Book Review: Torment by Lauren Kate

~ Title: Torment
~ Author: Lauren Kate
~ Publisher: Delacorte Press
~ Release Date: September 28, 2010
~ Source: Library book


Summary via GoodReads:


Hell on earth. That's what it's like for Luce to be apart from her fallen angel boyfriend, Daniel. It took them an eternity to find one another, but now he has told her he must go away. Just long enough to hunt down the Outcasts - immortals who want to kill Luce. Daniel hides Luce at Shoreline, a school on the rocky California coast with unusually gifted students -Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans.

At Shoreline, Luce learns what the Shadows are, and how she can use them as windows to her previous lives. Yet the more Luce learns, the more she suspects that Daniel hasn't told her everything. He's hiding something - something dangerous. What if Daniel's version of the past isn't actually true? What if Luce is really meant to be with someone else? The second novel in the addictive FALLEN series . . . where love never dies.

My Review: 4.5/5 Stars!

The title says it all. Poor Luce and Daniel are in torment pretty much the entire book. During this installment of the Fallen series, Luce is struggling to uncover her past lives and figure out where her and Daniel's relationship stands. When Daniel leaves Luce at her new school, Shoreline, with very little explanation other than "it's for your protection," she is surrounded by questions and very little answers. With the help of her new Nephilim friends, Luce sets out to discover her past and to learn why Daniel is shutting her out.


I have to say I liked where Kate took Luce and Daniel's relationship in this book. It was refreshing to see a more realistic relationship between the two. We are so used to reading the whole boy meets girl and they fall head over heels in love and nothing can tear them apart storyline. But, how real is that? In real life that's not the case most of the time. Real relationships have ups and downs. Even though this story has fantasy elements (ie. angels, demons, etc.) the rocky relationship made it feel more believable. That element made Luce and Daniel relatable and drew me into their story more. 




I really enjoyed this book. Torment has one heck of a cliffhanger. I can't wait to read Passion!



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Book Review: Lost Voices by Sarah Porter

~ Title: Lost Voices

~ Author: Sarah Porter

~ Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 

~ Release Date: July 4, 2011

~ Source: eCopy via NetGalley

Summary via GoodReads:

What happens to the girls nobody sees—the ones who are ignored, mistreated, hidden away? The girls nobody hears when they cry for help?
Fourteen-year-old Luce is one of those lost girls. After her father vanishes in a storm at sea, she is stuck in a grim, gray Alaskan fishing village with her alcoholic uncle. When her uncle crosses an unspeakable line, Luce reaches the depths of despair. Abandoned on the cliffs near her home, she expects to die when she tumbles to the icy, churning waves below. Instead, she undergoes an astonishing transformation and becomes a mermaid.
A tribe of mermaids finds Luce and welcomes her in—all of them, like her, lost girls who surrendered their humanity in the darkest moments of their lives. The mermaids are beautiful, free, and ageless, and Luce is thrilled with her new life until she discovers the catch: they feel an uncontrollable desire to drown seafarers, using their enchanted voices to lure ships into the rocks.
Luce’s own talent at singing captures the attention of the tribe’s queen, the fierce and elegant Catarina, and Luce soon finds herself pressured to join in committing mass murder. Luce’s struggle to retain her inner humanity puts her at odds with her friends; even worse, Catarina seems to regard Luce as a potential rival. But the appearance of a devious new mermaid brings a real threat to Catarina’s leadership and endangers the very existence of the tribe. Can Luce find the courage to challenge the newcomer, even at the risk of becoming rejected and alone once again?
Lost Voices is a captivating and wildly original tale about finding a voice, the healing power of friendship, and the strength it takes to forgive.

My Review: 2/5 Stars  …  Not a big fan, I guess you can’t win them all!

