All the Books.

"An interesting idea, of their being different "kinds" of Vampires and their Guardians that protect them instead of hunting them. Mead ran with a unique concept and for the most part, I felt like it worked. This was definitely a unique take on the Vampire genre, but it has promise." 3 Stars Pros:  Rose is funny at times; she has some good one liners/Christian has a darker past but a good heart, I'd be interested in learning more about him/Mead deals with the difficult concept of depression and self-harm in a careful and compassionate way.  Cons:  All the teenage lust and longing, unrequited love and random hook ups/Rose was a bit of a loose cannon and could be an unapologetic, manipulative, arrogant, hot-headed tease but then again, they're teenagers, so everything is melodramatic and world ending.  Full Review:  Rose is the stalwart and steadfast protective best friend of Lissa, the last remaining member of the Dragomir royal family, one of the ruling famil

"Like Sweet Valley High only with Vampires. It was...a challenge." 2 Stars Pros:  Smith's mythos with Vervain being used against compulsion, she took some of the old "Dracula" mythos and turned it around, which I liked.  Cons:  All the teenage melodrama and angst/Elena is a spoiled little brat/Completely flat, two dimensional characters Full Review:  I've watched a good amount of the tv show that's based on this series and figured, I'd see if the show did the book justice. It was in fact, quite the other way around. The writers of the tv show took the characters and a small bit of the plot and turned it into something halfway decent to watch.  The book on the other hand, was the opposite.  Elena was a manipulative, whiney, melodramatic little witch. Bonnie, Meredith, Matt and the others were just her little minions. And the chemistry between her and Damon made absolutely no sense what so ever. I was honestly glad to be done with it. 

"High Fantasy with lots of interwoven threads of fate getting all knotted up together, as they do. Though Shannon's ambition is incredible and inspiring, in the end it all felt a bit off pace and quickly fell into "information overload."  Pros: High fantasy, true and brilliant world building. You have different kingdoms with their own customs and beliefs, Shannon has truly created something incredible. But this is both a Pro and a Con . Cons : Too many characters to remember/Too many countries/histories/legendary figures to keep track of.  Full Review:  It all starts when Tane breaks her seclusion, wishing to swim in the sea one more time before choosing day. In the morning she'll see if she's earned the revered title of Dragon Rider. But just tonight, she wants to swim and feel free. She's horrified when she runs into a man named Sulyard, who begs for her help.  She helps him asking a childhood friend Susa to take him away and she does, allowing Tane t

"The ending felt rushed, and it all fell rather flat. It was a slightly disappointing conclusion to what had the potential to be a great trilogy."  3 Stars Pros:  The Prologue, nail bitingly open ended//Sam, though a bit bumbling at times, is a genuinely likable character/Again, Mogget.  Cons:   The Disreputable Dog and Moggets elusive, conversations about the spirits that existed before the Charter kept me guessing but at the same time, my patience was wearing thin/I feel like parts you'd want to see and experience, were told to us and not shown/The ending felt rushed.   Full Review:    With Lirael's new job as Abhorsen in Waiting, she and Sam set off to find his friend Nick and try to stop him from working with the necromancer, Hedge to dig up the hemispheres that house the divided spirit of an evil being that was around before the creation of the Charter. It's obvious that the Disreputable Dog and Mogget were around during that time as well, as they have knowle

"With the Old Kingdom being rebuilt by King Touchstone and his wife, Sabriel, the Abhorsen, the attention now turns to the younger generation. This book follows Prince Sameth, son of Touchstone and Sabriel and Lirael, a Daughter of the Clayr and how their paths cross and everything that happens in between."  3 Stars Pros: Again, Mogget, he's just sarcasm incarnate and I love him/I feel like the big twist made sense but it was revealed in such an ordinary way but it flowed well.   Cons: This book was really dark at times, like, suicidal ideation, panic attacks, all sorts of depressing struggles. I guess I wasn't expecting it to be so heavy at times/Sameth and Lirael can be incredibly whiney but they're still young.    Full Review It's been about 19 years since the events of Sabriel.   Touchstone, who is now the King and Sabriel, who is the Abhorsen, have worked hard to rebuild what was left of the Old Kingdom. There are always struggles and demands but they'

