Blogger Hop

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Pandora by Anne Rice Book Review

Genre: Horror and Historical Fiction

Age: 13+

Pages: 344

Gender: Male and Female

Publication Year: 1998

Plot: 5/5

Description: 4.5/5
Characters: 5/5
Developed: 4/5
Fast Paced: 5/5
Cover: 2/3
Memorable: +1

Total: 26.5/28
Percent: 95%
Grade: A

   This book was awesome. I don't know why it got so many bad reviews on Amazon, it was just awesome. My second favorite Anne Rice book (I have read four). But before you read this at least read up to Memnoch the Devil, becuase I made the mistake of only reading up to Queen of the Damned and at the beginning this book gave away things that happened in The Tale of the Body Thief and Memnoch the Devil. So just make sure you don't make the same mistake as me, for even though this is not really part of the vampire chronicles it discusses some things in it. But this book was still very enjoyable.

   The plot was fantastic. It was about Pandora, the vampire born in Augustan Rome. It tells mostly of her life before she turns into a vampire. It gives you a lot of facts about Rome as you are reading it so you can also learn something. It tells of her love for Marius and of how she had dreams that might suggest she was once a vampire before in a past life. It tells of how Marius watched over the Akasha and Enkil. So if you have read some of the other books you will know what I'm talking about. It is truly great to read of Pandora before she was a vampire.

   The description was just great! But the author could of described a little less at some parts.

   The characters were brilliant. Pandora was full of depth. They were all very interesting and fun to read about. I was exspecially fond of Flavius, for the short time he was in the story. Anyway the characters were throughly enjoyable.

   The story was well developed until after Pandora was made a vampire, after that the story got a little choppy and thin. But it didn't ruin the story, even though the end was choppy it was still enjoyable. But I think the author could of added more stuff at the end to make it better.

   The book was very, very fast paced. As I said earlier, this is the fourth Anne Rice book I have read. It took me a week to read Interview with the Vampire. I took me around a month each to read The Vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned (in my defense I was reading other books at the same time). I read Pandora in a day. So obviously it was much faster then the other books. Actually, this was the fastest I have ever read an adult book. So it was super fast.

   The cover is okay. It is pretty, but so much more could of been sone with it. Exspecially since it was such a great book.

   I gave it a +1 for being memorable since it is a Anne Rice book and all Anne Rice books are memorable.

  This book was a great book in all (face that you one and two star amazon reviewers). I suggest this book to anyone who likes the non-Twilight vampires and Rome.

Grace Hammer by Sara Stockbridge Book Review

Genre: Historical Fiction

Age: 13+

Pages: 277

Gender: Female

Publication Year: 2009

Plot: 4/5

Description: 4/5

Characters: 3.5/5

Developed: 3/5

Fast Paced: 5/5

Cover: 3/3

Memorable: +1

Total: 23.5/28

Percent: 84%

Grade: B

   I originall found this book at my local library. I intended to check it out but I decided not to since it was only a one week rental. So I bought on Amazon for a few dollars a couple months ago. I finally decided to read it. It was ok, but it had some major flaws, well at least in my eyes it did.

   The plot was good, but the problem is that the author went off and just had to talk about things that had nothing to really do with the plot. The story was about a women named Grace Hammer. She lives in Whitechapel in the year 1888 (I know such a wonderful year to live in Whitechapel) with her children. Grace is a thief, in fact it is the only way she really gets money. Apparently she is really good at being a thief because she lives a well life for living in East London. But her past is coming back to hunt her, because she stole a precious gem from this guy she used to work for, Mr.Blunt. You see, Mr.Blunt is a easily angered man, so he now wants his gem back, but he does not want to stop after getting the gem. There is really not much else to the plot. There are a lot of little side plots though.

   Since I finished this book awhile ago, I barely remember anything about the description used in it. All I remember was that I wasn't astounded by it, but I wasn't disappointed by it. I remember that the author never described the setting well. So I gave it a 4.

   I believed the characters were never fully developed. There was nothing really anything unique about the characters except that they had all their teeth. Jack is a player and Grace is a thief. Her children are smart and good looking. Mr.Blunt is angry, he kills people. They are as flat as a piece of printer paper.

   The story was poorly developed. Mostly because they kept going to different people's point of views. The author never made you care about the characters, or what happened to him. The story just seemed to go in a pointless direction. The characters did things for no apparent reason. The author told us things that the story didn't need. It was just so pointles, nothing really had any depth.

