Alys (The Terra Mirum Chronicles)

by Kiri Callaghan

They are called Dreamers; mortals who possess a gift of remaining connected to Terra Mirum even after waking. They are the artists, the believers, the mad men. But for Alyson Carroll, this gift could mean her own salvation, or an entire world's destruction.

A dark retelling of the classic tale of the lost girl with an unparalleled imagination, Alys is a story about facing our fears, accepting the things we cannot change, and having the courage to pursue those we can.

****

4 Stars

I love reading retelling's of old school fairy tales, they are some of my favorite books. But I have never once been able to read one with an Alice in Wonderland theme, this being because I'm not much of an Alice in Wonderland fan.

This is probably the only one I have ever read from start to finish and actually liked. Alys in this book isn't what I was expecting. I really liked how you got a feel for her and the kind of person she is before all the crazy stuff started happening to her. I grew to like her before she went down the train tunnel and by the end of the book really loved her. I was pleasantly surprised by all the different characters that show up as well, and it was interesting trying to figure out who was who really. I really liked the part with Mr. Grey and Mr Gray, it was silly but not to silly and it had me cracking a smile.

I also liked the concept of Terra Mirum, and though it isn't really explained great it was explained enough to get the idea of it. I liked the way the Fae were a part of it as well, and how they bought up things that were strictly Fae and not Alice in Wonderland.

The way everything unfolds keeps you interested in the story even when you know the gist of it already. I liked how Alys handled everything as well. She just kind of went with it and didn't sit around moaning and crying about how none of it was real, she just accepted and moved on.

I can say I wasn't really expecting the ending, though it really made sense that the Nightmare would be who it was. I do feel that the end of the battle was on the rushed side, but at the same time am okay with that. I would have liked this book to be longer as well, but that is just me being greedy. It really is the perfect length for the story it contains.

Would I recommend this book? Yeah, it was a pretty interesting read, and if you like Alice in Wonderland you will like this one.

Endogen

Endogen

by Mike Okada

After a plague of electric flesh-eating insects left the world in ruins, there were few safe places for surviving humans. Harmony was founded as a safe haven for humans to live and raise their families; the most important rule being never to let an Outsider in. With the destruction of most of the insects came a mutation in humans called nicks, which the Founders of Harmony were terrified of. Liam’s nick must be kept hidden at all times if he is to remain in Harmony, but that’s not the only thing threatening him. While on guard duty, he spots a group of three Outsiders heading towards Harmony. The rule is to shoot them at once, but when Liam spots red crosses on their robes, he is forced to hesitate. They are not a threat to Liam, but the struggle to protect them is.

Upon their arrival in Harmony, strange things start to happen to the town. Liam knows that this is not their doing, but is instead the work of the Boy of Blue Fire. He has the ability to enter the dreams of people and cause them to lose their sense of reality. All Liam knows is Blue wants his nick, and he’ll stop at nothing to get it. Liam and his friends, with the help of a mechanical cat, and an ethereal serpent, must discover the secrets of Harmony and begin their journey to silence the Boy of Blue Fire.

***

3 Stars

I can't say that I loved this book, but I didn't hate it either. I'm floating somewhere in the middle, but I feel okay with that.

There is a lot of potential here, the only problem is the way it was delivered. I found the first half of the book on the taxing side. It just seemed that there was a lot of information that could have been condensed, or even given in a different manor. I felt this the most when Maria, Will and Rhea where telling their story. 

But when things did start moving I found that I was really starting to enjoy myself. A lot of surprising things kept popping up and I found myself completely drawn in by the time I got to the end. I especially liked the secret behind Harmony, it made sense but I wouldn't have guessed it. 

I really liked the concept of the Nicks, and how the end of everything came about. Its not something that I have come across before and it was interesting learning what everyone could do and seeing them come together with each other when the time came.

The book is told from couple of different point of views, which is something I normally love but I had a very hard time keep track of whose head I was in. There was really no warning for when I jumped from person to person, eventually I got used to it and was able to pick up on it faster, but I did find it frustrating.

I'm not to sure how much I liked the somewhat romantic element that was added. I can see why it was there, but to me it didn't seem like it was something important. The friendship between the two of them seemed enough to get the same reaction when the time came. It seemed for a little while there was going to be a love triangle, but it didn't go anywhere which I was thankful for, I really just don't like love triangles. 

I can say I didn't see the ending coming, and I would like to learn more about the Boy of Blue Fire and what exactly his goal is and why he is the way he is. I find him extremely interesting as he doesn't come across as your average villain. I'm also very interesting in learning more about the Sentinels and what exactly their purpose is.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, all in all I did like the book, but like I said I didn't love it. The author does have talent and I can see him putting out some truly amazing works in the future.

Sleepless (Curse of the Blood Fox Trilogy Book 1)

Sleepless (Curse of the Blood Fox Book 1)

by Sera Ashling

The Blood Fox: a legend known throughout Kurdak, spanning as far back as the Broken Treaty wars. A cunning warrior that wields two ancient swords with crimson and gold blades, the Blood Fox will kill anyone—for the right price.

No one knows the Blood Fox is actually Santo, a polite, introspective mercenary who avoids sleep whenever possible. She might look young and inexperienced, but looks can be deceiving, especially for one who is tormented by a curse that was meant to drive her mad over a century ago… and it hasn’t entirely failed. The truth is that Santo is only interested in answers. Who cursed her? Why? She has only hazy memories, and no leads. 

That is, until the mythical Week of Colors arrives, and with it a visit from a long-time acquaintance. Traken is a sharp-tongued sorcerer with a sadistic streak, and he comes bearing an “invitation” from his master, a secretive lord who has been tracking her for a very long time. The Blood Fox agrees to meet him after receiving an ominous prediction that if she does so, she will learn the truth—but likely die in the process.

