Category Archives: 1 Flame

THE SILVER KISS
Author: Annette Curtis Klause
Source: Personal Purchase

Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers; Reprint edition (July 28, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0375857826
ISBN-13: 978-0375857829

SUMMARY:

Zoe is wary when, in the dead of night, the beautiful yet frightening Simon comes to her house. Simon seems to understand the pain of loneliness and death and Zoe’s brooding thoughts of her dying mother. Simon is one of the undead, a vampire, seeking revenge for the gruesome death of his mother three hundred years before. Does Simon dare ask Zoe to help free him from this lifeless chase and its insufferable loneliness?

MY THOUGHTS:

Remember those young adult books from the early 1990’s?  Even the ones from the late 1980’s?  Remember how sometimes they could just be so cheesy and over the top?  Now imagine finding a book like that and stepping back in time with the writing.  That is how I felt when I was reading this book.


While the plot was interesting and I found the characters to be okay, the writing of the book made me feel like I was reading a young adult book from a different time.  Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy some of the early books in this genre, but there are always a few that left me with the question of why?


The first thing I noticed was how the author didn’t seem to know what fit into the category of young adult theme when it comes to supernatural and vampires.  One moment everything is sweet like a teen romance should be, then we fall into the depression of Zoe’s mother dying from cancer.  One moment we have Simon being the perfect gentleman towards Zoe, then the next we have him ripping rats apart and blood with gore all over the pages.  The author seemed to go from one extreme to the other with no middle ground in between. 


Yes it has the cliched vampire lore of misting, daylight can give serious sunburn, even an aversion to a cross when the story calls for it.  I can understand that back in the day that this was how authors explained vampires, but it seemed the author couldn’t step out of the normal box and get creative with it.  The writing of the personalities was borderline overdone as well.  Simon wanted to be released from the vampire curse but wanted friendship and love as well.  Zoe was the typical teen girl who instantly falls for his good looks and charm, yet she was also naive and selfish at times.  The ending also was a let down for me.  It wrapped up within a few pages and wondering where the rest of the story went.  After reading 230+ pages, I expect a climatic ending that lasts more than 2 pages with an ending that leaves the reader cheated.


Not a book I would reread again, and frankly not an author I will go out and seek again.  Would I try another book written by this author?  Only if her writing has improved and has decided to step out of the box a little.  


MY RATING:

BLOOD OF A WEREWOLF
Author: T. Lynne Tolles
Source: Author Submission
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Paperback: 202 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace (May 30, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1453798021
ISBN-13: 978-1453798027

SUMMARY:

Darby O’Rielly is not your typical girl next door. She and her sister are ancestral witches, but have never been taught the art of their craft in an attempt to have the girls ‘fit in’ to their tiny community. When a dark stranger and his brother enter her life, love blooms and havoc ensues. For these two handsome brothers aren’t just good looking, they are ‘born vampires’ of royal blood and they have hunters hot on their trail. When a Van Helsing wanna-be arrives and threatens Devon and Blake’s immortal lives, Darby unleashes a deadly magic in order to save them. As vengeance for killing his hunter, our villain kidnaps, Rowan, Darby’s sister and injects her with werewolf blood. Darby, Devon and Blake take a redeye to Maine to try and save her. A search then ensues to find a werewolf named Dean who isn’t exceptionally friendly or eager to help friends of vampires. Will Rowan survive her transformation or will the werewolf blood wreak havoc on her body and kill her. You’ll find out when you read this action packed urban fantasy romance novel yourself.

MY THOUGHTS:

I am on a current book binge of supernatural books right now.  When the author sent me this book to review, it fell in line with my current reading taste for the moment.  After reading the first few chapters, I thought I might actually enjoy this book even though it is a little reminiscent of Vampire Diaries and Twilight combined together. 


The book starts out fairly fun and carefree with Darby arriving home and watering her garden.  When she notices her new neighbor staring from his front porch at her while dancing in the water, She is quickly embarrassed and intrigued.  She is embarrassed by him witnessing her dancing, but intrigued at his beauty and sudden appearance.  They quickly connect at the local hang out by having a great conversation that lasts for hours. I really liked Devon, but it kind of went downhill after this chapter.


It seemed that once the two characters were established, the rest of the characters were put on the back burner even though they are suppose to be major players of the book.  I couldn’t warm up to Blake, even during his funny moments, and Darby’s sister was just as bad.  There were some inconsistency in the story as well and that bugs me. The story could have been so much better, but it felt rushed and unbelievable to the point that I was rolling my eyes at times.


If you are looking for  a read to pass the time, and don’t mind inconsistencies, then you might enjoy it for a one time read.  Other than that, I would give this book a pass for now.


MY RATING:

ALICE IN ZOMBIELAND
Author(s): Lewis Carroll, Nickolas Cook
Illustrations by: Sir John Tenniel and Brent Cardillo
Source: Sourcebooks
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks (March 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1402256213
ISBN-13: 978-1402256219

SUMMARY:

“They were indeed a queer-looking party that assembled on the bank-the birds with draggled feathers, the animals with their fur clinging close to them, and all dripping wet, cross, and uncomfortable. All of them were covered in Alice’s now cold and congealed blood, which made them even tastier looking to poor hungry Alice.”

