Back for a little while...

I'm still getting over Swine Flu and a lung infection, so I'm nowhere near being up to snuff. I know I haven't posted my October books read yet, but I hope to get to it soon. On the plus side, being sick gave me a ton of time to read, and I finished 13 books in the last 8 days! I don't expect that speed to continue (I've got a house to clean and piles of laundry to tackle), but it felt nice to have so much time to read.

You'll see I just posted an ARC review for Fallen by Lauren Kate. Check it out if you want - I don't think I was too mean, but brutal honesty is my forte, and that review is no exception to my No B.S. - even for review books policy.

Wishing happy reading to all :D
Mo

Fallen by Lauren Kate

There's something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price's attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He's the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce--and goes out of his way to make that very clear--she can't let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page turning thriller and the ultimate love story.

Sadly, Fallen fell flat for me. In the wake of Twilight, a whole host of "bumbling girl falls for angst-ridden non-human boy" books have come out. Some have been better than others. Fallen did keep my attention for about 3/4 of the book, then it got too ridiculous for me to even want to play along. *Not spoiler-free, but keeps all the plot twists hidden pretty well.*

This book is set at a reform school, so obviously the people will be a bit more damaged than at a regular school. I found that aspect to be entertaining. Arriane, the off-putting bad girl who turns out to be a good friend, is an interesting character. Penn, the nerdy office aide who selflessly helps Luce, is a sweetheart. Gabbe, basically Southern Belle Barbie, is underdeveloped, mostly to serve as an icon of perfection and a possible obstacle on the path to Luce's "true love". We also get Molly, who dumps meatloaf on Luce's head and says mean things at every opportunity, a typical one-dimensional bad girl. The atmosphere at the school, complete with an old cemetery, kudzu, dying trees, overgrown grass, and fog, is very well done.

Luce, our intrepid heroine, drove me batty. I wanted to bang my head against the wall when she was drawn to a boy, Daniel, (switch that for Edward Cullen) who flipped her off when he first met her, then took every opportunity to reject & abandon her after that. What kind of common sense would tell a girl to go for a guy who ignores her and treats her like dirt. If he wasn't so hot, would she have fallen in love with the jerk? She never even got to know him, but it doesn't matter because his violet-gray eyes are so gorgeous and when they kiss it feels like Heaven (so he must be an angel!). Luce is very needy, spends a lot of time wallowing in the past, and questions herself at every turn ... then steps in to situations she should know better than to go anywhere near.

At the school, there's also the typical "male who is sweet and amazing, but not dangerous and forbidden enough, so he's out of the running" guy in the form of Cam (insert Jacob Black here). True to typical bumbling girl form (perfected by Bella Swan), Luce leads him on while lusting after Daniel. It turns out both boys harbor secrets that are integral to Luce figuring out why she sees dark shadows and seems to kill boys by mere proximity (questions that go unanswered in this book).

Where the book really loses me is when it's introduced that the fate of the world rests on the shoulders of Luce, a silly teenage twit with a crush on a hot guy. The whole "conspiracy of evil" thing is unbelievable and incredibly cheesy. It's meant to be epic and dangerous and of biblical "battle of good versus evil" proportions, but it comes across as forced, like the author was trying too hard to make it exciting and lay out a plot that would pave the way for a lengthy series. It really doesn't help that it all ends with a huge cliffhanger and a bucketful of unanswered questions. It's not quite Twilight with angels, as the danger is much further reaching and Luce's actions have many more consequences, but it's close enough that it feels derivative.

I'm (just a little!) more jaded than the real target audience of this book (teens), so it is possible I'm being too harsh and overanalyzing the book. It wasn't awful, and I don't regret reading it, since it was entertaining for a majority of the book, but it really did feel forced in the end. One positive thing I can say with certainty: the cover is beautiful. When you read it, please comment and let me know how you felt about it.

Grade: C-


***Fallen was sent to me as an ARC from Random House through Shelf Awareness. It will be released on December 8th.***

218. hush, hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along.

With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

Let me preface this by saying that had my husband not picked up this book and read the back cover blurb, I'm not sure I would have made the Twilight connections myself.

That said, I did see distinct parallels between Hush, Hush and Twilight, and it could be said that this book is Twilight-derivative. Basically, change a vampire to an angel and you have the general idea of what this book is about. She is paired up with him in science class. He is ornery and off-putting. She feels like she's being watched - even in her bedroom. She's attracted to him even though she really doesn't know him and every instinct warns her against it. Evil forces are going to come after her and he's going to try to protect her.

These are where the similarities end though. I did like Twilight, but I'm not in the 'Twilight's the greatest thing since sliced bread' camp. What I liked about this book is that Nora has very little in common with Bella, character-wise. Nora has other friends, she's comfortable with herself, she's confident. She is cautious and doesn't blindly run into situations and require rescuing. She doesn't immediately want Patch simply because he's hot, off-limits, and aloof. Nora is perceptive and smart. She tries to stay away from Patch, but when she's thrust into situations with him, she gets to know him and is wary and careful. She's much more likable to me than co-dependent, weak Bella Swan. Nora makes Bella look like a pansy. Patch is more complex and interesting than Edward as well. Yeah, the book is probably derivative of Twilight, but it's an improvement to the formula and has so much less pointless teen angst. I can't blame the author for wanting to write the next Twilight ... in fact, I'm glad she gave it a try. It's an altogether good book.

