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3.5 - 4 stars!! This book was a highly-anticpated read for me. It received lots of buzz early on and it is a solid first effort by Ms. Michaels. The story follows Catherine, a PR executive who lands a big account headed up by the sexy and gorgeous ex-SEAL, Jackson. She has a very painful past and there is lots of drama early on in the book between Catherine, her fiancee Neil, and a PR consultant named Piper. Beloved is very fast-paced story and has loads of sizzling sex scenes which were the highlight of the story for me. Jackson is a strong, sexy and memorable hero and I loved how he took control with Catherine but also showed her his fun side, too. The story has lots of angst and does end with a cliffhanger, so I am definitely looking forward to seeing where this story goes. There were a few minor details that stood out which affected my enjoyment of this otherwise very steamy and well-paced story. First, Catherine's lawyer friend commits a professional no-no early on in the book. Minor but crucial detail. I also find the new trend of naming fictional characters or companies (here, a law firm) after real-life people to be mildly annoying. It really does not add anything to the plot and is somewhat distracting. There were also some editing errors which were not corrected in the final version. These details would probably not be noticed by most, and I believe this author has lots of talent and look forward to reading more of her books. All in all, Beloved this is a hot, fast-paced book with a good story, very memorable characters and some SCORCHING hot sex scenes!

I really loved this! The writing is spectacular, descriptive yet not heavy-handed, with just a touch of romance and conspiracy to liven up the plot. Portia is alone, a war widow, having buried her husband and infant daughter within 8 months of each other. The war has ended and she is not content to sit in her brother-in-law's home--crowding her dearest friends--and seeks employment as a governess at a horse farm two day's ride away from her home in Tennessee. Her new home is quite a bit more spectacular than any place she's ever lived, but Beau Stanford is no longer the wealthy man he once was. His father had set their slaves free decades before the War Between the States, and still only keep Black Freedmen on their farm. Beau came back wounded from a bullet to the shoulder and a widowed man, his beloved Claire dead. His grief was so great he lashed out at his young son, Jonny, scaring the boy mute. Portia aims to help. She needs to feel useful, and hates that she's considered with suspicion on account of her husband being a Confederate--Jake was a kind and gentle man who kept no slaves and only entered the war because he was pressed. Beau's black servants are more like family than help, and Beau himself does the lions' share of work on the farm. His long-time friend, Henry, has designs on courting Portia, but she wants no part of that. She is intrigued by Beau, whose grief is still as deep as her own. Jonny's capable of speech, though he hasn't spoken aloud in almost two years, but Portia's able to carefully pry away his sorrow and make a deep connection. Unfortunately, as soon as Portia is able to get a foothold in the Stanford household, the arrival of Lydia and her scheming father, Oliver, throws all her work into disarray. Lydia has long held designs on Beau, and--while Beau is at first intrigued by Lydia's resemblance to his beloved Claire--it's clear that Lydia will get exactly what she wants, regardless of who she hurts to get her way. And Oliver is truly despicable. I relished the quick plot movements and careful detail placement. This book immersed me in the desolate Reconstruction Era, where rebuilding is the state of the world, and lawlessness reigns in the vacuum of so many young men lost to war. Beau is honorable, self-sacrificing and industrious. He knows he must marry Lydia, and not only for his own mercenary needs, but he can't help falling for Portia. She's a totally different woman to Lydia, or Claire even, and he knows this strong, self-sufficient, brave woman is one who can stand by his side in these lean times. Portia doesn't want to love again. She and Jake were childhood sweethearts, and yet she's moved by Beau's kindness and also loses her heart to Jonny completely. There are some plot twists that I half-suspected, but was pleasantly surprised in the execution. In truth, there were a couple times I thought we'd hit the HEA, only to get sucker-punched into a new twist. Portia is a plucky woman--which I adored. Her life has always been a struggle, but she bobs and weaves, finding the best path she can trod of the limited paths available. Really, a great read. Don't expect any heat, but it's chock full of heart.

