I really did enjoy "Wings". I thought it was a unique perspective on the faery fantasy sub-genre but it was one of those books that would have satisfi...moreI really did enjoy "Wings". I thought it was a unique perspective on the faery fantasy sub-genre but it was one of those books that would have satisfied me just fine as a standalone. But, since its the trend in literature, (and especially in YA literature), to write your books as series, I had to pick up the sequel "Spells" when I got around to it. I wasn't chomping at the bit to start reading this book so I waited awhile after it was released before I saw it and was all; "Oh, hey! I remember reading the first book!"
So, I started reading "Spells" and then I stopped. And then I started again. Then I stopped. Started. Stopped. Over and over. I didn't feel drawn to either the story or the characters. In fact much of the story was boring except for the last half of the book when it finally starts getting interesting and we get away from Laurel's everyday life for a bit to have some excitement for a bit. I did not like how hypocritical a character she was; she was all gung-ho over faery rights while visiting Avalon, (Faery HQ), but she treated both David and Tamani like they were her own personal love-slaves minus the full-on sex and up the sexual tent ion without fully committing to either boy!
Oh! And anyone else find it funny that her "Magical Faery Training" was only like three weeks or months, (I can't remember for sure which), long or so? I mean Harry Potter had to spend ALL year at Hogwart's learning to be a well-rounded wizard! And what did she learn that was suppose to be so important in keeping her safe and her friends and family safe from their oh, so powerful enemies after those months or weeks? One defensive potion. That must be used in an enclosed space and that knocks them out like a heavy dose of benedryl.
Maybe someday I will want to finish the series but for now I am done with it. Life is too short to crappy books!(less)
It's making me feel thankful for our oxygen rich planet as I read this book and taking in deep breaths during the particularly breath-stealing parts!
5...moreIt's making me feel thankful for our oxygen rich planet as I read this book and taking in deep breaths during the particularly breath-stealing parts!
50% update: Okay, so, I'm halfway through this book and already I know I won't be seeking out any sequels. It's premise is a good one but the execution needed work. It's proving to be more tedious than I expected and I am finding myself forcing my attention to stay on the story but if I make it to 100% it will be a literary miracle so to speak.
100% update: Well, I got through to the end but I was still less than thrilled about this book. To me, it seemed to lack the heart and feeling of a story to make it seem and feel real. I did not find myself sharing in the characters' struggles as though I were truly a part of them as happens with really good books but instead I kept mentally sighing and checking the page number towards the end. But, hey, even though it may not have been my particular cup of tea that doesn't mean someone else mightn't enjoy it.
And at least I made it to the end! I'm going to count that alone as a reading victory. Lol!(less)
There are some creative people who work very well with their other half; Stan and Jan Berenstain, Wendy and Richard Pini. Then there are those certain...moreThere are some creative people who work very well with their other half; Stan and Jan Berenstain, Wendy and Richard Pini. Then there are those certain couples who, while extremely talented on their own, should really just keep their artistic chocolate out of their partner's creative peanut-butter. Rather than coming up with a delicious concoction of sweet and salty literary and artistic brilliance we more often end up with a broken jar of gooey crushed legume and melted cocoa-stained fingers and clothes and a hefty dry cleaning bill and/or a trip to the local minor E.R. to stitch up any broken peanut-butter-jar induced cuts and to bandage up street-skinned knees which occurred during the collusion.
"Eve & Adam" by husband and wife team of Katherine Applegate and Michael Grant made me think of the second type of creative duo. The good alone, nothing special to dangerously close to bad together. This book did have a lot of potential, especially as one half of the husband/wife writing team is the very talented author of the amazing "Gone" YA dystopian saga, but this particular book, sadly, just left me feeling "meh" nearly all the way through. I kept waiting for it to get more exciting, more awe-inspiring like I felt with the "Gone" books but it soon became clear that I was mainly reading this out of author loyalty as I just finished the last book in the "Gone" series and was still on a Michael Grant reading kick. If you are looking for a tame, lukewarm romantic comedy sci-fi story with not much in the romance, comedy or science fiction department then I guess this is for you.
There's not much I can write by way of a review other than I didn't really understand the hype around this book and thankfully it's a standalone because I can't see many people wanting to dive back into the dull world of Evening Spiker (Wow, what a name!), and her equally 1D co-stars enough to pay for another book about them! Or Maybe that's just me. Anyway, the fact that I was able to get all the way through it and it wasn't THAT terrible saved it from receiving less than three stars from me but I fear three is as many as this work warrants. Because while it wasn't the worst thing I ever read, it wasn't the greatest, either. It was one of those rather mediocre little time-wasting guilty pleasures; with only minimal pleasure, type of a books.(less)
Edit: Having just finished this book my first impression is still the same; but it did keep my attention a little better the second half through. In m...moreEdit: Having just finished this book my first impression is still the same; but it did keep my attention a little better the second half through. In my opinion the story was good but the writing left much to be desired and got in the way of this book truly being the emotional roller coaster of a story the author was undoubtedly attempting, and failing to tell through it's milquetoast and naive, (read: dull and stupid), protagonist and narrator. At least it was short and hopefully the movie is better.
Overall impressions: In a word? "Meh".
To me, it reads like Charlie is much younger than 15, and it feels like something from the 1950s or some other more innocent time. There are some parts that are cute and/or funny and some sincerely touching moments, but so far I have to seriously say that I really don't understand what all the hype around this book was all about. Going into it I had heard a lot of positive spin about it due to the movie being made and thought I was heading into a little bit of "Running With Scissors" type of book, but "Running" was ten times what "Wallflower" only dreams it could be. Maybe it's one of those books where the movie is better; with "Running With Scissors" the book was awesome, but the film just flopped. Maybe it will be other way around with "Wallflower" because the book, so far, (40% through as of this writing), to me, is nothing to write home about. I'll finish it, though, because it's so short I'd feel like I was just being lazy to not finish such a brief book.(less)
I don't know. I had such high hopes for this. I'll still finish reading it but I'm not too fond of the beginnin...moreBeware of spoilers beyond this point...
I don't know. I had such high hopes for this. I'll still finish reading it but I'm not too fond of the beginning. The whole love at first sight thing in books and movies has always rubbed me the wrong way and in this story it just feels...gimmicky. Like there was no other reason for the character to exist other than as a love interest for the MC and to bring drama to the story. It would have been so much better had their love story been drawn out; they met, got to know each other, began having "unnatural" feelings for each other and then the story could have progressed to the hiding and secret-keeping and their secret relationship could have been in the background of a political upheaval of Perpendicular rights, etc and all the other stuff that make books of this type so exciting. And, I'm only thirty percent through the book so for all I know, it will still happen like that and be a great book. I really hope so. I thought Chris seemed less than an intelligent character and I had a big problem with the two of them, he and Carmen, just running away with no regrets about leaving people, family, behind. We may disagree with our family members but they are still our family. I didn't buy the end where he ripped up the letter from his other father and seemed to be saying that he was okay with removing himself from his father's life and I also didn't care for his sister calling their father the devil. They may not agree with him and he may be a dick sometimes but your dad is still your dad. You don't just stop loving your family for no good reason. And he wasn't abusing them or anything, he just had a differing view on a subject. Yeah, the whole arranged marriage thing was bad but he never forced either of them. Anyway it really could have been much better.(less)
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