Challenge Update (January 2012)

11/1001. Corridors of the Dead2. Bridge of Deaths3. The Fault in Our Stars4. The Book Thief5. The Universe of Malcolm6. Kevin's Point of View7. You Can't Run From the Heat8. All in the Woods9. Angel Evolution10. The Secret of Lies11. Love's Labours Won

1/301. The Book Thief

0/21

Love's Labours Won: The Stone Chronicles #1 (Book Review)

Title: Love's Labours Won
Author: S.G. Lee
Series: The Stone Chronicles
Source: from author for review


Goodreads Summary:
Sarah is a young single woman in dire straits. Her rent is due, she was fired from her last job and she has no family to turn to. So she accepts the fateful offer of a mysterious job interview, which turns out to be a ruse to steal gifts that she never even realized she had. As she set upon this journey Sarah will discover a world of magic, mystery and the supernatural. As Sarah learns about this new world she is exposed to adventure, danger and intrigue...and romance in the form of the mysterious Demetrious Blackstone. All the while Sarah must learn to control her gifts and suppress her own demons to defeat the perils that await her. Only then can she discover her inner voice and follow her own path that will lead to the true love she knows she deserves.


Thoughts:
I'm not going to lie, if I hadn't promised to review this book, I would have put it down within the first few pages. And honestly I wish I had. There might be a good story idea here but the book is so hard to read that I could barely follow it. There are typos on just about every page. It switches back and forth from first to second person with seemingly no reason and switches between the present and past tense so often, many time in the middle of a sentence, that the story is hard to follow.
In between re-reading sentences over and over again, trying to figure out what it was supposed to say, I lost the meaning of them altogether. I was forced to stop on almost every page to figure out whether I was supposed to be reading in first or second person and in present or past tense.
I think that I like the idea of the story, but the telling of it needs so much work that it is nearly impossible to tell.


Rating: 1/5

The Secret of Lies (Book Review)

Title: The Secret of Lies
Author: Barbara Forte Abate
Source: from author for review
Publisher: Dog Ear Publishing, LLC


Goodreads Summary:
Propelled by an insurmountable sense of desperation, Stevie Burke is recklessly abandoning home, husband, and outwardly contented life under cover of night; at last resigned to defeat in her long battle against the tortured memories of her past.


Days later, lost and floundering in a dreary motel room without plan or destination, it is a long ago song playing on the radio that gently tugs Stevie back through the dust of remembrance. 1957 - The last summer spent at the ancient house overlooking the North Atlantic. A season which had unfolded with abundant promise, but then spiraled horribly out of control - torn apart by a shattering tragedy that remains splintered in fragments upon her soul. And it is only now, when Stevie at last lifts her eyes to stare deep into the heart of her long sequestered memories, that the long held secrets of past and future are at last unveiled.


Thoughts:
This is a coming-of-age story at its best. Stevie is a complex character that I couldn't help but relate to through her journey. As she suffers one tragedy after another she is tested to prove her strength and willpower to continue to live her life as best she can and not let herself drown in the lies and secrets behind these tragedies.
It's nearly impossible not to feel for Stevie as she goes down a path of self-destruction, trying to protect herself from the pain, and even more impossible not to hope that she will discover what she is doing to herself and the people in her life in the end.
This book is sad and hopeful, scandalous and real, emotional and well-written: something everyone who enjoys a good coming-of-age story should read.


Rating: 4.5/5

Angel Evolution: Evolution Trilogy #1 (Book Review)

Title: Angel Evolution
Author: David Estes
Series: Evolution Trilogy
Source: From author for review


Goodreads Summary:
Angel Evolution- the first book in the young adult fantasy trilogy: The Evolution Trilogy... When Taylor meets Gabriel at college, she is in awe of the subtle glow that surrounds him. No one else, not even her best friend, seems to notice. Something about him scares her. Is all as it appears? While Taylor struggles for answers, she finds herself in the middle of a century old war centered on one miraculous revelation: evolution.


Thoughts:
I had been looking forward to reading this book ever since I read the summary, and I was definitely not disappointed. This is one of those books that I just couldn't put down; I had to know what was going to happen next.
Taylor and Sam are typical college students with quirks and personality that make them both great heroines in this war which they have just learned about from their unusual boyfriends. The twists, lies, and surprises keep coming in this book and I found myself always looking forward to finding out what happened next.
Chris and Gabriel likewise are complex and interesting characters. As the story progresses we learn more and more about them and their fantastic histories. At times I found myself rooting both for and against them. They make some of the greatest characters that I've read about in a long time.
This book will definitely be one that I will remember and go back to to read again. And I will most definitely be getting the rest of the trilogy.