I like all three of these titles--A Leaf Can Be..., Water Can Be..., and this one, A Rock Can Be...partly because of their exquisite poetic language but also because of the way they encourage readers to use their imaginations and see so much more than just a leaf, water, or a rock. In rhyming text, the author looks at the rocks around her and sees, among other things: "dinosaur bone...stepping stone...harbor protector...land connector" (unpaged). Ideal for sharing with budding writers as a writing mentor text illustrating playful language and a minimalist approach to description, the book also gives additional information about each of the rocks on its pages. The color-drenched illustrations are filled with all sorts of detail, almost pulsing with life, just as the rock formations come to life through the poet's lines.

This is not a counting book. The humor and identity crisis theme are better suited for older kids, but the search-and-find pages would appeal more to younger kids. Alas, this picture book has a bit of an identity crisis.

Hmmm. It was entertaining.

In a world where animals and humans converse, Dr. Jane Catson is expecting to nap her way through life after the Cat Wars. The unexpected arrival of a Great Dane by the name of Sherlock Bones shakes up her world with a murder mystery. This was a rather clever retelling of the Holmes story that kicked off Sherlock Holmes, A Study in Scarlet. The mystery was recognizable, and the characters rather fun. With the two main characters as animals, they were amusing with their cat/dog interactions. There were a few points that didn't make much sense to me. Sherlock Bones' determination that the why of the murder wasn't important at the end, and the impetuous nature of a dog seemed unlike the spirit of Holmes. Personally, I think Holmes as a cat would have been more appropriate, though the pun of 'Watson with 'Catson' wouldn't have worked. And why was Catson a girl? Not a bad read for younger readers and I look forward to the second book.

Kuten kaikki aiemmatkin Moersin kirjat, on tamakin huikeaa mielikuvituksen ilotulitusta. Tarina tempaa mukaansa ja vie mennessaan, kirjailijalla on todella ollut orno tata kirjoittaessa! Paras Moersin kirja tahan mennessa.

Toujours aussi drole mais aussi emouvant et un peu plus "profond" que d'autres series que j'ai pu lire.

ADORED this one! Great illustrations, fun use of Spanish.

This is a review for Mara White's 'Playing With Fire,' a sweetly sexy coming-of-age story about the new girl in school who also happens to like girls. Delphine winds up in Ohio with her divorced mom, a far cry from the prestigious dance academy she attended in New York. She is befriended by an odd but loyal friend, Alex, and sets her sights on the beautiful dance teacher, Ms. Amber Johnson. Their romance is more sweet than sizzling hot, but Ms. Johnson is the one who knows they cannot continue in any kind of relationship. Lucky for Delphine, Amber convinces her of the benefits of joining the dance team (which means a chance for a trip back to New York for the annual competition). I loved that none of the high school students were stereotyped characters in this novella, and everyone seemed to be quite accepting and open to have Delphine in their midst. That was a plus for me! I adored the lovely and passionate Epilogue and was so happy for these characters to find their beautiful HEA's. I can't wait to read the rest of the stories in this amazing anthology! (ARC provided in return for an honest review.)

Detective Comics is in full blast, and there are absolutely no signs of stopping. Now this is how you start DC Rebirth. It is modern yet does not trample on the past. It is fresh and new and varied yet somehow it feels the same same ol' DC. We have seen rescue and escape action scenes before. And what makes it work is how the director or writer executes it - a plan going to fruition amidst all the action. Little about the story advances here, just guilty pleasure fun.

Beautiful short story. Lovely. The music which Messerschmitt play is romantic.

A good read about a fascinating period in history and an entertainingly twisted royal family. However, as is sometimes the case in these dual narrator books, I found one of the two sisters (elder Berenice) much more interesting than the youthful Arsinoe. I wouldn't have cut Arsinoe out of the book entirely but I didn't think she was a strong enough character to be a co-protagonist and I wished I had more time with Berenice, who was a great character. A book solely from her vantage point, or maybe her and her mother, would have been awesome. Still worth reading even if the majority of the Arsinoe chapters are pretty blah because the Berenice chapters are so good. Holleman also writes well stylistically.

