Reviewed of Lover Avenged by J.R. Ward

Title: Lover Avenged (Black Dagger Brotherhood #7)
Author: J.R. Ward
Published by: Penguin Group
Pages: 672
Source: Purchased
Format: ebook
Rating: 3 stars

Summary from Goodreads: Rehvenge has always kept his distance from the Brotherhood-even though his sister is married to a member, for he harbors a deadly secret that could make him a huge liability in their war against the lessers. As plots within and outside of the Brotherhood threaten to reveal the truth about Rehvenge, he turns to the only source of light in his darkening world, Ehlena, a vampire untouched by the corruption that has its hold on him-and the only thing standing between him and eternal destruction.

With another installment of the Black Dagger Brotherhood our knowledge of these deadly and sexy creatures grows.  While Rehvenge may not be part of the brotherhood and was always seen as the big bad drug lord, Lover Avenged brings out a completely different side of this warrior and what he'd do for love.

Ehlena and Rehvenge made quite the couple.  I think out of all the mates I have liked Ehlena the most.  She's down to earth and willing to fight for what she thinks is right.  She's determined and carries herself with a dignity that far surpasses those of the glymera.  Along with this couple we get to see more into the lives of the other brother especially Wrath and Beth and John Matthew and Xhex.  I love how intertwined each of the brothers stories are and it's kind of a treat when they make a larger reappearance in the later books.  I've missed some of them greatly and wish we'd get more glimpses into their lives.

The pace of this novel was a little off for me.  I found it quite slow at times and I didn't enjoy any of the scenes with the lessers.  In fact, I kind of skimmed over those because I couldn't connect to them at all.  Even though this wasn't my favorite book in the series, J.R. Ward left us with a cliffhanger that makes me eager to read the next book. 

Review of Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

Title: Bitterblue (Graceling Realm #3)
Author: Kristin Cashore
Published by: Dial
Pages: 563
Source: Library
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 4 stars

Summary from Goodreads:  Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck's reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle--disguised and alone--to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past.

Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck's reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn't yet identified, holds a key to her heart.

I have been waiting to read this novel ever since I finished Graceling about 2 years ago.  Kristin Cashore has created a fantasy world that's rich in detail, creates vivid images and characters that you'll form instant attachments too.  There was a lot of mystery in this novel that was a pleasant surprise but also at times I found distracting as I wasn't sure who to actually trust. 

In the aftermath of King Leck's death, Bitterblue is trying to restore her nation and heal it, while others are continuing the horror and death.  I can't imagine how some of these people felt after being controlled by King Leck.  He was a truly awful person and commanded not only complete and utter obedience but also for his subjects to commit heinous crimes.  Bitterblue doesn't know much of what happened then or what is currently happening in her city and it makes it difficult for her to rule.  The complicated feelings of these characters  experienced made the reader's connection to the story that much greater.  To sympathize with the victums led to a greater understanding of the complexity of the situation and each person's actions.

The story itself was captivating and heart-breaking.  I didn't expect this story to touch my heart as much as it did, but the desperation and longing that the story held made it impossible not to.  Thankfully there are many funny moments too that helped counteract some of the more serious issues and a touch of romance to spark your interest. 

Overall I really enjoyed the story, but I was hoping for a lighter and more encouraging tale.  Instead, I got a very truthful and realistic tale that is not found in many fantasy novels but was refreshing quite wonderful. 

Friday Night Date Night: The Lucky One

Friday Night Date Night is a feature on my blog that showcases movie reviews (mostly movies that were adapted from books). Hopefully some of these reviews will help you decide what to watch on your date night or a night of relaxing at home.

 

 

 

Again...confession time.  I only read this novel and saw this movie because of how good Zac Efron looked in the advertisements.  He's definitely not in high school anymore and I wanted to see how he turned out as an actor playing a more serious role.

