The Fiction Conniption

More reviews at http://www.thefictionconniption.com---Aside from the Sookie Stackhouse series, this was my first experience with reading a book centering around faeries. At first, I really did enjoy the character of Evie - she's a kickass girl going out and 'tagging' paranormals so that the government can keep track of them and prevent them from hurting any humans. Vampires get ankle bracelets monitors set to inject them with holy water if they ingest any human blood, werewolves get monitors set to automatically inject them with sedatives to put them to sleep for the duration of the full moon, and so on. It was a cool concept, and an interesting view into how a government might go about trying to deal with paranormal creatures. The plot was decent, this definitely hovered much more towards the 'young' generation of young adult novels. However, ultimately, Evie actually ended up ruining this book for me. She was immature, dramatic, and self-centered. When everything was crashing down around her, she was just like, "nah, it's fine. You guys handle it, I wouldn't want to miss my show." That's just not a personality I can really root for, and so in that moment when it mattered most, I was really upset with Evie. There was lots of this happening right around that time: When I finished the book, I did feel like Evie had redeemed herself slightly, but I was still never emotionally invested in the plot. Overall, this one just sort of left me feeling irritated and disappointed. Will I be continuing on with this series? Doubt it.

As many have said, this was a hilarious book. One of the few that had me totally laughing out loud randomly.  The main character Charley is likely the wittiest human on the planet, and her humor alone was one of the things that had me tearing through this book. However, when I got to the end, I found myself with mixed feelings. It was an entertaining read - and the mystery surrounding her "dream man" definitely kept me interested... But I kept waiting to read something about him that would make me want to like him. He and Charley exchange only a handful of words in the entire book - enough to maybe warrant one conversation's worth. And none of it paints him in a positive light. And her past with him also made me sort of inclined to not like him... Overall, I was disappointed. Sure, he sounded hot and all, and that was great, but I didn't actually know or like a thing about him by the end- and I need a little more than just lusty encounters in my romances to really make me root for them. It was still a great book - just not as great as it could have been. 

First off, this will be short, because I admit - I didn't finish this book. I got to about halfway through, holding on to hope that something was going to happen but unfortunately, nothing did. I picked up this book a couple days ago, and today, I can barely even remember what it's about. Something about a girl with a crush on a wolf, and a wolf with a crush on a girl - and they both think about it a lot. And that's IT. I'm bummed that I didn't like this book. I'm actually really drawn to a lot of the writing in it. Some parts were simply beautiful, and very atmospheric in a way that I enjoyed. But eventually, even among pretty writing, I still needed something to actually happen in the story. I know that sometimes you need to invest in a book in order to really get to the meat of the plot - but in books like that, in order to keep the reader invested, you really need to have amazing characters that make the reader want to wait to find out what happens to them. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case here either. The characters came off sort of flat and predictable, and I just couldn't find it in myself to continue reading to find out what (if anything) ever happened to them. It pains me to give any book 1 star, because I have such a love for books and realize that authors put lots of work into them - but this one just wasn't for me at all.

I'll admit it - Fallen is one of those books I picked up purely based on the cover. It has mystery and is just a really enticing cover. I've walked past this series countless times on bookshelves and thought "I wonder what that book is about?" Well, I'm truly glad I finally picked it up. After getting a couple of chapters under my belt, I was really pulled into this story. The dynamic between Daniel and Luce is just addicting, and I was instantly curious about what effect Cam might have on their story as well. Lauren Kate does a great job at creating very distinct characters here who interact well. I particularly enjoyed Luce, who began as a sort of outcast, and remained as such at heart- making her far more likable and relatable than the all too often found rags to riches approach for young adult main characters.I can sometimes be a little wary of books that open with a flashback or dream sequence, but in this novel, it was executed flawlessly. Without the peek into the past from Daniel's point of view, his character would have come across as too hot and cold in early chapters. The flashback beginning allows for his inner conflict to be hinted at, and gives you a better understanding of him from the very beginning (which is quite important as he starts out as a bit of a brat in the beginning!) but as always, purposes an intentions are slowly revealed and an awesomely intricate story is uncovered. Loved the characters, loved the concept, loved the cover. Loved.

It is purely essential to read this book. I was a fan of the movie, and when someone insisted that I read the book, I thought, "What's the point? The movie is hilarious - that could never translate as well!" But man, oh man - this book had my CRYING in laughter. I made the mistake of often reading it during study hall periods and times in the library when the fact that my eyes were tearing up from the pure hilarity in it made for some pretty uncomfortable snorts and awkward 'why is the chick laughing at herself over there?' moments. But they were worth it.

 

This book is completely required if you are at all a fan of the movie, or even just a fan of uniquely written books. I've never (and am fairly confident I never will again) read a book that owned its own style so perfectly.

Sometimes, every so often, you find a book that truly touches your heart. That when you put it down each night before sleep and reach over to turn off your light, the moment you close your eyes the scenes replay beneath your eyelids over and over until you can open the pages again. A Voice in the Wind is one of those books. In fact, the entire Mark of the Lion trilogy affected me like this. Hadassah is a character that becomes like a sister, and in the weeks following when I finished this book, her voice stayed with me. I wish I had more words for this series to express just how much it touched me, but just the thought of it leaves me almost wanting to stay quiet just out of reverence for it. I first read this series when I was about thirteen, and I read it again probably every year or two, just to revisit my old friends. The romances are innocent and pure and fascinating and tortured, and the way that Francine Rivers manages to touch on such important and still relevant issues in society is amazing to me. This trilogy will always be very close to my heart.

I wanted to like the vampire academy books. I truly did. It seemed all my friends were loving it, and it is right up my genre alley lately - but no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't get sucked in. I wasn't invested in the main character, and to be honest, I can hardly remember much of what I read. I think it just moved a little slow for me, or didn't have enough to hook me in early. I finished this book and began the second, but faded out by chapter 3 for the same reasons I trudged through this one.

I've read all of the Heather Wells books, and am so thrilled to find out that there will soon be another one in the series! I loved Heather. She was likable, hilarious, and flawed in just the right way to make her completely relatable. Watching her interactions with Cooper were sometimes frustrating, but as always, Meg Cabot delivered all the way through the series. I just can't say enough good things about this series!! Recently, I've found that I really struggle with finishing series. I'll read the first book in a series, and then just don't feel quite motivated to move the next - it takes a lot to hook me in long enough to keep me reading. But the Heather Wells books were enough to make me willingly lose sleep each night just to turn a few more pages. It was lighthearted, funny, and even the murders had me guessing as to who the culprits could be. This entire series just had the perfect blend of everything a book needs to really grab you and keep you prisoner - and I wouldn't want it any other way!