For Review: Dragon Night (Stephanie Campbell)

(Goodreads Blurb/Link)

The only thing more shocking than discovering that dragons really exist is finding out that you are one.

Ever since he could remember, Ford was treated cruelly by his parents, Liddy and Wicker Forks. He cannot figure out why they hate him so much. It is only when he discovers that his father isn’t really Wicker Forks but instead is a mysterious, red-eyed stranger that he goes on a quest to find his true identity—and much, much more.

As he heads forward down the path of danger and illusion, he uncovers a world that he had never imagined, a world of dragons. Ford must decide who he is—a dragon or a boy—and whichever path he chooses will be his future for forever. After all, once you are a dragon, there is no going back.


Published: November 17, 2011
Source:  Musa Publishing
Cover: Thumbs down

My Thoughts:
I received this e-book in exchange for my honest review. I read the summary and was immediately interested because I love dragon stories.  Unfortunately, Dragon Night failed to make a good impression.

Dragon Night starts off introducing us to a woman who is going through a rough patch. Her husband is a gigantic a-hole and makes her hate her life.  On the way home one night she is attacked.  Speed forward 15 years and we are now introduced to her son, Ford.  Ford's parents treat him like crap. Worse then crap. They are abusive and mean and neglectful. Ford doesn't understand how or why he is treated this way. He finds out his mother was raped and that Wicker isn't his biological father.  Weird things start happening to Ford's body, excruciating pain, weird eyes, etc. Turns out Ford's father is a Dragon and that makes Ford a draconic - 1/2 human 1/2 dragon. He sets out on his own to find dear ole dad  and get some answers.

There are a lot of problems with this book. First, the writing. It needs a lot of editing and gleaning.  Like the whole thing.  The relationships are not believable and they all need to be more developed.   There are a LOT of inconsistencies with the characters and most especially with Ford's feelings.  The lack of anger over Ford's mother's rape did not sit well with me.   Ford was more upset over his father being a murderer then the fact that his mother was brutally attacked and violated. NOT cool.

Speaking of Ford. He was not a likable main character. Well let's face it,  none of the characters were likable. Ford is a broken, skittish, scared boy. Which is absolutely understandable with the way he has been treated his entire life. I didn't have a problem with that. What I did have a problem with was his entire lack of growth throughout the entire story until the very end when BAM all of  sudden everything is okay. I'll get to the ending in a minute. Ford needed some kind of redeeming trait/quality/spark..SOMETHING. I could not accept the way Ford's mother was written. Or Wicker.  They were too black and white. Which made accepting them as having changed at the end of the story completely ludicrous.  The build-up for this story was too slow.  I was bored most of the way through. I found the action and climax to be choppy and lackluster.

So. The ending. It managed to finish completely ruining this book and any redeeming qualities it had.

 *SPOILER ALERT*

I usually never include spoilers in my review (unless it was the previous book in a series). But I just can't NOT address the ending of this book. The author does a good job of letting the reader know just how awful of a person Wicker is. He's a bastard, plain and simple. There is NOTHING redeeming about his character, no glimpse of a soul. So the mere fact that everyone was able to forgive and forget at the end and Ford just blindly accepted him and I was now supposed to believe they would be one big happy family...I MEAN NO JUST NO! That's not cool.  So Wicker treats his wife and son like scum and then that's okay at the end?? NOT OKAY.  Wicker should have been sent packing, and there needed to be some kind of showing of love from Ford's mom at the beginning of the story. She can be hurt, she can be angry, she can not want to look at Ford because he reminds her of the night she was attacked. But the reader needs SOMETHING to show that she loves her son if the ending is to be believable.

Now for the positives.
The general idea of the story was appealing. A boy finds out he's part dragon and goes off to find his father. I thought the author did a great job describing the pain Ford went through during his dragon transformations. I also enjoyed the dragon lore that the author created.

Unfortunately, the road Dragon Night was taken down ended at a dead end and the negatives outweighed the positives.