Hush, Hush will be released on 10/13/09. I'd like to thank Simon & Schuster via Shelf Awareness for the ARC.

239. The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance, an anthology

24 new short stories from the hottest names

Fall in love with someone out of this world.

If love transcends all boundaries then paranormal romance is its logical conclusion. From the biggest names around, here are 24 tales to take you to another time and place.

Let Alyssa Day, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Cheyenne McCray, Jeaniene Frost, Ilona Andrews, Kelley Armstrong, Maria V. Snyder, Carrie Vaughn, Allyson James Marland and others show you powers beyond your wildest imaginings.

Within these pages mythical beasts, magical creatures of all shapes and sizes, heart-stoppingly handsome ghosts, angels, and mortals with extra-sensitive sensory perception play out the themes of extraordinary desires.

I figured an anthology with 24 stories deserved its own review and would be way too huge for my September mini reviews post. Here goes:

I graded each story separately and came up with 4 A's, 6 B's, 9 C's, 4 DNF (Did Not Finish), and 1 I passed on at this time.

DNF's:
*HOW TO DATE A SUPERHERO by Jean Johnson - Halfway down the first page this one started to annoy me. I just wasn't interested in pages of hearing someone rant about spandex.
*PELE'S TEARS by Catherine Mulvany - I lost interest two pages in.
*WHEN GARGOYLES FLY by Lori Devoti - This one didn't hold my interest.
*THE WAGER by Sherrilyn Kenyon - I quickly lost interest in this one.

Passed On Reading:
*BLUE CRUSH by Rachel Caine - this is a Weather Warden story, and I haven't started that series yet. I don't like jumping in in the middle of a storyline, so I decided not to read the story at this time.

C's:
*SUCCUBUS SEDUCTION by Cheyenne McCray - a succubus is ordered to take the soul of a mortal man, but has no idea who he really is. It was just okay.
*PARANORMAL ROMANCE BLUES by Kelley Armstrong - two friends go to a vampire bar hoping to meet a real vampire, only to get more than they bargained for. Normally I worship the ground Kelley Armstrong walks on, but this one was just alright for me.
*DANIEL by C.T. Adams & Cathy Clamp - a process server who is friends with a vampire is stalked by another vampire. Just okay, nothing impressive.
*THE TUESDAY ENCHANTRESS by Mary Jo Putney - two male guardians (people with special powers used to help others) are in a New York deli when a female guardian comes in. When the deli gets robbed, they deal with the aftermath. This was just average for me.
*TRINITY BLUE by Eve Silver - a vampire spurned by his lover on her deathbed falls for a mortal woman he has been doing handyman work for, but the woman is more than she appears to be. Just alright for me.
*ONCE A DEMON by Dina James - an ex-demon makes a confession to his friend, who is the queen of a vampire clan. Just an okay story.
*THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER AND HIS WIFE by Sara Mackenzie - many years before, a lighthouse keeper died in a storm trying to save a ship full of people. He's brought back from the dead to the past to re-do that night, along with the modern version of his long-dead wife who was brought from the present back to the past. Where his old wife was when they got back to the past is beyond me. If he went back to the past, everything there before should still be there, so I'm not sure why his old wife was gone and they brought along the modern version of his old wife and had her travel back in time. It made no sense, and the resolution was way too easy.
*BLOOD SONG by Lynda Hilburn - a woman heals people with a sound circle, and when she's saved from a vampire attack, her memory is wiped, but she still remembers and her rescuer can't stay away from her. The ending was a little (actually a lot) too convenient.
*THE DREAM CATCHER by Allyson James - a high born lady lives in a society where nudity is forbidden, emotions equal weakness, and children are conceived with needles, since sex is considered savage. The lady goes to a party (even though she knows the hostess wants to humiliate her) to see a captured dream catcher, a man that can make anyone's dream seem truly real, and she experiences an immediate connection with the man. The world was absolutely fascinating, but the romance fell flat for me.

B's:
*IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING by Meljean Brook - a woman returns to her hometown only to get attacked on the highway. Her old flame, now the sheriff, helps her track down the serial killer/rapist who's killed 4 women so far and she managed to get away from. I liked this one.
*AT SECOND BITE by Michelle Rowen - A woman meets a man (who says he's a vampire) at a bar and he is claiming to be her soulmate. He says a witch running a soulmate recovery service matched them. Since she supposedly was heinous in a past life, his brother is trying to kill her. This one was entertaining.
*THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA by Alyssa Day - a clever retelling of the classic fairy tale. A servant woman helps the princess put iron pellets under the mattresses of all visiting fae men vying to marry the princess. I found this one interesting.
*NIGHT VISION by Maria V Snyder - a female light bender can see perfectly in the dark but is blinded by light. On a ride one night, she sees an agent being kidnapped and decides to rescue him. It's an interesting concept, but I liked the story more for the plot than for the romance.
*JOHN DOE by Anna Windsor - a female doctor at a psychiatric hospital gets a new patient, whom she is inexplicably attracted to, and finds out he's linked to her past and brings danger with him. It's a good concept with nice execution.
*THE TEMPTATION OF ROBIN GREEN by Carrie Vaughn - a government agent at a paranormal research facility gets involved with a selkie held captive there. It was interesting, but had a bittersweet ending.

