The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder

Description:

Dry, sarcastic, sixteen-year-old Cam Cooper has spent the last seven years in and out hospitals. The last thing she wants to do in the short life she has left is move 1,500 miles away to Promise, Maine - a place known for the miraculous events that occur there. But it's undeniable that strange things happen in Promise: everlasting sunsets; purple dandelions; flamingoes in the frigid Atlantic; an elusive boy named Asher; and finally, a mysterious envelope containing a list of things for Cam to do before she dies. As Cam checks each item off the list, she finally learns to believe - in love, in herself, and even in miracles.

A debut novel from an immensely talented new writer, The Probability of Miracles crackles with wit, romance and humor and will leave readers laughing and crying with each turn of the page (Goodreads).

My Thoughts:

I've seen this book around the book stores, but I never really new what it was about.  So when I was at the library the other day and I saw that they had this book I checked it out right away.  It took me few days to read this book and I have to say that I did like the book, but I did not love it. 

Cam, a sixteen year old who has cancer, and is dying from cancer.  I had a hard time liking Cam, I finished reading the book and still could not connect with her.  She is too sarcastic for me, she is always sarcastic.  As much as I enjoy sarcasm in book, it did not work in this book, I think it was overdone.  As a reader I really did not feel that emotional connection with this story, I did not find it sad or depressing.  Here we are dealing with the big C in a sixteen year old and this book did not evoke any emotional response from me as a reader.  There is something wrong with this, at least I think so.   Also romance between Cam and Asher was rushed and under-developed.  First there is nothing going on romance vise between Asher and Cam and than all of sudden they are dating.  The little town, Promise, where Cam and her mother and sister are staying was intriguing but I wished that the author took more time to describe the town. 

The book was well written, better than a lot of YA books out there, but still there was something about the writing style that rubbed me the wrong way.  The books was written in a third person which I liked because  a lot of YA books are in first person.  Anyways, overall this was a good book, it was not the best book but its not the worst either.  I wished that the book had more emotions, it seemed very distant and cold in a way.  Even the characters felt removed from the reader.  I give this book 3/5 STARS - Happy Reading!

Virals (Virals, #1) by Kathy Reichs

Description:

Tory Brennan, niece of acclaimed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan (of the Bones novels and hit TV show), is the leader of a ragtag band of teenage "sci-philes" who live on a secluded island off the coast of South Carolina. When the group rescues a dog caged for medical testing on a nearby island, they are exposed to an experimental strain of canine parvovirus that changes their lives forever.

As the friends discover their heightened senses and animal-quick reflexes, they must combine their scientific curiosity with their newfound physical gifts to solve a cold-case murder that has suddenly become very hot if they can stay alive long enough to catch the killer's scent.

Fortunately, they are now more than friends they're a pack. They are Virals (Goodreads).


My Thoughts:

This is another book that I got from my local library; I love my local library they have a pretty good YA section.  Also they have very good fiction section too. 

I've been wanting to read this book since it came out, just because it is about Bone's niece.  I love that show and when I found out that this book is about her niece I knew I wanted to read it.  I've also read one of the books from her adult series, but I did not continue reading it.  Not because it was not good, I just got distracted with all the other books. 

Tory Brennon, is a fifteen year old living with her father on a small secluded island.  I liked Tory she is a very good character, she is smart, loves science, independent, good friend, kind and caring.  She has many good characteristics but that is not why I liked her character so much.  I liked her because she is not a tipical YA girl protagonist.  She is into science just like her aunt Brennan is too.  She hangs out with all boys, she is not a girly girl who only thinks about dresses and boys. 

The story line was good even though at first I thought that there was more than one story line going on.  But bit later on in the books I realised that the two story lines were very much connected.  I really like the fact that teh main focus of this book was not romance between Tory and some boy.  Yes the author does touch on some romance, but it is secondary to the story.  There was no love triables going on, or love at first sight or destined to be together type of thing.  Writting was good and well done; mystery part of the book was ok not the best I would say.  The part of the story about the virus that infects Tory and her friends was good but not suficiant.  I wish that there was much more about what was happening to them.  The mystery part of the story kind took over the story and virals became the secondary part of the story rather than main focus. 

Overall this was a good book and I am looking forward to reading book two in the series.  I think I will have to continue reading Reich's adult series as well.   I give this book 4/5 STARS - Happy Reading!

