Vlog Review: The Martian by Andy Weir

Sometimes I like to review books on my vlog, so here is an attempt at a review for The Martian by Andy Weir. I'm so rusty at reviewing, since I haven't done it in awhile. So if you can watch, thanks!

If you're unable to watch, the TLDR is that I love this book and if you haven't read it and decide to, I highly recommend the audiobook!

Review: Interrupted by Rachel Coker

Interrupted: A Life Beyond Words

Author: Rachel Coker

Publication Date: February 14th, 2012

Publisher: Zondervan

Genre: Historical Fiction / Christian Fiction

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Synopsis:

Can love really heal all things? If Sam Carroll hadn't shown up, she might have been able to get to her mother in time. Instead, Allie Everly finds herself at a funeral, mourning the loss of her beloved mother. She is dealt another blow when, a few hours later, she is sent from Tennessee to Maine to become the daughter of Miss Beatrice Lovell, a prim woman with a faith Allie cannot accept. Poetry and letters written to her mother become the only things keeping Allie's heart from hardening completely. But then Sam arrives for the summer, and with him comes many confusing emotions, both toward him and the people around her. As World War II looms, Allie will be forced to decide whether hanging on to the past is worth losing her chance to be loved.

My Thoughts: I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this book. It was a quick read, I felt like I was breezing my way through it. I enjoyed that it was historical fiction and it is well written, but maybe I somehow missed the hint that it was a religious book? It actually didn't seem very religious until the end, so that was ok. But it made it seem like you can't be happy without being religious. Well, I'm happy enough in my life I think, but I'm not a Christian, I'm not an Atheist either though. So I just read it and didn't put much thought into the religion.

I guess what I disliked the most about the story was Alcyone (Allie). I just didn't like her character. I realize now that it was purposely written that way so that she could find God, but she just really made me mad sometimes. Yes, her mother died. That's sad, she had no one else but was lucky enough to get adopted. I'm not sure if there were orphanages in the 40s, but good luck finding someone who will adopt a teenage daughter in this day and age. And yet she was completely ungrateful and spiteful toward everyone who wanted to give her love. So she brought all her misery on herself because she didn't want another mother, or any one to love her. She was this way until 75% into the book, then you see some emotion, only for her to clam up for another 10-15%. So even when she opened up, I still didn't really like her because of how she hurt everyone throughout the book.

Then there was Sam. Sam, who I honestly thought was too good for Allie, but you can't choose who you fall in love with. Sam was my favorite character because he was so nice and did his best not to let others get him down. I was sad for him, and then happy for him in the end.

Overall it was an ok read. I enjoyed the storyline, if not Allie. Would I recommend it? Probably not, unless you are someone who really enjoys coming to age stories with a religious tone. The writing style is great, but I just couldn't like Allie, and since the story revolved around her.. But still, I didn't hate it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Zondervan for the review copy

Review: Halflings by Heather Burch

Halflings
(Halflings #1)

Author: Heather Burch

Publication Date: January 17th, 2012

Publisher: Zondervan Publishing

Genre: Paranormal

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Synopsis:

After being inexplicably targeted by an evil intent on harming her at any cost, seventeen-year-old Nikki finds herself under the watchful guardianship of three mysterious young men who call themselves halflings. Sworn to defend her, misfits Mace, Raven, and Vine battle to keep Nikki safe while hiding their deepest secret—and the wings that come with. A growing attraction between Nikki and two of her protectors presents a whole other danger. While she risks a broken heart, Mace and Raven could lose everything, including their souls. As the mysteries behind the boys’ powers, as well as her role in a scientist’s dark plan, unfold, Nikki is faced with choices that will affect the future of an entire race of heavenly beings, as well as the precarious equilibrium of the earthly world.

My Thoughts: I really wanted to love this story, but it just seemed to fall short for me. I'm not really sure what it was. I think it had a lot to do with the amount of detail the author puts into, what seemed to me, insignificant events. I think once was enough to describe Nikki to us and explain how beautiful she is. The second time was ok too, there were two different love interests, I guess it can be explained how each saw her the first  time. That being said, I did enjoy the storyline, when the story was moving on. Sometimes we just don't need to know every little detail, which is what it felt like to me. That and it felt like something was missing to me.