A's: These were my four favorites.
*TAKING HOLD by Anya Bast - a human nurse volunteers to help a werewolf track down a pack member lost in the mountains. I really enjoyed this, especially since Lily and Mac had great chemistry.
*GRACE OF SMALL MAGICS by Ilona Andrews - Grace's family is in forced servitude to a powerful magical family, the Dreochs. Nassar, the most powerful, calls her into service to compete in a deadly and dangerous magical version of capture the flag with him. This was very entertaining and interesting.
*LIGHT THROUGH FOG by Holly Lisle - a grieving, devastated widow, Sarah, discovers her dead husband, Sam, in their backyard treehouse one night, and he's real. They make love, and she gets pregnant. She's abandoned by her family who all think she cheated on Sam. She goes to the treehouse again and again to meet him, but he only exists there sometimes. It turns out there are that in his world, she was the one who died. Magic happens when the alternate realities collide. This was lovely and charming.
*PACK by Jeaniene Frost - A woman, Marlee, gets lost in Yellowstone and is attacked by wolves. She is rescued by Daniel, a werewolf, and brought to a hidden were town in the mountains and held hostage by Daniel until it can be determined if she was infected by the werewolf virus. Marlee ends up succumbing to Stockholm Syndrome. This was really good. I enjoyed the characters and the world.


Since I found 10/24 stories enjoyable and worth reading, this is an anthology I can definitely recommend.

250. The Maze Runner by James Dashner

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

This was incredibly slow starting out. Slang words like shank, klunk, greenie, shuck, and whacker were really overused and tiresome. It took me hundreds of pages (and days to force myself through that much) to even get somewhat into the book. I never really connected with the story - it was a great concept but the execution fell short. It was clumsy and there were no likable characters. The ending was a cop-out designed to sell a second book, but I guess that's pretty normal nowadays. I didn't enjoy it enough to recommend it at all.






The Maze Runner will be released on 10/6/09. Thank you to Delacorte Press via Shelf Awareness for the ARC.

September Mini Reviews

237. Infected by Scott Sigler
I tried so hard to get into this book. The concept was pretty cool since I love parasite books, but there were so many chapters of CDC epidemiologists spouting buzzwords and it practically read like a textbook. There were also chapters in the parasite's point of view, which detailed their growth and biology, and were very dry. The only interesting part was Perry, the ex-football player. We followed him from the start of the infection, through all the symptoms, to cutting open his body to pull parasitic stalks out. However, when the parasites started talking to Perry, I'd finally had enough. I had been pushing through, hoping it would get better, but it didn't. If you love books with a lot of science in them, you'll love this. I didn't care for it.
Abandoned on p.160

238. The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks
Covered in separate review HERE.

239. The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance, an anthology
Way too big to be covered in this post, so it will be covered in a separate review.

240. Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow
Dru Anderson hunts vampires and all things evil with her dad, but when he gets turned into a zombie, she's on her own. She is befriended by a boy that gets bitten by a werewolf and helped by a vampire descendant. I really couldn't get into this one. I didn't connect with the characters at all, and there was too much time spent on insignificant details and too little time spent on the interesting events. I forced myself to finish it, but regret that I did so. I don't recommend this.
Grade: D

241. Ghost in the Machine (Skeleton Creek #2) by Patrick Carman
Covered in a separate review HERE.

242. The White Queen by Philippa Gregory
This was a good book, but it didn't have the "wow!" factor that The Other Boleyn Girl had for me. Starting this, I knew nothing about the War of the Roses. Gregory did a great job of explaining the history and I never felt lost. It was crazy the way people turned on their family members and so much blood was spilled. After I finished this, I checked on wikipedia, and the main facts were accurate (except for what happened to Elizabeth's son Richard). There was a lot of sensationalizing, however, which is why this is definitely fictional.
Grade: C

243. Catching Fire (The Hunger Games #2) by Suzanne Collins
Holy crow! I was speechless for so long and even now struggle with what to say about this book. When I was trying to figure out where Collins could possibly take the plot and what she could possibly do to top The Hunger Games, this never occurred to me. It was exciting, suspenseful, clever, and flat-out impossible to put down. I stayed up until 3:30am to finish it ... it was that good. Collins has turned out another amazing book, a worthy successor to The Hunger Games. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series.
Grade: A

244. Rampant by Diana Peterfreund
This was just okay. There were some interesting and exciting bits, and the premise of fanged, poisonous, carnivorous killer unicorns was great, but the book drug along so slowly until the last 30 pages that it drove me batty.
Grade: C

245. Ghouls Just Haunt to Have Fun (Ghost Hunter Mysteries #3) by Victoria Laurie
This was another action-packed M. J. Holliday adventure. This time, M.J. is involved in a reality show being filmed in a haunted hotel. Heath, the Native American psychic, is a great addition to the cast of characters. The book was exciting and interesting.
Grade: B

246. Dead is So Last Year (Dead Is... series #3) by Marlene Perez
The first book in this series had vampire cheerleaders. The second had werewolves and gypsies. This one has doppelgangers who crave sugar. It's another fun Nightshade book with Daisy and her sisters. As always, I like the book so much that I wish it was longer and the books came out more often.
Grade: B

247. Goddess Boot Camp (sequel to Oh. My. Gods.) by Tara Lynn Childs
Goddess-descended Phoebe is back. Her powers are going haywire - a palm tree in the living room, roaches all over her stepfather, and a lot more. She is enrolled in Goddess Boot Camp to learn to control her powers. She's also being tested by the Gods and training for an important marathon, all in two short weeks. I enjoyed this book. Phoebe and Griffin are great characters, and I would have loved to see more of Nicole and Troy. I liked the new complexities of Stella & Adara's characters. Xavier is a nice addition to the cast. My only complaint was that the final Gods test was very anti-climactic compared to the book camp finale.
Grade: B

248. Marvel Zombies (graphic novel) by Robert Kirkman, etc.
This encompasses the first 5 comics in the Marvel Zombies series. I thought zombie Spider-man, Wolverine, Phoenix, etc. would be awesome. Well ... the concept is awesome, the execution, not so much. It came across as whiny ten year olds squabbling and complaining they were hungry after eating all the people on Earth.
Grade: D

249. Marvel Zombies 2 (graphic novel) by Robert Kirkman, etc.
This contains issues 6-10 of the series. I was worried it would be lame like the last one, but it was better. Forty years had passed and some humans had survived on Earth and were trying to repopulate. When the zombies had finished eating every other life form in the universe, they came back to Earth to check on things, and the survivors have to battle for their lives.
Grade: C

250. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Will be covered later in a separate review.

251. Rosemary & Rue (October Daye series #1) by Seanan McGuire
This is an enjoyable urban fantasy. I liked the wry humor and twists on traditional faerie traits (especially about sunrise). Toby is a changeling (half fae, half human) who was taken from her father as a child and grew up with the fae. She's a great heroine. The plot is creative, exciting, and mysterious. I liked the in depth relationships with Devin (a fae version of Peter Pan), Sylvester (her ruler), and Connor (her ex-boyfriend). Throw in kelpies, rose goblins, pixies in Safeway, assassins, a beautiful and crazy faerie queen, a selkie, a demon witch, an Undine, a Cait Sidhe ruler, and more. The pronunciation guide was very helpful - I never would have guessed Daoine Sidhe (doon-ya she) or Luidaeg (lou-sha-k). I'm looking forward to the next October "Toby" Daye novel. I found this book to be multi-layered and fascinating.
Grade: B

252. The Darkest Whisper (Lords of the Underworld #4) by Gena Showalter
This book is supposed to be focused on the Harpy Gwen and the warrior Lord of the Underworld, Sabin, possessed by the demon of Doubt. That's not entirely accurate. It also focuses on other warriors like Aeron (Wrath) and his demon Legion, Amun (Secrets), Cameo (Misery) the only female warrior, Torin (Disease), Gideon (Lies), Paris (Promiscuity), Strider (Defeat), and Gwen's three Harpy sisters. It has lots of interesting background on the warriors, plus revelations about Gwen, an interesting twist involving children, and confined Otherworldly women being used as breeders. There were no resolutions, but lots of action and world-building. I really liked Gwen and Sabin. I'm looking forward to Heart of Darkness, which will be released in January. I've noticed each consecutive book has focused less on one couple only and more on other warriors as well, which is definitely alright with me.
Grade: B

253. Vampire A Go-Go by Victor Gischler
This lacked the amazing magic that Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse had. That book was funny, interesting, and inventive. This was boring, humorless, and stale. It was hard to get as far as I did since by page thirteen I wanted to abandon it. I hung in there, but really did not like the book. It also drove me nuts that the ghost narrator kept breaking in to the story with no warning, pause, or indication, and it kept breaking up the plot.
Abandoned on page 62

254. Zombocalypse Now by Matt Youngmark
When my husband's friend told me I had to borrow a book from him, I was skeptical since we have very different taste in books most of the time. However, this one was totally worth it. It is a zombie choose-your-own-adventure novel! The main character is a stuffed bunny (don't be like me and over analyze why a stuffed bunny would have a brain, blood, and guts if it was stuffed bunnies are full of cotton normally). The endings are pretty funny - there are 112 total, with only 7 being happy endings. The endings I got included being eaten by a zombie pony and a zombie mackerel fish, creating a cute little zombie kitty, being shot my police rescuers, and being beaten to death by a nun chuck wielding shirtless man. On my 7th try, I survived! I had a lot of fun with this book. I think the author might be a little bit too obsessed with toothpaste though. Out of the 21 endings I got, I survived twice, which is better than my husband's friend, who tried more than 20 times and died every time :( As a child of the 80s, I'm all for Choose Your Own Adventure books!
Grade: B

255. Hunting Ground (Alpha & Omega series #2) by Patricia Briggs
I really like this series. Anna, the shy Omega wolf, and Charles, her Native American Alpha wolf husband, are great characters. The trip to Seattle was a nice change of scenery. There was plenty of excitement, danger, and intrigue including King Arthur, the sword Excalibur, fae, trolls, vampires, a witch, and more. Very well executed. I am looking forward to book three in the series. Patricia Briggs cannot write these books fast enough for me!
Grade: B