 " A high fantasy coming of age story that follows Sabriel and her investigation into the whereabouts of her Father and why the dead are suddenly coming back to life." 4 Stars Pros:  Mogget is the best character, hands down. Some of the scenes with Kerrigor and the Dead were truly unsettling but gripping.  Cons:  I wanted to learn more about the Abhorsen and how one learned the art but perhaps Nix was vague for a reason/The Charter was a hard concept to grasp.  Full Review:  Sabriel is the only daughter of the Abhorsen, a necromancer who can walk freely between life and the river of death. It's the Abhorsen's job to send the dead and other free magic creatures back into proper death when they decide to escape into life. Sabriel doesn't know much about the art of necromancy, though she's the next in line. But she's spent most of her life at a school in Ancelstierre and only being visited by her father through magical sendings.  But when she suddenly receive

"A Zombie Apocalypse race against time with a sentient AI suddenly wondering why it must take orders, set in space. The visuals in this book were truly incredible and unique, making it a truly immersive read." 4 Stars Pros:  Incredible bad guy/good guy/chaotic neutral character in AIDAN Cons:  Some of the lingo was a little technical at times. I'm not good with acronyms etc. Kady's typical "problem with authority" personality was melodramatic at times but in the end both she and Ezra were likable and relatable characters.  Full Review:  When their settlement is attacked with no provocation, Ezra and Kady are forced to flee onto two ships that come to the planets rescue. And all of this happens on the day that Kady decides to break up with Ezra. Their lives are changed in an instant and they're forced to try and make sense of it all and deal with all of the loss, grief and devastation as the two ships flee, pursued by the battleship that initiated the att

"A direct continuation of Vicious , Schwab leads the reader on a fast paced, violent, adventure that follows three separate storylines that eventually all come together. Like the threads of a spiderweb, everyone's tangled up in it and as Mitch says, "There's no good guys in this game." Great series overall."   3 Stars  Pros:  Schwab has succeeded in making the entire cast of characters both likable but also terribly flawed/Victor and Eli are both easy to love and to hate/The ending was open ended enough that I feel it can be left as is and the reader can imagine what happens.  Cons:  The time jumps, I just couldn't keep track of them and eventually I stopped trying. I figured, at some point, everything would come together and it did but the time jumps really irked me/The part with Dr. Haverty seemed rushed and terribly convenient.  Full Review:  Picking up right where Vicious  left off, well, I feel like I can't really give a review because that woul

"A unique and darkly fun, gritty, realistic look at the Superhero Origin story with the idea that not all things that seem good are good and not all things that seem bad are bad. Great read, Schwab, so far, has not disappointed."  4 Stars Pros:  An interesting concept, kind of like "Flatliners" meets "X-Men" meets "The Boys"/Gritty and realistic, Shwab does not shy away from the dark parts of humanity/As Mitch says, "There are no good guys in this game" and it's true, but Victor especially is the not so bad, bad guy that you can't help but love, Mitch as well.   Cons:  The EO transformation for Eli/Victor was sort of glossed over/Both of Eli/Victor's backstories were left vague but I'm hoping that will be remedied in the sequel.  Full Review:  Victor Vale - Disgruntled product of Self-Help gurus and best-selling author parents, he spends his free time blacking out the pages of his parents' novels and creating dark me

"Fit to bursting with power struggles, intrigue, betrayal, love, loss, change, choice this installment is inundated with information. Instead of enlightening and explaining though, Maas's focus went to too many things. There were so many characters and so much going on that it was overwhelming and confusing. So much so, that by the end, it was a struggle to get through the last 100 pages."  2 Stars Pros:  There were some truly emotional parts where my jaded self, got teary-eyed. Some of the characters introduced were interesting and I wanted to know more about them.   Cons:  I feel like Maas tried to shove way too much into this book. With the mind-blowing ending of #2, I had no idea where the series would go and I feel like Maas tried to throw too much at us, too quickly and I didn't absorb it or connect with any of the characters/Much the same as "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" could have ended at about seven different points, this book went on

