Bella is smart, responsible,
and resigned to the fact that she will end up a spinster. She has a
plan-learn her herbs and stuff and open an apothecary shop. Then one day
on her way to Granny's, Bella is bitten by a wolf. After getting home
she is carted away by royal guards to the local Duke's manor and told
that the wolf who bit her was in fact a werewolf-the duke to be exact.
In order to make sure that Bella doesn't turn lupine and get loose she
is required to remain at the duke's castle until they are sure she is
safe and fully human. While staying there Bella gets close to the duke
and his mysterious gamekeeper, and tries to solve the mystery of how the
duke turned werewolf in the first place.
Overall Thoughts:
I
love the concept of the Five Hundred Kingdoms novels but haven't loved
all the books themselves. The story in Beauty and the Werewolf was cute,
and I thought combining Little Red Riding Hood with Beauty and the
Beast was clever, but I found the plot kind of messy. At any point I was
either really bored with what was going on and completely lost patience
with the tedious details, or jumping out of my seat with excitement,
desperate to see what happens next. There was no middle ground which
could have very easily dissuaded me had I not enjoyed some of the
previous Five Hundred Kingdom novels. I also felt like Beauty and the
Werewolf would have made a better novella or short story than full blown
few hundred page novel. There were many unnecessary details that could
have been left out, and I also felt that Bella's adventures with Eric
were completely pointless. They accomplished very little storytelling
and what they added in detail and collection of information wasn't as
valuable as the patience they took away.
Characters:
Bella is
similar to all the other heroines in the previous Five Hundred Kingdom
novels in that she is smart and a little too sensible. But while I
didn't mind that in the other books and actually enjoyed having a
heroine with a brain, something about Bella struck me as stuck-up. It
seemed as though she judged people and if she decided they weren't smart
enough or up to her standards she would write them off as stupid or
vapid and act as if she was better than them. What was especially
hypocritical was that she would complain and comment about her
stepfamily and their friends insisting on living up to certain social
expectations while she herself is inflicting her own standards on
everyone she meets. Speaking of Bella's family-where were they? They
were mentioned so much in the beginning and they were introduced in a
way that made me think they'd be prominent characters all the way
through but instead they disappeared after a few pages and only made
occasional appearances in Bella's thoughts. Either they should have been
mentioned more throughout the story or they should have been mentioned
minimally in the beginning. Their characters were too developed to act
as a real foil to Bella.
3.7 stars.
The magic continues
in "New York Times" bestselling author Mercedes Lackey's enchanting new
story from the Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms series. A beauty must
battle some beasts before she rescues her prince.
The
eldest daughter is often doomed in fairy tales. But Bella—Isabella
Beauchamps, daughter of a wealthy merchant—vows to escape the usual
pitfalls.
Anxious to avoid the traditional path, Bella dons a red
cloak and ventures into the forbidden forest to consult with "Granny,"
the local wisewoman. But on the way home she's attacked by a wolf—who
turns out to be a cursed nobleman. Secluded in his castle, Bella is torn
between her family and this strange man who creates marvelous
inventions and makes her laugh—when he isn't howling at the moon.
Bella
knows all too well that breaking spells is never easy. But a determined
beauty, a wizard (after all, he's only an occasional werewolf) and a
little Godmotherly interference might just be able to bring about a
happy ending.
Amy
is a totally average girl. She's pretty, but not gorgeous, smart, but
not a genious, and is also a little shy. After a party-crashing
disaster, Amy meets Leo, her prince charming. However, it isn't until
after they've gone out once or twice that Amy finds out her prince
charming really is a prince, 5th in line to the throne of the tiny
island Nirona. Suddenly, Amy is thrust into a world she never dreamed of
being part of, full of fancy balls and galas and expensive dresses, but
she still holds on to her gardening roots (pun not intended-she really
is a gardener). When a series of events forces Leo closer to the throne
than anyone expected, Amy is pushed even farther into his world and is
faced with the biggest dilemma of her life: be with the man she loves
and become a totally new person, or stay true to herself?
Overall thoughts:
Totally
adorable!!! Hester Browne always adds something to her novels that make
them more than just another stupid romance and this one was no
different. The main theme of the Runaway Princess was to be who you are
and not to change yourself for someone else, which I thought was very
similar to the theme in The Little Lady and the Prince. In both books
the main character questions how much of herself she should compromise
in a relationship with a man she loves, only to discover or learn later
that compromise has to go both ways.
