Review: Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson

Hi

Just a reminder this is going to be my last post and review of 2010 as well as my last post in this format.

Title: Claire de Lune

Author: Christine Johnson

Summary (B&N.com):

Torn between two destinies…

Claire is having the perfect sixteenth birthday. Her pool party is a big success, and her crush keeps chatting and flirting with her as if she’s the only girl there. But that night, she discovers something that takes away all sense of normalcy: She’s a werewolf.

As Claire is initiated into the pack of female werewolves, she finds her lupine loyalty at odds with her human heart. Burdened with a dark secret and pushing the boundaries of forbidden love, she will be forced to make a choice that will change her life forever. . . .

My Review: The last book I read that was solely about werewolves was Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause and that was years ago. It was nice not having other fantasy creatures overshadow the werewolves, for once. Christine Johnson’s writing in Claire de Lune made me connect to a wolf pack like I never had before. I couldn’t imagine having my parent lie to me for 16 years about what she is and what I am to become though. I wouldn’t have been able to handle it I would have had a nervous break down but the main character, Claire while she was pissed at her mom, she handled it way better then I would have. It was also hard for me to imagine having to keep a secret that big. Keeping secrets for other people I am amazing at….it's keeping my own secrets I’m not so good at. If I become a werewolf there is no way I am not telling my best friends. What I really like though is that it was seriously different from all other stories about werewolves. You don’t get bitten to become one, you’re born one and only if you’re a girl. There are no male werewolves. And get this, werewolves aren’t myths, they’re real in this story and humans know about them (that doesn’t mean they accept them though as this story shows). Claire de Lune was all around a good book, I recommend it to all those who like werewolves and fantasy. Oh and props to goes out to Claire de Lune for its title it’s a whole new level of perfect, it sums it up so well with out even trying that hard.

Review: The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman

Hi

I’m so glad I finally got to read Polly Shulman’s Sophomore Novel.

Title: The Grimm Legacy

Author: Polly Shulman

Summary (B&N.com): Elizabeth has a new job at an unusual library— a lending library of objects, not books. In a secret room in the basement lies the Grimm Collection. That's where the librarians lock away powerful items straight out of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales: seven-league boots, a table that produces a feast at the blink of an eye, Snow White's stepmother's sinister mirror that talks in riddles.

When the magical objects start to disappear, Elizabeth embarks on a dangerous quest to catch the thief before she can be accused of the crime—or captured by the thief.

Polly Shulman has created a contemporary fantasy with a fascinating setting and premise, starring an ordinary girl whose after-school job is far from ordinary— and leads to a world of excitement, romance and magical intrigue.

My Review: For some reason this book took me a while to read (which surprised me because I read Polly Shulman’s debut novel Enthusiasm in only a few hours) I think the biggest problem for me was that I don’t like when books pressure me to feel like I should be suspicious of a character that I really want to trust. There’s really only so much mystery I can stand in a non mystery book, and having this happen to me with 4 separate characters is just too much. Every time I got over a plot twist that made me suspicious of someone, there was another one that made me suspicious of another character without clearing up the first one’s name! I like to know at least one person I can root for other then the main character. Other than that annoyance though I liked this book; once I figured out which characters I could trust (which happened about halfway in) I sped through the rest of it. I loved all the references to the Grimms’ fairy tales. that’s what really sold the book for me, that it’s a contemporary fantasy! Needless to say, I would love to work at this particular library.

Click here for my review of Polly Shulman’s debut novel Enthusiasm!

Review: Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

Hi

A fairy tale retold….

Title: Princess of the Midnight Ball

Author: Jessica Day George

Summary (goodreads.com): A tale of twelve princesses doomed to dance until dawn…

Galen is a young soldier returning from war; Rose is one of twelve princesses condemned to dance each night for the King Under Stone. Together Galen and Rose will search for a way to break the curse that forces the princesses to dance at the midnight balls. All they need is one invisibility cloak, a black wool chain knit with enchanted silver needles, and that most critical ingredient of all—true love—to conquer their foes in the dark halls below. But malevolent forces are working against them above ground as well, and as cruel as the King Under Stone has seemed, his wrath is mere irritation compared to the evil that awaits Galen and Rose in the brighter world above.

