Shadow Bound

I was browsing the free books on my Nook one day and found Shadow Bound by Erin Kellison.  I thought I had seen it mentioned on a blog or someone's Twitter feed and decided to try it out.  It's the first book in Kellison's Shadow series.  I love reading books that make up a series, and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.

Cover:  The cover didn't do much for me.  That's okay, though, because since it was an ebook I hardly ever saw the cover.

Characters:  Talia knows she is unique and different.  She doesn't necessarily know what she is, but she knows she's not entirely human.  She's smart and dedicated but has come to accept that her uniqueness will keep her from ever getting close to anyone.  Adam has devoted his life to stopping the wraiths.  He knows a war is on the horizon, and he has taken it upon himself to fight it.  He has his own personal demons to fight and finds an ally in Talia. 

I really enjoyed these characters.  I felt the author gave them depth and personality but also showed personal growth in them throughout the book.

Writing:  I liked the way the author wrote the book.  I didn't find it too confusing.  The POV alternated between Adam's and Talia's.  I've said numerous times that I enjoy when POV alternates, and I'll say it again.  I really like hearing from two different people and seeing how they are perceiving a certain situation.

Plot:  I enjoy reading paranormal books, but sometimes the plot just gets repeated.  This plot was different.  New types of paranormal beings were introduced, which was refreshing.  There was suspense, action, and sexual tension, which in my opinion, make a good book.

Overall: 4/5  I really liked this book.  I had trouble putting it down and found myself wanting to read just one more chapter.  I've been on a roll lately.  The last few books I've read have given me this feeling.  I'm excited to read the next book in this series to find out what happens next.

Deja Dead

I've been wanting to read the Temperance Brennan series by Kathy Reichs since I read a blog post about it a few months ago (Sorry, I can't remember which blog!).  I'm a huge fan of the show, Bones, and figured the books would be pretty good, too.  I definitely didn't expect the show and books to be identical, but I was thinking the character of Tempe Brennan would be the same.  Wrong.  Anywho, I still really liked the first book, Deja Dead.

Cover:  The cover is neat.  Once I started getting into the story, I began to understand the meaning behind the map and pins.  Read the book to find out! ;-)

Characters:  In the books, Tempe is a middle aged anthropologist living and working in Canada.  She's divorced and has a daughter in college.  Tempe is good at what she does and works with local law enforcement to solve cases.  She is determined, intelligent, and resourceful.  What makes her great at her job is her ability to think outside the box and come at a problem from different angles.  She works closely with a few police officers, Ryan and Claudel.  Ryan is kind to tempe and supports her ideas.  I think she might have a little crush on him, too.  Claudel, on the other hand, is a jerk.  He dismisses Tempe like she's some kind of dummy.

Writing:  Reichs uses a lot of scientific and medical terminology.  At times, I thought she used it too much.  I would get confused in some parts and have to just skim until I could find a part that I understood again.  I thought Reichs did a good job at knowing where to end a chapter.  Most of her chapters ended and left me wanting to know what was coming. 

Plot:  I really liked the plot of this story.  The concept was that Tempe found some human remains, which led her to believe that there was a serial killer on the loose.  She then fights to convince local law enforcement that she is right and get them on board to find this guy.  There are quite a few twists and turns.  Just when I thought the bad guy had been caught, BAM!  Something else happened.

Overall: 4/5  I really liked this book.  The beginning was a little slow for me, but the story eventually picked up and caught my interest.  I'm definitely going to read more books in this series.

Fallen

I have been wanting to read Fallen by Lauren Kate from the first time I saw the cover.  Before I had even read what the book was about, my mind was made up.  I chose to order the book on my Nook, which kind of jipped me from having my hot little hands on that gorgeous cover.  That's okay, though, because the content more than made up for that.

Cover: GORGEOUS!  That's all I can say. 

Characters: The characters in this book were rather intriguing. The fact that they all had some sort of troubled past and dark side made them really fascinating to me. It could also be because I work with troubled adolescents. Luce sucked me in right away. I felt for her. She was in a strange, frightening place and felt as if she was being doubted and attacked. She even felt like her own parents were afraid of her. Luce seemed very relatable. She had a secret that she didn't want to share with anyone and felt like she had a past far worse than any of the other students at her new school. Then there was Daniel. Oh, if only Daniel were real. ::swoon:: He definitely had that "bad boy" image that good girls like. He's mysterious and brooding. I won't say too much about him. He's one of those characters that you just must read about to get to know. Cam's charm and good looks seemed too good to be true. I was wary of him from the beginning.

