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Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: 4.5 star books, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 1 - 25 of 58
1. When We Collided: review

Sometimes, you’ll meet a girl who bursts into a room and draws all eyes to her. Someone so charming and vivid that you can’t help but love and envy her–and perhaps wonder at how she burns so brightly, because there are times when it almost hurts to be in her orbit. Vivi Alexander shows up in a sleepy beach town one summer, and turns Jonah’s life upside down. In the stoic routine and worry of his life, Vivi is dazzlingly beautiful in her vintage dresses and bright lipstick, as well as kind to his little sister and wise beyond her years. Their attraction is immediate, and they’re soon sneaking kisses when people aren’t looking, he’s making her caprese sandwiches and leaving them outside her door, and she’s pulling him into a whirlwind of joyous outings and scandalous liasons. Their romance is sweet and funny and endearing, especially because they’re drawn... Read more »

The post When We Collided: review appeared first on The Midnight Garden.

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2. The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall: review

INSANE ASYLUM FOR GIRLS. That’s enough to get anyone’s attention, but unlike many slick, cheap-thrills books that quickly bore me, The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall is one of the most well-crafted YA horror books I’ve read in ages. It’s a short but surprisingly thoughtful book, with good creepiness and suspense and sadness, as well as the right balance of teenage snark and feeling. It’s hard to juggle humor and darkness, but the author does a great job of that here. I also very much appreciated the writing–I loved the way the passage of time was described, which places the reader in an unsettled frame of mind, as well as the sensory experiences of being in Delia’s mind and body as she adjusts to living in the house. There are good plot twists, a well-written back story that doesn’t slow down the pace, and logical progression in character and plot... Read more »

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3. The Rest of Us Just Live Here: Review

It finally happened. A book was special enough, funny enough, heartfelt enough, and just downright good enough to break the spell. My awful slump might be officially over; and it’s all thanks to Patrick Ness’ sly, hilarious, wry, and absolutely on point observations on growing up and what it means to move on. What is this book even about? It’s hard to pigeonhole this one into a genre! It’s sort of fantasy, sort of paranormal, sort of sci-fi…but it’s not really any of those things. There are definite supernatural happenings going on in the background. But this is very purposefully a book that is not about those happenings. The point is that there are regular, ordinary (well,for the most part) citizens who are just trying to continue going about their lives, even in the midst of very obvious supernatural turmoil. This book is about the ordinary people who just keep... Read more »

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4. A Thousand Nights: Review + Giveaway

A Thousand Nights is the Arabian Nights retelling I have been waiting for. I know there have been a few to come out this year, but A Thousand Nights has been my favorite of them all. If I could imagine an Arabian Nights retelling that would make my heart sing, it’d be this book. Go read this book when it comes out. It’s awesome. Probably you are already familiar with the story on which this novel is based. If not, let me give you a brief synopsis. There’s a king. He takes a new bride every day and kills her each night. One woman, Scheherazade, becomes his queen and delays her execution by telling a series of interlocking stories with cliffhangers for 1001 nights. What I liked about A Thousand Nights is that it takes this frame narrative but transforms it – the novel stays faithful to the spirit rather than the letter of its... Read more »

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5. Out of Darkness: Review

Out of Darkness brings to light often marginalized voices in young adult fiction. Centered on the New London School explosion of 1937, Out of Darkness features protagonists who are racially and culturally diverse and a heartbreaking story that confronts you with the realities of racialized and gendered violence in 1930s Texas (and … also contemporary American culture). If you are in the mood for some truly excellent historical fiction that will emotionally devastate you, well then, do I have the book for you. I read this book in less than a day and I couldn’t put it down the entire time. I haven’t seen much press around this book yet, which is a bummer, because Out of Darkness is so, so good and also as thoughtful and thought-provoking as hell. It’s one of my favorites of the year so far. (And hey! My list of favorites for 2015 is not going to be... Read more »

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6. Archivist Wasp: Review

This is the story of a girl lost in a lonely, desolate, and bare world; and a girl lost in herself. Wasp is an Archivist, one of a handful of girls selected from a young age to serve in a religious order where she must capture ghosts, learn what she can from them about their lives in the world Before and then dispatch them. It is a good thing to finish them eternally, or so she has been trained to think. Wasp must also battle to the death for her title every year. There is a line of upstarts looking to become Archivist themselves, and it is also how she herself took the title. She wears the braids of the Archivist before her and of all the upstarts who have challenged her in her own hair. It’s a fierce and brutal world our Wasp inhabits. This is a girl who... Read more »

