Soul Screamers by Rachel Vincent

 So, Soul Screamers was a Christmas present from my husband, Jeff. I’d never heard of the series before, so it was new to me. I just finished it last night. Actually, this book is Volume 1 and is made up of the first three books: My Soul to Lose, My Soul to Take, and My Soul to Save. First, isn’t the cover gorgeous? I love it. Moving on, we meet the main character, Kaylee, and learn right away that there’s something pretty weird about this girl. Eventually, Kaylee (and the reader) realize that she’s a banshee (they spell it differently in the book but that way is hard to remember so it’s easier to just spell it the way we all recognize it). Basically, Kaylee screams when someone near her is about to die. What she doesn’t realize is that even though to most people it sounds like a bloody-murder wail, it’s really a song and because she’s a banshee, she can do some pretty interesting stuff she didn’t realize. I really enjoyed these stories. This paranormal twist was unique from what’s already out there and that was refreshing. The only thing that wasn’t unique was Kaylee’s obsession over her boyfriend (actually, he doesn’t start out as her boyfriend, but they end up there pretty fast). The boyfriend, Nash, comes across as rather flawless. Even though as the stories get deeper, you realize that he’s always going along with whatever dangerous, crazy thing Kaylee wants to do. So that’s sort of a flaw even though he’s usually doing it to protect her, but it would be nice to see him actually take a stand about something. I actually found the romance/obsessing parts a little distracting from the very cool parts of this unique series. You’ve got creepy characters, powerful characters, trips to the Netherworld–lots of interesting stuff going on, but every few pages we slip back into Kaylee obsessing about Nash, or Nash and Kaylee making out or something. From what I’ve read on Amazon, it looks like Nash’s ex-girlfriend shows up in book 4 and causes some trouble, so that might be interesting. Less making out, more drama and storyline, I hope. I’m hoping their relationship gets a little less predictable. I will say that I’m interested enough in this series and these characters to keep reading, so that’s a good thing. Be prepared for some creepy aspects though! But that’s part of what makes this series so interesting.

 

A Little Bit of Brandy

Hi everybody!  So I thought I’d let you know that I’ve started a new blog, A Little Bit of Brandy. Since I mostly do book reviews on this site, I thought I’d start another blog where I can talk about little Miss Ashtyn and little Lincoln and my husband, Jeff, and all about our family life. So for those of you who follow me on this site, if you’re more interested in motherhood and faith and family and ramblings about daily life balancing work and kids and all that stuff–hop on over to A Little Bit of Brandy and follow me over there. I would love to hear from you. This site will still be updated regularly with book talk and reviews. But I hope you’ll stop by the new site and take a look!

 

The Maid of Fairborne Hall by Julie Klassen

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing The Maid of Fairbourne Hall Bethany House (January 1, 2012) by Julie Klassen

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Julie worked in publishing for sixteen years (first in advertising, then as a fiction editor) and now writes full time. Two of her books, The Girl in the Gatehouse and The Silent Governess won the Christy Award for Historical Romance. The Girl in the Gatehouse also won a Midwest Book Award and The Silent Governess was a finalist in Romance Writers of America’s RITA awards.

She graduated from the University of Illinois and enjoys travel, research, BBC period dramas, long hikes, short naps, and coffee with friends. Julie and her husband have two sons and live near St. Paul, Minnesota.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Pampered Margaret Macy flees London in disguise to escape pressure to marry a dishonorable man. With no money and nowhere else to go, she takes a position as a housemaid in the home of Nathaniel Upchurch, a suitor she once rejected in hopes of winning his dashing brother. Praying no one will recognize her, Margaret fumbles through the first real work of her life. If she can last until her next birthday, she will gain an inheritance from a spinster aunt–and sweet independence. But can she remain hidden as a servant even when prying eyes visit Fairbourne Hall?

Observing both brothers as an “invisible” servant, Margaret learns she may have misjudged Nathaniel. Is it too late to rekindle his admiration? And when one of the family is nearly killed, Margaret alone discovers who was responsible. Should she come forward, even at the risk of her reputation and perhaps her life? And can she avoid an obvious trap meant to force her from hiding?

