Summary: “Can a Beverly Hills teen survive without a smart phone, Internet, and TV? Edna will find out.
Edna is thirteen, a precocious troublemaker wreaking havoc at her Beverly Hills school. Her therapist advocates medication, but her parents come up with an alternative cure: Edna will spend the summer in the desert with her grandparents. Their remote cabin is cut off from cell phone service, Internet and television. Edna’s determined to rebel until she meets an older local boy and falls in love for the first time. How can she get to know him from the edge of nowhere?”
Cover Review: Meh. It tells me nothing about the book, and doesn’t really incline me to pick it up. It’s a low-budget graphic design, nothing more.
My Review: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Weird disclaimer, of sorts. I wrote this review three years ago, but forgot to post it to my blog, so here ya go! Short, but sweet :)
So I thoroughly enjoyed this book. 3.5 stars.
I have a bit of mixed feelings on it. I feel that the story and message of the book came across quite well, however I feel that adding the almost sex scene between a 13 year old and a 17 year old, and the 13 year old’s continued thoughts afterwards, was absolutely 100% unnecessary, and for this reason I will not recommend this book to anyone under 16, even though the rest of the book is very lenient age wise.
Content Advisory: The above mentioned scenes of a sexual nature between a 17 year old and a 13 year old. I read this when I was 16, and there was stuff in it that I hadn’t even heard yet.
BUT, I did love the writing. The best thing? It was a very fluid easy read, that I could hardly put down! I loved the story, and I loved how it was written, and I loved the morals. They were very prominent, but not slap-you-in-the-face. It was a very thought provoking book, and I really loved it! I’m looking forward to hopefully reading more about Edna in months/years to come! I highly recommend this book, but only to readers 16 and up.
Summary: “In a world that has forgotten the ancient bond between horses and humans, can one girl’s dreams make people remember?
Sahara travels with her clan in a future, barren environment where recyclables are bartered for sustenance, and few remember horses or their connection to humans. But Sahara has recurring dreams of riding astride on magnificent animals that run like the wind. At the Gardener’s Camp, she discovers a valuable book and learns that her visions are real. But how can she persuade others of the ancient bond between horses and humans, when she is labeled just a foolish girl?
When Sahara discovers a helpless young horse, she must use both her courage and inborn knowledge to keep the animal safe, convince others of the true worth of horses, and learn the secret of her real identity.”
Cover Review: It’s pretty, but I wish it was artwork. It’s a very nice picture, though. I dislike the fact that it’s so completely unrelated to the book. The horse doesn’t look like the horse in the book (if I’m remembering right) and overall, the cover gives a contemporary feel to the novel. I really think this book could benefit from having a cover that actually portrayed the dystopian nature of this book.
My Review: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. If memory serves, I actually requested this book from the author, because the premise fascinated me so much. I’ve read plenty of equestrian fiction over the years, but equestrian dystopian? That’s completely new to me. It was a really fun book!
Characters: The characters were possibly my favorite thing about this story. The main cast of characters was good-sized, but they were all very well-developed and fascinating. They were flawed and independent and believable. I especially loved the character’s dynamics and interactions with each other — that, I think, is really where Linda Benson’s skill in writing shines the brightest. I loved each and every one of these characters, even the not-so-lovable ones, and that can be a very difficult thing for a lot of books to achieve. But The Girl Who Remembered Horses had a cast of characters that makes me desperately wish to return to the world in a sequel to learn more about them. I especially loved Sahara, who was worthy of an entire set of American Girl Doll books and merch.
Plot: The plot was really moving and emotional. It kinda felt like a Dystopian Little House on the Prairie, if that makes any sense. Thinking back on what I said about Sahara being like an AG doll, my feelings towards this book make a lot more sense. That’s exactly what this book felt like! It was a story of heart, of love, and of determination. Sahara is the American Girl Doll of the dystopian future, and her action-packed and heartwarming story illustrates that beautifully.
Content Advisory: Talk of death and butchering animals. An elderly person dies in sleep.
