Book #31 – Evermore – the end
I’ll admit, during the first half of Alyson Noël’s Evermore I was wondering what all the fuss was about. Yes, Ever is an interesting character in that she can read people’s minds, see their auras, and talk to dead people. But she’s also just like every other moody, emotional adolescent girl, not wanting her friends to find out about her huge crush on a guy who’s way out of her league and utterly convinced that no one really understands her, not even the psychic the same unusual abilities. And then, just over half way through, things changed and I was hooked.
What I liked about this book was that it wasn’t your typical “girl meets boy who turns out to be a vampire” story. There were some twist that I didn’t see coming at all. I may not rush out to read Blue Moon right away, but I do want to read it at some point. I really want to see how the choices made at the end of Evermore play out in the next book.
What I didn’t like were, at some points, the two main characters: Ever and Damen. There were times that Ever was a bit too whiney to get much sympathy from me. As for Damen, what can I say other than that there were times he was too Edward-esque. But I feel that they redeemed themselves at the end and their story is interesting enough to make me want to read on in the series.
Overall, a fun, quick read with the promise of an even better sequel. My rating: 7.8/10
Book #31 – Evermore
The plan was that once I finished I Dreamed I Married Perry Mason I would dive head first into The Historian. However, last week the library informed me that a book I had requested was ready for me to pick up. A book I have no recollection requesting. I really need to stop browsing the library website late at night.
Anyway, obviously this means I need to read my new book right away, because The Historian is not going to be a quick read. And it’s not going anywhere. My dad lent it to my husband months ago and there’s a good chance it will still be here for quite a few months to come. But, I’m not here to talk about a book I’m not reading yet.
I remember reading a synopsis of Alyson Noël’s Evermore a while ago and thought it looked interesting. It’s is about Ever, a teenager who is anything but ordinary. After surviving a car accident that killed the rest of her family, she’s left with some unusual abilities, including hearing people’s thoughts and being able to see (and converse with) dead people. And then a boy shows up who changes everything.
It’s a pretty easy read – I started last night and am about half done – and I’m enjoying it so far. It’s always fun to get into a new series that you know you’ll want to continue with.
Book #26 – Twenties Girl – the end
As soon as I had Twenties Girl in my possession I was extremely excited to read it. A brand new story by Sophie Kinsella? To a fan of chick lit, what could be better?
Twenties Girl is about Lara, 20-something and she’s not at a great point in life. Her boyfriend recently dumped her, without giving any reasons. The partner of her brand new company has skipped town, leaving Lara floundering. And now, to top things off, she has to get together with her family (who never make her feel good about herself on the best of occasions) to go to the funeral of her 105-year old great-aunt, who she hadn’t even seen since she was a baby. Just when things can’t get any worse, halfway through the funeral the 23-year old ghost of her great-aunt shows up demanding to know where her necklace is, and the only person who can see or hear her is, you guessed it, Lara.
As I said, I was very much looking forward to this book, so much that I was sure it wouldn’t live up to my expectations. And sure enough, when I started reading I was a little bit disappointed. The concept was interesting, but the story felt a little forced.
However, halfway through something happened. Things started coming together. It’s like Sophie Kinsella finally got into her groove. Suddenly I could not put the book down. By the end I was actually surprised at how much I had enjoyed the book and how invested I felt in the characters lives. I won’t give away any details of what made the second half of the book so enjoyable, but I will admit that I did tear up a couple times.
I had a hard time deciding on a rating for Twenties Girl. If I were to rate the two halves of the book separately, I would give the first have a 6.5 and the second have close to a 9. Since I feel that the second half makes up for the slow start, I’m going to go somewhere in between and give the book an 8.
Now to tackle something else in my TBR pile. I think it’s time for a classic.
Book #26 – Twenties Girl – update 1
It feels like Twenties Girl has had a few false starts. It gets off to a pretty good start, but then lags, then picks up a bit, and then lags, and picks up again. I’m about half way through it now, and definitely on an ‘up’ part, so I’m hoping it continues for the rest of the book.
But, it did manage to get a snort-laugh out of me while on (packed) public transit on my way home yesterday. Which I tried to cover up by clearing my throat and then refused to look anyone around me in the eye the rest of the trip. That’s usually a sign of a good Sophie Kinsella book.
Book #26 – Twenties Girl
Yesterday I started Twenties Girl, the latest book from Chick Lit queen Sophie Kinsella. This time around she has tried her hand at a ghost story. A light, humorous ghost story, obviously. It’s about twenty-something Lara, who has recently failed at love & career. To top things off, she’s now having hallucinations, or at least that’s what she wants to believe. The ghost of her great-aunt Sadie has appeared to Lara and is hounding her about finding an all important necklace.
I have pretty high hopes for this book and I’m a little worried it will disappoint. It has started out okay, but I hope it picks up soon.
Book #25 – Dead Until Dark – the end
After I had read the first few chapters of Dead Until Dark, I said to my husband: Why is Twilight so popular when this series is around? I got one answer to that question shortly after. Twilight is Young Adult to the core, while the Southern Vampire Mysteries are definitely more adult.
The main characters are Sookie, telepathic waitress, and Bill, first vampire in town. Despite being beat up a couple times, I liked that Sookie was used to facing things by herself and could stand her own ground. I also like that, at least at first, she wasn’t swayed by Bill’s “glamor” and didn’t immediately fall for him. That part reminded me of the episode of Friends when Joey’s trying to woo his new roommate (Janine played by Elle Machpherson) and when he pulls out his no-fail line “How you doin’?” she just says, “Oh, I’m okay.” However, it doesn’t take all that long for Sookie to jump into bed with Bill, and then they never really get out.
The story was pretty entertaining and I liked the extra flavour the local town’s people added to the book. I also liked the inclusion of the other vampires, especially the ones at the vampire club, and am looking forward to seeing how they are incorporated into the rest of the series.
I’ll most likely continue reading the Southern Vampire Mysteries since I’m a sucker for series. After reading stand-alone books, I often wonder what happens to the characters when the current story ends, how do their lives continue, what other troubles find them, how do they defeat new obstacles? Or do they live happily ever after? And if so, what does that happily ever after look like for them? I love that series answer some of these questions and let me look into the characters lives a bit more.
As for my rating for Dead Until Dark, I’m going to hand out another 7.8. It was definitely Pretty Good, and was getting close enough to Very Interesting that I read it in under a week. However, that could have also been because it’s an easy read.
Next up: Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella. Woot!
Book #25 – Dead Until Dark – update 1
Once there was a girl who didn’t really fit in with the people around her and always felt she was on the outskirts of normal society. Then she meets a handsome vampire who she falls madly in love with and he with her because she is different. Girl also has an old friend who, once vampire is in the picture, realizes that he too is in love with Girl. But he is a shapeshifter, mortal enemy of vampire, so Girl can’t have both in her life.
Sound familiar?
I’ve only read one other vampire series before in my life (Twilight), so I’m not quite sure, but is this a common, basic plot line in all vampire stories?
Anyway, apart from that (and a couple other flaws I will get into in my next post) and I’m still enjoying Dead Until Dark, and really want to start watching the TV show True Blood when I’m done.
