Where to begin, where to begin... I found a spelling error lol, yeap an actually spelling error. I won't lie, it distracted me like a mofo.. Had this error been in an indie book, it wouldn't have, but this is far far from an indie book. Mr. King, please inform your editor that "rubed" is not a word... From the way the sentence is written and a sentence on the next page, I believe the editor was looking for the word "rubbed", a small error, but an error nonetheless. It was the only spelling error I found..
As to the story itself, It's not horrible, but it's not great either. It's JUST interesting enough to make the reader keep turning pages to see what happens next; however, most of it is just honestly mundane. Like Hearts in Atlantis, and The Green Mile, From A Buick 8 has that normalcy feel to it. A far cry from the heart-stopping horror most people who know King's work are used to seeing. There's just enough strangeness going on to make it interesting, but not enough to say "That book is one of his best ever!" Frankly, it's not.
I do like the mystery surrounding the Buick, and I love the way the characters are developed and distinct. Some even have their own dialect tossed in which makes them even more believable. As usual, all the good stuff comes within the last 50 pages of the book... And it didn't last very long.
There are a lot of emotions in the book, even if it's not something you'd expect from King. There's moments when the reader will want to scream in frustration, and even moments that will have the reader reaching for a tissue. While it's not one of Kings' greatest works, the story is still told well and will still pull the strings it was meant to.
I give this book 3 of 5 paws
The Ice Dragon tells the story of Adara, a child of winter, her only friend, an dragon made of ice, and a war that would change her life forever
This book is an illustrated chapter book, I'd place in the 10-15 year old age group. It's a touching story and one that will make the reader really think.
I loved the story. It's endearing, and heartfelt. They say ice dragons can't be tamed, but Adara hadn't tamed hers; she'd simply been its friend.
The illustrations are amazing, which isn't surprising since Luis Royo is a god among artists. Each illustration was a perfect companion for the part of the story it depicted.
The story itself is beautifully written, told as mostly narration, which gives it that fairy-tale quality. This is definitely a story to tell on those cold winter nights when it seems there's nothing on the air but cold and dread.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves fairy-tales, stories told my fire light, and lovers of dragons.
I give this book 5 of 5 paws.
Before I start my thoughts on this book, I do have to mention a few large flaws I spotted. When they go to Luke's house, the question of whether or not there's a back door comes up to which the answer given is no... however, Jace, Simon, and Clary came in through the back door... I have no idea how Ms. Clare's editor didn't catch this error. The second large error I spotted was the first time Valentine's death is told, it was stated that he burned alive with his wife and child... however, in the second time the story of his death is told, the child is omitted from the telling and it's stated that he and his wife were found, and then in the third retelling, the child is back again.
Aside from the errors mentioned above, the story is an interesting on. It definitely demands to be paid attention to. The characters are well thought out and well developed. I'd heard of the controversy surrounding Ms. Clare and her series, but I didn't see any of the things she'd been accused of, except in one character... The cat in the institute not only shares the same name, but bares a striking resemblance to the cat Church from Pet Sematary by Stephen King. Which I feel was more than likely done deliberately since I've named pets after ones from movies and books too >~.^<
I spotted the odd grammatical error here and there, nothing too obvious, and nothing that will stop the reader from being engrossed in the story.
The story itself is unique in many ways, and yet still holds the lore of Niphilim every Urban Fantasy about them holds.
There are a few questions that remain unanswered, but with seven books in the series, I don't foresee them going on unanswered forever.
All in all this was a great story and I look forward to reading City of Ashes, the second book in this series.
I give this book 3 of 5 paws. (I would give it 5, but the two errors are entirely too big and need to be fixed)
The final book in The Syrena Legacy definitely doesn't disappoint. Of Neptune picks up four months after Of Triton. Galen and Emma have graduated from high school and are finally taking that much needed vacation they spoke about at the end of Of Triton. Neither of them expected to find what they did when they take Antonis' advice and go visit the sleepy town of Neptune, Tennessee.
