Under His Influence by Justine Elyot is a novel schedule for release in e-book format on January 30 2012. Anna Rice is an innocent, vulnerable, romantic. After making an embarrassing mistake about which co-worker was asking her out for drinks Anna meets John Stone. The mysterious and enigmatic man sweeps her off her feet. He is rich, charming, and addictive. Mimi Leblanc is Anna's protective best friend, who is more than a little concerned about the whirl wind romance, and the heart of her friend. She does some investigating into John, and gets in over her head. Just who is John Stone, and what are his plans?
I am having trouble categorizing Under His Influence. Some might call it erotic suspense, or perhaps it is science fiction, or straight romance. I am just not sure. I feel like this book could have been divided into two full length novels, and each would have been better that the whole. Anna is not my favorite character; she feels more like a victim than someone that will find love from the very beginning of the book. She falls head over heels in love in mere moments. Mimi is much more pragmatic, and though might come off as hard-hearted, might just be the best character in the book. John is mysterious, and readers will have their suspicions as to just who, or what, he might be within the first chapter or so. Liam is a side character that seems to change dramatically throughout the book, for no plausible or discernible reason. The sex scenes are steamy, and a little over the top on occasion. The irritable attraction to John is important, but sometimes overstated.
I did not hate the book, and I am sorry that it might sound that way. I think I am just disappointed because the premise and characters could have just gone so much farther or deeper. The book could have been a toe curling erotic novel, or a thrilling science fiction story, but I felt like Under His Influence never really made its way to be either. It was interesting, and sometimes overwhelming.
If you like science fiction and erotic, then you might enjoy Under His Influence. I picked it up, and briefly put it down before picking it back up to finish it. The story was interesting but I felt that in the desire to pack so much into one novel, there was something wonderful lost along the way.
Book Review: Tina's Mouth: An Existential Comic Diary by Keshni Kashyap
Tina's Mouth: An Existential Comic Diary by Keshni Kashyap is a young adult graphic novel released on January 3 2012. This story follows one high school student's take on life and love through the lense of an existential diary she is keeping for a school project. Tina M. is a sophomore at a private school, Yarborough Academy. She is the youngest in her Southern California intellectual Indian family and does not really feel that she has a place in any single group. Through the journal, complete with black and white illustrations, readers follow Tina through some high school adventures. Tina's semester includes the loss of her most important friendship, the drama club, betrayal, cultural quests, and an important kiss. The humor of Tina's personality paired with the illustrations, are perfect purveyors of the issues that one teenager might come across on her quest to find herself, if she can only bring herself to care about the answer.
The complete review is available here on Yahoo! Voices.
The complete review is available here on Yahoo! Voices.
Early Book Review: The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges
The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridge is the first book in The Katerina Trilogy, a series set in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1888. This novel blends historical fiction with the legends of the area seamlessly. Katerina is a Duchess, hiding a mystical secret amid the aristocracy of balls and finishing school. One attempt to prevent someone else from casting a spell she releases herself to a few members of the court. While she wants to forget and deny her gift, those that have discovered her secret either fear her or want to harness her power for their own evil intentions. Some of their plans do not include anything like a happy life for Katerina, and no one is ready to share the whole truth. It is scheduled for release on January 10 2012.
My complete review is available here on Yahoo! Voices.
My complete review is available here on Yahoo! Voices.
Early Book Review: Daughter of the Centaurs by K. K. Ross
Daughter of the Centaurs by K.K. Ross is the first book in the Centauriad series for young adults. It is scheduled for release on January 24, 2012. Malora is a headstrong and independent teen that wants to follow in the footsteps of her father, a horse wrangler and hunter. Despite her mother's wishes that she follow her path and become a healer, Malora does everything she can to follow hr dream. Unfortunately, huge bat like creatures called leatherwings attack and soon Malora is on her own and dependent on the very skills she longed to master for her very survival. Possibly the last living human, Malora becomes the leader of her own herd of horses, until the day centaurs capture her and some of her herd. Now Malora must adjust to a completely new society, and discover if the comforts she finds there are worth giving up the freedom and life she had come to love.
My complete review is avaliable here on Yahoo! Voices.
My complete review is avaliable here on Yahoo! Voices.
Early Book Review: Don't Bite the Messenger by Regan Summers
Don't Bite the Messenger by Regan Summers is an urban fantasy novel scheduled for release on January 16 2012. This quick read is not short on action. Sydney Kildare, or is that Mary Pike, is a courier in Alaska. She spends her nights making deliveries for vampires. It is not exactly the safest profession and she has planned and saved enough to get out of the business. However, there is no way to retire instead you need to run. Before she can put her escape plan into action Sydney lands in the middle of a vampire power struggle, and needs to survive long enough to achieve her happily ever after.
My entire review is available here on Yahoo! Voices.
My entire review is available here on Yahoo! Voices.
Challenges for 2012
I am not going to bore everyone with the number of books I read in 2011, or the challenges that I have participated in. Lets just say that it was a busy year laden with renewed and new friendships and more than a few hardships for those I care about most. So I am jumping, or hobbling, into 2012 determined that it will be a better year all around.