*****

5 stars

Straight up amazing read. This is one of those books that I have a hard time explaining myself about. I go through stages when I read them, first I read to fast and skip paragraphs in my excitement (this will continue the entire read) then I get mad when I my kindle battery dies after I blatantly ignore the warnings that its on its last legs, following the convincing of myself that the book won't magically disappear if I go to sleep, that it will really still be there in the morning.

I really loved everything about it, I cannot for the life of me think of one single thing that made me mad. The plot was great, and just the kind of thing that I love to read. The world was interesting to hear about, it wasn't bogged down with insane details, just enough to give you a feel for everything. There was more then a few things I didn't expect to happen, but worked so great with everything happening.

The Blood Fox, known also as Santo was a great character to be following around. The way her mind worked was interesting, and watching her try to have normal conversations that would turn on her was amusing. And the banter between her and Traken keep what could have been a heavy read on the lighter side.

I would have been content with just the interactions between the two of them. I haven't had so much fun reading about two characters in a long time, it was really refreshing.

The development of both characters was interesting to watch as well, mostly on Trakens side. The end wasn't so much surprising as interesting. I really wanted to know what Trakens Lord wanted with Santo, and even though I pretty much figured out who he was before she did, I didn't expect the reasoning behind everything.

I kept catching myself looking at how much of the percentage was left in the book, and when I was certain the book should have been coming to an end it still had some steam left in it. Which was good because I wasn't ready to let go of the story myself yet either.

The ending was a complete twist though, would have never seen that coming in a million years. Everything wraps up as nicely as possible, there are only a few loose ends hanging around but they aren't any major plot points bought up in the beginning of the read. But Santa and Traken themselves are enough for me to want to read the second installment in this trilogy.

Would I recommend this book? Oh yeah, it was a very good read and I'm very much looking forward to reading more from Sera Ashling

Today is Angie's Happy Day

Today is a special day for me. 7 years ago I married my very best friend and couldn't be happier. I still remember exactly how he asked me out and how happy I was. Also the awkwardness of going from friends to something more. Shit I remember the first time I even saw him and thought how hot he was. I know I've mentioned my husband a few times before on here but I feel like I need to express his awesomeness to everyone.

He listens when I ramble on about books. He has no interest at all in reading, but he will sit there and listen when I talk about a book I either loved or hated, and he'll ask questions about it. He will sit there and listen to me read my reviews to him as well. He supports my reading habit and asks everyday what I'm reading and if it is good or not. When I'm not reading he questions why because he knows how much I love it. He is proud of me for writing reviews, and apparently boast about it to all his co workers.

He makes me feel safe, if my scared or upset about something he is always right there to hold me tight and make everything better.  

He makes me laugh all the time, and I mean all the time. I say at least once a day "I knew there was a reason I married you" either because he is doing something to crack me up or saying something. He doesn't care when I start acting like a weirdo and he likes to ask me how my trips to Angie Land were when I space out (which I do a lot).

Even though those 7 years weren't always easy we always supported each other and stood by each others side. There are a million and one reasons why I love him, and will always continue to love him. I can't picture my future with out him in it and look forward to many more years with him by my side. 

Storyland

Storyland

by Dawn Napier

Storyland is a unique vision of the urban apocalypse novel. Creatures of fantasy and nightmare have returned to the real world, and human beings are now an endangered species. Fairytale monsters have come to life, and the lessons they teach are grim.
Out of the ashes of civilization's ruin rises Alicia, a gritty young girl born and raised in this terrifying new world. With a pistol in one hand and her trusty machete in the other, Alicia forges through nightmare after nightmare in search of a safe haven and trustworthy friends.
It is a dark realization, but she learns in her travels that some of the monsters wear human faces.

***1/2

3.5 Stars

I normally don't give 1/2 stars, but I can't seem to decide if I want to rate it 3 stars or 4 and when that happens I go for the 1/2 to ease my mind.

This is a very unique book. It brings out the grim side of all those fairy tales you are familiar with and has a different spin on the end of the world as well. It was a refreshing read, as there was no fairy tale creatures that sparkled.

The first half of the book is pretty much a bunch of short stories about different creatures or humans that are just trying to survive the new world, though it is mostly just the humans trying to survive. You are introduced to a slew of different creatures and I found it fun trying to figure out what some of them were, and honestly I'm still planning on looking up certain ones that still have me stumped. Some of the story's will defiantly sound familiar.

The second half is dedicated to Alicia as she tries to live her life in this very dangerous world. A lot of the things that happen in the first half will start connecting in the second, whether it is just a mention of someone or they take a bigger part. I would like to point out that this book is not for the faint of heart, and defiantly not for young kids. There are things that will happen to Alicia that will make your skin crawl.

One thing I really didn't like was how the first half of the book was presented. Like I said earlier it is written as a bunch of short little stories that do connect together in the second half, but the dates were very hard to follow. It would jump from being a few years into the Returning to only being a few months in the next chapter. In my opinion I don't think it would have made much of a difference to the story to have it just go in order. Because of this I kinda stopped paying attention to the dates, and really I don't think it makes much of a difference but I did find it frustrating.

I also felt that the ending was rushed a little bit. Everything came together nicely, but I felt that there really wasn't much closer with Alicia. This could be because there is going to be a second book. I didn't feel like I was left hanging with anything, mainly because there wasn't a real goal to Alicia's story other then to live to the next day, but I felt there could have been a little something more.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, I found it to be a quick and easy read, and it was defiantly interesting.

Child of the Ghosts (The Ghosts Book #1)

Child of the Ghosts (The Ghosts Book #1)

by Jonathan Moeller

When her life is torn apart by sorcery and murder, young Caina Amalas joins the mysterious Ghosts, the legendary spies and assassins of the Emperor of Nighmar. She learns the secrets of disguise and stealth, of assassination and infiltration.

