Review - The Healer's Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson

The Healer's Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Synopsis
Two Hearts. One Hope.
Rose has been appointed as a healer's apprentice at Hagenheim Castle, a rare opportunity for a woodcutter's daughter like her. While she often feels uneasy at the sight of blood, Rose is determined to prove herself capable. Failure will mean returning home to marry the aging bachelor her mother has chosen for her---a bloated, disgusting merchant who makes Rose feel ill.
When Lord Hamlin, the future duke, is injured, it is Rose who must tend to him. As she works to heal his wound, she begins to understand emotions she's never felt before and wonders if he feels the same. But falling in love is forbidden, as Lord Hamlin is betrothed to a mysterious young woman in hiding. As Rose's life spins toward confusion, she must take the first steps on a journey to discover her own destiny.

My Review:

I didn't realise this was a 'Christian' novel so sorry if my comments upset anyone.The story was good, very sweet fairytale-ish and I enjoyed it but...

Sometimes there was a little too much swooning and tears whenever she saw either of the brothers. I would have liked a little more backbone from the main character. I felt that the author overemphasised her feelings. One or two words would have been enough but sentence after sentence, it just dragged on.

There was a lot of gazing into eyes but not much dialogue (along with the swooning), I would have preferred a little more interaction and wit from the characters.

I am now aware that this is a Christian novel but I noticed towards the end that the rate of 'O God and O Lord' almost trebled along with copious amounts of bible quotes and praying. It was a little overkill.

The picture setting was great and the author clearly knows her stuff. Gunthur and Hildy were my favourites!

A good read and I've given it three stars but I wouldn't read it again.

 ~

Heres the book trailer! Enjoy!

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Review: The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Synopsis:
Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.
Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

Review:

Meghan! How can you be so frustrating!!! I wanted to believe that she understood Ash’s position in the Winter Court. How many times did he tell her that the Court would play on her emotions and strip her of all feeling if she showed any. Then at the worst possible moments she blurts out that she loves Ash, right in front of his evil brother, Rowan. From then on all hell breaks loose and Meghan puts aside her naivety finally understands but for me it’s her bravery and kindness that makes her shine.

The romance with Ash and Meghan reaches new heights and he explains why he’s scared to love again. But when Puck arrives back on the scene things get a little twisted in Meghan’s head.

The story is quick paced and continues non-stop. I loved this book, but not as much as the other two before it. I nearly cried when Ash was at Meghan’s house, and she stuck by him even though he’d done those terrible things.

The writing of Kagawa is gorgeous and this is no poor sequel to Iron King. It’s so much more…

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Review: Winter's Passage by Julie Kagawa

Winter's Passage by Julie Kagawa

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This ebook directly follows the Iron King, and prequels The Iron Daughter.


Meghan Chase used to be an ordinary girl...until she discovered that she is really a faery princess. After escaping from the clutches of the deadly Iron fey, Meghan must follow through on her promise to return to the equally dangerous Winter Court with her forbidden love, Prince Ash. But first, Meghan has one request: that they visit Puck--Meghan's best friend and servant of her father, King Oberon--who was gravely injured defending Meghan from the Iron Fey.

Yet Meghan and Ash's detour does not go unnoticed. They have caught the attention of an ancient, powerful hunter--a foe that even Ash may not be able to defeat....

What a great idea to bridge the gap between one book and the next. Not only does the author keep us interested in the ongoing story but with this one in particular we got quality Meghan and Ash time.

At the end of Iron King Puck is still sick, so obviously Meghan wants to visit him on her promised journey to the Winter Palace. Prince Ash's guard gradually breaks down and we witness more of him and especially his interaction with Meghan. Ash is great but sometimes its as though he has a broom up his @$#!. This story gave us what we wanted. Ash on the inside.

I loved it!

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Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Synopsis:
Grace and Sam share a kinship so close they could be lovers or siblings. But they also share a problem. When the temperature slips towards freezing, Sam reverts to his wolf identity and must retreat into the woods to protect his pack. He worries that eventually his human side will fade away and he will be left howling alone at the lonely moon. A stirring supernatural teen romance

Review:
This book had so much hype I had to read it. I've never read Stiefvater before so really didn't know what I was getting in to.

First off, the characters were too ordinary. Despite the fact that Sam is a wolf he's just a half-human/half-wolf. He has no flair or excitement about him. No real back story except oh yeah he happens to be a wolf. Grace is a little too dull for my liking. And the friends seem to be too stereotypical friends. The bitchy one (Isabel) then the fun one (Olivia). Grace has parents who again, stereotypically, don't particularly like the new boyfriend etc etc.

