Review: Fairest (Lunar Chronicles 4)

 Fairest
Marissa Meyer
Lunar Chronicles 4


A short, side story that explains how Queen Levana came to be.
I have one word: wow.

Read it in one sitting, I was glued to my seat! Levana pulls at your heart strings ( I know, right!) but something I never thought possible as I spent the first 3 books absolutely hating her.

From childhood, and being a younger sister, watching her older sister be the Queen, from growing up and falling in love, to becoming the Queen Regent, and then the Queen herself.

When Levana falls in love with a Royal Guard, she feels fate is on her side when his wife dies in childbirth. Using her power, unintentionally, to force him to marry her she feels that her life is coming together. If only she could have her own heir.

While her sister is being a lame queen, she is also off having numerous affairs that produces who is to be Princess Selene.

Understanding why Levana needs a glamor, why she sets her eyes on Earth, how the disease (and antidote) was made, Wolf's destiny ... it all just came together so nicely. I was so vocal reading this - screaming in horror and exclamations of realizations, and the tears, oh man!

A beautiful story. You want to hate her through Cinder, Scarlet and Cress' eyes ... but through her eyes, her life was very tragic.

Yes, she is a horrible person who does horrible things...

but she did not deserve that childhood. Making me have feels toward a villain? High five Ms. Meyer.

Review: Cress (Lunar Chronicles 3)

 Cress
Marissa Meyer
Lunar Chronicles Book 3

Spoilers if you haven't read the first two.

I don't think a book has ever taken me so long, but man oh man, finding time lately to just sit and read has been so difficult!

I absolutely love this series. It just gets better and better as it goes ... I don't want it to end.

Cinder is still on the run, with Throne, Wolf and Scarlet.

Cress is the lonely girl who is locked away in a ship. It's been 7 years (without a haircut ... she's an easy one to figure out). Her master is a minion of Queen Levana.

Cress ends up helping Cinder and the team stay hidden on their ship. However, when her master finds out, all hell breaks loose.

Cress ends up on the team, but they all get separated.
Cress ends up with Throne.
Scarlett is kidnapped.
Cinder is trying to get back to the famous doctor who promised he could help her.

All the while, Kai is still anxious of his upcoming wedding to the Queen. Even if it is against his better judgement.

The drama that happens...goodness me. The twists and turns. The romances. The family trees. All of it and the way Meyer brings it all together is absolutely perfect! You will not be able to put this series down (Unless darn responsibilities keep forcing you too) but fairy tales meets I, Robot meets Star Wars. What could be more perfect?

Review: The Maze Runner (book 1)

James Dashner
The Maze Runner

Thomas wakes up in the box.
His name is all he can remember.

Welcome to the Glade, Greenie.

A group of boys has been trapped in a field of 2 years. Once a month a new boy arrives. Weekly the box delivers supplies.  The Glade runs on order. Ever boy has a job, every boy pulls their weight.

 The next day the box comes up again. With a girl inside. She will be the last one sent up, ever.

The Glade is surrounded by a daily-changing maze filled with monsters.

This starts a chain of events. Thomas realizes the boys (and girl) need to get out. He joins up to be a runner of the maze - someone who can track the patterns, and try to figure out the puzzle.  If they figure it out, they can go home.

Not that any of them remember "home". They all had their memories wiped when they were put in the box. Only Thomas and Teresa can remember bits and pieces.
Yet, it's convenient that when Thomas comes to the Glade, all these strange things start happening. The order of the Maze is threatened. Some of the boys do not like this.

The comfort of the Hell that is the Maze compared to the thought of battling the monsters and the unknown that is out there ... I got two words for you: Start running.


I love this series! This is my second time reading it in anticipation of the next book (can you call it "next" if it's a prequel?) and even though I have seen the movie, it has not altered my perspective of the book.

Dashner writes in quick, snappy chapters that draw you in and end on dramatic flares (no pun intended). He has created a world of terror and intrigue that keeps you glued to the pages until the very end. These boys pull on your heart strings. You are left questioning who these Creators, why did they set up the Maze, who is WICKED? and what do they have planned for these boys? and then you are cheering them on as they fight their way to the "exit" ... and whatever comes next. Brilliant, just brilliant. Prepare to be "bloody inspired".

Review: Willow (DeBeers #1)

V.C Andrews
Willow
DeBeers Series - Book 1

Growing up, Willow knew she was adopted. Her adopted mother, as she was to call her, made that fact quite clear. While she had happy memories with her father and her nanny, Amou, Willow always felt cheated in life. She was a product of rape. Her adoptive father, a world renowned psychiatrist, had a famous clinic in which she was named after. This is also where she was conceived.

Years later, her father passes and Willow receives his journal. This journal contains a shocking truth which sends Willow off to the ritzy town of Palm Beach, Florida to see if she can find her birth family. In the midst of all the glamour, she is swept off her feet by the charming Thatcher Eaton, but is constantly being pulled in numerous directions between where her roots are, and where her wings want to go.