When little Alice follows the Black Rat down into the gaping darkness of an open grave, she falls and falls. And soon finds herself in an undead nightmare of rotting flesh and insanity. Venturing further into this land of zombies and monsters, she encounters characters both creepy and madcap along the way. But there’s something else troubling poor Alice: her skin is rotting and her hair is falling out. She’s cold. And she has the haunting feeling that if she remains in Zombieland any longer, she might never leave
.
Can Alice escape Zombieland before the Dead Red Queen catches up to her?

MY THOUGHTS:

When asked to review this book, I was a little hesitant in accepting.  I liked Alice in Wonderland as a child, and I wasn’t too sure I wanted to see what changes would be made to this classic story.  I was curious though after reading some Austen remakes that are being retold the same way.  So I fell through the rabbit hole and began the journey with Alice.

After only a few pages of the book, I knew this was going to be hard to get through.  The writing wasn’t favorable in the fact that it had a ton of run on sentences that began to be annoying.  I kept wanting to grab a pencil and start editing.  While it followed the story of the classic at times, some of it became horrendous.  I actually rolled my eyes in several parts and put it down during some of it to take a break.  I had to force myself to finish this book.

Some stories should be left to the original version.  In this case, I want to throw this book in the hole and not welcome it back.  If you are a fan of fairy tale’s being retold, and don’t mind the darker side of it, I would recommend borrowing this book from the library first before purchasing it.  You might find yourself wishing to save your money for a different fairy tale remake.

MY RATING:

SEX LOUNGE
Author: Rachelle Chase
Source: Purchased

Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Aphrodisia (May 1, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0758216505
ISBN-13: 978-0758216502

SUMMARY:

Manager of a San Francisco talent agency, Nichole Simms is poised, professional, and cool–but her private notebook reveals a much more daring woman who loves explicit, uninhibited sexual fantasies. Her dream lover is a secret. Until he finds her notebook… 

Famous chaise designer Derek Mitchell can’t believe his eyes when he stumbles upon Nichole’s secret book–in which he stars. Derek is hot to explore each sinful scene and every red-hot obsession with this demure, quiet beauty…and fulfill her every desire.

MY THOUGHTS:

I admit, I am a sucker for erotic reads.  I love the smut.  With that being said, I also have to mention that the smut needs to have some plot to keep me interested in it.  Yes, I like the naughty scenes, but they can only be written so many times in so many ways.

I thought that the summary with this book might have a little intrigue in it.  Maybe he would tease her for a bit about the stories she has written? Maybe she will find a willing muse to help her create more stories for her notebook? Nope. What we get is a man who bribes her to date him so she can get her notebook back with horrible side characters that are not memorable.

The whole story to me seemed forced. I felt like the author was forcing this couple together and I couldn’t even pinpoint the exact moment they each had the spark that made them realize they felt more for each other than just sex.  The suspense part of the plot was flat and more of an after thought.  The suspense, to me, was if I could actually hold out reading further in the book between sex romps.

Yes, again, I love my smut books, but I do have a brain as well.  I want a smut book with substance and something to make me believe in the characters.

MY RATING:

IT’S YOUR ROOM!
Authors: Janice Weaver & Frieda Wishinsky
Source: Contest Win

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Tundra Books (March 7, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0887767117
• ISBN-13: 978-0887767111

SYNOPSIS:

Enough cute little bunnies dancing across your walls or toy trains and nursery rhymes plastered above your bed. That was the old you. It’s time now to transform your space, to learn how to make it sparkle using more imagination than money.

This exciting new book by Janice Weaver and Frieda Wishinsky offers creative solutions to all your design dilemmas — and does it without breaking the bank.

Inside, you’ll find out how to:
• Execute a TCC — Total Clutter Clearout
• Organize your space — and your life
• Choose paint colors to change the mood and feel of your room
• Give new life to old furniture
• Create zones with color and lighting
• Accessorize to put your own stamp on your space 

MY THOUGHTS:

Since my 5 year old daughter has outgrown her nursery theme in her room, when I won this book I was excited to see what ideas it would have. After reading through it though, I was rather disappointed.

First the good of the book.  The illustrations were cute and definitely had the feel for a teen to enjoy.  It did have some helpful little tricks to help with deciding on colors, themes and organization.

Now the bad of the book.  While this is suppose to be a design book focused for younger teens and such, it requires a lot of adult interaction.  It tries to explain to 12 year old teens how to start with a budget, drawing a lay out design, and making sample boards for your overall design.  I am sorry, but 12 year old teens are not going to want to bother with all of that.  They want pictures of rooms that are complete so they can just show it to their parents and have them replicate it! 

Even though this book is suppose to be for young teens, I feel this book is more for adults with a childhood whimsy feel to it.

MY RATING: