Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Books: February Edition

Oh hey, it's the end of February already! I'm super excited that it's March tomorrow, because that means we are even closer to warmer weather, spring break, and oh yeah, The Hunger Games movie. I guess you can tell what's been on my mind, ha ha. I'm obsessing just a bit about The Hunger Games right now. Can you blame me?

Anyhow, back to the subject of this post. I made it through three books this month and I am really excited to tell you about them. First I read Homeward by Melody Carlson. Something not many people know about me: I like reading Christian Fiction. Not LDS fiction (I find most LDS fiction books a tad too cheesy and smothering, to be honest), but just general Christian Fiction. Melody Carlson is an author I discovered as a teenager when I read a ton of her Diary of a Teenage Girl series. I love that her books are uplifting as well as interesting.
Homeward was not my favorite of her books, but I did really like it. Here's a quick synopsis (Source: B&N.com, of course): "For twenty years Meg Lancaster has avoided Briar Hedge, the Lancaster family estate. Now she has been drawn back to her grandmother's home to uncover secrets that have been hidden for decades and to try to regain the family she long ago abandoned."

The characters in this book were really enchanting. I wish they had more depth, but still they kept me reading. I also liked that there were plenty of plot twists to keep me on my toes. It was also a longer novel, which I like because I always want more of a good story. I do feel like there could have been more detail given overall (characters, story, etc.), but on the whole, I liked this book a lot. Three and a half stars out of five!Next I read Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen. Here is the synopsis (same source, since I like theirs better than anything I could say to summarize it): "The year is 1929. New York is ruled by the Bright Young Things: flappers and socialites seeking thrills and chasing dreams in the anything-goes era of the Roaring Twenties.

"Letty Larkspur and Cordelia Grey escaped their small Midwestern town for New York's glittering metropolis. All Letty wants is to see her name in lights, but she quickly discovers Manhattan is filled with pretty girls who will do anything to be a star. . . .

"Cordelia is searching for the father she's never known, a man as infamous for his wild parties as he is for his shadowy schemes. Overnight, she enters a world more thrilling and glamorous than she ever could have imagined—and more dangerous. It's a life anyone would kill for . . . and someone will.

"The only person Cordelia can trust is ­Astrid Donal, a flapper who seems to have it all: money, looks, and the love of Cordelia's brother, Charlie. But Astrid's perfect veneer hides a score of family secrets.

"Across the vast lawns of Long Island, in the ­illicit speakeasies of Manhattan, and on the blindingly lit stages of Broadway, the three girls' fortunes will rise and fall—together and apart."

I love the feel of the 1920's, so this book was a wonderful treat. The characters were rich and unique while the plot kept me reading, and reading quickly. There is a sequel that I am just dying to read because this book was so wonderful. I also love that it was set in New York City. The feel of adventure and history was so lovely. Basically, I loved this book for a nice, easy read. Three and a half out of five stars.
And last but definitely not least, Everneath by Brodi Ashton. I let this book sit for about a month before I got around to it. I looked at it almost everyday thinking, I need to read that. And once I picked it up, I refused to put it down. I read this book in less than three days, which is definitely not a record, but considering my crazy-busy schedule, was sort of a challenge. Synopsis:

"Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she’s returned—to her old life, her family, her boyfriend—before she’s banished back to the underworld . . . this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can’t find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

"Nikki longs to spend these precious months forgetting the Everneath and trying to reconnect with her boyfriend, Jack, the person most devastated by her disappearance—and the one person she loves more than anything. But there’s just one problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who enticed her to the Everneath in the first place, has followed Nikki home. Cole wants to take over the throne in the underworld and is convinced Nikki is the key to making it happen. And he’ll do whatever it takes to bring her back, this time as his queen.

"As Nikki’s time on the Surface draws to a close and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole’s queen."

This book was awesome. I am so glad mine is signed and I got to meet Brodi herself. This book is not written completely chronologically, as it jumps back and forth from present to past. And I really liked the way the author did that. Many times when I read a book, the author dumps a ton of background information on you in the first fifty pages. Brodi kept me guessing because she only fed tidbits of information at a time through the flashbacks that Nikki has. It was a really nice change.

Nikki was also a great character. She was not overbearingly perfect, but had flaws that made her likeable. And although she has two boys after her, I loved the fact that she didn't string them both along. She had her mind set on one and was unwavering. So although there was a love triangle happening, it was unique and unlike a lot of other teen-paranormal-love-triangle-romances (which are getting annoying, just sayin').

I just have to spend a quick moment talking about Jack... Cause I loved him. He was a great book-boyfriend. He wasn't perfect, but he was sweet and genuine. And when Cole came into the picture, Jack didn't get all stupid-jealous-boyfriend-y, which was refreshing. OK, maybe he was a little jealous, but a little jealousy is expected.

I cannot wait for the sequel to Everneath. The ending was... oh wow, just took my breath away. I hope the next one comes out soon, because I feel like I just need to know what is going to happen next! Four and a half out of five stars. Love.

Hope you enjoyed!

Yours,

Cait


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