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Archive: Past Team Challenges
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R5: Team #4 ~ Better Off Read
Ghosts Shelf:
Finished: 7/16
Rating:★★★☆☆
Review:
I would give Anna Dressed in Blood 3.5 stars if I could, but I can't quite justify 4 so it stands at 3 for now. There were some things I really enjoyed about this book and other things that I didn't like so much. Overall, I enjoyed the read enough to pick up the next book when it comes out later this year.
I liked Cas as a protagonist. He had his moments of smarminess, but they had almost disappeared by the end of the book. Ms. Blake wrote his character believably; the aloof, detached hero shtick worked. I really liked Anna. She was the best part of the book. Crazy demon Anna was BA and sweet, controlled Anna was smart and selfless. I would have enjoyed seeing more of crazy demon Anna at the beginning, but she still made the book for me. Her back story was heartbreaking. Caramel and Thomas were great side characters. I was worried they would just be traditional stereotypes, but Ms. Blake developed them into characters that stood on their own merits. I did get a bit of a "Scooby Gang" feel, but I'll roll with it.
I liked the opening plot of Cas carrying on his family legacy of ghost slaying. The hitchhiker slaying set the tone for the book well. I liked the reasoning that was given for Cas and his mom moving so much and the brief introduction to the underground network that Cas uses.
What I didn't like very much were some of the less clear aspects in the story. The villain was creepy, but he seemed a villain of convenience. I wish we had learned more about him, what his true motivations were, and how exactly he came to be so powerful in the first place. I did not like what happened with Tybalt either. I didn't really like the romance so much. I just can't see how it can end well. The ending seemed a little lackluster to me. The action was impressive, but I felt like Cas' "rope-a-dope" was less of an actual plan and more along the lines of "let's get the villain where we want him and hope for the best." I also didn't really like what happened with Anna at the end, but I see how it is setting up the sequel. The mythology of the world was a little lacking for me. I hope we find out more about Cas' connection to the athame, why his bloodline is important, and how ghosts come to be in the next book.
CONGRATULATIONS, Better Off Read! You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'shifters'.
[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]
Good Job!! :D
Congrats on the stamp Better Offs!
Yeah! We are doing really, really well! I don't think I've ever seen a team hit all their books so quickly. I'm way impressed with us ;-DGreat review Christal! I have this book on my TBR list, so I'm glad to hear you gave it a three at least. Any less, I wouldn't be reading it lol
Good job guys!! We are reading machines :)Angi wrote: "Great review Christal! I have this book on my TBR list, so..."
Thanks Angi. This book is very much worth a read. I'm actually still waffling between 3 and 4 stars with it; I wish we could do half stars on GR, lol. I have heard great things about the sequel that comes out this year too.
*sigh* I had to DNF Wicked as They Come. The sheer ridiculousness and tediousness of it was driving me up the freaking walls. Seriously, I got to the point where I was like "Yes! I can do this! I can finish this book! I'm already halfway there!" and then I looked at my Kindle, saw I'd only read 22% and was like HELL no. Definitely one of those books where reading 10 pages feels like you've read 100.I don't know what I'm going to read for the new shelf instead (because my choices range from suck to suckier to suckiest) but I'll have my new pick by the end of the day.
Good luck Lethal :)
Sorry to hear that Lethal. Now I'm scared to pick it up too, lol.
Thank you so much, Sandra & Christal. I'm thinking
. Hopefully I won't end up DNF'ing it as well.
LethalLovely~I've Come to Relieve U of Life & Love wrote: "Thank you so much, Sandra & Christal. I'm thinking . Hopefully I won't end up DNF'ing it as well."I hope this one works out better for you, Lethal!
I am about 50% through mine and haven't come across any ghosts yet. Don't people know I need these books for challenges and should shelve them accordingly?
LOL! The ghost element in MTM (and the whole series) is barely perceptible to the point where I sure as hell wouldn't label it as "ghosts". *hint hint* *wink wink* It has to do with Leo.
Breann wrote: "I am about 50% through mine and haven't come across any ghosts yet. Don't people know I need these books for challenges and should shelve them accordingly? "Doesn't matter if it doesn't have ghosts, as long as it is on the shelf that is all that matters.