Rating: 5/5

All in the Woods (Book Review)

Title: All in the Woods
Author: J R Poulter
Illustrator: Linda Gunn
Source: From author for review
Publisher: Pixiefoot Press


Goodreads Summary:
'All in the Woods' is a fabulous, fun read about a boy, his granddad, a possum and a trouble-making neighbour. Illustrated by Linda S Gunn and written by J R Poulter, it is aimed at 5-7 year old readers.


Thoughts:
I was really excited when I was asked to review this book. Generally I review YA and adult books, but I grew up babysitting and volunteering at daycares and preschools so I am no stranger to the children's book. And it's been ages since I've read a new one so I was happy to get the chance to try this one out. And it was definitely worth it. The characters are fun and the story is simple enough for a child to understand and complex enough to make them think, which I think is the most important part of a book for this age range. While this book was written for a 5-7 year old audience, I do think that younger children would enjoy it as well, although they may miss some of the plot elements.
And I haven't even mentioned the illustration yet. It is perfect. The illustrations themselves could stand along as beautiful pictures but when matched with the story they are simply fantastic.
This book is a great mix of illustration and story telling that every child should have the chance to read.

(Note: Since children's books are very different from what I normally review, it seems unfair and too hard for me to use the same rating system. So technically, I'm not going to rate this book, but I will be giving it 5 stars on Amazon and Goodreads)

You Can't Run From the Heat (Book Review)

Title: You Can't Run From the Heat
Author: Qiana Williams
Source: From author for review (although the book is currently free on Amazon for those with Amazon Prime)


Goodreads Summary:
Kenya Brown moves from a small town on the outskirts of Chicago to New York City in order to get away from her past. Shaking off her extremely jealous ex boyfriend and trying to stay out of the middle of her parent's divorce, she uses her professional experience, intelligence and independence to move onward and start anew.

In her travels to New York, she meets a young handsome lawyer and they wind up running into one another some days later. Being cautiously optimistic, they begin dating and Kenya finds that he makes her happy in ways she hadn't thought possible. Kenya is hopeful that true happiness is finally hers for the taking.

What Kenya would have never expected is to enter a whole new world of drama; a whirlwind of events that will change her life in every manner. Unexpectedly, Kenya finds herself wrapped up in a whole new string of 'heat', which is what she thought she was leaving behind.

With a very provocative subplot that includes deception, lies, murder, blackmail, sex and a lawyer's "dirty" little secret, the dots all somehow connect back to the man that she is falling for and thus, ultimately Kenya. Is he worth staying around for and is the madness that she is seeing stemming from him, or is there more to the story than meets the eye? You decide in this addictive page turner, "You Can't Run From the Heat"


Thoughts:
I want to like this book. It has an intriguing plot and interesting characters, but unfortunately there are a number of reasons why this book just isn't for me. It starts off very slowly. To be honest, I probably wouldn't have finished the book if I hadn't promised to review it. I'm glad I didn't put it down though because things definitely pick up. For me though, I felt like a lot of the story was lost in the sex. (This is probably a good time to mention that this book is definitely for adults only). While I have no problem with sex scenes in books, in this novel, sex just seemed to get in the way of the story.
There are some very complex plots going on underneath the surface and these this are no doubt effecting how the characters think, talk, and act, but every time someone is about to discuss these complex things, they just end up having sex instead.
Kenya, the main character, is very likeable and we do get to see some of what she is thinking and feeling in the beginning of the book. But after she hooks up with Mike, that changes. She starts to worry about the creepy phone calls but instead of delving into her feelings about it, she has sex with Mike.
I've gone back through the end of the book several times, and I can't find any description at all of how the scandal is effecting her. She is happy that Mike is sharing her feelings about it with her, but we don't get to see this conversation so we don't know how he is feeling either.
I know that this novel has received many good reviews so it is definitely a book that people love to read, but to be honest, it just wasn't for me.


Rating: 2/5

I'm Okay

Hi everyone! Especially all my new followers, hello! I just wanted to give you a quick update and let you know that I am still reading and will have some reviews up shortly. The reason that I've been behind a little bit this week is that I had a procedure done on my neck and I'm in a lot of pain right now. I explain it better in this video I made last week:



I should be back to writing later this week. Here's my most recent video about how things are going:



I'll have some reviews up soon!