Tears of The Moon By Nora Roberts

Rating:5 Stars

Goodreads Blurb
Second in the breathtaking Irish trilogy from the #1 New York Times bestselling author.

Nora Roberts returns to Ireland in this tale of a talented musician and the beautiful tomboy who's been secretly in love with him for years.

My Review
I liked Tears of the Moon a bit better than Jewels of the Sun, maybe it's because Brenna had rubbed off on me from the very start!We share the tomboyish nature but I must say she has a considerably harder head than I do or I just might be lying to myself.

Carrick sure had his work cut out for him with those two,them being Shawn and Brenna, enough said.The love was already there between them but they never realized that it was really love and not just love you feel to a childhood chum.They both had a mouth on them and they had me laughing my head off at some parts.What I really admire of Roberts' work is the friendly and welcoming atmosphere.I mean you could have people walking in and out of your house dropping in from the tea they're so fond of and having a chat in the kitchen over some homemade muffins.Nobody's a stranger and you can see it's a close-knit village and you the reader reading this series feels right at home.

Oh and the sceneries!They sounded so beautiful and keeps you wanting to see them in person!It's been a dream of mine to visit Ireland, but I must say reading about it and it's people and culture is as close as I can get... maybe for now,hey a girl can dream!

A highly enjoyable book Mrs.Roberts!

Link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59819.Tears_of_the_Moon

Blood Bound (Mercedes Thompson #2) by Patricia Briggs

 
Rating: 5 Stars

Goodreads blurb
Mechanic Mercy Thompson has friends in low places-and in dark ones. And now she owes one of them a favor. Since she can shape-shift at will, she agrees to act as some extra muscle when her vampire friend Stefan goes to deliver a message to another of his kind. 

But this new vampire is hardly ordinary-and neither is the demon inside of him.

The Cover
Would you look at all them tattoos!I was never one for them,uh-uh.But Mercy pulled it off nicely and she has this don't-mess-wid-me-look!But still ... I think the tattoos were a bit too much.


My review
You will find that a majority of this review may consist of my opinion of the supposed love-triangle. Blood Bound was more fast paced than Moon Called.It had me day-dreaming more than I care to admit.I don't like love-triangles and the one in this series has me almost screaming to Mercy,"Pick one of 'em already,woman!" Honestly,I'm not sure to say who I prefer Mercy to choose, Adam or Samuel,not that my choice matters because Mercy doesn't take my advice.

Adam and Mercy had a rather bumpy-smooth relationship, pissing each other off every other day but things visibly change in the previous book.It turns out that Adam had a thing for Mercy for a while now and his feelings came out into the open by the end of Moon Called.Mercy has this attraction towards Adam too but she's afraid of her reactions towards him and tries to avoid him.He had admitted that it was his alpha power thingy was what was responsible for Mercy feeling that she wanted to submit to him and told her he tries to withdraw that part of him when he's with her away from the pack, well most of the times.

As for Samuel who had nearly ran away with Mercy some 15 years ago, only wants her so that she could give him living children.He broke her heart but he apologized to her for using her like that but he also makes it clear that he's still interested.I dislike him for his motives, but wanting children that would live after he's seen the ones he had died doesn't make him evil and loathsome, he should have been more open and honest with Mercy in the first place ... but she was around 16 then and probably more unstable back then than now.
 She had mentioned that he was the only wolf there,excluding Bran I think, who had stuck up for her because the others had hated her for being a walker.Maybe that was due to her being his almost-mate but he still stood up for her nevertheless.But in the present, I have a part of me that thinks  he's actually developed feelings for her.

Long story short, I sort of like them both but what made me pause is Stefan's rather peculiar behaviour,I mean he's supposed to be a really good undead friend of hers but I, and I'm sure others as well, had noticed that Stefan has been making some moves towards Mercy, or that could just be him being all charming,ya. So if he likes her more that a chummy Scooby-Doo loving vampire would, it wouldn't be a love-triangle anymore ... I still don't like this, not one bit.But I still really like Stefan because he seems to be the only decent vampire in the series.

The culprit wasn't totally obvious but I had a tiny-weeny suspicion who it was.I think 'Littleton' is kind of a funny-ish name for a vampire,don't you think?  Briggs sure didn't spare us the gory details. Just when you thought werewolf pack structure and terms and conditions are complicated, vampire politics just gives me a migraine!

We see again that Mercy is willing to risk her life so that others wouldn't have to suffer. Butt-kicking, headstrong,selfless,stubborn coyote/mechanic and a disobey-er of direct 'orders', that's Mercy Thompson for you,don't we just lover her?

Link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/285205.Blood_Bound

Magic Burns (Kate Daniels #2 ) by Illona Andrews

Rating: 5 Stars
Read on July 21, 2011

Goodreads Blurb
As a mercenary who cleans up after magic gone wrong, Kate Daniels knows how waves of paranormal energy ebb and flow across Atlanta like a tide. But once every seven years, a flare comes, a time when magic runs rampant. When Kate sets out to retrieve a set of stolen maps for the Pack, Atlanta's paramilitary clan of shape shifters, she quickly realizes much more is at stake. The stolen maps are only the opening gambit in an epic tug of war between two gods hoping for rebirth, and if Kate can't stop the cataclysmic showdown, the city may not survive.

The Cover
Kate looks ready to kick butt (words you'll see very often during this review) and Curran ... well he looks just plain weird, not awful, but just weird but I've seen better lions.


My Review 

  Illona Andrews gets better and better with every new book in the Kate Daniels Series!

I don't want to give anything away so I'll just skim over a bit.

In this second installation the flare, a huge wave of magic that will hang around for a while, and all things magic are will be juiced up while it lasts.It's an opportunity for all things evil to wreck havoc, and believe me, evil never misses an opportunity especially one as good as this.

Not surprisingly Kate's in the middle of things when a wanna-be-God takes advantage of the flare.It's during an investigation Kate comes across a wisp of a girl,Julie, who had a mother who's gone MIA.One thing leads to another until they kick bad-guy butt and save the day but one without the inevitable event of water-works (tears). Of course there's gonna be lots of Curran to go around and and all sorts of were-things!

Fast paced.Magic packed, a lot of butt kicking,witty comments and much bloodshed(the way Kate goes about doing business),it's a highly enjoyable, end-of-your-seat read!

Link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8166133-magic-burns 

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

My Rating: 4 Stars

*Minor Spoilers*

Goodreads blurb
Werewolves can be dangerous if you get in their way, but they'll leave you alone if you are careful. They are very good at hiding their natures from the human population, but I'm not human. I know them when I meet them, and they know me, too.

Mercy Thompson's sexy next-door neighbor is a werewolf.

She's tinkering with a VW bus at her mechanic shop that happens to belong to a vampire.

But then, Mercy Thompson is not exactly normal herself ... and her connection to the world of things that go bump in the night is about to get her into a whole lot of trouble.

My Review 
I've been itching to read this for a while now and I must say it was an enjoyable read.But it felt like something was missing, don't ask me what if I knew I'd tell you.

I'll be totally honest though, I love Mercy!I mean she could be a badass but she knows where to draw the line.She may be physically inferior(which might be too strong a word) but she makes up for it in mouthing off to authority and those above her ,but hey I can't blame her with all of those overbearing werewolves around, she had to stand up for herself.

Mercy's an okay gal, she's tough, funny, caring and doesn't like to be out of the line of fire when she knows that she could be helping.She doesn't have tons of magic (or any of it so to speak)so that she could just wriggle her pinkie and WAM leveling the street with vampires, nope,that's what makes me like her even more, she relies on her instincts and quick thinking rather than power.

Another thing I like about Mercy is her faith in God, she didn't like the crucifix because it was an instrument of pain that had led to our saviour's death so instead she carries a lamb around her neck because Jesus' other name was "The Lamb of God". I admit that's also clever I mean which vampire would have thought that they'd be knocked out by a wee little lamb?

Stormbreaker (Alex Rider) by Anthony Horowitz

Rating: 5 Stars

Goodreads blurb
They said his uncle Ian died in a car accident. Alex Rider knows that’s a lie, and the bullet holes in his uncle’s car confirm the truth. But nothing can prepare him for the news that the uncle he always thought he knew was really a spy for Britain’s top-secret intelligence agency. Enlisted to find his uncle’s killers and complete Ian’s final mission, Alex suddenly finds himself caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse, with no way out. The original novel that started the worldwide phenomenon is now a major motion picture!

My Review
The chances of me becoming a spy tomorrow is nil but Alex was the one with the luck,and up to now I haven't figured out whether he thinks it's bad luck or good.
Alex Rider woke up 3 o' clock one morning with the news of his Uncle Ian death in a car accident,he didn't have his belt on.This was strange because he knew what a safety freak Ian was.

Alex being the curious kid he is,he didn't sit on his behind mourning his loss,nope he didn't, instead he got up and sneaked into the scrapyard where Ian's car was to be laid to rest.Things didn't add up when he saw bullet holes that dotted the side of the car.
 He thought Ian worked for some big-shot bank but as it turns out good ol' Uncle Ian was a spy for MI-6 as it's head,Alan Blunt, filled him in.Now they want Alex to continue the mission Ian had started,the one he got murdered trying to complete.

Without him knowing it his uncle had been training Alex all along,with the hiking,martial arts,flying,and he speaks about a handful of different languages amongst other things, to become a spy himself, or so I deduced.We learn that Alex is smart and resourceful and him being a 14 year old that's saying something.

For a boy who had lost his parents to an accident at a very young age,in a plane crash (I don't believe that rubbish,I suspect that they were spies as well)  he didn't cry about why it had to be him,what did he do to be dragged out of his boring life to do something so risky,nuh-uh, he accepted he had to do, albeit skeptical at first and along with those little threats Mr.Sunshine and Flowers Blunt smoothly laid out, but he did what had to be done, and moved on to the next task ahead.

Colleen's up coming release of Tiger's Voyage!

*Warning: Contains minor spoilers*

I'm dying of suspense over here in my part of the world! And I almost died when I heard how long we have to wait for it to come out! I automatically gave it a 5 Stars on Goodreads knowing that it'll get me gripping at the edge of my seat for dear life!

What's the next item on their unusual grocery list? Will Kelsey make her decision to choose Ren or Kishan any time soon? Will Ren regain at least some of his memory? Will Kells get a grip already and stop behaving like a child?What!Well she can be childish sometimes, you've got to admit.

I'll attempt a few of those questions. I strongly feel  that she'll end up with Ren and personally I hope that she'll wake up and choose him already. He might have made some bad remarks that she had happened to over hear, but that was only hours after they had dragged him out of Lokesh's grip.Now he's slowly  falling for her again but now she's being unreasonable and fights with him. But it's gotta be hell when two brothers love you and the final decision will get one hurt. I don't look forward for that as a personal experience too, cursed Indian Princes,  heck yes, but not choosing between them like Kelsey had to.

Tigers Quest (Book 2 of the Tiger Saga) by Colleen Houk

Rating: 5 Stars

Goodreads blurb

 Back in Oregon, Kelsey tries to pick up the pieces of her life and push aside her feelings for Ren. But danger lurks around the corner, forcing her to return to India where she embarks on a second quest-this time with Ren's dark, bad-boy brother Kishan, who has also fallen prey to the Tiger's Curse. Fraught with danger, spellbinding dreams, and choices of the heart, TIGER'S QUEST brings the trio one step closer to breaking the spell that binds them.

