Sunday, February 15, 2015

Stitching Snow by R. C. Lewis


Yes, I know. I've been reading a lot of reinterpretations of fairy tales. I will be slowing down on them after this. To be honest, I almost didn't finish this book. It was so "meh" to me. That could be because, as previously stated, I've been reading a lot of these. It could just be that this book, while it had a lot of the elements that I like, just didn't use them in the proportions required for me to enjoy it. I know a lot of people love this book, but I was strongly tempted to return this book to the library without finishing it so I could move on to more interesting books. Most I can muster is 3.5 hoots.*

              Hoot!
           Hoot!Hoot!
              Hoo



*Dimwit pushed it past a 3 to a 3.5.

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Cress by Marissa Meyer


Yes, I know, I've gone through the first three books of the Lunar Chronicles, rapid fire, but in my defense, this series is highly addictive. And I normally don't like princess stories or love stories, or the combination of the two! But this series has yet to disappoint and I have yet to be able to put it down.

Cress is an amazing continuation of the Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer. In case you can't tell from the cover, it's a version of Rapunzel's story. Like with Scarlet, there was a lot more of a love story than in the original Cinder, but the love story is not the focus. The focus is survival, Cinder's training, and stopping the wedding between Queen Levana and Emperor Kai.

I had a lot of fun reading this book. Though it's over 500 pages, it was still a relatively quick read and a fun ride. Sometimes it was even an emotional ride.* I greatly appreciated that Cress did have some issues with agoraphobia after spending so much time in isolation. Her panic attacks felt pretty accurate, and I have experience with them.

This book is does an amazing job of furthering the plot of the Lunar Chronicles as a whole and introducing several new aspects of Lunar life without making the reader feel overwhelmed. I gladly give it 4.5 hoots!

           Hoot!Hoot!
           Hoot!Hoot!
              Hoo


*I kid you not, this book made me cry. But I can't say the scene because SPOILERS!

Friday, February 6, 2015

Down the Wormhole by Ana Franco

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I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. And you know me, I prioritize honesty.

Overall, Down the Wormhole is a good book. It's barely 100 pages, so Franco does not waste pages with anything unnecessary to the story, which I am always appreciative of, especially if sequels are promised.* The rapid-fire pace of events did take a little getting used to, but once I had my brain trained on this speed, I was able to keep up with the story events pretty well. I also liked the blending of Celtic, Norse and Egyptian mythologies, though I do agree with the main character, Kitty, that some explanations are needed.**

I've admitted several times in the past that love stories aren't my thing***. Fortunately Franco is able to give plenty of focus to each of the events of the story that need to take place. She has allotted each essential part of the story enough time that the entire book remains well balanced.

Probably my biggest criticism of this would be the sheer number of typos. They were pretty common and caused me to be distracted while reading. But, this is an ARC, so hopefully another round of proofing/editing will take care of them.

I have to admit, this book is good. With some proofreading it could be great. For now I'm giving it 4 hoots and I look forward to seeing the finished project.

           Hoot!Hoot!
           Hoot!Hoot!



*I know Ana Franco is writing more books whether they are sequels to this one, I'm not so sure.
**Sequel?
***Which is probably why I ended up more interested in the one character that was not part of a couple, Andrew/Anubis.