   The story was generally fast paced. If you aren't put down by the changing point of views. Then since it is short and has big print you should be able to just zip through this book.

   The cover is really good. Except for one thing. There are these orange splatters on the cover. First I thought someone spilled something on my copy, but once I looked up the picture on the internet apparently all the covers have the splatters on it. I don't know if it is blood or supposed to be lights or something, but the cover can for sure do with out it. Otherwise the cover gives the book a mysterious look to it.

   This book was a little bit memorable. I remember it because another one of my favorite characters in the book was executed (In almost all the historical fiction I read, if there is a execution in it, it has to be my favorite character.)
  
   This book was not the most impressive book in the world, but it is not the worst either. I recommend this to you if you like historical fiction.

Blogger Hop!

The Book Blogger Hop is a wonderful meme by Crazy for Books. It is where new people can find your blog and you can find other peoples' blogs. To any readers who have been here before, sorry I haven't posted musch this week, because I read a book full of short stories and I have no idea how to grade it. Anywa, have a good week.

Black Rabbit Summer By: Kevin Brooks Book Review

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Age: 12+

Pages: 488

Gender: Both

Publication Year: 2008

Plot: 5/5

Description: 5/5

Characters: 5/5

Developed: 5/5

Fast Paced: 3/5

Cover: 2/3

Score: 25/28

Percent: 89%

Grade: B+

Black Rabbit Summer.....Pretty darn good book. First, the plot! The main character Pete is just leting his summer go by, sitting around the house basically doing nothing. Then he gets a call from one of his old time pals, Nicole. She wants him to join a get together with the others(which he doesn't really want to go and afraid his new, good friend Raymond) at their old hideout. He decides to go bringing Raymond. Not a good start when they bump into a really bad "tough" bully, Campell. But things get a little better with meeting Pauly, weird, high teenager, Eric sister of Nicole, and Nicole herself, the peppy, cool acting girl(I'll explain Raymond later). They talk a little, remembering past times, then after they all leave and after the weird run in with Nicole, Raymond and Pete head into the carnival. They do what everyone does at a fair. Ride rides, consetion stands and what not(visiting more people). Raymond wants to visit the Madame Baptiste Fortune-Teller. Pete gives in. Madame Baptiste let's them in and gives Raymond his fortune. But what she sees troubles her. One of the cards she drew were an Ace Of Spades. Raymond says it's a death card and asks is someone going to die? She dodges the question and says sometimes bad things happen. Tonight? She don't answer. Just sends them on their way. Later after that....Pete finds out that Raymond disappeared. Through out the book he tries to find out what happened to his friend while also discovering deep secrets within his old friends. The stuff that happens is really interesting and fun to read about. Now, the description is very precise in my opinoin. Like a movie, in a way. The characters are explained perfectly. You'd know their personality well and still wonder, and see if youcan find out what they're hiding. You really get into them. I said some of the characters already except for Raymond and Pete. Pete is the kind of person that you would think is quiet and sort of keeps to himself, but is very kind and do whatever it takes to succeed his goals. Raymond is super quiet and some think he is very weird. He thinks his rabbit talks to him. I think that kind of funny, not weird, just funny. Like hehe, funny. But that is all you get out of him I think. Because the author leaves him mysterious in a way which he did really good at. That leads to developed. Really good it is. Always tries to leave you guessing and lets you into Pete's feelings all the time. Fast paced, I don't think it is. As I said the feelings and thinking of Pete kind of stalls in the events that are happening. Cover is kind of good, but they could have done better. I suggest this book to reader's who like long books and enjoy a sort of twisting and turning of events. Very good and I almost couldn't put it down(especially at the end). ;) Now scram and get that book!!!!!!

In My Mailbox (2)

In My Mailbox is a meme created by The Story Siren (a really cool blog). In my mailbox is used to display what books you got this week.

   Last week I didn't post anything because, of course because I didn't get anything. This week I got a book that I preordered in the mail and the library's reading program started so I get some cool free books.

 Library Reading Program

Sovay by Celia Rees

It's England, 1783. When the rich and beautiful Sovay isn't sitting for portraits, she's donning a man's cloak and robbing travelers—in broad daylight. But in a time when political allegiances between France and England are strained, a rogue bandit is not the only thing travelers fear. Spies abound, and rumors of sedition can quickly lead to disappearances. So when Sovay lifts the wallet of one of England's most powerful and dangerous men, it's not just her own identity she must hide, but that of her father. A dazzling historical saga in which the roles of thieves and gentry, good and bad, and men and women are interchanged to riveting effect.