Captivating from start to finish, Jessica Day George’s take on the Grimms’ tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses demonstrates yet again her mastery at spinning something entirely fresh out of a story you thought you knew

My Review: I love fairy tales but I haven’t gotten around to reading all of them yet. I only know the major ones, you know, Cinderella, Snow White, Hansel and Gretel ect. Well Princess of the Midnight Ball is a retelling of one of the Grimm’s Fairy Tales, the Twelve Dancing Princesses (or as it's called in my copy of the fairy tales The Worn Out Dancing Shoes). Before I read this book I decided to read that tale so I knew what was going on (which was unnecessary because it's all explained in the book but I’m a nerd and didn’t mind doing the research before hand). Anyway, I really loved this book. I read it in practically one sitting. I liked how the story switched perspectives from Galen’s to the oldest of the twelve princesses Rose (I thought it was cool that they were all named after flowers and that Galen was a gardener, you gotta love irony!).

Review: The Juliet Club by Suzanne Harper

Good Morrow, Kind Readers!

:]

Title: The Juliet Club

Author: Suzanne Harper

Summary (goodreads.com): Italy . . . Shakespeare . . . but no romance?

Kate Sanderson inherited her good sense from her mother, a disciplined law professor, and her admiration for the Bard from her father, a passionate Shakespeare scholar. When she gets dumped, out of the blue, for the Practically Perfect Ashley Lawson, she vows never to fall in love again. From now on she will control her own destiny, and every decision she makes will be highly reasoned and rational. She thinks Shakespeare would have approved.

So when she is accepted to a summer Shakespeare symposium in Verona, Italy, Kate sees it as the ideal way to get over her heartbreak once and for all. She'll lose herself in her studies, explore ancient architecture, and eat plenty of pasta and gelato. (Plus, she'll be getting college credit for it—another goal accomplished!) But can even completely logical Kate resist the romance of living in a beautiful villa in the city where those star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet met and died for each other? Especially when the other Shakespeare Scholars—in particular Giacomo, with his tousled brown hair, expressive dark eyes, and charming ways—try hard to break her protective shell?

"In fair Verona, where we lay our scene . . . "

My Review: I love Romeo and Juliet so when I was this title I didn’t care what it was about, all I knew was I had to get it out from the library. Another selling point other then Juliet in the title was that it was called The Juliet CLUB! Anyone who’s seen Letters to Juliet should be familiar with the Juliet Club (even though in the movie they called the club the Secretaries of Juliet which I personally like better then the real name but whatever.) This book proves that even the most cynical about love (like the main character, Kate) can and will find love, especially if they just happen to win an essay contest to study Romeo and Juliet in its host city Verona! Another thing I loved about this book is that everyone is falling in love with the wrong person at the beginning but finds their true love by the end. Each student has a role to play in this story it's not just about Kate and her love interest Giacomo. I liked how the perspective would change throughout the story as well. I thought it was cool that we got to see how Kate’s Best Friends back in the states reacted to each of her emails and placed bets on whether or not she’d break her promise of never falling in love again! And while the Juliet Club doesn’t have A LOT to do with the Juliet Club it does have a lot to do with Romeo and Juliet since some of the kids have to act it out. It made me fall in love with Shakespeare’s play all over again! I recommend this to all Romeo and Juliet Fans!!

Review: The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

Hi!

Whoa! Dear Fans of Percy Jackson, You must read this book!

Title: The Lost Hero

Author: Rick Riordan

Summary (goodreads.com (B&N‘s wasn‘t in anyway a helpful summary)):

Jason has a problem. He doesn’t remember anything before waking up in a bus full of kids on a field trip. Apparently he has a girlfriend named Piper and a best friend named Leo. They’re all students at a boarding school for “bad kids.” What did Jason do to end up here? And where is here, exactly?

