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Crazy President Snow. This one is moving kind of slow for me. Hoping it picks up.

Title: Free to Love
Format: Kindle eBook

Pages: 163

Meh. None of them came off as all that original or layered. The entire cast was either good or bad. There was no in between. The good guys were the victims or the single most giving, honest, VICTIMIZED people ever and the bad guys were selfish, self-centered, or just plain crazy. I just didn't care for any of them.

Julie runs away. Everything is perfect. James ruins it. That's pretty much it. Everything happened so easily for Julie when she left. It all just fell into her lap. I think they should have just left the end, the end. There is no reason to continue the story. Julie should have washed up on the shore and went back to her new home. Period. But now we get to read about Aaron, some random character introduced on the last freaking page, falling in love with her within seconds. So much insta-love in this book and none of it is even good.

Not much of one established. Julie goes to California. And we know that she's along the beach, but that's about it. Honestly, when you just announce that she's in Cali, you really don't need a lot of details. Beaches & sunshine.

This whole book was just blah. It was predictable with boring characters. It wasn't absolutely horrible if you're just looking for something to pass the time and not think too much. That's the only reason Free to Love isn't getting the Black Star of Death.

Title: The Crown
Author: Kiera Cass
Format: Kindle e-Book
Pages: 288

Pretty much all the suitors ran together for me. Eadlyn never spent enough time with any of them for them to come off as individuals. I can't tell you anything about Fox. Hale fixed her dress. Ean, who knows? Even Kile played almost zero part until the very end. I was rooting for Henri, even more than Erik, I think, just because I think he was more likable. The problem here was there were too many guys and not enough time with any of them. It would have been different had she narrowed it down to two. At least they would have been memorable, if not likable. I didn't like what Marid did to her, but honestly, it still wasn't enough to make me really hate him. The characters were just blah to me.

Not gonna lie. This plot was pretty much nonexistent. It was a bunch of Eadlyn running around not really doing much. I mean, she was doing a lot. Well, not not even. She talked about doing a lot. But we don't SEE her do much of anything. We hear all about how tired and stressed and exhausted she is, but really it's because all she did was complain about how tired and stressed and exhausted she is.  When I read the original three books, I was hooked. I could not put them down. As it was here, not much happened.

There just wasn't the world building there had been in the other four books. There was a lot in the, what do they even call it? Castle? But nothing was really described. There really was no real setting here and I just couldn't get into it. I didn't FEEL there, which I need to really engage in a book. Just bad descriptions overall.

Writing was nothing special. Honestly, it came off a bit like a Selection fan fiction more than anything edited. Everything felt too easily wrapped up. Just didn't care for it. REALLY wish this hadn't been the last of the series. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Star Touched Queen

Roshani Chokski

3 Stars

Kindle e-Book: Netgalley

 

I don't even know what to say about this book. Honestly.
I really liked the beginning. It had this Aladdin/Beauty and the Beast thing going and I was feeling it. Amar and Maya were getting used to each other and it was really sweet how she slowly feel in love with him. I even liked Gupta. He was a great side character in a setting where there was NO ONE. The world building was great. Magical. Mystical. Loved it. (World Building is what got this book 3 stars, BTW).
But the whole second half was WFT??? It was just random weirdness. I still don't understand how she just woke up with a horse trying to eat her. And what was with the elephant guarding the ocean to the Otherworld?? I just don't get it. I feel like I missed something. Or I've been reading books that may follow this formula called PLOT too much, but the second half of this book was just random. The last three chapters maybe were okay just because they were set back in the Otherworld and I got the character's motivations. But that whole middle part with Kamala (though I did enjoy her:) ) made no sense to me whatsoever.

Currently Reading: Left Behind by Tim LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins

Wishing I hadn't taken such a long break from this book. My brain has to catch up.

I wanted to like this book because it has a really good premise, so it gets stars for that. But beyond the IDEA of the book, didn't care for it so much. All the characters seemed pretty weak-minded.
Poor baby Hannah is the only character that I really felt anything for. Everyone else was just there.

