Review: Son of No One

Son of No One by Sherrilyn Kenyon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



To describe my love for Sherrilyn's books is a very difficult process. She's amazing. And I can never say that enough. And this book continues my thought process in that direction. Continuing her legacy of beautifully crafted stories and rich characters, Sherrilyn Kenyon weaves a story that is exciting, enticing, and draws readers into the world that she has created. I have to say that I love how she ties everything together. She brings little bits and pieces in from her different worlds to build a complex and very rich story that is hard not to admire.

I don't want to give any spoilers, because I believe that is wrong on many levels, but I will say that this story, like every other Dark-Hunter novel is well worth the read. Spell-binding and invigorating, Son of No One builds upon a well-established foundation while also managing to stand on its own and to dig deeper into the history and personality of established and well-loved characters who find a way to stay with you even after you put the book down.



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Review: The Strain

The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Vampires that kill people.

Vampires that believe people are cattle.

You sing the song of my people.

I very much enjoyed the Strain. It's a little slow to start, but once the story gets going, it's hard to ignore and hard to put down. Exciting and terrifying at the same time, The Strain tells the story of a flight that lands and goes utterly dark. As you read, you're wondering: What is going on? Is this worth the read? I feel like there should be something here. And there is. You just have to hold on because once the excitement and terror begin. They don't stop. Not for a moment. All you can do is read on with your heart lodged somewhere up in your throat.

I'll admit it, I really like vampire novels. And I'll also admit (to my shame) that I have read Twilight and almost all of its sequels. Yes, my great shame. And I am very pleased to say that Hogan and Del Toro's vampires do not sparkle. They do not seduce. They cannot seduce. They infect and terrify. They haunt and hunt. If you're looking for a vampire tale that will send chills down your spine with its reality and its potential, then start looking for the Strain and ask yourself: Do I need to sleep at night.

The answer is no: Sleep is for the weak. Start reading.



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Review: Red White and Blood

Vanessa Brown's review

5 of 5 stars

Read from July 25 to August 08, 2014

You know that feeling you get when you finish a book and all you can think is: where is the next one?

That about summarizes my feelings in regards to this book. I can say honestly and without a doubt that I love the Nathaniel Cade series. Celever, tense, and utterly thrilling. With characters that are vivid and real, I recommend anyone who hasn't checked out this series or has only somewhat consider it to stop reading and go pick up the first book Blood Oath .

For everyone else or whoever just wanted to finish the review first: I really do love this book. It has the right mixture of humor, terror, and thrill. Of course, Mr. Farnsworth is brilliant at making a person want to scream (sometimes with terror and sometimes just frustration). It really is a wonderful read.

And to top off the utter insanity that is Cade and his "handler" Zach, this time around, Farnsworth tossed us the boogeyman. And it is a brilliant twist and take on him. Completely different than a person or rather, monster, that we might have expected to find. And honestly, that is what I love about this series. What you think you will find, isn't always what you do find. It's something unexpected and utterly exciting.

What more could someone ask for in a book series?

Review: Lover Reborn

Lover Reborn by J.R. Ward

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I have been waiting for Tohr's book...for a while. Anyone who has looked at my reviews, knows from my reading of Lover Unleashed that I love the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. And this book has proved no different. I think I actually liked this better than some of the others. It's a very real book about having to grow and let go. It's about pain and love. It's about the things that make us human and the things that sometimes we don't want to do. It was amazing to me seeing the pain in some and the hope and joy at times.

Of course, as with all the other books in the series, it ties in and builds on what has already been created. I really like that about this series. Though it means that the books aren't stand alone and are very hard to read without having read the others, I don't mind that. You become enveloped in this world and Ward does a very good job at pulling you in and making you want more of it. I can say, without a doubt, that I absolutely love it.

I can't wait to get my hands on the next book and dive back into that world.



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Review: If I Stay

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I will start off by saying that this book did not make me cry. I cam really close, but I did not actively cry. I already know that a lot of people are going to be comparing this to The Fault in Our Stars, but honestly, I liked this book a lot better. I love the character Mia and I love the way that her story is told. I love that you see these glimpses of her life and that it isn't simple. She could live or die and the decision is up in the air the whole time. I know what I wanted her to pick, but it was never clear which she would. It all depended on a single moment that was being built up towards and that we just had to wait and see which choice would be made.

Now, I do not want to spoil the book for anyone because I do highly recommend it, but I do want to say that my favorite parts of the book involve two very important conversations in her decision making process. Though I do not think it is very fair to call them conversations since she can only listen while these people sit so close and yet so far away. It is her grandfather and her boyfriend Adam, who I believe are the most influential in motivating her. Their hands guide her. They love her and they do for her what she cannot seem to do for herself.

This story is truly beautiful. It might make you cry and it might not, but I don't think it matters either way. Really, the thing that matters is the sad and beautiful reality of it. This book makes you want to take a step back and look at life. Look at those moments which seem so inconsequential and yet so pivotal at the same time. Our lives can change in a moment. And we have to choose what path it is we take. That is what I see this book showing the most of all and it makes me love it that much more.



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Review: To Marry a Scottish Laird

To Marry a Scottish Laird by Lynsay Sands

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I'm a sucker for a romance. I've always been that way. And this book is no exception for me. A strong Highlander tends to make my knees go a little weak and Cam is certainly a strong man. I very much enjoyed the story woven by he and his lovely little Joan. I especially liked that the story also referred back to an older story that I ready a while before. I got so excited when I started to recognize the other story as it was mentioned. The building of that kind of world is fascinating to me.

Yes, it's a romance novel and a lot of people would mock that as escapism, but isn't that what all fiction is when you think of it that way? Reading is simply a way to build another world. It's no different from watching television or listening to music except I'd like to think that it compliments music wonderfully and is far more stimulating than watching TV (though I do love me some science fiction and fantasy shows).

I loved being so bound to these characters though. Giggling at their little moments of silliness and wanting them so much to just sit down and work things out. I loved the way that you got to watch them, at least for a little while, start to build a life together. One full of love and hope and family and friends. I guess that's what I really love about reading. Yes sometimes you don't always have a happy ending, and sometimes we wish that characters would do what we want them to rather than what they want to, but I don't think that really matters in the end.

Reading this little romance novel reminded me of why I love to read in the first place. It doesn't have anything to do with learning (though it's a useful way to do it) or escaping (but that is a wonderful byproduct). It is about meeting these new characters and making these friends that I can share with my other friends. I can read these books and it doesn't matter how strange I am, I am not judged and in so doing, I can also connect to people who I would have never thought to approach. I guess I kind of got off topic. I'm supposed to be reviewing this book, not telling you why I love to read.

But I guess, they're kind of the same thing. This book has it's corny moments. Yes it is predictable and that might annoy some people, but I'd like to think that we read not for the ending, but for the journey that it takes us on. And this story is quite a journey.



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