(from fantasticfiction.co.uk)

The Diamond of Drury Lane by Julia Golding

Set in 1790's Covent Garden this book whisks you back to a bygone era. The narrator's colourful slang and confident I-will-tell-you-how-it-really-is, makes the story sparkle off the page. It is the tale of Cat Royal, an orphan who lives at the back of the real-life theatre in Drury Lane. It contains a wonderful colourful cast of characters - awkward actors, on stage, and off, barrow boys in the grimy marketplace, street gangs fighting for territory...and it's packed with local colour and authentic detail. And of course there is the diamond mystery. What more could you want?

(from fantasticfiction.co.uk)

Bought off Target.com

Shadows of the Redwood (Book 1, The Scions of Shadow Trilogy or the Faire Folk Trilogy Two) by Gillian Summers

The acclaimed Faire Folk Saga continues with a new trilogy starring half-elf Keelie Heartwood

Summer is here, and all sixteen-year-old halfelf Keelie wants to do is visit her friend Laurie in L.A. Instead she, her cat Knot, and her cranky, medieval, elf-lady grandmother are on their way to help the Redwood Forest, whose tree shepherd is missing.

With the help of the handsome Sean, and Scott, her father's former apprentice, along with a mysterious coyote, Keelie sets out to find the lost tree shepherd. But can she discover the deadly secret of the Bloodroot tree in time to vanquish the darkness and save the Redwood Forest?

(from fantasticfiction.co.uk)

Untamed (House of Night) by P.C. Cast + Kristen Cast Book Review

Genre: Paranormal Romance and Fantasy

Age: 13+

Pages: 338

Gender: Female

Publication Year: 2008

Plot: 2.5/5

Description: 5/5

Characters: 3.5/5

Developed: 3/5

Fast Paced: 5/5
Cover: 2.5/3

Memorable: +0

Total: 21.5/28

Percent: 77%

Grade: C

   I really did not have high expectations for this book. I actually just read it to give me some variety. I started this book the day it came out, which was a while ago but I couldn't get past page one hundred, so I restarted it. Well, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but it wasn't absolutely horrible. As you can see it is the lowest grade I have given since my new non-strict grading system. But still I guess the grade isn't that bad, it is passing. 

   I obviously did not like the plot at all. Well, it just seemed, well cheesy. It is the fourth book in the House of Night series. In the last book, if I remember right she had three boyfriends. One human, Heath. One fellow fledgling, Erik. One vampyre, Loren. Well she was imprinted with Heath. Then she did the nasty with Loren, so the imprint broke making Heath upset, then while she was doing the nasty Erik came in and saw her. Then soon after Zoey figured out that Loren really loved Neferet, the really evil High Priestess, and that Neferet set up the whole relationship to get Zoey's friends mad at her. So all three boyfriends were ticked off at her. (That was all from the third book Chosen, so you really should read the first three books before you read this one.) Well, in Untamed, all her boyfriends are mad at her, and then this new apparently hot kid named Stark, who when shooting an arrow can never miss which is bad because he killed his mentor (well not in the story it just says so). Zoey feels attracted to him, how obvious. So she gets really upset when his body rejects the change into a vampyre and he dies. But no, he might not die, he could come back as a red fledging, how good for Zoey. Also Neferet is brewing up some trouble, first Zoey sees this crow like thing that hurts here arm, but don't worry it heals quickly, and it throws her into another big mess, mostly to do with a very old Cherokee legend. But with the help of her friends she might be able to solve everything. There is also a side plot about her boyfriend issues too.

   I liked the description in this book, yes they used ultra modern phrases constantly to describe things, but there is nothing wrong with that. I loved how they described the Raven Mockers: a creature that existed only because of ancient rape and evil. That was a quote from the book. Cool huh? Well, anyway I liked how they described things in this book, a lot. Though there was limited amount of intelligent use of words, most good vocab came from Damien.

