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Author Topic: Moonangel's Book Reviews 2014  (Read 26465 times)

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zena

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Re: Moonangel's Book Reviews 2014
« Reply #90 on: October 29, 2014, 04:15:50 PM »
Finished The Demon King, a fantasy about wizards.  It was okay.  The writing was good.  The story was fine but the idea was off to me.  I'm a believer that if there's magic, there's got to be a side effect, a serious side effect, otherwise, it's unbelievable.  In this story, there's no talk of any side effect of using power so the evil wizards just take over...so it makes me wonder, 'Then they should be able to take over quickly and forever because there's nothing stopping them from using their powers...yet, they limit their power usage...why?'.  An example of believable magic and power would be the Color Prism, from the Lightbringer series.  The more the Color Prism uses his magic, the less magic he'll have in him.  So if there's war, he really has no choice but to use as much magic as he can, thus shortening his life. But, that's the sacrifice he has to make...save his people or save his magic and let the evil side rule.

Finished The Illustrated Man, a sci-fi classic and very creative stories within a story.  This author really makes one think.

Finished two kids book with 7-year-old daughter (she read most of them since I've been a bit under the weather): Hiedi Heckelbeck is Ready to Dance, and Ruby Lu, Star of the Show.



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zena

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Re: Moonangel's Book Reviews 2014
« Reply #91 on: November 08, 2014, 09:30:22 AM »
Finished The Book of Deacon by Joseph R. Lallo.  Not that great.  Finished Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood.  It was okay.  Not as great as her apocalyptic novels.  For some reason, my library said that Relic was available but then when I went to download, the book wasn't there.  I searched the book and it showed checked out.  Wonder what happened.  Oh well...I rechecked it out. 

The next book I'm reading is called Shattered Promises by Jessica Sorensen.  It's a paranormal romance.  Someone said it was a good book.  Let's hope there's no werewolves or vampires.



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zena

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Re: Moonangel's Book Reviews 2014
« Reply #92 on: November 12, 2014, 07:02:38 PM »
Had a hard time reading Shattered Promises so read another book, a sci-fi called, Dark Space by Jasper T. Scott, and finished it.  It was okay.  Not good enough for me to read the trilogy/series.  Right now reading Fool's Assasin by Robin Hobb.  It's starting out slow.  It was rated 4.32 out of 5 stars and was selected as a book to vote on for best fantasy book of 2014.



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zena

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Re: Moonangel's Book Reviews 2014
« Reply #93 on: November 17, 2014, 02:14:40 PM »
Finished Fool's Assassin.  Not bad.  I gave it 3 stars because I thought the beginning was just boring and went for what seemed forever.  It got interesting half way through until the end.  It ended too quickly and just when I couldn't stop reading wanting more.

Will be reading the next book in the trilogy.

Right now, reading Something Wicked this Way Come by Ray Bradbury.  So far can't put it down.



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zena

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Re: Moonangel's Book Reviews 2014
« Reply #94 on: November 18, 2014, 11:28:23 AM »
Finished Something Wicked...It was very good.  Simply put: be true to yourself and find happiness in your own life.  :)

Next book I'm reading is Fortune's Pawn by Rachel Bach.  The 3rd book was on the voting list as one of the best sci-fi so to get to the 3rd book, I must read the first 2.  >:(  Let's hope it's good enough for me to get there.



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zena

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Re: Moonangel's Book Reviews 2014
« Reply #95 on: November 20, 2014, 03:41:19 PM »
I'm feeling really giddy.  I'm so glad I stumbled upon the Paradox Trilogy by Rachel Bach.  I finished the first two books: Fortune's Pawn and Honor's Knight back to back and within 3 days, AND gave them both 5 stars.  They were both action pact and kept me intrigued.  I can't wait to read the 3rd book, the book I was trying to get to in the first place so you can imagine my giddiness.  3rd book still on hold at my library but it seems to be moving a long pretty fast.  I can't wait!

In Fortune's Pawn, the story begins by focusing on the relationship between Devi and "The Cook."  It's a bit cheesy but I love the way the author writes so I laughed a bunch of times.  Loved the sarcasm.  It was well done.  The s*x was steamy, hot, tense...wow.  Loved the fighting scenes.  Completely action packed.

