Book Squirt

Tag Archives: Book Review

My Not So Super Sweet Life by Rachel Harris

My Not So Super Sweet Life releases today, and I’m super excited to share it with you!

Ever since I read My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century and A Tale Of Two Centuries, I’ve been waiting for the next book in the series to come out. I was thrilled when I heard it was coming out soon, and when I got the chance to read an ARC, I was even more thrilled.

Cat Crawford just wants to be normal—or at least as normal as a daughter of Hollywood royalty can be. And it looks like fate is granting her wish: she’s got an amazing boyfriend, Lucas; her fabulous cousin, Alessandra, living with her; and her dad planning his second marriage to a great future stepmom. That is, until her prodigal mother reveals on national television that she has something important to tell her daughter…causing a media frenzy.

Lucas Capelli knows his fate is to be with Cat, and he’s worked hard to win her over once and for all. Unfortunately, Lucas has his own issues to deal with, including a scandal that could take him away from the first place he’s truly belonged.

As secrets are revealed, rumors explode, and the world watches, Cat and Lucas discover it’s not fate they have to fight if they want to stay together…this time, it’s their own insecurities.

Well, and the stalkerazzi.

Normally, I like to finish a book and write my review while it’s fresh in my mind. With this book, unfortunately, that wasn’t possibly. I couldn’t form a coherent thought, much less write a coherent review. LOL

Cat: This main character is perfection. If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to be a celebrity’s child, this book is for you. With a mother who uses Cat only when she needs good press, and her father who tries to keep her protected from the press, this book has exactly what you would expect from a celebrity child’s book. But that’s not the only thing you see about Cat – no, you also get to see the side that is super sweet. I love her relationships with Less, Lucas, her Dad, and eventually, her step-mother also.

Lucas: *sigh* Lucas. He’s perfect. And my new book boyfriend, so keep your paws off. 😉 I loved how Lucas could go from super sweet, perfect boyfriend mode into super sweet, perfect, and protective boyfriend mode in a matter of seconds. He was there for Cat, and he did everything he could to make sure he’d always be there. Is that spoilerish? I don’t think so. If you think it is, sorry.

Other characters: Don’t get me started. I could go on and on about Less and Austin – I loved them in their own book, and they were great in this book too. Cat’s dad and step-mother were great, and I can’t say anything about her mother without being spoilerish (with ALL THE CAPS) so I probably shouldn’t say anything. 🙂

Plot: It’s a cute, YA romance – you’d think you’d have it figured out. This book managed to surprise me once or twice, which was rather impressive.

Overall: This was a very enjoyable read – it only took me several hours because I didn’t want to put it down to do anything. I had to stop for dinner with my family and I was groaning inwardly because I wanted to get back to it.

I am eagerly waiting for Rachel Harris’s next YA book!
My Not So Super Sweet Life on Amazon*
My Not So Super Sweet Life on Goodreads

Rachel HarrisRachel Harris writes humorous love stories about sassy girls-next-door and the hot guys that make them swoon. Emotion, vibrant settings, and strong families are a staple in each of her Rachel Harrisbooks…and kissing. Lots of kissing.

A Cajun cowgirl now living in Houston, she firmly believes life’s problems can be solved with a hot, sugar-coated beignet or a thick slice of king cake, and that screaming at strangers for cheap, plastic beads is acceptable behavior in certain situations. She homeschools her two beautiful girls and watches way too much Food Network with her amazing husband.

An admitted Diet Mountain Dew addict, she gets through each day by laughing at herself, hugging her kids, and losing herself in story. She writes young adult, new adult, and adult romances, and LOVES talking with readers!.
Rachel’s Website
Rachel on Goodreads
Rachel on Twitter
Rachel on Facebook

*Amazon link is an affiliate link.*

email

The Star Thief by Jamie Grey

When I read Ultraviolet Catastrophe, I knew that Jamie Grey was a great author and I wanted to read all of her books. Unfortunately, I had to wait.

Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait long before The Star Thief was announced.

She might only be twenty-three, but Renna Carrizal is the most notorious thief in the galaxy. There’s just one problem – all she wants is to get the frak out of the business.

But when Renna rescues an injured boy from the warehouse she’s casing, she finds herself on the run from the mob instead of enjoying retirement on a garden world. Turns out, the kid was a plant to lead her to MYTH, a top-secret galactic protection agency.

MYTH needs Renna’s special skills, and they make her an offer she can’t refuse – unless she’d like to spend the rest of her life on a prison ship. To make sure she does her job they shackle her with a MYTH watchdog, the handsome but arrogant Captain Finn.

A former mercenary-turned-galactic-hero, Finn happens to have his own dirty secrets. Secrets that Renna wouldn’t mind uncovering for herself. Together, they discover an experiment to develop illegal cybernetics that will create an unstoppable army. The intended target? The human star fleet.

Now Renna must use her skills as the Star Thief to pull off the biggest job of her career – saving the galaxy. And herself.

 

Doesn’t that sound amazing? I signed up for an ARC as soon as I could, and anxiously waited for the email that would arrive with my shiny .mobi file.

And when the email finally arrived, I was so busy that I didn’t get to it for over three weeks. *sigh*

Then Super Bowl Sunday came along. An hour and a half before the game I sat down to read, and I didn’t stop until five minutes into the third quarter.

The Star Thief was absolutely amazing. Renna is quite an accomplished thief – not only did she steal several things in the book, she also stole my heart. I was so wrapped up in her story that I barely even watched the commercials (which are, as everyone knows, the best part of the Super Bowl).

Renna and Finn’s relationship, though a bit rocky in the beginning, is wonderful. Renna and Myka’s relationship is adorable. And Renna and Viktis’s relationship, if you can call it that, is strange, and I don’t think I like Viktis very much. LOL

Seriously though, Renna and Finn are awesome together. And I’m not going to spoil the (totally cliffhanger) ending, but I will say this: if Renna and Finn don’t *cuts out spoilery bit* in the next book, I might cry.

Relationships aside, the characters were all amazing. All of the main characters had fully fleshed out backgrounds, and so did several of the side characters. I wish we’d gotten to know Finn’s team a bit better – I can’t even remember the names of two of them – but the ones we did know brought a lot to the table.

Have you ever finished a book and realized that you totally missed the fact that there’s a sequel? And worse, there’s a really bad cliffhanger?

Yeah.

So basically, this book rocked my socks off, until I got to the end. Then it made me want to curl up in a ball and sob “why???” to anyone who would listen. I don’t like cliffhangers. *mopes until the next book comes out*

The Star Thief was an amazing book by an amazing author. I highly recommend both this book and her debut, Ultraviolet Catastrophe, and I can’t wait for the sequel to come out!

The Star Thief on Amazon*
The Star Thief on Goodreads

Jamie_Grey_HeadshotJamie Grey spent most of her childhood writing stories about princesses who saved the day and pretending to be a daring explorer. It wasn’t until much later that she realized she should combine the two. Now, as a tech-obsessed gamer geek, her novels mix amazing scientific developments, future worlds, and the remarkable characters that live in them.

Jamie lives in Michigan with her significant other and their pets, who luckily tolerate her overspending on tea, books, and video games. You can learn more about her at www.jamiegreybooks.com, or follow her on twitter via @jamie_grey.
Jamie on Goodreads
Jamie on Twitter
Jamie on Facebook

*Amazon link is an affiliate link.*

Chinese Cinderella

Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah

Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted DaughterA Chinese proverb says, “Falling leaves return to their roots.” In Chinese Cinderella, Adeline Yen Mah returns to her roots to tell the story of her painful childhood and her ultimate triumph and courage in the face of despair. Adeline’s affluent, powerful family considers her bad luck after her mother dies giving birth to her. Life does not get any easier when her father remarries. She and her siblings are subjected to the disdain of her stepmother, while her stepbrother and stepsister are spoiled. Although Adeline wins prizes at school, they are not enough to compensate for what she really yearns for — the love and understanding of her family.

Following the success of the critically acclaimed adult bestseller Falling Leaves, this memoir is a moving telling of the classic Cinderella story, with Adeline Yen Mah providing her own courageous voice.

