Monday, January 24, 2011

"Bleeding Violet" by Dia Reeves [4]


Love ...
can be a dangerous thing.
Hanna simply wants to be loved. With a head plagued by hallucinations, a medicine cabinet full of pills, and a closet stuffed with frilly violet dresses, Hanna's tired of being the outcast, the weird girl, the freak. So she runs away to Portero, Texas, in search of a new home.
But Portero is a stranger town than Hanna expects. As she tries to make a place for herself, she discovers dark secrets that would terrify any normal soul. Good thing for Hanna, she's far from normal. As this crazy girl meets an even crazier town, only two things are certain: Anything can happen and no one is safe.
This is one strange book and I'm still not sure if I like it or not?
A word of warning first: and I've taken these words from another blogger because she has put it better than I can....
"Beware that this is not a wholesome story! It is dark, gory, sensual and violent. Not for the squeamish; it deals with mental illness, teenage sex, violence and even a suicide attempt." This is definitely a young adult read.
This was a debut novel for this author and she did really well, the story is very odd and unique and it has substance that keeps you very intrigued even if your not sure that you like it or not. I did find it a little confusing at the start but it seems to even it self out and make sense as you go along. The characters are a very interesting bunch and they all hold their own as part of the story but for me I just couldn't relate to any of them, but that didn't detract anything from the novel. The author writes with amazing detail and has a fantastic imagination to be able to see all the weird things that make up this unique novel.
" How do you know I'm a transient?"
I asked the oldest girl, who didn't know me from Eve.
She took me in at a glance and went back to pouring cups of juice.
"Bright, stupid clothes. No visible scars.
But especially your eyes. You can always tell by the eyes. Yours ain't
never seen anything real."
This is one novel that all you lovers of Fantasy will just eat up with relish... monsters, mayhem, violence, romance, and all the other stuff that makes up a good fantasy novel. While I'm still undecided as to whether I enjoyed the novel i will rate it as 4 stars because it is well written, just not quite my cup of tea. Gorgeous cover and that's why I picked it up in the first place.
I rate this book 4 stars.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

"Once a Witch" by Carolyn MacCullough [3 1/2]

Tasmin Green comes from a long line of witches, and on the day she was born, her grandmother proclaimed she would be one of the most Talented among them.
But Tamsin's magic never showed up.
now, seventeen years later, she spends most of her time at boarding school in Manhattan, where she can at least pretend to be normal. But during the summers, she's forced to return home and work at her family's bookstore/magic shop.
One night a handsome young professor from New York University arrives in the shop and mistakes Tamsin for her extremely Talented older sister. For once, it's Tamsin who's being looked at with awe and admiration, and before she can stop herself, she agrees to find a family heirloom for him that was lost more than a century ago. But the search - and the stranger - prove to be more sinister than they first appeared, ultimately sending Tamsin on a treasure hunt through time that will unlock the secret of her true identity, unearth the past sins of her family, and unleash a power so strong and so vengeful that it could destroy them all.


This is a really enchanting story for young teens... time travel, sibling rivalry, witchcraft, romance and that all important first kiss. It's the classic story of good verses evil. It's a very easy read and one that will definitely appeal to the younger teen. The character of Tamsin is feisty and strong but she struggles with who she is...she is a very likable character. Gabriel is the main male role and he has been Tamsin's best friend when they were younger but he moved away and they never stayed in touch, but sparks fly when they meet again for the first time. Tamsin's not sure how to react to him and that makes it even more interesting. The plot is a little predictable but it keeps you interested. This is really a novel for the young teens. The sequel is to be released in August 2011 and entitle "Always a Witch"

As Irish would say "A good wee read"

I rate this book 3 1/2 stars.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

The Passage by Justin Cronin (5)


First, the unthinkable: a security breach at a secret U.S. government facility unleashes the monstrous product of a chilling military experiment. Then, the unspeakable: a night of chaos and carnage gives way to sunrise on a nation, and ultimately a world, forever altered. All that remains for the stunned survivors is the long fight ahead and a future ruled by fear—of darkness, of death, of a fate far worse.

As civilization swiftly crumbles into a primal landscape of predators and prey, two people flee in search of sanctuary. FBI agent Brad Wolgast is a good man haunted by what he’s done in the line of duty. Six-year-old orphan Amy Harper Bellafonte is a refugee from the doomed scientific project that has triggered apocalypse. He is determined to protect her from the horror set loose by her captors. But for Amy, escaping the bloody fallout is only the beginning of a much longer odyssey—spanning miles and decades—towards the time and place where she must finish what should never have begun.

I purchased this book because: I had heard alot about it so wanted to see if was any good

The opening Lines: Before she became the Girl from Nowhere - the One Who Walked In, the First and Last and Only, who lived a thousand years - she was just a little girl in Iowa, named Amy, Amy Harper Bellafonte.

Pages in Novel: A Massive 766

I am lovin the cover to this book ... And am so pleased that Ridley Scott has already picked this novel up to do a movie version because it will be awesome. The only frustrating thing I can say about this book is that the way that it ends. After reading over 700 pages for it to suddenly end the way it does to discovering that we have to wait until 1212 for the next installment is just mean ...

