Review: Juliet by Anne Fortier

Title: Juliet

Author: Anne Fortier

Series: N/A

Format: Paperback (461 pages)

Release Date: July 26, 2011

Genre(s): Historical Fiction, Adult, Drama, Romance, Mystery

Rating:

 

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Summary

When Julie Jacobs inherits a key to a safety-deposit box in Siena, Italy, she is told that it will lead her to an old family treasure. Soon she is launched on a winding and perilous journey into the history of her ancestor Giulietta, whose legendary love for a young man named Romeo rocked the foundations of medieval Siena. As Julie crosses paths with the descendants of the families immortalized in Shakespeare’s unforgettable blood feud, she begins to realize that the notorious curse—“A plague on both your houses!”—is still at work, and that she is the next target. It seems that the only one who can save Julie from her fate is Romeo—but where is he? Source

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Review

Plot: After the death of her grandmother, Julie inherits a key for a safety deposit box in Italy. She is intrigued but also a bit disappointed because her sister, who is the pure opposite of Julie, inherited much more of their grandmother's estate. Julie heads to Italy though and meets the family who her family feuded with long ago and whose history is also intertwined with her family's. I was glad to see that the author didn't fully make the book in Julie's point of view. I liked how she mixed it with various POV's and also switched from past to present. It was also interesting to see how she depicted Romeo and Giulietta. The progression of the story was a bit slow, but it did help the development of the characters and the revealations Julie has about her family's history.

Character(s): Julie - I didn't know whether or not I liked Julie. She wasn't a bad person or too goody-good. It was more of, I was invested in the story, but not invested in her. I loved the romance she had with Alessandro but I loved him more than her. She was a great character to have on the journey but it seemed she lacked in impact compared to the other characters.

Cover: I loved the cover because it has the transition between Julie and Giulietta. It is really simple and elegant, but also showing the historical theme of it.

 

 

 

Closing Thoughts: This review is very short, but I do give this book a four out of four. You can see how much research Anne has put into this book and that she wanted it to be perfect. The characters are very mysterious and very interesting, I loved the journey to why Julie had the key, what it was for, and answers to her family's past. It is slow in some parts but it is interesting to see the transition between past and present. I would recommend this to anyone who wants a new read.

Where to find Anne:

Facebook l Twitter l Goodreads

Peace and Fangs,
Alisha

Review: Fateful by Claudia Gray

Title: Fateful

Author: Claudia Gray

Series: N/A

Format: Hardcover

Release Date: 9/12/11

Genre(s): YA, Historical Fiction

Rating:

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Summary

A tragic tale about falling in love on the world’s most infamous ill-fated sea voyage as heroine, Tess, discovers darker secrets that lie beneath the doomed crossing… and a hidden brotherhood that threaten to tear her lover from her forever.

The RMS Titanic is the most luxurious ship ever built, but for eighteen-year-old Tess Davies it’s a prison. Traveling as a maid for the family she has served for years, Tess is trapped in their employ amid painful memories and family secrets.

When she meets Alec, a handsome upper class passenger, Tess falls helplessly in love. But Alec has secrets of his own… and soon Tess is entangled in a dangerous game. A sinister brotherhood that will do anything to induct Alec into their mystical order has followed him on board. And Tess is now their most powerful pawn.

Tess and Alec fight the dark forces threatening to tear them apart, never realizing that they will have to face an even greater peril before the journey is over…

New York Times best-selling author Claudia Gray delivers adventure, dark paranormal suspense, alluring romance, and a truly surprise ending, set against the opulent backdrop of the Titanic's first — and last — voyage.