Virals series:

1. Virals
2. Seizure
3. Code - Coming August 2, 2012

The Prophet (Graveyard Queen #3) by Amanda Stevens‏

Description:

My name is Amelia Gray.

I am the Graveyard Queen, a cemetery restorer who sees ghosts. My father passed down four rules to keep me safe and I've broken every last one. A door has opened and evil wants me back.

In order to protect myself, I've vowed to return to those rules. But the ghost of a murdered cop needs my help to find his killer. The clues lead me to the dark side of Charleston—where witchcraft, root doctors and black magic still flourish—and back to John Devlin, a haunted police detective I should only love from afar.Now I'm faced with a terrible choice: follow the rules or follow my heart (Goodreads). 

My Thoughts:

The Prophet, the book three in Graveyard Queen series and it's the last one. But I have to say I have a strong feeling there might be more books in this series. It’s just the feeling and also the way book three ended, it was very open ended and there was a lot of plot lines left hanging. I hope that there is more books in this series, maybe another two or three books, but please do not make it never ending series. I hate those, they get boring. Anyways, I got this book from NetGalley, so thank NetGalley for allowing me to review this book. 

Amelia is back in Charleston and she gets pulled into solving the murder of Robert Freeman, a cop who was murdered on the same night Devlin’s wife and daughter were killed in a car accident. Freeman is a different than any other ghost that Amelia encountered, he can talk to her and appear like a real person. There is a lot of things going on in this book and it was just great. We have a new character, Darius who practices some form of black magic. We learn more about Devlin and his past, but not a lot. We learn about the night that Devlin’s family dies in a car accident. 

I really like what the author has done with Amelia and Devlin’s relationship; the chemistry between the these two is unbelievable and impressive. I was happy with the ending of this book, and I think that there will be more books in this series. But as far as this book ending goes it was good. The main plot line was completed or resolved if you will, but many more have been created.

Overall this was excellent read, I just love Amelia’s character, and Devlin’s character as well. The author is very skillful in creating an intriguing story line and a creepy ghost story. Writing was good and character development and growth was constant throughout all three books. If you have not read any of the Graveyard Queen books yet, give them a try the worst thing it can happen is that you end up liking them or loving the books. I give this book 5/5 STARS – Happy Reading!

Graveyard Queen Series:

1. The Restorer

2. The Kingdom

The Rose Garden by Susanne Kearsley

Description:

When Eva's film star sister Katrina dies, she leaves California and returns to Cornwall, where they spent their childhood summers, to scatter Katrina's ashes and in doing so return her to the place where she belongs.

But Eva must also confront the ghosts from her own past, as well as those from a time long before her own. For the house where she so often stayed as a child is home not only to her old friends the Halletts, but also to the people who had lived there in the eighteenth century. When Eva finally accepts that she is able to slip between centuries and see and talk to the inhabitants from hundreds of years ago, she soon finds herself falling for Daniel Butler, a man who lived--and died--long before she herself was born.

Eva begins to question her place in the present, and in laying her sister to rest, comes to realise that she too must decide where she really belongs, choosing between the life she knows and the past she feels so drawn towards (Goodreads).

My Thoughts:

I am a big fan of Susanna Kearsley books, ever since I have read my first book by her I wanted to read all of them. I do not know what it is about her books, but I just love them. They are so beautifully written and have such interesting characters that I usually have hard time putting her books down. Rose Garden was a wonderful read, it was entertaining, easy to read, and full of wonderful characters.  These books are action packed and drama packed, but rather very laid back story line. Even though it is laid back story line it is not boring. The author manages to keep the readers interest throughout the whole book.

Eva was a such a lovable character, she is kind, smart, generous, and understanding. I really enjoyed the story line of her traveling back and forth in time. The romance between Eva and Daniel Butler was wonderfully done, it was romantic and sweet. There was no raunchy moments or anything like that. Daniel Butler was another lovable character and I was hoping that he and Eva end up together.

Going back and forth in time, time travel if you will, was very well executed. I am usually vary of those book, because they become cumbersome. But not this book, character going back and forth was easy and strait forward. There was no confusion on my part as a reader. I always knew what was going on. 

