Gretchen C. Hohmeyer's Blog, page 92

The Book Reviews I Couldn’t Give My Teacher

I’m pretty sure all of you know how it goes. You walk into an English class and then stare for ages at the reading list in front of you. Sometimes it isn’t very long, sometimes it is. Sometimes you’ve heard of a few of the books on it, sometimes you haven’t. All you know is that they’ve got strange names–but titles and authors–and they sound like they’re going to be awful. Past experience tells you they probably are.

This year, in my AP Literature and Composition class, the list was no different. In fact, it seemed the ultimate attempt to drive me into depression and bring out my inner feminist. Given that I should get something out of it besides a grade I trudged through the depths of despair to get, I’m gifting you all with my unedited-for-the-teacher mini book reviews of the 7 classics I read for school this year. (If you enjoy classics, uh, you should probably stop right here. This is pumped on snark for my own amusement. What? I’ve been bit by senioritis and it’s time to have some fun!)

1. Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen

First off, this isn’t a novel, guys, it’s a play. In my opinion, plays should be performed, not read. So, now being politically correct, I can tell you that this is a PLAY about the ultimate manipulative woman. Seriously. Every guy in this thing is eating out of her hand. Every girl too. She is the meanest, rudest person but you are supposed to feel sympathetic because you are. I did not feel sympathetic. Instead, I felt sick, because this woman drives a man to kill himself because she thinks it’s “beautiful.” And then kills herself in the end because she didn’t think the first guy committed suicide beautifully enough. Pretty sure if Ibsen published this in this day and age, the media would ream him out.

2. A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams

You know, this one was not entirely unreadable. Just a little bit. A lot bit in places, but what do you expect? Until about halfway through, I actually enjoyed it. Then its discovered that Blanche is actually a cougar and Stella enjoys having her husband beat her and then Stella’s husband rapes Stella’s sister, Blanche and they send Blanche off to a nuthouse because they don’t want to deal with what actually happened. The only redeeming quality you get is that maybe Stella might leave Stanley. Maybe. But you’ll never know.

3. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

I have never read such a bipolar book. The juxtaposition between Hurston’s poetic prose and the dialect of the dialogue was WILD. It made me beg and beg and beg for the prose to continue and leave the dialogue behind. No matter the dialect, I don’t like it in books. Not even in moderate amounts. Janie also wasn’t a horribly written female character, which was nice, but I just felt so … defeated, in the end. Like the book had taken every bit of strength I had and SQUASHED IT TO PIECES. As if reading the dialect wasn’t draining enough.

4. Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare

I have been told that I hold several opinions on Shakespeare that offend a great many people. However, this is a free country and I say freely that I don’t like Shakespeare. Ever. Don’t get me started on Romeo and Juliet. Twelfth Night, I admit, wasn’t as bad, but the ending left me scratching my head and annoyed as all get-out with the females, again. Also, I must just say this: if you can only devote one page a turn to the play because the opposite page is all explanations for what the words on other page mean, something isn’t right.

5. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

You know what? I actually enjoyed this one. Mostly. It was actually wasn’t horrible to read or understand. It was long as all get-out because I was, uh, rushing and behind and stuff, so I had to swallow it forcibly, but I actually didn’t mind. Jane is actually a fairly strong character until, you know, the end. I guess the idea is supposed to be that Jane needed time to become Mr. Rochester’s equal but…er…at the end of the book, Jane has acquired more money and Mr. Rochester has lost several body parts. Pretty sure that message is a little convoluted.

6. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

YES, I UNDERSTAND F. Scott Fitzgerald has issues with his wife and the “New Woman” of the 1920s. But ARRRGH can no one write a female and have her have at least one redeeming quality? Really? Also, this was meant to be depressing and therefore totally is. People even kill each other and then commit suicide. Fantastic. Someday I hope people can make social statements without including suicide or other forms of death.

7. Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid

…you know what? I enjoyed this one. I ENJOYED THIS ONE. It’s like Kincaid took every ounce of teenage rebellion out there, bottled it, and then soaked it into the pages. I’m not a fan of the whole “I hate my parents so much I’m going to leave the hemisphere” thing, but I can over look it because the voice was so REAL. I’m rather glad my novel-reading journey ended here.

So there you have it! If YOU have opinions about these books, drop me a comment! Clearly, I have plenty of things to say about these books and there is nothing I enjoy more than a lively debate! (If you haven’t guessed, this is a discussion piece. )

Waiting on Wednesday #11

Waiting on Wednesday is a feature hosted by Breaking the Spine

Title: Shadow and Bone (The Grisha Trilogy #1) (Click for Goodreads)

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Expected Publication Date: June 5th, 2012

Summary from Goodreads: Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha…and the secrets of her heart.

Why I’m Waiting: There are times when I hate putting that subject header there, because it’s like you guys didn’t just read that summary and already know the answer to this question. I mean, seriously. I have been desperately looking for something new and unique, and this looks like it could be it! The reviews I’ve seen so far have been amazingly positive all around, so that counts for something. Plus, I REALLY WANT TO READ THIS. That is all. (Plus, Veronica Roth blurbed it. DUDES.)

Top Ten Books Written In The Past 10 Years That I Hope People Are Still Reading In 30 Years

Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This one is a hard one! Let’s see if I can get to 10, shall we? (Any links go to my reviews.)

1.

OHMYGOD GUYS. If you haven’t read this yet, what in the world is wroooong with you? Just plan on it sometime. This, as Rae Carson said over Twitter, is rather “as YA as my coffee table” beside the fact that it has teenage narrators, but it is just so amazing. I laughed. I cried. I cried some more. And loved it so much.

2. The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

Not one of his books has touched me in such a way as this one. I was literally bawling my eyes out towards the end, but I COULDN’T STOP READING. I just had so much love for this story.

3. Annie John by Jamaica Kinkaid

This is one of the few classics I have ever really liked, and the only one from my readings for school this year that I think should have been kept in the cirriculum. The teenage angst in this book is almost picture perfect, pulsing off the page. (Like my alliteration? Yeah, I’m using big words!)

4. Countess Below Stars by Eva Ibbotson

Another classic I enjoy for being a classic. I love Eva Ibbotson books in general, but this one has always been my favorite.

5. The Divergent series by Veronica Roth

Few dystopians feel, to me, like classics. This would be numero uno. Plus, they are just freaking amazing, and that alone should require much reading in the next 30 years.

6. The Harry Potter series by JK Rowling

Yeah, yeah, I know, this is probably on EVERY list you’ve stopped by today. I don’t care, because that’s how true it is!

7. Any and all books by Cassandra Clare

What? If, 30 years from now, they don’t know how to have fun, then they are really screwed up. No set of books makes me laugh as hard as EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE.

8. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

If someone can manage to capture falling in love, being in love, the troubles of love, etc, so perfectly, they should at least be honored with a really long shelf life for their work!

9. Nefertiti and The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran

Classic historical fiction right here, which really takes a new view into the lives of two of the most memorable queens in Egyptian history. Any lover of historical fiction at any time should read these.

10. Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

What? I’m a Sparks fanatic. You can’t tell me this isn’t a powerful novel in its own right about a very real thing in American culture. So READ IT, FUTURE.

Review: “Insurgent” by Veronica Roth

Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth (Click for Goodreads)

5 stars

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris’s initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth’s much-anticipated second book of the dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.

Given that I never reviewed Divergent on this blog, I should probably mention that I LOVE THAT BOOK. I love it. Love. Lovelovelove. Which, honestly, is what makes this review so hard to write.

How in the world do I not make it all gibberish in CAPS lock?

I know that reviews have been mixed on whether or not this is better than Divergent, and honestly I think that’s because Divergent and Insurgent are two very different types of books. It’s really hard for me to explain it, but–having reread Divergent directly before diving into this one–I FELT it. Depending on your preference, that’s going to influence a lot of opinions.

