Among the Imposters

 

Among the Imposters is the second book in the Shadow Children series. 

With a fake ID Luke has finally emerged from the shadows into a school for boys. Terrified and unsure what to do Luke stumbles along confused and upset that no one seems to want to answer his questions. As Luke deals with being around other people for the first time in his life he is subjected to cruel hazing and witness to other bizarre acting boys. Or perhaps Luke is acting bizarre since he only has only interacted wit a handful of people before in his life. Unsure how to act, who to trust, and what to even do at school Luke stumbles from one problem to another as he unravels the web that is Hendrick's School for Boys.

I finished Among the Imposters in one sitting, since it is for middle school kids it was a fast read. The reader is left sort of confused at times though since Haddix uses word they invented and does not explain the words to the reader until Luke finds out what they mean. Overall the story was simple but full of twists and turns. Even though a different character takes center stage in Among the Betrayed I still want to read it. 

An Ember in the Ashes

 

A friend gave me An Ember in the Ashes and said she thought I would like it. She was right and she was wrong to an extent. The sheer amount of violence and torture really turned me off from the story. I would get into the story and read several chapters then the violence would make me stop. I really wish this was not classified as young adult since I feel it is too violent for that age group.

The story is told from duel points of view between Laia, a scholar in the empire is seen as no better then chattel. Her life is nothing to brag about but at least she has her grandparents and elder brother to help guide her in a dangerous world. All that changes when her brother is accused of treason and Laia harsh life becomes even worse. With no where to go and unsure what to do Laia turns to The Resistance, a band of rebels who do not want anything to do with her. 

Elias hates his life and what he is forced to do as a mask, the number one student at Blackrock he has learned over the years how to kill and be efficient in killing. Horrified at what he has become Elias wishes nothing more then to flee and run from the monster he has been trained to be. All his plans change though when his fate becomes intertwined with Laia's. 

The characters are amazing, I love seeing how much each of them grew. Even the side characters had a feel to them that made them have depth. Oddly enough Cook was one of my favorite characters and I do hope she will make an appearance in future books. 

Again my only flaw with the story is the violence it gets super intense in parts and made me feel queasy. However that does show the level or writing ability that Sabaa Tahir posses. Since I have the whole series I do plan on continuing the story but I need a break before I pick up A Torch in the Night. 

A Christmas Visitor

 

Once again A Christmas Visitor was the only book in the local free library. I also did not realize this was part of a series but it read okay as a standalone.

The story covers several different people and yet I still feel like I know them all.

Miranda is unsure about the direction her life is no longer going when she finds a unconscious man in her families orchard. After helping him to the house and calling for an ambulance she learns he has amnesia and has no clue how he ended up in the middle of the orchard. 

Reverend Ben is happy with his life as the town pastor and even happier when lots of people come to church that is until they believe an old angel statue found in the basement is performing miracles. Not wanting to ruin the faith of his congregation Ben tries to get the story behind the angel. 

Molly has it all finally, a devoted husband, lovely house, a successful catering business, and has almost finished raising her kids. Then suddenly she finds out she is pregnant and to make matters worse her husbands new partner is an old fling from medical school. 

Overall a fun and clean read. It had some humorous moments with a bit of drama thrown in at times. The writing was smooth and I never once had any problem figuring out which character was being talked about. 

The Murder House

 

Once again The Murder House was the only book in the local free library.

I almost gave up on The Murder House since it is super confusing at the start. Characters are not really introduced just thrown into the story and no one is really explained until the very end which is not my preference. 

Jenna has left the big city to become a cop in a small town. Her uncle the local sheriff is happy to have a good cop on his roster. That is until Jenna starts to doubt that the right person has been caught for a brutal double murder. 

Without a doubt I am horrible at figuring out the mystery in most books but in The Murder House I figured out everything well before anything was revealed which was a huge let down for me. Despite the story being confusing at first the writing was fine and things moved along at a nice pace. 

Idle

 

I managed to do enough surveys to get a gift card for my Nook and immediately bought Idle. Thankfully I enjoyed it more then Fury. 

Lily feels like she has no future except to do drugs, party with her friends, and hide from her abuse step father. Idle in her ways no had better tell her to better herself that is until a series of unexpected events leads her to rethinking her situation. 

Like all the previous books Lily was a character with wonderful development. The reader really gets inside her head as she struggles with life and learning how to be an adult in some regards. While a serious story it also has light hearted moments and despite Lily suffering from sloth she is a likeable character.

The writing was smooth and easy to read. A couple parts were told from a side characters point of view but I felt like it enhanced the story. I felt a whole range of emotions for Lily so that is one way I judge on how well a character is written. It did take me a bit to get into the story since I got bored just reading about how all Lily wanted to do was drugs, drink, and party. I am glad I stuck with it though.

Does anyone know anything about Lust? Any rumors on when it may be released?

Among the Hidden

 

Among the Hidden was the only book in the local free library so I grabbed it. When I read the back it sounded vaguely familiar and it was not until I read a chapter or so I recalled reading this years ago.

