Review: Mastiff by Tamora Pierce

Title: Mastiff
Author: Tamora Pierce
Pages: 560
Publisher: Random House Books, Hardcover

Goodreads Summary:
The Legend of Beka Cooper gives Tamora Pierce's fans exactly what they want—a smart and savvy heroine making a name for herself on the mean streets of Tortall's Lower City—while offering plenty of appeal for new readers as well.

Beka and her friends will face their greatest and most important challenge ever when the young heir to the kingdom vanishes. They will be sent out of Corus on a trail that appears and disappears, following a twisting road throughout Tortall. It will be her greatest Hunt—if she can survive the very powerful people who do not want her to succeed in her goal.

My Review:
Oh goodness, I definitely needed a refresh on what happened in Bloodhound, because I was pretty lost through some of it. (please excuse any misspelling errors, I'm half asleep as I write this) Nevertheless, Mastiff was eloquently captivating, from the funeral to the epilogue which made the series come full circle.

Mastiff was a good weekend read, especially since I got to see the author on Friday! But that's not what I'm here to write about.

Okay, so there's this really big surprise near the end which devastated me. Absolutely devastated me. I mean, I could see it coming but I never want it to be real! So be prepared for heartbreak.

There were just little things that bothered me, like the name Farmer. Don't get me wrong, I totally loved his character and I'm so glad he gets a HEA, but really, his name? I get it, but honestly, who wants to read about a mage named Farmer? And the lack of romance. Not gonna lie, that kind of bothered me. I know Tammy Pierce doesn't usually have a whole bunch, but after the last two Rebekah Cooper books, I was expecting some more. And just how it all ended. It was too quick, like tying up all the loose ends at once and just sudden. Also, Bekah really didn't speak much to the dust spinners or the dead, which made me sad.

Now, what I did like about the book.

Farmer. Oh he's just an amazing new character! I love him! He's so adorable! I can't get enough of that guy. I was so worried about him, all the time.

Achoo!! She plays a major role in this book and she's by far one of my more favorite characters.

How the book took place outside of Corus. The story takes you to places you've read in other Tortal books, while also taking you to places you've never heard of. It's kind of like visiting this new kind of Tortal.

The names! Oh my gosh the names, some are the same used in other books and I got really excited. Like how Gary came to be short for Gareth. Now that was definitely an interesting tale.

The tale itself was interesting. Not entirely original, but it came with its own spin to keep it interesting and true to the style of writing we expect from Pierce.

Overall, I give it three stars/five.

Did I fall in love with the book? No not really, but it was good story.
Would I recommend it to someone else? Of course, especially if your're a fan of her writing.

Don't forget to check out the giveaway! We're giving away a signed copy of Terrier, the first book in the Bekah Cooper Series.

Review: Crocodile Tears and Scorpia Rising by Anthony Horowitz

Short reviews for two books! Better than no review at all, right?
Alright you caught me. I having an update because Panem October is experince another crash, so I can't get on. (ps: add me! username: karyn link: http://www.panemoctober.com/citizen/karyn )
Title: Crocodile Tears
Author: Anthony Horowitz
Pages: 385

Goodreads Summary:

It's just another day in the life of an average kid. If you're Alex Rider, that is.

A con artist has realized there is big money in charity - the bigger the disaster, the greater the money flow! So that is what he will produce: the biggest disaster known to man, all thanks to genetically modified corn that can release a virus so potent it can knock out an entire country in one windy day. But Alex Rider will face whatever it takes - gunfire, explosions, hand-to-hand combat with mercenaries - to bring down his most dangerous adversary yet.

Often imitated, never equaled, the series that triggered a reading phenomenon is back, exhilarating and addictive as ever.

Mini-Review:

Oh it's been a while since I read this series. For the first couple pages, I was completly lost in what was happening. It referred to the Australia mission, which I guess was the Snakehead book, which I read a while ago. But then it started coming back to me in little bits and I remembered!

So of course, once again Alex gets pulled into work for MI6, which isn't much a surprise. The surprise is that now I think the mission is more dangerous. So much more is invovled, with different factors that could all go wrong. Because now, there are two (kind of) bad guys.

For a moment, I started to think that Alex actually liked doing all this. I mean, of course he doesn't, since he was kind of forced into the whole spy thing, but in a way, it seems kind of right. Like a family legacy, or a family gene.

The book definitely kept me on my toes, waiting to see what would happen at every page turn.

Rating: 3/5

Title: Scorpia Rising
Author: Anthony Horowitz
Pages: 402

Goodreads Summary:
Scorpia has dogged Alex Rider for most of his life. They killed his parents, they did their best to con Alex into turning traitor, and they just keep coming back with more power. Now the world's most dangerous terrorist organization is playing with fire in the world's most combustible land: the Middle East. No one knows Scorpia like Alex. And no one knows how best to get to Alex like Scorpia. Until now.

The chases have never been more intense, the fights more treacherous, or the risks so perilous to mankind. And this time, Alex won't get away.

My review:

I read it right after Crocodile Tears and I was kind of freaking out.

I mean, if you read the little flap on the inside it's kind of scary. "This may be the one mission Alex won't be coming home from." That was kind of freaking me out.

Oh my gosh! What an end to the series! I can not believe it ended like that! I mean, Mr. Blunt, really! How could you do that to Alex!? I thought you had a conscious, especially near the end of Crocodile Tears. But apparently not. See what you did?! Do you see the pain you have caused?!

Okay, done talking to fictional characters now.