Personally, I felt that Insurgent was even better. For me, Divergent was a lot like all those other dystopian books where there is this world and it’s falling apart and there is this person that’s different and is having all this self discovery out of a community of sameness and all that jazz. There’s nothing WRONG with that, and I did think the book was fantastic and a cut above all the over books like that, but Insurgent really set it above the bar for me.

In absolutely no way does this book fall prey to second book syndrome. It DOESN’T STOP MOVING. Ever. In the good way. Also a literally way. Tris is traveling all over the place, and I liked being able to see more of the other factions. I loved the suspense underlying everything, because no one’s allegiances were clear and even people I thought I understood came back to surprise me. Every character was diverse and round. A lot of questions were answered, but of course even bigger ones were posed. Basically, I’m pretty sure this book is everything people could have wanted it to be.

Well, maybe that’s not true. There is the lack of Four/Tobias and Tris romance scenes. I understand some people didn’t like the fact that they were at odds for a lot of the book. I … loved it, actually. See, here’s the thing: Tobias and Tris are a real couple. They are in a real, deadly situation and they haven’t known each other for all that long. I love how Tris admits that she has never really seen Tobias outside of one environment, and I love how they take the time to grow together and really trust each other. This couple is REAL. So there was a lack of kissing scenes. *I* wanted to kiss Veronica Roth for giving me REAL romance. (Okay, not really. But a tackle-hug would work.)

To be honest, unless this book has been absolutely horrible, Insurgent already had an automatic five stars from me. There are very few series right now where my inner editor shuts off and I just enjoy the ride, and the Divergent series is one of those. They are action packed, have hints of humor and they are refreshingly REAL. I trust Roth’s world building, I enjoy her characters and I believe in her plot. There aren’t many authors who give me that trifecta.

Excuse me for a moment while my inner crazy fan girl comes out: VERONICA ROTH I COULD KILL YOU FOR THAT ENDING OHMYGOD HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TALK ABOUT A CLIFFHANGER OHMYGOOOOOOOD.

Ahem.

Now, onto the big question: WHEN CAN I HAVE THE NEXT ONE? (It’s slated for a 2013 release, no date or title as of yet!)

Review: “Grave Mercy” by Robin LaFevers

Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1) by Robin LaFevers (Click for Goodreads)

5 stars

Escaping from the brutality of an arranged marriage, seventeen year old Ismae finds sanctuary at the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts–and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must be willing to take the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany, where she must pose as a mistress to the darkly mysterious Gavriel Duval, who has fallen under a cloud of suspicion. Once there, she finds herself woefully unprepared–not only for the deadly games of love and intrigue, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

Upon finishing this book, the critical reviewer in me had a bad moment. It raised its hackles and started stalking back through the book for something to comment on, something that annoyed me, something that stuck out. It took me a really long moment to realize that I had just simply enjoyed this book. Then the reviewer in me freaked out, because I hate throwing around 5 stars. But so the rating stays.

Why, you ask? Well that’s what I’m here to tell you.

This book started in the exact right place. You get an insight into what makes Ismae who she is–a poignant one–that doesn’t last for more than a few pages before you get to what you know you really want to read about, the killing nuns. However, those few pages are important, done well, and really allow the rest of the book to be accessible. The book is in the first person, and at first glance Ismae isn’t exactly a narrator like Sophie from the Hex Hall books. However, because you know where she’s coming from, her matter-of-fact way of speaking makes sense and connects the reader rather than repels them. And makes her dry sense of humor that much more awesome.

Speaking of characters, few books have such a solid cast of background characters such as this book. Even the characters that you didn’t see that often were well written and not stereotypes. From the younger duchess to Duval’s second-in-commands, I was in love with every single one of them–even the villains! (In fact, in places, especially the villains.)

I’ll admit, after reading Illuminate by Aimee Agresti Grave Mercy scared me because of its length. It’s 549 pages long. However, every single one of those pages was well used. Plenty of assassin stuff goes on, as well as plenty of intrigue and plotting. I was pleasantly surprised when I realized I actually couldn’t guess what was coming–and I certainly didn’t guess the ending! (Well, in part. It’s a romance; some things are a given.)

And the romance. Color me SO HAPPY. Sure, it’s the typical line where they start off disliking each other and then realize they love each other, but it worked. The reasons they were so untrusting of each other were REAL. The worries they had were REAL. The progression of their relationship was REAL. They came to trust each other before they came to love each other, which is how it should be. Hallelujah.

Lastly, Grave Mercy made me realize just how much modern day/modernish day plus a few years into the future where everything is a wreck books I’d be reading. I love historical fiction, and Grave Mercy made me miss it ridiculously. I didn’t realize it until Ismae legitimately used the word “poleaxed” in a sentence and I started giggling, because how many modern teens use that? All around, this book was a refreshing change from the other books I’d been reading that was filled with great characters, a fantastical historical world, great mythology and a real romance. If you like historical romance headlines by killer females (yes, pun intended, deal with it) then I certainly recommend Grave Mercy. Even if you don’t do much historical fiction, I still recommend it. The history and it’s figures were done so well I absolutely forgot it WAS historical fiction. It’s one of my favorites so far this year!

The second book in the His Fair Assassin series, Dark Triumph, is expected to be published in Spring 2013.

Teaser Review: “Silver” by Talia Vance

Silver by Talia Vance (Click for Goodreads)

Expected Publication Date: September 8, 2012

Beauty is pointless when no one’s looking.

Brianna Paxton has been invisible to guys since the eighth grade. She’s pretty enough, it’s just that no one bothers to look. There’s almost nothing that can’t be explained with science, and Brianna has a theory: she’s missing the pheromone that attracts people to one another. Brianna’s theory is shot to hell in one frozen, silver moment, when time stops and Blake Williams not only sees her, he recognizes something inside her that she’s been hiding from even herself.

Before Brianna fully understands who and what she is, she accidentally binds her soul to Blake. Forced to find a way to reconcile forbidden love and her bloody heritage, Brianna discovers that there’s nothing pointless about her, and Blake may be in the most danger of all.

MY READING JOURNEY:

Page 33: “Oh. That wasn’t insta-love. I was frightened. And then he threatened her and it was like, PHEW disaster averted.”

Page 100: “BRIE. He is crazy stalker boy! Abort, abort, ABANDON SHIP!”

Page 148: “Girl: Yes, insta-love, it’s beautiful! Guy: NOOOOOO! I probably shouldn’t be giggling, but Blake is totally spitting in the face of insta-love. I’m sorry Brie, but I’m on his side!”

Page 200: “I’m not sure how all of the sudden they’re teaching Brie to fight, but Micah and Jeremy are the most hysterical things so I forgive it.”

NOW AT 100% COMPLETE: 4 1/2 stars

Refreshing mythology? Check. Great, relatable heroine? Check. Sexy guy? Check. Sexy, sexy romance? Check. Fast pacing? Check. Supernatural awesomeness? Check. Not to mention I laughed out loud AND could barely update Goodreads because I was like READREADREAD. PLUS, Blake totally spit in the face of insta-love. One of my new favorites of the year. Follow the link to make sure to add it to your TBR pile! Can’t wait to gush about this stuff and more in my review, coming in August!

Waiting on Wednesday #10

Waiting on Wednesday is a feature hosted by Breaking the Spine.

Title: The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2) (Click for Goodreads)

Author: Richelle Mead

Expected Publication: June 12, 2012

Summary from Goodreads: The second thrilling installment in Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy spinoff series

Tough, brainy alchemist Sydney Sage and doe-eyed Moroi princess Jill Dragomir are in hiding at a human boarding school in the sunny, glamorous world of Palm Springs, California. The students–children of the wealthy and powerful–carry on with their lives in blissful ignorance, while Sydney, Jill, Eddie, and Adrian must do everything in their power to keep their secret safe. But with forbidden romances, unexpected spirit bonds, and the threat of Strigoi moving ever closer, hiding the truth is harder than anyone thought.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Richelle Mead’s breathtaking Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive. In this second book, the drama is hotter, the romances are steamier, and the stakes are even higher.

