Review: The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong

Title/Author: The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong

Number of pages: 400

Series: Darkest Powers #3

How I got it: Bought from Barnes and Noble
Rating: 5/5

Barnes & Noble Overview:

My name is Chloe Saunders. I'm fifteen, and I would love to be normal.

But normal is one thing I'm not.

 

For one thing, I'm having these feelings for a certain antisocial werewolf and his sweet-tempered brother—who just happens to be a sorcerer—but, between you and me, I'm leaning toward the werewolf.

Not normal.

 

My friends and I are also on the run from an evil corporation that wants to get rid of us—permanently.

Definitely not normal.

And finally, I'm a genetically altered necro-mancer who can raise the dead, rotting corpses and all, without even trying.

 

As far away from normal as it gets.

My Review:

My favorite book of the series by far! In these books you just never know who to trust but these kids are smart and compliment eachother really well. Derek is still my fav character. If it wasn't for him, this group would completely fall apart. He's the smartest and most mature of the group.

   I think i liked this book more because the kids weren't constantly on the run like the other one. They actually stay put for the most part. I like to read about their interactions with eachother without having to read about all their running, escapes and all that.

   Chloe ends up learning some new things about her powers in this book as well. She has to use them in way she's never imagined but you gotta do what you gotta do right? and we FINALLY figure out what the necklace is for! not the most exciting thing in my opinion. Like, I wouldn't have based the covers on this necklace. I also don't understand why the girl on the cover, who is obviously chloe, doesn't match the description in this book. She has black hair now (she dyed it in book 2) so I wish they would have stuck to the book.

    The book was great all in all. I enjoyed it so much. I'm not sure if there's a 4th book coming or not? It didn't leave off anywhere like the other 2 books. I really hope there's more though because I'm in love with these characters (Even though this series has given me nightmares lol).

Reading Challenges: 100 Books in 2011

In My Mailbox #13

Hosted by The Story Siren ;D

Bought from Barnes and Noble

1. The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong

2. Fade by Lisa McMann

3. Rumors by Anna Godbersen

Given to me by family member

4. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

Bought at used bookstore

5. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

6. Chapter and Hearse by Lorna Barrett

Won in a Goodreads giveaway

7. Spellcast by Barbara Ashford

The majority of these are 2nd, 3rd, 4th books in a series that I've already started. I don't know why but I tend to jump around from series to series instead of reading each book back to back. Are you the same way?

xox

Annie



Review: Lilies in Moonlight by Allison Pittman

Title/Author: Lilies in Moonlight by Allison Pittman

Number of pages: 352

Series: N/A

How I got it: won in a Goodreads giveaway

Rating: 4/5

 

Goodreads Summary:

He’d lost his zest for life. She was just lost. Will they find the healing and love they long for?

After a roaring night on the town, fun-loving flapper Lilly Margolis, dazed and disoriented, twists her ankle and falls into the backyard of a wealthy family where the effects of the Great War—over for more than half a decade—are still endured. Inside the walls of the Burnside mansion, Cullen Burnside, a disillusioned and disfigured veteran, and his widowed mother, Betty Ruth, who daily slips a little further into dementia, lead a lonely existence … until Lilly. Whimsical, lighthearted, and beautiful, she rejuvenates their sad, disconnected lives and blossoms in the light of their attention.

But Lilly, like Cullen, is hiding from a painful past. And when Cullen insists on returning her to her faraway home, their budding attraction seems destined to die on the vine. The resulting road trip becomes a journey of self-discovery—but what will Cullen and Lilly find at journey’s end?

My Review:

What a lovely, sweet book! I enjoyed it so much! I had never read about life in the 20s so this was a new treat for me. I especially loved that it took place in South Carolina because it displayed the real southern charms of that time.

    The characters are so lovable. Even though they each have the faults, you can't help but be so impressed how well Allison Pittman developed them. Cullen is a war-torn veteran who is scarred and rough to look at which has given him a tough shell but he is so caring and understanding with his mother. Even with Lily even though he hates to admit his admiration for that crazy girl. He tends to have a sarcastic tone throughout the book which adds to the humor.

    Lily was a flapper whenever she fell upon the Burnside's estate. A lonely flapper with no money and heading no where fast. The Burnside family takes her in to help her back on her feet and give her some guidance. Little did either side know how attached they would get!

   Betty Ruth Burnside is Cullen's mother who has dementia spells. She is a spitfire! My favorite character of all! She's out of her mind crazy but so lovable and childlike even. Everybody revolves around her to keep her sheltered and safe, mostly from herself. Betty Ruth is what keeps this crazy bunch together because if it wasn't for her I doubt any of them would have hung around longer than a day.