Bottom Line:  Due to the massive amount of inconsistencies and the ending, I can not recommend this book.  1/5

For Review: Scent of Magic (Maria V. Snyder)

*This is book #2 in the Healer series*


(Goodreads Blurb/Link)

Hunted, Killed—Survived?

As the last Healer in the Fifteen Realms, Avry of Kazan is in a unique position: in the minds of her friends and foes alike, she no longer exists. Despite her need to prevent the megalomanical King Tohon from winning control of the Realms, Avry is also determined to find her sister and repair their estrangement. And she must do it alone, as Kerrick, her partner and sole confident, returns to Alga to summon his country into battle.

Though she should be in hiding, Avry will do whatever she can to support Tohon’s opponents. Including infiltrating a holy army, evading magic sniffers, teaching forest skills to soldiers and figuring out how to stop Tohon’s most horrible creations yet; an army of the walking dead—human and animal alike and nearly impossible to defeat.

War is coming and Avry is alone. Unless she figures out how to do the impossible ... again.


Published: December 18, 2012
Source: Netgalley- For my honest review
Cover: NOT diggin' it


My Thoughts:
 This review will contain spoilers from Book # 1: Touch of Power

The end of Touch of Power left us with the death of Avry as a result of healing Prince Ryne of the plague. Then she was brought back to life. Now you're caught up.

In Scent of Magic, Tohon is on a destructive murderous mission to become ruler of the 15 realms, leading his army of dead to crush anyone who gets in his way.  Taking advantage of everyone thinking she's dead, Avry infiltrates Jael's camp to get information and look out for Tohon spies. She's SUPPOSED to be laying low as she promised Kerrick.  But that doesn't work out so well.  Meanwhile Kerrick goes back to Ryne's camp to assist with war plans and runs into some difficulties of his own.

As far as sequels go, this one was pretty good. I didn't like it AS much as Touch of Power but it's a must read for fans of this series.

Kerrick and Avry are separated for about 80% of Scent of Magic. The supporting characters that I grew to love in the previous book don't show up as much. I missed their interactions and back and forth quibbling. I also missed the romance between Kerrick and Avry.  There's a lot of action in this book, but it's more focused on war strategy.

That said, Avry as a main character was able to stand on her own and continues to kick butt. At 21, Avry is brave, independent and a skilled fighter. I love to see strong female characters kicking butt and taking charge and Avry does just that.  As difficult as it is to be separated from Kerrick, Avry doesn't take the woe-is-me-I'm-nothing-without-my-love attitude. Which is a good thing because her focus needs to be on using her skills to help stop Tohon and his dead from taking over.

The point of view switches back and forth between Avry and Kerrick. This was vital to making the story more interesting. Let's face it, Kerrick's my favorite and I especially love the parts with him in it. The story's just going along, going along, la-de-da, not bad.  I get to the last 20ish pages or so and then BAM. CLIFFHANGER CITY! WHAT the WHAT!?! What's going to happen next?? EEP!
Immediately drawn back in.

Bottom Line:   A solid sequel, if for nothing but the last 20 pages.  3.75/5

For Review: Point of Retreat (Colleen Hoover)

 

(Goodreads Link) 

Source: For Review, Netgalley

Why I wanted to read it: Because I LOVED Slammed and couldn't NOT read this one.


My Thoughts:

Point of Retreat is the follow-up to Slammed, one of my favorite reads of 2012. This review will contain spoilers of Slammed. SO GO READ THAT ONE NOW!!

Point of Retreat was everything I was hoping for and more.  Having loved Slammed, I was a little worried that this one wouldn't be as good. Will and Layken are together now and still living across the street from each other. Layken's mom has died and she is taking care of her brother while Will continues to help raise his little brother.  I knew this book was going to involve a past love of Will's and this was going to create a conflict between him and Layken.

 This storyline could have been boring. BUT Colleen Hoover has this amazing ability of taking something ordinary and turning it into something extraordinary!  She does this by creative writing and making her characters come to life.

If there's one word I could use to describe the characters in this book it would be authentic. I LOVE ALL of them.  I want to be in their little family.  And Will. Oh my. What a freaking catch.

