"Die For Me" by Amy Plum

Judge a book by its cover
Title definitely intrigued me, and the cover is quite beautiful.  So, judging by it's cover - it's gonna be a love story.  Obviously.  Since the tag line is "Would you risk your life for love?"

Synopsis

Kate and her sister Georgia move from Brooklyn to Paris to live with their grandparents after their parents died in a car accident.  Kate felt like her heart would never be whole again, until Vincent came along.

Vincent is a mysterious and sexy stranger who swept Kate off her feet, making her feel whole again.  But, of course, love is never easy.  In this case, Vincent isn't a normal human - he's an immortal.  Vincent and his "family" of other immortals live in Paris saving people's lives by dying in their place... and coming back to life three days later.  

But, where there is good, there is bad.  There is another sect of immortals who relish in the death and self destruction of humans, and are determined to destroy Vincent and his kind.

Not only does Kate need to deal with the death of her parents, but now she has to decide if she can handle having a boyfriend who "dies" on a regular basis while other immortals hope to kill him for good. 

Humble Opinion
Called it!  Love story!  (But aren't they all?) ;)

I actually really enjoyed it.  I felt like the author, Amy Plum, created believable characters, even though it's a supernatural story.  I really appreciated how Plum didn't have Kate automatically accept Vincent and be like, "Oh you're immortal/supernatural which I didn't know really existed until now?  Okay.  I'm fine with it!"  Instead, Kate actual DOES have an issue with it and thinks that she would rather not be a part of that world!  (Because, come on, let's be serious - no matter how swoon-y we females get over vampire/angel/werewolf/demon hunter characters we read about - if one were to ACTUALLY come into our lives, I think 99% of us would need to take a moment to really think about it and what being with a supernatural being means.  It's not like you can tell people because 1) they probably would think you're crazy and 2) there is always gonna be someone who will want it for the wrong reasons.  Always.)  So, I liked that Plum made Kate actually consider what being in a "supernatural world" would mean.  It made Kate feel more real.

While I like Kate and Vincent, I actually found the supporting characters, Charlotte and Jules, more interesting.  Maybe it's because we didn't get the full story on them, but I found myself wanting to know more about them.  So I hope future books dig in deeper to their background.

Final say

I liked it.  It wasn't the best love story I ever read, but it wasn't the worst either.  I liked the characters that Amy Plum created, and I am interested to see where this series goes.  It's not a series that I will feel the need to rush to the bookstore to grab the next book so I can find out what happens!  But it's one that I will follow up in the future.

"The Red Pyramid" (Kane Chronicles, Book 1) by Rick Riordan

Judge a book by its cover
I very much enjoyed Percy Jackson, and I really like Egyptian history/mythology, so I figured I would like this book.

Synopsis

Since their mother’s death, siblings Carter and Sadie have become near strangers, only seeing each other on Christmas. While Sadie has lived with her grandparents in London, her brother, Carter, has traveled the world with their father, the brilliant Egyptologist, Dr. Julius Kane.

During their annual family reunion, Dr. Kane takes Sadie and Carter to the British Museum, where he hopes to "set things right". Instead, he unleashes the Egyptian god Set, who banishes him to oblivion and forces the children to flee for their lives.

Soon, Sadie and Carter discover that the gods of Egypt are waking, and the worst of them, Set, has his sights on the Kanes and wants to destroy the world.  In order to stop him, the siblings embark on a dangerous journey across the globe.  But along the way, they discover the truth about their family, their links to a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs, and that Set isn't the only God that made it out of the Rosetta Stone that night.

Humble Opinion
Rick Riordan doesn't disappoint.  His books are filled with so much action, they are hard to put down!  I love it!

Unlike with the Percy Jackson books and the Greek gods, I don't have much knowledge on Egyptian mythology.  I've always been fascinated by Egyptian gods, but all I knew was: Ra is the sun god, Anubis has something to do with the underworld, Osiris has something to do with the underworld, Isis is a female god, and Horus is a god with a falcon head.  That's about it.  LOL

I felt like after reading The Red Pyramid, I know a little more about Egyptian mythology, but there is still so much more I want to learn!  I feel like I would have gotten more out of the book had I known more about Egyptian mythology, but I still very much enjoyed the book and look forward to reading the next two!

