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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated The Emerald Ring (Cleopatra's Legacy, #1) in Books
Jun 7, 2018
(This review can be found on my blog <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.com/">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a>).
I was super excited to be asked if I wanted to be part of the Emerald Ring Blog Tour by the author, Dorine White. After reading the synopsis of this book, I definitely wanted to give it a read. All in all, I definitely enjoyed it!
Sara is a 12 year old girl, who, after finding an emerald ring at her grandmother's house, realizes she can shape-shift into a cat. She's also started having some really strange dreams as well. When a bunch of burglaries start happening close to her neighborhood, she takes it upon herself to put everything together to figure out who is behind them all. Will Sara's find out what the thief wants and why she's having strange dreams? Or will the magic of the emerald ring be too much?
I do like the title of this book. It's very straight-forward which I believe is a good thing as it's a middle grade fantasy novel. You know exactly what this book is going to be about. I think the title would definitely appeal to middle schoolers as well as adults.
The cover definitely suits the book. I like how there's a picture of the ring on the cover. I also like the sarcophagus on the cover. It's a nice touch! I believe the cover will appeal to children in middle school very much.
The world building in this novel is believable especially for a child in junior high. The dreaming sequences were very well written as were the scenes at Sara's school and house. I had no problem using my imagination to set up the world in which this novel took place.
The pacing in this novel is great!! Even as an adult, I thought it flowed rather nicely. I devoured this book in no time at all. Each chapter ran smoothly into the next. It was terrific!
The characters, for the most part, are well written. Sara reminded me of a 12 year old girl with her thought process and the way she acted. I loved her curiosity about everything. Heidi, Sara's best friend, was my favorite character. She always had Sara's back and was a big help when it came to Sara's adventure. I wish she was featured a bit more in the story though. I do think she was a bit too trusting of everything Sara told her though. I don't think most 12 year olds would be that gullible. Kainu was a believable character but I kept forgetting that he was supposed to be African. He spoke very good English for someone from Africa. It is explained how he learned how to speak English, but I don't know. I still felt as if he spoke English a little too well. Plus, Kainu's story wasn't that believable being as he's only 12 years old. I won't go into more detail because I don't want to give any spoilers away. Perhaps middle schoolers won't pick up on any of the character flaws.
The dialogue was fun to read. I enjoyed Sara's internal dialogue the best. I loved reading about how she felt and what she thought. There were a few words that I think middle school children wouldn't know the meaning of. Even I struggled with a few of the words, but there aren't many so it doesn't take away from the book.
Overall, The Emerald Ring by Dorine White is a cute, fun story which will be enjoyed by all middle school children. In fact, I think it will be enjoyed by most adults as well. The plot is interesting, and the characters are fun. At the very least, it may get children interested in Ancient Egyptian history.
I'd recommend this book to everyone age 11+ because it's such a fun and cute story.
The Emerald Ring (Cleopatra's Legacy #1) by Dorine White gets a 4.5 out of 5.
(I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review).
I was super excited to be asked if I wanted to be part of the Emerald Ring Blog Tour by the author, Dorine White. After reading the synopsis of this book, I definitely wanted to give it a read. All in all, I definitely enjoyed it!
Sara is a 12 year old girl, who, after finding an emerald ring at her grandmother's house, realizes she can shape-shift into a cat. She's also started having some really strange dreams as well. When a bunch of burglaries start happening close to her neighborhood, she takes it upon herself to put everything together to figure out who is behind them all. Will Sara's find out what the thief wants and why she's having strange dreams? Or will the magic of the emerald ring be too much?
I do like the title of this book. It's very straight-forward which I believe is a good thing as it's a middle grade fantasy novel. You know exactly what this book is going to be about. I think the title would definitely appeal to middle schoolers as well as adults.
The cover definitely suits the book. I like how there's a picture of the ring on the cover. I also like the sarcophagus on the cover. It's a nice touch! I believe the cover will appeal to children in middle school very much.
The world building in this novel is believable especially for a child in junior high. The dreaming sequences were very well written as were the scenes at Sara's school and house. I had no problem using my imagination to set up the world in which this novel took place.
The pacing in this novel is great!! Even as an adult, I thought it flowed rather nicely. I devoured this book in no time at all. Each chapter ran smoothly into the next. It was terrific!
The characters, for the most part, are well written. Sara reminded me of a 12 year old girl with her thought process and the way she acted. I loved her curiosity about everything. Heidi, Sara's best friend, was my favorite character. She always had Sara's back and was a big help when it came to Sara's adventure. I wish she was featured a bit more in the story though. I do think she was a bit too trusting of everything Sara told her though. I don't think most 12 year olds would be that gullible. Kainu was a believable character but I kept forgetting that he was supposed to be African. He spoke very good English for someone from Africa. It is explained how he learned how to speak English, but I don't know. I still felt as if he spoke English a little too well. Plus, Kainu's story wasn't that believable being as he's only 12 years old. I won't go into more detail because I don't want to give any spoilers away. Perhaps middle schoolers won't pick up on any of the character flaws.
The dialogue was fun to read. I enjoyed Sara's internal dialogue the best. I loved reading about how she felt and what she thought. There were a few words that I think middle school children wouldn't know the meaning of. Even I struggled with a few of the words, but there aren't many so it doesn't take away from the book.
Overall, The Emerald Ring by Dorine White is a cute, fun story which will be enjoyed by all middle school children. In fact, I think it will be enjoyed by most adults as well. The plot is interesting, and the characters are fun. At the very least, it may get children interested in Ancient Egyptian history.
I'd recommend this book to everyone age 11+ because it's such a fun and cute story.
The Emerald Ring (Cleopatra's Legacy #1) by Dorine White gets a 4.5 out of 5.
(I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review).
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Savage in Books
Jun 7, 2018
(This review can be found on my blog <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.com/">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a>).
When I read the blurb for this novella, I was a little bit interested especially when it came to the mysterious village. The whole creature thing isn't usually what I read when it comes to the horror genre, but as this was a short read, I thought I'd give it a try. However, it wasn't something I can say I enjoyed.
I don't really like or dislike the title. It's a bit plain and boring, and I don't really see what it has to do with the book unless it pertains to what the villagers call the undisciplined. No mention of the word savage was ever used.
The cover of this book reminds me of a book from the time of Alfred Hitchcock. I believe that the cover does suit the book.
The world building starts off being believable. It was quite easy to picture a man driving along a country road, his car dying, and then he mysteriously gets transported to a strange village. However, the author starts talking about angles and shapes, and I just found myself being really confused. I wouldn't say this made the world building any less believable but just confusing, at least for me.
I thought the pacing to be a bit too slow for my liking. There's not really any action until almost the very end of the book. Luckily this book is short or else I would've quit reading it before I was finished.
The plot is interesting enough. A man's car breaks down just outside some strange village. The man goes into the village and notices how perfectly angular the people and the landscape is. The villagers start talking about the undisciplined. The man ends up getting locked up but manages to escape. However, he runs into something a lot worse than the strange villagers. So yes, the plot line was interesting enough, but I just felt it was executed a bit poorly. I felt as if the ending didn't tie in with the whole book. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but I will say that if the author was going for that ending, maybe he should've rethought about whether or not to have a mysterious village in the book as the village and the ending don't really mesh well.
