Review of MILA 2.0 by Debra Driza

Title: MILA 2.0 (MILA 2.0, #1)
Author: Debra Driza
Published by: HarperCollins
Pages: 480
Source: Publisher/Edelweiss
Format: ebook
Rating: 4 stars

Summary from Goodreads : Mila was living with her mother in a small Minnesota town when she discovered she was also living a lie. 

She was never meant to learn the truth about her identity. She was never supposed to remember the past—that she was built in a computer science lab and programmed to do things real people would never do.

Now she has no choice but to run—from the dangerous operatives who want her terminated because she knows too much, and from a mysterious group that wants to capture her alive and unlock her advanced technology.

Evading her enemies won't help Mila escape the cruel reality of what she is and cope with everything she has had to leave behind. However, what she's becoming is beyond anyone's imagination, including her own, and that just might save her life.

Futuristic, fun, and filled with action; MILA 2.0 is a book you wouldn't want to miss.  

What a wild ride.  While this book started out a bit slower, it ended with a spectacular fireworks.  Looking back I can't believe how much was crammed between the pages.  Seriously, by the end of the story there were games, explosions, high speed chases, crazy androids, and murderous scientists.  I flew through the pages trying to figure out how it was going to end and who was going to live.  It was a bit exhilarating.      

While Mila was just trying to be a normal teenager, things soon go south for her when she realizes she is a artificial being who is highly coveted.  Even though Mila is not human, she does have the emotions of a teenage girl making her both weaker and stronger for it.  This really plays out towards the end of the story as she uses her emotions to not only fights to save her own life, but also those of people she truly cares for.  

The one area of MILA 2.0 that I wasn't sold on was the characters.  Yes, I liked them, but I didn't connect with them.  Maybe it was due to the fact that Mila isn't human, but I never felt like I got to understand her or some of the other characters.  But I have to say that Debra Driza did a great job at creating the villains.  They were so creepy and scary people that I would not want to find myself alone with them...ever.  

While part of Mila's story came to a close, there was a lot left open which I think will lead nicely into the next book in the series.  

Review of Pivot Point by Kasie West

Title: Pivot Point (Pivot Point, #1)
Author: Kasie West
Published by: HarperTeen
Pages: 352
Source: Publisher/Edelweiss
Format: ARC ebook
Rating: 3.5 stars

Summary from Goodreads:  Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

Addison is one of those special girls in her paranormal society that can search into her future when given a choice and see both outcomes played out.  She's not a very popular girl, but soon gains the notice of the star quarterback around the same time she learns that her parents are splitting up.  Now she is left with a big choice--stay with her mom and keep living in the paranormal compound surrounded by her friends and this new crush, or move with her dad to live among the norms always hiding who she really is.  Of course, left with such a big decision she uses her power to search both futures. 

Pivot Point started off a little slow, but right around the middle of the novel I realized I was hooked as we explored both directions of her choice.  What a choice to have to make when you can see both the good and the bad of what each future holds.  I loved that this wasn't an easy choice for Addison and with both choices she will have to make huge sacrifices.  Kasie West didn't gloss anything over and made the readers realize how complicated each choice we make can sometimes be.  Unfortunately,  and unlike Addison, we cannot see the outcomes of our choices, but it's interesting to think about how things may change depending on what we choose.

The characters in this novel, both the paranormal and the norms, come to life.  They are very real with their issues and interactions, though I found them to be a little predictable.  You could easily guess their roles in Addison's life and how they may influence which future she will chose.  I did like the characters, but a lot of this story was based off the interactions between the characters so I wish they would have had a little more deapth. 

By the end of the book I was a bit heart-broken for Addison.  I couldn't quite believe Pivot Point ended like it did, so I'm happy to hear that this will be a series.  I look forward to seeing how Addison will go on with the future she chose and if there is any possibility of a cross over from the other future. 

Cookbook review of 4 Ingredients One Pot, One Bowl by Kim McCosker

Title: 4 Ingredients One Pot, One Bowl
Author: Kim McCosker
Published by: Atria Books
Pages: 208
Source: Publisher/Edelweiss
Format: ebook
Rating: 3 stars

Summary from Goodreads: From a creator of the internationally bestselling 4 Ingredients series comes a new, must-have cookbook designed to bring joy and flavor back into the kitchen. 4 Ingredients One Pot, One Bowl is an ingenious collection of sweet and savory dishes full of fresh, easy-to-find ingredients that require only one pot and one bowl. That means less cleanup and more time enjoying life and delicious food with the friends and family you love.

