Too bad, so sad

It always sucks when a favorite author delivers a book that you feel is beneath their worth. I am always beyond excited when I see that Kagawa has a new book coming out. Now I have a new caution when it comes to her books. Damn it.

Talon By Julie Kagawa
The first book of the dragon/human series for young adults 
2 STAR RATING

I really wanted to like this book but I just couldn't get myself excited about it. It's a massive one with over 400 pages and yet I read it in under 3 hours. And that's not because I'm a speed reader. That's because I skimmed the hell out of this book just to finish it. The characters were all boring and predictable. The story could have been interesting if it hadn't been for that awkward and forced love triangle. I was more drawn towards Riley but not by much. No one is a winner in this novel. Least of all me for having read it. I'm gonna go ahead and skip the second one in this series. I have hopes that it will get better but I don't care enough to find out.

Insanity

These books were insane for two different reasons. The first one was insane because it should have been amazing but failed miserably to impress me. The second one was insane because it 's written by Darren Shan and he's certifiable, in the best way possible of course.

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
The first book of the Goddess Test series, young adult fantasy
2 STAR RATING

This book was not on my reading radar at all. I'm always hesitant to read the first book of a series but I already read enough series and don't need to get sucked into another one. Thankfully, I didn't really like this book and am not interested in reading any more of it. All of the characters except Kate's mom were completely boring and predictable. I found myself bored with every chapter and was ecstatic when I reached the end. The story had the potential to be amazing but was bogged down by horrible pacing and generic bland characters. I wish I felt differently about this book but I can't wait until it fades from my memory that I ever read this book in the first place.

Zom-B Family by Darren Shan
The ninth book of the Zom-B series, young adult horror
3 STAR RATING

As always, this series is insane. Becky just cannot catch a break. She gets betrayed, tortured, and has to kill people she cares about. If I were her, I would have given up a long time ago. I absolutely love her because she's so strong. She carries all of the insanity of these books on her back and makes me care and come back for more. I would say that I hope things get easier for her in the next book but I know for a fact that's never going to happen. 

So cute

I'm slowly making my way through this list from Entertainment Weekly. It's "50 Books Every Kid Should Read". And since I'm a kid at heart, I decided to go ahead and read them all.

Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban
A picture book about a little badger who only eats bread and jam
3 STAR RATING

There isn't too much to say about this one. It's a cute story to read to kids who are very picky eaters. It helps them see that eating different things can actually be fun and delicious. I didn't really want to read this children's series before and this one book will satisfy my minimal curiosity for it. I now have a new recommendation for parents looking for a cute, fluffy story to read to their children. 

No Soup for You!

I hate when a book ends the complete opposite of how I wish it had ended. I had such high hopes for the finale of the Burn for Burn trilogy :(

Ashes to Ashes by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian
The final book of the Burn for Burn trilogy
2 STAR RATING

How could this have happened? The first book was good and made me want to read more. The second book blew my fucking mind and had me screaming from how amazing it was. Then this book, the final book of the trilogy? This is what you give me. I am not a happy camper right now with that bullshit ending. It jumps into a melodramatic showdown between Mary and her "victims". And then, everyone moves away. You never fully find out what happened to Mary. The last chapter is told from Lillia's POV and basically gives the cliff notes on everyone's life. I wanted major details. How did Reeve and Kat deal with what happened on prom night? I don't give a crap how their lives turned out. It doesn't go with what I wanted to happen anyway. Reeve and Lillia should have ended up together, at least. They were my end game from the very beginning. It sucks to end this series on a low point but I'm sure there are people how loved this ending and I'm happy for them. I just wish I could feel the same way.

House of Night series finale

I have conquered another series that I thought would never finish. It feels like I've been reading it forever. It started out strong but over the years, my interest has dulled. Hopefully I can keep this trend going and finish even more series this year to make room for new ones.

Redeemed by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
The last novel of the House of Night series
3 STAR RATING

The final battle between the good guys and the bad guys hardly lives up to all the hype. This book definitely fell short of my epic expectations. I wanted a bloodbath. I was expecting more main characters to die off, not just one who ends up getting a happy ending anyway. That's not to say that I wanted a depressing close to a beloved series. I just wanted more out of it. It seemed dull and lifeless compared to other books in the series. The conclusion of Neferet was less than thrilling. She's basically been the main bad guy since book one and her demise is written in only a fee sentences. I had to go back and reread the last chapter just to make sure I wasn't missing anything. Despite my disappointment with the finale, I did enjoy the book and I'll look back on this series with fond memories. I've laid another one to bed :)

Saga Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan
A graphic novel about two star crossed lovers fighting for their lives
4 STAR RATING

This was great. I can't believe I waited so long to read this. I finished it in one day and I'm all too excited to read more. It was so original and weird. I didn't have anything to compare it to and that's a good thing. I hope my intrigue doesn't disappear by the time I read the next chapter. 

Winning streak

Two books?! Two books that I absolutely loved reading back to back? It doesn't get any better than that :)

The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
A horror novel about a very special young girl
4 STAR RATING

That ending just about killed me, but in the most awesome way. It was so bleak yet still hopeful. I liked all the characters but Melanie was my favorite by far. Her POV was so compelling. I almost wish that the entire book stayed in her perspective but I liked hearing from the other characters too. I wasn't sure what this book was actually about and I think that helped me enjoy this book even more. I'm sure I would have expected something entirely different than what I ended up reading. It's so weird and unique and cool. Everyone should read this book.

