What Lies Around The Bend...

"In a world without magic, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the vicious king who rules from his throne of glass but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she will be released from prison to serve as the King's Champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien. The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. And a princess from a faraway land will befriend her. But something evil dwells in the castle - and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival - and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world." Review: I thought this book was very well done. My mother loved it so much; she's contemplating getting a portrait of Celaena on her body. I always love seeing women who are independent and overwhelmingly bad ass, and if I was a character in a fantas...

"In one cataclysmic moment, millions around the globe disappear. Vehicles suddenly unmanned, careen out of control. People are terror stricken as loved ones vanish before their eyes. In the midst of global chaos, airline captain Rayford Steele must search for his family, for answers, for truth. As devastating as the disappearances have been, the darkest days may lie ahead." Review: Let me start by saying this book is centered on the Christian Rapture, so if your feelings or religious beliefs contradict what's within this book, don't shoot the messenger. I was introduced to this book through my father, who says this is his favorite book/series. Granted, he does not read, like, ever. So already I was skeptical of its quality. It took me an EXTREMELY long time to get into it. Honestly, overall, the book sucked. I obviously read a lot so my quality level in books is higher than others so I think my first critique of this book was its pace. I mean the first ...

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT: IF YOU HAVE NOT GOTTEN THIS FAR IN THE SUMMER SERIES, STOP NOW. DO NOT READ. THIS IS BOOK 3. FOR THE REVIEW ON BOOK 1, CHECK OUT THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY AND IT'S NOT SUMMER WITHOUT YOU FOR BOOK 2. "Her whole life, Belly has been in love with the Fishers. Susannah was like a second mother to her, Conrad was her first love, and Jeremiah was her first real boyfriend. Now, after two years, Jeremiah gets down on bended knee and offers Belly what she has always wanted... to be Belly Fisher. As Jeremiah and Belly head back to Cousins Beach to plan their wedding, Conrad comes home to tell Belly he made a mistake when he broke her heart. Now Belly must confront her feelings for Jeremiah and Conrad and face a truth she has possibly always known: She will have to break one of their hearts." Review: Really? Ugh, she goes with Jeremiah, unfortunately, he CHEATS on her, and she goes running back to Conrad. End of story. You don't need to was...

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT: IF YOU HAVE NOT GOTTEN THIS FAR IN THE SUMMER SERIES, STOP NOW. DO NOT READ. THIS IS BOOK 2 . FOR THE REVIEW ON BOOK 2. CHECK OUT THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY ! "After spending every single summer at Cousins Beach, Belly's life is about to change. Since her brief relationship with Conrad fizzled out this past winter, she'll be staying home for the first time. Her best friend, Taylor, has lots of plans for them - boat parties and tanning by the pool and new boys to obsess over. But when Jeremiah calls and says that Conrad has disappeared, all roads seem to lead back to the beach house. Will Belly spend another summer chasing after Conrad, or will she finally be able to let him go?" Review: Let's begin by saying that the first book could have been a stand-alone book. For goodness sake, the second book is like the author is saying "Sike! Ha!" Conrad and Belly dated for a month and then GAVE UP?! WHAT?! I was rooting for her ...

"When each summer begins, Belly leaves her school life behind and escapes to Cousins Beach, the place she has spent every summer of her life. Not only does the beach house mean home away from home, but her favorite people are there: Susannah, her mother's best friend, and her sons, Conrad and Jeremiah. Belly has been chasing Conrad for as long as she can remember, and more than anything, she hopes this summer will be different. Despite distractions from a new guy named Cam and lingering looks from Conrad's brother, Jeremiah, Belly's heart belongs to Conrad. Will he offer his to her? Will this be the summer that changes everything?" Review: I was quite furious with this book. It was very wishy-washy. The main character, Belly, acted extremely childish, from her pouting to defensive lashes, but wasn't the story supposed to be about her growing up? And this was definitely one of those stories you couldn't pick a favorite (for example, Team Jacob vs. Team...

"Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn't believe in fashion... she believes in costume. The more expensive the outfit - the more sparkly, more sun, more wild - the better. And life is pretty close to perfect in Lola's world, especially with her hot rocker boyfriend. That is, until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood and unearth a past of hurt and anguish that Lola thought was long buried. When talented inventor Cricket steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door." Review: This is a very sweet love story and I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. This is one of those books you curl up with when you're having a bad day and need chirking up. It has the raw emotion and quirky heroine along with a long awaited reunion our character has tried desperately to avoid. An unexpected twist was really the antagonist. It isn't ma...

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT: IF YOU HAVE NOT GOTTEN THIS FAR IN THE LUNAR CHRONICLES, STOP NOW. DO NOT READ. THIS IS BOOK 3. FOR THE REVIEW ON BOOK 1, CHECK OUT CINDER AND SCARLET FOR BOOK 2! "Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they're plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army. Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl imprisoned on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she's just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice. When a daring rescue of Cress goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has." Review: ...