Review: The Gift

The Gift (Withch and Wizard #2) by James Patterson and Ned Rust
Publication Date: December 13, 2010
Genre: YA Fantasy
Pages: 320

Summary

Whit and Wisty have established themselves as leaders of the Resistance, willing to sacrifice anything to save kids kidnapped and brutally imprisoned by the New Order. But the One has other plans in store for them: He needs Wisty, for she is "The One Who Has the Gift."

Okay, before I get to far into the review, let me just save sometime and state me feelings. I was really disappointed by the book.

One thing Wisty and I learn about looking and feeling old is that it's not only inconvenient but really problematic for prison escapees like us.

 I read the first one, and even though I wasn't competely blown away, I thought the book was good and I wanted to read the second one. And when I saw this a the library I was happy to pick it up. And let me just say, I'm really glad that I borrowed it from the library and didn't buy it.

The characters were just about the same as they were in the first one. They really didn't grow, which really disapointed me. I wanted to know more about them, to feel more about them, but I didn't.

I guess the plot was decent. But there were points where it seemed to be going one way then it would take three or four turns and you end up kinda confused. It sometimes felt like there was things that didn't connect or felt like they belonged.


Another thing is, it kind of felt like a rush job. Like the two authors just wanted to be done with it.

I'm saying this right now, I won't buy the third book. I may borrow it from the library, and hope it  will be better than this one. Because, to me, that's the only way I will be reading the next book.

.5

Teaser Tuesday (23)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB from Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read.
• Open to a random page.
• Share (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.--BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS. Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away. You don't want to ruin the book for others.
• Share the title & author, so others can add to their TBR list if they like your teasers.

Our Teasers This Week. . .

Bloodstained Blade loomed over me, humming with evil glee. I knew I couldn't evade another attack. I was about to become two separate halves of Carter Kane.

-from page 280, The Serpent's Shadow

Vlog Review: The Zombie Pinocchio

The Zombie Pinocchio (Zombie Fairy Tales #3)( by Kevin Richey
Publication Date: March 13, 2012
Genre: Horror
Goodreads

Summary

The gentle but lonely toymaker Geppetto builds the perfect companion from the corpses of children: a son who will never die. But when his creation revolts and begins a campaign of debauchery and murder upon the town's children, he fears he may have unleashed a force of evil beyond his control—The Zombie Pinocchio.

A creeptastic short story that'll make your skin crawl, Kevin Richey gave this loved fairy tale a dark twist of fate, that will haunt you deep in the night.  



Vlog Review: Dead Is a State of Mind

Dead Is a State of Mind by Marlene Perez
Publication Date: January 1st 2009
Genre: YA Paranormal
Pages: 175
Goodreads

Summary

A creepy, campy new mystery series

Welcome to Nightshade, California—a small town full of secrets. It’s home to the psychic Giordano sisters, who have a way of getting mixed up in mysteries. During their investigations, they run across everything from pom-pom- shaking vampires to shape-shifting boyfriends to a clue-spewing jukebox. With their psychic powers and some sisterly support, they can crack any case!

There’s a gorgeous new guy at Nightshade High: Duke Sherrad, a fortune-teller claiming to have descended from Gypsies. Even though she’s psychic herself, Daisy is skeptical of Duke’s powers. But when a teacher who was the subject of one of his predictions ends up dead, she begins to wonder if Duke is the real deal after all.

Maybe if Daisy can track down the teacher’s killer, she can find out the truth. The only trouble is, all signs point to the murderer being of the furry persuasion. Is Daisy any match for a werewolf? Maybe she is . . . in more ways than she bargained for!

 

 

Um, I may repeat a couple times and kinda spoilers (little ones) if you haven't read the first book. I'm quite new at the whole vlog thing so I promise I'll get better. :) Enjoy!

 

 

 

Twist and turns within this light paranormal read that'll have you hooked inside Daisy's world in no time. Plus, a fun streaming jutebox that likes to start it's own music without anybodies help, that'll charm it's way into everybodies heart.

 

 

Happy Reading Everybody!



 

On My Wishlist (26)

Is a weekly book meme hosted by Cosy Books. Where we talk about the books that are currently on top of our wishlists. Old, new or yet to be released titles are all welcome.

Dead Is So Last Year by Marlene Perez

Publication Date: May 4th 2009

Genre: YA Paranormal

Pages: 208

Goodreads

Summary

Something very strange starts happening in Nightshade the summer that the eldest Giordano sister, Rose, gets a job working at Dr. Franken's research laboratory. People are starting to see double. Doppelgängers of Nightshade residents are popping up all over town. Daisy, Rose and Poppy think it's a coincidence, until the rumors start that their father, who disappeared several years ago, has been spotted in town.

