One Book At A Time

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Review - My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century (My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century #1) by Rachel Harris

Title: My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century

Author: Rachel Harris

Series: 1st

Pages: 304

Published:September 11th 2012 by Entangled Publishing

ISBN: 9781620611357

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Description: On the precipice of her sixteenth birthday, the last thing lone wolf Cat Crawford wants is an extravagant gala thrown by her bubbly stepmother and well-meaning father. So even though Cat knows the family’s trip to Florence, Italy, is a peace offering, she embraces the magical city and all it offers. But when her curiosity leads her to an unusual gypsy tent, she exits . . . right into Renaissance Firenze. Thrust into the sixteenth century armed with only a backpack full of contraband future items, Cat joins up with her ancestors, the sweet Alessandra and protective Cipriano, and soon falls for the gorgeous aspiring artist Lorenzo. But when the much-older Niccolo starts sniffing around, Cat realizes that an unwanted birthday party is nothing compared to an unwanted suitor full of creeptastic amore. Can she find her way back to modern times before her Italian adventure turns into an Italian forever?

I Give This ...

I enjoy historical fiction and time travel together. But have found in teen novels in tends to get a little bit campy. I was afraid this might fall in the same category, but was eager to read it.

First off, I liked Cat's character. Her background makes for an interesting addition to this story. She the offspring of a famous producer and a movie star. I think it's important to note that she knows how to act, how to fool others to to seeing what you want them to see. But, she also has her own issues. She dislikes her mother and her dads new fiancée. Her problems with her mother made sense from what we learn of her. I also understood her dislike of her soon to be stepmother, but I really wanted to her to see the good in her.

I liked how we are transported back to the sixteenth century. Cat is mistaken for a relative that hasn't been seen in awhile. Her acting abilities prove handy, but she also makes some glaring mistakes. That was refreshing because it seems to often characters can fit right into a time period when transported back. I think it would be much more obvious. I enjoyed Cat's interactions with Lorenzo. Their chemistry really came off the pages. I disliked Niccolo from the first time we meet him. I pegged his intentions quickly and that made his interactions with Cat that much more creepy.

I really liked what the transport in time teaches Cat. She learns a lot about herself and what it means to be family. I loved the little cliffhanger at the end of the book that opens up for the sequel!

Monday, October 8, 2012

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list. Click on the picture to be taken to Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books!

Read Last Week:

Velveteen by Daniel Marks
Ashen Winter by Mike Mullin

Currently Reading:

Entice by Jessica Shirvington

Up This Week:

The Lost Prince (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten, #1)

The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa
Endlessly by Kiersten White

Sunday, October 7, 2012

In My Mailbox

For Review:

Blood Prophecy by Alyxandra Harvey
Velvet by Mary Hooper

*Thanks to Bloomsbury and Netgalley!

Purchased:

Blood Moon by Alyxandra Harvey
Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Library:

Endlessly by Kiersten White

Stacking The Shelves is all about the books we are adding to our shelves each week, sharing with you our excitement for our newest titles and maybe have you discover a new book in the process! It's hosted by Tynga's Reviews!

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren and she was inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie!

Friday, October 5, 2012

The Whisperer by Donato Carrisi

Title: The Whisperer

Author: Donato Carrisi

Series: Stand Alone

Pages: 432

Published: January 5th 2012 by Mulholland Books

ISBN: 9780316194723

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Description: Six severed arms are discovered, arranged in a mysterious circle and buried in a clearing in the woods. Five of them appear to belong to missing girls between the ages of eight and eighteen. The sixth is yet to be identified. Worse still, the girls' bodies, alive or dead, are nowhere to be found. Lead investigators Mila Vasquez, a celebrated profiler, and Goran Gavila, an eerily prescient criminologist, dive into the case. They're confident they've got the right suspect in their sights until they discover no link between him and any of the kidnappings except the first. The evidence in the case of the second missing child points in a vastly different direction, creating more questions than it answers. Vasquez and Gavila begin to wonder if they've been brought in to take the fall in a near-hopeless case. Is it all coincidence? Or is a copycat criminal at work? Obsessed with a case that becomes more tangled and intense as they unravel the layers of evil, Gavila and Vasquez find that their lives are increasingly in each other's hands.

I Give This ...

I've had this on my review pile for a long time but for some reason never got a round to reading it. It's a book that would have fallen into the category of the books I always read before I started blogging. I haven't found as much enjoyment with this type as of late.

What first caught my attention was the pure genius/insanity of our killer in this story. The details are so intricately woven together that I often wondered if we would every truly piece it all together. We get each part of the story a little bit at a time. It was interesting to see how our killer interacted with each of these people he brings to the investigators attention. I loved how he pointed out the there so many individuals who are leading normal lives hiding dark and terrible secrets.

I think part of the problem is that its entirely too long. I think parts of the story could have been edited and it wouldn't have lost and of its shock value. It also spends far to much time telling you things. I've read my fair share of thrillers, and most of the things this book repeatedly tells you are things one is already familiar with. I get that the author is trying to help us understand the mind of the killer, but I just found it annoying.