I did like Daryl. He seemed like your everyday, normal working man. However, I think he was a bit too intellectual for me to fully relate to. As for the villagers, I can't really comment on them because I felt like there wasn't enough back story on the village and its people to fully form an opinion. I would've liked more back story on the village, and I feel that with more back story, the book would've been less confusing and more interesting.
There wasn't much dialogue in the book which I found disappointing. It seemed like all that was in the book was adjectives and too much description for my liking. Not only that, but I felt that the words used were too intellectual for a common reader such as myself. A lot of the time I didn't even know what the words meant, and this lead to a lot of confusion and lack of interest for me. It's just too wordy of a book if that makes sense. There are a few swear words and a tiny bit of violence. There is also a little bit of sexual references but only in one or two scenes, and it's not very graphic.
Overall, Savage by Gary Fry has a promising story line, but with all the big words, too much description and not enough dialogue, it just falls flat. It doesn't help that the mysterious village has no back story and that the ending doesn't really mesh with the rest of the story.
Personally, I wouldn't recommend this book unless you know words that aren't used in every day conversations or if you're an English major. I'd say this book is written for those 18+.
<b>I'd give Savage by Gary Fry a 2 out of 5.</b>
(I received a free ecopy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley for an honest and unbiased review).
When I read the blurb for this novella, I was a little bit interested especially when it came to the mysterious village. The whole creature thing isn't usually what I read when it comes to the horror genre, but as this was a short read, I thought I'd give it a try. However, it wasn't something I can say I enjoyed.
I don't really like or dislike the title. It's a bit plain and boring, and I don't really see what it has to do with the book unless it pertains to what the villagers call the undisciplined. No mention of the word savage was ever used.
The cover of this book reminds me of a book from the time of Alfred Hitchcock. I believe that the cover does suit the book.
The world building starts off being believable. It was quite easy to picture a man driving along a country road, his car dying, and then he mysteriously gets transported to a strange village. However, the author starts talking about angles and shapes, and I just found myself being really confused. I wouldn't say this made the world building any less believable but just confusing, at least for me.
I thought the pacing to be a bit too slow for my liking. There's not really any action until almost the very end of the book. Luckily this book is short or else I would've quit reading it before I was finished.
The plot is interesting enough. A man's car breaks down just outside some strange village. The man goes into the village and notices how perfectly angular the people and the landscape is. The villagers start talking about the undisciplined. The man ends up getting locked up but manages to escape. However, he runs into something a lot worse than the strange villagers. So yes, the plot line was interesting enough, but I just felt it was executed a bit poorly. I felt as if the ending didn't tie in with the whole book. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but I will say that if the author was going for that ending, maybe he should've rethought about whether or not to have a mysterious village in the book as the village and the ending don't really mesh well.
I did like Daryl. He seemed like your everyday, normal working man. However, I think he was a bit too intellectual for me to fully relate to. As for the villagers, I can't really comment on them because I felt like there wasn't enough back story on the village and its people to fully form an opinion. I would've liked more back story on the village, and I feel that with more back story, the book would've been less confusing and more interesting.
There wasn't much dialogue in the book which I found disappointing. It seemed like all that was in the book was adjectives and too much description for my liking. Not only that, but I felt that the words used were too intellectual for a common reader such as myself. A lot of the time I didn't even know what the words meant, and this lead to a lot of confusion and lack of interest for me. It's just too wordy of a book if that makes sense. There are a few swear words and a tiny bit of violence. There is also a little bit of sexual references but only in one or two scenes, and it's not very graphic.
Overall, Savage by Gary Fry has a promising story line, but with all the big words, too much description and not enough dialogue, it just falls flat. It doesn't help that the mysterious village has no back story and that the ending doesn't really mesh with the rest of the story.
Personally, I wouldn't recommend this book unless you know words that aren't used in every day conversations or if you're an English major. I'd say this book is written for those 18+.
<b>I'd give Savage by Gary Fry a 2 out of 5.</b>
(I received a free ecopy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley for an honest and unbiased review).
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated The Disappearing Girl in Books
Jun 7, 2018
(This review can be found on my blog <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.com/">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a> at the end of September).
For some reason, this is a book that I really wanted to read. It's like it just spoke out to me. I'm glad I read it because this was such an interesting read!
It's so annoying when a book's blurb tells you what the book's going to be about, but then it turn's out the book is nothing like the blurb. However, The Disappearing Girl's blurb is spot on, so I won't bore you with my own words with what it's about.
The title is what first drew my attention to this book. I think it's intriguing, and it made me want to know why this girl was disappearing.
The cover is alright. For some reason, the girl on the front annoys me. There's just something about her appearance. However, that's just a personal thing. I do like the photo frame of just a brick wall with the title in it though.
I think Ms. Wood did a brilliant job with the world building! I struggled with anorexia when I was 13 years old, so I know what's it like. Ms. Wood seem to get the thought process right and the mannerisms of having this disorder. I remembered thinking those same things that Kayla would think. This book has one of the best built words I've read about in awhile!
I won't lie. I did think there would be times when the pacing would slow down. However, I needn't have worried. This book draws you in and doesn't let you go until the very end. I found myself fully immersed, and not once did my attention waver.
The plot line of a girl with anorexia has been done before, but Heather Topham Wood does an excellent job of creating fantastic sub-plots that support the main plot. As I said before, this is a great read!
Like everything else, the characters were written fantastically! I could totally relate to Kayla and what extreme lengths she'd go to to get to her goal weight. I liked how even though she had this internal struggle going on, she tried her hardest to please everyone. I know that if you end up trying to please everyone, you end up pleasing no one, but I do like how Kayla tried to make everyone happy. Cameron was a sweetie! I admired him for his dedication and loyalty to Kayla. I loved how he kept trying to stick by her side even when she tried pushing him away. I was so angry with Kayla's mother though! I hated how she treated Kayla and her sister Lila. There were times when I felt like screaming at my book to try to reach this literary character! Kayla's mom isn't written horribly, but quite the opposite. In fact, I'd go to say that she's that person you love to hate. I loved Lila! She isn't mentioned a whole lot throughout the story, but I loved reading about how her character grew emotionally. She goes from being a very vulnerable teen to a strong woman.
I thought the dialogue suited this book quite well. The whole anorexia talk doesn't just sound like something the author came up with. Instead, it sounds like the author did her research about this disease. As for bad language, there are some swear words so be warned.
Overall, The Disappearing Girl by Heather Topham Wood is like actually knowing someone with anorexia. This book makes you feel as if the main character is one of your best friends, and you just want her to get better. Everything about this book is perfect, and I can't find even one thing to fault.
I'd recommend this book to those aged 17+ (due to adult themes) who want to know the characters on a very emotional, personal level.
(I received a free ebook of this title from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review).
For some reason, this is a book that I really wanted to read. It's like it just spoke out to me. I'm glad I read it because this was such an interesting read!
It's so annoying when a book's blurb tells you what the book's going to be about, but then it turn's out the book is nothing like the blurb. However, The Disappearing Girl's blurb is spot on, so I won't bore you with my own words with what it's about.