I found this book on our shelves one night, while I was searching for a book for my brother. I’d never read it before, and it looked interesting. So I brought it down to my room and read it.

The book is called Chinese Cinderella, and that is a very good title for it. The trials and tribulations that Wu Mei (Adeline) goes through are very much like Cinderella’s.

Her step-mother doesn’t like her, her father pretty much ignores her, and none of her siblings are nice to her. Her half-siblings are spoiled, while she gets lost finding her way back from school and no one notices.

When she goes to boarding school, things get a little bit better, but not much. She never gets visitors, egg money, or new clothes, and people look down on her.

But, as always, Cinderella has a happy ending. Adeline wins an international writing contest, winning her father’s approval long enough for her to get permission to go to a collage in England, like her brothers.

The story was very gripping – it kept me hooked till the very end. I hated having to put it down, not knowing whether Adeline was going to make it out of there or not.

I didn’t know that Adeline had written other books – I’m going to have to check them out! They look really interesting.

The Verdict: 4 of 5 Stars

This was a great book that made me want to learn more about Adeline and really, more about that time period in China.

Ella Enchanted

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

How can a fairy’s blessing be such a curse?

At her birth, Ella of Frell was the unfortunate recipient of a foolish fairy’s gift — the “gift’ of obedience. Ella must obey any order given to her, whether it’s hopping on one foot for a day and a half, or chopping off her own head! But strong-willed Ella does not tamely accept her fate. Against a bold backdrop of princes, ogres, giants, wicked stepsisters, and fairy godmothers, Ella goes on a quest to break the curse — once and for all.

In this incredible debut novel comes the richly entertaining story of Ella of Frell, who at birth was given the gift of obedience by a fairy. Ella soon realizes that this gift is little better than a curse, for how can she truly be herself if at anytime anyone can order her to hop on one foot, or cut off her hand, or betray her kingdom’and she’ll have to obey? Against a bold tapestry of princes, ogres, giants, wicked stepsisters, and fairy godmothers, Ella’s quest to break the curse once and for all and discover who she really is is as sharply funny as Catherine, Called Birdy and as richly poignant as Beauty, and has all the marks of a classic in the making.

Some of my favorite books ever are what my Mom calls “Princess Books.” There’s just something about true love, princesses and their princes, and a happy ending that pulls me right in and captivates me.

This was one of the books that made me fall in love with “Princess Books,” and it’s stuck with me ever since. I was probably about ten when I first read it, and I tend to reread it once a year or so.

Ella was given a gift by a fairy when she was born – the gift of obedience. While it might have been seen as a gift by the fairy who gave it to her, to Ella, it’s a curse.

The book follows Ella’s journey – her mothers death, her horrible new mother and step-sisters, her time at an awful finishing school, and how she falls in love with Charmont, the Prince of Frell. But she knows that she can’t marry him – if anyone ever got a hold of her, they could tell her to kill Char – and she wouldn’t be able to stop herself.

Gail Carson Levine did a great job with her characters. I always feel very connected to Ella when I read this book – I laugh with her, I cry with her, I hate the people she hates, and I love the people she loves.

The other characters are great too!  Charmont is the perfect prince – he’s kind to everyone, he can laugh if you try hard enough to make him laugh, but he can be serious when necessary.  Hattie and Olive – the stepsisters – are perfect stepsisters. They’re mean to Ella, and you don’t feel sorry for them at the end! (Okay, you feel a little sorry for Olive, who was one of Hattie’s victims too.)

My Favorite Scene

Spoiler SelectShow

The Verdict: 5 of 5 Stars

This is one of my all time favorite books, and my brother enjoys it too. It’s a wonderful fairy tale that has a happy ending, and I love happy endings. 🙂

I also blogged this book as part of the A To Z Challenge.

One

One by Leigh Ann Kopans


When having two powers makes you a Super and having none makes you a Normal, having only one makes you a sad half-superpowered freak.

It makes you a One.

Sixteen-year-old Merrin Grey would love to be able to fly – too bad all she can do is hover.

If she could just land an internship at the Biotech Hub, she might finally figure out how to fix herself. She busts her butt in AP Chem and salivates over the Hub’s research on the manifestation of superpowers, all in hopes of boosting her chances.