On her journey from wellborn lady to servant to uncertain future, Margaret must learn to look past appearances and find the true meaning of “serve one another in love.”

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Maid of Fairbourne Hall, go HERE

*On a personal note, I absolutely loved this book. I think part of the reason is that I’m in the middle of watching Downton Abbey on PBS, so I’m immersed in this behind-the-scenes look about servant life. Margaret was a great character, not spending her time obsessing over getting a husband or anything like that. She finds herself in a major predicament, then ends up in an even stickier situation and just deals with it the best way she can. There’s good character development here. We see Margaret grow and mature and become a much better person than she was at the beginning. This was a fun read with some elements of mystery, too.

 

 

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Hi everybody! Hope you had a very happy Christmas. Mine was wonderful. Christmas with my family is always a great time. So, anyway, I wanted to tell you my thoughts on Glow! Just finished it last week. This is another sci/fi, futuristic kind of story where people live on these big ships out in space. Here’s the summary on Amazon:

The Empyrean is the only home 15-year-old Waverly has ever known. Part of the first generation to be successfully conceived in deep space, she and her boyfriend Kieran will be pioneers of New Earth. Waverly knows she must marry young in order to have children who can carry on the mission, and Kieran, the handsome captain-to-be, has everything Waverly could want in a husband. Everyone is sure he’s the best choice. Still, there’s a part of Waverly that wants more from life than marriage, and she is secretly intrigued by the shy, darkly brilliant Seth.

Suddenly, Waverly’s dreams are interrupted by the inconceivable – a violent betrayal by the Empyrean’s sister ship, the New Horizon. The New Horizon’s leaders are desperate to populate the new planet first, and will do anything to get what they need: young girls. In one pivotal moment, Waverly and Kieran are separated, and find themselves at the helm of dangerous missions, where every move has potentially devastating consequences, and decisions of the heart may lead to disaster.

I really enjoyed this book–until I reached the end. Waverly is a strong character, and Kieran, who starts out a little weak, becomes a much stronger character by the end. It’s obvious the author is trying to show some connection between Waverly and Seth early on, but as we get to know Seth throughout the book, he’s not a very likable character. Any guy who yells at babies and yanks children’s arms and basically starves prisoners just does not come across as hero material. But I get the feeling the author wants us to like him and be interested in him. That didn’t happen for me. And Waverly’s interest in him even after she knows how he’s treated everyone on the Empyrean is really disappointing. I thought the storyline about Anne Mather was interesting. She’s a fascinating character. The way she’s twisted religion and manipulates her people. However, when the author makes Kieran also become a person of faith, and then Waverly connects that with Anne’s behavior–I have to wonder if the author is trying to paint a picture that anyone with faith is going to become corrupt. Obviously I don’t like that and don’t agree with it, and I hope that’s not the direction the author is taking.

So I haven’t decided if I’m going to read the next book in this Sky Chasers series or not. Maybe. To me, Seth is a bully and unstable and if he becomes the hero of this story–well, that just doesn’t really interest me. I thought the faith/religion aspect of the book was interesting until I started to get the vibe that it’s always going to be portrayed negatively. I’ll probably wait until there are reviews out about book two and see what the general consensus is.

Overall opinion: this is a well-written book with an interesting, unique plot. I wasn’t totally hooked on the characters or the character development, but I’m still interested to see what direction the author takes the story in.

 

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

So I finished reading The Adoration of Jenna Fox sometime last week but I’m just now having a moment to sit down and think about it. This is a very thought-provoking book. I wasn’t sure if I’d get into it at first, but pretty early in, I was hooked. It’s a page turner. It’s sci-fi, but it has some futuristic feelings to it. For example, all the technology and advances in science seem totally plausible. The book feels like a mystery for a good portion of the book. The main character, Jenna, has woken up after having supposedly been in a coma for a year after a terrible car accident. But everything is strange. Her family has moved to CA even though her dad still works in another state. Her grandmother treats her like a stranger and seems resentful of the fact that Jenna’s there–even though they used to have a super close relationship. Jenna can’t remember anything of her life before. Her parents are secretive about too many things. Something’s way, way off. And Jenna knows it.

