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We meet Elisa on the day of her wedding. Sixteen years old, and marrying a man she's never met. Marrying a king who will crown her Queen. Any girl would be terrified, but Elisa is no ordinary girl. chosen by God on the day of her birth to be the be...more We meet Elisa on the day of her wedding. Sixteen years old, and marrying a man she's never met. Marrying a king who will crown her Queen. Any girl would be terrified, but Elisa is no ordinary girl. chosen by God on the day of her birth to be the bearer of the Godstone, a stone in her navel filled with power and magic. Every bearer before her has been chosen to fulfill a task, and elisa is no different. Follow her on her incredible journey, to strange lands and even stranger people. To danger and death and beyond. But most of all, watch as Elisa makes her own journey, deep inside herself, to become the woman that she might have been all along. From cowardice to courage. From weak to strong. From theory to reality. Everything will change. You can expect several more books to come after this fantastic debut. And while the writing isn't anything to brag about, the mixture of fantasy and adventure, or religion and romance, makes for a lovely read. Reviewed by Kathryn Taylor(less)
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Abby has always known exactly how her life is going to go. Her cute boyfriend, USC for college. Rooming with her best friend. Yet Abby, on the brink of her senior year, is looking at her life, and wishing it were different. More exciting, more sponta...moreAbby has always known exactly how her life is going to go. Her cute boyfriend, USC for college. Rooming with her best friend. Yet Abby, on the brink of her senior year, is looking at her life, and wishing it were different. More exciting, more spontaneous. Then, as if on que, she meets Dante, the mysterious Italian transfer who soon seems as interested in her as she is in him. She can't help being drawn to him. But too soon, Dante has pulled Abby into his world, where secrets are as many as grains of sand in an hourglass. And not all of them are good. Abby frantically tries to keep the threads of her lfie from unraveling, but is time running out, for her and Dante?
reviewed by Kathryn Taylor(less)
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ARC My favorite thing about Take a Bow was the main character. There was technically more then one, but the focus of the book,Emme, was the sweetest girl ever. I loved how nice she was to her friends, even when they didn't deserve it. She was also a s...moreARC My favorite thing about Take a Bow was the main character. There was technically more then one, but the focus of the book,Emme, was the sweetest girl ever. I loved how nice she was to her friends, even when they didn't deserve it. She was also a super musician to boot. A great story with plenty of love, friendship and music. One that deals with deepish issues but still manages to stay light and easy to read. Take a Bow is perfect vacation read. Reviewed by Kathryn Taylor(less)
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It only took me about a year and a half to get into this book, I’m not sure why, but somehow I just couldn’t get past the first page. I finally did though, and I really liked it. Seriously, the crazy creative setting combined with the fierce and love...moreIt only took me about a year and a half to get into this book, I’m not sure why, but somehow I just couldn’t get past the first page. I finally did though, and I really liked it. Seriously, the crazy creative setting combined with the fierce and loveable Bertie, the hysterical fairies, and just the over all imagination in this story made an entrancing sequel. I loved the first one, and I thought this one lived up to it. Watching the chaos that ensues as Bertie and her entourage are set loose upon the world was fun. And I do mean chaos by the way, Bertie’s new powers with words and the fairies aggressive appetites together are almost comical in their disastrous effects. And, of course, there’s a love triangle. I’m sure you already know who you like best, so I’m not going to say anything more about that and influence you in any way, but for someone who usually detests love triangles and the drama they create, this one wasn’t half bad. So, a spunky heroine, comic relief up to your ears, a dangerously attractive traveling companion, a swashbuckling pirate, a fantastic quest, and some amazing new characters all come together in a pretty cool way. This is not one you’re going to want to sleep through.
