere heirs. Oh boy, where do I start? They all have horrifically flawed personalities. I do side with Grandma VanDemere, the family fortune has tainted them. The children are all super spoiled and very entitled. They don't feel a need to work hard for anything. I absolutely hated how poorly they collectively treated Avery. On the bright side, a few of the heirs show significant growth after the competition, making a few of them even likable in the end. Most of the others, though, remain as evil as ever and deserve what they ended up with.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">PERSONAL NOTE</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Griping, this one will always keep you entertained from the moment you sit down until the last page is turned. Inherit Midnight stars a 17 year old female called Avery Vandamire. Most of her life she's lived in a mansion with her elderly grandmother. Her father abandoned her to alcohol and her mother died when she was born. Avery's grandmother is a family genealogy buff. Mrs Vandamire has dedicated her life to learning and recording the Vandiamire family legacy. Raising Avery has meant spending endless hours teaching her the history of the family's heritage. Mrs Vandermire has also kept Avery on very short reigns, isolated from her friends and attending an all girls school. So its no surprise when her grandmother takes ill, Avery begins sneaking out of the mansion to hang out with friends. Of course, she gets caught and this lands her in boarding school where she's treated poorly. One day, out of the blue, a young man named Riley shows up unannounced at her school with orders to bring her back to the Vandimire mansion to compete against her other family members to become the sole heir of the Vandimire assets. Now this is where the story takes off.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">I totally found this story engaging and it kept me on the edge of my seat. I loved finding out about each challenge and watching the heirs work through them. It really helped me see each ones personalities. What I found even more exciting is the fact that there was a puzzle within the challenge. I loved rooting for Avery as she completed the challenges. Each one was exciting and nail biting. It was great to see different heirs fall flat on their faces because most of them were cheats and dishonest with the way they conducted themselves in the challenges. The feelings between Riley and Avery grew as the story progressed. I enjoyed the fact their romance didn't overtake the main plot. One of my favorite elements in the story came when after each challenge Avery was rewarded with a special gift from the Riley's dad. I can't say what she received each time without spoilers. All I can say is there is a story within a story and I was drawn to both. </span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">In the end this story wrapped up nicely. It has a decent ending to the main story, its sort of what is to be expected but with a little twist. As for the secondary story line, I wish there was some type of epilogue which would have told me a little bit more how that situation played out. I'm hopeful it worked out for the best for everyone involved.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">RECOMMENDATION</span></b></div>
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This book is recommended for readers who like books with puzzles and challenges. Lots of non-stop action too, so if you enjoy that, this is your book.<br />
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Gina @ My Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01895568426820464572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8410300626280361200.post-71022376484277299692015-02-17T00:00:00.000-08:002015-02-17T00:00:02.899-08:00Book Reviews: Alstair Grim's Odditorium<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #674ea7;"><i style="font-size: x-large;">Allistair Grim's </i><span style="font-size: x-large;">Odditorium</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">BY GREGORY FUNARO</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PV45EII/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00PV45EII&linkCode=as2&tag=mypre0d-20&linkId=NFHXS7ADTXCYT6NT">AMAZON</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00PV45EII" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23597998-alistair-grim-s-odditorium?from_search=true">GOODREADS</a><br />
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<b>Publisher:</b> Disney Hyperion (January 6, 2015)</div>
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<b>Print Length:</b> 432 Pages</div>
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<b>Format:</b> E-arc</div>
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<b>Source:</b> Netgalley.com</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> Fantasy, Steampunk</div>
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<b>Series:</b> Book #1 of ?</div>
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<b>Completed:</b> February 2015</div>
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<b><span style="color: #674ea7;">SUMMARY</span></b></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: inherit;">From Goodreads:</span></u><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Grubb, age twelve (or thereabouts), has never known anything beyond his miserable existence as a chimney sweep, paid only in insults and abuse by his cruel master. All of that changes the day he stows away in the coach belonging to a mysterious guest at the inn that he is tasked with cleaning. Grubb emerges from Alistair Grim's trunk and into the wondrous world of the Odditorium. Fueled by a glowing blue energy that Grubb can only begin to understand, the Odditorium is home to countless enchanted objects and an eccentric crew that embraces Grubb as one of their own. There's no time for Grubb to settle into his new role as apprentice to the strange, secretive Mr. Grim. When the Odditorium comes under attack, Grubb is whisked off on a perilous adventure. Only he can prevent the Odditorium's magic from falling into evil hands—and his new family from suffering a terrible fate. Grubb knows he's no hero. He's just a chimney sweep. But armed with only his courage and wits, Grubb will confront the life-or-death battle he alone is destined to fight.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7;"><b>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</b></span></div>
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<u>From Goodreads:</u><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Gregory Funaro grew up in Cranston, Rhode Island, and wrote his first story, <b><i>The Ghost in the Window</i></b>, in the fourth grade. He considers this to be his finest work, but unfortunately it has been lost to time. Following high school Greg majored in theatre at the University of New Hampshire, and after various acting gigs, received his AM in Theatre Arts from Brown University and an MFA in Acting from the FSU/Asolo Conservatory. Greg teaches drama at East Carolina University, and is busy working on the next book in the Odditorium series.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Follow him on Facebook and Twitter (@GregoryFunaro)</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #674ea7;">SETTING PACE AND STYLE</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;">This book sets of a little slow and almost borders on being slightly boring. Stick with it though because after the first 20 pages things really take off! Writing style reminded of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. There were fun illustrations which helped moved the story along, too. At about 15-20%, the pace picks up and its pretty much action packed until the last page is turned. Its a long book, but it didn't feel like a tedious read. Told in a first person narrative, from Grubb's perspective, his story details an amazing, action packed journey.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #674ea7;">CAST OF CHARACTERS</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;">Grubb, the main character is absolutely charming. It would be crazy not to fall in love with this young boy. He is polite, kind and hard working. His situation was grave, yet he rarely complained. He continued to work hard for his stepfather, despite horrific living conditions and abuse. I was touched how he even found it in his heart to take pity on Mr Cleary, especially right after Mrs Cleary passed. As the story progressed, we also find out Grubb is brave, honest and selfless. He's a great role model for youngsters.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;">Alisair Grim is a wealthy man. At the start he seems like a crazy old bat searching the globe for magical items. I wasn't sure if he was going to be good to Grubb or not. His character is revealed slowly throughout the story, along with the secrets of the Odditorium (his mechanical house). I do have to say as I read more, this man grew on me. In the end, I liked him very much.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;">Nigel Stout, Alistair's coachman is a large bald guy who wears black goggles. Mysterious and odd, it took me a while to trust him. I thought he had potential to be kind or an ogre. This guy has plenty of secrets which were fun to uncover along the way.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;">Prince Nightshade is the villain in the book. He's not a real prince, he just calls himself one. He competes against Alistair in trying to collect magical items. They both are in search of the second Eye of Mars. However, his use for it is of course for evil, not good.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;">My favorite character in the entire story was Dougal "Mack" McClintock, the Scottish pocket watch who never seems to be able to keep the correct time. Each time the watch is opened, Mack has blacked out and doesn't have a clue what time it is or what's been going in his absent state of mind. Mack ends up playing a big part in the story. His humorous demeanor makes him very enjoyable. </span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #674ea7;">PERSONAL NOTE</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;">A solid four star middle grade book featuring a chimney sweep called Grubb (with two B's), who is twelve or "thereabouts". Why two B's you may ask? Well, the extra "B" is for a blessing. He was left on the doorstep of a childless couple, Mr and Mrs Cleary as a wee baby. Mrs Cleary loved and cared for him well, embracing this gift with open arms. When Grubb reached the tender age of six, Mrs Cleary unexpectedly died. His stepfather, Mr Cleary, didn't hold similar sentiment for him. He thought of him a as a burden. After Mrs Cleary's death, Grubb was barely fed (to keep him skinny and able to fit in the chimneys), made to sleep in a cold barn with a mule, and beat just for fun. One day, while sweeping chimney's for a wealthy client, Grubb causes a whole lot of trouble. Unable to recover from the devastation, he stows away in a trunk, eventually ending up in Alistair Grim's Auditorium. This is where the story takes off.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;">This is a story which starts off a little slow, but patient readers will be rewarded. This book has a little bit of everything, Red Dragons, a Yellow Fairy, a Banshee, Samuri's, Sirens, Shadesmen and much, much more! It screams entertainment and I think it should capture the attention of even the most reluctant readers. Reading like a fantasy of sorts, with steampunk elements infused into the plot lines, the only drawback for me was I thought the battle and action scenes were very complex. I found it difficult to form pictures of this in my mind. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">The ending has an unusual twist. I'd say its slightly predictable to me, but I think the intended audience will not be able to suspect what I did. At the close of this story, the original adventure wraps up, but I do believe there is quite a bit in store for Grubb in the not so distant future. I look forward to reading more about this young chap.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #674ea7;">RECOMMENDATION</span></b></div>
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Readers looking for a action packed adventure with imaginative elements and wholesome characters. <br />
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<b><span style="color: #674ea7;">RATING</span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDPssRYB7_zO6smENxhOhMQLcGdSmoNYaBZAxL0pzpI5JLFYvUGalu182yyuV91vT9CEbIoI2vZwdPsOtkzEKgZTjdnwwnL6x8ADXJVnx_wLxKTujK6yTNkWaZBaD21AOVhFAHc4Ilgm56/s1600/4+Rings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDPssRYB7_zO6smENxhOhMQLcGdSmoNYaBZAxL0pzpI5JLFYvUGalu182yyuV91vT9CEbIoI2vZwdPsOtkzEKgZTjdnwwnL6x8ADXJVnx_wLxKTujK6yTNkWaZBaD21AOVhFAHc4Ilgm56/s1600/4+Rings.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">4 out of 5 Rings</span></td></tr>
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Gina @ My Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01895568426820464572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8410300626280361200.post-89443826238232785952015-02-10T00:00:00.000-08:002015-02-11T13:33:53.947-08:00Book Reviews: Deviation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-large;">Deviation</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">BY HEATHER HILDENBRAND</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M7CH6Z6/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00M7CH6Z6&linkCode=as2&tag=mypre0d-20&linkId=GDSIKPNCSIYYOU6U">AMAZON</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00M7CH6Z6" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21466608-deviation">GOODREADS</a><br />
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<b>Publisher:</b> Elephantine Publishing (March 11, 2014)</div>
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<b>Print Length:</b> 205 Pages</div>
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<b>Format:</b> E-Arc</div>
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<b>Source:</b> Netgalley.com</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> Young Adult, Dystopian</div>
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<b>Series:</b> Book 2 of 3</div>
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<b>Completed: </b>February 2015</div>
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<a href="http://thecallawayfam.blogspot.com/2015/02/book-reviews-imitation.html">Review of Book #1: Imitation</a><br />