What I expected vs. what I got:
Based
on the description, I thought that The Runaway Princess would start
with Amy and Leo already engaged, and I was pleasantly surprised to find
Amy single at the start of the book. I loved how the novel is set up in
a way to take the reader on a journey through Amy and Leo's
relationship. It gave the plot a depth that it otherwise wouldn't have
had because it made me fall in love with them while they fell for each
other. If the story had only started once they were engaged and all the
drama started then I wouldn't have been committed to Amy and Leo as a
couple and probably would have wanted her to dump him for some sweet
normal guy, because I love reading the beginning of the love story.
Characters:
I
absolutely adored the cast of characters in The Runaway Princess. Every
single one was unique, round, and memorable, with totally different
personalities. In particular I loved Jo and she was the perfect "quirky
best friend". Jo was supposed to play second-string to Amy, as this was
Amy's story, but Jo managed to take over any scene she was in with her
big personality. This may sound a little off because she was only
supposed to be on the side, but I liked it because I felt like this was
how Jo and Amy would be if they were real people, just because of Amy's
shyness. Jo also had that perfect best friend quality which can be very
hard to find, which is a complete lack of jealousy. In a book about a
girl being engaged to a prince you'd think that her best friend would be
jealous but Browne managed to create a best friend whose happiness for
the future princess was one hundred percent genuine.
I wouldn't be
able to write about the characters without mentioning Zoe. She had only
two appearances but I loved both of them, especially the second one
which was so good I nearly started crying (in a good way!!!). I would
say more but this part was so good that my words wouldn't do it justice.
5 stars.
If Amy Wilde’s new
boyfriend, Leo, treats her like a queen, that’s because he’s secretly a
prince himself: Leopold William Victor Wolfsburg of Nirona, the ninth
most eligible royal bachelor in the world. Amy soon discovers that
dating an heir to a throne has many charms—intimate alfresco dinners,
glittering galas, and, for a girl who lives in jeans and wellies, a
dazzling new wardrobe with tiaras to match. But there are also
drawbacks: imagine the anxiety of meeting your boyfriend’s parents
multiplied by a factor of “riding in a private jet,” “staying in a
castle,” and “discussing the line of succession over lunch.” Not to
mention the sudden press interest in your very un-royal family. When an
unexpected turn of events pushes Leo closer to the throne, the
Wolfsburgs decide to step up Amy’s transformation from down-to-earth
gardener to perfectly polished princess-in-waiting. Amy would do
anything for Leo, but is finding her Prince Charming worth the price of
losing herself?
To read my review on the first Insiders book, Inside Out, click here.
The
fight against the Travas is over and the society in the cube flying
through space is on their way to democracy. Or at least, that's what
Trella thought would happen after the events of Inside Out. However,
trying to install a new system of government is a lot harder than it
seems (and it seems pretty hard!!) and the citizens of Inside are facing a new unknown danger.
Mysterious explosions are occurring on board and everyone is looking at
Trella and her Force of Sheep to save the day once again. With the fate
of her world on her hands Trella must explore her homeship for new areas
and clues as to the mission of the ship is, and find the villain
exploding parts of her home and endangering her friends, all while
trying to spend time with her new boyfriend. And when Trella discovers
that this new threat is from Outside, everything she knows is turned
upside down and inside out (sorry, couldn't help myself).
Overall thoughts:
I absolutely loved this book.
It took me a while to actually pick it up because when a prequel has a
solid ending like Inside Out did, I don't want to mess up the perfect
world in my head. However, once I started Outside In I couldn't put it
down. I'm not kidding-I read it in one day because I just couldn't go to
sleep without finishing it, and that doesn't usually happen to me on a
school night. I should probably include though that I did skim parts of
the book because of the technical lingo. I knew it wouldn't overwhelm me
if I bothered to read it through and understand it, but I just wanted
to get to the good stuff and I didn't want to waste time on the boring
stuff.
Plot speed:
Very fast. This book doesn't waste time.
Once the story started, which took a few pages because we first had to
be reminded of what happened in Inside Out and given an update on where
things stand at the moment, it went fast. There were very few calm
moments, but that didn't bother me because there were still some still
moments in the middle of the chaos that allowed Trella (and the reader)
time to gather her thoughts.
Characters:
Way too many. I lost
track at some point. There were plenty of characters in Inside Out and
in Outside In all of those characters return plus some new ones. And
it's also important to remember who's good and who's bad, who can be
trusted and who can't be and all of that nonsense. I had to reread
several parts to keep myself from getting too confused and to remind
myself whose on which side and how many sides there were.
My favorite parts:
Anytime
sheep were mentioned!!!!! I loved how livestock the characters never
saw in real life played such a prominent part in the story and
represented a rebellion. Seriously, who would ever consider representing
a rebellion with a tame animal like a sheep? Even a goat is less
ridiculous! But the sheep (especially Sheepy) were what drew me in and
kept me laughing even when I had no right to.