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Another classic

I was expecting to get the last Daredevil story, and I sort of did, but more than anything this is the last Ben Urich story ... and it turns out that's a much stronger premise. Well, it would be if Bendis made this a great investigative story. Instead it's kind of half-assed. Urich searches after Daredevil's dying secret, but it's as MacGuffiny of a MacGuffin as you've ever seen, with Urich never making any progress, and the answer finally being handed off on a silver platter on the final page. Meanwhile, this is all just an excuse to tour through the late Daredevil's life. With all that said, it's a pretty enjoyable story. The dark future is interesting, the characters are interesting, and the art is beautiful. It just stops short of being a great story due to its numerous flaws.

I was in a bookstore searching, inquiring, going through all the stalls for Colleen Hoover's books but the battle search just lead me into this book. I knew right away when I saw this book that I've marked it as my "to read" book. With the money intended to buy Colleen Hoover's books but since there aren't available yet, I gambled on this book. It's quite expensive from its neighboring paperbacks but I know there was something special about this book that made me want to buy it. I actually held it for awhile because I might come across with lesser valued book with a great story but I just saw myself standing in front of the cashier, grabbing a grand, the bar code scanned, handing the money to the girl, have the amount typed, handing me my change, get's the receipt, putting the book inside the brown paper bag with red print and grabbing the item and shoving it inside my bag. So in short, I bought it... Anyway, ever since I read Anna and the French Kiss I got so in love with Paris! That I started buying a planner with the Eiffel Tower emblazoned on it, sticky notes with anything Paris, pens and a lot more!!! I got so excited when I knew that one of the settings of the book is in Paris... but not like other books which's story often happens in the Eiffel Tower, Lourve, Notre Dame... the book touched on places I've never heard but got my interest into it. It showed a different facet of Paris. A facet that only a true Parisian can tell but was successfully put into words and descriptively liven up by the writer. The book was more on self-discovery and having a say in Life. Allyson, unfortunately, had her life plotted chronologically by her parents. She was the kind of daughter who every parents want to have. Obedient, understanding, respectful, studious, submissive, adventure averse person, good girl... Until after she arrived from her European tour that everything that she was once known started making her ask herself if that's the kind of girl she still wants to be or if she wants to be the person she has made herself up when she was in Paris.... Care free, independent, happy, always thirsty for adventure! I'd like to elaborate more on this book but I'd be giving out spoilers. Anyway, I love how this book was different from those that I have read. I love how she has found herself during her journey and how far she came to find the answers to her year long questions and she has transformed herself to becoming the person she always want to be.

For this collector of history to compress so much meaning into a third of a page to a page and a half, his metaphors needed to be beautifully subtle, his satirical instinct needed to be sharp, and his hatred of injustice needed to run deep. Mirrors say: don't forget the hypocrisy we are prone to, the cruelty we are capable of, the injustices we become indifferent to; don't forget. Reading Mirrors was so enjoyable at times a despicable thought entered my mind: how boring our history might become if we got our act together. Galeano pulled moments of pleasure from centuries of pain. However, it is an enjoyment that inspires conscientiousness and compassion, that makes us take a look in the mirror.

The very best chapter is the epilogue, but you must read the whole way through to appreciate it. This book manages to make the history of a single battle nigh a hundred years ago seem to come alive. All of the excerpts from the soldiers' own words are incredible. My words are not doing this book justice, really, I recommend this highly to anyone interested in American history. Please don't skip this thinking you're not into military history- I'm. It, and I enjoyed this immensely.

Vikram Seth is best known for A Suitable Boy but seven years earlier he wrote, The Golden Gate, a novel about life in and around San Francisco, done as more than one hundred sonnets. I read the book for its location and it's unusual narrative approach. As poetry, each sonnet stands along fine. Each one is a snippet, a little window into life in San Francisco from the turbulent 1970s midway through the consumer driven 1980s. As a slice of Americana, the book is feeling dated. It relies too heavily on popular culture that has since moved in other directions. Setting the poetry aside to look at the characters and situations, there's not a lot there. The numerous characters all blend together to the point that names no longer really matter. There is a recurring theme of loss and disappointment but without a strong character foundation, these themes don't hit their mark.

