Courtney Wendleton's Blog, page 148
August 7, 2014
Hurricane Iselle
Thought I would pop in and say, so far everything is fine. Iselle is coming but not until late tonight. My only issue at the moment is humidity, and I don’t so well with humidity. Tend to break out in hives! Will try to update later, but may lose electricity. Stay inside and y’all enjoy the air conditioning I don’t have :( lol
You be Beethoven and I’ll be Bach,
AbraRhea
August 4, 2014
Book Review: Vampire University (Book 1)
Overview: Taylor is starting her freshman year at university of course she is nervous. Her bubbly roommate Hannah is out going and very forward, unlike Taylor, but become fast friends from the moment they meet. While attending a “Welcome Dinner” the girls meet twins Eric and Joseph. Eric is the typical bad boy instantly enthralled by Taylor, and Joseph is dark, brooding and kind of scary. Despite warnings to stay away from Eric, Taylor goes on a date with him that ends in her and the Resident Adviser being taken hostage at knife point. From then on Taylor’s world is flipped upside down and she is not sure what to believe any more.
Opinion: Awesome! The characters are so relate-able and the incidents are quite plausible. Everything that happened could happen…of course that would be if the creatures were real. Fast paced, I read it in just a few hours and kept trying to read more not wanting the book to be finished.
Recommendation: Yes!
August 3, 2014
Book Updates!!
Come see what I have added!!
http://charliesangel-0069.wix.com/cmwauthorpage#!projects-in-progress/c1o8m
August 2, 2014
Book Review: Saving Angel 2/5 Stars Or Obsidian knock off
I hate being the bad guy, but in this case I’m going to be. In general the book Obsidian (yesterday’s review) and this one, are different books. However reading them you will find that the only thing different is that one is about aliens and the other is about half-demons. First few chapters read almost identical to each other. Male characters resemble each other. Well known sayings were not used right. Example: Victoria Secret’s model (admittedly that could be chalked up to editorial oversight), went to douche in zero to sixty seconds. They even end the same! The guy changes the girl in a way that no one is quite sure about, making him want her more and she becomes the stand-off ish one. I have made a little chart to help prove my point. Saving Angel had enough of it’s own differences to make it a different story but at the same it reads like the author just copied Obsidian and then made a few changes.
Obsidian
Saving Angel
Side Note
Main Character
“Nerdy” Girl lost her father moves out of state
“Nerdy” Girl lost her father moves out of state
Cute little nicknames given by Jerk
Best Friend
Bubbly girl next door
Bubbly girl next door
Love Interest
Jerk, best friend’s Brother
Jerk, best friend’s cousin
Both have bitchy ex-girlfriend’s that still cling to them
Town
Small, rural, middle of nowhere, people avoid her
Small, rural, middle of nowhere, people avoid her
Accident
Attacked by a bear
Attacked by a “dog”
Parents
Dead or never around
Dead or never around
Both MC’s moms, too eager to get their daughter a boyfriend
Secret place
Spot in the woods
Spot in the woods
Diners
Quaint little hole hole in the wall
Quaint little hole in the wall
Warnings
Instantly warned to stay away
Instantly warned to stay away
Friends
Become friends with two girls from one class
Become friends with two girls from one class
Big Bad
DOD and Arum
Hell and Hunters
August 1, 2014
Book Review: Obsidian 5/5 Stars
Overview: Normal girl, Katy, moves from Florida to West Virgina for a new start. Her new town is small and weird, everyone in town seems to hate her just for moving in. That is except for her bubbly next door neighbor Dee. The two strike up a friendship against her twin brother, Daemon’s, wishes. Then weird things start happening; Daemon starts being nice to her, they get attacked by a bear and she gets attacked by crazy guy. In both cases there is a bright blinding light out of know where quickly followed by an electrical storm. In a last ditch effort to get Katy to stay away from Dee, Daemon takes her out to a special spot in the woods and acts like the biggest jerk. Holding back tears, she runs through the woods to go home. She puts one step on the road, and feet from her is a truck barreling forward. With no time for him to stop or her to move, she knows she is going to be pancaked. Then she isn’t. Time seemed to stand still as she looked around, the truck and driver weren’t moving but the engine was still roaring from his foot on the gas pedal. Daemon was at the edge of the woods glowing like a fireball. Life has changed forever.
Opinion: HOLY COW! First aliens normally are not my thing and admittedly, I get a lot of books based on name and cover (I know I shouldn’t but I do). So I didn’t realize this book was about aliens…but I am so glad I picked it up! The story line is amazing and it is well written. It is first in a series, and I am so glad because it is amazing! So much tension and danger everywhere, I was on my toes all night unable to put it down. It reminds me of a TV series from the 90’s called Roswell. If you haven’t checked out either this book or the TV series, do so. Even if you are not into aliens normally you will love them!
Recommendation: YES!
