Long Time, No Post

It's been quite some time since I've posted anything new here.  There are a few reasons for that.  The main reason is that I haven't been reading much at all.  I've read some books here and there, but my appetite for books was nothing like it has been in the past.  This is probably because I was too busy eating for two.  :-)

That's right.  I'm expecting my first baby this September.  My husband and I are extremely excited to welcome a baby girl.  I'm especially excited to raise a little bookworm.  We've already begun building her book collection. 

I'm finally getting my reading groove back, so I'm hoping to have lots of blogging material.  I have several reviews that I need to share, so be sure to check back here this week. 

Angelfire

Title: Angelfire
Author: Courtney Allison Moulton
Release: February 15, 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books
Age Group: YA
Pages: 453
Overall: 5/5
Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads:  This debut, the first novel in a trilogy, is achingly romantic, terrifying, and filled with blistering action.


When seventeen-year-old Ellie starts seeing reapers - monstrous creatures who devour humans and send their souls to Hell - she finds herself on the front lines of a supernatural war between archangels and the Fallen and faced with the possible destruction of her soul.

A mysterious boy named Will reveals she is the reincarnation of an ancient warrior, the only one capable of wielding swords of angelfire to fight the reapers, and he is an immortal sworn to protect her in battle. Now that Ellie's powers have been awakened, a powerful reaper called Bastian has come forward to challenge her. He has employed a fierce assassin to eliminate her - an assassin who has already killed her once.

While balancing her dwindling social life and reaper-hunting duties, she and Will discover Bastian is searching for a dormant creature believed to be a true soul reaper. Bastian plans to use this weapon to ignite the End of Days and to destroy Ellie's soul, ending her rebirth cycle forever. Now, she must face an army of Bastian's most frightening reapers, prevent the soul reaper from consuming her soul, and uncover the secrets of her past lives - including truths that may be too frightening to remember.

My Thoughts:  I loved this book!  I had trouble putting it down and was thoroughly disappointed when it ended.  Ellie's character is great.  She's smart and tough.  There are quite a few books out with strong female leads who fight monsters, but Ellie seemed to be the toughest (in my opinion).  When reading the action scenes, I could actually picture the fighting in my head.  Will is one of those hot male characters that can leave you drooling and wishing you had a guy just like him in your life.  I'm so eager to read the next book in the trilogy.  There seems to be so much more to come.  I'm not sure which is causing me the most suspense: what will happen with the reapers or what will happn between Ellie and Will.

Lost in the River of Grass

Title: Lost in the River of Grass
Author: Ginny Rorby
Release: March 28, 2011
Publisher: Carolrhoda Books
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 264
Overall: 2/5
Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads:  A science-class field trip to the Everglades is supposed to be fun, but Sarah's new at Glades Academy, and her fellow freshmen aren't exactly making her feel welcome. When an opportunity for an unauthorized side trip on an airboat presents itself, it seems like a perfect escape—an afternoon without feeling like a sore thumb. But one simple oversight turns a joyride into a race for survival across the river of grass. Sarah will have to count on her instincts—and a guy she barely knows—if they have any hope of making it back alive.




Lost in the River of Grass takes on the classic survival genre using one of the country's most unique wild places as a backdrop. In this tense, character-driven thriller, Sarah must overcome prejudice and the unforgiving wilderness in a struggle to survive.
 
My Thoughts:  This isn't a book I would typically read, but I thought it sounded interesting and decided to take a chance on it.  I would have to say I liked the book but didn't love it.  The storyline was interesting, and I found the book teaching me things I hadn't known before.  Clearly, the author did her research about the Everglades.  I read somewhere that this book was based on her husband's experience of walking out of the Everglades.  This is probably why she did such a great job of describing the experiences of Sarah and Andy.  The pace of the story was a little slow for my taste, but I thought it was a good book overall.  Something that I really enjoyed about the book was that it wasn't a typical YA book.  Yes, Sarah struggled to fit in at school and had a crush on a boy.  Unlike many other YA's, this book focused on Sarah's feelings about herself, her doubts about herself, and her journey in overcoming those doubts.  I would definitely suggest this book to my future children.  It's a great example of how you can do anything if you set your mind to it.

The Raising

Title: The Raising
Author: Laura Kasischke
Release: March 15, 2011
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Age Group: Unsure
Pages: 496
Overall: 4/5
Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads:  Last year Godwin Honors Hall was draped in black. The university was mourning the loss of one of its own: Nicole Werner, a blond, beautiful, straight-A sorority sister tragically killed in a car accident that left her boyfriend, who was driving, remarkably—some say suspiciously—unscathed.


Although a year has passed, as winter begins and the nights darken, obsession with Nicole and her death reignites: She was so pretty. So sweet-tempered. So innocent. Too young to die.

Unless she didn’t.

Because rumor has it that she’s back.