Title: Absolutely True Diary of Part-Time Indian

Author: Sherman Alexie
Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company
Page Count: 231
My Format: Hardback
Source: Public Library

 

Characters
I admire Arnold aka Junior as a character. He starts out the story as the ultimate underdog. The great thing about him, though, is his humor, his attitude, the way he refuses to give up. Sure, he's a little delusional, but he keeps himself happy. :) Not once in this book does he run away from his problems, and he has a ton of them. He's a risk-taker and I love that about him.
There are a lot of supporting characters throughout this story. My favorite has to be Roger. Yes, Roger. He doesn't play a huge role here. Actually, the story could very easily go on without him. The thing is, though, that he is the character that grows the most. He starts off bullying Arnold, but they grow to be friends. He helps hi out when he doesn't have to. He's kind to him.
Gordy is also a wonderfully quirky character. I always like a genius and anyone who gets a book-boner.

Plot
There are a lot of ups and downs through this story. There are deaths and victories. But everything is told with perspective of a nerdy, little underdog with more maturity than I'd anticipated from him. The story wouldn't have been the same without the humor. In fact, it would have been just plain sad. 

Setting
While there is a stark contrast between the rez and Reardan, I think the people bring it together. Arnold makes some really good points about the parents of his white peers being less that active in their children's lives. I think this is universal. Despite Wellpinit having the corner on alcoholism in this book, the people really do care about each other. They build relationships. They know each other. They root for each other. There's kinship. I think this story proves that locale isn't everything.

Title: Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer
Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Hyperion Disney
My Format: Kindle
Source: I own it

 

Report Card
Characters B

Plot B
Setting/s B+

I wanted to like this book. I really did. And I did like this book. The problem with Magnus is that he reminded me too much of Percy. The half-ass hero who dumb lucks his way through quests. And Sam reminded me too much of Annabeth. She's smart and tough and she knows something about just about  everything they come up against. Then there's Hearthstone and Blitz who are basically Grover separated in two. Sometimes useful, mostly nervous. They just felt like knockoffs to me. 
The story was pretty much the same as well. A sorry bunch of heroes with a deadline to save the world. 
But there was humor, lots of it. That really kept the story going. Nothing was expected. There was a lot thrown in to keep the story fresh, like the regenerating goats, for example. Totally random, but I like it.

So, I guess I did like the story. Loved it, actually. But it felt repetitive. 

Title: Today God Wants You to Know...You Are Blessed

Author: Rae Simons

Page Count: 192
Publisher: Barbour Books
My Format: e-book
Source: Netgalley

No Report Card for this one :)

I really enjoyed this book! Not just because it's Christian either, but because it's just a good, uplifting read. There seems to be a message for just about everything. Feeling down? There's a message for that. Feeling lost? There's a message for that. Losing faith? There's a message for that. 
The book itself is short but effective. It's easy to get through and doesn't require a lot of heavy reading. Still, it leaves an imprint. 
Recommend this for anyone having a hard time or just wanting a refresher on faith!

I still don't know if I like this book or not. Definitely isn't Pride & Prejudice, that's for sure. And I wish Fanny weren't so wishy washy. Stand up for yourself, child!

I managed to make a button for my blog! So thrilled with myself!

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Title: Ice Kissed
Author: Amanda Hocking
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Page Count: 304
My Format: Hardback
Source: Public Library

 

Report Card
Characters: B
Plot: C
Setting: C
Overall: C+

Characters
Same characters as before, only they didn't feel as developed. Hocking comes off as one of those authors that writes in a hurry. She info dumps the characters in the first book, then they don't progress much through the series. I don't feel like Bryn has evolved as a character. She's exactly the same as she was in the first book. Sure, there are a lot of characters that carry the same traits throughout the series, but they learn from their mistakes. They become jaded or hopeful or something. These characters just don't seem to be going anywhere. The only new development with Bryn is that she wants a future with Ridley, but he's the one doing the sacrificing, so really, that doesn't mean much.

Plot: The story felt very mechanical to me. It was predictable. 

[spoiler]We knew that Queen Everly and Prince Kennett were shady. We just knew it. No big surprise. Now if the two kings were working together or Linnea and Lisbet, but no, it was the two most questionable people that went dark. Surprise! Not.

[/spoiler]

Setting
Much of the same only with fewer details. 