Luke is not suppose to exist, he is a third child in a world where only two children are allowed. Hidden away his whole life he is feeling more and more alone as his privilege to leave the house or even the upstairs starts to disappear. Determined to forge his own way Luke finds a secret way to look outside and sees a face in a house across the yard. That house already has two children though. 

Obviously this is a middle school book so it was written with a younger audience in mind. Despite that the story was engaging and fast paced. The writing flowed smoothly and despite being told entirely from Luke's point of view you did feel like you got to know the handful of other characters enough to understand their point of view. If I see the rest of the series in the free library I will make sure to grab it. 

Jingle Bell Bark

 

I found Jingle Bell Bark in the local free library and since I read another store in the series I figured I would give it a try. 

Once again Melanie is caught up in a murder mystery. When her son's ever punctual bus driver is late Melanie is concerned and rightly so when she sees a new face driving the bus. Determined to find out what is wrong and getting no answers from the school Melanie with her friend visits the bus drivers house only to learn he had died of heart failure from a neighbor. Things get worse when a local detective calls Melanie demanding to know why she was in the house of the deceased, after explaining she took the two large golden retrievers so they would be cared for the detective informs her that the bus driver was murdered. Happy to let the police figure out the crime Melanie goes on with her life until the deceased's daughters enter her life, wanting as little to do with them as possible Melanie decides she must solve the case. 

I would say the Melanie mysteries are a cozy mystery without the cooking. I do like the aspect of the dogs being in every book but some of the show stuff goes over my head. However they are fun stories, well written, and cute. A good book to pass some downtime when you just want to relax. 

Angels at the Table

 

I saw Angels at the Table in the local free library so I grabbed it to give it a try. I did not realize it was part of a series. Despite it being number 7 in the series I was not confused or lost about what was going on. 

Lucie is much too busy for fun or time off work even. However when her mother insists she go out wit her friends Lucie is shocked when she runs into a cute man and they share a New Year's Eve kiss. Eren has had no time to date since he found out his wife had been cheating on him. After filing for divorce and moving across the US he is hoping for a fresh start with everything. While neither is ready for love the two cannot forget the incredible New Year's Eve kiss nor can the angels helping them let the matter fade away. 

A typical Debbie Macomber book. She likes to write happy stories with fun, some tension, and lots of sweet moments. 

Furiously Happy A Funny Book About Horrible Things

 

Furiously Happy has been on my to read list since I saw in the bookstore but since I only buy books I will read multiple times I did not get it. When visiting out of town family I checked their local free library and saw it sitting there waiting for me. Despite someone having written notes all over the book I pushed through and did my best to ignore the scribbles. 

Despite spending a good deal of time slowly reading and digesting what Jenny Lawson wrote I am still not really sure what the overall story was about? Mrs. Lawson spend time talking about mental health so was Furiously Happy just a collection of the ravings of a person with a lot of mental disorders or was it something deeper? I really could not tell you. I did enjoy the unique writing style with lots of PS and footnotes include. Some of the humor I feel went over my head, other parts felt a bit childish, and then some parts hit home. Either this is a brilliant work of literary or the writings of someone who is smart enough to make money off their wild thoughts. Either way it works. 

Starstruck

 

One night I could not decide what to read so I went to the oldest book downloaded on my Nook that I had not read and Starstruck was the winner. 

Marsha better known as M to her few friends just wants to make it through high school without getting embarrassed every day of her life. Everything changes for M though when the new transfer student starts to take interest in her over the popular cheerleaders. 

Starstruck is a hard story to review, I liked it enough to keep reading but it was a chore to pick up and start reading. Marsha had everything come to her so easily it was a joke. Things just fell in place perfectly and nothing stayed wrong for her. I did not see her having any growth or struggling to over come hurdles. None of the other characters except for M's aunt seemed interesting or anything but cookie cutter. I am not sure I liked it enough to continue on with the series or not. 

Shark Tales

 

Since I have not been having any luck in the free library finding books I went to the local second hand store ran by the humane society. After looking through the dusty books I found Shark Tales How I Turned $1,000 Dollars into a Billion Dollar Business.

The story had two parts, the first part was my favorite for sure. I love how Barbara had a story from her childhood to go with each step of her business. It was inspiring to see someone use their childhood to push them farther with their dreams and career. What else was inspiring was Barbara is not scared to air her dirty laundry and admit when mistakes were made. 

The second part of the story is about the time Barbara dealt with entrepreneurs from Shark Tank. This I found less interesting since it all the chapters were short and did not really pull into her childhood. 

Still all in all it was a fun and inspiring read.

Family Affair

 

Family Affair is a short story I found in the free library.

Since this story is short it is really hard to sum up without giving away the plot. Thanks to two rascally house cats the two main character meet and are forced to become civil to each other. 

I read this in an afternoon while doing laundry. It is very short but cute and to the point. 

Hush Puppy

 

I did not realize Hush Puppy was part of a series when I grabbed it out of the local free library.

Melanie is happy with her job working as a tutor at the local private academy. Enjoying her students and the ability to be home when her son is out of school works out well. All that is about to be put at risk though when the school's old caretaker Kreeb's is found dead with a pitchfork in his chest. Caught in the middle of the mystery of who killed Kreeb Melanie is determined to bring peace back to the academy.