Maybe my frustration comes from Nikki, I just didn't like her much as a person. She seemed somewhat whiny. We keep hearing how pretty she is but she's there repeatedly saying how ugly she is, it's almost like one of those pretty girls who says they are ugly just to hear people tell her that no,  she isn't ugly, she's beautiful. Then there is how she just wants to keep running away from everything, but we're told, no she's a fighter. Well Nikki, if you're a fighter, please stop whining every time someone brings up new information, you're involved, there's no going back now. Then there is how she seems to string both boys along. I get it, it's a love triangle, but some of the things she does just made me think, "who does that?" Once you get past those few traits, you're left with a slightly tom boy, black belt, artist. She is an alright, kick ass character then.

Ok, so for the thing that bothered me the most, and I'm sorry this might be a slight spoiler somehow. About 70% through the book you find out that Nikki has a dog, Bo. Now we've heard absolutely nothing about Bo for the majority of the story, but Nikki absolutely LOVES this dog, who doesn't love their dog? Not a single word about poor Bo the entire novel up to this point, I would have expected something. I guess it just seemed to me that Bo was thrown in there as a last minute decision. I think Bo is my favorite character, after Raven. I love dogs!

So other than a couple of things, I enjoyed the story. It holds promise for the next novel, so I will  be adding that to my TBR. Halflings did seem a tiny bit anti climatic towards the end, the last chapter was pretty good. I me there just wasn't enough action I guess? It's fairly common with firsts in a series for me though, there is just so much to explain and set up for the series. I can understand that, which is while I'll hold my judgement for the second book in the series. The book did have me fairly teary eyed in a couple of places, so I was getting into it in some places. 

Overall, I liked it. I will recommend it to those who enjoy paranormal books, especially those with angels.

Thank you to Zondervan and NetGalley for letting me review this book.

Review: Blood Sinister by Celia Rees

Blood Sinister

Author: Celia Rees

Publication Date: September 20, 1996

Publisher: Scholastic

Genre: Paranormal/Vampires

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Synopsis:

Ellen Forrest is sick, she feels as if the life is being sucked out of her. The doctors think that she is suffering from a disease of the blood, and she has been sent to her grandmother's house to rest, but she seems to be getting worse, not better. Can it have anything to do with the diaries she has found in the attic? Diaries written in Victorian times by her great great grandmother. Diaries that describe an encounter with a handsome young Count who comes from the Land Beyond the Forest.

Ellen likes a vampire story, who doesn't? The difference is that this one just happens to be true…

My Thoughts:This was a fairly interesting read, it's different from the vampire books that have been coming out lately. There is no girl falling in love with a vampire, or wanting to be a vampire. There is very little in terms of romance in this novel, which is ok. Overall it is a good read, I didn't love it, but I liked it.

The story revolves around Ellen, who is dying of a blood disease that no doctor can figure out. She is living with her grandmother because it's closer to the hospital and her doctors. She finds her great-great grandmother's diaries and decides to read them, doing so causes her to realize that maybe some of the horror stories are true after all, or at least they were in 1878.

Throughout  the novel you get to read the excerpts from the diaries, which is pretty interesting, they are read as diary entries, sometimes with Ellen pausing to put in her thoughts.

 I thought the books was well written, it was a bit hard to put down, but I just wasn't in love with the story. Still a good read that I would recommend to vampire lovers.

Review: Matched by Ally Condie

Matched
(Matched #1)

Author: Ally Condie

Publication Date: November 1st, 2010

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

Genre: Dystopia

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Synopsis:

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

My Thoughts: I'm not sure where to start with this review. I loooooved this book!! There is just something about totalitarian governments that screams "read me". I don't understand it, but I apparently like reading about other peoples controlled lives, not that I would ever want that for our society. It must come from the fact that there is always a strong character who is rebelling. So I must enjoy a good rebel.  