Attack on Titan Vol. 14 by Hajime Isayama
A manga series about humans defending themselves against monsters called Titans
4 STAR RATING

Again, I'm not sure what was going on in the book but I know that I liked it. This new bad guy is giving me goosebumps. I'm pretty sure that he got a main character killed. I cannot wait until the next book. I know it's only going to get even crazier for the Survey Corps.

Just the best

Companion books usually go unnoticed by me but when one of my favorite series has a huge ass companion book about the Greek gods, I just have to read it.

Percy Jackson's Greek Gods by Rick Riordan
A companion novel to the Percy Jackson series about the 12 gods/goddess of Greek
5 STAR RATING
A NEW FAVORITE NOVEL

This was just the best. I loved reading this over sized mammoth of a book. It's a perfect read for children, teens, and adults. Percy Jackson has an amazing voice to tell a story. He's really funny and not at all annoying. I'd read anything if it were from Percy Jackson's POV. I'm really excited about the Greek heroes book that will be coming out this year. I'm sure it will be even better than this one.

Just fine

The cover caught my attention. It seemed like a cute graphic novel for younger kids. It's a bit more than that, gearing more towards young adults than younger children.

Cardboard by Doug TenNapel
A graphic novel about magic cardboard that comes to life
3 STAR RATING

The best part about this book is the art. I mean, damn. I was forgetting to pay attention to the actual story because the drawings were much more entertaining than the words. That is not to say that the writing was bad. The story was great with real tender and heartbreaking moments between the characters. Cam's father is without a job and can't afford to buy his son a birthday present. A weird street merchant sells him some "magic" cardboard that comes to life when you create something out of it. Of course there has to be conflict and that comes in the form of the neighborhood bully named Marcus. This kid was a bit too psycho for my tastes but he was fun to read. I wasn't that big of a fan of the happy ending but I'm glad the world didn't get overrun by giant cardboard monsters. 

Confusion

This book came highly recommended from a good friend who has the same taste in novels as I do. But this one? I don't know if we read different books but I was not feeling this one. It sucks to start a book thinking you're going to completely love it and have it disappoint you.

Love is the Drug by Alaya Dawn Johnson
A young adult novel about government cover-ups 
2 STAR RATING

I don't even know what to really say about this novel. It wasn't awful but I couldn't guess what it was trying to portray or how it wanted me to feel. The only reason it's getting 2 stars is because of Coffee. He was just all kinds of awesome. I loved every scene he was in and wished the story was told from his POV. Bird was too annoying to enjoy reading from her vantage point. All the other characters had me more interested in them than she did. She was bland, the story was boring, and Coffee was hot. Is that it? 

Yep, that's all I got.

Pretty cover though

Pleasantly surprised

Book clubs books are great. It's a chance to read something that you would have never picked up otherwise. It's even better when you actually like the book you're reading and it opens you up to a new author and desire to read different books. Hopefully this is just the beginning for me and Mr. Mosley.

Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore by Walter Mosley

The story of a porn star trying to quit the adult industry

3 STAR RATING

This is the first book I've ever read by Mosley and I'm glad it was. It's a straight forward character study that pulls you into Debbie's world. It's a nice change to read a novel that isn't fantasy based. I enjoyed this book a lot and I know I'll be reading more of Mosley's books, both fiction and fantasy, in the future. Debbie is a very relatable character, despite what she does. She's just a woman who feels lost and wants to find her way. I loved all the side characters except Rash. His connection with Debbie led to the lackluster ending. I didn't appreciate it at all. It felt forced and abrupt. Other than that, this is a great book and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a new interesting protagonist.  

Shadow Kiss: The Graphic Novel by Richelle Mead

The third book in the graphic novel adaptation of the Vampire Academy series

2 STAR RATING

This was just boring as hell. I rushed through it, only stopping to look at any pictures of Christian. He was the highlight of this story. These graphic novels fail to capture to feeling I had while reading the VA novels. It's a water downed version and the drawing isn't very good either. I totally understand why there's a hold to complete the fourth novel. With the story only getting better and more intense with each book, I'd hate to read these comics and feel underwhelmed yet again.  

Happy New Year

It's finally 2015 and I'm ready to leave the past behind me. It was a good year for reading, I'll tell you that. Too bad I started off this brand new year with one of the worst books I've ever read. It sucks to start off on the wrong foot.

Son by Lois Lowry
The final book in The Giver quartet series
1 STAR RATING

I am so disappointed that this is how the series ended. The first book was amazing, the second was boring, the third surpassed the first, and this screwed the pooch. There was no fire tot he story. It's broken up into three parts and each one is more boring then the next. Just from the title, I knew how this was going to tie into The Giver. However, I was surprised with how little the author did with expanding from the original story. It felt too choppy and disorienting. It sucks that this is the last book of the series but I'll be blocking this mess out of my mind by remembering how great The Giver and Messenger were.

On Dublin Street by Samantha Young
The first book of an adult romance series
3 STAR RATING

Here's to a good romance novel! I love it when it's not a complete shit storm from the very first page. Most romances don't know to engage the audience anymore. They just throw two people together that have no chemistry whatsoever and add some hot sex scenes and think that makes a story. I like my love interest to have their own lives and relatable drama and this book had both. Granted, the story started getting a little "soap opera" towards the end but the beginning saved it from being a total disaster. I'm planning on reading more from this series and I hope it only goes up from here.