256. Level 26: Dark Origins by Anthony Zuiker
Oh man, this book is an epic Fail. I really do not recommend it. I feel like I wasted my time completely. I want to start off by explaining that this is a "digi-novel" which combines a book with passwords to watch videos online. It claims to be the first ever, but that's not true. Patrick Carman's Skeleton Creek was the first book to incorporate videos into a book, and he did an amazing job of it. I was really excited to read this book since it's by the creator of CSI (one of my favorite shows ever), Anthony Zuiker. This book falls flat in so many ways, and is not exciting or interesting like CSI. The villain, Sqweegel has a cheesy name and even cheesier acting in the videos - it's hard to be scared by someone who should be in Cirque du Soleil. It's also hard to be intimidated by someone who shaves his entire body (then the book describes the shaving of nether regions in unncecessary and nasty detail) then rubs extcly 4.5 sticks of butter all over himself. Wouldn't he be walking around dripping melted butter? And the lets induce labor with spicy foods, walking, castor oil, and herbs part was so lame - if Sqweegel wanted the baby out and didn't value the mother's life, why did he bother - when he could have just cut her belly open? The hero, Steve Dark, was annoying - was he so dark and depressed that his name absolutely had to be Steve Dark? Seriously? There were giant plot and continuity holes. Some of the videos were unneccessary, like the three that were nothing but a text message, voice mail, and newspaper headline. There was also a lame five minute lets dance on the beach and think of how things used to be vignette, and a final video that is merely a set-up for the next book. This book had a lot of potential, but it was bogged down a by pointless, unintelligent, uncreative, tired storyline. A tired cop is forced out of retirement to nap the diabolical serial killer that got away. The killer targets his family, and a cat and mouse game ensues. It's been done too many times before and this brings nothing new to the table. This was like a cheap rip-off of that movie, Seven, with Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, except the killer was basing his murders on the 7 virtues rather than 7 deadly sins. The videos added nothing to the experience, if anything they distracted from it and weren't even necessary to the plot. It was graphic and violent, but in an empty plot tactic way, not an adding to the creepiness of the plot way. This book was a major disappointment and waste of time. The ending was ridiculous and contrived. I will not be reading any of the other books that come out in this series. I feel bad to be ranting, but the book really peeved me.
Grade: F

Monthly Recap:

20 books read total this month: 2 grade A books; 8 grade B books; 4 grade C books; 3 grade D books; 1 grade F book; 2 abandoned books.

My favorite book of the month was Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. She managed to top The Hunger Games, and in an amazing way.

256 books total for the year, which I'm very happy with.

Thanks for your patience with the mini review compilation post instead of full reviews for each book. I wish you all happy reading :o)

Upcoming posts at Unmainstream Mom Reads

Tune back in soon for these upcoming posts:


10/2: September Mini Reviews

10/3: Review: The Maze Runner by James Dashner

10/7: Review: The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance

10/10: Review: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

241. Ghost in the Machine (Skeleton Creek #2) by Patrick Carman

Ryan and Sarah are trapped inside the mystery of Skeleton Creek. Nothing in their town is what it first appears to be. And there are forces at work that want to keep old secrets buried ... at any cost.

Clue by clue, the pieces begin to add up - and they all point to danger. In his journal, Ryan tries to chronicle his discoveries. Meanwhile, Sarah investigates and captures what she sees on video.

As time starts to run out, Ryan and Sarah are forced to make more and more desperate moves to get tot he heart of the mystery. Someone - alive or dead - is trying to stop them. And as the stakes get higher, so do the risks.

There are three sides to this story: Ryan's. Sarah's. And the deadly truth.

Nothing is safe in Skeleton Creek.
Read it. Watch it. Live it.

Ghost in the Machine is the continuation of a storyline started in Skeleton Creek. Friends Ryan and Sarah are forbidden to contact each other, so they are forced to find alternate means of communication. Ryan journals the events from his perspective, and Sarah makes videos. They also manage to text, call, and leave notes. They are still trying to solve the mystery of the gold dredge, which is haunted by the ghost of Old Joe Bush, a dredge worker who died while at work. The dredge is scheduled to be burned down, and Ryan and Sarah are determined to uncover its secrets, but time is running out because the burn date keeps getting moved up. Complicating things is a secret society called the Crossbones, whose members appear to be covering up secrets in Skeleton Creek. After being threatened by Old Joe Bush’s ghost, Ryan and Sarah must put their lives in danger to solve the mystery of the dredge.

This book is a great follow-up to a groundbreaking format introduced in the first book. Ghost in the Machine uses the same innovative style of literature that the first book in the series, Skeleton Creek, used. It's a book and a movie at the same time. Every few chapters, a password is given so the reader can enter a website and can see Sarah's video messages to Ryan. For me, it made the story interactive and exciting, and it perfectly fits the way kids multitask nowadays. Kids can get even deeper into the story and are engaged in multiple ways. As the first series to introduce this format, the Skeleton Creek books will hold a special place in my heart. The layout of the book, with handwritten and lined journal pages, drawings, and cut out articles, makes it feel more real than a traditional book. It helped me to connect more with Ryan and Sarah’s story, and I found the book impossible to put down.

I was a bit disappointed in a few ways: There was a long stretch in the middle of the book (p.77-140) without passwords, so it drove me a bit nutty waiting for the next video. The ending was predictable and a bit frustrating to me since the books had been so edge-of-my-seat exciting, but the ending was too perfect and happy. The videos are huge and took a long time (about an hour each) for my DSL to load. I think what bothered me the most was the way the second half of the book had passwords on the left side when the book was open, which meant the continuation of the story, meant to be read after watching the video, was on the right side and very visible. If you are an impatient, fast reader like me, your eyes fly over the pages, and while the set up of passwords on pages 140, 146, and 174 didn’t give anything away, the one on page 182 ruined the most exciting twist of the story when my eyes wandered to the right side and the surprise was right there in plain view. I really wish the passwords had been on the right, so the reader would have to flip the page to continue the story and nothing would have been spoiled. Please keep in mind though that these are very small sticking points and I still loved the book very much.

