Ashley

BLUF: Try reading the first chapter. If you can get through the lecture without finding it tedious, you may enjoy this book. If you can't, well, it doesn't get any better from there.

I think this book...

...has few similarities with the movie.
This is actually a good thing. There is a scene or two that is similar from the movie, but that's it.

... is fine to read as a standalone.
You don't need to read the first book in order to understand this book.

...is descriptive, but not about things we care about.
Lost World is filled primarily with the long-winded lectures/rambles by one of the main characters Malcolm.

... is lacking a good story line.
You start with the character introductions. Then it moves to a character getting lost/stuck/needing help on an island.One story line turns into a rescue mission. The rescue mission falls apart when said character ends up not wanting to be rescued from the island. They seem to hang out a bit, in awe naturally, of what is going on around them, but don't seem to care much about leaving the island.You have another story line develop around a group of people who tracked the above character to the island, and seem interested in collecting dinosaur eggs for some reason. These characters are presumed to be the bad guys, but they don't interact enough with their counterparts to really add to the story.

...is lacking normal character emotions?
There is some awe and some fear in the book, but not as much as I would expect. This may be my apathy for the book talking though.

BLUF: Don't start the series with this book.

In hindsight...

This is the first Shakespeare book I read in the series due to it fitting a reading challenge I was participating in. I wouldn't advise reading this out of series.

Essentially, our heroine, Lily Bard, revisits her hometown in order to participate in her sister's wedding. Two things scar what should be a joyous time: Lily has not been home since she was raped/tortured seven years ago and there has been a murder that shakes her quiet hometown.

Okay, I admit, claiming murder is a gross underestimation of the true action that occurs in this book. Like all good murder mysteries, this murder unwraps itself into something much more sinister and intriguing. This story kept me guessing until the end – a perfect mix of suspense and foreshadowing that keeps the reader guessing.

The problem for me with this book was that Lily seemed very cold and antisocial. It's easy to attribute this to her incident in this town, but it makes it very hard to feel any sort of attachment to Lily if this is the first book you pick up in the series. I felt very detached and apathetic toward Lily..

In the end, this is an okay standalone, but I feel like I would hold an entirely different perspective (and rating) if I had read this series in order.

BLUF: Pass on this... This book is for those already familiar with Odd Thomas, but, even then, the plot is lacking.

Plot: This story has your main characters of the first book, Odd Thomas, Stormy Llewellyn (Odd's girlfriend), Chief Wyatt Porter (Odd's father figure), and Terri (Odd's mother figure). Odd Thomas is a 20-year-old manboy who sees ghosts. These ghosts cannot move on from this world until their murderer is caught and/or they have accepted their death. Odd Thomas helps those who have stayed, including a recently murdered young boy. This is where we come in.

The Good: The book is short and sweet. I was looking for a quick read and this was it.

The Bad: This just wasn't interesting to me. I'm not sure how much of this is due to the format and how much was due to the illogical plot. I mean.. Odd finds the killer, talks to him, and just lets him get away. This is after the police are onto the guy and wanting to arrest him. Excuse me? What? No. That's ridiculous.

Overall: This passed the time well, but, if you are compelled to read it, I would recommend renting it rather than buying. I was not impressed.

This is one of my first “real” reviews. Please let me know what I need to improve on and where I go completely wrong. Thank you!

Heat Wave (Nikki Heat, #1), Cop Fiction/TV Show spinoff, Richard Castle

This book reads like the show and has all the characters. Detective Nikki Heat (Kate Beckett), Jameson Rook (Castle), Captain Charles Montrose (Captain Montgomery), Detective Ochoa (Detective Esposito), Detective Raley (Detective Ryan), and Lauren Parry (Dr. Lanie Parish) are all involved in the investigation of a real estate millionaire's death. Heat Wave is a classic whodunit that will keep you guessing until the reveal.

Let's be honest, this book would be a one or two star rating if it was not for the tv show. At the beginning of the book, I found myself annoyed by the relationship between Heat and Rook and even more annoyed by Rook in general. I had to keep reminding myself to connect these characters to the characters in the show – it's the only way these characters are bearable on paper. That said, once I was able to keep these together in my mind, my enjoyment of this book increased. Another problem with the book that caused me to have to refer to the show was that I felt it was choppy. For example, the poker scene wouldn't have a place in this book if the book wasn't tied to a show. It didn't add anything to the book, but would have been okay in the show.