   I don't want to say too much but towards the end of the book the family goes on a road trip to accomplish a few things. This road trip was both hilarious and tiresome. Just by reading I felt like I was right there taking the trip with them. Pittman is an amazing author and she really grabs you. I plan on reading more of her books... I just hope there are more characters like Lily and Betty Ruth!

Reading Challenges: 100 Books in 2011 

Saturday Snapshot (4)

Hosted by At Home With Books

I couldn't choose just one so I put both. The first one is a full moon the night before the shuttle launch of the Endeavour, in Titusville, FL. This is my aunt & uncle's back yard. The whole family went over to BBQ and watch the shuttle launch the next morning.

The 2nd picture is the lift off of the Endeavour! It was the last launch of that shuttle, and 2nd to last launch ever. It is so sad they are canceling the space program and really hurts my heart!

Did anybody watch the shuttle launch? In person or on the television?

xox

Annie



Review: The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis

Title/Author: The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis

Number of pages: 202

Series: Chronicles of Narnia #1

How I got it: Bought at used Bookstore

Rating: 2.5/5

 

Goodreads Summary:

The secret passage to the house next door leads to a fascinating adventure

NARNIA...where the woods are thick and cold, where Talking Beasts are called to life...a new world where the adventure begins.

Digory and Polly meet and become friends one cold, wet summer in London. Their lives burst into adventure when Digory's Uncle Andrew, who thinks he is a magician, sends them hurtling to...somewhere else. They find their way to Narnia, newborn from the Lion's song, and encounter the evil sorceress Jadis before they finally return home.

My Review:

I don't know what's up with these Goodreads summaries. They really don't tell it right. This book wasn't really based around Narnia. It didn't come till later in the book. This book was basically telling the story of how they discovered the magic to get to Narnia. The kids, Digory and Polly, travel to other worlds before they discover Narnia. I wish they would have looked through more worlds! Would have been more interesting in my opinion.

     I really liked the dialect in this book. So different and some words were funny for me to read. I'm sure if I tried to read the book out loud I would have sounded funny haha. But all in all, the book was not too interesting to me. The kids were funny and I hope they are in the next book. I do plan to keep reading the series since I already have the next 2 books. I just hope it keeps up alittle. 

Reading Challenges: 100 Books in 2011 ; 1st in a Series

Review: Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

Title/Author: Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

Number of pages: 248

Series: The Morganville Vampires #1

How I got it: Paperback Swap

Rating: 4/5

 

Goodreads Summary:

From the author of the popular Weather Warden series comes the debut of an exciting new series set in Morganville, Texas, where you would be well advised to avoid being out after dark.

College freshman Claire Danvers has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation. When Claire heads off-campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new roommates don't show many signs of life, but they'll have Claire's back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood

 

My Review:

I really didn't know whether I wanted to give this a 3.5 or 4 star rating. I decided to go with 4 because I really enjoyed the main characters - Michael, Eve, & Shane. The protagonist is Claire but i didn't care for her as much as the rest.

   Claire's a super smart 16 y/o in her first year of college. She's pretty immature and sometimes frustrating in the book. She's trying to prove she's worthy of being around the "older kids" which gets her into a lot of trouble all the time. Poor girl goes through so much crap at school, I was really scared for her!

   I enjoyed the characters of her roomates alot more. They were all very different but meshed so well together. I wish I was one of their roomiesss! .... well before shit hit the fan and their house was a hit zone!

   This book was entertaining enough. I finished it in 4 days which i'm proud of! haha it's been hard for me to read as much as I would like with school and all. This is going to be a rough semester for me =/

   I didn't really care for the type of vampires in this book. I'm such a sissy I'll probably have nightmares haha

Reading Challenges: 100 Books in 2011 ; 1st in a Series

In My Mailbox #12

Hosted by The Story Siren <3

Swapped from Paperback Swap

1. Wake by Lisa McMann

2. The Quick and the Thread by Amanda Lee

3. Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

(I'm actually more than halfway through with #3 already lol)

Won in a Goodreads Giveaway

4. Twice Born by Margaret Mazzantini

Given to me by a family member

5. The Cereal Murders by Diane Mott Davidson

6. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

7. The Shadowmask by R.A. Salvatore

I finished the book I was reading (Dead Reckoning) while I was on vacation and I just happened to have "Glass Houses" with me so I started reading it yesterday on vacation and I'm already more than halfway through it. It's an intense book. That will probably be my next review even though I know I should finish "The Magician's Nephew". I like TMN, I'm just not into it as much as this one. It'll get done though ;)

Have you guys ever had that problem? Start one book then get distracted by a different one? I try not to let it happen to me but it does =/

xox

Annie