Review: Claire de Lune

Claire de Lune
By: Christine Johnson
ISBN: 1416991824 (9781416991823)

Summary from Google Books:
Torn between two destinies?
Claire is having the perfect sixteenth birthday. Her pool party is a big success, and gorgeous Matthew keeps chatting and flirting with her as if she's the only girl there. But that night, she discovers something that takes away all sense of normalcy: she's a werewolf... With her lupine loyalty at odds with her human heart, she will make a choice that will change her forever?.

Review:
For me this book was decent but not very good. I felt the story was very cookie cutter and missing all the bits that make it an amazing "cookie". The writing was good because it was in the new style that is very journal/blog like. The characters are relate-able but the story was predictable with only one twist that I saw coming though it did add a nice element to the story.

As far as werewolf stories go this didn't add much to the werewolf mythos. The idea of werewolves being born and not bitten is not uncommon is today's werewolf stories. What was different was, that werewolves only being female, and the transformation taking three moons (months). Other then those things the world knowing about werewolves, the idea of becoming a werewolf (both the means and the reaction), and the very basic story line wasn't as innovative as I hoped.

The pack dynamic in this story was only slightly different than that of a primarily male pack. Realistically, I think that a female pack would differ in a much bigger way due to the big difference in the way men and women communicate. I liked the idea of it taking three months to finish the transformation because it was a more natural progression like that of puberty. What was driving a lot of the story was the dynamic between the mother and daughter but once again nothing we haven't seen before.

Overall, this book to me rates as a two. It was slightly enjoyable but for the most part pretty bland. I would borrow it from the library, etc. but I wouldn't buy the book. If you are looking for a story like this but much better look up Blood & Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause.

Review: White Cat

White Cat
By: Holly Black
ISBN: 1416963960 (9781416963967)

Series: Curse Workers

1. White Cat
2. Red Glove
3. Black Heart

Summary from GoodReads:
Cassel comes from a family of curse workers -- people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail -- he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.

Holly Black has created a gripping tale of mobsters and dark magic where a single touch can bring love -- or death -- and your dreams might be more real than your memories.

Review:
The universe that Holly Black created was entirely believable and very well woven. What was really so different about this universe and our own was the use of touch. In our world touch is so important in communication, both the touch or lack there of. In that universe you don't touch unless you have to and that is only with gloves. As a matter of fact in the book Cassel says that touching without gloves was disgusting.

Holly Black did an amazing job in rounding out her characters. Even characters that seemed one dimensional eventually rounded out, even the cat. I laughed a little when I read her dedication to the cats in her books. Cassel's family is an odd mish-mash of similar but different characters. When I started this book I was thinking it was just going to be some sort of "normal boy encounters supernatural baddie overcomes and finds out he is stronger than he thought", and this book is some what like that but in a very mystery sort of way. You don't really realize who is the big bad until the end and even then you still aren't sure if the big bad is really a big bad. The reason for this is that some of the big baddies in this book were very like Jessica Rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, "I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way." in that they are redeemable.

All in all, this book was very enjoyable because it kept you guessing what was really going on and made you wanting more. So I rate this book at a three, because I would read an excerpt because this book isn't for everyone. Also some of the jumps in the characters were a little hard to believe. I would definitely suggest this book to someone who enjoys young adult urban fantasy with a dose of mystery thrown in. I am looking forward to more in this series.

Review: Mists of Manhattan

Mists of Manhattan
By: Michele Lang
ISBN: 1601860129 (9781601860125)
Series: The Sacred Circle

1. Ms. Pendragon
2. Mists of Manhattan
3. Uptown Avalon (Coming soon)

Summary:
This is a continuation of Ms. Pendragon. This particular book is about the conflict between Arthur and his son, Mordred, and so much more.

Review:
This book is particularly hard to review due to fear of spoilers. Literally, this book may have been short but it was packed with action, emotion, twists and turns. When it comes to sequels we generally expect them to be worse than the original in this case it is continuation that definitely adds a stunning amount to the original story (Ms. Pendragon).

As far as the setting, New York, she did a great job melding the Mists and the Big Apple. All the fantasy that was added to the story was believable. I also like how she used that idea that you only see what you want to see.The story it self is "Wow!", I could not put it down. Everything you expected was turned on its head and I couldn't read it fast enough to find out how it would all turn out.