I am getting really burnt out on books that just do not hold my attention. With the library backed up with hundreds of people on waiting lists for books I am interested in and finances not enough to buy books I am just sort of stuck picking through free libraries and I feel like it shows with the books I am able to get. I hope the next book I find is far more entertaining. 

Sweets & a Stabbing

 

Sweets & A Stabbing is another book I have had on my Nook for ages. 

Amelia has recently gone through a divorce and needs a way to support her two children. With encouragement for her teens Amelia decides to open a food truck that features her delicious baked treats. The truck being bright pink to draw the eye was the best part of the story in my opinion. 

The story line was weak and the characters did not really hold my attention. I really need to try something other then a cozy mystery but with the library backed up on holds and money tight I am limited to free books at the moment. 

 

The Centurion's Wife is another free library find. I have read other novels about faith and enjoyed them in the past but I struggled with The Centurion's Wife.

Despite being the niece of one of the most powerful men in Rome Leah is still not granted a spot in his family when her father is humiliated. Instead Leah is thrust in with the servants and made the head maid to the Pilate's wife. 

Alban is a solider first and a Roman second. Since his elder brother finds him a threat he is sent to a little known fort where it is assumed he will be killed in battle. 

Little do Alban and Leah know that their fates will be intertwined as they help usher in the start of Christianity. 

The writing was not bad and the editing was fine but the story just drug in parts. I think I would have liked it a good deal more if it was about half the length. Too many unneeded details were added and the title did not really fit the story. I will not be continuing the series.

Brownies and Betrayal

 

Another old Free Friday book I had on my Nook. Brownies and Betrayal is the first book in the Sweet Bites Mystery series. 

After breaking off a toxic engagement Tess moves back to her hometown to start her own business. Thrilled to be doing the wedding cake at the new hotel Tess is going about her work when she finds a dead body under the table. With no real clues the police start to suspect Tess as the murdered since she had a brief argument with the victim the night before. 

Another huge betrayal of a book, everything worked out too well for Tess. While she did show real emotions I got bored with how perfectly other characters existed to help her along. I also did not like the love triangle aspect at all. I will not be continuing with the series. 

The Unexpected Husband

 

The Unexpected Husband is two books in one. Jury of his Peers and Any Sunday are the two books, neither are very long stories but they do leave the story with a complete ending.

Jury of his Peers

This was my favorite of the two stories it had more humor I could relate to. Caroline has always had a a problem with her longtime acquaintance Ted. The two are forced to spend more time with each other when they are put on the same jury. Due to unforeseen circumstances the two are forced to spend more time together where they quickly get on each others last nerve.

Any Sunday

 Marjorie does not do doctors at all even when pain in her side has her doubled over barley able to move. Finally her coworker and friend insists on making an appointment for her. To Marjorie's horror the doctor is not a monster but a normal man around her own age. Learning she needs emergency surgery for an inflamed appendix puts her in a near panic attack state which Dr. Sam cannot ignore. Knowing Marjorie is all alone with no family nearby Sam agrees to stay with her while she has surgery and wakes up afterwards. The beginning of love starts to form as Sam helps Marjorie learn to not be totally terrified of the hospital.

Both stories are typical Debbie Macomber style, romance with a hint of humor along the way. Fun, light, reads that easily distract the mind. 

Dying for Dinner Rolls

 

Dying for Dinner Rolls is one of the many unread books I have on the Nook app. Since it is impossibly hard to get books from the library right now I am randomly choosing previous books I have downloaded. Most are older Free Friday books.

Cat is horrified when she goes to check on her friend and finds her dead with a slit wrist. Obviously the police are not used to murders since it is deemed a suicide despite a large bash in the back of the victim's head. Lots of slapstick moments and it was pretty easy to figure out what the answer to the mystery was.

Just a basic cozy mystery. I felt like the humor was forced too much and that the characters were a big generic. Despite the larger mystery ending on a cliff hanger I will not be continuing with the series. 

Season of Joy

 

I had no clue that Season of Joy was part of a series. The first story was super cute but the short bonus story was not my favorite. 

Granger is doing his best to keep his family tree farm afloat after a fire in the summer that wiped out half his trees. Determined to make things work Granger struggles with answering all the questions his pre-teen girls have about their mother leaving. Dealing with one problem after another Granger is not prepared for a woman in his life.

Joy loves doing her art and is working on making her dream of opening an art gallery come true. Busy with teaching art classes and trying to keep up with her doctor parents Joy has not time for romance. That is until Granger and his two girls have their nanny retire suddenly. Unable to say no to the two girls Joy starts to give them art lessons after school while making some extra money to put towards an art gallerly.

The story was cute but predictable. I liked how all the character had their own flaws and quirks. The writing was smooth and easy to read. Despite being in the middle of a series I was not confused or trying to figure out what was going on in the story. The bonus story was cute but I wish it had been longer I do not feel like enough time was given to flesh out the characters. 

Cappuccinos, Cupcakes, and a Corpse

 

I am pretty sure Cappuccinos, Cupcakes, and a Corpse was a Free Friday book at one point. I could not sleep one night and just randomly choose this from the many books I have downloaded and not read yet. 