Piper has a secret. Her father has been missing for three days, ever since she had that terrifying nightmare. Piper doesn’t understand her dream, or why her boyfriend suddenly doesn’t recognize her. When a freak storm hits, unleashing strange creatures and whisking her, Jason, and Leo away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood, she has a feeling she’s going to find out.

Leo has a way with tools. When he sees his cabin at Camp Half-Blood, filled with power tools and machine parts, he feels right at home. But there’s weird stuff, too—like the curse everyone keeps talking about. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist that each of them—including Leo—is related to a god.

Join new and old friends from Camp Half-Blood in this thrilling first audio book in The Heroes of Olympus series

My Review: This is such an amazing book! Anyone who thinks the Percy Jackson’s story ended with The Last Olympian is in for a big surprise when they read this book (don’t want to give up any details but WHOA!). This book is told from the perspectives of three young demigods which I thought was rather interesting. I liked Leo’s point of view the best because he was ridiculously funny. It's so weird though because the main characters of Rick Riordan other series (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) are also in this book but they’re minor characters. It's just strange. But the reason I loved this book is that while being set in the same world as Percy Jackson and the characters from that series make appearances it completely different!

Changes Coming Soon!

Hey,

Because 2010 is coming to a close I decided that for the beginning of 2011 I would make some changes here on the blog concerning how my reviews look.

I’m thinking of adding the number of pages the book has, who it was published by, it's release date, possible other books in the series or if it’s a stand alone and if its part of one of my challenges. This will replace my rambling message at the beginning of each review. I’m hoping for a more informative and cleaner look for my reviews. I’m also going to start taking my summaries from Goodreads.com because it truly is an amazing site that is easy to use and slightly addicting.

I still have some reviews planned for this year that will still having the ramblings but come January 1st all these changes will take place.

Also, January 2nd is my 2 year blogversary! I can’t believe its already been 2 whole years already! Time flies when you're reading amazing books!

Anyway, Happy New Year’s, readers! I hope yours is a happy one filled with lots of good books.

(Note: I didn't take this picture, but I wish I did; it's so pretty (I found it on Google)).

~Read More,

Talk Less,

Rory!

Review: Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle

Hi

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE! I figured I’d post this particular review today seeing as it’s a book about CHRISTMAS! (NOTE: I honestly did mean to post this yesterday on Christmas, but I started writing it 15 minutes before my family came over. I was busy the rest of the day, but as they say better late than never at all!)

Title: Let It Snow, Three Holiday Romances

Author: John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle (Anthology)

Summary (goodreads.com): Sparkling white snowdrifts, beautiful presents wrapped in ribbons, and multicolored lights glittering in the night through the falling snow. A Christmas Eve snowstorm transforms one small town into a romantic haven, the kind you see only in movies. Well, kinda. After all, a cold and wet hike from a stranded train through the middle of nowhere would not normally end with a delicious kiss from a charming stranger. And no one would think that a trip to the Waffle House through four feet of snow would lead to love with an old friend. Or that the way back to true love begins with a painfully early morning shift at Starbucks. Thanks to three of today's bestselling teen authors John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle the magic of the holidays shines on these hilarious and charming interconnected tales of love, romance, and breathtaking kisses.

My Review: This is a group of short stories that actually coincide with one another to the point where they’re also one big story in addition to being three individual stories which I think is so fabulous!

The Jubilee Express by Maureen Johnson (5 hearts)

-AWWW! I want to read more about Stuart and Jubilee (which personally I don’t find to be a weird name at all but characters in the book seem to)! Jubilee is such a sweetheart, Can you imagine being stuck in a strange town on Christmas all alone? I wouldn’t be able to handle that but Jubilee does in this story! As per usual Maureen Johnson doesn’t disappoint! This is such a great story, its funny and serious at the same time.

A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle by John Green (5 hearts)

-This is the first story I’ve ever read by John Green and I’m now convinced he's a genius so I must read some of his other books now. This story is ridiculous (in a good way of course). It’s a story about how several teenagers risk their lives on Christmas Eve to get to a waffle house full of cheerleaders. The whole story is highly amusing!