Review to come soon

Categories/Genres for this class fulfilled by this book: Nonfiction & Graphic Novel Estimate of age level of interest: Grades 7-12 Estimate of reading level: Grade 6 Brief description: A nonfiction book about three women--Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birule Galdikas--who made dramatic advances in our understanding of primates, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans specifically. Identify at least 2 characteristics of this genre and subgenre and discuss how they appear in your book: Nonfiction books should give accurate information about a topic. While this graphic novel is categorized as nonfiction, it has elements of fiction--as acknowledged in the afterward by the author: "Maris and I didn't get up before dawn in the jungle...As a result, some of what you just read is fiction" (135). This fictionalization of facts makes it hard for young readers to decipher the difference between what to trust and what not to trust. That said, the significant events are true-to-life, and while the timelines might be "squishy", there is significant portions of the novel from which young readers can learn and be inspired. Graphic novels provide a continuing conversation between the pictures and the text (Chance). This is done well in this novel. The text is varied, switching between cursive for diary entries, thought and word bubbles, and then text boxes for commentary by the narrator. The drawings show movement and surprise, whether it be the difficulty of a hike or astonishment at an accomplishment. Readers not only hear what a character is saying, they see what (s)he is feeling. In what ways and how well does the book as a whole serve its intended audience?: This book will appeal to middle school students, but would be appropriate for high school students. It is a quick, fun, and easy to read piece of nonfiction work. It also will engage young girls who may be interested in animals or the sciences. The focus on these three ambitious women who may not have had the "proper training" but who had the love and drive may inspire girls to do things they might have thought out of their reach. It shows how women can be mothers, wives, and individuals and do the thing they love to do in this world. Awards if any: Publishers Weekly starred 03/25/13 Horn Book Guide starred Fall 2013 DCF 2014 Links to published reviews from professional sources: Booklist May 15, 2013 (Vol. 109, No. 18) Kirkus Reviews April 1, 2013 School Library Journal May 1, 2013

Simple read with lots of depth.

The art remains super gorgeous and I remain incredibly confused but invested in whatever is happening. THAT ENDING THO. EVEN MORE THOUGHTS: http://ladybusiness.dreamwidth.org/20... Fangirl Happy Hour discussion: http://www.fangirlhappyhour.com/2016/...

Not that good :-(

By the butt of the Hutt! Darth Vader is so badass, kicking so many rebel ass that I almost pity those X-Wing pilots who were absolutely no match for the Sith Lord. Bring it on Vader! This issue is filled with beautiful and intense illustrations, many of which are these stunning spread pages that you would just admire for a few moments. Damn good stuff Deodato! This much X-Wings against a Sith Lord? Pfft, not enough. For those who are reading the Darth Vader comics, this is definitely a refreshing take on the character. Vader being downed, with no comms and means to call backup actually gives him the freedom to move, free from the eyes of the Empire. Vader Down already feels like a Star Wars episode 4.5. I highly recommend that you read this issue. Hopefully the next 5 of this six-issue miniseries will be as good as this one.