But even that might not be enough to save her.

For the evil that destroyed her family seeks to devour the entire world...

*****

5 Stars

I love when I pick up a book at complete random and get an amazing read out of it. From the very beginning I was drawn into Caina and her life that I found myself constantly checking to see how far I was into the book and frowning when it was coming to the end.

Caina herself was a great character to follow. She was strong, but at the same time had enough emotion to not make her into something so cold that you didn't care about her. After everything she goes through you can't help but root for her and hope that she accomplishes the things she sets out to do.

There are quite a few different characters in the book. But not to many that you get bogged down by details and have a hard time trying to remember who is who.

The point of view shifts a few times and you get into the head of the villain. This is something I like, it makes it so I feel that I've gotten a good look at everything. I knew things before Caina herself knew them, and it was interesting to watch as she figured them out for herself. But at the same time found myself surprised by things that I didn't expect to happen as well. I don't want to give spoilers so I won't go into them, its more fun when you find these things out for yourself.

The first part of the book is pretty much dedicated to Caina and her childhood, and the reason's why she turns into the person she is. Normally something like this can get boring or drag on. But it moved at a fast enough pace that it kept me interested, and I don't think anyone could get bored by her childhood, horrified is a better way to think on it.

Its is a pretty straight forward plot, one that you see pretty often when it comes to assassin stories. But this book sets itself apart from the others. Instead of feeling like the story was dragging on when it came to the parts of Caina's training, I wanted to read more about it.  There was only so much that you were told before time moved forward and she was learning something new. You weren't slammed with intense descriptions of things.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, I really enjoyed this book a lot. I'll be getting the second to continue Cainas story.

The Clockwork Cathedral (The Time Corps Chronicles)

The Clockwork Cathedral

by Heather Blackwood

Medical student Felicia Sanchez is only trying to help an injured man when she slips through a time rip and into 19th century New Orleans, one very different than the one she knows from history books. 

The only person who can get her home is Professor Seamus Connor, a former convict seeking a quiet life of obscurity. But even the “mad Irishman” knows that recreating a freak accident is next to impossible. 

With the help of a local street urchin, they discover that their problems run deeper than solely getting Felicia back to her own time. The three of them must unravel the secrets of a steam engine that operates upon a scientific impossibility and the mysteries of a grand cathedral at the center of town, where clockwork automatons perform for rapt audiences. 

But can a convict, a guttersnipe and an accidental time traveler prevent the destruction of a city and the death of thousands? Others are watching, and Felicia may not be the only time traveler in New Orleans.

****

4 Stars

I found this book to be pretty entertaining. I have a love for steampunk so it was no question on if I would read this book when I came across it. It was nice to see a steampunk book that actually had a lot of steampunk creations in it. I find that a lot of books in this genre don't actually have all the fun clockwork, steam run machines in them.

It is defiantly an interesting concept of time travel. I liked how Felicia was able to come to grips with her situation pretty quickly. Also that she still spoke her mind even though she was trapped in a time when women weren't suppose to do that.

The Professor was like icing on the cake. Just what I would expect someone that is passionate about the things he does to act. It was pretty fun listening to him talk about everything, even if it was on the hard side to follow at times.

Henry was a great character as well. I wasn't to sure what I expected from him in the beginning, but his back story is so sad that I couldn't help but root from him. But he was also pretty vital to the success of everything that Felicia and the Professor were working for.

The plot of the book was good as well. Just enough mystery to keep you wondering what was going to happen next, but getting enough answers at the same time that it wasn't frustrating waiting for everything to unravel itself. I really liked the ending, even though I could guess what Felicia was going to do, it still made me smile. I want to think that this is the first in a series. Everything wrapped up nicely, but there was a few minor loose end that are left hanging that make me think there will be a second book sometime in the future.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, if you like steampunk and a little mystery you will like this book.

On a side note: I really want to know what the big mystery about every ones feet is.

I Bring the Fire Part I : Wolves (A Loki Story)

I Bring the Fore Part I : Wolves (A Loki Story)

by C.Gockel

In the middle of America, on Route 44, Amy Lewis has a plan — to get to her grandma’s house in time for dinner. Galaxies away Loki is waking up in a prison cell, strangely without a hangover, and with no idea what he’s done wrong — this time anyway. But he does know Thor is hiding something, Odin is up to something wicked, and there seems to be something he’s forgotten...

In this tale that is equal parts “Another Fine Myth,” “American Gods,” and “Once Upon a Time,” a very nice midwestern girl and a jaded, still very mischievous Loki must join forces to outwit gods, elves, magic sniffing cats, and nosy neighbors. If Loki can remember exactly what he’s forgotten and Amy can convince him not to be too distracted by Earthly gadgets, her boobs, or three day benders, they just might pull it off...

This first volume of "I Bring the Fire" is for anyone who suspects chaos and mischief makers might have their own redeeming qualities, and anyone who just wants a good fantasy romp through modern Earth, ancient Asgard, and beyond!

***

3 stars

I've always had a strange fascination with Loki, not enough of one to really look into the myths that surround him, but to me he always seemed misunderstood and well, like he would be a kind of fun person to be around. This book hits on that feel for me, he is portrayed just as I would imagine he would.

I can't say that I understood everything going on. I think you really need to have some knowledge on the background of Loki and Asgard to really enjoy it. Since I don't things were on the confusing side, the author did try to explain this out through flash backs with Loki but I still found myself feeling lost at lot of the time.

I can't claim to have really liked Amy character I think she fit in pretty well in the scheme of things, and I did like Loki a lot and Amy's grandmother.

The plot was okay, nothing to complicated, it was pretty straight forward with everything that was happening. Things wrap up really nice in the end with just enough loose ends to justify another book. The questions bought up in this book are answered, but new ones are bought up that will make you want to read the next one to see how things are going to work out.

Would I recommend this book? I get an "Eh" feeling. It was good, but not great but if I found someone into Norse Mythology I would probably tell them to give it a peek.

The Spirit Rebellion (Eli Monpress Book 2)

The Spirit Rebellion (Eli Monpress Book 2)

by Rachel Aaron

Eli Monpress is brilliant. He's incorrigible. And he's a thief.

He's also still at large, which drives Miranda Lyonette crazy. While she's been kicked out of the Spirit Court, Eli's had plenty of time to plan his next adventure. But now the tables have turned, because Miranda has a new job -- and an opportunity to capture a certain thief.

Things are about to get exciting for Eli. He's picked a winner for his newest heist. His target: the Duke of Gaol's famous "thief-proof" citadel. Eli knows Gaol is a trap, but what's life without challenges? Except the Duke is one of the wealthiest men in the world, a wizard who rules his duchy with an iron fist, and an obsessive perfectionist with only one hobby: Eli.

It seems that everyone is hunting for Eli Monpress.

*****

5 Stars

Things are just as exciting the second time around when it comes to Eli Monpress. Things are a little bit more involved when it comes to the political side of the spirit court, but it doesn't put a damper on the action that happens. If anything it makes things more interesting as you get to see the inner workings of everything and get a slightly better understanding of why Miranda is the way she is.

You also get a little more of a glimpse into Eli's past. Though it isn't everything you get a better understanding of his connection with The White Lady and what his roots are. You also get to see a different side of Nico and Joesph this time as well. Things aren't what they seem with the two of them, and I'm really looking forward to learning more about them.

I like how everything was handled in this book, and how things where a lot harder for Eli to handle this time around. Not that he had it easy the last book, but he really has to think on his feet. I really enjoyed seeing a different side of Eli as well, were he stood up for the things he believes in instead of taking the easy way out. 

The world is just as different, I still can't get over the way the different spirits are portrayed. How each and everyone has a distinct personality, that in and of itself is what has made me really enjoy these books. Rachel had to put a lot of thought into everything and her hard work really paid off.

Would I recommend this book? Oh yeah. If you are looking for a new and exciting read these books are the ones to pick up. I'm off to continue reading the third one now.

Top Ten Tuesday - Top Ten Favorite Books With X Setting

So I have missed like a million of these, but I'm pretty sure I predicted this behavior in myself. Now that I'm doing another one doesn't necessarily mean that I will actually keep up with it now. No promises on my part.

But any way to this weeks Top Ten Tuesday meme, which is bought to you by the lovely people over at The Broke and the Bookish is "Top Ten Favorite Books With X Setting." If you are interested in doing this meme yourself just pop on over there first.

The Spirit Thief- I'm actually rereading this book at the moment, probably why it comes to mind first, the world itself is something built from nothing more than the authors imagination. I want to go there and sit down and have a conversation with a tree (read the book and you'll understand).

Just One Damn Thing After Another- I feel like I've fallen in love with this book. But damn I wanna be able to live in a place like St Mary's and just jump into a time machine and go visit the dinosaur's to.

Sora's Quest (Cat's Eye Chronicle's)- Not so much for the world itself, but more for the different races that live in the world. They are interesting and its the kind of book I want to literally jump into so I can get a hands on feel for everything.

Kojiki- Here its more because this book read like I was watching a good anime, and I've always been fascinated with Japanese myths and gods.

Kingdom of Hero's- This one because it has freaking super hero's and super villains in it. To top it off they all started off as normal people first, so hell if I went here I might leave with an awesome super power myself.

Melforger- I wanted to literally see for myself the trees that these people live in and to climb and jump from limb to limb a long with them. This was a new world to me, and I loved it.

Zelda Pryce: The Razor's Edge (Book 1)- I loves me some steampunk and this book is loaded down with fun little devices and I wanted to play with them all. 

 Indigo & Iris (An Indigo Lewis Novel)- I just want to jump on the crazy steampunk train visit the strange world that Indigo was taken to. Well I guess I did when I read the book, but it was awesome.

Eville- I don't think this world would have seemed as much fun without Serene, but it was definitely interesting. One of those world's hidden in the background of our own without us knowing.

Dragons Away- It has magic and dragons, can't get more interesting than that in my mind. Plus most people came across as pleasantly clueless so I'm sure it would be fun to take a trip there.

Well that is it my friends. Hopefully I got the idea of this Top Ten right, but hey it was fun looking back at all the books I have read within the last year and remembering them all and that is good enough for me.

My Interview is Live

Remember that post I made about being interviewed? Well today is the day so head on over to A Place on the Bookshelf to check it out.

If you are interested in being a part of Talking Tuesday just contact Charl and let her know. 

The Spirit Thief

The Spirit Thief

by Rachel Aaron

Eli Monpress is talented. He's charming. And he's a thief.

But not just any thief. He's the greatest thief of the age - and he's also a wizard. And with the help of his partners - a swordsman with the most powerful magic sword in the world but no magical ability of his own, and a demonseed who can step through shadows and punch through walls - he's going to put his plan into effect.

The first step is to increase the size of the bounty on his head, so he'll need to steal some big things. But he'll start small for now. He'll just steal something that no one will miss - at least for a while.

Like a king.

*****

5 Stars

This book was so much fun reading. Not only do you have a whole new world but the main character Eli Monpress is awesome. Right from the very first sentence I knew I was going to be going for a ride and I wasn't disappointed. This is actually the second time I have actually read it and it was just as fun, if not more this time around.