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7. The Carnival at Bray: Review

The Carnival at Bray is the coming of age story of Maggie, a 16 year old American who, in 1994, finds herself suddenly moved to a remote Irish town. Is 1994 historical? I would say more yes than no. The time is sufficiently removed from ours with the biggest difference being that Maggie doesn’t have the luxury of Skype, Facebook, and all the modern conveniences of connection. Her isolation from her old life is near complete. An ocean removed from her family, it’s a void that she spends the book looking to fill. Being a teenager is often tough at the best of times. When you’ve been completely removed from everything you know this only becomes that much harder. Bray is the sort of misty, coastal Irish town that could drown you in its dreary isolation and Maggie feels it keenly. She makes a few attempts at friendships with classmates,... Read more »

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8. End of Days: Review + Giveaway

  Well, it’s the end of an era isn’t it? I wasn’t even a little bit nervous that this book would fail to deliver on all the promise of its predecessors and I am so happy to tell you that I was right in my confidence. If you are looking for heart pounding action, a fierce but all too human heroine, the swooniest of swoons and, of course, intense creepiness you will find it, and more, in End of Days. Like World After, End of Days picks up almost immediately where its predecessor left off. Penryn is reunited with both Raffe and Paige, but they are still plagued with problems. The world is still a mess, overrun with angels, humans, and other monsters. Raffe still needs his wings back and Paige needs help steering back to humanity. As is to be expected this book is super creepy. You thought you’ve... Read more »

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9. The Game of Love and Death: Review

The Game of Love and Death is perilous indeed. This is one where I shouldn’t reveal too much of how the book unfolds as it is best left to the reader to discover all of the mysteries and intricacies on their own. At its core this novel is a reflection on love, and loving, and life. On what it means to love, and what it means to love in the face of overwhelming obstacles. “Someday, everyone you love will die. Everything you love will crumble to ruin. This is the price of life. This is the price of love. It is the only ending for every true story.” This is the story of Flora Saudade and Henry Bishop. Two people who are kept apart by the standards of their time, but also by the very forces of Love and Death themselves. It is a heart achingly beautiful story and one... Read more »

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10. Bone Gap: Review

How do you review an unreviewable book? The entire book reads as if it is a dream. How do you describe a dream? There is an impossibility in trying to make sense of what can not be made sense of. I can try to describe to you the aspects that correlate with reality. But when they take a sudden nose dive into the magical, the inexplicable, the surreal…how do I explain that? This is a book full of contradictions. It is a fairytale and it is not. It is a love story and it is not. It is a mythical retelling and it is not. On the surface, this is a book about a young woman who has been kidnapped and about her teenage friend’s struggle to come to terms with what happened. But it is so much more than that. What it is is a compelling, tautly told story... Read more »

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11. Shadow Scale: Review

If Seraphina is the tale is the tale of a girl coming to terms with her dragon heritage (and, oh man, do I just love being able to mention a girl coming to terms with her dragon heritage) and coming to accept herself, then Shadow Scale is the story of a girl who has found her wings and put them to good use too! Shadow Scale takes the foundations of Seraphina and explodes its world outward. Not just geographically, but culturally (and mythically) as well. Seraphina is on a mission to find the other half-dragons to aid in the dragon war against Goredd. She must travel to other countries to gather her “grotesques” and convince them to help her. It’s so fun to travel to these new lands and learn about But the real delight is in meeting all the new people. I adored the expanded (and diverse) cast of... Read more »

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12. The Queen of the Tearling: Review

Have you read The Queen of the Tearling yet? If not: stop what you are doing immediately; do not pass Go; do not collect $200. Just go read The Queen of the Tearling. You will not regret it. I’m really bummed that I didn’t read it sooner. (And didn’t read it soon enough to count it among my 2014 favorites, because it definitely is, you guys.) It’s the sort of novel I’m predisposed to like because it features all of the following: lost princesses, a kingdom in turmoil, a tiny bit of romance, and ladies being badasses. And the underlying message is “this is why books are important, you guys.” So, this is all to say: if you like any of all of these things, please go read The Queen of the Tearling, and then join me in biting my nails, squealing like a ten year-old, and making grabby hands for... Read more »

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13. Love Letters to the Dead: review

