Review - Angelfire, by Courntey Allison Moulton

Released: Feb 2011

Publisher:  HarperCollins / Katherine Tegen Books
Audience: YA
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal
Source: NetGalley
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Summary 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.

Review:

Is this seriously a debut novel?! I had to go back & check just to make sure. I am just amazed at how much I loved it, & I mean really, really loved it! There have been so many novels out this year that have received a ton of hype, & I've felt let-down by pretty much all of them.  Sure, they were good, but not as great as so many led me to believe. THIS book, on the other hand, was fantastic (I haven't seen as much hype over it, so maybe that's part of it? But I doubt it.). It was clean, interesting, fast-paced, the characters were fun to be around, & I couldn't read it quick enough.

Moulton wrote a very polished story. The history of the reapers, angels, & war in Heaven was well thought out & explained, and I really liked the fact that she revealed bits & pieces of information throughout the book, so that the reader continued to learn (or remember) the mysteries of this other world alongside the main character, Ellie. I also loved the flashbacks that Ellie kept having from her previous lives. It was fun to see her at different times & places in history & get a better idea of what her purpose was & the cost she paid time & again to achieve that purpose.

Moulton also did a nice job with the characters in this book. Each character was distinct & realistic, & I found I quite liked most of them (other than the ones that you're not supposed to care for). My favorite characters, as they should be, were Ellie & Will. While Ellie seemed weak much of the time, the author let you know why. It was acceptable. She redeemed herself many times though with incredible bouts of power & bravery (in the present & with her flashbacks). And what do I even say about Will? I have a major literary crush on him? He's frustrating, yet perfect? Scratch the crush part, I'm in love with him?! He was just so likeable!

Another thing I appreciated about this book was that it was nicely wrapped up, but still left things open for a sequel. It didn't have a horrible cliff hanger like so many writers seem to rely on in order to get you to read their next book. This book was great without the cliff hanger, & I most definitely have the next book on my read-it-as-soon-as-I-possibly-can list. I'm really excited for Courtney Allison Moulton & the incredible start to her career.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good, action-packed, paranormal love story.

5/5

"That’s the point of believing in something. There’s so much doubt and tribulation during your journey that you’ve got to hang on to something, or else you’ll fall."  ~ Courtney Allison Moulton, Angelfire

Breaking Dawn Movie Trailer

I put off reading the Twilight series for quite a while b/c I just couldn't stand all the hype around it. Once I finally gave it a shot, I was hooked - obsessively hooked. (I'm guessing part of this was because I'd been trying to read Les Miserables for 8 months without opening any other books, & I had finally had enough. Twilight offered a huge relief from the verbose French classic.)

While the excitement surrounding Twilight has ebbed over the last couple years (even moreso in the last year), I was still so happy when I saw the newest trailer for the Breaking Dawn movie. I'm still not convinced this book needed to be made into two separate movies, but after watching this trailer, I'm getting anxious for the next installment of the series to come out.

Mini Reviews

1. Daughter of the Forest - Juliet Marillier (4*): It's been a while since I've read an epic fantasy (not sure if this is considered epic or not?), & I really enjoyed it! I love fairy tale retellings & quite liked this one. The bonds between brothers & sister were well developed & strong, & the love story was very sweet. I did, however, think this book was on the wordy side. The same story could have been told in fewer words &, in my opinion, been more effective. I found myself wanting the story to get on with it. At the same time, I couldn't begin to focus on any other books I was reading b/c this one was so difficult to put down. I will most likely continue this series, although I'll need to take a break from it for a bit.

2. The White Queen - Philippa Gregory (2.75*):  It took me a long time to get into this book. I just didn't feel much of a connection with the main character (I actually thought she was pretty unlikeable). I've read & liked plenty of Philippa Gregory's books, but this one wasn't my favorite.

3. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (4*): What a bizarre family! I put this book off for such a long time b/c I tend to avoid non-fiction or depressing sounding books. So I was amazed at how much a liked it. The stories of Jeannette Walls' childhood are outrageous - I'm surprised that she survived it & with such a positive attitude & sense of humor. There were laugh-out-loud moments throughout the book, as well as many times I just wanted to cry for the way the children in Walls' family were brought up. I really enjoyed this book & am glad I finally got around to reading it.

Book Review - The Lying Game, by Sara Shepard

Released: Dec 2010

Publisher:  HarperTeen
Audience: YA
Genre: Mystery
Source: NetGalley

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Summary from Goodreads:

I had a life anyone would kill for.
 
Then someone did.
 
The worst part of being dead is that there’s nothing left to live for. No more kisses. No more secrets. No more gossip. It’s enough to kill a girl all over again. But I’m about to get something no one else does—an encore performance, thanks to Emma, the long-lost twin sister I never even got to meet.
 