To Sum It Up: This is the perfect book to read with your pre-teen and teenage daughters. Who am I kidding? It’s perfect for all ages — middle grade to adult! This was a really fun and worthwhile book. It’s one of those books that I want to read to my own children one day. I highly recommend this book for readers ages 7 and up.
Summary: “Every 12-year-old’s two favorite words: Summer vacation. No cold weather. No school. Just months of free time ahead.
Best friends Sage Carrington and Isabel Flores are making the most of their summer break when they discover an antique treasure map near the Washington Monument. But when faced with difficult clues and a bully in the form of Edwin Hooser, the tween girls must use every bit of imagination, drive, and intellect to outsmart Edwin and decipher the map.
Join Sage and Isabel on a journey through the nation’s capital as they try to solve the puzzle and recover a priceless bounty.”
Cover Review: I adore this cover! Every little thing on it comes straight out of the book, and the artwork is amazing! Fabulous attention to detail.
My Review: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. As a nineteen year old, I’m not exactly the target audience for this book, but I read it to my little sister, who enjoyed it. I really have nothing against MG books, and I’ve read and enjoyed many of them, even as an adult, but this one just wasn’t really my style. I’d say it’s aimed more at 6-10, then it is at the typical MG age range of 8-12. Even though the protagonist is a 12 year old, I think the book just seems a bit younger than that.
Characters: The characters were well developed, and fun to read. I especially appreciated the real and hard issues that these characters deal with — bullying, divorce, failure, and cancer, to name a few. However, these issues are dealt with in such a way that they aren’t too intense for a middle grade audience. I think this book actually does a fabulous job of showing young children cope with these issues, and perhaps helping readers to find ways to cope with these or similar issues. The camaraderie and friendship between the two leads is beautiful and reminds me of my own childhood best friends.
Plot: The plot felt a bit all over the place at times, but overall, I think it was fast-paced enough to keep little kid’s attention, even if they can’t quite keep track of all the different things going on. Kids will for sure enjoy following Sage as she goes on her treasure hunt and various science-y adventures.
Content Advisory: It’s a MG novel. A girl almost drowns in a pool, and a girl also gets in a crash during a soapbox car race. Deals with topics like divorce, cancer, and bullying.
To Sum It Up: I think as an adult, this book is best read with a young child, rather than just alone. Reading it to a child helps you to enjoy and appreciate it for what it is — a fun story of adventure, friendship, and determination aimed at young children. I recommend this book to readers aged 5-10.
Summary: “Jules Thornton didn’t come to Ocala to make friends. She came to make a name for herself. Young, determined, and tough as nails, she’s been swapping stable-work for saddle-time since she was a little kid – and it hasn’t always been a fun ride. Forever the struggling rider in a sport for the wealthy, all Jules has on her side is talent and ambition. She’s certain all she needs to succeed are good horses, but will the eventing world agree?
On her own at last, Jules is positive she’s poised to become eventing’s newest star, but soon finds she’s making more enemies than friends in the close-knit equestrian community. Little mistakes cost big — her students are losing faith in her; her owners are starting to pull their horses. And then there’s the small matter of Peter Morrison, the handsome, on-the-rise event rider who keeps showing up when she least expects him.
Jules is convinced that all she needs is good horses — not friends, not romance, not anyone’s nose in her business. But it’s just the beginning of the long, hot, Ocala summer, and as Jules tumbles through the highs and lows of a life with horses, she might find she’ll need help after all to weather the coming storm.“
Cover Review: It’s pretty, and it does a good enough job of portraying the book accurately. I think it could greatly benefit from some real artwork, not just an image with text over it, but it’s not the worst I’ve ever seen.
My Review: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is a difficult book for me to review. As you can clearly tell from my five star rating, I really really loved this book. But the protagonist was infuriating, and the love interest was almost unrealistically obsessed with someone who had made it crystal clear that she despised him… But I still loved it. And I even loved the protagonist and the love interest (he wasn’t quite fleshed out enough to be anything more than that right off, unfortunately). They were just infuriating and dumb enough to be realistic, tbh.
