Kiss

Kiss
Started: September 30, 2013
Finished: October 2, 2013
Rating: 2 Stars
Should You Read It: Maybe, Maybe Not.

Written by: Ted Dekker & Erin Healy
Narrated by: Pam Turlow

GoodReads Description: Let me tell you all I know for sure. "My name. Shauna."
I woke up in a hospital bed missing six months of my memory. In the room was my loving boyfriend--how could I have forgotten him?--my uncle and my abusive stepmother. Everyone blames me for the tragic car accident that left me near death and my dear brother brain damaged. But what they say can't be true--can it?


What I Thought: Well, this book did not end up "intensely riveting" for me like I hoped it would. The main character, Shauna, drove me crazy throughout the entire book. She wanted to be a brave woman, and she tried a few times but she would then end up practically throwing her hands up in the air and yelling, "This is too hard! Everyone hates me! I don't remember anything!" Very annoying. She did find her big girl pants eventually but it took a while to get there. I thought the "ability" she had was a silly addition. If you are going to give someone an "ability" then there needs to be more than just that one touch of fantasy/sci-fi/paranormal in the book, otherwise it seems completely out of place. One thing I did like was that even though it was a "thriller" that there was no real foul language. I believe Ted Dekker is a Christian writer which explains why the language was clean and there were no gratuitous sexual scenes. So gold star Mr. Dekker. The story was interesting though so I can't say that I didn't like it at all, it just wasn't what I was expecting and maybe my expectations were a little out of porportion. Also, I believe that a narrator can make or break an audio book, (Ed Westwick can't narrate everything unfortunately) and I think this story wasn't suited to Pam Turlow. 

All in all I will give Ted Dekker another chance when I can find another audio book of his at my local library. Have any thoughts on this book? Leave a comment! Let's discuss!



Next on deck: The Orchardist 
Written by: Amanda Coplin

Kiss - First Thoughts

Kiss by Ted Dekker

Well, I was really excited to start my first Ted Dekker novel. I had heard so many good things about them. How intense they are, riveting page turners. So far I am on chapter five, and I haven't been intensely riveted. I actually had to start over at one point because I realized I had no idea what was happening in the story. The main character, Shauna, I think, is driving me crazy so far. I still have a ways to go so hopefully something will happen to turn this around for me and make me a Ted Dekker fan. Happy Reading!

Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3)

Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3)
Started: September 27th, 2013
Finished: September 30, 2013
Rating: 4 Stars
Should You Read It: Yes.

Written by: Cassandra Clare
Narrated by: Daniel Sharman

Book 3, you had a lot riding on you. You had the mediocre Book 1 to make up for and the captivating Book 2 to live up to and hopefully surpass. Well, one out of two ain't bad. Clockwork Princess is the conclusion to our story of Tess, Will, Jem and the rest of the cast. I liked it quite a bit more than Book 1 (see that review HERE), but not quite as much as Book 2 (with that review HERE). I wasn't keen on the way the conflict with the enemy that ran through the whole series came to an end. It seemed to quick and clean for my more, um, realistic tastes. (The irony is ridiculous, I can see that.) The series seems to have been centered on Tess, Will, and Jem with some conflict in the background to make their lives just that much more difficult. Guess if I wanted more "realistic" topics I shouldn't be too critical of the YA supernatural fiction I read and I should get myself to the library for something better suited. That being said, I do so love YA supernatural fiction. I did love how the book and series ended though, even it was too good to be true. 

I had put off reading this series for a long time because I was worried it wouldn't live up to Mortal Instruments. I am glad that I gave in and finally read it though, but Mortal Instruments is still top of my list of Clare's best series. I do plan on reading the The Bane Chronicles when they are released all together in 2014, and when I do, I will be sure to let you know what I think. 

Next on deck: Kiss 
Written by: Ted Dekker
This will be my first Ted Dekker book. I am excited to see what I think!

Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2)

Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2)
Started: August 27th, 2013
Finished: August 30, 2013
Rating: 4 Stars
Should You Read It: Yes.

Written by: Cassandra Clare
Narrated by: Ed Westwick and Heather Lind

While Book 1 in this series left me wishing that it hadn't been mediocre, Book 2 finally picked up the ball and took off with the story. It picks up where Book 1 left off, which is great and it doesn't re-hash everything like some series do. Gold Star. The story now starts to pick up steam and activity. We get to know the characters better and understand why they do what they do. There are some twists and turns, enough to keep it interesting but still not so many that you feel like its getting ridiculous. There is love and loss and betrayal. Everything a good book needs.

One thing that I believe made this book stand out more than the first in the series is that Ed Westwick is one of the narrators. Ed Westwick could read me the phone book and I would hang on his every word. He is very talented at making the words of a book come alive and I find that the books that he narrates in the Mortal Instrument series are my favorites as well. He takes the stories to another level, just by the way he reads them. Ed Westwick can be my Will or Jace any day of the week!

All in all this book was a good one. I can't wait to see how the series ends.

Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1)

Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1)
Started: August 24th, 2013
Finished: August 27, 2013
Rating: 3 Stars
Should You Read It: Yes.

Written by: Cassandra Clare
Narrated by: Jennifer Ehle

The Infernal Devices series is a pre-quell to the Mortal Instruments series that Clare wrote (is writing). It is not a direct pre-quell. It is set in the 1800s in London with many names that Mortal Instrument readers will recognize. There were a lot of interesting parts in this book, and the story was intriguing but it didn't capture me the way that Mortal Instruments did. Through the book I found myself almost angry that the story seemed to be the same base story of Clary and Jace. Good girl meets bad boy and good boy and can't decide which one she likes more. Grrr. Anyway. I finished the book and was glad that I did. I enjoyed learning a bit more about the Shadowhunter history a bit more and meeting the people that had been referenced in the other series.

Then She Read

I read. A quite a bit. 

Like, so far this year I have read* 82 books.  Not astronomical, but I think that is a pretty good number of books for a normal person. 

When I read I feel like I am part of the story, like the author just forgot to put my part in the book. I am the proverbial fly on the wall. I am the main character's best friend, the villain's worst enemy, only no one else knows I am there. In the background. 

Now people will know that I am there, just around the corner, hiding behind the curtains, just out of sight, and you will get to read about what I saw when I was there, in that book. 

Enjoy. 



*(When I say read, I mean listen to audiobooks. I do not have time in my life at this point to sit down and hold a real book in my hand and read, unfortunately. Audiobooks rock for this reason.)