Follow the death of her mother Francesca decides she needs to move back to the town she grew up in. Taking over the family coffee shop and settling herself in the house her mother left her Fran is happily getting into the swing of life in a slower paced city. One day she leaves work a bit early and takes a shortcut home. To her horror she finds the neighbor dead in the back yard. Quickly informed by the victims son who is a high school friend that his father was murdered Fran decides she needs to help solve the case. 

This is a really light read, not too long of a book and not a deep plot line. Despite that I enjoyed the story and would not mind reading more about Fran and her adventures. I had a couple of problems with the mystery not being fully wrapped up but it was enough closure I wont throw a fit over it. I did see the next book in the series is 4.99 and since it is not a book I would read many times I will see if the library has it. 

Miracle on 5th Avenue

 

Miracle on 5th Avenue was randomly grabbed from my to read pile and I cannot recall where I got it.

Eva is happy to keep busy working during the Christmas season. It keeps her mind off the fact that her grandma died a year ago leaving her alone. Lonely and missing her Grandma she eagerly takes a job decorating a pent house for Christmas and filling a freezer with delicious food. To her horror the man living in the pent house has not gone away skiing for a week instead he is still at home and clearly does not want her there. However Eva was hired to do a job and she insists on getting it done no matter the consequences of sharing a space with a grouchy author.

The writing flowed well and while it was a romance book it had few steamy scenes. I liked how the two main characters came off totally different at the start but then slowly opened up their real feelings. The ending was predictable except for one part which I wont spoil. While it is a series I do feel like I understood what was going on and all the loose ends were tied up. 

Blameless

 

Blameless is the third book in the Parasol Protectorate series. 

Having lost her standing on the Shadow Council and her husband's favor Alexia is determined to make the most of a bad situation. Knowing that the child inside her is surely Lord Maccon's Alexia decided she must go to the Templars to get proof. However things rarely go smoothly for Alexia. With the sudden disappearance of her rove vampire friend, Lord Akeldam, and having lost the protection of the pack Alexia must navigate the dangerous situation with non supernatural friends.

While parts of Blameless I enjoyed other parts felt like they were long and not really necessary to the story. As always my favorite characters continue to be side characters. All of them have their own personalities and fit well into the world that Carriger has created. Despite the side characters being strong I think I need a bit of a break from the series so I am going to hold off on Heartless for a bit. 

Changless

 

Changeless is the second book in the Parasol Protectorate series. Like most series I read the second book left something to be desired then ended on a cliffhanger forcing the reader to want to know what happens.

Alexia is awoke to a commotion in the early hours of the morning by her obviously angry husband however  before she can figure out what is wrong Lord Maccon exits in a huff. Determined to find out what is going on Alexia begins to investigate and learns that something is afflicting the local supernatural all of them have been turned mortal. With their afflictions gone tensions run high as Alexia decides to investigate what is occurring. 

The writing was once again a bit off putting for my taste. I do not enjoy how the persons given name and last name are switched between all time, it throws off the flow of writing for me. I read the first half of the story much faster then the second half since I got bored about half way through. If not for the obvious cliff hanger ending I would stop with the series. 

The Boy in the Cellar

 

The Boy in the Cellar was given to me by a friend. She knows Mr. Smith and is trying to help get his story heard so it does not happen to other children. 

Warning the story has a lot of triggers and it is an emotionally exhausting tale to read. I kept hoping against hope that someone anyone would rescue poor Stephen from his own private hell. Sadly that was not the case Stephen kept going from bad to worse as the system failed him over and over. 

The writing was smooth but repetitive at times. I do understand why though Mr. Smith was doing all her could to convey the horrors of what happened to him all through his childhood. I just wanted to shake the people who were doing nothing to help Stephen but despite the trials of Stephens young life he grew to overcome them and became a better person then anyone who failed him. 

The Courtesan

 

Another free library find. The lovely cover is what drew me to read the description of the story and I knew it would be sad but I was interested. Jinhua's story is a story of myth and legend yet Alexandra Curry does a lovely job sorting through the rocky history to tell a stunning tale in The Courtesan. 

Jinua has a lovely life as the daughter of a concubine her father dotes upon her providing her with her whims and refusing to bind her feet. Sadly his father displeases the emperor and his punishment is death. With no protector his first wife decides to sell Jinua to a go between for seven silver coins, one coin for each year of her life. Terrified and unsure of what will be her fate Jinua is taken from the only place she knows and sold to a local brothel. Determined to make Jinua a money tree the mistress of the brothel orders her feet to be bound. Barely surviving Jinua endures learning the language of love until she is twelve years old and able to entertain customers. 

Later on in the story Jinua describes her being as different lives and considering how drastically things change for her throughout her years it makes sense. At times I was really confused due to the writing, random foreign language was thrown in that threw off my pace. Time skips did occur and they were not really smooth nor did I really understand what was going since characters points of view jumped around a good deal. Since this is Curry's first novel the writing and transitions show room to improve. 

Dance Upon the Air

 

I got Dance Upon the Air out of the local free library, I did not realize it was a series when I started reading it.