Characters: So I guess I already started into this. Jules had a ridiculously huge victim complex, and was convinced that the ENTIRE world hated her (And if the person in question was rich, then they were basically personally responsible for every single one of her life problems), and as much as that part of her character made me want to talk (scream?) some sense into her, it was still very realistic. I mean, what’s the point of reading a book if you want the characters to be fairytale perfect without any unfair prejudices? Unless, of course, you’re reading a legit fairytale, and even then, those are darker than we give them credit for.
Aaannd… I’m off topic again. Anyway, I really loved Jules. She was fiercely independent, she was very knowledgeable about horses, and had worked insanely hard to get where she was. She was a beautifully complex and flawed character, and I cannot WAIT to read the second book and get to know her better. Mostly I loved her because of the huge amount of character development she underwent throughout the book. The other characters in the book were all wonderful, as well, adding great depth to the story as a whole.
Romance: I know I don’t usually have this section in my reviews, but I felt that if I didn’t have it, I would just rant about the strange relationship everywhere else. This is my attempt at some semblance of organization and self-discipline. So, I said above that Pete wasn’t fleshed out enough to constitute a co-starring character in the book, and unfortunately, that was true. He really was just an unusually complex love interest. I really hope he actually becomes a character in his own right in the second book. I really did love his character, though! I thought he was a pretty fabulous person, with amazing potential, and he was pretty fantastic with dealing with crazy-pants Jules. I definitely liked him more than I liked her, hahaha. He was really good at keeping a cool head all the time. I did wonder why he kept pursuing her when she kept telling him she hated him because he was rich / competition / both… But I suppose that’s just how romance novels are written. Once they finally got their act together, I thought the romance was beautiful and fun.
Plot: This was my favorite part of the book. I love love loved it. From the day-to-day drudgery and dangers of horse training and stabling, to the high stress competitive eventing environment, to the devastating natural disasters of Florida — this book had it all, and handled it all in such a way that made me always anxious to flip the next page and figure out what happens next. The plot and story of this book were absolutely PERFECT. The plot is definitely what made this a 5 star book.
Content Advisory: Some minor swearing, some huge and terrifying disasters, but nothing graphic.
To Sum It Up: Not too long ago, I had sworn off of equestrian fiction entirely. But then something changed — I read Appaloosa Summer, and my hope in equestrian novels was restored. So I was only slightly hesitant about accepting this book, and I loved every single action packed second of it! I highly recommend this book to all horse-crazy readers 16 and up!
Summary: The sleepy seaside village of Porthaven hides a mystery: Mia’s grandad has vanished, and nobody knows why. When Mia and her mom rush to Porthaven to help her grandmother, Mia imagines long dreary days with no one to talk to except for the old-time fisherman at her grandparents’ pub. But that’s before Mia finds a diary on an empty, docked fishing boat and starts exchanging notes with a local girl named Dee, a girl who seems much like her. Mia is excited about having a new friend, but why do their plans to meet each other never materialize? And why does Dee claim to be stuck at home due to violent storms when Mia sees only sunny skies? Will Mia be able to solve the mystery of where — and when — her grandfather and friend might be before time and tide forever wash away their futures?
My Review: I adore Liz Kessler, so, obviously, I was psyched when I heard about this book. But then I read the synopsis and *YAWN* instant boredom. Even for a middle grade reader. So I expected to hate this book. I thought it was gonna be your stereotypical girl goes to live with grandparents for vacation, she’s absolutely distraught, because the place doesn’t have internet, coming of age, stupid romance, yada yada yada. But it was LIZ KESSLER. So I had to read it.
Boy, was I glad I did! Everything I listed above? Despite the first chapter, it’s not like that — not at all. It was a mystery. But a fun one. The clues slowly appeared (at first, so subtley that it wasn’t until later you realized they had been there), and throughout the book you’re slowly putting pieces together, until… BAM! MIND. BLOWN.
Content Advisory: It’s a middle grade novel written by an acclaimed middle grade author. Nothing inappropriate at all.
To Sum It Up: Time travel. Never thought it could be accomplished in a way that left me satisfied and without questions. But it was. It was amazing. Fantastic. Thoroughly enjoyable cover-to-cover. A fun, light, read, I recommend North of Nowhere for anyone ages 6+.