"Fun for its pure educational value, the timeline was an eye-opening tool to be used to see when the Government goes back on its word. Definitely not a light, breach read, it was still enjoyable when I had the time and attention to focus on the subject and really absorb what I was reading."  2 Stars Pros:  It's a good reference book.  Cons:  Obviously, these are official government documents written in the English of the time " Full Review:  Bernstein keeps his introduction relatively brief and then lists out important dates in chronological order. It was interesting to see which amendments were ratified when.  As a United States Citizen, I felt like I should read this book and I'm glad I did, since it was educational. That doesn't mean that I think everyone needs to rush out and read the Constitution because trust me, it was a dry read. It was also very eye opening in the sense that it showed, with Bernstein's timeline, how often the U.S. Government make

"Though there were some staggeringly large plot holes, I have a feeling those will all be filled out as the series progresses. Overall, though, this was an interesting addition to the series and I'm eager to see how it continues to grow."  3 STARS Pros:  Complex storyline, allowing us to see each side of the coin as it were/Rhysand not being a complete jerk and learning more about him and the Night Court/Though melodramatic, the ending did have me eager to read the next book.   Cons:  The utter lack of communication between characters, the fact that Feyre can just be swept into another Court and Tamlin doesn't even appear to care/The showdown at the end, though interesting, felt drawn out and melodramatic.  Full Review:  Feyre is now High Fae. She's a unique blend of the essence from each High Lord of the seven Courts of Prythian. After everything that happened Under the Mountain with Amraantha et al, Tamlin takes Feyre back to the Spring Court. Plans are made for

"This book promises darkness and fear from the very beginning. As the story progresses though, you realize that Ness, in his unique way, has transformed a sad and desperate tale into one of love and life. This book was absolutely incredible."  5 Stars Pros:  The artwork was hauntingly beautiful/Ness, as usual, manages to hit hard and painful topics with grace and subtlety/Essentially everything about this book was good.  Cons:  I wanted to learn more about Conor and his life before. I had so many questions.  Full Review:  Every night since his mother began treatment, Conor's had the same nightmare. He's holding someone's hands, he knows that if he lets go, something terrible will happen. He fights and fights to keep his grip; but the nightmare always ends the same way.   One night, after waking from the nightmare Conor realizes that someone's calling his name. A dark, dangerous voice is calling for him. Conor goes to his bedroom window in search of the voice a

"A fun, imaginative and meaningful story about how important the connections we make in life are. That you shouldn't judge a book by its covers. People aren't always what they seem and that if we're kind and honest to one another, life might seem a little easier." 4 Stars Pros:  Has a slight, sardonic hint of humor in the narrative/A fun and imaginative story.  Cons:  I kept getting the sisters confused and the strange love quadrangle between Sophie and Howl, Howl and Lettie, Miss Angorian and Howl, Michael and Martha, I was really rather confused at times.  Full Review:  Sophie, as the oldest is doomed to inherit her deceased fathers' hat shop. Her two sisters get to go off and learn witchcraft, baking etc and Sophie is simply left to tend the family business. Since she's alone most of the time, she keeps herself company by talking to the hats. And strangely enough, the hats she sells usually give their wearer a surprising turn of luck.   When Sophie trie

"Interesting for its unique idea of Vampires existing alongside humans, it quickly devolved into sex, southern twangs and the barest semblance of a plot." 2 Stars Pros:  The idea of Vampires living among humans is what drew me to "True Blood" and then to this book. It was a unique idea, but Harris doesn't deliver any more information.  Cons:  I always find the life altering sex in books hilariously unrealistic. The inevitable scenario of "everybody lusts after the MC but she's completely oblivious" is sigh inducing/The actual use of "gee golly whiz" as dialogue and not in a sarcastic way was cringeworthy.   Full Review:  Sookie Stackhouse lives in Bon Temps, Louisiana. A small, out of the way, rural town. She works as a waitress at the local bar Merlotte's. And she has a secret.  Sookie Stackhouse can read minds.  Telepathy isn't the only preternatural sensation that exists either. There are Vampires. They live and thrive off of s