So, despite the fact that my posting will still be hap hazard for the next few weeks (still short a netbook) I have joined two challenges and will be using these to get me going in the right direction. The first challenge is NetGalley Month, hosted at Red House Books. The challenge encourages those of us using NetGalley to read as many of the galleys we have stored up as possible, catching up on the inevitable backlog of books created when you just cannot stop looking for more. This will be my third time participating, and hopefully my most successful.
My other challenge is the TBR Challenge 2012 hosted by Wendy at the Misadventures of Super Librarian. This challenge will help me stop ignoring the books I actually own, and still have yet to read. I need to hurry up and pick my January book so I can stay on track, I already feel like I am behind.
My personal challenge is to better balance my reading and writing time. I tend o go a couple weeks focusing on one, then feel guilty that I am slacking in the other, and then switching. Since the sad demise of my notebook, the reading has taken over and now I have hit a bit of a blah slum. Two galleys I started, and put away, because I just could not get into them. I am back at one of them now and limping my way through. Another galley is a book that I read months ago and apparently has been renamed. *sigh*
For today, I will use my husband's laptop and do what I can while playing referee for the kids, and hope that this year holds up to its promise for everyone.
So, despite the fact that my posting will still be hap hazard for the next few weeks (still short a netbook) I have joined two challenges and will be using these to get me going in the right direction. The first challenge is NetGalley Month, hosted at Red House Books. The challenge encourages those of us using NetGalley to read as many of the galleys we have stored up as possible, catching up on the inevitable backlog of books created when you just cannot stop looking for more. This will be my third time participating, and hopefully my most successful.
My other challenge is the TBR Challenge 2012 hosted by Wendy at the Misadventures of Super Librarian. This challenge will help me stop ignoring the books I actually own, and still have yet to read. I need to hurry up and pick my January book so I can stay on track, I already feel like I am behind.
My personal challenge is to better balance my reading and writing time. I tend o go a couple weeks focusing on one, then feel guilty that I am slacking in the other, and then switching. Since the sad demise of my notebook, the reading has taken over and now I have hit a bit of a blah slum. Two galleys I started, and put away, because I just could not get into them. I am back at one of them now and limping my way through. Another galley is a book that I read months ago and apparently has been renamed. *sigh*
For today, I will use my husband's laptop and do what I can while playing referee for the kids, and hope that this year holds up to its promise for everyone.
Early Book Review Oddfellow's Orphanage by Emily Winfield Martin
Oddfellow's Orphanage by Emily Winfield Martin is a fun children's book slated for release on January 24 2012. The book follows the adventures of one mute, albino girl (Delia) as she joins the family at Oddfellow's Orphanage. The other children at the orphanage, and even the teachers, are all a little odd. The orphanage is a place for all living creatures to find a home. Its residents include an onion headed boy, a girl covered in tattoos, and a family of dancing bears. The book is told in episodic chapters, including illustrations and character summaries, detailing Delia's discoveries about her new home and family.
Oddfellow's Orphanage is not your ordinary orphanage, and its residents are not exactly normal either. The children are all different, for example one is a hedgehog and another has an onion for a head. The teachers and headmaster are all a little different too. Classes include crypto zoology, astronomy, and fairy tales. However, despite all the differences there are some universal truths to be found at Oddfellows as well: including the need for friendship, family, and a place to belong. I loved that the group forms friendships and bonds like family despite the rather large differences among them. What these children are lucky enough to learn is that the world may be large, but the people important to you are even greater.
Oddfellow's Orphanage is a good choice for those making the transition to chapter books. The story is fun, an easy read, and heartwarming. I think many children will relate to the need to feel they belong somewhere, regardless of their situation. The electronic galley I read, provided by NetGalley, included rough sketches of the artwork rather than the finished product. The pencil sketches did a wonderful job of illustrating the story, though I can only imagine that the finished product will be even better.
Oddfellow's Orphanage is not your ordinary orphanage, and its residents are not exactly normal either. The children are all different, for example one is a hedgehog and another has an onion for a head. The teachers and headmaster are all a little different too. Classes include crypto zoology, astronomy, and fairy tales. However, despite all the differences there are some universal truths to be found at Oddfellows as well: including the need for friendship, family, and a place to belong. I loved that the group forms friendships and bonds like family despite the rather large differences among them. What these children are lucky enough to learn is that the world may be large, but the people important to you are even greater.
Oddfellow's Orphanage is a good choice for those making the transition to chapter books. The story is fun, an easy read, and heartwarming. I think many children will relate to the need to feel they belong somewhere, regardless of their situation. The electronic galley I read, provided by NetGalley, included rough sketches of the artwork rather than the finished product. The pencil sketches did a wonderful job of illustrating the story, though I can only imagine that the finished product will be even better.