The island.
Meg can’t wait to get back. She’s excited to see her new mare kick up her heels in Salem’s old paddock. She’s impatient to run on country roads between breeze-blown hayfields.
Mostly, Meg longs to be back with Jared again.
It’s going to be the perfect summer.
But can real life live up to Meg’s huge expectations?
When Jared makes a heart-wrenching confession, Meg has to re-evaluate everything. If perfection’s not possible, can Meg find a way to build happiness for herself?
Fans of Appaloosa Summer will welcome the return to familiar places and characters, with the chance to be captivated by more of the beauty, romance, and dreaminess of Meg’s summer island life.
Pages/Genre: 181/Equestrian Fiction
Rating: ★★★★★ (5 of 5)
My Review: You may recall the not so distant past when I was gushing to you about Appaloosa Summer, the horse book that restored my faith in equestrian fiction. And not to long ago, I was claiming that I believed that Wednesday Riders would be just as much of my “Happy Book” as Appaloosa Summer had been. Boy, was I in for a surprise. Probably no more than two or three chapters in, I was sobbing and throwing things.
So, thank you to the incredible Tudor Robins for sending me a free copy of Wednesday Riders!
I could just cut this review short and say “OHMYGOSH I LOVE TUDOR ROBINS SO FREAKING MUCH SHE WRITES THE BEST BOOKS IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD I CAN”T EVEN ASDFGHJKL”, but that really wouldn’t be professional, so I’m going to write a “real” review.
Hero/ine: Meg: In my review of Appaloosa Summer I gave a pretty good overview of all the things I loved about Meg. Appaloosa Summer was a happy book. It had conflict, yes, but it was happy. In Wednesday Riders, Meg was faced with horrific circumstances that would change anybody. Meg became a little bit of a whiny teenage girl in this book, but that wasn’t a bad thing. It didn’t make me mad like it did when characters like Tris or Katniss did it. Because it was different. She was incredibly complex and deep – she was a real character, with real feelings, emotions, and reactions. She was utterly relatable and therefore utterly lovable. Remember Amy Fleming from CBC’s hit family drama Heartland? (if you haven’t — BEST. SHOW. EVER.) Though the characters are each very different and unique, and I’m not saying that Ms. Robins ripped off Heartland by ANY stretch of the imagination, but the two women are very alike in a few ways. I love it. I think they would be best friends.
Jared: Without giving anything away, I can say that Jared was colored with an unfavorable light from the very beginning. And it broke my heart. Because I adore Jared. But even though he was not as physically present in Wednesday Riders as he had been in Appaloosa Summer, I still absolutely adored him. He was still very real, complex, and engaging. That’s what I loved most, actually. He wasn’t forced into the Male Love Interest YA Fictional Novel stereotypes. He wasn’t perfect and he wasn’t terrible – he was a real person. Good things, bad things, perfectly romantic and adorable things, ALL of those things are what make me love Jared so freaking much.
Plot: I felt the agony, I experienced the pain. This was a very pain filled book for me — and quite the shocker, since I’d expected it to be super happy and perfect. But, another PHENOMENAL thing about this book? It wasn’t all about the romance. Yeah, that factored into it, and yeah, it affected the characters, but they still had lives. I loved the plot about the Wednesday Riders, and about Bridget. Tudor isn’t afraid to address the hard issues. Nor is she afraid to resolve them. One thing is for certain, Wednesday Riders does NOT suffer from Second Book Syndrome. I wish I could say more about the specific things I loved, and the character decisions that I didn’t love, and the overall freaking amazingness that is this entire book, but, alas, SPOILERS. :(
Content Advisory: Eesh. This made me sad. I found it largely unnecessary, BUT… There was one scene of a sexual nature, went to second base. There was one scene of an implied sexual nature, but largely it took place off-screen. There were mentions of drinking, smoking, and of having sex. I can’t recall much swearing, so it was probably a relatively small amount of D’s, S’s, and B’s.