The title is what first drew my attention to this book. I think it's intriguing, and it made me want to know why this girl was disappearing.
The cover is alright. For some reason, the girl on the front annoys me. There's just something about her appearance. However, that's just a personal thing. I do like the photo frame of just a brick wall with the title in it though.
I think Ms. Wood did a brilliant job with the world building! I struggled with anorexia when I was 13 years old, so I know what's it like. Ms. Wood seem to get the thought process right and the mannerisms of having this disorder. I remembered thinking those same things that Kayla would think. This book has one of the best built words I've read about in awhile!
I won't lie. I did think there would be times when the pacing would slow down. However, I needn't have worried. This book draws you in and doesn't let you go until the very end. I found myself fully immersed, and not once did my attention waver.
The plot line of a girl with anorexia has been done before, but Heather Topham Wood does an excellent job of creating fantastic sub-plots that support the main plot. As I said before, this is a great read!
Like everything else, the characters were written fantastically! I could totally relate to Kayla and what extreme lengths she'd go to to get to her goal weight. I liked how even though she had this internal struggle going on, she tried her hardest to please everyone. I know that if you end up trying to please everyone, you end up pleasing no one, but I do like how Kayla tried to make everyone happy. Cameron was a sweetie! I admired him for his dedication and loyalty to Kayla. I loved how he kept trying to stick by her side even when she tried pushing him away. I was so angry with Kayla's mother though! I hated how she treated Kayla and her sister Lila. There were times when I felt like screaming at my book to try to reach this literary character! Kayla's mom isn't written horribly, but quite the opposite. In fact, I'd go to say that she's that person you love to hate. I loved Lila! She isn't mentioned a whole lot throughout the story, but I loved reading about how her character grew emotionally. She goes from being a very vulnerable teen to a strong woman.
I thought the dialogue suited this book quite well. The whole anorexia talk doesn't just sound like something the author came up with. Instead, it sounds like the author did her research about this disease. As for bad language, there are some swear words so be warned.
Overall, The Disappearing Girl by Heather Topham Wood is like actually knowing someone with anorexia. This book makes you feel as if the main character is one of your best friends, and you just want her to get better. Everything about this book is perfect, and I can't find even one thing to fault.
I'd recommend this book to those aged 17+ (due to adult themes) who want to know the characters on a very emotional, personal level.
(I received a free ebook of this title from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review).
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful, #1) in Books
Jun 7, 2018
(This review can also be found on my blog: <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.com/">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a>).
A friend of mine had recommended this book back when it first came out. While I was definitely intrigued, I kept putting off buying it. However, with Walking Disaster coming out, I thought I'd give it a read. I'm super happy I did. I loved it!
Abby Abernathy is a reformed good girl. She moved to another state to get away from her horrible past. However, when she meets Travis, a self-professed womanizer, she struggles to continue being that good girl she so desperately wants to be. Travis is violent and sleeps with almost any woman. The more Abby tries to stay away, the more she finds herself drawn to Travis. Will Abby be able to keep up her good girl image or will she succumb to Travis' charms?
I love this title!! It definitely suits this book because it describes, perfectly, the relationship between Travis and Abby. It's even mentioned in the book!
I like the cover. In fact, I think it's really pretty. I'm sure it's symbolic of Travis and Abby with Abby being the butterfly, but I just can't figure it out. I don't see how Abby is a trapped butterfly.
For the most part, the world building was alright. There were times, while reading, were I felt like I was more in a high school setting then a college setting. Also, there was hardly any mention of time going by. For example, Abby and Travis would say about 4 or 5 sentences to each other, and three hours had passed by. That happened quite a few times in the book which I found annoying. Other than that, everything about the world was great.
The pacing was perfect in Beautiful Disaster! I couldn't get enough of the action. The chapters flowed beautifully into each other, and I found that I couldn't read the pages fast enough. Every sentence left me wanting more!
The characters were fantastic and well written! I loved how Abby was trying to turn her life around. I didn't think she had as bad of a life as she let on although I would've loved to learn more about her past. Abby had a sweet vulnerability to her which I liked. I thought Travis was quite romantic, and I loved how crazy he was about Abby. At some points, I felt that he was a little too crazy about Abby, but I still found myself wishing I had someone like Travis to look after me (except not as violent). Like Abby, I would've loved to find out more about Travis' background. I really hope I will learn more about him in Walking Disaster. I loved America although I kept picturing her differently to the blonde girl that she is. Shep is great when it comes to America and his cousin Travis. He's also great to Abby. Shep has a good heart, and I loved how willing he was to help those he loved.
The dialogue was a bit intense but in a good way. I loved reading how Abby and Travis interacted with each other. These two were super funny and at times would drive me crazy with how they acted towards each other when they would argue. As for the language, there is A LOT of swearing so if you don't like cuss words, this isn't your type of book.
Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire was definitely an enjoyable and intense read. I was also appreciative that the sex scenes were done quite tastefully instead of being graphic. I didn't really like the way it ended as I felt it was a rush decision on the characters' part. (Don't worry, I won't go into detail). Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
I'd recommend this book to everyone aged 17+ who is seeking a bit of a bad boy or a bit of a thrill. Please be aware that there is a lot of violence and swearing within this book.
Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful #1) by Jamie McGuire gets a 4.25 out of 5 from me.
A friend of mine had recommended this book back when it first came out. While I was definitely intrigued, I kept putting off buying it. However, with Walking Disaster coming out, I thought I'd give it a read. I'm super happy I did. I loved it!
Abby Abernathy is a reformed good girl. She moved to another state to get away from her horrible past. However, when she meets Travis, a self-professed womanizer, she struggles to continue being that good girl she so desperately wants to be. Travis is violent and sleeps with almost any woman. The more Abby tries to stay away, the more she finds herself drawn to Travis. Will Abby be able to keep up her good girl image or will she succumb to Travis' charms?
I love this title!! It definitely suits this book because it describes, perfectly, the relationship between Travis and Abby. It's even mentioned in the book!
I like the cover. In fact, I think it's really pretty. I'm sure it's symbolic of Travis and Abby with Abby being the butterfly, but I just can't figure it out. I don't see how Abby is a trapped butterfly.
For the most part, the world building was alright. There were times, while reading, were I felt like I was more in a high school setting then a college setting. Also, there was hardly any mention of time going by. For example, Abby and Travis would say about 4 or 5 sentences to each other, and three hours had passed by. That happened quite a few times in the book which I found annoying. Other than that, everything about the world was great.
The pacing was perfect in Beautiful Disaster! I couldn't get enough of the action. The chapters flowed beautifully into each other, and I found that I couldn't read the pages fast enough. Every sentence left me wanting more!
The characters were fantastic and well written! I loved how Abby was trying to turn her life around. I didn't think she had as bad of a life as she let on although I would've loved to learn more about her past. Abby had a sweet vulnerability to her which I liked. I thought Travis was quite romantic, and I loved how crazy he was about Abby. At some points, I felt that he was a little too crazy about Abby, but I still found myself wishing I had someone like Travis to look after me (except not as violent). Like Abby, I would've loved to find out more about Travis' background. I really hope I will learn more about him in Walking Disaster. I loved America although I kept picturing her differently to the blonde girl that she is. Shep is great when it comes to America and his cousin Travis. He's also great to Abby. Shep has a good heart, and I loved how willing he was to help those he loved.