In Honor's Knight, there's not so much of relationship going on which was perfect.  Too much relationship stuff in books like these and it ruins everything.  I'm so glad the author put that on the back burner and brought out the main story.  There were lots of fighting action, a little more than the first one.  I also liked that the author wasn't afraid to kill a couple of good guys.  I would have liked it even more if more good guys were killed.

Downside though was that there was too many different things going on.  Got a little confusing as to who was fighting who, who the bad guy/good guys were, which alien race was good/bad.  Things like that which I hope clarifies up in the 3rd book.



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zena

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Re: Moonangel's Book Reviews 2014
« Reply #96 on: November 24, 2014, 11:40:24 AM »
Finished Heaven's Queen a couple of days ago.  The trilogy was great.  The confusion cleared up and it all made sense. 

Personally, I was not a big fan of the main character, Devi.  She was one bad *ass chick with a mind of her own.  A bit cliche with her toughness, foul language, physic, and a total go-getter, even when it came to Mr. Chirkov (The Cook).  Having said that, I did like how her character was written. She was different from what I'm used to in a protagonist, even with all the cliche.  The trilogy was written in first person from Devi's pov and because I wasn't a fan of her personality, at times, I think that was what made it difficult to agree with her.  If it was written from 3rd person, I may have liked her character a little more.

Mr. Chirkov was also very cliche: Tough quiet guy.  Handsome. Awesome body. Military background. Amazing fighter. Intelligent.  But it was well written that I wanted him for myself...LOL!  Oh yeah, I was a bit jealous...haha .

So glad to be done with the trilogy though.  It was starting to get tough to read but definitely worth the imagination.  I felt like I actually lived in their world a bit there.

Also finished, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.  I tried reading this book years ago but for some reason couldn't finish.  It was actually pretty good.  Planning on reading the next books but will probably take it slow since I did fall asleep a couple of times while reading this one.

Now onto the next book: Falling Into Place, by Amy Zhang.



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zena

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Re: Moonangel's Book Reviews 2014
« Reply #97 on: November 26, 2014, 10:12:25 AM »
Finished Falling Into Place.  Not so great.  It was about suicide but the protagonist was already a difficult and mean person so I didn't really feel bad for her.  I think the author tried to make the reader feel bad for her upbringing but because I personally had a very difficult upbringing myself and never considered suicide, it just didn't seem realistic to me.  It felt like she was just not a normal person and needed to be medicated.  It was as if her mother chose not to see all this.  I didn't feel much for the mother too because I'm not the type to ignore family issues.  It's so wrong for the mother to just focus on her job and ignor her child.  I gave up my job to watch my kids.  I know what it's like to sacrifice one's careers/job to make sure their kids are raised properly and get a bit upset at parents who choose to avoid their kids.  The author's writing was also a bit hard to read.  It wasn't smooth or poetic but that's just a personal preference.

Also finished, Shattered Promises.  Horrible.  Just horrible.  During one conversation (and there were many like this), the main character asks the guy she likes, "Who am I?" and he replies with, "Who are you?"  I was like, 'that's it, I'm just skimming it since I'm almost done.'  I mean, he could have at least said, "You're human." Then she could have said, "I meant besides being human, what else am I?" OR something like that.  Every time the main character asked a question, the guy either answers with, "I'll tell you later..." or he completely avoids her questions.  And, those questions rarely get answered.  Even at the end, not much was revealed.

I tried hard to like these two books hoping each new chapter would get better but they got worse and it's just unfortunate because I'm always trying to be positive about some of these authors.  I cannot wait to read another good book.  I think I'm done for a few days with Thanksgiving coming and all.




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zena

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Re: Moonangel's Book Reviews 2014
« Reply #98 on: December 15, 2014, 03:58:49 PM »
Read a whole bunch of books:

The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials #1),  The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials #2), and The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials #3)by Philip Pullman.  They were pretty good.  I enjoyed the first book more than the second two.