My Thoughts:  I really enjoyed this book.  It sucked me in quickly, and I couldn't seem to read it fast enough.  The author kept me on my toes, and I found myself guessing over and over what would happen next.  I liked how the author pieced together the story from the perspectives of different characters.  Nicole, the deeply missed sorority girl, had many sides to her, and it was interesting to see all of these come to light.  I also enjoyed how the author told the story of the accident a little at a time.  This book definitely had the spookiness of a ghost story and the intrigue of a mystery.

The Betrayal of Maggie Blair

Title: The Betrayal of Maggie Blair
Author: Elizabeth Laird
Release: April 18, 2011
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Age Group: YA
Pages: 435
Overall: 2/5
Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads:  In seventeenth-century Scotland, saying the wrong thing can lead to banishment—or worse. Accused of being a witch, sixteen-year-old Maggie Blair is sentenced to be hanged. She escapes, but instead of finding shelter with her principled, patriotic uncle, she brings disaster to his door.


Betrayed by one of her own accusers, Maggie must try to save her uncle and his family from the king’s men, even if she has to risk her own life in the process.

My Thoughts:  I’ll be honest.  I had some trouble getting through this book.  Maybe I interpreted the summary wrong, but I expected the book to focus more on Maggie being accused of witchcraft.  I didn’t expect it to make up a short portion in the beginning.  I found the story to be slow.  Once I realized the book wasn’t what I had expected, I contemplated not finishing it.  It just wasn’t keeping my attention.  I wouldn’t say this is a bad book.  I have seen very good reviews by others.  It just wasn’t my kind of book.

The Vespertine

I read The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell back in December.  Since today is the release date for it, I thought I'd post my review again. 

The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell

Release Date: March 1, 2011

Source: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt through NetGalley

In the summer of 1889, Amelia van den Broeke was sent to Baltimore to stay with relatives. Her brother facilitated this stay in hopes that Amelia would find a husband. Amelia makes friends, thanks to her welcoming cousin, and finds herself head over heels crazy for a Fourteenth, Nathaniel Witherspoon. Unfortunately, he is below her, making a marriage impossible.

While searching for a husband, Amelia discovers she has a gift. When the sun sets, she sees the future in the vespers. Initially hesitant about revealing this gift, Amelia soon finds herself doing readings for callers.

The summer had been enjoyable, that is until one of Amelia's more tragic predictions came true. Amelia then found herself being blamed and facing a much different end to ther summer than expected.

My Thoughts: I found this book to be a refreshing twist to the paranormal YA books I've read. It's not your typical vampire or werewolf story like many paranormal stories are nowadays. Don't get me wrong! I love vampire and werewolf stories, but I also like to mix it up a bit. I've never heard of anyone seeing the future in the vespers at sunset. In fact, I don't think I've ever heard the words "vespertine" or "vesper." (Clearly, I need to expand my vocabulary.)

One of my favorite things about the story was how Amelia's gift was handled. I'm so used to reading books about paranormal gifts that must be kept secret. If the public knew, that person would be shunned, experimented on, or maybe even worse. Amelia, though, was embraced in a way. The people in Baltimore were eager to meet with her and find out what the vespers held for them. It wasn't until something bad happened that everyone had a much different outlook on Amelia's gift.

Aside from the paranormal aspect of the story, I found it to be a great coming of age story. That summer was a turning point. It was the transition between childhood and womanhood, and Amelia was faced with the huge task of finding a husband. She fell in love, and of course it was a difficult love.

I really liked The Vespertine. I felt it blended historical fiction and paranormal gifts quite nicely.

Overall: 4/5

It's been awhile!

Well, it has definitely been a long time since I've posted anything new to the blog. I have good reasons, though! Lots of things have been happening on the homefront. The most exciting thing is not quite ready to be revealed yet. You'll have to wait a few more weeks for that. ;-) Unfortunately, this secret has been the biggest reason I haven't been blogging lately. In addition to my secret, I've also been sick. I had the flu really bad for awhile, and it has taken me some time to fully recover from it.


Basically, I've done more sleeping than reading in the last month or so. I think I've only read maybe 2 books. This really bums me out, because I love reading. I had also just received a lot of awesome looking books from NetGalley and was super excited to read and review them. Then my little secret came along and sidetracked those plans.

I'm starting to feel better overall, and I recently started reading Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton. It has really sucked me in, so I'm hoping it's the kickstart I need to get back on the reading wagon. I also took some time today to look over my NetGalley books. They still look so inviting. I made a list of the ones I need to read soon (in time for release dates). Unfortunately, I've missed some release dates, so I'll be reading those books when I get to them. I do have a few reviews that I need to post, so you can expect those soon.

I've still got half of the workday left and a few chores around the house before my date with Angelfire tonight. I'm hoping to finish it (or at least come really close to finishing).