Then she meets Elias VanDyne, another One, and all her carefully crafted plans fly out the window. Literally. When the two of them touch, their Ones combine to make them fly, and when they’re not soaring over the Nebraska cornfields, they’re busy falling for each other.

Merrin’s mad chemistry skills land her a spot on the Hub’s internship short list, but as she gets closer to the life she always wanted, she discovers that the Hub’s purpose is more sinister than it has always seemed. Now it’s up to her to decide if it’s more important to fly solo, or to save everything – and everyone – she loves.

I started following @LeighAnnKopans on twitter several months ago, but I didn’t really interact with her for a while. Then after I started talking to her, she graciously sent me an eARC of her book a week or so before its release date. (That’s an e-copy of an ARC, Advanced Readers Copy.)

I knew that people who’d read it were excited about it, but I wasn’t prepared to get so wrapped up in the story! Merrin’s story grabbed me and held me until the very last word.

I don’t hate “insta-love” as  much as other people do, but I was very glad to see that there wasn’t any in this book! Elias and Merrin’s relationship seemed natural and was very sweet. The way she charges in to rescue him at the end made me happy – I’m a sucker for people rescuing the people they love. 🙂

The premise was very interesting – people have half of a superpower? I’ve never heard of anyone coming up with something like that before! Leigh Ann did a really good job, in my opinion, of sticking with the standards for superheroes, but still fully exploring her idea of half superheroes.

This was a great book, and I can’t wait to read TWO, the sequel that’s coming out… in the fall… sometime… I think? I’ll have to ask Leigh Ann. 🙂

My Favorite Scene

Spoiler SelectShow

The Verdict: 5 of 5 Stars

ONE was a very gripping book that kept me hanging from chapter to chapter! I can’t wait for the sequel, TWO, to come out!

Waiting To Be Heard

Waiting to Be Heard: A Memoir by Amanda Knox


Amanda Knox spent four years in a foreign prison for a crime she did not commit.

In the fall of 2007, the 20-year-old college coed left Seattle to study abroad in Italy, but her life was shattered when her roommate was murdered in their apartment.

After a controversial trial, Amanda was convicted and imprisoned. But in 2011, an appeals court overturned the decision and vacated the murder charge. Free at last, she returned home to the U.S., where she has remained silent, until now.

Filled with details first recorded in the journals Knox kept while in Italy, Waiting to Be Heard is a remarkable story of innocence, resilience, and courage, and of one young woman’s hard-fought battle to overcome injustice and win the freedom she deserved.

With intelligence, grace, and candor, Amanda Knox tells the full story of her harrowing ordeal in Italy—a labyrinthine nightmare of crime and punishment, innocence and vindication—and of the unwavering support of family and friends who tirelessly worked to help her win her freedom.

Waiting to Be Heard includes 24 pages of color photographs.

We were at  a track meet when my Mom passed me two books. “One’s for you and one’s for Colter.” I handed Colter the book that didn’t have a girl on the cover and looked at the back of the one I thought was mine.

I’d never heard of Amanda Knox, or Meredith Kercher. I flipped through the book and decided that it looked interesting, but I didn’t read it then or in the car. I wanted to finish the book I was currently reading, and that didn’t happen for another couple of days.

When I finally opened Waiting To Be Heard, it didn’t really draw me in. The first couple of chapters were all back story, which isn’t that thrilling. It’s necessary, which is why I kept reading. But if I hadn’t known that Mom was going to be asking me about it, I wouldn’t have.

Thankfully, I stuck it out and read past the boring parts. Because once I got into it, I was enthralled by this story of a girl’s fight to prove her innocence and get out of prison.

Because I’d never heard of the case until I read the book, I don’t know everything that happened. But reading her account of it, I think she’s innocent. I feel so bad that she’s having to deal with a new trial, and when I look at my shelf and see this book I’ll probably Google her to see what’s happening.

My Favorite Scene

Spoiler SelectShow

The Verdict: 4 of 5 Stars

This was a very gripping story that gave me, a person who’d never heard of the case, a good idea what happened. It’s all from her perspective – I’d like to see a book that had parts from the judges too – but it was a good look into what happened.

