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Book Review: Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Redemption (Caster Chronicles, #4)Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What an amazing ending to the Beautiful Creatures series! The writing is almost like worlds apart from where books one and two were. The dialogue flowed better. I didn’t find myself confused throughout passages (although Lena’s poems were sometimes confusing to me). And I honestly don’t remember any repetitive passages anywhere in the book.

I loved Beautiful Redemption so much that I couldn’t put it down until I finished. In fact, I’d almost classify this one as a crack book because I had to keep moving to find out what would happen next. I also found that I’d grown so wonderfully attached to the characters through the last two books that I actually cried during portions of Beautiful Redemption. Amazing ending to a series and am hoping these authors keep writing so I can indulge in more of their works, especially with all of the improvement I’ve seen within this series.

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Book Review: Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Chaos (Caster Chronicles, # 3)Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Beautiful Chaos was notably better than book one and book two, which was a HUGE relief! Though I did notice a couple of repetitive ideas (particularly Link’s mom thinking the end of the world was coming), this book didn’t go over the same ideas from books one and two, and the repetition was much less noticeable. As a result, I ended up enjoying Beautiful Chaos much, much more! In fact, I think I flew through it in just three, four days. So, if you’ve pondered whether or not to go through with the series because of irritation at the technical aspects of books one and two, then I say go for it! I’m glad I did! Just be prepared to purchase Beautiful Redemption immediately after finishing because you won’t be able to NOT read what happens in the next book.

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Grey’s Anatomy Touches on Domestic Violence

If you know me even a little, you know that I’m a huge Grey’s fan. Last week’s episode ended with a scene that really hit home for me. If you haven’t seen it yet, DO NOT READ THIS POST!

As you may know, Alex and Jo have been arguing a lot lately. Jo has been dating “douchebag” OB doctor, Jason. Alex is in love with Jo, but unfortunately, he realized it too little too late. His concern for Jo and jealousy of Jason ended up causing some serious conflict between them, and Jo has demanded that Alex stay out of her personal life. Alex tries to comply, but then Jo shows up at Alex’s place after having an argument with Jason – an argument that Alex saw the start of and walked away from. When Jo turned her face at the end of the episode, you saw the bruising.

Now, I don’t know what happens in the next episode, but it looks as though Alex is going to give Jason more than a talking to. (If you remember, Alex’s dad was abusive as well) I hope I’m right. But I do know that Jo is going to make excuses and try to rationalize the behavior. Why? Because it’s what victims do.

Think back to how long Jo and Jason have been dating. The abuse didn’t happen right away. It took time to reach that point. And this probably wasn’t their first argument, or the first time that Jason had hurt her…only, Jo probably hadn’t realized what was happening at the time. It could have been a grab of the wrist, or a thrown piece of furniture, or a hole in the wall. But whatever it was, this wasn’t the first time that something has happened. It’s just the first time that something serious has happened. And now, she’s already invested. Damage has already been done. And Jo has been through enough in her life that she’s a pretty easy target for abuse.

If none of that makes sense, then you’re not alone. It’s something that few people understand, and I’m hoping that the authors of Grey’s Anatomy do a good job at explaining it. I know one thing, I’m looking forward to seeing the next episode and am hoping to see Alex go ballistic on Jason. Maybe he’ll get fired from the hospital and kicked off the show. I just hope we see Jo work through the relationship well enough to leave.

What are you hoping for in the next few episodes of GA? Will the way it turns out affect your overall view of the show?

 

**UPDATE!: 

As you may or may not know, the next episode of Grey’s Anatomy has aired. And even I was surprised at how things turned out. It started out with Alex bringing Jason into the ER, beat up and unconscious. You’re led to believe that Alex did it, but then it turns out that Jo was the one that beat the crap out of him before she left. I don’t know what’s going to happen after this, but I’m interested to find out. I just hope they don’t leave this part of the show in a cliffhanger during next week’s season finale! 

Have you watched the following episode? What were you thinking and feeling throughout the episode? What was your reaction to the ending?

