Book: Her Dark Curiosity

After finishing The Madman's Daughter I could not wait to get my hands on this book.  Also with such a beautiful cover this book was kinda hard to say no to.

When I first started reading the book I was totally in love with how with it. I liked where the story picked up and what had happened. And as the murders started I got even more into it. 

Sadly as the story started to reach the turning point ( somewhere around the point when Juliet went to Lucy's party) the book lost me. 

Everything I had loved about the first book was gone.  I found that this book was pretty much just Juliet torn between two guys. yes it was like that a little in The Madman's Daughter, but that book had so much else going on and going for it. 

However I kept reading hoping that it would get better. It sadly did not.  What really has me let down about all of this is I know that the author has the power to do something wonderful. She can weave such great stories. Set up great characters, plant little clues and twist and turn it all about until you have a can't miss book. 

This book did none of that.  I found that were in the first book that I liked  Juliet, while in this book she rather got on my nerves at times. 

The two characters I liked most in this book was of course Elizabeth and Lucy. I felt that they made the most sense and did their part to balance the story while adding a little life to it all. 

 Over all the book was good but it was still a let down something I am still trying to get over. 

I'm praying as hard as I can that the next book will be more like The Madman's Daughter and therefore can not wait to get my hands on it. 

( YA- 15 and up)

Stars: * * * 3.4                                 LEVEL:HATBOX 

Book: The Madman's Daughter

I'd like to start off this review by stating that i have not read many gothic novel's and therefore do not know to much about them.  And I would also like to state that before reading this review it's very important to understand that this book is meant for the older YA readers ( somewhere from 15 or 16 and up). 

That being said this book was beyond my wildest dreams. While I have not read The Island Of Doctor Moreau myself, I know the plot and story very well, along with many of the social topics that it has.  Still the book took me by surprise. First of all with its very dark tones and gruesome details. But than the pace,setting, and characters took me all by surprise. 

This was a book that I myself am shocked that I liked so much.  I read this book in less than 24 hours- I think this is the fastest I have ever read book that was a little over four hundred pages long (Now yes, I also got lucky and had the time to just sit and read it all)! This was the first book in a long time to have me curled up in bed reading way late into the night. And it was the first book to ever make me jump while reading. That's how drawn in I was. 

As for the characters they were pretty interesting and kept the story moving a long. Juliet was fairly standard but she did have little twists to her that made her memorable. 

And truth be told this was the first love triangle I have liked in a really long time.  Mostly because the two guys were more interesting than most. 

The only draw back to the book? Well clearly the story is very gruesome - it could have been worse and the author did a wonderful job, however it still turned my stomach at many points.

Over all if you can stomach the novel I say it's a must read. 

( YA 15 and up) 

Stars: * * * * 4.0              LEVEL: TWISTED

Book: Univited

So when I started this book I had sadly forgotten what it was about. So the first few chapters did through me a little bit.  But needless to say I was totally into it.
I really liked Davy and found her to be a pretty believable character given her lifestyle and upbringing.
For the first 50 pages of the book I really liked. the first 150 as well. But soon after I started to feel myself drifting. The spark just wasn't there. And while the book was well thought out and had many great points something in the story was missing. The ideas are all good. But there was nothing to the way that things played out. All really great YA books and books over all really need that swift grace. that ease that carries the readers flawlessness into the next word. This book did not have that. It felt at times very man made.
As I read on the many good points like the people and the set up of the laws and all the moving parts around Davy was very good things like the world building fell sort. By the end of the book I had very little idea what the word around Davy looked like. Also I found many things by the end of the book very hard to believe * SMALL SPOILER* I'm sorry but it felt like they would have spent a lot more money on camera's and had people spying on the computers. * SPOILER DONE* 
Also how gruesome the book got by the end bothered me to no end. I'm sorry but I found that the author had so many different ways and place she could have taken things that she really cheeped out in the end.
With so much going for the book I found that the last 100 pages of the book really made it hard for me to give it a positive review. Is it a good book? sure in many ways it is, but that does not change the fact that I don't want to read any more books like this. Authors stop using gruesome details to shock the reader. It only shows a lack of real talent on your behalf.
Over all it had many great moments even though I was ultimately let down, I still look forward to reading the next book in the series.