Lethal, hope AA is good for you, I've got that one tbr so I'm interested to hear what you think :)
Lol Lethal! Sometimes we should judge books by their cover I guess. So sorry! Hope this next one is much, much better for you!
So, I never would have shelved this book as "ghosts" but Sandra said it was okay. *points to Sandra* She said I could! :) Ghosts
Finished 7/19/12
Rating ★★★☆☆
Review
Amelia Hathaway is the head of her family. Not technically, but because her older brother is about worthless at this point she might as well be head of the family. Her family inherited the Ramsey estate and has moved to live there. This place is a fixer upper to say the least and their family hardly has the means to repair it. Cam Rohan (Cam...mmm...), a man that she just keeps running into, has more money than he needs or wants and offers to help her with her family and home.
I loved how the romance between these two was gradual. Neither of them planned on being in love or marriage. Amelia decided for herself that she was going to be a spinster in order to care for her brother and three younger sisters. Cam is a gypsy and is longing to get back to his roots and be free of society and all of its demands. Amelia got on my nerves some. I love a strong heroine, but there comes a point when you just need to admit that you need help. And that it’s okay to ask and accept! But, I really felt for her in having to deal with her brother, Leo. psssstttt... here comes to ghost part... He lost his fiancé and hasn’t been able to let her go. Because of this she hasn’t been able to move on and has been hanging around the house a bit. You know, the occasional cold front and whatnot. Aaaaannnd, that’s it for ghosts. Leo is constantly drunk and/or missing. While Amelia has to deal with all the problems of their house, her younger sister being ill and the ever intriguing Cam Rohan, she has to worry about where Leo is and if he is alive at all. Cam really stepped up for Amelia to help carry some of her burdens. She had a lot to deal with her eccentric little family and he was with her the whole way. Whether she wanted him to be or not.
This was such a sweet romance. Made my heart happy! After reading this I am excited to read about Merripen and Win. I think they may have been my favorite part!
@ Angi & Sandra: Thank you! I'm crossing my fingers and toes that this book won't sucketh the ass-or that i'll at least be able to finish it.Great review, Breann! I love a strong heroine, but there comes a point when you just need to admit that you need help.
THIS! JUST THIS! I hate when protagonists are too full of pride to ask for help. It's like when guys feel too much pride and manly-ness to ask to for directions or use maps. You know what happens when you do that? You get lost. Then you end up getting eaten by cannibals.
Thanks Lethal! Hope you are enjoying your new book pick.So much could be resolved if the protagonists would ask for help and just be honest. But then that would take away half the book I guess.
I need to warn the hubby about these cannibals. He is such the cliche when it comes to asking for directions. At least now I can just type the address in my phone and we have directions whether he wants them or not.
Early shelf announcement today~ demons! Which, of course, does not give us a three in a row. Oh well, should be a fun shelf!
I will be reading
for this shelf. I have only read one of her stories in an anthology. I am excited to start this series!
Thanks for letting us know about the early shelf, you sexy sexy lady, you! I am crossing my fingers and toes that you enjoy Demon Angel. I've met people who couldn't get into the first book (it's jam-packed with info & things that make you go "hmmm") but it is one of my favorite series EVER & Hugh & Lilith's story made me cry buckets.I've been reading a lot of YA fic this month & they've turned out extremely well so far (except for the one I'm reading right now {Under the Never Sky} because the heroine makes me want to do violence) so I think I'm going to continue this trend & read
for Demons.
Thanks for posting the shelf, Breann. I think for Demons, I will read the next book in the Raine Benares series. I've really been enjoying this one so I'll be reading the fourth book: Bewitched & Betrayed. 
Are we back to judging books by their cover? If so, Lethal that book looks awesome! :-) Thank you for the shelf announcement! I'm going to mosey on over to the demon shelf to see what I have... Just got "Once Burned" so I'm hoping it's there! I always have a tough time with this shelf. Probably my least fav but that's ok! I'll find something!
Almost done with my book..... Chess,Chess,Chess. I feel so bad for her but at the same time want to smack some sense into her! Argh. More on that later ;-)
Oh, Chess. Her self destructing tendencies can grate on my last nerve. Especially in Sacrificial Magic. But I still freaking love that series!