The dialogue was a bit intense but in a good way. I loved reading how Abby and Travis interacted with each other. These two were super funny and at times would drive me crazy with how they acted towards each other when they would argue. As for the language, there is A LOT of swearing so if you don't like cuss words, this isn't your type of book.
Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire was definitely an enjoyable and intense read. I was also appreciative that the sex scenes were done quite tastefully instead of being graphic. I didn't really like the way it ended as I felt it was a rush decision on the characters' part. (Don't worry, I won't go into detail). Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
I'd recommend this book to everyone aged 17+ who is seeking a bit of a bad boy or a bit of a thrill. Please be aware that there is a lot of violence and swearing within this book.
Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful #1) by Jamie McGuire gets a 4.25 out of 5 from me.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Rancher to the Rescue in Books
Jun 7, 2018
(This review will be on my blog, <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.com/">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a>, at the end of June).
Romances aren't usually my thing, but I like to get out of my comfort zone every now and again. I'm really glad I did though because Rancher to the Rescue by Jennifer Faye was such a sweet read.
Okay, I won't reiterate what the blurb says because it describes what the book is about perfectly (which is a rarity amongst books these days). Just now that with this book, what you see is what you get.
The title describes this book perfectly. It's about a rancher (Cash) saving a celebrity (Meghan). I couldn't think of a better title, so I think Ms. Faye did an excellent job coming up with the title Rancher to the Rescue.
The cover is alright. I've seen worse covers, but I've seen better ones as well. Personally, I would've liked to see more of a ranch scene behind the couple on the cover of the book especially since this takes place at a ranch.
The world building is fantastic. In fact, I don't think I can fault it. Every situation was explained excellently which left me with no questions whatsoever. Even when Meghan is running out on her wedding, I though the author did an excellent job of explaining how she avoided the paparazzi.
The pacing is a bit hit and miss throughout the book. Sometimes, I would devour whole chapters just to be bored with the next. This could just be a personal thing though since I'm not used to reading romance books, but to me, in some parts, it was just too slow. But don't let that put you off reading this book.
As with most romance stories, the plot is predictable, but I found it to be well written and very sweet. The plot questions were if Meghan and Cash escape the ever watchful eye of the paparazzi, would Cash ever get over his past, and would Cash still want Meghan even though she was pregnant with another man's baby. All those questions do get answered by the way.
I thought the characters were written fabulously. I found Meghan to be vulnerable at times, but she was such a brave girl with everything that was going on. I loved her maternal instinct when it came to her pregnancy as well as how she was very wary to trust after what Harold did to her. I loved Cash as well. I liked how at first, he didn't want to get involved with Meghan due to his past history. I enjoyed watching him open up to Meghan, and eventually, what lengths he went to in order to protect Meghan. My favorite character though was Cash's grandmother. I don't know how to describe her other then to say that she was very grandmotherly! I loved how sweet she was to Meghan and how she'd always volunteer Cash to do things (this had me chuckling). She wanted everyone to be happy. I just wish she didn't have to leave about a quarter through the story because I was really enjoying reading about her.
The dialogue never came across as forced. Yes, in some parts the pacing was slow, but this wasn't due to the dialogue. I enjoyed the dialogue the most whenever Cash's grandmother was around. She was just so sweet!!! One thing that did annoy me was the fact that over and over again, the book kept mentioning how Meghan wasn't a skinny woman. Yes, I got the point that she wasn't skinny the first few times I read it. However, it just seems to be pointed out a lot.
Overall, Rancher to the Rescue is a short and sweet story that would be excellent to read during the summer, on vacation or just any time really. Despite the pacing being a bit mixed up, I did enjoy this book.
I'd recommend this book to those aged 17+ who are looking for a something sweet in their lives.
I'd give Rancher to the Rescue by Jennifer Faye a 3.75 out of 5.
(I was given a free paperback copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest and fair review).
Romances aren't usually my thing, but I like to get out of my comfort zone every now and again. I'm really glad I did though because Rancher to the Rescue by Jennifer Faye was such a sweet read.
Okay, I won't reiterate what the blurb says because it describes what the book is about perfectly (which is a rarity amongst books these days). Just now that with this book, what you see is what you get.
The title describes this book perfectly. It's about a rancher (Cash) saving a celebrity (Meghan). I couldn't think of a better title, so I think Ms. Faye did an excellent job coming up with the title Rancher to the Rescue.
The cover is alright. I've seen worse covers, but I've seen better ones as well. Personally, I would've liked to see more of a ranch scene behind the couple on the cover of the book especially since this takes place at a ranch.
The world building is fantastic. In fact, I don't think I can fault it. Every situation was explained excellently which left me with no questions whatsoever. Even when Meghan is running out on her wedding, I though the author did an excellent job of explaining how she avoided the paparazzi.
The pacing is a bit hit and miss throughout the book. Sometimes, I would devour whole chapters just to be bored with the next. This could just be a personal thing though since I'm not used to reading romance books, but to me, in some parts, it was just too slow. But don't let that put you off reading this book.
As with most romance stories, the plot is predictable, but I found it to be well written and very sweet. The plot questions were if Meghan and Cash escape the ever watchful eye of the paparazzi, would Cash ever get over his past, and would Cash still want Meghan even though she was pregnant with another man's baby. All those questions do get answered by the way.
I thought the characters were written fabulously. I found Meghan to be vulnerable at times, but she was such a brave girl with everything that was going on. I loved her maternal instinct when it came to her pregnancy as well as how she was very wary to trust after what Harold did to her. I loved Cash as well. I liked how at first, he didn't want to get involved with Meghan due to his past history. I enjoyed watching him open up to Meghan, and eventually, what lengths he went to in order to protect Meghan. My favorite character though was Cash's grandmother. I don't know how to describe her other then to say that she was very grandmotherly! I loved how sweet she was to Meghan and how she'd always volunteer Cash to do things (this had me chuckling). She wanted everyone to be happy. I just wish she didn't have to leave about a quarter through the story because I was really enjoying reading about her.
The dialogue never came across as forced. Yes, in some parts the pacing was slow, but this wasn't due to the dialogue. I enjoyed the dialogue the most whenever Cash's grandmother was around. She was just so sweet!!! One thing that did annoy me was the fact that over and over again, the book kept mentioning how Meghan wasn't a skinny woman. Yes, I got the point that she wasn't skinny the first few times I read it. However, it just seems to be pointed out a lot.
Overall, Rancher to the Rescue is a short and sweet story that would be excellent to read during the summer, on vacation or just any time really. Despite the pacing being a bit mixed up, I did enjoy this book.
I'd recommend this book to those aged 17+ who are looking for a something sweet in their lives.
I'd give Rancher to the Rescue by Jennifer Faye a 3.75 out of 5.
(I was given a free paperback copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest and fair review).
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Grace Doll in Books
Jun 7, 2018
(This review can also be found on my blog <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.com/">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl).