( YA - 15 and up)
STARS: * * * 3.2          LEVEL: KILL ME GENE 



I was given a copy of the book by the publisher. This did not in anyway effect my review or thoughts on the book

Book: Eleanor And Park

There are some books that everyone you know is reading and in love with. Eleanor and Park is one of those books.  You can't go on Tumblr without seeing a quote or fan art from/do to with this book.
This was one book I had no choice but to read.
And after reading it I see now why everyone is so in love with it. It is the kind of book that steals our hearts and makes us stop.
In this book I found so many much needed lessons. and saw things in life more clearly.
Trying to find a place to start when talking about how good this book is...is almost impossible.
 Eleanor. Lets start off with her. I think the best way for me to put it was that she was thing that made this book. The reason I say that is without her none of the wonderful things would have come into play.
Now I will not go in to to much detail in because it might spoil the book. But I feel like Eleanor's story had so many things to teach us. The first being never judge a book by its cover. Or in this case a person by their clothes.
The next it told us was that everyone is fighting their own battle so don't be so fast to jump on them. You never truly know what is going on.  And it reminded us just how many teens boys and girls have hard family lives.  It's something that we hear about all the time but very few of us ever do anything about.
The last thing I love about Eleanor is that she is not a girl who thinks she isn't beautiful but really she is. She is beautiful in the natural everyday way. She is beautiful with her imperfections. And I love that.  When the rest of the world is telling girls to be little sticks here is a girl who falls madly in love and is beautiful just not in the way that girls online or in adds are.

Alright that went on a little long but there is so much to still I want to say on Eleanor.
Anyway on to Park. I love him because compared to Eleanor he lives life pretty normal but there are still some small things in his life that pop up.
What I love most about Park was here was a guy in YA that was real. He felt human. He thought at many points like a teenage guy does. And I loved it!
Another thing I loved about this book was the love story. How it was not a right away thing. How it was slow and awkward and natural. How it was open and fragile at times.
This is a book that I feel everyone should read because it is breathe taking and beautiful. Please take the time to read it.

( YA- 15 and up - Swearing and some fighting and abuse.)

Stars: * * *  * 4.9               LEVEl: As Sad As It Is Hopeful
 
I had to share this beautiful art.

Book:Beta

I am a big Si-Fi fan. And I think that robots and clones make for really good stories. So when I saw this beautiful cover I knew I was in for something good. And i have to say it was very good. I was worried that the book would be lame and rip off of al kinds of si-fi stuff. But this did not really do that.
There were many things that i really liked about this book. First of all the main character. I found her not only interesting but it was so cool to read about her trying to figure out if she was really feeling things. And watch her grow and find her way was very well done. I also loved the other characters.Each one felt very really.Everyone played there part in the best way. Also all the little twists in the book. I did not see a few of them coming which was really nice for a change.
And the way that Rachel Cohn makes every little detail count is wonderful. It makes for a very deep read. One that pulls you in and has you up all night reading.I had a very hard time putting the book down.And when I was not reading it  I was thinking about it.
Plus the ending of the book? It was pretty dang awesome!

( YA - 15 and up - Warning to those who are sensitive to  rape,murder, and bombings )

Stars: * * * 3.8

Book: Ignite

I was really interested by the idea of this book. I have never read an Angels or demon book other than the TMI books ( if those count). And I thought this one looked really good. And that it would be a really refreshing read since Im so new to it.
But I think I picked the wrong book to start with.I tried really hard to like it.But it just did not do anything for me. The book did have some good points and I did not totally hate it I just think that people who like me have not read or are not really in to the whole angels and demons thing are really going to like it.  I had a hard time with how dark the book was. It was very heavy and at times it seemed to drag on. I think that it was a little to violent. and that is something that I have a hard time with in books and in most things.

I did kind like the new take on the whole end of the world. We are seeing that as a theme lately and this book did have an interesting take on it. I also did like some of the thoughts on angels and demons,Heaven and hell. it was interesting and it worked.I did like the writing and I felt that in a nice way the characters felt almost normal.Which I think the book needed and it really help keep you reading.
I think that fans of these kinds of books will like it and that if you have an interest in it its worth looking in to.I know that lots of people will like this book. Over all not my cup of tea but that does not mean its a bad book.

( YA - 15 and up)
Stars: * * 2.9


I was given a copy of the book by the publisher. This did not in anyway effect my review or thoughts on the book.