Overall
Just not as good as the first, which I sailed through. This one, however, took 22 days. That's pretty pathetic. I just didn't care about the characters. Will I finish the next book? Sure. I've read 2/3 of the series, so I can't just give up now. But will it be memorable? Probably not.

Title: Tricky Twenty Two
Author: Janet Evanovich
Publisher: Bantam
My Format: Hardback
Source: Public Library
Page Count: 304

 

Report Card
Characters A-

Plot B+
Setting B
Overall A

Characters
All of our main characters are back! Stephanie, Lula, Morelli, Grandma, Ranger! (Team Ranger), Vinnie :/ We also met a few new people. My personal favorite was Pooka. He's crazy and I like it! Bubonic Plague for the win!

Plot
It was definitely a stretch. Evanovich seems to be running out of steam. Or at least, ideas. The first few books were realistic-ish. This one, not so much. But it was definitely FUN to read, at the very least. I wanted to know what would happen next. That's more than I can say for a lot of books I've read lately.

Setting
Same old 'burg. We did get to visit a college campus, which I felt was kind of a rip off because it felt stereotyped.

Overall
I've read some reviews totally panning this book. I get why. There are some inconsistencies with the writing. Little details that just aren't quite right. But if you can overlook these, then it's okay. It does feel like Evanovich is rehashing a lot of the same formula over and over. Yes, this plot was very different from all the others, but Morelli and Ranger still come to the rescue. And she always catches the bad guy. And Lula is always the sidekick ready to shoot everyone. So why did I give this an A for Overall? Because I still lived reading it. I laughed out loud a few times and honestly, it was just a fun distraction from every day life. That's what I read for. Distraction. This wasn't heavy. It wasn't the world hanging in the balance. It was just comedy. I enjoyed it fir what it is.

New blog for a new year!
Hopefully, I'll keep this one up to date and not lose the password like all the others. LOL
Visit me Here

Title: Monster
Author: Walter Dean Myers
Publisher: Amistad
Publication Date: December 14, 2004
Page Count: 281
My Format: Kindle
Source: Overdrive (Public Library)

 

Report Card
Characters- C-
Plot C-
Setting D
Overall D+

Firstly, I don't understand what the bid deal about this book is. I guess it's supposed to be eye-opening, maybe? Gripping? I don't know. The writing of this book threw me. It's written as a script, which I just don't like. I feel like I wasn't given enough to care about the characters or what happened to them.

Characters
The only character I even remember is Steven and it isn't because he's all that great of a character. It's because the way that the story is written, I barely followed who the characters are. I just didn't.

Setting
Again, it's the format. I didn't feel there with him.

Plot
If I don't care about the characters, then I don't care about the plot. That's pretty much it.

Title: A Northern Light
Author: Jennifer Donnelly
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Page Count: 408
My Copy: Hardback
Source: Public Library

Report Card
Characters A-
Plot A

Setting B+

Characters
First off is Mattie Gokey, our protag. She's brilliant, especially for a young woman of the time who hadn't had much formal education. She's bright and thoughtful and intensely driven. She's also strong and selfless. And those two characteristics don't always go together. So she's torn. Does she go off to college and get the education she's always wanted and worked for and deserved? Or does she stay back with the family who doesn't want her to go and marry and have the quiet little life that she thinks she's meant to have? This is what really drives the character.
Beyond Mattie, there is a wide variety of characters that make this story come to life. Weaver, who is every bit as brilliant as and possibly more driven than Mattie but is the wrong character. There's Cook, who's a tough boss but has a soft spot when needed. Mattie's sisters who are so wildly different from each other. Royal, who I'm guessing is the equivalent to the golden boy nowadays. Miss Wilcox who did everything she could for Mattie to help her along to college, who wrote no matter what her husband or society thought of it.

So many wonderful characters!

Plot
As mentioned above, there's the main plot about Mattie and whether or not she'll go to college. But better than that was the mystery of Grace and Chester/Carl. Immediately I knew something was fishy about it, but the letters were so well done and spaced throughout the book that it helped things along. It definitely added something to the story.

Setting
I can't say that I really liked the setting, but then this isn't my usual story either. It isn't a fantasy in a faraway land. This is real life. I think the characters told more about the setting than any description could have and I think I liked it better that way.

Review in a word: Poignant