I liked this story, mostly because I really like the character of Link. I was, however, quite disappointed that Dream Dark
isn't told from Link's POV, but rather, from Ethan's. Don't get me
wrong, I love Ethan too, but I felt it was not Ethan's tale to tell. It
would have been far more entertaining coming from Link's brain. It
actually took me a couple of screens (on Kindle) to figure out that it
wasn't Link speaking.
Anyway, it's a nice addition to the story,
but doesn't really add much to the overall tale. It still leaves one
confused about what in the world Ridley was doing at the end of book
two, and I wasn't quite sure what Macon's point was in sending Link on
this errand. Did he mean for Link to die? Or did he know what was going
to happen? This could have been fleshed out a bit more without giving
away too much from book three, I feel.
If you read this on a
Kindle, expect it to end around the 42% mark. The rest is just a sneak
peak of book three. It ends abruptly and leaves you wishing it was
longer. I would much rather have had 200 pages of this story than the
first 200 pages of book two. Overall though, four stars.
Boy
did this book take a long time to get going. I honestly had a difficult
time reading it (and caring about reading it) until exactly the
half-way point. In a book that's 500 pages long, reading 250 pages
before anything good happens is just too long in my opinion. Close to
nothing happens in the first half, and then almost too much happens too
fast in the last 250 pages. The end climax was especially frenetic and
confusing. I'm not 100% sure I understand what exactly happened. People
kept popping up where they shouldn't have been and everything was
twisted and turned upside down. People who were dead really aren't dead,
people who were dark really aren't dark, and no one is sure of
anything. Least of all me.
Book #2 really suffered from lack of
the Lena-Ethan story. In fact, I didn't like Lena at all in this book.
She was whiny and mopey and boring, and I couldn't find it in me to care
what happened to her. Thankfully the characters of Ethan and Link are
more interesting; this book was more about Ethan's journey than Lena
anyway. I really like Link, and I'm looking forward to reading the short
story Dream Dark, which takes place between this book and book #3.
I
think this book also suffers from the difficulty of having two authors.
It's just hard for two people to write one story, and it showed in this
one. I felt there were continuity issues throughout, little things that
weren't consistent and that jarred me from the story.
I thought
the characters of John Breed and Olivia (Liv) were kind of pointless
distractions. What is their purpose? If Lena and Ethan's love is so
strong and so real, why was there a distraction in Liv and John? The
fact that both Lena and Ethan were so easily drawn away from each other
and to the characters of John and Liv made it seem that their love
really wasn't all that strong to begin with. So why have a story? And
what happened to Liv in the end? Both characters just seemed unnecessary
to me. The same action could have happened completely without them.
I
loved Link, Ethan, Lucille Ball the cat, Macon, Marian, Lila, Ridley,
and the sisters. They were the only things that saved this book from two
stars for me. I will read Link's short story, but beyond that, I'm not
sure I care to read on.
This
story was better than I expected. I enjoyed the modern-day, sleepy
Southern town setting. I definitely related to that. The characters were
likable and believable. I liked the term Caster and enjoyed the
witchy lore part of that. My favorite parts were the flashback scenes to
the Civil War days. Incidentally, those are my favorite parts in The
Vampire Diaries TV series.
A friend and I just rented the
Beautiful Creatures movie and watched it this past weekend and I tell
ya, I'm so thankful I didn't pay money to see it in the theaters. It was
awful. And I'm positive that if I had not already read the book, I'd
have absolutely no idea what was going on in the movie. So if you
haven't watched it, don't bother. Just stick with the books.
I
will probably read on in this series. It's entertaining and easy to
read, with good pacing, an interesting plot and good character
development.
I cannot believe I have read
13 of these books. Really? I've invested that much time in Sookieland?!
But it has been a fun ride! Thirteen is my favorite number, and while
this wasn't my favorite book in the series, I thought it was better than
most.
I liked how all the important (and some not-so-important)
people in Sookie's life made an appearance in this last installment. All
the loose ends were tied up and all the conflict was resolved...for me,
in a pleasing manner. We're done with the fae (thank God, right?), done
with the fighting and fearing for Sookie's life. And in the end she
chooses to be with the right guy, the one I was rooting for all along.
I
felt like the writing was a clunky and awkward at times. It certainly
didn't feel as good quality as most of the past books (minus maybe #1
and #s 10-12). And I think the plot was a bit convoluted and difficult
to follow. I couldn't figure out why the "bad guys" were trying so hard
to get Sookie, why they cared. Their reasons for wanting to kill her
just didn't make sense. And the connections between all the "bad guys"
were just weak. It certainly seemed as if Harris was a bit tired and
ready to be done with Sookieville. I don't blame her; it was time.
I'm
glad I met Sookie and all her crazy, scary friends. And I'm really glad
I never got into watching True Blood on HBO. From what I hear, the books are
far superior. This was a great way to pass the time during the summers.
Definitely not high-quality literature, but fun, popcorn reading to put
in between heavier selections for the past few years. Thank you, Ms.
Harris!
Get your own copy of Dead Ever After on Amazon.
Read about the author, Charlaine Harris, on Goodreads.
