Currently reading
Steal the Sky: The Scorched Continent Book One
Horizon (Bone Universe)
Anger Is a Gift
Anna Dressed in Blood
The truly sad thing about this book is it could have been so much better.The first chapter was great. The setup kept me reading. And then it turned into an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, almost literally. I suppose the glowing cover blurb from Cassandra Clare should have been a giveaway.
Since I sound so negative, let me back up a sec. There were definitely things I enjoyed about this book. I like the characters of Thomas and Carmel. I liked some of the creepy imagery the author was able to create, especially when Anna first appeared in the story. The second half of the book, once the author got past all of her awkward setup, was actually pretty riveting and I couldn't put it down.
However, the first half of the book was clumsy. I wasn't a fan of the present tense narration style, or how often Cas and those around him repeated his (ridiculous) full name, especially considering how embarrassed he seemed by it. I also really didn't like how Cas approaches Carmel, as well as the romance between Cas and Anna. I mean, really? I don't like the whole instant love thing in the best cases, but I really could not figure out why Cas would have wanted to be with Anna. True that her backstory made her sympathetic, but he still watched her kill someone.
Oh, and speaking of that, what was with everyone shrugging off Mike's death? That kind of irked me too.
All said, I will probably read the sequel, but I have a bad feeling somehow, Anna's going to become a real girl at some point so she and Cas can have twu wuv.
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That cover is awesome. Read a sample first chapter today and want to give this one a try.
Kitty's Big Trouble (Kitty Norville #9)
A solid, fun entry into the series. Progresses the Roman storyline, and adds Chinese mythology into the "Kitty universe". I enjoyed it.
 - Carrie Vaughn)
If I Stay
This book made me cry. I'm not usually big into YA necessarily, but I loved this. It was beautifully written, emotional, and heart-wrenching.
Can You Keep a Secret?
Surprised at how much I liked this book. I read it in about 3 hours today while home sick, and it was just the kind of light, fluffy fun my sick brain needed: not overly complicated, occasionally laugh-out-loud funny, with a cute romance and likable characters.
Ready Player One
See my review of the hardcover for the actual review of the book. The audio features a great reading by actor and internet celebrity Wil Wheaton, who really gets into character at a few points. Love it.
Ready Player One
I LOVE this book. This book is simultaneously a love letter to my childhood (the 80s), an homage to geek culture in all its many forms, an exploration of identity, a fun treasure-hunt adventure story (The DaVinci Code for geeks!), and a look forward into a not-too-distant dystopian future where energy is scarce, food is hard to come by, and people retreat into a virtual world called the OASIS to escape their troubles.
Maybe I'm the ideal target audience, having been a young child in the 80s, but the constant barrage of 80s and geek references made me smile. I thought the author over-explained/repeated a few points a little too often, although I suspect that was an attempt to keep from losing 'non-geeky' readers or readers not of the age group to have grown up in the 80s. I liked the characters particularly Aech and the exploration of gender and self-identity. Wade occasionally seems a little too clever, but I feel that's balanced by some believably 'dumb teenager' things he does, especially with regard to his relationship with Art3mis.
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 1
Yay for a decent translation, at long last.The only major problem I had with it was the use of "broach" instead of "brooch". Otherwise aside from a few minor awkward phrasings, this was awesome to finally read.
Od Magic (Audio)
Lovely, lyrical language, as usual for McKillip. I listened to this as an audio book, however, and I found the reader's voice so soothing that it made me sleepy. I definitely want to read a paper copy of this book sometime, though, because I loved the characters and the gentle, slow pace.
 - Patricia A. McKillip, Gabrielle De Cuir)
Cake Wrecks: When Professional Cakes Go Hilariously Wrong
Short, sweet, and funny. Borrowed from the library so I didn't mind as much that a lot of the material is repeated from the web site, but probably still worth a read if you're a daily Wrecker.
Amy & Roger's Epic Detour
Surprisingly cute YA romance. I found the characters interesting and easy to relate to, and loved some of the secondary characters. Makes me want to take a road trip. Minus one star for abusing some tropes (*gasp* the only room left in the hotel has one bed?!) but it's still a very fun read.
Kitty Goes to War
These books are like fluffy, fun candy. Not particularly deep, but the I love the characters and find them very easy to relate to. I also adore the fact that the main character is in a stable marriage and not lusting after all the guys. Plus yay, more scenes of Kitty's radio show in this book.
Naked City: Tales of Urban Fantasy
Hit or miss, like most such anthologies. It felt as if either they packed the good stories toward the front of this one, or else I got bored with it toward the end. However, many of the stories in this collection veered more toward horror than urban fantasy, which is not really my cup of tea. The most memorable stories to me were the entries from Jim Butcher, Delia Sherman, Ellen Kushner, and Patricia Briggs. The story by Melissa Marr also piqued my interest, since I understand it's supposed to be a setup for a full novel.
The Snow Queen's Shadow
A lovely, bittersweet ending to a series that turned out to have a lot of depth to its characters given the initial premise. Very satisfying, and darker than previous entries in the series. With this book, Hines tackles elements of the tales of The Snow Queen and Snow White and Rose Red, among others.Hines wraps up most of the loose ends for the finale, including some going back to the first book. Definitely recommend this series if you enjoy a good adventure story with likable female protagonists.
On the Prowl
I only read the Patricia Briggs story in it's entirety, which was very good. I tried to read the other stories but none of them really grabbed me. The last story especially read like a bad fanfic PWP horror.So really 4 stars for Briggs' story, 1 star for the rest of the anthology.
Hard Magic
This book has likable characters, and a fun concept of paranormal CSI crime scene investigators. The ending felt a little rushed and slightly unsatisfying to me. Still, I'm looking forward to reading the second in the series. This one had a lot of setup and a lot of focus on introducing the characters and their relationships and I think the next book will be stronger from being able to build on that groundwork.
