Mitosis

Mitosis (Reckoners #1.5)

by Brandon Sanderson

4 stars

ebook, 35 pages

Published Dec. 3, 2013 by Delacorte Press

A short story in the universe of the Epics and Reckoners - this could have been a chapter or two in the next book, but it's a nice taste for people who loved the first book and can't wait for the next to come out.

I am one of those people.

Quick paced and full of action, Mitosis will not disappoint. I am quickly becoming a Brandon Sanderson fan.

Blaze (or Love in the Time of Supervillains)

Blaze (or Love in the Time of Supervillains)

by Laurie Boyle Crompton

0 stars

320 pages

Published Feb. 1, 2013 by Sourcebooks Fire

 
This is the payback I get for not reading the reviews and "blurb" before reading a book. I thought I was being all brave and stuff for picking up this on the fly. NO!

I got to page 60 before I shut the book. It had wildly, wildly inappropriate content for teens!!! Porn on a page. Awful. I wish I could give it 0 stars. My brain "eyes" are bleeding!

Even if the porn wasn't there, I'd still give it one star because the writing was below sub-par. I was skimming paragraphs because it was all just atrocious. Terrible.

Please, don't read this book. There are so many other worthwhile and better written books out there.
Rant over.

Redwall

Redwall (Redwall #1)

by Brian Jacques

3 stars

 

416 pages

Published Sept. 4, 2006 by Red Fox (first published 1986)

 

A cute book about bravery and fortitude, but there are just sooo many books in this series that I got a bit overwhelmed and decided not to read anymore.

Plus I don't know if I could get down with reading about mice and other little animals all the time. Kids would definitely like this.

The Accidental Bride

The Accidental Bride (Summer Island #2)

by Christina Skye

3 stars

 

376 pages

Published Sept. 18, 2012 by Harlequin

 

I wasn't overly thrilled with this book, but it was a sweet story without all the yucky sex scenes. A bit of an unbelievable plot, with the main characters falling in love the moment they see each other - call me jaded, but it usually doesn't happen that way. I guess that's why it's a "romance" book - the idealized version of love.

I was a little bugged by the blatant use of puppies and knitting and cooking in the book - it was as if the author thought of three things that women love and stuck them in the book to appeal to the widest range. I'm surprised that kittens and rainbows did not make an appearance, although reading in front of a sunset did (which is my personal favorite). See! It caught me, too!

Doubt I'll read another one in the series. But it was a good experiment.

When in Doubt, Add Butter

When in Doubt, Add Butter

by Beth Harbison

2 stars

338 pages

Published July 17th 2012 by St. Martin's Press 

 

Meh.

I wasn't a fan of this book - at all. It was too saccharine for my tastes. Harbison tries to grit it up by liberally showering the f-bomb throughout the book. So tacky.

And let's talk about how horrifically predictable it was. I had the entire book laid out from start to finish with the first mention of Mr. Tuesday.

So why did I actually finish the thing - in one day, at that? Hmmm ... Despite all the negative crap contained within those pages, there was something about the writing that caught me and wouldn't let go - like a fly caught on one of those sticky fly tape trap things. It was - I don't want to say addicting - but it sort of was. Harbison definitely has writing talent. She just needs work on her imagination - plot and vocabulary specifically.

I can't honestly recommend this book to my friends because of the bad language. And I probably won't pick up anymore of Harbison's books, either. Life's too short to waste on bad books.

The Cry of the Icemark

The Cry of the Icemark (The Icemark Chronicles #1)

by Stuart Hill

2 stars

494 pages

Published May 1, 2006 by Chicken House (first published Dec. 31, 1999) 

 

This wasn't an awful book. But I am not going to read the rest of the series, though, because it wasn't a great book. Bland and forgettable. Just like this review.

The Boy at the End of the World

The Boy at the End of the World

by Greg Van Eekhout

3 stars

224 pages

Published June 21, 2011 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens 

 

I started this book, then put it aside for a while to read another book. I guess that says something for the story.

While it was an interesting concept - an engineered boy waking up after thousands of years since the extinction of man - I just couldn't quite engage in the story. Mostly because it was a little-disguised environmental lecture. I love nature, yet I don't like being told that I'm an evil villain because I drive my kids to school.