This was much darker than most Agatha Christie, as the name forbodes. It was interesting, and well written, but surprisingly dark at the end.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful: Love, loss, and blood, February 18, 2008 One may at first be put off by the notion of a werewolf novel as an epic poem. In the minds of many - too many - poetry is an aged, calcified form, difficult to penetrate, and approached not for fun but out of a sense of intellectual obligation. Yet any such concerns should be immediately thrust aside by any potential reader of Toby Barlow's clever, compelling debut novel, "Sharp Teeth." Barlow's plot, at its surface, is a straight forward modern werewolf tale - a pack living in LA under the command of Lark have big plans, having to do with dog pounds. From there the story branches our into many directions - a love story between a werewolf woman and the novel's protagonist, several survivors of a decimated pack dealing with their loneliness, and other wolves hungry for the vengeance of blood. The poetry in which all of this comes is delivered in language at once subtle and raw, visceral as Barlow's topic and modern his book's setting. For example, when writing about a lovers wonder about how well he knows his love. He worries that this Is beginning to feel like driving a car through the mountains, finding a great song on the radio and then as you pass out of its range hearing it flicker and fade. Snap, pop and then its gone. Or another musing Tomorrow she knows the tactics will have to change her luck has held three times and Lark has always said, luck is stupid as a cow and blind as a bat. What would you do to protect the love you have? Would you kill? Would you hunt to kill? Would you kill without mercy? And if you wouldn't Then how precious is your love? Yet for all of this pretty poetry, Barlow never forgets the tradition from which he springs, that Homer and Shakespeare never meant for their audiences to be left to a narrow band of dutiful intellectuals, but saw themselves as appealing to a mass audience. And so, like these predecessors works, "Sharp Teeth" offers no shortage of breathtaking violence, and lurid bawdy details, and fine humor (a group of dogs hustling cards being my personal favorite). Barlow milks moon and dog imagery for every drop of entertainment, all delivered to the reader in a spectacular package. Readers will recognize much of "Sharp Teeth" as familiar, a crime noir taken to the next level, with all of the twists, turns, and character archetypes one might expect. The crime boss down on his luck plotting his way back, his scheming second in command, the beautiful dame who isn't sure what love is, the haggard cop who thinks once too often about eating his gun. Yet again, Barlow's rich vivid language and his mastery of imagery bring all of these things to us in a way that is both fresh and rewarding. Readers who allow themselves to be put off by thoughts of epic poetry will be the loosers, never having enjoyed the bite of "Sharp Teeth."

A nice noir, police procedural take on a superheroes world. The story's nice, the visuals appropriate to the genre and the characters interesting. A nice fun read.

I was wrong to think I could read a Beatrice Small book again. Flipped through this one enough to get what's going on, but all the characters seem superficial. They don't have enough depth to care about what's going on around and to them. Or so it seems to me, anyway.

If I hear even just a whisper about a good contemporary book on Twitter that I haven't read, I know that I'm going to read it. ELEANOR & PARK not only had whispers, but full discussions, yells, and exclamations, meaning I not only knew I would read it, but that I would read it SOON. Full Review: http://chickloveslit.com/2013/04/revi...

Please hold your brick throwing, booing and hissing for after this review please. I know I'm in the minority when I say, I didn't really care for this book. No, I didn't hate the book - I just didn't like it. This whole idea of a fairy tale set in steampunk universe is AMAZING, but in this case it was so wrongly executed. First, let me start off with the perdictibilty of the plot. From about page 70 I saw where this book was headed, which made reading the rest of the book a tad bit boring. I mean who wants to read something when the ending is already known? Another thing that was extremely confusing to me was this who alternative universe with different countries, cultures and such. I just didn't think it was as developed as I would have liked and it at times got a bit confusing. The last part was the obvious focus on this plague. About 75% of this book was about the plague, which is all fine and dandy, but when you sacrifice character development to fill a book with seemingly technical details regarding cyborgs and plagues it just loses the reader. That being said, it is the authors first book. So I shall be fair and probably read the second book in this serious (Yes I like torture, but really I don't know how many times I've trashed book 1 of a series only to love book 2). So book 2.... here we come!

All could think when I closed this book was "What an odd book."

Through the contemporary world's everyday oddities--TSA guidelines, flowers named for TV stars, cell phones blurting classical music, scrolling weather alerts--Greenwald weaves the intimacies of birth, death, longing, and grief. This mixture is startling in its sincerity, and these poems are sonically rich to boot: lovely to read aloud.

Real, heartbreaking, hilarious, simple and profound. I loved it...

Reread Oct 17 This is book one of a trilogy. It doesn't end in a cliffhanger and there is a HFN, but I definitely want to continue with Arden and Caspian's story in book two. I really enjoy Alexis Hall's prose.

I did not think this was quite as good as the first two. I have images stuck in my brain of two steroid-jacked characters. The scene where they are naked in the showers? I didn't need to see that, even if it was just in my minds eye. And if I remember right, Hannibal drugs agent Starling, dresses up as her dad and then has sex with her? I know these are your characters, Thomas Harris, and you can make them do anything, but what the hell is wrong with you?

