April 30, 2013
The Noble Dead 11: The Dog in the Dark
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I am still not as thrilled with this series with it's new focus as I was with the original books. A lot of flashbacks and piecing the story together that can make it difficult to follow who's telling what part of the story and what exactly happens in which order while trying to keep track of current events at the same time. Very awkwardly written with very little actual progress in the hunt. We don't actually see or hear anything from Wynn, Shade, Chan or Osha until the epilogue. Margerie is obviously having more trouble with her split sides, but other than that the only real addition is finding out particularly what happened with Margerie and Lessil went to hide the orbs during the earlier books that focused on Wynn and Shade. No new orbs, no final confrontation with their enemies, no resolution with Most Aged Father, no new information on where the last orb might be... just a lot of empty blanks that have been left hanging for awhile.
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Pooh
Pooh by A.A. Milne
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a very basic children's board book with large pictures and text. There is actually very little to the story itself and it's very short. Basically the reason why Pooh eats to much, gets stuck, and has to be rescued by his friends after he's lost a little of his honey-induced weight. We end up going through it multiple times before she gets tired of reading time as opposed to some of the other, slightly longer stories that we only have to go through once. Still, this one was mine as child, so it's fun to be able to read it to her now.
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Baby Einstein: Animal Melodies
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The rhymes have no rhythm, and the circled parts on each page are a little odd, though they do fit with whatever is being used for the page (stop your feet, listen with your ears, etc). I like the song choices however, and that holds attention for longer periods. Have to start playing the song before starting to read though, otherwise your sitting there staring at the page waiting for it to end even after having gone through all the text and the circled animals on the page. Shorter tunes would be better in that respect, though at this stage, Mercy likes just hitting the buttons for the music even though she can't read it by herself.
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Baby Einstein: Discover the Day
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a cute idea with the music bar and different sounds to play depending on what the story flaps reveal on each page. The story itself isn't very well thought out however and doesn't really flow. The sounds are fun though, and my daughter loves pushing the buttons. I can see that alone making this an easy book to teach her to read and entertain herself on the road.
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Hush, Little Baby
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
We received this book as a baby shower gift from my old neighbors before Mercy was born. It actually goes through the popular bedtime song Hush, Little Baby, which I often sing to her as we get ready for bed. Part of the benefit of this particular edition is the recorded read-to-me option. I see a definite benefit for this in cases where the grandparents are babysitting during bedtime or she's old enough to look through the book herself before bedtime but still wants a "story" from mom or dad. Cute illustrations and board book publishing make this a sturdier and very useful book that I can easily see being a long term part of our bedtime routine.
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April 19, 2013
The Secret Circle 6: The Temptation
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
Now that we've reached the end of the ghost writer additions, I really hope this stays as the end. The additional books are nowhere near as enthralling as the originals and the characters lose a lot of the appeal. By some miracle, Cassie loses all of her power in stopping her ancient ancestors - a result that can be taken in two directions (a sacrifice to stop the evil or because she herself was so much a part of the evil from her family). Of course this means everyone must band together to give her new powers so she can return to life with her circle, because anything else would just be too horrible to contemplate. In the meantime she'll be majorly bipolar and work even harder at driving away the very people that are trying to help her. Yet somehow this results in her becoming closer to everyone in the circle, including her once nemesis and rival, Scarlet. Can't be the end without a happy ending, right? Anti-climatic and droll. Majorly disappointing.
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April 18, 2013
The Secret Circle 5: The Hunt
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
This ghostwriter continuation really follows the TV series and has a completely different tone than the original series by L.J. Smith. Sadly it is not as exciting or consistent as the original. Cassie comes off as whiny and insecure. Adam comes off as secretive and like he now struggles with loyalty and affection; the two things that made him an integral character to the circle and a great guy to begin with. Probably the least changed in the series is Faye, still aggravating and dark, flirting with danger despite being one of the "good guys." Still not sure what I think about Diana and Max despite the hunter/witch pairing already being introduced in the TV series. Suffice it to say the circle can't seem to do anything right and just seems to make one mistake after another, resulting in lots of dark magic and problems they don't have the first clue how to deal with. Despite clearly being out of the depths, they continue to dive in head first without truly understanding what they're doing or even really attempting to get reliable help. Small wonder they just manage to make already bad situations worse.
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April 17, 2013
The Vampire Diaries 4.5: Blood Will Tell
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
This looks as if it has been removed from the web site as it gives a 404 error.
This is an interesting piece that shows what might have been if Elena had intervened to make Stefan drink from all three of his friends before facing down Klaus. Each of them have significantly different reactions and reveals as a result of the experience. Overall and interesting look into the psych of four of the main stars. The part with Stefan, and even the others aside from Bonnie, hearing Elena clearly is very out-of-character with the actual book. It certainly has a very clear and drastic effect on all of them, but I wonder if only having the silence compared to seeing and touching her at the end of the real book isn't a more dramatic comparison and made all the better for not having that continual contact prior.
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The Infernal Devices 3: Clockwork Princess
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
First off, this book is long. There are parts that really ramble and are obvious filler, but at the same time the story does flow much better with most of them. It can get a little confusing the way it keeps hopping around on who the stories focus is. One minute it's Charlotte, then Tessa, then the Consul, then Will, then Magnus, back to Charlotte or Mortmain... ugh. This is a large part of why it is so long as well. Smashing all those POVs into one book instead of only being told from one perspective.
