First up in this duology, The Fangover is a spoof of sorts, of the movie The Hangover. I do have the second book and I will have a review of that up when I am able. There isn't any talk of anymore books for this duology, but you never know.
Vampire and rock-god Johnny Malone commits suicide, and the rest of his band, The Impalers, do what they would do when any good friend dies. They celebrate his life with a wake, and send him off in style. Though blood, alcohol, and grief are some combination for everyone. Stella, Johnny's sister, takes the news hard and ends up in the arms of Wyatt, the bass player. The rumble in the sheets was great but Stella doesn't want a relationship especially with her brother dying so soon. She ends up stuck as a bat after the wake and can't change back. No one can help her either because no one remembers the night before. This doesn't help Cort either, who wakes up with a ring on his finger and married to the newly turned Katie. He just doesn't remember any of it, like his friends. Off to Bourbon Street they go in search of clues as to what happened.
McCarthy and Love put their own spin on this book and I loved it. Having seen The Hangover I can see the parallels between the two but I do like The Fangover a little more. I loved all the characters in the book even the ones who didn't get that big of a spot light. I laughed quite a few times, which is always nice. I liked how the story went in general, things didn't get too out of line with the plot, so I didn't get confused at all. The characters are what made this book for me. All of them where different in their own ways, and it was funny to see what a few of them were going to do. The ending was my favorite part, when you learn a few key facts.
I am indifferent about how I knew pretty much what had happened from the beginning. It isn't something I am upset about because I was kept interested and wanted to know why things went the way they did, and who played what role. I think that even if you have seen The Hangover or not you would have been able to figure out certain things. Things I would love to elaborate on but would give away the whole book. I do wonder about the second book though, and if McCarthy and Love are going to stick to the same plot or not.
Overall I would say that I did enjoy The Fangover very much. I do see myself rereading this book, just probably later in the future. I recommend this to anyone who wants to read it, though I will caution parents, there is sex. The characters are my favorite part of the book and it was a nice non-complicated read. It's perfect for that bit of comedy that you might need after reading other serious material.
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Page Count: 298 pages (paperback)
Price: $15
**Next Book: Fangs for Nothing by Erin McCarthy and Kathy Love
Thanks for reading!
~Jade
**There will be no July book haul going up, but August will have one (if all goes according to plan).
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Monday, July 21, 2014
Nevermore by Kelly Creagh
Part of Creagh's Nevermore series, there's a second book already out and a third planned for about July 2015. I don't know how many books are going to be in this particular series, yet. You hopefully know the spiel by now, I will try my best to do reviews of the other books, when I can. I hope you enjoy!
Isobel, is a cheerleader. Varen is goth. The unlikely match is paired together to work on an English project. Varen makes it perfectly clear that he doesn't want anything to do with Isobel, just as much as she doesn't want anything to do with him. It isn't long after that things get complicated, as usual. Isobel finds herself drawn to Varen, and making excuses to be with him more often. Away from her friends and overbearing boyfriend and to the dream world that is Varen. Isobel finds out that dreams hold a lot more power than what people think they do. Varen needs help and Isobel hopes that she has what it takes to pull him out of the madness that is pulling him down.
Four years ago Nevermore was published. Four years ago I was in tenth grade, being assigned an English project based on my choosing of an American author. I, like Varen, chose Edgar Allen Poe. I love Poe and think he is brilliant, so when I read that he would be mentioned in the book I was interested. What I wasn't expecting was Nevermore to be laced with Poe throughout its pages. For Varen's dreams to be Poe's work brought to life is cool and disturbing all at once. From start to finish I was enraptured by Nevermore, does it have anything to do with Poe being in it? Probably. Creagh did an amazing job all around with this book, details and scenes came to life for me. I like that this POV isn't coming from a "outcast", it's coming from a popular cheerleader. There is a touch of romance but it really doesn't blossom until towards the end. Speaking of the end, it was a nice ending but left me excited for the next book.