In Lost Voices, debut author Sarah Porter gives us a twist on the traditional mermaid tale. Okay, I wanted to like this book… I really did. However, I just could not “get into.”  It took me several weeks to read Lost Voices. I tried reading it but kept finding myself simply not wanting to read it. The whole thing was kind of frustrating. I’ve never had to force myself to read a book before (until this one). This book didn’t really do anything for me. Don’t get me wrong, the plot was unique in ways but the execution could have been better. I found it interesting that there are certain events that have to happen in order for a human to turn into a mermaid. And the concept of turning into a mermaid rather than just being born that way was new to me also. The mermaid’s also like to stink ships by singing to them which is like the Siren's in mythology. Luce struggles to understand this concept which she is repulsed by and at the same time is drawn to. There was nothing really happening during the whole book and I just felt board and uninterested.  They just swam around, then drama, stink a ship, more drama, swim, eat (which they did a lot…lol) oh and a tad bit more drama. I don’t know, maybe I was just expecting more from this book. I hate writing a bad review and I’m really trying to think of something good I liked about Lost Voices, I just can’t. Well, I guess the characters weren’t too bad. Please keep in mind that this is just my experience and you may read this book and love it.

Book Review: The Goddess Test by Amiee Carter

~ Title: “The Goddess Test”

~ Author: Amiee Carter

~ Publisher: Harlequin Teen

~ Release Date: April 26, 2011

~ Source:  NetGalley                                                 

Summary via GoodReads:

Every girl who has taken the test has died.

Now it's Kate's turn.

It's always been just Kate and her mom--and now her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld--and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy--until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

If she fails...

My Review:  4/5 Stars!

Sorry it took me so long to write this review!

First of all, I love Greek mythology! It one of the many reasons I wanted to read this book. I found this book to be refreshing from all the vampires, angles, fairies, etc. books running around these days (not that I have a problem with them…I love them all!). Debut author Amiee Carter has woven a wonderfully captivating tale of love, forgiveness, and strength.

I have seen quite a bit of negative reviews for this book which surprised me at first. But, then I thought about it and I can see where the reviewers are coming from. The two main characters do come off as somewhat “weak.” Kate is naïve and VERY trusting, while Henry is rather bland for a God (he does have his sweet moments, though). But maybe they were meant to be that way. Everyone has flaws; characters in books are no different…that’s what makes them real and relatable.

 Were they areas in the plot that could have been elaborated on or done differently? Sure, but I think, all in all, it was well written. Carter's writing style is easily to follow and understand. And, I loved how she described the entrance to Henry’s manor. I had no trouble “seeing” the scenes Carter painted with her words.

I thought the book was well written. Even though I saw most of the “plot twists” coming from a mile away, I still enjoyed them. One thing that was real and powerful was the relationship between Kate and her Mother. I liked how the author mentioned other myths and how Kate is “schooled” in mythology. It also lets the reader into that world more.

I gave “The Goddess Test” 4 stars because I really enjoyed reading the book. It drew me in and maybe that had something to do with my love of mythology. I think it’s worth picking up if you are looking for a nice, quick read.  I will definitely be checking out the sequel “Goddess Interrupted” (January 2012).

I hope this review was helpful and made at least made some sense. Lol

Let me know what you think … about the book, my review, whatevers   ;-)

Also, I'm sorry for being away for the past two weeks. I will try to get my butt in gear and start posting more.

Book Review: The Clone Codes by The McKissacks

~ Title: The Clone Codes

~ Authors: Patricia, Fredrick, & John McKissack

~ Publisher: Scholastic Press

~ Release Date: February 1, 2010

~ Source: I won this book from GoodReads First Reads giveaway program

~ Recommend for: middle-grade, younger readers, history lovers

 Summary from GoodReads:

The Cyborg Wars are over and Earth has peacefully prospered for more than one hundred years. Yet sometimes history must repeat itself until humanity learns from its mistakes. In the year 2170, despite technological and political advances, cyborgs and clones are treated no better than slaves, and an underground abolitionist movement is fighting for freedom. Thirteen-year-old Leanna's entire life is thrown into chaos when The World Federation of Nations discovers her mom is part of the radical Liberty Bell Movement.
After her mother's arrest for treason, Leanna must escape as she is chased by a ruthless bounty hunter. Soon Leanna finds herself living among the Firsts, and nothing will ever be the same again. But what does The World Federation want with the daughter of a traitor? So much is uncertain. Danger hides everywhere. Fear takes over. With help from unlikely sources, Leanna learns the origin of The Liberty Bell Movement and how its members may have answers about her past-and her new reality.
As family secrets are revealed, Leanna must face startling truths about self-identity and freedom. Through time travel, advanced technologies, and artificial intelligence, this exhilarating adventure asks what it means to be human and explores the sacrifices an entire society will make to find out.
Acclaimed authors Patricia C. McKissack and Frederick L. McKissack have collaborated with their son, John to deliver a novel that is as suspenseful as it is searing.

