Annette's Book Spot

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Book Review: Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

While I found Sweet Evil to be an interesting story, it just didn't stand out from the crowd.

Anna has kept her abilities a secret from everyone. She can feel others' emotions. When she is attracted to a drummer named Kaidan, her whole life changes. Kaidan immediately knows what Anna is -- and eventually she confronts her adopted mother who reveals the big secret. Anna is Nephilim. Anna's mother, who died in childbirth, was an angel. Her father, who left after her birth, is a demon. Anna is very unique, because angels and demons aren't supposed to have children.

Kaidan's father is a demon, so he can help Anna figure out what she is destined to do with her powers. And it isn't good. The Nephilim are basically slaves to their fathers. They must work to corrupt the Earth. Kaidan and Anna go on a road trip to confront Anna's father, but now all the demons are wondering about Anna and pressuring her to fulfill her purpose.

Sweet Evil kept my interest, although I found the beginning to be slow. Once they find her father, the plot picks up. There are tense moments, especially at the end, but I never really bought into the danger. I liked Anna, even though she was too good to be true, and there were some very well done steamy scenes.

I was initially attracted to this book because of the cover, which I think is gorgeous! But ... I don't really think it fits the book. I think there should be some indication of paranormal abilities on the cover, like showing their glowing badges or something.

I just felt like this is another angel/demon series. I would recommend it if you like those types of books. But, it didn't blow me away. I may read the rest of the books (Sweet Peril and Sweet Reckoning) eventually, but I'm not clamoring for them.

Published by HarperTeen, 2012
eBook purchased
464 pages

Rating: 3/5

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Book Review: Goodnight June, by Sarah Jio @sarahjio

I'm a huge Sarah Jio fan, and Goodnight June just added to my fandom!

Everyone has heard of the children's book Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown. If you haven't, go fix that right now. Jio has imagined the background for this book in her story, Goodnight June.

June has a great job in New York working for a bank. She's in charge of collecting all the overdue mortgages on small businesses, and doesn't hesitate to shut these businesses down if they can't pay. Her health is suffering, since she works long hours and takes little time for herself. She has pretty much lost contact with her family.

When she finds out her aunt has died and left her Seattle book store to June, her world gets turned upside down. June pretty much grew up in this store, called Bluebird Books. June's mother was less than attentive when she and her sister were growing up, so they spent a lot of time at her Aunt Ruby's store and in her apartment above the store. June feels terribly guilty that she hasn't seen her aunt, and didn't even know that the store has been closed for months because Ruby has been in a convalescent home.

June takes off to Seattle, with every intention of getting the store ready to sell. OK, well the story is NOT unpredictable. But, it's charming and warm, and very well written. The ending did contain an element of surprise at least for me. June meets the restaurateur from next door, Gavin. He's perfect, of course, and a romance quickly ensues. She struggles to forgive her sister for some past discretion that isn't revealed right away. And, not only is the store about to be foreclosed on, the bank doing the foreclosure is June's employer in New York. Talk about the tables being turned!

Ruby sends June on a scavenger hunt thought the store where she finds old letters of Ruby's hidden in children's books. These letters are about a friendship between Ruby and Margaret Wise Brown, the author of Goodnight Moon. It turns out Ruby was quite influential in Brown's life, and had much to do with the inspiration for her book.

In reading these letters, June also finds out about big secrets from Ruby's past, which she begins to investigate. In the process, she realizes that saving the store is her life's calling and sets out to do just that.

Jio has a gift for weaving a story through ups and downs, and even though we might know what's going to happen, the path to get there is mesmerizing. While some may call these stories "sappy," I just don't get that with Jio's writing. I simply melt into the characters and the world she's created.

If you like heartwarming romance that comes with a compelling plot, then you should try Goodnight June. And I highly recommend The Violets of March, Morning Glory, Blackberry Winter, and The Bungalow also by Jio. Yes. I love this author. I do recommend her books to my high school girls, and they enjoy them also.

