Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

 

Tiger Lily

author : jodi lynn anderson

pages : [hardcover] 292

memorable quote : Sometimes I think that maybe we are just stories. Like we may as well just be words on a page, because we’re only what we’ve done and what we are going to do.

favorite characters : peter & tiger lily

summary :

Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair. . . .

Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn’t believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell.

Peter is unlike anyone she’s ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland’s inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything—her family, her future—to be with him. When she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she’s always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter.

With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it’s the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who’s everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Peaches comes a magical and bewitching story of the romance between a fearless heroine and the boy who wouldn’t grow up.

review :

I love anything and everything to do with Peter Pan so of course I needed to get my hands on this book! Tiger Lily is unique in that it focuses on her story and not on Peter’s. It’s even told from Tinkerbell’s point of view. That difference was something that made me a little wary at first because I didn’t know if I’d like having Tink as a narrator and a different main character but I really loved this new interpretation and most of the things that were added to Tiger Lily’s – and Peter’s – story.

I loved seeing her life in the tribe and what shaped her personality and adventurous mind. The culture Anderson creates as well as the life of the entire island she describes comes to the reader in a way that really reminded me of a fairy tale which was something I loved. Although at times I had to admit that because this tale deviates so much from the original Peter Pan story, it’s less the prequel I thought that it was and more a wonderful reinterpretation that I’ll be returning to again and again.

Of course I kept waiting for Tiger Lily to meet Peter Pan and I loved the scenes that they had together, especially when they weren’t getting along very well. They were wonderful together and I really loved how their characters flowed and developed. They each had their own flaws as well as their wonderful characteristics.

The only problem I really had with this novel was the ending and that was almost what ruined it for me, though by kind of ignoring it I still love this book. I think that the end is just entirely out of character considering the original Peter Pan and the expectations that I had because of that regarding this book and any other interpretation that I might read. That’s just something that would never happen.

I give Tiger Lily 5/5 stars and recommend it for anyone looking to read a great fairy tale, both charming and heartbreaking.

Two and Twenty Dark Tales: Dark Retellings of Mother Goose Rhymes

Two and Twenty Dark Tales : Dark Retellings of Mother Goose Rhymes

editors : georgia mcbride & michelle zink

contributors : nina berry, sarwat chadda, shannon delany, max scialdone, karen mahoney, Lisa Mantchev), Georgia McBride, C. Lee McKenzie Gretchen McNeil, Francisco X. Stork, K.M. Walton, Suzanne Young, Michelle Zink, Leigh Fallon, Angie Frazier, Jessie Harrell, Nancy Holder, Heidi R. Kling, Suzanne Lazear, Pam van Hylckama Vlieg, Leah Cypess

pages : 350

favorite stories : as blue as the sky and just as old; clockwork; blue; wee willie winkie; those who whisper; a ribbon of blue

summary:

In this anthology, 20 authors explore the dark and hidden meanings behind some of the most beloved Mother Goose nursery rhymes through short story retellings. The dark twists on classic tales range from exploring whether Jack truly fell or if Jill pushed him instead to why Humpty Dumpty, fragile and alone, sat atop so high of a wall. The authors include Nina Berry, Sarwat Chadda, Leigh Fallon, Gretchen McNeil, and Suzanne Young.

review :

I really love anthologies. Probably because a short story can hold so much potential and reading a book full of them can be as good as reading that many books. That was why I was so, so happy to have the opportunity to read this. I’m already in love with retold fairy tales; why not Mother Goose rhymes?

I can’t say that I expected this to turn out the way that it did. Some of the stories were much scarier than I anticipated, like the Jack and Jill one and especially Wee Willie Winkie. The latter doesn’t sound frightening at all, but I really think that’s the one with the potential for nightmares. Others were a bit sweeter and had happy endings though they still managed to have their surprises, twists, and turns.

So many of these tales left me thinking and then going back to reread the rhymes quoted at the beginning of the stories to see what bits and pieces the authors picked up on to interpret differently in their tales. All of them were very creative and while some of the stories never reached their full potential I have to applaud them full-heartedly for that.

I really recommend this book! It’s sure to have at least one story in it that you will fall in love with and it will leave you craving more!