EXACTLY! I really feel for her all the crap she has been through but I just want to see her find a way to put it behind her and make more for herself... maybe Terrible will help with this?
Shelf: Ghosts Book:
Finished: 7/22/12
Rating: ★★★★
Review: Aw, that Terrible. I see why you ladies are swooning for him. He is SO good to Chess. I think he is just what she needs to find value in herself. I really hope by the end of the series she is able to find it. I hate reading about all the pills she is taking and how little value she puts in herself. I really feel for her with all the crap she has been through.
I enjoyed the case that Chess was working on this time around however, it was her personal life that held my interest. I feel like with Terrible, Chess is growing to value herself more. I hated reading about the fight they had... I wanted to smack some sense into that woman at that point. WTH was she thinking? The drugs were speaking for her... again, something I hate for her. I was really happy they were able to come back together though. I found myself smiling at the end as they lay together whispering sweet nothings ;-)
And I just LOVED Beaulah! Okay... at first I thought she was a first rate bitch, and might be getting back at Chess for hurting her brother. However, I felt there were a lot of things she didn't say. She kept trying to explain to her why she was being nice to her... but she never finished those words. I wanted to hear them! I think she is really trying to be a friend and maybe she doesn't have female friends - like Chess and she is trying to connect with her. That's how I hope it is anyways because I really liked her.
And Lex.... oh Lex. I can see how Chess finds pleasure in looking at him... and being around him. And I like how she explained that it isnt like it was with Terrible. It wasn't deep... just attraction. I get that.
I think things are going to get harder for her in the next book since Lex is in charge now. She is going to be put in some pretty difficult situations. I just hope she is able to find some self-worth along the way.
Okay, I'm psyched because I was able to find "Once Burned" on the second to last page of the Demons books shelf lol. Thanks go to you the ONE person who shelved it there lol. Soooo for the Demon Shelf, I'll be reading
Great review Angi! I found myself liking Blue as well. Poor Chess needs a girlie friend. I think you will enjoy Chasing Magic. It gave me hope for Chess to gain some self respect. But I really want her to like herself for her. Not for Terrible (*sigh* Terrible...). I don't know if it will happen that way though. But I h.a.t.e. Lex. I want to punch him in his mothereffing face. For reals.You lucked out with Once Burned girl! lol Hope you enjoy it! (you will... I don't think it's possible not to)
AH... you want to punch Lex in the face??? Was that before or after "Chasing Magic"? Cause right now I do like Lex... but I have a feeling that he is going to try to hurt Terrible and then I'm not going to like him anymore :( Ha! You are so right.. I absolutely lucked out. ;-) I did have a plan B but I SO wanted to read Once Burned. Glad to hear it's not possible to not like it! Love me some Jeaniene Frost!
Hahaha! Great review, Angi! I see there is no love lost between us and Chess & Lex. I can't stand Lex but I get his motives. It's like the story of the "Scorpion & the Frog". I can't hate a shady bastard for being a shady bastard. It's Chess I have a plethora of issues with. She is brimming with self-sabotage & I just don't get that chick. TBH, if it wasn't for Terrible & the fascinating, scary-as-hells plot lines, I'd have chucked this series a long time ago. Chess has her kickass moments but I only like her sometimes. Most of the time I don't.
I have never liked Lex. He is just a slimy sleazeball. Which, given Terrible's profession, he really isn't much better. But then he talks and I melt into a puddle of lust.
Finished Ghost Shelf :
Date: 22nd July 2012
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Review: Well I picked this book because it is another that has been on my TBR list for ages and I am trying to get the pile down :S. It took me ages to get into the book and I even put it down a couple of times, walked away and then came back later. However I must have just not been in the reading mood, because I picked it back up yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it!
The story follows a high school homecoming queen Alona Dare who is at the peak of her high school life, only to get hit by a bus when arguing on the phone! Realising she is now dead she decides to try and find out how to get moved on to heaven. Then enters the school weirdo Will Killiam who she discovers can see and hear her! They make a bargain he will help her move on if she will help him get rid off all the spirit people who are following him asking for help.
The book is very funny in places, and had me chuckling out loud. Also quite sad in places seeing the problems Will has trying to be normal and drown out the voices of the ghosts.
All in all I enjoyed the book and might be tempted to read the next installment in the future.
For my Demon shelf I am going for
Angi wrote: "AH... you want to punch Lex in the face??? Was that before or after "Chasing Magic"? Cause right now I do like Lex... but I have a feeling that he is going to try to hurt Terrible and then I'm not ..."I didn't really want to punch Lex in the face until I read Chasing Magic. I was like you, Angi; I kinda liked Lex, but I knew it couldn't end well. Now, I don't like him at all and he deserves to be punched in the face lol.
LOL. I wanted to punch him in the face from the beginning!
Jade aka MrsTosh wrote: "For my Demon shelf I am going for 
"I almost picked this one for demons. I will be interested to see what you think!
Ha! Oh boy can't wait til I want to punch Lex in the face ;-) maybe he will move to the top... Above Kiyo. Now there is a fine man I would love to punch in the face. Hmmm wondering who will win.
Great review Jade! Glad it ended up being a good one for you :-)
Ugh, Kiyo. I think I still hate Kiyo more than Lex. It's close, but Kiyo still takes it... especially because Ms. Kane still has more books to write where Lex could get his, but Ms. Mead decided to end her series and let Kiyo off any sort of hook whatsoever. It's so frustrating!
Hey, team! I apologize for being late in Triple R'ing my Ghosts and Demons reads. I'm finished with Dark Kiss & will rate & review tomorrow. I'll try to have Avenger's Angel done by Sat.
Oh don't be silly! Still suffering through the Ghost shelf?? Maybe the break will help you like the rest better. :) I am liking Demon Angel so far. I just can't seem to get very far. You know how real life is. Always getting in the way.
I'm suffering through both the "Ghost" AND the "Demons" shelf, unfortunately. I had to force myself to finish "Dark Kiss" & I'm having to force myself to finish "Avenger's Angel". *sigh* I'm happy to know you're enjoying DA. I know exactly what you mean about RL. Classes start back towards the middle of August so I'm trying to read my smutty heart out in the meantime. Hopefully RL will give you a break so you can read.
*sigh* Summer vacay is over. Back to reality.
Demons Read:
Date Finished: July 26th
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆
Review:
I'm going to try my best not to turn this into a rantview but I'm warning you, it's going to be hard. Every chapter was like stepping on a landmine of WTFery & now I'm typing with two fingers & a half a torso because DK blew my ass up.
Things I Liked About Dark Kiss:
1. Kraven. Yes, he was full of (sometimes annoying) snark. But he's a demon & has a few badass moments. Alas, none of them include punching Sam in the face-although he did smack her in one scene that made me weep tears of joy.
2. The concept. It's not the most original one (people sucking out souls through kisses is kinda like a Succubi/Incubi only not full-o-smut) but in a genre saturated with Weres & Vamps (& now ZOMBEHS!!!), it's was a welcome change.
Okay, that's it.
Things I Disliked/Hated About Dark Kiss:
1. Bishop. He's the angel love interest and from what is known about him, he should be badass, smiting people in the name of JESUS & stuff. But he's not. He's what I'd call a "Dude-in-Distress". He spends pretty much all of DK confused & whiny & crying about how nobody loves him. It wouldn't be so bad if he wasn't the guy I'm supposed to swoon over, but he is & it's not sexy in the least.
2. Pace. DK is excruciatingly slow and nothing really happens until the end and even that was a bit of a let down, but more on that later. Samantha does a lot telling instead of showing & it comes off as kind of creepy because she's like a brick. You take a magic marker and draw a ☺ on it but you don't feel the brick's emotions. It's just a brick with a happy face.
3. Samantha. She is the epitome of what I hate in a heroine & the biggest reason why this book got 1 star. It might have gotten 3 if she'd gotten hit with a Mack truck in the beginning. I'm gonna tell you about Samantha:
* She lies to herself. She's willfully ignorant & refuses to believe anything anyone tells her. This heifer wouldn't believe the grass is green if you shoved her face into it.
* She's one of those vindictive heroines who's always thinking about how she's gonna get someone back. She wants to be important and respected but expects people to hand it to her instead of earning it. There's this one scene where a friend needs her help but she doesn't want to help him/her because she pretty much feels like the person should be on their knees begging her for it. You're a shit friend, Sam.
* She's a punk bitch. Sam needs to be saved from everything and I mean EVERYTHING. My 4-year-old nephew could totally take her ass out with a Big Wheel. She spent this whole book running, screaming, crying and feeling butt hurt when people pointed out that she's weak....but she is. What's worse is that she's given multiple opportunities to prove her worth and she falls on her face every single time. The big finale at the end? It proves how much of a dumbass she really is, even when people are giving her the necessary tools for greatness. This is what happens: (view spoiler) DAFUQ?
There's a lot more I can say about Sam but it would take many many more paragraphs. I would have loved to love Sam but she gives me absolutely no reason to even like her. DK could've been soooooo good if the writing was a little bit better and if Sam wasn't the kind of person who's best quality is driving a person insane. This has been a really good YA month for me and now I'm sad.
Awww Lethal!!! Another, "Don't judge a book by it's cover." I had high hopes for this one and I'm sorry to see it didn't work out! What a great review though. I do HATE when I can't stand the main character and don't feel ANYTHING for the love interest. There's no one to root for or swoon over. CRAZY! Here's to hoping the next one will kick ass!!! :)
Demons Read:
Date Finished: 07/27/2012
Rating: ★★★★★
Review:
D-A-Y-U-M..... I'm in LUST with Vlad. He gave me many sweet dreams. It's funny but in the Bones and Cat series, I never really pictured Vlad like this for some reason. Sure, the 'tude was there but as far as looks go, more often than not he resembled Hagrid from Harry Potter. Why? Maybe because I wanted to hate him because I was always rooting for Bones. However, I couldn't hate him in this and he reallllyyyy looked NOTHING like Hagrid .
I really liked the main character, Leila, aka "Frankie". I really liked that she would take no shit from Vlad and on many, many occasions she told him where to stick it. Awesome. I also loved that he let her do this and regardless of his feelings that he can't love.... I believe he is starting to fall in love with Leila. Their scenes together were hot... loved it!
Loved Marty and I was SO very happy he lived through all of that and stayed loyal to her. I also love the little cameo from Cat, Bones and the gang though I don't really see why they were there. I think it was just a little treat from Mrs. Frost (Thank you Mrs. Frost).
The Maximus storyline was a little odd though and not long at all. It seemed rather unimportant but I'm wondering if it's a set-up for a later time... I think there is more there.
I really didn't like the cliff hanger at the end either... especially since I have to wait until the Spring to figure out what the hell is going on! Did Leila loose her powers all together? I think not but I feel for her though with her idea that Vlad is only drawn to her because of her power. I guess we will find out with it gone.
Lethal, thanks for going the extra mile so that none of the rest of us has to ;)
SOS: Serious Overload of Series
Books mentioned in this topic
Bloodfever (other topics)Blaze of Memory (other topics)
Supernaturally (other topics)
Supernaturally (other topics)
Chasing Magic (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Douglas Hulick (other topics)Kelley Armstrong (other topics)
Philippa Ballantine (other topics)
Susan Elia MacNeal (other topics)
E.L. James (other topics)
Book: Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews
Read: July 16th
Stars: 3.5
Review: I was surprised by this book as I thought it was a follow- up to the first one with Rose and Declan. I was half right. This was a follow-up book but instead of focusing on Rose and Declan it instead focuses on William- Declan's changeling frienemy (they love/hate each other as only pseudo brothers can). In this book you get to know the background on William and follow him as well as a cast of other characters set in the same world. We meet many more characters both good and bad as we follow them through a family feud, good times, bad times, even worse times and of course we get our happy ending as William falls in love....and an ending that's sure to mean a follow-up is coming.
I did enjoy this book. I liked the characters a lot. There was a lot of time spent in character building and we see a lot of back story in several characters. However, the battles they had to fight just kept going and going. Between that and all the extra added in with thd character building this made for a rather long book....around 450. I think some of it could have been left out but overall I did enjoy this book. If it continues in the same trend the third book will follow another character. I'm rather hoping we will follow Kalder. He is one of the most interesting characters and I enjoyed his character a lot.