Book:Bitterblue

As some of you may know I have a love hate thing going on with these books. and out of both love and hate I wanted to read this one. I was full of hope that maybe in this all the little bumps from the first two would be gone and all of the good points played up. Well with this book I have to say I neither hate it or love it. The book has many good points that i would like to talk about first. I like how since the book is about Bitterblue its also about her as Queen. And what that is like. Many might not like how much of the law and problems Bitterblue ( the book) covers. But I my self liked it a lot. because it does not tell us what is the right thing to do but slowly lets us think it over and weigh in the choices the same way that bitterblue does. which is very good storytellership by Cashore. I also liked how it showed us life for Po. Which is something that left me a little lost at the end of Graceling. I will not going saying what but if you read the book you know what I mean. Also I felt that Bitterblue was someone that I could see eye to eye with. Unlike Fire or Katsa she was human living in this strange world. She seemed very grounded and I like how her story was not as much of a love story as the other two. She kept her head on pretty straight and did her best to put her people before her heart for the most part, which I liked.And  I felt a closeness to her that I did not feel with the others- not to say I did not like them I did. I thought that Fire was a great girl and liked many points to her as a person. But a lot of the feelings that Bitterblue had were normal.Feelings that  most teenagers have had at some point. tht feeling of being lost in life and unsure what to do next. Though not because of being Queen and having one of the worlds creepest fathers. But teens feel it none the less. I did however have a very hard time keeping the storyline straight in this book. it was a little all over the place. I felt that maybe more could have been done to tighten it all up. either that or write another to finish most of what this had started. Not that I want to read another because that means that all these poor people have to have their lives thrown up in the air all over again.
Now on to the stuff I did not like. Lets start with the things that I have said from day one. The killing and the rape. I know its out there but this book is very unhappy and at times rather sick. I think that after many of the things we see in the news it would be nice to have it lightened up. and for it not to in someway make what Leck did look cool. I know that Cashore did not want it to seem this way but some how the way he could get people to do evil and so on makes him look cool. And it makes me sick. its sad that its this way.


( YA- 15 and up. This is a hard read for people how are sensitive to rape,abuse both human and animal and also murder)

Stars:* * * 3.2

Book: City Of Lost Souls

First of all do you have any idea how hard it is to write a book blog when you have no library and you don't have money to buy books? its really hard. Im barely getting any work done on here.but lets get on to the book which is what you really care about.

This is the 5th book in the series. I have been a big fan of the books. I really love them. Not for the story but for the jokes in the book. its got a lot of wit. and this book did too. and I like that. but reading this book I felt it feel flat. there was way to much going on it. it was just crazy. and I really did not like most of it. now rather Ms.Clare was trying to or not it felt like a bad harry potter want-to-be at times. now let me be clear on what I mean by that. I mean that in all of the harry potter books some one you liked died. now J.K. had a really good way of doing it. it felt like life. it just happened. With Clare at times it felt like she was trying to play you. get you to like them so when they died you where upset. It was like she was trying to get you worked up. I know that Ms.Clare would say other wise. but it is how I felt at many times. and she was trying to hard to push it. to make it racer.  and the story of the books just keep getting worse. mostly because of it. Even for fantasy it was hard to believe at many times. and I felt like the book was a let down in many ways.So many of the things I had come to love in them-the reason why I read these books was just not there anymore.and in a way part of me lost interest in reading the next book if it was going to be this way.
Now there are parts and things that I did like. I did like Isabelle's storyline in this. I liked reading that. I liked the whole howl's moving castles house.That worked really well in the story. and i found that it still had some of the flare and sizzle that I have come to love with these books. and though many fans of the books would say other wise I did like Alec's storyline in this book. Even the way it ended.I thought that felt real. it felt more believable in many ways. What I had a hard time reading was Jorden's story. I'm sorry but I just have a hard time with the message that she is giving us. Its not right at all. yes its a good story. But its bad for some teen girls read about.

So over all I do not see my self jumping for the next book but I will be reading it at some point.

( YA- 15 and up warning there is a rape like scene in the book that might be hard to read for some to read)

Stars: * * * 3.5

Book:The Duff

I have wanted to read this book for a while and when i heard they where making it in to a tv show I just had to read the book.
I thought the book was good but I thought it would talk a little bit more about what it was like to be a duff. but the whole thing was about a guy and like a love story thing. So  other then that it was pretty good.
I liked it. but the hard thing was at points it felt like everything I have read before. I think that it will make a great TV show and that people will like watching it and reading the book.

really there is not much I can review of it because  there was not much to the book. now that is not a bad thing it just is the way the book was. a light break from the rest of the world and that is nice for a book. but it makes for a bad review sadly.
so if you like books all about sex and teen age matters of the heart. I liked the end of it very much. but would have like to see a little more of it.



