Review: Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer

Between the Lines

Author: Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer

Publication Date: June 26, 2012

Publisher: Simon Pulse Simon Schuster

Genre: Young Adult/Contemporary

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Synopsis:

Delilah is a bit of a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book—one book in particular. Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real. Prince Oliver is brave, adventurous, and loving. He really speaks to Delilah.

And then one day Oliver actually speaks to her. Turns out, Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince. He’s a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence and hates that his entire life is predetermined. He’s sure there’s more for him out there in the real world, and Delilah might just be his key to freedom.

A romantic and charming story, this companion novel to Off the Page will make every reader believe in the fantastical power of fairy tales.

My Thoughts: This is probably closer to 3 1/2 stars for me, but we don't do half-stars here at Owl Read It, and neither does Goodreads (much to my disappointment).  I didn't feel like it deserved to be rounded down, so I rounded up.

This was an unique story with an interesting idea.  What if the characters you were reading about in a book were sentient and went about their own lives when the book was shut?  What if they were just acting out the story like actors in a play?  What if the main character, the Prince, wanted out?

I will admit, the concept of this book was awesome.  I think any reader would agree that it is an interesting idea and the thought of any of our beloved book characters not being confined to the pages that they were written in is enough to make the fanfiction world go wild.

Like I said, I liked the idea and the premise, but I found that the follow through wasn't so great.  There were definitely times where I felt I had to suspend my belief a bit too far.  I also felt that the pacing off the novel was a little off at times.  I did read it pretty fast and there were some pretty awesome illustrations throughout.

I also had a hard time connecting to the characters.  I seemed to be okay with Delilah in general, but every other character in the book I didn't really care too much about.  Even Olly, the Prince in need of rescue, didn't inspire much feeling from me.

All in all, I am glad that I did read it (it has been sitting on my shelf for a while).  If someone was looking for a light, quick read I would probably recommend it.

1000 Follower Giveaway!

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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.

An Introduction

My name is Jenn. I'm quite new to the blogging scene, as you can tell from this being my first post. Let me just start out by introducing myself.

I'm a 23 year old mother of one gorgeous 8 month old. I'm married to an amazing husband. And I love books.

I learned to read when I was four and haven't stopped since. There are times when my life can get a bit too busy to read often, but I try to read as much as I can. Recently, a little over a year ago, my best friend and I challenged each other to read a list of the top 100 novels of all time. Of course there are many differing lists, so here's a link to ours. We were a bit slow to start, but now that we've both gotten back into the groove of reading, things are speeding up. In the first year we read 10 or 11 books, this year we have read about 22, so far. This doesn't mean that that is all we have read, we have quite a few books outside of the list that we've read casually. I also belong to two book groups which have a new books each month for me to read.

So basically, I've immersed myself into a future involving a lot of reading, most of which I'll be reviewing in this blog. While I catch up on some reading I'll be reviewing some of my favorite books and getting some things up for you to read. If there is anything in particular that you would like for me to review, feel free to leave a message and I will try to get a review up for you.

There may be some time in between some reviews, as I said, I am a mother to a 8 month old and she sure keeps me busy. But I will update as much as I can and as often as I can and get some reviews coming.