Why I’m Waiting: GUYS. I have NO WORDS to describe how much I LOVE the Vampire Academy series. In all honesty, when Bloodlines first came out, I was wary of it. My LOVELOVELOVES were Rose and Dimitri, and how could Sydney and Adrian even touch that? Well, it won me over, that’s for sure. Now I just want Sydney and Adrian to be a thing SO MUCH. Plus, it’s Richelle Mead. Rose was the perfect snarky narrator, but Adrian is almost as bad, so let the snark humor ensue! I CANNOT WAIT to get my hands on this.

Top Ten Blogs/Sites I Read That AREN’T about Books

Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by the Broke and the Bookish.

So this week’s Top Ten Tuesday is a little different! It’s NOT about books! Let’s see if I can make you interested anyways…

1. Facebook

Seriously, are you surprised? you shouldn’t be.

2. Twitter

Again, no surprise there. I LIVE on my Hootsuite, tracking down book giveaways. I maaaaaay have an addiction to that.

3. YouTube

Not for the reasons you might think! I actually look up more show promos on here than anything else. Last thing I looked up? The new James Bond trailer!

4. Duotrope’s Digest

This is a site for writers, where they can track their submissions to magazines. When I have stories out (which I don’t at this moment) I’m checking it 60 times a day for absolutely no reason.

5. Yahoo! Sports

MY RANGERS ARE IN THE PLAYOFFS! Plus one of the baseball dudes does spectacular MLB power rankings. It’s my homepage, so it’s also the fastest sports access.

6. Television Without Pity

I adore the photo galleries these guys put together. They are absolutely hysterical, even when they’re about shows I like! There are tons more stuff related to TV on there, but I don’t actually look at anything but the photos.

7. Google

Did you know that if you go to Google Maps and ask for walking directions from The Shire to Mordor, Google will tell you that “One cannot simply walk into Mordor”? Seriously, try it out. It’s AWESOME.

8. Big Fish Games

I am slightly obsessed with hidden object adventure games. And time management games. And those games that are hybrids of the two. And– uh, Big Fish just happens to have some fantastic games on it and I get bored sometimes.

9. Netflix

I just recently developed an addiction to Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse. Having finished it in a week, I have decided that the mind of Joss Whedon is a terrifying, confusing place that makes up the best-worst things ever. (BUFFY FOREVER!)

10. Yahoo! Movie Trailers

I have a thing with movie trailers! I am like a movie trailer guru. It is from Yahoo! Movies I learn my wisdom, so you may start there, young grasshopper.

Review: “The Selection” by Kiera Cass

The Selection (The Selection #1) by Kiera Cass (Click for Goodreads)

Four stars

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn’t want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she’s made for herself–and realizes the life she’s always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

So I’m just going to go right out there and say it: If you can’t hold on past the first 10 chapters of a book before you pass judgement, you’re going to hate The Selection. Why? Because the first 90 pages or so of this book were absolute sugary horribleness. I adore America’s family well enough, but that was not enough to make up for America and Aspen’s interactions. I don’t usually pass judgement on girl’s and their boyfriends–I’ve been told I’m way too sappy in that regard myself–but ohmygod. America and Aspen were so sugary and ridiculous and over-the-top that I almost didn’t keep going.

But I did.

And I’m glad I did.

Once America gets away from Aspen, she becomes a MUCH more level-headed girl that I wouldn’t actually mind knowing. (Clearly, Aspen just brings out the worst in her, because she goes back to acting like an idiot when he comes back.) When he’s not around, she’s strong, she’s sassy and she cares. She really needs to quit having such bad moments of self-esteem issues when she clearly has no reason to have issues, but that’s a personal opinion and I digress. The book actually starts moving a little bit and–yes–I did fall in love with it a little bit. A lot bit, actually. I was furious there wasn’t more pages. But you know what? Given all the bad reviews people have been giving this book, I just want to say this:

What you see is exactly what you get with this book.

