Category Archives: 4 Flames

BEASTLY
Author: Alex Finn
Source: Personal Purchase

Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen; Revised edition (February 8, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061963283
ISBN-13: 978-0061963285

SUMMARY:

Love is never ugly 

Now a major motion picture starring Vanessa Hudgens and Alex Pettyfer 

I am a beast. A beast! Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright. I am a monster. 

You think I’m talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It’s no deformity, no disease. And I’ll,stay this way forever—ruined—unless I can break the spell. 

Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and the perfect life. And then, I’ll tell you how I became perfectly . . . beastly. 

MY THOUGHTS:

I love books that retell my childhood fairy tale reads and movies.  In Beastly, we get a modern day story of Beauty and the Beast.

This book starts out strong and kept me very interested in the story.  While Kyle was a typical pretty boy jerk, you still get to see glimpse’s of his good side that is hidden beneath. He has the perfect look that has gotten him almost anything along with Daddy’s money.  When he meets Kendra, a witch, he makes fun of her and even stoops to humiliating her at the dance.  She puts a curse on him that night and by morning he wakes up as The Beast.  He only has 2 years to find true love to break the spell.

While I enjoyed this book from beginning to end, I did have one problem with it.  While we start off with a strong modern day fairy tale, at times I felt the author reverted back in time with it.  Just some of the things the characters would say, or the way Lindy would act made it feel too Disney themed at times.  Other than that, this book was an enjoyable read and kept me interested from page one up until the last word of the book.

This was a great story that I think not only teens will enjoy, but adults who love the fairy tale romance with a happily ever after that is guaranteed with the old fables we grew up on.  I can’t wait to read the other books by this author!

MY RATING:

Very Good! I would recommend this book! 4 STARS

ABOUT THE MOVIE:

According to IMDB .com, Beastly will be in theaters on March 4th, 2011 (USA).  While I can’t wait to see the movie, especially with the perfect casting of Alex Pettyfer as Kyle/Adrian, but it is just a great modern day adaptation of the book.  While they didn’t do a great job at casting Lindy, I am willing to overlook that.  They also didn’t portray the Beast like they did in the book.  If you remember Beast from the Disney movie, that is how the book describes him.  In the movie preview below, you can definitely see that they changed the look of The Beast for the big screen. They also cast Mary Kate Olsen as the witch.  PERFECT! She fits that part and plays it perfectly.  The one other thing that bugs me about the preview/movie is they change the time line.  In the movie he has only one year, but in the book Kyle has two years. I still can’t wait to watch it though!

MAD LOVE
Author: Suzanne Selfors
Source: Publisher
*I received this book free of charge
in exchange for an honest review*

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers (January 4, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 080278450X
ISBN-13: 978-0802784506

SUMMARY:

When you’re the daughter of the bestselling Queen of Romance, life should be pretty good. But 16-year-old Alice Amorous has been living a lie ever since her mother was secretly hospitalized for mental illness. After putting on a brave front for months, time is running out. The next book is overdue, and the Queen can’t write it. Alice needs a story for her mother—and she needs one fast.

That’s when she meets Errol, a strange boy who claims to be Cupid, who insists that Alice write about the greatest love story in history: his tragic relationship with Psyche. As Alice begins to hear Errol’s voice in her head and see things she can’t explain, she must face the truth—that she’s either inherited her mother’s madness, or Errol is for real.

MY THOUGHTS:

This is the first book I have read by this author and I must say that this was a cute and enjoyable read!  The author gave me a new take on Cupid and what his appearance could really be.  In Mad Love, Cupid is not the chubby naked baby that we have come to recognize as Cupid on Valentine’s Day.  In this book he is mysterious, kinda cute and needing his story told by Alice.

Alice on the other hand, has a crush on skateboarder Tony.  Alice is also trying to deal with her Mother being in a hospital for mental illness.  She is stepping into her Mother’s shoes as a writer of romance while struggling with money problems that a teenager shouldn’t be dealing with.  She covers for her Mother at a book signing and even goes as far as writing the publisher to tell them the next book is on the way.  Now Alice is forced to write a romance novel with no idea how to write one.

