Book reviews written by Hope

“This book surprised me. I started out thinking it would be a charming light read, then it morphed into a feminist propoganda like read, and then...then it became- different. And despite disagreeing with many of Evie's (the protagonist) beliefs, I agreed with her about the important things and enjoyed her as a character. She certainly had her flaws, and they were numorous, but they made her human and at the heart of everything she meant well. The story was heartfelt and carried out well. By the time I was halfway through the book I was engrossed and couldn't put it down. I needed to find out how everything was resolved, and for the most part I loved how the book concluded. All the characters were wonderful and realistic (or at least most of them were). It was just the kind of book I was in the mood for, stand alone, short, contemporary fiction, happy ending, perfect for a Saturday read.

Soundtrack (two this time!):
Eyes Open by Taylor Swift - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUtSzf52PTA

and

Dropped by Phantom Planet - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUbMLClxLEw

Premise - 3/5
Characters - 4/5
Writing Style - 3/5
Story – 4/5
Realistic(the plot made sense) - 3/5
Enjoyment – 4/5

Average Rating - 3.5
My Rating - 4
Cover – I like it, it's whimsical and goes well with the plot.”

Hope wrote this review 12 hours ago. ( reply | permalink )

Girl of Nightmares

by Kendare Blake

Rated 5 stars

“I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed Girl of Nightmares. I was kind of on the edge with a lot of Anna Dressed in Blood, but it felt as if all my problems with it were answered in Girl of Nightmares.

The first half of the book was….bleh. There were a bunch of things that annoyed me and I was certain that I would like it less than the first.

My Problems with the first half of the book:

1. Cas was annoying and wimpy. He was acting as if he had been in love with Anna forever before she was taken by the Obheaman, instead of having their first kiss shortly before that. He even called her his girlfriend. Apparently a couple kisses means girlfriend. Duh….
2. There were some really weird phrases that the author used that didn’t really make sense. Like, “…and the sun is livening the leaves” and “…Aunt Riika lives in the middle of bumble-*uck nowhere.” The first one is just confusing and the second sounds….well just stupid.
3. It was written as if there was a solution. Even when they had no clue how to go about saving Anna and they questioned whether it was possible it was still always assumed that they would find a way. Never considering the fact that it might be impossible or what not. I guess it was just written like a book, books have to be resolved. Life sometimes isn’t resolved. I think it would have been better if it had been written like life instead of a book.

However. And this however changed my rating for the book completely. It’s incredible how much it changed. Incredible. And it all stems from this….

SPOILER!!!!

1. Carmel leaving their little ghost hunting group.
2. Cas and Thomas going to London.
3. Jestine’s entrance.
4. Carmel’s return.

END SPOILER!!!!

And from there things take a complete turn around and I am left terrified and delighted! I loved the added intrigue of the Order which answered so many question from the first book and showed that Cas didn’t know everything like he thought he did. Suicide Forest….yeah. That atmosphere I was missing in Anna Dressed in Blood. It showed up here and then never left. Plus Cas was afraid which made me terrified.

SIDEBAR SPOILER!!!

It was like in Sherlock “Hounds of Baskerville”, when Sherlock believed that there was some kind of monster and started getting scared it made me about a trillion times more terrified because Sherlock doesn’t get scared. It’s just not in him. That’s the way it was when Cas got scared.

END SPOILER!!!!!

Then, as if Blake decided that she needed to make the book even more awesome Cas and Co. arrive at the Order’s…compound thing. And yeah, it is creepy and cult like and Cas is weirded out, but that’s not the awesome part. Instead, the awesome part arrives when Cas finally enters into the Obheaman’s….home or whatever, Hell is what they kept calling it. And that atmosphere I was missing in ADiB comes and hits me in the face and says, “You were looking for me?” And I was in love with the book.

