Utter disappointment

I haven't been reading a lot of books lately. And for the most part, the ones I have been reading are just not doing it for me. Some were okay and some were just bad all the way around. I'm itching for a good read right now. I don't wanna end my summer reading on a bad note.

Sabriel by Garth Nix
Sabriel, a necromancer, must go into the Old Kingdom to save her father from evil forces
2 STAR RATING
REREAD

UPDATED 8/12/15

I really tried this time. I let my old disinterest go, started anew, and was still highly disappointed. There were really good action scenes and had so much potential to be more. I just found it completely lacking. Most of the characters were bland and the interesting ones didn't have enough page time to shine. The ending was stupid and I didn't like Sabriel's POV. It would have been better to have a narrator. And I know this is typically the kind of book I devour and love but not this time. 

DNF at 19%

This book had too many words and too small a font to grab my attention. I'm rarely that bored when I don't even finish a book, especially a book club pick. But I had to put this down; I have other stuff that will surely entertain me.

Chosen at Nightfall by C.C. Hunter
The final novel of the Shadow Falls series
5 STAR RATING

This series has been a pleasant surprise. I didn't think I'd like it, let alone love it but I do. It's just everything I want in a young adult paranormal romance series. You have the believable love triangle that doesn't make you wanna rip your hair out. You have a naive yet likable heroine who grows into her powers and become a bad ass. You have the funny sidekick best friends who are your comic relief. And then you have the best drama/bad guys for the protagonist to deal with. It's just been awesome to read about Kylie's journey and I am beyond satisfied with her conclusion. 

The 100 by Kass Morgan
100 juvenile prisoners are sent to see if planet Earth is safe for rehabilitation 
3 STAR RATING

It's annoying how the author left me hanging at the end. I'm not a fan of cliff hangers and this novel leaves me hanging with three different characters. Me no likey. But other than that, I liked this book. It makes me wanna give the T.V. show another try. I can only hope that Morgan's writing gets better with the next book in the series. It was a bit boring here but I saw potential for improvement.

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
The first novel of the Remnant Chronicles
2 STAR RATING

Okay, this book pulled a dirty trick on me. Literally, the first 400 pages were a mess. The writing was fine and the story had potential. But Pearson really dropped the ball on interesting story telling. I mean, NOTHING HAPPENS! The main character gets things started off with a runaway bride move. And then...nothing. It's pages and pages of nothing. Until she's kidnapped. Am I spoiling the book? It doesn't even feel like a spoiler because it's the only thing worth knowing about the book. What's really pissing me off is that those last few pages were amazing. Great character development, heartbreaking scenes, a hint of fantasy. It had it all. It was just too late in the game to really matter. I thought about giving this series a try. And in the future, I might end up reading the second novel anyway. But for now, I'm putting this series on the back shelf and forgetting about it.

End of Summer Reading 2015

I read 41 books this summer for my local library. That's no number of books to sneer at either. Mind you, some were children's books or graphic novels. But a book is a book is a book. I really hope I win this year. The prize for staff members is a vacation day which would be MUCH APPRECIATED.

Hera: the Goddess and her Glory by George O'Connor
Volume three of the Olympians series
4 STAR RATING

I was expecting a totally different book with Hera as the title character. She's always depicted as a raging bitch. But with Zeus as her husband, who can blame her? I get that she can't directly retaliate against him but I always felt bad about the women and children who were on the wrong side of Hera's wrath. She's a bit of a doozy and scary as hell. But O'Connor showed her in a different light. She's just a wife who's tired of her cheating husband. She's gotta do something to take the edge off. And she's not all bad. I just wish the book had focused more on her and not Heracles. I get that he's a big part of her myth but he could have gotten his own book for all that.

Hades: Lord of the Dead by George O'Connor
Volume four of the Olympians series
4 STAR RATING

These just keep getting better and better. I was expecting the focus to be on Hades. But with Hera turning out the way it did, I shouldn't be surprised that the focus was shifted a bit and Persephone was the lead character. It's true that you don't really hear anything about her except she was kidnapped and married off to Hades. This book gives a different perspective on that. It's possible that she actually wanted to stay there with her hubby, that she liked him enough to want to rule the Underworld.

Poseidon: Earth Shaker by George O'Connor
Volume five of the Olympians series
5 STAR RATING

This one has to get 5 stars. The last few pages of his story are so beautifully told and drawn, I had it give it the golden rating. It's almost heartbreaking when to read this entire life he thought he lived, only for it to be revealed that it was a dream. It's makes him a more relatable character. that's not to say he's likable. He's a grade A asshole and so are most of his offspring. But O'Connor got under my skin and that's why so far, this is my favorite of the Olympians series.

Aphrodite: Goddess of Love by George O'Connor
Volume six of the Olympians series
3 STAR RATING

No matter what retelling of Aphrodite I come across, I still don't like her at all. She's such a little bitch. She has her moments of decency but for the most part, she's an egotistical maniac. I honestly think she's even worse the Zeus. I still liked the story and art and all that, but i couldn't help but wish that some other god/goddess had taken the spotlight for this volume of the series. Literally anyone else who have been more tolerable than Aphrodite.