Enter Cupid, or Errol as he likes to be called.  He tells Alice that he wants her to write his love story.  She thinks Errol is a crazy stalker at first, but quickly realizes he is the real deal.  Now Alice finds herself listening to Errol’s story of love and getting a new take on it as well.

I liked this book because of the fun and quirky story.  The writer did a wonderful job of telling the story and the pace was perfect.  Overall it was a cute and fun read that teens will enjoy. 

MY RATING:

Very Good! I would recommend this book! 4 STARS

CLARITY
Author: Kim Harrington
Source: Publisher
*I received this ARC free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Point (March 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0545230500
ISBN-13: 978-0545230506

SUMMARY:


When you can see things others can’t, where do you look for the truth? 

This paranormal murder mystery will have teens reading on the edge of their seats. 

Clarity “Clare” Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. All she has to do is touch a certain object, and the visions come to her. It’s a gift. 

And a curse. 

When a teenage girl is found murdered, Clare’s ex-boyfriend wants her to help solve the case–but Clare is still furious at the cheating jerk. Then Clare’s brother–who has supernatural gifts of his own–becomes the prime suspect, and Clare can no longer look away. Teaming up with Gabriel, the smoldering son of the new detective, Clare must venture into the depths of fear, revenge, and lust in order to track the killer. But will her sight fail her just when she needs it most?

MY THOUGHTS:

Every now and again, an author brings to the table a paranormal book that is not only beauty on the outside, but wonderfully written on the inside.  With Clarity, I was sucked in from the first page and couldn’t put it down until the end.

Clarity comes from a family who have special gifts.  The whole town she was originally from had gifts as well.  Clarity can see past events from touching objects.  Her brother Perry can see the dead spirits.  Her mother is a telepath and can read the immediate thoughts of others.  Together they run a home based business for tourists in their town on Cape Cod.  When a tourist is found murdered at the local hotel, Clarity teams up with Gabriel who happens to be the newest Detective’s son.  To make it more complicated though, he ex-boyfriend is included in the investigation as well. When clues and suspicion is suddenly on Perry, Clarity makes it her number one priority to find the real killer.

I really liked Clarity.  She had strong feelings supporting her family and proving her brother innocent no matter what was thrown at her.  Yes, she had doubts at some point, but she quickly got over them and believed in her brother.  When other people started dying, she refused to back away from the case and continued to try and find out just who the murderer was.

Gabriel was the bad boy on the outside, but the heart of a good guy that balanced with Clarity perfectly.  Even though her ex-boyfriend Justin came off as the typical cheat at first, but once you delve in deeper to his character you will find a hard time choosing between Gabriel and Justin.

The only problem I really had with this book was the clues.  We barely had any clues to go by in figuring out who it could be.  It was like we were actually learning as Clarity was.  Sometimes this can be a good thing if written well.  I think it hindered this book though, because near the end, all of the clues surface just as the killer is revealed.  I wanted more clues to keep me guessing throughout the entire book instead of just the end. 

Overall though this was a great read that enjoyed.  I read it fairly quickly and held my interest for the whole book.  I do hope the author plans to write a sequel to it and have a story branched off for Perry as well.  I would like to see him have his own book.

MY RATING:

Very Good! I would recommend this book! 4 STARS

FAEFEVER
Fever Series #3
Author: Karen Marie Moning
Source: Library

Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Press; 1St Edition edition (September 16, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385341636
ISBN-13: 978-0385341639

SUMMARY:

He calls me his Queen of the Night. I’d die for him. I’d kill for him, too. 

 When MacKayla Lane receives a torn page from her dead sister’s journal, she is stunned by Alina’s desperate words. And now MacKayla knows that her sister’s killer is close. But evil is closer. And suddenly the sidhe-seer is on the hunt: For answers. For revenge. And for an ancient book of dark magic so evil, it corrupts anyone who touches it.