I only had two qualms about the book: 1) Sadie's age and 2) the end.
1) Riordan is trying to establish a possible love interest between Anubis and Sadie, which is interesting, but she's only TWELVE!!  I can't... I know that twelve year olds have crushes and, now-a-days do a lot more... but she's twelve!!  I can't root for a twelve year old and "sixteen year old looking" god!  It feels gross!
2) *SPOILER ALERT*  Carter and Sadie spent the WHOLE BOOK trying to defeat Set, but then at the end they decide to make him an ally instead of banishing/killing him.  WHAT!?!?  I'm sure this had to be done for plot purposes for the next two books, but COME ON!  All the sudden the two protagonists "trust and befriend" the evil God?!  Seriously??

Final say

Totally enjoyed it.  I would re-read it again in heartbeat.  Super quick read because I didn't want to put it down!  I look forward to continuing the series!

"The Boogie Trapp" by Kerry Copeland Smith

Judge a book by its cover
The cover is kinda plain/boring.  I chose to read it because it was described as a "thriller" and it was getting positive reviews.

Synopsis

After Kerry Copeland Smith's childhood best friend, Trapper, dies of cancer at an old age, Kerry must keep his promise to "confess" and tell the world their story that they kept secret for fifty years.

Thirteen year olds Boogie (aka Kerry Smith) and Trapper planned on just killing time on Saturday, April 9, 1949 in Black Creek, Alabama before heading to Sarah's party later than evening and playing "kissing games" with their girlfriends.  But their day take an unexpected turn when Bill "Donkey" Brady pulls up and offers the boys five dollars and a carton of smokes, if they will help him get his truck out by Big Rock out of the mud.  Boogie and Trapper, having nothing better to do and wanting smokes and money, decide to hop in "Bill's friend's car" and help him.  After a few minutes inside the car, Boogie starts to second guess their decision to help Bill, and both Boogie and Trapper soon discover that all the "rumors" about Bill being a "homosexual pervert" aren't just rumors... 

Humble Opinion
The Boogie Trapp could have been half as long.  There was SO MUCH EXPOSITION!  I understand that Kerry Copeland Smith wanted to give the reader a feel for the time and the place that story took place, but Jesus!  For instance,  I didn't need to know on page 226, paragraph 3:

The first bend in the road is to the right towards the northeast, then after about 100 yards, the road snakes back to the general direction that it's now heading.  The slope of the creek valley off to the right is extremely steep and heavily covered with trees and large boulders.  The opposite side of the road is thinly covered with a growth of small pines and baby oaks along with heavy growth of bushes.  At some time in the past, it has been cleared and farmed...

That paragraph didn't add to the story in the SLIGHTEST, and there were plenty more just like it all throughout the book.  There was so much unnecessary description that it got in the way of the actual story.  I actually put the book down several times out of the frustration because I was so bored, I couldn't focus on what I was reading anymore because my mind started to wonder.  The story doesn't really get going until page 184, which is over halfway into the book!

Also, the author kept getting sidetracked with telling other stories, that didn't actually contribute to the main story he was telling.  This happened several times in the book.  If felt like filler - like a kid who has to write a paper and make it 10 pages long, so they tell a 4 page antidote that has a very thin connection to the real assignment, just to fluff it up.  But none of the stories were needed!

But my BIGGEST pet peeve - the person who was supposed to edit/proof read the manuscript.  They didn't do their fucking job!!  One of biggest annoyances, when reading, is when quotation marks are missing.  Like, you know the character is still speaking, but they forgot to put the quotation mark back in after "he said".  This book was FULL of them!  There were SO MANY missing quotation marks and correctly spaced speech patterns.  For instance, as I randomly flip through and pick page 253:

"He's up on the hill behind us!  I scream to Trapper, as I throw myself face down to the rock.

It drove me freaking NUTS!  Whoever was supposed to proof read The Boogie Trapp didn't do it and I want to send them back the book with all the corrections in red marker and tell them that they suck. 