My Review: 2/5 Stars… it was ok and I really wanted to like the book but it just wasn’t for me.

The Good:

The cover art is eye-catching. I liked the metallic purple and blue colors…very pretty! Also, when the jacket cover is removed, the book is an embossed font with the title of the book and computer/technological design which I enjoyed.  That same design is on the sides of all the pages. All-in-all this book has interesting visual details that I found unique. 

This book had an interesting concept. It looks at the comparison between futuristic clone and cyborg mistreatment/inequality and African American slavery. I liked the message: everyone should be treated equal…no one person is better than another. 

The Bad:

Short, short, short! This book only has 173 pages. I could have finished it within 2 hours if I read without stopping. The reason it my two whole days to read this book was the fact that I didn’t feel the need to read it. There was nothing that “pulled” me in and made me reach for the book. The font is kind of large as well. In addition, the chapters are short, too. Most chapters consist of 2-3 pages, with a few having more.

The Ugly:

Sadly, the writing just wasn’t up to par. I have a hard time believing it took three people to write this book and it is so choppy. The story doesn’t flow well. And the winner of the ugliest thing about this book goes to…..the ending! It was just blah and horrible. Nothing was tied up and it wasn’t much of a cliff hanger. I was left saying, “Really, are you kidding me?!”

The Bottom Line:

This book had potential to be a really great story….it just didn’t quite make the cut. I think this book is geared toward middle-grade/younger readers and would be a great way to approach the topic of slavery and equal rights. Parents and children could read this book together and then have discussions about the story and the questions it raises.

Very First Book Review! "Angel Burn" by L.A. Weatherly

~ Title: Angel Burn (Angel Trilogy #1)

~ Author: L.A. Weatherly

~ Publisher: Candlewick Press

~ Release Date: May 24, 2011

    (First published Oct. 1. 2010 in the U.K. under the title “Angel”)

~ Source: NetGalley

Summary from GoodReads:

Willow knows she’s different from other girls, and not just because she loves tinkering with cars. Willow has a gift. She can look into the future and know people’s dreams and hopes, their sorrows and regrets, just by touching them. She has no idea where this power comes from. But the assassin, Alex, does. Gorgeous, mysterious Alex knows more about Willow than Willow herself. He knows that her powers link to dark and dangerous forces, and that he’s one of the few humans left who can fight them. When Alex finds himself falling in love with his sworn enemy, he discovers that nothing is as it seems, least of all good and evil. In the first book in an action-packed, romantic trilogy, L..A. Weatherly sends readers on a thrill-ride of a road trip — and depicts the human race at the brink of a future as catastrophic as it is deceptively beautiful.

My Review:  4/5 Stars!

To begin with, this is my very first book review. Hope you enjoy!

Angles protect us, inspire us, and are seen as Heavenly beings carrying out the will of God, right? But, what if Angels have the potential to destroy all of humanity?  Due to a crisis on their home world, the Angles come to Earth, where they find a nice new food source….humans. Not that they actually eat humans, they just feed off energy, which leaves humans with Angel burn.

The story is told from the following four points of view:

~ Willow: She can fix your car, see your future, oh yeah and did I mention that she is half Angel and just might have what it takes to bring down the invading Angles?

~ Alex: He is smoking hot, has a dark, troubled past, and just happens to be an Angel Killer.    (Can you say rarrrr?)

~ Raziel: He is a big, bad Angel who is seeking to please the others still in his home world.

~ Jonah: He is just a normal human who works for Raziel and has fallen in love with the Angles, just like most of the country.

I liked how the story was told from both Willow and Alex’s perspectives. I must say I really enjoyed their relationship. It felt real and I found myself smiling as I read the scenes between them. I also like the part of the story that takes place in Tennessee (what’s where I live!).  It may be silly but I actually got kind of excited when a city that is 30-40 minutes away from where I live was mentioned. 

This book has action, adventure, romance, and a few surprises along the way. There were points were I could not stop reading! I cannot wait to read the next book in the series, “Angel Fire.” Pick this book up when it comes out later this year because this is unlike any “Angel book” you have read!