The story revolves around Jenna finding out what really happened to her and who she really is. The thought-provoking aspect comes into play when you start to consider the ethics (or lack thereof) of certain decisions Jenna’s parents made. To be honest, when I finished the book, I kept wondering what the author’s position would be on some things. You don’t end with a clear picture of what’s right or wrong, though you sort of have an idea of the direction the author’s going in. It made me question my own opinion of where the ethics line in science should be drawn. The book didn’t change my views whatsoever on that–but it was still a really interesting read. It raised some questions that it couldn’t answer, of course (things about a person’s soul). But overall, I thought it was a fascinating book. At some points, maybe a little disturbing, but definitely interesting.

 

Christmas Shopping!

Hi everybody! Or as my daughter likes to say, “Hi, friends!” (You have to picture me waving like Ashtyn does at this moment.) So, I thought while everyone’s in the Christmas shopping mode, I’d take a moment to remind you about my book! For anyone who loves sweet, humorous romance novels, Looks Like Love would be a great Christmas gift! You can grab a copy here. Or you can order it from Barnes & Noble. You can check out the first chapter here.

See the book trailer below! Happy shopping!  

 

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

 So I just finished reading Kimberly Derting’s The Pledge. It’s another dystopian novel, but what made this one unique was its element of magic. I thought that gave it something extra and helped set it apart from everything that’s out there right now. I really enjoyed this book.

Here’s the skinny on The Pledge: Charlie lives in a dystopian society where a queen always rules. And for the last–well, for a really long time, the same woman has ruled. She just transfers her Essence to the next female heir, but it’s still the same super-mean evil queen. Problem: There is currently  no female heir. So not only is the mean queen fighting an uprising of revolutionaries, she’s also hunting for an heir. A family of royal descent that’s in hiding.

Charlie doesn’t realize that she herself is a princess in hiding.

As I mentioned, the element of magic is unique. I also liked Charlie’s character. She loves her family, she knows her place but she wants to fight the system, she’s loyal to her friends. However, the romance aspect felt sort of rushed to me and not all that different from what we’ve seen in this genre. She meets Max and, of course, immediately is obsessed with him. I did think Max was an interesting character and he proves to be even more interesting and has some depth, so that was good. To be honest, I feel like there’s a trend in YA fiction like this that portrays girls as always weak when it comes to guys. We keep seeing girls obsess over guys, get all weak-kneed and dreamy, make decisions that revolve around being near a guy or being touched by a guy–I’m just not crazy about this. I’d like to see more female characters show some strength. Very often in these books, the guys come across as having way more self-control than the girls. I don’t think that’s realistic or fair. I do realize these are teenage characters, so maybe it’s not all that unrealistic for them to be obsessive–but I think it would be great to see some girls who have at least as much self-control as the boys. Maybe this trend goes back to Bella and Edward–that’s the epitome of a girl obsessing over a boy to the point where she wants to die without him. I don’t mind a little of that sort of drama, but I prefer to see stronger female characters.

Part of what I thought was interesting about The Pledge was the role of the queen. Male heirs have no standing and are treated with indifference. It’s all about the girls. I thought was a unique, refreshing element. It’s the female heirs who have special powers. While that was very cool–I just wish that Charlie hadn’t been quite so predictable when it came to her immediate attraction and obsession with Max.

The Pledge wraps up well, leaving room for a sequel but not making it absolutely necessary. The pacing is great; it’s a page-turner and a very easy, fast read. An enjoyable book for dystopian fans.

 

Breaking Dawn-Part 1 review

So, Jeff and I went to see Breaking Dawn-Part 1 Saturday night. I so appreciate that even if Jeff isn’t really into the whole Twilight Saga-love thing, he’s sweet enough to want to take me to see it and to be romantic the whole time. :) Even when there are super annoying people talking in the movie theater. (I absolutely can’t stand it when people whisper constantly during movies. I tried to give them dagger looks but it didn’t register.) 

