The Summoning: Review

The Summoning

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: HarperCollins

Series: Darkest Powers Trilogy #1

Pages: 390

 

Summary:

 

She sees dead people - and they see her.

 

Chloe Saunders used to have a pretty normal life. But that changed on the day she met her first ghost. Locked up in Lyle House,  a group home for troubled teens, she finds out that there's more to the home's teen residents than meets the eye. Will Chloe be able to uncover the dangerous secrets of Lyle House . . . or will its skeletons come back to haunt her?

 

My Thoughts:

 

This review is up kind of late. SORRY! I've been very busy but here it is!

 

I really enjoyed this book from the very beginning to the very end. It was really hard for me to put down and I couldn't seem turn the pages fast enough. Armstrong's writing seems to flow so well making this book a super fast read!

 

You want so bad for everyone to know the truth about Chloe and about her gift. It's bad enough that she has to see ghosts and not know how to handle it but then she gets stuck in a group home and gets a mental diagnosis slapped on top of that. I couldn't even imagine being in her shoes! How would it feel to not know if you were crazy or not? If everyone else thinks you're crazy? To not know who's living and who's actually a ghost?

 

I loved the characters in this book. This book has absolutely everything! Adventure, suspense, dark secrets, betrayal, supernatural powers . . .! I can't wait to read the 2nd book in this trilogy and I'm glad it's already out so I can do that very soon!

 

Have you read this series or any other books by this author? Let me know in the comments! Happy reading!

 

 

The Widow's Mate: Review

The Widow's Mate

Author: Ralph McInerny
Publisher: Worldwide
Pages: 251

Summary:

When Melissa Flanagan asks Father Dowling to pray for her dead husband's eternal soul, St. Hilary's popular parish priest is concerned with matters of a more corporeal nature - homicide. Wallace Flanagan had vanished a decade earlier with an inheritance and a mistress. Ten years of unanswered questions multiply when his body is found wedged inside a cement mixer belonging to the Flanagan family business.

Most of Flanagan's friends, family and sworn enemies have more than a passing interest in his murder. In fact, most of them have a motive. Soon a second body, that of a shady associate of Flanagan's, exposes some of Fox River's best kept - and dirtiest - secrets. Father Dowling's keen understanding of the best and worst of human nature leads him on a twisted path to a waiting killer.

My Thoughts:

I found the beginning of this book very hard to follow. It felt like the story jumped around and there were just SO many characters to try and keep track of. I think the story could have done with a few less of these minor characters.

The chapters were very short so it was a really fast read. Once I got farther into the book it started to be a little easier to follow and I actually ended up enjoying it. There are many twists to the storyline and you begin to think that you know "who done it" several times throughout the book only to find out that you're wrong. This novel keeps you guessing until the very end.

What have you been reading this month??

 



Beauty: An Extraordinary Tale: Review

Beauty: An Extraordinary Tale
Author: Teresa M. Wilkins
Publisher: Dorrance Publishing
Pages: 358

Summary:

Beauty is a physical state that brings pleasure simply from being perceived by the naked eye. Moreover, beauty is also a manifestation of our inner persona. By believing in one’s self, the inner beauty is conceived. Focusing on inner beauty and envisioning one’s desired appearance, a new body emerges—a body exalting one’s true beauty. This is Beauty’s quest.

Beauty is a woman like no other. Born of a human mother and a Lizarian father, her body is scaled and a strong blue tail forms at her back. From the time she is able to comprehend the complexities of life, Beauty perceives herself as ugly.

Through the many experiences she goes through—fierce battles, lifetime friendships, lifechanging trials, and love—Beauty realizes there is more to beauty than the outter appearance alone.

As Beauty embarks on a journey through various worlds in search of the real meaning of beauty, she asks of you to be her company.