Overall, you have to treat this book as if it was the tv show. As a book, it is just meh, but if you're okay thinking about it in terms of tv, you'll find amusement.

On a side note, I didn't actually read this book, I listed to the audiobook. I have a harder time connecting in audiobooks at this may be why I felt the way that I did.

BLUF: Ties up The Poet (Jack McEvoy Book #1)

The Narrows follows detective Hieronymus Bosch as he tries to uncover the truth about his late friend's heart attack. His late friend, Terry, is a sea charter captain who, in his spare time, helps other agencies solve cases pro bono. In order to solve Terry's death, Bosch must first determine whether Terry came too close to one of the killers in his files or if his death is closer to home.

Let me preface, this is only the third Michael Connelly story I have read. I started with The Poet and then read The Black Echo. Maybe it's a coincidence, but all three books go the same way: Main Character comes into knowledge about a case, Main Character forces way into investigation, FBI tries to block main character from investigation, Main Character has relations with FBI Detective which, oh, by the way, gains him access to the case, FBI Detective ends relations, Case ends.

The problem I have with these stories is that I cannot emotionally connect with the characters. Bosch is a notorious pain in the ass that doesn't care about anybody but himself and, somehow, gets the girl anyways. The girl then, at the end of the book, abruptly ends the relationship as if there was no meaning to it at all. In this book, they have relations once and then they pretend like nothing ever happens. Um, what? Does this happen in real life?

The detective story itself is fine. The book pieces the clues together in a way that keeps you entertained, but not enthralled. This isn't a thriller; it won't hook you into the story. It simply provides a resolution to The Poet.

BLUF: Short stories aren't my thing, but I enjoyed the twisted humor.

Button, Button: Short and sweet instant karma. I would be happy with a full-length novel on this concept. 3 Stars. (Plot: Couple gets a button that, if pushed, would award them a large amount of money in exchange for the death of somebody they do not know.)

The Girl Of My Dreams: Good concept, but only an okay story. I would like a full-length novel based on the woman in this story. 3 Stars. (Plot: About a woman who sees the deaths of others in her dreams and a boyfriend who uses this information maliciously.)

Dying Room Only: It's interesting as you know something is going on, but the end is rather uneventful. 1 Star. (Plot: A woman's husband disappears at a pit stop. Hysterics ensue.)

A Flourish of Strumpets: Cute, but not very entertaining. 2 Stars. (Plot: About a door-to-door escort type service. Not really sure the proper term lol.)

No Such Thing as a Vampire: Ehh. 2 Stars. (Plot: About a woman who is visited by a vampire during the night.)

Pattern for Survival: Um... okay? 2 Stars. (Plot: Follows a day in the life of the main character.)

Mute: This is one of the longer stories, but very interesting. 2 Stars. (Plot: About a boy whose parents die and who was never taught how to speak.)

The Creeping Terror: Cute, but long winded. 2 Stars. (Plot: About the plague of Los Angeles.)

Shock Wave: I don't understand the significance of this story. 1 Star. ((Plot: About a church organ that is about to be replaced and the man who has been playing her since the beginning.)

Clothes Make the Man: The story made me LOL. 2 Stars. (Plot: About a man who could not function without his suit.)

The Jazz Machine: The whole poem/jazz writing was hard for me to read. 2 Stars. (Plot: About a bluesman who was approached by another who claimed to understand his song.)

'Tis the Season to Be Jelly: WTF. Another one that was hard for me to read. (Plot: About hillbillies with missing parts.)

BLUF: Skip this series. If you do choose to read this story, don't expect it to be anything like the Hunger Games.

Pros

- Good idea for a story

- Poor execution of the story
- Characters have no depth
- Characters use works like “shuck” in place of f... (I'm not a fan of slang as is)
- Characters suddenly and miraculously know solutions to their problems, without any sort of struggle or lead up to the realization
- The book drags
- The book ends in a cliffhanger

BLUF: YA is not my thing. (Reader beware: This book includes supernatural elements.)