Anyway, I digress. Let’s get back to the movie. Okay, so, overall opinion: I liked it. There were a couple of things I wasn’t crazy about and a couple of things that I thought were great. Starting off, the wedding is gorgeous and really sweet. There’s some comic-relief going on with all the wedding toasts and that was cute. I felt like the beginning was really emotional–at least for me. Maybe it’s just because I can remember that last night in my old room before I got married. I thought the movie did a great job of capturing all the anxiety and anticipation Bella experiences before and after the wedding. Then we move on to the honeymoon.

I really thought this part lasted too long. Okay, it’s sweet and they’re married and it’s romantic–great. But it felt like a really long scene (multiple scenes) and I was ready to move on to some action. Plus, when Bella and Edward are standing in the ocean, I kept thinking about the interview I read explaining that they were tied down to boxes in the water and they just couldn’t be still, and I wanted to laugh. The first part of the honeymoon just felt long and drawn out to me, and a little too much for a movie that tons of young girls want to see. That’s what I thought anyway. There were some really young girls at the showing we went to.

Bella realizing she’s pregnant is intense and I was glad that the pace picked up somewhat after that happened. In fact, Bella’s pregnancy is intense the whole way through. Wow, Kristen Stewart really went through a transformation–Bella looked so gaunt, emaciated–at the same time huge. It was extreme. There is one scene where Edward realizes he can hear their unborn child’s thoughts, and he has this connection with the baby. He finally shows some understanding that this is kind of a miracle and really special for Bella and himself. That’s a super sweet scene.

There’s also a really emotional scene where Bella’s talking on the phone to her dad. This movie had so many heavy, emotional scenes. I already know that when I watch the DVD, there will be lots of places I skip over because no one wants to feel like crying over and over.

I was glad they added in some action–fighting scenes with the wolves. That really helped the pace and added some excitement. The birth scene just keeps up the intensity. Here’s one aspect I was surprised I liked! The whole imprinting thing (which I did not like in the book at all). They made this scene less weird and creepy than I felt it came across in the book. I think it’s because Jacob gets glimpses of Renesmee grown up, so it’s not just him falling in love with an infant. That made that scene work.

Ending with Bella’s red eyes opening was really cool and a great way to make everyone excited for the next movie. Also, Sara had told me to stay after the credits to see an extra scene, so I saw the extra clip. Which was a little confusing to me. I’m not sure exactly what Aro was talking about. But it also made me interested to see the next movie. Overall, the marriage is so romantic and sweet, and the pregnancy and birth are so intense–add in some wolves fighting and you’ve got a great movie. Oh! One more thing, the music was really good. I was so glad they brought back the Iron and Wine song from the first movie. Very cool.

 

Christmas in Sugarcreek by Shelley Shepard Gray

This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingChristmas In SugarcreekAvon Inspire (October 25, 2011)byShelley Shepard GrayABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Since 2000, Shelley Sabga has sold over thirty novels to numerous publishers, including HarperCollins, Harlequin, and Abingdon Press. She has been interviewed by NPR, and her books have been highlighted in numerous publications, including USA Today and The Wall Street Journal.

Under the name Shelley Shepard Gray, Shelley writes Amish romances for HarperCollins’ inspirational line, Avon Inspire. Her recent novel, The Protector, the final book in her “Families of Honor” series, hit the New York Times List, and her previous novel in the same series, The Survivor, appeared on the USA Today bestseller list. Shelley has won the prestigious Holt Medallion for her books, Forgiven and Grace, and her novels have been chosen as Alternate Selections for the Doubleday/Literary Guild Book Club. Her first novel with Avon Inspire, Hidden, was an Inspirational Reader’s Choice finalist.

Before writing romances, Shelley lived in Texas and Colorado, where she taught school and earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education. She now lives in southern Ohio and writes full time. Shelley is married, the mother of two children in college, and is an active member of her church. She serves on committees, volunteers in the church office, and currently leads a Bible study group, and she looks forward to the opportunity to continue to write novels that showcase her Christian ideals.

When she’s not writing, Shelley often attends conferences and reader retreats in order to give workshops and publicize her work. She’s attended RWA’s national conference six times, the ACFW conference and Romantic Times Magazine’s annual conference as well as traveled to New Jersey, Birmingham, and Tennessee to attend local conferences.