My Thoughts:

Okay, to be honest it took me somewhere between 100-200 pages to really get into this story. I felt like the beginning of this book dragged on a lot and was hard to get into. Once I got passed this, I really did enjoy the rest of the book! There were also a few misspellings and grammatical errors in the book and the author's writing style takes awhile to get used to. I felt like there was so many different things all crammed into one book. I think that this book could have made an awesome series talking about Beauty's journey and development and then the author could have gone into more detail about the different races and the other secondary characters.

I really loved the whole concept of the story. Beauty is not just based on your physical appearance but also on the inside. You have to love yourself and view yourself as beautiful. I know that a lot of women these days are struggling with how they look. They feel like they aren't beautiful because they don't look like models or actresses. Everyone is beautiful! Who chooses what beauty looks like? I really want to thank the author for focusing on this problem because I know a lot of people, myself included, have struggled with feeling beautiful in their lives.

I received a complimentary copy of Beauty: An Extraordinary Tale as a member of the Dorrance Publishing Book Review Team. Visit dorrancebookstore.com to learn how you can become a member of the Book Review Team.

To snag a copy of this book head on over to http://store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/clink?dorrance+7XZRvv+index.html .

Matched: Review

Matched
Author: Ally Condie
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Series: Matched #1
Pages: 366

Summary:

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

My Thoughts:

First off I just wanted to say that I was really drawn to the cover of this book. I thought it was absolutely stunning. This book was on my To Be Read List and I saw it at the library and thought I would pick it up! I really wasn't sure what I would think of this novel because it seems like people either love or hate it and I had read a lot of negative reviews on it.

I actually really did enjoy this book but to be honest I don't think I have ever read a Dystopian novel before so I really didn't have anything to compare it to. So that may have altered my opinion a bit compared to others who have read tons of that genre and have a lot more experience with it and may be expecting more. I didn't really have any expectations for this book since I have read nothing like it.

I did think that the book was kind of dry to begin with but I felt more sucked into it the farther I got in. I did feel like Cassia was sort of selfish and felt bad for Xander and I had a hard time "feeling" the relationships between Cassia, Xander, and Ky. I also thought that the Society should have been explained a little better and maybe have some background information on it. For example why was it the way it was, how it started, and what it was like outside of the Society.

On the other hand I did think that the Society was interesting. The way they choose what you wear, who you are with, what you eat, how long you live, what job you have, etc. fascinated me. I just love being able to be sucked into a world that is completely different from ours and all of the freedoms we have in our lives.

I think that I will see if the library has the sequel to this and find out if it explains more or gets any better. Have you read this book? What were your thoughts? I would love to read your comments!

Rapture: Review

I have gotten a little behind lately! I have been SUPER busy the past few weeks and I didn't get this review up right away. Better late than never right?! Well here it is.

Rapture
Author: Lauren Kate
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Series: Fallen #4
Pages: 432

Summary:

Like sand in an hourglass, time is running out for Luce and Daniel. To stop Lucifer from erasing the past they must find the place where the angels fell to earth. Dark forces are after them, and Daniel doesn’t know if he can do this—live only to lose Luce again and again.

Yet together they will face an epic battle that will end with lifeless bodies . . . and angel dust. Great sacrifices are made. Hearts are destroyed. And suddenly Luce knows what must happen.

For she was meant to be with someone other than Daniel. The curse they’ve borne has always and only been about her—and the love she cast aside. The choice she makes now will be the only one that truly matters.

In the fight for Luce, who will win?

The astonishing conclusion to the FALLEN series. Heaven can’t wait any longer.

My Thoughts:

Well I am very sad that this series is over but I'm also happy that it wasn't extremely drawn out like some other series. I can't wait to see what Lauren Kate comes out with next! I am a huge fan of her writing. Be prepared for some huge surprises in this book!

I really enjoyed this book. So much happened in this story and I don't want to give anything away but I was VERY surprised to figure out who Luce really is . . . ! There were so many aspects of the story that had to come to an end and I didn't think it was possible for her to be able to wrap it all up by the end of this book but she did. It wrapped up very nicely I must add. I really did love the end of the story. It wasn't a completely happy ending like we always expect and that made it so much better. I got really sucked into this series. I really do love Lauren Kate's writing, I feel like I know the characters and like I'm there with them. That always makes it a much more exciting read.