This book made me cry but it also made me laugh out loud and gave me that feel-good feeling.
It's a must read for anyone who enjoyed Slammed.

I highly recommend these books to anyone looking for a contemporary YA read filled with authentic characters, laughter, incredible writing, all around amazingness and a bit of slam poetry.

Favorite Quotes:

"I've learned something about my heart. It can break. It can be ripped apart. It can harden and freeze. It can stop. Completely. It can shatter into a million pieces. It can explode. It can die. The only thing that made it start beating again? The moment you opened your eyes."

"It's like you came along and woke up my soul."

"Sometimes it feels good to have your biggest fears discounted with a simple compliment."

Bottom Line: Point of Retreat was an on-point follow-up to Slammed and Colleen Hoover is butterflying brilliant!  4.5/5

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren.

I'm currently in Charleston, South Carolina and will have gone to Yallfest yesterday!! Hopefully I liked it :) I won't be back until Monday, so in the mean time I'm pre-scheduling this post to show off my latest book gets.

Kindle For REVIEW:

From Netgalley: Scent of Magic by Maria V. Snyder


I was contacted by a rep for Musa Publishing to review some young adult titles for them. I was given a list of all the possible summaries and I picked 7 from the list that interested me. I was sent all 7 of them at once.

From Musa Publishing (Thanks Liz!):

First Frost (Liz DeJesus)                                           Dragon Night (Stephanie Campbell)
                                                            

There are Giants in this Valley (Jack Hillman)                  Normalish (Margaret Lesh)
                                                            

Persephone (Kaitlin Bevis)                                             Lost in the Bayou (Cornell Deville)
                                                           

                                  The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis (Sharon Ledwith)
                                                   

Some of the covers are a bit questionable..but the summaries sound good!!

Okay. SO I WON ANOTHER GIVEAWAY!! WOOT! This one was hosted by Rummanah @ Books in the Spotlight and the author E.K. Henry was giving away a e-copy of their book Freak. Love the cover! Thanks to Rummanah and the author!!
WON:

 

 

That's it for the e-books. I bought a couple books from Barnes & Noble and Target last week. It had to be done.

Let it Snow (John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle) and a bookmark- I bought these for a friend for her birthday. Although I do want to read this book :)

Days of Blood & Starlight (Laini Taylor)- OMG this cover is GORGEOUS!!! I Can't wait to start this one, but I want to get the full effect and am planning on re-reading Daughter of Smoke & Bone first.

Perfect Chemistry (Simone Elkeles)- I've already read this (on my Kindle I think), and LOVED it. Loved all 3 in the series. I mainly bought this one to take to Yallfest with me to get signed.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (Mindy Kaling)- I LOVE Mindy Kaling and her new tv show The Mindy Project. She's soo funny. I generally don't buy books like this but I just couldn't resist.

AND I bought a second bookmark for myself. I LOVE Jack!

 

 

That's it for me. I'm sure I have more new books in my possession thanks to Yallfest, I'll post those next week.

 

Leave a comment with your IMM link so I can check out your goodies :) I'll comment people back upon my return!

 

 

 

                                                 

My Thoughts: Slammed (Colleen Hoover)

Following the unexpected death of her father, 18-year-old Layken is forced to be the rock for both her mother and younger brother. Outwardly, she appears resilient and tenacious, but inwardly, she's losing hope.
Enter Will Cooper: The attractive, 21-year-old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slam poetry and a unique sense of humor. Within days of their introduction, Will and Layken form an intense emotional connection, leaving Layken with a renewed sense of hope.
Not long after an intense, heart-stopping first date, they are slammed to the core when a shocking revelation forces their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together, and the secret that keeps them apart. (Goodreads Blurb)




My Thoughts:

Slammed is one of those books that just sucked me in. The writing was easy, the characters came to life and the story was well written.  I laughed, I cried, I loved, I swooned.  I freaking loved this book to pieces and it slammed its way into my heart.