But honestly, I was happy and not with the ending. Personally, I'm the kind of person who likes epilogues, but this ended kind of suited the series.

Rating: 4/5

Review: Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have)

Title: Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have)
Author: Sarah Mlynowski

Published: June 7th, 2011
Publisher: Harper Teen

Pages: 368
Format: Hardcover

Goodreads Summary:

2 girls + 3 guys + 1 house - parents = 10 things April and her friends did that they (definitely, maybe, probably) shouldn't have.
If given the opportunity, what sixteen-year-old wouldn't jump at the chance to move in with a friend and live parent-free? Although maybe "opportunity" isn't the right word, since April had to tell her dad a tiny little untruth to make it happen (see #1: "Lied to Our Parents"). But she and her housemate Vi are totally responsible and able to take care of themselves. How they ended up "Skipping School" (#3), "Throwing a Crazy Party" (#8), "Buying a Hot Tub" (#4), and, um, "Harboring a Fugitive" (#7) at all is kind of a mystery to them.
In this hilarious and bittersweet tale, Sarah Mlynowski mines the heart and mind of a girl on her own for the first time. To get through the year, April will have to juggle a love triangle, learn to do her own laundry, and accept that her carefully constructed world just might be falling apart . . . one thing-she-shouldn't-have-done at a time.

My Review:

This book was a great easy, summer read.

April, the main character, has decided to leave her family in order to stay in the life she's always known. With a father in Cleveland and a mother in France, April stays to live with her best friend Vi.

The only catch is that Vi's mother is on tour, leaving the house to the girls.

Things start going out of hand from there, with late night marathons, parties and boys, it was only a matter of time before April came to the realization that living alone wasn't as grand as she thought it would be.

From the beginning I knew this wasn't going to be a book I would fall in love with. It was cute, but it didn't have much depth to it.

Some points were very realistic, others (like getting away with living alone for 4 months without parent supervision) weren't. And in a way that's what keeps as a reminder that it was a fiction book.

What I did like about this story was how April would mention something about her past, then there would be like a mini chapter within the big chapter to explain it. It was like each backstory was its own little story and it showed you just how essential it was to the story as a whole.

Rating: 3/5

Review: Anatomy of a Boyfriend

Title: Anatomy of a Boyfriend
Author: Daria Snadowsky

Published: January 9, 2007
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Pages: 272
Format: Hardcover
Age: 17+

Goodreads Summary:

Before this all happened, the closest I'd ever come to getting physical with a guy was playing the board game Operation. Okay, so maybe that sounds pathetic, but it's not like there were any guys at my high school who I cared to share more than three words with, let alone my body.

Then I met Wes, a track star senior from across town. Maybe it was his soulful blue eyes, or maybe my hormones just started raging. Either way, I was hooked. And after a while, he was too. I couldn't believe how intense my feelings became, or the fact that I was seeing—and touching—parts of the body I'd only read about in my Gray's Anatomy textbook. You could say Wes and I experienced a lot of firsts together that spring. It was scary. It was fun. It was love.

And then came the fall.

My Review:

It turns my face red when I read this book.

Actually it was mostly because I was hanging upside down while I read this. But honestly, people who are sensitive to certain...subjects are forewarned.

The story itself was alright. I felt like the relationship may have been a little rushed, but it is also realistic to the times.

My favorite character was Amy! I loved her personality and how she changed. Dom was annoying. Sometimes I wonder if reading the main character's thoughts annoy me because they turn out to be too close to my own and I read to escape, not to relate. Actually sometimes I read to relate, but that's a totally diffrent subject.

Overall all, it was a good, quick, summer read.

Review: Evernight

Title: Evernight
Author: Claudia Gray
Pages: 327
Publisher: HarperTeen

Goodreads Summary:
Bianca wants to escape.

She's been uprooted from her small hometown and enrolled at Evernight Academy, an eerie Gothic boarding school where the students are somehow too perfect: smart, sleek, and almost predatory. Bianca knows she doesn't fit in.

Then she meets Lucas. He's not the "Evernight type" either, and he likes it that way. Lucas ignores the rules, stands up to the snobs, and warns Bianca to be careful—even when it comes to caring about him.

"I couldn't stand it if they took it out on you," he tells Bianca, "and eventually they would."

But the connection between Bianca and Lucas can't be denied. Bianca will risk anything to be with Lucas, but dark secrets are fated to tear them apart . . . and to make Bianca question everything she's ever believed.

My Review:

Overall, I believe this was a good book.

I'm not going to say that it's one of the best vampire romance books ever written, because it isn't. This book was originally published when the Twilight fandom was growing to it's height and vampire books were all that seemed to be on the market.

Now, for those of you who are Twi-Hards, I feel like you either like it, or you hate it. I can sincerly say that it seemed to me that this book could be considered a Twilight knock off. (Let's keep in mind that this review was originally written in '08)

Here are a couple points that I believe it is so:

1.The main character is a girl who is going to a school she dosn't want to go to.
2. The main guy character has golden brown hair and green eyes.
3. Bianca's (main character) favorite book is Wuthering Heights and the classics.
4. It's a vampire book.
5. Lucas (main guy) tells Bianca it isn't safe for her to be with him, that he isn't the right one for her.

Besides all that, it was actually pretty good. By now, there are two more books (or one, I can't remember) to the series, which are on my to-read list. I thought it was cute, and Bianca voice wasn't annoying to read as some main characters are.

You should read this before you read Twilight, but don't compare those two together, it'll ruin the image for you.

Overall: 3/5 star rating

-Karina