The first book, Skeleton Creek, ended in a cliffhanger, so I was very much anticipating this release. I was not let down. The book was exciting and suspenseful and the videos were cool. It flew by so fast – I really wish it had been a trilogy or something so I had more Skeleton Creek to look forward to soon. Hopefully Carman will bring Ryan and Sarah back to solve a new mystery. I can without hesitation recommend this book to any teen or adult. Patrick Carman was come out with a new and exciting format that I am sure will be enjoyable to a wide range of people, and I applaud him for that.




Here's some info:
Ghost in the Machine comes out today, October 1st, 2009.
It's is being published by Scholastic, and recommended for ages 10+/Grades 5+.
Here's a link to a book trailer.
skeletoncreekisreal.com is an elaborate fan site where people can see videos from the first book, discuss theories, and find easter eggs.
You can order it from Amazon here.
Patrick Carman's website is here.


I'd like to thank Scholastic and Patrick Carman for generously sending me an ARC of this book.

238. The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

Seventeen-year-old Veronica "Ronnie" Miller's life was turned upside down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry and alienated from her parents, particularly her father ... until her mother decides it would be in everyone's best interest if she and her younger brother spent the summer with him in North Carolina.

Ronnie's father, a former concert pianist, is living a quiet life in the beach town, immersed in creating a work of art that will be the centerpiece of a local church. Resentful and rebellious, Ronnie rejects all of his attempts to reach out to her and threatens to return to New York before the summer's end. But soon Ronnie meets Will, the town's local heartthrob, and the last person she thought she'd ever be attracted to. As Ronnie slowly lets her guard down, she finds herself falling deeply in love, opening herself up to the greatest happiness - and pain - that she has ever known.

An unforgettable story of love in all its myriad forms - first love, love between parents and children - The Last Song demonstrates, as only a Nicholas Sparks novel can, the many ways that love can break our hearts ... and heal them.

Ronnie's character really resonated with me. I think the main character makes or breaks the book - if readers cannot empathize with her, if they do not like her, the book does not shine. Ronnie was perfectly portrayed as a sullen, angry teenager. She wears all black and has a purple streak in her hair. She refuses to speak to her parents. She feels like no one really understands her. She is incredibly angry when her mother forces her and her little brother, Jonah, to visit their dad for the summer. For Ronnie, it's like being sent to prison. When her father moved out of their New York City home, Ronnie was heartbroken. She had been an amazing pianist - taught by her father from a very young age - and had already played Carnegie Hall and been accepted to Julliard. After her father left, she refused to play the piano, instead immersing herself in clubs, shoplifting, and boys who were not good for her.

In North Carolina, Ronnie's dad takes her and Jonah to the beach to a carnival. She decides immediately not to stay with them, and runs off. While watching a volleyball game, a player falls into the crowd, smashing into her and causing her soda to soak her shirt. That player was Will, a handsome boy who was lusted after by pretty much every girl in attendance. Not Ronnie though - she didn't go for straight laced boys, so she was rude to Will and stormed off. By this time her dad and brother were trying to find her, and a teenage girl befriended her and helped her lose her dad. The girl, Blaze, was involved in a really bad group: three boys, including the leader, Marcus, who juggled fireballs for tourists. Blaze invites Ronnie to tag along with her and the guys, and Ronnie gets really uncomfortable when she sees that Marcus, while dating Blaze, is trying to hook up with her.

The story builds on these people. Ronnie's brother struggles to keep the peace between her & their dad. Her dad struggles to mend his relationship with Ronnie. She finds herself spending more time with Blaze, Marcus, and the other guys ... until Marcus crosses a line that ultimately results in Blaze betraying Ronnie. Meanwhile, Ronnie's focus is on a nest of turtle eggs behind her dad's house on the beach. Raccoons are trying to eat them and Ronnie slept outside to protect the nest. When an aquarium volunteer came out to check on the nest at her request, he promised to have a cage put up asap. When Ronnie once again has to run the raccoons away from the unprotected nest, she goes to yell at the volunteer, Will. They are total opposites, but find a strong attraction to each other and end up spending a lot of time together, getting to know each other and eventually falling in love.

Ronnie changes during that summer in North Carolina in ways no one could have expected. While she doesn't start the book off as a bad character per se, she really blossoms over the course of the book into a main character to be proud of. She goes through her share of heartbreak and problems, and I really liked that her behaviors and reactions were realistic. The plot was multi-layered - even though the book took it day by day and if examined solely in that way, was probably mundane. Every little thing built up to a bigger thing, every event had a purpose, and these all contributed to issues that were incredibly sad and truly tested who Ronnie had become.

Nicholas Sparks can always be counted on to provide a sentimental, easy, comforting read, and this book is no exception. Someone always dies in a Sparks book - and that's true in this one as well. The twist is predictable, the ending is typical, and the book wasn't heartwrenching enough to make me cry. But ... it's in the everyday events and characterizations that Sparks shines. He did a very good job here, and any Sparks fan should not be disappointed. I finished this book in less than a day, which for me lately is nothing short of amazing (I'm averaging one book every 3 days right now). I think that kind of proves how easy and fast this was for me to read.






The Last Song will be released today, September 8th. I'd like to thank Miriam of Hachette Book Group for sending me this review copy.

August Mini Reviews

219. Books of Blood, vol. 4, The Inhuman Condition by Clive Barker
Out of the five stories, I enjoyed three: The Inhuman Condition (four petty thugs harass a vagrant for the fun of it and one steals a cord with three knots from him. As the knots are unraveled, dark creatures are released into the world); The Age of Desire (when researchers move from testing a new aphrodisiac on monkeys to testing on a human, something inside him goes terribly wrong); The Body Politic - my favorite of the book (a man's hands start a rebellion by strangling his wife and severing one of his hands. The severed hand scuttles off to conspire with other hands). I wasn't impressed by Down, Satan! and Revelations.
Grade: C

220. Books of Blood, vol. 5, In The Flesh by Clive Barker
Nothing worth recommending in this one for me. I made it through The Forbidden, The Madonna, and Babel's Children, but did not enjoy them. I didn't even finish In the Flesh.
Grade: F

221. Books of Blood, vol. 6 by Clive Barker
There were three stories in this that I liked: The Life of Death (a woman who'd recently undergone a hysterectomy sneaks into a recently unearthed crypt); How Spoilers Bleed (men who attempt to kick Amazon tribes off their land develop a disease that rots their bodies like fruit); The Book of Blood on Jerusalem Street (the conclusion to the story The Book of Blood from Books of Blood, vol. 1. It was great to find out what happened to the boy, and this was easily the most disturbing story for me. I loved the last two lines of the story: "The dead have highways. Only the living are lost.") I didn't end up finishing Twilight at the Towers or The Last Illusion.
Grade: C

222. Blood is the New Black by Valerie Stivers
I'd read this before and really enjoyed it, so I bought a copy to keep. I read it again and I still love it. A girl named Kate starts working at a fashion magazine where the editors might literally be vampires. It's the paranormal version of The Devil Wears Prada. I found it to be funny, snarky, and engaging.
Grade: A

223. The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don't Trust Anyone Under 30) by Mark Bauerlein
The description seemed controvercial and clever: ("They are The Dumbest Generation. They enjoy all the advantages of a prosperous, high-tech society. Digital technology has fabulously empowered them, loosened the hold of elders. Yet adolescents use these tools to wrap themselves in a generational cocoon filled with puerile banter and coarse images. The founts of knowledge are everywhere, but the rising generation camps in the desert, exchanging stories, pictures, tunes, and texts, savoring the thrill of peer attention. If they don't change, they will be remembered as fortunate ones who were unworthy of the privileges they inherited. They may even be the generation that lost that great American heritage, forever.") The book was actually textbook-dry, condescending, and boring. It was a cantankerous old man's rant against the dumb and lazy Generation Y (which I am a part of at age 28). I do agree that many of my peers are just like Bauerlein states, but that can be said about members of any generation. The book just was not engaging. By page 53, I'd had enough.
Abandoned

224. Urban Gothic by Brian Keene
The "people go into an abandoned house full of monsters (human or otherwise)" theme has been done almost to death, but Brian Keene managed to make it seem fresh and new. The freaks and violence were brilliantly disgusting and brutal. It's easily the bloodiest book Keene has ever written. He takes a tired theme and pushes it to the limit of depravity in creative, gory ways. It's Edward Lee level hardcore splatter fiction, just to warn you. I'm pretty difficult to affect nowadays, but this book grossed me out a number of times. I'd love to see this as a movie! I went out and bought a copy to keep forever, I liked it that much. One warning: do not eat watermelon while reading this book!
Grade: A

225. Relentless by Dean Koontz
An author and his family are terrorized by a crazy book reviewer. It's readable - not weighed down by $5 words, metaphors, flowery prose, or moralizing. It has an interesting plot. The son, Milo, drove me nuts, always refusing to explain what he was doing because his dad was too dumb to "get it". Koontz falls back on his old standbys: weird villain names (Zazu Waxx!), heroic dogs, genius kids, unbelievably convenient miracles (one involving a salt shaker), and silly nicknames (Cubby, Spooky). It has a lot of the trademark Koontz elements, but it's better than other recent releases - I actually finished this one. This is more of a read-if-you're-bored book.
Grade: C

226. Magic Strikes (Kate Daniels #3) by Ilona Andrews
Kate Daniels, a mercenary who rids the world of evil, magical creatures, is caught up in a secret gladiator competition in which she ends up fighting for her life and the lives of those she loves. It wasn't amazing, but it was solidly good. I like the series a bit more each book. The Midnight Games were interesting, I loved Kate's interactions with Curran, and I appreciated the new background and insights revealed. I'm looking forward to the next novel.
Grade: B

227. Dean Koontz's Frankenstein: Prodigal Son, book 1
This graphic novel is based on the first book in Koontz's Frankenstein series. Victor Helios is Dr. Frankenstein, 240 years later. His creation, Deucalion, roams the earth in search of him while Helios biologically engineers a new and dangerously obedient new race, replicating prominent figures so their lives can be taken over by his new race. The art was great, the story was good. I'm mostly dissatisfied because the graphic novel did not cover the entire first book, only half of it, and the g.n. was too short for my tastes.
Grade: C