Published by Plume, May 27, 2014
eARC obtained from NetGalley
320 pages

Rating: 4/5

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Audio Book Review: Serena, by Ron Rash

What a strange, unusual book Serena is. I found it entertaining, if a bit slow, and it certainly made me uncomfortable at times.

George Pemberton has met and married Serena in Boston, and he's bringing her back to the mountains of North Carolina. Pemberton is rich and makes his living by logging the vast acres of timber in these mountains. Serena soon establishes herself as a shrewd business woman, as well as being tough enough to stand up to the men in the logging camp. It's 1929.

George and Serena are also fighting the government that wants to take away their land to establish the Smokey Mountain National Park.

So, you think, "Cool. A tough woman, who didn't fit the feminine stereotype of the day." Not. I don't think I've ever read a book with a main character like Serena. She's evil. She's manipulative and ruthless. She's awful and there isn't much to like about her. But, you have to keep reading to find out what she's up to next.

George has fathered an illegitimate child before he met Serena, which also ends up playing a role in Serena. Suffice it to say they cut down anything and anyone in their way to achieve what they want. George ends up being dominated by Serena, but his love is blind.

It does take a while to get the story established. We learn a lot about the logging industry and especially how dangerous these jobs were.

The narrator, Phil Gigante, is OK. Not my favorite narrator, but he didn't annoy me. Well, his female voices did get on my nerves a bit, but I still found Serena easy to listen to.

I enjoyed this mostly because I was fascinated by the depth of Serena's evilness, and I also enjoyed the historical elements. It's not a book for everyone, but I tend to be less picky about my audiobooks, so it was OK. Serena is an adult book, and while there's nothing inappropriate for teens, I just don't think the subject matter has much appeal for the average teen.

Published by Ecco, 2008, Brilliance Audio
Audio book obtained from the library
384 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

Monday, May 12, 2014

Book Review: Shadow Kiss, by Richelle Mead

Shadow Kiss, the third novel in the Vampire Academy Series, continues the tradition of the first two books in the series, Vampire Academy and Frostbite.

This is just a great world with great characters that I really enjoy, like so many others have said. Each novel is a story in itself, which I appreciate. The characters grow and change, good things and bad things happen, and I simply must continue with the series to see what happens.

What more can you ask for?

Shadow Kiss is a bit long at almost 450 pages, but it reads quickly and there's always enough plot progression to keep it interesting. I don't feel like Mead tried to use a lot of filler to pad these books and make the series longer. The stories just naturally progress and there is always forward movement. Hats off to Richelle Mead!

In Shadow Kiss, Rose starts seeing ghosts, and in particular a ghost from the previous book (don't want to give any spoilers.) She thinks she's going crazy, though these encounters feel real, and she feels like something bad is coming and the ghosts are trying to warn her. Well, of course, something bad does happen, and there's a huge battle. The romance also progresses, to balance the danger. I don't really want to say much more, but if you've read the first two, you will certainly enjoy Shadow Kiss.

If you haven't started the series, it's worth it. And you should read the books in order. These books continue to be checked out fairly regularly from my library, and I've happily recommended them to a lot of students.

Published by RazorBill, 2008
Copy obtained from the library
443 pages

Rating: 4/5

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Happy Mother's Day!

This is Mollie.

This is what Mollie gave me for Mother's Day:

As you can see, she's a very thoughtful dog!

I haven't seen my two-legged children yet, so I'll let you know if they can top Mollie!

Hope you have a great day.

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Stacking the Shelves -- Lots of Fun!

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there. Hope you get spoiled! An exciting week for me, book-wise. I think I've managed to get a hold of some great books! Here they are:

For Review:

Fast Track, by Julie Garwood from NetGalley

Get Even, by Gretchen McNeil, from Edelweiss

Forbidden, by Kimberly Griffiths Little, from Edelweiss

Blackbird, by Anna Carey, from Edelweiss

From the Library:

Shadow Kiss, by Richelle Mead

Already read this one. Review will post on Monday

In the Shadow of the Lamp, by Susanne Dunlap

Hope you got some good stuff too. Leave me a link so I can visit. Don't forget to visit our hosts, Team Tynga's Reviews and see all the other participating blogs. Thanks for visiting, and have a great week!

