Review - Neverwas (The Amber House Trilogy #2) by Kelly Moore, Tucker Reed, & Larkin Reed

Title: Neverwas

Author: Kelly Moore, Tucker Reed, Larkin Reed

Series: 2nd (Amber House)

Pages: 320

Published: January 7th 2014 by Arthur A. Levine Books / Scholastic Press 

ISBN: 9780545434188

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Description: Things are very different--better--for Sarah and her family: her Aunt Maggie grew up; her parents are happily married; her grandmother died after a long, productive and respected life. But other things are different too, and not for the better.  After growing up in the free country of the Pacific Northwest, Sarah Parsons has settled in at Amber House, the stately Maryland home that's been in her family for generations. But the world surrounding the House feels deeply wrong to Sarah. It's a place where the colonists lost the 1776 Insurrection, where the American Confederation of States still struggles with segregation, and where Sarah is haunted by echoes of a better world that she knows never existed.  Her friend Jackson shares these visions of a different world--and together, they manage both to remember the way things ought to be, and to plan a daring mission that will reset the universe once again. Sarah must figure out what has changed, and why, and how she can fix it--how she can find her way to another otherwhen.

First Line: A spider the color of amber spun a web before me.

I Give This ...

 DNF (DID NOT FINISH)

I was actually really excited for this one.  I enjoyed Amber House quite a bit and was pleased to learn there was a sequel.  Sadly, I have no idea what happened here.

I really gave it my best go, even attempting past my usual 25%.  I kept thinking to myself that there had to be some part of the story that I wasn't getting.  If I kept reading, something would click for me, and I would want to continue.  That honestly never happened.  I vaguely understood that somehow time had been altered.  But, none of it made sense.  

I think a different approach would have worked better here.  Or perhaps, it's just me.  I have thoughts of trying to return to this book at a later date.  But, right now I have no desire too.  It's hard to commit to that when I have so many other books to enjoy.  

Review (DNF) - All the Mermaids in the Sea: The Lost Journals of the Little Mermaid by Robert W Cabell

Title: All The Mermaids in the Sea

Author: Robert W Cabell

Series: Stand Alone

Pages: 468

Published: February 14th 2013 by Oceanus Books
ISBN: 9780988969872

Source: Author Sent for honest review

Description: Denmark's King Valdemar I, was a young prince when he was washed overboard in a violent storm. His life was saved, but his heart was lost, to Poseidon's daughter Helmi. Twenty-five years later, he faked his death and returned to her in the sea. Their daughter Miranda protected their realm from the ravages of two world wars and then met her own true love, Halder, a marine biologist. On the day of their daughter's birth, Miranda and Halder were mysteriously killed along the Seattle waterfront, but their child survived. Adopted by a loving couple, she was named for the lavender pearl around her neck --- the only clue to her identity. While in Hawaii for her thirteenth birthday she visits Dolphin Quest and everything changes. As Pearl swims with the dolphins, she magically transforms into a mermaid. During her journey through the depths of the oceans, she learns of the murder of her parents and that her grandmother is the immortal Little Mermaid. The stories of Helmi, Miranda, and Pearl are woven together in a sweeping epic of romance and adventure, with a dazzling conclusion that changes the fate of mankind.

I Give This ...

 DNF (Did Not Finish)

I'm a huge little mermaid fan.  So, I really didn't even hesitate on this one.   However, I just could not get into the story.

I struggled with the varying viewpoints.  There seems to be a couple in the presents and a couple in different points in the past.  It took me awhile just to connect the dots on who was who.  4 days later and only 125 pages into the book, I decided to move on for now.  If I come back to this book, I will update my review.

On a side note, I'm not sure the cover is appropriate for the age group.  The author said the book was YA friendly but suitable for all ages.  My husband took one look at the cover and asked what kind of book I was reading.  

Cold Magic (Spiritwalker #1) by Kate Elliott

Title: Cold Magic

Author: Kate Elliott

 Series: 1st

Pages: 528

Published: September 2nd 2010 by Orbit

ISBN:  9781841498812

Source: Personal Copy

 

Description: It is the dawn of a new age... The Industrial Revolution has begun, factories are springing up across the country, and new technologies are transforming in the cities. But the old ways do not die easy. “I was not a bard or a djeli or an historian or a scribe and I was certainly not a sage, but that didn't mean I wasn't curious…” Young Cat Barahal thinks she understands the world she lives in and her place in it, but in fact she is merely poised, unaware, on the brink of shattering events. Drawn into a labyrinth of politics involving blood, betrayal and old feuds, she will be forced to make an unexpected and perilous journey in order to discover the truth, not just about her own family but about an ancient secret lying at the heart of her world.  Cat and her cousin Bee are part of this revolution. Young women at college, learning of the science that will shape their future and ignorant of the magics that rule their families. But all of that will change when the Cold Mages come for Cat. New dangers lurk around every corner and hidden threats menace her every move. If blood can't be trusted, who can you trust? From one of the genre's finest writers comes a bold new epic fantasy in which science and magic are locked in a deadly struggle.

I Give This ...

DNF (Did Not Finish)

I've seen this pop up many times and couldn't make up my mind about it.  But then it came up for free on kindle and jumped.   I finally thought I would dive into it, but had a hard time with the story.

If you've read any past reviews of mine, especially those that have a steampunk theme, you know I'm hit or miss with the genre.  I just don't connect with the idea for some reason.   I think I have to really like the story in order to get past some of the elements.   I just couldn't do that here.  I was really looking forward to this book too!    I made 1/4 of the way through when I realized I had no idea what was going on.  I was having a really hard time just picking up the book to read.  I decided to let it go.  Maybe one day I will come back to it

I'm so wary about steampunk.  I really want to enjoy the genre and just can't seem to get past some of the elements to the story.  I have no idea why.   I'm sure I'll try it again someday.

Review - Spirit's Princess (Spirit's Princess #1) by Esther M. Friesner

Title: Spirit's Princess

Author: Esther M. Friesner

Series: 1st

Pages: 464

Published: April 24th 2012 by Random House

ISBN: 9780375869075

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

 

Description: Himiko the beloved daughter of a chieftain in third century Japan has always been special. The day she was born there was a devastating earthquake, and the tribe's shamaness had an amazing vision revealing the young girl's future—one day this privileged child will be the spiritual and tribal leader over all of the tribes. Book One revolves around the events of Himiko's early teen years—her shaman lessons, friendships, contact with other tribes, and journey to save her family after a series of tragic events. Once again, Esther Friesner masterfully weaves together history, myth, and mysticism in a tale of a princess whose path is far from traditional.

I Give This ....

DNF (Did Not Finish)

Aww....the joys of peer influence.   I added this book to my to read list because I have a couple other books by the author on my shelves that I haven't read yet.  I've heard good things about them and this one sounded just as interesting.  I like the idea that she takes real characters.  I was hoping this one would be good.

The problem started when I went to add it to my currently reading shelf on goodreads.  I noticed that it was getting a lot of low stars.  So I glanced at some of the reviews....I should know better.  A lot of people who are a lot more knowledgeable about the subject feel this book does not do justice to the time period nor to the character of Himiko.  Ok, I got that and decided to read anyway.

Right away I noticed that this book does not feel historic nor Japanese.  I've read other books set in Japan (both historic and more fantasy as well), and this is nothing like them.  I might have been able to get over that.   But, I found Himiko to be a character I wasn't interested in.  She was whiny and have little thought to how her actions might effect others.  She was always trying to prove herself, but did very little to show she wasn't just making poor decisions.       

I rarely give up on a book, but I managed to read about 20% of it.  This book is long (almost 500 pages) and I knew that I couldn't read that much more of it.  So, it went into the DNF pile.  I'm hoping the other books I have to still read aren't like this one.   

    

Review (or why I didn't finish) - Pure (Pure #1) by Julianna Baggott

Title: Pure

Author: Julianna Baggott

Series: 1st

Pages: 448

Published: February 8th 2012 by Grand Central Publishing 

ISBN: 9781455503063

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Description: We know you are here, our brothers and sisters . . .
Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.  Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash . . . There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her. When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again.

I Give This

DNF (Did Not Finish)

I was really excited to read this book.  It sounded right up my alley.  I've had a new attraction to the dystopian genre and this one fit the bill.

Sadly, I just could not get into this story.  I so rarely give up on something (one all of last year).  But, I struggled just getting though a few pages.  I didn't connect with the characters at all.  I had a hard time understanding the world they lived in.  When I realized I was only 30% into the story and had been reading it for 5 days, I made myself give up.  There's to many great books out there to make myself finish a book I don't connect with.