The Cover
The cover is as beautiful as Tiger's Curse.This tiger is Kishan, who's stare makes you want to run in the opposite direction! He really cool but needs to sort out his messed up choice of girls,I'm not saying Kelsey's bad or anything it's just that he want's what's already taken. But it's not like he does it on purpose, poor guy.


My Review
Three words: Oh.My.God.

This book was even more gripping than the first one.Kelsey was stupid for thinking that she didn't deserve Ren,but I can understand why, and when things started to look brighter something had to happen and kill the moment!Now Kells has to continue their journey to break the Tiger's curse but this time with Kishan and not Ren.

I've just finished this book,about 10 minutes ago, and I'm emotionally unable to go on but I must so I'll keep it short.After all what had happened I wanted to kick Ren into next year December or even Pluto for that matter for how ... how ... he treated Kells after they had found him.But I know that it wasn't his fault.It was that nasty, evile, poisonious, vile, scum of the earth, that son of a bitc... I don't really swear much but Lokesh would make me say much worse... he was the one responsible for what Kelsey is going through, and not only her but everyone else was suffering for her.

The Hunger Games by Suzzane Collins

Rating: 5 Stars

I can't believe that I've waited so long to read this book! The time wasted seems absurd. When a book keeps me up 'til 2 in the morning, at the edge of my seat, well my bed, makes me ignore being yelled at to turn out the lights and commands my attention it definitely deserves 5 stars at least. The Hunger Games was no exception. I haven't read a book so captivating since Harry Potter but it doesn't beat Harry, mind you. This is a diehard Harry Potter fan talking here and apparently a Hunger Games one as well!

Panem had thirteen districts with the Capitol at the top of things and I emphasize on had. After the districts came together to overthrow the Capitol, District 13 was obliterated and the rest of them were in shambles, well most of them.

Long story short, the Capitol is full of a bunch of greedy power hungry, heartless loonies, with a few exceptions. Body alterations that you wouldn’t believe I mean they take surgeries to look perfect, a few dyes their skin colour, even guys wear make-up as a norm.

To remind everyone of their huge mistake the Capitol punishes everyone by forcing them to give up a boy and a girl from each district to participate in The Hunger Games, where they fight to the death until only one remains. So the people of Panem watch their children die before their eyes. Can you imagine being helpless, having no choice but to give up your kids for slaughter?

Along For The Ride by Sara Dessen

Rating: 4 Stars

For some reason I've always steered clear of these kinds of books, chick-lit, I had this idea that all of them are boring and cliche.I've seen 'Along for The Ride' a while, and it always tugged at a part of my mind, practically screaming "Read me! You wouldn't regret it, I promise! Perty please!" well I gave it a try and to my surprise I wasn't disappointed!

This is my first Sara Dessen and I really admire how she captured Auden. You could relate to her, how she felt about her parents’ divorce to her social isolation.

Oh, and Eli! Even I have a crush on him! He’s totally unlike that jerk brother of his, Jake.He really cares about her. He made Auden realize that she has a second chance to have a childhood she didn't have. The guy was sort of a reck at the begining, not talking to anyone since the accident until Auden came, which was kind of sweet. She helped him as much he had helped her. Now he talks and begins to joke around like he used to, before Abe's death.

I also liked how Auden and Eli didn't get into all that boyfriend-girlfriend routine, holding hands and kissing all the time and going gaga over each other eek!That's what really turn me off of with these books.

Her dad was a selfish bastard and he was going to make the same mistake twice! He needs his nine hours of sleep, sheesh! Heidi needed more than he did by far and deserved as much. She was on the verge of a meltdown, but lucky Auden was there.

The Mediator: Shadowland by Meg Cabbot

 Rating: 4 Stars
*Mild Spoilers* To be honest I didn't realize she wrote The Princess Diaries,not that I read them.I never really expected to like ghost books much so I was in for a supprise,I totally enjoyed this one!I've always loved witty and sassy heroines, who don't take nonsense without giving you their special of knuckle sandwich!And Suze fits the bill.