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Review

Plot: So did you catch this last bit? About how it's the Titanic? Sorry... I like the Titanic. Anyway, the thing I loved about this plot was there were two completely different things going on. There was the horrible ship you all KNOW is going to sink at one point that keeps you turning pages rapidly fast. But there's also the the paranormal plot which includes werewolves, a cult, and forbidden romance. Tess is a poor slave with no one but herself and a few friendly people in her life. When she is forced on to the Titanic as a slave she makes plans to escape as soon as the ship boards the dock. Through many events Tess meets Alec- a rich, first class boy who every girl would love to marry. But there is a lot more to him then you would think. Before she can do anything about it, she is forced into a world of impossible and sadness.

Character(s): Tess- Tess is the strongest girl alive in my opinion. Ever since she was young she has worked for the harshest family in all of England. They think they're better than everyone and they are horrible to their servants. Over the years, Tess has collected small bits of money here and there and when the Titanic stops in America, she plans to start her life over. Tess is a girl anyone can look up to. She always fights for what's right, which can sometime get her into trouble.

Cover: I have seen two covers for this book but I definitely love this one I put up more. It's so eery and almost made me sad just looking at it. But it's pretty at the same time. I like how it doesn't show the face of the girl (as I've said I don't like) but it shows a good amount of her.

Closing Thoughts: Alright, I'm giving yet another one a four nail polish bottles. But I have always been obsessed with Titanic and this did not disappoint. Sure, who can compete with the original Titanic story I fell in love with? But this actually did a nice job with keeping up. It kept true to the facts of how things were but with a twist of paranormal. It's on my list of favorites for sure.

Where to find Claudia:
Website l Twitter l Goodreads l Amazon

Sweet Daydreams,
Brooke

Review: Ruby Red (Edelstein Trilogie #1) by Kerstin Gier

Title: Ruby Red

Author: Kerstin Gier

Series: Edelstein Trilogy

Format: Hardcover

Release Date: May 10, 2011

Genre(s): YA, Fiction

Rating:

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Summary

Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era!
Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon--the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.

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Review

Plot: Gwyneth is a completely normal girl who has had to live in the shadow of her perfect cousin. Beautiful, smart, perfect in every way. Not to mention she has "the gene." In her family if you get "the gene" you get the ability and power to travel into time. No one suspected Gwyneth had it of course so when she, and not her cousin, Charlotte, starts showing signs of changing, everyone is shocked. Now Gwyneth, who has no knowledge or practice with this sort of thing, must time travel with Gideon, another time traveler who has no confidence in her.

Character(s): Gwyneth- She is a perfectly average girl with no special abilities or talents. Well other than time travel and the especially weird ability to talk to and see ghosts. Other than that though, she is as normal as you can get. I like how real she is in contrast
 to the too-perfect or cliche main characters that I sometimes see. She can be a bit whiny, immature, and stubborn, but I like that about her. She's not perfect and it's nice.

Cover: I actually had never seen the cover until after reading it seeing as I borrowed it from a friend (who took the cover off). I can't say this is why I picked it up and I've never been a fan of showing a person on the cover. But I do actually like he designs, color, and whole theme of it. I didn't notice it at first, but I really like the cool clock on the front that shows how it has to do with time travel.

Closing Thoughts: I seem to be always giving high ratings to books but I just love them all! I'm giving this four nail polish bottles because it has romance, but its actually very unique. The author planed for this to be a trilogy originally so there is a lot of unsolved problems that are getting much more intricate and it keeps you on your toes. You wont believe when the book is over!

Where to find Kerstin:
l Goodreads l Amazon

Sweet Daydreams,
Brooke

Review: Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

Synopsis: BROOKLYN: Andi Alpers is on the edge. She’s angry at her father for leaving, angry at her mother for not being able to cope, and heartbroken by the loss of her younger brother, Truman. Rage and grief are destroying her. And she’s about to be expelled from Brooklyn Heights’ most prestigious private school when her father intervenes. Now Andi must accompany him to Paris for winter break.
PARIS: Alexandrine Paradis lived over two centuries ago. She dreamed of making her mark on the Paris stage, but a fateful encounter with a doomed prince of France cast her in a tragic role she didn’t want—and couldn’t escape.