July 31, 2014
Review: The Hunger Games Triliogy 15/15 Stars
Since everyone knows The Hunger Games and I’m feeling peckish myself (horrible for my Squishees I know, sorry make it up to you later I promise).
The Hunger Games: Awesome. There is an intensity alive in the book that came across in the movie but not quite as powerful. So much more is explained, and you just can’t help but feel for every one of the characters. I laughed, I cried, I couldn’t wait to start the second one.
Catching Fire: Again spectacular! You can see how much the games traumatized both Peeta and Katniss. You are also able to see how conflicted she is over Peeta and Gale. It really pulls at your heart strings when she can’t make up her mind and has to go through everything all over again.
Mockingjay: I didn’t quite see this ending coming, but it really was a great ending. After surviving the Games not once but twice, and “unwillingly leading” a rebellion you think she is going to make it out with her life and loved ones intact but that just isn’t in the cards for anyone.
Recommendation: YES! Read the series!
Book Review: A Shade of Vampire 4/5 Stars
Overview: Sofia was kidnapped on her 17th birthday by a vampire and taken to a magical place where the sun never shines, to live in a tree with the vampire Prince. Upset she tries to run away, but is caught and starts to fall for her captor. When her best friend arrives as a fellow slave she is suddenly reminded of everything she was forced to leave behind and wants to return. Then she doesn’t want to return.
Opinion: Too short first off. Sofia seems wishy-washy, and too dependent on men for my taste. I can’t quite put my finger on what it is, but there is something I just didn’t like about it. At the same time it was pretty good, definitely sucked me in so I can find out what happened. Has a sort of Twilight/Beauty and the Beast feel to it.
Recommendation: Conflicted yes.
Book Review: Torchwood: Into the Silence 4/5 Stars
Overview: Torchwood team, recently cut down to only 3 members, investigate gruesome murders of wonderful singers; where the voice box and larynx have been removed. Finding the culprit to be an inhabitant of The Silent Planet, they intend to use Ianto as bait but the plan is foiled by a young autistic boy with a miraculous singing gift that catches the alien’s attention instead. In a race against the clock the team arrives just in time to figure out why he is killing and satisfy both the boy’s and the alien’s soul.
Opinion: After the loss of the tv show, I didn’t think anything would be able to replace it. However the book series continues it very well and in ways it is a bit better for the imagination. This was not my favorite from the series but definitely good!
Recommendation: Yes.
July 24, 2014
Book Review: “The Lost Book of Chaos: How to Divide the World (The Secret Wars of Angels 1)
Overview: Judas the Betrayer, is on the run after betraying his master. The whole world is hunting him down and just when he seems to be catching a break he is taken by an angel to a flying ship to be recruited as a messenger of Chaos. We follow his training and missions, and pass his great test of “The War of 12 Messengers.” He lives over a thousand years doing work for the angels, and one of them betrays him, leading to him being cast out of the flying ship to live as a human and ultimately transformed beyond that of a simple human.
I think I said that with minimum spoilage.
What I think: Action and adventure run flawlessly through this great book. The story line is amazing and has a great concept of where it wants to go but has some issues. Some of the chapters were told out of order, which got more confusing as it went on. Towards the end of the middle, things were being rushed and there was no concept of what happened between years.
The big kicker for me was it centered a lot around religion and faith, on it’s own the story would be great but for me I just couldn’t quite get past those to truly love it. I do, however still recommend it to those who enjoy religious sci-fi crusade types of books.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Recommendation: Yes for the most part.
July 19, 2014
Book Review: Duma Key by Stephen King 5 out of 5 stars
First- Love the man, he is a genius! Second- The book is proof of the former!
Quick overview (hopefully no spoilers…at best minimal spoilage): Edgar Freemantle is (roughly) in his early 50′s when he has a major accident that takes his right arm. The accident also causes memory loss and the inability to speak normally for a time. His therapist tells him to get away and take a break for awhile, help ease the mind and body. When he does strange things start happening that put his friends and family in mortal danger, and he has to put a stop to it. With the help of an aging mob boss’s daughter, her “companion” and Edgar’s little helper; they set off to a side of Duma Key no one had seen since 1927.
When I bought the book, I had no clue what it was about except that it was the latest from my all time favorite author. I am so glad that I had put off reading it until now, because if I had read it before my own “accident” in 2009 I don’t think I would have related to it as well as I do now. Mr. King jumps straight into the action and just when you come up for air, he drags you back down into his clutches. The imagery he sets up is spectacular, you can almost feel everything the characters are going through, as well as the work being created. In the beginning parts can be a bit confusing, but everything gets smoothed out once you realize what is going on and how Edgar is speaking two us in two different ways. Part of the reason the book was so appealing to me, and really anyone, is that we can all understand what Edgar is going through during his vacation. For me it is me and writing but for others it can be music, art, building/construction, whatever your passion; you know the itch and need to do.
Recommendation: YES!