Soul Eater Vol 1 by Atsushi Ohkubo
Maka and other weapon meisters must collect 100 souls to become death's ultimate weapon
4 STAR RATING

Aaaaaand I've started yet another graphic novel series. This is what happens when I have no books that I already want to read around to distract me. I pick up more to fill the void. I always need a book near me that I'm currently reading or about to start reading. When I don't, shit like this happens. Now I'm addicted to this awesome story and I need more!

Ares: Bringer of War by George O'Connor
Volume seven of the Olympians series
4 STAR RATING

Ares doesn't really shine the brightest in this story but he does get the best comeback line to Zeus at the end. Everyone in this story isn't very likable, least of all Ares. But you can kind of see where he's coming from and are mostly on his side by the end of the war.

Calling All Creeps! by R.L. Stine
50th book of the original Goosebumps series
3 STAR RATING

lololol That ending was horrible for all those bullies and mean spirited kids. Obviously Ricky comes out on top in that scenario. This is why you don't treat people like crap, you never know when the tables will turn.

Jason & Kyra by Dana Davidson
A popular jock and the school's brain fall in love
5 STAR RATING
OLD FAVORITE
REREAD

This is just the perfect teenage love story. Even after all of these years, it still holds up to the test of time.

Played by Dana Davidson

Ian must get Kylie to fall in love with him and more in three weeks

5 STAR RATING

OLD FAVORITE

REREAD

This one doesn't tug on my heart strings like Jason & Kyra does but it's still a favorite of mine. The main characters are both idiotic and annoying at times but by the end, you can't help but hope for them to be together. Although if this were me, I'd have been done with Ian's trifling ass.

Too Much Temptation by Lori Foster

Grace and Noah have a "sex slave" agreement until they both start feeling more

5 STAR RATING

OLD FAVORITE

REREAD

I love this book so much that I bought a brand new copy off Amazon for $14. FOURTEEN FUCKING DOLLARS! And this book is old as dirt, being published more than 10 years ago. But I still love it and I'd buy the damn thing all over again.

OVER 100 LITERARY ADVENTURES

I DID IT!. Not my full goal of 150 books read but I'm more than half done. I'm officially over 100 books for the year. I seriously feel like I'm experiencing a runner's high. Maybe a reader's high, if that's even a thing.

The Android's Dream by John Scalzi
Earth is on the verge of war and a rare sheep is its' only salvation
4 STAR RATING

After the first chapter completely reeled me in, I had trouble getting back into the story and paying attention. All the tech talk was giving me a headache. But once I stopped trying to understand what the hell everyone was talking about, I truly enjoyed it. It's completely bonkers and over the top ridiculous in some parts but that's the shining star of the novel. It goes off the rails without losing the audience. I loved each character, may most of them rest in peace. People were getting killed left and right. I had to pause each time to absorb that info since the author has a way of writing very casually. Something epic would be going down and if you're skimming this book, you're going to miss it. There wasn't a lot of build up, just a steady story that I never wanted to stop. Here's hoping that Scalzi eventually gets around to writing the sequel to this novel. I could definitely use a little more adventure.

Deadman Wonderland Vol 6 by Jinsei Kataoka
Collecting chapters 22-26 of Ganta's life in the deadly prison
3 STAR RATING

That ending made no fucking sense. So now that Ganta knows that Shiro is a Deadman, he wants nothing to do with her? Just because all the other Deadmen hate him? What a cock of shit. The only reason I'm giving this book 3 stars is because the battle scene between the Deadmen and the Ninben was epic. Ganta's branch of sin is devastating. I wonder how that'll work out for him in the future.

Vampire Breath by R.L. Stine
The 49th children's book of the original Goosebumps series
4 STAR RATING

This is one of the better developed Goosebumps stories. You have great kids, a great monster, and a ridiculous but funny twist ending. I was laughing out loud at the dilemma Freddy and Cara found themselves in.

Athena: Grey-Eyed Goddess by George O'Connor
A graphic novel featuring some of Athena's exploits 
4 STAR RATING

This series is just great. I like reading about mythology and O'Connor does it very well. You can tell he's clearly interested in the subject and tries to make it entertaining for his readers as well. Sometimes, it's fun to learn lol

Mistress No More by Niobia Bryant
The second novel of the Mistress series
3 STAR RATING
REREAD

**SPOILER ALERT ** All I got to say is I am so glad that bitch dies in the end.

*UPDATE 8/3/15*

This book totally pissed me off. Every character was making the worst decisions for themselves. I felt cheated since I had actually enjoyed reading the first book. If i could do it all over again, I'd have just reread the first novel and not the whole series.

Mistress, Inc. by Niobia Bryant
The third and final novel of the Mistress series
1 STAR RATING

So not only does Jessa not die like I wanted her to at the end of Mistress No More, but she gets her own book? Hell no! If I had known that this book was told from her POV, I would have skipped this last entry in the series. She's obnoxious, annoying, and not at all likable. She's a straight up bitch and I didn't care for her personal growth in the story.