Now Emma’s desperate to know what happened to me. And the only way to figure it out is to be me—to slip into my old life and piece it all together. But can she laugh at inside jokes with my best friends? Convince my boyfriend she’s the girl he fell in love with? Pretend to be a happy, carefree daughter when she hugs my parents good night? And can she keep up the charade, even after she realizes my murderer is watching her every move?
 
From Sara Shepard, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Pretty Little Liars books, comes a riveting new series about secrets, lies, and killer consequences.
 
Let the lying game begin.

Review:

Talk about twisted & creepy! This book pulled me in from the start. I never read mystery or suspense novels because I scare easily, so I was surprised with how much I liked this one. Yes, the premise of a long-lost twin coming into town & so easily convincing everyone that she's her twin sister is far-fetched. From their personalities alone, they sound like such opposites that this doesn't even being to seem plausible. However, the author engaged me so well with the story that I was willing, for the most part, to ignore the impossibility of the situation.

Shepard did a wonderful job putting the reader inside Emma's head & making it feel like you were experiencing all the anxiety, hope, & fear along with her. I sat up late many nights needing to know what happened next (possibly to calm my own anxiety & come to a good stopping point where I could fall asleep without needing to keep the lights on). This book kept me turning the pages. My heart literally raced with the suspense - I just couldn't conceive of how twisted & horrible this "game" was that the girls were playing. I thought I had things figured out one moment & then was completely surprised at the new possibile answers to the mystery.

My one complaint is that this book ended with such a cliffhanger. I still don't know what's going on! I'll definitely read the sequel. While cliffhangers often frustrate me, I'm fine with the need to read the next book in the series to see how things play out. Sara Shepard engaged me enough with her characters & story that I'm anxious to get to the next one.

4/5

"At least she had a clear picture of what the Lying Game was now: Girl Scouts for psychopaths." 
 ~ Sara Shepard, The Lying Game

Review - Sarah's Key, by Tatiana de Rosnay

Released: June 2007

Publisher:  St. Martin's Griffin
Audience: Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction, WWII
Source: Owned

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Summary from Goodreads:

Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her family by the French police in the Vel’ d’Hiv’ roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours.
Paris, May 2002: On Vel’ d’Hiv’s 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article about this black day in France's past. Through her contemporary investigation, she stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. Julia finds herself compelled to retrace the girl's ordeal, from that terrible term in the Vel d'Hiv', to the camps, and beyond. As she probes into Sarah's past, she begins to question her own place in France, and to reevaluate her marriage and her life.

Tatiana de Rosnay offers us a brilliantly subtle, compelling portrait of France under occupation and reveals the taboos and silence that surround this painful episode.

Review:

I avoided this book for a long time - a combination of all the hype around it & the disturbing subject matter. After looking at it on my shelf for a while, I decided I just needed to start. I had very low expectations, mostly due to the fact that so many hyped books I've read lately have fallen short. So I was surprised to find that I really loved this book! (It is my favorite read of the year so far.)

Tatiana de Rosnay wove a beautiful story of past & present, the story of a young girl's experience with the Jewish roundup in Paris, 1942, & the story of a woman journalist researching that horrific part of French history in the present.

Rosnay alternated back & forth between the two narratives for the first half of the book, allowing us to learn bits & pieces of these two lives & the mystery around Sarah, the little Jewish girl. She then focused on Julia for the second part of the book (something I had to get used to since I really loved the little girl's narrative & missed it once it was gone). While I wasn't crazy about Julia's character at first, she grew on me. She started out reserved & weak & then grew into such a strong, take-charge woman. The story of Sarah was a horribly sad one, & I found myself crying often throughout this book. Hearing about the Holocaust & from the perspective of a young French girl was different than anything I'd ever come across before, & it was heartbreaking. While reading this story & visualizing all the Jewish children with the stars sewn onto their clothes, I kept thinking about Dr. Seuss' The Sneetches. I read this book often as a child & still think about it years later. It made me think how ridiculous it was to label someone with a star to prove that they were beneath you, or, in The Sneetches, that those wearing the stars were better than the rest. I kept thinking, "We're all part of the human race. How could anyone be so prejudiced & full of hate for another person?" It is something I just can't comprehend.

This book was very touching to me, & while I won't jump to read another book by this author in the near future (again, the difficult subject matter), I do plan to read more of her work when I can.