Sadly, I didn't really like this novel so I was hoping the movie would be better.  I was wrong.  Usually I like movies based on Nicholas Sparks novels, but this one didn't do it for me.  The acting felt stiff and forced in places.  Logan's (Zac Efron) character fell flat and while we did get glimpses of a fun loving guy, there was something missing. 

 

With any book to movie adaption there were changes and a lot was left out.  I'm not sure if adding some of these things back would have made the movie stronger or not.   

 

Has anyone else seen this movie?  What were your thoughts?

 

Review of If I Lie by Corrine Jackson

Title: If I Lie
Author: Corrine Jackson
Published by: Simon Pulse
Pages: 276
Source: Library
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 5 stars

Summary from Goodreads: Quinn’s done the unthinkable: she kissed a guy who is not Carey, her boyfriend. And she got caught. Being branded a cheater would be bad enough, but Quinn is deemed a traitor, and shunned by all of her friends. Because Carey’s not just any guy—he’s serving in Afghanistan and revered by everyone in their small, military town.

Quinn could clear her name, but that would mean revealing secrets that she’s vowed to keep—secrets that aren’t hers to share. And when Carey goes MIA, Quinn must decide how far she’ll go to protect her boyfriend…and her promise.

A complex tale of one person's secret and another's lie.  If I Lie is not only a powerful, emotional novel, it is also wonderfully written with a skill that far surpasses a debut author.

What a heart-breaking novel.  It was raw, pure and unbelievably good.  Quinn is completely ostracized by not only her friends and classmates, but the whole town.  The dynamic of this military town is fascinating.  They all band together to support those serving overseas and to do something that betrays one of them is unthinkable. 

Immediately before the secret came out I knew what it was and I adored Quinn that much more.  She took verbal and physical abuse just to protect someone's secret.  In fact, she is protecting multiple secrets and bears her suffering in silence.  Quinn definitely got the short end of the stick, but instead of complaining she finds an unlikely companion in the VA hospital that her father forced her to volunteer at.  Quinn uses this friendship to help heal her and make her go from a scared little girl to a strong and independent woman. 

Corrine Jackson blew me away with this debut novel and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next. 

Review of Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Half-Blood (Covenant #1)
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Published by: Spencer Hill Press
Pages: 281
Source: Library
Format: Paperback
Rating: 3.5 stars

Summary from Goodreads: The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi-pure-bloods-have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals-well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures. Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden. Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

I must start off by saying that I didn't really know much about this book except that a lot of people were loving it and the cover was simply stunning.  I was excited by the mythology in the story and this new form of demi-gods.  After the first couple of pages I saw a striking resemblance to another popular YA series, but that didn't bother me.  I'm sure we could find many similarities in a lot of books if we really looked for it.  Half-Blood did start off a bit slow, but I kept reading because I was eager to see where the story would lead.

Alex is a bit cocky and a little too confident for her own good.  Sure, she was top of her class before she left and she has killed two Daimons, but it won't be smooth sailing to get her back on track.  Alex is a fun character who is fierce and determined, but completely rash.  She had trouble controlling her emotions which often lead her to bad decisions.  I liked this about Alex.  Jennifer Armentrout gave Alex much more dimension than you see in your typical heroine.  Alex may have been brave and deadly, but she also was vulnerable and often her strong facade broke down.  She also had passion and it came through in almost everything she did, especially when it came to Aiden. 

Half-Blood was packed with action and the forbidden love aspect kept the tension high and the romance smokin.  There were some unexpected surprises that will keep you glued to the pages and it become obvious by the nervousness in my tummy that I was completely invested in these characters and their futures. 

Half-Blood is a strong start to what I'm sure is to be a great series. 

Review of Speechless by Hannah Harrington

Title: Speechless
Author: Hannah Harrington
Published by: HarlequinTeen
Pages: 268
Source: HarlequinTeen/NetGalley
Format: ARC ebook
Rating: 4 stars

Summary from Goodreads: Everyone knows that Chelsea Knot can't keep a secret

Until now. Because the last secret she shared turned her into a social outcast—and nearly got someone killed.