Cassia is a very strong female lead and the book starts with her being matched to her possible future husband. She doesn't get to pick because the Society makes that decision based off the database, so they pick her best possible match. The Society makes pretty much every decision in a persons life. From who they marry, to what job they have, to how many kids they can have, even the activities that they will do in a day and the food that they'll eat. No one really has any choices to make since they're all made for them.

So when Cassia sees Ky's face pop up, she is confused that there has been a mistake. She was told Xander is her match but the Society doesn't make mistakes.. or has it? Everything she has ever learned is about to be questioned. She is  falling for Ky, and she isn't supposed to be, Ky isn't supposed to be matched at all, through no choice of his own. Cassia starts looking into how things are run, and once she starts that, all sorts of questions open up.

I'm not sure that there really is much of a competition between Ky and Xander for Cassia's love, she does love them both, but her love for Xander pales in comparison to her love for Ky, even though she isn't supposed to be with him. I'm looking forward to reading Crossed to see how the relationships change.

Matched is a very good read, a little slow to begin, but that is normally the case with the first book in a series, there is a lot of information that needs to be introduced. I definitely recommend to those of you who enjoy dystopians, it's a great read!

Review: Starters by Liisa Price

Starters
(Starters and Enders #1)

Author: Lissa Price

Expected Publication Date: March 13, 2012

Publisher: Delacorte Books

Thank You NetGalley for the Review Copy

Genre: Dystopia

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Synopsis:

HER WORLD IS CHANGED FOREVER
Callie lost her parents when the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty. She and her little brother, Tyler, go on the run, living as squatters with their friend Michael and fighting off renegades who would kill them for a cookie. Callie's only hope is Prime Destinations, a disturbing place in Beverly Hills run by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man.
He hires teens to rent their bodies to Enders—seniors who want to be young again. Callie, desperate for the money that will keep her, Tyler, and Michael alive, agrees to be a donor. But the neurochip they place in Callie's head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, and going out with a senator's grandson. It feels almost like a fairy tale, until Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party—and that Prime Destinations' plans are more evil than Callie could ever have imagined. . . .

My Thoughts:Amazingly creepy! I absolutely looooved this book! It was so hard to put down to go to sleep, my husband had to turn off the light on me. If you like dystopians that have a sci fi edge to them, you will love this book! The cover is creepy looking, and that combined with the blurb just made me want to read it. I'm not disappointed.

I felt a connection with Callie almost immediately, and it was hard not to feel anything but sympathy for her. She has a hard life and is doing the best she can to take care of her 7 year old brother, Tyler, who is also sick and needs medication. They need money, and since it's against the law for minors to work, all Callie can do is go to Prime Destinations and sign up to be a donor. She doesn't want to, but she really needs the money. After signing up, Callie is given a make over to remove any blemishes and clean her up after a year of living on the streets, Enders, the senior citizens nearing the end of their lives, aren't going to want to rent a Starter, the children and teens, that has imperfections.

Callie just needs to do three rentals to earn her payment, the first two are issue free, she falls asleep, dreams, and then wakes up. During her third rental, Callie suddenly finds herself in a teen nightclub, and she can hear the voice of her renter, Helena Winterhill, telling her not to go back to Prime Destinations because it's not safe.  Callie never trusted them to begin with, but how could she trust this Ender who would rent out her body? When Callie figures out what Helena is up to, she trys to do everything in her power to stop her, but should she be trying to prevent it? How about after she finds out  Prime's plans?

Then there is Blake, the senator's grandson, who Callie is developing a thing for. He's cute, kind, and really seems to like her back. Maybe she can confide in him? Prime is supposed to be top secret though, so maybe not.. 

There are so many twists and turns in this book, which made it so hard to put down. You don't know who's trustworthy. Since Callie is an unclaimed minor, she is supposed to be institutionalized, all the minors who are caught are sent to the various institutions, not nice places. So who can she talk to without being caught and sent away? 

One of the things I didn't understand was why the Enders, most of them anyways, don't care about the children. Children are the future.. Yeah, they have medicine and ways to make the average person live twice as long, but they are still going to die eventually. Still, they are not very nice to the youth. It still creeps me out that they even dreamed up and created a way to live in a teens body, and then found a market for it.. but without that, there would be no story, but it's so creepy!