I wanted more, and that is my only complaint. I wanted so much more once I reached the end. I didn't see the second book at my library, so I am not sure when I will be able to review it. I highly recommend this book to Poe lovers, and anyone in general. I would absolutely reread Nevermore again, and I want to one day own it. Sorry that this review is a little shorter but I didn't want to give everything away about Nevermore.
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Page Count: 543 pages (paperback)
Price: $9.99
Next Book: The Fangover by Erin McCarthy and Kathy Love
Thanks for reading!
~Jade
Isobel, is a cheerleader. Varen is goth. The unlikely match is paired together to work on an English project. Varen makes it perfectly clear that he doesn't want anything to do with Isobel, just as much as she doesn't want anything to do with him. It isn't long after that things get complicated, as usual. Isobel finds herself drawn to Varen, and making excuses to be with him more often. Away from her friends and overbearing boyfriend and to the dream world that is Varen. Isobel finds out that dreams hold a lot more power than what people think they do. Varen needs help and Isobel hopes that she has what it takes to pull him out of the madness that is pulling him down.
Four years ago Nevermore was published. Four years ago I was in tenth grade, being assigned an English project based on my choosing of an American author. I, like Varen, chose Edgar Allen Poe. I love Poe and think he is brilliant, so when I read that he would be mentioned in the book I was interested. What I wasn't expecting was Nevermore to be laced with Poe throughout its pages. For Varen's dreams to be Poe's work brought to life is cool and disturbing all at once. From start to finish I was enraptured by Nevermore, does it have anything to do with Poe being in it? Probably. Creagh did an amazing job all around with this book, details and scenes came to life for me. I like that this POV isn't coming from a "outcast", it's coming from a popular cheerleader. There is a touch of romance but it really doesn't blossom until towards the end. Speaking of the end, it was a nice ending but left me excited for the next book.
I wanted more, and that is my only complaint. I wanted so much more once I reached the end. I didn't see the second book at my library, so I am not sure when I will be able to review it. I highly recommend this book to Poe lovers, and anyone in general. I would absolutely reread Nevermore again, and I want to one day own it. Sorry that this review is a little shorter but I didn't want to give everything away about Nevermore.
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Page Count: 543 pages (paperback)
Price: $9.99
Next Book: The Fangover by Erin McCarthy and Kathy Love
Thanks for reading!
~Jade
Sunday, July 13, 2014
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
First in the Jenna Fox Chronicles by Pearson there are three other books and a short story to be tagged along with this one. I don't know if I will be able to do reviews for the other books because not a single library close enough to me has them. Though when I can I will review the books.
Seventeen-year-old Jenna has woken up from a year long coma, and doesn't remember a thing. Jenna is still recovering from the accident that made her that way, her parents show her videos of her life and she can't recollect any memories. Is she really that girl? Slowly Jenna remembers things, but the more that she remembers, the more questions she has. Questions that no one wants to answer. But why? A glimpse into a possible future makes you wonder if we might be heading that way one day.
Not a typical book I would read, but I do love sci-fi genres more then what you might expect. It's just a matter of finding one that interests me. I couldn't help but pick up Adoration once finding out that it deals with bio-med ethics and humanity. I liked the beginning and most of the middle of this book, but after a while it got very dull. The few friends that Jenna makes once out of the coma, play a big role in her life. You have to read between the lines a bit to see what each one might do. Pearson does very well at describing things, drawing in and keeping my attention for the most part, and the creativity as well for Adoration was great. I like to think about what things might be like in the future and this book puts a nice spin on what may or may not happen, especially with medical advances. Out of all the characters I would say that Jenna's other two friends-Kara and Locke, and Mr. Bender are my favorites. I also enjoyed the ending of Adoration a lot, though it makes me wonder what is going to happen with the rest of the books. I love how Pearson didn't stick with the run of the mill chapters for the book, it made it a little more pizazz to the reading.
One thing I have to complain about is what I mentioned before. About half way into the book I didn't care to know fully what happened to Jenna. I figured things would either go bad (not as likely), or go good (more than likely). I wasn't too happy about this because my attention was unwavering till that point. Yes, there were still things that needed to be answered but I would have been perfectly okay not knowing everything. I was more disappointed with this because I had higher hopes for it, since it was a more sci-fi based book.