Someone described this book as Dracula meets The Road and I would have to agree ... Although these Vampires are not the nice good looking smart Vampires that we are used to but the ugly fast rip out your throat in 1 second kind .... Which I loved ...

This is a monster of a book with over 750 pages and it is small writing as well ... It is divided into three different sections and periods of time and is very cleverly done ... You get a real sense of the characters and you cannot help but go on the journey with them ... This is definitely an adult book as there are graphic scenes of violence and adult content ... But I loved it ....

The beginning of the novel is set around our time period and introduces the main characters of Amy, Lacey, Carter and Wolgast. And how each comes from different worlds but how there lives will be intertwined together for years to come. When a secret government experiment goes wrong and 12 dangerous, changed killers are released into the world the effect on the world will never be the same ...

The second part of the novel jumps forward 100 years in the future ... Where we see just how the world has changed ... And we are introduced to a group of survivors and their world ... There is not really alot to look forward to just keeping alive and surviving ... The power is running out and the Virals are coming ...

Can a 6 year old girl manage to save the world ..... You are just going to have to read the book and find out ...

Some of my favourite quotes are:

He said he had a plan, but the only plan that she could see seemed to be him sitting in the house doing nothing for Amy or even cleaning up the breakfast dishes, while she worked all day. Pg 6

I feel as if I've entered a new era of my life. What strange place our lives can carry us to. Pg 24

She believed that this was how the world felt to most people, even those closest to her, her parents and sisters and friends at school; they lived their whole lives in a prison of drab silence, a world without a voice. Pg 55

OBE. Overcome by events. That was what was happening now. The world-the human race-had been overcome by events. Pg 233

It's morning; you're alive. pg 310

"Those batteries are like a woman, Michael," he liked to say. "You've got to learn to listen." Pg 314

"I don't believe that," Arlo said. "And I can't believe you do either. If that's all there is, what's the point of anything." Pg 335

"We've all got our jobs to do, right?," She took his hand again and squeezed it, as if to seal a bargain between them. "Mine apparently is to do as I'm told and not be difficult. So for now, that's what I'm going to do." Pg 375

The harder he tried to be a husband, the less she felt like a wife to him, until - and this was the bad part, the part that didn't seem fair to her - she'd found herself actually disliking him. pg 437

Someone once told me that part of you lives on so long as somebody remembers you. Pg 670

I am sooooo excited for the next part to this but frustrated that I will have to wait at least another year for it ....... grrrrrrrrrrrrr ........

So if you like your vamps, end of the world, fast paced action novel this one is for you :)

I rate this book 5*****


An interview with the author where he answers some questions about the book .....




Books in the Series
1) The Passage
2) The Twelve ( coming out some point 1212 )


Friday, January 7, 2011

Discussion Questions for Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

1. How did you like the book? Is it in keeping with your feelings with the MI series?

2. Who are your favorite or least favorite new characters?

3. What were some surprises for you in this book?

4. What questions do you still have and where do you think this series is going?

5. What do you think Will is going to ask Magnus in the Epilogue?

6. What is the Pandemonium Club? The Shadowhunters think the Club has more power than it actually does. Why do they have that impression? What has been done to manipulate the Club's image?

7. Tessa gradually uncovers information about herself and her powers, but she still knows very little about why she was "created." Why is it important to her and to the Shadowhunters to find out? How does Tessa's view of herself change over the course of the story?

8. Chapter 3 begins with a Robert Browning quote, "Love, hope, fear, faith—these make humanity; These are its sign and note and character." Do you agree? What other characteristics do you think are the hallmarks of humanity?

9. Tessa, Jessamine, and Charlotte all have very different ideas about the appropriate roles for women. How much of each woman's attitude do you think comes from the beliefs of the day, and how much from her own experiences?

10. Why are books so important to Tessa? What do they add to her life? Do the Shadowhunters have things in their life that serve this same purpose?

11. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is mentioned several times throughout the story, most noticeably when Will and Tessa are about to enter de Quincey's party. Why do you think the author chose this particular book? What themes are common to both?

12. How does Jem deal with his addiction and its effect on his health and his life? Has it changed his personality? Why does he ask the others to stop searching for a cure; why do they agree? Is his reaction to addiction normal?

13. Will's philosophy can be summed up by a quote by Horace, "Pulvis et umbra sumus," which means "We are dust and shadows." Why do you think this resonates with him so deeply? Do his actions bear witness to this belief?

14. What caused de Quincey to betray the Nephilim? Were the Nephilim surprised by this betrayal? Should they have been?

15. Clockwork Angel is set in the middle of the Industrial Revolution. Why are the clockwork people so frightening to Tessa and the Shadowhunters? How does the Magister's clockwork army affect the power balance in his fight against the Shadowhunters?

16. What does Tessa want from her relationship with Will? Why does Will force distance between them?

Thanks to Simon and Schuster for some of the discussion Questions

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