Seven Daughters and Seven Sons

Seven Daughters and Seven Sons by Barbara Cohen


In an ancient Arab nation, one woman dares to be different. Buran cannot — Buran will not-sit quietly at home and wait to be married to the man her father chooses. Determined to use her skills and earn a fortune, she instead disguises herself as a boy and travels by camel caravan to a distant city. There, she maintains her masculine disguise and establishes a successful business. The city’s crown prince comes often to her shop, and soon Buran finds herself falling in love. But if she reveals to Mahmud that she is a woman, she will lose everything she has worked for.

This was a book in the Sonlight curriculum that my Mom had us doing several years ago. It was “required reading”, but nothing was really “required” for me. I was really interested in the Arabian culture at the time, so this was one of the first books I reached for when we got them.

After reading it, I can say that I’m glad I grabbed it first, because I wasn’t comfortable with Colter reading this. Indigo and Jade might be able to (when they’re older), but the boys shouldn’t. At least not until they’re a lot older.

The girl in the book, Buran, is one of six daughters. Her father is not rich, so he is going to have trouble marrying off all of the girls. Buran takes off into the world, disguised as a man, to help make money (she was the smartest of the girls, so she could do this).

Things get complicated when she meets Mahmud, the son of the Wali of Tyre. They fall in love, but it’s not that easy. Remember, she’s disguised as a man. So there’s a guy falling in love with what seems to be a guy. Then, we get a scene where Buran takes off her clothes and looks at herself in the mirror, telling herself that she’s a female, describing herself.

Spoiler SelectShow

Yeah.

Then, (thankfully!) Mahmud kinda figures out that Buran (aka Nasir, her male name,) is a female. He starts giving her all of these tests, trying to decide whether she is or not (since just asking would be rude). Eventually she flees Tyre and he chases her all over the place. It ends with them together at her father’s house, which made the romantic in me happy. But most of me was just weirded out by everything else.

My Favorite Scene

Spoiler SelectShow

The Verdict: 3 of 5 Stars

The fact that this is recommended by a curriculum, without a warning as to the content, concerns me. The fact that there is a woman describing her body kinda freaked me out. I was still little when I read this – my body hadn’t started changing yet. If Sonlight is going to recommend this, don’t you think they should mention something like that?

Yes, it was a cool story about a woman going out there and making smart decisions (and getting the best of her horrid uncle and cousins. lol). But it wasn’t just that.

I’ve looked at Sonlight’s website, and this book is marked as a read aloud. At least they’ve got that on there!

Okay, this post is long and goes all over the place. Sorry about that! 🙂

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

 


Miri lives on a mountain where, for generations, her ancestors have quarried stone and lived a simple life. Then word comes that the king’s priests have divined her small village the home of the future princess. Sent to an academy to learn how to become a princess, Miri soon finds herself confronted with a harsh mistress, bitter competition among the girls, and even bandits intent on kidnapping the future princess.

I found this book sitting on our bookcases several years ago, saw the word “Princess” in the title, and knew I had to read it. A lot of people don’t like “Princess books.” They think that they’re all fairy tales where the princess sits around and waits for her prince to show up.

But I love Princess books. And it seemed  like there was something different about this book – when I read the back it drew me in.

Let me just say, I’m so glad I read this book! And I’m not the only one in my family who loves it – my brother Colter enjoyed it, and I can’t wait to unpack it and give it to some of my other brothers.

Miri is the weakling in her village, and as such, isn’t allowed into the linder mines to help. She feels pretty useless, even though she takes good care of her Pa and sister, Marda.

When the news comes that the Priests have decided that Mount Eskel is the home of the future princess, the village girls are conflicted. If they’re a certain age, they’re ordered to the Princess Academy to learn how to be a princess. The academy is complete with a rat infested closet, mean school teacher, and bandits in the winter.

Will Miri be chosen to become the next Princess? Or will one of the other girls? And a better question – will they be safe when the bandits take over the school, or will the bandits take them as they’ve planned?