Two girls, two centuries apart. One never knowing the other. But when Andi finds Alexandrine’s diary, she recognizes something in her words and is moved to the point of obsession. There’s comfort and distraction for Andi in the journal’s antique pages—until, on a midnight journey through the catacombs of Paris, Alexandrine’s words transcend paper and time, and the past becomes suddenly, terrifyingly present.

Jennifer Donnelly, author of the award-winning novel A Northern Light, artfully weaves two girls’ stories into one unforgettable account of life, loss, and enduring love. Revolution spans centuries and vividly depicts the eternal struggles of the human heart.
 
Review
Plot: Revolution looks at the life of Andi Alpers who is still grieving over the death of her brother, taking care of her distant mother, and trying to figure out where she belongs. When her father finds out she is about to be expelled, he tells her that she will come with him to Paris. It was hard for me to get through this book in the first section. Not because it was bad, it was just too hard to hear her story and thoughts. Andi's gone through a lot and we're reading the point in her life where she is at the end of her rope. She's depressed and suicidal. I've never read a book that had aspects of suicidal tendencies unless it was the focus of the book. It was definitely an interesting aspect to see how Andi's life consists of so much pain and heartbreak, but yet that isn't the theme of the book. It was hard for me to focus on the historical aspect of it because I wanted to know more about Andi's life and, especially, her budding romance. But, I did love when we got to see the French Revolution era, and how vividly Donnelly made these characters and how much depth she put to them.

Characters: Andi - She was definitely a whirlwind. I felt that she had such conflicting personality traits because of the experiences she went through. She didn't want to get over her brother's death because she felt it was her own fault, however, she started seeing herself come into her own and couldn't help but smile at that. I felt for her because she felt she was cheating her brother and mother for being happy without them.

Cover: I love the cover of this book; it was one of the main reasons I first picked it up. I was a little studious with the cover. After awhile, I could see the similarities of the Andi and Alexandrine, but also there lives shaped into it. They both have brown eyes, brown hair, milky skin, but you can see Andi's despair and Alexandrine's slight happiness.

Overall Rating: I'm giving this book a three out of four nail polishes. I loved the depth to the book and how Donnelly made the book more than historical fiction. She had many other themes in here that readers could relate with like family, love, heartbreak, loss, grief, bravery, and so on. I would recommend this to anyone who is a history buff or loves a refreshing read. This book has given me a new outlook on historical fiction.

Peace and Fangs,
Alisha

Review: Entwined by Heather Dixon

"Azalea is trapped. Just when she should feel that everything is before her... beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing... it's taken away. All of it.

The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. And so he extends an invitation.

Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step though the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest.

But there is a cost.

The Keeper likes to keep things.

Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late."

Plot: Right in the beginning of the story, these twelve princesses lose their beloved mother. Devastated, the girls must learn to stay a family. But the king is king, not dad, and it makes the girls even more distressed. Thinking their dad does not love them, they become angry and distant from him. Meanwhile, they have to go into a "mourning period" for a year full of isolation, black clothes, no outdoors, and even worse; no dancing. When they find a magic forest full of dancing, fun, and an amazing man, Keeper, they find themselves under a spell. What will become of them?

Main Characters: I really like how all the sisters are in alphabetical order (Azalea, Bramble, Clover, Delphinium, Eve, Flora, Goldenrod, Hollyhock, Ivy, Jessamine, Kale, and Lily). They each have very different personalities, and I have to say, I love Bramble. Though, I think I am most like Clover. But Azalea is a wonderful, strong main character.

Cover: I love this cover. I had no idea what this was about or anything, but I knew I wanted to read it because of the cover. I love the dress, and where she is.

Overall: I didn't even read what this was about so when it started sounding like the Twelve Dancing Princesses, I was thoroughly confused. But I loved the cover so much, I assumed I would love it. I was right! It is full of ball gowns, dancing, and even magic. Heather Dixon wrote this beautifully, and I found myself at my aunt's house, locked in the guest room reading, rather than spending time with them. I give this a 3/4 because it was very well written and enticing.