Wow, wow, wow! I finished this book in less than 12 hours!! Yes, it was so good. Okay, yeah, I had won this book from a blog comp some time last year, and it had just been sitting on my shelf for awhile. I'm so glad that I decided to read it.
Grace Doll is Rufus Solomon's creation. He is a big movie director who has made her what she is. She should be thankful, right? Not so because Rufus has taken away her freedom. She has no family to turn to. One night, Rufus decides to give Grace the gift of immortality, a gift that Grace doesn't want. Luckily, Grace's friends help her escape from the clutches of Rufus, but Rufus is always just around the corner.
I think the title of Grace Doll is a cute one. I would say it more than suits the book because it's about Grace.
The cover of Grace Doll is what first caught my attention when I saw this book. I liked the way it was designed. Plus, it fits in with the book as the chair Grace is sitting in is mentioned in the book. I also like the way the photo of Grace is within a film strip.
The world building was a little bit weak. I found it hard to believe that a side effect of the whole eternal youth thing was that Grace would go crazy sexually from the touch of a man she was attracted to. That was what really bothered me. Also, I like the way there are photographs of Grace throughout the book, but, the girl in the photos is not drop dead gorgeous like as described in the book. Apparently, wherever Grace went, men and women alike would stare at her because of her beauty. The photos of the girl in the book look just like a plain looking girl. There's nothing special. I mean, the girl is cute, but she's not drop dead beautiful. Another thing that annoyed me about the world building was the fact that Grace kept saying how she was stuck in the mind set of a 17 year old girl. However, the treatment she had allowed her to keep her beautiful, youthful appearance. It didn't mess with her mind. You would think that after she's been alive for over 80 years, she'd act a bit more grown up than a 17 year old girl. There's also the dreaded insta-love happening. It's called lust, not love!!! You can't just instantly fall in love with someone you've just met. You have to get to know them first!
I absolutely thought the pacing was fantabulous! I would've read the book in one sitting if I wouldn't have had to cook dinner. I totally devoured this book, and I found myself wanting to know what was going to happen in the next chapter even before I finished the chapter I was on.
I did love all the characters in this book! I felt so bad for how Rufus treated Grace. I was constantly wishing bad things to happen to Rufus. I did like how Grace and Brenden didn't trust each other to begin with and how the author played that out between them. I did wish we got to know a bit more about Jonathon though.
The dialogue was interesting and worked for the ages of the characters for the most part. There were some times that I was thinking that Brenden spoke like an older person, not like someone who is 18 years old. However, the dialogue between the characters did flow quite well. I did enjoy reading the book from both Grace's and Brenden's point of view. It was interesting to see what each character was thinking and feeling. As for swear words, I only counted one, and it wasn't a bad one either.
Grace Doll by Jennifer Laurens is a fun and fast read that will leave its readers feeling breathless and wanting more but in a good way. The world building does take away some from the book, but overall, this book is highly enjoyable.
I'd recommend this book to everyone aged 15+ that's looking for something lighthearted and interesting to read.
Wow, wow, wow! I finished this book in less than 12 hours!! Yes, it was so good. Okay, yeah, I had won this book from a blog comp some time last year, and it had just been sitting on my shelf for awhile. I'm so glad that I decided to read it.
Grace Doll is Rufus Solomon's creation. He is a big movie director who has made her what she is. She should be thankful, right? Not so because Rufus has taken away her freedom. She has no family to turn to. One night, Rufus decides to give Grace the gift of immortality, a gift that Grace doesn't want. Luckily, Grace's friends help her escape from the clutches of Rufus, but Rufus is always just around the corner.
I think the title of Grace Doll is a cute one. I would say it more than suits the book because it's about Grace.
The cover of Grace Doll is what first caught my attention when I saw this book. I liked the way it was designed. Plus, it fits in with the book as the chair Grace is sitting in is mentioned in the book. I also like the way the photo of Grace is within a film strip.
The world building was a little bit weak. I found it hard to believe that a side effect of the whole eternal youth thing was that Grace would go crazy sexually from the touch of a man she was attracted to. That was what really bothered me. Also, I like the way there are photographs of Grace throughout the book, but, the girl in the photos is not drop dead gorgeous like as described in the book. Apparently, wherever Grace went, men and women alike would stare at her because of her beauty. The photos of the girl in the book look just like a plain looking girl. There's nothing special. I mean, the girl is cute, but she's not drop dead beautiful. Another thing that annoyed me about the world building was the fact that Grace kept saying how she was stuck in the mind set of a 17 year old girl. However, the treatment she had allowed her to keep her beautiful, youthful appearance. It didn't mess with her mind. You would think that after she's been alive for over 80 years, she'd act a bit more grown up than a 17 year old girl. There's also the dreaded insta-love happening. It's called lust, not love!!! You can't just instantly fall in love with someone you've just met. You have to get to know them first!
I absolutely thought the pacing was fantabulous! I would've read the book in one sitting if I wouldn't have had to cook dinner. I totally devoured this book, and I found myself wanting to know what was going to happen in the next chapter even before I finished the chapter I was on.
I did love all the characters in this book! I felt so bad for how Rufus treated Grace. I was constantly wishing bad things to happen to Rufus. I did like how Grace and Brenden didn't trust each other to begin with and how the author played that out between them. I did wish we got to know a bit more about Jonathon though.
The dialogue was interesting and worked for the ages of the characters for the most part. There were some times that I was thinking that Brenden spoke like an older person, not like someone who is 18 years old. However, the dialogue between the characters did flow quite well. I did enjoy reading the book from both Grace's and Brenden's point of view. It was interesting to see what each character was thinking and feeling. As for swear words, I only counted one, and it wasn't a bad one either.
Grace Doll by Jennifer Laurens is a fun and fast read that will leave its readers feeling breathless and wanting more but in a good way. The world building does take away some from the book, but overall, this book is highly enjoyable.
I'd recommend this book to everyone aged 15+ that's looking for something lighthearted and interesting to read.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated King of Bad (Super Villain Academy #1) in Books
Jun 7, 2018
(This review can be found on my blog <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.com/">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a>).
This book has been on my TBR (to be read) list for awhile. It sounded very intriguing, so when I was offered the chance to review it, I automatically said yes. Luckily, the book didn't disappoint.
I think the title is an excellent fit for this book. Even Jeff's sister refers to him as the king of bad at one point. It's also an ironic fit for Jeff as we soon discover. (And don't worry, that wasn't a spoiler).
The cover is alright. I like the whole fire and ice thing going on with the cover which fits nicely with the book. I just wish there was less person and more scenery in the forefront.
I loved the world building! It made me wish I was part of it. Strand does a fantastic job of making the world of King of Bad seem like it's a real thing. The setting takes place in the United States although there are super villain and super hero academies all around the world. I like that Strand kept her novel set in the real world instead of some made up fantasy world. It makes it feel more real. The only thing I found confusing was the end. To me, it just felt a bit rushed, and just left me scratching my head wondering what had just happened.
The pacing is very enjoyable, and I found myself becoming more and more immersed with what was and what would happen to Jeff. Like the world building, the pacing does speed up a bit too much towards the end for my liking. Personally, I felt that things should've been better explained.