I really enjoy reading (and occasionally writing) poetry, but I often struggle to understand the meaning or style of some poets that "everyone" loves. So, I was so thrilled to read this account of why we should read poetry and the arguments for what make poets and poetry special. I really enjoyed the humor of the book, since most poets take themselves so seriously. And I've read enough of the poets mentioned in the book to understand Orr's examples. I think this book should be required reading for all college English Comp I classes, and I'd love to see some of these discussions happening in high school creative writing/poetry classes. Too often we just expect people to "get" poetry, and if they don't we just assume they aren't smart enough or cultured enough to understand. Thus, no one but a teenager wants to admit that they don't understand where a poet is coming from. Orr's book allows me to admit that I don't understand many poets and that I can still love reading poetry despite my lack of depth.

** spoiler alert ** I so rarely give books five stars, but it was SO RIDONKULOUSLY GOOD. Now if I may attempt to return to some kind of form and explain what I loved about this book. I won't bore anyone with rehash. Read the summary if you want to know what the book is about. How about characters? Cleave has a way of letting you in on each character's past that is not unlike peeling an onion. Layer by layer, he reveals the inner workings until you're deeper inside than you realize. In a few chapters, we feel like we know Tate, Adrian, Emma, even Cooper. We're supposed to kind of hate Tate, the way Schroeder does, but also respect him for his knack for solving cases. Adrian is a pitiable character, one I could feel sorry for... is he just confused and maybe not really very bright? Or just evil? You know how Buttons says, there's a difference between crazy and mean? I don't know which one Adrian is. Maybe a little of both. Even the invisible character of Melissa X from The Cleaner is exposed and we learn more about who she is and why she kills men in uniform. This is a story line that I hope Cleave continues. Cooper was a surprising character that I first liked and felt sorry for, then felt cheated, disappointed and angry once the innocent persona of the professor was peeled back and we saw him for what he truly is. A rare moment of surprise for me. How about twists? This book is a winding mountain road. So much evil, so little time to write about it, and how each story line is intricately weaved into another (even one from a previous book, which... YAY!)is literary genius to me. I like to guess at what the outcome will be, and be happily surprised when I am wrong. How about pacing? Pretty sure I almost had a heart attack. Collecting Cooper is written from two POV's. This story could not have been told the right way had we not been able to read both Tate and Cooper's thoughts. The book covers just a few days, however there is near nonstop action, through which we alternately follow Adrian trying to build or complete his 'collection' and Tate trying to find Emma Green, Cooper Riley and by default, Adrian. I often wonder what happens in the mind of a writer of grisly tales of evil, abuse, hate, mental illness, cavalier responses to torture and murder. I admit now that I don't really want to know. I just want Paul Cleave to keep it coming. Loved loved loved this book, in case that wasn't obvious.

This book was even better than i remembered from my childhood.

Sinister (4-6). Again, Liu shows off her great characterization when she brings Gambit into the narrative, and uses that as an opportunity to really reveal both Gambit and Laura. The story itself is also another interesting bit of continuity, as Liu resolves the Mrs. Sinister arc. Finally, there's some nice tropes about identity and cloning; Liu doesn't give it as much attention as she might have, but the application to Laura is obvious [7/10]. Road to Hell. This little snippet is an intro for Laura's new MacGuffin quest after a member of Weapon X. There's not much to it [5/10]. Sharks (7). And so the quest begins. Sadly, though Gambit continues along and though they're on an interesting quest, this one-off issue has very little depth [5/10]. Collision (8-9). A crossover between X-23 and Daken is an excellent idea, and Weapon X is a good plot for them, but this story feels quite off-kilter for most of its length, and Daken playing do-I-betray-or-not games. It's only the last issue that's particularly strong, when we get some deep and meaningful interactions between the two [6/10]. Touching Darkness (10-12). Liu practically makes this a team book, bringing together Laura with Gambit, Wolverine, and Jubilee. It's a pretty wonderful crew, all well-characterized, and bouncing off of each other in interesting ways. The Jubilee-Laura comparison is particularly interesting. Oh, and there's some story here too, about more testing and trigger scent and blah, blah, blah [7/10]. Chaos Theory (13-16). This is more of that Captain Universe foolishness, but done much better than the one-off from years before. Yeah, the Universe power is still a talking entity, but now it's King Arthur or something, fighting demons. Weird. The team-up with the FF results in a kind of strange story for Laura, but it's great to see her interacting with a family that treats her as someone to be treasured [6/10]. Misadventures in Babysitting (17-19). The real joy of this arc is getting to see Julian and Laura together again, and receiving some closure on their relationship from New X-Men. Beyond that, babysitting the Richards' kids is fun, and there's some good action (that gets a bit dull in the middle). A good story, mainly for its character beats [7/10]. Girls Night' Out (20-21). These two issues are a fine ending for the series. The final team-up with Jubilee is great for the way it book-ends things all the way back to X-23's introduction, while the last issue with its mysticism and its lack of dialogue is a quirky and thoughtful way to finish [7+/10]. Overall, this book has some weak areas, but most of it's pretty good, and it's a joy to see an entire other volume of Laura.

