Review: Poison Study

Author:Maria V. Snyder 

Series: Study #1

Page Count:409

Publisher:Mira 

Source:Amazon 

Format: Paperback 

Rating: 5/5

Summary: Yelena is a convict waiting to be hanged when she gets a interesting job offer. To becoming the new poison taster for the Commander. Yelena takes the postion not knowing the dangers she now faces. Not only with maybe poisoning but assassin attempts and her past coming to finish her off.

This book is heartbreaking how good these book was. 

The characters were interesting to watch who could be trusted and who couldn't. We had our main girl Yelena who was charge with a murder that she admitted doing to become the Commanders poison taste tester. Then we have Valek the Commanders assassin and second hand man. To see Yelena grow from being always in the flee position to trying to not be the victim was a great thing to see. She started learning ways to protect herself so that her past won't repeat itself. Valek is a badass from day one and he has so many tricks that make his brilliant in his field. As he starts to open himself to Yelena you see that there is more to him then what you might have first thought.

 Then there's the lovable side characters like the power duo Ari and Janco. They are both like brothers to Yelena and it shows that care deeply for her. The Commander himself is a very rule driven person. That hasn't been corrupted and deeply cares for his people. He always listen to both sides before a ruling and has deep loyalty to the people he rule over. There is some hints of romance in the story but it's a built up not taking away from the story itself.

The story was interesting in the way that there are different military districts. And each MD has a different color and what they do to keep Ixia running smoothly without trading with other places. This book has some of the characteristics of Grave Mercy in a way that you could not trust anyone and that there's spies everywhere. There was times where I was raging at something that happened in the book and put it down for a breather. You learn a lot about how to be a poison taster, or fighting, even some about magic. 

I can't wait to get to the next book especially after that ending. Like I needed to buy more more books but for this series I will. 

Review: FANGIRL

Author: Rainbow Rowell 

Genre: YA Contemporary    

Publisher: St. Martins Griffin 

Page Count: 427

Rating:  5/5

Summary: Cath is crazy about two things writing Simon Snow fanfiction and her twin sister Wren. That was until they went off to college and Wren left to do her own thing. Now Cath has to figure out how to stand on her own two feet, and learn how to survive college and grain some independence from her twin sister. 

My Thought: 

The thing about contemporaries is that authors love living things open ended. FANGIRL was no exception. First off I've enjoyed this book more than I liked Eleanor and Park which seems to be a common thought. 

   This story is about Cath and she's about to go off to college wit her twin however her twin Wren wants to do her own thing without her. Now Cath is alone and doesn't know what to do with herself. From the first page to the last one you see such a growth in Cath where she went from being dependent to standing up for herself. And I believe that was thanks to Levi and Reagan. 

  Both character brought Cath out of her comfort zone, and showed her how to enjoy college more. Especially Levi he is a talker and all around happy guy, but he is a great character. My favorite scene is the the Outsider read all nighter. This is when things changed and over my favorite book to was just a bonus.

  Rainbow Rowell sure know how to write a coming of age book even if two more chapters  would have been awesome. However I loved this book and will be reading it again and again.

Happy reading to all the bookworms out there. 

Review: Cinder

Author: Marissa Meyer
Series: The Luna Chronicles
Page Count: 387
Format: Hardback

Source: Book Outlet

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

Rating:*****/5

Summary: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.  -Goodreads

Well it seems that I got bite by the Luna Chronicles bug that seems to have gotten to everyone. And am okay with that. Cinder is my first fairy tale re-telling and am glad that I started with the Luna Chronicles series. Marissa Meyers shows how to take a tale that everyone who grew up watching Cinderella with a new twist. Like how its not a regular girl but a cyborg, or that its not in a fairyland but in a futurist New Beijing. Also it's not about girl meets guy and falls in love, but have real problems.

The Story: In Commonwealth the people are suffering from a plague that is killing them faster then they can figure out where its coming from or how to cure it. Its interesting that Meyer Marissa made New Beijing into a futurist world where technology pretty much rule everything. There is some similarities in the both stories but even those have a difference in it. Case in point there is still the stepmother and sisters. However in this spin Cinder became a legal guardian to the father after a trip to Africa. Or that the youngest sister Peony is actual nice to Cinder. Its things like that that makes the story different and not the same.

The Characters: One thing I enjoyed is that we saw the prince more in this book then we every did in the Cinderella. Not only that but you see things in his point of view. Prince Kia has so much things to deal with at such a young age, but he's all for the people like he should be. I enjoyed Cinder and how she doesn't fall right for Prince Kia. It was a lot like a cat and mouse chase between them more her than him. But Cinder also showed her insecure about being part cyborg and tries to hide it. Loved Iko the android who has one of the best  personalities I've read a book in awhile. She wasn't programed like other androids and so like to speck her mind. Which could be both troublesome and funny at the same time. Plus Iko was a great friend to Cinder even if it sometimes can embarrass Cinder. 