I loved the plot! It's about time we see the perspective of the world from a super villain! All too often, books tend to focus on the super hero. I liked the idea of a Super Villain Academy and seeing how the children were all trained to be bad. When a super hero academy attacks Jeff's school, I was actually rooting for the bad guys although it didn't feel wrong. There is a plot twist which I really enjoyed. There's no cliff hangers in this book that I noticed, so it can be read as a stand alone.
The characters were fantastic. It was hard not to love Jeff. He had fantastic manners for a baddie, and he was also very sarcastic which was my favorite thing about him. Source was probably my favorite character. I loved his nerdiness, and I could totally relate to him feeling that he didn't really fit in although Jeff felt that way as well. Oceanus came across as conflicted which I believe was intentional. She didn't want Jeff to think of her as a nice girl because she was supposed to be a villain. However, I did like Oceanus very much, and I kept rooting for her and Jeff to get together. Mystic is a fantastic character, and I never really trusted her. The author does a fantastic job in making the reader feel conflicted about Mystic which is also intentional. She had the power of suave which I thought was a fantastic ability. She also comes across as a caring and sweet girl for the most part.
The dialogue and character interactions flow very smoothly. Nothing ever felt forced or awkward writing wise. There is some swearing in this book as well as some sexual references and violence in case that isn't your thing.
Overall, King of Bad is an enjoyable and original read. My favorite thing about this book were the characters and reading about super villains as opposed to super heroes.
I'd recommend this book to those aged 15+ who are feeling a little bit bad although they're really good. If you enjoy great characters and a fantastic plot, then this is the book for you!
(I received this ebook for free from the tour host in exchange for a fair and honest review).
This book has been on my TBR (to be read) list for awhile. It sounded very intriguing, so when I was offered the chance to review it, I automatically said yes. Luckily, the book didn't disappoint.
I think the title is an excellent fit for this book. Even Jeff's sister refers to him as the king of bad at one point. It's also an ironic fit for Jeff as we soon discover. (And don't worry, that wasn't a spoiler).
The cover is alright. I like the whole fire and ice thing going on with the cover which fits nicely with the book. I just wish there was less person and more scenery in the forefront.
I loved the world building! It made me wish I was part of it. Strand does a fantastic job of making the world of King of Bad seem like it's a real thing. The setting takes place in the United States although there are super villain and super hero academies all around the world. I like that Strand kept her novel set in the real world instead of some made up fantasy world. It makes it feel more real. The only thing I found confusing was the end. To me, it just felt a bit rushed, and just left me scratching my head wondering what had just happened.
The pacing is very enjoyable, and I found myself becoming more and more immersed with what was and what would happen to Jeff. Like the world building, the pacing does speed up a bit too much towards the end for my liking. Personally, I felt that things should've been better explained.
I loved the plot! It's about time we see the perspective of the world from a super villain! All too often, books tend to focus on the super hero. I liked the idea of a Super Villain Academy and seeing how the children were all trained to be bad. When a super hero academy attacks Jeff's school, I was actually rooting for the bad guys although it didn't feel wrong. There is a plot twist which I really enjoyed. There's no cliff hangers in this book that I noticed, so it can be read as a stand alone.
The characters were fantastic. It was hard not to love Jeff. He had fantastic manners for a baddie, and he was also very sarcastic which was my favorite thing about him. Source was probably my favorite character. I loved his nerdiness, and I could totally relate to him feeling that he didn't really fit in although Jeff felt that way as well. Oceanus came across as conflicted which I believe was intentional. She didn't want Jeff to think of her as a nice girl because she was supposed to be a villain. However, I did like Oceanus very much, and I kept rooting for her and Jeff to get together. Mystic is a fantastic character, and I never really trusted her. The author does a fantastic job in making the reader feel conflicted about Mystic which is also intentional. She had the power of suave which I thought was a fantastic ability. She also comes across as a caring and sweet girl for the most part.
The dialogue and character interactions flow very smoothly. Nothing ever felt forced or awkward writing wise. There is some swearing in this book as well as some sexual references and violence in case that isn't your thing.
Overall, King of Bad is an enjoyable and original read. My favorite thing about this book were the characters and reading about super villains as opposed to super heroes.
I'd recommend this book to those aged 15+ who are feeling a little bit bad although they're really good. If you enjoy great characters and a fantastic plot, then this is the book for you!
(I received this ebook for free from the tour host in exchange for a fair and honest review).
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated From Bad to Cursed (Bad Girls Don't Die #2) in Books
Jun 7, 2018
(This review can also be found on my blog: <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.co.uk">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a>).
After reading the first book in this series, Bad Girls Don't Die, I knew I had to read From Bad to Cursed. I must admit that I was a bit wary of reading the next book as usually sequels aren't as good as the first book. However, all my worrying was in vain. This book turned out to be amazing just like the first.
Alexis and her little sister are back in this second book in the Bad Girls Don't Die series. Alexis is still worried about Kasey who has been in home for the mentally unstable. Kasey has come back home, and Alexis will do anything to keep Kasey safe. So when Kasey starts becoming more beautiful and starts making tons of new friends, including her sword enemy, Alexis gets suspicious. Alexis learns that Kasey is involved in a club called the Sunshine Club. However, the club isn't as nice as the name suggests. Alexis joins this club to find out what Kasey has gotten herself into this time. However, it soon becomes apparent that Alexis is in way over her head.
From Bad to Cursed is a good title for this book. In the story, things definitely go from bad to cursed so I can see why the author chose this title.
The cover of From Bad to Cursed looks incredibly creepy, not as much as the first book in the series, but still creepy. I'm not sure who's supposed to be on the cover. I thought it might be Kasey, but Alexis is more dominant in this story, so he could possible be Alexis. However, it still could be any member of the Sunshine Club. I do love the cover of this book, but just like Bad Girls Don't Die, I don't feel that it really gives much away about the story.
Again, Katie Alender is spot on with the world building! She makes you feel like you are experiencing everything that Alexis is. Alender makes you feel as if you're part of the Sunshine Club for this story. Everything just feels so realistic which is fantastic!
This is another book where I enjoyed the pacing very much. It was hard for me to put this book down to do anything else. Reluctantly, I did have to put this book down for some time, but as soon as I had free time, I was reading it again. This is such a fast paced story that you will not even notice the minutes flying by.
The wording in From Bad to Cursed is fantastic. It is easy to understand, and I also appreciate the fact that the teenagers speak like teenagers and not like the teens out of Dawson's Creek. I didn't notice any swear words, so fear not. The dialogue flows quite nicely.
All the characters in this book are all well developed with their each individual personalities. Alexis is a fantastic main character. I think everyone can relate to her in some way. I love Kasey!! I love how vulnerable she comes across as. She also comes across as being a bit more strong in this book. I love how she's grown. We also get to learn a bit more about Lydia in this story which I appreciated. However, Carter isn't mentioned too much in this story although he's still in it.
The whole plot in this book was well executed. It's a fantastic idea for a book. This book has me looking forward to the next book in the series, As Dead As It Gets. In fact, I ended up buying it today before I had even finished From Bad to Cursed. That's how much I love this whole series.