So now Suze just moved to sunny California from crowded New York since her mom had remarried.It was easier for them to move since her mom was a reporter when her step-dad was a carpenter with three kids,boys to be a bit more specific,would be more harder.

At first sight she nicknamed her new brothers Dopey,Sleepy and Doc,which pretty much covered their personalities.Doc,his real name was David, is my favourite!He was probably,no definitely, Suze's favourite stepbrother as well.
Suze was hoping to get away,or at least to get a break, from her normal routine.She's a mediator,she solves ghosts' problems and send them off wherever it is that they're supposed to go.They usually come crying and screaming for her help-literally- and there's no way she can refuse,them ghosts don't give in easily.Sometimes she's forced to get physical with certain stubborn ones,you remember that knuckle sandwich I mentioned?

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K Rowling

Rating: 5 Stars

*Spoiler Alert*
I just loved this book! Just yesterday I got myself a copy and couldn't put it down! Mrs J.K Rowling's works always had that effect on me. The introduction gave me a peculiar feeling that washed over me in waves and made me want to cry, especially when I came to the part I read about the Second Wizarding War and when I read the bit that reminded us what Professor Dumbledore said about truth to his ‘favourite and most famous pupil,' and we all know who that was. Then I recognised that what I felt was nostalgia.


I thoroughly enjoyed Professor Dumbledore's notes, this had also given me this feeling of home sickness when he refers to Hogwarts, when I know that everything's over, but then again, it never really would ever end to me, in my hearts of hearts

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

Rating: 5 Stars
Today, Sunday the 10th July, around 1:55 AM, I had finished the most beautiful book I’ve ever read. A book, though breathtakingly beautiful, it showed mankind at its worst and its best. How? I have no words that could tell you. Maybe the words were there, but they weren’t enough, no amount of them could ever be.

I couldn’t find one word that could that could describe the way this book made me feel as I burned through its pages full of life and death and as I read every single word it held so dearly.

Words, words, words. It was also the story of Liesel’s love affair with words and yet the words themselves could not do her story any justice. I’m sure, sure as Death, sure that even from the moment I read the first words that I was then a lifelong fan of Marcus Zusak. Making Death the narrator was truly original, very unusual indeed. He gave Death a personality, a personality that was interesting and that had drawn my attention and approval from the very start. Deaths was kind, had a sense of humour and believe it or not, he had a heart.

Now I attempt to share and describe my thoughts and my feelings. It was like riding some sort of emotional rollercoaster that had begun slowly and gradually gained momentum. Happiness had been constant after the cloudy days, but that didn’t mean that sadness and despair wouldn’t catch up. They did. Oh, yes they certainly did.

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

Rating:5 Stars

Charlotte's Web is definately one of all time favourites!A story of the unlikely,but heartwarming and admirable, friendship of the loveable pig,Wilbur and a clever and caring spider,Charlotte.It reminds us how fortunate we all are for having friends of our own.Honestly though,I'll think twice before I swat away a spider ever again.

Link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24185.Charlotte_s_Web

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Rating:5 Stars
Loved it though it was devastating to see Fred,Tonks and Lupin dead!!!It answers all the questions the previous books posed!!!Fantastic!
Thanks Mrs.Rowling you are truly the best!!!

Link:http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/818056.Harry_Potter_and_the_Deathly_Hallows

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

It was a rather difficult read.This is my first encounter with one of Dickens' work,but to be honest I couldn't pass page 120 and it was with great difficulty I even reached that far.I've attempted twice,but I guess it's one of those books I'll just put down and try it again later.

Link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2623.Great_Expectations

A Basket of Flowers by Christoph von Schmid

Rating:3.5 Stars

A lesson definitely worth learning!

Link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/646761.A_Basket_of_Flowers

Half a Rogue by Harold Macgrath

Rating:3.5 Stars

A really good read.There should be no negative criticism for this book.

