Cantarella by You Higuri

 Links for Book Descriptions: Goodreads & Library Things

 

I remember quite clearly the day that I picked Cantarella off the bookstore's shelf. I was perusing the manga section to see if there were any new releases and I pulled Cantarella off the shelf to inspect the cover and summary. Immediately, I was mesmorized by Higuri You's artwork, which is just as good in the inside as the cover.

As I read Cantarella, I was not only amazed by the artwork, I became interested in the Borgias family and their real life history, which later sparked me into watching Showtime's The Borgias.

Now, there are subtle hints of shounen-ai in Cantarella, which is not that surprising from a manga-ka known for yaoi, but for me, it was more than welcome, and it does not take away from the story.

My Verdict: Five stars out of five

Slayer's Kiss by Cassi Carver

 Links for Book Descriptions: Goodreads & Library Things

 

 I won this book in a First Reads Giveaway on Goodreads.

This book was okay, in my opinion. I personally wouldn't be interested in reading the sequel.

There is more emphasis on smut rather than plot or character development (which is not a bad thing if what you are looking for is smut - I admit sometimes that I read stuff just for the smut). However, the plot just seems kinda thrown together (if this wasn't the case and if there was a nice balance between smut and plot I would have rated this higher).

Kara is a kick-ass character and I enjoyed reading about her night job with Abbey but I just couldn't relate to Kara on any level. I really disliked Julian, particularly his attitude towards Kara. Also, I thought his possessiveness was too overbearing. Gavin was meh, I didn't have any opinion on him either way.

I did not feel the romantic feelings between Kara and Julian and I thought it was too soon for them to be throwing around the "love" word when they hardly knew each other and were just hooking up.

My Verdict: Three stars out of Five

Jago by Kim Newman

 Links for Book Descriptions: Goodreads & Library Things

 

I won this book in a First Reads Giveaway on Goodreads.

 

This book took me a while to finish because it is so long (my edition spanned about 700 pages and included a set of short stories that featured some characters in Jago).

 

There were a lot of surprises along the way, it just seem like twist after twist. Also, there are also a lot of weird stuff that happens that I did not expect (let me just say "tree people" and I will leave it at that). The twist that shocked me the most was one of the people Jago gets to join his flock of followers.

 

There are a lot of characters and sometimes it can be hard to keep them all straight in my mind from the third person narrative constantly switching what character it is focusing on. Like, one chapter may focus on Paul and his girlfriend Hazel then the next will switch to let's say one of Jago's followers.

 

Anyways, Jago was an interesting, unique read that kept my mind guessing the entire time.

 

My Verdict: Four stars out of Five

Saving Fate by Billy Wong

Links for Book Descriptions: Goodreads & Library Things

 

I won an ebook of this book from a giveaway on Library Things.

 

One of the things that drew me into this book big time was the presence of strong female characters. Too many times you see in fantasy novels that the princess needs to be rescued by a knight in shining armor and is completely helpless so I was glad to see quite the opposite here. Reading Saving Fate reminded me why I loved Xena: The Warrior Princess so much. Bold, strong, and determined women.

 

There are a couple of nice plot twists that happen towards the end of the book. Though, I feel bad that Mark spent all that time tracking down his mother and the interactions between them after that point are quite sparse, leaving me wishing there was just a little more.

 

My Verdict: Four stars out of Five

Scenters by Andrew Connan

**Nota Bene: Some spoilers are present in this review.

Read at your own risk**

Links for Book Descriptions: Goodreads & Library Things

 

I won this book in a First Reads Giveaway on Goodreads.

 

The idea of Scenters was original and interesting. The book had such great potential but I felt that the plot points and characters could have been fleshed out more.

 

The book at 174 pages and very large font is fast paced (I think I read it in less than an hour). I normally don't see fast paced as a negative thing but I was left wishing this book to have more pages.

Mr. Thrapp, as the antagonist, was intriguing but was kinda flat.

 

Beyond just being "evil", I did not understand the purpose of his actions - ie. why was he taking the birds out of people? His letter to his mother was curious and I wish the content would have been addressed more later as I felt it had the potential to reveal more about his background.

 

Also, I have an idea what the "birds" represent but I wish it was explained at some point.

 

The book ended with many questions left unanswered for me: What does Uncle Tito know? What was Thrapp's motive? How many more Scenters are out there and how do they use their powers (for good or evil)?