Months ago, I had to put Love Letters to the Dead down because it was making me so desperately sad. Almost a full year later, I read the last half of it with a lump in my throat and tears dripping down my face. This is a profoundly moving meditation on grief, written with rare sensitivity and the kind of prose that nearly stops your heart with moments of quiet, anguished beauty. I cried throughout the book because there are so many small moments that so keenly observed bewilderment and pain, as well as anger and recklessness in the face of abandonment. This is a slow, contemplative, and occasionally blurry book, but it so skillfully weaves past and present together that when a devastating moment comes late in the story, it took me a minute to realize what was actually happening. My heart aches for this kind of intense, complicated... Read more »

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14. Her Dark Curiosity: Review

Ah, I am seriously so interested and excited by this book. For folks who are unfamiliar with The Madman’s Daughter series by Megan Shepherd, the basic premise is as follows: what if Dr. Moreau (island, animal-human hybrids, H.G. Wells) had a daughter with the same scientific bent? The first book (Wendy has a positive review of that book here; Tonya liked it less) follows Juliet Moreau from London – where she’s been living and working, cleaning university laboratories and the like after her father disappeared following a scandal that besmirched their family name – to the fabled island her father’s currently set up shop on. Juliet’s anxious and excited about reuniting with her father, but her feelings become more troubled when she discovers that the rumors are true: not only is her father a vivisectionist, but he is crafting human beings from the parts of different animals. (Whom he names after characters from Shakespeare, because... Read more »

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15. Station Eleven: Review

This is a fascinating story, a combination of post-apocalyptic genre fiction and literary fiction. A novel that is not so much concerned with the how of survival as it is with the why. It is a survival story but it is not survivalist. There are almost no heart pounding action scenes or encounters with the depraved dregs of humanity. There are big questions at hand. What does it mean to be alive when almost everyone else is dead? How do we go on when the world we knew is gone? How do you make a life in the graveyard of civilization? There is a certain horror element in how real the situation could be. A pandemic flu could come and wipe out humanity. There have been great plagues throughout history. In the age of air travel our world is more interconnected than ever. We will carry that virus farther and... Read more »

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16. Book Review: Women of Strength by Tristi Pinkston

Title: Women of Strength
Author: Tristi Pinkston
Series: None
Released: March 8, 2012
Publisher: Walnut Springs
Website: http://www.tristipinkston.com/


Book Summary:
The need for courageous, faithful women has never been greater than it is today. As we draw nearer to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, we are faced with temptations on every side. But we can prevail as we gain true strength from living the gospel.
In Women of Strength, Tristi Pinkston shares inspiring stories, as well as insightful quotes from Church leaders, to demonstrate the power and influence of righteous women. This book invites women everywhere to deepen their relationship with the Savior, rely on the guidance of the Holy Ghost, and learn what it really means to be strong.

This book is aimed a faithful latter-day saint women and was just what I needed. It's a quick read one I easily knocked out in a couple of hours but is packed full of quotes and stories that I really related to.  There is a lot of wisdom within the few pages of this book.  Tristi writes in a way that motivates without sugar coating or condemning.  I gleaned a lot from this wonderful little gem.



Content: Clean

Rating: 4.5 Stars - Highly Recommend to LDS women

Source: From author for review

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17. Book Review: Caller ID by Rachelle Christensen

Title: Caller ID
Author: Rachelle Christensen
Series: Stands Alone but is a Companion to Wrong Number
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Released: March 13, 2012
Website: http://www.rachellejchristensen.com/


Book Summary:
When twenty-three-year-old Courtney Beckham, the privileged daughter of a highly successful land developer, is abducted in the mountains near her home, FBI Agent Jason Edwards investigates the ten-million-dollar ransom and turns up more than just a kidnapping crime.
And when Courtney catches a glimpse of the caller ID in her kidnapper’s home, what she sees sends ice through her veins. Even if she escapes her captors, something much more dangerous lies ahead.
From the author who brought you Wrong Number comes another story featuring Agent Jason Edwards that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Caller ID is great romantic suspense.  The story-line was fast paced and kept me guessing.  We find out who is behind the kidnapping fairly early on but I wasn't expecting it to be who it was.  Even though we know who the bad guy is there are still lots of twists and turns in the story right up until the end.

Caller ID stands alone but one of the main characters Jason Edwards was in Rachelle's first book Wrong Number.  I enjoyed Caller ID enough that I decided I wanted to see what happened to Jason in Wrong Number so it is my next read.

Caller ID definitely made me a Rachelle Christensen fan.  I'm looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next.