Friday, May 9, 2014

Feature & Follow Friday: Author Stalking

This week's question from Parajunkee & Alison:

Have you met a favorite author and have a picture? Share.

I've posted here about last fall's ISLMA conference where I met Tim Green and Sharon Draper. They are both excellent speakers, and if you are looking for an author to visit your school I would recommend either of them. I was unfamiliar with Tim Green's books, since he writes more for the middle school crowd, but since then I have read his books and they are great.

I'm not a big author stalker, but I'd love to see pictures of your author encounters. Please leave me a link! Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you come back soon.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Book Review: We Were Liars, by E. Lockhart

We Were Liars is well written with a great main character, but I'm disappointed that I missed out on the "big surprise" at the end because I had it figured out for most of the book.

Sometimes we say we won't give any spoilers, but the fact that there's a "big surprise" turned out to be a spoiler. I don't think the plot was poorly constructed, but when you KNOW there's something to figure out -- well -- I figured it out.

Cadence is our main character and narrator. She is "A Sinclair," from a wealthy eastern family, and spends each of her summers on Beechwood Island. She is joined by a girl cousin, a boy cousin, and her aunt's boyfriend's nephew, Gat. They are all the same age, and Cadence refers to the group as The Liars. Cadence and Gat begin a romantic relationship. During the fifteenth summer, there is an accident and Cadence nearly drowns and suffers from amnesia about all the things that happened during that summer.

She doesn't get to go back to the island for two years, and then only for a couple of weeks. She suffers from migraines and her doctors and family are worried that going back to the island will cause her too much stress. Cadence can't wait to see the other Liars, and soon finds herself at home again in their company. But she still can't remember, and they aren't telling her. She spends time with them, as well as her other cousins, aunts, and grandfather, and tries to fit into life on the island.

That's pretty much all you're going to get about the plot. Because I had figured it out, the middle of the book really dragged for me. I enjoyed the ending since even though I knew the outcome, I didn't know all the details.

I still enjoyed reading We Were Liars, I just wish it wasn't spoiled for me. I think teens will love these quirky characters and will enjoy trying to help Cadence get well. Anyone who picks We Were Liars up without knowing anything about it is in for a treat.

Published by Delacorte, May 13, 2014
eARC obtained from NetGalley
240 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

Monday, May 5, 2014

Book Review: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, by Holly Black

While the vampire lore in The Coldest Girl in Coldtown was unique, I had difficulty believing the motivations of the characters.

Tana wakes up in the bathtub after a wild party and soon realizes that everyone else is dead -- attacked by vampires. You see, the world is full of vampires, and you must stay locked up after dark or you may become a victim. There are places where vampires are allowed called Coldtowns.

It's interesting how one becomes a vampire. You don't just get bit by one. That's only the first step. After that, you get very sick, and crazy, and if you can survive for 88 days without biting another human, you will be cured. If you succumb to the extreme cravings for human blood, then you become a vampire. And you continue to need blood (of course.) These are "real" vampires, in that they burn up if exposed to light. Cool.

Besides that, I really had some problems with The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. Tana made some stupid decisions. Like keeping a very important item in her purse. Like it isn't likely that you might be separated from your purse? And at the end, what she lets her sister do. And other things that I can't mention because of spoilers.

Then, I didn't get the appeal of the coldtowns. Supposedly, they are desirable places for a lot of people. Thrill seekers, I guess. I didn't buy it. There were some really bloody, gory scenes that I think were supposed to be romantic and steamy. I thought it was weird. I didn't get the sensual feeling I think Black was going for. (Nothing explicit, though.)

The bottom line is I had difficulty understanding the characters' motivations. I didn't get the right feelings about the world, I guess. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is too long. It really drags, especially in the middle before they get to the coldtown.

I think it's probably just me. I can appreciate what Black is trying to do, and it's very creative and at times, creepy. I just couldn't buy-in to the world she created.

Published by Little, Brown BFYR, 2013
Copy obtained from the library
432 pages

Rating: 3/5