To Sum it Up: Though the sex scenes did disappoint me, aside from that I adored this book – almost as much as the first – even MORE in some ways. Appaloosa Summer put the bar ridiculously high, but Wednesday Riders did not disappoint. The complex and engaging characters (I loved the integration of the children!), the emotional and heart wrenching discoveries, and the horses (oh, the horses!) – this book was fabulous from beginning to end. I was crying, I was laughing, I was screaming, (and if I owned the physical copy, I would have been throwing it, as well). This is one of the best equestrian fiction novels you will ever read. I highly recommend it to 16+.
You may recall back in August when I was gushing about Appaloosa Summer in my review. Tudor Robins truly restored my faith in equestrian fiction and contemporary romance in one fell swoop — and I fell madly in love with Appaloosa Summer, hardly able to wait for the sequel. Well, today, I am INSANELY EXCITED to announce that the sequel is available for purchase on Amazon.com. Do you love horses? Romance? A fun, light, novel? Appaloosa Summer became my “Happy book”. I just started Wednesday Riders, and I expect it to be the same. I am SO SO EXCITED. I’m sure this book is going to be just as (if not more) amazing than Appaloosa Summer! And if ALL of that isn’t enough… check out the GORGEOUS cover! It’s to die for!
Cover image from author, summary from goodreads.com. Image links to Goodreads book page.
Summary: The island.
Meg can’t wait to get back. She’s excited to see her new mare kick up her heels in Salem’s old paddock. She’s impatient to run on country roads between breeze-blown hayfields.
Mostly, Meg longs to be back with Jared again.
It’s going to be the perfect summer.
But can real life live up to Meg’s huge expectations?
When Jared makes a heart-wrenching confession, Meg has to re-evaluate everything. If perfection’s not possible, can Meg find a way to build happiness for herself?
Fans of Appaloosa Summer will welcome the return to familiar places and characters, with the chance to be captivated by more of the beauty, romance, and dreaminess of Meg’s summer island life.
“To show how much I appreciate my readers’ feedback, any reviews of Wednesday Riders posted on Amazon or Goodreads until March 15, 2015 will make the review-writer eligible to win print copies of Appaloosa Summer and Wednesday Riders, as well as my first book, Objects in Mirror.”
Now that’s an offer too great to pass up!
Make sure to buy your copy here! You won’t regret it!
Summary: Maya Gupta is a survivor. After escaping an impending arranged marriage in India as a teenager, she has thrived in America. But now she faces her greatest challenge yet—cancer has invaded her life, and unless she finds a way to participate in a clinical trial in Washington, DC, this may be one battle she loses. When Maya’s best friend Kari offers Maya the lifeline of a place to stay—her brother’s currently vacant DC apartment—the young woman eagerly accepts and goes to meet her fate . . .
Ben Evans’s plans have changed, and he’s heading home for some much-needed rest and relaxation during his off-season in the major leagues. Upon arriving at his DC apartment, however, Ben is shocked to find Maya—his sister’s friend, who he hardly knows—in residence. He soon finds himself trapped between protecting his above-reproach reputation and searching for a way to help a woman he is coming to admire. When Maya’s fight to survive her disease becomes more complicated than ever, she and Ben scheme an extreme solution to her predicament that tests to what lengths they’re willing to go together to save Maya’s life.
Genre/Pages: Sweet Romance/245
Rating: ★★★★★ (5 of 5)
My Review: It’s been a VERY long time since I’ve read a standalone book that I found nearly impossible to put down. Chances Are was that book. With a touching story, realistic and relatable characters, and a battle for life and love, this is a book that you’ll treasure forever. Just, be warned, you’ll need a box of tissues to read it! I planned on reading this over the course of a couple weeks — on again, off again, amidst other books — I sat down and opened the book. 4 or 5 hours later, I read the final page, and gently closed the book and put it down.