5/5

""How was it possible that entire lives could change, could be destroyed, and that streets and buildings remained the same, she wondered." ~ Tatiana de Rosnay, Sarah's Key

What I've Been Reading

I'm happy to say that I'm back, although I won't be posting as much as I was when I started this blog back in December.  After the complete reading disruption & the new chaos (in a good way) in my life, I've decided that I need to cut back on my reading challenges. So I still plan to read 36 BIO (books I own) by the end of the year, but I'm not sticking to a list anymore. I'm just happy to be reading again & want to bask in the freedom of it instead of being tied down to specific books or goals.

So for now, here's a list of books I've read since the end of March:

1. The Dark Divine - Bree Despain (4*): I thought this was such a fun book! Sure, it reminded me a lot of Twilight with the "running through the woods" scene & the "I'm a monster & not good enough to be with you" attitude, but I was completely entertained & didn't care all that much that this story had been told in one way or another many times before. I can see why those who are not religious might find this book grating (even those who are religious might find it that way), but I personally found it refreshing. This was a clean, but slightly edgy book, & I'm anxious to read the next one in the series.

2. Anna and the French Kiss - Stephanie Perkins (3.5*): This book has gotten a whole lot of hype, so I had high expectations (even though I tried not to). Although this was a fun, light read, it was nothing absolutely mind-blowing. I felt like I'd been transported back to high school while reading this story, & for that I loved it. I could relate to so much that the characters were going through. I also loved seeing the streets of Paris through the eyes of the narrator, & many times while reading kept thinking that I needed to read The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Notre Dame played a decent enough size role in the story). I really liked the love story, & if this were made into a movie, it's probably one I'd watch over & over (like I already do with French Kiss, The Holiday, & The Family Stone). I will definitely read more books by this author.

3. Redeeming Love - Francine Rivers (3.5*): I had high hopes for this book. Wouldn't you with a 4.45* rating on goodreads? While the story was very entertaining at times, I felt it dragged in many places as well. It could have been shorter, in my opinion, & still had the same impact. I really liked the characters (minus a few villainous ones) & cared about what happened to them. The book was on the cheesy side, which made it harder for me to take seriously (one reason why I tend to side-step Christian lit). I will try reading another Francine Rivers book, but feel more prepared about what to expect with the next one, & my hopes won't be quite as high.

4. The House at Riverton - Kate Morton (3*): While I loved Morton's The Forgotten Garden, this one was a little slow for me. I wasn't crazy about the narrator as a younger girl (I thought she was kind of flat), but I really liked her as an older woman (which made me wonder how reliable her narrative/memory would truly be by the end of the book). There were just so many things in this book that bothered me that could have been avoided if people would just communicate & stop being so prideful & secretive! I know that's part of the point, but I found it frustrating many times throughout the book.

5. City of Fallen Angels - Cassandra Clare (3.75*): I really loved books #2 & 3 in this series & was so excited about the fourth one! But I just don't know how I feel about it! So much more of it was focused on Simon's character, & I never really liked him all that much to begin with. And Jace, my absolute favorite played more the part of a whiny martyr instead of his usual snarky self. I could be convinced to give this book more stars b/c I love the series so much, but was left feeling a little let down. Plus there's a HUGE cliff hanger - not so fun!

6. The Scarlet Pimpernel - Baroness Emmuska Orczy (4*): I really liked this book! It took me a while to get used to the language/style of it, but once I did, I fell into the story. It was such a quick read, & I loved seeing the characters who I loved from the movie come to life in the book (I know, it should probably be the other way around, right? :). I guess b/c I've seen the movie so many times, I kept waiting for Percy Blackney to say "Sink me!" even just once-lol, but he never did :( Oh well! My only gripe with this book was that the author was very redundant, like she had to keep reminding the reader that Marguerite was such a beauty, or that the "web" or "net" was being tightened more & more around that wily Pimpernel . . . If I hadn't grown tired of these remarks, it would have been a definite 5 star for me!

"Time Out" from Reading (4) - Unearthly

"Time Out" from Reading
(click on the link for an explanation of this feature & to join in)

Seriously, I can't belive how sick I've been!!! I had a horrible cold, then something else came along, then I got the stomach flu! I'm doing the best I can!

A couple weeks ago, I went to Muir Woods National Park with my mother, grandmother, & little boy. I've been wanting to go here for a while, & after reading Unearthly, by Cynthia Hand last month, I was even more determined to go. The book is set in Wyoming & mentions the outdoors & forests so much that I thought visiting a place like this would be a perfect activity for this feature!

There's also t-shirt Friday mentioned in Unearthly, the designated day of the week where the high school students wear a casual t-shirt to school. I purposely wore my Clint Eastwood shirt to incorporate the book into my day just a little bit more.

my grandmother & me (& Clint Eastwood)

spotted a ladybug

I caved to my little boy's crying & let him drag his blanket around through the mud - nothing a washing machine can't fix easily enough!