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<b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">SUMMARY</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>From Goodreads</u>...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Protect. Obey. Sacrifice. </span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">These words are the mantra of my existence. I’m not sure if it’s Titus Rogen inspiring my desire to go against what I am or my own DNA deviating. All I can think is how Titus will look when he meets his end. It trumps even my wish for freedom. In this moment, I want nothing more than to watch the life bleed from Titus’s body. And I want it at my own hands. </span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Titus. The Creator. </span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">I stare at my palms. Strength aside, I wonder if I’m capable of taking a life. A human life; one with a soul. And I wonder if that isn’t easier than taking the life of an Imitation. At least humans have souls that live on. What do I have after this? Where will I go? Back into a syringe? Will Titus recycle me? Or will I be lost forever down a lab drain? </span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">We don’t deserve that. </span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">We don’t deserve him. </span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Deserving and receiving are so very different here. And I am beginning to understand, to beat someone in this world, I‘ll have to play in it. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><b>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Author of <b><i>Across the Galaxy, Whisper, and the Dirty Blood series.</i></b> I write, read, and fuss at my kids. Oh, and I do laundry, lots of laundry. I'm pretty good at it, too. Sometimes I even read WHILE doing laundry - and fussing at my kids. I'm a multi-tasker. </span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">For more information on my books, release dates, or just general stalker material, um, I mean FAN material, visit my website. </span><a href="http://www.heatherhildenbrand.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #666600; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">www.heatherhildenbrand.blogspot.com</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">. I love hearing from readers! </span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Likes and dislikes? I love vintage tees, hate socks with sandals, and if my house was on fire the one thing I'd grab is my Amazon Fire TV! (oh yeah, I'm a fan of puns.)</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">SETTING PACE AND STYLE</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Picking up right where the first book left off, t</span></span></span><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">he author did do a good job of providing some fill in information, just in </span></span><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">case</span><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> the reader forgot some of the more important parts of the first book. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> The pacing moved quite a bit slower than the first, so this lacked the power to</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> grab my interest and hold it as </span></span><span style="line-height: 19px;">well as</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> the first one did. Similar to the book one</span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">, this unfolds in a first person narrative from Ven's point of view and the setting/world remains constant.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"> </span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">CAST OF CHARACTERS</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">We are introduced to a new character in this book, Neil, Daniel's imitation. He end up playing a big role. All the other characters should be familiar to the reader. Titus, </span></span><span style="line-height: 19px;">the villain,</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> becomes trickier and even more evil, if that's even fathomable! Sadly, Ven and Linc don't experience much character growth other than I'd say Ven's determination </span></span><span style="line-height: 19px;">escalates</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> and Linc is more protective as their situation becomes increasingly complex. One aspect in flux is the romance between these two blossoms and eventually consumes some of the plot.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">PERSONAL NOTE</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;"><i>Deviation</i></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> is book two in Hildenbrand's </span></span><i style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;"><u>The Clone Chronicles</u></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">, a series about controversial human cloning. I really enjoyed book one. I wish I could say the same about this one. Well, I guess I should clarify that. I liked this one. I just didn't like it as much as I like the first. Why? I found this book to be lacking the suspense and flare of the first book. It picks up right where </span></span><b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;"><i>Imitation</i></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> left off. I almost felt as if this book should have been combined with the first into one longer novel. Then, I probably would appreciate it more. It didn't really stand on its own</span></span><span style="line-height: 19px;">. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">I think forward momentum is missing. This one stalled from the frenzied pace of the first book. Politics moved into the foreground of the plot, with the romance consuming more of the story than I particularly like. The clones and their plight remain important to me. I'm just not as excited by the way they are going to be used in the government. I am hopeful there is something more to it than just that. I guess I'm looking for drama </span></span><span style="line-height: 19px;">and</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> controversy surround the ethics of cloning.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Warning, this book ends on a MAJOR, unexpected cliffhanger/twist. I'm not sure when the third and final book will be released, so I found this a little frustrating! Even though this book wasn't as exciting as the first, with that crazy ending I'm vested enough in the series I will pick up the third book. I'm dying to know what will happen next. I'm crossing my finger book three will be the best in the trilogy. This book sort of tees it up as having strong potential for being really great conclusion to a series exploring human cloning!</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">RECOMMENDATION</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed <b><i>Imitation</i></b>. Just be prepared for a little slower paced book with a crazy incomplete finish! I might go out on a limb and say, don't pick up this one until closer to the release of book three. If anyone knows when that will be, please comment!</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">RATING</span></b></div>
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Gina @ My Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01895568426820464572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8410300626280361200.post-27421347101850427672015-02-04T00:00:00.000-08:002015-02-04T00:00:19.993-08:00Book Reviews: Imitation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-size: x-large;">Imitation</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">BY HEATHER HILDENBRAND</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LXCMUKC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00LXCMUKC&linkCode=as2&tag=mypre0d-20&linkId=YMWMV6A4HYK6RZM7">AMAZON</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00LXCMUKC" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17607719-imitation">GOODREADS</a><br />
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<b>Format:</b> E-book</div>
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<b>Source:</b> Netgalley.com</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> Young Adult, Dystopian</div>
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<b>Series:</b> Book #1 of 3</div>
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<b>Completed:</b> January 2015</div>
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<b><span style="color: #45818e;">SUMMARY</span></b></div>
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FROM GOODREADS:<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Everyone is exactly like me. </span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">There is no one like me. </span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">The rough fabric of my cotton nightgown chafes so I lie very still. They say my discomfort comes from being built like one accustomed to niceties. How is that fair when I myself have never experienced anything but copies of the real thing? </span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">My entire life is an imitation. </span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">I am an Imitation. </span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">I’ve been here five years. Training. Preparing. Waiting.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">And now I have a letter.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">My assignment has begun. </span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">I am a prisoner.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">I am not Raven Rogen.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">I am here to die.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e;"><b>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">FROM GOODREADS:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">Author of <b><i>Across the Galaxy, Whisper</i></b>, and the <b><i>Dirty Blood</i></b> series. I write, read, and fuss at my kids. Oh, and I do laundry, lots of laundry. I'm pretty good at it, too. Sometimes I even read WHILE doing laundry - and fussing at my kids. I'm a multi-tasker. </span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">For more information on my books, release dates, or just general stalker material, um, I mean FAN material, visit my website. </span><a href="http://www.heatherhildenbrand.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #666600; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">www.heatherhildenbrand.blogspot.com</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">. I love hearing from readers! </span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">Likes and dislikes? I love vintage tees, hate socks with sandals, and if my house was on fire the one thing I'd grab is my Amazon Fire TV! (oh yeah, I'm a fan of puns.)</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #45818e;">SETTING PACE AND STYLE</span></b></div>
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Set in a futuristic time where scientific advances make it possible to clone humans,<b><i> Imitation</i></b> is a riveting, novel with world building which is fairly easy to grasp. Writing is concrete and real. Chapters generally end with a suspenseful sentence, prodding the reader to continue reading. This one is told in first person from the perspective of an imitation (or clone) called Ven.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #45818e;">CHARACTERS AND PLOT</span></b></div>
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Ven is a strong character. She attempts to adapt to her new environment as quickly as possible. Its challenging. For starters, she's not nearly as shallow and callous as her authentic. She's also unaccustomed to the intimate contact she's expected to carry out with her authentic's boyfriend. Its all a big shock to her system. Though she's been bred to "serve", a small part of her continues to second guess her "calling". She yearns to be her own person, be considered human. Despite these challenges eventually, she somehow manages to settle into her new role.<br />
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Linc Crawford is Raven's bodyguard. In the past, he's never been able to stand her brash personality. So its surprising to him when suddenly he's drawn to her in an odd, uncomfortable way. He has no idea who he's falling for is actually Raven's imitation. Linc is physically strong and a protector by nature. He's the guy that's always around when you need him to be. I really like him. He seemed genuine and honorable. There is no doubt in my mind he would give his life to save Raven or Ven.<br />
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Titus, Raven's dad (sometimes referred to as "the creator") is the villain, the one responsible for creating the clones which he refers to as "products" He is cruel, cold and calculating. I hated the way he treated Ven and the other imitations. He considered them as property, not humans. No doubt, he's a very powerful man and will definitely be difficult to defeat. Somehow he always manages to be at least one step ahead of Raven each time she plots against him. Its evident he's very selfish and only cares about himself. He's also willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to get the end result he wants.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #45818e;">PERSONAL NOTE</span></b></div>
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I'd say in my lifetime it may be scientifically possible to clone another human being. The question is will it come to fruition or will there be some kind of laws forbidding it? Cloning is very controversial and in the novel <b><i>Imitation</i></b>, Hildenbrand creates a world where it takes place covertly. An entire place called "Twig City" is where clones or "imitations" are housed. There they spend days exercising, eating a perfectly balanced diet and patiently awaiting their "time to serve". Each of these clones has been created with the sole purpose of someday being called upon for an assignment to serve their "authentic". Some examples of calls to duty would be replacements if the authentic dies or for harvesting if something happens to the authentic and he/she may need spare parts. (How creepy.) <br />
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This book was surprisingly enjoyable. I did not expect to like it as much as I did. The plot is pretty amazing and I found it difficult to put this one down. Somehow, I became easily vested in the story and I really wanted to know how everything was going to turn out. It has plenty of action and suspense, without any predictability. I'd say this leans towards being a plot driven story more than a character driven one.<br />
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One drawback, the romance in the story involved instalove. It didn't bother me as much as it usually does. The romance is more present in the story than I'd like it to be. The good news is its NOT the entire story and it doesn't overshadow the plot. The ending is a tiny bit of a cliffhanger. It wraps up with a lot of questions unanswered. I'm happy I have the second book loaded on my kindle and ready to go. I'm excited to continue on with this series.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #45818e;">RECOMMENDATION</span></b></div>
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Gina @ My Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01895568426820464572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8410300626280361200.post-18897197793935981602015-01-27T00:00:00.000-08:002015-01-27T00:00:02.266-08:00Book Reviews: Captive<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;">Captive</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">BY AIMEE CARTER</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L0XO2JQ/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00L0XO2JQ&linkCode=as2&tag=mypre0d-20&linkId=OYWDFFKVOBIXNWPX%22%3EAMAZON%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00L0XO2JQ%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20!important;%20margin:0px%20!important;%22%20/%3E">AMAZON</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23336485-captive">GOODREADS</a><br />
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<b>Publisher: </b>Harliquin (December 1, 2014)</div>
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<b>Print Length:</b> 304 Pages</div>
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<b>Format:</b> E-Arc</div>
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<b>Source:</b> Netgalley.com</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> Young Adult, Fantasy</div>
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<b>Series:</b> The Blackcoat Rebellion #2</div>
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<b>Completed:</b> January 2015</div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">SUMMARY</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><u>FROM GOODREADS</u>:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">For the past two months, Kitty Doe's life has been a lie. Forced to impersonate Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, in a hostile meritocracy on the verge of revolution, Kitty sees her frustration grow as her trust in her fake fiancé cracks, her real boyfriend is forbidden and the Blackcoat rebels she is secretly supporting keep her in the dark more than ever.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">But in the midst of discovering that her role in the Hart family may not be as coincidental as she thought, she's accused of treason and is forced to face her greatest fear: Elsewhere. A prison where no one can escape.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">As one shocking revelation leads to the next, Kitty learns the hard way that she can trust no one, not even the people she thought were on her side. With her back against the wall, Kitty wants to believe she'll do whatever it takes to support the rebellion she believes in—but is she prepared to pay the ultimate price?</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">BACKGROUND</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">Aimee Carter started writing fan fiction was she was only eleven years old. She loves dogs. </span><a href="http://thecallawayfam.blogspot.com/2011/04/book-review-goddess-test.html" style="color: #2288bb; display: inline; line-height: 18px; outline-style: none; text-decoration: none;">The Goddess Test</a><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 19px;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"> was her debut novel. Since then she's completed that series and even written a few companion novels. With </span></span><i style="color: #222222; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px;">Pawn, </i><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 19px;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Amy's sophomore series, she moves away from </span></span><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 19px;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">mythology</span></span><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 19px;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"> and begins again with a fresh dystopian series. The second book in The Blackcoat Rebellion series is called <i><b>Captive</b> </i>and is expected to be released some time in 2014 and the third book, <i><b>Queen</b> </i>will be finished in 2015.</span></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">SETTING PACE AND STYLE</span></b></div>
