Tag: four stars

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The Forgotten Garden: Kate Morton

When I got to the last page of this book and read the last word, I just sat there.

What a gripping story and oh my how tragically depressing. But it wasn’t tragic in a terrible don’t want to read it kind of way, but in a tragic you wanted so bad for the ending to change kind of way, but alas no. From the first few pages you are told the ending, you just didn’t know why the ending was what it was. It was a very well crafted and well written mystery that slowly unfolds.

This was not a short read, 560 pages, but I enjoyed it.
It spun throughout the book 3 time periods and 3 different (yet the same) stories.
Each were gripping in their own way, but by far Eliza and Nell’s stories were the most intense.

The only thing I didn’t like was the ‘present day’ storyline of Cassandra was a bit boring in comparison to Eliza and Nell’s stories. I found myself skimming Cassandra’s story (but of course feeling for her in her own tragic life).

Anyways, totally recommend this book and will give it 4 stars.

Summary:
Kate Morton’s The Forgotten Garden takes root in your imagination and grows into something enchanting–from a little girl with no memories left alone on a ship to Australia, to a fog-soaked London river bend where orphans comfort themselves with stories of Jack the Ripper, to a Cornish sea heaving against wind-whipped cliffs, crowned by an airless manor house where an overgrown hedge maze ends in the walled garden of a cottage left to rot. This hidden bit of earth revives barren hearts, while the mysterious Authoress’s fairy tales (every bit as magical and sinister as Grimm’s) whisper truths and ignite the imaginary lives of children. As Morton draws you through a thicket of secrets that spans generations, her story could cross into fairy tale territory if her characters weren’t clothed in such complex flesh, their judgment blurred by the heady stench of emotions (envy, lust, pride, love) that furtively flourished in the glasshouse of Edwardian society. While most ache for a spotless mind’s eternal sunshine, the Authoress meets the past as “a cruel mistress with whom we must all learn to dance,” and her stories gift children with this vital muscle memory.

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Re-Read Eclipse and Breaking Dawn

I just re-read Eclipse and Breaking Dawn since the Eclipse movie is coming out tomorrow and I am headed to a Twilight Marathon at our local movie theater. It’s going to be so much fun! 🙂

Anyways, I just had to say that I once again got sucked in.
I wish I knew what kind of crazy voodoo magic Stephenie Meyer has that causes so many people to become so absorbed in her stories. I want that! I wish I had a story like that to tell.

Once again, reading those books I feel destined to write.

Anyways, if you haven’t read the Twilight series and you like fantasy books, go for it! Don’t just not read it because of the hype.
If you’ve already read them and are going to see the movie, re-read Eclipse! But then again if you re-read Eclipse you’ll re-read Breaking Dawn and POSSIBLY the entire series. You will get sucked into their world for sure.

That’s it. I just thought I should keep you updated with what I’m reading, even though I’ve already read them both.

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The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: Stephenie Meyer

Obviously any Twilight Series reader knows the ending of this book.

It’s no mystery.

When I was reading the author’s reasons for writing this short novella and her thoughts on it, I was struck by her saying that in the end, she so desperately wanted Bree to live. She wished more than anything that she could keep her alive, but that was impossible. Her story had already been told in Eclipse, the ending written years ago.

I doubted that in such a short book, I would feel the same. I figured her attachment came from personally writing the character. Yet I read the book with an open mine and in the end – I did indeed feel that same rush of desire for her to live. As I neared the end of the book, I was sad because I know how her story ended. (I was also quite attached to Diego as well)

Was it the best book I’ve ever read? Nope. But it was a nice afternoon read (it’s less than 200 pages – a novella)

It also got me wanting to re-read Eclipse, which I guess was the entire point!

Here is an awesome thing, from now until July 7, 2010 you can read the book for free at www.breetanner.com

Pretty awesome 🙂

Amazon Description:
Fans of The Twilight Saga will be enthralled by this riveting story of Bree Tanner, a character first introduced in Eclipse, and the darker side of the newborn vampire world she inhabits. In another irresistible combination of danger, mystery, and romance, Stephenie Meyer tells the devastating story of Bree and the newborn army as they prepare to close in on Bella Swan and the Cullens, following their encounter to its unforgettable conclusion.

I’m a little iffy on what star rating. I’m biased because I love the series… soooo… what to give it….

okay, I’m going to give it 4 stars just in honor of the series (make sure to read after Eclipse) and recommend it.

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Lightening: Dean Koontz

This was a very good read.
It’s one of those books that the twists all kinds of genres. Love, suspense, sci-fi, fantasy, drama, etc.

When I picked this book, I was mainly just wanting a good read. Something fun to pass the time and something on the cheaper side.

Dean Koontz rarely disappoints me, as I enjoy his quirky sense of reality in his fictional world.

Overall, TOTALLY enjoyed this book.

Amazon Description:

On the night of Laura Shane’s birth, a stranger appears from the lightning to prevent her delivery’s being botched by an alcoholic physician. Throughout Laura’s childhood the stranger reappears at times of danger. He protects rather than threatens, yet menace seems to follow him. Thirty years later another storm flashes and the stranger collapses, shot, at Laura’s door. Now Laura protects her erstwhile guardian from mysterious hunters. He reveals that he and the hunters are time travelers. Laura, quick-witted and brave, leads the way to a bloody showdown. The paradox in time travel’s tampering with history provides an interesting twist in this gripping thriller by a popular writer.

I’m going to give this 4 stars and recommend it!

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Percy Jackson- The Last Olympian: Rick Riordan

This is the final chapter (or so far at least) of the Percy Jackson series.

This has the most battles. The most love. The most monsters. The most everything. Rick decided to throw it all in and give us a good read. I was not disappointed.

Definitely not a stand alone book as you want to read books 1-4 first, but definitely a great read and definitely recommend it.
4 out of 5 stars.

Amazon Summary:
All year the half-bloods have been preparing for battle against the Titans, knowing the odds of victory are grim. Kronos’s army is stronger than ever, and with every god and half-blood he recruits, the evil Titan’s power only grows. While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it’s up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time.
In this momentous final book in the New York Times best-selling Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the long-awaited prophecy surrounding Percy’s sixteenth birthday unfolds. And as the battle for Western civilization rages on the streets of Manhattan, Percy faces a terrifying suspicion that he may be fighting against his own fate.