The blurb should tell you all you need to know, really. This is a romance. This is a dystopian version of The Bachelor. This is what would happen if Disney decided to join the dystopian trend. The blurb TELLS YOU THIS. The cover SHOWS YOU THIS. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that every girl but America is pretty vapid, that the prince is a perfect Prince Charming and that the whole thing reads like a magical princess story straight out of a fairytale.

THAT’S WHAT THIS IS.

Yes, this book is listed as dystopian, but if you’re looking for another Hunger Games or Divergent I have no idea what you’re doing looking at this book. The Selection is filled with every little girl’s princess fantasy. It isn’t dark, it isn’t that deep and it isn’t action packed. It’s exactly what it looks like. It glitters. It sparkles. It makes the little girl in you swoon and remember how it felt to believe in fairy tales. It’s a light read that you can whisk through in a day.

I was a Disney girl. All I wanted to be was a princess when I grew up. Letting that little girl take over and enjoy this book is why I fell in love with it. But if you’re looking for a deep read, a gut-wrenching story, fast-paced action or a heart-wrenching romance, I don’t think you’ve got the right book. Someone once told me that some of the books I read are “sweet, fun, mindless fluff” and I’d be happy to put The Selection in that category. Because there is nothing wrong with that. I adore those books, just like I adored this one. But you just have to know that what you see is what you get.

Teaser Book Review: “Redemption” by Veronique Launier

Redemption (Hearts of Stone #1) by Veronique Launier (Click for Goodreads)

Expected Publication Date Sept 8, 2012

Guillaume:  For five hundred years I’ve existed as a gargoyle.  Perched atop an old Montreal church,  I’ve watched idly as humanity wanders by.  With the witch Marguerite gone, there is no  one left to protect, nothing to care about. I  never planned to feel again. But then a girl  released me from my stone restraints, allowing  me to return as a seventeen-year-old  human boy. I must find out all I can about  this girl’s power . . .

Aude:  Getting attacked twice in as many days is  strange in itself, but even stranger is the  intriguing guy I keep running into. There’s  something so familiar about him, like a  primal drum rhythm from my dreams. But  spending time together only raises more  question-about my heritage, a native  Mohawk prophecy . . . and an unearthly  magic threatening our city…

MY READING JOURNEY

Page 11: “Gargoyles come to life because a girl speaks a Native American chant in Montreal Canada. Well color me interested.”

Page 14: “I just realized I have no idea how to pronounce either of the MCs names. Oh this could get awkward.”

Page 92: “Do you know how refreshing it is where you don’t know EVERY which way they can twist the mythology? Because sometimes I just have these moments with original books and I just want to cry with happiness.”

Page 119: “Clunk-ety-clunk goes the dialogue. Let’s get things MOVING people!”

Page 178: “Aude. You so stupid.”

Page 230: “Saw that coming. Now might something happen?”

Page 276: “Now I’m on my knees. CEASE THE EXPOSITION.”

Page 335: “AHA! There is the action that just won’t stop. Theeere we go.”

Page 355: “FINITO! …finished. I mean finished.”

NOW AT 100% COMPLETE: 3 stars

This, you guys, is a fantastically refreshing world. Gargoyles? French witches? Native American shamans? When was the last time you read about those all together? The world building in this gets an A+, even if that did seem to be the focus of the book. Very little happened until that last fourth that wasn’t exposition. Some people like that; that’s just not for me. I’m an action girl, and BOY did I get my action in the end! If you’re looking for something NEW and DIFFERENT to read, this is the book for you. Just don’t expect the pacing to fly at high speeds. When my real review goes up, we’ll talk more about that ending and the characterization!