Once Bitten

Once Bitten

by: Kalayna Price


Kita Nekai, on the run and the smallest of her shifter clan-a calico cat among lions and tigers-is being hunted.  She was expected to accept her role as her father's successor whether or not her cat was up to the task of leading the clan.  She disagreed.  Now she's less than a step ahead of the hunters, bone-tired, cold, and living hand-to-mouth in the city of Haven.  And that's the high point of her day.  She's also drugged, "accidentally" turned into a vampire, and sentenced to death for recklessly creating as rouge shifter who tortures its human prey.  She's got seventy-two hours to find the rogue, evade a city full of hunters, prove she's not responsible for the rogue, and keep the vampire council from killing her.  All while sorting out an apprentice mage, a married ex-boyfriend shifter-hunter, and the vampire who made her.



WOW. That is a really long synopsis.  Pretty much tells the whole story if you ask me.  I had some problems with this book.  Mainly, the world building.  I mean, usually I'm not too fond of all the descriptions, but even a girl like me needs SOME background information.  Like what the hell is Haven anyways.  And where exactly is Firth, not to mention....what the hell is it?!

So Kita is on the run from hunters.  Ok still not entirely clear on the hunters thing.  Were they trying to kill her or just drag her back to...Firth(?)  Kita gets turned into a vampire.  Don't you think if you were turned into a vampire that you would want answers IMMEDIATELY?  Yeah? me too!  Kita?  Not so much. She's more concerned about why she doesn't feel cold anymore,  (maybe because you're a vampire?)  and why does my ex-boyfriend smell so good all of a sudden?  Maybe it's the vampire thing again?  There is a vampire standing right behind you, why not ask him??  No?  oh okay then.  ARG!  Kita continues to do this through out the book.  Always wondering and never asking the one person who can at least give her some answers.  Very frustrating!

Then there is a side character Gil who is...I dunno some random person who is basically only around to glamor people when they are trying to get answers.  Useless.

Anywho, aside from Kita and her refusal to get answers, I'd say that overall it was an okay story, but I just can't get past how passive for answers Kita was.  I like my heroines to have a little less fear and drive to get answers.  I will  not be reading the next book in this series!

I have another book by this author sitting on my shelf and am looking forward to reading it.  Grave Witch...have you heard of it?  Is it good?



That is all.  Continue on with your day.  :)

Dead, Undead or Somewhere in Between

Dead Undead or Somewhere in Between
by: J.A. Saare

One bad corpse can ruin your whole day.


No one knows that better than Rhiannon Murphy.
She left behind the flash and sass of Miami for the no-nonsense groove of New York City, eager for a clean slate, and a fresh start.  A bartender by trade, a loudmouth by choice, and a necromancer by chance; she managed to keep her nifty talent hidden from those around her - until now.
   The deliciously good looking vampire Disco knows her secret.  When he strolls into her bar to solicit help investigating the mysterious disappearances of his kind from the city, Rhiannon discovers he's not the kind of person that appreciates the significance of the word no.
But in a world where vampires peddle their blood as the latest and greatest drug of choice, it's only a matter of time before the next big thing hits the market.  Someone or something is killing vampires to steal their hearts, and unlike Rhiannon this isn't their first stroll around the undead block.



I love Rhiannon.  End of story.  She is so sassy, and loud mouthed, and sarcastic, it's hard to contain one's love for a character like her.

I liked how the plot of the story moved along, there was never a dull moment, and it was fun getting to know all the characters like Goose and Disco.

I know that vampires have been done to death (ha haha) in these recent years so obviously ideas from other books are going to make it to another persons book eventually, but the whole vampire blood drug industry really reminded me of the Sookie Stackhouse series.  But that is pretty much where the similarities end  :)

Disco was enjoyable, and their relationship was awwww (kind of sappy).

I can't wait to read the next book becauuusssseeee.......IT ENDED ON A CRAZY CLIFFHANGER!!!!   OMG!!!!!!!



Next book comes out August 23!



Oh, there is excessive amounts of swearing, and several bloody descriptions in this book.
(probably why I loved it so much)

Warm Bodies

Warm Bodies
by: Isaac Marion

     R is a young man with an existential crisis - he is a zombie.  He shuffles throught an America destroyed by war, social collapse, and the mindless hunger of his undead comrades, but he craves something more than blood and brains.  He can speak just a few grunted syllables, but his inner life is deep, full of wonder and longing.  He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he has dreams
      After experiencing a teenage boy's memories while consuming his brain, R makes an unexpected choice that begins a tense, awkward, and strangely sweet relationship with the victim's human girlfriend.  Julie is a blast of color in the dreary and gray landscape that surrounds R.  His decision to protect her will transform not only R but also his fellow Dead, and perhaps their whole lifeless world.










I can honestly say that I loved this book.  And can I just say thank goodness?  Because it's been a while since I could actually get through a book without wanting to put it down and do something else.
I started reading this in the airport, and finished before the plane landed, which kind of sucked because I really wanted MORE R!!!

