Search
Search results
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Ruby's Fire in Books
Jun 7, 2018
(This review will be available on my blog <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.com/">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a> in August).
You know when you get a book, and it's much better than you thought it was going to be? Well, Ruby's Fire by Catherine Stine was definitely one of those books! I absolutely loved it, and it's definitely one of my favorite books that I've read in 2013!
Ruby is a 17 year old girl who, with her 8 year old brother Thorn, escapes from a cult which pairs young girls with much older men. Ruby and Thorn arrive at a school known as The Greening. Here she meets a whole cast of characters. When an act of bullying goes horribly wrong, Ruby and her brother Thorn are left with extreme changes that alter their DNA. When a contest in announces with a prize of a hefty cash sum, all the students are The Greening are excited! However, this competition reveals that all is not what it seems.
I do like the title, and I find it very interesting! However, I don't really get the meaning of it. Maybe I'm just being thick, but it makes no sense to me.
I think the cover does an amazing job at depicting the plot of the book. In fact, this is one of the best book covers I've ever seen that is actually relevant to the book. Whoever came up with this idea for the cover is a genius!
I enjoyed the setting of this book very much! I like the futuristic/dystopian world that Stine has created. Catherine Stine does an awesome job at making this world come alive. The world in which Ruby lives has become unbearably hot, and people must wear masks and burn suits if they don't want to burn. The author paints a vivid picture of this throughout the book. I can very much see this happening in the future.
The pacing was done really well! Not once in the book did I feel like the pacing was going too slow or too fast for my liking. I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next. If it was possible to eat books by reading them quickly because they are amazing, this would would've been gone in flash!
What an amazing plot! Besides the main plot, there were lots of sub-plots! Will Ruby figure out what is wrong with her and Thorn? Will she choose Armonk or Blane since she cares for both? Can she escape her past? That's just some of the questions answered in the book. Also, there is a fantastic plot twist that I didn't see coming!
All of the characters were written superbly! I loved Ruby and how willing she was to take care of her little brother. Ruby was a very down to Earth character who had went through a lot of hardships. I believe this made her a better person. What I didn't like about her was the fact that she kept going on about how beautiful she was. However, this is probably just a personal thing. I found Thorn to be so cute!! It would've been interesting to see things from his point of view as the book is told from Ruby's point of view. Armonk seems like such a sweet guy, and I loved how he was willing to defend his friends. I feel like Armonk was an all around nice guy. I really loved Blane! I like how he grew as a person going from a mean brute to a gentle warrior. It was nice to see this change in him. Like Armonk, I loved how he was willing to protect his friends at all cost.
The dialogue was fantastic! It is told in a first person point of view with Ruby being the narrator. I usually don't enjoy first person reads as much as third person ones, but this one was done fantastically! Some books that take place in the future have really cheesy dialogue, but Ruby's Fire wasn't one of those books. The dialogue was also easy to understand with no futuristic terms getting in the way. There are a few swear words though.
Overall, Ruby's Fire by Catherine Stine is such an amazing and interesting read! While it is a part of a series, it can be read as a stand alone. I usually don't read books out of series order because I feel like I'll miss so much information, but this book can actually be read as a standalone without missing much. (The first book in the series talks about a minor character in this book).
I'd recommend this book to those aged 14+ who want some adventure in their life!
I'd give Ruby's Fire by Catherine Stine a 5 out of 5.
(I received a free paperback copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review).
You know when you get a book, and it's much better than you thought it was going to be? Well, Ruby's Fire by Catherine Stine was definitely one of those books! I absolutely loved it, and it's definitely one of my favorite books that I've read in 2013!
Ruby is a 17 year old girl who, with her 8 year old brother Thorn, escapes from a cult which pairs young girls with much older men. Ruby and Thorn arrive at a school known as The Greening. Here she meets a whole cast of characters. When an act of bullying goes horribly wrong, Ruby and her brother Thorn are left with extreme changes that alter their DNA. When a contest in announces with a prize of a hefty cash sum, all the students are The Greening are excited! However, this competition reveals that all is not what it seems.
I do like the title, and I find it very interesting! However, I don't really get the meaning of it. Maybe I'm just being thick, but it makes no sense to me.
I think the cover does an amazing job at depicting the plot of the book. In fact, this is one of the best book covers I've ever seen that is actually relevant to the book. Whoever came up with this idea for the cover is a genius!