Did what Winesburg, Ohio failed to do ... supurb, and trumps Death Ray as my favorite Clowes book.

Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne An excellent series of books that mix nonfiction learning into a fictional story with series characters. The action is fast-paced and the time travel aspect is sure to appeal to young readers. The main character, Jack, and his younger sister go on an adventure together. Jack's attitude towards his sister is caring but a bit exasperated at times, which is very true to a real life brother/sister relationship at that age. The pictures, though black and white, are well-drawn and add to the richness of the story.

a total waste of 15 minutes!

From the very beginning, Sage's character hooked me. He's tough, brilliant, doesn't back down, out-thinks his opponents nearly ten moves in advance, makes me laugh out loud, and takes beating after beating, hardship after hardship, and still gets up. Every. Time. It's hard to sum up what my feelings were while reading this book, but I'll try. I laughed. A lot. Which surprised me, because being the third and final book in the series, I had expected a lot of grim determination to be there. There was, but the humour was a vital part of that grim determination. It was found in the relationships, and the situations, but mostly it had its home in Sage. If you've gotten to this book, and are reading this review, then perhaps you know him by another name. But if you don't, I won't spoil that for you. In the last year, I've read so many books. Many of them have been good books, but few have really stood out to me. This one stood out. Very much so. The writing is flawless, the details lush, the action believable, the characters you'll either love to hate, or just plain love, and the story itself is rich with dimension, detail, and scenes that will leave you laughing, or your jaw dropping in amazement. My advice? Read it. From one bookworm to another, if you're looking for a great read, you've found the right book.

This book touched me deeply as a child. I felt exactly as the heroine did -- odd, yet special for my oddity -- and books like this one made my life more bearable.

I liked it. I liked the characters and it was well written. It felt like a place I could visit, and would want to visit, in spite of the murder mystery aspect.