Final say

There is so much potential for this story, but the first time writer needed someone to edit out the fluff and unnecessary detail and keep him on track.  If this book would have actually only be a short story, maybe 50-100 pages total, and stuck to the actual story that Kerry Copeland Smith was trying to tell, it would have been an amazing tale that I wouldn't have been able to put down!  Unfortunately, it runs 250 pages too long.

Divergent Series

7/27/14

I'm currently reading the Divergent series, but since everyone has read them, I'm not going to review them.  I just started the third book Allegiant, and my sister has warned me many a times that I will cry and hate the entire series by the time I finish this book... so I'm really weary of finishing it.

But so far, I liked Divergent  and Insurgent.  Tris gets on my nerves a little because I think she makes stupid decisions, and I'm a huge fan of Four/Tobias, which makes me feel like he's going to die in Allegiant because otherwise I don't know why I would get upset at the end of the series unless he dies.  Ultimately, the worst scenario that I can think of right now, would be Tris killing Tobias.  That would piss me off.

I like the premise of the books.  I haven't seen the movie yet, so I'm waiting for it to come out on Netflix or OnDemand so I can watch it.

We'll see what my reaction to the series is once I finish Allegiant...

8/1/14

I saw the movie Divergent.  It was pretty good.  The book was better, of course.  But I didn't hate the movie.  I wanted Tobias to be hotter than he was, but I slowly grew to find his attractive.

Now that I've finished Allegiant, I understand why my sister hated it.  I probably would have been more upset with the ending if I didn't know that "something horrible happens".  If my sister wouldn't have given away that she bawled and hated the book, therefore, cluing me in that someone dies, I probably would have cried like a bitch.  But since I had a heads up, I was more sad and disappointed, rather than traumatized, like my sister.  (She still refuses to talk about the series.  HA HA). 

**SPOILER BELOW**

I understand WHY Veronica Roth killed off Tris, but... dammit!!  After all she and Tobias went through, I just wanted there to be a happy ending!  I found that I was more upset with how Tobias reacted to the news, than the fact that Tris actually died.  When Tris died I was sad and a little in shock, but when I read about Tobias finding out and how he took it,  I actually teared up.  ;(  Veronica Roth will be one of those authors that readers hate, like George R.R. Martin (Game of Thrones) because she killed off a favorite character.  Though, in my opinion, no author will ever be as evil as George R.R. Martin...

"Dust & Decay" by Jonathan Maberry

Judge a book by its cover
Zombies.  Sequel to Rot & Ruin.  Done.

Synopsis

Tom Imura decides to leave Mountainside with his brother, Benny, Nix, and Lilah to go find the jet they saw while out in the Rot and Ruin the last time.  But now that Charlie and Motor City Hammer are gone, their territory in the Rot and Ruin is up for grabs.  All the bounty hunters want it, and with Tom leaving the area undefended, there's nothing to stop them from taking it.

Tom's journey across the Rot and Ruin with Benny, Nix, and Lilah doesn't go well right from the start, beginning with Benny's best friend, Chong, tagging along for just an overnight trip.  Chong accidentally causes chaos when the group encounters a wild rhino, so he decides to leave the group and head back to Mountainside alone.  But Tom is responsible for Chong, so he leaves Nix, Lilah, and Benny at the abandoned gas station to go after Chong.  Then, all hell breaks loose.  Chong gets taken by bounty hunters who are planning to take him to Gameland.  Nix and Benny end up causing a massive fire in their attempt to escape the zombie hoard coming at the gas station, and Lilah splits.

Ultimately, it's a never ending adrenaline ride that will leave you in tears.

Humble Opinion
I love the series.  I love the characters that Jonathan Maberry creates and I love/hate how attached I become to the characters.  Each character feels like a real person, not just a fictional character in a book, so when tragedy happens to them, I get emotional.  I was bawling from heartbreak by the end of the book yet I still couldn't put it down.

