bookappeal

• Rated 4 stars

“I can see why teen girls love this series so much. These are the hottest and sexiest near-kiss scenes I have ever read! One annoying thing - Bella generally has normal teenage girl thoughts (she can't believe a guy as gorgeous as Edward even wants to be with her) but she continuously misinterprets Edward's conflicted feelings for her even after he has explained himself many, many times. I wanted to tell her to get some self respect!
Bella's easy acceptance of vampires, especially after what she sees, is somewhat unbelievable. I think any teenage girl would be grossed out by violent blood-drinkers, no matter how gorgeous they are.
**SPOILER ALERT**
At the end of the first book and the start of the second (which is as far as I've read), Bella is ready to become a vampire and live "forever young" with Edward. That made me think of people like Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, and now Heath Ledger who will always be remembered at the age they killed themselves. I certainly hope no young girls seriously think it's better to die young than get old and wrinkly. ”

bookappeal wrote this review Wednesday, January 30 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“What an odd book. I read it because I loved the cover and it was a Barnes and Noble feature. I liked it, although the writing falters a bit in places. If you like stories that have just a touch of the fantastic (or magical realism, whatever you want to call it), you might like this. A bit of romance, a quirky character who is adorable, and a story of redemption.”

bookappeal wrote this review Monday, December 3 2007. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I didn't expect to like it but Bud (not Buddy!) is a hard character to NOT like. Christopher Paul Curtis weaves in details of the Depression without making it a history lesson. This is all about the boy, and his journey to find his father and, most of all, a place to belong.”

bookappeal wrote this review Monday, December 3 2007. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 2 stars

“Rozan's depictions of what life was like for New York City residents in the days and weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks feel true. Unfortunately, she uses two storytelling devices that just confuse the story. The big mystery ends up being rather lackluster after all the buildup, too.”

bookappeal wrote this review Wednesday, September 26 2007. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“I agree this one was harder to read than previous Thursday novels but I'm amazed he can still pull this off and hasn't run out of ideas. There were so many clever elements in this one and I really thought at the end he was going to wrap things up so that there wouldn't be any sequels. So glad I was wrong! I love the Nursery Crimes series too. Hard to say which is better.”

bookappeal wrote this review Friday, August 31 2007. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 1 stars

“So disappointing. Laura Lippman is a better writer than this. The three main characters are high school girls who are stereotypes of different cliques but have somehow become friends. Until recently, that is, since the story begins with one of them shot dead apparently at the hand of another who then turns the gun on herself. The third is the only conscious witness and she's clearly lying about what happened. Sounds like a promising story but all three girls are annoying and their character development gets lost among a host of extraneous characters. The storyline drags along until the reader finally finds out what happened in the bathroom. The revelation is not worth the effort of reading this meandering story. Read Lippman's Tess Monaghan series instead.”

bookappeal wrote this review Tuesday, August 28 2007. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“Definitely not a children's book. Contains graphic violence and adult themes of philosophy, religion, and scientific theory. The relationships between Lyra, her daemon, and all the people and creatures who help her along the way are compelling and Lyra herself makes a clever character. I might recommend it to teens who read Harry Potter as kids, but, unlike HP, this is a dark, intense tale with no humor. I thought it was very well-written until the end when quite a bit of "information" gets crammed in to set up the sequel.

The audio version is narrated by the author (in a sort-of whispered tone) but each character's voice is spoken by different actors which really make it come alive. Keep your finger near the volume adjuster because certain scenes get really loud!”

bookappeal wrote this review Tuesday, August 28 2007. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“I'm not sure this works as an adult book. Often, it seemed as though the author was writing for children. But as a children' book, it's pretty violent and creepy. Lots of beheadings and sick, twisted elements. It's sort of a classic quest story combined with a Trickster folk tale, but steeped in creep! For a better Trickster tale, try Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman. I'm sure there are plenty of better quest stories out there.”

bookappeal wrote this review Wednesday, August 8 2007. ( reply | permalink )

1 of 3 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 4 stars

“JKR pulled it off! - mostly. I didn't know how she was going to wrap everything up and still maintain her style but, other than a few questions about the series that were left hanging, she threw in her usual red herrings and plot surprises and peppered the whole book with revelations about the past and clues about the end.

The ending still felt a little rushed and I would have preferred more detailed explanation instead of the epilogue, which was completely unnecessary and a little cheesy.

Still, I have to respect how well she kept the details of this created world straight through 7 long books and 10 even longer years. I attended two release parties and it's an absolutely exhilarating experience to see people of all ages so excited about a book! Let's hope another author gives us the same joy and anticipation in the future.

So long, Harry. Thanks for the ride.”

bookappeal wrote this review Sunday, July 22 2007. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“Great story told in vivid detail. Flashbacks to his days with the circus rival the present day antics of 91- (or is it 93-?) year-old Jacob Jankowski.”

bookappeal wrote this review Sunday, June 17 2007. ( reply | permalink )