I give this three solid stars because the writing was actually quite witty. There were even some places where I laughed out-loud ... Hello!

The Dark Shore

The Dark Shore (The Atlanteans #2)

by Kevin Emerson

3.5 stars

470 pages

Published May 21, 2013 by Katherine Tegen Books

If you liked The Lost Code, you'll be happy to know that No. 2 is better. Much better.

What bugged me about No. 1 is that nothing really happened - but The Dark Shore makes up for that lack with lots of action and lots of intrigue. Information is divulged and people die. The pacing is spot on and the action is not stop. Owen continues to grow a spine and is popular with the ladies. Leech sheds his sub-human attitude and makes peace and friendship with Owen. And Lilly - well, you'll just have to read what her deal is.

So why the 3.5 stars and not a 4 or 5? There is some teen almost-sex and some swearing. But what disappointed me most of all is that the author threw zombies into the climax of the book. I'm not the hugest zombie fan, I admit, but jumping on that band wagon was cliche and uninspired.

Although despite that, I am going to read the next in the series, which is expected to be out Aug. 26, 2014.

The Lost Code

The Lost Code (The Atlanteans #1)

by Kevin Emerson 

2.5/3 stars

435 pages

Published May 22, 2012 by Katherine Tegen Books

I'm wavering between a 2.5 and a 3 star rating.

The first couple of chapters were fantastic. I couldn't believe how gripping they were - kid at a summer camp drowns, but doesn't drown. Cool stuff happens to his body that allow him to breathe underwater.

But after he figures that whole body thing out and he finds some friends, the story kind of stalls. It picks back up toward the very end of the book with some major discoveries, but the previous lackluster story dulled the heightened tension. I really had to push through the "blah" to get to the "yah!"

I must say, though, that Kevin Emerson knows how to write a good bad guy.


There is some gore and swearing and allusions to teen sex.

I may read the next in the series. We'll see.

Code

Code (Virals #3)

by Kathy Reichs, Brendan Reichs

3.5 stars

408 pages

Published March 7, 2013 by Young Arrow

I am an avid "Bones" fan - I love that TV show! And if you are, too, this book is hand-picked for you. Especially if you like YA, adventure and murder mysteries. I wouldn't be surprised if this book made its way to the small screen - it's right in line with the premise and execution of the TV show.

The reason I docked it 1.5 stars, though, is that I was hoping for more use and development of the Virals' powers. That was touched on, yes, but the Gamemaster story overshadowed that aspect. I especially wanted some insight into the other 3 members of the pack and their individual development of their powers. Readers are still unsure exactly what they can do - just general information is provided.

Despite that, I am infinitely grateful for this series. I am guaranteed an entertaining and thrilling story without all the swearing and sex and gore of adult fiction. The mother/son team of Kathy and Brendan Reichs is definitely talented and engaging. They know how to write great YA fiction.

Keep 'em coming, please! I'll be waiting.

Resist

Resist (Breathe #2)

by Sarah Crossan

2.5 stars

368 pages

Published Oct. 8, 2013 by Greenwillow Books

I'm being very generous with the 2.5 star rating. I really wanted to give it a 2-star, but the ending was happy-ish, and you know how much I like happy endings.

The reasons for my "meh" inclinations are many:

1. Too many main characters. It took me half the book to actually figure out what was going on and who was who again. I had read the first book, Breathe, when it first came out and got this one as soon as I could, but it was tough for me to remember exactly who everyone was - there were way too many main characters to make the sequel easy to read. It it did not help that each chapter was from the viewpoint of each of those multiple characters. It was so hard to keep track!

2. Too many loose ends. What happened to Niamh? The other members of the Ministry? The other members of Sequoia? Or Vanya? What were the oxyboxes?

3. The writing was blah. There was also some swearing, supposedly to add some spice to the bland writing.

4. The characters were blah. Nobody grew much really. All that apparently happened in the first book. This book was not character driven at all. It was all focused on ...

5. The plot, which was also blah. Overthrow the Ministry. Start growing plants. Booooring.

6. There needed to be an Epilogue - from at least 20 years in the future - so we the readers could see how everything turned out and how the environment had changed.

So all in all, a solid blah effort.