"What happens when you combine one of the masters of Horror with some truly unsettling illustrations? This book. And it is both stunning and unsettling all at the same time. " 5 Stars Pros:  An awesomely unique way to bring Poe's stories to life/Hop Frog, now that was a good story, always cheering for the underdog. They all got what they deserved.  Cons:  As with most comic books, there were points where the inking was difficult to read since it was made to look like handwriting.  Full Review:  The book is comprised of 4 stories by Poe. The Black Cat. The Red Plague. Hop Frog and The Fall of the House of Usher.  I had already read The Black Cat and few of Poe's other stories,  so I knew what to expect but the other three stories were duly unsettling, since this is Edgar Allen Poe after all.  What made this book stand out was the illustrations that went along with it. It was an interesting mix between a children's book and a comic book. Each illustration helped bri

"For, anyone who has ever struggled with anxiety, depression, or anyone who has a heartbeat and a soul, this book is for you. Haig's words are profound, genuine and honestly inspiring. This will be a go to book when I need some words of comfort/wisdom." 5 Stars Pros:  Haig's ability to write openly and honestly about mental health makes those who struggle with the same issues, feel accepted and not as alone/Some truly beautiful prose and poignant words of wisdom. Cons:  It could be repetitive at times.   Full Review:  Matt Haig speaks frankly but beautifully of his struggles with depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation.  Every entry is deep, poignant and so very relatable, vulnerable and true. Haig is not afraid to show his true, hurt, vulnerable side and it makes his words all the more touching. He truly understands.  Just a few stand out quotes are below.  From "Foundation". "In order to find the people who like you it is necessary to be you." 

"Though pretty much impossible, Verne still makes it fun to travel with Henry, Professor Hardwigg and the unflappable Hans to the center of the Earth. It's a fun read but can at times be bogged down with geological jargon. I'm glad I read it but I'm also glad to be done." 3 Stars Pros:  Definitely an interesting idea and one that Verne made pretty believable/The implacable character of Hans was a quiet and reassuring presence through all the insanity.   Cons:  The countless references to strata, minerals, other types of geological and scientific facts were rather tiresome/I thought it went on for longer than it had to.  Full Review:  Henry is living  and studying under his Uncle, the Professor Hardwigg. His uncle makes a discovery, Nordic runes written by A. Saknussemm that when translated, tell of a road that leads to the center of the Earth.  There is a dormant volcano in Iceland, Mount Sneffels that if they descend into the crater, they'll be on the same ro

"A middle of the road read for a volume that's essentially right in the middle of the series. Consisting of 9 stories, some that deal with Dream and the Endless, while others just have Dream make a cameo, this had some really beautiful reads while some of it was just filler." 3 Stars Pros:   Shows a more complicated side of Dream/Some stories, like Soft Places and Three Septembers & a January were just very well written and great reads.  Cons:  The handwriting in some of the journal entries of Johanna Constantine was almost impossible to read (though this could be that my eyes are just getting worse.)  Full Review:  Consisting of 9 Stories, where some deal directly with Dream and his siblings, the Endless, while others are separate stories that just have Dream show up at some point.  Fear of Falling, The Hunt, Soft Places and Ramadan were such standalones. Fear of Falling and Soft Places were enjoyable reads. The Hunt/August and Ramadan were just kind of okay. I didn&

"One night, everyone on Earth has the same exact dream. In that dream, they tell their life story to a kind and trustworthy old man, who then leads them to a lake and watches them drown. The novel follows the lives of Lyd, a former novelist, Mott, her daughter and David, the obsessive but brilliant ex-husband who works for the Government and claims to know all about November and what it means."  3 Stars Pros:  The premise was very interesting/I liked how in the end, David's "free love" lifestyle was his downfall/The end really was pretty well done, brought some of the scattered parts of the novel together and organized them.  Cons:  Mott/Lyd, basically all of the characters were pretentious and arrogant and it was very rare that I felt badly for any of them  Full Review:  At some point in time, everyone on earth has the same exact dream. They're speaking to a man, who's trustworthy and kind. They tell him everything about their lives, holding nothing bac