Tammy Smith

Tammy Smith rated a book 5 of 5 stars

Half-Blood (Covenant, #1)
by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Goodreads Author)

read in January, 2013

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

In Daimon, the prequel, we meet Alex. She is a half-blood. Her mother is a pure descendant of the gods and her father was mortal. Half-bloods are treated like second class citizens. They are looked down upon by the pures and there are all sorts of ru...more In Daimon, the prequel, we meet Alex. She is a half-blood. Her mother is a pure descendant of the gods and her father was mortal. Half-bloods are treated like second class citizens. They are looked down upon by the pures and there are all sorts of rules in place regarding them. They can go to The Covenant to learn and train to either become a guard or a sentinel. The sentinels are the hunters. If they are not able to become one or the other, they are given an elixir that basically turns them into a walking zombie. They become servants, but like with a lobotomy. Alex had been training at the Covenant, but one night her mother takes her away and they've been on the run for three years.

Pures and half-bloods have within their blood aether which turns out to be sort of like crack for Pures, but it also turns them into the monsters the Covenant is training pures and half-bloods to fight. Once they turn, they become daimons, which I liken to vampires sucking up life force which is contained within the blood.

Alex has no idea why her mother took her away, but they have been on the run ever since. On the run from the Covenant, but also on the run from the daimons since they're not well protected. One morning, Alex wakes up to find that daimons had broken into their home and one had drained her mother dry. Alex knew there was nothing she could do for her mother and there were more than one daimon, so she did the only thing she could. She fled. She decided to run to the closest Covenant base, but her flight was cut off when daimons found her.

And that's where Half-Blood picks up. She is cornered in an abandoned building in the middle of nowhere. She fights them off as best she can, but is overpowered. The cavalry come, but not before she gets bit by a daimon, which is referred to as getting tagged. Now just getting bit once won't turn a pure and half-bloods can't be turned at all. The aether in their blood is like a snack whereas the aether in a pure's blood is more a feast.

She gets rescued and taken back to the Covenant where she finds her uncle is now the dean of the school. She wants to start up training again, but her step-father, Lucian, might have something to say about that since he is her legal guardian. He could order her back home and force her to take the elixir, which for her would be a fate worse than death. She begs to train again at the Covenant and her uncle agrees only if she can catch up over the summer and graduate with the class. Such a fete would seem impossible, but Aiden steps in to offer assistance.

Aiden is a pure and he is one of the sentinels who rescued her. He is also the pure that Alex has had a crush on forever. The only obstacle to her happiness is the breeding laws stating that pures cannot mix with half-bloods. The pures barely acknowledge the half-bloods as they are inferior. And if it does happen that a relationship starts up between a pure and a half-blood, the pure will have no consequences, but the half-blood will suffer all the consequences. Talk about someone being out of your league?

Alex is a strong-willed individual. She never gives up, she never admits to weakness, but she also never listens and basically does what she wants anyway. For instance, the terms of her training was that she would stay out of trouble and stay on the island the school was on unless Aiden was with her. So, of course in the first week she is back, she sneaks out of her dorm and goes to a party on the other island. Aiden does find out about it and trains her hard the next day. Boys are also not allowed in the girls dorm, but she lets her friend Caleb in anyway. She gets cocky a lot, has a bad attitude, has anger issues, she doesn't listen to anything anyone tells her and decides to do things her own way. All this gets her in trouble. Like her uncle, Marcus, coming to check on her. She decides to challenge him to sparring thinking he is soft and she can take him. She basically gets her butt handed to her. So while I really like her character, I found her to be so frustrating at times. It's simple. There are rules. Follow them. Listen to your seniors, pay attention, do what your told, but she's a rebel. And believe me, she gets into some serious trouble, a lot more than she ever would have bargained for and her stupidity can have dire consequences.

Aiden is so opposite Alex. Although they are similarly motivated, Aiden keeps a cool head. He is patient with Alex, but is also strict with her training. He wants her to succeed and works selflessly to get her up to speed so she can stay at the Covenant in the fall. He's mister straight lace, but so incredibly competent. He is the knight riding in to save the day and I find him to be a very likable character. I am just not sure how he doesn't lose patience with Alex, but he really seems to care.

Enter the Apollyon, Seth. The Apollyon is like the ultimate fighter for the Covenant. He can control all five elements and has powers others can only dream of. So why is he guarding Alex's step-father, Lucian. He wants to know why, so he starts ollowing Alex around trying to figure it out as he is sure it has something to do with her. And why can Alex see the tattoo like markings on his exposed skin?

There are a lot of questions raised, some of which are answered. There are twists to the plot that I really didn't see coming which kept me on the edge of my seat. There are more questions raised that are left unanswered. Not to mention that there is a swoon or two that keeps the heat up.

The flow is different with this series than with the Lux series, but if you are a fan of JLA's work and have not read any of the Covenant series yet, I suggest you pick up Daimon, the prequel, and Half-Blood and get started. Me? I'm going to get started on Pure.(less)

Tammy Smith rated a book 5 of 5 stars

A Midsummer Tights Dream by Louise Rennison

A Midsummer Tights Dream (Misadventures of Tallulah Casey, #2)
by Louise Rennison

read in January, 2013

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

I have to say, I love British humor and have done since back in the days when Monty Python was being aired on PBS. So, this book felt like coming home.

