Tuesday, January 17, 2012

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

Summary (From Goodreads): It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.
Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.
Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

Review: The Goddess Test was a really fast paced read. There were a lot of plot twists and turns that I didn't see coming. It kept me on the edge of my seat and even had me crying at some points.

Kate is such a superb protagonist; she makes tough decisions in this book, and the great thing about it is that she acknowledges how tough these decisions are. She realizes that she is in a ridiculous situation (Take notes, Bella Swan!) and she has a real internal struggle about it.

Also, Kate doesn't immediately fall in love with Henry. I like to picture her giving him angry glares for most of the book; that's what I would do. She really doesn't like him very much and it takes a long time for her to warm up to him.

Bottom Line: I loved it, and am now anxiously awaiting the next book, Goddess, Interrupted.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Summary (From Goodreads):
Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.
Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.
In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

Review: Beautiful Creatures was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I loved the southern gothic feel you get from the book. Garcia and Stohl do an excellent job of blending crazy paranormal themes, like voodoo and witchcraft with American history.

Oh, I should probably get something out of the way right now. Beautiful Creatures is technically about casters, a group of people who are like witches basically. Actually I'm not quite sure what the major differences are. I know that casters each have individual powers, all of which are freakishly awesome. I like the idea of a brand new mythology rather than the regular standbys (vampires, werewolves, zombies, etc.) Bold move, Garcia/Stohl!

Now lets move on to the romance portion of the novel. The whole Ethan/Lena romance is sweet, but, and this is my only problem with this book, it is so cliche! Ethan is instantly drawn to her because she's different than all of Ethan's super square school chums. They "slowly" fall in love and run through fields holding hands and writing poetry all over each other's well worn converse sneakers. ughhh!!!!

Bottom Line: I found the mythology interesting enough to make me want to read the next book in the series, but Ethan and Lena's romance will hopefully be better developed as the series progresses.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

In My Mailbox #9

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

Hi everyone! I hope everyone's holidays went well! I was pretty busy but now I'm getting back to blogging. I have reviews of Beautiful Darkness, The Goddess Test, and Witches of East End which I'm hoping to get up on the blog later this week. I also started participating in the Waiting on Wednesday meme. You can check out my first post for that here.

And now onto the books!


For Review:
Melody Burning by Whitley Strieber (Thanks MacTeen InGroup!)

Purchased:
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday #1 - The Gathering Storm

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Title: The Gathering Storm (Goodreads)
The Gathering Storm (Katerina Alexandrovna, #1)Author: Robin Bridges
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Expected Pub Date: January 10th, 2012

Oh my G! If I wasn't a broke college kid I would be on Amazon hitting the preorder button for this book.

5 reasons that I want it:

1. It's set in 1800s Russia. Pre Soviet Union Russia was a pretty fancy pants place.
2. The main character is named Katerina. If anyone watches The Vampire Diaries, you'll know why this makes me happy.
3. Katerina just happens to be able to raise the dead...so she's a little different.
4. That cover is amazing - that snow, that hat and that sassy/concerned facial expression shows me that this book means business.
5. The book trailer, which you can find here is amazing! Be prepared for some creepy white eyes, creepy old ladies, and an ominous shaking tea cup...




So that's what I'm waiting on this Wednesday. What books are you waiting for?