This
book was not at all what I expected. My mother recommended it to me,
and even gave me her copy to read. It sat on my to-read bookshelf for
years. I guess I have learned my lesson...never judge a book--or your
mother--by its cover. Wow! I know my mom tends to enjoy sentimentally
sweet, somewhat predictable, feel-good stories...kind of like the ones
you read at Christmas, or like a Hallmark movie. She also enjoys
Christian fiction. So having those things in the back of my mind, in
picking up this book and reading the title (Her Father's House...that sounds like it could be her Heavenly
Father's house, right?) and in looking at the portrait of the author on
the back dust cover, I just made an assumption. A silly assumption.
This
is a wonderfully written, engrossing tale about a man who falls hard
and fast for a charming beauty in New York City. He's a lawyer who is
quickly making a name for himself, climbing the ladder of success, and
so forth. Lillian seems to be a perfect match for him, and his life is
charmed. Soon Lillian becomes pregnant and things start to fall
apart...and he starts to question whether he really knows his wife at
all. After some shocking revelations and careful planning, he makes a
decision that will change his life--and the life of his child--forever.
The
characters are more than believable; it's like they're your own
friends, acquaintances, or family members. Belva Plain has extraordinary
insight into the human mind and human nature. She writes it and you feel
it, you see it, you're there. I felt Donald's pride, his astonishment,
his shame, anger, fear, and hope. And I couldn't wait to find out how
the story would end. Once I realized this novel was not going to be
Christian fiction, I assumed it was a romance. Nope, not that either. I
guess the best category for it is general fiction. Very good, general
fiction. In looking up information on Mrs. Belva Plain, I learned that
she died just a few years ago, at the beautiful age of 95. She wrote
many, many novels, of which 22 were New York Times
Best-sellers. I am most definitely interested in reading a few more of
Mrs. Plain's gems. And I'm starting to wonder if I really even know my
mother at all. :) 4.5 stars from me.
Get a copy of Her Father's House from Amazon.
This book is absolutely
beautiful. It affected me so deeply, and it has taken some time for me
to process it enough to write a review. I had no expectations going into
it, other than my best book buddy said it was excellent. (She's always
right.) Me Before You is the second 5-star book I've read this year, and I'm pretty stingy with my stars.
I
really shouldn't tell you too much about the story. You need to read it
with no preconceived notions. Will is a high-powered big shot who lives
life to the fullest every day. He's successful, rich, handsome, and
used to everything going his way. He's traveled all over the world, and
always dates the most beautiful women. And then he has a tragic accident
that leaves him without the use of his limbs. Enter his paid companion,
Lou (short for Louisa). She's a small-town girl who has never been
anywhere exciting, hasn't done anything exciting, and has no desire to
do anything exciting. She's lived in the same town where she was born,
still with her parents, and has stuck with the same, boring boyfriend
for years. But she's content that way. Will is downright mean to Lou
when she first starts her job as his companion/caretaker. But she tries
to understand his anger and frustration, and she refuses to let him get
her down. Eventually, her quirky, upbeat personality wins him over, and
they forge a beautiful friendship. I won't tell you more.
There
is a very controversial social/moral issue at the heart of this story,
and I feel the author addresses it beautifully. You find yourself seeing
and understanding both sides of the issue, and for me, it really made
me question what I would do if put in that situation--either myself
personally, or someone I loved and cared about. Moyes presented this
issue without judgment and without being preachy or pushy, yet she moves
you deeply and you care (and cry) before you even realize it. Bravo,
Ms. Moyes!
Because the story is set in modern-day England, there
was some British slang and references to things and places that had zero
meaning for me. I ended up Googling and Urban Dictonary-ing several
things, and I highly recommend you do the same if you find yourself a
little confused. It makes a big difference.
Don't even go into
this book thinking it's a romance. It's really not. It should be
categorized as simply really good modern fiction. Don't miss it though.
Truly one of the best reads of the year for me. Five stars without
hesitation; I wish they were all this good.
Get your own copy of Me Before You on Amazon.
Read about the author, Jojo Moyes, on Goodreads.
Soulless is a pleasant blend of
paranormal, romance, Steampunk, and mystery...with a bit of humor for
good measure. I was surprised at how much I liked it.
Alexia
Tarabotti is a self-proclaimed spinster living in Victorian London
society. She is very intelligent, loves to read and debate, and is happy
being unmarried. Oh yes, and she was born without a soul. That fact
makes her the antidote to vampires and werewolves, both of which are a
mainstreamed part of society in her world. As soon as Alexia makes
physical contact with a vampire, his fangs retract and he's human
again...until the contact is broken. At the very beginning of the story,
Alexia is at a ball and is awaiting her tea when a rogue vampire
attacks her in the library (the nerve of him!). She is forced to defend
herself and ends up killing him with her wooden hair pin. This
self-defense murder catapults Alexia into an investigation of the
missing rogue vampires and werewolves in the area.
The plot is a
bit thin in this one, but the witty banter and dry humor more than make
up for it. It feels a bit like a 21st-century independent woman was
dropped in the middle of Jane Austen's time, with civilized vampires and
werewolves mixed in...and I loved it! I am definitely interested in
reading Parasol Protectorate #2.
Get a copy of Soulless from Amazon.
Read about the author, Gail Carriger, on Goodreads.