I'd recommend this book to everyone aged 13+. It is amazing!
From Bad to Cursed (Bad Girls Don't Die #2) by Katie Alender gets a 5 out of 5 from me.
After reading the first book in this series, Bad Girls Don't Die, I knew I had to read From Bad to Cursed. I must admit that I was a bit wary of reading the next book as usually sequels aren't as good as the first book. However, all my worrying was in vain. This book turned out to be amazing just like the first.
Alexis and her little sister are back in this second book in the Bad Girls Don't Die series. Alexis is still worried about Kasey who has been in home for the mentally unstable. Kasey has come back home, and Alexis will do anything to keep Kasey safe. So when Kasey starts becoming more beautiful and starts making tons of new friends, including her sword enemy, Alexis gets suspicious. Alexis learns that Kasey is involved in a club called the Sunshine Club. However, the club isn't as nice as the name suggests. Alexis joins this club to find out what Kasey has gotten herself into this time. However, it soon becomes apparent that Alexis is in way over her head.
From Bad to Cursed is a good title for this book. In the story, things definitely go from bad to cursed so I can see why the author chose this title.
The cover of From Bad to Cursed looks incredibly creepy, not as much as the first book in the series, but still creepy. I'm not sure who's supposed to be on the cover. I thought it might be Kasey, but Alexis is more dominant in this story, so he could possible be Alexis. However, it still could be any member of the Sunshine Club. I do love the cover of this book, but just like Bad Girls Don't Die, I don't feel that it really gives much away about the story.
Again, Katie Alender is spot on with the world building! She makes you feel like you are experiencing everything that Alexis is. Alender makes you feel as if you're part of the Sunshine Club for this story. Everything just feels so realistic which is fantastic!
This is another book where I enjoyed the pacing very much. It was hard for me to put this book down to do anything else. Reluctantly, I did have to put this book down for some time, but as soon as I had free time, I was reading it again. This is such a fast paced story that you will not even notice the minutes flying by.
The wording in From Bad to Cursed is fantastic. It is easy to understand, and I also appreciate the fact that the teenagers speak like teenagers and not like the teens out of Dawson's Creek. I didn't notice any swear words, so fear not. The dialogue flows quite nicely.
All the characters in this book are all well developed with their each individual personalities. Alexis is a fantastic main character. I think everyone can relate to her in some way. I love Kasey!! I love how vulnerable she comes across as. She also comes across as being a bit more strong in this book. I love how she's grown. We also get to learn a bit more about Lydia in this story which I appreciated. However, Carter isn't mentioned too much in this story although he's still in it.
The whole plot in this book was well executed. It's a fantastic idea for a book. This book has me looking forward to the next book in the series, As Dead As It Gets. In fact, I ended up buying it today before I had even finished From Bad to Cursed. That's how much I love this whole series.
I'd recommend this book to everyone aged 13+. It is amazing!
From Bad to Cursed (Bad Girls Don't Die #2) by Katie Alender gets a 5 out of 5 from me.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Delirium in Books
Jun 7, 2018
Review from my blog <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.co.uk">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a>.
I really, really, really wanted to like this book. In fact, I wanted to love it, but it just didn't happen. I just couldn't get into it at all no matter how hard I tried. It's gotten some rave reviews so maybe there's just something wrong with me.
Lena is a seventeen year old girl who doesn't challenge anything about her government. She's too scared of the consequences. In a few months, on her 18th birthday, she'll be cured of the disease, the disease of love. She's looking forward to the day she can be cured of love. In fact, she's counting down the days. However, everything changes when she meets the gorgeous Alex, an invalid (another name for someone who is uncured after their 18th birthday). Now she doesn't want to be cured as Alex has opened her eyes to this disease called love. Lena is wondering if love was ever really a disease at all. Lena is putting herself at risk to be with Alex. Will she have her happy ever after or will she be cured?
The world building isn't bad. The story takes place in Portland. The author does a great job of trying to make the reader believe in a world where love is banned. It is quite believable.
I don't think the cover suits the book at all. Lauren Oliver has a habit of just putting faces on the covers of her books. However, I think this is the easy way out. Putting a photo of a face on a book doesn't really tell us anything about the book. I wish Ms. Oliver would consider changing her covers to make them relevant to the actual story.
The title, however, definitely suits the book. Love is seen as a type of delirium. It's banned, and the government wants everyone to believe how love will make you delirious. It's a great title for the book.
I found the pacing to be too slow for my liking. Don't get me wrong, it's written quite nicely, but it's just too slow. I had to force myself to read the book most of the time. I just couldn't get into it, and I found myself not really caring about the characters. There is one good bit, and it's only about two or three chapters towards the middle of the book.
The dialogue is easy to understand and is written beautifully. There are a few swear words however. (Lena drops the f-bomb a couple of times and the s word is used a couple of times as well). The good thing is this book isn't littered with swear words which is nice.
I just couldn't relate to any of the characters. Lena drove me crazy!! She was too much of a goody goody and too scared throughout the book. It especially annoyed me when she couldn't tell the difference if she was crying or sweating. I've never had a problem telling the difference!! And Alex, nothing really annoyed me about him, but I just couldn't feel him if you know what I mean. I basically found that I couldn't give a toss about what happened to Lena and Alex. I did like Hana as she was more of a free spirit and willing to take risks. I liked how full of life she was. She was the only character I kind of cared about, but she wasn't a main character, nor was she mentioned as much as I would've liked her to be.
Throughout most of the book I just felt really bored with the book which made me kind of sad because I really wanted to enjoy this book after reading some reviews about how great this book was. It was a challenge for me to get through the book, save for two or three chapters. This book just didn't really do anything for me, and I won't be reading the rest of the series as I don't really care what happens.
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. It's just too boring and is lacking something.
Overall, I'd rate Delirium by Lauren Oliver a 2.5 out of a 5.
I really, really, really wanted to like this book. In fact, I wanted to love it, but it just didn't happen. I just couldn't get into it at all no matter how hard I tried. It's gotten some rave reviews so maybe there's just something wrong with me.
Lena is a seventeen year old girl who doesn't challenge anything about her government. She's too scared of the consequences. In a few months, on her 18th birthday, she'll be cured of the disease, the disease of love. She's looking forward to the day she can be cured of love. In fact, she's counting down the days. However, everything changes when she meets the gorgeous Alex, an invalid (another name for someone who is uncured after their 18th birthday). Now she doesn't want to be cured as Alex has opened her eyes to this disease called love. Lena is wondering if love was ever really a disease at all. Lena is putting herself at risk to be with Alex. Will she have her happy ever after or will she be cured?
The world building isn't bad. The story takes place in Portland. The author does a great job of trying to make the reader believe in a world where love is banned. It is quite believable.
I don't think the cover suits the book at all. Lauren Oliver has a habit of just putting faces on the covers of her books. However, I think this is the easy way out. Putting a photo of a face on a book doesn't really tell us anything about the book. I wish Ms. Oliver would consider changing her covers to make them relevant to the actual story.
The title, however, definitely suits the book. Love is seen as a type of delirium. It's banned, and the government wants everyone to believe how love will make you delirious. It's a great title for the book.