There's more heart-stopping action and emotion in these pages than in the other two combined. There's some twists and turns and times when the reader will be furious and sad all at once. Of Neptune closes all the holes that were strategically placed in Of Poseidon and Of Triton. The only thing the reader will ask with the end of this book. "What happens now?"
I would absolutely enjoy another book to this series, perhaps one a few years down the line when Rayna and Emma have fingerlings, perhaps Nalia as well, to see what adventures and trouble they find with all the new and amazing changes Grom and Antonis brought to both the sea and the land.
I give this book 5 of 5 paws.
1
***I received this ARC from the Author in exchange for an honest review***
Because this is an Advanced Reader Copy, I cannot speak of any errors I may have or may not have found
At first I wasn't too sure I would like this book. to be honest, I was more than a little anxious about reading it. Venessa had explained to me the run down of the book and asked if I'd like to read it since she knows about my Bipolar II. I naturally said yes. I like Venessa's books, and I knew the story would be a good one. My anxiety came from the subject. Evangeline Phillips is a seventeen year old girl who was just told she has the beginning stages of Bipolar II. I was diagnosed with Bipolar II when I was 6 or 7.. back then it was called Manic Depression; so this subject really struck a sour note with me and it most definitely set my anxiety into overdrive. But still, I HAD to read this book.
I very very quickly related to Evan, for obvious reasons, especially how her parents treated her and defined her not as their child but as her "condition". I think everyone of us that has a label attached to us has been there.. We've also dealt with the want to be invisible, the fear of being judged if gods forbid anyone finds out you're different, the bullying. The bullying is always the worst.
This story doesn't only cover Bipolar II, it covers several different disorders that people have. I really do admire Evan's tribe of friends. Every kid like her and Gavin should have a tribe of people that will do what Brody, Lia, Nikki, and Asher do.
I can't give away my favorite part of the story because it will spoil it for you guys. Just know that Dismantling Evan is a must read... and remember to have some tissues nearby.
I give this book 5 of 5 paws
1
I'm almost a bit ashamed to admit that this is my first time reading this book. No, I haven't watched the movie either, even though I do own it. Being that I was new, the first 10% of my kindle copy kind of threw me off track since well it was about the author and about the book, but wasn't the story. I do find the tale woven into the beginning to be an interesting one. Not the excitement you'd expect, then again I don't suppose it was supposed to be. It was pretty funny though.
As to the actual story, It was kind of typical. I think the most interesting parts of the entire story were the cut-ins from the author in all honestly. I haven't figured out how they made this into a movie unless they made some drastic changes to improve it. The book itself leaves so many pieces unattended to it makes it a bit hard to follow. Some of the chapters are dreadfully long and don't explain anything in between the paragraphs of actual story (the parts that aren't the author cut-ins). It's rare that a story bored me and this one did terribly.
It's not often that I come across a book that disappoints me, especially when for years I've heard nothing about how amazing this book is. I found Buttercup to be a bit an airhead that no one should have wasted their time on, the Prince was your typical villain as was his count. The most colorful character was Inigo. As to Westly, after the pirate incident he's not even remotely close to being the same character and while he did what every hero in every book does, it was flat. It felt like he was more obligated to it then for any actual love he had for Buttercup.
All in all, I'm honestly praying the movie (which I've withheld from watching until I read the book) is better than the book, but given how the movies are almost never as good as the book, I don't hold my breath.
I give this book 2 of 5 paws.
This is my first taste of Kristin Secorsky, and I must say, it was a good one. Immortal Beginnings: Amara, like the title states tells the story of Amara.
Amara had it all, and then had it all taken from her. Seems like your usual start to this kind of story doesn't it? Toss in some Fae (Seelie and Unseelie), Vampires, and Werewolves, and you have the beginning of an amazing epic.
While the storyline is full of action and intrigue, there is a lot of detailed sex, so if you aren't into that sort of thing, this probably isn't the story for you, unless you can look past it to the great story underneath.
I personally, enjoyed this story a lot. I do believe it can be run through an editor for a bit of touching up though. There's some minor errors, less than a handful around the first good fight scene in the book. Of course none of these will turn a reader away from the book.