Things that made the second half of this book awesome:

1. Jestine….ahhhh Jestine. How I adore your character and your awesomeness. You are like a breath of fresh annoying air. I am eager to see more of you and your awesomeness as you prove yourself cooler than Cas over and over.
2. As I said before it was terrifying. And I loved loved loved it! I read the part about Suicide Forest at night. Bad idea.
3. The romaaaaaaaance!!!!!!

SPOILER!!! Ha! It was perfect, everything I could have asked for, I loved that Cas and Anna didn’t end up together. It wouldn’t have worked, it bugged me through the whole story. Besides I want him and Jestine together. And I loved how he saved her, loved her and let her go. And how that was perfectly set up by Carmel’s choice with Thomas. Though she did go back on it, but that worked for them and this works for Cas.

END SPOILER!

4. Carmel. She is just awesome in the second half of this book. The girls are totally kicking it in the latter half of the book. Cas and Thomas don’t stand a chance.
5. Hobbits were mentioned.

And one last thing to sum everything up, it was hilarious all the way through. Cas (And everyone and everything else) was annoying in the beginning and in the middle everyone and everything became awesome and I love it. Also, his mom needs to get a new cat.

Soundtrack: She Cries Your Name by Beth Orton: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk0fxiGrxI8

Premise - 4/5
Characters - 5/5
Writing Style - 3/5
Story – 4/5
Realistic(the plot made sense) - 4/5
Enjoyment – 5/5

Average Rating - 4.1
My Rating - 5
Cover – I don’t know how the finished copy will look, but I like the concept of this cover a lot. Anna is perfectly placed and posed, but I don’t like the creepy red things and the way the lava and rocks are, it isn’t how I imagined the place at all.

”

Hope wrote this review 8 days ago. ( reply | permalink )

Anna Dressed in Blood

by Kendare Blake

Rated 4 stars

“Three things about Anna Dressed in Blood.

1. I like Cas and I don't like him. His character is good, but sometimes annoying (at least to me) and I feel that in some instances he ruined the scariness of the book. He had such a straightforward attitude to scary things in general that his descriptions though normally terrifying had an air of "This is normal, everything will be fine." That made it not as scary for me. Which disappointed me, I was so looking forward to getting scared by the book!

2. The plot was...odd. Not bad, but not spectacular. At parts the flow didn't make sense, but when I got to the end I got the reason for the way it flowed. I missed a lot of foreshadowing and that made some parts of the end super confusing.

3. I wished it had more atmosphere. Looking at the cover I felt that the book should be steeped in setting and atmosphere, and yet it wasn't. The town could have been anywhere, there was nothing special about it. The only place that got any real atmospheric description was Anna's house (granted that place was done superbly!). So yeah, I was kinda disappointed about that aspect of the book.

However, despite these mixed feelings I truly enjoyed the book. I loved the secondary characters and how they developed and the story was enjoyable to read and the writing engaging. I liked the romance, but I wish it had been better developed (I guess I should have added that to my list of "Three Things"). Still I liked it a lot and am eager to read the sequel!

Soundtrack: Wood by Second Person (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILo1v6Y7IB4)

Premise - 4/5
Characters - 4/5
Writing Style - 3/5
Story - 3/5
Realistic(the plot made sense) - 3/5
Enjoyment - 4/5

Average Rating - 3.5
My Rating - 4
Cover - I really like this cover, it has the atmosphere that the book on the whole seems to lack.”

Hope wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )

Masque of the Red Death

by Bethany Griffin

Rated 4 stars

“I was worried there for a moment. I thought that this wonderful book was stand alone. Fortunately that is not the case! It ended with such a great cliff hanger and so many questions left unanswered and problems left unsolved I would have certainly hated it if it were indeed a standalone. As I said, fortunately it isn't.

Essentially this book would have easily been five stars if not for one fairly important aspect. The plot. I don't mind a slow moving, atmospheric book, in fact I love it. However, I found the plot somewhat confusing early in the book (this might have been because Araby, our protagonists, was kept in the dark for much of the story) and strangely paced. It felt as if it was moving along nicely, then suddenly stopped for a time and then jumpstarted and plowed through the climax in barely fifty pages. Strange pacing, but overall, not too detracting.