Liisa Price did an amazing job of breathing life into this world. I'm definitely excited to read the next installment! If you haven't added this to your TBR list yet, and you love a good dystopian, then you should add it, it's a great read!

Review: Something Witchy This Way Comes by Veronica Blade

Something Witchy This Way Comes

Author: Veronica Blade

Publication Date: September 3rd, 2011

Genre: Paranormal Romance

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Synopsis:

Brainiac Tessa McClean’s newly discovered magical powers give her hope of an escape from her inadequate life. But the thrill of being a witch fades when she learns of a rival coven and begins to suspect her own coven’s objective. Evidence tells Tessa to trust one side, but instinct drives her toward the other. When Hayden Anders, the most delinquent kid in school — and the toughest — offers self-defense lessons in exchange for tutoring, the timing couldn’t be better. Though the idea of hanging out with a bad-boy that tempting is unnerving, staying alive amidst warring witches takes priority. She vows to hold onto her values and not surrender to the bad-boy she begins to secretly want. Together, Tessa and Hayden uncover the truth about the two factions — a truth that explains why the covens will stop at nothing to lure her to their side. Tessa has only a matter of weeks to form an alliance with one coven or the other, but the wrong decision could cost Tessa the lives of all those she loves — including Hayden.

Review: Arthas: Rise of the Lich King by Christie Golden

Arthas: Rise of the Lich King

Author: Christie Golden

Publication Date: April 21st, 2009

Publisher: Pocket Books

Genre: Fantasy

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Synopsis:

Frostmourne. It was caught in a hovering, jagged chunk of ice, the runes that ran the length of its blade glowing a cool blue. Below it was a dais of some sort, standing on a large gently raised mound that was covered in a dusting of snow. A soft light, coming from somewhere high above where the cavern was open to daylight, shone down on the runeblade. The icy prison hid some details of the sword's shape and form, exaggerated others. It was revealed and concealed at the same time, and all the more tempting, like a new lover imperfectly glimpsed through a gauzy curtain. Arthas knew the blade -- it was the selfsame sword he had seen in his dream when he first arrived. The sword that had not killed Invincible, but that had brought him back healed and healthy. He'd thought it a good omen then, but now he knew it was a true sign. This was what he had come to find. This sword would change everything. Arthas stared raptly at it, his hands almost physically aching to grasp it, his fingers to wrap themselves around the hilt, his arms to feel the weapon swinging smoothly in the blow that would end Mal'Ganis, end the torment he had visited upon the people of Lordaeron, end this lust for revenge. Drawn, he stepped forward.

The uncanny elemental spirit drew its icy sword. "Turn away, before it is too late," it intoned. * * *

His evil is legend. Lord of the undead Scourge, wielder of the runeblade Frostmourne, and enemy of the free peoples of Azeroth. The Lich King is an entity of incalculable power and unparalleled malice -- his icy soul utterly consumed by his plans to destroy all life on the World of Warcraft.

But it was not always so. Long before his soul was fused with that of the orc shaman Ner'zhul, the Lich King was Arthas Menethil, crown prince of Lordaeron and faithful paladin of the Silver Hand.

When a plague of undeath threatened all that he loved, Arthas was driven to pursue an ill-fated quest for a runeblade powerful enough to save his homeland. Yet the object of his search would exact a heavy price from its new master, beginning a horrifying descent into damnation. Arthas's path would lead him through the arctic northern wastes toward the Frozen Throne, where he would face, at long last, the darkest of destinies.

My Thoughts: I've read quite a few of the Warcraft books. I'm a huge fan of the game World of Warcraft, so I enjoy getting to know more of the lore. I did enjoy reading this book, mostly because I enjoyed reading about the relationship between Artha and Jaina, and seeing Sylvanas' thoughts of what was happening. However, if I had known more detail about the lore, like my husband does, or had I played Warcraft 3, I might not of enjoyed it as much. This is because it's mostly filler, my husband read 20% of the book and I was still able to talk with him about it when I finished and he knew all the details, other than exact conversations, he knows when everything happens. But, that being said, since I didn't know all of the lore, I enjoyed this story.

I've actually killed Arthas (who didn't in the end? :-P), so I enjoyed seeing how he became the Lich King, and how he justified his actions in Stratholm, and then later. He's definitely manipulated and used and really dislikes that his desitny has been laid out for him. I felt bad for Jaina, who loves Arthas, but can't bear to watch him become corrupted. And of course Sylvanas, what Arthas does to her is cruel, but she'll get back to him about that.

I would recommend this book to  those who don't know much about the lore from Warcraft 3, or those who want to read more about the Arthas/Jaina relationship. If you have the lore memorized, you might not enjoy this as much. Not my favorite Warcraft lore book, but I still liked it.

Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me
(Shatter Me #1)

Author: Tahereh Mafi

Publication Date: November 15th, 2011

Publisher: HarperCollins

Genre: Dystopia / Paranormal

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Synopsis:

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war– and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

My Thoughts: Poor, poor, poor Juliette. She has a terrible life. She can't touch anyone, or she might kill them. Her parents despise and hate her. She killed someone, accidentally, and so they lock  her up. She's never even been loved. At least until Adam shows up in her cell. Adam, the boy from her past, the boy who can touch her, the boy who seems to genuinely care for her. Until she finds out he was put there to spy on her for Warner, a commander of the Reestablishment who is obsessing over her and her "gift". She's hurt by this betrayal, is there no one she can trust? 

When I first read the blurb on Shatter Me, I was very intrigued. I also immediately thought of Rogue from X-Men. I would say the two are similar, expect Rogue actually had her parents love until  they found out what she was. Juliette had nothing, not even a friend. 

So I bought the book and started reading, I read most of it in a day, quite a feat with a teething baby. I loved this book. I haven't read very many dystopians yet, but I will be reading many more! I love how Tahereh Mafi wrote this similar to a journal, even scratching out thoughts  that weren't said. It feels more like you are right in Juliette's mind. At first I wasn't sure what to think about her mind. Juliette seems a little OCD with numbers, but I suppose she has been sitting in a cell by herself with no one to talk to in almost a year. 

Once she is out, you think things might get better for her, and it seems like they do, but she doesn't trust anyone, not that I can blame her. She quickly realizes that the Reestablishment just wants to use her abilities to torture captives, something she is not ok with. So she knows she needs to get away. Then she realizes that she can trust Adam, and that Adam can touch her and loves her and wants to help her get out so they can escape. The only problem? Warner is pretty much insane. He has been obsessing over Juliette for years and wants her to be his, she's disgusted by him. Will they escape? Read it and see what happens!

I found the characters to be well written and it was very easy to connect with them, or hate them. The story flows nice and fast, most chapters leaving off at a point where you just can't put the book down. The details about the world make it easy to envision, as dreary as it may seem. I'd have to say that Tahereh did a very good  job at creating this world, I'll definitely be reading more from her in the future. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a new dystopian to try out!

Review: Letters In Cardboard Boxes by Abby Slovin

Letters in Cardboard Boxes

Author: Abby Slovin

Publication Date: September 9, 2011

Publisher: :Lulu.com

Genre: Contemporary

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Synopsis:

Winner of the First Horizon Award for superior work by a debut writer, Letters In Cardboard Boxes tells the story of an eccentric grandmother and her granddaughter alongside a series of fantastical letters they once exchanged. Their letters once traversed the East River to help Parker escape the loneliness of a childhood without her globe-trekking parents and communicate during her turbulent teenage years. Now, nearly a decade later, Parker begins to rediscover this letter writing tradition, as well as the family’s untold stories and, unexpectedly, letters from her grandmother’s own youth that paint a very different portrait of the woman who raised her.

Letters carries us through the universally-shared experience of loss and the process of coping with life’s unexpected twists and turns. Through unusual and bold characters, the story moves through some of its heavier themes with honesty and humor.

