What to do with this blog

Hello readers... It has been a few months since I began this blog. And originally I was simply putting up book reviews. It was fun, some of the books were decent-- I was enjoying the process. And then I stopped reading so much YA. I was still reading mind you-- just something else (Romance) and I wasn't sure whether or not to p0st reviews about the books I was reading here or not. I think I'm going to start posting reviews about some of them. There have been quite a few in the last couple of months, some good, some bad, some-- how did that get published? I'm going to continue in the same vein I used for YA only not for YA. I hope you're okay with that-- becasue it's what I'm doing Thanks R.

Nightshade

Quick Plot: Calla did it-- it was totally against the rules, but she couldn't just let him die-- human or no human, she saved him. Calla is the next alpha of her pack. She runs the show-- well pretty much. Her pack of werewolves? No-- the book is explict about this-- they're not werewolves, they're guardians, and they work for the Keepers. There is some very complicated stuff here about everyone's place and function, and some new mythology to wrap your head around. (I'm off track) Calla is the female alpha head of a pack of guardians scheduled to be joined with the male alpha (Ren) of another pack. They seem to have some crazy chemistry and good rapport, but once Calla saves the human (Shay,) everything in her world get's a little crazy. One question leads to another and before you know it she's tossing out all of her old rules and regulations.

Is this book a good read-- yes, it's fast, yet chock full of fun little tidbits. It's intersting, full of anxt and the stresses of being cool, and yet-- still having all of those little questions of teenage life like... oh, did I get that deer blood on my favorite tee?

So-- the author goes out of her way to invent a mythology to insist that these packs of people who change from wolf to human and back are NOT-- I repeat NOT werewolves. Thank you for doing it. Werewolves are gross-- let's just put that out there. Not having them be werewolves, but rather guardians makes this a touch more palatable. That being said, the fact that they're guardians is supposed to be a secret in the book, but it seems like everyone around them really knows everything that is going on. I mean-- I went to high school, and I understand that Ms. Cremer set it up that the 'humans' just know to scurry, but I really can't imagine that happening-- well not like this. These people act like roaches... they scurry away at the slightest thing. Which implies that they know something. Also I guess we're supposed to strongly dislike some of the people in this novel, but the adults (and I mean ALL of them,) end up seeming twisted and super sick-- which is a bit disconcerting.

I'm excited about this book though. It was a fun read, easy and interesting. I want to read the sequel-- as I was left dropping off a serious cliff at the end of this one.

R.

Reality Check

Quick Plot: It's reality TV, well- um-kind of. 16 year old BFF's Charlie, Keiran, Brooke and Hallie have been offered the chance of a lifetime. Their own reality TV show and not just that, but Charlie is going to be the star!!! [eeee--teen squealing commence] Well, long story short-- being part of something that public is not always great. Film can be edited to look like whatever someone wants it to look like...and Adults are not always looking out for your best interest (even if they claim to be.) Friendships crumble, tears tumble, and at then end of it all we've had our hard life lesson served up to us in a navy and pink platter.

Reality Check is worth a read. It was a fun book and the characters are endearing-- well most of them (one or two you will want to punch some sense into.) There were moments it was great and you couldn't wait to figure out what would happen next, or who was really pulling the strings.

All in all an engaging read and one that may make you question the bounds of your friendships. Could they take a reality show?

Backstabbers beware...

R.

Thirteen Days to Midnight

Quick Plot: Death??? Pshaw-- Jacob Fielding, you are indestructible-- and you can pass on your power to others, save lives-- do good things, great things, or can you... Jacob Fielding is a young man who is down on his luck. Already in the foster care system most of his life, he loses his latest (and greatest) foster father in a car accident and now lives with a bunch of old Catholic priests. He decides that it's time to go back to school and meets the new girl-- Ophelia James (Oh.) Obviously not recovered from the whack on his head in the car accident, he falls for her despite the fact that she stinks of danger and makes truly stupid decisions regularly. This book follows Jacob, his best friend Milo and Ophelia as they first find out how to save the world, and then realize that things are never quite as good (or simple) as they seem at first.

This book was quick and readable. There weren't any major issues with it other than a girl character who was obviously NOT written by a woman. (a little too much if you know what I mean.) The main character is impossible not to empathise with, (though a little hard to sympathize with as the whole abusive foster care situation is not completely common-- nor is living with priests.) The concept of the dark side of something that most people would find to be amazing is interesting, though I feel like I've read a couple of those now. Perhaps this is the recession's effect on the superhero. My advice-- read it, enjoy it, it's not going to give you nightmares, (despite the familiarity of the plot from movies such as unbreakable or various horror movies,) or even too much to think about.

R.

Return to Paradise

Quick Plot: It's a Sequel, and also-- I'm guessing-- the conclusion to a story. Caleb Becker is living on his own and is in a lot of trouble-- because after all, he's a trouble maker (isn't he?) He's given a last chance at redemption, and of course there he encounters the problems he tried to leave behind-- namely Maggie. She limps back into his life and suddenly Caleb has to deal with his problems. All of his problems.

Okay-- I think this book is okay. Not the worst, not the best. I felt that Ms. Elkeles did get the emotion of teenage life correct. yes, it's raw and yes, it's neurotic. Yes, you always love who you shouldn't and things always seem simpler for other people. I also felt though that she was trying a touch too hard to push a message. Don't get me wrong, irresponsible drinking has gotten many a person (underage or otherwise) in lots of trouble, and maybe it's because I'm not a teenager, but I found myself at points rolling my eyes. I wanted a story, not a lecture. So despite the fact that I have the first novel in this series, I'm going to skip it. I'm just not a fan of being lectured-- sorry.

R.

The Thin Executioner

Quick Plot: Jebel Rum is the youngest-- and smallest-- of three brothers, sons of Rashed Rum, the great executioner. Jebel has grown up in a society where "honor" is prized; brute strength is highly valued; and "justice" for all things-- from petty theft to the vilest murder-- is meted out with the loss of ones head.
Rashed Rum shames Jebel -- purposely or inadvertently is irrelevent-- and Jebel goes on a quest to regain his honor. Across an unfriendly land Jebel and Tel Hesani, a slave Jebel has taken with him to act as a sacrifice, travel to complete an impossible quest. They meet adversaries, evil men, and gods. Throughout this epic story, Jebel and Tel Hesani meet good people, fight for their lives, bargain with criminals, make deals with death, and toil in slavery.
Do they finish their quest? Are their lives spared/taken/destroyed??? Alas, i cannot be the person to write that spoiler. The magic of this book must be discovered I think.

This book was excellent. It's very close-in my humble opinion-to a must read. It's not an epic, but only in that it is not written in poetic verse. It is a story of a journey, it has otherworldly beliefs. It has criminality, it is really playful and yet at times dark. this book was exciting and hard to put down. I thourougly enjoyed it once I picked it up.
With The Thin Executioner that was the whole problem, picking it up. I almost didn't. I'm not a fan of horror-- I don't want to stay up all night worrying about psychopaths or creepy things, so when I saw this book, I'll admit, I judged this book by its cover-- and its title, and its font, and its large print back cover description (I didn't originally bother with the small print.) It looks like something that I would NEVER want to read. And while it is a tad masculine, it was definitely within the realm of my reading taste. I wish it had a different title, and a different cover-- without creepy red eyes. This is a book worth the time. With nods to classic literature, and a odyssian journey complete with the coming of age touches of Huck Finn, pick it up, read it-- just maybe find a book jacket not designed to scare your pants off.


R.

Sorta Like a Rock Star

Amber Appleton is homeless and poor-- she's living in a school bus for chrissakes. But she's positive and philanthropic, she's sweet and joyful, and deserves basically nothing that happens to her. She and her friends are misfits, but this is not a book about where she fits in-- not really. Instead it's a Job-esque tale of overcoming personal trials of the most difficult kind.

This book sorta rocks-- and then sorta doesn't.

The story is fabulous (spoiler warning...) This girl is poor and tortured. Homeless and yet finding ways to deal with the struggle of not appearing to be homeless. Hungry, and finding ways of dealing with finding food. Outcast-- and yet finding a place among the outcasts. Hers is not a struggle to identify with-- instead it's one to observe and hope to never be a part of. When Mr. Quick kills off Amber's mother, it's horrifying-- slightly unexpected, but not really. And watching Amber's character deal with this grave blow forces forward the readers empathy and forces a need for her to overcome this that is difficult to bring forward. As a reader I am at once sympathetic and hopeful, devastated and joyful, upset and riveted.

The drawback is the character's voice. The unfortunate thing about Amber's voice is that it's something that the reader has to get past in order to read the story. Mr. Quick has this fabulous story and placed it in this bizarre first person. It's like reading a story narrated by Naruto (yeah-- I just referenced Naruto.) I can't even imagine a real person talking like that. When she mentioned that she was in a class for learning how to cope with difficulties and learning to fit in-- I started to think she was the one with mental deficiencies-- not the other characters in her band of misfits. I suppose you can't really have a significantly different second edition of a novel, but if you could-- this would be one where the voice just needs to sound a little more normal. Sorta like a real person.

All in all, it's a story worth reading. This book is one that sticks with you-- I'm not sure if it's because of the shear horror (social, societal, and criminal horror,) or perhaps because I keep asking myself why did he write it that way, or perhaps because at the end of it all she's a modern day Job. Regardless, despite the fact that I want to get this girl some classes in elocution, I have hope for this hopeful character.

R.