(YA -15 and up)

Stars: * * * 3.4

Book:Fatefull

So I have not read any other books by this writer. I got the book only because I liked the cover.
I always find it fun to read books about the Titanic. mostly because there is no way you can top the movie. you just can. and the only way you could do it is if you remake it 100 years from now. you just can't. but I thought I would read this anyway to see if it was a ripe off of the movie or not.
 and I did like it because it had some downton Abbey parts to it. I found it to be a wast of time.  it had me thinking why as I read most of it. and I think it is so silly how much of it was like a trashy rom-novel. but I read it mostly because I wanted to know if the end was like that of the movie.and it had to have parts of the movie. the sad heart break of what happened. My thing is if we can all get so heart broken over something that happened a 100 years why can we get that way about things that happened today. like the war or all the other stuff going on. all of these things pulled young lovers together and apart.

had I seen this cover I would never have read the book

but back to the book. It is paranormal. and it sucks. yes the love in it is great but it is so stupid that I could not find my self liking it. I am not a love sick teenage girl and so I feel that this book should only be read by that or people trying to regain their youth. there is no story to this other then two people fall in love on the titanic. the only good thing about the book was that is was small so I did not have to wast to much time reading it.  there are lots of good books to read out there. So don't pick this one.  I  could sit here and write to you about how bad it is but that would be a wast of my time. I have not read her other books but I would like to just to see if they are as bad as this.


(YA 15 and up)
Stars: * * 2.4

Book: Beautiful Days ( BTY #2)

I have to say I liked Bright Young Things so much better then the Luxes books. And this one does the same thing. I like the girls in this better. They are not out to get the other one and I think that makes its readable. I also love the whole speakeasy thing and they gang feel with it. it is a very fun book and I like it.
It also might because I love the time. one thing I would really like to know is what would happen if the people from the luxe met the girls in this book. I would like to know what happened to them. if any of them are still rich and where their lives went.  but back to this book. I love  really like the story.I think that books and movies like this are really coming back up and I think it will be nice  fun to see what happens to these books when the next books like this start to come out.
 I do like the books and I like how much people. I feel that the story of this book is not new or fresh really most of it is just bits from other books and movies but I like it and I think it was a good book and fans the luxes books and others will like this. and if you read the first of theses books and have been on the fence about this one then I say go ahead and read it. its good.  It was much better then  the first. there are many things wrong with it but I Think that in a few years and with some more books Anna Gobersen could really be a great great writer. she knows how to create great people and backdrops, if she can get the story right ( which she is starting to do) then things will be great,

( 16 and up)

Stars: * * * 3.4

Book: The Other Countess

This book was one of the only good things I could find at one of the  Chicago libraries. Any one that ever said they had a great pick of YA books has never been to this library. I have always gone to a library were YA are easy to find. And if you want one all you have to do is ask. But this library is awful. And the other day for like the first time ever at a Chicago library when I ask for a book someone was helpful! They did their job.

But here I am, blogging about the library and not the book. Sorry

 This book  looked good and bad by the cover. I always like reading historical books what have come out in the last ten years. Because they are always really good or really bad ( Lux  and Bright young things, case and point).and when the book says on the back can forbidden love ever flourish you know that is book is going to be on you are going to write a long review about.  I have to say that I like how it goes from lots of peoples point of views but I find that the way it changes is a little odd and some times ruff, and hard to follow. And I found that the people in the books are just like everyone else you read about in other YA historical books.I feel that the book was trying to hard to be a romance novel for teens a little bitt. and yes it was that , and it was sometimes good. it felt weird and and off in may places. and the covers are pretty bad I have to say. this book was over all good but needs a lot of work.  I would like to read the next book in the series in hopes that it can fix all the wrongs in this book. I know life does not always have a happy ending but when I read fluff books like this I want them to be good and to be fun to read. not like this.

( YA - 15 and up)

Stars: * *  2.6

Book:Fire

So as many of you know, I read Graceling. and well I did like it. but I had a hard time with some of the thing in the book and well just look at the review your self.  So I had started Fire a while back and never got to finsh it because I had to many other books I had to read first. And I still have to many books I am want to read and no time to read them all. but I thought to my self I will go ahead and read fire because I will kick my self some day if I don't even if the book is bad or good. So I started fire again. and again I got in to it. I like it.  but some times I feel that Fire can't make up her mind. sometimes she feels good about who she is and other times she hates it. and normally I like that but in this book they have the big "ah" and then she goes right back to where she was before. and that is not really how it should go in my book.anand ask the book jumps a lot in timing and though. one mine sec one thing is going happen then the next something that makes no since what  happens.And for some reason Ms.Cashore loves to hurt everyone in the book in the weirdest ways. Like in this she does all this stuff to fire and others that is just wrong and has no point other then making you want to kill your self. I know everyone loves Fire. but all the people that do are not teens and feel that this is the real world. being a teen is hard with out books like this to nock you down.

