Review: Beyond a Darkened Shore

Beyond a Darkened Shore by Jessica Leake
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

My Review: I really loved this one to start out with and I made it a little past 200 pages before I decided that this one was just not for me. I usually eat up books that are faster paced but this one seemed to be just a little too fast. I swore that these characters needed a vacation within the first 200 pages. I was like man people take a day off and rest for a few hours. Because from the start of this one it was one bad guy to the next and the next and the next and the next. And as I crept toward that 200 pages I just lost interest in what was going on.

I really loved the mythology that was used as well as the characters. For this one it was all the the action that just didn't work for me at all.

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Review: Five Feet Apart

Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My Review: This story was wonderful and yes it did make me cry. And when I watched the movie it was even worse. This story is so sad but also so eye opening. It covers the illness of CF or cystic fibrosis. You learn a lot of about this illness during the course of this story from how new lungs won't cure them but give them another 5+ years to live. And how they must stay 6 feet apart from other CF's or risk infection.

This story started out with Stella living for her treatment and Will not wanting to live at all. But by the end everything changed I really loved how strong Stella was and although she did have a save the world complex (as the story says) there was just something about her where you wanted to get healthy if you weren't.

Book vs. Movie I have to say that I was happily surprised when I watched the movie to this one. They did everything they could to keep this the same. I found out later that this had been a screen play first then had been turned into a book. I think more books need to happen this way. Because for the most part things were word for word from book to movie. Which makes my book to movie heart happy. The one major thing that the book did and that the movie did not was give us 8 more months. At the end of the book we get an epilogue that is set 8 months after the end of the movie. And that is what a lot better than the open ending of the movie.

In the end I really enjoyed both the movie and the book but if I had to choose one I think for this one I would choose the book for those extra 8 months. I kind of feel like Stella right now as I am stealing those 8 months from the book and really wished we would have gotten to see that in the movie.


Go Into This One Knowing: cystic fibrosis, Death, Talking about Death, Movie (Open Ending), Book (8 Months Later)

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Review: Crown of Feathers

Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

My Review: I wanted to love this one so much. I mean the cover was just so pretty and I love stories about sisters, magic, and magical creatures. But I have to say that this one started out pretty well with some info dumping but the author started out with this being done in a way that I wanted to learn more. But the closer I crept towards 60 pages I just found myself wanting to skim the pages because it was just dragging so bad. After that I was just kind of done. The dual POV wasn't right for this story if you ask me. I would have much rather had the story all in Veronyka's as I was really interested in her part of the story and really didn't care about the other guy who I have to say wasn't even in the description of this title. So that was kind of weird.

For me I really just wished that this book would have been faster.


Go Into This One Knowing: Dual POV, Slow Plot, InfoDumping

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Review: A Curse So Dark and Lonely

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My Review: When I started this one I really was thinking that I was going to end up DNFing it. And that all was because of the pacing. This is this author first dip into the world of fantasy and don't get me wrong the book was freaking amazing and by the end, I was like NO NO NO You can't end yet!!! And that major twist at the end was just WOW I did not see that coming!! But the rest of the book especially the middle parts were very slow and really reminds me more of a contemporary novel vs. a fantasy. I mean yes this one had the cursed castle and prince etc. But the core parts of the book laid heavy in the romantic aspect and well Contempo.

I will say that as this is a series I think Kemmerer is more than capable to flourish as a fantasy author I just think that this one could have been just a tad better.

This book wow just wow. I loved what Brigid did with the characters and the world. This twist on a tale as old as time knocked my socks off for the most part. I loved how she wove elements of sci-fi (parallel worlds) with that of fantasy and her normal titles which are contemporary. This story was so beautifully woven with all of these elements and I could not put it down. I can not wait for the next title in the series and I have to say that for a first try into the world of fantasy I think the author did a bang-up first try.



Go Into This One Knowing: Dual POV (there is one more POV at the end), Blend of Scifi, Fantasy, and Heavy Contemporary, Slight Cliffhanger, A Little Slow in the Middle.

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