The world is awesome, I want to live in a world where you can talk to rocks and trees, or in the case of this book spirits, and every single one of them have their very own personalities. No one spirit is the same and it makes everything so much more fun to read. To watch the way Eli is able to sweet talk them into doing things for him is even better.

There is such a cast of characters and every single one of them is different but adds so much more to the story itself. Here your going to find at least one person that you like and want to follow around. You have your swordsman and his magic sword that he doesn't want to use so he can become better at what he is, the demon that hides herself away, the charmer that can just about talk anybody into doing something for him, and the quick to anger and passionate one that stands by her beliefs no matter what.

I can say that even though I have read this one before I was still surprised by the ending, I can guarantee you won't see it coming, and that you will enjoy it the entire time. It keeps you on your toes, you really don't know what to expect from page to page. 

Would I recommend this book? Oh yeah, I love the entire series and plan on rereading them all.

I Got Interviewed

Exciting news here. Blogger Charl from A Place on the Bookshelf has something called Talking Tuesday where she interviews fellow readers/writers, and she interviewed me. I know I feel slightly famous myself.

So all of you should head on over to her blog Tuesday morning and check it out. Not only will you be learning new and exciting things about me, you'll be helping Charl out by going to her blog.

If you are interested in being interviewed for Talking Tuesday just contact Charl and I'm sure she can work something out with you

Don't forget to check out her blog come Tuesday!

Shadowborn (Light & Shadow Book 1)

Shadowborn (Light & Shadow Book 1)

by Moira Katson

“You, Catwin, no longer exist. You no longer have a fate of your own, a will of your own, or indeed a soul of your own. You will go where Miriel goes, you will watch instead of being watched, you will hear instead of being heard.”

Catwin has always been good at being unseen…that is, until one fateful mistake brings her to the attention of the Duke of Voltur: the commander of the bloodiest battle in living memory, a man of legendary ruthlessness who is determined to be the power behind the throne. To this end, he has chosen Catwin to be a Shadow—spy, shield, and blade—to his niece Miriel as she works to catch the eye of the King.

But the Duke’s carefully laid plans are only a piece of the intrigue swirling within the royal court. Shadows gather: legacies of the centuries-long rivalries for power, old betrayals, the endless plots of the courtiers, and the murmur of rebellion in the southern provinces.

Greater forces than Catwin can imagine are massed against her, determined to eliminate Miriel and impose a new order of their own. If Catwin and Miriel are to survive, they must learn quickly who to trust, and when to turn their skills against the very people who have trained them...

***

3 Stars

I liked this book but I didn't love it. I have a huge soft spot when it comes to books with assassins, especially if it is in a medieval kind of setting. I really did want to love everything this book offered me, and for a while I did, but I gave up on love and settled on a like eventually.

The biggest problem I had with this book is that it is so repetitive. In the beginning it was interesting to watch as Catwin learned new skills, how she changed as a person, her fight within herself on if she should support Miriel or turn against her. But when you are faced with this so many times it gets annoying. I just wanted her to hurry up and get on with it. It was also quite trying when it came to her observations of Miriel as well. It was once again the same thing over and over again.

The time frames seems slightly off to me. I would think that more time had passed then what actually did just because so much was happening all at once. And at other times think that no time had passed at all when a large amount would.

Other then that I liked everything else. Though it was trying when Catwin went through everything over and over again I understood that she is still a child, though I was keen to forget this a lot because she was way more mature then what a 14 year old would be. But in her case it was required of her to be that way or she would have not made it far in her life.

I also liked that she didn't just pick everything up like it was nothing. It was a realistic pace that she learned her new skills. She wasn't some kind of wizard like prodigy that you tend to find in books like this. She struggled and practiced and get better with time. She also reacted with, what I would assume, a realistic reaction to the first time she had to protect Miriel.

I liked all the different characters we are shown. They all play their parts well and don't come across as anything other then what they are.

After really thinking about this I can't really put my finger on what it was that I liked so much about this book. The way its written is good enough that you are left biting your nails wondering what going to happen next and though everything repeats itself you for some reason just want to keep reading. Honestly it feels like some spell was placed on me when I started reading this, normally I wouldn't wonder so much about a book like this but it is the next day and it is still on my mind making me wonder and wanting to know more. That is some seriously talented writing skills in my option.

Would I recommend this book? Eh, I'm not sure if I would or wouldn't. It would honestly depend on the person.

Angie and Her Irrational Fears

I was doing my dishes, which is something I really don't like to do, and it came to the part where I had to stick my hand down the garbage disposal to make sure none of the silverware thought that it would be fun to hide down there. As I was doing this I started to think about all my irrational fears, and boy to I have a lot of them. So I thought it would be fun to write a blog post about them and why I'm scared of some of the most pointless things. After I reread this I noticed that some of my fears might not be so irrational themselves, but the reasons the fear developed are the irrational part.

Please don't use this post against me in the future, because they are irrational fears I do act quite irrational when confronted with them, this includes screaming while looking for places to punch that will inflict the most pain. If you don't believe me just ask my husband how many times he has been slapped, punched, and kneed in his precious parts for thinking it would be funny to scare me. Its never pretty.

I'll start off simple.

Spiders. Now I'm sure you are thinking "A lot of people are scared of spiders what makes you so freaking special?" Well the reason I'm so damn scared of them. I clearly remember being a small child covered in band aids and dirt laughing while all manner of spiders crawled on my arms and face, shit I used to pretend that the daddy long legs in my Granddaddy's back yard where my pets. Then one day my older sister showed me a book that had scary stories in it, she has just gotten back to me with the title which is "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark." The only thing I remember about that book and story was that a girl had a spider lay its eggs in her cheek and then one day they all hatched and there was a horrific picture to go along with that. So since that day spiders were a huge no for me. It has only gotten worse for me, when I lived in South Carolina I was convinced that the huge quarter sized spiders in my backyard where out to get me because I killed one, because every damn day there was more of them hanging around by the back door literally waiting for me to open it so the could run inside.