My Favorite Scene

Spoiler SelectShow

The Verdict: 5 of 5 Stars

Yeah, I know, I give all the books four or five stars. But look at it this way – I’m only reviewing the ones I love, not all of the three and two star ones! 😀

But seriously, this book is a five star book. 🙂

Sequel: Princess Academy: Palace of Stone

I’ve written about Shannon Hale on my blog before – during the A to Z Challenge, she was my H, in the blog post H is for Hale. 

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

 

Kit Tyler is marked by suspicion and disapproval from the moment she arrives on the unfamiliar shores of colonial Connecticut in 1867. Alone and desperate, she has been forced to leave her beloved home on the island of Barbados and join a family she has never met. Torn between her quest for belonging and her desire to be true to herself, Kit struggles to survive in a hostile place. Just when it seems she must give up, she finds a kindred spirit. But Kit’s friendship with Hannah Tupper, believed by the colonists to be a witch, proves more taboo than she could have imagined and ultimately forces Kit to choose between her heart and her duty.

Elizabeth George Speare’s Newbery Award–winning novel portrays a heroine whom readers will admire for her unwavering sense of truth as well as her infinite capacity to love.

When my Mom first handed me this book I was intrigued by the cover (which is very different from the cover above…) and the synopsis. So I started reading it and immediately connected with Kit.

Her struggles felt so real to me, and so did her small triumphs. The way she helped Prudence and befriended Hannah… it gave me that warm, fuzzy feeling inside. Her relationship with Nat doesn’t feel forced and it also gave me the warm, fuzzy feeling. (What can I say – I’m a romantic. :D)

My Favorite Scene

Okay, it’s really two parts to the same scene. 🙂

Spoiler SelectShow

Spoiler SelectShow

And I would put the ending here (because it’s perfect!) but I don’t want to spoil the whole book. But trust me when I say you want to read this book, if only so you can read the awesome ending. 🙂

The Verdict: 5 of 5 Stars

This is a great historical fiction book that definitely deserved the Newbery Award!

The Selection by Kiera Cass

The Selection by Kiera Cass

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn’t want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she’s made for herself—and realizes that the life she’s always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

 

I heard about this book through an online friend of mine, and then it seemed like it was everywhere I looked. At least three other people I follow on Twitter were talking about it, and they all had great things to say about it. So I decided to see what it was all about.

From the beginning, the story had me hooked. I love princess stories, and it’s always funny when the “princess” is a girl who wasn’t raised to be a princess. I love when a girl is taken from her home and dropped into a palace or important school or something like that.

Though we didn’t get to really meet some of the characters, the ones that we did meet were really fleshed out. I hated some of them, loved some of them, and felt sad when some of them went home.

(And I hated Aspen. Soooo not happy he’s back.)

Overall, this was a great book that captured my attention from the very beginning. I didn’t want to put it down for my class at the YMCA, and that’s saying something! I’m so glad that my friends told me to read this book -I can’t wait to read the next one! It just came out so I’m waiting for my library to get it back. 🙂

The Verdict: 5 of 5 Stars

Wednesdays In The Tower by Jessica Day George

Wednesdays in the Tower by Jessica Day George

A castle that is constantly rearranging itself, and a young royal family sworn to protect it… Celie, Rolf, and their beloved Castle Glower are back in this exciting sequel. When her brother Rolf dares her to catch magical Castle Glower creating a new room, Princess Celie takes the challenge! No one knows the Castle better than she does. But as usual, the Castle has ideas of its own. Celie finds the new room first, and inside it is hidden a giant egg. It looks like The Castle wants Celie to care for the egg and whatever creature it hatches! Celie hadn’t bargained for a pet, and caring for this one will prove to be especially tricky, once Celie and her siblings realize what else the Castle is hiding….

I was super excited to win this book in a giveaway! I really enjoyed the first book, Tuesdays in the Castle, and hoped that this book would be a good as the first. And it was!

Spoiler SelectShow

 

It wasn’t a super gripping book – I had to put it down several times while I was reading it and I wasn’t rushing to get back to it. But it was still really enjoyable, and I’ll be looking forward to reading the next in the series, if there is one.

And let me just say, there better be!

Spoiler SelectShow

The Verdict: 4 of 5 Stars