Nell is running and terrified that her abusive husband will find her. Somehow fate draws her to a small island where she quickly finds a job and housing. Determined to settle into her new life Nell slowly begins to relax and focuses on making the island home. That is until the local sheriff decides he want to get know more about Nell and not just in a professional manner. Unsure of how to trust anymore Nell slowly works on becoming her own person. 

The story was alright, it drug in parts and had more intimate scenes then I care for. Even though it is a series I do not feel like I have to keep reading to figure out what happens. I most likely will not seek out the second book unless I happen to see it in the free library as well. 

Soulless

 

I could not sleep so I took a shot and browsed my to read list that I have saved on the library website. I saw that Soulless was available so I checked it out. It is about time I finally found a book I enjoyed.

Alexia has no soul and thus she is an extreme oddity. Lacking a soul she is able to change supernatural beings back to human as long as she is able to touch them. It has been a good while since I found a character I like as much as Alexia, she seems real and had lovely character development. Despite being considered a spinster and lacking beauty Alexia is determined to find her own place in society. All this is well and good until supernatural beings start to disappear and soon Alexia is caught up in the middle of the mystery. 

All that said I did struggle with parts of the story, I do not typically read books that have vampires or werewolves since I spook easily. This caused me issues in the terminology used and I had to stop and look up words at random times to figure out what was going on with certain supernatural aspects. 

The writing was lovely but I wish it had a bit more steampunk to is since I love steampunk. Even the side characters were fully fleshed out with distinct personalities. I cannot wait to start Changeless. 

For the Wolf

 

The lovely cover, interesting title, and unique synopsis drew me to For the Wolf. It is rare I buy a book but For the Wolf seemed to have all I was looking for in a story. Sadly not everything is as it seems. 

Red knows that her time runs short, as the second daughter she must enter the Wilderwoods before her twentieth birthday or the world will have shadow creatures released upon it. Neve knows her younger sister's duty but hates her for embracing it so fully. Unable to convince Red to run from her destiny Neve ignores her duties as the heir to the throne and instead tries to focus on how to bring Red back. Terrified and unsure what awaits her in the Wilderwoods Red enters half expecting a monster to be in the keep. Instead a lonely being who appears human inhabits the keep. Eammon has a lot of secrets and none of them will he share easily.

Everything about For the Wolf was a mess. The writing was sloppy, choppy, did not transition smoothly, and way too much filler. I read hundreds of pages yet I feel like I could sum up the whole story in a couple paragraphs easily. I also feel like this could be a trigger for people since it talks about the characters willingly cutting themselves and bleeding. At times the story seemed to get a bit of life but it quickly died down when the big reveal had already been revealed or was so predictable it was not a shock. No way will I buy the second book and I really do not see myself continuing on the with the series. 

The Perfect Girl

 

The Perfect Girl sounded interesting so I figured I would give it a try. I am not a fan of time skipping stories and normally I avoid them.

Zoe made a mistake, she drove drunk and killed three people. Having done her time she is once again out in the world and trying to get her life back in order. Determined to make her "second chance family" work Zoe and her mother have not told them anything about Zoe's dark past. It seems to be working until things come to light in a very public way. With dirty little secrets coming out for both sides of the family Zoe does not know who to trust or what to do when things go wrong.

The writing was not my favorite sure it was smooth and easy to understand. Despite that I did not like the characters they all came off as flat and boring to me. Parts were added that made no sense. I am not really sure why Zoe's solicitor was added to the mix except to make things more complicated. I did not care about him or his problems. Lots of unneeded moments were added that just annoyed me. I will not be seeking out other books by Gilly Macmillan. 

The Guest List

 

One night when I could not sleep I just browsed through the books the elibrary had available to check out and randomly choose The Guest List. 

A supposed dream wedding on a remote island. That is Jules dream and she is all about making it happen. Everything is going to be perfect until dirty little secrets start to come to light. Soon the dream day has turned into a nightmare as more and more dirty laundry is aired for all to see.

The writing was fine but I am not a fan of multiple points of view along with time jumping around. It made it impossibly hard to stay interested in the story. Mainly I kept reading to see who was killed at the end and who the killer was. For me the ending felt like it just stopped, no real closure on the murder itself. Mainly it was about all the lives that were messed up and how badly the wedding party was dealing with their personal issues. 

Peter and thee Shadow Thieves

 

Peter and the Shadow Thieves is the second book in the Peter and the Starcatchers series. 

I really struggled with Peter and the Shadow Thieves and I am not even sure why.

When Neverland has some curiously odd visitors Peter decides it is his duty to inform Molly that something is wrong. Leaving his friends behind Peter flies after the ship that is transporting the mysterious Lord Ombra. Molly is concerned when her father hires guards to watch the house then disappears claiming he has secret starcatcher things to tend to. 

The writing was still smooth despite being told from many point of view. I really liked the idea a mysterious monster like creature going after the starstuff with two children once again sworn to protect it. In the end I just forced myself to keep reading since I had nothing else to read. Unless I cannot get any thing else from the library I will not continue on with the series. 

The Playboy and the Widow

 

The Playboy and the Widow is one of Debbie Macomber earlier books. I have read some of her newer works but this is the first of her early stuff I have read.