Though I was let down a little more than half way through the book, I would still recommend this. You never know, what you might not have loved someone else may love from cover to cover. As for wanting to own Adoration, I want to see how the rest of the books go before deciding that. Even with being disappointed I believe The Adoration of Jenna Fox was still a really good book. The sci-fi was really refreshing because I get stuck on one genre for a while sometimes. Adoration is also considered a 'teen' book, but for other fellow sci-fi lovers, that are adults, I think you could get into this book. It's not super simple but it isn't complex either.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Page Count: 266 pages (hardcover)
Price: $16.95
Next Book: Nevermore by Kelly Creagh
Thanks for reading!
~Jade
P.S. Don't forget that The Strain is premiering today on FX!
Seventeen-year-old Jenna has woken up from a year long coma, and doesn't remember a thing. Jenna is still recovering from the accident that made her that way, her parents show her videos of her life and she can't recollect any memories. Is she really that girl? Slowly Jenna remembers things, but the more that she remembers, the more questions she has. Questions that no one wants to answer. But why? A glimpse into a possible future makes you wonder if we might be heading that way one day.
Not a typical book I would read, but I do love sci-fi genres more then what you might expect. It's just a matter of finding one that interests me. I couldn't help but pick up Adoration once finding out that it deals with bio-med ethics and humanity. I liked the beginning and most of the middle of this book, but after a while it got very dull. The few friends that Jenna makes once out of the coma, play a big role in her life. You have to read between the lines a bit to see what each one might do. Pearson does very well at describing things, drawing in and keeping my attention for the most part, and the creativity as well for Adoration was great. I like to think about what things might be like in the future and this book puts a nice spin on what may or may not happen, especially with medical advances. Out of all the characters I would say that Jenna's other two friends-Kara and Locke, and Mr. Bender are my favorites. I also enjoyed the ending of Adoration a lot, though it makes me wonder what is going to happen with the rest of the books. I love how Pearson didn't stick with the run of the mill chapters for the book, it made it a little more pizazz to the reading.
One thing I have to complain about is what I mentioned before. About half way into the book I didn't care to know fully what happened to Jenna. I figured things would either go bad (not as likely), or go good (more than likely). I wasn't too happy about this because my attention was unwavering till that point. Yes, there were still things that needed to be answered but I would have been perfectly okay not knowing everything. I was more disappointed with this because I had higher hopes for it, since it was a more sci-fi based book.
Though I was let down a little more than half way through the book, I would still recommend this. You never know, what you might not have loved someone else may love from cover to cover. As for wanting to own Adoration, I want to see how the rest of the books go before deciding that. Even with being disappointed I believe The Adoration of Jenna Fox was still a really good book. The sci-fi was really refreshing because I get stuck on one genre for a while sometimes. Adoration is also considered a 'teen' book, but for other fellow sci-fi lovers, that are adults, I think you could get into this book. It's not super simple but it isn't complex either.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Page Count: 266 pages (hardcover)
Price: $16.95
Next Book: Nevermore by Kelly Creagh
Thanks for reading!
~Jade
P.S. Don't forget that The Strain is premiering today on FX!
Sunday, July 6, 2014
June Book Haul
Yeah.....I got a lot of books in June. But it was all at once and not sporadically throughout the month. My library had their bag sale and in total I got three paper bags full of books. 99 books were added to my collection. If you would like to see a picture of the books on my bed, head over to my Tumblr post here. If you would like to see what I got in my last book haul venture on over to May's post.