I do not know what it about Kearsley’s books that I love so much, I think it might be everything about her books. Her writing style is easy and to a point of lazy. But when I say lazy it does not mean a bad thing but a good thing in this case. The book grabs your attention from page one and there is not a single boring moment. Overall this was a excellent read and I will be adding this book to my book collection. If you have not read any of the books by Susanne Kearsley yet you should give her a try. I think that I am positively biased towards this author as well that I cannot see any shortcomings in her books or writing style, cause I love it so much. This does not happen with too many author only handful authors, where I cannot see anything other than how great I think they are.

I give this book 5/5 STARS – Happy Reading!

Other books I reviewed by this author:

The Shadow Horses

Mariana

The Wolf Who Loved Me ( The Westfield Wolves # 5) by Lydia Dare‏

Description:

A new sexy Regency paranormal trilogy by bestselling author Lydia Dare features hunky werewolves who need to learn how to behave in polite society. Can this pack of 'gentlemen' be trained in the ways of the ton, or is it too late to teach an old Lycan new tricks?
Lady Madeline Hayburn is called upon to lend her respectability and introduce the Hadley brothers to society. Mr. Weston Hadley admires her from afar, yet his very presence draws her in... (Goodreads).

My Thoughts:

I requested this book from NetGalley few months ago and I read it about a month ago, but I forgot to post the review for this book. I wrote the review and was saved in my drafts but I never set the date for auto post and it just ended up sitting in my drafts for the last month. Anyways, this was a cute read for me. I love books about wolves and romance. Wolves and Vampires are my favourite and often times I find myself indecisive as to which I like more. 

Lady Madeline Hayburn or Maddie is a lady, smart, sassy, funny, headstrong and entertaining character. She is the daughter of a nobleman, Duke of Hyte and she has a large dowry. But once she meets Wes, Weston Hadley everything changes. She falls for him. There is number of things that happen in this book but I do not want to give them away and ruin book for others. But I have to say that some of the plot was ridiculous. But then I thought to myself get over it this is paranormal historical romance novel, of course it is ridiculous. However it was fun to read. There were number of scenes that were very funny and entertaining, and it made me laugh out loud. My favorite was at the beginning of the book, when the sister-in-law hires a governess for the three grown adult men. It was funny. 

Overall this was a fun, fast and entertaining read. Characters were lively and well developed, there was a lot of humorous situations that our character gets herself into. Like I always say, if you are looking for historical accuracy in this book then you will not find it here. You have to take this book on as an entertainment value nothing more.

I give this book 3/5 STARS – Happy Reading!

The Indigo King (The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica #3) by James A. Owen‏

Description:

Hugo Dyson is abducted after Caretakers John and Jack discover a plea for help he has written on a medieval manuscript. Hugo has been taken into the past. As the Caretakers travel back to find Hugo, they finally learn the identity of the Cartographer, as the Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica continue. (Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

The indigo King is the third book in the the Chronicles of The Imaginarium Geographica series. This book was bit different from the other two, and I really did not know what it was about. In this book our beloved characters John, Jack and other Charles if you will go on an adventure back in time. Certain events take place that change the past and of course future, and they have to go and undo whatever was done to save the future. 

I really enjoyed reading this book, it was not my favorite of the series, but I still enjoyed it very much. I was sad that we did not to see Aven and some of the other characters, but that is alright. I hope that they are in the next book. In this book the characters move through time and hoping to figure out what was changed and how to fix it. There was a lot of funny moments in this book that made me laugh out loud. All the characters are very well written and developed. Characters have actually grown through the books quite a bit, which is a good thing. I really liked what the author did with Charle’s character in this book, you would have to read the book in order to know what I am talking about. He was not the Charles we knew from the previous two books, but he was the Charles in other ways.

Overall this was another good read in the series, Mr. Owen did a good job with this book. I am quite excited to read the next book in the series and lucky me my local library has it. this books or series has it all, adventure, friendship, humor, villains, and some romance. There is a lot of story and world build up, same for the characters as well. there was a constant growth and development thought out the book(s). Also some new characters were added to this story, Hugo Whom we will see in the future book I am pretty sure. I am not sure what I think of him as of yet, but he was not a bad character.

I give this book 4/5 STARS – Happy Reading everyone!