My Verdict: Three stars out of Five

Plague City by Matthew Milson

 **Nota Bene: Some spoilers are present in this review.
Read at your own risk**

Links for Book Descriptions: Goodreads & Library Things
 

I won an ebook of this from a giveaway from Library Things.

 

Wow, this story surprised me in a good way.

 

Henry Coal, the mayor of an unnamed city, is responsible of bombings in the city to fight against the Plague but lies about his involvement and instead places the blame elsewhere. The only other person that knows is Mama Ruth, who runs a soup kitchen, as she assists in these "Purging"s.

 

The conversation between Ruth and Henry concerning the purgings was interesting and I wished there was more background provided on how they knew each other.

 

Reading the story was basically watching Henry descend into madness, as he loses all care for anyone else but his wife and later his Plague infested body chases after his wife in order to kill her. And I think my jaw literally dropped when Eve, his wife, decided to shot herself instead of Henry because she loved him that much. I was shocked. The ending was just as surprising as well.

My Verdict: Four stars out of Five

Assured Destruction by Michael Stewart

Links for Book Descriptions: Goodreads & Library Things

 

I won this ebook from a giveaway on Library Things.

Janus Rose is a high school girl that works at her mom's shop, Assured Destruction, that recycles and shreds used electronics. However, Janus doesn't always shred them and will sometimes dig through the hard drive looking for people's secrets. She will then use this information to create fake profiles of them on her secretive and private Shadownet network.

It starts off simple enough when Janus picks up a hard drive that a mother of one of her classmates drops off but then everything spirals into a much more complicated web of events, hence the mystery. And I must say, I was shocked by the so-called culprit. It was not who I was expecting at all, in fact I think it was the person I expected the least.

Janus is a likeable character and perhaps invested myself too much into her at times (becoming near the point that I was ready to shed tears over some of the terrible drama she had to endure) from relating to her too much (I was stuck in a web design class in high school and ended so far ahead of everyone else that I would just have days sitting at a regular desk doing whatever while my classmates caught up). And I was relieved that everything was set for Janus by the end of the book or I would have probably actually cried.

And if this is really book one of a series, I would jump into reading the sequel. No doubts about that.

 

My Verdict: Four stars out of Five

The Kaiser Affair by Joseph Robert Lewis

Links for Book Descriptions: Goodreads & Library Things

 

I won this ebook from a giveaway on Library Thing.

 

I will start off by saying that I am a huge fan of steampunk.

 

Anyways, The Kaiser Affair was a rather delightful read. I enjoyed the dynamic of the relationship between Bettina and her husband Arjuna. They kept me chuckling a lot with their verbal exchanges but I also found their relationship as rather sweet.

It would have been nice if there had been a section of the book that talked about how they got together as I was really curious but still that did not take away from the story.

 

Bettina and her husband are called in by the Minister of Justice to locate her brother Ranulf Kaiser, whom escaped jail just a couple of weeks before he was to be released. Their pursuit leads to dealing with talking birds and shadowy cults, venturing to a drifting isle, and an expected twist on as to who is really pulling the strings (which took me by surprise).

 

At the end of the book, I am left longing to read more adventures involving this husband and wife team because I fell in love with them so much.

My Verdict: Four stars out of five.

Tethered Twin by Mike Essex

**Nota Bene: Major spoilers are present in this review.
Read at your own risk**

Links for Book Descriptions: Goodreads & Library Things

Wow...just wow. This was such a great read and it kept my interest the entire time. My mind is still reeling from the ending (in a good way).

 

The whole twin concept was so original and not something I ever seen done before. It was interesting how the resistance group was named "The Deck" and the ranking followed that of a playing deck. I was surprised to find that the members of The Deck were born without twins.

 

Emmie is a likeable protagonist. She just want to find the answers behind her brother's death and by the end help protect everybody.

 

I was happy to see Tobias grow into a multidimensional villain. I first just saw him as a creepy, power hungry dude but as I learned of his background towards the end, I started to feel a bit sorry for him.

 

He actually reminds me a bit from Van Grants from Tales of the Abyss (a Japanese RPG game) because they were both experimented on and then sought to take revenge (by using any means necessary and regardless the casualties of innocent people).

 

The mystery about the leader of "The Deck" was interesting and my jaw literally dropped when I found out that it was none other than Emmie's father, who was also working under Tobias to get back for the death of her mother.