4/5 stars

The Ghosts of Kerfol by Deborah Noyes

The Ghosts of Kerfol

author : deborah noyes

pages :  [paperback] 176

summary :

In her classic ghost story “Kerfol,” Edith Wharton tells the tale of Anne de Barrigan, a young Frenchwoman convicted of murdering her husband, the jealous Yves de Cornault. The elderly lord was found dead on the stairs, apparently savaged by a pack of dogs, though there were no dogs — no live dogs — at Kerfol that day. In this remarkable collection of intertwining short stories, Deborah Noyes takes us back to the haunted manor and tells us Anne de Barrigan’s story through the sympathetic eyes of her servant girl. Four more tales slip forward in time, peering in on a young artist, a hard-drinking party girl, a young American couple, and a deaf gardener who now tends the Kerfol estate. All these souls are haunted by the ghosts of Kerfol — the dead dogs, the sensual yet uneasy relationships, and the bitter taste of revenge.

review :

I honestly didn’t know what to expect from this book because I’ve been trying to branch out more and discover books that I haven’t heard about before. This was one of the books in that little experiment that I picked up from the library. I thought that it would be interested just because of the ghosts and murder. Then I realized it was several interconnecting stories and I was even more intrigued. While it didn’t completely impress me and isn’t a favorite, it also isn’t a waste of time and was definitely enjoyable.

I think that my favorite tale has to be the last not, and not because it’s the most recent. That and the first were the ones I connected to the most because the characters felt closer to my own age and were more relatable. I liked how every story had a different person with a distinct personality to fixate on, giving me an idea of what it was like living in that time period and dealing with this haunted house. Its history was gruesome and the horrors kept piling up as I flipped through the pages.

While there were some parts where the plot dragged, I had enough interest in everything to carry on. It did help that each story was fairly short, twenty or thirty pages long, so the entire novel was short as well. I don’t think that I’ll be rereading this, but I will check and see if Deborah Noyes has written anything else. Her writing style was really gripping and great.

3/5 stars

Gone by Lisa McMann

Gone

Dream Catcher #3
Book 1: Wake Book 2: Fade

author : lisa mcmann [also wrote Cryer's Cross]

pages [paperback] : 214

memorable quote : “Because with the right person, sometimes kissing feels like healing.” 

favorite characters : cabe & janie

summary :

The conclusion of the paranormal teen series, Wake. Janie is spending her summer with Cabel, but deep down she’s panicking about how she’s going to survive her future when getting sucked into other people’s dreams starts to take its toll.

review :

I love this trilogy! While it doesn’t have the longest books, the most detailed plot, or dozens of characters, it’s wonderful in its simplicity. The writing style applied here is gorgeous, coupled with the harsh revelations and horrible decisions that Janie needs to make in this final installment. Everything wraps up in one awesome, satisfying conclusion.

I loved the relationship between Cabe and Janie in this book. They’re both still trying to get over everything that happened in Fade. They’re also trying to deal with the horrible truths made real to them. Neither of them fully wants to deal with the implications, something that snowballs into the conclusion. There are many twists and turns in this book that kept me interested. It’s short and took me only a day to read. All of the books are around the same length, so if you’re looking for a quick trilogy to pick up or a pretty easy read, get any of these books. Though not out of order.

I really love these books and I’m sad that now I need to say goodbye to these fantastic characters. The intoxicating writing, the great plotline, the interesting abilities . . . This is something I’ll reread again and again!

CHERISHED CONCLUSION. 5/5 stars

Death Watch by Ari Berk

Death Watch

The Undertaken #1

author : ari berk

pages [hardcover] : 544

favorite characters: bee & amos

summary:

They say the dead should rest in peace. Not all the dead agree.One night, Silas Umber’s father Amos doesn’t come home from work. Devastated, Silas learns that his father was no mere mortician but an Undertaker, charged with bringing The Peace to the dead trapped in the Shadowlands, the states of limbo binding spirits to earth. With Amos gone, Silas and his mother have no choice but to return to Lichport, the crumbling seaside town where Silas was born, and move in with Amos’s brother, Charles. Even as Silas eagerly explores his father’s town and its many abandoned streets and overgrown cemeteries, he grows increasingly wary of his uncle. There is something not quite right going on in Charles Umber’s ornate, museum-like house—something, Silas is sure, that is connected to his father’s disappearance. When Silas’s search leads him to his father’s old office, he comes across a powerful artifact: the Death Watch, a four hundred year old Hadean clock that allows the owner to see the dead. Death Watch in hand, Silas begins to unearth Lichport’s secret history—and discovers that he has taken on his father’s mantle as Lichport’s Undertaker. Now, Silas must embark on a dangerous path into the Shadowlands to embrace his destiny and discover the truth about his father—no matter the cost.

review:

Death Watch was a long book and it felt like one, too. But the interesting characters, fantastic world building, and intricate setting all kept my interest. I wanted to find his dad as much as he did. Maybe not with the same motives. I wanted answers and lots of them. About the death watch, the history of the town as well as the family. I wanted to know what secrets everyone was holding and what danger he was in. And little by little a lot was revealed. Though there was still much left to be desired in the end, which will keep reading the rest of the trilogy.

I was annoyed that everyone seemed to know more than him and yet wouldn’t tell him a lot. Even if it would end up being beneficial to him and possibly end up saving his life. A lot of seemingly stupid things he does could have been prevented this way.

I’m not sure if the whole love interest part of it will continue but I had a love/hate relationship with that as well. It was creepy, then sweet, then helped him to feel less lonely. I liked it in the end, but it still seemed like something randomly thrown together now that I know we’ll get more information about later on.

I would recommend this for people who like adventure-esque ghost stories, slow paced but creepy plots, or anyone who doesn’t mind devoting a good chuck of time to a pretty interesting story.

LONG AND INTRIGING. 4/5 stars

Arise by Tara Hudson

Arise

Hereafter #2
Book 1: Hereafter

author: tara hudson

pages [hardcover]: 404

favorite characters: gaby & joshua

summary:

Amelia—still caught between life and death—must fight for every moment of her relationship with the human boy Joshua. They can hardly even kiss without Amelia accidentally dematerializing. Looking for answers, they go to visit some of Joshua’s Seer relatives in New Orleans. But even in a city so famously steeped in the supernatural, Amelia ends up with more questions than answers…and becomes increasingly convinced that she and Joshua can never have a future together.Wandering through the French Quarter, Amelia meets other in-between ghosts, and begins to seriously consider joining them. And then she meets Gabrielle. Somehow, against impossible odds, Gaby has found a way to live a sort of half-life…a half-life for which Amelia would pay any price. Torn between two worlds, Amelia must choose carefully, before the evil spirits of the netherworld choose for her.

review:

Arise is every bit as captivating and exciting as Hereafter! I loved seeing Amelia and Joshua again, working through their differences, developing their relationship, and generally keeping me flipping through the pages. I breezed through this easy read in a few days, just like I did with the first book. And, once again, I’m left wanting a lot more!

Now that Amelia remembers who she is, has Joshua to help her out, and is getting situated in her new reality, things have the chance to turn even creepier and more action-packed. There are demons, weird ghosts, overprotective grandmothers, crazy humans, incompetent women who try to do Voodoo, and then there’s Amelia, still trying to figure out how to use her ghostly abilities after what happened the last time around.

So many things happened that I want to mention but can’t without spoiling. But they were awesome. So good.

Read this book. Not just for the love story. The supporting characters are great, even if they’re the sort that you love to hate, and then there are the fantastic bad guys and the horrible hallucinations and those twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. Practically shouting more more more! I was worried this might fall into the sequel slump, but I liked it just as much as the first. Now I’m going to go and recommend it to everyone that I know.