I think die hard fans of thrillers will really like this one. I think it just goes to prove that I'm on the outs with this genre

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Dearly, Beloved (Gone With the Respiration #2) by Lia Habel

Title: Dearly, Beloved

Author: Lia Habel

Series: 2nd (Dearly, Departed)

Pages: 496

Published: September 25th 2012 by Del Rey

ISBN: 9780345523341

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Description: Can the living coexist with the living dead? That’s the question that has New Victorian society fiercely divided ever since the mysterious plague known as “The Laz” hit the city of New London and turned thousands into walking corpses. But while some of these zombies are mindless monsters, hungry for human flesh, others can still think, speak, reason, and control their ravenous new appetites. Just ask Nora Dearly, the young lady of means who was nearly kidnapped by a band of sinister zombies but valiantly rescued by a dashing young man . . . of the dead variety. Nora and her savior, the young zombie soldier Bram Griswold, fell hopelessly in love. But others feel only fear and loathing for the reanimated dead. Now, as tensions grow between pro- and anti-zombie factions, battle lines are being drawn in the streets. And though Bram is no longer in the New Victorian army, he and his ex-commando zombie comrades are determined to help keep the peace. That means taking a dangerous stand between The Changed, a radical group of sentient zombies fighting for survival, and The Murder, a masked squad of urban guerrillas hellbent on destroying the living dead. But zombies aren’t the only ones in danger: Their living allies are also in The Murder’s crosshairs, and for one vengeful zealot, Nora Dearly is the number one target. As paranoia, prejudice, and terrorist attacks threaten to plunge the city into full-scale war, Nora’s scientist father and his team continue their desperate race to unlock the secrets of “The Laz” and find a cure. But their efforts may be doomed when a mysterious zombie appears bearing an entirely new strain of the virus—and the nation of New Victoria braces for a new wave of the apocalypse.

I Give This ...

I raved about Dearly, Beloved. It was the right mix of different elements that I like in stories. So, needless to say I was really excited to read this one. Sadly, it fell flat for me.

One of things that irritated me the most was Nora. It bothers me when a teen character decides that just because an absent parent comes back in the picture, their right to parent is null and void. I'm not sure how that works. Nora blatantly disregards everything that her father asks her to do. A lot of the time, its simply because she wants to and thinks her father has no say in how she should spend her time. Never mind that it might be for her own good and safety. I find it ironic that sometimes even if Bram agreed with her father, it still didn't matter. She wasn't going to listen. Granted there were times I was glad that she went against everyone's wishes.

I was wondering when the subject of Bram's lack of a certain future might begin to effect their relationship. As much as I love Bram, he's a zombie and not expected to live very long. I wondered if Nora's "love" for him might be to flighty to commit to the time that they would have together. I also wondered if Bram would let her. He needs to be at the front and center protecting the people. Something I understand, but think he needs to relinquish a little bit of that control.

I found the parts focusing on the members of "The Murder" to be some of the best parts of the story. They were so sinister and targeted. I liked that the wore masks and left secret messages to keep the full membership in complete secrecy. I was intrigued that Michael joined this group just to get back at Nora.

The major issue was the last of interest I had in this book. It just did not hold my attention that way the first one did. It took me forever to read. I found that several different view points confusing at times. There seemed to be parts of the story that could be cut because they offered very little to the overall plot. I almost gave up on it. The later half was better, but man was it a struggle to get there.

I think this is suppose to be the final installment in this series. But, I almost hope there is more just so the series can redeem itself!

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Review - Sound (Solid #3) by Shelley Workinger

Title: Sound

Author: Shelley Workinger

Series: 3rd (Solid, Settling)

Pages: 218

Published: November 1st 2012

ISBN: 9781478377009

Source: Publisher for honest review

Description: Clio Kaid's had one crazy summer. After learning she was one of a hundred teens who were genetically modified before birth, she and the others departed for "camp" at a classified military site. Besides discovering her own special ability, uncovering a conspiracy, and capturing a killer, she's also forged new friendships, found love, and managed to lose them both. With no answers and the end of summer closing in, Clio's terrified of going home more lost than when she arrived. Will she finally find everything she's been looking for?

I Give This ...

I've been with the series since the release of the first novel. I was happy to be asked to participate in the tour for the final book. Sound was a great ending to a trilogy I've really enjoyed.

I was hoping that Clio would get some redemption in this book. I never felt like she deserved all that happened to her in the 2nd book. Sure she made some poor choices. But as teenagers typically do, they all overacted. I was happy to see that her friends just needed some time to cool off and realized the true importance of friendship.

I liked how Clio begins to understand her abilities a little bit more. With the help of her friends, some progress is made is the idea of how she is different and what the future might hold for all of them.

I think the only thing I was disappointed in was it really didn't feel like much of an ending. We know what happens to the school, but not much besides that. There are no cliffhangers per say, just loosely tied ends.