 

Hands down, I would definetely read any sequels to this amazing book.

My Verdict: Four stars out of Five.

Heart of the Demon by Cynthia Garner

**Nota Bene: Possible spoilers may or may not be present in this review.
Read at your own risk**

Links for Book Descriptions: Goodreads & Library Things

I won this book in a First Reads giveaway on Goodreads.

 

I enjoyed this book a lot, reading it all within one day, and I would be interested in reading other books by this author. The plot was entertaining and the characters were well done. Though, I kinda wished for more information about Finn's mother as I was wondering who she was and about her relationship with Lucifer.

 

The amount of variety of demons and preternaturals were fantastic and interesting. I giggled at Lucifer having such a sweet tooth and being quite possessive of cheesecake. It made me laugh so hard.

My Verdict: Four stars out of Five

Absent by Katie Williams

**Nota Bene: Possible spoilers may or may not be present in this review.
Read at your own risk**

Links for Book Descriptions: Goodreads & Library Things

I won an advance reader's copy in a First Reads Giveaway on Goodreads.

 

I loved this book. It was a fast read but it kept my attention hooked the entire time and the first person perspective was executed well. I could really feel Paige's pain at Usha being convinced she jumped from the roof and refusing to paint the mural despite being her friend.

 

It has an interesting take on the afterlife - Paige and the two other ghosts are trapped on the school property and when they try to leave they are respawned to the spot where they died. I liked the air of mystery behind Evan's and Paige's death, not finding out until the book nears the end.

 

I was extremely shocked when I found out that Brooke was responsible for Paige's death as I thought Lucas would have been directly involved with Paige's death (technically, he indirectly caused it but still, I thought he had a much more active role in it).

 

The ending felt like a bit of a cliffhanger for me but it leaves it up to the reader's imagination what happened to Paige, Evan, and Brooke once they step through the mural (ie. did they cross over or what?).

 

The characters are thought out well and interesting. Poor Harriet, the only person that could see them and winds up in a coma so Brooke doesn't want Paige to discover the truth. I liked how Wes was more than just a "stoner", he was actually a really nice guy.

 

In all, I would definitely recommend this book to other readers.

My Verdict: Four stars out of Five.

Remembrance by Michelle Madow

**Nota Bene: Possible spoilers may or may not be present in this review.
Read at your own risk**

Links for Book Descriptions: Goodreads & Library Things

I had just borrowed this book a little while ago and to my surprise, I couldn't put down, which caused me to keep reading it until I finished it all in one day.

The book is a quick, easy read, which for me is not a negative thing. I found myself relating to Elizabeth easily, particularly her struggle with French.

I liked the mystery aspect of finding out how Drew was connected to her in their past lives. However, I was wanting to learn more about their lives in the Regency Era by the end of the book (but I guess that is what the rest of the following books are for).

Overall, it is a decent read and I would definitely be interested in reading the rest of the series.

My Verdict: Three stars out of Five.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

**Nota Bene: Possible spoilers may or may not be present in this review.
Read at your own risk**

Links for Book Descriptions: Goodreads & Library Things

I was pleasantly surprised by this book as I did not know what to expect of it or if I would even like it when I started reading.

Claire is a well thought out female protagonist and it was easy for me to like her (and I can be very picky in regards to female characters). There were some unexpected twists in the book that I found extremely interesting. The authoress' attention to detail is stunningly beautiful and at times it really felt I have entered Scotland.

My Verdict: Four stars out of Five

Unlikely by Frances Pauli

**Nota Bene: Possible spoilers may or may not be present in this review.
Read at your own risk**

Links for Book Descriptions: Goodreads & Library Things

I read this across the span of three lunches, somewhere less than three hours in total, as it is a fairly quick read.

 

The protagonists are well developed and I enjoyed the snarky remarks that Hadja would make at times (I love sassy old ladies). However, the villain, Vane, was rather flat in terms of character. I liked him but he could have been so much more. I wanted him to have a motive or cause for his actions beyond simple greed.

 

I liked how the romance between Marten and Satina was slow, they didn't fall instantly in love, and their relationship built up over time.

 

The story is nice and interesting, leaving me anxious in turning to the next page, but the book could have provided some more background information for the Final War that is constantly mentioned and having explanations for terms like Granter, Starlight, Shade, and etc appear earlier so the reader is not as confused. I figured the terms out later but I wish I had a clue from the start.