R was an excellent leading zombie man.  He was thoughtful and insightful and wanting so much more from his zombie life.  His descriptions of what he did during the day had me giggling, and I loved how he told his story.  I loved the fact that when the zombies eat other peoples brains they got to re-live that persons memories.  Fan- freakin- tastic!

Favorite line:  "My friend "M"  says the irony of being a zombie is that everything is funny, but you can't smile because your lips have rotted off."

If you don't like random descriptions of how throats are being ripped out and blood gets spattered everywhere, then this is probably not the book for you.  However, if you don't mind a little violence, a tinsy bit of romance, and lessons on how to take down a human for consumption, then this will be a great read for you.

Impulse

Impulse
by Ellen Hopkins

Tony's painful childhood memories can be quelled only through pills.  Vanessa has a secret that keeps her coming back to the blade.  And Connor seems to have the perfect life on the outside, but his inward battle with his parents, his peers, and himself give him one last choice-to pull the trigger.


These are three lives that would have been cut short if not for the hasty intervention by loved ones.  Or fate.  Now they are given a second chance at a better life- but only if they help one another, and if they find the strength to let go of their inner demons.  For good.







I could not get into this book.  I couldn't relate to the characters.  I think the switiching perspectives really slowed the story down.  Also,

           *Spoilers ahead* 



 What is with the mommy hating?  All three characters had some serious mommy issues and the daddies where the saviors, well, in most cases.

Also I kind of did not like how much the kids depended on being medicated.  I understand that for a lot of people they need it, but towards the end when it's the last final step before they can be released out into the wild, they are still being medicated day and night.  And the one boy who decides to stop taking his meds on the trip gets severley depressed and ends up killing himself.  I have to say that I am not quite sure I like the message that this book sends out.

1. Blame everything on your mother
2.  Medicate youreslf to cure yourself.

weird.

And the love connection that happened, to me at least, seemed really out of place.




               *end spoilers* 






Uhh that is all.

I like Hopkins' Crank trilogy much better.

Enclave

Enclave
by: Ann Aguirre

In Deuce's world, people earn the right to a name only if they survive their first fifteen years.  By that point, each unnamed 'brat' has trained into one of three groups- Breeders, Builders, or Hunters, identifiable by the number of scars they bear on their arms.  Deuce has wanted to be a Huntress for as long as she can remember.
As a Huntress, her purpose is clear-to brave the dangerous tunnels outside the enclave and bring back meat to feed the group while evading ferocious monsters known as Freaks.  She's worked toward this goal her whole live, and nothing's going to stop her, not even a beautiful, brooding Hunter named Fade.  When the mysterious boy becomes her partner, Deuce's troubles are just beginning.
Down below, deviation from the rules is punished swiftly and harshly, and Fade doesn't like following orders.  At first she thinks he's crazy, but as death stalks their sanctuary, and it becomes clear the elders don't always know best, Deuce wonders if Fade might be telling the truth.  Her partner confuses her; she's never known a boy like him before as prone to touching her gently as using his knives with feral grace.
As Deuce's perception shifts, so does the balance in the constant battle for survival.  The mindless Freaks, once considered a threat only due to their seer numbers, show signs of cunning and strategy...but the elders refuse to heed any warnings.  Despite imminent disaster, the enclave puts their faith in strictures and sacrifice instead.  No matter how she tries, Deuce cannot stem the dark tied that carries her far from the only world she's ever known.






Yaaay another dystiopian book! heh.  I read this book right after I read Divergent.  I don't know about most of you but I enjoyed Enclave slightly more. I think because Deuce actually gets some hints as to what happened to her world.  Not just that but she defies the rules and gets kicked out of her Enclave and has to survive above the tunnels with her only companion Fade.

Fade was an interesting character and I liked their interactions and growing relationship.  That is until an event happens where they end up adding two more people to their group.  After that their conversations and everything comes to a halt.  Fade is hardly even mentioned!  it was sad.  And seriously? The ending is horrible!  What happened?  It's like the book got cut off halfway through.  The ending was NOT an ending.  Even though the story is suppose to continue in the next book, I feel like....I feel nothing really.  The story just ended, not on a high note, not on a low note, it just ended!  And there was no climax, no ultimate goal to achieve.





Also.... I have a cat named Deuce.

Isn't she cute  :D


I'm still excited for the next book to come out, even with the 'not really an ending' ending.

City of FAIL Angels

City of Fallen Angels
By: Cassandra Clare

City of Fallen Angels takes place two months after the events of City of Glass.  In it, a mysterious someone's killing the Shadowhunters who use to be in Valentine's Circle and displaying their bodies around New York City in a manner designed to provoke hostility between Downworlders and Shadowhunters, leaving tensions running high in the city and disrupting Clary's plan to lead a s normal a life as she can - training to be a Shadowhunter, and pursuing her relationship with Jace.  As Jace and Clary delve into the issue of the murdered Shadowhunters, they discver a mystery that has deeply personal consequences for them - consequences that may strengthen their relationship , or rip it apart forever.


Meanwhile, internecine warfare among vampires is tearing the Downworld community apart, and only Simon - the Daylighter who everyone wants on their side - can decide the outcome; too bad he wants nothing to do with Downworld politics.  Love, blood, betrayal and revenge: the stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels.