I enjoyed the setting of this book very much! I like the futuristic/dystopian world that Stine has created. Catherine Stine does an awesome job at making this world come alive. The world in which Ruby lives has become unbearably hot, and people must wear masks and burn suits if they don't want to burn. The author paints a vivid picture of this throughout the book. I can very much see this happening in the future.
The pacing was done really well! Not once in the book did I feel like the pacing was going too slow or too fast for my liking. I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next. If it was possible to eat books by reading them quickly because they are amazing, this would would've been gone in flash!
What an amazing plot! Besides the main plot, there were lots of sub-plots! Will Ruby figure out what is wrong with her and Thorn? Will she choose Armonk or Blane since she cares for both? Can she escape her past? That's just some of the questions answered in the book. Also, there is a fantastic plot twist that I didn't see coming!
All of the characters were written superbly! I loved Ruby and how willing she was to take care of her little brother. Ruby was a very down to Earth character who had went through a lot of hardships. I believe this made her a better person. What I didn't like about her was the fact that she kept going on about how beautiful she was. However, this is probably just a personal thing. I found Thorn to be so cute!! It would've been interesting to see things from his point of view as the book is told from Ruby's point of view. Armonk seems like such a sweet guy, and I loved how he was willing to defend his friends. I feel like Armonk was an all around nice guy. I really loved Blane! I like how he grew as a person going from a mean brute to a gentle warrior. It was nice to see this change in him. Like Armonk, I loved how he was willing to protect his friends at all cost.
The dialogue was fantastic! It is told in a first person point of view with Ruby being the narrator. I usually don't enjoy first person reads as much as third person ones, but this one was done fantastically! Some books that take place in the future have really cheesy dialogue, but Ruby's Fire wasn't one of those books. The dialogue was also easy to understand with no futuristic terms getting in the way. There are a few swear words though.
Overall, Ruby's Fire by Catherine Stine is such an amazing and interesting read! While it is a part of a series, it can be read as a stand alone. I usually don't read books out of series order because I feel like I'll miss so much information, but this book can actually be read as a standalone without missing much. (The first book in the series talks about a minor character in this book).
I'd recommend this book to those aged 14+ who want some adventure in their life!
I'd give Ruby's Fire by Catherine Stine a 5 out of 5.
(I received a free paperback copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review).
Kristin (2 KP) rated Amazon Kindle in Apps
Mar 4, 2019
Ability to bookmark your page (4 more)
Customizable viewing
Book suggestions based on what's in your library
Easily navigate through your library by scrolling through titles, or search for what you're looking for.
Mobility of such a vast library
Awesome App For All of Your Digital Book Needs
Full disclosure: I LOVE BOOKS! Not the digital kind, but tangible books that I can hold in my hand. I cherish that "old book" smell as much as I do turning back the cover on a hardcover for the first time; with the knowledge that another's fingers have yet to turn its pages and become immersed in the story as I'm about to. I will always adore books.
Having said that? I can still fully appreciate the Kindle app for the convenience of reading on the go. Books are, of course, totally portable as well; However, let's say you're on vacation, or at the beach or park, and want to enjoy a book, or pick up where you left off with one that's at home for that matter. With the convenience of the kindle app you can open the app on your phone/tablet/laptop and download the book, or start a new one.
Suitcases have limited capacity, but the vastness of the internet allows you to access nearly any title with just a few clicks/taps. The customization options in Kindle make it even easier to read while on the go because you can adjust brightness, page color (black, white, sepia), text size, font, margins, etc. You don't have to worry about remembering your page number or having a bookmark handy either because the app allows you to bookmark your page. You can read any book anywhere- a novel, research for that history paper you've been procrastinating on, or the steamy new romance you've been waiting on - without having to worry about carrying them around. I don't know about you guys, but sometimes while on a lunch break I wished that I had brought a book with me (particularly if service is slow at a restaurant) so I'd open the Kindle app and find a book to read. My last positive point here is actually both good and bad... You don't have to worry about book lights or keeping the lamp on and annoying your partner if you're reading a book on your phone/tablet, but the flip side to that is there's less strain on your eyes when reading a hard copy book rather than digital.
There are only two downsides to the app and they're more due to my personal preference rather than anything with the app itself... with the prevalence of digital and audio books I've watched many beloved bookstores begin disappearing, or they have downsized to focus on selling digital. The second issue is that unlike with a physical book in hand you can't really tune everything else out (incoming calls and notifications) and lose yourself in whatever you're reading.
Having said that? I can still fully appreciate the Kindle app for the convenience of reading on the go. Books are, of course, totally portable as well; However, let's say you're on vacation, or at the beach or park, and want to enjoy a book, or pick up where you left off with one that's at home for that matter. With the convenience of the kindle app you can open the app on your phone/tablet/laptop and download the book, or start a new one.
Suitcases have limited capacity, but the vastness of the internet allows you to access nearly any title with just a few clicks/taps. The customization options in Kindle make it even easier to read while on the go because you can adjust brightness, page color (black, white, sepia), text size, font, margins, etc. You don't have to worry about remembering your page number or having a bookmark handy either because the app allows you to bookmark your page. You can read any book anywhere- a novel, research for that history paper you've been procrastinating on, or the steamy new romance you've been waiting on - without having to worry about carrying them around. I don't know about you guys, but sometimes while on a lunch break I wished that I had brought a book with me (particularly if service is slow at a restaurant) so I'd open the Kindle app and find a book to read. My last positive point here is actually both good and bad... You don't have to worry about book lights or keeping the lamp on and annoying your partner if you're reading a book on your phone/tablet, but the flip side to that is there's less strain on your eyes when reading a hard copy book rather than digital.
There are only two downsides to the app and they're more due to my personal preference rather than anything with the app itself... with the prevalence of digital and audio books I've watched many beloved bookstores begin disappearing, or they have downsized to focus on selling digital. The second issue is that unlike with a physical book in hand you can't really tune everything else out (incoming calls and notifications) and lose yourself in whatever you're reading.
Debbiereadsbook (1454 KP) rated Surprise Delivery (Hearts and Health #5) in Books
Mar 25, 2018
the warm and fuzzies are back!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarain, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is book 5 in the Hearts and Health series, but you don't need to have read the other books. I first met Eric in the first book I read, which was book 2, because I still haven't got round to reading book 1 yet! Casper pops up in book 4. All stand alone stories, with connecting characters based in and around the hospital in Ashe, Kansas. But you should! Cos, you know, warm and fuzzies, people! Warm. And. Fuzzies.
Cos that's what I'm loving about this series! That feeling it gives, when two guys finally give in to their feelings. When they get over their hang ups. When they give up the guilt that has been eating them alive and just LOVE on each other! I live my life through books like this!
Casper does all his adrenaline junkie stuff as a way to connect with his dead boyfriend of 5 years. Eric is married to his job, because his real husband left him. When Eric's 16 year old niece turns up at his door, pregnant and thrown out of her home, the two men are thrown together. Casper pulls at Eric to live a little, and Eric pulls at Casper to just slow down a bit.
Expect some roller coaster emotions from Casper here, as he deals with his self inflicted guilt. He struggles to let Kage go, and he struggles to talk to Eric, which in turn leads to some roller coaster emotions from Eric, although not quite as painful reading. I bawled my eyes out for them both!
Paul and Zane play a part, Paul especially for Eric dealing with the Board and budgets, makes Eric see, really SEE what's going on in the ER and it's Paul who makes Eric begin to think that maybe, just maybe, there is life OUTSIDE of this hospital. He just needs the push that Paul, Olivia and Casper give him. Trent and Xavier pop up too, but only briefly.
I loved this book, I read it in one sitting. I can't wait for more books in this series, but I'm wondering which way things will go now. Especially with what Eric, Paul and Trent have to decide to do. I don't really care whether future books will be based in the hospital or elsewhere, I just want and need more of these guys!
5 Warm And Fuzzies stars!
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
This is book 5 in the Hearts and Health series, but you don't need to have read the other books. I first met Eric in the first book I read, which was book 2, because I still haven't got round to reading book 1 yet! Casper pops up in book 4. All stand alone stories, with connecting characters based in and around the hospital in Ashe, Kansas. But you should! Cos, you know, warm and fuzzies, people! Warm. And. Fuzzies.
Cos that's what I'm loving about this series! That feeling it gives, when two guys finally give in to their feelings. When they get over their hang ups. When they give up the guilt that has been eating them alive and just LOVE on each other! I live my life through books like this!
Casper does all his adrenaline junkie stuff as a way to connect with his dead boyfriend of 5 years. Eric is married to his job, because his real husband left him. When Eric's 16 year old niece turns up at his door, pregnant and thrown out of her home, the two men are thrown together. Casper pulls at Eric to live a little, and Eric pulls at Casper to just slow down a bit.