Villain: Of course goes to Queen Lavanna because no one can top her in craziness. I love how she was so proud that on the moon none of her people does raids. Will no crap you can control them to think anything you want. How scary is that plus the fact you don't know what her face looks like thanks to glamours. She one crazy bitch with a capital B and she just calls it politics.

I fell like I've gushed enough and its time to start Scarlet to see what happened after a ending like that.

Making Up for Monday

Hosted by: An Avid Reader, Wannabe Reader

Question of the week: What character in a book would you like to sucker punch in the face?

There is a lot of characters I really want to smack but the one character that I really disliked is Bree from the Book of Shadows by Cate Tiernan the first book in the sweep series. I know this is about teenage drama however how she treated her best friend since they were kids over a guy. I really disliked her and would of loved to smack some sense into her.

REVIEW: Defiance

Author: R.J. Redwine
Series: Defiance
Pages: 403
Format: Paperback
Rating: 5/5
Summary:All Rachel Adams wanted to do was to leave her city state Baalboden to go find her father in the wasteland even if that meant facing the Curse One. When she get's to go into the wasteland its to go find a package that her father kept hidden from there Commander, and accompany by her new Protector Logan McEntire. However things don't go the way it's supposed to and both Rachel and Logan battle with something way bigger than they both thought.

My thoughts:
    This story is told in a duel point of view of the orphan, inventor, and apprentice to becoming a courier like her father Logan. Then there is Rachel the one who was taught how to fight and is spunky as hell thanks to her dad. I really like them both together because they help each other in what the other lacks. Like Logan is the thinker all though the book he would have a best and worst scenario and have multiply ways out of them. Rachel on the other hand shows her red hair spunky self and acts before she really acts. Logan was also the rock that Rachel needed as she kept getting knocked down by things that kept happening to her, and made sure that she didn't go into a dark place because of it.

    The villian is not really the Curse One which was described as a blind dragon without wings. It could sense though movement and sound and leaves a lot of destruction in its wake.  No the real evil is the leader of Baalboden and that's the Commander, He is a smart twisted man and seems to always be two steps ahead of Logan and Rachel or is just good at planning on the spot. The first 200 pages before they even leave the city state to go into the wasteland we see the Commanders control and how evil he can be. And he loves it especially when he outwits Logan it seems he gets a major high from it.

  This story was really gripping and keep me interested all through the story. I loved Logan and Rachel, raged at unnecessary deaths, and wished the death of the Commander. I can't wait until I can get the next book, and have them try to figure out the mystery that was at the end of this book.

Friday Read

 Defiance by C.J. Redwine is about a girl named Rachel Adams who wants to nothing more than go into the Waste and find her father. However people in the city-state of Baalboden doesn't her to for that reason alone and now Rachel and her protector Logan must figure it out and stop it. I only have sixty-five pages left and excited about where am at and can't wait to finish this today before going to work. My next book goes toward the Read Your Book Shelf A Thon or RYBSAT. So I chose a fantasy shelf and going to start with TAKEN by Erin Bowman. Which is about how boys in these town disappear during a time they call the Heist once they hit eighteen. Gray Weathersby decides not to let that happens and plans something that's never happen before. And that's to escape over the wall.

I can't wait to finish Defiance then get into TAKEN wish me luck that I can finish the one then start on the other in a timing matter, and not get to lazy. Happy reading and have a fun weekend. :)

Review: Dark Lover

Author: J.R. Ward
Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood #1
Genre: Adult
Page Count: 393
Publisher: Penguin
Publishing Year: 2005
Sourse: thirfty books
Format: paperback
Rating: 4/5

This is the story about Wrath the blind king vampire and Beth a orphan that is stuck in a rut.Because of a promise to Beth's dad Wrath promised to help Beth with her change until a vampire and got more than they both planned on.

    I enjoyed this book even though I was looking for more action there was some but it was quick and then over. Which is a bummer since I would of liked more of the fight between the Brotherhood and the Lesser. Instead all the fighting seemed to happen between Wrath and Beth. Which I guess is normal if you come to realize that your father was a vampire, was close, and soon would be one to. Plus Wrath is very closed off which again is understandable with things you find out about his past. I enjoyed the romance between Wrath and Beth though it was let's have sex then I want nothing to do with you then rinse and repeat. Wrath and Beth separate is cool for they are both hard headed but so needed the other.
    Another save in these book is the other Black Dagger brothers. They have a lot of character in each one and their own back stories that makes me want to continue the series.  All are dark and terrifying and yet they bound together to take out the Lessers who seem to multiply like bunnies. Speaking of Lessers the leader Mr. X is scary thinker. He thinks things through and looks at all the angels. And even though I want the Brotherhood to win I would like to see where Mr. X takes this war. It would be cool to find out.

I have a hard time with adult books which is funny since I started out reading it before young adult. However am glad I gave this book a try and I have the next  two books in these series. so hopefully I'll read them soon, and see if I can get more interested as the books go on.