Plot: Okay, I’ll be honest, 5 chapters in, and I was sure I knew exactly what was going to happen for the entire book. And sure, a few small guesses of mine may have been correct, but, overall… Not just the final destination of the story, but especially the journey of the characters and plot, HOW they got to the destination, was not only largely unpredictable, but enjoyable and exhilarating. It had me on the edge of my seat, it made me cry, grin, squeal, “awwww”, *facepalm*, talk to characters, and basically it just reaffirmed to my family that I am completely crazy. But it was worth it. Sure, it may have had some minor predictable aspects, but overall, it was completely fresh and original. I loved every single second of it. It reminded me of Jack Weyland’s Charly. But, to be completely honest, I think I liked Chances Are even more.
Hero/Heroine: Maya and Ben. I ship it. Hardcore. Within a few pages of meeting her, you grow to love Maya, and feel incredible empathy for her. You find yourself cheering her on. This is no whiny teenage girl. Maya is a fighter. Ben. He’s not your average fictional romantic counterpart. He’s different, and special. He’s a Major League Baseball player, star on the rise, and not only was he super sweet, lovable, and swoon-worthy, but he was a real person. With real thoughts, problems, and conflicts. I loved it. For me, the most important thing in any book is the character development and relations. I adored all of the characters, and couldn’t get enough of their interactions. Nothing was rushed, surprisingly enough, and nothing ever lagged. Perfectly paced, with plenty of laughs, smiles, and tears. This is probably one of my favorite romance novels ever now. I hope it gets made into a movie.
Content Advisory: It deals very directly with the struggles of cancer and the reality of death. Some kissing.
To Sum it Up: Traci tackled some major issues in this novel, and she came out on top. If you want a nice, heartwarming, novel you’ll treasure for ever, buy your copy of Chances Are today! There’s not a lot I can say without giving anything away, but I promise you, you WILL love this book.
Stayed Tuned! Coming Soon: Q&A with the amazing Traci Hunter Abramson!
Something new I’m starting: Using Reenin from Deviantart’s sketch Reading Zone, as a guide, I will determine which Reading Posture I was using during this book. :)
Chances Are Reading Posture: Enthralled Reading — Lost to Reality Reading, depending on the scene, with Tears Streaming Down Face.
Click here to see Reenin’s sketch on Deviantart!
Have you heard of this book before? Have you read it? Did you like it?
Summary: Though the Greek and Roman crewmembers of the Argo II have made progress in their many quests, they still seem no closer to defeating the earth mother, Gaea. Her giants have risen—all of them—and they’re stronger than ever. They must be stopped before the Feast of Spes, when Gaea plans to have two demigods sacrificed in Athens. She needs their blood—the blood of Olympus—in order to wake.
The demigods are having more frequent visions of a terrible battle at Camp Half-Blood. The Roman legion from Camp Jupiter, led by Octavian, is almost within striking distance. Though it is tempting to take the Athena Parthenos to Athens to use as a secret weapon, the friends know that the huge statue belongs back on Long Island, where it “might” be able to stop a war between the two camps.
The Athena Parthenos will go west; the Argo II will go east. The gods, still suffering from multiple personality disorder, are useless. How can a handful of young demigods hope to persevere against Gaea’s army of powerful giants? As dangerous as it is to head to Athens, they have no other option. They have sacrificed too much already. And if Gaea wakes, it is game over.
Genre/Pages: Mythological Fantasy/502
Rating: ★★★★★ (5 of 5)
My Review: For me, the end came quietly. This will not be an all-caps review. My emotions were not all caps. It was a quiet, gentle, agony… but it left almost a sense of peace — definitely a sense of … not happiness … more like, serenity. When I finished it, it wasn’t a throw-the-book-across-the-room-shove-your-face-in-a-pillow-and-scream moment. I gently closed the book, placed it next to me on my bed, laid down, covered my face with a blanket and pillow and softly began to cry as I quietly mumbled nonsensically. Absolutely spoiler-free, it went something like this (add lengthend sylablles and shaky breathes as needed): “and now I’ll never know. What if — . What if — . and now I’ll never know. Rick, you’re so mean. why are you so mean, Rick? I’ll never know. It’s over. forever. The end of an era. But, what if — .” It was a daring conclusion, and I’d never read anything like it. It was wholly original. In other words, this was an epic conclusion to a phenomenal series.