Meanwhile, Daisy's beau, Ryan is spending all of his time training for football, and like the other guys on the team, he's grown enormous almost overnight. Samantha Devereux's boyfriend's neck has doubled in size since school ended. Could the football players be resorting to extreme measures to win? Between summer jobs, sugar rushes, and beach parties, the Giordano girls get to the bottom of these mysteries and more.

I really enjoyed the second one, Dead Is a State of Mind. They're fast, fun, and easy to fall into their world.

Happy Weekend Everybody!

Night Shade (Daughters of the Moon #3) by Lynne Ewing

Publication Date: March 1, 2001

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 275

Summary

Jimena was once the toughest chola in East L.A. No longer in a gang, she is still feared by many. Nothing scares Jimena. Nothing, that is, except the reappearance of Veto, who was once the love of her life. That terrifies her, because Veto was killed a year ago by a rival gang. Or was he? Jimena discovers that he has made a devil's bargain, which could cost both of them their lives.

I borrowed the first two at the library and really liked them. So, now I want to read this one, and I hope I really like it, too.

Unraveled (Intertwined #2) by Gena Showalter

Publication Date: August 31, 2010

Genre: YA Paranormal Fantasy

Pages: 572

Summary

Since coming to Crossroads, Oklahoma, former outcast Aden Stone has been living the good life. Never mind that one of his best friends is a werewolf, his girlfriend is a vampire princess who hungers for his blood, and he's supposed to be crowned Vampire King—while still a human! Well, kind of.

With four—oops, three now—human souls living inside his head, Aden has always b

...moreSince coming to Crossroads, Oklahoma, former outcast Aden Stone has been living the good life. Never mind that one of his best friends is a werewolf, his girlfriend is a vampire princess who hungers for his blood, and he's supposed to be crowned Vampire King—while still a human! Well, kind of.

With four—oops, three now—human souls living inside his head, Aden has always been "different" himself. These souls can time-travel, raise the dead, possess another's mind and, his least favorite these days, tell the future.

The forecast for Aden? A knife through the heart.

Because a war is brewing between the creatures of the dark, and Aden is somehow at the center of it all. But he isn't about to lie down and accept his destiny without a fight. Not when his new friends have his back, not when Victoria has risked her own future to be with him, and not when he has a reason to live for the first time in his life….

I also borrowed the first one from the library. I liked it more then I thought I would.

Review: Thirteen Reasons Why

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Publication Date: June 14th 2011 (paperback)
Genre: YA Contemporary
Pages: 288
Goodreads

Summary

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker - his classmate and crush - who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah's voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out why. Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a firsthand witness to Hannah's pain, and learns the truth about himself-a truth he never wanted to face.

Thirteen Reasons Why is the gripping, addictive international bestseller that has changed lives the world over. It's an unrelenting modern classic.

 

 

 

 

This is a book that'll leave a print in your heart, it'll stick with you to the ends of the earth, and one that'll show you a new light. A book that all should read. One where you can learn. And one that can help people whom are in her very position right now.

 

 

Also, I believe this was Hannah's way of finally telling Clay all that pushed her into doing it.

Happy Reading Everybody!

Review: Into the Cold Fire

Into the Cold Fire by Lynne Ewing
Publication Date: August 1, 2000
Genre: YA Fantasy
Pages: 264

Summary

Serena is being targeted by the Dark Side. Her power to read minds is what they need in order to destroy the Daughters of the Moon. And Serena has always had a rebellious side to her that may not be able to resist the seductive temptation of the Dark Side -- and Stanton, their sexy, mesmerizing leader.

I found the first one, 'Goddess of the Night', at the library. I liked it and the on my last trip to the library, picked this one up.

She hadn't understood her power when she was little. She only knew then that she was different from everyone else. Sometimes in the excitement of playing, she'd forget her friends weren't speaking and she'd answer their thoughts. 

This book is a lot like the first book. The plot is different but the feel of it is the same. Only a few characters developed further. I really hoped most of them would, but Serena, Stanton, Collin, and Jimena did.

You find out more about Jimena's past. Stanton gets a little more sincere and you get to see Collin's protectiveness. The brother-sister relationship between Serena and Collin a lot more in the book.

One thing that slightly confused and surprised me was the relationship between Stanton and Serena. It felt kinda sudden. And it didn't feel completely right.

I didn't think the book was quite as good as the first one. But I still liked it and want to read the next book. If you liked the first one, then you probably will like this one.