 

Also, I was shocked by Maera's betrayal of telling Satina's plans to Vane. I didn't expect that one coming.

My Verdict: Four stars out of Five.

The Gray Ghost Murders by Keith McCafferty

**Nota Bene: Possible spoilers may or may not be present in this review.
Read at your own risk**

Links for Book Descriptions: Goodreads & Library Things

I won an advanced uncorrected proof in a First Reads Giveaway on Goodreads.

 

First off, I , did not realize this book was a sequel (to The Royal Wulff Murders: A Novel) but you won't find yourself lost if you start with this book (though it would probably be helpful to read the previous book to have more background on the characters).

 

I was intrigued by the plot in the beginning but somewhere in the middle I had lost interest. However, towards the end, the book had drew back my interest. The characters are well done and I particularly liked Martha and Harold.

 

I was not surprised by who the culprit was, but I did not expect the circumstances behind the murders. The references to the "Most Dangerous Game" were clever yet fuzzy for me since I haven't read it since I was a freshman in high school and only vaguely remember it. Also, the connection between the disappearance of the fishing flies and the murders was a nice touch as it was something that I had not expected to be related in the slightest.

My Verdict: Three stars out of Five

Flashback (The Saskia Brandt Series #2) by Ian Hocking

Links for Book Descriptions: Goodreads & Library Things

 

I won an ebook of this book from a giveaway on Library Things.

 

I delved into this book without reading Déjà Vu, though my friend let me read the summary from the third book in the series that she won.

 

It was a quick read, seeing that I managed to finish it within one day. I enjoyed the characters, particularly Saskia and Jem, immensely. Each one was carefully crafted and full of dimension. The relationship between Saskia and Jem tugged at my heart a bit and kinda wish to see more of their interactions. The mystery within the plot was interesting as well.

 

The only two drawbacks for me were its non-linearity and lack of translations for phrases spoken in other languages. Now, I don't mind non-linear stories but with the way the book started off like this, it was quite easy for me to get confused and lost, causing me to look back a couple of times. Conversations in German and Spanish were thrown about and I was completely lost as to their meanings as there are neither a translation provided right after or even context clues to allow the reader to figure them out.

 

However, in spite of this, I would be interested in going back to read Déjà Vu just to read more about Saskia and then continue with The Amber Rooms.

I noticed that Ian Hocking has listed Déjà Vu on Library Things for a giveaway so I hopefully will win it and provide a review on that (and perhaps a new look into Flashback).

 

My Verdict: Three and a half stars out of Five

Mr. Wilkinson's Vegetables: A Cookbook to Celebrate the Garden by Matt Wilkinson

Links for Book Descriptions: Goodreads & Library Things

I was fortunate enough to win this cookbook in a First Reads Giveaway. For now, my review is just first impressions of the cookbook itself as I have not yet had the chance to try any of the recipes.

 

I like how the recipes are listed by what vegetable is the focus of the dish, which makes it easier for navigation. And as someone relatively new to cooking, I appreciate the tips for preparing each vegetables and even just discussing the differences between all the varieties of the same vegetable (such as eggplant). The photography and layout of the images are just gorgeous and sometimes I forget that I am looking at a cookbook rather than an artbook.

 

I would love to see a cookbook focusing on fruit done in the same fashion.

My Verdict: Four stars out of Five.

Soriel by Melanie Nilles

**Nota Bene: Possible spoilers may or may not be present in this review.
Read at your own risk**

Links for Book Description: Goodreads & Library Things

I won this in a First Reads Giveaway on Goodreads and this was the first book I have ever read by Melanie Nilles.
 

After finishing the book, I am not exactly sure how I feel about it.

 

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading the book but I was lost from terms like Inari, Shirukan, and Keeper just being thrown around from the start of tbe book as I have not read any of the previous books in the Starfire Angels series. And I was grateful that such terms were explained about a third of the way through the book so I was no longer as lost as I was.

So I don't recommend that anyone else attempt to read this book without first trying to jump into the previous books or else wind up very confused like me.

 

Otherwise, I enjoyed the characters, in particular Lirianda's struggle with herself between being a Shirukan and her maternal side that cares deeply for Soriel despite only being a foster mother as well as Kaira's feisty personality.

 

In the end, I am left wanting to read the four books of the Dark Angel Chronicles and then reread Soriel to better gauge it.

My Verdict: 3 stars out of 5.