Hey guys,
It’s been a very crazy year for me. It’s taken me a long time to make this decision, but I will not be posting here any longer. I don’t have the time to keep up with it and make sure there is a post every week.
I’m not leaving the interwebs completely, I am still very active on Goodreads, so please follow me there. I will continue to post my reviews from there now.
Again I hope that you guys will add me on Goodreads so that we can continue to talk about all the great books!
Doon & Destined for Doon by Carey Corp & Lorie Langdon
Published : 2013
Version Read : ebook
Read More about it here.
Veronica doesn’t think she’s going crazy. But why can’t anyone else see the mysterious blond boy who keeps popping up wherever she goes? When her best friend, Mackenna, invites her to spend the summer in Scotland, Veronica jumps at the opportunity to leave her complicated life behind for a few months.
But the Scottish countryside holds other plans.
Not only has the imaginary kilted boy followed her to Alloway, she and Mackenna uncover a strange set of rings and a very unnerving letter from Mackenna’s great aunt—and when the girls test the instructions Aunt Gracie left behind, they find themselves transported to a land that defies explanation. Doon seems like a real-life fairy tale, complete with one prince who has eyes for Mackenna and another who looks suspiciously like the boy from Veronica’s daydreams. But Doon has a dark underbelly as well. The two girls could have everything they’ve longed for…or they could end up breaking an enchantment and find themselves trapped in a world that has become a nightmare.
I picked up all four books in the series at once. I was that sure that I would love them. I mean they take place in Scotland for crying out loud. It’s a given that I’ll love them. Well they were okay, but I will probably DNF the rest of the series. I’ve never seen the movie/play/book this is based off of, so I have nothing to compare it too.
For DOON I really enjoyed the book. It kept me engaged and the pacing was great. I loved the princes and Mackenna. Veronica annoyed me for most of the book, but that’s okay. Throughout the story Veronica goes from one extreme to the other. She wants to be with her price, but then she doesn’t because she doesn’t think she’s good enough. She’ll save the kingdom and leave and let him be happy, but then she doesn’t want to leave and takes the crown from him. Granted she had to, to save his life and the lives of everyone else, but I was kept saying that she needed to make up her mind and live with it.
The first book ended like I expected it too, but it did have a nice surprise for me. I expected Mackenna to actually stay in Doon and be with Duncan. I enjoyed that I was surprised for that. After finishing this book I went straight for the second one. I wanted to know more about how it all ended.
DESTINED FOR DOON was a bit of a disappointment. I’m not sure why it’s been a trend with me lately but I really enjoy the first books, and then barely make it through the second ones. Honestly I couldn’t even tell you what happens between Veronica and her fella, because I skipped most of it. My main motivation in reading the second book was to find out what happened with Mackenna and Duncan.
It’s very unlikely that I’ll continue with the series, because I found myself not caring about any character by the end of the second book. It’s not that they were terrible books, but I couldn’t keep my interest in them.
Saga: Book One by Brian K. Vaughan
Published : 2014
Version Read : ebook
Read More about it here.
Written by Eisner Award-winning “Best Writer” BRIAN K. VAUGHAN (Y: The Last Man, The Private Eye) and drawn by Harvey Award-winning “Best Artist” Fiona Staples (Mystery Society, North 40), SAGA is the story of Hazel, a child born to star-crossed parents from opposite sides of a never-ending galactic war. Now, Hazel’s fugitive family must risk everything to find a peaceful future in a harsh universe that values destruction over creation. Fantasy and science fiction are wed like never before in a sexy, subversive drama for adults that Entertainment Weekly called, “The kind of comic you get when truly talented superstar creators are given the freedom to produce their dream book.”
This was a bind up of the first 18 comics in the series. I picked it up from the library because I kept hearing how amazing it was and that if I only read one graphic novel it should be this one. Once again the story did not live up to the hype.
I was lost for almost the entirety of this book. I’m starting to think that maybe graphic novels are just not my kind of format for storytelling. I always have a hard time staying engaged in the story with all the pretty pictures catching my eye.
But the story in this one was something I would normal pick up. It was right up my alley, and yet something felt off about the whole thing. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters and none of their decisions really made sense to me. The world building was choppy and I still don’t get the idea of how anything works in it.
Just not my cup of tea guys, sorry.
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
Published : 2017
Version Read : ebook
Read More about it here.
Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s maneuverings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit-and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well.
As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords-and hunt for allies in unexpected places.
In this thrilling third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Sarah J. Maas, the earth will be painted red as mighty armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy them all.
I finished this book a few days after it came out, but it’s taken me this long to get my thoughts together. Anyone who knows me, knows how much I was looking forward to this book. It was my most anticipated book of the year. I’m posting this review early because of how disappointed I was in this book.