Rating: 4.5 Stars - Highly Recommend

Content: Clean

Source: From publisher for review



Author Website: http://www.rachellejchristensen.com/
Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachellechristensenauthor
Publisher Blog http://www.cedarfortbooks.com/
Publisher Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cedarfortbooks
Publisher Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/cedarfortbooks



"To celebrate the release of CALLER ID, Rachelle is hosting a contest for a new Ultra Flip Video Camcorder (4GB memory, Records 120 minutes Value $149.99) and other great prizes. You can enter to win between now and April 14, 2012. Winners will be announced and notified April 16, 2012.

For how to enter: http://rachellewrites.blogspot.com/p/ultra-flip-video-contest.html
1 Comments on Book Review: Caller ID by Rachelle Christensen, last added: 3/15/2012
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18. Book Review: My Double Life by Janette Rallison

Title: My Double Life
Author: Janette Rallison
Series: None
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Released: May 13, 2010
Website: http://janette-rallison.blogspot.com/

Book Summary
Her whole life, Alexia Garcia has been told that she looks just like pop star Kari Kingsley, and one day when Alexia's photo filters through the Internet, she's offered a job to be Kari's double. This would seem like the opportunity of a lifetime, but Alexia's mother has always warned her against celebrities.
Rebelliously, Alexia flies off to L.A. and gets immersed in a celebrity life. Not only does she have to get used to getting anything she wants, she romances the hottest lead singer on the charts, and finds out that her own father is a singing legend. Through it all, Alexia must stay true to herself, which is hard to do when you are pretending to be somebody else!
So Cute! I love escaping into Janette Rallison's books!  She creates great characters who despite their flaws actually have a moral compass and values.

My Double Life was a fun realistic fairy tale like story.  One of those books that makes you smile and laugh and sigh.  It's an upbeat and feel good story that can easily be read in an afternoon or evening.

If you are looking for a light-hearted, quick read with a great message you can't go wrong with My Double Life.



Rating: 4.5 Stars - Highly Recommend

Content: Clean

Source: From Author for Review

3 Comments on Book Review: My Double Life by Janette Rallison, last added: 3/5/2012
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19. Book Review: My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

Title: My Soul to Take
Author: Rachel Vincent
Series: Soul Screamers Book #1 of 7
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Released: July 29, 2009
Website: http://rachelvincent.com/


Book Summary
She doesn't see dead people. She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next.

I probably should have reviewed this book as soon as I finished it earlier this week. Instead I found and read its prequel, then picked up the 2nd book in the series, and then the 3rd. I started the 4th book at midnight last night and have already finished it and just bought book number 5. As soon as I'm done with that I'm planning to buy the 2 novellas I've not yet read. I'm sleep deprived but just can't seem to get enough of this series.

It's been way too long since as series of books kept me up because I couldn't put them down.  I'm sure it helps that the first five books in the series are already out.  I've loved being able to finish one and jump right into the next one.  In fact part of me wishes I'd waited to start this series until all the books were out. I have a feeling the wait for the last two books in the series is going to be excruciating.

So did I like the first book My Soul to Take? Most definitely.  It is original and full of twists and turns and some amazing characters.  I loved both the story line and the characters.  My knowledge of folklore is obviously lacking because I didn't even know what a bean sidhe was prior to starting this book. Rachel Vincent's version of banshees & grim reapers is both creative and entertaining.





Content: language, making out, innuendo, sexual tension. (Having now finished the first 4 books of the series I should note that the intensity of the content has increased with each book).

Rating: 4.5 Stars - Highly Recommend to Older Teens & Adults

Source: Audible.com Download

5 Comments on Book Review: My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent, last added: 2/5/2012
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20. Book Review: The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

Title: The Body Finder
Author: Kimberly Derting
Series: Book 1 of 4
Publisher: HarperTeen
Released: March 16, 2010
Website: http://www.kimberlyderting.com/


Book Summary:
Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes that the dead leave behind in the world... and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find the dead birds her cat had tired of playing with. But now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet on her quest to find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved to find herself hoping that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer... and becoming his prey herself.

This was a creepy, suspenseful, romantic read.  A great mix of mystery, romance and fantasy.

Most of the book is told from Violet's point of view.  Violet hears "echoes" of both the dead and of those who've killed others.  For the most part this unique ability usually finds her digging up the bones of dead animals but occasional she stumbles across something much more horrifying.  No one knows of her ability except for her family and childhood friend Jay.

I loved watching Violet's relationship with Jay develop into something more than just friendship.  I'm a succor for the "best friend turned more than friend" kind of relationships.

Most of the story is told from Violet's perspective but there are short snippets thrown in that are written from the mind of a serial killer, that's that creepy part.

For those who scare easily you might not want to read this while home alone at night.  I don't scare easily and enjoy an occasional suspenseful, creepy book so I thoroughly enjoyed this one.  I'll definitely be reading the sequels.




Rating: 4.5 Stars - Highly Recommend

Content: Some language including 1 F word. No sex but some passionate making out. Creepy & suspenseful.

Source: Download from Audible.com

Also by Kimberly Derting




4 Comments on Book Review: The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting, last added: 2/4/2012
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21. Book Review: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: The Scorpio Races
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Series: None
Publisher: Scholastic
Released: October 18, 2011
Website: http://maggiestiefvater.com/

Book Summary:
It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.

Technically classified as young adult fantasy this book seemed real. The water horses in this book are based on mythological creatures but Maggie wrote them in such a way that I wouldn't be surprised to see them coming up out of the sea the next time I visit the ocean.  A testament to what an amazing writer Maggie is.

Due to the fact that I loved Maggie's Mercy Falls werewolf series, the Scorpio Races has been high on my want to read list.  Although completely different than the Mercy Falls series the Scorpio Races did not disappoint.  The Scorpio races is less romance and more about the horses, the island, the people and the races themselves.

I found myself rooting for both Kate and Sean and hoping somehow they could both win the race.  Ultimately I found the ending of the book to be very satisfying.

There is some violence in this series due to the fierce, untamed nature of the water horses (but violence in books doesn't bother me the way sex and language does).

I started Maggie's Books of Faeries series but never got further than the first chapter of Lament. I think I'm going to give that series another try because this book proved to me that Maggie is a phenomenal writer.



Rating: 4.5 Stars - Highly Recommend

Content: some language and violence

Source: Download from Audible.com

Also by Maggie Steifvater:
The Wolves of Mercy Falls



Books of Faerie

15 Comments on Book Review: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater, last added: 1/30/2012
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22. Book Review: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

Title: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Author: Lisa See
Series: None
Publisher: Random House
Released: February 21, 2006
Website: http://www.lisasee.com/


Book Summary:
In nineteenth-century China, in a remote Hunan county, a girl named Lily, at the tender age of seven, is paired with a laotong, “old same,” in an emotional match that will last a lifetime. The laotong, Snow Flower, introduces herself by sending Lily a silk fan on which she’s painted a poem in nu shu, a unique language that Chinese women created in order to communicate in secret, away from the influence of men. As the years pass, Lily and Snow Flower send messages on fans, compose stories on handkerchiefs, reaching out of isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments. Together, they endure the agony of foot-binding, and reflect upon their arranged marriages, shared loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their deep friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart.

Fabulously written but heart-wrenching. One of those haunting books that make me shake my head and wonder what posses people to carry on traditions that are wrong on so many levels. This book was really quite depressing. It captured so many emotions and painted such vivid pictures in my mind. Some of those pictures are beautiful but others are horrific.

This was the selection for my book group this month. It's a great choice for a book club, I'm sure we'll have some very interesting discussions next week.

This beautifully written book is one that lovers of Historical Fiction should pick up. I felt transported back to a time period that I am extremely grateful I do not live in.




Rating: 4.5 Stars - Highly Recommend to Adults

Content: This is historical fiction and has many details that are far from pleasant to read about from physical and emotional abuse to the breaking of bones during Chinese foot binding. Some language, sex, abuse and implied lesbian relationship.

Source: Library

Also by Author Lisa See

7 Comments on Book Review: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See, last added: 1/30/2012
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23. Book Review: With a Name Like Love by Tess Hilmo

Title: With a Name Like Love
Author: Tess Hilmo
Series: None
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Released: September 27, 2011
Website: http://tesshilmo.com/

Book Summary:

When Ollie’s daddy, the Reverend Everlasting Love, pulls their travel trailer into Binder to lead a three-day revival, Ollie knows that this town will be like all the others they visit— it is exactly the kind of nothing Ollie has come to expect. But on their first day in town, Ollie meets Jimmy Koppel, whose mother is in jail for murdering his father. Jimmy insists that his mother is innocent, and Ollie believes him. Still, even if Ollie convinces her daddy to stay in town, how can two kids free a grown woman who has signed a confession? Ollie’s longing for a friend and her daddy’s penchant for searching out lost souls prove to be a formidable force in this tiny town where everyone seems bent on judging and jailing without a trial.

