Earth Power

by Adam J. Black

*I was given a free copy of this book for an unbiased review*

In the beginning I wasn't sure what to think of this book and it was what I call a slow burner. It was very interesting, but took it's time getting going. The story was good, but the pacing was a little off.

The characters were alright, but they didn't seem to have the same amount of depth. I think you get a good feel for Raphael and Sam, but all the other characters seem almost 2D compared to their 3D level.

I like the ending and the twist that I did see coming, but I am good at predicting those sorts of things. I hope this story continues because it is a story I would continue to read.

My rating:

The Trench (MEG #2)

by Steve Alten

I am super happy that I read this book when I did. I love the uniqueness of this series and it is reminiscent of Jurassic Park. While the first one was arguable better, this one was a very logical step in the aftermath of the first book. I liked that about it.

What I didn't like about it was that there were less meaningful deaths and less chaos than the first one. That isn't to say that nobody died and there was no chaos, but when the first book is so full of chaos and death and the second one isn't it sometimes feels like you were cheated. That being said the actual plots and story made perfect sense.

I was not too sure about Benedict and Celeste in the first place and their storyline was a little too twisted in the end for me to appreciate and the involvement of the CIA and other government agencies was a little weird feeling to me.

The one thing that pulled me out of the book a little is that this book had a plot that involved terrorist organizations and Osama Bin Laden funding the operation and it does date this book a little. This was written before 9/11 so it would have made sense, but in the aftermath of that day it loses a little of its impact.

My Rating:

MEG: A Novel of Deep Terror (MEG #1)

by Steve Alten

This book was a little weird from the get go, but it was pretty good. I like the fact that they not only find a Megaladon, but figure out a way to get it out of the Marianas Trench and to the surface in a feasible way.

I am fascinated by sharks and the deep sea so this book, while many would say was written a little badly, was a pure treasure for me to read. I loved it. I loved the family dynamics and the fact that not everyone makes it and that you never know quite what to expect. It is a good book in the way that it shows just how scary one of these animals could be if it ever did surface.

The ending was a little hard to believe, but it wasn't exactly too incredible to be impossible. I didn't see the ending coming and I know it is a series and I hope to read the rest of it.

I am excited, and that takes a lot.

My Rating:

Beastly

by Alex Flinn

This wasn't a bad book. I like it as a modern telling of the classic Beauty & The Beast story. I think it is a nice story, but it didn't really seem to have anything special about it to make it stand out from other versions of this story.

The only thing that I like about this book is that The Beast was thinking enough to add that he wanted to give his blind tutor his eyesight back and let his housekeeper go home. It was a nice touch that was added that was almost like a bonus.

This is a book that simply falls into that category of I enjoyed it enough, but if I had never read it, I wouldn't have missed much.

My Rating:

The Island

by Jen Minkman

This is a unique twist on a type of story that seems to be popping up a lot at least in my reading circle. Stories where a virus of some kind kills anyone who is an adult and kids are left to their own devices.

I like this one because of the twist of the island divided and the Star Wars theme that runs throughout. I like the characters and their naïveté of the world and the fact that they are cut off from the rest of the world, but now they know the truth and have to deal with it. I like that. It is also short and easy to read.

My Rating:

Hush, Hush

by Becca Fitzpatrick

I like this book. It had some things that I found annoying, but in general I liked it.

The mysteriousness of Patch was nice, but revealed so DAMN slowly that I wanted to smack someone into giving it up. Also Nora was a nice character, but she was a little too slow in some ways and I found it a little annoying about her. It made me not like her as much as I could have.

This is a good story and I am not complaining, but I felt that some of it was lacking like the Elliot & Jules thing. Yes it all made sense in the end, but it was just awkward to me for some reason.

I think the ending was fitting and it was a good one to read. I might continue the series, but I am not in a rush to read the next one. I have a lot more to read and they are more interesting to me than this one ended up being.

My Rating:

I'm a Dog, You're a Cat: Love Lessons from Our Furry Friends

by Marla Press, Jim Tweedy (Illustrations)

*I was given a free copy of this book on Netgalley.com for an unbiased review*

I loved this adorable book. This was a very true and adorable way of showing how in a relationship you are generally a dog or a cat and that cats normally attract dogs. The illustrations were adorable and complimented the text very well. I have always been a cat, but I never realized just how much of a dog my fiance is. I can't wait to tell him, because he is adorable, just like a dog.

I am very happy for the opportunity to read this and would recommend it to others.

My Rating:

Vivid

by Andrea Murray

*I was provided a free copy of this book for an unbiased review*

This was a good book, but to be honest it reminded me a lot of Hush, Hush and I had trouble reading it because I had to read it suddenly and I was in the middle of reading Hush, Hush and kept getting the two mixed up. It could be just me. Plus the names Elliot from Hush, Hush and Easton from this book made my confusion worse for a while. There are differences of course, but in my head they got tangled.

There are differences and those are what make this book what it is of course. There is of course The powers that Vivian has and her trouble with them and her past. The mysterious people/organization out to get her and the troubles of being a teenager in High School. It is a pretty good book, but It wasn't super stellar. It wasn't a waste of my time, and that is always a good thing.

Plus you have to like a book that has the line: "The butterflies in my stomach feel like pterodactyls."

My Rating:

Rash

by Pete Hautman

I am sorry but I loved this book. I really did. It is how I could totally see our future where everything is essentially bubble wrapped and safety is taken to a level insane enough by our current standards to be considered comical and ridiculous.

It was incredibly easy to read. I really liked Bo as a character even though he was a little stiff at times. I felt that he really did get screwed. The rules in this society were insane and ridiculously strict. An insult about someone's face is a class-three misdemeanor? Ouch.

Prison life wasn't as bad as it could have been, but it still wasn't great and he was lucky he survived at all. Then there were the bears and the rash. Anyway, it was well written, easy to read and different enough to be very enjoyable.

My Rating: