Hemlock Review

My Review
3.5 Stars

I was torn as to the number of stars I was going to rate this book. It was going to be 3.5 or 4, but I ended up settling on 3.5 stars, and here is why...

The book on a whole was really good. I enjoyed the main story line a lot, and that is saying something as I am always hesitant with werewolf and vampire books (big Buffy fan - can't stand Twilight). However, I did keep putting it down through the first half just to get a little break. There was a lot of background in the first half and it was Jason heavy. 

I found Jason really really annoying. Stupid rich kid who has more money than brains and can do anything he wants cause the police are in his parents' pockets. I really couldn't stand him. 

I did like the main character Mac, even though she was annoying at points. She had a great background and really cared a lot for her friends (including Jason). Which was the one annoying point... you just wanted her to shut up and leave him to his destruction. 

Loved Kyle! He was such a great character. I really hope we see more of him in the next book, as I think there should have been a little more of him in this one. 

I can't wait for the next one to come out. This is one of those series where I wish I had waited to read it until all the books were out.

Dearly, Departed Review

My Review
4 Stars

I am not a steampunk fan, but I really enjoyed this book. It brought in a little steampunk, a little dystopian, and of course... Zombies!

I really enjoyed how the author created two kinds of zombies. The Greys who are mindless and just want to eat flesh (not brains) and Z Company who keep their minds and live (almost) like regular humans. 

Nora was great. She had the right amount of tough girl vs innocent girl. She wasn't the typical "rich girl" (even though she was rich) because her family had only come into money in recent years. 

Nora's best friend, Pam was such a great character! I loved her. She was so funny in parts. 

The Zombies - I think my favorite out of all the zombies was Chas. I know it is supposed to be Bram as he is the main zombie and Nora's love interest - but I found all that a little weird. It mentions how Bram looks - and he obviously looks dead with his eyes, skin, etc. But it seems like the author forgets about how bad he looks and tries to pass him off as just another good looking teenager, but he isn't. 

I can't wait for the next book to come out.

My Soul To Take Review

My Review
4 Stars

Great read! The book had a very interesting take on bean sidhe aka banshee. In My Soul to Take they weren't evil and they weren't always women like we tend to think. 

I loved all the characters and they all flowed together really well. 

I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

Brownies & Broomsticks Review

My Review
4 Stars

I really enjoyed this book. It had the right mix of mystery and fantasy (magic). 

I liked how the author had realistic hours for the bakery. Most books, the character can do whatever, whenever. But in this book, Katie was at the bakery at 5am starting for the morning, and baking throughout the day for prep for the following morning. (Of course I am going to have to try the recipes included at the end.)

I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Gathering Blue Review

My Review

2.5 Stars

First off, I don't understand how this book could be the second in The Giver series, when it had absolutely nothing to do with the first one. I was expecting the same society, but it was completely different. It was just another dystopian book.

It was ok, but not the best book I have ever read. The society that the author created was a little odd, and a lot of it was unbelievable. People get their names by how old they are (1 syllable per every x number of years).  Kira, the main character, is two syllables, so she is older than Matt who is one.  Honestly, it doesn't make sense.

I might have enjoyed it more, if I wasn't expecting another Giver. The Giver is my favorite book, and this one pales in comparison.

Not one I would really recommend.

Vengeance Born Review

My Review

4 Stars

I really enjoyed this book. It had a great story line and a great strong female character.  I thought Kalan was great, but especially liked his sister.

One thing I didn't like was that there was a little too much sex for my tastes, but it wasn't put in unnecessary places just to have it in there. It did fit with the storyline.

I don't really know what else to say about the book other than I look forward to the next one.

Entangled Review

My Review **SPOILERS**

3 Stars

Ok, so I liked the concept of the book.... Grey is a witch along with her mother and identical twin sister Charlene. Grey dies in her sleep and wakes up 2 months later in her sister's body. Her mom had someone do a resurrection spell that went wrong, and now Grey and Charlene share the same body. They each have control for 24 hours every other day.

There were a few things I didn't like about the book.

1. Nolan: <spoiler> Nolan was introduced as the sweet innocent good guy you want Grey to end up with. Then all of a sudden, after spying Grey and Raj kissing, he does a complete about face and is ready to help Charlene kill her (purge her soul from her body). This is absolutely crazy especially as Nolan knows Raj's reputation. </spoiler>

2. Charlene: Where do I start? <spoiler> I think the biggest thing was that Charlene killed Grey and had absolutely no remorse for doing so. Then 2 days after killing Grey, she tries to kill another girl who slept with her boyfriend and succeeds in putting her in a coma. Once she finds out that Grey can't go back to her own body, Charlene wants to kill her again... because she messed up the relationship with Charlene and her boyfriend.  I mean... come on... The first kill was accidental, but no remorse... really? You just killed your twin sister!!! Who never did anything to you. Oh, and you had been blocking her powers for years because you were jealous she was more talented. </spoiler>

I did like Raj, I just wish we had seen more about him. You do find out he isn't who he is thought to be, but I would have liked to know a little more about who he is.

The Iron Knight Review

My Review (SPOILERS)

3.5 Stars

Ok, where do I start. First off, I did not enjoy this book as much as the rest of the series. I am not an Ash fan and for a whole book to be centered around him was not that interesting to me. However, after everything he goes through in this book... he does deserve to be with Meghan.

And, I did cry when during the final testing Ash is shown a possible human future and ends up "loosing" Meghan in the end. As much as I didn't care for him, that made me cry.

I still LOVE Puck! He is amazing. I hope that there will be another series following Puck's adventures after this series.