Sweet Daydreams,
Brooke

Review: Seduced by Her Highlander Warrior (MacKinloch Clan #2) by Michelle Willingham

Synopsis: The MacKinloch Clan Highland warriors prepared to fight fiercely for their country...and for love

BACK IN HER HUSBAND’S BED

Alex MacKinloch is chief of his clan and, in these dark times of unrest, he has united his people. The void between him and his wife is proving a much harder challenge. When Alex discovers Laren has been keeping secrets from him, his thinly veiled frustration can no longer be contained.

The pleasures of the marital bed seem long forgotten to Laren. Yet her warrior husband is looking at her with increasingly hungry eyes... This powerful highlander has seduction on his mind and his wife in his sights! Source
 
Review
Plot: Laren is feeling unloved and unwanted from her husband. Alex is feeling his wife growing distant from him. The book revolves around this couple trying to figure out what happened to their marriage and what will become of it. Many have said that this plot dragged in some parts and I can agree with that. There were some scenes where it would seem it was written just to fill up space. However, I didn't read any scenes that weren't beneficial to the plot. Whether it was about the English attacking or Alex/Laren being in danger, each scene progressed to that and didn't have any hanging questions. I was pleased that the relationship between Alex and Laren progressed and wasn't like they waited until the last page to make up or just had lots of sex scenes. Each time they were together, it presented the time to slowly make up and get to the bottom of their problems as well as rekindle their love for one another. This was a great plot and was pleased with the ending that came. It wasn't forced, but by the end of the second to last chapter, you knew how the book would end.
 
Characters: Laren - Laren was very sympathetic. I liked that she did have a deep history and was scared to take her place as chief's wife because of how she grew up. However, her character did progress and she started to see that to make their marriage stronger, she had to find the courage within herself. I will say that I did like Laren's skill and how descriptive it was in the book. Willingham didn't put vague details about, but actually described Laren working and the different colors of the item she made.
Alex - Alex is definitely a hot warrior. He's protective of his family, wife, and clan. He would kill anyone who tries to harm any three of those things. That, unfortunately, was his downfall in the marriage. He makes sure his clan is always alright, he forgets that he has a wife and daughters. But, he isn't show of emotions. Through his passages, you see the adoration and love he has for Laren and his daughters. He just keeps them hidden because he is chief. But, throughout the book, you progressively see he is trying to be better.
 
Cover: The cover is of Alex I'm guessing. I like the simpleness of it. It's not too busy, but just shows Alex and the land of Ireland in the background. It is a common theme for this series to show the husband and then the land in the background.
 
Overall Rating: I am giving this book a three out of four. I love this book so much! It did drag in a few parts, but that is only a blur compared to the rest of the book. Willingham did an amazing job with the progressing of the characters and actually giving the culture of that time. The romance scenes were beautifully written and never too much where I had to turn away. If you like romance and historical fiction, I would highly recommend reading this.

Peace and Fangs,
Alisha

Review: Native Son by Richard Wright

Synopsis: Right from the start, Bigger Thomas had been headed for jail. It could have been for assault or petty larceny; by chance, it was for murder and rape. Native Son tells the story of this young black man caught in a downward spiral after he kills a young white woman in a brief moment of panic. Set in Chicago in the 1930s, Wright's powerful novel is an unsparing reflection on the poverty and feelings of hopelessness experienced by people in inner cities across the country and of what it means to be black in America. Source


Review
Plot: I had to read this book for school, so I didn't pick this off of the shelf out of interest. That doesn't mean I wasn't riveted by this book. I have to talk about the controversy behind this book. My school board voted for the unabridged version and that created some parents to get other parents to have their kids read another type of book. (The alternative was A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines.) The unabridged version of the book has certain scenes that were cut out in the abridged version. I am glad that we read the unabridged version because you weren't blinded from anything. You had all the facts laid out in front of you and you made you decision on whether or not you like Bigger Thomas. The abridged version might have wavered those feelings. The plot did cultivate discussions throughout my class and created the classic topic of race. Along with race, the novel deals with poverty, murder, rape, and prison. The plot was definitely unique, but was graphic as well as frustrating.