Now Chelsea has taken a vow of silence—to learn to keep her mouth shut, and to stop hurting anyone else. And if she thinks keeping secrets is hard, not speaking up when she's ignored, ridiculed and even attacked is worse.

But there's strength in silence, and in the new friends who are, shockingly, coming her way—people she never noticed before; a boy she might even fall for. If only her new friends can forgive what she's done. If only she can forgive herself.

Hannah Harrington does it again.  This author knows how to capture an audience and turn a simple topic into an powerful story.

Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea...this chicka doesn't know how to keep her mouth shut.  It's all fun and games until she lets out two secrets that leads one boy to a coma and another two in prison.  She goes from being the popular girl that people love to hate to literally being hated by many many people.  She is ostracized and decides to take a vow of silence to learn the power that words hold.  Chelsea is a good person that I think has been led astray by the lure of popularity.  At times, I wasn't sure what to think of her and I was often surprised (both good and bad) at some of her thoughts and actions.  I think as crazy as the vow of silence was, it was something she needed.

Besides Chelsea there is a delightful group a characters that work at Rosie's, small town diner.  They are each unique and a bit of social outcasts, but they are truly fabulous people and friends.  Asha is one of the nicest and most thoughtful characters I have encountered.  Sam is just genuinely a good guy and he will easily find a place in your heart.  These supporting characters are some of the best I've read in a while.  They are complex, rich, and make the novel that much better.   

This is not only a great read, but Speechless also has some powerful messages.  How often do we not realize how much our words can hurt others?  Or how powerful forgiveness can be?  Only after I was finished reading this novel did I realize the impact it had.  Sometimes doing the right thing is not easy and, in fact, may be hurtful and scaring, but it's still the right thing to do.  I hope this book's lessons stick with me for a while and make me think twice before I speak. 

Review of Bossypants by Tina Fey

Title: Bossypants
Author: Tina Fey
Published by: Reagan Arthur / Back Bay Books
Pages:  275
Source: Borrowed from a friend
Format: Paperback
Rating: 4 stars

Summary from Goodreads: Before Liz Lemon, before "Weekend Update," before "Sarah Palin," Tina Fey was just a young girl with a dream: a recurring stress dream that she was being chased through a local airport by her middle-school gym teacher. She also had a dream that one day she would be a comedian on TV.

She has seen both these dreams come true.

At last, Tina Fey's story can be told. From her youthful days as a vicious nerd to her tour of duty on Saturday Night Live; from her passionately halfhearted pursuit of physical beauty to her life as a mother eating things off the floor; from her one-sided college romance to her nearly fatal honeymoon -- from the beginning of this paragraph to this final sentence.

Tina Fey reveals all, and proves what we've all suspected: you're no one until someone calls you bossy.

Hilarious, fun and an all around great book; Bossypants will keep you entertained from the first page to the last.

I must admit I'm not a huge Saturday Night Live or 30 Rock fan, but I do like Tina Fey.  She is seriously funny and not in a weird bathroom humor way, but in a sarcastic also has a good line way.  Bossypants explores her life and how she got where she is today.  My favorite part of the book had to be her childhood.  She went through some awkward stages and had a couple of summers at a drama camp that opened her to new people, life experiences and realizations about herself. 

One of the best things about this book is that it's real.  She doesn't filter herself and isn't concerned with what people will think about her.  She covers thoughts and feelings in her book that most people would stray from and she's honest about her faults and strengths.  It's nice to see a celebrity as they truly are and not how advertising perceives them to be. 

Because of Tina Fey's unique humor there were a couple times in the book where I was unsure if what she was telling us was true or just her humor.  Not big things in general, those I all believed to be true, but little lines here and there that I'm uncertain about. 

Bossypants is a very entertaining read filled with not only laugh-out-loud moments but also the startlingly truth that comes from when one examines who they really are and the experiences that lead them there.