Ha I found the picture and the name of the story. It is called
The Red Spot. If you aren't scared of spiders now, you will be
after looking at this.

Towels. Now I'm sure you are scratching your head at this one. Well needless to say I had a horrible experience that involved a towel, me getting out of the shower and a bug being places that it should never go. Now towels are looked at with fear of what they might be hiding in their fluffy softness.

Garbage Disposals. Not that someone will turn one on while my hand is in it. . .no I'm scared it will turn its damn self on while my hand is in it. I blame this one on to many horror movies.

Basements. This one I think might not be so irrational to some people. But I grew up bouncing between my Grandparents house and my own home and both of them had the scariest basements you will ever find. My home basements door used to rattle all on it own, try being between the ages of 4 and 6 and knowing you had to go down there to help with the laundry and standing before the door as it rattled away all on its own. To make matters worse the stairs were so steep that you risked breaking your neck every time you used them and you knew damn well if what ever kept rattling the door decided to come and get you that you were never going to be able to run up them without killing yourself before whatever it was got you. Now my grandparents basement had those nice stairs that had no backing to them and it was the size of the entire house with lots and lots of creepy toys that my dad and aunts stored down there once they out grew them. My Grandad use to tell us a story about bones under the cellar steps, we loved it, but when faced with those stairs I would have swore there really was bones under them waiting for me.

Ticks. Not the kind that you get when stressed out, the ones that latch onto you and suck your blood. I clearly remember exactly how old I was when this fear developed. I was 7 and had just had the time of my life tricker treating the night before. At the time I shared a room with my second oldest sister and she was already up doing her own thing when I woke up and had a nice stretch when I realized my hand brushed against something odd. I pulled the collar of my shirt down to look at what it could have been and there it was, big and bloated on my innocent blood. Needless to say I screamed bloody murder and will never forget the look on my dads face when he ran into my room with half his face shaved and still in his boxers. All he got out of me was incoherent mumbles while I flung my hands in the general direction of the terror. So I ended up having to be held down by my sister while he used what we all called his gerber tool, that had a very sharp knife as well as other things attached to it, to dig the damn thing out of my boob. Not only was I scared to death I was mortified that my dad had to do it in the first place. I had a nice size hole there for a long time after that.

That is just to name a few of them. There are perfectly normal fears I don't have that really I should. Like being afraid of dogs, I had one attack my face as a child, but I still go to every dog I see to give it a pet and stick my face in its for a doggy kiss. Heights, I was once convinced at a young age to climb out of a second story window on bed sheets tied together. The magic words that convinced me were "they do it in cartoons." I fell before I even got half way down, only to fall two more times trying to get back up, but heights don't bother me in the slightest.

This is why I think most of the fears I have are irrational. There might be a good reason for them in my mind, but for everyone else not so much. There are many many more of them, and mostly when I look back at them I know a lot of them are from my dearly loved Grams. Most of my family has theses weird fears as well, and we laugh about them all the time, while really hoping that we will never have to confront them ever again.

A Lesson for the Cyclops

A Lesson for the Cyclops

by Jeffrey Getzin

Dare to Hope?

Maria leads a lonely existence of silent misery. Horribly disfigured, she earns a meager living as a sideshow freak. Her very existence is one of mockery, contempt, and ridicule. She has no hope, no dreams. No future.

But when a dashing swordsman stumbles onto the circus grounds, wounded and feverish, Maria is able to imagine a life beyond the confines of her dreary world. Could a swashbuckling hero ever fall for a freak like her?

*****

5 stars

What a delightfully fun book. I have to admit that I have a habit of downloading lots and lots of books all at once and then days later looking through them and randomly picking one out to read. And because my memory is way worse than a goldfish I never remember what the book is suppose to be about when I start reading it. Sometimes this is a bad thing because I get a chapter in and start thinking to myself that I must have been crazy when I downloaded the book or, like the case with this book, I get a wonderful surprise and then wonder why I didn't start reading it sooner.

With that out of the way even rereading the synopsis of this book I still wouldn't haven't have expected everything that happened. It was how I would imagine a circus to really be run, especially the treatment of the freaks. Then of course there is always that one woman that thinks to much of herself and makes life harder on those around her, and her poor husband that can't see past her. 

D'Arbignals character was amazing, I loved everything about him. He did just the kind of things I like to read about, and had a great personality. I didn't expect much from him in the beginning but the more I read the more I grew to really like him, and by the end I wanted to swoon with all the rest of the women that followed him around.

Then there is poor Maria, I felt so bad for her and how she had to live, but I would have never in a million years guessed at her back story. It really opened your eyes to understand to why she was the way she is, and honestly I really did think she was a freak right up til she told me other.

The ending was unexpected, though I did think that there was going to be something surprising, just not as surprising as it was. I have no complaints with it at all, mainly because it made me smile right up to the very last sentence.

If I had one thing to complain about it would be that it was to short, though that is me being picky because really it was the perfect length. To much more would have ruined it, I just wanted to read more about D'Arbignals, which I can because there are more books with him in it.

Would I recommend this book? Sure, its a fun read short read that is packed with all the things I love to read about.

I'm going to but my playlist of music that I was listening to when I wrote this review up, this is something I just spur of the moment that I decided to do, and I will only be doing it on my blog cause its mine and I can do anything I want with it, well really it is because one of the songs that popped up on Pandora while I was writing this review gave me pause and then I laughed cause it seemed to fit a few of the characters found in this book.

