Book Review: Stopping Time by Melissa Marr

Title:  Stopping Time

Author:  Melissa Marr

Synopsis:  
Leslie walked away from the Dark Court, determined to reclaim her life and live it on her own terms-even if it meant leaving behind the two faeries who love her. She knows Niall and Irial watch over her, and she would give almost anything to keep them from hurting. But she resists the pull to be with either one of them.

Someone knows about Leslie’s past, however, and is intent on using her to reach the fey. And he doesn't care who gets hurt.

Review:

a.) Characters: 3/5 score.  Leslie has grown since we last seen her in Ink Exchange.  I think it’s cute how the faeries watch over her, but it would get annoying if she was trying to leave their world.  Leslie doesn’t seem to think much about that.

b.) Plot: 3/5 score.  I think this wasn’t needed, but it made me have more questions about Niall and Irial’s past relationship.  The whole time Leslie was being stalked, I knew who it was.  I mean, think about it.  It becomes pretty obvious.  

c.) Writing style: 3/5 score.  Simple.  It was only a 50 pages in the back of my Fragile Eternity copy (which is awesome!).  It was a short read, but we got to feel each character: Leslie, Niall, and Irial.  

Rating: 9/15 total

This kind of tied up loose ends for me but it also brought up a whole new set of questions!  

Book Review: Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr

Title:  Fragile Eternity

Author:  Melissa Marr

Synopsis:  Seth never expected he would want to settle down with anyone--but that was before Aislinn. She is everything he'd ever dreamed of, and he wants to be with her forever. Forever takes on new meaning, though, when your girlfriend is an immortal faery queen.

Aislinn never expected to rule the very creatures who'd always terrified her--but that was before Keenan. He stole her mortality to make her a monarch, and now she faces challenges and enticements beyond any she'd ever imagined.

In Melissa Marr's third mesmerizing tale of Faerie, Seth and Aislinn struggle to stay true to themselves and each other in a milieu of shadowy rules and shifting allegiances, where old friends become new enemies and one wrong move could plunge the Earth into chaos.

Review:

a.) Characters: 4/5 score.  Wow!  The power of love!  Seth is quite a character in this one and we actually get to see the story from his point of view- and I love it!!  We see Aislinn is having trouble coming to terms with loving her court, and she still refuses to fall in love with Keenan.  Keenan is a total jerk!  He plays both Aislinn and Donia, and it makes me want to kill him!  Just because he is a king doesn’t mean a damn thing!  You treat women with respect, Keenan!  

b.) Plot: 5/5 score.  Seth’s quest is all about his love for Aislinn, and it becomes a powerful tale about love, manipulation, deceit, and winning the girl.  I feel bad for Aislinn as she is fighting to stay with Seth and true to Seth but Keenan is always trying to swoon her.  It was starting to get kind of old, but the plot takes a twist and suddenly ANYTHING can happen!

c.) Writing style: 4/5 score.  The writing style really was switched up.  You could tell it was Melissa Marr, but you could feel the character’s voice.  In the beginning you could clearly tell the difference between each character as we switched to their point of view.  At the end, it tapers off some, becoming mellow, but it wasn’t such a bad thing.  It was amazing to read such different personalities during this novel.  My favorite is totally Seth!  

Rating: 13/15 total

By far my favorite so far!  I love love love this told from Seth's view of things.  Really makes me even Aislinn.  

Book Review: Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

Title:  Ink Exchange

Author:  Melissa Marr

Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Leslie knows nothing of faeries or their intrigues. When she is attracted to an eerily beautiful tattoo of eyes and wings, all she knows is that she has to have it, convinced it is a tangible symbol of changes she desperately craves for her own life.

The tattoo does bring changes--not the kind Leslie has dreamed of, but sinister, compelling changes that are more than symbolic. Those changes will bind Leslie and Irial together, drawing Leslie deeper and deeper into the faery world, unable to resist its allures, and helpless to withstand its perils. . . .

Review:

a.) Characters: 3/5 score.  The characters this time around were Leslie, Naill, and Irial.  And, sadly, I didn’t favor either over another at all.  As all the characters change within the story, I kept feeling irked at Leslie.  I can accept the need for change.  And I can accept her desire to not share her tattoo with anyone.  And I can even accept why she would want to keep it a secret!  But my biggest problem with Leslie is that she didn’t tell ANYONE!  (Read the damn book to understand!)  

b.) Plot: 4/5 score.  Leslie’s family life goes down the hole, her friends aren’t as close anymore, she’s seeking change for the better, and then she gets this awesome-looking tattoo that literally changes everything (for worse).  I liked the plot; the idea of the ink exchange was brilliant.  But as the wheel kept turning, the plot slowed down and eventually just disintegrated.  The end was weak and, if I may say so myself, borning.  

c.) Writing style: 3/5 score.  Nothing wrong with the style, but I guess I was looking for more than what I got.  The beginning was strong and powerful, but as the story progresses you soon find yourself not feeling it anymore.  (You’ll understand if you read the book).  I didn’t like that I didn’t have sympathy for Leslie at the end.  If anything, I was dumbfounded.  And not really in a good way.  

Rating: 10/15 total

This isn't really an important book for the series excepts that it shows Aislinn what Keenan keeps from her.  In my opinion, Keenan is a jerk! 

Book Review: Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Title: Wicked Lovely

Author: Melissa Marr

Synopsis: Rule #3: Don’t stare at invisible faeries.
Rule #2: Don’t speak to invisible faeries.
Rule #1: Don’t ever attract their attention.
Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in the mortal world.  When the rule that have kept Aislinn safe from them stop working, everything is suddenly on the line: her freedom; her best friend, Seth; her life; everything.

Review:

a.) Characters: 4/5 score.  We get a glimpse of Keenan and a girl (who I assume is Donia) going through the process of testing the Winter Queen’s Staff in the prologue, and then we go to Aislinn (Ash) in chapter one.  All of these characters, plus Seth and some Summer court faeries, are amazingly real and personable.  From Aislinn and Seth’s growing relationship to the connection between Keenan and Aislinn, not counting Keenan’s feelings for Donia, and the evil plan of Beira, Melissa easily wraps you up in their lives that you don’t think twice about how she did it.  

b.) Plot: 4/5 score.  The plot was powerful.  You don’t know who you want to side with, and (if you’re like me) hope everyone can somehow get their way.  I did feel the plot wasn’t as strong as the characters, but it still held me and kept me reading.  I needed to read on to see what happened to these characters and what transpired between them.  

c.) Writing style: 3/5 score.  The writing wasn’t anything amazing for me.  A certain few times I felt the zing of awe while the faeries were talking among themselves or with Aislinn.  It was nice to read a believable tale of faery, but I still had a hard time taking in the point of views from the feys side.  

Rating: 11/15 total

I couldn't put this book down.  I kept turning the pages hoping that something or someone would give in.  It's so hard to accept the ending, because, in my opinion, it's not technically an ending.  Well, it is, but it also isn't.  You know what, read the damn book and come back here and tell me what you think, lol. 

Book Review: Need by Carrie Jones

Title: Need

Author: Carrie Jones

Synopsis: Zara White suspects there's a freaky guy semi-stalking her. She's also obsessed with phobias. And it's true, she hasn't exactly been herself since her stepfather died. But exiling her to shivery Maine to live with her grandmother? That seems a bit extreme. The move is supposed to help her stay sane...but Zara's pretty sure her mom just can't deal with her right now.

She couldn't be more wrong. Turns out the semi-stalker is not a figment of Zara's overactive imagination. In fact, he's still following her, leaving behind an eerie trail of gold dust. There's something not right - not human - in this sleepy Maine town, and all signs point to Zara.