Writing: Lauren Kate did a fantastic job writing this book. She knew exactly how much to put into each chapter and just where to end each chapter. It seemed as if I'd finish a chapter and think, "Just one more! I have to read one more!" The writing was easy to follow but still included enough detail for me to create the world of Fallen in my head. I liked how she was able to convey the characters' emotions through descriptions of their body language and dialogue. That was part of what drew me into the book so deeply.

Plot: I thought the plot was wonderful. It was refreshing after reading so many books about vampires. While there were some paranormal (I guess you'd call it that) aspects to the book, the plot didn't rely on it too heavily. In my opinion, the real paranormal stuff didn't come until later in the book. The rest of the story seemed to do just what the characters in the book did; fit in with the normal world.

Overall:  5/5  I absolutely loved this book!  I NEEDS the next one!  The story completely sucked me in.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan is a book that I've been wanting to read.  I picked it up one day while shopping at Books-A-Million, but it sat on my bookshelf for quite some time.  I enjoyed the book but wasn't blown away by it. 

Cover:  The cover makes me think in two different ways.  Sometimes, looking at it makes me feel as if I'm on the Consecrated side looking into the village.  At other times, I feel like I'm in the village looking out at the consecrated.  This simple image can be interpreted differently.

Characters:  The main characters of the book are Mary, Travis, Harry, Cass, Jed, and a young boy.  Mary is a young woman who longs for something other than life in the village.  She is sure that something exists beyond The Forest of Hands and Teeth.  Jed is Mary's brother, but he doesn't share her sentiments on life and The Forest.  Travis, Harry, Cass, and the young boy share Mary's journey throughout the book as she searches for a different kind of life.  These characters are up against the Consecrated, zombie-like beings who only know the urge to feed on human flesh.

Writing:  I found the book easy to read and follow.  It didn't appear to be filled with unnecessary details and facts that drag the book along.  Considering that the story takes place in the future, the author did a great job writing from that type of perspective.  The people of this time period would not have the same luxuries and conveniences of our time, and that was conveyed well in the writing.

Plot:  I found the plot to be slow in the beginning.  It eventually picked up, and I found myself eager to find out how the book ended.  My interpretation of the plot line is a story of having a dream and following it, no matter what obstacles turn up or what others think about it.  Mary had a dream of finding the ocean.  She knew deep inside that it was real, despite being told otherwise.  Everyone told her to forget her silly notions and do what was best for the village and future generations.  She chose to follow her dream instead.

Overall: 3/5  I liked The Forest of Hands and Teeth.  I wasn't blown away by it, but I'll definitely read the books that come after it.

Why Just One? (4)

I see a lot on the internet about popular book series. One that I've heard a lot about, especially because of the new book coming out, is the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. These books make up this week's series that I'm eager to read.


Hunger Games
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Catching Fire
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Mockingjay
 

Teaser Tuesday (8)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme held by Miz B at Should Be Reading. It's a great way to share what you're reading or what you're planning on reading. Here's how it works. Grab a book, open to a random page, and share two teaser sentences. Be sure to avoid posting spoilers and include the book's title and author.

This week's Teaser Tuesday is from Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs:

The bones of the pelvis encircled a bathroom plunger, its long wooden handle projecting upward like an inverted Popsicle stick, its red rubber cup pressed hard againt the pelvic outlet.  Its position suggested deliberate placement. - p. 22

I can't wait to read the rest of this book!

Weekend Wrap-Up (5)

There's not much to say about this weekend.

Highlights:

Last class of the summer semester.
Freshly squeezed lemonade from the county fair.
Gave my kitchen and dining room a good, deepl clean.
Finished The Forest of Hands and Teeth.

Low points:

Hubs worked night shift all weekend, which left me to sleep alone.  It also left us with very little time together.
We went to the county fair to see The Clarks play but left because it looked like a bad storm was rolling in.
I wanted the hubs to help me measure our huge living room window so I could buy curtains.  Unfortunately, he slept in, ate breakfast, and then slept again before leaving to work the night shift.

My fall semester starts in a few weeks.  I'm really hoping to get some enjoyable weekends in before I get stuck with weekends full of homework.