Romance:
This
book made my heart squeal. I didn't really like Trella and Riley's
relationship in Inside Out because I kind of felt like she was doing all
the work and he was just there to be a pretty face, but he did his
share of hard work in Outside In to make up for that. Their romance was
sweet and innocent in a world where nothing else was.
Sequel possible?
I'm
not sure. The ending was very well-rounded and left almost no cracks to
slip another novel in, but I would have said the same thing after
finishing Inside Out.
5 stars. Despite my complaints, this book was truly awesome.
Me?
A leader?
Okay, I did
prove that there's more to Inside than we knew. That a whole world
exists beyond this cube we live in. And finding that led to a major
rebellion—between worker scrubs like me and the snobby uppers who rule
our world. Make that ruled. Because of me, we're free. I
thought that meant I was off the hook, and could go off on my own
again—while still touching base with Riley, of course. He's the one
upper I think I can trust. But then we learned that there's outside and
then there is Outside.
And something from Outside wants In.
Here are reviews of the previous two books in the series: Matched and Crossed
Finals
are over and I can finally catch up on my reviews, starting with
Reached which I read weeks ago. Cassia, Ky, and Xander are working for
the rebellion and are waiting for the the Society to fall so the
dystopian society (lowercase s) can be patched up. Told from all three of
their points of view, Reached answers all the questions from the
previous books and introduces a new concept: plague. A new danger is rampant throughout the land and the Rebellion is working hard to find the cure and save the citizens from both the disease and the government. Cassia is working
as a sorter and an archivist, Ky as a pilot with Indie, and Xander is a
physic and taking care of people with this mysterious new illness, and all three are working for the Rebellion. But can the Rebellion live up to the hopes and dreams of the people waiting for it?
Overall thoughts:
This
was a good end to a series that couldn't really convince me it would be
good. My one big complaint, which applies to all the books in the
series, is that the entire thing seems abstract. It's an odd thing to
explain but something about this book makes me feel disconnected. I know
this is supposed to be a book about a possible future but I felt like
it was nothing more than a few basic plotlines laid out without any details because of the utter lack of grittiness
of any sort. Usually I complain about too much grit but this series has
the opposite problem. The worst part is that there were plenty of
opportunities to fix this problem and yet it's still so squeaky clean.
My favorite character:
I
loved Lei. She was extremely interesting and even though she was a new
character her connection to a character from a previous book only made
her better in my opinion. Her devotion, commitment, and belief in Xander
was inspiring.
My least favorite character:
Indie. I hated
her in the last book and wanted her to disappear, and I hated her
presence in Reached. She is selfish, a bad friend, and a nuisance.
Romance:*******spoilers ahead*********
The
romance in this book was tidy. All characters in love with Ky and
Cassia were given an ending, whether it be death or a new significant
other. What I found interesting was that Lei was Vick's (from book 2)
girlfriend. Vick died because he took one of Cassia's blue pills that
she got from Xander. So if you think about it, Xander provided the pills
that killed his new girlfriend's old boyfriend.
Ending:
Very
good and very neat. I loved how it ended without saying what is going to
happen to the government because it shows that that isn't the main
point of the book.
4.2 stars.
After leaving Society
and desperately searching for the Rising—and each other—Cassia and Ky
have found what they were looking for, but at the cost of losing each
other yet again: Cassia has been assigned to work for the Rising from
within Society, while Ky has been stationed outside its borders. But
nothing is as predicted, and all too soon the veil lifts and things
shift once again.
In this gripping conclusion to the #1 New York Times-bestselling Matched
trilogy, Cassia will reconcile the difficulties of challenging a life
too confining, seeking a freedom she never dreamed possible, and
honoring a love she cannot live without.
Picture Cinderella in your
head. Now picture Cinderella the cyborg mechanic living in a dystopian
future where the people are being plagued by a mysterious disease called
letumosis and Earth's citizens are working to prevent war with the
moon's citizens. After her beloved step-sister is diagnosed and taken
away to die in quarantine, Cinder's step-mother volunteers her
step-daughter outcast for research. Cinder is taken away to be a guinea
pig and learns new things about herself that she never would have
dreamed of (I'm not talking about self-discovery, but actual physical
things about herself). Meanwhile, Cinder is also trying to fix a droid
that may be an issue of national security for the handsome prince while
attempting not to fall for him.
Overall thoughts:
There are
some books which have plain and/or cliche plots but are written so well
that they seem unique. Other books have such unique stories that even if
the prose isn't incredible, it doesn't matter. Cinder is one of the
latter. The prose wasn't exactly inspiring, but the plot was so
different and far-fetched that i didn't care. I will say that this book
is extremely predictable so I wasn't very surprised at any of the
"OMG!!" moments.
Characters:
Because of the complexities in
the plot I felt there wasn't much room for character development.