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<b><i>Captive</i></b> is set in a futuristic United States. Presidents are extinct and Prime Ministers rule in their place. America is no longer a democracy, its transitioned into a meritocracy - society where a person's entire life is based upon a score he/she recieves on a test taken at the age of 17 years. The range of scores are 1 to VII. Scoring a III or less means the government deems you unworthy of reproduction and assigns you to a lesser job, pretty much earning you a life of servitude. Scoring IV or higher enables you to a career, the right to marry, start a family and enjoy a life where the government takes great care of you by awarding you a job where you will contribute greatly to society. Pacing in this one is quite rapid, with lots of suspense and tension building throughout the story. Its told in a first person narrative from Kitty Doe (Lila Hart's) viewpoint.<br />
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<b><span style="color: orange;">CHARACTERS</span></b></div>
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The main character Kitty by no means is unintelligent, even though she's not able to read because of her dyslexia. The dyslexia sometimes puts her at the mercy of others since she's unable to read anything for herself. In this installment, Kitty is no slouch. Raised in a challenging environment, when forced to return, immediately falls back into her old ways. Spirited, determined and unflappable, Kitty tries to find the best way to help the Blackcoat Rebellion succeed so she and Benjy can finally live out the life they deserve, together.<br />
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Benjy remains Kitty's rock. He's always there for her and somehow knows the right words to say for every situation. He continues to offer his support throughout the story, providing a shoulder to lean on or the inspiration to continue moving forward. <br />
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Knox is a sketchy character who falls into the "gray area" of good vs evil. I never knew if I should fully trust this guy or not. I'm sure Kitty (Lila) felt the same way. He's great at making one think he's playing for a particular side then turns around and appears to stab people in the back. <br />
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The new characters, Scotia, Hanna and Noelle all play integral parts to the story. Its difficult to discuss them without giving away too much. So I won't elaborate on them here.<br />
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<b><span style="color: orange;">PERSONAL NOTE</span></b></div>
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This book commences right where Pawn ends. Kitty Doe, now masked as Lila, remains living with the Hart's, continuing her facade as the Prime Minister's niece. That is, until she begins to distrust her finance, Knox. As this splinter of doubt grows into a festering wound, Kitty becomes more and more anxious, eventually committing an act of treason. This lands her in a place called Elsewhere, essentially a prison for anyone who is deemed unworthy for the real world. Here is where the story takes off and we are introduced to a new setting and a whole different area of world building.<br />
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<b>Captive</b> is the second book in "The Blackcoat Rebellion" series. Everyone will be pleased to know it doesn't suffer from middle book syndrome at all. This story is completely different from the first. I'd say book one is helpful for developing the plot, world building and setting up the game. Book two moves to a new setting and our heroine faces a different subset of problems to deal with. The author does repeat little tidbits of information, just to refresh the readers memory, which I found very helpful. Not unlike the first story, this one is very unpredictable, with so many twists and turns. I didn't figure anything out ahead of the main character. The author makes it obvious something very secretive is going on with Kitty (Lila), so of course I knew something was amiss, but I never would have come up with what actually ended up transpiring. <br />
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Romance in this installment is done to perfection. The love triangle which I feared may develop in this book fizzled out. The love between Benjy and Kitty (Lila) continues to blossom at the perfect pace. The romance is very innocent and sweet. When it does turn more intense the author handles it in a very delicate non-descript fashion. This book wraps up well. The current problems the heroine faces are resolved. However, the author makes it evident, more issues are brewing and Kitty Doe with not be short on hurdles to overcome in the next installment, <b><i>Queen</i></b>, coming out next year. <br />
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Fans of Aimee Carter should certainly should give this book a try. Readers who thought the first book in The Blackcoat Rebellion Series was good, I guarantee will not be disappointed reading this one. This series suits readers who enjoy fast paced novel, science fiction, suspense, infinite twists and unexpected turns.<br />
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Gina @ My Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01895568426820464572noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8410300626280361200.post-14625821059981769052015-01-20T00:00:00.000-08:002015-01-20T00:00:09.452-08:00Book Reviews: Ticker<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-size: x-large;">Ticker</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">BY LISA MANTCHEV</span><br />
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<b>Publisher:</b> Skyscape (December 4, 2014)</div>
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<b>Print Length:</b> 276 Pages</div>
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<b>Format:</b> E-Arc</div>
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<b>Source:</b> Netgalley</div>
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<b>Genre:</b>Young Adult Fantasy, Steampunk</div>
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<b>Series:</b> Maybe?</div>
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<b>Completed:</b> January 2015</div>
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<b><span style="color: #45818e;">SUMMARY</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">When Penny Farthing nearly dies, brilliant surgeon Calvin Warwick manages to implant a brass “Ticker” in her chest, transforming her into the first of the Augmented. But soon it’s discovered that Warwick killed dozens of people as he strove to perfect another improved Ticker for Penny, and he’s put on trial for mass murder. </span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">On the last day of Warwick’s trial, the Farthings’ factory is bombed, Penny’s parents disappear, and Penny and her brother, Nic, receive a ransom note demanding all of their Augmentation research if they want to see their parents again. Is someone trying to destroy the Farthings...or is the motive more sinister?</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Desperate to reunite their family and rescue their research, Penny and her brother recruit fiery baker Violet Nesselrode, gentleman-about-town Sebastian Stirling, and Marcus Kingsley, a young army general who has his own reasons for wanting to lift the veil between this world and the next. Wagers are placed, friends are lost, romance stages an ambush, and time is running out for the girl with the clockwork heart.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e;"><b>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">When not scribbling, Lisa Mantchev can be found on the beach, up a tree, making jam,or repairing things with her trusty glue gun. Her short fiction has appeared in venues like Clarkesworld, Weird Tales, Fantasy Magazine and Strange Horizons. Her YA fantasy trilogy, The Théâtre Illuminata, was published by Feiwel & Friends and includes the Mythopoeic and Andre Norton Award-nominated EYES LIKE STARS, PERCHANCE TO DREAM and SO SILVER BRIGHT.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Her steampunk novel, TICKER, is now available for preorder at Amazon.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Her picture books, STRICTLY NO ELEPHANTS and SISTER DAY!, will be published by Paula Wiseman Books/S&S in 2016.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #45818e;">SETTING PACE AND STYLE</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm not sure of the setting in this story. It seemed like its in the future in a fairly big city. Pacing was moderate to fast. This was one of those books where there is always something going on, either the main characters were in hot pursuit of the perpetrator or they were involved in a fight scene. The author doesn't leave any time for the reader to feel bored. The narration is done in first person through the voice of the main character, a female, Penelope Farthing. Her voice was confident, with a decent infusion of humor, which helped lighten the mood.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #45818e;">CHARACTERS AND PLOT</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Penelope, the main character is brave and fierce. I did appreciate her no-fear attitude. At times I felt like she was being a little too reckless. She knew her heart was failing, but she made up her mind she wasn't going to be treated like an invalid or handicapped individual. Her spunk and vigor should rally any person with a disability.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Marcus, the young police officer charged with apprehending Calvin Warrick is brave and level headed. Even though he was quite young, he manages his police forces like a veteran. This guy never gives up and he won't stop until he has Warrick behind bars.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Nick, Penny's twin brother is very overprotective. He doesn't want his last sister to die, he's already lost the other two. It was difficult to fault him for this trait. However, he holds a lot of pent up animosity towards his twin, which doesn't bode well for him as the story progresses.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">In the end, part of my problem with this book is it wasn't easy to get close to the characters. I don't know it the author gave enough background information for me to really care as much as I'd like to about their situations and plight.</span></span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #45818e;">PERSONAL NOTE</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">This is a creative and imaginative book, just missing the mark at registering as great. I'd classify it as young adult, steampunk. Penny, the heroine, is a young lady suffering from a congenital heart defect, affecting only the women in her family. The condition claimed the life of her eldest sister and baby sister. It tore the family apart, her mother turns to psychics and her father to alcohol. So, when Penny collapses, close to death, her family options for her to have a mechanical heart implanted to replace her failing one. The surgeon, well renowned, Calvin Warrick, ends up going off the deep end after implanting Penelope's new heart. He's turned into a mad scientist of sorts and begins obsessively augmenting young children and other people without consent, even to the extent of killing them in the name of science. All with the </span></span><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">gandiose</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> hope of improving Penny's heart. The main story revolves around Penelope and the police force trying to catch him and put him behind bars, all the while, full well knowing that Penny's mechanical "ticker" is slowly failing and the only one who can repair it is the mad doctor. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">This is a steampunk novel with an assortment of creative ideas, concepts and gadgets. There were mind controlling spiders whose colors controlled there effectiveness. Plenty of electronic gadgets and communication gear were used, but not readily explained. In addition, many of the weapons were also somewhat high tech, too. I think the entire story would have been taken to a different level if the world building and gadgetry would have been a little more defined.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">For those readers looking for romance, this story didn't exclude it. The developing relationship between Marcus and Penelope was evident, but luckily was kept in the background. It didn't overpower the main story, which is something I always appreciate. Some may deem the relationship instalove because it happened over only a few short days, but since it took the entire book for anything significant to happen, so it just didn't feel like instalove to me.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">The conclusion for this book was solid. I felt like all the loose ends were tied up nicely. I'm nearly certain this is a stand alone novel. But, not unlike most books I've read lately, the author did leave room for more story if she really wants to pursue it later on.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #45818e;">RECOMMENDATION</span></b></div>
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This would be the perfect read for steampunk fans who also are into medical books. If you like non-stop action, again this is a great fit. If you are new to steampunk, this might not be a good place to start since things aren't always throughly explained.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #45818e;">RATING</span></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">3 out of 5 Rings</span></td></tr>
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Gina @ My Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01895568426820464572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8410300626280361200.post-2194453132108141212015-01-13T00:00:00.000-08:002015-01-13T00:00:00.532-08:00Book Reviews: Rose<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #ea9999; font-size: x-large;">Rose</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">BY HOLLY WEB</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E5GMJN6/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00E5GMJN6&linkCode=as2&tag=mypre0d-20&linkId=P4GYNKVZFTO4JQEX">AMAZON</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00E5GMJN6" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18803115-rose">GOODREADS</a><br />
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<b>Publisher:</b> Source Books Jabberwocky (Sept 3, 2013)</div>
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<b>Print Length:</b> 240 pages</div>
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<b>Format:</b> E-Arc</div>
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<b>Source:</b> Amazon.com</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> Middle Grade</div>
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<b>Series:</b> Yes, Book #1</div>
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<b>Completed:</b> November 2014</div>
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<b><span style="color: #ea9999;">SUMMARY</span></b></div>
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<u>FROM GOODREADS</u>:<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">The grand residence of the famous alchemist, Mr Fountain, is a world away from the dark orphanage Rose has left behind. For the house is positively overflowing with sparkling magic—she can feel it. And it’s not long before Rose realises that maybe, just maybe, she has a little bit of magic in her, too. . . .</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">The first book in an exciting, get-lost-in-the-world series about orphans, alchemy, magical powers and sinister child-catchers.</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #ea9999;"><b>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</b></span></div>
