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9/21/10

Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Infinity (Chronicles of Nick, #1)Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I have read...I think it's 3 other Sherrilyn Kenyon books, so I can't say I'm a big follower or anything, but for the most part I enjoy her writing style. Always lots of action packed in with lot of emotion. Acheron was the first book I read of hers ever, and I must say there is a special place in my heart for Acheron...all books need to have more of him in them!



So Infinity is about Nick Gautier, a normal looser teenager, tiny fish in a big pond if you will. He's surrounded by snobs, jerks, and rich brats, while he would be...well nerd might not cover it given the fact that he lets his mother dress him. I like Nick though, mostly. He seems like a typical teenage guy; in a mouthy, and 'every decent girl I see is the hottest one ever' sort of way. Strangely, I actually liked his mouthiness the most, I love sarcasm...and I'm probably going to eat my words when my kids are teenagers. But for now, I like it. The story was pretty good. I'm not all into zombies, but I know the teenagers are. In fact I recommended this book to a few zombie lovers I know, just because it was semi interesting.



To me, though, zombie seems even less likely than Vampires. I'm not all into that. And zombies created....well, how these were created (no I'm not going to give it away...sheesh), I just wasn't all into that. I did like how, despite his attitude, Nick was mostly a respectable young man. Especially toward his mother. Actually, he was so good - in fact - I had a hard time even believing it was possible for him to have been the evil he was suppose to be. I just didn't see it. I could see how Sherrilyn Kenyon was throwing it in there, and in his thoughts that she wrote out for him, but it just didn't jive with how he acted. So I, in sum, I felt like his character was uneven in a...maybe could have been written a little differently...kind of way. Not a, I'm a hormonal teenager and could be Mr. Nice Guy one minute and Frankenstein the next, kind of way.



Also, what the heck, where are the normal people in this book? It seems like in most paranormal books, the ratio is definitely in the human's favor. This one seemed like it was reversed to the degree that you would have had to be living under a rock not to realize what was going on. Which leads me to the authorities "zombie" explanation - a virus. If that was so, why would they keep a teenager locked up in jail. My thought, and this is just me...they probably would have taken him to a hospital and strapped him to a bed. But what do I know.



Anyway, so really. 3.5 stars is probably my real rating (But half stars are not an option, and I do think 3 is not enough). I liked it. The book was entertaining, and fills that "fantasy" desire I have, but I also felt like it was lacking in a way that Sherrilyn's other books just were not.



Oh, and so far...I'm not a big fan of Nekoda..not yet anyway.



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9/10/10

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, #1)Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Cassandra Clare does it again! I am wrapped up, sucked in, and sitting on pins and needles in the long wait for Clockwork Prince. I really adore the world that Cassandra Clare has created and continues to expand upon. I’m very excited to hear that The Immortal Instruments Series is going to continue as well. More Jace please!! (Of course…Will is definitely giving him a run for his money.)

Clockwork Angel is actually set before The Immortal Instruments Series, when – I can’t remember since I was listened to audio and I don’t have a book to reference, but we’re talking horse and buggy time frame, in London. The book opened on Tessa traveling from the States to London to meet up with her brother after the death of her Aunt, and then moves forward to her subsequent kidnapping. The first couple chapters actually moved a bit slow for me. Even the discovery and shaping of Tessa’s special ability seemed kind of ‘eh’ to me at this point, but as soon as witty Will enters the scene the book seems to beg for my attention and moves forward much more rapidly. I’m sure the banter between characters helped out quite a bit, and trust me – there’s a lot. The book basically moves forward from Tessa’s rescue to the plan to find her brother and discover why she was kidnapped in the first place. There are lots of little surprises and fun moments in the book. Interesting friends and enemies – all of which I want to keep quiet, because it’s not up to me to reveal them to you.

The characters really make the book for me. While I love Thomas and Charlotte, (and who wouldn’t, Thomas being the spacey young genius scientist/inventor, Charlotte being the young ambitious wife who runs the institute...you have to love them!) Tessa, Will and Jim really make this book worth the read. I was laughing through a good portion of the book – probably making my coworkers think I was schitso-crazy. I was also please to also to see some favorites from The Immortal Instruments, it’s always fun when authors do that.

One thing I love about Cassandra’s writing is the romantic scenes. She knows how to give you just enough to make you sigh, and then pull back to the point of frustration. If the story and its content doesn’t keep you reading the rest of the series, you will keep reading just to find out what happens romantically. It really doesn’t hurt that all her male characters are bad boy enough to make you smile, and handsome enough to make you swoon. (BTW, in my mind, Will was loosely based around Ian Somerhalder from Vampire Diaries Show..good fit, no? Well, he might be a little old, but I did say loosely.)

Props must be given to Jennifer Ehle for her narration. She did a beautiful job. While the accents aren’t as thick as I would have imagined if I had been reading it, but it was great regardless. Everyone had their own personality and, really, their own voice (which is impressive). I love a good narrator, and was very pleased with this book!

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9/1/10

Impossible by Nancy Werlin

ImpossibleImpossible by Nancy Werlin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

What is actually funny about this book is, I knew that this was about a family curse, but I wasn't expecting the Fae. The reason this is funny is because I picked out the book to read a mostly normal - no fantasy book, it's also funny because I (obviously) read a lot of sci-fi/Fantasy - so in reality it's right of my alley.

Impossible was good for me, but not great. I really enjoyed the characters, and the bones of the story, but I really felt like there could have been so much more. More character interaction, more details about the story, more information about Lucy's mother. A little less rushed romance with Zach. A little less "and three months later...." which happened pretty frequently, much to my dismay.

I know that I JUST said that the romance between Lucy could have been a little less rushed, but there is a part of me that loves the blindness of it. It's definitely impractical, and not recommended for the most part (of course I was 21, and my husband was 19 when we married...so saying that is a bit hypocritical), but Zach really was a true friend to Lucy, and I loved him for it.

I can say that, not only have I been walking around for the last 3 days singing Scarborough Fair, but I also went ahead and added it to my iPod.

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