Lulu's Mysterious Mission by Judith Viorst.  Cute kids book.  Read it with my 7 year old who loved it.

The Magicians (The Magicians book #1) by Lev Grossman.  It's like a grown up version of Harry Potter but badly done.  I enjoyed the fantasy about it (magic, wizards, potions, etc.), I just didn't care for the storyline and the inappropriate language.  Won't be reading the triligy.

The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh.  A true story about a little girl back when the land still belong to the Indians.  Read with daughter whom loved it.  I liked it too! 

Clockwork Angels (The Infernal Devices #1), Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2), and Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3) by Cassandra Clare.  It was okay.  The love story wasn't very strong.  I think this trilogy would have done well without the love story or maybe a whole different love story all together.  It just wasn't very strong.  I didn't feel connected to the protagonist.  Well, maybe I did.  She was a bit confused about who she was and I was a bit confused about who she was too...LOL.  The action scenes seemed like a blur.  Nothing really stood out.

Gathering Blue (The Giver #2) by Lois Lowry.  I liked it.  It didn't continue from The Giver as I thought it might.  This book was about a young girl with a bad leg who's artistically talented.  I believe the next two books in the quartet connects the first book with this book.  There were some things that was a bit cloudy in this book, like why only a few of these young kids have special talents and why are the adults so cruel and distant.  I'd like to know how this came about.

Currently reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2) by J.K. Rowling.  After this book, I'll have one more book to go, and then I'll be done with my goal of 100 books for the year!!!!!!



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zena

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Re: Moonangel's Book Reviews 2014
« Reply #99 on: December 17, 2014, 01:07:40 PM »
Finished The Chamber of Secrets.  It was good.  Liked it much better than the first book.  A lot of things were clarified.

Just downloaded The Game of Thrones (The World of Ice & fire) by George R.R. Martin but will wait a day or two to read it.  An author of a sci-fi book just asked me to read and review a book for her so I'm going to do that first.



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zena

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Re: Moonangel's Book Reviews 2014
« Reply #100 on: December 22, 2014, 04:47:24 PM »
Finished Overload Flux by Carol Van Netta.  Author asked me to read and review it and I was nervous but it was good so it made it easy.  It was enjoyable and I'm excited to read the next book once it's out.

BTW, I've completed my 100 books for 2014!!!  What a relief!!!

Even though I am done with my challenge, I am not done reading.  I have 8 books lined up to be read.  They all became available from the library just days after each other.  Wool by Howey Hugh is one of those books.  I've been waiting since late summer/early fall for this book so I'm moving it up to be read next.

***

It's beautiful outside.  It's snowing and completely white.



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chidorix0x

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Re: Moonangel's Book Reviews 2014
« Reply #101 on: December 31, 2014, 10:31:34 AM »
 O0 ... kekeke  ...  :o

Moonangel,

That's some serious reading there. In two postings, you've probably read more books than me, or the average person.

I never enjoyed reading.  It has always been laborious, and as you mentioned,  makes me sleepy a lot of the times.

And now, being older,  I tend to steer from fictional,  sci-fi, and fairy tales.  But I use to love them growing up though I preferred short stories over books and novels.

Good work.  It's inspiring,  for me to read more.  Nowadays,  I am more into researching though -- all things Hmong/Miao ... kekeke ...  8)  ( Only if I could read as diligently as you,  I'd finish most/ALL my initial research already ... kekeke ...  8) )

Sidenote:
I read a New York Times best seller, 4.5/5, book once and was rather disappointed afterwards. Don't recall the title,  but it is about a grieving father,  whose daughter was kidnapped and murder. He eventually met and spent time with God,  yes -- your Biblical God -- who helped him cope, forgive,  and embrace his tragedy.  Yup. Happy ending.  Nope. Not making this up. And nope,  I don't believe in Jesus, or God. Not your "white", all loving blah blah blah one that's for sure.



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zena

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Re: Moonangel's Book Reviews 2014
« Reply #102 on: December 31, 2014, 11:27:45 AM »
Happy New Years Eve!  I can't believe this year went by already.  Anyway...