I would really like to know more about Lucian. I had so many mixed feelings about him while reading this though I still feel like I didn't get to know him enough. Though, with how the storyline plays out, I have a feeling Lucian's role is more than what it appears to be in this book.
I will definitely be reading the other books in the Immortal Scrolls series as soon as I'm able and would absolutely recommend this book to any lover of Vampires and gladiators.
I give this book 4 of 5 paws.
***I received this ARC from the author(s) in exchange for an honest review***
Since my copy is an Advance Reader Copy, I cannot speak of any errors I may have or may not have found.
This is the second book by Karpov Kinrade I've gotten the chance to read and it's a completely different genre than the first one I read LOL What I like the most about this author team is that they are versitile, they won't hear of being tied to one specific genre and thus their fan base stretches into several.
Court of Nightfall follows Scarlett Night, who in the spam of roughly a week has her entire life turned upside down. This book starts off catching the reader's interest and doesn't stop until it's over. I'd chosen this book for my reading challenge "a book you can read in a day" for this reason alone. Dmytry Karpov and Kimberly Kinrade have that amazing ability to enthrall readers from the very first sentence and it's rare that they ever let go.
The only thing in this book that irked me a bit was Scarlett's ability, it's almost like a minic of The Force in how it's triggered, but even that wasn't enough to turn me away from the story. There's definitely feelings of sorrow and anger that the reader will feel along with Scarlett.
The story is your typical good vs evil tale, though right now in the start of this series, it's a bit difficult to tell who the good guys are and who the bad guys are; which in my opinion makes it that much more interesting. I like the whole aspect of not knowing which characters to trust, it lends a bit more realism to the tale being told.
I look forward to reading House of Ravens, book 2 in The Nightfall Chronicles.
I give this book 5 of 5 paws
Book 2 in The Syrena Legacy picks up roughly 12-24 hours after Of Poseidon ends. It's really a non-stop
roller-coaster ride of emotion and events. From Nalia's return to the tribunal Jagen sets up against the
royals, the reader really has little want of putting the book down.
A couple of aspects of the story are predictable especially when it concerns Rayna, though a few of the
twists will definitely through the reader for a loop and make them question where their loyalty lies.
I look forward to getting to read Of Neptune, the third book in this series. I do hope it's truly not the
final book in this series. In the short time it's taken me to read Of Poseidon and Of Triton, I've grown to
love these unique and some times quirky characters and would hate to say goodbye so soon.
I give this book 5 of 5 paws.
Grip of Mortality follows the Cortez sisters and their mama Clara. It's your classic good versus psycho evil. Blood against blood and all that over the rule of a kingdom.
This has to be one of the strangest shifter books I have ever read in my life. Strange in a good way. There's so much mixed shifter lore from different regions woven so beautifully together the can easily forget that it's just lore.
I really like how the characters developed with the story. Each daughter is as different and unique as their individual abilities are. There's is honest to goodness underlinings of the strength of family that's united in love and faith for each other, and it's rather refreshing after reading a lot of other paranormal/supernatural set books.
The only issue I had with it was the double spaced paragraphs, but that's just a me thing. It definitely shouldn't deter anyone from reading the story. On the plus side, I didn't find any errors so kudos to the editor!
I would allow anyone with the ability to read and comprehend read this book. It's mild enough for people as young thirteen.
I look forward to reading Tone of Betrayal, book two in this series, as well as C.L.'s other works and any other others she releases in the future.
I give this book 5 of 5 paws
Of Poseidon tells the story of the Syrena (Merfolk). It tells of the race being divided into two families, those born of Poseidon's bloodline and those born of his brother Triton's bloodline. The story follows Emma McIntosh and Galen Forza. Galen, a Syrena, is told by a human friend that Emma be just what the Syrena need to survive.
The story kind of has a slow start. I took a good five chapters for me to really get into it. It's not that it was uninteresting, it just seems too human at the start. Once I did get into it though, I couldn't put it down. This book is amazingly detailed with tidbits of Atlantis lore that link the humans and Syrena together. I absolutely got lost in the world Anna Banks created for these characters, while in a modern day setting, it still flows beautifully with the lore both created and recorded.