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Book Review: Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Darkness (Caster Chronicles, #2)Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Beautiful Darkness picks up where Beautiful Creatures left off. Lena is dealing with the grief of losing her Uncle Macon. Ethan is trying to figure out how to help her process it all, but everything he does seems to push her further away. There’s something strange happening to Lena, and to him. And then he learns just how far she’s gone, just how distant their relationship has become. True to his character, Ethan continues to pursue Lena, even after it seems that all hope is lost. The only question is, will his efforts be a waste or will he find a way to save the Caster girl he loves?

I’ve got to be honest: I found myself just as intrigued by the story and its characters as I had been with book 1. I also found myself just as frustrated with the strange, awkward and confusing thought streams. But Beautiful Darkness came with its own unique set of frustrations, namely the unnecessary repetition. During the first half of the book, the authors repeatedly retold things we’d learned from book 1. For some of the minor things, like who Lucille Ball is, I can see reminding readers. But this reminding applied to even core concepts of the book – the difference between Dark and Light Casters, explanation of who main characters were from book 1, etc.

Thankfully, by the time I’d reached the halfway point, all of the repetition had stopped. Or, at the very least, it had decreased enough that I no longer noticed it was happening. And, by that time, the story had picked up and I couldn’t put it down. Like I said, pretty much most of the same – great story, amazing characters, but some mechanics that are downright frustrating. Hoping that book 3 will be better though because, as much as I love the story and the characters, I’m getting a little annoyed with some of the writing and it’s starting to squash my desire to keep going. I’d hate for my annoyance to keep me from finishing the series because I really do care about what happens to the characters in the end.

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Book Review: Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia

Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles, #1)Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I think I’ve become rather spoiled by the amazing authors I’ve read lately because this wasn’t my typical read and gush review. I actually had to take a few days to think about what I wanted to say and how I honestly felt about this book. In the end, I found myself standing on the line – I liked the story, enjoyed the characters, and definitely found some originality in the pages. But some of the mechanics kind of distracted me, which was frustrating, and ultimately, it affected my review.

The Story:

This is one of those almost insta-love books. It’s not quite that, but the main characters, Ethan and Lena, definitely fall for each other rather quickly. Typical of teenage relationships. But there’s another element that I felt justified the quick transition from strangers to love struck teens: they shared the same dreams before they even met. Like experiencing some kind of supernatural déjà vu, they connect during their very first in-person meeting. But Ethan has no idea what he’s in for when he allows himself to fall for Lena. Certainly, he knows she’s strange, but he has no idea just how different she really is. And there’s more. During his relationship with Lena, Ethan learns that things aren’t quite what they seem in the sleepy town of Gaitlin. He also discovers the truth about Lena’s family and her impending birthday. They abandon the warning of their families, and for once, it’s the guy chasing the girl and helping her hold on to something worth fighting for.

The Characters:

Ethan is the main character of this story. I found it refreshing to read a romance book from a guy’s perspective. There aren’t a lot of those out there, and it’s really interesting to see the insight an author is able to give her male protagonist. Lena is your not-so-typical outcast who, despite the fact that things may soon change for her forever, loves Ethan, a boy she shouldn’t love. Other interesting characters worth mentioning include Link, the comedy relief and best friend; Amma, the superstitious hoo-doo-ish caretaker of Ethan; Macon, Lena’s uncle that is hiding more than you realize at first; and Ridley, the seductive dark cousin of Lena. These were the characters that stood out for me the most, and they were characters that I honestly connected with. There were others that played more minor parts, all of which were well put together (with the slight exception of Marian, the town librarian…she kind of talks in quotes and riddles a bit too much for my taste). Overall, believable, interesting characters that I enjoyed.

Book Distractions:

Unfortunately, there were some things I found very frustrating and distracting about this book. The first being the somewhat disjointed thought patterns throughout the book. I found myself confused sometimes, or bored because of redundancy. It felt like the thought-flow was just a bit mixed up at times.

The second issue I ran into had to do with the history. While I definitely felt like the history of Gaitlin and its characters needed to be shared, I also felt like there were some areas where the history overshadowed the story. There’d be whole sections of history that I’d end up skimming over because I felt like it’d just went on entirely too long.