Expect some roller coaster emotions from Casper here, as he deals with his self inflicted guilt. He struggles to let Kage go, and he struggles to talk to Eric, which in turn leads to some roller coaster emotions from Eric, although not quite as painful reading. I bawled my eyes out for them both!
Paul and Zane play a part, Paul especially for Eric dealing with the Board and budgets, makes Eric see, really SEE what's going on in the ER and it's Paul who makes Eric begin to think that maybe, just maybe, there is life OUTSIDE of this hospital. He just needs the push that Paul, Olivia and Casper give him. Trent and Xavier pop up too, but only briefly.
I loved this book, I read it in one sitting. I can't wait for more books in this series, but I'm wondering which way things will go now. Especially with what Eric, Paul and Trent have to decide to do. I don't really care whether future books will be based in the hospital or elsewhere, I just want and need more of these guys!
5 Warm And Fuzzies stars!
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Toddler Bible – The Carry Along Bible
Book and Education
App
Hear angry lions roaring in the story of Daniel in the lions den! See Jesus in the boat as he stills...
The Book Smugglers: Partisans, Poets, and the Race to Save Jewish Treasures from the Nazis
Book
The Book Smugglers is the nearly unbelievable story of ghetto residents who rescued thousands of...
history
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Marked (House Of Night #1) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
NOTE: I read this way back in 2008 and I have a feeling I wouldn't like it so much now, if at all. Take my review with a grain of salt.
Admittedly deeper than my last read (Glass Houses by Rachel Caine), it's still in the same basic genre that I felt like reading at this time. Even though Zoey is a bit of a Mary-Sue character (practically perfect in every way), I still liked her, and it probably helped it was written in first person so that I could read her insecurities and such. I loved the basic plot and the side characters, Damien and Stevie Rae (oh, and Nala!) were great. On the other hand, I could probably do without the 'Twins,' but beggars can't be choosers. :P If I had read this as a teenager, I know I would have loved it even more than I do. The book reminded me of Laurie Faria Stolarz's books; it had the same basic feel to it as those do, even if it's totally different in concept.
The book could have done another editing sweep. I had to reread many sentences so they would make sense to me. Now, I don't know if it's because I'm not that up on teenage slang. Now, I'm not that old, but old enough to not know every slang word or phrase. For example, there is a sentence that reads: "Just please with the taking so long." Now what is that supposed to mean? To me it sounds like it's two unfinished sentences stuck together. Hopefully, there won't be too much pop culture thrown into the series, because more often than not, it dates the book and doesn't really add anything. Nitpicking aside, I honestly can't wait to explore more of this world.
Admittedly deeper than my last read (Glass Houses by Rachel Caine), it's still in the same basic genre that I felt like reading at this time. Even though Zoey is a bit of a Mary-Sue character (practically perfect in every way), I still liked her, and it probably helped it was written in first person so that I could read her insecurities and such. I loved the basic plot and the side characters, Damien and Stevie Rae (oh, and Nala!) were great. On the other hand, I could probably do without the 'Twins,' but beggars can't be choosers. :P If I had read this as a teenager, I know I would have loved it even more than I do. The book reminded me of Laurie Faria Stolarz's books; it had the same basic feel to it as those do, even if it's totally different in concept.
The book could have done another editing sweep. I had to reread many sentences so they would make sense to me. Now, I don't know if it's because I'm not that up on teenage slang. Now, I'm not that old, but old enough to not know every slang word or phrase. For example, there is a sentence that reads: "Just please with the taking so long." Now what is that supposed to mean? To me it sounds like it's two unfinished sentences stuck together. Hopefully, there won't be too much pop culture thrown into the series, because more often than not, it dates the book and doesn't really add anything. Nitpicking aside, I honestly can't wait to explore more of this world.
Joelene Marie (28 KP) rated Dread Nation in Books
Oct 1, 2018
I read Dread Nation a few months ago and I thought it was just ok. I had been looking forward to it for some time before I read it so maybe because of my high expectations I didn't give it a fair shot, idk.
I did like the analogous way Ireland tackled the race and social issues for the most part but the plot was basically a mess. It just didn't flow well from the events in Maryland to being sent out west and some parts felt more like random filler than relevant to the plot. I'm generally a fan of longer books but this one could have easily been 100 pages shorter without really losing anything, at least in my opinion.
The world building wasn't anything special. I felt like she had the chance to do something truly original here but instead it relies on preconceived notions of the old south and the wild west as depicted in old westerns, just with the addition of zombies.