Hero/Heroine: Well, there ARE ten main character, so this’ll probably get complicated. Narrators: Piper, Leo, Reyna, Nico, and Jason. Other main characters: Percy, Annabeth, Hazel, Frank, and (kinda sorta), Octavian. Rick does a fabulous job of creating separate characters with seperate roles, without getting them confused, or lessening the role of any one character. A lot of people complained that Percy didn’t have a major role. Wellll… he DID get 5 books in PJ&O, Son of Neptune, AND House of Hades. He’s already played the majority of his role in the final stand. The others had to step up. Equal importance does not mean they all have the same job. Okay, off my soapbox. Anyway, this is the first time we get a POV of Reyna and Nico. They were both FABULOUS. I love Reyna. I thought we were allowed to discover a lot of important background info on these characters, they developed greatly. In fact, Rick Riordan responded to a tweet of mine about Reyna:
Plot: It wasn’t as shocking or world shaking as some of his other books have been, but it was still wonderful and perfect, in a completely different way. There was never a dull moment, but the whole book had a sense of EASE to it. I loved how it all went down. It was the perfect balance between the characters, locations, and Points of View. I think Rick did a wonderful job of wrapping up each character’s story, even if they didn’t have a POV. This book was perfect.
Content Advisory: Duh. It’s Rick Riordan. There’s nothing bad. It’s intense, there are a some teenage deaths, but nothing horrible.
To Sum it Up: Just read it, alright? Give it a chance. There may have been a few things I didn’t ADORE about the book, or things I wish could have happened, but Rick knows best. It was all perfect. So perfect. I love this world. This series. This is the end of an era. My childhood. It’s over.
Something new I’m starting: Using Reenin from Deviantart’s sketch Reading Zone, as a guide, I will determine which Reading Posture I was using during this book. :)
Blood of Olympus Reading Posture: Lost to Reality Reading
Click here to see Reenin’s sketch on Deviantart!
Have you heard of this book before? Have you read it? Did you like it?
Summary: Macey McHenry—Glamorous society girl or spy-in-training?
W.W. Hale V—Heir to an American dynasty or master thief?
There are two sides to every coin. Whether these two can work together is a tossup.
Born into privilege, Macey and Hale are experts at mingling with the upper class. But even if they’ve never raised an eyebrow at the glitz, neither teenager has ever felt at home with the glamour.
When Macey and Hale meet at a society gala, the party takes a dangerous turn. Suddenly they’re at the center of a hostage situation, and it’s up to them to stop the thugs from becoming hostile. Will Macey’s spy skills and Hale’s con-man ways be enough to outsmart a ruthless gang? Or will they have to seek out the ultimate inside girl to help?
The worlds of Heist Society and the Gallagher Girls collide in Ally Carter’s fast-paced, high-stakes and tantalizing new story. Get a behind the scenes glimpse as Ally delivers an irresistible thriller that is full of her signature style and savvy twists.
My Review: I. Loved. This. Book. First off, a shout-out to the amazing Ally Carter: Thank you SO much for A) writing a cross over, and B) being nice enough make it available for free download! You made a lot of fan-girls happy today. :) Anyway, I wasn’t sure how much I’d like this, but I shouldn’t have worried. Ally Carter knew exactly what she was doing…and this book was amazing. ♥
When I first saw “Macey and Hale” I admit it, I was scared. Not to worry crazy fan-girls of the world! Ally Carter is a genius. I thoroughly enjoyed the character interaction between the two series’, it was fascinating, fun, and very well-written.
The plot was amazing, a perfect mesh of the two worlds, and I loved every second of it. It was exciting, thrilling, and kept me (digitally) flipping pages as fast as physically possible. It took me a little under an hour to read this novella, and I think that’s one of the things I liked the most about it. It was short, yes, but the story wasn’t rushed at all, and it was a great read. Oh, and don’t even get me started on the ending! It was was incredible. Everything about it.
To Sum it up: A fun, short read that will keep you at the edge of your seat. The writing was quite well done, and the character continuity was perfect. Did I like this book? Heck, yeah! Recommended age: 10+.
Escaping Reality – One Book at a Time 