Like the other books I have read by Mrs. Macomber lots of humor exists in the story. The writing is simple and the pace of the story flows well. It is a bit predictable but that is one thing nice about the story. Sometimes I just want a fun simple read and Mrs. Macomber always delivers that. 

I liked the kids and the growth they showed as they came to terms with their mother dating once again. In some way the two girls were more mature about Diana dating then Diana was. The part with Cliff was a bit unbelievable, suddenly a playboy sees a single mother and forgets all about the beautiful girls throwing themselves at him does not seem real. Other then that is it just a fun light read. 

Ten out of Ten

 

Ten out of Ten is the last book in the Princess Diaries series. 

The story starts out with an almost two year time skip which I was not a fan of at all. Why skip ahead in the story when so much detail was given to every day life in the previous books. In that amount of time Mia went from a geek to a total popular girl. While claiming it was her princess status that made her popular Mia also had a makeover. Thanks to Lana, former enemy now friend, Mia has learned how to dress for her body type, do her makeup, nails, and gotten help with her hair. In a secure relationship with JP her picture perfect boyfriend Mia has it all but something still feels wrong. Suddenly her world is turned up side down when her father warns her that Michael is back in town. Immediately feeling out of sorts Mia tries to navigate senior life as she figures out turning eighteen does not solve all her problems. 

Honestly if I had not gotten so much of the series out of the local free library I would not have read the whole series. I just did not enjoy the story. Mia did not really grow up in the first nine books then wham in the tenth book she learns all these lessons people had been trying to teach her for years. It did not make much sense or flow with the story well. 

Princess Mia

 

Princess Mia is the ninth book in The Princess Diaries series. Once again I was not overly thrilled with the story so I just powered through it one night to get it over with. 

Mia has everything going for her, a perfect boyfriend and finally being more accepted in school. That is until she remembers her and Michael have broken up. Heartbroken Mia does not know how to cope and this part I actually find realistic. One of the few things about Mia I have found believable. 

The writing continued to be journal style with Mia reporting facts. It is nice to see she starts to get in trouble over her journal as she should have all alone. It makes the story a little more believable. One more to go and then I am done with the series which will be a relief. I do not enjoy investing so much time in a series that runs hot and cold for me. 

The Death of Mrs. Westaway

 

The Death of Mrs. Westaway was in the local free library and since I had read other books by the author I figured I would give it a try. 

At her wits end Hal is trying to figure out what to do, she is not making enough money reading fortunes at the pier but the loan shark wont wait for a payment. Worrying about being behind on the rent, power bill, and wondering how she will eat Hal finds her salvation in a letter. The letter is a notice of death of her grandmother who seems to have left her some sort of inheritance. Knowing she is not the woman's granddaughter Hal decides it is worth the risk to go and try to get some money to at least pay off the loan shark and her growing electrical bill. Instead of some easy money Hal finds a nightmare of lies, dark secrets, and hidden twists as she navigates the dark halls of the manor. 

It is really hard to put into words how I feel about The Death of Mrs. Westaway. The ending left something to be desired with characters that felt odd and badly written. Yet despite this I kept reading to try to figure out the secrets but when the secrets were slowly revealed they all seemed lackluster and disappointing. I am not sure I will try another Ruth Ware story since the pacing reminded me a lot of how The Woman in Cabin 10 was and I do not enjoy the best part of the story being the last couple of chapters. I want the whole story to be interesting and entertaining. 

The Princess Diaries After Eight

 

After Eight is the eight book in The Princess Diaries series. 

I had problems with After Eight, I did not find things Mia did believable. Like having intense emotional breakdowns and crying super hard yet writing in her journal at the same time. That makes no sense. Also Mia has serious issues with being put into Introduction to Creative Writing but when she gets bad grades she does not talk to the teacher about them or even seem to care. With how much Mia cared in the last book it seems odd she suddenly stopped caring about her English grade. 

The writing continues to be consistent and in a journal format. While Mia grows in some ways she seems to fail to learn important lessons and keeps repeating the same mistakes. Lilly drives me crazy she is so self centered and Mia cannot seem to get over the fact that she is always to blame when something does not go the way Lilly wants it to. Despite all that since I have made it this far I intend to finish the series. 

Peter and the Starcatchers

For some reason it wont let me post the picture of the cover. :(

I grabbed Peter and the Starcatchers out of the local free library for my husband. However I was out of books to read so I gave it a try. 

Pete is an well rounded and active little boy. His character came off as totally believable and I loved every moment the story focused on him. Having grown up in an orphanage Peter is anxious about what is going to happen to him and his mates when they are put aboard a ship that has clearly seen better days. Freaked out that his friends and him are to be servants to a king and have to eat wiggling worms for food Peter is determined to make life aboard the ship more bearable. One evening while sneaking out for food he bumps into a girl who is a first class passenger and strikes up a friendship with her. 

Molly is not accustomed to being on a ship as poorly maintained as the Neverland however she is not one to complain. All is fine with her except for the fact that an orphan boy is determined to find out the secret of the chest that the Neverland carries. 

While this is a story for middle school age children it did highly entertain me, I constantly found myself saying just one more chapter. The pacing is well done and I never found a part boring or long winded. Molly came off as a bit too perfect at times but sine the story was more about Peter I am alright with that. Everything read smoothly and the transitions between characters points of view were fantastic. Despite being part of a series I feel like all the loose ends were tied up. With that said I am eager to read Peter and the Shadow Thieves. 

Party Princess

 

Party Princess is the seventh book in The Princess Diaries series. 

Once again I was bored out of my mind with the story. It was just slow moving and seemed really far fetched in several spots. If not for the fact I did not feel well and took an easy day I don't think  I would have finished reading it. Since I have the 8th book sitting here I will read it but I am so ready for the series to be over with. 

Princess in Training/Sixsational

 

Princess in Training/Sixsational is the 6th book in The Princess Diaries series. Once again I was bored out of my mind reading about Mia.

Mia has a lot on her place with princess duties, her boyfriend now going to college, and suddenly her best friend Lilly has nominated her for student president. Feeling overwhelmed once again it makes sense that Mia starts to crack around the edges of her life. To add to her stress her mother has declared she is taking Rocky to go visit her parents. Horrified that something will go wrong Mia feels the need to tell her mother all about caring for her little brother while in a different state. 

The writing has stayed consistent and continues to be in diary format. Some of the places Mia writes still seems odd and I do wonder how she gets out large diary entries in a small amount of time. Despite being bored with the story I am going to continue on in hopes of finishing the series. 

The Recipient

 

I do not recall where I got The Recipient from but I know it piqued my interest since I live in WA state.

The story is mainly told from the point of view of Wade a detective who investigated the Seattle Slasher murders years earlier. Things start to go wrong though when a new victim is found and her manner of death is the exact same of Seattle Slasher. It cannot be though the man who was convicted and found guilty was put to death over a year earlier. Haunted by the case Wade is determined to find this copy cat killer and bring justice to the family of the victim. 

Elle loves her husband and is devastated when he has a stroke. With little progress in his recovery they agree to try a experimental therapy that replaces part of Brian's brain with a donors. Little does Elle and Brian know that the donor is the man who executed for the Seattle Slasher crimes. Seeing her husband come to back to life makes Elle beyond happy until his personality starts to change or is it Elle that is changing. After all Elle's mother did go crazy. 

Despite having a few different points of view the writing was smooth with lovely transitions. Unlike writers that depends on cliff hangers to keep you reading Cole did not follow that path. I liked the characters and how they had their faults as well as strengths. Everything seemed believable and only a couple loose ends were not tied up. While this is a series the story felt like a stand alone. I believe that Wade's story is done since the next book, Inspired by Murder, features a side character from The Recipient as the lead character. I would happily read more of the series even with the different characters since the writing was so solid. 

The Fall of the Readers

 

The Fall of the Readers is the fourth and final book in The Forbidden Library series. 

Sadly I liked the series less and less as I continued on with it. Around the half way mark I got super bored with the story. Alice seems to have things come far too easily for her and that bothered me. Sure it is a children's book but still she needs to struggle and fail sometimes to learn from it. 

All the loose ends were tied up and I was left with no questions so that is a huge plus. The story was finished off leaving the reader with a happy feeling and enjoying a sense of completion. 

The Palace of Glass

 

The Palace of Glass is the third book in The Forbidden Library series. 

Once again Alice is on an adventure this time to get revenge for the death of her father. With Ending as a guide Alice ventures into a book to find a portal to a Palace of Glass that houses a prison book. Determined to find a way to trap Geryon for having been part of her father's demise Alice is willing to do anything no matter the cost.

I had to remind myself a few times that this is a story geared towards middle school students. Some parts seems a bit too convenient for Alice and things happened too easily. Despite those flaws I did enjoy the story and the execution of how Alice thinks. She is a tween still and while she wants revenge it is not in her to physically hard someone. Despite some pacing issues and less action overall I still enjoyed The Palace of Glass and cannot wait to read The Fall of the Readers.

The Mad Apprentice

 

The Mad Apprentice is the second book in The Forbidden Library series. 

Alice is tasked with helping capture an appreciate who has gone crazy and killed his master. Along with five other apprentice readers Alice enters the labyrinth of Torment. Unable to convince the others that something is wrong Alice goes along with the older kids plans until things totally start to fall apart and she is forced to take the lead.

I really enjoyed seeing Alice grow in the story. Instead of making easy choices she continues to embrace problems and find a way to overcome them. The writing was just as action packed as The Forbidden Library and I constantly found myself saying just one more chapter. I already have The Palace of Glass checked out from the library. 

Give me Five

 

With Give me Five I am half way through the Princess Diaries series. 

Once again I did not care for any part of the story. I could see the attempts at humor but it was not my type of humor. I really want Mia to grow up some and realize that her friend Lily is not as awesome as she realizes. At least the part about Mia dreaming of going to prom seemed realistic, most girls dream of a fancy prom night. 

Book six was not in the free library but book seven was. I am on the waiting list from book six from the library. Since I am half way through the series I may as well give Princess in Training a try. 

Everless

 

I saw Everless while browsing the library ebooks and thought it sounded interesting.