228. Dean Koontz's In Odd We Trust
This is a new story, presented as a graphic novel, about Odd Thomas. He is a fry cook who sees dead people and helps to solve their murders. The pacing and plot were good. I found it to be charming, interesting, and a nice addition to the Odd series. My one complaint: how Odd was drawn. I understand how Manga is, but I never pictured Odd so effeminate in my head, and it kept me off balance.
Grade: B

229. Wings by Aprilynne Pike
This book is typical in that it features a girl who finds out she's a faerie. Pike manages to give it a very unique spin. I really liked Laurel's character and how Pike made her faerie's biological makeup. I'm not too keen on yet another unresolved love triangle (I swear it's in almost every YA paranormal!), but the strength of the characters, setting, and storyline makes me really want to read the next book.
Grade: B

230. Need by Carrie Jones
A girl goes to live with her grandmother, only to find out a pixie king is stalking her and many townspeople are more than they appear to be. It was alright. I figured the twists out very early. I was not sure I liked Zara for a while, but when she grew stronger, she was less annoying. I'm not sure I'll go out of my way for the next book.
Grade: C

231. Zombie Queen of Newbury High by Amanda Ashby
Mia does a love spell so the popular guy she's dating won't ditch her as a prom date, only to find out it was actually a zombie spell, which affected most of her school. This was a good book: short & cute. I liked Buffy-obsessed Mia and her hypochondriac friend, Candice. The zombie hunting agent Chase was a good character as well. I liked how Mia started to smell like chicken to all the pre-zombie kids, and how everyone kept bringing her candy and snacks (to worship their zombie queen and to fatten her up for eating).
Grade: B

232. The Sorcerer King (The Faerie Path #3) by Frewin Jones
Tania, one of the seven daughters of King Oberon and Queen Titania, finds Faerie in peril as the Sorcerer King has been freed and is exacting his revenge. Tania must journey to find & save her father if they are to have any hope of defeating the Sorcerer King. This was better than the first two books put together! It's an amazing world and Tania goes on exciting adventures. There was danger, intrigue, magic, and suspense (and unicorns!). The journey was far-reaching and fascinating. I really enjoyed this book.
Grade: A

233. Ever by Gail Carson Levine
Kezi, a girl marked for sacrifice, must complete challenges if she is to live and be with her love, god of winds, Olus. This lacked something - not sure what - but it didn't spark my interest. There was no magic and wonder for me. I finished it, but can't recommend it.
Grade: D

234. Dead is a State of Mind (Dead Is series #2) by Marlene Perez
Daisy is back and there's been a new murder in Nightshade that looks to be the work of a werewolf. A new boy arrives in town claiming to be a gypsy and telling fortunes, and Daisy's boyfriend is acting weird - and forgetting to ask her to prom. I really like this series, and this book is no exception. I really wish the books were longer though.
Grade: B

235. Thorn Queen (Dark Swan #2) by Richelle Mead
This was much, much better than the first book, Storm Born. Eugenie is a shaman who makes a living banishing creatures from the human world. She's also the unwilling queen of Thorn Land, a part of the Otherworld, which is populated by faerie gentry. When her people are starving and young girls are disappearing, she must get more involved in the Otherworld than she'd prefer. I liked Eugenie - her personality, her choices, her courage. The plot was exciting and suspenseful, and even had a few twists I didn't see coming. I'm really looking forward to book 3.
Grade: B

236. Dead and Alive (Frankenstein #3) by Dean Koontz
Victor Helios Frankenstein's new race of people are going insane, losing programming and killing people. Two police detectives must team up with Frankenstein's monster, Deucalion, to try to save the old race of humanity. This was an uneventful end(?) to a good series. Koontz went off on so many unnecessary tangents that slowed down the plot and annoyed me to no end. Did we really need many chapters from the point of view of a geneticlly engineered chameleon assassin and a juggling troll named Jocko? Seriously. Bucky and Janet, two of Helios' replicants, were my favorite characters, and pretty much the only narrators that didn't bug me. For such a long wait (4 years), the ending was so much less than I'd hoped for. It was over so quickly, easily, and uneventfully, and left with a ton of loose ends (I'm thinking Koontz wants to leave the option open for a 4th book). A letdown - I could tell Koontz's heart wasn't in it.
Grade: D

Monthly Recap:

18 books read total this month: 3 grade A books; 6 grade B books; 5 grade C books; 2 grade D books; 1 grade F book; 1 abandoned book.

My favorite book of the month was Urban Gothic by Brian Keene. If gory, creepy, disturbing horror is your thing, you'll love it.

236 books total for the year, which I'm very happy with.

Life is still extraordinarily complicated, busy, and crazy. I read six fewer books this month than last month - in fact this was my lowest month since last Sept. I'm hoping things will smooth out soon, but until then, I'll still be posting sets of mini reviews once or twice a month. Most likely only once a month - the "a" key on my keyboard is being wonky and only works every 3rd or 4th time I press it - so I have to keep going back to fix words, run spell check, and watch for mistakes. This post has taken me 3 hours so far (if you find any words that are misspelled because their a's are missing, I'm sorry! Thanks for hanging in there, and I wish you all happy reading :o)