The romance renewed my faith in love triangles. At least a little. [SPOILER] I really really really really really hope she ends up with Elliot, it seems like that will be the case in the end, if it happens I will love this romance more than I can describe!!![SPOILER] Both guys are incredible, but I definitely favor one. And it appears that the author does not favor one, at least not as far as the story is concerned. For once I am left uncertain about who the more likely candidate it. Which thrills me to no end, at the beginning of the story it seemed obvious who she would end up with, but by the end...I really hope the author does not take the obvious route.

As usual, I love the atmosphere of the book more than anything. It was compelling and shiver-inducing. A cruel, post-apocalyptic world that is terrifying. Death is mundane and trust and hope nearly obsolete. However, even in this world there is the tiny sliver of light that makes the story compelling and real. I believe this light is found in Elise and Henry. They are adorable and bright children that I just love to pieces.

There were a number of other aspects of the story I loved. Araby was a perfect narrator, and the first person style worked perfectly. I loved her relationships with her parents, April, and our two romantic interests (Elliot and Will) and how they progressed and how she grew. Prince Prospero and Reverend Malcontent were creepily awesome villains. The Debauchery Club fascinating as was world building with the porcelain masks and plague. Plus it is a brilliant reimagining of the Poe story which was fabulous! Overall the book was everything I could want, yet I still felt something was slightly off. I don't know what kept me from loving it as much as I want to, but there is something. I think it might be the cover, surprisingly. Regardless, I should love the book and I do to an extent and can't wait to read the sequel (because there is one!!!)!

Soundtrack: Science and Religion by Hans Zimmer (Angels and Demons Soundtrack)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZMEAfczOi4

Premise - 5/5
Characters - 4/5
Writing Style - 4/5
Story - 3/5
Realistic(the plot made sense) - 3/5
Enjoyment - 4/5

Average Rating - 3.8
My Rating - 4
Cover - As I said in my review, something about the cover felt off. I don't hate it but...eh. Unimpressive.
”

Hope wrote this review Saturday, April 7, 2012. ( reply | permalink )

Entwined

by Heather Dixon

Rated 4 stars

“When I first started reading Entwined, I have to admit I thought it would be a rather mediocre fairy tale retelling. It was pushed even further into the realm of possible disappointment because The Twelve Dancing Princesses is among my favorite fairy tales and I had already read the fabulous Princess of the Midnight Ball. Throw in the difficulty of creating unique well developed characters for each of the princesses (something I have given up on) and ensuring that the reader is able to keep them all straight…Entwined had a difficult path ahead.

To my delight it succeeded in capturing my attention and offering an enjoyable and sometimes a surprisingly morbid tale. It took a while to get to that point, but even during that time it was nice and refreshing. While Entwined certainly had a number of eye-role educing scenes and lines, it was able to overcome its imperfections with a number of witty and hilarious lines and adorable and terrifying scenes.

The Keeper made the story.

If not for him I would have most certainly not liked this book half as much as I did. He was played (created?) to perfection (as far as evil villains go). Well, maybe not quite perfection, there were some parts that he seemed too weak. But whatever, I liked his character anyway. And his magic world. And his freakish ball. And his evil-ness….what can I say. I like good villains.

Another thing that surprised me about this story was how the characters grew and developed and ultimately grew on me. Early in the story every single princess(including Azalea) annoyed me. Every one. So I was pleasantly shocked when I found myself beginning to like them, a lot. And I was even more surprised when I grew to like the King! Though it is marketed as a romance I found that the family relationships were more important to the story and played a larger role than the romantic ones, something I appreciated and was glad for.