With the exception of Jane, I didn't really think the characters were as well developed as they could have been. Jane's sass was great, I enjoyed how clearly her personality comes through in the writing but I did find her kind of 'know-it-all,' smarter than everyone around her type of attitude a bit grating at times. I was hoping to see something more than just the enemies to friends trope with Jane and Katherine as well.
Overall, I was a little disappointed with Dread Nation. I expected it to be so much more original than it turned out to be as far as a piece of spec fiction. As commentary on slavery, racism, and social injustice issues I thought it was done well.
I'll most likely pick up the sequel though, as I believe this series will continue to improve.
I did like the analogous way Ireland tackled the race and social issues for the most part but the plot was basically a mess. It just didn't flow well from the events in Maryland to being sent out west and some parts felt more like random filler than relevant to the plot. I'm generally a fan of longer books but this one could have easily been 100 pages shorter without really losing anything, at least in my opinion.
The world building wasn't anything special. I felt like she had the chance to do something truly original here but instead it relies on preconceived notions of the old south and the wild west as depicted in old westerns, just with the addition of zombies.
With the exception of Jane, I didn't really think the characters were as well developed as they could have been. Jane's sass was great, I enjoyed how clearly her personality comes through in the writing but I did find her kind of 'know-it-all,' smarter than everyone around her type of attitude a bit grating at times. I was hoping to see something more than just the enemies to friends trope with Jane and Katherine as well.
Overall, I was a little disappointed with Dread Nation. I expected it to be so much more original than it turned out to be as far as a piece of spec fiction. As commentary on slavery, racism, and social injustice issues I thought it was done well.
I'll most likely pick up the sequel though, as I believe this series will continue to improve.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Republic (The Emperor's Edge, Book 8) in Books
Mar 11, 2020
I've had this book on my Kindle for a long time now. It was a gift from the author after signing up to her newsletter when she'd first released it, for fans of the Emperor's Edge series. And I was a big fan, steaming through all seven (really long) books, following the adventures of Amaranthe and Sicarius - and begging them to get together!
This one starts a few months after the events of Forged in Blood I & II, following just Amaranthe and Sicarius as they travel to a tropical island in a submarine, only things aren't as drama free as they were hoping and they get chased by the islanders after being recognised from a wanted poster of Sicarius. They quickly come up with one of their famous spur-of-the-moment plans and manage to evade them all and escape back to their submarine. Once back on board they get a summons from the newly appointed leader so they head home.
Back home, a giant carnivorous plant has started to grow in the cities harbour and is causing mayhem, growing rapidly and seeming to have a mind of its own. It doesn't like being cut, releasing a black mist with horrible consequences. Also back home, we meet up with old friends like Sespian and Maldynado and it feels like old times with the gang back together.
It was quite easy falling back into this series, though admittedly I couldn't remember half the cast apart from Amaranthe and her gang.
One thing I had forgotten about this was the use of unusual words to replace more boring ones such as 'verisimilitude' instead of...inspection, I guess is its easiest translation? It's a good job my Kindle has a built in dictionary or I'd have been stumped reading half of this book.
This one starts a few months after the events of Forged in Blood I & II, following just Amaranthe and Sicarius as they travel to a tropical island in a submarine, only things aren't as drama free as they were hoping and they get chased by the islanders after being recognised from a wanted poster of Sicarius. They quickly come up with one of their famous spur-of-the-moment plans and manage to evade them all and escape back to their submarine. Once back on board they get a summons from the newly appointed leader so they head home.
Back home, a giant carnivorous plant has started to grow in the cities harbour and is causing mayhem, growing rapidly and seeming to have a mind of its own. It doesn't like being cut, releasing a black mist with horrible consequences. Also back home, we meet up with old friends like Sespian and Maldynado and it feels like old times with the gang back together.
It was quite easy falling back into this series, though admittedly I couldn't remember half the cast apart from Amaranthe and her gang.
One thing I had forgotten about this was the use of unusual words to replace more boring ones such as 'verisimilitude' instead of...inspection, I guess is its easiest translation? It's a good job my Kindle has a built in dictionary or I'd have been stumped reading half of this book.
The Case of the Chocolate Cream Killer: The Poisonous Passion of Christiana Edmunds
Book
"The trial which terminated yesterday...revealed one of the strangest and most horrible stories...
Let Me Tell You a Story: One Girl's Escape from the Nazis
Book
Przemysl, Poland, 1939. Two-year-old Renata is woken by her Mamusia in the middle of the night and...