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<u>FROM GOODREADS:</u><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Holly Webb is the author of <b><i>Dog Magic, Cat Magic, and Lost in the Snow</i></b>. She has always loved animals and owns two very spoiled cats. They haven't said a word to her yet, but she's always listening, just in case! She lives in England.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #ea9999;">SETTING PACE AND STYLE</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;">This story is set in 19th Century England, taking place primarily in a mansion and the surrounding town. I found the pacing to be steady, with plenty of antics, happenings and discoveries, especially revolving around magic. The mood is pretty light hearted, until the last 15% of the book, where it becomes a bit dark and scary. Writing is easy to read, with a fun to follow plot involving magic and kidnapping. Its told in a third person narrative, through the eyes of our young heroine, Rose.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #ea9999;">THE CHARACTERS </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">The characters in this story are all well written. Rose, an orphan girl, is brave thoughtful and obedient. A cautious youngster, mindful not to hurt other people's feelings. She's also an animal lover, which I really relate to. It was nice how she shows kindness to a house cat, despite others distaste for the animal. I found enjoyment watching her puzzling through problems with remarkable reasoning skills. Her developing magic is unique and powerful, definitely foreshadowing what's to come for this special young orphan in future installments.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Freddie, Mr Fountain's apprentice, is haughty and jealous in the beginning. I found him somewhat snooty and a bit of a braggart. However, as the story progresses and he and Rose become allies, I was happy to see he drops his air's and becomes a regular nice guy. This turned around my initial impressions of the boy.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Isabella, the seven year old daughter of Mr Fountain is a spoiled rotten little brat who always gets what she wants. She's extreme manipulative and has managed to get more than one of his father's servant staff fired. I really didn't like her much in the beginning. It was nice to see her turn it around, by the end of the story, she had earned my respect. I'd say she's one tough "lil cookie".</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Gustavos, the talking house cat is my favorite character in the story. Even though he generally spends his days with the children, its evident he is a very mature cat. He is very protective and his magic is much more powerful than he initially lets on to. The humorours dialect of this furry creature is what really makes his character. Gustavos LOVES food and will generally be persuaded to help with anything as long as the payment comes in the edible variety.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #ea9999;">PERSONAL NOTE</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Overall I found this story entertaining. Some element of story always managed to capture and hold my attention. I adored Rose, the way she used her magic for good and not evil. Written for youngsters, this book is absent of romance or even puppy love. The plot ended up being predictable, but that didn't spoil the story by ANY means.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> I knew ahead of the characters who was behind the kidnappings. However, I never did figure out why. When revealed, I admit I NEVER would have guessed.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;">The ending was shocking. The majority of the story was lighthearted and cute, but the ending surpisingly is somewhat gory. It potentially could be quite scary for younger audiences. The book wrapped up to perfection. I definitely feel this one could be read as a standalone. The author did make it evident the series would continue and readers would get to see a lot more of Rose in the future. I'm looking forward to continuing this cute little series.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #ea9999;">RECOMMENDATION</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I strongly recommend this book to both guys and gals, alike. Even though the main character is a female, there are plenty of likable boy characters in the story for the boys to gravitate to. Readers who enjoy magic and mystery will want to read this book. This is one of those middle grade stories which youngsters and adults can find interesting because the writing is elegant enough it will capture most anyone's attention.</span></span><br />
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Gina @ My Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01895568426820464572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8410300626280361200.post-56081621672976007932015-01-06T00:00:00.000-08:002015-01-06T00:00:11.418-08:00Book Reviews: A Darker Shade of Magic - Sneak Peak<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">A Darker Shade of Magic</span><br />
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<b>Publisher:</b> Tor Books (February 24, 2014)</div>
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<b>Print Length:</b> 400 pages</div>
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<b>Format:</b> E-Arc</div>
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<b>Source:</b> Netgalley.com</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> Fantasy, YA</div>
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<b>Series:</b> Yes, Book #1</div>
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<b>Completed:</b> January 2015</div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">SUMMARY</span></b></div>
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<u>From Goodreads: </u><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText13766076218796864707" style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">From V.E. Schwab, the critically acclaimed author of <b><i>Vicious</i></b>, comes a new universe of daring adventure, thrilling power, and parallel Londons, beginning with <i><b>A Darker Shade of Magic</b></i>.<br /><br />Kell is one of the last Travelers—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel universes—as such, he can choose where he lands.<br /><br />There’s Grey London, dirty and boring, without any magic, ruled by a mad King George. Then there’s Red London, where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire. White London, ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne—a place where people fight to control magic, and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. And once upon a time, there was Black London...but no one speaks of that now.<br /><br />Officially, Kell is the Red Traveler, personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between the royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they’ll never see—a dangerous hobby, and one that has set him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations, who first robs him, then saves him from a dangerous enemy, and then forces him to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.<br /><br />But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, Kell and Lila will first need to stay alive—and that is proving trickier than they hoped.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"> </span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">SETTING PACE AND STYLE</span></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The setting is primarily in London and its parallel worlds. Pacing was fast, lots is going on and there is a decent amount of explaining which needs to take place to keep the reader up to speed with how the time travel and parallel worlds work. Writing style was easy to read, but detailed and complicated. Its told in a third person narrative from multiple character perspectives.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">CHARACTERS AND PLOT</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">The characters were just beginning to come into there own light as the sample came to a close. I enjoyed the main character Kell probably the most. He's a deep character, not really a true human being, he's a part of a different dying race. For starters, he has two different color eyes, His ablity to wield magic and time travel makes him desirable. The King and Queen of London, adopted him as a child, mainly because of his value. Luckily, they consider him their son and treat him well. Not all characters in the book have the ability to time travel or </span></span><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">wield </span></span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">magic. Lila is a character who narrated just a few chapters. From what little I learned, I think she's a character I will be drawn to in the full version. I admire her strength and perseverance. She's a survivor. To do this she spends a lot of time dressing as a man to protect herself. One of the developing villains is quite </span></span></span><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">eerie, she drinks blood and is so pale her skin is almost transparent. Creepy!</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">PERSONAL NOTE</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0525423648" height="1" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">When I originally requested this from Netgalley.com, I didn't realize it wasn't the full book. So, I went into this one slightly bummed out that I'd be writing a review and giving feedback on just a 150 page sample. From what I gathered this is a strange, unique and creative story, with complex world building. It takes place in the past, with occasional travel to parallel worlds. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is a great sample. It really made me yearn to read the full book. The story just was getting rolling when the sample concluded. I'm left with so many burning questions. It was worse than a cliffhanger ending. Now I'm dying to get ahold of the full version of the story. What a great start to a new series by V.E. Schwab!</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">RECOMMENDATION</span></b></div>
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I'd recommend this to high fantasy readers. I can tell this one is going to have a complex plot and layered world building. Also, fans of Schwab will appreciate this story. This book certainly has something for both guys and gals.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">5 out of 5 Rings</span></td></tr>
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Gina @ My Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01895568426820464572noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8410300626280361200.post-1348178123333280072014-12-23T00:00:00.000-08:002014-12-31T11:38:17.688-08:00Book Reviews: The Paper Magician<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">The Paper Magician</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">BY CHARLIE N. HOLMBERG</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HVF7OL0/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00HVF7OL0&linkCode=as2&tag=mypre0d-20&linkId=J2QDZXFMFLS5BAXI">AMAZON</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00HVF7OL0" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22521286-the-paper-magician">GOODREADS</a><br />
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<b>Publisher: </b>47North (September 1, 2014)</div>
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<b>Print Length:</b> 226 pages</div>
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<b>Format:</b> E-book</div>
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<b>Source:</b> Netgalley.com</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> Fantasy</div>
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<b>Series:</b> Book #1 of The Paper Magician Trilogy</div>
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<b>Completed:</b> November 2014</div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">SUMMARY</span></b></div>
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From Goodreads: <span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ceony Twill arrives at the cottage of Magician Emery Thane with a broken heart. Having graduated at the top of her class from the Tagis Praff School for the Magically Inclined, Ceony is assigned an apprenticeship in paper magic despite her dreams of bespelling metal. And once she’s bonded to paper, that will be her only magic…forever.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Yet the spells Ceony learns under the strange yet kind Thane turn out to be more marvelous than she could have ever imagined—animating paper creatures, bringing stories to life via ghostly images, even reading fortunes. But as she discovers these wonders, Ceony also learns of the extraordinary dangers of forbidden magic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">An Excisioner—a practitioner of dark, flesh magic—invades the cottage and rips Thane’s heart from his chest. To save her teacher’s life, Ceony must face the evil magician and embark on an unbelievable adventure that will take her into the chambers of Thane’s still-beating heart—and reveal the very soul of the man.</span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><b>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">From Goodreads: Born in Salt Lake City, Charlie was raised a Trekkie alongside three sisters who also have boy names. In addition to writing fantasy novels, she is also a freelance editor. She graduated from BYU, plays the ukulele, owns too many pairs of glasses, and hopes to one day own a dog. She currently lives with her family in Utah.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">SETTING PACE AND STYLE</span></b></div>
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Pacing is quite slow at the start. I encourage readers to stick with it though and you're soon to find out paper magic is also about using your intelligence to figure out how this magic can be used against an enemy. Plus about one third of the way through the story really picked up. Believe it or not, MOST of the book is set INSIDE someone's heart. (Ok that's the part that reminded me of The Fantastic Voyage, as mentioned above). Writing is descriptive, fairly easy to follow. Occasionally, the diction is strange when the author choses words like "albeit" and "wont". I guess this was supposed to be reminiscent of the times (the early 18th century I believe) but it was still a little weird. This one is told in a third person narrative from the perspective of the Paper Magician apprentice in training: Ceony Twill.<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">CHARACTERS AND PLOT</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ceony is a very charismatic, perceptive and intelligent character. She's also very adept at reading people, their thoughts and feelings, just by looking at expressions and body language. In the beginning she's a little judgmental, but she even calls herself out on it. Ceony is a quick learner, she graduated from her university in just one year, with a photographic memory, she has a strong desire to learn. Plus, she's a pleaser, she wants to succeed and have people be proud of her. I liked Ceony, she seemed genuine and caring.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mg. Thane (Emery) is the Paper Magician Ceony is sent to train under. He's depicted as a senile old bat at the start of the book. As the story unfolds, the reader finds this isn't the case at all. In fact he's far younger than he originally seems, which ends up being a lot closer to Ceony's age than I initially thought. Many magicians treat apprentices poorly. Luckily for Ceony, right from the get go, even though Mg. Emery Thane was stern he seemed warm and inviting, especially after he made Ceony an animated paper dog (since she couldn't bring her own dog because of his allergies). This was such a kind gesture, it really won my heart.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The villainess in this story is a woman called Lira. She's dabbles in black magic, which is called being an "Excisioner" in this book. It doesn't take long before readers understand the type of magic this involves and what true evil Lira and other Excisioners are capable of. I will say one thing, Lira feels as if she's a woman scorned. She's motivated by a vendetta, manipulative and conniving. I didn't find any redeeming qualities in this woman. She was evil to the core.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">PERSONAL NOTE</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I remember trying to read a book by Isaac Asimov called <i><b>The Fantastic Voyage</b></i> when I was a youngster. I never was able to complete it. This story reminded me every so slightly of that book. You'll see why, a little later in this review. For starters Ceony Twill has aspirations of being a magician. There are many different types of magicians in this fantasy world, some more exciting than others. Unfortunately, when Ceony graduates she is assigned to apprentice as a Paper Magician. Believe you me, paper magic and folding paper as a career choice sounded as boring to me as it did to the main character. It made me fearful I was going to dislike this book as much as Ceony didn't want to be a paper magician. Thankfully, I was wrong. This is the strangest book I've read in a very long time. Its very different and quite unique. Paper magic is all about folding paper and the main character, Ceony and readers alike, both find it boring in the beginning. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">As the story progresses, we see just how powerful, folding paper can end up being.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Overall, this is a unique, crafty and creative story with quite an imaginative plot. The different types of magicians are exciting to read about. I've never heard of Excisioners before, which I'm sure isn't unusual. When I did find out about them, I deemed them extremely creepy. Paper magicians, with their ability to create spells from folds in paper end up being plenty more exciting then I would have ever thought. Ceony learns some simple but powerful paper folding spells. What I really liked though, was how she had to use her imagination to develop weapons to fight with. They definitely weren't conventional fighting tools, but they worked wonders, none-the-less.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Clearly, one of my favorite additions to the story was the little paper dog, Fennel. He definitely lightened the mood with his adorable antics as the plot moved forward. Switching to the romance piece, this book has a strange take on how it mixes romance into the plot. Its totally crazy how Ceony ends up falling in love by actually being present inside </span>each of<span style="font-family: inherit;"> the four chambers of Emery's heart. The integration of Emery's flashbacks, dreams, aspirations, hopes and fears throughout the book was done in the most creative way possible. This book holds plenty of tension, action and suspense. In the end, there is a great battle scene and may the best magician win. Even though this is book one of a series, it definitely could be read as a stand alone. The ending is complete and satisfied me. I'm looking forward to reading more books in this series.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">RECOMMENDATION</span></b></div>
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I recommend this book to fantasy readers looking for something completely different and unique. There is small bits of blood and violence in this one, but no foul language or cuss words. In the mood for a story that's premise will "blow" you away, literally, this is the book to pick up and start reading.<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">RATING</span></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">4 out of 5 Rings</span></td></tr>
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Gina @ My Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01895568426820464572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8410300626280361200.post-90707409937540135722014-12-16T00:00:00.000-08:002014-12-16T00:00:10.383-08:00Book Reviews: Antebellum Awakening<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #bf9000; font-size: x-large;">Antebellum Awakening</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">BY KATIE CROSS</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O972EF4/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00O972EF4&linkCode=as2&tag=mypre0d-20&linkId=74R76DILQC6UXLIQ">AMAZON</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00O972EF4" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22882069-antebellum-awakening">GOODREADS</a><br />
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<b>Publisher:</b> Antebellum Publishing (October 15, 2014)</div>
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<b>Print Length:</b> 300 pages</div>
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<b>Format:</b> Kindle</div>
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<b>Source:</b> The Author</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> YA, Fantasy</div>
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<b>Series:</b> Book #2 - The Network Series</div>
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<b>Completed:</b> December 2014</div>
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<b><span style="color: #bf9000;">SUMMARY</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>From Goodreads</u>:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Never underestimate the power of a volatile witch.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Still reeling in the wake of her mother’s death, sixteen-year-old Bianca Monroe is forced to move to Chatham Castle. Not even the sudden appearance of ancient dragons in haunted Letum Wood nor her two best friends can distract her from the strength of her deep, dark rage.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Her grief puts her magical powers into chaos, endangering any witch around her. She has six months left to destroy the curse that will kill her and fulfill her contract with the most cunning enemy of all: her former teacher Miss Mabel. </span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Bianca must make a choice: learn to control her restless powers, or let the powers control her.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Antebellum Awakening is the second book in the thrilling new fantasy collection The Network Series. It’s a haunting tale about tragedy, loss, and the power of moving on</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;"><b>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>From Goodreads</u>:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">My world revolves around my husband (who is a major hottie), my Vizsla’s, and the mountains.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">I wear hiking boots instead of heels when I need to feel powerful, and on a bad day, I love a weightlifting workout. Actually, I love it on a good day.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">I don’t eat bread because my thyroid doesn’t like it, although there are days I miss it. Especially ciabatta. Sweet potatoes are kind of my thing. Cookies too.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">I write because I never stopped.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><a href="http://thecallawayfam.blogspot.com/2014/05/book-reviews-miss-mabels-school-for.html">Miss Mabel's School for Girls</a> is my first novel and Antebellum Awakening continues the series.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #bf9000;">SETTING PACE AND STYLE</span></b></div>
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<b><i>Antebellum Awakening</i></b>, no longer takes place at a boarding school. Instead, the story moves to a castle setting. Pacing is slow to moderate, moving at the perfect story telling pace, where the reader can take the time to absorb everything going on. The writing is easy to read, with a touch of ever present tension building (a ticking time bomb) as the novel moves forward in time. Its told in a first person narrative from the perspective of the female lead, Bianca.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #bf9000;">MAIN CHARACTERS</span></b></div>
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A few new characters are introduced in this book. One of the more notable characters is Merrick. He's the young man assigned to train Bianca to physically fight. If Bianca can defend herself physically and with magic it will strengthen her chances of defeating the villainous Miss Mabel.<br />
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Bianca, sadly, is still faced with her inheritance curse, yet she's granted a one year reprieve by the evil villainess Miss Mabel. Bianca's main struggle in this book is dealing with the loss of her mother. Along with this overflowing grief, she's also challenged with keeping her ever growing powers in check. I felt pretty badly for Bianca and her situation. She blamed herself for her mother's death and her sorrow was palatable. I admired her aspiration and drive to both avenger her mother's death and kill Miss Mabel. In the end I'm totally happy with the decisions she makes. I think I wouldn't have liked the story as much if she had chosen differently.<br />
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Bianca's besties from book one, Michelle, Leta and Camille still play large rolls in the story. They are allowed to continue "home" schooling at Bianca's father's castle so they can help boost Bianca's spirits. The girls end up gallivanting about the castle, raising a ruckus here and there to help lighten the generally dark mood. Its fun to see these friendships grow in this installment. The three girls also made plenty of progress as characters as each refined their strengths and gained better control of their weaknesses.<br />
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Believe it or not Miss Mabel becomes even more callous in this book. She's very cold and calculating and will stop at nothing, letting nothing stand in her way of the goals she has set forth to achieve - to RULE the networks!<br />
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<b><span style="color: #bf9000;">PERSONAL NOTE</span></b></div>
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The first book in this series, <a href="http://thecallawayfam.blogspot.com/2014/05/book-reviews-miss-mabels-school-for.html" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;">Miss Mabel's School for Girls</a> is an action packed story about a young witch, Bianca, who is attending an all girls boarding school. What's unusual about this young gal, other than the witch piece, is she is plagued with an inheritance curse. One which will kill her on her 16th birthday unless she is able to break it beforehand. In this second book, the feel of the story is completely different. <i><b>Antebellum Awakening</b></i> is more about a broken girl, trying to heal. Its about learning to let go of the grief, without forgetting the person you lost. Anyone who has lost someone close, will definitely understand what poor Bianca is going through.<br />
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My favorite aspect of this particular novel is how Bianca progressed through the grieving process, learning how heal her broken heart all on her own. Dealing with grief is very much individualized and I like how the author let Bianca solve the problem, herself. Throughout the book, she constantly battled with her roiling powers and the way she was able to finally get them under control in the end was empowering. The character and plot development, in this story, became deeper and more complex. The politics and world building were advanced significantly, too. In the end, the book settled at a decent resting place. It doesn't have quite the cliffhanger as book one did. However, its pretty obvious this story is far from over. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. I can't wait to see what will happen next.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #bf9000;">RECOMMENDATION</span></b></div>
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I recommend this book to fans of Miss Mabel's. This is a great book for advancing the story. It doesn't rehash, instead, it only gives subtle hints about what happened before to jar the reader's memory. <br />
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<b><span style="color: #bf9000;">RATING</span></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">4 out of 5 Rings</span></td></tr>
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Gina @ My Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01895568426820464572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8410300626280361200.post-42152426884932315232014-12-08T14:41:00.000-08:002014-12-08T14:41:26.196-08:00Book Reviews: The Thirteenth Tower<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #bf9000; font-size: x-large;">The Thirteenth Tower</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">BY SARA C. SNIDER</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J2XETS0/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00J2XETS0&linkCode=as2&tag=mypre0d-20&linkId=6CQ5SUKCIYHXJ57Y">AMAZON</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00J2XETS0" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23005253-the-thirteenth-tower?from_search=true">GOODREADS</a><br />
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<b>Publisher: </b>Double Beast Publishing (March 2014)</div>
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<b>Print Length:</b></div>
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<b>Format:</b> E-Arc</div>
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<b>Source:</b> Netgalley</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> Fantasy</div>
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<b>Series: </b>Yes, Book #1 (Tree and Tower)</div>
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<b>Completed:</b> November 2014</div>
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<b><span style="color: #bf9000;">SUMMARY</span></b></div>
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<b>From Goodreads:</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Abandoned as a baby, young Emelyn’s life as a housemaid in the quiet village of Fallow is unremarkable—and empty. That is, until a host of magical creatures arrives and inflicts terrible misdeeds on the townsfolk. Inexplicably immune to their enchantments, Emelyn joins a pair of Magi intent on stopping the cause of the trouble—and who claim to know of her parents, promising Emelyn answers to a lifetime of questions. </span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">But the answers Emelyn seeks prove to be more elusive than she hoped, and the world outside Fallow more perilous than she imagined. Magical creatures roam the land over, attacking yet another town before coming after Emelyn. The key to her survival—and finding her family—lies deep within her, if only she can conquer her doubts and believe she is more powerful than she ever dreamed. </span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">In a journey that explores facing one’s fears amidst the uncertainties of an unknown world, </span><em style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">The Thirteenth Tower</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"> is a magical tale of discovery, growth, and of love’s enduring strength. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;"><b>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;"><b>From Goodreads:</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">Sara C. Snider was born and raised in northern California, but now lives in Sweden with her partner and two beastly cats. She has a bachelor’s degree in Archives and Information Science that is currently sitting on a shelf, collecting dust, as she pursues her literary dreams. </span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">When not reading or writing, Sara enjoys wandering in the woods, playing computer games, and eating dumplings as often as possible. She loves all things faerie, and has grown to accept she will always be covered in cat hair.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #bf9000;">SETTING PACE AND STYLE</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>The Thirteenth Tower</i></b> is initially set in a magical world in a town called Fallow, then migrates to other cities and towns as the story moves forward. Unfortunately, pacing is quite slow. Its quick out of the gate, but eventually slows to an amble. Then, towards the end it picks up to a brisk gallop again. Writing style is formal, with advanced vocabulary. Conversational language followed that of the time period, which was set in the distant past. It almost read somewhat like a fairytale. This one is told in a third person narrative, primarily from Emelyn's viewpoint, but at times it does switch to the perspective of other prominent characters.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #bf9000;">CHARACTERS AND PLOT</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Characters are well thought out and interesting. Some were difficult to connect with while others were fun and spirited.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">Emelyn, the main character in this story was quite naive, I can't blame her since she'd lead a very sheltered life working as a servant. This character trait lead her many times into making poor decisions. I did appreciate that she cared about others and especially that she had a soft spot for animals. I know this girl held compassion, if she didn't I don't think the story would have concluded as it did.