A list of the books I got:
-Black Lightning by John Saul
-Trading Places by Fern Michaels
-False Impressions by Laura Caldwell
-Sinful, and Seduction in Mind by Susan Johnson
-Murder at Midnight by AVI
-The Elusive Bride by Stephanie Laurens
-So Speaks the Heart, Angel, and The Heir by Johanna Lindsey
-I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You by Ally Carte
-Capitan Underpants and the Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space by Dav Pilkey
-Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani
-No Easy Way Out by Dayna Lorentz
-Ghost Behind the Wall by Melvin Burgess
-Navajo Canyon by Tom W. Blackburn
-Primal Heat by Susan Sizemore
-The Selkie by Melanie Jackson
-The Church of Dead Girls by Stephen Dobyns
-Burning Up by Caroline B. Cooney
-The Bride of the Unicorn by Kasey Michaels
-Innocent Fire by Brenda Joyce
-Fright Time A collection of scary stories
-Research Guide: Ancient Greece and the Olympic by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce
-Just Annoying by Andy Griffiths
-Ender's Game by Orson Scot Card
-Eight Summers At Bonnie Oaks by Mary Cox Florine
-The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
-Needleplay by Erica Wilson
-Nightblood by T. Chris Martindale
-Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine
-Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur
-When Twilight Burns by Colleen Gleason
-The Prince with No Heart by Emma Holly
-The Mammoth Book of Vampires A collection of vampire stories
-Vampire Plagues: London, 1850 by Sebastian Rook
-Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning
-Come The Morning, Knight Triumphant, Seize The Dawn, The Lion in Glory, Conquer the Night by Shannon Drake
-Tempted, Desired, Unmasked, and The Dragon and the Jewel by Virginia Henley
-Perfect Partners by Jayne Ann Krentz
-Playing With Fire by Katie MacAlister
-The Iron Rose, My Forever Love, Pale Moon Rider, The Last Arrow, In The Shadow of Midnight, and The Pride of Lions by Marsha Canham
-Devil's Bride by Stepanie Laurens
-Almost Innocent by Jane Feather
-Late for the Wedding by Amanda Quick
-Abarate by Clive Barker
-The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs
-Unwilling Warrior by Andrea Boeshaar
-The Au Pairs, Sun-Kissed, and Crazy Hot by Melissa de la Cruz
-The Purple Emperor, Ruler of the Realm, Faerie Lord, and The Faeman Quest by Herbie Brennan
-The O'Malley Chronicles Volume One by Dee Henderson
-To Love Again, Beloved, All The Sweet Tomorrows, Skye O'Malley and The Innocent by Bertrice Small
-The Black Book [Diary of a Teenage Stud] Vol. II Stop, Don't Stop, Vol. III Run, Jonah, Run, and Vol. IV Faster, Faster, Faster by Jonah Black
-The Black Raven, The Red Wyvern, and The Fire Dragon by Katherine Kerr
-Rebel, Sweet Savage Eden, And One Rode West, and Julia Justiss by Heather Graham
-Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire
-Dark Lycan by Christine Feehan
-Savage Moon by Cassie Edwards
-Perfect by Judith McNaught
-The Key to Midnight, and The Eyes of Darkness by Dean Koontz
-Finders Keepers by Catherine Palmer
-Flight from Stonewycke by Michael Phillips and Judith Pella
-Beyond Eden, Calypso Magic, The Sherbrooke Bride, False Pretenses, Midsummer Magic, and Secret Song by Catherine Coulter
-Silver Wolf, Black Falcon by Dennis L. MeKiernan
-Scent of Darkness by Christina Dodd
That's a lot of books, but I love books so I don't mind. You may or may not see a review of any of these books. It depends on if I rent any books from my library, or if I decide to find a book to read from my personal library. These are all the books I got in the month of June, I hope you enjoyed!
Next Review: The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
Thanks for reading!
