Marked by PC Cast and Kristin Cast St. Martin’s Griffin

Sixteen year old Zoey Redbird is having a bad day. She has been marked as a fledgling vampyre and as a result has to leave behind everything she knows to move into the House of Night, a sort of private training school for vampyres. Once there she makes friends, and enemies, and discoveres she has unbelievable powers and may very well be the strongest vampyre, ever. She also struggles with the fact that not everyone makes it through the Change.

I found the writing in the first few pages a bit choppy, but after that I really enjoyed this book, devouring in a night. Geared toward teens, this adult still thought it was a well written story with a solid plot. Part of a series, I am about to start the second book, Betrayed.

I only had two issues with Marked. The first one is the extensive sexual content that I feel may not be appropriate for the age group that this book is geared towards. This would have been the type of book I gravitated towards at eleven and I don’t think that someone that age should be reading about some of the sexual stuff that takes place in the halls of the House of Night.

My second issue may very well take care of itself in the second book, but right now, I ‘m pretty sure I have the big twist figured out, and that’s a bit disappointing for me. I appreciate a good twist and turn in a book, and just because this is a teen book doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t contain mysteries that are hard to figure out.

Over all, though, I did really enjoy this book and I look forward to reading others in the series.

I'm baaaaaack

I kinda let this blog slide, but for a good reason: I was getting paid to blog about books elsewhere. At 5 bucks a post, it was pretty easy money until they lowered the rate to 1 buck a post. So I figured I'd rather yak here for free then sell my soul for a dollar a post. Because while I may not be the world's best writer, I know I'm worth more than that.

I'm going to try to change things up a bit here. Instead of just straight book reviews I'll be yakking about all things books. So stayed tune for all kinds of fun!

Undead and Uneasy by MaryJanice Davidson Berkley Mass Market

I adore this series. While raunchy, I always find it laugh out loud funny. In the latest installment, Betsy (Queen of the Vampires) finds herself all alone two weeks before her wedding. And I mean all alone. Friends, family, and fiance have all skedaddled.
I have to say, I was a bit dissapointed with this book. First of all, it almost felt like I had walked in on chapter three. I found myself right in the middle of a story I wasn't sure about. And the plot, for me anyway, kind of fell flat. I like Betsy as a character, but can only take so much of her without all her sidekicks for her to play off of.
This book just didn't have the same smack you in the face feel that other books have. But if you are a fan of this series, you have to read this book for some serious developments, none of which I am going to give away.

Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos HarperCollins Canada

*Originally reviewed for Edwards Magazien Book Club
http://www.edwardsmagazine.ca/book_club_fiction_belong_me.html

Slight Change in my postings

Okay, here's the deal: as a book addict, I have several "pushers" including second hand books stores, book clubs, book groups and friends. One of my main contacts is Edwards Magazine book club. In fact, I manage the thing. Sooooo for my books that I receive through them I am going to, from now on, just post the link to the review.
I'm doing this for several reasons:
1. It's easier on me. Less time frigging around with the computer equals more time to read.
2. When I posted the same reviews on here that I have on the Edwards Book Club, I almost felt like I was cheating.
3. Self promotion. The more people that scoot on over to Edwards and read the reviews, the better for the magazine and book club.
So, there you have it. It might mean an extra click for you, but it means a lot less cutting and pasting for me.
Colleem

Sharp Teeth By Toby Barlow HarperCollins Canada

*Originaly reviewed for Edwards magazine Book Club
http://www.edwardsmagazine.ca/book_club_fiction_sharp_teeth.html

The Book of Mary by Gail Sidonie Sobat Summach Press

Originaly reviewed for Edwards magazine Book Club
http://www.edwardsmagazine.ca/book_club_fiction_book_mary.html

The Immaculate Conception. What if it wasn’t so Immaculate? What if a 14 year old Mary just didn’t want to be stoned for being unwed and pregnant? In a desperate plea to remain alive and trick a nice older man into marrying her, Mary makes up the story of the angel visiting her. Joseph marries her and she has her “miracle” baby. But all of a sudden the story takes on a life of it’s own, resulting in a jealous King and eventually zealot followers.
This is the premise of Gail Sidonie Sobat wonderfully entertaining novel The Book of Mary. Written as diary entries we see Mary grow from a sexually promiscuous teen into a caring, loving Mother and Healer. As a non practicing Catholic who is fairly open minded, the basic idea of Mary as a normal woman and Jesus as a baby conceived in love wasn’t hard on my psyche, but someone more devote in their religious beliefs may have a hard time with the novel.
I really enjoyed this novel and the writing style that was used. The language was very modern and easy flowing and the characters were very believable and likeable. The idea of Mary as a Healer was also a nice touch. I also like the fact that even though Jesus was a normal human, his life still took pretty much the same path as various religions teach..
The only thing that I feel took away from the story was the chapter that was written completely in the form of letters Mary wrote to various family and friends. I found this part of the book a bit boring and had a hard time not skimming. I think the book would have been more effective and flowing if the whole thing was written as diary entries.
Over all I liked this book a lot and I know that it will be one that is lent out and reread over the years.