Book Review: Floors by Patrick Carman
Floors by Patrick Carman is a novel for children about the adventures of a boy living and working in the most unusual hotel you could ever hope to visit. I would love a chance to explore the wondrous hotel that Carman has created, and look forward to any sequels so that I can return to young Leo's world. Leo and his father like in the basement of the Whippet Hotel, and know most of its secrets. Hidden rooms, special elevators, strange staff, stranger guests, very unusual rooms and ducks living on the roof are all normal at the Whippet Hotel. When the creator of the hotel, Merganzer Whippet, goes missing strange things begin to happen. Leo and the new door boy, the excitable Remi, follow the clues that seem to have been left behind by Merganzer. They journey through hidden floors and solve mysteries with the help of a duck and robot. Leo needs to solve the mysteries Merganzer Left behind to save the hotel, his friendships, and his future.
I highly recommend Floors to readers age eight and up. Fans of books by Roald Dahl and Louis Sacher will find extra joy in reading this book, and the series that promises to follow. There is no violence or terrifying moments to bother readers that are younger than eight but that have the reading ability to enjoy the story, while the adventure and mystery in Carman's writing can keep even adult readers enthralled. I look forward to discovering more hidden areas of the Whippet Hotel along with Leo and Remi in the future, and would not be surprised to see this book become classic must read along side works by Dahl and C.S. Lewis.
I highly recommend Floors to readers age eight and up. Fans of books by Roald Dahl and Louis Sacher will find extra joy in reading this book, and the series that promises to follow. There is no violence or terrifying moments to bother readers that are younger than eight but that have the reading ability to enjoy the story, while the adventure and mystery in Carman's writing can keep even adult readers enthralled. I look forward to discovering more hidden areas of the Whippet Hotel along with Leo and Remi in the future, and would not be surprised to see this book become classic must read along side works by Dahl and C.S. Lewis.
Early Book Review: Ditched by Robin Mellom
Ditched by Robin Mellom is a young adult novel scheduled for release on January 10 2012. The story opens with high school senior Justina Griffith waking up in a ditch and struggling to remember just how she came to be there in a iridescent blue gown and matching footwear. When she notices the stains on her gown, and remembers how her prom night began, she is not quite sure she wants to remember the events that led to her situation. She stumbles to the closest store, a 7-Eleven, and begins to put the night together. Was her best friend and dream date really the great guy she thought he was or was he scum? Ian had left her at the prom, and she has not been able to catch up with him since. She has encountered some unexpected friendships, strange situations, and unmitigated disaster in her misguided attempts to have a perfect night. Did she deserve to land in the ditch because of her choices and actions or could everything be salvaged in the end when all the pieces of the night come together?
See my complete review here on Yahoo! Voices.
See my complete review here on Yahoo! Voices.
Early Book Review: The Last Slayer by Nadia Lee
The Last Slayerby Nadia Lee is an urban fantasy novel released on December 26 2011. The main character is Ashera del Cid, a talented hunter of demons that struggles to destroy as many incubi and succubae as she can. She works for with her foster family, and accepts her less than stunning good looks and life without blood relations in stride, especially since her foster family has treated her so well. When she is placed on dangerous duty, she kills a dragon in self defense and thinks that she has angered the dragonlords and set them to hunt her. Little does she know that they have been looking to kill her since the day she was born. Ashera's has one potential champion is Ramiel, a supernatural that defies category until he reveals it to her. However, intentions and motivations are in question and Ashera doubts just about everything she is told, including the identity of her mother and her bloodline. Ramiel always seems to be hiding something, which make trust and moving forward towards her future even harder of Ashera.
The Last Slayer is a good urban fantasy novel, which begins a new series. I did feel a little tossed into the world, like I should have known more about hunters, slayers, dragonlords, and the general landscape of the world already. Perhaps I missed a related book or series along the way. However, I was not completely lost and found my way into the world fairly easily. Ashera starts out as a champion hunter, a loner that wants to do her job in such a way that eliminates the risk of others getting hurt. I liked this, and her take charge attitude. However, she becomes a lot softer and more passive as the conflicts arose and Ramiel took charge. It worked with in the story, but I wanted to see more of Ashera kicking butt and less about the time she took bathing and picking out clothes.
The story was good, and if I see the next book in the series I might pick it up however I will not be hunting it down or anxiously awaiting its arrival. I finished the book less invested in the characters than I was in the first few chapters, which is a shame since I liked Ashera and the set up for her foster sister Valerie and foster father Jack, both of whom I would like to see more about.
The Last Slayer is a good urban fantasy novel, which begins a new series. I did feel a little tossed into the world, like I should have known more about hunters, slayers, dragonlords, and the general landscape of the world already. Perhaps I missed a related book or series along the way. However, I was not completely lost and found my way into the world fairly easily. Ashera starts out as a champion hunter, a loner that wants to do her job in such a way that eliminates the risk of others getting hurt. I liked this, and her take charge attitude. However, she becomes a lot softer and more passive as the conflicts arose and Ramiel took charge. It worked with in the story, but I wanted to see more of Ashera kicking butt and less about the time she took bathing and picking out clothes.
The story was good, and if I see the next book in the series I might pick it up however I will not be hunting it down or anxiously awaiting its arrival. I finished the book less invested in the characters than I was in the first few chapters, which is a shame since I liked Ashera and the set up for her foster sister Valerie and foster father Jack, both of whom I would like to see more about.
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