I found the pacing to be too slow for my liking. Don't get me wrong, it's written quite nicely, but it's just too slow. I had to force myself to read the book most of the time. I just couldn't get into it, and I found myself not really caring about the characters. There is one good bit, and it's only about two or three chapters towards the middle of the book.
The dialogue is easy to understand and is written beautifully. There are a few swear words however. (Lena drops the f-bomb a couple of times and the s word is used a couple of times as well). The good thing is this book isn't littered with swear words which is nice.
I just couldn't relate to any of the characters. Lena drove me crazy!! She was too much of a goody goody and too scared throughout the book. It especially annoyed me when she couldn't tell the difference if she was crying or sweating. I've never had a problem telling the difference!! And Alex, nothing really annoyed me about him, but I just couldn't feel him if you know what I mean. I basically found that I couldn't give a toss about what happened to Lena and Alex. I did like Hana as she was more of a free spirit and willing to take risks. I liked how full of life she was. She was the only character I kind of cared about, but she wasn't a main character, nor was she mentioned as much as I would've liked her to be.
Throughout most of the book I just felt really bored with the book which made me kind of sad because I really wanted to enjoy this book after reading some reviews about how great this book was. It was a challenge for me to get through the book, save for two or three chapters. This book just didn't really do anything for me, and I won't be reading the rest of the series as I don't really care what happens.
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. It's just too boring and is lacking something.
Overall, I'd rate Delirium by Lauren Oliver a 2.5 out of a 5.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated The Uninvited in Books
Jun 7, 2018
(This review can also be found on my blog <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.co.uk">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a>).
When I saw that Liz Jensen had written a new book, I knew I wanted to read it. I loved her book The Rapture and was hoping The Uninvited would be just as good. However, I was disappointed with this book.
Hesketh is a man who has Asperger's Syndrome. He is sent by his company to investigate cases of whistle blowers and sabotage within companies. When Hesketh goes to investigate his first case in Taiwan, he gets more than he bargained for. The supposed whistle blower seems to be talking non-sense. The next day, the whistle blower commits suicide. Soon, this is happening all over the world. Not only that, but it children all over the world are attacking adults. What's going on? Will Hesketh be able to find the answer before it's too late?
The title of The Uninvited suits the book. Like most of my reviews, I don't want to go into too much detail as to why the title fits because I don't want to give away any spoilers.
I found this particular cover to be a bit plain for my liking. The cover didn't catch my attention. (It was the synopsis that did). This cover doesn't really give too much away about what the story is going to be about. To me, the cover just looks like some spoilt child hiding in her room trying to spy on what's going on which has nothing to do with the actual story of the book!!
The world building is very believable. I could actually imagine everything written in the book happening as the author was writing about it. I had no qualms about the world building. The author brings this dystopian world to life beautifully and scarily so!
Unfortunately, the pacing was horrible in this book. I had to force myself to read it and finish it which is a shame because I really wanted to love The Uninvited. The story just went on too slowly for my liking. A lot of the time, I was contemplating giving up on this book, but I've read a lot of books that get better towards the end. However, this wasn't the case with this book. It never got any better. It was a slow read throughout.
The dialogue, to me, confused me. It featured a lot of science jargon that I didn't understand. I found myself completely lost through most of this book. The ending, especially, left me the most confused. I didn't understand why or how. I just felt it was never fully explained which left me feeling rather annoyed.
The characters just felt too one dimensional. I couldn't relate to any of them, and I didn't care what happened to them. The character of Hesketh just came across really annoying. Yes, I understand he has Asperger's but so does my son, and he's no where as annoying as Hesketh. (And I'm not just saying that because he's my son). Throughout the book, Hesketh repeats things to himself three times, and he's constantly talking about his origami. I realise that he has his little quirks, but I felt as if Hesketh's origami was being shoved down my throat. If I had to pick a favourite character, it was be Professor Whybray. He just had that lovely old man quality and came across feeling grandfatherly.
All in all, I think the idea of this story is a great one, but it was just poorly executed. The pacing was too slow, the characters were too dull, and the dialogue was just too confusing. Like I said, I really wanted to enjoy this book as Liz Jenson has written some wonderful books before this one.
I really wouldn't recommend this book, but if you'd like to give it a try, I'd say ages 16+ would be the best ages to try to enjoy it.
I'd give The Uninvited by Liz Jensen a 1.5 out of 5.
(A special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review).
When I saw that Liz Jensen had written a new book, I knew I wanted to read it. I loved her book The Rapture and was hoping The Uninvited would be just as good. However, I was disappointed with this book.
Hesketh is a man who has Asperger's Syndrome. He is sent by his company to investigate cases of whistle blowers and sabotage within companies. When Hesketh goes to investigate his first case in Taiwan, he gets more than he bargained for. The supposed whistle blower seems to be talking non-sense. The next day, the whistle blower commits suicide. Soon, this is happening all over the world. Not only that, but it children all over the world are attacking adults. What's going on? Will Hesketh be able to find the answer before it's too late?
The title of The Uninvited suits the book. Like most of my reviews, I don't want to go into too much detail as to why the title fits because I don't want to give away any spoilers.
I found this particular cover to be a bit plain for my liking. The cover didn't catch my attention. (It was the synopsis that did). This cover doesn't really give too much away about what the story is going to be about. To me, the cover just looks like some spoilt child hiding in her room trying to spy on what's going on which has nothing to do with the actual story of the book!!
The world building is very believable. I could actually imagine everything written in the book happening as the author was writing about it. I had no qualms about the world building. The author brings this dystopian world to life beautifully and scarily so!
Unfortunately, the pacing was horrible in this book. I had to force myself to read it and finish it which is a shame because I really wanted to love The Uninvited. The story just went on too slowly for my liking. A lot of the time, I was contemplating giving up on this book, but I've read a lot of books that get better towards the end. However, this wasn't the case with this book. It never got any better. It was a slow read throughout.
The dialogue, to me, confused me. It featured a lot of science jargon that I didn't understand. I found myself completely lost through most of this book. The ending, especially, left me the most confused. I didn't understand why or how. I just felt it was never fully explained which left me feeling rather annoyed.
The characters just felt too one dimensional. I couldn't relate to any of them, and I didn't care what happened to them. The character of Hesketh just came across really annoying. Yes, I understand he has Asperger's but so does my son, and he's no where as annoying as Hesketh. (And I'm not just saying that because he's my son). Throughout the book, Hesketh repeats things to himself three times, and he's constantly talking about his origami. I realise that he has his little quirks, but I felt as if Hesketh's origami was being shoved down my throat. If I had to pick a favourite character, it was be Professor Whybray. He just had that lovely old man quality and came across feeling grandfatherly.
All in all, I think the idea of this story is a great one, but it was just poorly executed. The pacing was too slow, the characters were too dull, and the dialogue was just too confusing. Like I said, I really wanted to enjoy this book as Liz Jenson has written some wonderful books before this one.
I really wouldn't recommend this book, but if you'd like to give it a try, I'd say ages 16+ would be the best ages to try to enjoy it.
I'd give The Uninvited by Liz Jensen a 1.5 out of 5.
(A special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review).