Finished A Game of Thrones (A Song of Fire & Ice #1)by George R.R. Martin.  Loved it.  I'm not new to fantasy of this kind but I still loved it.  What's fascinating is how the author brought the characters to life.  I feel for them in so many ways.  Needed to take a break but the 2nd book, A Clash of Kings, was available (no holds!) so I downloaded it and started reading.  I realized just after dl-ing the 2nd book that I needed to get reading on Wool, the sci-fi mentioned earlier, before it expires.  I originally wanted to read Wool first first but forgot that it was an online book that I must read on my desktop.  I don't like reading on my desktop.  So thus I went with the fantasy book by Mr. Martin.  But, I do need to finish Wool because the whole point was to get to the 3rd book in the trilogy or series, having heard that it was pretty good.



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zena

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Re: Moonangel's Book Reviews 2014
« Reply #103 on: December 31, 2014, 11:46:17 AM »
O0 ... kekeke  ...  :o

Moonangel,

That's some serious reading there. In two postings, you've probably read more books than me, or the average person.

I never enjoyed reading.  It has always been laborious, and as you mentioned,  makes me sleepy a lot of the times.

And now, being older,  I tend to steer from fictional,  sci-fi, and fairy tales.  But I use to love them growing up though I preferred short stories over books and novels.

Good work.  It's inspiring,  for me to read more.  Nowadays,  I am more into researching though -- all things Hmong/Miao ... kekeke ...  8)  ( Only if I could read as diligently as you,  I'd finish most/ALL my initial research already ... kekeke ...  8) )

Sidenote:
I read a New York Times best seller, 4.5/5, book once and was rather disappointed afterwards. Don't recall the title,  but it is about a grieving father,  whose daughter was kidnapped and murder. He eventually met and spent time with God,  yes -- your Biblical God -- who helped him cope, forgive,  and embrace his tragedy.  Yup. Happy ending.  Nope. Not making this up. And nope,  I don't believe in Jesus, or God. Not your "white", all loving blah blah blah one that's for sure.

Thanks!  Yeah, it's been a challenge but it was a goal and I couldn't let myself down.  There were times when I wanted to stop but I'm glad I didn't because it feels great knowing that I can still finish goals I make for myself...LOL.

I know what you mean by getting sleepy when reading.  I've been sleepy too so I tend to read late at night when I have too much on my mind and can't sleep.  That's why I prefer to read on the Kindle instead of the desktop.  Actual books are preferred too over the desktop.

That's interesting that you are staying away from sci-fi and fantasies but I can understand how you would do that being that you read them when you were younger.  I am that way too except the opposite.  I was going for my Master's in creative non-fiction and all my assignments were reading non-fictions and writing non-fictions.  It was hard already reading each true story written so beautifully and metaphorically but to have to re-read them to do the assignments, which was to evaluate and break them up, dissect them, etc.  It was too much.  I cried way too much.  Fiction in the form of sci-fi and fantasy are good for me because they are gory and just full of craziness: deaths, murders, torture, etc., but I know it's not real so I can handle it.  It's also helped me deal with real life pain.  My dad and grandma are both in the hospital - dad had a stroke and grandma has heart failure - dad has been having heart problems for a couple of years now and it's hard to deal with it.  I don't know how actually.  So, reading these books about deaths and stuff helps.

I"m glad you are starting to read more.  Reading is good no matter what subject...exce pt of course, reading for school is a pain...to me.

I don't go by what the New York Times Best Sellers recommends.  Sometimes I do but rarely.  And, I don't like books about God or Jesus or real life religions (even though I am a church going person and pray often).  I like made up religions but mostly I stay away from any book that tries to persuade me to believe differently.  I want to simply live in the author's imagination, not be told how to be or what I should believe in.  :)



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zena

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Re: Moonangel's Book Reviews 2014
« Reply #104 on: January 13, 2015, 09:56:08 PM »
I'm still reading, A Clash of Kings, by George R.R. Martin.

This year, my reading goal is only 25 books.  Last year, I literally stopped everything I was doing and read every free minute I had.  This year, I've got a lot of things to catch up on so I'm heartbroken that I can't read as many books as I'd like to but at least I'm going to try to get 25 books in.



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