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">Corren, Emelyn's friend, was a shallow character, difficult to really get to know. He didn't make a lot of sense and at times seemed reserved and very strange. In the end, when all is revealed his character makes plenty more sense. As the story unfolds, he comes off as pretty weird. I'm glad he's rectified in the end.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">Cobbe, the wildkin, was probably my favorite character. I enjoyed her because she spoke her mind. She was very strong willed and confident. I liked how she backed up whatever she boasted about. When she put her mind to something she wouldn't let anything get in her way of achieving her goal. She was one heck of a great cook and kept a watchful eye out for Emelyn, even though she really didn't want to.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">Aldren, one of the lower class magistors was the only guy in the "red robes" group I liked. He was dealing with some pretty bad baggage. I liked how he yearned to do things differently this time around. It was important to me that he cared about Emelyn. None of the other magistors did. He seemed to take the time to get to know her, this is especially evident when he tried to teach her the ways of the Art. I didn't like how he had to keep so closed lipped on certain subjects.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #bf9000;">PERSONAL NOTE</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Emelyn is an orphan who knows nothing about her family. Abandoned at the doorstep of a wealthy family and taken in as a house servant, she's always been curious about her roots. Secretly, she dreams of much more for herself than a life of servitude. When a festival comes to her small hometown of Fallow, the entire town falls under a malicious spell. Everyone in the town seems to be adversely affected, except Emelyn. When a group of magisters (red robes - magicians) come to her aid, they promise information about her parents if she follows them back to their tower. Emelyn is skeptical and doubts their intentions are altruistic, especially since a young man, Corren, who also wants to help her is adamant red robes are pure evil. What follows is a quest for not only to a destination, but also for answers to all of Emelyn's burning questions about her family and her manifesting powers. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Despite the slow pacing, oddly enough I never found the story dull or boring. It kept me entertained. The main problem stems from lack of action. I'd give this high marks for creativity and craftiness, with its abundance of unique creatures I'd never read about before. My favorite creatures were the Wildkins, who sort of reminded me of hobbits in a strange sort of way. Mainly because they were short in stature. The forest creatures, another type of creature, were elusive and were creatures I'd like to learn more about in subsequent installments of the series. Magic, in this book is referred to as "The Art". Different cultures wield it in their own ways. The plot </span></span><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">seemed</span></span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"> fairly complex, this was more of a plot driven book than a character driven one. Part of my enjoyment was the complexity of the book. Even though most of the unexpected twists were somewhat predictable to me, I wasn't able to guess them all. The way the title was integrated into the plot fit nicely and was very powerful. I believe this book could be read as a stand alone novel, but I have a feeling this one is going to be part of a bigger series. The author ended the story in a good place. I just felt she left it open for more story to tell about what Evelyn will chose to do next. </span></span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #bf9000;">RECOMMENDATION</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I would recommend this book to patient fantasy lovers, those who don't mind a slow moving, but interesting story. It reads like a fairytale. The language is also formal and sort of dated or maybe could be considered mature. The conversations were definitely very formal, too. I would say young people who get easily bothered by blood should not read this one as some of the scenes are fairly violent.</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #bf9000;">RATING</span></b></div>
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Gina @ My Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01895568426820464572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8410300626280361200.post-488251078218067072014-12-02T00:00:00.000-08:002014-12-02T00:00:13.890-08:00Book Reviews: Etiquette & Espionage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: magenta; font-size: x-large;">Etiquette & Espionage</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">BY GAIL CARRINGER</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007ZGKMXM/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B007ZGKMXM&linkCode=as2&tag=mypre0d-20&linkId=J3YDYL3XNBMS72MS">AMAZON</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B007ZGKMXM" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12813649-etiquette-espionage">GOODREADS</a><br />
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<b>Publisher:</b> Little Brown Books for Young Readers (2/5/2013)</div>
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<b>Print Length:</b> 320 pages</div>
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<b>Format:</b> E-Arc</div>
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<b>Source:</b> Netgalle.com</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> Fantasy, Steampunk</div>
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<b>Series:</b> Yes, Book 1</div>
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<b>Completed:</b> November 2014</div>
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<b><span style="color: magenta;">SUMMARY</span></b></div>
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FROM GOODREADS:<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="elementTwo" id="freeText11119513429636302087" style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><em><b>It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to Finishing School.</b></em><br /><br />Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners--and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.<br /><br />But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but the also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage--in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"> </span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: magenta;">BACKGROUND</span></b></div>
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FROM GOODREADS:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ms. Carriger writes steampunk urbane fantasy comedies of manners to cope with being raised in obscurity by an expatriate Brit and an incurable curmudgeon. She escaped small town life and inadvertently acquired several degrees in Higher Learning. She then traveled the historic cities of Europe, subsisting entirely on biscuits secreted in her handbag. She now resides in the Colonies, surrounded by a harem of shoes, where she insists on tea imported directly from London and cats that pee into toilets. Her books are all New York Times Bestsellers.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: magenta;">SETTING PACE AND STYLE</span></b></div>
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I knew right away this book was going to agree with me when I discovered it is set at a boarding school, one that actually floats in the air, suspended by air balloons. Writing is absolutely fun! The young women in the story are conniving, illustrious and even interested in furthering their education. Its an extremely fast paced story, with some crazy scheme always going down. Told in a third person narrative through the eyes of our bold narrator, Sophronia, an captivating story unfolds.<br />
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<span style="color: magenta;"><b>CHARACTERS</b></span></div>
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Sophronia and I hit it off right from the start. She's the youngest of a family full of girls. Her mother can't seem to convince her to act like a lady and she's always in some form of trouble. I loved her personality, her big heart and especially the way her mind works. She's a talented problem solver and is always able to come up with solutions to complex situations at the drop of a hat. Sophronia also is warm and welcomes any type of friend.<br />
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Dimity is far more of a "girly girl". She's a great contrast to Sophronia's rambunctiousness and boyish antics. I laughed over how easily she passes out at the sight of blood. It was also nice to see she was also a very welcoming girl. She and Sophronia became quick and fast friends. They each had each other's backs.<br />
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Soap, one of the sooties, ( a group of boys working in the boiler room of the boarding school "ship") shockingly was an African American boy. I adored his humbleness and his gentlemen-like ways. He always treated Sophronia and her friend kindly and was very genuine about it.<br />
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Monique, an older student forced to repeat her classes a second time because of failure to "finish" ends up being the villainous character and Sophronia's arch-nemesis. They play some pretty fierce mind games. Her character revealed a bit of forshadowing about what's to come in the next school years for our young heroines.<br />
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<b><span style="color: magenta;">PERSONAL NOTE</span></b></div>
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I've been looking forward to starting this series ever since a fellow blogger friend, Aylee at the <a href="http://recoveringpotteraddict.blogspot.com/">Recovering Potter Addict</a>, put up her <a href="http://recoveringpotteraddict.blogspot.ca/2013/02/review-etiquette-espionage-finishing.html">review</a> on the first book. So, when Netgalley.com made the first installment a "Read Now" book, of course I couldn't resist the generous offer. This is a fantastic kickoff to a humorous, light, adventure filled historical fiction/steampunk type series. Its very unique in many of its cutting edge concepts. For starters, this book is about an all girls boarding school, a finishing academy to be more precise. Its not just your run of the mill finishing school, this one is markedly different. The girls at this school not only learn to be ladies, but they also learn to be nefarious! When the main character Sophronia gets banished to the boarding school for punishment, she's totally taken aback by the situation she finds herself in. This book is about all of the crazy schemes, adventures and mysteries Sophronia and her newly made friends partake. <br />
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What I adored was all the quirkiness and inventivness. This book blends: historical fiction, humor, steampunk and fantasy into one entertaining story. The mechanicals were some of my favorite additions to the story. Sophronia's pet dog, Bumbersnoot was quite the character. The writing though whimsical and fun did seem more middle grade than young adult, which I appreciated but others may not. The romance in this story for me was barley brushed on, which was perfect for me. This book kept me entertained from start to finish. The ending was entirely complete, no cliffhangers or any crazy stuff like that. It totally could be read as a standalone. I don't know how anyone would want to stop with book one and not desire to read the entire series. What an adorable book!<br />
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<b><span style="color: magenta;">RECOMMENDATION</span></b></div>
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I strongly recommend this book to readers searching for humor and something different. Those who like boarding school stories will especially enjoy this because of its inventive take on the way the school is run. Fans of steampunk, adventure and girl power will not be disappointed with this story.<br />
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<b><span style="color: magenta;">RATING</span></b></div>
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Gina @ My Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01895568426820464572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8410300626280361200.post-36742002456259539532014-11-25T00:00:00.000-08:002014-11-25T00:00:09.767-08:00Book Reviews: Crown of Midnight<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: x-large;">CROWN OF MIDNIGHT</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">BY SARAH J. MAAS</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CU7YHQY/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00CU7YHQY&linkCode=as2&tag=mypre0d-20&linkId=DUVUQXIWO5YWT2KH">AMAZON</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00CU7YHQY" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17167166-crown-of-midnight?from_search=true">GOODREADS</a><br />
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<b>Publisher: </b> Bloomsbury USA Childrens (8/27/13)<br />
Print Length: 420 pages</div>
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<b>Format:</b> E-Arc</div>
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<b>Source:</b> Netgalley.com</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> Fantasy</div>
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<b>Series:</b> Yes, Throne of Glass #2</div>
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<b>Completed:</b> July 2014<br />
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<a href="http://thecallawayfam.blogspot.com/2014/03/book-reviews-throne-of-glass.html">Review of Throne of Glass (#1)</a><br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">SUMMARY</span></b></div>
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<u>FROM GOODREADS: </u><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">"A line that should never be crossed is about to be breached.<br /><br />It puts this entire castle in jeopardy—and the life of your friend."</strong><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie...and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for.</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">BACKGROUND</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sarah J. Maas lives in Southern California, and over the years, she has developed an unhealthy appreciation for Disney movies and bad pop music. She adores fairy tales and ballet, drinks too much coffee, and watches absolutely rubbish TV shows. When she's not busy writing YA fantasy novels, she can be found exploring the California coastline.</span></span><br />
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This is the second book in Sarah J. Maas's <b><i>Throne of Glass</i></b> Series. I'm not certain how many books are planned. <br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">SETTING PACE AND STYLE</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Set in the same world as Throne of Glass, this is a very fast paced read with plenty of mystery and intrigue. Not unlike book one, this one is told in a third person narrative, generally from Celaena's perspective. It does however explore plenty of other perspectives, too. I think that's what makes it so good, getting inside everyone's ticker! Writing in this one is beautiful, descriptive in a perfectly done fashion and complex!</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">CHARACTER SPOTLIGHT</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Celaena remains strong-spirited and powerful in this book. She is the right hand to the King, despite not believing in his cause. Don't fret, like usual, she still has quite a few tricks up her sleeve. Dorian, the king's son is still ever present in this story, even though he and Celaena's romance has been doused. Dorian learns a great deal about himself in this novel, gleaning much needed introspective knowledge and insight. Its evident that he will play a much bigger role in future installments. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">All of the old characters, with the exception of those who perished in the last novel are still present. Nehemia, Celaena's best friend continues playing an integral role in the story.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> She's been and will always be one of my favorite characters. I love how she's always able to inspire and motivate Celaena like no other person can.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">PERSONAL NOTE</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">This is an amazing second book in this incredibly fascinating series. It definitely didn't suffer from middle book syndrome as the plot now heads in a completely different direction than the first book. The story continues with our main heroine Celaena Sardothian. She is no longer trying to win her freedom. Instead, she's now known as the King's assassin and is carrying out his evil deeds as he requests. Which of course makes for a great story, because we all know Celaena's opinion of the king.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Don't fear, there is still some steamy romance present between these pages. This time its between Chaol and Celaena. This is a special romance, not a single shred of instalove present as it takes the whole first book and half of the second for their intimate relationship to begin. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">In retrospect, my favorite aspects of this book were the continuing mystery of the wyrd marks, the action, the ancient history of the characters, the magic and of course the incredible twist revealed at the end. A complex political battle brews. Its going to be incredibly awesome to finally uncover who will prevail. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The ending of this book opens up a whole different subset of possibilities for Celaena, continuing her story, again, in a completely different setting. I can't wait to see how she handles her new situation. I'm so happy I have the next book ready to read. This is SUCH a remarkable series!!!</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">RECOMMENDATION</span></b></div>