Bright Lights- Matchbox Twenty

Caress Me Down- Sublime (this is the song)

Heart-Shaped Box- Nirvana

Stairway to Heaven- Led Zeppelin

Under the Bridge- The Red Hot Chili Peppers

Born On The Bayou- Creedence Clearwater Revival

It's an Angie Rant, Watch Out

It seems like I have finally gotten my reading steam back. Last month was just filled with way to many things that had me distracted.

I'm glad to be back.

So to celebrate this I've decided to have a little rant and rave.

Sounds fun right? Well I think it sounds fun and really I'm only assuming that you guys are really out there, something akin to the belief in aliens. You know its quite possible they are out there but there is really no proof.

Right time to get to the good part. I'm sure all of you reader/reviews *cough* aliens *cough* will know exactly what I'm talking about, and hopefully feel the same way I do about this.

You ever have a book catch your eye, I'm sure you have. You slowly make your way over to it peeking over now and then to see if it looks any better up close. You read the synopsis and your interest gets peeked even more, you are now think about how attractive the book in the corner of your eyes is. Then you turn to the people around you to see what they think about it and you get 20 reviews that are a long the lines of. . .

"OMG! OMG! OMG! I lllllooooovvvveeeed this book so much I want to marry it and have 30 half breed babies with it!!"

And I'm standing there screaming "WHY! Please tell me why you loved this book so much you want to create a new species with it."

It drive me bonkers, especially because I rely so hard on reviews to really decide if I will read a book or not. I don't care if you want to get it on with the book and cry your undying love to the world. I want to know what was good about the book, I want to know if the editing was so bad that you can feel your brain starting to leak out of your ear because you are trying so hard to make sense out of nothing, I want to know what was bad about the book, what was okay about the book.

Then I want to cry because I still think the book looks so attractive and I have no one telling me that the book is going to break my heart or not. I then crumble and knowing I'll probably regret it get the book. And sure enough it stabs me through my fragile little heart and slowly kills me. This is when my anger acts up and I rampage through my house cursing the cat, cursing the fact that I can even read in the first place, and then finally cursing all of those weird book fetish people that led me astray.

That very angry gorilla looking thing is what I turn into, and
all those running people are everything that gets in my way.

Once the rampage is done I sit down crack my knuckle and pound out the rest of my anger in a review that explains as clearly as I can why this book was no good.

Then I get the backlash, people mad at me because how dare I not possible want to love and make many babies with this book. And I just don't understand it, not at all.

To me a review is someones honest thoughts on a book about what they liked and what they didn't. I will never ever ever claim that I am some kind of review goddess (though sometimes I like to pretend that I am) because I know I'm not. I just try my best to let all those people *cough* aliens *cough* out there know what I thought was good and what I thought was bad. And I totally love it when people give me tips about how I could have made a review better, and love it even more when someone lets me know my review helped them decide if they would get that book or not. I also understand that every ones tastes are different, its one of the reasons why I rarely read out of the genres that I like.

Rant Done.

Ha I feel so much better now. I'm sure some of you aliens are going to read this and disagree with my thoughts and I'm also sure there are other aliens that will know and agree with exactly how I feel.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Do you feel the same way as me, or does it not bother you at all?

Just One Damned Thing After Another

Just One Damned Thing After Another

by Jodi Taylor

A story of History, time-travel, love, friendship and tea. 

Meet the disaster-magnets at the St Mary's Institute of Historical Research as they ricochet around History, observing, documenting, drinking tea and, if possible, not dying.

Follow the catastrophe-curve from 11th Century London to World War 1 and from the Cretaceous Period to the destruction of the Great Library at Alexandria.

Discover History - The New Sex!

*****

5 Gleaming Stars

I picked up this book for two reasons. First the title made me chuckle to myself and second what at a quick glance was a cup of coffee, though I know better now that it is a cup of tea. I didn't even read the synopsis, I just clicked download and moved on looking for other little tid bits. At about 10 pm last night I cracked open my kindle and shuffled threw those tid bits and set myself to read this oh so very wonderful book. I haven't slept yet (its about 4 in the afternoon now and you will have to excuse me if I ramble, I get like that when I'm over tired and hyped up at the same time), my kindle died in the middle of a very exciting paragraph ( I threw a minor tantrum at that) and I have consumed way to my caffeine (this is something that is actually pretty normal), all because I just couldn't get enough.

I should have known before I even started the first chapter I was going to like everything about it. Jodi Taylor had just one thing to say, "I made all this up. Historians and physicists - please do not spit on me in the street." I got pulled in and wasn't let go until my eyes just about bled from being open for much to long.

I barely even know where to start, Max is just the kind of person I would want to be around all the time. She cracked me up just about all the time. She was perfect and perfectly flawed at the same time, she seemed real, someone I could look up and then possible stalk. There is not one thing I didn't like about her.

The story build up, the cleverly left hits that you notice but think nothing of until they all link together to expose the bigger picture. I didn't even care that the time travel wasn't explained, I didn't want to know how it work I just wanted them to hurry up and do their thing and entertain me.

Just about anyone could be satisfied reading this book. There is romance, mystery, action, comedy, tragedy, science fiction stuff, fantasy, and even horror. This book could fall under all of those categories and be comfortable while sipping a nice cup of tea. The emotional spectrum is just as broad as well. You feel everything that Max goes through all the ups and downs.

The plot itself was brilliant there are so many different story arcs, one would end for another to begin. And when the end finally snuck up on me I felt like I had read a series instead of just one book and I wanted more so much more, but at the same time was happy with the way it let you go. There are no cliffhangers, no unfinished business, everything is wrapped up neatly. The story itself is so good that you don't need any of those things to want more.

Would I recommend this book? Yes Yes and Yes! I will be closely following Jodi Taylor ready to pounce on the next book she releases out to the teeming masses.