I look forward to reading Of Triton and Of Neptune the second and third books in The Syrena Legacy, as well as anything else Ms. Banks opts to publish in the future.
The bonus short story, Legacy Lost, fills in a lot of blanks concerning Grom and Nalia. I think it could have been stretched out just a bit more to fill in the rest but I'm sure Of Triton will cover what's missing. I enjoyed the short even though it's sad beyond words.
I give this book 5 of 5 well earned stars.
***I did the re-editing on this book and thus cannot speak of any errors I may have or may not have found***
Raven's Armor follows the story of Raven Dark Child, an extraordinary young witch who was blessed by Hecate herself. Raven has a unique set of friends including a werewolf named Trent, a familiar named Hajime, and a vampire named Dominic. Sent away from the only home they'd known, Raven and Trent, along with Hajime, are ordered to handle a situation that's been brewing.
I really liked this story. The characters are all unique and easily defined by their own quirks. The only one I had any real issue with was Dominic, he's not very old-school Vampire in demeanor to be as old as he is, but he's still a lovable character once you get over how old he's supposed to be compared to how old he acts.
I loved how spells, chants, prayers, were used in this story. It had a real witch feel to it unlike a lot of other witch themed stories.
The love stories that develop in this book are heart-warming even if they do feel a bit rushed in certain instances.
I look forward to Raven Rising, book two in this series.
I give this book 4 of 5 paws.
***I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy, free from the Authors, in exchange for an honest review***
Just a reminder that since this is an ARC, I can't speak of any errors I may have or may not have found within this work.
Hitched is the story of Kacie Michaels and her twin brother Tate...Well it's more about Kacie and their company which is appropriately named Hitched.
I'm not a big fan of non paranormal anything, but this book hooked me from the start. The story is told from Kacie's Point of View and that girl has some interesting thoughts!
There's a lot of moments of smiles and a few with tears, a couple where the reader will swear like a sailor.
The plot-line is a bit predictable but there's still enough new elements randomly thrown in to make the story fresh and enjoyable.
I look forward to seeing where The Red Shoe Memoirs go with book 2.
I give this book 5 of 5 paws.
***I did the editing on this work and thus cannot speak of any errors I may have or may not have found.***
This book, like all of Laura's work, is like a breath of fresh air in a sea of repetitive story-lines. This book takes the story of the typical boy meets girl, and breaths new life into it creating something new and refreshing.
The story not only draws the reader in with itself, but it of course wouldn't be complete without Laura's subtle touches of the Pagan faith thrown in for good measure; which are all very good life lessons everyone should have.
The reader will want to slap the stupid out Drew and Lainey on more than one occasion, and the emotions from both are clearly felt due to the amazing desciptions. Laura definitely has a way with words, which many know is almost a lost art in the literary world.
I look forward to In Perfect Harmony which is book 2 of the Jersey Girls series.
I give this book 5 of 5 paws
This story follows Robin Robinson, a man-whore in every sense of the word who uses door-to-door cosmetic selling as his front.
This story needs work. There's several places with wrong words, missing words, and missing commas and apostrophes. There are always several spots where it's very repetitive. Within three paragraphs the narration says the same exact thing (though there are one or two slight modifications done to the repeated lines). This story needs an editor badly.There's also at least inconsistency as to the starting location of Anthony.
The story itself is rather dull. There's no real point to it at all, and by the end I was a bit disgusted with the main character.
I don't think I'd recommend this book to anyone even if the editing was corrected.
I give this book 1 of 5 paws
This story follows a thief who's on death-row and scheduled for the gallows for a crime he technically didn't commit.
The story is definitely an interesting. The superstition used in it isn't one used often, though it would be amazing if it were actually true.
There are a few grammatical errors, simple ones that are easily missed. (and no I'm not speaking of spelling, the author is obviously not from the States so his spelling is slightly different from ours), just some simple missing commas really.
I would recommend this to any lover of crime stories, and even those who like the paranormal aspects of things since it does have that feel to it.
I give this story 4 of 5 paws.