I know that I gave the book 4 stars, but it was more like 3.5 stars. I’m warning you now there will be SPOILERS in this review. I’ll try to keep them to a minimum but you have been warned!
The most disappointing thing to me was how bored I was with Feyre and Rhys’ relationship. Where was the snarky teasing and flirting? I know that they are a mated couple now, but that doesn’t mean their relationship should change right? Rhys didn’t push her and as many people have said before, he didn’t really make any decisions. Feyre put her life in a danger for stupid reasons a few times and Rhys seemed like he could have cared less. They just seemed to be a content couple with no problems in the world.
The other thing that disappointed me was the whole situation with Mor. I have no problem with characters who are not straight. When done tastefully it can make the story so much better. That was not the case with Mor. Sarah has been getting a lot of criticism about her stories not having enough diversity in them. I get it and I agree to a point, but I think she took it a little too far in this book. Mor has never given any sign that she was into girls in ACOMAF expect that she didn’t love Az the way he loved her. Then all of a sudden in this book she flaunts guys in front of him to remind him that she’s doesn’t feel that way about him. Since when did she show little compassion towards him or anyone in the Inner Circle? It felt to out of character for her, and I can only think that Sarah wrote it in to please her critics. I was not a fan of the whole situation.
I was very surprised at how much I felt bad for Tamlin. Maybe I like pain and torture or maybe it’s because I have seen my fair share of bad relationships, but I did genuinely feel bad for him by the end of the book. I know, I know, he’s a jerk and he let Feyre waste away and did nothing to help her. But he was going through some bad crap too. She played on his feelings for him and destroyed his court and left him hanging. And yet to come back and saved her and then saved Rhys for her at the end. All he ever did was love her and yes he did it the wrong way, but I don’t hate him anymore. I was in a bad relationship. He wasn’t a bad guy, we were just bad for each other. I feel that way about Tamlin and Feyre. I hope he gets a happy ending in one of the upcoming side novels.
The only saving grace and the reason this is a 4 star instead of a 3 is the relationships between Cassian/Nesta and Az/Elain. I found myself getting excited when they were on the page and wanting to know everything I could about them. I LOVED the banter between Cass and Nesta and I could feel and see their relationship change right on the page. I hate how it ended and I really hope that their story will continue in future books. As for Elain and Az, that surprised me the most of anything in the book. I know that Elain is the mate of Lucian, but I really hope she doesn’t accept it. Don’t get me wrong, I really like Lucian, but I feel that Az needs someone like Elain in his life, as much as she need someone in hers. In the previous book you could tell that he cared for Mor, but with Elain you can actually see him gentle around her. It was really awesome to see that side of him.
My favorite part of the book was Feyre’s reunion with Az and Cassian. I was reading that part at work (slyly under my desk, oops) when I literally jumped up and fist bumped the air. Luckily no one noticed or I might have gotten in trouble. That part made me so excited it lasted throughout a lot of the 1/2 half of the book, and I’ve re-read it twice since then. I want to be the kind of author that makes someone fist bump the air at work and have a stupid grin on their face for the rest of the day.
I will read the rest of the books that come out after this, but I was disappointed in this finale for Feyre and Rhys. They should have gotten a better story, but it’s not completely over yet. Right?
At Any Price by Brenna Aubrey
Published : 2014
Version Read : ebook
Read More about it here.
Achievement Unlocked: Geek Virgin
When Mia Strong, proud geek-girl and popular gaming blogger, auctions off her virginity online, she knows she’ll make waves. But what she will not be making is a love connection. Her rules are set in stone: One night. No further contact.
It’s a desperate step, but it’s the only way she can go to medical school and pay her mother’s mounting hospital bills.
Difficulty Level: Millionaire CEO
Adam Drake, the enigmatic auction winner, is a software prodigy who made his first million at seventeen. Now, in his mid-twenties, he’s sexy, driven and–as CEO of his own gaming company–he’s used to making the rules. Before Mia knows what’s happening, he’s found the loophole in the rules of her auction. Every stipulation she’s made to protect her heart gets tossed by the wayside.
She can’t tell if he’s playing her…or if he’s playing for keeps.
I hated this book. I will have to DNF the series, because there really shouldn’t be more than one book. It’s full of tropes that are annoying and the characters are even worse.
I thought that it had an interesting summary. Girl gamer decides to sell her virtue for real money in an auction. Sure it’s happened in real life, I can go with it. But the rest of the package was just not good. The plot was terrible and very standard. The characters fell flat and there was unnecessary drama that should not come from adults. That’s the one thing I had to keep reminding myself. These were adults, not teenagers, but they acted worse some times.
The only redeeming quality about this book, was all the references it made to the gaming world. It’s a world I know every well and I enjoyed those aspects of it. Other than that this book is not my cup of tea. Sorry.
Book Hoarder Reviews 