This book easily received its rating of five. You will gasp, cry, rejoice, and everything else in between.

Review: Ms. Pendragon

Ms. Pendragon
By: Michele Lang
ISBN: 1933874368 (9781933874364)
Series: The Sacred Circle

1. Ms. Pendragon
2. Mists of Manhattan
3. Uptown Avalon (Coming soon)

Summary from Google Books:
Gwen is a high-powered New York attorney, who finds herself summoned back to Camelot by Merlin to fulfill her destiny. Both Lancelot and the evil Mordred stand in her way, but that's nothing in comparison to the complicated feelings she encounters with her ex-husband: Arthur.

Review:
I have nothing but good things to say about this book. It is an excellent retelling of the original story. Michele Lang brought the past familiar characters into characters we know in the here and now. She also modernized the story through her changes of their names, mannerisms that are both old and new, as well as giving them modern jobs. The fact that she made Gwen a lawyer was particularly amusing. As far as these new characters compared with their older counterparts, Michele Lang made them stronger and more rounded.

In regard to the way she writes, she is awesome! She drops you in the her world and has you learning about it as the characters do. This is definitely one of the most important elements of any book, if you can't feel for the characters than the story is hollow. You will love and hate some of the characters. Her humor is deadly! Be prepared for strange looks when you laugh out loud.

When I finished this book I was craving the next!
You will need to know how this story ends.
Overall this book gets a 5.

Review: Mutant Message Down Under

Mutant Message Down Under
By: Marlo Morgan
ISBN 0060723513 (9780060723514)

Summary from GoodReads:
Mutant Message Down Under is the fictional account of an American woman's spiritual odyssey through outback Australia. An underground bestseller in its original self-published edition, Marlo Morgan's powerful tale of challenge and endurance has a message for us all.

Review:
Summoned by a remote tribe of nomadic Aborigines to accompany them on walkabout, the woman makes a four-month-long journey and learns how they thrive in natural harmony with the plants and animals that exist in the rugged lands of Australia's bush. From the first day of her adventure, Morgan is challenged by the physical requirements of the journey—she faces daily tests of her endurance, challenges that ultimately contribute to her personal transformation.

By traveling with this extraordinary community, Morgan becomes a witness to their essential way of being in a world based on the ancient wisdom and philosophy of a culture that is more than 50,000 years old.

This book can somewhat be summed up by the four quotes at the beginning of the book:

Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.
-American Chief Seattle

The only way to pass any test is to take the test. It is inevitable.
-Elder Regal Black Swan

Only after the last tree has been cut down. Only after the last river has been poisoned. Only after the last fish has been caught. Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten.
-Cree Indian Prophecy

Born empty handed, Die empty handed. I witnessed life at its fullest, empty handed.
-Marlo Morgan

This book is a little dry at first and jumps a little but I think that is to get you into the feel of the woman's view (since it is written in the first person) as well as give you the experience as she is having the experience. As she moves from the "Modern" view to the view of the "Real People" you really see the differences in the mindset so much so that the "Real People" call her a Mutant.

This book had a lot of messages in it for us mutant folk such as we need to care for our planet for it is alive and we are alive through our connection to it and the Oneness. It also showed the reader that if you really need something you ask for it and if it is in all goodness for all it will occur, for instance when the "Real People" needed food they asked the Oneness for it and it would cross their path if it was for the good. The "Real People" also believed in personal rights (such as the right to die when you know its time).

This was a very, very thinking intensive book that is a little new agey but not in a bad way that it doesn't make sense. This book also too the adage "walk a mile in someone else's shoes" really far and I think more people a world of good. I would definitely say this is a must read for anyone that believes the future is what you make it.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It gave beautiful imagery of Australia. The characters are interesting. The flow of the book is a little slow but if it was any faster you would lose sight of the lesson. However I felt the writing itself left a lot to be desired. Personally, I was expecting a little more excitement from someone experiencing this once in a lifetime chance. The entire time the writing felt like she was dragging her feet but the story itself was not. Thankfully, the writing didn't ruin this unbelievable and enjoyable story. Thus giving this book a rating of two.