Reviewed by Kathryn Taylor(less)
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I'm not really sure how to start this review, most books you can just go with whatever comes to your mind, but Wintergirls is obviously not an ordinary YA novel.The passion in which it was written made it so intense it was almost frightening. I had t...moreI'm not really sure how to start this review, most books you can just go with whatever comes to your mind, but Wintergirls is obviously not an ordinary YA novel.The passion in which it was written made it so intense it was almost frightening. I had to put it down to run a few errands, and i found myself feeling lethargic, sad, and absolutely disgusted with food. And while books almost always affect my mood, I've never found one that influenced my diet. Trapped in Lia's world with her, you can only watch horrified as she teeters between reality and delusion, between who she is and who she wants to be, between life and death. you beg her to stop, to reach out for help, to find the key that will unlock this prison she's lived in for what seems like forever. You want to scream at her family for not seeing her, what's happeneing to her. But they don't, they go on with their lives until it's almost too late. And all the while, you're practically tearing your hair out because you've fallen in love with Lia, and you can't stand it. Maybe it's different for everyone, but for me Wintergirls was almost too much for me too handle. The beautiful writing and the emotions expressed thorugh it, anger, sadness, apathy, and loneliness staining the pages until they drip onto you, sinking into your core. This review is nto doing it justice at all, so you'll need to read it to truly understand (I wouldn't suggest it for younger readers, for emotional content). I guarantee that Wintergirls is something you won't forget. Reviewed by Kathryn Taylor(less)
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Misfit
by
Jon Skovron (Goodreads Author)
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This is actually a first for me, I am writing a review about a book that I have not actually finished. I wasn't expecting too much from Misfit, all I really wanted was a good, paranormal romance that would hopefully keep me, and anyone else entertain...moreThis is actually a first for me, I am writing a review about a book that I have not actually finished. I wasn't expecting too much from Misfit, all I really wanted was a good, paranormal romance that would hopefully keep me, and anyone else entertained for a few days. I horribly misjudged it unfortuanately. Not to say that there wasn't good things in it, the back story about her Father and her Mother was pretty interesting, the skater boy love interest had potential to be very different and refreshing, and the over-all concept wasn't bad at all. But those few spots of light are drowned out by all the other junk that screams through this book. I'll start with the swearing, it wasn't atrocious, but it definitely wasn't clean either. I can usually deal with that though, what I cannot deal with though, is a paranormal romance that delves way too deep into religion. I'm okay with the recent angel novels, that stretch the truth soemtimes too fit their fictional story, but this one went a bit far for me. I did not like the view it took on Catholicism, or Christianity, I did not like the views it took on heaven and hell, and I definitely did not like the way it made my stomach hurt just by reading it and the bad taste it left in my mouth. Now, I read the reviews other people put on it, and all of them liked it, so if you have no problem with the stuff I mentioned, have at it. However, if you have any sort of faith, I would stay far away. Reviwed by Kathryn Taylor(less)
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Just when I think I've got Cassandra Clare all figured out, she goes and does this. i really was not impressed with Clockwork Angel, it was really just a carbon copy set in the Victorian Era, so I had kind of assumed that she was a one-hit wonder wit...moreJust when I think I've got Cassandra Clare all figured out, she goes and does this. i really was not impressed with Clockwork Angel, it was really just a carbon copy set in the Victorian Era, so I had kind of assumed that she was a one-hit wonder with the Mortal Instruments. But, then I read this one, and it was really good. She introduced a new villian, a new problem, new characters, everything. It looks like she's ramping up for a new trilogy, which is really confusing. because, anyone sane would have stopped with the City of Glass, it wrapped things up really nicely. She's playing with fire by opening it back up again, risking her entire series, but so far, she's done okay. there was a nice mix of Clary and Jace's story with Simon's. I wish she would have focused on Simon more, but Jace and Clary were fine too. And, she introduced a whole new romance, which is very interesting to read about. Altogether, she did a good job. Which is wierd. I didn't expect to say this at all. Adn of course, in her typical cliff-hanger style, she left it open for the next. I don't know how she did it, but somehow she did. So, I guess, until further notice, I'm in. Reviewed by Kathryn Taylor(less)
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"I know, i love when you guys get new ones in."
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My sister and I just recently picked up some arcs, and Sidekicks was one of them. Masked by a couple young adult novels, I definitely was expecting it to be more of a sidekick (no pun intended) to what I thought would the "better" books. I was so wro...moreMy sister and I just recently picked up some arcs, and Sidekicks was one of them. Masked by a couple young adult novels, I definitely was expecting it to be more of a sidekick (no pun intended) to what I thought would the "better" books. I was so wrong. I picked it up after one of said "better" books disgusted me so much I had to put it down (Misfit, see my review).Thinking I'd just start it quickly and then go to bed, I was totally unprepared for the kick Sidekicks had. It was amazing! The main character, Scott, aka "Bright Boy" was adorable. He was smart and capable enough that I didn't get impatient or frustrated with him, but he also had a very young, untrained, not perfect side to him as well, so I wasn't bored with him either. There was a nice, unique spin on the whole "superheroes in our midst" idea that added a lot to the story. All good things, but by far the best thing about this book was the plot, for one thing it was perfectly paced. mAdn for another, the twist were totally unexpected, I don't think I saw one of them coming! Which, maybe I was just off my game or something, and I'm definitely not some fantastic predictor anyways, but that's still pretty impressive, the author did a great job. A very well-rounded book over-all, the only criticism I can give it is that I think the main character, and his girlfriend should have been in highschool, their relationship was a bit old for mid-school, and well, as with most good books, I wish it would have been longer. But, that's not really a criticism. So yeah, if you pick up Sidekicks, prepare for a wild ride that doesn't need any help at all, not even a Sidekicks. Ha ha, another cheesy pun made by Kathryn.
Reviewed by Kathryn Taylor(less)
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