Jenn’s Thoughts: I enjoyed this book, to me it's a story about letting go when there isn't really anything you can do to change things anymore. It's about a 29 year old woman named Parker and her grandmother, Dotty. Dotty has been there for Parker her whole life, when her parents weren't, and now Dotty is sick, and there is nothing Parker can do to help her, like she always helped Parker. All that is left of the past is letters and postcards. The postcards Dotty sent Parker, and the ones Parker sent back, and a strange box of love letters that Parker finds in Dotty's closet after she is moved to the Center. Love letters which strangely aren't what Parker originally thought, which was from her grandfather. The story follows Parker as she tries to come to terms with what is happening, her grandmother no longer remembers her, what will she do when there is no one left? Luckily, new friends are to be made, so they can all get through this together.

I'm not sure how to explain how I felt while reading this book. At first I was unable to feel a connection with Parker. She just seemed so unfeeling and detached from the rest of the world. And then we find out how awful her parents were. They may have felt they were doing her a favour, but they weren't. Finally I was able to feel pity for Parker. I can't even imagine what it would be like for your parents just to abandon you (pretty much) as a child. I can't get over the fact that they felt a 12 year old would be able to look after herself for months at a time, with no live in guardian. If they were real people, I would want to tell them off. Parker seems to only have one person in her life who actually gives a damn about her, but then she starts to lose that person. This is where I felt a strong connection with her. My own grandmother went through the phases of Alzheimers pretty quickly. I can't really blame her for not seeing it creep up, we didn't see it. You just assume as people get older they don't remember everything anymore.

Luckily for Parker, her grandmother caused her life to intertwine with Tanya, a teen she mentored. Both really care for Dotty, so you get to see if that connection will bring them together. Then she meets the neighbour Jerry, and he is able to comfort her just by being there to sit with. Parker goes through the incredible journey of change and acceptance of this change, she begins to learn more about herself and starts living her life, rather than just going through the motions. This story have me in tears and smiling, I would definitely recommend this book, especially to someone who is having a hard time letting go. This is a great read. Good job Abby Slovin.

Meghan’s Thoughts: Letters in Cardboard boxes was a story about so many things, about loss, love, forgiveness, sadness, friendships, family, and much more. This book provoked in me a series of different emotions. I felt sadness, not just plain sadness, I felt it in a multitude of ways. I felt it like an emptiness you feel when something big is gone from your life, I felt like a heavy burden when you feel there is nothing you can do to change the outcome of the future, and I felt it in a heart-aching way when your heart is broken by your own doings or others. Aside from sadness, I also felt joy, anger, envy, resentfulness, loneliness, love, the warmth of unexpected companionship, triumph, and more. After all these things I could feel the way Parker felt like she was sinking in a whirlpool of all these emotions combined. This book was very well written to instill these feelings in the reader so effortlessly.

This story takes you on the journey of one woman's loss of her Grandmother. The woman's name is Parker, and her Grandmother has been the only one constant in her whole life, making loosing her an emotional roller coaster that she's stuck on against her will. Parker's parents travel the world for their careers, leaving Parker at home. She wasn't alone though because she had her Grandmother. They were the best of friends, even though, of course, they had their rough patches in Parker's teenage years as she was feeling abandoned by her parents and angry at them for not being around like everyone else's parents. But even when Parker lashed out in her anger, her Grandmother stayed strong by her side.

Upon realizing that her Grandmother is sick and that she is loosing her, she starts remembering all the love her Grandmother has shown her growing up and feels that maybe she didn't return the sentiment as much as she should have. They used to send letters to each other often, pretending that they were vacationing in far away places. I loved reading some of the letters Parker's Grandmother wrote to her, she would use the location and theme of her letter to send a heartfelt message to her granddaughter, it was beautiful really. Parker really has no one else, until she meets two close friends of her grandmothers that ,aside from the the sickness taking place, she probably never would have known. One being a young girl her grandmother was mentoring at a nearby high school, the other an older gentleman who happened to be madly in love with her grandmother but due to certain circumstance they could not be together. With these two new found companions at her side, she takes this incredibly hard journey of letting go of the person she loves most and losing a major piece of her life.

The road is a hard, emotional struggle to say the least. This was a great read, and really reaches into you, makes you think what it would be like to have to lose that person you hold dearest to you. You will most likely feel your heart break while reading this.

I would recommend this book for sure. It's a great story for anyone who's lost someone, or even if you haven't, Slovin's wonderful writing can take you to that place.

Review: Creatura by Nely Cab

Creatura

Author: Nely Cab

Publication Date: June 15th, 2011

Publisher: Authorhouse

Genre: Paranormal

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Synopsis:

When seventeen year-old Isis Martin is having trouble sleeping due to perturbing dreams of a horrific growling beast, she decides to confront her fear. But what Isis discovers is something other than a menacing entity.The human-like creature offers Isis assurance that he is not a figment of her imagination. Unwilling to accept his avowal, Isis sets his words to contest by asking the entity to prove himself - a dare, he readily welcomes.It is in her dreams that Isis innocently stumbles upon the silent existence of the divine lineage of those that man has long forgotten.In a quaint town, deep in south Texas, this story leads Isis onto the path of impermissible love and captivating life-changing truths. Ultimately, Isis discovers that this chapter in her life is only the beginning.

My Thoughts: Creatura is an amazing book. Nely Cab is an amazing writer. It's a 308 page story and I laughed, cried and became incredibly emotionally attached to the characters. Isis had a boyfriend, he went to college, and then broke up with her by text with no explanation. Gabriel had been her friend since they were little, so she was incredibly hurt by this. I felt like I could completely relate to Isis and her feelings toward Gabriel, having had something similar happen to me, though not exactly the same circumstances. So Isis tries to get on with her life and stumbles across a place in her dreams that she can't stop dreaming about, but is being haunted by a beast.

When David, the human-like beast that was haunting her dreams, comes to Isis' town, she falls hard for him, but tries not to, but it's pretty inevitable. He happens to be a god, so what chance does she have, even though they are forbidden from being together. There are no physical relationships allowed between the gods and humans because it results in monstrous abominations, called Creatura. David and Isis still try to find a way to be together and Isis is finally starting to accept the relationship (she really struggles against it since it's forbidden) and who shows up but Gabriel. Except not the Gabriel everyone knows, this Gabriel is high and waving around a gun, and wanting Isis to take him back. Isis has no intentions on doing this because she has finally moved on after 3 months of struggling with getting over him. So of course, Gabriel is jealous of David, and  keeps harassing Isis, but she still cares for him as a friend and doesn't want to see him hurt himself.

Anyways, that's all I'm going to say about the story, I don't want to give it all away. I really enjoyed Creatura, and am looking forward to the next book. As I said, I really connected to the characters, especially Isis, so when something happened to upset her, I was upset with her. I found this book very hard to put down (although I did have to put it down for a few days to nurse my sick baby back to health). I like Nely Cab's take on the gods, I'm always good for a little mythology. The first half of the book was a little slow for me, but only because there were a lot of distractions from my reading. The second half flew by, and I couldn't stop reading, and when I had to, I couldn't stop  thinking about it. Then when I got to the last page I literally let out a small cry of dismay, the cliffhanger was just too good, I can't wait to see what happens next. I'm hoping it doesn't take too long for the next part of the story. At least I'm really hoping there is more story. All in all, this is a great read, if you have time to sit down and read it, it's quite fast paced, I would definitely recommend this book.

Review: A Bite's Tale by Veronica Blade

A Bite's Tale

Author: Veronica Blade

Publication Date: January 4th, 2102

Genre: Paranormal / Fairy Tale Retelling

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Synopsis:

A Cinderella who spends her nights as a wolf. A prince with a taste for blood. Seventeen year old Cydney struggles against her werewolf nature, trying to keep everyone around her safe. No way will she risk exposing the beast at the prince’s ball, no matter how her two cousins try to persuade her. Even as she attempts to get on with her life, Cydney can’t forget the boy she loved three summers ago — or what she did to him after losing control. Turned into a vampire to save his life, the prince refuses to live up to his royal duties. He just wants to find the girl he loved and lost...the werewolf girl who bit him. But his father, the king, commands him to attend a ball where he must choose a wife. Can he find his Cinderella before he's forced to marry another? He doesn’t even have her real name, much less a glass slipper.