Note: This book was reviewed as a fictional memoir. If you see other reviews they will mention the confusion between reality and fiction. Real Australia is not this way etc. I however did not let this stop me from reading this or trying to find the kernels of wisdom that were within it's pages. So it is up to you if you would like to read this knowing it's a fiction or if you like to set it aside because its fiction held up as non-fiction. I would also like to point out it is a banned book in Australia due to its offensive, sacrilegious, racist, inflammatory nature, etc. So I would not recommend buying this book. I borrowed the book for this review from the library.

Review: Which Witch Is Which?

Which Witch Is Which?
By: Patricia Telesco
ISBN 1564147541 (9781564147547)

Summary:
This book helps bring a lot of different paths into one place so you can get a preview of what is out there. It also makes you question if a coven is something you really want. What is great about this particular overview book is that it gives you the general ideas behind the different paths from people actually on those paths and also references so that you can continue to seek out information on your own.

Review:
What I happened to really adore about this book is that it isn't a traditional 101 book that puts spells in the hands of people who have no real idea what a spell is or what it can do. This one makes a person really look at what they believe not so they can have a label but more so they can continue to learn. The overviews in this give the history, current events, beliefs, and even some about the practices for the different paths. The only thing I didn't like about this book is that I would have loved more information but because it gives resources you can look it up yourself. This book is also invaluable because you get to hear about these paths from the horses mouth, these people live these paths and so the writing is really genuine.

Honestly, this book is great for anyone truly interested in Witchcraft, Paganism, or Wicca because it shows you just how different we all are from each other and well as our similarities. If you are going to read this book be prepared to have a notebook and pencil ready because you will end up taking notes. I know mine were a couple of pages long just on resources alone.


This book gets a five because it truly makes you think about where you are on your path rather than say here is a spell, and instant-witch you will be. Witchhood is work not something you can stare down your nose at and dabble in. I hope to see more books like this in the future (personally, I am sick of the 101 books).

Review: Burned

Burned
By: P.C. and Kristin Cast
ISBN: 1905654944 (9781905654949)

Series: House of Night
     1. Marked
     2. Betrayed
     3. Chosen
     4. Untamed
     5. Hunted
     6. Tempted
     7. Burned
     8. Awakened
     9. Destined
     10. Hidden
     11. Revealed
     12. Redeemed

New To Be Released In The House Of Night Series:
The Fledgling Handbook 101

Summary from GoodReads:
Zoey Redbird is the youngest High Priestess in House of Night history and is the only person – vamp or fledgling – that can stop the evil Neferet from raising all kinds of immortal trouble. And she might just have a chance if she wasn’t so busy being dead.

Well, dead is too strong a word. Stevie Rae knows she can bring her BFF back from her unscheduled va-cay in the Otherworld. But it’s going to take a lot more than hoping to bring Zoey back. Stevie Rae will have to give up a few secrets of her own . . .

Quote That Made Me Burst Out Laughing:
"..." = writing I removed from this section as so not to give away part of the story

"Some of this stuff gets confusing, and visual aids always help."... At the top of it he'd drawn a big, open umbrella. On one side of the umbrella he'd written LIGHT and on the opposite side, DARKNESS." ... "So under the force of Light I've listed: good... And under Darkness I have: evil...

"I see you have... placed in the middle,"...

"Yeah, along with onion rings, Hostess Ding Dongs, and my name," Aphrodite said. "Just what the hell does that mean?"

"Well, I don't think we've decided if ... is a force for Light or Darkness," Damien said.

"I added the onion rings and Ding Dongs," Jack said. When everyone just stared at him, he shrugged and explained, "Onion rings are deep-fried and fattening, but an onion is a vegetable. So aren't they good for you? Maybe? And, well, Ding Dongs are chocolate, but they have cream in the middle. Isn't that dairy and healthy?"

"I think you're brain-damaged," Aphrodite said.

"We added your name," Erin said.

"Yeah, 'cause we think you're like Rachel on Glee," Shaunee said. "Super annoying, but she has to be in the show 'cause sometimes she comes up with good stuff and kinda sorta saves the day."

