Pride and Prejudice

After many years I figured it was time for a re-read of Pride and Prejudice. Despite viewing things from the previous time I read Pride and Prejudice I still consider it one of the ultimate love stories.

Lizzy is written brilliantly and I just love how she sticks to what she wants no matter what. While it may take her awhile to figure her heart out Lizzy is the type of character I cannot help but cheer for.

Mr. Darcy remains the ultimate gentlemen and I love how he never lowers himself by begging for Lizzy's attention even though it seems like he desperately wants it at times.

I am most likely in the minority but I wish people would talk in proper English more therefore I love the style of writing and the dialogue between character. I really do need to try some of Jane Austin's other works.

A Court of Thorns and Roses

I really wanted to love A Court of Thorns and Roses but at times I had to force myself to read it. Due to that I had to crunch to finish reading it and had to skim parts from the sixty percent mark.

For some reason I was bored with Feyre and her constant blindness to what was going on around her. Half the time I just wanted to shake her and scream at her to see reason. I suppose getting upset with a character means they are well written but it also deterred me from reading at times. While I was not thrilled with Feyre I did see personal growth which made her a little less frustrating for me. Since I do not want to give spoilers I will have to leave it at that.

Tamlin was way more interesting then Feyre and the reason I kept reading A Court of Thorns and Roses. I really wish part of the story had been told from Tamlin's point of view since I found him mysterious all the way through the end of the story. I also would have loved to see Tamilin's point of view of his relationship with Feyre as she adjusted to her new life.

The ending was not to my liking at all, does not feel like the story ended more like it just stopped. Maybe that is due to it being a series. The pacing of the story bothered me as well, at times I felt like I was re-reading parts of the story and other times a ton of information was dumped at once which just threw off the flow of writing for me.

Overall just an average book for me.

Friday 56: A Court of Thorns and Roses

This is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice.

These are the rules:

1. Grab a book, any book.

2. Turn to page 56, or 56% on your eReader.

3. Find any sentence (or a few, just don't spoil it) that grabs you.

4. Post it.

5. Add the URL to your post in the link on Freda's most recent Friday 56 post.

A Court of Thorns and Roses ebook 56%:

But someone was coming, someone awful enough to frighten them - someone who would want to hurt me if they knew I was here.

Mortal Heart

Mortal Heart was my favorite of the trilogy. While the first couple chapters were a bit slow to start the series had a wonderful ending.

Annith was an interesting character while it was clear she had a dark past Annith never tried to let it rule her instead she fought her hardest to server the God Death. Unfortunately for Annith the God of Death never seemed to want her to do anything for him and thus she continued to struggle to prove herself worthy. Normally I have issues when a character shows so much growth in such a short amount of time but with Annith it all fell into place and she did have issues over growing just not major break down issues since she did not have time for them. I liked Annith so much I wish there was another story about her.

Balthazaar was just plain awesome. I loved the mystery with him and while I was able to figure out his secret early on it was never odd that Annith stayed in the dark about Balthazaar and the mystery with him. The tension between Annith and Balthazaar was totally believable along with all their interactions. 

While Mortal Heart is a long book I read about seventy percent of it in one sitting without really realizing it. Robin LaFevers is an amazing story teller and I love how she interwove history with her own ideas. I hope Robin LaFevers continues to write and I look forward to reading new creations by her.

Friday 56: Pride and Prejudice

This is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice.

These are the rules:

1. Grab a book, any book.

2. Turn to page 56, or 56% on your eReader.

3. Find any sentence (or a few, just don't spoil it) that grabs you.

4. Post it.

5. Add the URL to your post in the link on Freda's most recent Friday 56 post.

Pride and Prejudice paperback book page 56:

During dinner Mr. Bennet scarcely spoke at all; but when the servants were withdrawn, he thought it time to have some conversation with his guest, and therefore started a subject in which he expected him to shine, by observing that he seemed very fortunate in his patroness. 

The Shadow Revolution

The Shadow Revolution was a recommendation from Marie at Pages to Explore.

I liked and yet did not like The Shadow Revolution, I wish it had focused more on the steampunk aspects since that was the genre I was wanting to read.

Simon was an interesting character but in a way I feel like I did not even get to know him. While Simon was referred to as a playboy that part of him was never really shown nor do I feel like I really know much of anything about him except he can use Aether.

It was refreshing to see Kate as a woman who could take care of herself but also in need of help at times. I did like how she Kate got caught up in her work and forgot about everything else around her.

Malcolm just came off as a bit of a generic monster hunter character to me. Nothing I would not see in another book dedicated to hunting monsters.

While the plot moved along quickly I am just not sure I liked the pacing or the development of the characters. That could change since it is a trilogy and maybe the authors just wanted to introduce the characters. My other big issue was I kept comparing The Shadow Revolution to Full Metal Alchemist, much of the components were the same. While I did not dislike The Shadow Revolution I was not excited about it enough to rush out and get the second book.

Friday 56 - Mortal Heart

This is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice.

