Review: Smokeless Fire

Smokeless Fire by Samantha Young

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Ari is just your average high school girl. Except she isn't. She is caring. She is loyal. She is independent. She is beautiful. She is Jinn. Oh, there are lots of things that make her just like ever other teen girl her age (insecurity, indecision, emotional conflict, family issues, lack of direction). The maturity with which she handles herself sets her apart.

Samantha Young's writing is superior to a lot of the popular young adult novels today. Her story flows smoothly. I didn't find myself at odds with Ari's reaction to situations and the way in which she handled herself. The characters had dimension. I felt for them and related to them.

Smokeless Fire was a completely engaging novel that took me into its pages and captured my attention. I anxiously await the next in the series!



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Review: Graceling

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Enjoyable read. Decent world building. Characters were a little flat, but I rooted for them. Some parts didn't seem to add to the overall point of the story. Perhaps if there is a sequel then they may apply.



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Review: A Feast for Crows

A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I love, love, love, Tyrion!



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Review: The Death Cure

The Death Cure by James Dashner

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



The Death Cure failed to bring it all together for me. It felt rushed at the end and discombobulated. There were characters who the author lead me to believe were going to have a significant role in the story, but they kind of just fizzled out.



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Review: A Storm of Swords

A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I found myself really enjoying reading from Jaime Lannister's perspective. More to come later....must digest further and reflect.



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Review: A Clash of Kings

A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



It's official, I'm hooked. Even though I am continually confused on who the minor characters are, I am in love with the story line and the continual struggle these characters must face. Jon Snow's journey is intriguing with the wildlings and the white walkers. Araya's hidden identity and her lack of conformity to societal norms is refreshing. Sansa bores me, but how people are using her is fascinating. Tyrion is by far my favorite character. His quick wit and silver tongue make this book. Most of the time I find myself waiting to get back to a particular character's storyline only to start wondering about what perils await another character driving me to read more. A definite page turner.



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The Host - By Stephenie Meyer

Stephenie Meyer creates a wonderfully vivid world in which the human race has been forced into hiding to avoid becoming the living carcasses for the "souls" which have taken over Earth. Melanie Stryder is one such human. She has the misfortune to be captured and to have her body invaded by one of these parasites. Melanie doesn't just fade away as most humans do though. The soul, Wanderer, is ashamed that she isn't strong enough to control the "wild" human and tries to keep this hidden. The struggle Melanie and Wanderer face to come to terms with each other cohabiting the same body and the journey they take to get there leaves the reader unsure who to root for - the selfless soul or one of our own.

A Clash of Kings - Status Update & Quotey Quotes

Currently, I am on page 302 of 1009.

There has been some witty banter between Theon Greyjoy and his sister. I was completely surprised to find myself thinking that their repartee had a Shakespearean like quality to it. (So I must be liking this series now.)

I find myself looking ahead to see if the next chapter is going to be about either Arya or Daenerys. I'm tempted to skip ahead and just read their stories, but then I would miss Tyrion and Jon. It would never do. Their stories must be read in the order the creator willed it.

I wanted to share with you a few quotes from this book which I have found either profound or extremely entertaining.

“Those are brave men... lets go kill them”- Tyrion Lannister

“He who hurries through life hurries to his grave.”

“I am loyal to my beloved Joffrey. (Sansa)
No doubt. As loyal as a deer surrounded by wolves. (Tyrion)
Lions, she whispered without thinking.”

“Crowns do queer things to the heads beneath them."

“No man should live longer than his teeth.”

'"Tell me that none of this troubles you, Jon...and I'll name you a liar, and know I have the truth of it."
Jon drew himself up, taut as a bowstring. "And if it did trouble me, what might I do, bastard as I am?"
"What will you do?" Mormont asked. "Bastard as you are?"
"Be troubled", said Jon, "and keep my vows."'
(This is my favorite so far.)

A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin I'm giving this series another chance. It seemed in the last book that towards the end the flowery wording was kept at bay and events began to unfold at a more acceptable rate. So here's hoping this is worth my time. View all my reviews

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin My rating: 2 of 5 stars I'm still digesting this book. Cannot decide if it was worth the read. The story became more intriguing as it went on (and I do mean it went on and on and on...). I became slightly more engrossed in each characters' life. Was the author trying to see just how many characters he could cram into one story? All the names where extremely confusing and caused the characters to blur on clarity. View all my reviews

ARC Giveaway!

I almost squealed like a school girl when I saw this.

Wait maybe I shouldn't tell you about it. If you enter then that means I will have less of a chance of winning it! Alas, I am not a selfish person so I'll tell you. Harper Teen is giving away 20 ARC copies of The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson. Entries for this giveaway may be submitted now until September 19th. Click on the link below to enter.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson ARC Giveaway

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

I have only read the beginning of this book which I found online at www.Harperteen.com. Usually, I just wait for the book to come out, but after devouring the book description, I just had to read as much as I could. The book has piqued my interest and made me want to steal an ARC from someone....anyone! If only I could get my hands on this book. I have been worrying what will become of the self proclaimed "big, bloated sausage". Will she be able to trust her new husband? Will she like her new home? How will she learn to be queen? Is she going to be able to find happiness in her new life far from those she loves? I am anxiously awaiting the release of this book (unless someone takes pity on me and gives me their copy).




This picture is what I pictured Elisa's wedding terno to look like.

Left Me Wanting More...

The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore

After reading this book, I want to know more. More about each character's history, more about Lorien, more about why information has been kept from the Garde, more about their mission.

Some of these points have started to irritate me. (Why don't the Cepan tell the Garde more about what is going on?!?) Having your warriors working with little to no information about their mission really doesn't make any sense. I would like to see more dialog instead of internal thought description.

I didn't feel that there was any real forward movement in their mission until the last couple of pages. It felt more like several steps back with a tiny step forward at the end. The author (or publisher) must be planning on making this a long series at the rate they are progressing or are going to completely disappoint with a quick wrap-up.

In spite of my previous statements, I still enjoyed reading this book and would definitely recommend it to others. It is a fun, fast, easy read with lots of action and intrigue (towards the end).