As All Hallows’ Eve approaches and the city descends into chaos, as a shocking truth about the Dark Book is uncovered, not even Mac can prevent a deadly race of immortals from shattering the walls between worlds—with devastating consequences.…

MY THOUGHTS:

Just when I thought I was warming up to Barrons being a better whatever he is, the author throws me for another loop and has me pulled in another direction!  Barrons was starting to grow on me.  Yes he is still a jackass, but I have learned that he has his reasons that he refuses to share.  This book though, he pushed me to my limits.  I was outraged with the way he was treating Mac.  I can’t believe he got so pissed off by a small gesture of birthday cake!  Here we have Mac that is thrown into this war of Fae, and that man–and I use the word man skeptically–won’t give her an inch of nice.

page 140:
“It’s not like you don’t keep secrets from me!” I finally shouted against his ear.
“I don’t keep ones from you that involve the fucking Book,” he snarled over his shoulder.  ” That’s our deal, isn’t it?  If nothing else, we’re honest with each other about the Book.”
“I don’t trust you!”
“And you think I trust you?  You haven’t been out of fucking diapers long enough to be trusted, Ms. Lane! I’m not even sure you should be allowed to handle sharp objects!”

Then we have V’lane who has been trying hard to forge some type of trust with Mac.  He may have ulterior motives, but so far he is the only one who is trying to give her any type of information that she could use.  Rowena, the supposed Grand Mistress of the Sidhe-seers, is nothing but a nasty and mean lady that I wish would fall on that Fae Sword of hers.  


There were points in the book where I got so frustrated because Mac will not choose an ally.  I understand that there are many players in the game, but come on!! Pick one and stand by your decision.  I am still holding out hope that Barrons will be her proverbial Knight In Shining Armor that she needs.  


The ending of this book left me with my jaw dropped and thinking that Mac can’t take much more.  The author is taking me on a wild ride and it is one that has not slowed down much at all.  I will say that this book in the series so far is my least favorite.  It could be because I am expecting certain things and the author is refusing to give it to me.  The authors seem to like pushing their readers to the breaking point just as much as they push their characters.  I will hold out hope that there will be some light at the end of the tunnel though.  The author states at the end of the book that it is about light and that this story is not about darkness.  So far all I have read is darkness and I am feverishly waiting for that light! 


MY RATING:

SOMETHING WICKED
A Living in Eden Novel #2
Author: Michelle Rowen
Source: Purchased

Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Berkley; Original edition (October 5, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 042523746X
ISBN-13: 978-0425237465

SUMMARY:

Living in Eden isn’t exactly heaven on earth…
 
Darrak, the demon inside of Eden Riley, is able to take physical shape during the day. And Eden wouldn’t mind getting her hands on him-if it wasn’t a threat to her immortal soul. But while trying to rid themselves of the curse that binds them, they could get the distance they need…or each have their own private hell to pay.

MY THOUGHTS:

Something Wicked is the second book in A Living In Eden series by author Michelle Rowen.  In the first book, we read about Darrak possessing Eden’s body and learning about the witch’s curse that he has.  We learned that he is a Demon who is slowly killing Eden by sucking away her life energy whether he wants to or not.  Darrak has been possessing people for over 300 years and within that time, he has slowly begun to acquire some humanity.

While trying to find a powerful wizard to break the curse, Eden and Darrak run into another archdemon, who just so happens to be Darraks best friend from Hell.  While, Theo was as bad as a Demon visiting Earth can be, I still enjoyed his character enough to see what was going to happen between Darrak and Theo.  I wanted to know if Theo was going to be the typical Demon and betray everyone he knows.  The addition of a new neighbor next to Edens apartment was also a nice story that intertwined with the plot.  Considering who the new neighbor is, it makes for some interesting reading once Darrak and Eden figure it out.

Now just because Darrak and Eden aren’t suppose to be romantically involved, doesn’t mean the book lets us down on the sexy factor!  The scenes that are in the book are smoking hot and can make you envious for your own Demon!

While I liked this book as a sequel, I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first book.  Darrak did have his Demon personality out more in this book than his humanity personality.  There were times I just wanted to have Eden exorcise him and end it already because of his smart ass attitude and lies.  But just as I was hoping Eden would call Demon-Busters-Are-Us,  Darrak changes my feelings with his smooth talking persona.

While I still enjoyed the first book better than this one, I am still looking forward to the final book in the series.  Their are some storyline plots that I just need to know about, such as the mysterious captive in the dungeon, and I need to know if this sexy couple is going to get their happily ever after!

MY RATING:

Very Good! I would recommend this book! 4 STARS