Check out Shelley’s Facebook Fan page
ABOUT THE BOOK

Judith Graber has always been the obedient daughter. When her older brother Josh struggled with his love life, she offered wise counsel. When her younger brother Caleb flirted with the idea of leaving their order, she firmly told him he was wrong. Over the years, she’s watched her younger siblings, helped around the house, and worked in her family’s store during her spare time. Judith feels overworked, overlooked, and underappreciated this holiday season.

But everything changes when her father hires Ben Knox.

Ben Knox is the “bad boy” of Sugarcreek. Though he’s never considered jumping the fence, he’s certainly never tried to be anything close to dutiful. Two years ago he left Sugarcreek under a cloud of shame. Rumors circulated that his rumspringa had been filled with more than the usual harmless explorations.

Now he’s back and working side by side with Judith.

As the chaos of the holiday season threatens to sap all joy, sparks fly between Ben and Judith. But Judith steels herself to ignore her infatuation. The last thing she wants to be is just one more girl who falls under Ben’s spell. Ben, on the other hand, wants Judith to realize there’s more to him than his bad reputation. When he fled Sugarcreek, he was running from a disruptive home life. Now that he’s back, he wants a fresh beginning.

Could this Christmas season bring love and a new life for the unlikeliest pair in Sugarcreek?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Christmas In Sugarcreek, go HERE.

 

For my personal review–I loved this sweet Christmas novella. Each storyline was sweet and endearing. Judith and Ben were fabulous characters. I usually give these kinds of books away as gifts during the holidays, but I couldn’t part with this one! I think I’ll want to read it again next Christmas. My only wish was that Caleb hadn’t been quite so pushy when it came to his relationship with Rebecca. It seemed that, rational or not, he should have had more respect for her wishes. When he walks right into the house and sits down without being invited and just sort of starts insisting on his way, I felt like suddenly, since he knew her situation, he decided to take charge, regardless of her feelings or wishes. And no matter how good your intentions are, you really do have to respect what the other person says, whether you like it or not. I know Caleb loved Rebecca so much–but it would have been nice to see him back off when she was obviously not ready to share parts of her life with him.

Anyway, as I said before, I really enjoyed the book. And the cover is beautiful. This is a sweet novella and would be a wonderful gift for anyone who enjoys Amish fiction.

 

Life As We Knew It by Susan Pfeffer

 So I just finished reading Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. And I’m still trying to decide just how I feel about it. In some ways, this is a fantastic book. In a lot of ways, really. It’s incredibly well-written. Great character development, good pacing, very creative plot.

Let’s talk about the plot just a little bit. This book is written in diary form by a 17-year-old girl (Miranda), and life as she knew it has just changed forever. A meteor has knocked the moon closer to earth, resulting in world catastrophes and climate changes. Suddenly there’s no electricity, food is scarce, communicating via phone or Internet is rarely possible. The storyline is riveting, and to be honest, I read this whole book in one sitting because I could not put it down.

However, I’ve said before that I’m the kind of person who needs closure. You don’t get it in this book. It’s one of those “come to your own conclusions” book. And I don’t do well with those. If I’ve invested time and emotion into reading about people for hundreds of pages, I want to know what happens to them. Then I found out that this is actually part of a trilogy. Hallelujah! Closure, right? Well, I read lots of interviews on Amazon and apparently the final book has a really vague ending. No closure. So I’m not going to read the next two books. However, I have to say that this book was really, really good. It’s a page-turner and the author does a fantastic job of making us care about the characters and creating a very realistic setting.

So realistic, in fact, that I found myself feeling rather depressed while I was reading this book. It’s not a light-hearted read, and it never turns into one. Again, I’m not great with that kind of story. I don’t like feeling depressed when I’ve finished reading a book. But the fact that I couldn’t put it down tells me that the writing is amazingly good–it’s just not the kind of book that I want to read again and again. Still, I recommend it for fans of dystopian or sci-fi YA literature. It’s an easy, fast read that you won’t want to set aside, though; so block out some time once you start reading.