~Jade
A list of the books I got:
-Black Lightning by John Saul
-Trading Places by Fern Michaels
-False Impressions by Laura Caldwell
-Sinful, and Seduction in Mind by Susan Johnson
-Murder at Midnight by AVI
-The Elusive Bride by Stephanie Laurens
-So Speaks the Heart, Angel, and The Heir by Johanna Lindsey
-I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You by Ally Carte
-Capitan Underpants and the Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space by Dav Pilkey
-Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani
-No Easy Way Out by Dayna Lorentz
-Ghost Behind the Wall by Melvin Burgess
-Navajo Canyon by Tom W. Blackburn
-Primal Heat by Susan Sizemore
-The Selkie by Melanie Jackson
-The Church of Dead Girls by Stephen Dobyns
-Burning Up by Caroline B. Cooney
-The Bride of the Unicorn by Kasey Michaels
-Innocent Fire by Brenda Joyce
-Fright Time A collection of scary stories
-Research Guide: Ancient Greece and the Olympic by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce
-Just Annoying by Andy Griffiths
-Ender's Game by Orson Scot Card
-Eight Summers At Bonnie Oaks by Mary Cox Florine
-The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
-Needleplay by Erica Wilson
-Nightblood by T. Chris Martindale
-Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine
-Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur
-When Twilight Burns by Colleen Gleason
-The Prince with No Heart by Emma Holly
-The Mammoth Book of Vampires A collection of vampire stories
-Vampire Plagues: London, 1850 by Sebastian Rook
-Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning
-Come The Morning, Knight Triumphant, Seize The Dawn, The Lion in Glory, Conquer the Night by Shannon Drake
-Tempted, Desired, Unmasked, and The Dragon and the Jewel by Virginia Henley
-Perfect Partners by Jayne Ann Krentz
-Playing With Fire by Katie MacAlister
-The Iron Rose, My Forever Love, Pale Moon Rider, The Last Arrow, In The Shadow of Midnight, and The Pride of Lions by Marsha Canham
-Devil's Bride by Stepanie Laurens
-Almost Innocent by Jane Feather
-Late for the Wedding by Amanda Quick
-Abarate by Clive Barker
-The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs
-Unwilling Warrior by Andrea Boeshaar
-The Au Pairs, Sun-Kissed, and Crazy Hot by Melissa de la Cruz
-The Purple Emperor, Ruler of the Realm, Faerie Lord, and The Faeman Quest by Herbie Brennan
-The O'Malley Chronicles Volume One by Dee Henderson
-To Love Again, Beloved, All The Sweet Tomorrows, Skye O'Malley and The Innocent by Bertrice Small
-The Black Book [Diary of a Teenage Stud] Vol. II Stop, Don't Stop, Vol. III Run, Jonah, Run, and Vol. IV Faster, Faster, Faster by Jonah Black
-The Black Raven, The Red Wyvern, and The Fire Dragon by Katherine Kerr
-Rebel, Sweet Savage Eden, And One Rode West, and Julia Justiss by Heather Graham
-Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire
-Dark Lycan by Christine Feehan
-Savage Moon by Cassie Edwards
-Perfect by Judith McNaught
-The Key to Midnight, and The Eyes of Darkness by Dean Koontz
-Finders Keepers by Catherine Palmer
-Flight from Stonewycke by Michael Phillips and Judith Pella
-Beyond Eden, Calypso Magic, The Sherbrooke Bride, False Pretenses, Midsummer Magic, and Secret Song by Catherine Coulter
-Silver Wolf, Black Falcon by Dennis L. MeKiernan
-Scent of Darkness by Christina Dodd
That's a lot of books, but I love books so I don't mind. You may or may not see a review of any of these books. It depends on if I rent any books from my library, or if I decide to find a book to read from my personal library. These are all the books I got in the month of June, I hope you enjoyed!
Next Review: The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
Thanks for reading!
~Jade
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
First book in the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder is a spin off of Cinderella. I will try my best to review the next three books but it took forever for me to get Cinder and actually read it from my library. I am really glad that I have finally jumped on this train because I like where it is going, even if I am really late on the train as always!
Cinder is not your normal sixteen-year-old. She is deemed the bane of her stepmothers existence, and society doesn't perceive her more than a technological mistake. Though being part cyborg has it's lighter side, Cinder can fix anything and in New Beijing, she is the best mechanic. With a reputation like that people still come to her to have their things fixed. Even Prince Kai himself. He visits her booth requesting that she fixes his android before the annual ball. He plays the android off to be nothing more than a sentimental machine to him, but Cinder knows better. Wanting to please the Prince Cinder doesn't get far when the only person who has been nice to her comes down with the plague. Earth is no longer what it once was, and there is more to Cinder than anyone actually knows.