The Imaginarium Geographica Books:

Here, There Be Dragons

The SDragon earch for the Red

The Indigo King

The Shadow Dragons

The Dragon's Apprentice

The Dragons of Winter – Coming August 28^th, 2012

The First Dragon - Coming 2013

Red Glove (Curse Workers, #2) by Holly Black

Description:

Curses and cons. Magic and the mob. In Cassel Sharpe's world, they go together. Cassel always thought he was an ordinary guy, until he realized his memories were being manipulated by his brothers. Now he knows the truth—he’s the most powerful curse worker around. A touch of his hand can transform anything—or anyone—into something else.

That was how Lila, the girl he loved, became a white cat. Cassel was tricked into thinking he killed her, when actually he tried to save her. Now that she's human again, he should be overjoyed. Trouble is, Lila's been cursed to love him, a little gift from his emotion worker mom. And if Lila's love is as phony as Cassel's made-up memories, then he can't believe anything she says or does.

When Cassel's oldest brother is murdered, the Feds recruit Cassel to help make sense of the only clue—crime-scene images of a woman in red gloves. But the mob is after Cassel too—they know how valuable he could be to them. Cassel is going to have to stay one step ahead of both sides just to survive. But where can he turn when he can't trust anyone—least of all, himself?

Love is a curse and the con is the only answer in a game too dangerous to lose (Goodreads). 


My Thoughts:

This is book two in the Curse Workers series.  I actually listen an audio version of book one, White Cat read review HERE.  I was happy to see that my library had a copy of second book in this series.  It took me a while to start reading this book and I am not sure why.  I liked the first book but I think I was not in the mood to read this book at that time.  I started to read this several nights ago and I finished it in two days.  I have to say that I like book two better than book one in the series, which does not happen very often.  Book two continues very book one left off, only few months later.  Cassel is back in school and so is Lila. 

I really liked this book and strangely enough I liked Lili's father even though he is a mafia boss.  Oh well.  I never thought that I would see myself rooting for Cassel to join the crime family.  I did not like the two fed agents that were after Cassel.  They seemed very cocky and overbearing and mean for the most part.  I mean they have to be like that since they are dealing with criminals.  Anyways, I will have to wait and see in book three what happens to Cassel and Lili and the Feds. 

The only problem that I have with this book was that there was not enough action going on around the main storyline.  There was a lot of subplots going on as well, but sometimes I felt that author spend more time on subplot than the main plot.  For example murder of Cassel's brother, this was part of the main story line but there was not a lot of going on with it.  In few chapters we see Cassel being actively involved in the investigation of who killed his brother but he gets easily distracted and led to other things.  Therefore, you get to the end of the book and author tells us who the killer was and you felt like there was not enough clues throughout the books for me as a reader to try and figure it out who the killer was. 

Overall this was a good and entertaining read, and yes I will be reading book three, Black Hearts, in the series as well.  I give this book 4/5 STARS - Happy Reading everyone. 

The Curse Workers books:

1.  White Cat
2.  Red Gloves
3.  Black Hearts - Release April 3, 2012

The Haunting of Charles Dickens by Lewin Buzbee

Description:

Meg Pickel’s older brother, Orion, has disappeared. One night, she steals out to look for him, and makes two surprising discoveries: She stumbles upon a séance that she suspects involves Orion, and she meets the author Charles Dickens, also unable to sleep, and roaming the London streets. He is a customer of Meg’s father, who owns a print shop, and a family friend. Mr. Dickens fears that the children of London aren’t safe, and is trying to solve the mystery of so many disappearances. If he can, then perhaps he’ll be able to write once again.
With stunning black-and-white illustrations by Greg Ruth, here is a literary mystery that celebrates the power of books, and brings to life one of the world’s best-loved authors (Goodreads).

My Thoughts:

I have seen this book in my local library number of times and each time I would overlook it. I was never on my list of book s to read. for the most part when I go to the library I have specific books in mind and that is what I am on the lookout for. I might notice some other books that I might be interested but for the most part I overlook them. This time I decided to give e this books a try.

I was intrigued about this story because Charles Dickens is one of the main characters in the book. I am a big fan of Charles Dickenson’s works, I have read all of his books, but it’s been a while. I wanted to see what the author came up in this story. I have to say that for the most part this was a good read and I did enjoy it. However I did feel that it needed more excitement or more action if you will. Based on the description of the book I was expecting more from this book, I was expecting more action, more intrigue. 

The author does a good job with the story telling and writing. Writing and character development was very good. I really liked how the author incorporated the life of Charles Dickens and child labour into the story. This book touches on a very sensitive issue that was big problem at that time and that is problem today in third world countries where the kids are forced into child labour in order to survive. 

All the characters were very much liked, Meg Pickel was a very brave and smart girl. I liked Meg she was very outspoken and caring, she just wanted to find her brother and same all the other children that were forced into labour. I liked that the author does not concentrate a lot on the issues of male versus female place in the world for this time period. Girls cannot do this or that because they are girls. It’s not that these issues did not matter to the author because they did since he does touch on it, but he does not let that drive the plot. Rather Meg is more free and not confined into the role of female. I really like how Meg and Orion were close as sister and brother. But you only hear from Meg how the two of them were close, we do not see this at the end of the book when she sees saves her brother. I was waiting for the reunion between Meg and Orion but it did not happen. It was anticlimactic.

Overall this was a good read and I enjoyed it very much, but I did not love it. the writing was very good, story line was alright, characters were well developed. I give this books 3/5 STARS – Happy Reading everyone.

Persuasions by Jane Austen

Description:

Of all Jane Austen's novels, Persuasion is widely regarded as the most moving. It is the story of a second chance.

Anne Elliot, daughter of a snobbish, spendthrift Sir Walter Elliot, is a woman of a quiet charm and deep feelings. When she was nineteen, she fell in love with - and was engaged to - a naval officer, the fearless and headstrong Captain Wentworth. But the young man had no fortune, and Anne allowed herself to be persuaded, against her profoundest instinct, to give him up.

Now, at twenty-seven, and believing that she has lost her bloom, Anne is startled to learn that Captain Wentworth has returned to the neighborhood, a rich man and still unwed. Her never-diminished love is muffled by her pride. Even worse, he appears to be infatuated by the flighty and pretty Louisa Musgrove.

What happens as Anne and Wentworth are thrown together in the social world of Bath - and as an eager new suitor appears for Anne - is touchingly and wittily told in a masterpiece that is also one of the most entrancing novels in the English language (Goodreads). 

My Thoughts:

Persuasions one of my favourite works by Jane Austen. But then again all her works are my favourites, I love all of her books. She is one of my favourite authors. I have read all of her books multiple times and I never get bored with them, there is always something new that I find that I never saw before. It has been number of years since I read Persuasions; it was an impulse to read this book.  

I think that Persuasions is one of her better works, but I still have a special place for Pride and Prejudice. Most people think that Jane Austen’s works are just romance books written in 18^th century. Yes they are romance but they are so much more. They are also considered feminist works as well. It touches on number of different issues that a women of 18^th century face, but I am not going to spend much time talking about feminism and Jane Austen books.

Anne Elliot is such a lovable character and every time I read this book I am rooting for her even though I know how it will end. I loved her story, I loved how the author re-unites Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth. I loved the fact that Captain Wentworth realizes that he was being a fool and that he is still in love with Anne seven or eight years later. Anne is a lovable young woman, who is kind and down to earth, unlike her two sisters and father who are very much preoccupied with rank and station in life. It’s not that Anne is not concerned with these things as well. She is after all a daughter of a gentleman and there is a certain pride with that. This is 18^th century after all, rank and station in life was everything t a lot of people. Anne never stopped loving Captain Wentworth and each time I read the scene when they meet for the first time after eight years of not seeing each other I feel for Anne. Her sadness and what could have been. What I like about Anne is that she made a choice eight years ago, maybe not a correct one but it was a choice that was influenced by Lady Russell. Anne stands by her choice even though she regrets making it, especially when she sees Captain again. 

If you’ve never read Persuasions or any other Jane Austen’s works then you should. They are great books, they have everything, romance, friendship, deceit, family and lot more. They are fun books to read and they are historically accurate to the time period.  This review does not do any justice to this book; I am not doing an in depth review of this book.  I might do one at one point in time just for fun, but not today.  That would require a lot of time and brain power lol.    I will probably be re-reading rest of her book in the near future and reviewing them as well. I give this book 5/5 STARS – Happy Reading. 

Other Works by Jane Austen:

Pride and Prejudice

Sense and Sensibility

Emma

Mansfield Park

Northanger Abbey

Lady Susan