With a Name Like Love is a wonderful middle, grade historical fiction, read that reminded me of Little House on the Prairie.

Ollie's dad is a traveling preacher. Every three days her family moves on to a new town. That's the way life is, the way it has always been and the way it seems like it will always be. At least until the family arrives in Binder, Arkansas. When Ollie befriends lonely Jimmy Koppel the family's way of life is turned upside down and they find themselves in a battle to help Jimmy and his mother.

This book is a heartfelt story that would make a great read aloud.


Content: Clean

Rating: 4.5 Stars - Highly recommend

Source: Review Copy

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24. Book Review: Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Title: Across the Universe
Author: Beth Revis
Series: Book #1
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Released: January 11, 2011
Website: http://acrosstheuniversebook.com/
Author Website: http://www.bethrevis.com/


Book Summary:
Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.
Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone - one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship - tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.
Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

Science Fiction, Dystopia, Romance, Mystery, Adventure... There's a little bit of everything mixed into this debut novel by author Beth Revis.

Across the Universe is told by two narrators Amy & Elder. The book begins with Amy about to be frozen in cryogenic sleep for a 300 year journey on the ship Godspeed. Our second narrator is Elder, the future leader of the ship Amy's frozen body is traveling on.

This was a fast paced book full of twists and turns, lies and deceptions.  I had a hunch fairly early on who the murder was but there were other story elements that took me by surprise. There is a great cast of characters who are all flawed but likable.  As is the case with most first books in a series the ending left many unanswered questions that I'm assuming will be addressed in future books.

Fans of young adult dystopian books are likely to enjoy this one. I found it to be a unique, entertaining story and I'm definitely looking forward to reading the sequel.



Rating: 4.5 Stars - Highly Recommend to older teens & adults

Content: just a couple instances of mild language and then some substitute swear words similar to what was done in the Maze Runner. Some sexual content including an attempted rape scene and some animalistic type mating practices that occur during "The Season".  Not overly graphic but I wouldn't let a young teen read it.

Source: Download from Audible.com

Download an Audiobook to Your iPod for only $7.49


The Sequel A Million Suns was released today January 10, 2012.

The 3rd book Shades of Earth will be released in January of 2013.
25. Book Review: Tempestuous by Lesley Livingston

Title: Tempestuous
Author: Lesley Livingston
Series: Wondrous Strange Book 3 of 3
Released: December 21, 2010
Publisher: HarperTeen
Tags: Young Adult, Fantasy, Faeries

Book Summary contains Spoilers if you have not read Darklight.

I don't love Sonny Flannery."
That's the lie Kelley Winslow told to protect the boy she loves from a power he doesn't know he possesses. Devastated, Sonny retreats—to a haven for Lost Fae that's hidden deep underneath New York City.
But Kelley's not about to let things end in heartbreak. To get Sonny back, she's got to find out who's after his magick—and how to use her own. She's got to uncover who's recruiting Janus Guards to murderously hunt innocent Faerie. She's got to help rebuild the shattered theater company she called family. And she's got to do it all without getting dangerously distracted by the Fennrys Wolf, whose legendary heart of stone seems to melt whenever he's around Kelley.
The intrigue and romance that began with Wondrous strange andDarklight come to a stormy head in Tempestuous, the breathtaking conclusion to Lesley Livingston's ravishing urban Faerie trilogy.


This was a great end to a great series. I listened to an audio version of this book and Lesley Livingston again did a fabulous job as the narrator. We've had A Midsummer's Night Dream then Romeo & Juliet and now references to Shakespeare's The Tempest.  I have really enjoyed this series, the exact type of books I love to read.

It's nearly impossible to write a review of the 3rd book in a series without including spoilers so this will be brief (as most of my reviews usually are anyway).  All the unanswered questions from the series are all wrapped up nicely and everything comes together in this satisfying conclusion to the Wondrous Strange trilogy.  This book has a little of everything: magic, mythology, mystery, adventure and romance.  A series I would highly recommend.

The main characters Kelley & Sonny are of course fabulous but there is also a great cast of supporting characters as well. I love Fenrys, Tyff, Chloe, Maddox, Jack, Bob and all the rest.

If you enjoy faerie fantasy and can handle some mild language then try this series.




Rating: 4.5 Stars - Highly Recommend

Source: Audible.com download

Content: Some language

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