Viper's Creed (The Cat's Eye Chronicles #2)

Viper's Creed (The Cat's Eye Chronicles #2)

by T.L. Shreffler

Sora is having visions. Strange, terrifying visions brought on by her Cat's Eye necklace, an ancient and magical device. Spurred to action, she leaves her mother's cabin to find Crash, the mysterious assassin who once changed her life. She is certain that together, they can discover what the necklace is trying to tell her.

Crash is still on the run from the dark sorcerer, Volcrian, but now a plague is spreading across the land. Volcrian's quest for vengeance has awakened something far more evil than himself; a force that could destroy the entire kingdom. Together, he and Sora must harness the power of the Cat's Eye and kill the sorcerer before it's too late....

*****

5 Stars

I fully enjoyed this book, its just as good as the first one, if not better. I really like Sora a lot more this time around. She was a little more confident in herself, though she did doubt herself at times she still stuck to her guns. I liked that she was better prepared to take care of herself as well. Not so dependant on the people around her, and more at ease with the Cat's Eye as well.

If I had to pick one thing that I didn't like about this book it would be the addition of Laina to the group. She didn't really seem to play a big role in anything thing other then getting on Sora's nerves a lot. I also never really got a feel for her either, she just seemed to be there. Though at the same time I can see how her addition helped to bring Sora and Crash closer together as well as she took up a lot of Burns attention.

I liked that we got a little more background information on Crash and better understanding as to why he is the way he is, and that we found out why Burns is traveling with him as well.

The romance, if that is what you can call it, between Sora and Crash is very refreshing as well. No one is confessing undying love to each other or anything annoying like that. Its like a slow burn with them, they get closer together at a great pace. They get angry with each other, and act like normal people that don't quite understand their feelings. I feel like I can expect so much more from them in the third book and I'm really looking forward to seeing how things unfold for them in this aspect.

Once again this book is told from a few different point of views, though it still mainly focuses on Sora. I liked being able to see the inner workings of Crashes thoughts, and to see how he was being slightly changed by Sora into a better person.

The journey itself has a clearer goal to it then the first book as well. Sora knows exactly what she has to do and where she needs to go. It isn't just them running from Volcrian, though that still plays a major role in their goals.

I also liked learning more about the Dracians. I didn't think there would be an opportunity for the races to really play a part other than just history and stories, so it was pretty neat to see more show up. Especially since they are so much fun.

I'm not to sure how I liked the ending, it felt like it could have continued on for at least an other chapter or two to close up a few loose ends to me.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, I'm really enjoying this series a lot and can't wait for book three to come out.

Sora's Quest (The Cat's Eye Chronicles #1)

Sora's Quest (The Cat's Eye Chronicles #1)

by T.L. Shreffler

A noblewoman, an assassin, and a soul-stealing necklace....

Sora planned on running away from her wedding, but she never expected to be kidnapped! Dumped into a world of magical races, arcane jewelry and forgotten lore, she finds herself at the mercy of a dangerous assassin, haunted by an even darker past. She yearns for freedom, but he won't let her go -- not when her Cat's Eye necklace is the only thing that can save his life.

But the necklace itself presents a problem. It is an ancient device from the long forgotten War of the Races, and its magic has the ability to steal souls. Can Sora learn to wield its power -- or will the power wield her?

*****

5 stars

I've read this book once before and never wrote a review for it. I don't know why I didn't, sometimes that just happens. Being in a little bit of a book funk I decided to look through my kindle library to see what I had, I remembered that I liked this one so I opened it back up. Its pretty rare for me to actually read a book more then once, even if I really liked it, and if I do start to reread the book I end up stopping a few chapters in. I now remember why this book made such an impression on me. Not only it is a plot set up that I love, its a damn good story.

I know some people might not like it so much, especially since it seems our main heroine, Sora, seems to get a case of Stockholm Syndrome towards our other characters. On first impression this does seem true, but as the story progresses we see that she always has escape in the back of her mind. Even if she is starting to get use to the people around her and to really like them. Its not like she is seriously mistreated by them or that she really has any other choice but to continue on with them, there is nothing left for her where she came from. She kept pretty solid with her dislike of Crash, though she does get a little confused by her feelings for him towards the end, and I think anyone would be hard pressed to not like Dorian and Burn.

There is plenty of action going on, and I liked the way the different races where described. Just when you start think nothing interesting was going to happening things would start to pick up again. There is just enough of this going on in the book to keep you wanting to read.

After some thought there doesn't seem to be much of a goal for the group, its pretty amazing that I was able to burn though the read so fast. I mean sure they are trying to stay one step ahead of a bad guy, and Sora wants to find her mother, but there is no other explanation as to what Crash is doing hanging around with Burn and Dorian in the first place. Oddly enough I was totally okay with that. Everything worked really well for me. Just enough questions are answered that I was satisfied in the end, and want to read the second book in hopes of getting more of the answers I want.

This book had me laughing out loud, made me feel sad and I got angry. When a book can pull out emotions like that from its reader you know it is something worth reading.

That brings me to the bad guy, Volcrain, I wasn't sure if I wanted him to win in the beginning or not. He has a very good reason to be out for revenge against Crash and you feel for him because of that. But as the story progresses and you get the chance to peek into his mind you start to realize he is taking this just a little to far and you can see how he is lost to his revenge and not thinking of the consequence of his actions. He truly turns into something bad.

There is a few different point of views you get, but mainly you are in Sora's head. This is done very well, and I love when there are point of view shifts as it gives you a chance to see things from different angles.

All in all you aren't going to find some helpless damsel in distress in the book. You going to find someone that stands up for the things she believes in, though she isn't perfect Sora is a great character and I look forward to reading more about her.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, this is the kind of book I love to read and if you are like me and enjoy a quest with some not so human people thrown into the mix you will love this book too.