   I liked all the main characters excluding one, the main character, Zoey. I just hate her so much, she is so disgusting and she still thinks she is right. You see, Erik was being nice to her in the last book by letting her still kind of be in a relationship with Heath, but then she gets all gross with Loren, and then thinks that she should forgive Erik for being mad at her. She is just so..... ew. If it wasn't for her this book might of been able to pull off a B-. Anyway I liked the diversity in characters, it is always nice to read a book that shows gay people in a good light, because they can't help being gay it is just the way they are. I also surprisingly like Aphrodite, not just because here name is also a name of a Greek goddess, but because she has character, and I like characters who have character. I like Stevie Rae too, but sometimes she acts a little corny. But even if there was a whole gigantic set of awesome side characters, nothing can make up for how bad Zoey is.

   There was one thing about this book that bothered me. A whole bunch of things happened in a very short amount of time, this book took place in only two days, which is crazy. Some of the scenes the author could of added more depth into, maybe described more.

   This book was super fast paced, actually I have no idea why I couldn't finish it in the first place. So if you read this book and end up not liking it you can just speed your way right through to the end! (It's too bad Zoey doesn't die).

    I absolutely love the covers for this book series, mainly because of the little swirly things all over them. It is just so cool. The reason why I only gave it a 2.5 is because for this book I didn't really like the picture in the middle, seriously, how could that model be 16, but her swirly tattoos are cool. This book is just filled with swirly things!

    This book was really not memorable, except for maybe the cover and the horrible protagonist.

    As you can see, this is not my favorite book in the world. The first book was ok, but not the rest. I seriously hate the main character. I recommend this to fans of Vampire Academy and Twilight.

  

Blogger Hop!

Time for a new blogger hop! I am so happy because I actually got up early enough to be number 39 on the list! Anyway, Blogger Hop is hosted by Crazy for Books, go check the blog out it is really cool. Well, anyway, have a fun time hopping!

The Year of the Hangman by Gary Blackwood Book Review

Genre: Historical Fiction/Alternative History

Age: 11+

Pages: 257

Gender: Male (Some Females)

Publication Year: 2002

Plot: 4/5

Description: 4/5

Characters: 5/5

Developed: 4/5

Fast Paced: 4/5

Cover: 1/3

Memorable: +1

Total: 23/28

Percent: 82%

Grade: B-

   I read this book in sections. I guess around 2 weeks ago, I started it and read the first 50 pages then stopped for a day or two then slowly read the next hundred pages. Then stopped for about two days because I reread a book, then started up again around 10 o'clock yesterday night, then finished the book around 11 o'clock. The book was good, but it lost me a little bit in the middle.

   The plot was pretty good, but it was kind of odd hearing a lot of America's founding fathers were dead. This story is an alternative ending to the American Revolution. It is from the point of view of a 15 year old boy named Creighton Brown (isn't his first name great!). His mom hires someone to kidnap him and send him to America because she can't handle him. So once he gets to England he has to live with his uncle, but not for long because he has to go somewhere. So they both get on a ship, where the ship is attacked by Yankees, Creighton pretends to be his uncles indentured servent. So the Yankees set Creighton "free". Then they send him to live with Benjamin Franklin. His uncle asks Creighton to spy on Mr. Franklin. But after awhile Creighton's loyalties to England fade and he comes to question if he is doing the right thing.

    I thought the description was good, I really have nothing to say about it. The author described the characters and setting well. But I think he could of described other things better, like he could of described Benjamin Franklin's funeral better. But I still gave description a 4/5.

    I thought the characters were really good, exspecially Creighton. He was full of depth. I loved seeing him change to a not so mature kid who messes around all the time. To a person who doesn't just plays games and glorifies war, a person who knows what is right and wrong. Other then that I liked Sophie, because she wasn't perfect like some characters. I two things wrong with characters. First I think they should have developed Benjamin Franklin more. I was also very confused about Benedict Arnold. I though he was supposed to be really on the Britich side. But I still gave it a 5/5 because I think Creighton is a very good character.

   The book was well developed, I guess. There were just some parts they could of lingered on more. I can't really say much about it.

   This book was mostly fast paced there were just some parts I couldn't get into. Like as I said in the introduction, it took me a really long time to get through the middle part of the book I just kept picking it up and setting it down again. But I read the beginning and ending at a rapid speed.

   If I had not already new what this book was about ahead of time and I went to the bookstore and saw this book on the bookshelf, I would not pick it up. I think it is quite ugly acutally. The only reason I gave it a 1/3 is because I think the cover fits the theme of the book.

  This book was semi-memorable, I will remember it because of the alternative ending to the war that every American child over learns in school, but not really for anything else.

  This book was ok, not my favorite, but not horrible. I suggest it to anyone who likes alternative history.