Speaking of romantic romances. To me they were sweet not “breathtaking” as the Aprilynne Pike states on her back cover blurb thing. There is nothing wrong with sweet romances, I like them. But I don’t like going into a book and expecting an incredible romance and not get it. Don’t get me wrong, I was glad that the romance was more a backburner plot and was sweet, but I like to know what I am going to get and not be almost tricked into thinking it will be something it is not.

That said, I did love the romances they were adorable and fun, even though at certain points somewhat annoying. (I mean really Azalea, you are kinda exhibiting feelings about a guy and then suddenly. I’m in love with him. So silly.) But as long as you ignore certain parts the romance over all is good.

One other thing I think I should point out that I did not like was how easily people forgot things! I mean, really! It bordered on sheer stupidity sometimes. It wasn’t a huge detraction for me, but it got a bit annoying at some points. Though I guess all fairy tales are like that to an extent and so it crosses over into fairy tale retellings. I think the same phenomena goes for over convenience. That happened in Entwined as well, but I mainly just over looked it because of the fact that it was a fairy tale retelling. I’ve almost grown to expect it.

So yes, Entwined failed to make each of the princesses unique and interesting, well developed characters. I’ve grown to expect that. But I was about to keep track of who each of the princesses were because (thankfully) the King had them named in alphabetical order(A being the oldest and L being the youngest) so that helped a lot. And while I didn’t enjoy it as much as Princess of the Midnight Ball, I still liked it a lot, enough to finish it in a day (though to be honest that was mainly because I had the whole day and wasn’t feeling well…but still it shows I like something). And I believe it offered a unique perspective on one of my favorite fairy tales.

Soundtrack: Dance of the Knights from Romeo and Juliet (Prokofiev) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFkZQ84YD...

Premise - 4/5
Characters - 4/5
Writing Style - 3/5
Story - 3/5
Realistic(the plot made sense) - 3/5
Enjoyment - 4/5

Average Rating - 3.5
My Rating - 4
Cover - I love it. The dress is gorgeous and the background romantic and fairy tale-esque. And the title font is great too!”

Hope wrote this review Sunday, March 25, 2012. ( reply | permalink )

The Fault in Our Stars

by John Green

Rated 4 stars

“"My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations."

I wanted to love this book the wit and humor was delightful, the story tragically beautiful, but I felt as though I was kept at a distance. I never became completely engaged in the story and the characters. Instead of crying at the end, I felt a strange sense of depression. Sadness, but also annoyance, annoyance that I didn’t feel sadder, frustration that Hazel, the narrator, was holding me at a distance. Perhaps, the author did this on purpose. A key part of the book was her grenade-ness; or maybe it was an unfortunate side effect of her opinion on herself. She only opened up to Augustus, and even then I felt out of the loop as if I was being kept out and held at arms length. Whether it was purposeful or side-effectual it hindered my enjoyment and appreciation of the book as a whole. Mentally it was enjoyable, but emotionally lacking.

Theme Song: Amsterdam by Coldplay

Premise - 4/5
Characters - 4/5
Writing Style - 4/5
Story - 4/5
Realistic(the plot made sense) - 4/5
Enjoyment - 3/5

Average Rating - 3.8
My Rating - 4
Cover - I love it. I don't know what about it appeals to me, but I love it. Especially the title font.
”

Hope wrote this review Friday, March 9, 2012. ( reply | permalink )

The Night Circus

by Erin Morgenstern

Rated 5 stars

“It is a very seldom occurrence that immediately upon reading the last line and turning the final page that I wish to open it once again, read the first sentence, my favorite passages, everything again. That I want to find out more about the circus, the characters, and explore it all for myself. I suppose it is how the rêveurs felt after leaving the circus. As if they had been somewhere truly magical and the return to ordinary life was dreary. The Night Circus was written for the dreamers of the real world. It drew you in slowly, immersing you in the circus, enchanting you with the characters you met, the story unfolding slowly at a leisurely pace allowing the reader to be swept up into the circus. Just as Le Cirque des Rêves is all about the atmosphere, the feel, and oddly enough the scent, The Night Circus was written not for the story or even for the characters but for the circus itself. And, because of this, the characters and the story itself grew even more enchanting. The setting created a platform for truly magical characters and a story that compelled the reader to continue, despite the slow pace. In turn, the characters and the story completed the cycle, they were so fascinating that the circus seemed even more bewitching. The Night Circus will definitely be a reread, well loved, much borrowed book on my shelf.