These are the rules:

1. Grab a book, any book.

2. Turn to page 56, or 56% on your eReader.

3. Find any sentence (or a few, just don't spoil it) that grabs you.

4. Post it.

5. Add the URL to your post in the link on Freda's most recent Friday 56 post.

Mortal Heart ebook 56%:

The hooves grow even louder as they draw nearer and I cannot help but wonder if it is my fear that makes them seem so loud or simply my hearing compensating for my lack of sight. Either way, I nock an arrow to my bow and wait.

Becoming Alpha

Becoming Alpha is never a book I would have chosen to read but since it came with another book I wanted to read I figured I would try it out.

Werewolf and vampire books make me take several steps back and grimace ever since Twilight was released and ruined the genre for me. Therefore I was shocked at how much I enjoyed Becoming Alpha.

Tessa is awesome I love how she never accepts things for how they are and just ignores the answer that is how it has always been. All her life Tessa has had visions from touching people and things other people have touched. Scared of her ability she has never had a friend other then her brother. Just as her senior year of high school is about to start her parents announce they are moving to Texas to give Tessa a chance at a normal school year. Nervous but excited Tessa starts trying to make friends but when a first kiss goes wrong Tessa realizes she had no clue how close to abnormal she was.

I actually read ninety five percent of Becoming Alpha in one sitting which is rare for me. While part of it could have been I was sick and could not sleep the other part was getting to the end of the chapter and just having to know what happens next. Since I do not actively purse werewolf and vampire genre books several things did surprise me but that could be due to lack my of knowledge on the subject overall.

I hope to read Avoiding the Alpha soon.

Follow the River

I had really high hopes for Follow the River and I have been meaning to read it for years.

I devoured the first hundred and fifty pages or so but after that I got bored with Follow the River which surprised me. I expected the story to pick up when Mary escaped not slow down. The writing just got repetitive and it seemed like all the rest of the story was about was how Mary and the Dutch woman were hungry and cold. I get that was a huge struggle for them during their journey but after reading a hundred pages of how they just kept looking for food I got bored with it and just skimmed the rest of the parts until the end.

The writing while not bad I did not find outstanding. Just too repetitive for me to fully enjoy the story.

Isla and the Happily Ever After

Isla and the Happily Ever After was a disappointment for me. I should have stopped with Anna and the French Kiss since it was the only one in the series I really liked.

Isla reminded me of myself a lot and I do not like to read about characters that way. Quiet, studious, and loyal to her friend Isla makes top grades but has no clue about her future. Harboring a crush on Josh for years she has no clue how to tell him even when Josh becomes single. Lacking self confidence Isla makes more problems for herself and does not want to let herself be happy.

Josh is upset his friends have graduated and does not care about school anymore. Getting into a drawing school is all he cares about so Josh often skips school and ignores meritorious warnings to behave. Unlike the previous two books I did not see much character in Josh.

The writing was not bad and it read well just the story was too cliche for my taste. I also did not like how the intimate scenes got a bit more detailed in Isla and the Happily Ever After.

The Spiritglass Charade

The Spiritglass Charade is stunning. Everything I look for in a wonderful book and more.

Once again the crown has need of someone who can easily go unnoticed so Miss Holmes and Miss Stoker are called upon by the Princess Bertie to help her dear friend Willa avoid being locked away for hallucinations of her dead mother and missing brother.

In typical Holmes fashion Miss Holmes is determined to use science to debunk the mystery of Willa receiving messages from her deceased mother and missing brother. Once again Mina can get blindsided by science always have an answer and totally caught up in wanting to prove how everything occurs. While some people may see this is annoying I like it. It suits Mina and her desire to prove to her father and uncle (Sherlock Holmes) that a female can be just as good with deductions as a male. Mina still lacks social grace for the most part and while it gets her into trouble at times I find it makes her all the more endearing. 

Miss Stoker continues to be rash and desires to use her vampire hunting skills to keep Willa safe while taking out the UnDead if she is able to. Evaline burns with the desire to kill her first vampire and prove to herself she belongs with vampire hunters. Having more money then Mina Evaline is a bit better at social affairs since she is forced to attend them however strolling along a dark street hunting the UnDead is more her style. The Spiritglass Charade seemed a bit unbalanced between the perspectives and it felt like Evaline got less told from her point of view. 

Inspector Greyling made a few appearances and I defiantly want to see more of him. The way Grayling interacts with Miss Holmes always has me laughing. Despite being in two books I still feel like I barely know Grayling and I hope that changes.

Pix once again was awesome. The way Pix spoke to Evaline and interacted with her had me wanting more. At first glace a common pickpocket is all Pix appears to be however with the things he knows and the way he gets respect in the underground Pix is clearly a force to be reckoned with. The Spiritglass Charade set things up to indicate Pix is part of something big so I hope it is revealed in The Chess Queen Enigma.

Dylan was barely in the story despite playing a large roll. Normally stories that have time travelers are not my things but Dylan works with the story well. While Dylan does want to get home he also seems to want to establish somewhat of a life in London. I find this makes Dylan a more believable character. I hope more is revealed about Dylan in future books. 

The writing was stunning and painted a vivid picture of London done in a steampunk style. I loved it, the perfect amount of detail to keep the story moving. The interactions among all the characters was well done and believable.

Since Stoker and Holmes is my first venture into the steampunk genre I cannot really compare it to anything else but I do want to try something else that is considered steampunk. I eagerly await the release of The Chess Queen Engima.