John Wayne Cleaver is a 15-year-old destined to be a serial killer, but he's trying to stall his fate. Well, sort of. John Wayne has rules for himself, similar to Dexter, but he's willing to break them in order to take care of the serial killer who is treading on his home turf. Will John Wayne be able to manage his temptations in order to allow the police to capture the serial killer, or will he take the case into his own hands?

I chose this book because of its' title and cover. I didn't realize it was a YA novel until about halfway through the book (Yes, I am THAT slow at putting things together).

I found John Wayne to be interesting concept, but the teenager had insight far past his age. He acted in ways that I wouldn't imagine a teen to act in - even a sociopathic one. For example, at one point John Wayne tells off a bully in a way that is so wordy and reflective for a boy his age (or even an adult) that it's difficult to find his character as realistic. On top of this, John Wayne's mother seems pretty immature, which causes John Wayne to seem even more unrealistic.

That said, I can't push too hard against the realism of the story – it has supernatural elements. This is another aspect that caught me by surprise. It's not necessarily a bad turn, but if you are looking for something more realistic, you may want to steer clear.

This didn't do much for me. It is a cute story about four kids who find a creature that grants them wishes. Each wish become their own sort of disaster and the kids hve to tough it out until sunset when the power of the wish is removed.

To be fair, I dont do well with older books or books aimed at children. The book was first published in 1902 and has a story that can mostly relate to today (some words I havent heard before), but, when narrated by younger kids, theres only so much depth you can get into. I know, reader flaw not book flaw.

What the heck did the epilogue have to do with anything? Regardless, this is one of my favored zombie novels as its focus is more on humor than anything else.. and I almost don't care that the main mystery in the story was never explained.. (Unfortunately, and I keep trying, it turns out that I don't enjoy zombie novels.)

This book is a first for me, I have never read a book that deals with a hostage situation. It made me realize that I have a hard time with human monsters because I can't possible empathize with the characters because what they are afraid of is so far from anything I have ever felt (and so indescribable). I realize I'm rambling, but this book gives me a lot to think over and has an interesting central idea.

This book was graciously provided via netgalley so full review to come once it all processes ;).

BLUF: The Body Finder is equal part mystery and YA puppy love.

Overview: Violet Ambrose has a gift - she can see dead people. Just kidding, but she can sense animals and people that have died at the fault of others. Sometimes this sense is auditory, other times it can be olfactory, gustatory, or visual. While fascinating to an extent, this gift can be traumatizing - she found her first human body at the age of eight.

Mystery Plot: When the killer dumps a body outside of town, Violet and her classmates are shocked. Soon after, a local girl is taken without a trace from the killer. Violet takes it upon herself to help the catch the killer, but can she do so without moving too far into harm's way?

YA Puppy Love Plot: Over the summer, Violet's best friend has grown from boy to manboy. He's turned into a real hunk and is completely oblivious to all of the girls fawning over him - including Violet. How can he be so clueless?

—

My thoughts: The concept of somebody who has an ability to sense the murdered as well as the murdered's imprint on the murderer is exciting. It's taking the detective's intuition and pulling it into one of the other senses. I love it.

Unfortunately, these senses aren't quite like intuition: they aren't built up through clues and observations. This means that the reader isn't brought into the trail to find the killer - we aren't able to make our own assumptions. We are left in the dark with no ability to guess the killer.

Don't get me wrong, it's interesting to see her hunt, but not as much fun as it would be to hunt with her.

Now the YA portion, oh my. I can't say I miss the emotional state of being a teenager, but it was captured painfully well...

I can't say that I wasn't annoyed by it. Violet spends a majority of the book crushing on her best friend while, simultaneously, telling herself that she is going to stop crushing on her best friend. Ah, I remember the days of constant self-doubt and uncontrollable emotions. (Or... rather... this book had me relive it.)

In the end: It may be irrational, but I really enjoyed this book. I know I shouldn't as Violet's crush/obsession completely overshadows the murder mystery, but I really did.

BLUF: Pretty Girls a rough story: It is far more realistic than many I have read and it will stay with you (even if in a haunting manner) after you finish it.

Forewarning: I don't know how to review this without giving anything away and I am sorry if this review reveals too much as is.

Plot: From start to finish, Pretty Girls brings together and tears apart a family. One deception after another is brought to light and you can't help, but feel emotionally connected (and drained) for the sisters.