Theme Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fgtSydVCfw (Peter Gabriel's New Blood Instrumental Version of San Jacinto)

Premise - 4/5
Characters - 5/5
Writing Style - 5/5
Story - 5/5
Realistic(the plot made sense) - 4/5
Enjoyment - 5/5

Average Rating - 5
My Rating - 5 and favorite

Recommend? Too all rêveurs
Cover - Gorgeous. Beautiful. Enchanting. Much like the circus itself.”

Hope wrote this review Thursday, January 19, 2012. ( reply | permalink )

House of Dance

by Beth Kephart

Rated 3 stars

“This book confuses me. I felt like I knew the characters extremely well, and yet I felt I knew nothing about them. I loved the prose, yet at times I was left confused. I enjoyed the story, yet at times I found myself slightly bored. Fortunately due to its short length none of these things really mattered. It was a sweet story with lovable characters and for the most part beautiful writing. I found it similar to the other book I read by Beth Kephart, Dangerous Neighbors. Not my favorite book, but an enjoyable quick read with lovely characters and prose. ”

Hope wrote this review Wednesday, January 11, 2012. ( reply | permalink )

Pandora Hearts (Volume 6)

by Jun Mochizuki

Rated 0 stars

“I should have read this sooner...I forgot so much about the characters by the time I actually read this one. Still it was really good!”

Hope wrote this review Tuesday, December 20, 2011. ( reply | permalink )

Dark Song

by Gail Giles

Rated 3 stars

“Disturbing and compelling. I can't believe I liked Marc at first...Ames was a wonderfully unreliable narrator. I completely fell into the trap of her way of thinking, and to be honest it was half true which made it all the more believable. But as her choice and thoughts became darker I began to realize that her conclusions and truths were not reliable. It was a fascinating read because of her character. Definitely the sort of book that provokes discussion and examination of life, it will stick in my head for a while. Though probably not the smartest choice to read just before Christmas...

Dark Song's Theme Song - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6v-H--dq-Z4

Premise - 2/5
Characters - 4/5
Writing Style - 3/5
Story - 4/5
Realistic(the plot made sense) - 4/5
Enjoyment - 3/5

Average Rating - 3.3
My Rating - 3

Recommend? If you are looking for a suspenseful thought provoking read with an interesting unreliable...definitely!
Cover - Gorgeous. Though I don't think it really portrays the book well...”

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Reviews

This Girl Is Different

by J. J. Johnson

Hope wrote this review 12 hours ago. ( reply | permalink )

Girl of Nightmares

by Kendare Blake

Hope wrote this review 8 days ago. ( reply | permalink )

Anna Dressed in Blood

by Kendare Blake

Hope wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )

Masque of the Red Death

by Bethany Griffin

Hope wrote this review Saturday, April 7, 2012. ( reply | permalink )

Entwined

by Heather Dixon

Hope wrote this review Sunday, March 25, 2012. ( reply | permalink )

The Fault in Our Stars

by John Green

Hope wrote this review Friday, March 9, 2012. ( reply | permalink )

The Night Circus

by Erin Morgenstern

Hope wrote this review Thursday, January 19, 2012. ( reply | permalink )

House of Dance

by Beth Kephart

Hope wrote this review Wednesday, January 11, 2012. ( reply | permalink )

Pandora Hearts (Volume 6)

by Jun Mochizuki

Hope wrote this review Tuesday, December 20, 2011. ( reply | permalink )

Dark Song

by Gail Giles

Hope wrote this review Monday, December 19, 2011. ( reply | permalink )