In this book, you’ll find more than eighty recipes for tasty and deceptively simple casseroles, roasts, soups and stews, pizzas, pasta, pies, and desserts. Imagine Creamy Bacon & Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken, French Lamb Casserole, Apple Crumble, and Baked Rice Pudding—all using four or fewer ingredients. With One Pot, One Bowl, life just got easier… and a whole lot more delicious!

I was intrigued when I came across 4 Ingredients One Pot, One Bowl.  Not only are there very few ingredients, but one pot?  That means my dish washing nightmares are over...right?  Well there is still some dishes because of prep work but otherwisw most of the recipes seriously only use one pot!  How awesome is that?

When I started looking through the recipes I was a little hesitant.  First I'm a pescetarian, and there were a lot of meat dishes.  Then as I was looking through some of the recipes I was wondering how well they will taste with just 4 ingredients.  I decided to find out for myself (with the all too willing family to help me with the taste-testing). 

The first recipe I tried was Key Lime Pie.  I was super excited about this recipe because Key Lime Pie is my favorite desert.  Because this was my first recipe from the cookbook, I followed this one exactly...well almost.  Instead of using a whole pie crust I used small individual pie crusts because I think they are so much cuter!  This recipe turned out really well.  It was smooth, creamy and a bit tart.  With some chocolate or raspberry syrup I think it would have rounded it out nicely. 

The second recipe I tried was Leek & Potato Soup.  I really liked this recipe.  It was so simple to make and I had everything in the pantry besides the leeks.  The first time I made this I didn't make any substitutions.  It was good, but lacked some flavor.  I made this recipe again last night and set out some shredded cheese, seasonings and turkey bacon (for the family) and they all liked it.  I love that the soup is thick and creamy without using any cream, milk or half n half.  I did substitute olive oil for the butter the second time around and I think it tasted even better.  This is soup will quickly be added to the rotation for it is perfect for those cold winter nights. 

The third recipe I tried was the Yummy Tuna Bake.  For this one I immediately added an extra ingredient because I wanted it to be a one dish meal so I added a vegetable.  This recipe was easy and fast to prepare.  While it did use more than one dish because of boiling the noodles and draining them I didn't mind so much.  It came out of the oven bubbling and nice a crispy on top.  The family did enjoy this dish (even my 2 year old niece), but we all thought it could have used more sauce since it wasn't as creamy as we were hoping.

Overall I enjoyed each of the recipes I tried.  However, I am not convinced that all the recipes in this cookbook benefit by having only four ingredients.  Sure it cuts down on time and cost, but I don't want to sacrifice flavor.  That is not to be said for all the recipes since I did only try 3 of them and with the addition of only one or two ingredients they were quite yummy.     

Review of Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

Title: Something Strange and Deadly
Author: Susan Dennard
Published by: Harper Teen
Pages: 248
Source: Thanks to HarperTeen/Edelweiss
Format: ebook arc
Available: July 24, 2012
Rating: 4 stars

Summary from Goodreads:  There's something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about.
Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she's just read in the newspaper:
The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor… from her brother.

Susan Dennard delivers a debut novel filled with adventure, strange events and of course, the dead. 

Eleanor Fitt is going through a rough time.  Downcast by the death of her father, and the family's financial demise it gets worse when her brother Elijah goes missing.  Not to mention her mother trying to bid her out to the first wealthy suitor to save both their bank accounts and their reputation.  But the truth of the matter is that Eleanor has never really fit in with this society and their beliefs. 

Eleanor is the type of character that you may be unsure of at first.  She comes across as uptight and nosey, but soon her tenaciousness grows on you.  Eleanor and the Spirit-Hunters are what really made this book wonderful.  They are lively and attention graping.  They don't follow the customs and each have a bit of a rebellious streak in them that makes them interesting and unforgettable.  Their back stories are rich in detail and emotion making you understand their personalities and builds a connection between you.

I have to admit I'm not much of a Zombie person, and though they were central to the storyline they didn't overtake the story.  Susand Dennard brings a new type of story into the mix.  It's fraught with scandal, death and even a touch of romance.  She brings passion and emotion to the story and her writing seems to flow softly and smoothly.  And my favorite thing is she knows how to write a spectacular ending.  She wraps up the story, but leaves just enough loose ends to have you wanting more.

Something Strange and Deadly is a wonderful debut and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.