It's a really slow read, not a great storyline, too many parallels to Twilight for my liking, and random poems thrown in to make it a little bit arty.

The book did make me shiver, but not in a good way.

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Review - Fallen by Lauren Kate

4 out of 5

Synopsis:
There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her

My Review:

My motto stands. Always read a book more than once to truly 'get' it.

First read: I loved the story of Luce and Daniel. I thought the push and pull of their character's made for great reading. As Luce goes through trying to piece her life back together after a horrific accident that claims the life of a friend of hers she is sent to a reform school. Luce didn't expect Swords & Cross to be the place where she finally figures out who she really is.

When Luce lays her eyes on Daniel she has a weird sense of De ja vu. Trying to figure out the connection with Daniel she sets out to find out everything she can about the elusive Daniel Grigori.The plot of Fallen was entrancing. I was enthralled with all the character's. Each one of their quirky personalities made them excellent side character's.

Second Read: While I still had the thrill of the first read the second time around was different. I began to see the characters for what they really are. Luce is a little bit shallow. Her life revolves around her. She finds a friend in Penn but all they do and talk about is Daniel and what Luce wants from a relationship with him. She also flicks between Daniel and Cam a little too often, leading Cam on a little too much, surely she's in love with Daniel? 

Luce also really doesn't have much else going for her apart from her infatuations. She doesn't easily make friends or have any interest in their lives other than for her own benefit.

Daniel also becomes too soft. Surely he's supposed to be this bad guy considering he's in a reform school but his actions (with the exception of a fight scene with Cam) are just way tooooo gushy. No backbone.

When I left the story the second time I couldn't help wondering the following two things.

1) What were a bunch of Angels doing at the reform school in the first place - was it just to find Luce (when Daniel pointedly said that she always just 'shows up' and he doesn't look for her any more). Surely these Angels have better things to do with their eternity?

2) If Daniel is the leader and the victim of the whole 'fallen' thing why isn't he more manly in his actions rather than the dull, gushy, wistful, no personality boy he appears to be.

Hmm. Lots to think of. 

Review: The Iron King (Iron Fey #1) by Julie Kagawa

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Synopsis:
Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.
When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.
But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart

Review:

I finished this book in a day, I couldn't put it down. I cancelled all plans and kept on until I was finished!
I'm not a fan of faery stories, i've read a few and all of the seelie/unseelie business puts me off. So it was with great trepidation that I started this book.Initially it was slow but great for character/world description and as the story progressed I fell in love with Kagawa's beautiful writing.

Meghan is a bit of a clutz to put it mildly, she trips over things all the time which automatically prompts me to bash my hand against my head and shout 'pick your feet up!'.

Puck was initially soooo annoying. But gradually you became aware of his history and, honestly, he was the one that kept the story refreshing and added the humour.

Prince Ash.... Oh, Ash! From the start I loved him. I thought the tension and mystery was brilliant. I still have questions as to why he was in Meghan's house or waiting under a tree with his horse (how did he get his horse there? Did it really fit through a thingamy)

From my initial - I think this is ok - to my final - oh, wow,wow,wow I couldn't stop reading. How many books can you say that about!

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Review - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

My Rating: 4 out of 5

Synopsis: In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

My Review:

After starting this one I really didn't think I'd like it. It was so slow and drawn-out in the beginning. Almost everyone's rated this book between 4-5 stars, with the majority being 5, so I expected more. Maybe that was what ruined it for me, but it took almost the whole first part of the book to keep my interest. After that, it still felt a bit slow but picked up right after the first spark of love interest--can't stay away from the romance!

When the Games finally began I was hooked. Was I blown away? No. But I did truly enjoy it! And I'm extremely glad that I didn't give up in the beginning, because I can't wait to get hold of the next one. I felt for Katniss the whole time, she had both courage and skills to pull off winning the games, as well as a bit of rebellious streak. As for Peeta, he had my heart from the beginning and I loved every scene with him. He was so charming and supporting! The end of the Game was nerve-racking and the ending of the book had me extremely frustrated. I'm longing to know how it all turns out for these two!

The Hunger Games really is one of a kind. Horrible really, if you think about it; how little these people from the Districts mean to the Capitol. But it was good and I would recommend it! I'd just say be careful not to expect too much in the beginning, but instead give it a chance to deliver what I know it can, in it's own way