This book.  This book was not good.  This book should not have been written, and this series should not have started again.  EVERYTHING should have ended with City of Glass. This book had no point, it was slow, and boring, and nothing happened.  Jace was a whiny bitch, Simon is not funny, Clary is dumb and Alec is also a whiny bitch. It's like Clare thought "hmm what can I do to ruin all of my characters?" and then did it.  Every single character is now ruined for me so thanks for that Clare.

As readers, we should be angry that we were presented with this pile of crap.  We aren't stupid readers, and Clare isn't a stupid author.  Obviously she had previously written something that we all enjoyed, so what happened here?  I'll tell you what happened.  She took the easy road and rehashed all her old characters because it's easier to get in on the cash cow this way.

Come on Clare, I know you can do it.  Write something new, and fresh, in a different world with different characters!  And no, your Clockwork Angel series does NOT count.  Switch the names out and all the personalities are the same.  Please, I beg you, give your readers something worth reading, something you write because you really believe in it, not because you see a quick and easy way to get more money out of your Mortal Instruments empire.  PLEASE!

Rules of Attraction

Rules of Attraction
By: Simone Elkeles

When Carlos Fuentes returns to America after living in Mexico for a year, he doesn't want any part of the life his older brother, Alex, has laid out for him at a high school in Colorado.  Carlos likes living his life on the edge and carve his own path - just like Alex did.  Then he meets Kiara Westford.  She doesn't talk much and is completely intimidated by Carlos' wild ways.  As they get to know one another, Carlos assumes Kiara thinks she's too good for him, and refuses to admit that she might be getting to him.  But soon he realizes that being himself is exactly what Kiara needs right now.
















Awww this book was sooo cute!   Ugh did I just say that?  YES, yes I did.  Am I slightly ashamed?  Of course,  but I can handle it because this was one of the few books I actually enjoyed reading last month so I will proudly say that I was highly entertained by this book with the stupid cover.

This book was told from alternating viewpoints and awwww Carlos is so cute.  *girly giggles* And Kiara was awesome, and I really don't have much to say about the book except, you should read it, cause if I enjoyed it, then it must have been good.  *twirls hair around fingers, snaps gum, and giggles again*

Previously on...

my blog. lol  Hmm I think I was reading Larissia Ione's series.  Ok I finished those and Lore's story was my favy.  But since then?  I think I've only read about 2 or 3 books that I really enjoyed without being annoyed by a character or a slow plot.  Isn't that sad?  So hmmmmm which book do I talk about?

Portal
By: Imogen Rose

Come find me two years ago...

Six words that propelled ice hockey playing tomboy, Arizona, into an alternate dimension.
She suddenly found herself in the past.  In on moment she went from being an ice hockey playing teenager in New Jersey, to a glamorous cheerleader in California. She found herself transported from a happy life with her dad, Dillard, to a new, strange one living with her mother whom she hates.  Apparently it's a life she's always lived in.
Everyone knows her as Arizona Darly, but she isn't.  She is Arizon Stevens.
As she struggles to find answers she is certain of one thing- that her mother Olivia, a brilliant physicist, is somehow responsible...


Portal is the story of the repercussions of Olivia Darley's attempt at creating a perfect world for herself and her children.  Arizona's quest for answers threatens to undermine the seemingly perfect world that her mother has so carefully constructed.








Ok so when I first started reading this book I was like "YESSSSSS!!!!!!  Awesome!!!!"  Then as I continued reading  my face went from this:  :-D  to this  :-/     then to this   >:-(   <--that is an angry face by the way.

Arizona gets transported to an alternate time line and what does she do?  Tries out for the hockey team, gets a boyfriend, and half heartedly tries to find her dad.  And instead of talking to her mother about it, conversations that should be important get pushed aside until after a hockey game, or after a barbecue.  I mean SERIOUSLY.  I get that she doesn't want people to think that she is crazy, but I mean...what was the point of the book then?

And don't even get me started on the weird awkward language, the constant label dropping, or the fact that more than half way through the book, even though it's been all from Arizonas POV, suddenly we get some boring little snippets of the mom's POV.  Totally worthless and pointless snippets I might add.

 How did Olivia (the mom) figure out how to go back in time?  How did  Rupert (? I think that was his name?) know to tell Olivia to come find her.  How did he meet her in the first place?!  These are answers that I wanted to know!  Not how Arizona's stupid hockey tryouts went, or her feelings for her the boy that she just met, but OF COURSE IS NOW IN LOVE WITH.  GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.  GR.

No, I will not read the next two books.  I don't even care what happens.   *cries*

Oh hey! It's June!

YAY!  Good news.  Summer arrived  yippie!  Well, at least for this week, it's here  :)

I know I've been slacking but I really do have a good excuse.....

OK, so that didn't take up the whole month of May, but you've got to be impressed with the size of him, eh?

Ummm....My irises bloomed?

Ok this month, I'm really going to try to post more on here.  Really.  REALLY.  In fact, I'm going to start on my post for tomorrow right now!



After I go grocery shopping...