Link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6433419-half-a-rogue

The Man Without a Face by Isabelle Holland

Rating: 4.5 Stars
I just loved it!Charles a loner had finally found a father unexpectedly in 'The Man without a Face'.
In the end was sad, though I didn't think it ought to.What hapenned in the end,in my opinion, wasn't entirely necessary, but I guess Charles was left the wiser.

Link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/482842.The_Man_Without_a_Face

House on Prague Street by Hana Dementz

Rating:5 Stars

This story takes place during the second World War in Czechoslovakia where Helen's, through whose eyes we witness the heart wrenching events, sunny and care free world comes a-tumbling down when the Western parts of Czechoslovakia, known as the Sudetenland, were tamely handed over to the Nazis.Helen's German father refused to divorce his Jewish wife despite the pleas of his parents who had disowned him for their marriage.

Czechoslovakia lost its independent status and became a German Protectorate under the German Reich Protector Konstantin von Neurath. So life got tougher on them like it had on the rest of the Jewish population with the passing of demeaning decrees restricting access to transport, goods and services and a whole lot of other things. Helen grew up having everything she once had, the people, places and the things she had loved snatched away from her. The House on Prague Street deeply touched me and would always have a place in my heart.Sad as it may be, it's a book I'd re-read over again.

It's one of my favourite World War II novels despite being sad,but grief is rather an unavoidable emotion, especially during such a frightful time caused by the warped beliefs of the self-righteous.


Link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2566076-the-house-on-prague-street

Wendy by Karren Wallace

This was very unlike the Wendy in Peter Pan.It was truly agonizing to read,for I wanted just to finish it and get it over with.

Link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2703210-wendy

The Golem and the Dragon Girl by Sonia Levitin

Rating: 4 Stars
A book I can't really put down but since it's from the school's libaray and I can't borrow cuse my exams are comming up.I had already read it before but didn't understand it way back then but now I really like it so far.Lurel may be selfish sometimes but she's a kind girl who was attached to her Great grandfather's spirit.Laurel felt she and her mother had grown apart recently and she thinks that it had something to do with her grand parents coming to liver with them.
She eventually shared the secret of her great-grandfather's spirit with Jonathan,who despite coming from different backgrounds have quite alot in common,from what I understand at this moment as I'm currently reading it.

I finished it a while ago and I must say that this is a book I really enjoyed reading

Link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/951527.The_Golem_and_the_Dragon_Girl

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Rating:5 Stars

After reading this wonderful book I kept wondering,"Why don't we all live and love like the March family?" It's the story of the four March sisters: pretty Meg,tomboy Jo,dear Beth and little lady Amy and not forgetting 'our boy' Laurie.My favourite March is Jo she's so funny,energetic,and caring and maybe because I know how being a tomboy feels and are constantly being told that it isn't proper for young ladies be be running,jumping and talking slang.I love how she 'play mother' over Beth.
Mrs.March teaches her girls and us too that we shouldn't love for money and looks,we shouldn't change ourselves to suit the world.Their 'experiments' only prove the dear old lady right for she's had experience but the girls prefer to learn the hard way.We see that the poorest of souls are the happiest because they have each other and such happiness cannot be given by money(even though it's always welcome) and other worldly materials.We are reminded that every life is touched with sadness as well as joy.
In the end they might not have gotten everything they've wantd but something much,much more that being each other,their own family,warm homes and love to last for eternity.

Link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1934.Little_Women

Celebrate Through Heartsongs by Mattie J.T Stepanek

Rating:4.5 Stars
It amazed me that such a little child could write so beautifully.It's so amazing and yet so sad.His poems really touched me to the core of my soul.Mattie died a few years back.When I first read this book I wasn't aware of that fact.His poems made me cry and my tears fell like rain when I learnt of his death.
He knew that he was going to die sooner if not later and spoke of going to Heaven and that he'll be with his big brother Jamie once more.A very brave boy,Mattie was.May his beautiful soul rest in peace.

Link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/142993.Celebrate_Through_Heartsongs