It seems I am on a roll with books that I have absolutely loved. To continue, Cinder definitely makes the 5 star list. From beginning to end I was enraptured by Cinder and what things have fallen to after a chemical war. For a spinoff of Cinderella I didn't know if I was going to enjoy this, because most of the time there isn't enough of the spin part and lots of the actual fairy tale. Cinder crosses enough of the tale and throws lots of spins into the plot that I ended up loving the plot within a few pages of starting the book. This is going to be a huge spoiler for those who have not read the book and I do not recommend reading this particular one. *SPOILER-ALERT* I was expecting for the ending to be all happy and hunky-dory. It wasn't. Even with the love that's between Kai and Cinder, they don't end up together at the end of the story. Maybe in one of the future books they will be hinted toward being together. *SPOILER-ENDED* I also love how other fairy tales are brought in, you almost know what the next books are about in terms of other fairy tales.
There really wasn't anything I had a problem with in Cinder. I did run into a few passages where I had to reread it a few times to fully understand what was going on, but that could have just been me. I loved the cyborg and dystopian style of this book, Meyer made it flow very nicely together. There were a few sad parts in it, but I almost would have been let down if things were just happy and good all the time.
Yet another good book read, and I totally recommend this book to everyone who has looked at it. I really loved Cinder and I think the series is going to be amazing. I would love to one day own this book. I'm sorry that these last few reviews have been a little weird in terms of length, but when I have nothing to say, I have nothing to say. Nevertheless, I still hope you enjoyed the reviews, I have more on the way as usual.
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Page Count: 390 pages (hardcover).
Price: $17.99
Next: June Book Haul
Thanks for reading!
~Jade
Cinder is not your normal sixteen-year-old. She is deemed the bane of her stepmothers existence, and society doesn't perceive her more than a technological mistake. Though being part cyborg has it's lighter side, Cinder can fix anything and in New Beijing, she is the best mechanic. With a reputation like that people still come to her to have their things fixed. Even Prince Kai himself. He visits her booth requesting that she fixes his android before the annual ball. He plays the android off to be nothing more than a sentimental machine to him, but Cinder knows better. Wanting to please the Prince Cinder doesn't get far when the only person who has been nice to her comes down with the plague. Earth is no longer what it once was, and there is more to Cinder than anyone actually knows.
It seems I am on a roll with books that I have absolutely loved. To continue, Cinder definitely makes the 5 star list. From beginning to end I was enraptured by Cinder and what things have fallen to after a chemical war. For a spinoff of Cinderella I didn't know if I was going to enjoy this, because most of the time there isn't enough of the spin part and lots of the actual fairy tale. Cinder crosses enough of the tale and throws lots of spins into the plot that I ended up loving the plot within a few pages of starting the book. This is going to be a huge spoiler for those who have not read the book and I do not recommend reading this particular one. *SPOILER-ALERT* I was expecting for the ending to be all happy and hunky-dory. It wasn't. Even with the love that's between Kai and Cinder, they don't end up together at the end of the story. Maybe in one of the future books they will be hinted toward being together. *SPOILER-ENDED* I also love how other fairy tales are brought in, you almost know what the next books are about in terms of other fairy tales.
There really wasn't anything I had a problem with in Cinder. I did run into a few passages where I had to reread it a few times to fully understand what was going on, but that could have just been me. I loved the cyborg and dystopian style of this book, Meyer made it flow very nicely together. There were a few sad parts in it, but I almost would have been let down if things were just happy and good all the time.
Yet another good book read, and I totally recommend this book to everyone who has looked at it. I really loved Cinder and I think the series is going to be amazing. I would love to one day own this book. I'm sorry that these last few reviews have been a little weird in terms of length, but when I have nothing to say, I have nothing to say. Nevertheless, I still hope you enjoyed the reviews, I have more on the way as usual.
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Page Count: 390 pages (hardcover).
Price: $17.99
Next: June Book Haul
Thanks for reading!
~Jade
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