It's so well written that I'm able to see the story play out like a movie in my head.  That's when I know I'm reading something amazing, when I can visualize it.  When a book calls to the director in me, I know I'm reading something that will stick with me forever.  And this series is one of them.  (A few of the other series that I have felt this away about are: Vampire Academy, Arcana Chronicles, and Hush Hush)

Final say

Read this over the weekend, otherwise you're gonna have to call in sick because you won't be able to put it down.  Even though I feel like this book is probably geared more towards a male audience, females who love "The Walking Dead" will love this book too.  Just remember to grab some kleenex when you get to the end.

"The Princess Bride" abridged by William Goldman

Judge a book by its cover
The movie is a classic and one of my favorites, so I decided to give the book a go.

Synopsis

Do I even need to have this section? 

The Princess Bride is a timeless tale that pits good against evil, and love against all the odds.  It's a story about Buttercup and Wesley, who must fight for their love against Prince Humperdick, the Fire Swamp, Court Rugen, Vizzini, and even death...

Humble Opinion
I love the movie, so I had high hopes for the book.  And I really liked the book!  The version I read was the one that the 1987 movie was based off because the author, William Goldman, talked about how his dad used to read the book to him when he was sick, and all the interruptions that young Fred Savage had when Peter Falk was reading were all the ones that he had as a kid.  It was cute.  And the movie stayed pretty true to the book.

There were a few difference between the book and movie.  1) The Zoo of Death.  The movie didn't touch on that.  There is actually a heart pounding journey that Fezzik and Inigo go through to get to Wesley in the Zoo of Death.  2) The movie doesn't touch on the torture that Wesley goes through before he is subjected to The Machine, but it would have been difficult to show/explain what was going on internally with Wesley during all that, so I understand. 3) The Miracle Pill is only temporary in the book!  In the book the pill will only last for about 15 hours and then Wesley goes comatose or something?! (I didn't quite understand what was supposed to happen.)  Wha-- you can't-- I'm glad the movie changed that!

Final say

If you liked the movie, you'll like the book, and vice versa!  I appreciated how movie stayed close to the book, like the Harry Potter movies did.  Don't change something that works!  Good read!

"Girls That Growl" (Blood Coven Series, Book 3) by Mari Mancusi

I totally just realized I didn't write reviews for the first two books... Oops!

Judge a book by its cover

Third book in the "Blood Coven" series, so it's a no brainer - gotta continue!

Synopsis

Rayne, the goth/vampire/vampire slayer has been assigned one more assignment before her slayer replacement takes over - infiltrate her high school's cheerleading squad to find out if they're werewolves.  But being a cheerleader is the exact opposite of everything Rayne "Freak Girl" McDonald is!  Not only does she have to "become one of the pod people", but her mom's boyfriend/Rayne's slayer guardian, David is moving in, AND her once dark and broody vampire blood mate Jareth has turned into a beach bum since the vampire virus allowed him to walk in the sun again!  Junior year isn't starting off as great as Rayne hoped.

Humble Opinion

The "Blood Coven" books are quick and easy reads with the perfect mixture of wit, romance, and adventure.  Rayne's snarky attitude and her romantic turbulence with Jareth definitely will hit home to a teenage audience.  While most teenage girls feel like they've found their soulmate in their first boyfriend/love, the reality of choosing your eternal mate at sixteen?  Well... people change, so there's bound to be some issues, which Rayne comes to discover

Mari Mancusi writes Rayne in such a way that her quips are hilarious, yet it's still believable that it's a real teenage girl talking.  I enjoy how Rayne is the narrator and is conscious of the audience she is telling the story to.  In Stake That, it was written as if Rayne was writing a blog and the reader was one of her followers.  In Girls That Growl, she just addresses us as if she's actually siting down and telling us the story.  I like that we get to see inside her mind and listen to her inner monologue.  

Final say

Easy read.  Fun read.  Great book to take to the beach or read while you're traveling.  I chose it as my "commute to work" book since it's small enough to throw into my purse, and I wouldn't have a panic attack if I had to stop reading before I was done with the chapter.  It's a good balance of making you want to come back for more without making you feel like you have to call into work the next day because you can't put it down.