Torment (Fallen #2) by Lauren Kate

Description:

How many lives do you need to live before you find someone worth dying for? In the aftermath of what happened at Sword & Cross, Luce has been hidden away by her cursed angelic boyfriend, Daniel, in a new school filled with Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans. Daniel promises she will be safe here, protected from those who would kill her. At the school Luce discovers what the Shadows that have followed her all her life mean - and how to manipulate them to see into her other lives. Yet the more Luce learns about herself, the more she realizes that the past is her only key to unlocking her future...and that Daniel hasn't told her everything. What if his version of the past isn't actually the way things happened...what if Luce was really meant to be with someone else?

My Thoughts:

Torment is the second book in Fallen series. I did like the second books but I was not crazy about it. I found it to be a lot similar to the first books, just different school. Lucy and Daniel are still having the same problems as in first book, also I could not help but think that Luce is somewhat gullible in this book. It seemed that with each chapter Luce is having this internal dialog going on about Daniel and why she loves, or if she should love him, or what happened to her family in past lives. There were times that I wanted to take the book and just shake it, but that would help nothing.

I found that in the second book, same as first, first half of the book was slow developing story, not much happening. Actually it was only in the last hundred pages that you see the plot starting to pick up, something exciting happening. First half of the books was about Luce trying to figure out her feelings for Daniel, her past lives, but all was slow moving and I could not help but think that each chapter was repetitive in some ways.

Luce’s character is very likeable and I think that is what kept me reading, because I wanted to find out what happens to her and Daniel. The story is told from Luce’s point of view, so you do not get to have a feel for what Daniel is feeling, other than in the first chapter because books opens from his and Cam’s point of view. I do kind of wish that we get to see more of Daniel’s point of view as well. In the second books Luce’s and Daniel’s relationship is still rocky and Luce does not know where she stands. There is a lot of unknown in this story and the author does not reveal much at all in this book. So, pretty much you do not learn any more than you have already read in book one. That was kind of disappointing because it gives a feeling that the story line is not moving along at all.

Overall, I am kind of on a fence with this book. I liked it and I did not like it, for some reason I could not make up my mind. I give this book 3 STARS out of 5 STARS.

Jane by April Lindner

Description:

Forced to drop out of an esteemed East Coast college after the sudden death of her parents, Jane Moore takes a nanny job at Thornfield Park, the estate of Nico Rathburn, an iconic rock star on the brink of a huge comeback. Practical and independent, Jane reluctantly becomes entranced by her magnetic and brooding employer, and finds herself in the midst of a forbidden romance. But there's a mystery at Thornfield, and Jane's much-envied relationship with Nico is tested by a torturous secret from his past.

Part irresistible romance and part darkly engrossing mystery, this contemporary retelling of the beloved classic Jane Eyre promises to enchant a new generation of readers (from Goodreads).

My Thoughts:

I have to admit I am a big fan of Jane Eyre book and when I first discovered this book I had to have it. I could not wait to start reading it. Now that I have finished it, I am quite disappointed the book was not what I expected it to be. I wanted this book to be good so bad, but it was not. I am sorry to say but it was just very poor version of trying to recreate a modern version of Jane Eyre.

Jane, is a nineteen year old university student who has to drop out because she can not longer pay for. Well her parents can not, since they died. She finds a job as a nanny to the famous rock star, Nico Rathburn. There is a lot of similarity to the original Jane Eyre story, but that is where it stops. There is no chemistry between the characters, there is no tension, or that gothic feeling that you get when you read Jane Eyre. Its not dark and dreary, it is just plain.

Character were boring, flat, uninteresting, and forced. The chemistry between Jane and Nico was non existent, at least I did not feel it when I read the book. I felt nothing. This book just did not work for me. I think that I could have liked Jane, but her character was just too poorly developed that there was nothing to like. Same goes for Nico, there was not enough character build up or development. You do not get to know the characters.

I have to say, even though it pains me to do so, this was a boring book and not good at all.
I have nothing positive to say about it. Actually there is one positive thing that came out of reading this book. It prompted me to read the original Jane Eyre again.

Since I have nothing good to say about this book I will stop writing down all the negatives. So, for all the readers out there, especially fans of Jane Eyre, do not bather, this is not worth you the money. I would borrow it from the library if you can rather than go out and buy it.

I give this book 1 STAR out of 5 STARS.

The lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1) by Rick Riordan

Description:

Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school...again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus's stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves (from Goodreads).

My Thoughts: 

I bought this book around the time when the movie was released, but never got the chance to read until now. I usually like to read a book before I see a movie, so now that I have finished reading this book I can watch the movie. I have been reading this book for the last week or so on my lunch breaks and I loved it. It reminds me a lot of Harry Potter, even though I see a lot of similarities to HP it is not a turn off. But it holds its own.

This is a story about a young boy, Percy, who is a son of a god, an Olympian God. It does not take a genius to discover that his father is Poseidon. I like Percy, he is a very lovable character and very interesting character as well. He is brave, caring, loyal to his friends, smart, sarcastic, and funny. His life takes a sudden turn when he discovers that he is a demigod, a son of a god. Book is action packet and fast paced, there are no slow parts were story drags on for ever. Rather it very nicely paced; writing was very clear and concise. The author did a good job with this book, you as a reader connect emotionally to the characters in the book, and not just to Percy but to others as well.

I liked the secondary character, Grover who is a satyr and Annabeth who is a daughter of goddess Athena. I really enjoyed the friendship that developed between the three and I hope to see more of the trio. There are many other minor characters in the story, actually I do not think that I disliked anyone. I liked god Dionysus and him drinking coke or Pepsi, it was some kind of soda, I thought that was kind of ironic.

Overall this was a great book, and I would strongly recommend it to readers who like books based on Greek myths. This would be a book for you. It has it all, action, adventure, fantasy, friendship, bad guys, mythology and many other things. Also those of you who are fans of Harry Potter might enjoy this books as well.

I give this book 4 STARS out of 5 STARS.