Characters: Bigger Thomas-I hate him. I could never like him and it was hard to get through the book when you didn't even like the main character. There is no way I can think of him as a protagonist because he never did anything good. He used people, hurt people, killed people, and only thought of himself. Even in the ending, he twisted his reasoning around to make sense of what he had done. I couldn't believe how ignorant he was to not only what he had done, but to his and others beliefs.

Cover: I wish the book had more details than just Bigger. On the shelf, I would have skimmed over it without a second thought. I guess this book doesn't need an interesting cover because it is a classic.

Overall Rating: I gave this book a three out of four. This book is a classic and I have to commend Wright for the spectacular writing style and development of the book. I always say this, if you can make me hate the person who it is intended for, you have a talent. It takes a lot to make someone completely hate a fictional character, so when it is done, this book deserves commending. It is a great book to have for a school or book club because it arises controversial topics in a stylish way. I recommend anyone looking for a good classic read to read this.

Peace and Fangs,
Alisha

Review: Interview with a Vampire (The Vampire Chronicles #1) by Anne Rice

Synopsis: Here are the confessions of a vampire. Hypnotic, shocking, and chillingly erotic, this is a novel of mesmerizing beauty and astonishing force–a story of danger and flight, of love and loss, of suspense and resolution, and of the extraordinary power of the senses. It is a novel only Anne Rice could write. Source

Review
Plot: I would have taken the synopsis from GoodReads, but that was way too long for a review. But, I have to say that I can see why Anne Rice is the unofficial goddess of vampire lit. This book had all the elements of an amazing vampire book and more. I absolutely loved the plot of the book. There wasn't a certain storyline to the book other than a vampire's recount of his vampire life. I've never actually read about a vampire's life. You just see a certain part of it and maybe they might recount a small touch of it, but never their whole life. I loved how it was a recollection, but it felt like you were really there with Louis. I could imagine Louis and Claudia sleeping in his coffin and Lestat teaching Claudia how to feed. Rice was amazing with descriptions. Sometimes, it was a little overwhelming when I would spend a few paragraphs reading what a cottage would look like, but I did love how it was descriptive enough to actually have me visualize the setting. The characters were clear in my mind and were so real, I wished that I could interview Louis.

Characters: Louis-Oh, Louis, how I love thee! He is the epitome of a tortured soul. Everything he has gone through and his greatest struggles happened centuries ago, yet he still mourns them. He was such an amazing character to have be the vampire that I'm glad he had his point of view written instead of third person.
Lestat-I have a love-hate relationship with Lestat. He is what you generally think of when you think of vampires. Lestat is so charismatic and evil at the same time. However, I did love how Louis could see that Lestat did not want to be alone and that Lestat still sort of love his father. I can't wait to see his point of view in the next book.
Claudia-Claudia was a unique character. I never read about an immortal child. I didn't realize how curious I was to see how an immortal child would turn out. Rice was amazing the way she created Claudia. We see her go from an innocent five year old to an 60 year old girl (still looking 5 years old). She sounds like a woman and her actions are very deviant. I loved her and Louis though, they were so great together, father-daughter wise. Louis still adores her even then in the interview.

Cover: I have the The Vampire Chronicles big book, it has the first three books (Interview with a Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, and Queen of the Damned). So,there isn't much to the cover except for the gold background and a fence on the front. The font is a beautiful ancient look and is the color of blood red.

Overall Rating: I give this four out of four. It is a beautiful book and I recommend this to anyone, whether you adore romance, vampires, action, Western, comedy, classics, etc. Read it! It is something I think anyone should read. It is a one in a billion kind of book, you won't find nothing like it. So, please give it a try!