This novel has love, action, and suspense. What more could you ask for!? I would definitely recommend this series. I didn't feel like you needed to read the 3.5 book in order to read the last book in the series. Fallen in Love did give a little more background info on the secondary characters though and it was a fun read.

Have you read this series or anything by Lauren Kate? Let me know what you're reading now!

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share 2 "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! You don't want to ruin the book for others!
• Share the title and author too, so that other participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

My Teasers:

"There was an almost impish gleam in her golden eyes that made her look more like a teenager than a woman many hundreds of years old. As she pinned a shiny strand of red hair back into her chignon and poured everyone more tea, it was hard to fathom that this elegant, vibrant creature was also, in fact, an artifact."

Rapture by Lauren Kate

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ' teaser' in a comment here (if you don't have a blog). I'm excited to see your teasers!

The Seer: Review

The Seer
Author: Martha Harris
Publisher: Dorrance Publishing Co. Inc.
Pages: 122

Summary:

Bobbi Wheeler is a psychiatrist who uses her psychic abilities to help her patients deal with depression and grief. This ability to know her patients’ history and inner thoughts through a simple “touch” is the reason behind her successful therapy sessions with satisfied clients.
Bobbi doesn't always view her abilities as a gift, but a curse, because not all of her dreams are pleasant. She saw her grandfather’s death in a dream when she was young child and tried to prevent it but couldn't. This started her feelings of helplessness whenever she dreams about dangers involving people she encountered and touched by chance.
While she may know the ways in dealing with emotional pain, she is also somehow battling with her own frailties and inner turmoil, making her long for the ocean and the pleasant things about it to give her peace. It is in one of these trips that she meets Lance Wolfe, a nonbeliever in psychics and a widower who blames himself for the death of his wife in a car accident. His guilt somehow hinders him from loving another woman again. Nonetheless, Bobbi opens his heart once more, but not completely. He seems to have the gift, as it is with him that Bobbi learns she can communicate using thoughts alone and go through someone else’s psychic’s mind.
In one of her visits to Lance’s house in Belford, Bobbi feels like she's been inside a man who gave her the most horrifying nightmare ever. This man—who for a time she mistook as one of her patients, Tobias Emerson—murders a couple in her dreams. This man has the ability to control minds and although she is able to go inside the dream and prevent him from doing the crime, the man prevails over her and goes ahead with the carnage. After the police get involved, the man has only one thing on his mind—killing her.

My Thoughts:

I really did enjoy this book. I felt like the topic was fresh because I haven't really read a book along the same lines before. Bobbi Wheeler is a psychiatrist who also has psychic abilities. She can use her gift to help her patients deal with their problems. Sometimes she doesn't see this as a gift because she can also see things that are very unpleasant such as how the person is going to die.

She meets this man named Lance and they are instantly connected. I thought that their relationship was absolutely adorable, however I don't really understand how she opened up to a complete stranger about things that she couldn't tell anybody else. But maybe that is because of the connection between them.

I really enjoyed the characters in this story and felt that the author did a good job going into enough depth to let you feel like you know the characters.

The only things that really bothered me about this book (in the e-book version anyways) was that there were a few misspellings/grammatical errors and that sometimes the transitions from place to place seemed a bit choppy at times.

I thought that the ending wrapped the story up perfectly. I really loved how the author ended every part of the book and didn't just leave you hanging like some do.

I received a complimentary copy of The Seer as a member of the
Dorrance Publishing Book Review Team. Visit dorrancebookstore.com
to learn how you can become a member of the Book Review Team.

Click here to get a copy of this book!
http://store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/clink?dorrance+7XZRvv+index.html

Let me know in the comments what you are currently reading!