The Road to Hell is Paved with Good InTENtions

Through out this book I kept thinking to myself..."I want to like it, I really want to like it". And it's really not so much that I disliked the book but that it was very slow and at times a bit boring. It was the kind of story I would have loved as a movie... I enjoy movies that are philosophical, slow moving and very meaningful. The idea of So Shelly was brilliant but the execution could have been a bit better. It wasn't until the last few chapters that I found it difficult to put the book down.
This story is being told by a teenager, John Keats and it is his manuscript of his life as it correlated with the lives of two other teens, Shelly and Gordon. If you haven't figured it out yet... this is a re-telling of the lives of John Keats, Percy Shelley, and Lord Byron but in a modern setting. Again, as I said, brilliant idea. I have always loved poetry so I already knew quite a bit about these three famous writers but this book really brought out the dysfuntionality (I know that's not a word... but I really think it should be) of these characters. And no matter what Keats says... it really did make sense.

You really just have to read it... and to convince you further, this is what is on the back of the book:

"I can guarantee you this:

unless you learn

to wrap you brain

around the fact 

that you

are eventually

going to die, 

you'll never

wrap your arms

around 

the less

certain

fact that

you are

currently living."

Nine day wonder

There were times while I was reading Carpe Corpus, the 6th book in the Morganville Vampires Series by Rachel Caine, that I thought it was going to be a disappointment, nothing but a nine day wonder. I felt some of the beginning was just parts of one of the previous novels in the series. But once again Caine managed to keep me interested and aching for more.
There was one very upsetting let down in the book, though. I waited for six books to finally see Claire and Shane "get physical" and it felt like a total rip off. She left out all of the good stuff... I mean come on now, throw a girl a bone (no pun intended). It was awful waiting for it to happen, almost as if I was Claire, myself. I mean, I understood the whole "she was sixteen and underage" thing, but hello... she's seventeen now, no more children in the room... make it a good scene. Don't get me wrong, I loved all the naivety and longing you feel as a young adult and being able to relive it when I'm reading but... well... hopefully she will open up in that department later in the series.

Wound up tighter than an eight day clock...

...  That's exactly how you feel once you get to the end of this stunning novel. Cynthia Hand is my debut author for January. (I know I am a bit late with it but I wasn't able to get the book until after January.) And even though this is Hand's first published book... she is anything but amateur. She created a world of teenagers that are without angst but filled with maturity and personality. You not only love these characters, they become your friends. You find yourself grinning at their consistencies and saying "that's just like ______ to do that." As if you know each of them personally. At times you forget there is anything supernatural about the book and at others you can't imagine there being anything "normal" about it. Hand's use of angel mythology is brilliant. And her writing is breathtaking. The love that she creates is so intense you will find yourself welled up with tears, flooded by lust and torn up inside completely during each romantic scene. Hand managed to convey a very spiritual feeling without bombarding you with religion. She kept it neutral, any person, no matter their beliefs, could read and enjoy this book. The emotions I felt during Unearthly reminded me very much of reading A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb.  These are the types of books that change my mind in small ways. Broadening my thinking. Making me feel things I have not felt in a long time.

I was able to guess a few of the plot lines as I went along but not because she was predictable but because that was how I wanted the story to go. There are a few other ideas I have for the next books and I am going to be very impatient while waiting for them. Although I am happy to hear that this will be a trilogy, I am also disappointed because the idea of waiting for more is unbearable. It would almost be easier for it to just be over now.

Seven Year Itch

I started reading this book, Deadly Little Secret, hoping for a really excellent story, but ended up with a cheap knock off. Instantly the book strongly resembled both Twilight and The Vampire Diaries. A couple of chapters in and I was ready to put it down and call it quits but instead it became a game. As I continued to read I stopped to write down every similarity in the book.
Chapter one was almost identical to Chapter 3 of Twilight... come on now, almost hit by a car in the school parking lot and saved by a mysterious guy who came out of no where.
The next chapter was a diary entry written by a guy about the girl he is pining for and how he wishes he could just get closer to her (Vamp Diaries).
In chapter four they introduce the main girl, Camelia's,  best friend who has a short black pixie hair cut (much like Alice). Camelia than sees the new mysterious guy, Ben,  in the cafeteria where he deliberately ignores her. (Twilight) And, in chapter four they also introduce, Matt, Camelia's longtime friend turned boyfriend turned ex-boyfriend... who is now jealous of the new guy (Vamp. Diaries).
A few more chapters in, Camelia is in Chem Lab and Ben comes in and guess who his lab partner ends up being. At this point there is a lot of awkwardness between the two at their table and at one point he bolts out of the room when the bell rings, just to get away from her. Their second day in lab Camelia mentions how, all of a sudden, Ben's skin looks darker than it did the day before (Edward's eyes after he has "eaten").
Ben is not actually a vampire in this series, but he is able to see the past, the future and feel people's emotions and such by touching them (not much different from both Edward's and Alice's gifts in Twilight).
A bit later in the book it finally starts to become it's own story and has the potential to be a pretty interesting book. I could have actually enjoyed it if the author hadn't ruined it so badly from the very beginning.
As the book finally became something worth finishing... the author decided to make the last chapter a little too much like New Moon. Ben leaves Camelia because it would be best for her in the long run.
I almost forgot the most pathetic thing... she throws in a very intense scene where Camelia is trying to teach Ben how to use a pottery wheel... Seriously? Did the author really think she could pull off a scene like in Ghost? She was sadly mistaken.
Now the big question of the day is.... Do I continue with the rest of the series? Should I attempt to see if the author ever figures out her own writing or at the very least, read the rest of the series to see how much more she can mess it up? Or should I just throw in the towel on this series and just leave it as a failed attempt that is not worth continuing with?

This book was not only number 7 out of 52 but also fulfilled a book in the "What's in a Name" challenge. I used this as my book with a size in the title. Unfortunately, this Deadly Little Secret would have been better left untold.

Ages ago, I read Laurie Faria Stolarz's book Blue is for Nightmares. I loved that book and couldn't wait to read the rest of the series. I went out and bought the other books as soon as possible. I attempted to read the second in the series White is for Magic, and was very disappointed. It was almost exactly like the first book just with very slight differences. Makes me wonder if she is able to write anything original... maybe Blue is for Nightmares  was her one hit wonder.

Six of one, half dozen of another

It was difficult getting into this book after reading something as eloquently written as The Forest of Hands and Teeth. Eventually I was able to enjoy the story line and continue reading. The story is very reminiscent of Supernatural.
The author's use of cliches throughout the book was exorbitant, not to mention trite. There is nothing original about a cliche. A weak author uses cliches, a great author composes statements that become cliches. I realize that the author was trying to create a certain personality for the main character but every time she spouted out a new cliche it just caused me to dislike her. Although the author risked the loss of imagination by reciting so many over used sayings, she made up for it wholly with her novel concepts and interesting usage of very old and traditional folk lore & legends. It was slow starting but once Strange Angels got moving, I really got into it and couldn't put it down.