The Patron Saint of Pigs by Lauren Myracle (3 hearts)

-This story disappointed me a little, it wasn’t nearly as funny as the previous stories. I didn’t enjoy it until the end because it wrapped up the stories of the characters in Johnson and Green’s stories. When the previous characters came in the story got better because I found Addie (the main character of Myracle’s story) annoying and self centered.

Overall, this is an amazing holiday read that I recommend to all my blog readers!

Review: Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Hi!

So I saw the word witch in the title and I scooped it off the shelf at my library!

Title: Once a Witch

Author: Carolyn MacCullough

Summary (B&N.com): Tamsin Greene comes from a long line of witches, and she was supposed to be one of the most Talented among them. But Tamsin's magic never showed up. Now seventeen, Tamsin attends boarding school in Manhattan, far from her family. But when a handsome young professor mistakes her for her very Talented sister, Tamsin agrees to find a lost family heirloom for him. The search—and the stranger—will prove to be more sinister than they first appeared, ultimately sending Tamsin on a treasure hunt through time that will unlock the secret of her true identity, unearth the sins of her family, and unleash a power so vengeful that it could destroy them all. This is a spellbinding display of storytelling that will exhilarate, enthrall, and thoroughly enchant.

My Review: It's been too long since I read a book on witches. They are my favorite subject because there are no vampires, no werewolves, no angels, demons or fairies, just plain old witches with magic. Not only is this book refreshing in that it's main subject is a witch, it's also been a while since I read a book that made me want to slam my head against the wall if it would help the characters get out of their situations. I really liked how each witch has a unique talent, they aren’t like ordinary witches because of their talents. Sure they can do spells and stuff but each has their own unique thing, one can find things while another can freeze people. The plot of Once a Witch kept me guessing with every page I turned, I was never quite sure what was going to happen and when it did it blew me away. It’s a very well written short novel that is a perfect magical read.

Review: Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers

Hi!

I was SO excited when my library (finally) got this book in!

Title: Personal Demons

Author: Lisa Desrochers

Summary (B&N.com): Frannie Cavanaugh is a good Catholic girl with a bit of a wicked streak. She has spent years keeping everyone at a distance—-even her closest friends—-and it seems as if her senior year is going to be more of the same . . . until Luc Cain enrolls in her class. No one knows where he came from, but Frannie can’t seem to stay away from him.

What she doesn’t know is that Luc is on a mission. He’s been sent from Hell itself to claim Frannie’s soul. It should be easy—-all he has to do is get her to sin, and Luc is as tempting as they come. Frannie doesn’t stand a chance. But he has to work fast, because if the infernals are after her, the celestials can’t be far behind. And sure enough, it’s not long before the angel Gabriel shows up, willing to do anything to keep Luc from getting what he came for. It isn’t long before they find themselves fighting for more than just Frannie’s soul.

But if Luc fails, there will be Hell to pay . . . for all of them.

My Review: I can see this book starting off a great trilogy that will be high on my favorites list. I loved that Personal Demons was written from Frannie’s and Luc’s point of view. It made everything more exciting because of the extra perspective, but I think that because the author wanted us to see Luc’s side as well as Frannie’s we should have seen Gabe’s point of view as well. It just seemed uneven that we knew exactly how Luc was going about his job, but nothing of Heaven’s perspective, I’m Team Gabe though so I may be entirely biased towards the angel's side. At times however I really liked Luc because of the changes he undergoes through out the story. I like when characters change and readers are there to witness it all. Over all though I chose Gabe because I find him funny. He’s an angel but sometimes he’s got a dry and sometimes dark sense of humor that called to me. My favorite part of this book though was Frannie herself. She was such a strong lead character, without her the boys wouldn’t have been as real, they were all incredibly well written. I love how when Frannie knows what she wants she goes and gets it and neither Heaven or Hell is going to stand in her way!