I love Tallulah! She is such a great character. She is confused about her sticky outy parts and doe...more I have to say, I love British humor and have done since back in the days when Monty Python was being aired on PBS. So, this book felt like coming home.

I love Tallulah! She is such a great character. She is confused about her sticky outy parts and doesn't know what to do about any of it or who to talk to about it. Sure, she has some mates from Dither Hall, I mean Dother Hall, but none of them are exactly experts.

For instance, she claims she has Tourette's of the legs as she is prone to break out into spontaneous Irish dancing. She is obsessed with the length of her legs and the fact that she has nobby knees, hoping to one day grow into her knees. She is waiting for normal body parts to grow and keeps measuring her chest to see if her bust size has increased.

She is at a performing arts school, but by her confession, cannot sing, dance or act, but she so desperately wants to climb the ladder of Showbiz and wear the golden slippers of applause.

Then there are the boys in her life. There is Ben, who kissed her in Book 1 who she refers to as Bat Boy. When he kissed her, she said it was like a bat flying about in her mouth. There is Charlie, who kissed her in Book 1, but then told her he had a girlfriend. There is Alex, the brother of her mate, Ruby, whose father owns the Blind Pig Pub. Alex is her dream guy who she refers to as Alex the Good, but he is also away at college. so she doesn't really get to see him. And then there's Cain, the resident bad boy who seems to be a player and always seems to have a way of showing up at the worst of times when Tallulah is acting less than normal.

She is confused about her body, confused about boys and what they want as well as how to interact with them on a romantic level. It is amusing to follow along as she and her Tree Sister friends stumble their way through adolescence, love and relationships with a bit of Irish dancing thrown in the mix.

Her sole source of wisdom and expertise is her cousin Georgia and Georgia's mates and if any of you have read the Confessions of Georgia Nicholson series, only hilarity can ensue.

If you're looking for a lighthearted laugh, I would highly recommend these books. Book 1 in the series is Withering Tights and they are well worth the time to read. They'll have you "laughing like a loon on loon tablets"!

Warning: Contents include snogging and lots of talk about snogging. I wouldn't recommend for the very young.(less)

Tammy Smith added

Onyx (Lux, #2)
by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Goodreads Author)

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Tammy Smith wants to read

Flame of Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier

Flame of Sevenwaters (Sevenwaters, #6)
by Juliet Marillier (Goodreads Author)

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Tammy Smith wants to read

Father Gaetano's Puppet Catechism by Mike Mignola

Father Gaetano's Puppet Catechism: A Novella
by Mike Mignola

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Tammy Smith wants to read

Cursed
by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Goodreads Author)

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Tammy Smith made a comment on November 4

"Don't blink."

Tammy Smith made a comment on November 3

"I visited The Rock of Cashel two or three years ago. It was beautiful, but as usual, there was a lot closed off from construction. I don't know why, b...more "

Tammy Smith is now following Kelly's reviews

Tammy Smith is now a fan of Goodreads Author Kelly Creagh

Tammy Smith’s Profile

Tammy’s favorite books

Tammy’s Bookshelves

Tammy is Currently Reading

rss
Tammy's Recent Updates

Tammy’s Friends (2)

People Tammy is Following

Tammy’s Favorite Authors

Favorite Genres

Tammy Smith rated a book 5 of 5 stars Half-Blood (Covenant, #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Goodreads Author) read in January, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
In Daimon, the prequel, we meet Alex. She is a half-blood. Her mother is a pure descendant of the gods and her father was mortal. Half-bloods are treated like second class citizens. They are looked down upon by the pures and there are all sorts of ru...more
Jan 06, 2013 10:01pm · see review
Tammy Smith rated a book 5 of 5 stars A Midsummer Tights Dream (Misadventures of Tallulah Casey, #2) by Louise Rennison read in January, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I have to say, I love British humor and have done since back in the days when Monty Python was being aired on PBS. So, this book felt like coming home. I love Tallulah! She is such a great character. She is confused about her sticky outy parts and doe...more
Jan 01, 2013 08:00pm · see review
Tammy Smith added Onyx (Lux, #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Goodreads Author)	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 29, 2012 09:02pm
Tammy Smith wants to read Flame of Sevenwaters (Sevenwaters, #6) by Juliet Marillier (Goodreads Author)	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 18, 2012 07:43pm
Tammy Smith wants to read Father Gaetano's Puppet Catechism: A Novella by Mike Mignola	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 18, 2012 07:42pm
Tammy Smith wants to read Cursed by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Goodreads Author)	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 18, 2012 07:41pm
Tammy Smith made a comment on November 4 "Don't blink."
Nov 18, 2012 06:11pm · see blog post
Tammy Smith made a comment on November 3 "I visited The Rock of Cashel two or three years ago. It was beautiful, but as usual, there was a lot closed off from construction. I don't know why, b...more "
Nov 18, 2012 06:10pm · see blog post
Tammy Smith is now following Kelly's reviews
Nov 10, 2012 06:45pm · like
Tammy Smith is now a fan of Goodreads Author Kelly Creagh
Nov 10, 2012 06:45pm · like · see all of Tammy's favorite authors

Tammy Smith’s Profile

Tammy’s favorite books

Tammy’s Bookshelves

Tammy is Currently Reading

rssTammy's Recent Updates

Tammy’s Friends (2)

People Tammy is Following

Tammy’s Favorite Authors

Favorite Genres

rss
Tammy's Recent Updates