FRIGHTENINGLY FANTASTIC. 5/5 stars

Steampunk: Poe

Steampunk: Poe

Written By: Edgar Allen Poe

Illustrated By: Zdenko Basic & Manuel Sumberac

pages: 264

memorable stories: the spectacles, the raven

summary:

If you combined clockwork gears, parasols, and air balloons with Edgar Allan Poe, what would you get? Steampunk: Poe! This is the first collection ever of Poe stories illustrated with the influence of steampunk. Running Press Teens has selected some of the most popular, thrilling, and memorable stories and poems by the classic 19th century American writer whose literary talent continues to open the mind to countless interpretations.Every Poe story and poems is fully illustrated with steampunk-inspired art—from 1920s aviation gear to elaborate musical instruments—creating a fresh perspective on his work containing bizarre characters of madmen and mystery. Just in time for Halloween, Steampunk: Poe is the perfect classic horror choice with a haunting steampunk twist!

review:

I was soooo extremely ecstatic when I walked into my library and spotted this book! I first noticed it on Goodreads and thought that it would turn out to be one of those books I’d admire from afar but would never get the chance to get my hands on. Little did I know that someone out there saw fit to supply my local library with a copy, making me happy and hopefully introducing others to Poe’s work through the wonderful illustrations, as steampunk is so popular right now. Though I never would have thought the two would go together.

I have a sort of love/hate relationship with Edgar Allen Poe because I either really enjoy his stories and poems or detest them entirely. And I have no idea why this is. The same was true for this collection; I’d already read a handful before, but wanted to re-experience them complete with the pictures, anyway. Sometimes the images fit in wonderfully, making it all the more gruesome or mysterious. At other times I think that it would have been better had other scenes been selected for illustration because the panels didn’t fit in quite as well.

I found a few new favorite works by Poe, as well as had the opportunity to revisit some old ones. There were a few that I was very, very tempted to abandon and skim through . . . But I managed to resist that impulse. This book took me longer to read than I thought that it would because of that.

I’d recommend this book for fans of classic horror stories, Edgar Allen Poe (obviously), steampunk, pictures, literature, classics . . .

WOEFULLY INTRIGUING.3/5 stars

(Or should I say . . . Poe-fully? Heh.)

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice

Author: Jane Austen

Pages [paperback] : 375

memorable quote:
Laugh as much as you choose, but you will not laugh me out of my opinion.

favorite characters: mr. bennet & mr. darcy

summary:

‘It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.’ Thus memorably begins Jane Austen‘s Pride and Prejudice, one of the world’s most popular novels. Pride and Prejudice—Austen’s own ‘darling child’—tells the story of fiercely independent Elizabeth Bennet, one of five sisters who must marry rich, as she confounds the arrogant, wealthy Mr. Darcy. What ensues is one of the most delightful and engrossingly readable courtships known to literature, written by a precocious Austen when she was just twenty-one years old.

Humorous and profound, and filled with highly entertaining dialogue, this witty comedy of manners dips and turns through drawing-rooms and plots to reach an immensely satisfying finale. In the words of Eudora Welty, Pride and Prejudice is as ‘irresistible and as nearly flawless as any fiction could be.’

review:

 I’ve been meaning to read this book for years and when I finally went and bought myself a copy I knew I’d have to buckle down and get to it. Sometimes trudging through the sentence structures and word usage of a book like this can intimidate a person enough to make them put it down immediately. But I suppose if school’s been good for anything it’s taught me at least that things as daunting as this can get better as time goes on. So I persisted, and so I loved it. And came to love the wonderful, quirky word choices as well.

The first part of the book as well as the last went by in gigantic chunks taken all at once for me. I was incredibly interested by the introduction of the characters, as I immediately found most of them hilarious. From Mr. Bennet, laughing at the expense of his own family, to Mrs. Bennet, outrageously silly and ignorant, to all of the sisters and their exaggerated personalities, to Mr. Darcy himself. I didn’t know much about the entire novel, or the premise, or how it was supposed to end . . . Only that for some reason many people are obsessed with this Darcy fellow. As a result, I spent the majority of my time wondering what on earth everyone and their mother saw in him that was so wonderful. Then I finished the novel, and well, okay, I might love him a little bit, now.

The middle was the hardest to pull through, consisting of a lot of nothing. I knew some of it was important, though the rest seemed just like a dull waste of time. Until some sentence or other would pull me back in again. I still can’t get over reading about someone staying over at someone’s house for only 10 days and how ‘short a stay it would be’! Um. Ten days is not very short. I understand carriage rides aren’t exactly the same as driving along in nice comfortable cars, but that doesn’t mean I want all of my relatives to come live with me for months on end.