Thoughts: I have to hand it to Karin Slaughter: she holds nothing back when it comes the darkest parts of humanity. It's impressive and a bit traumatizing.

After the first twist, Pretty Girls went exactly how I thought it would go up until it's end. While I may not have been exactly spot on (can you be?), nothing read came as a shock. Imagine my surprise when I realized this “ending” hit halfway into the book. What else could this book offer? The complete and utter destruction of the sisters' sanity.

I know I've said this already, but Karin Slaughter brings Pretty Girls across a line that many authors avoid. It's brutal and will (should) make your stomach squirm. It's a place I've never been to in a book (or real life, thankfully) and I don't know how to feel about it.

I do know that I was compelled to listen to this audiobook outside of work, which is something I very rarely do.

Audiotape: I listed to Pretty Girls as an audiotape. I was hesitant at first with the narrator (I have a hard time with higher pitched voices), but she did a wonderful job. I look forward to listening to her narrations in the future.

In Five Words or Less: Hopeless romance you will adore.

Plot: Fallon, once a teenage idol, is a has-been thanks to a fire her father started just two years earlier. The scars she received had not only thrown her out of celebrity status, but caused her to lose all self-esteem. Then comes Ben.

Ben, an aspiring author and self-proclaimed F up, falls infatuated with Fallon the day before she is set to move to the opposite coast. Fallon doesn't believe in falling in love until she's 23, but finds something in Ben too hard to resist. They agree to only talk/see/meet once a year on November 9.

The Good:

The Writing: This is the first Colleen Hoover book I picked up and it certainly will not be the last. She draws you in and kills you with anticipation. I did suspend some belief, but she made it easy to accept.

Glass Case of Emotion:



The bad part of listening to an audio book is when the book gets good/rough/antsy, so do I... at work. I laughed. I cried. I worried. I glared at my coworkers when they came to talk to me. The emotional roller coaster is a love/hate relationship, but it's so worth it. (My coworkers don't hate me for it...)

Forget Realism: The characters are neurotic, but some how stick to their agreement of seeing each other only once a year? Uh, yeah.. sure... This is not realistic; however, Hoover makes it easy to suspend our disbelief and I love her for it.

The Bad:

Maturity: I have a hard time believing that these characters are 18 through 23 years old. I was way cray as a teen. I was not head strong enough to jump into somebody's life and definitely not patient enough to wait for somebody I am infatuated with. I know, I know.. this is petty and the direct relationship to myself if unrealistic.. It's just that these characters have a maturity level I wouldn't expect of those their age (and that is factoring in their neurotic moments).

On second thought.. I grew up in a town that has a large amount of teen mothers. Maybe their maturity is simply atypical to us. You'll have to tell me what you think ;)

My Favorite Quotes:

After Ben's (soon to be) sister-in-law walks in on Ben and Fallon:

“I'm so sorry” someone is saying as Ben pulls me into the kitchen, “I had no idea you were home and I was looking for scissors but you are home and she's definitely not a pair of scissors.

BLUF: Monsterland is the Jurassic Park of... well... monsters.

I was provided a copy of this book from netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review

Plot: Governments have become bankrupt trying to contain zombies. Vampires and werewolves are closing in on extinction. Vincent Conrad? He has a solution to fix it all.
–
Wyatt Carter and his friends received exclusive tickets to the California Monsterland's grand opening. While the park is considered safe, first days have their surprises...

Story: Slow start, whirlwind finish - usually I would complain, but not this time. It took me a few chapters to get used to the run on sentences, but it was well worth it. We are shown a little background to each monster and quite a bit regarding Wyatt and his friends.

Characters: Monsterland doesn't venture into high school, but follows stereotype-breaking high schoolers. (Most popular female is smartest in class and infatuated with a huge dork, the supposed outcasts fit in quite well with the popular crows - or is this just a small town thing?)

The combination of story and characters is wonderful and, even though we can guess what will happen, finding out how and what happens is satisfying.

Ranting, sorry: I know it's wrong to read a book like this and expect most things (other than the whole monster concept) to be realistic, but fireflies in California? I don't think that happens. (Petty, I know ;) )

Did I mention..?: I really enjoyed this book!