Therefore, the villains seemed entirely one-sided. I understand that
Levana is supposed to be evil incarnated, but Adri is supposed to have a
tiny bit of good in her. The only time Adri showed that she was
remotely human was when she showed grief at her daughter's sickness, but
even then she turned that emotion evil when she sent Cinder away.
Supernatural elements:
This
book is definitely more sci-fi than fantasy and the author makes sure
to quell any bits of fantasy with scientific explanations by explaining
that magic is actually bioelectricity.
Stand alone vs. series:
As
much as I do enjoy a good series, I also enjoy when a book in a series
can also stand alone just in case someone doesn't get around to the next
book. This book didn't leave the reader with much choice, and the
ending was one desperate for a sequel.
Romance:
The romance
between Cinder and Kai was a sweet one that was based on crushes. It
wasn't a squealy romance, rather one that was only there to make this a
cinderella story.
5 stars.
Humans and androids
crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the
population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make
their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .
Cinder,
a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a
mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her
stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the
handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an
intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty
and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her
past in order to protect her world’s future.
Evie
is a girl too focused on the past to live in the present. She sees the
love and life that had been in antiques and holds on to useless
treasures that were sentimental to others a long time ago. When Evie's
sister Alice volunteers her to appraise the furniture and possessions in
a Scottish castle owned by friends of her boyfriend Fraser's family,
Evie could not be more excited. A genuine Scottish castle with all its
history, plus time spent with her sister's boyfriend (her secret crush)
are Evie's dream come true. However, instead of a peaceful vacation of examining antiques, Evie is faced with a hunt for a
priceless heirloom, a ball complete with complicated antiquated dances,
and a man who will sweep her off her feet.
Overall Thoughts:
I
was a little reluctant to read this book. I knew it would be good,
because it's a Hester Browne novel, but I was not very inspired by the
description. Although I found the beginning a little boring, the book redeemed itself later and turned out not to be as boring as I had expected.
What I expected vs. what I got:
I'm accustomed
to Hester Browne's novels being funny and sweet but this one struck me
as a little more serious. I thought it would be more dramatic because
Evie's non-crush on Fraser was mentioned in the description. Instead it
was just as frothy as the rest of Hester Browne's novels, which was a
relief because had it been serious it would have been another of those
overdramatic novels about a family heirloom and a dangerous secret. As much as I love Hester Browne's writing, I'm happy she stuck to her usual bubbly story.
Speed of story:
This
book started off a little too slow for my taste. Not enough to lower
its high rating significantly, but enough that I had to mention it. It was a little
boring at the beginning but once it got interesting, it was extremely
enjoyable.
Characters:
Hester Browne's main characters in her
other books that I've read are cute and smart with a distinct quirk, and
Evie was no different. What separated Evie from those other central
characters was the uniqueness of her quirk. A twenty-something year old
woman obsessed with the past is pretty uncommon and could be too spacey,
but the author managed to make her seem more endearing than annoying.
The main foil to Evie is her sister Alice who is supposed to be her
complete opposite. Alice is a doer, someone who works on instinct and
doesn't put up with a mess. I also found her extremely irritating and an
overall pain. Her relationship with Evie and Fraser seemed one-sided, as
she just did what she wanted and expected them to always love her.
Stupidities that annoyed me:
Evie's
crush on Fraser! It was more in her head than in her heart. Evie only
liked him because she saw him as the perfect man and at times she even
forgot all about her crush. She would only mention it sparingly, almost
like it was an afterthought. It was a crush she (masochistically) wanted
to have but didn't.
4.6 stars.
Evie Nicholson is in love . . . with
the past. An antiques appraiser in a London shop, Evie spins fanciful
attachments to Victorian picture frames, French champagne glasses, satin
evening gloves, and tattered teddy bears—regardless of their monetary
value.
Alice Nicholson is in love . . . with Fraser
Graham, a dashing Scotsman whom Evie secretly desires. As crisply neat
and stylish as Evie is cheerfully cluttered, Alice is a professional
organizer determined to pull her sister out of her comfort zone—and who
presents her with an irresistible offer.
As a favor to friends of
Fraser’s family, Evie jumps at the chance to appraise a Scottish castle
full of artifacts and heirlooms. What could be more thrilling than
roaming the halls of Kettlesheer and uncovering the McAndrews’ family
treasures—and dusty secrets?
But crossing paths with moody heir
Robert McAndrew has Evie assessing what she wants the most . . . and at
an upcoming candlelight gala, a traditional dance will set her heart
reeling.
The magic continues
in "New York Times" bestselling author Mercedes Lackey's enchanting new
story from the Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms series. A beauty must
battle some beasts before she rescues her prince.