Secondly, the end feels like a bit of a cop out even though you can see it coming from a mile away. With Tessa's immortality and Jem's desperate bid for time, isn't it only fitting that of course the heroine gets to be with both of her "great loves?" Makes it feel a little cheap despite the nicely wrapped parabatai package that supposedly makes it completely okay and natural for the three of them to basically have this huge affair with each other.
Third is the neatly happily ever after. Of course Will is now long dead; Jem couldn't come back into the picture outside of the Silent Brothers otherwise. There was also the nice little hint from Magnus about the events from the original Mortal Instruments series. Of course all the main players have to survive and be nicely paired off for their perfect happily ever afters. Too ideal, especially for a bunch of Shadowhunters who supposedly constantly risk life and limb to keep Downworlders in check.
Beyond the imperfections and somewhat sickening perfect love story, it is a good story in the sense that it does give the reader a lot to think about and attempt to draw them in. It's entertaining to read, but doesn't really devour the reader the way that some series do. Still, it is nice to know how Will and Tessa's story ended at least. Wouldn't be surprised at all to see this continued on with Tessa and Jem.
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April 15, 2013
Goodnight Moon
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
A very popular and well-known children's book, I didn't find this one as engaging as many of Mercy's other books. She didn't seem as interested in it either, often trying to close the book entirely rather than turning the pages as she does with many of the others. The concept is cute, though somewhat repetitive with the constant "goodnight ___" on every page. There is such a thing as too much, and literally saying goodnight to everything in the room and the moon seems to fit that bill.
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April 13, 2013
Black Dagger Brotherhood 11: Lover At Last
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
As with all the Black Dagger Brotherhood books, I had a hard time putting it down. This was a little disappointing however as it didn't really seem to focus on Qhuin and Blay, despite being "their" book. You get as much, if not more, side story about potential romances with Xcor, Assail and Trez than you do from our main couple. Even then, what you get from their story is a lot more of misconception and denial that has been in the previous books, just with some actual intimacy thrown in. It isn't until the very end of the book, and I literally mean like the last 10 pages/epilogue of a 600+ page book, that they finally get together and start being honest. Even then, they kind of ghost over the whole coming together thing. It's more like they realize they've been misreading each other and want to try being boyfriends, then all of the sudden Qhuin's proposing. Yeah... that skipped a lot. So while I'm really glad we finally got this story and I still enjoyed it, can't help but feel like it was seriously lacking too.
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April 11, 2013
Vampire Academy: Bloodlines 3: The Indigo Spell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Sydney has been very slow to come to the party throughout the series. This book is no exception as many things seem glaringly obvious to others and she doesn't even see it. Part of this is her ingrained denial about certain topics prior to breaking the control of her Alchemist tattoo. I was glad to finally see the real development and admittance between Sydney and Adrian at the end of the book, though of course a wrench had to be tossed into that. Bad enough there's an unknown dhampire added to the mix who already looked to be in a prime position between Eddie and Jill (just after things we're cleared with Angeline no less), but now Zoe is Sydney's personal shadow. This will make her magic study neigh impossible on it's own, never mind her budding relationship with Adrian. Then there's her little lie about feeling alone out in the field being the reason Zoe was initiated... how will that line up with her going off on her own, especially when those solo trips are often to Adrian's? Add to this that they still have a power/soul sucking witch out on the loose. Out of the frying pan and into the fire.
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The Host
The Host (2013)
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Better than I expected as the book was rather difficult for me to finish. Bringing it to life adds a dimension to this story that the written version was sadly lacking. The early part of the story is uninteresting and lacks the draw to pull you into the story. It isn't until the Wanderer, later renamed "Wanda," joins the human resistance that the story really picks up and becomes more interesting. Even then, it's slow paced and somewhat predictable. This isn't as much of a weight in the movie as scenes move by so quickly. In the book it was an issue because it would take chapters to get to anything that added to the situation. The little tail segment at the end where it looks like they will all be captured and instead meet others who agree with Wanda's point of view is a nice touch. This scene alone is the only piece that really hints at a continuation in the series (necessary as it has since been declared that this will become a trilogy at least in book format, if not film). Without it, this would feel very awkward as a continuing story. Even with it, there will have to be new dimensions and conflicts added to keep any interest in an already mellow "invasion" plot.
April 8, 2013
The Runaway Bunny
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a cute little book illustrating a mother's devotion to her child and how she'll always be there for them no matter how far they run or try to hide from her. A good family message of love and devotion wrapped up in a simple children's book with lovely art to illustrate to imagination behind the roles each bunny takes.
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April 2, 2013
Morganville Vampires 13: Bitter Blood
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Myrnin is as eccentric as ever and it once again falls to Claire to figure things out and save the day. Both Michael and Shane manage to screw up royally, though for completely different reasons. To be fair, Michael had a lot less control over his situation. Somewhat surprised that Claire is now insisting on leaving after all her earlier reasons why she shouldn't leave. Even more interesting that Shane is going with her. Michael and Eve, along with the rest of Claire's family, will still be in Morganville however, and she'll likely still end up working with Myrnin the way things are going. Still, between going to MIT and getting Morganville back online, it could be an amusing split between roles and stories in the future.
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