The story of Slammed was written in such a way that I felt completely immersed. It was so realistically realistic. I felt like the characters could be anyone. Layken as a main character was highly likeable. It’s the small things that really helped me attach to her, like when she pretends to be a zombie and chases her little brother around or the incident with the Darth Vader bedroom slippers.    The relationship Layken has with her mother is, again, realistic. It’s not perfect, but what relationship is? There is immediate chemistry between Layken and Will when they first meet; they're cute and awkward and I love them.  And speaking of Will…I was in need of a new favorite bookish boy. Why can't he be real?? ARG.  This book only helped cement my love of boys-next-door (or in this case boys across the street).

2 of my favorite things about this book:

#1 Poetry slams!! Before reading this book, my knowledge of poetry slams was what I’ve gathered from television. All I could think about was the episode of Boy Meets World when Cory gets up and slams TOPANGA! I imagined a dark room filled with people wearing berets drinking espresso and contemplating the universe. The poetry slams in this book RULE!  And I want to go to one!   It’s not just about reading lines off a page; it’s about performing something that lets people “see a glimpse into your soul”.  Who knew poetry slams could be so cool? I know I didn’t. The poems that were presented during the slams were very touching, especially the one Will does at the end of the book. It definitely spoke to my soul.

#2 I love books that include song lyrics. Whether they are given at the beginning of the chapter, as is done in Slammed, or at the end or just randomly scattered. Song lyrics can add a lot of depth and meaning to a story. As did all the Avett Brothers lyrics that were included in this book. I’ve never listened to this band, but they are poets in their own right and I will definitely be checking them out now.

Overall, this book was a slice of apple pie heaven that I want seconds of. Oh that’s right, the second book is already out! Point of Retreat, we'll be meeting very soon.

Favorite Quotes:

“Despite my objections I realize, almost pathetically, that I have just experienced the most passionate kiss I’ve ever received from a guy and it was on the freaking forehead.”

“Forever I will move like the world that turns beneath me. And when I lose my direction, I’ll look up to the sky. And when the black cloak drags upon the ground I’ll be ready to surrender, and remember well we’re all in this together. If I live the life I’m given, I won’t be scared to die.”- The Avett Brothers

Bottom Line: To NOT read Slammed by Colleen Hoover..well that’s NOT a good idea. J 4.5/5

I've included the very funny video of a poetry slam courtesy of Boy Meets World. You're welcome.



My Thoughts: Botanicaust (Tam Linsey)

The only crop left ... is human.

After genetically altered weeds devastate Earth's crop lands, much of humanity turns to cannibalism to survive. Dr. Tula Macoby believes photosynthetic skin can save the human race, and her people single-mindedly embark on a mission to convert the cannibals roaming what's left of Earth. But when Levi, a peaceful stranger, refuses alteration, Tula doesn't think the only options should be conversion or death.

Levi Kraybill, a devout member of the Old Order, left his Holdout farmland to seek a cure for his terminally ill son. Genetic manipulation is a sin, but Levi will do almost anything for the life of his child. When he's captured, he's sure he's damned, and his only escape will be death.

Tula's superiors schedule Levi's euthanization, and she risks everything to set the innocent man free. Now she and Levi are outlaws with her people, and she's an abomination with his. Can they find sanctuary in a cannibal wasteland? (Goodreads Blurb)

My Thoughts:

Botanicaust was a unique, very imaginative read.  I’ve never read anything like it.

Cannibals, plant people, Amish. I would say this book is very much science fiction and lovers of that genre will like this book. I thought it was good, but I didn’t fall in love with the characters.  The world that was built was very creative, but it took a while for it to all come together for me. I very much appreciated the glossary at the end. I would have liked to see more back story and clearer explanation of the actual Botanicaust event. This book definitely makes you think, if all your food resources are gone and you had to choose between eating people, starving to death or being converted into what you believe to be an abomination against  God, which would you choose? Food for thought.

Favorite Quote:

"You are not your body. You are your soul, and your soul is good and beautiful to God. And to me.”

Bottom Line: Botanicaust is a refreshingly different book that I would recommend for science fiction enthusiasts. 3/5

In My Mailbox #16

Only one book this week for my Kindle but it's a goodie.