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<img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0525423648" height="1" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div>
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<img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0035RPFE6" height="1" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I strongly recommend this book to fans of book one as I truly think <b><i>Crown of Midnight</i></b> is an even BETTER novel than the first one and I know that's hard to believe.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">RATING</span></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">5 out of 5 Rings</span></td></tr>
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Gina @ My Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01895568426820464572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8410300626280361200.post-8181134017190517492014-11-20T00:00:00.000-08:002014-11-20T00:00:13.780-08:00Book Reviews: FireBrand<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-size: x-large;">FireBrand</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">BY GILLIAN PHILLIP</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AEC9JI8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00AEC9JI8&linkCode=as2&tag=mypre0d-20">AMAZON</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00AEC9JI8" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8433024-firebrand">GOODREADS</a><br />
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<b>Publisher:</b> Tor Books (February 19, 2013)</div>
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<b>Print Length:</b> 368 pages</div>
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<b>Format:</b> Hardover</div>
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<b>Source:</b> Gift from Blogger Friend Small Review</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> Science Fiction</div>
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<b>Series:</b> Yes, Book #1</div>
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<b>Completed:</b> January 2014</div>
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000;">SUMMARY</span></b></div>
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<u>FROM GOODREADS:</u><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's the last decade of the 16th century: a time of religious wars and witch-hunts in the full-mortal world. The Sidhe are at peace until their queen determines to destroy the protecting veil. But exiled brothers Seth and Conal have vowed that they will survive and return to reclaim their fortress and save the veil.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000;"><b>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</b></span></div>
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<u>FROM GOODREADS</u>:<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">Gillian Philip is the author of more than 20 books for adults, young adults and children, including the Rebel Angels series (Firebrand, Bloodstone, Wolfsbane and Icefall). Her debut novel, the dystopian mystery Bad Faith, was published in 2008. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">As well as fantasy she writes crime: Crossing The Line and The Opposite Of Amber are published by Bloomsbury. She is one of the Erin Hunters, working on the Survivors series, and has written as Gabriella Poole (Darke Academy). Her short books for Key Stage 3 are published by Ransom and by ReadZone Books, and include Life Of The Party, Mind's Eye, Sea Fever and Cyber Fever. </span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">She lives in the north-east highlands of Scotland, with one husband, two children, three dogs (Cluny, Milo and Otto), two psychotic cats (the Ghost and the Darkness), a slayer hamster (Buffy), a fluctuating population of chickens (including Mapp, Lucia, Mrs Norris and Honey Boo Boo), and a lot of nervous fish. </span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">From her website:</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">"Writing for a living is (a) what I always wanted to do; (b) occasionally frustrating; (c) a lot of fun – I take dictation from the characters in my head, who spend their lives telling me what’s going to happen next.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">"But I like it that I never know just how it’s all going to end – not till the fat lady sings, the villain meets a suitably sticky end, and the boy gets the girl (or indeed the boy)."</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000;">SETTING PACE AND STYLE</span></b></div>
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Writing in this one was brilliant. It really made me feel something. I think its a really special book where the author actually makes you feel strong emotions many, many times throughout the read. I hated putting this book down at night before I went to sleep and I totally looked forward to reading it again the next day. This book is mainly fantasy. It takes place in an imaginary setting and is told in a first person narrative, mainly through Seth's arrogant, but lovable voice.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000;">CHARACTERS </span></b></div>
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The characters in this story were real and eloquently in deep, three-dimensional beings. Seth, an angry bastard of a child, is an all time favorite. He's angry, but deep down he possess a true heart of gold. I adored his relationship with his brother, how he idolized him almost to the point of worship. His dedication and loyalty to him was undying. <br />
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000;">RECOMMENDATION</span></b></div>
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I totally recommend this book to fantasy book readers who love rich, developed characters and relationships which really make you feel something.<img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0035RPFE6" height="1" style="border: medium none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000;">PERSONAL NOTE</span></b></div>
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A fellow blogger friend of mine, Small Review, gave me this book to read because she ventured to guess I'd enjoy it. She was spot on. Problem is, I received this book from her almost over a year ago. I was dragging my feet to start reading it. I can't even give a good reason, why. What inspired me? Well, I read her "book two" review on her blog which convinced me to read the book. You can read her review, for yourself, on her <a href="http://smallreview.blogspot.com/2013/12/series-review-rebel-angels-by-gilian.html">blog</a>.<br />
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The main characters are a breed of fairies, referred to as Sithe, but they don't have wings and are very atypical as fairies go. Let's just say they are far from the tinkerbell variety. These fairies inhabit a parallel world, hidden behind what's called a veil. For some unknown reason the veil is failing, but this is not the main point of the story. Even though this story is a fantasy, it also dabbles in magic, questing, action and adventure. I loved the roan (water horses) and the wolves, both which are part of the Sithe world.<br />
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So, this is a really engaging read. It made me feel, care and cheer for the characters I love. The relationships within the story were extra special. My absolute favorite was the tender relationship Conal and his brother, the narrator Seth had with each other. The villains in this book were absolutely the most nefarious I've read about in some time. The cruelty, Kate, the main villain possessed was merciless. She's an absolute cold and callous woman who is so very easy to detest! <br />
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The ending of this one is pretty much the beginning of the next book, which I totally can't wait to get my hands on. I truly hope I get to read it soon. I totally recommend this book to fantasy book readers who love rich, developed characters and relationships which really make you feel something.<img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0035RPFE6" height="1" style="border: medium none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000;">RATING</span></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">5 out of 5 Rings</span></td></tr>
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Gina @ My Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01895568426820464572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8410300626280361200.post-41466130370388113932014-11-11T00:00:00.000-08:002014-11-11T00:00:11.388-08:00Book Reviews: Divergent<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-size: x-large;">Divergent</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">BY VERONICA ROTH</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004CFA9RS/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004CFA9RS&linkCode=as2&tag=mypre0d-20">AMAZON</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B004CFA9RS" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13335037-divergent">GOODREADS</a><br />
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<b>Publisher:</b> Katherine Tegen Book (Feb 28, 2012)</div>
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<b>Print Length:</b> 487 pages</div>
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<b>Format:</b> Audiobooks</div>
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<b>Source:</b> Library2go</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> YA Fantasy</div>
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<b>Series:</b> Trilogy, Book #1</div>
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<b>Completed:</b> 2014</div>
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<b><span style="color: #134f5c;">SUMMARY</span></b></div>
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<u>From Goodreads:</u></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="elementTwo" id="freeText3665259605661568401" style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.<br /><br />During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"> </span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #134f5c;">BACKGROUND</span></b></div>
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<u>From Goodreads:</u><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Veronica Roth is from a Chicago suburb. She studied creative writing at Northwestern University, and wrote <b><i>DIVERGENT </i></b>(Katherine Tegen Books, May 2011) and <b><i>INSURGENT </i></b>(May 2012). The third and final book in The Divergent Trilogy, <b><i>ALLEGIANT,</i></b> will come out on October 22, 2013. In the meantime she will spend endless hours browsing Wikipedia in her pajamas as she eats corn flakes. (Or some other kind of bland breakfast cereal.)</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #134f5c;">SETTING PACE AND STYLE</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">With a futuristic Chicago setting, I found this book to be a real page turner and had difficulty pulling myself away from it. The writing is engrossing and each time I returned to it I lost myself in the words within a few moments. This one is told in a first person narrative through the eyes of our female heroine, Beatrice or Tris for short.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #134f5c;">CHARACTER SPOTLIGHT</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">Tris, the female lead is extremely brave. She's a small, slight girl who doesn't appear to be very tough. Watch out, big things come in small packages! I loved Tris and the way she utilized her mind to come up with incredible solutions for spur of the moment decisions. It impressed me how she was always able to maintain calmness so she could think clearly in the face of danger. She was very fair, but it flawed in that she didn't always pick the most selfless action. Four, her instructor, is a very private person. On the surface he appears totally put together and strong. Inside, he's somewhat tumultuous.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #134f5c;">RECOMMENDATION</span></b></div>
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I'd recommend this to dystopian, fantasy readers. Those who enjoy thrilling action, slow burning romance and fast paced stories will have fun with this one. Beware, this one is tough to put down.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #134f5c;">PERSONAL NOTE</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This book officially going to the big screen in March of 2014. I'm very late to the game, finally getting around to reading this one. I did this same thing with The Hunger Games Series. Sometimes when there is a huge amount of hype surrounding a book, I find myself reluctant to read it. Maybe its because I'm afraid I won't feel the same way? Well, lucky for me, I totally agree with the masses on this book - it was mind blowing! The story takes place in the future. The world has been divided into 5 different factions: Amity, Dauntless, Abnegation, Erudite and Candor. When a child reaches the age of 16, he/she is placed in a simulation test which will ultimately reveal the faction he/she relates to the most. Regardless of the test results it is still ultimately up to the teen to decide which faction he/she choses to spend the rest of their life living inside. When, Beatrice or Tris, for short, undergoes her simulation, something goes terribly wrong. It seems she does not have clear cut faction she aligns with. She actually shows an aptitude for more than one faction, a condition called divergent which is extremely rare and also dangerous. The story is about which faction she does chose and how she deals with keeping her secret hidden. The romance between Tris and Four was slow-burning and developed at the perfect pace. This story is action packed with healthy doses of suspense and thrill. Divergent is part one of a trilogy. It ends at a resting point, but its evident there is so much more story left to be told. I can't wait to get right into reading book two Insurgent.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #134f5c;">RATING</span></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">5 out of 5 Rings</span></td></tr>
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Gina @ My Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01895568426820464572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8410300626280361200.post-74232132668269813012014-11-07T00:00:00.000-08:002014-11-10T09:19:23.120-08:00Book Reviews: Blue Lily, Lily Blue<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: x-large;">Blue Lily, Lily Blue</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">BY MAGGIE STIEFVATER</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JD36AV8/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00JD36AV8&linkCode=as2&tag=mypre0d-20&linkId=MJ5L4DJ6SW6UACXV">AMAZON</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00JD36AV8" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17378508-blue-lily-lily-blue">GOODREADS</a><br />
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<b>Publisher:</b> Scholastic Press</div>
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<b>Print Length:</b> 400 pages</div>
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<b>Format:</b> E-book</div>
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<b>Source:</b> Netgalley.com</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> Young Adult, Fantasy</div>
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<b>Series:</b> Yes, Book #3</div>
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<b>Completed: </b>November 2014</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><b>SUMMARY</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><u>From Goodreads:</u></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">There is danger in dreaming. But there is even more danger in waking up.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Blue Sargent has found things. For the first time in her life, she has friends she can trust, a group to which she can belong. The Raven Boys have taken her in as one of their own. Their problems have become hers, and her problems have become theirs.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">The trick with found things though, is how easily they can be lost.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Friends can betray.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Mothers can disappear.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Visions can mislead.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Certainties can unravel</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;"><u>From Goodreads:</u></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">New York Times bestselling author of The Shiver Trilogy, The Raven Cycle, and The Scorpio Races. Artist. Driver of things with wheels. Avid reader.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">All of Maggie Stiefvater's life decisions have been based around her inability to be gainfully employed. Talking to yourself, staring into space, and coming to work in your pajamas are frowned upon when you're a waitress, calligraphy instructor, or technical editor (all of which she's tried), but are highly prized traits in novelists and artists. She's made her living as one or the other since she was 22. She now lives an eccentric life in the middle of nowhere, Virginia with her charmingly straight-laced husband, two kids, two neurotic dogs, and a 1973 Camaro named Loki.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><b>SETTING PACE AND STYLE</b></span></div>
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With the identical setting as the last two books, Henrietta, Virginia, book three forges onward, with parts of the story also being set in an imaginary place called Cabeswater. Writing is brilliant as always and I found myself plowing through pages just to see what would happen next. Even though this is a very long book (400 pages) it was an extremely fast read for me. Its fast paced, unpredictable and always very thrilling. Again, this one is told in a third person narrative from multiple character perspectives.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><b>CHARACTERS</b></span></div>
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With this third book Blue strengthens her bonds to all of her Raven boys. Each one having his own set of problems and agendas, as the story goes in multiple directions. What's different this go around, is Blue has a major problem to solve of her own - the sudden, unexplainable, disappearance of her mother, Maura. Adam grows stronger and more independent. Ronan changes from a wild boy into a vibrant man. He even unexpectedly shows up in support of Adams when he most needs it. Gansey remains his usually, valiant self but becomes more increasingly aware of the meaning of his friendships. The Gray Man is ever present in this story, though his position of evil transitions into something potentially good. The new villain in town is Greenmantle, a nefarious man with an insane wife called Piper. He's been in other installments, but come into sharper focus for this book.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><b>PERSONAL NOTE</b></span></div>
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As the title suggests, this story primarily focuses on Blue. Her mother has disappeared. Its rumored she may be searching for Artemis, an old lover and a man who could potentially be Blue's father. Blue struggles to understand how her mother could just up and leave during her senior year. Confused, hurt and angry, Blue and her boys look for her mother together. During the quest, they uncover information about a prophecy involving "sleepers" - two which should be woke up and one who is dangerous and must be left to sleep. <br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">Overall, this is an amazing series. Its unique and very different from most young adult books out there. Its has it all, innocent romance, a great curse, a hidden kings, ley lines, mythology of sorts, ghosts, psychics, rich characterization, action, adventure, questing, nightmares, drag racing and so much more. Plus, the writing is just beautiful. Its almost like poetry. What I like the best is the plot is thick and complex. You never can predict what's coming next.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">The ending to this installment was somewhat satisfying. I do feel there is still so much more left out there to tell. The Epilogue pointed the reader in the direction the author plans to take the story. I seriously can't wait for the next book to be released. </span></span></span><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Unfortunately, I have a long time, at least another year before I can be re-united with my friend again to see what happens next.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><b>RECOMMENDATION</b></span></div>
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I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who has started this series and enjoyed it thus far. With book three the story continues to ripen and get sweeter. The plot thickens and it seems like the story just keeps picking up momentum. <br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><b>RATING</b></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">5 out of 5 Rings</span></td></tr>
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Gina @ My Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01895568426820464572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8410300626280361200.post-17339503625988234032014-11-04T00:00:00.000-08:002014-11-04T10:09:59.401-08:00Book Reviews: Wild<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;">Wild</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">BY CHERLY STRAYED</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005IQZB14/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005IQZB14&linkCode=as2&tag=mypre0d-20&linkId=KEHSNJL5OXGKLQBV">AMAZON</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mypre0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B005IQZB14" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12262741-wild?from_search=true">GOODREADS</a><br />
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<b>Publisher:</b> Random House LLC (3/20/12)</div>
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<b>Print Length:</b> 338 pages</div>
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<b>Format:</b> Kindle Ebook</div>
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<b>Source:</b> Library2go</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> Memoir</div>
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<b>Series:</b> Standalone</div>
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<b>Completed:</b> October 2014</div>
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<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">SUMMARY</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;"><u>FROM GOODREADS</u>: A powerful, blazingly honest memoir: the story of an eleven-hundred-mile solo hike that broke down a young woman reeling from catastrophe—and built her back up again.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;">At twenty-two, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother's death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life: to hike the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State—and to do it alone. She had no experience as a long-distance hiker, and the trail was little more than “an idea, vague and outlandish and full of promise.” But it was a promise of piecing back together a life that had come undone. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Strayed faces down rattlesnakes and black bears, intense heat and record snowfalls, and both the beauty and loneliness of the trail. Told with great suspense and style, sparkling with warmth and humor, </span><em style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Wild </em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">vividly captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddened, strengthened, and ultimately healed her.</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">BACKGROUND</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="elementTwo" id="freeText13762213450758685367" style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><u>FROM GOODREADS</u>: Cheryl Strayed’s memoir, <b><i>Wild</i></b>, will be published by Knopf in March 2012. It will also be published in Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Italy. Her novel, Torch (Houghton Mifflin, 2006) was a finalist for the Great Lakes Book Award and was selected by The Oregonian as one of the top ten books of the year by writers from the Pacific Northwest. Strayed’s writing has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, the Washington Post Magazine, Allure, Self, The Missouri Review, Brain, Child, The Rumpus, The Sun and elsewhere. The winner of a Pushcart Prize as well as fellowships to the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference and the Sewanee Writers' Conference, her essays and stories have been published in The Best American Essays, The Best New American Voices, and other anthologies. She holds an MFA in fiction writing from Syracuse University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota. She's a founding member of VIDA: Women In Literary Arts, and serves on their board of directors. Raised in Minnesota, Strayed now lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, the filmmaker Brian Lindstrom, and their two children.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"> </span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">SETTING PACE AND STYLE</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;"><b><i>Wild</i></b> is set mainly on and around the Pacific Crest Trail, over the eleven hundred miles of trails from the Mojave Desert to the state of Washington. Writing is raw, rough and real. Sometimes its depressing, other times its uplifting and it even made shed a tear or two. Its told in a first person narrative from the perspective of our brave 24 year old broken woman, Cheryl Strayed.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">CHARACTERS AND PLOT</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Cheryl is a lost soul. When her mother </span></span><span style="line-height: 19px;">succumbed</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> to her battle with cancer, Cheryl was only twenty-two, and her life fell apart. What happened after her mother's death was </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;">over the top for me, very disturbing to say the least. Cheryl had a really rough childhood and now being just barely a grown up she was proceeding to make her adult life horrid too. I had a hard time relating to her, especially to her unfathomable reaction to losing her mother. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;">I didn't really resonate with her grief, but as I watched her ruin her life and push the people who cared for her the most all out of her life, I couldn't help but pity her. I thought her preplanning for the hike was fairly amazing, considering the mental state she was in at the time. I felt like she was a very brave woman, because I don't think I could ever do what she did, hiking that many miles alone. At times she made me laugh, but more often she made me sad and want to cry. I enjoyed reading her story and felt she had to be a genuine person because so many people along the way showed her kindness. I don't think this would have happened if she didn't radiate something good.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">PERSONAL NOTE</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;">I don't usually read memoirs. They just aren't my "thing". Typically, I find them dull, difficult to push through and usually painfully boring. So when a coworker suggested I read<b><i> Wild</i></b> after she completed it, I was, let's just say, less than enthusiastic. Like usual, I was pretty skeptical, just unable to see how I could ever enjoy a memoir as much as she did. In the beginning, I found this book to be a very overwhelming read, to the point at about 14% I had to stop and take a break. The narrator, Cherly Strayed lost her mother to cancer, then proceeded into a gigantic tailspin of her own. She not only pushed the man she loved, her dear husband out of her life, but she also was jumping into the sack with any man who had a pulse. Then, to top it all off she started using, not just any drug but heroine! Then, by some crazy twist of blind fate, on a shopping trip she notices a book about the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). She ends up buying the trail guide and planning to hike the entire trail, alone to help get her life on track. Basically, in a nutshell, that's what this story is about.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">This book went along at a fairly moderate clip. It did take me longer than usual to get through it than most books of equal length, I'm not sure quite why. I enjoyed the writing and Cheryl's quest to find herself. The descriptions of the wilderness, her perils, her fears and how sometimes the story flashed back in time to fill in certain detailed events in her life added clarity to her situation and depth to her character. There was a certain scene about her mother's horse, Lady, that totally brought me to tears. That was indeed an extremely POWERFUL scene and I will not be able to quite thinking of it for a very long time. One aspect I really enjoyed was how Cheryl found solace in books. It was nice to see how even after a full day of rigorous hiking, most nights she still looked forward to siting in a chair, inside her tent with her feet propped up getting lost in a great book. Books are amazing things! What I didn't like and couldn't quite come to terms with was Cheryl's infidelity and promiscuity, no matter how hard I tried I couldn't understand this part of her character. I think its because my idea of making love and her idea of sex are just on two very opposite ends of </span></span></span><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">the spectrum. I think I would have felt so cheap and degraded if I just had intercourse with random men who meant nothing to me. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;">Overall, I found this story a little depressing and sometimes difficult to read. In the end though the book was inspirational and totally gives hope to those who may be similarly struggling. Even though it wasn't exactly the type of book I'd usually pick up and read I'm super glad I gave it a chance. It was well worth the time.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">RECOMMENDATION</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I recommend this to readers who have lost a loved one or struggled in the aftermath of grief. Its also an inspirational read for woman, especially, who want to achieve something which seems unattainable. Hikers, Pacific Northwesters and those who are familiar with the Pacific Coast Trail also will find this book entertaining. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"> I'd also venture to say those readers looking for a lift or some inspiration, should definitely pick this one up, it certainly will boost your spirits.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">RATING</span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaiD3RWWgFvjcNgaWdnDnoty3BYB99tHaycMNGlDUQmTgljJF1s95G2vaDlRQoROr4tR_X_CFx4lfVw1BBZDOSlMbOBrab74T2TPWMzVsyhFZwFf6ASK47KEw1P88JHwpstx81qtjUw6sT/s1600/Four+Rings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaiD3RWWgFvjcNgaWdnDnoty3BYB99tHaycMNGlDUQmTgljJF1s95G2vaDlRQoROr4tR_X_CFx4lfVw1BBZDOSlMbOBrab74T2TPWMzVsyhFZwFf6ASK47KEw1P88JHwpstx81qtjUw6sT/s1600/Four+Rings.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">4 out of 5 Rings</span></td></tr>
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Gina @ My Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01895568426820464572noreply@blogger.com2