I can see why this book has been recommended to me by friends, teachers, and enemies. (Alright, maybe that was a lie, but I’m assuming they’d like it, too.) Yes, I did like the entire romance aspect of it. (What girl can resist that? Seriously? Seriously.) I could perfectly picture all of the settings, and the strict social rules as well as the ideals of each social class.

This book made me laugh so much! The little insights on everything were delightful. Many of them were still relevent to today, and I could easily see connections to people like Elizabeth and Darcy to those living now. One of my favorite quotes from the book has to be, “As soon as they were gone, Elizabeth walked out to recover her spirits; or, in other words, to dwell without interruption on those subjects that must deaden them more.” Okay, so who doesn’t do that? I know that I do, and most of the people I know do this as well. See? Still relevent! And people say they can get nothing out of classic literature. By ‘people, I here mean my fellow classmates.

If you’ve been tentatively considering reading this, or been intimidated by it, give it a go! You might just enjoy it as much as I did. (:

TIMELESS. 4/5 stars

Best of 2010!

It seems like this entire year just flew by! I’d like to ring in 2011 by revisting some of my favorite reads this past year:

 Best Historical Fiction:

Annexed by Sharon Dogar! I absolutely loved this book and it is highly recommended.

Best Mystery:

 

Juliet by Anne Fortier! This book kept me on the edge of my seat, and I loved every minute of it. From the romance, to the historical aspect, to the plot twists, it was perfection!

Best Romance:

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen! I love her books, and the chemistry between her characters is awesome. Macy and Wes are definitely my favorite couple.

Best Fantasy

 The Iron King by Julie Kagawa! I’ve read the first two books of this trilogy, and cannot wait until the third is released! I’ve fallen in love with the characters, especially Puck. (:

Best Steampunk:

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld! He’s one of my favorite authors, and this steampunk version of WWII does not disappoint.

Best Classic:

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is a disturbing yet gripping tale about good and evil.

Best Modern Twist on a Classic:

Beastly by Alex Flinn! I read this because the movie’s set to come out in 2011, and I absolutely loved it!

Best Series:

The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series may be for a slightly younger age set, but I love it! The action, humor, romance all fit together perfectly, and I could not stop reading! Thankfully, there’s a spin-off series to keep me going.

 

Best Trilogy:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins! This trilogy was gripping and had me on the edge of my seat from the very beginning. The world it was set it was fantastically described, and the characters were awesome!

Total number of pages read in 2010: 32335
Books Read: 102

All in all, a great year! How was your 2010?

Ex-Mas by Kate Brian

Ex-Mas

Author: Kate Brian

Pages [paperback]: 288

Available Now

Favorite Character: Beau

Summary:

Two Exes. One holiday adventure.

Merry Ex-Mas?

Seventeen-year-old Lila Beckwith’s parents just left for vacation, and Lila’s all set to throw the holiday party of the season. But when her Christmas-obsessed little brother, Cooper, discovers that global warming is melting the North Pole, he and his best friend, Tyler, take off on a runaway mission to save Santa.

Lila has to get Cooper safely home before her parents get back on Christmas Eve. But the only person who can help her is Tyler’s older brother, Beau — a.k.a. Lila’s musician, anti-everything ex-boyfriend.

It’ll take more than a Christmas miracle for Lila and Beau to overcome their differences and find their fugitive brothers. But could a journey destined for disaster help these polar opposites fall in love…all over again?

Review:

I wanted to like this book, but if the main character is annoying, usually I find the entire book annoying. Lila has changed her entire persona in order to fit in with the popular crowd. That meant abandoning her long time friend and, for a short time, boyfriend, Beau, and creating a new image for herself.

I don’t like fake people. At all. So reading a book about a fake person was hard. Not only that, but the plot was incredibly predictable. There were a few cute moments, but there were also parts that just didn’t make any sense to me.

The story was a quick read. I picked it up for a bit of holiday cheer, and I suppose it was okay enough. The characters were flat and I never really connected to them. Lila was shallow and horrible to her brother [not that most sisters are nice, but telling your little brother Santa was in danger of loosing his home? Horrible.] and I found that I didn’t care whether she found her brother before her parents got back.

I give this 2/5 stars. I wouldn’t pick it up again.