I knew from the beginning that Ariella had a part to play in this book... I just wasn't expecting it to happen the way it did. It was nice to meet her, but frustrating at the same time.  As a Puck fan, I wanted Ash to give up the quest and go back to her so Puck could have Meghan, but oh well.

Overall, good book, but not the best.

Touch of Frost Review

My Review
3.5 Stars


Ok, I did enjoy this book, although I had some problems with it. There were a lot of things in the book that were very repetitive. For most of the book every time the author mentioned Gwen's mom, she also had to make sure that we understood Gwen's mom's name is Grace. 


Also the first few times Logan Quinn is mentioned... it was "Logan freaking Quinn". 


I did really enjoy the concept and execution of the book. They are all mythological greek superbeings who all go to school together. Oh... and all the Greek gods and goddesses are real.


The only thing I didn't get is that in the book the big bad guy is Loki and according to the book's mythology Nike defeats him. I always thought Loki was a Norse god, not a Greek god. I will have to look into that more I guess.


I plan on reading the rest.

Insurgent Review

My Review
3 Stars

Darn, I really really wanted to like this book. It just really seemed to drag on.

I really do like the society the author has created in this book and how separate each faction is. I am glad we got to see more of each of the factions and what they are like in this book... as well as the factionless.

I was into the book until around 250 pages, then the book seemed to loose focus. It got confusing as to who was fighting who and why and who was on what side. The book didn't pick back up for me until about the last 50 pages or so.

I hope that I form a better opinion next time I read it before the last book comes out.

If I Stay Review

My Synopsis


Mia was in a horrible car accident that killed her parents and younger brother, and placed her in a coma. Mia, however, is still around. She is walking around and watching as family and friends come and go; listening as they talk to her and amongst themselves.

She doesn't know if she has the strength to stay, but isn't sure if she wants to go.

My Review
3 Stars

Wow, what an emotional roller-coaster. It was really interesting reading a book through the eyes of someone in a coma.

I didn't think I was going to like it at first, because the main character had practically no emotion in the beginning. She saw her parents dead and there was no emotion. Personally, I know I would have run to them trying to do CPR or something, not wanting to believe they were dead.

I started crying when her Grandfather told her that he understood if she left. That he loved her very much and didn't want her to leave, but understood if she did.

I don't know if I will read the next book, as there really wasn't any need for another one.

Past Midnight Review

My Synopsis


Charlotte has been to five different high schools because her family moves around all the time. She has even lived over seas.  Her parents are paranormal investigators with their own TV specials. They travel to haunted sites to debunk the hauntings.

Charlotte and her sister finally convince her parents to stay in one place for Charlotte's senior year in high school. But this comes after a big investigation in Charleston, NC. The investigation leads to three "ghosts" attaching themselves to Charlotte and following her to their new home.

Being saddled with a new school, new friends, and a mysterious accident that happened a year before; the last thing Charlotte needs in these "ghosts" haunting her.

My Review
4 Stars

I really enjoyed this book. I could barely put it down.

Charlotte was great. I really liked her character and her interactions with all the different people in the book. Avery was great too. She wasn't your typical stuck-up cheerleader princess (although she did have a tiny dog and her own mini cooper).

It was interesting seeing Charlotte and her parent's opinions come into question about "ghosts" just being left over energy. That where the person was present the most in life, is where their residual energy would be, doing the same things (opening doors, walking, rocking in a chair, etc.)

I can't wait to read the next book.

Awakening Review

My Synopsis


Ana grew up alone, never really fitting in. Until one day, she meets this family while working, and she finally feels like she belongs with them.

This is because she does. She has known them her whole life, she just doesn't remember because it was another "lifetime".

Ana is a white demon who was born from an angel and human. Arie, Cyril and Athen are also white demons, and her family. They have shown up to remind Ana who she is and "Awaken" her to her past life (memories), and bring her back to the family she loves.

The book follows Ana through her time with Arie, Cyril and especially Athen; remembering who she is and reforming her romantic relationship with Athen.

My Review
4 Stars

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were fantastic!

It was a little annoying at first however, that Ana jumped right into what seemed like an established relationship with Athen. It wasn't explained at the time, and was annoying and weird that she would let this guy she just met follow her, and kiss her and be so enamored by him after just meeting.

I liked the different take on the "fallen angels". And how there are white "demons" who are good and the fallen angels who are evil.

I loved Arie! She was the best character. She is one of those people who can change your mood around to good, no matter how sad or angry you are. She is so full of life.

I do plan on reading the rest of the series.

Shiver Review

My Synopsis


Sam is a werewolf. Only, he changes into a wolf when it is cold, and back to a human when it is warm. But there are only a limited number of times a werewolf can change back to human, and Sam's time is up.

Grace was once bitten by members of Sam's pack, but never changed. Sam saved her life from the other wolves that day and since then, they have had a connection. 

Sam shows up on Grace's doorstep as a human one cold night after being shot. Grace takes him in and together they fight off the wolf side of Sam as long as they can... just to spend time together before his last transformation takes place. 

My Review
3 Stars 

Well, I'm not really sure how I feel about this book. It was pretty slow in parts and took me a while to get into. I do like the author's different take on werewolves and how these change with the temperature.I liked Grace, and I liked Sam. For Oliva and Rachel being her best friends, they sure weren't in the book a whole lot. As soon as Grace met Sam, she forgot about them... which I don't think would have really happened. I didn't like Isabel or Jack, but then I don't think you are really supposed to.I do like how the book ended, and I'm not sure if I will read the rest because the book ended in a really good place.