Lastly, I felt like it took me forever to get into the book. It’s a slow read at first, and I had to fight to keep reading. I’d put it down several times, not really sure I even wanted to continue. Thankfully, the book did pick up pace nearly halfway through and I ended up being very glad that I’d continued. By the time I’d reached the last quarter of the book, I had a hard time putting it down.

Overall, I did enjoy the book, and I would recommend it. I’ve started the second book already, and though it’s a slow start just like the first one, I’m going to keep fighting for that page-turning section that I managed to find within book 1. Had there been fewer distractions, I definitely would have given Beautiful Creatures a higher rating because the story, and its characters, were that good.

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Book Review: Reservation by Rachael Wade (Preservation, Book 2)

Reservation (Preservation, #2)Reservation by Rachael Wade

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“If there’s anyone in the world who deserves a happy ending, it’s two broken people who taught each other to love.”

I’m going to be straightforward about this one…If someone had told me I’d be giving this book five stars, I don’t know that I would have believed them. Although I’m well acquainted with (and a huge fan of) Rachael Wade’s work, I wasn’t really sure I even wanted to read Ryan’s book. I’d fallen in love with Ryan at the beginning of Preservation but by the time I’d reached the end, he’d left me annoyed. I’d felt like he didn’t deserve Kate. But when Reservation came out, I felt like I needed to read it – maybe for some kind of closure, or maybe to try and better understand Ryan Campbell and his motives. I’m so glad I decided to read this book!

Not only did I fall in love with Ryan all over again, I felt like I found some resolution in the way things had ended in book 1. That’s not to say that I didn’t want to wring his neck or clock him over the head with a frying pan; I just better understood the motive behind his actions. I gained that insight I’d been looking for – the why behind his stupid, seemingly selfish decision. I guess, in other words, I’d gained a sense of compassion for him while reading Reservation. That compassion continued to grow as I went through the book, and by the time I’d reached the last half of the book, I couldn’t bring myself to put it down.

There had been one small detail that I would have liked to have seen more “resolved,” so to speak. But other than that, I absolutely loved Ryan’s story. I’d also appreciated the fact that Ryan’s story hadn’t simply his side of the Preservation book – it was a completely original novel with a completely different story line, and I loved that! Now I’m just waiting for Carter’s story, book 3 of the Preservation series…rather impatiently, I might add, since he just so happens to be my favorite character from the series!
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Cover Reveal: The Replacement by Rachael Wade

I just have to say, I’ve only read the excerpt of The Replacement, an upcoming novel by one of my fave authors, Rachael Wade, and I’m already in LOVE! Like, sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for it to come out in love! So, even though I’m a little late getting this posted, I HAD to share! Feel free to drool…and share!

 

The Replacement

A gritty, coming-of-age drama about a young woman’s self-destructive quest to find purpose, self-worth, and love in a broken world.

My name is Elise Duchamp. I’m 23 years old and I’m known as the town whore.
No, not the kind who exchanges sexual favors for money. The other kind. The kind who gives it all away for free, whenever and however she likes. I am that girl. The one everyone whispers about and the one none of the girls seem to like, because all of their boyfriends either want to sleep with me or already have. Promiscuity is my thing—the kind that slowly, violently turns my insides black, but gives me something I need.

All things considered, I’m not completely reckless. I’m safe, and contrary to popular opinion, I haven’t chucked my entire moral code out the window. Just most of it. I live in a world of careless choices, and with those choices come careless people. I cannot judge them, because I am one of them. I too bow down to the altar of the self-serving. I am not a good friend. I am not and never could be anyone’s girlfriend. I’m convinced any goodness in me shriveled up and died long ago.

But I am a replacement. That is something I know how to be, and this is a story of the lengths I’d go to in order to keep it that way.

Add it to your Goodreads To-Read list HERE.
Connect with Rachael on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads. Find her other books HERE.http://www.amazon.com/Rachael-Wade/e/B005EUR0A4/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1