Shannon's Abridged Reviews

Like my sister before me, I have been a bad blogger and not in the mood to write reviews. I also needed a bit of a blogging break. However, I have been reading quite a bit (mostly non-review books). If you're interested in knowing what I've read recently and my thoughts on those books, well then here you go.

The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova - 4 Hearts

Its always nice to read a novel with a male POV but I was particularly happy with how much of a guy Tristan is. He talks about girls, swears and jokes around with his friends. Along with him, their are many colorful personalities in the novel that help keep the plot interesting and the humor going strong. I especially liked Gwen and Thalia. Nothing like some mergirls to steer things up and cause some trouble. The mermaid mythology is familiar and easy to follow. At times the story felt a bit rushed, a lot of things seem to happen rather quickly and sometime I wasn't even sure how much time had gone by. With that said, its pretty action packed and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

A Clash of Kings (ASOIAF #2) by George R.R. Martin - 4 Hearts

I started reading this one after my hubby and I finished the first season of Game of Thrones. Yep, we were way behind and just watched it this year, LOL. I wasn't sure this was going to be the kind of book for me since its huge and high fantasy, neither of which I'm a fan of. However, I think having watched the first season helped with grasping the many places and characters in the novel. Seriously, there are a LOT and there's even more in this book. I really loved the multiple POV's but be warned it can be over 100 pages before you get to go back to certain characters. Martin is a brilliant writer (although wordy) who easily captures you in his elaborate world with flawed characters and an intense political plot. This book was addicting and although it took me two weeks to read, I didn't pick up another book until it was over. I've now started reading the next book in the series, A Storm of Swords.

The Boy on Cinnamon Street by Phoebe Stone -  
3 Hearts

I thought this novel was going to be a fun, light middle grade book, but I couldn't have been more wrong. The main character Louise is trying to deal with the death of her mom, something that she partially blocked from her memory. The trauma has cause her to forget exactly what happened to her mom and so she starts obsessing about whether or not she has a secret admirer. Though its well written, I didn't really feel the would-be crush and grief storylines worked well together. For me it bounce to much between the light moments and the depressing ones. I would say it's definitely for older middle grade readers

Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann - 3 Hearts

Okay here's something you may not know about me, I am not a fan of horror novels. Now I know technically Cryer's Cross is probably not considered horror but lets just say this novel was always going to wigged me out, LOL. I both loved and hated the creepy, unsettling feeling of the story and its pacing ( I know I'm a wussy) but I had the harder time with the main character, Kendall. I just didn't connect with her like I wanted. Sure, I felt bad that all these things were happening to her but she felt more like an idea rather then a person. Gosh, I hope that makes sense. It was a quick read though and it made me realize I can handle reading more thriller/horror novels.

The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams - 4 Hearts

This book really surprised me since I didn't really know that much about the premise before I started reading it. The novel deals with incarnates, immortals who can live forever by taking the body and life of someone else. I liked the main character of Sera and found the whole idea of incarnates fascinating. It reminded me a bit of Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel, so if you liked that one you'll probably enjoy this one too. Its the kind of book that has tons of potential and its a quick read. I thought it was a stand alone but its actually the first book in a series. Though I wasn't crazy about the rather abrupt ending, I'm still excited about the next book.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver - 5 Hearts

What can I possible say about this book that you haven't already heard? Um...nothing. So instead I'm just going to gush. I freakin LOVED this book! I loved everything about it...seriously! I found the setting of a society where love is a disease both refreshing and depressing. How could anyone want to live or spent time in a world like that? The pacing is really well done and I was surprised by how intense it was. I'll be honest in saying that I didn't love Lena right away. In fact I didn't find her all that likeable. I think part of why I enjoyed this novel so much was how she grew on me. How I got to see how she gradually opened her eyes to the truth around her. The chemistry Lena shares with Alex is amazing. The ending...well the ending was certainly a surprise. It definitely left me in shock and awe. I will definitely be reading Pandemonium real soon. I MUST know what's going to happen next. Also you can bet your butt that I will be reading everything Lauren Oliver writes. Her writing is fresh, beautiful, and intricate.