A beautiful beginning to a charming series. A mature heroine, so there are new milestones the readers get to experience with this series, as oppose to the typical stories where our main characters are rather young and have coming of age milestones that they share with us readers.

A family set up, and torn down by lies and secrets. Unique characters and the attractive, ritzy setting of Palm Beach make for a thrilling ride. This series is one of my personal favourites. I love how strong Willow is. I love the dark shadows lurking in the corners of her past, present and future. I love the story of how her father and mother came to be (and yes, we get more about them later on in the series).  This story will have you reaching for the next book the second you're done!

Review: Cinnamon (Shooting Stars 1)

Now, some of you may be wondering why I have so many V.C Andrews Books on here.  While yes, she is my favourite (at least, the classics are – they are written by a ghostwriter since Virginia died in the 80’s) I am one of the admins for two Facebook fan groups called V.C Andrews’ Dolls and Tatterton Cottage: VCA Misfits so when we do our book discussions or our “character of the month” feature, I reread the book and/or series as a refresher.

and I cannot read a book without reviewing it.So that is why they seem so random and out of the blue. 

If you’re interested in the stories, I always suggest starting from the beginning with Flowers in the Attic. A complete list of the books can be found on completevca.com/library. 

but I digress…


V.C Andrews
Cinnamon
Shooting Stars Book 1

Cinnamon Carlson wants to be an actress. She has the look, she has the talent. She doesn’t have the popularity … and that gets her into some trouble. 

With her best friend always ready to be her partner in crime, Cinnamon is really just trying to survive her home life. Her grandmother is a tyrant, her father is never around anymore, and her poor mother is now sent to a clinic from the result of a slight mental breakdown. 

With Cinnamon trying to be the adult in the house, she still manages to make the lead in the school play. While most of the school is happy for her, her competition is out to get some revenge on her. Cinnamon must try and remember that while life is a like a stage, it is important to keep reality and fantasy separate. 

I barely remembered this story.  I especially did not recall how strange the characters were; the father’s secrets, the grandmothers tyrant ways, even Cinnamon description of pale skin and wearing white lipstick had me questioning what the author was thinking. 

As a novella, it was difficult to go into any deep story-line. The main goal for these mini-series (Shooting Stars, Wildflowers, Orphans and Broken Wings) is to set up briefly how each girl’s life is before they come together. For this particular series, it is at a prestigious performing arts school. Overall, Cinnamon story is an intriguing one. There is conflict, emotions running high, drama both on stage and off and an overall happy ending. What more could you ask for? 



*To read more about Cinnamon and what happens to her, check out the rest of the Shooting Stars novellas, and the dramatic conclusion Falling Stars by V.C Andrews 

Review: El Deafo

Cece Bell
El Deafo

On those rare occasions that I am not reading (or writing about what I’ve read) it is only because I have to get up and go to work.

I’ve been working as an American Sign Language- English interpreter for about 4 years now, but have been signing my whole life as I grew up with a large Deaf family.  I work in a variety of settings, and I currently live in a city that has an awesome community.

Because of this background, I am naturally drawn to books and stories that have to do with deaf culture or those who identify with a hearing loss of some kind. So when I saw this book on the shelves, it caught my eye. I’ll be honest, if I was paying attention to the fact that it was a graphic novel I doubt I would have bought it but I figured worst case scenario I knew enough people I could donate it to.

Cece Bell writes El Deafo as a memoir, of sorts, about her childhood and how she came to be deaf, what it felt like to get hearing aids – especially considering the time and technology – how the people she encountered reacted towards her, how she reacted to them, and how she came to create El Deafo  - herself as a Deaf superhero!

This story was eye opening. Even with working with children who have a hearing loss and have all kinds of assistive technology and modes of communicating, it is still interesting to me to see the numerous perspectives. I rarely get children telling me their feelings about having a hearing loss – why would I? (and no, I would never ask!) but nor do I ever think about it. Being involved in the community, I do not give it a second thought.

Cece’s explanation opened my eyes slightly more to the potential thoughts of those I work and/or socialize with. I have deaf friends, I have deaf family, I have deaf colleagues, but I am not deaf. I am very much a hearing person – I have hearing tendencies, and unless I am around my deaf friends, I don’t adapt my behavior (such as signing all the time, or not yelling to get someone’s attention) but I’ll admit I have the habit of closed captions on the T.V all the time.

I thought El Deafo was a great story. In its platform it can be a great tool to show anyone who is struggling with any kind of physical change. For Cece, becoming deaf turned her world upside down – she struggled socially and academically - but when she turned it into a positive and shared that positivity, she realized that people were not afraid or nervous to be around her. She found that she could be herself. 

This moral can be applied to any change that a child is going through:
Everyone can be a Superhero.