Review: Beautiful Creatures

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The GoodReads description of this story is not even adequate or accurate. First of all, Ethan DOES see "it" coming. "It" being her 16th birthday where she will face the biggest turning point of her life. Second, this story is really about a mysterious girl who moves into a small, closed-minded southern town where everyone but Ethan immediately judges and rejects her. Ethan and Lena bond and in turn learn something about themselves, about the secrets of the town, about the secrets of the past, and about what it means to take your own destiny into your hands. There.

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Review: White Night

White Night by Jim Butcher

My rating: 4 of 5 stars







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Review: Turn Coat

Turn Coat by Jim Butcher

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Got a little bit darker in some disturbing ways but I'm always amazed at how 400 pages of small print can flick by - as fast and exciting and even terrifying as a really really good rollercoaster.



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Review: The Way of Kings

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars







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Review: Throne of Glass

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



Ugh, I tried. It's an interesting idea and all that, and could have been a good story, but I just can't get into the main character. She's not believable. And neither are the other two corners of her love triangle (the prince and the captain). She's supposed to be this notorious assassin, but she doesn't have a hardened, dark, conflicted, or menacing bone in her body. She gets excited about candy and puppies for crying out loud. There are not nearly enough examples of cold calculation or searing flashbacks or nightmares or self-loathing struggles that you would expect a youngish girl to have if they've spent traumatic years training and earning a living as an assassin. Am I right? If Maas could make me believe that Celaena is the troubled and conflicted assassin that she claims to (and should) be, I might read on. But it just seems like she created the same old love triangle formula and then slapped the label "assassin" on it to make it more interesting. But didn't really follow-through.



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Review: City of Heavenly Fire

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



As usual, a page turner. I'm kind of relieved that I'm done with this series. I'm getting a bit tired of YA books with all their teenager makeout scenes. What happened to the thrill of anticipation and the chase?



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Review: The Rithmatist

The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars







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Review: Dead Beat

Dead Beat by Jim Butcher

My rating: 4 of 5 stars







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Review: The Rithmatist

The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars







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Review: The Iron Trial

The Iron Trial by Cassandra Clare

My rating: 3 of 5 stars







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Review: The One

The One by Kiera Cass

My rating: 3 of 5 stars







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Review: Death Masks

Death Masks by Jim Butcher

My rating: 4 of 5 stars







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Review: Summer Knight

Summer Knight by Jim Butcher

My rating: 4 of 5 stars







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Review: Blood Rites

Blood Rites by Jim Butcher

My rating: 4 of 5 stars







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Review: The Hero of Ages

The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars







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Review: The Sorceress

The Sorceress by Michael Scott

My rating: 2 of 5 stars







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Review: Night Broken

Night Broken by Patricia Briggs

My rating: 4 of 5 stars







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Review: The Magician

The Magician by Michael Scott

My rating: 2 of 5 stars







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Review: The Alchemyst

The Alchemyst by Michael Scott

My rating: 3 of 5 stars







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Review: Clockwork Princess

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I liked the series and I'm glad Clare stopped at 3. (I guess she could always decide to pick it back up, but I like the resolution here.) Clare's a good storyteller. It's easy to get caught up in the characters and their emotions. I always like the appearances of Magnus Bane. His warlock status makes him detached but influential at the same time. Same with the Silent Brothers. I was also satisfied with how Clare resolved the love triangle. They can be exciting but they can also be overdone - and I think Clare found a good way to play with the drama of the triangle while still having Tessa, Jem, and Will act like members of the human race who care about other things besides their own romantic interests.



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