For Review from Netgalley:

Slammed by Colleen Hoover (I've already read this and loved it, review will post later this week.


Following the unexpected death of her father, 18-year-old Layken is forced to be the rock for both her mother and younger brother. Outwardly, she appears resilient and tenacious, but inwardly, she's losing hope.
Enter Will Cooper: The attractive, 21-year-old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slam poetry and a unique sense of humor. Within days of their introduction, Will and Layken form an intense emotional connection, leaving Layken with a renewed sense of hope.
Not long after an intense, heart-stopping first date, they are slammed to the core when a shocking revelation forces their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together, and the secret that keeps them apart.  (Goodreads blurb)

My Thoughts: The Reluctant Amazon (Sandy James)

The last thing Rebecca Massee expects on her wedding day is to go from jilted kindergarten teacher to Amazonian Earth warrior. But when she causes an earthquake after her groom says I don’t, she discovers that not only does she possess incredible powers, she is one of four lost chosen sisters who must fight to keep humanity safe from rogue gods and demons. Luckily she has help: ruggedly handsome Scottish warrior Artair MacKay, her protector and teacher.

An immortal, Artair has trained countless warriors for more than four hundred years. He understands Rebecca’s confusion at the new world she’s been thrust into and worries she is too emotionally vulnerable, but that doesn’t stop his growing feelings for the beautiful and fearless woman.

When an evil force threatens to destroy the Amazons, Rebecca must claim her full powers--but they come at a cost. Can she sacrifice the man she loves if it means saving the world? (Goodreads blurb)


Cover: I really dig the cover of this book. The green and purple are very appealing to the eye with the woods and quiver of arrows in the back, and the kick-ass girl in the front.

My Thoughts:
While the cover may have worked, I unfortunately found a lot wrong with the story of The Reluctant Amazon.

I was interested in this book initially because of the main premise:  Amazons. I've always been fascinated with these strong female warrior characters. The story however did not take me on a deep enough journey.

When I look at the girl on the front cover it does not make me think of the main character Rebecca. When I first started reading, I felt she was real and likeable and I found myself laughing out loud. However, the romance aspect of this book ruined her character for me. She didn't become the strong character I was envisioning. She was stuck on a guy who she just met and was more worried about him then her job as an Amazon.

I felt the romance between Rebecca and Artair really took away from the story. Once again you have this insta-love. It would have been so much better and invoked much more tension if the romance had been a gradual build-up. The passages with the two of them became annoying.  For example, while her home was going down in flames and her sisters had scattered to safety, Rebecca and Artair found time for a sexual romp in the woods.  ugh.

I can definitely say that this story isn't predictable. I was kept guessing the entire time. Which was good.  The mythology that I did get was interesting, but I felt it wasn't taken far enough. I wanted much much more.  I also would have liked less unrealistic romance between Rebecca and Artair and more action, adventure, and story development. While I did like the aspect of the Amazons representing fire, earth, air or water, there was not enough explanation about them and their differences. The characters all needed to be flushed out more.

This book had a lot of potential, but it just didn't come together.  All of that said, I think the author had a solid idea here for a series.

Favorite Quotes:  none

Bottom Line: Overall, The Reluctant Amazon had a skeleton of what could have been an amazing read. However when it came down to the meat of the story I was left unsatisfied. 2.5/5

In My Mailbox (#15)

In My Mailbox is hosted over at The Story Siren.


I've been doing pretty well with my no-more-book-buying-try-to-read-the-books-I-already-own-unless-they-are-the-new-fall-releases-I-can't-NOT-buy-ban. But hey, no one's perfect !!

I have a couple new e-books.  Link will take you to it's Goodreads page.

For review:

Botanicaust by Tam Linsey (From Author via Goodreads)




The Reluctant Amazon by Sandy James (via Netgalley)




Bought: (all of the following I bought on sale e-book style)

Wuthering Frights by H.P. Mallory


Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi



Vamped by Lucienne Diver


Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep


I Am Legend by Richard Matheson