Peace and Fangs,
Alisha

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee (Book Review)

Genre: Classic, Historical Fiction
Published: 1960
Format: Paperback, 281 Pages
Synopsis: Harper Lee's classic novel of a lawyer in the deep south defending a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. One of the best-loved stories of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird has earned many distinctions since its original publication in 1960. It won the Pulitzer Prize, has been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than thirty million copies worldwide, and been made into an enormously popular movie. Most recently, librarians across the country gave the book the highest of honors by voting it the best novel of the twentieth century. Source

Review: Of course, like all other high schoolers, this girl had to read To Kill A Mockingbird for summer reading. At first, I was skeptical at this: it didn't look interesting and I wasn't always excited about reading books that our teachers assigned us. However, like some other books, this book was better than I expected it to be. The first time I read this it took me forever to get done with it, and it was only around 280 pages! I knew that I wasn't udnerstanding what was going on, but I was just rushing through it to get it done before school. The second time I read it was during school because my teacher decided that since some people "didn't get" the summer reading, everyone should read it over. When I read it over, I read the SparkNote for the chapter and then read the chapter to better understand the plot.

TKAM has different themes throughout the book from racism to small towns to family. The characters bring different examples on all of these themes. My favorite character was, of course, Scout. She was the main character and the voice of the novel. What I liked about her was how she matured throughout the novel. In the beginning, she is a small girl who is innocent to the world around her. As the Tom Robinson case proceeds, she starts to see that the world around her isn't so innocent and accepting like her and her family is.

Along with the characters, the setting and location seemed to spark a life of its own. Since Scout's family lives in a small town in Maycomb County, you see different views of the residents in the town. Because of the small town atmosphere, one view takes up the majority of the residents' minds, so when someone in the town has a diffeent mindset, you can see the res tof the residents' responses to that.

I give this book a perfect score because it is an epitome of a classic novel and how the topic of racism should be expressed, with every different view shown properly and elegantly.

Peace and Fangs,
Alisha

Water For Elephants Review

As a young man, Jacob Jankowski was tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. It was the early part of the great Depression, and for Jacob, now ninety, the circus world he remembers was both his salvation and a living hell. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It was there that he met Marlena, the beautiful equestrian star married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. And he met Rosie, an untrainable elephant who was the great gray hope for this third-rate traveling show. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and, ultimately, it was their only hope for survival. Barnes & Noble

It took me some time to read this because of my busy schedule. (Thank you to Trixie and Tess for the wonderful book!) But, alas, I have finished it and am here to give you guys my review.

When I first started reading this book, it started off in...old Jacob's visit, he was in a retirement home. Instantly, I could see he didn't belong there. And, that there were secrets he was hiding from not only the other residents but from the readers. The secrets start out in the book where we go back to Jacob as a college boy.

This book is something I haven't read in awhile. Suspenseful. There are so many twists and turns in this book that at one point I had trouble keeping up. Each character has secrets that are announced further into the book or not at all and your left wondering. I liked the constant surprises in this book and the slight romance that started to illuminate between two characters. However, I kind of did not agree with it for one reason, it's a very obvious one of course. But, anyways, the romance and suspense is what really triggered me to read even faster to see how the book turns out. After watching (or reading) everything unfold, to me, the ending was slightly predictable on what happens to the characters but the very, very ending made a smile play on my face.

Overall, this is a book I can see being turned into a classic years from now. (Like a circus version of Catcher in the Rye.) It has all the aspects of a great book and something in there for everyone. I'm not surprised this was a New York Bestseller (#1 at that) and how it is being turned into a movie. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if it will join the criteria for summer reading lists.

So, I give this book a widely deserved four out of four nail polishes for the great suspense, unraveling romance, and twist and turns that made this book a classic for me. I recommend everyone read this book. It has enough romance and enough suspense to keep guys and girls entertained.

You can get movie information here.

Peace and Fangs,
Alisha