Also there is this hole lame twist at the end that is BS. and there is this hole thing with Fire and kids that is just point less. Cashore has all the great bones of a story but she can't ever get the skin or the hair right.so the book ends up all wrong. But this one ended a little better then Graceling at the lest. but again not very good. If this was a movie it would work better. but as it is a book it just does not work as great. I know many of you are going to say you love this book. and Yes there is something so lovable about this book. In the middle of the book you find your self in love. then after that the book starts to go down hill again. and they add in all of theses things that we just don't need to know and that does not need to happen. it is messed up in the way that after reading this and Graceling I am starting to get the feeling that the story is all write in the feel of the sec* style.
It is a hard book to review because of that.
so do not feel bad when I say that I have an over feeling of dislike to the way things play out. I think that Cashore could pull things together a little more she could one of the greatest YA ever.

over  good book but needs work.

(YA- 15 and up)

Stars: * * 2.6

* feel of the sec style is a style of writing where you write only what you feel at the time, and none of it have you thought about doing before.

Book: City Of Bones

So as you know I read the book Clock Work Angel and well I loved. and I feel the same about this one.
on one page I love it the next I hate it. as you can see it is not an easy book to read. but I have to keep reading.  this book is like secret life to me.  I hate it because I love it. I do not like all the killing and the way that the book always keep trying to get you ip set about everything.but I do like the love stories in these books. how they feel the same way I do about this book, you love them for a while, you hate them the next ( or pages in my case). but in anyway case I found my self liking the book. mostly because I was starting to like Jace.Ms.Clare is very good at making the people very real and making them likable. they are the reason you keep reading even after you get made as the story gets worse.  and I found my self wishing more and more that he and Clary would hook up. so need else to say I did not like the end every much. I am hoping that clare will make up for the bad end in the next book. but the one nice thing about the end is how she did it. she showed us one thing and we all saw it coming but there was so much more going on that I did not see coming at all. so with that being said I find my self were I was with her other book ( clock work angel see above). I will read the next book soon. but it will take some time to get over this one. I can not wait to see the movie.
over all this book is some people's cup  and others will hate it, and others will be like me and do both.
as far as what books it is like I don't know. it is one of those books you have to try and see how you like it.
but one thing some one said is that "this book is like a bad harry potter.  it shows us what trash J.K. could have written. only thing is she would not have gotten away with it like Clare did."
(YA-15 and up. for blood  and so on)
Stars: * * * 3.4


Clare's web page

Book: Dash and Lily's book of dares

This book was pretty good. I do not know if I like every thing in the book. it was good. the Ending was a little odd. it just end that part of Lily's and dash's life. i love the idea of the red note book. The story played out like life really does. and it was very fun to read and hard at other parts. I think how the book was told was good. having there be two people writing two people really makes things better and cooler to read.The book is nice for you see that there are to sides to every story. I really want to cohn's and levithan's books after this one ( yes. I have not seen or read Nick and Norah's infinite playlist.but I will now). a sweet X-mas break book. short but sweet in a good way. over all a good book. great for people who want to read about really life really love and that sometimes you just have to see things to the end before you break your own heart over it.

(YA-15 and up. For bad words and some sex talk and teenage stuff.)

Stars: * * * * 4.7

Book:Graceling

   Well I did like the book. But I  do think Teens 15 and up should read it.it is a fun book with magic and love.but it did have a lot of killing. and very bloody killing. I  love the people in the book. Katsa Po. So yes I like it.  I did not how ever like all the mindless killing. and at some parts I felt that the writing was uneven and that it was almost like to two people who had they're own ending was writing it. Other then that and all the killing it was a good book I think that people will like it because there is something so....so well the book pulls you in slowly. to the point where you do not want to put it down. I also liked the idea of a grace. I hope that the next book will be better,even thought this was good.But one thing to note ,is that it is n not on my list of books all teens should read.I did not like the last 30 pages of it. They did not live up to the book. I feel they did not go with the book and that is was a down- to- the- wire -ending. and I hope that the next book does not have a ending like this that makes you feel bad for reading the end.
Stars:* * * 3.4
Tip: Read this book and talk to some one about it. Like a mom,dad or a grown up you feel you can talk to about it freely there are some ideas in here that should not be used in real life and it should be noted.
(YA. It is a book for older YA readers. so like ya-15 and up)


Reviewed By Daydreamer Ash