Jules lives in a world where people are poor and thus sell the only thing they have to live, time. That was my first major problem with Everless I did not understand how the time system worked. It was not clearly explained until the very end and when a story is based on a magical currency it needs details on how it works from the very start. This was the main reason I kept reading I wanted to understand the currency system. I did not end up caring too much about Jules she was too predictable and easily manipulated by everyone around her.

I found the side characters far more interesting besides Roan, he was just boring. I am not sure the side characters are enough for me to continue on with the story though. The writing was not to my taste at all. Getting a lot of vague information dumped near the start of the story with a flat lead character made this a tedious read. 

Mia Goes Fourth

 

I managed to get Mia Goes Fourth from the library since the Little Free Library had the first three and the fifth book but not the fourth one. 

Once again I was bored with the story. I had been eagerly awaiting to read about Mia experiencing Genovia as the heir to the throne but I just wanted that part to end. I was hoping once Mia got back to New York the story would pick up but it did not seem to. Things just drug and I was eager for it to end which is sad since I had been hoping her and Michael would have some fun yet embarrassing date moments. 

Since I already have the fifth book I will read it but I hope the series picks up again. 

The Forbidden Library

 

The town I live in has nine little free libraries so I decided to check out another one and found The Forbidden Library inside. The name is what drew me to the story and shockingly I really enjoyed it. 

Alice has always been drawn to books and is lucky she has a father who encourages her to follow that passion. However life is getting harder when Alice notices that her father has less and less money. Servants are let go and finally her father declares he is going on a trip. Sadly the boat sinks and he is determined to be lost at sea. Now an orphan Alice is sent to live with a mysterious Uncle Geryon whom she had no idea existed. Fascinated that the name of the manor is The Library Alice is excited to see the place. To his dismay the place is just an old house with a couple servants and he Uncle. Left alone to herself Alice becomes determined to find out the secretes of The Libarry.

Despite being a middle school book I really enjoyed the story, it was well written with a fast moving plot. The mystery was well done and while the big questions were answered enough smaller questions were left to make me want to read the next book in the series. 

The Princess Diaries: Third Time Lucky

 

I am so glad I continued on with The Princess Diaries, it keeps getting better and better. I am hoping the library does not have a huge waiting list for the fourth book since the little free library did not have the fourth one in it.

Mia is becoming more believable as a human. Happy to have her first boyfriend she is worried that something is wrong since she is not as excited as she thought she would be over having a boyfriend. Dealing with her mom being pregnant and planning a wedding to Mia's algebra teacher is also causing drama in Mia's life. The other major problem Mia's secret crush now has a girl hanging around him all the time. Even worse the girl is not flunking algebra and knows how to clone fruit flies. How is a girl to compete with that? 

Some of the diary entries still bother me and some seem really fake. It does seem like a more reasonable length for someone who would daily in a diary and I like that Mia is feeling more human and not robotic. I am eager to continue on with the series. 

Beauchamp Hall

 

It took me awhile but I finally managed to get through Beauchamp Hall. My friend recommended it highly and I saw it was available on the elibray so I checked it out.

The way the story was written it felt like three stories in one and I did not care for that at all. It left me not getting a personal feel for Winnie. All the characters came off as super flat to me and I did not really care what happened to any of them. Even though I read the story I would be hard pressed to describe what happened. Nothing really stuck out to me except how slowly the story moved. 

One thing I did learn is that I need to learn to tell friends sometimes a book is not my style but that is alright. 

The Princess Diaries Take Two

 

Oddly enough I enjoyed The Princess Diaries Take Two far more then The Princess Diaries. I think part of it was I finally stopped expecting things to be like the movie and just enjoyed what was going on in the story.

Mia is still trying to adjust to being New York's newest royal and keep her life feeling normal. Struggling with school, her friends, and her royal family Mia just sort of wants to hide. All that changes though when her mother declares she is pregnant and Mia's algebra teacher is the father of the baby. Now determined to help her mother stay healthy during the pregnancy Mia no wonder feels overwhelmed. Still not used to the press publishing every single word she says Mia makes a few mistakes that cause some problems.

I am glad I did not stop with the series since it is growing on me. I have already started The Princess Diaries Third Time Lucky and so far it seems entertaining. 

 

I saw The Princess Diaries in the local free library and figured I would give it a try since I liked the movie and was out of books to read. Normally I try to read a book before seeing the movie and I think this time I would have liked the book more if I had not seen the movie first. I really struggled with the diary entry format, I do not feel like it was a believable diary entry. 

Mia is totally shocked to learn that she is a princess and her father the current prince is unable to have more children so she must inherit the throne one day. Not exactly what is thought of as a princess Mia is forced to spend time with her Grandmere learning how to be a princess, has to keep her secret from the world including her best friend, and deal with her algebra teaching failing her. 

At times the diary entries just seemed off. Randomly writing out math problems did not seem to fit with what I would imagine a teenager writing in her diary. I also felt like things were left out with the story being in a diary format. Plus with how much time it takes to write a diary entry I thought it was fairly odd Mia was writing several diary entries in one day. Despite that I do have the second book sitting here and plan on giving it a try.