(Yeah, I am a Gleek.
For those that don't know: its a term for someone with a love for the show Glee-
on Fox Tuesday nights or if you are like me, Hulu it.)
Review:
I really enjoy this series as a whole but I never really took anything away from it until this book. This book out of the whole series thus far is definitely the best. It showed the most growth of any of the characters. It pushed the limits and boundaries of the House of Night Universe. It really is a stunning piece of work and the Casts should be patting themselves on the back. Although this book is meant for young adult audiences it definitely can transcend and be adored by the adult audience.

There were many different parts to this story and you see things from many different angles which can seem disjointed but this story is seamless, it flows so well. I also love how they use traditional symbols and ideas and bring them into their modern world. I really enjoyed the idea of what a Warrior really is. The other great thing about this particular story is that you saw more about this female-centric world through the men/young men/boys rather than always through the women/young women/girls.

I think another reason why I love this book above all the others in this series is that the characters really matured and a lot of things were finally coming to fruition. In the other books of the series I sometimes tended to get annoyed and go "Why did you go and do that?!" but in this book it was more like "Wow! Go (insert "good" character name here)!". The others were still good but this one demands your attention. Overall this book gets a four and I definitely look forward to the next book.

Review: The Witch of Blackbird Pond

The Witch of Blackbird Pond
By: Elizabeth George Speare
ISBN: 0440995779 (9780440995777)

Summary from GoodReads:
A high-spirited teenage girl rebels against the narrow-minded ways of Puritan Connecticut and befriends a lonely old woman who is subsequently accused of being a witch.

Review:
This book had the most profound affect on me and my life both as a reader and a woman. Kit Tyler is an impulsive and genuine young woman with a very strong mind with whom I definitely identified with. In this time in Puritan society this description isn't one that you want nor was it for me for a long while. The ability to identify with at least one character is always a good indicator of a story because the whole idea is to walk in an other's shoes no matter how different they are from your own.

Also as with all great stories they have lessons that you are meant to take away from the story if it fails to do this then in my opinion the story no matter how entertaining it was, it was a waste of time. In regard to this book it is thoroughly riddled with ideas and morals, some very unexpected given the time period.

It taught me that sometimes you just won't fit in but that doesn't mean you should change your "feathers":

"You know," he said, looking carefully away at the river, "once ~hen I was a kid we went ashore at Jamaica,~ and in the marketplace there was a man with some birds for sale. They were sort of yellow- green with bright scarlet patches. I was bent on taking one home to my grandmother in Saybrook. But father explained it wasn't meant to live up here, that the birds here would scold and peck at it. Funny thing, that morning when we left you here in Wethersfield---all the way back to the ship all I could think of was that bird." -Nat Eaton

It taught me what love is and shouldn't be:

"You and I would always be uneasy, ail of our lives. We would always be hoping for the other one to be different, and always being disappointed when it didn't happen. No matter how hard I tried, I know I could never care about the things that seem so important to you." -Kit Tyler

It taught me love is sometimes hidden right in front of you.

It taught me truth and loyalty are two of the most important things in life.

Most importantly be yourself for the right people will love you more for that and the ones that don't, don't matter.

As far as did the author succeed in their story, read the following quotes.

“I don’t believe a historical novel should gloss over the pain and ugliness. But I do believe that the hero… should on the last page… still be standing with the strength to go to whatever the future may hold.” -Elizabeth George Speare

"Every book begins with questions. How must it have seemed to people who lived through this experience? What choices would I have made in their place? I must find the answers by going back in the past, by living side by side with them until the world they lived in becomes as real to me as the room in which I am working. This is an enormously satisfying experience. I find that renewed perspective and a sort of reinforcement to the spirit…[are] gifts from the past that…a person of any age…can gain from reading…historical fiction." -Elizabeth George Speare

If I am to judge the story based on these then the author most definitely succeeded on all counts.

As far as eye-candy when it comes to covers this is my favorite cover of all the editions of this book. I love how she looks free-spirited even in the strict clothing of the Puritans. I like how the artist included water in the background because the difference in the water was one of the first indicators that Kit was no longer in clear blue Barbados water but rather the murky water of Connecticut. The cover also gives a hint of the wooded way the North used to be like during that time before the Industrial Revolution.


Overall I give this book a five. It is a book you will want to give to any girl coming of age, or any woman at a crossroads in her life. Personally, I pick up a copy of this book whenever I can and have several editions that sometimes if I have doubles I tend to give them away.