Mini-Reviews: The Reckoning, Generation Dead, You Wish, Maybe This Time

The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong

What a great end to the Darkest Powers series! It was full of action, and suspense, and delved deeper into each of their powers. I personally enjoyed seeing more of what it meant to be a werewolf. It certainly wasn't pretty, but I think it helped Chloe understand Derek a bit more. Plus, dare I say it, Tori actually seemed to mature a little. Unfortunately, the ending didn't really give me the closure I wanted. So, I'm hoping that Armstrong might give the characters a cameo in her newest series. I have to say, this is probably one of the most consistent series of books that I've read. I enjoyed each book equally, and the second book didn't feel like filler.

Rating: B

Generation Dead by Daniel Waters

You know how people went to see District 9 expecting a scary sci-fi film, and instead watched a film that was more of a subtle comment on society and human nature? Well, that's exactly what happened to me with this book. Scary, brain-eating zombies? Not here, my friend. After kids die, they come back to life...they aren't exactly the same as when they were alive, but it's clear that they aren't the mindless creatures seen in horror films. Quite honestly, it was more a book about intolerance, and the fear of things people don't understand. Still, I didn't love this book. It may have been my lack of connection to the main character, or problems with the writing itself. There was something that just didn't flow, and that is keeping me from giving it a higher rating.

Rating: C

You Wish by Mandy Hubbard

This book was so cute, and fluffy! Much like Kayla, I can't even remember the birthday wishes that I've made over the year. If they started coming true, however, I'd probably have a bit of a meltdown. While I sympathized with Kayla, I always thought that she definitely could have turned things around for herself. Instead of complaining about her workaholic mother, or secretly pining for her best friend's boyfriend, she could have actually tried communicating with them. I suppose that was just a sign of Kayla's immaturity at the start of the book.

There's something about Hubbard's writing that I love, though. She's becoming one of my go-to authors when I need a good laugh, and both of her books have done that. Her upcoming book looks a bit darker, and I'm excited for that, too. I'm just too impatient to wait until July.

Rating: C+

Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie

This wasn't your typical Crusie book. It still contained some romance, and her unique brand of humor, but there was a paranormal aspect to it. My ghost-loving self rejoiced! It's also the first book in quite some time that Crusie has written solo. I've enjoyed the books that she's co-written, but my favorite books written by her have been done solo.

Andie was sarcastic, stubborn, and fun. She was a great character, and I found it easy to like her. Her interactions with Alice brought a lot of laughs, and I enjoyed watching the kids open up to her. There were some serious moments, too. Possession, hauntings, death, and all this is happening in a house where kids live.

Rating: B

In My Mailbox (October 17)

In My Mailbox was created by Kristi of The Story Siren, who was inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie. All of the synopses you see below were found on Goodreads. Here are the books I got this week:

For Review:

Contagion by Joanna Dahme

In her fourth novel Joanne Dahme creates another page-turning tale in which a youngwoman named Rose strives to rid Philadelphia’s water of the deadly typhoid bacteria. Set in the late 19th century, Rose Dugan is a young wife who is actively involved in her community. But when her best friend is killed while working at Philadelphia’s Water Works' gardens, the mystery around her death pulls Rose in. Will she save the city from a deadly typhoid outbreak that is threatening the city’s water system? Will Rose unravel the mystery behind her best friend’s murder—a fate that was actually meant for her?


Library:

Casting Spells by Barbara Bretton

Sugar Maple looks like any Vermont town, but it's inhabited with warlocks, sprites, vampires, witches and an ancient secret. And Chloe Hobbs, owner of Sticks & String, a popular knitting shop, has a big secret too. She's a sorcerer's daughter in search of Mr. Right, and she's found him in Luke MacKenzie, a cop investigating Sugar Maple's very first murder. Bad news is he's 100% human, which could spell disaster for a normal future with a paranormal woman like her.



Purchased:


Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie

Andie Miller is ready to move on in life. She wants to marry her fiance and leave behind everything in her past, especially her ex-husband, North Archer. But when Andie tries to gain closure with him, he asks one final favor of her before they go their separate ways forever. A very distant cousin of his has died and left North as the guardian of two orphans who have driven out three nannies already, and things are getting worse. He needs a very special person to take care of the situation and he knows Andie can handle anything…




Truly, Madly by Heather Webber


Meet Lucy Valentine; sassy, fabulously original…and psychic.

Lucy hails from a long line of matchmakers known as Valentine INC. According to family legend, the Valentines have been blessed by Cupid with the ability to help couples find true love. Trouble is Lucy’s powers were zapped away by an electrical surge and now all she can find are lost objects.

But what good is that in the matchmaking world?

Lucy is about to find out when she tries to solve a murder and winds up falling into a romance of her own.

Waiting on Wednesday (July 7)

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine. This weekly meme shares the upcoming books that I'm most excited about.

Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie

Andie Miller is ready to move on in life. She wants to marry her fiance and leave behind everything in her past, especially her ex-husband, North Archer. But when Andie tries to gain closure with him, he asks one final favor of her before they go their separate ways forever. A very distant cousin of his has died and left North as the guardian of two orphans who have driven out three nannies already, and things are getting worse. He needs a very special person to take care of the situation and he knows Andie can handle anything…

When Andie meets the two children she quickly realizes things are much worse than she feared. The place is a mess, the children, Carter and Alice, aren’t your average delinquents, and the creepy old house where they live is being run by the worst housekeeper since Mrs. Danvers. What’s worse, Andie’s fiance thinks this is all a plan by North to get Andie back, and he may be right. Andie’s dreams have been haunted by North since she arrived at the old house. And that’s not the only haunting…
What follows is a hilarious adventure in exorcism, including a self-doubting parapsychologist, an annoyed medium, her Tarot-card reading mother, an avenging ex-mother-in-law, and, of course, her jealous fiance. And just when she thinks things couldn’t get more complicated, North shows up on the doorstep making her wonder if maybe this time things could be different between them.

If Andie can just get rid of all the guests and ghosts, she’s pretty sure she can save the kids, and herself, from the past. But fate might just have another thing in mind… (From Goodreads)

Published by St. Martin's Press
Release Date: August 31, 2010

I love Crusie's books, and I'm glad she's releasing a new solo book (the past few that she's written have been co-authored)!

In My Mailbox (February 28)

In my mailbox was created by Kristi of The Story Siren, who was inspired by Pop Culture Junkie. Here are the books I got this week...

I did buy some books this week, but I'm taking a trip to Seattle in a week, and I'll need something to read during my layovers

Purchased:

Lockdown:Escape from the Furnace by Alexander Gordon Smith

Furnace Penitentiary: the world’s most secure prison for young offenders, buried a mile beneath the earth’s surface. Convicted of a murder he didn’t commit, sentenced to life without parole, “new fish” Alex Sawyer knows he has two choices: find a way out, or resign himself to a death behind bars, in the darkness at the bottom of the world. Except in Furnace, death is the least of his worries. Soon Alex discovers that the prison is a place of pure evil, where inhuman creatures in gas masks stalk the corridors at night, where giants in black suits drag screaming inmates into the shadows, where deformed beasts can be heard howling from the blood-drenched tunnels below. And behind everything is the mysterious, all-powerful warden, a man as cruel and dangerous as the devil himself, whose unthinkable acts have consequences that stretch far beyond the walls of the prison.

Firespell by Chloe Neill
As the new girl at the elite St. Sophia’s boarding school, Lily Parker thinks her classmates are the most monstrous things she’ll have to face…

When Lily’s guardians decided to send her away to a fancy boarding school in Chicago, she was shocked. So was St. Sophia’s. Lily’s ultra-rich brat pack classmates think Lily should be the punchline to every joke, and on top of that, she’s hearing strange noises and seeing bizarre things in the shadows of the creepy building.

The only thing keeping her sane is her roommate, Scout, but even Scout’s a little weird—she keeps disappearing late at night and won’t tell Lily where she’s been. But when a prank leaves Lily trapped in the catacombs beneath the school, Lily finds Scout running from a real monster.

Scout’s a member of a splinter group of rebel teens with unique magical talents, who’ve sworn to protect the city against demons, vampires, and Reapers, magic users who’ve been corrupted by their power. And when Lily finds herself in the line of a firespell, Scout tells her the truth about her secret life, even though Lily has no powers of her own—at least none that she’s discovered yet…

The Cinderella Deal by Jennifer Crusie
Linc Blaise needed the perfect fiancée to win his dream job, but finding a woman who'd be convincing in a charade seemed impossible—until he heard Daisy Flattery charm her way out of a sticky situation! Playing the prim and proper bride-to-be was a lark to the dazzling storyteller, but once she glimpsed the touching vulnerability Linc tried to hide, pretense turned into temptation. Could she find a way to make their fairy tale last? In a deliciously funny and touching tale of opposites attracting, Jennifer Crusie warms hearts and tickles funnybones from start to finish! Daisy hadmade him believe in wondrous possibilities, drawn him into a world of passionate abandon, but was he brave enough to give her his love?

For Review:

Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis

I’d love a cup of coffee. I wish she knew how pretty she was. I wish I could drop this kid in the dryer sometimes. I just want her to be happy. I hope she didn’t find out what Ben said about her. I wish I knew how many calories were in a bite of muffin…

Joy is used to hearing Whispers. She’s used to walking down the street and instantly knowing people’s deepest, darkest desires. She uses this talent for good, to make people happy and give them what they want. But for her older sister, Jessica, the family gift is a curse, and she uses it to make people’s lives—especially Joy’s—miserable. Still, when Joy Hears Jessica whisper: I want to kill my Hearing dead, and kill me too if that’s what it takes, she knows she has to save her sister, even if it means deserting her friends, stealing a car and running away with a boy she barely knows—a boy who may have a dark secret of his own. (From Goodreads)

Published by Balzer + Bray
Release Date: April 27th 2010

Waiting on Wednesday (December 2)

This was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine. Basically, these are books that haven't been released yet, but that I can't wait for.


In a warm, funny tale of opposites attracting, a man persuades a sharp-tongued woman to pose as his fiancee in order to win his dream job, but his partner in pretense plans to make her role a reality.

Published by Bantam
Release Date: January 26, 2010

*This is a reissue