In this creepy, compelling breakout novel, Carrie Jones delivers romance, suspense, and a creature you never thought you'd have to fear

Review:

a.) Characters: 1/5 score.  The characters were terrible.  Zara was damaged because she watched her step father die, and she was basically apathetic the whole novel.  And even when she started feeling things for her romantic interest, I still felt nothing from her.  Her lost of her step father and her phobia interest defined her.  The only reason this score gets a 1 instead of a 0 is because Zara’s grandmother Betty.  This was the only character who seemed to have any life (AT ALL) in the whole story.  

b.) Plot: 1/5 score.  Faeries have been done before, but the whole Need part of the story was interesting.  If Carrie Jones had actually cared about the novel I think she would’ve put more effort into creating a story instead of trying to get a book out.  Most of the time these teens were finding this important information out from the Internet.  And they all were just okay with faeries.  And the whole time I kept reading my thought process was “how can she kill this story even more for me- oh that’s how” and it was a never ending process.  

c.) Writing style: 0/5 score.  It felt like I was reading a rough draft, ideas on paper that were connected by a few sentences and nothing else.  It was hard for me to suffer through this writing.  Never, not once, did I feel anything from this story.  Instead of trying to find a creative way to say Zara ran, all she said was “I ran and ran and ran.”  Sometimes when a character is going through an emotional crisis and writing turns to this, I like it.  Because it makes the desperate situation feel real to you.  But the whole story was like this, like Carrie Jones couldn’t find anything creative to put inside the story at all.  

Rating: 2/15 total

Harsh but true.  I always try to give the best reviews I can.  Unfortunately I can't lie. I know my review won't stop everyone from reading- and to be honest, that's not my goal- but only to proceed with caution. I don't think I have ever really read anything that I didn't like- until now.  I don't believe I will be able to stomach reading the rest on the series (unless they are on sale for really really cheap for my eReader). 

Book Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Iron King

Author: Julie Kagawa

Synopsis: Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined. Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home. When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change. But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.
Review:

a.) Characters: 5/5 score.  The growth of Meghan is my favorite part of the story.  She starts as a whiny sixteen year old and evolves into a mature accepting young adult.  With every page, the progress shows how she grows throughout her travels.  Puck, Ash and Grim were absolutely amazing, and the story would not have been the same without them.  From Puck’s pranks to Ash’s chilling demeanor, and Grim’s sarcasm, these characters come alive enough to walk right off the pages.

b.) Plot: 5/5 score.  Through the whole plot Meghan NEVER lost sight of saving her brother.  She embarks on this journey and, though her bravery wavers, she still moves forward, refusing to give up.  She didn’t fall helplessly in love with either love interest, though you can feel her attractions and emotions grow throughout the story.  Despite her growing feelings, Meghan never gave up on finding Ethan.  The entire world- from the human’s realm to the Summer Court to the Winter Court and the Iron Court- is believable.  

c.) Writing style: 3/5 score.  Julie Kagawa really made the story of these Fey a reality, and it was impossible to not feel their pain, excitement, confusion, fear, etc. through the whole tale.  It was hard to take a break between chapters with the leads she puts to keep pulling you deeper into their world.  Despite all this, the ending did feel a little weak to me because of the “we’ve failed, we’re dead” points.  

Rating: 13/15 total

Can I get an 'OMG' on the top on your lungs?  Wow- I was thrilled by this.  It left me wanting more from Meghan, more from the storyline, more from Ash and Puck.  I can't believe I didn't start reading this when it first came out.  Of course, lucky me, I get to run out and get the rest of the series unlike those who had to wait.  I cannot wait to see where Kagawa takes this.  From what I understand, the next two, The Iron Daughter and The Iron Queen, are from Meghan's POV while the last one, The Iron Knight, is from Ash's POV.  What I will have to wait for is the spin-off trilogy, which is Ethan's tale years later.  Totally worth it!

Book Haul (1) 7 books

Technically it's 4 books and 3 ebooks, but I now have 7 books I have to read next.  I heard a lot of reviews on these books and am extremely excited to read these.  Since I am new to reviewing books, my reviews might not be all what you want, but it's a work in progress.   I am hoping I might be able to kind of do an outline kind of review, but I haven't thought much on it.