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I received a free copy of this book via the Goodreads Don't buy My Love program in exchange for an honest review. This contemporary mystery describes the circumstances surrounding the theft and recovery of a painting known as The Russian Boy. Dmitri, an actual Russian boy, is studying art in Paris. He is only a few months from the end of his scholarship, and will have to leave his studies due to no money. Then, he is approached by Yegor who offers him 20,000 Euro to steal the painting from the studio where it is being restored. Dmitri is counseled by his boyfriend, an American art fellow named Taylor, to refuse Yegor's offer. Dmitri doesn't. He steals the painting and heads for the rendezvous with Yegor in Nice. Only, Yegor never shows. Always resourceful, Dmitri makes the acquaintance of Albin, a man willing to take him in for a night...or more. Worried about his lover, Taylor travels to Nice, hoping to help Dmitri out of what will surely become a debacle. Debacle it becomes. Former art professor Rowan is dispatched to Paris by the insurers to track down the missing painting. Interpol is alerted. Dmitri is double-crossed by Yegor, and Yegor ends up dead. Painting? Seemingly gone. Rowan's investigation not only yields Taylor, and Dmitri, but engagements with the Russian mafia, and a human trafficking ring. The tension of the whereabouts of the painting, and recovery of it, continues to build throughout. At times I felt this was more of a thriller than a romance. Other reviewers have commented on a lack of investment in the relationships, but I felt all the men in these partnerships were well described and conceived. Further, we get some flashback of the painting's development and the scandalous nature of the relationship between artist and subject. The painting is a sensual depiction of a naked, aroused young (19 y/o) man--Alexei, son of a Russian Count, back in 1913 Nice. Alexei and the artist Lushenko had a Master-Apprentice relationship, as well as a physical relationship. I really connected with the historical and cultural aspects of their story. I also enjoyed the descriptions of Nice, and the experiences to be had there. In M/M romance, one has to be prepared for some odd pairings, and some brutality. Dmitri and Taylor are the initial couple, but they are together more of convenience--and quickly sever ties when Dmitri steals the painting. Then Dmitri meets Albin, who is a bit older, but kind and companionable. And Taylor is attracted to Rowan, despite Rowan being twice his age. It seems Taylor has always fancied older men, even Dmitri noticed... And the Lushenko/Alexei, well, more May/December. It's not all that uncomfortable for me to accept these pairings. I wasn't thrilled by the rape/bondage scenes, but it seemed in line with the dangerous plot line. For a mystery/thriller there was a lot of sex, and for a romance, there was a lot of suspense. There were some HEA's to be had, as well. In all, I liked the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I felt as if I was familiar with the author and the characters, even though this is the first book by Elizabeth Edmondson that I have read. It feels like it was written in the 1950s, when it is set, rather than just last year. I enjoyed the author's use of language. The writing style was very interesting, but at the same time engrossing and easy to follow. I look forward to the next book in this series.

3.5 stars Despite a shaky beginning (writing was a bit choppy at first and the multiple voice narrative form takes a bit to get used to), this is a gripping novel from a new author. Readers will be drawn into this twisted and convoluted- yet intriguing- tale of betrayal, lost love and inescapable fate. The realization of the disturbing lengths that a woman might take to acquire what she most desires will likely haunt readers after the story is through.

Firstly I maybe a little bias as I LOVE this book series !!! For me it is one of the best and my favorite romantic/erotic vampire series. Each book in the series has been a 5* rating for me and never disappointed and this book was no different !! Quinn is known as the playboy of the Scanguard clan, enjoying his days to full and living a life of indulgence especially when it comes to women. But nobody knows his secret heartbreak, two hundred years ago his heart was broken by the love of his life his human wife Rose and he has never been able to forget her and believing her to be dead has never gotten over her. Still very much alive and a vampire herself Rose now needs Quinn's help as an evil vampire is threatening Rose and her and Quinn's only living descendant. I loved Quinn's reaction to seeing Rose again, he was happy she was alive but hurt that she hadn't come to him nearly two hundred years ago and also hurt that she kept their child from him. Seeing Rose realize there are vampires that live a civilized life and there was a different way live was a great way of seeing both sides of the story. I really enjoyed the way the book went from present day to two hundred years ago, showing how Quinn and Rose met and fell in love and how they were both turned. The way Tina includes all the other characters and we get to see little snippets of our favorite characters while not loosing sight of who the main leads of the story are always amazes me! This book also introduced us to Oliver a little more with some important life changing events happening for him. New comer Cain was also involved more getting us ready for when he has his own book (fingers crossed) and we also get to know a little more of Thomas's history!! These books always have everything I enjoy in a book, first class characters, great plot, romance, action, steamy hot bedroom scenes and they are always complete page turners that I cannot put down. My only bad point..... having to wait for the next book !! :o)

A wonderful story set during a difficult time in U.S history. Tomi, a Japanese American, faces many adversities as she is sent, with her family, to an internment camp. Through these adversities she keeps such an upbeat and positive attitude, but that is tested when her father returns from prison. This story touched my heart as I explored what it means to be an American.

I'm usually a big fan of paranormal romance books, so I had high hopes when I started reading Beautiful Creatures. I was hoping that it would be a New Vampire Academy or Mortal Instruments type book for me to obsess over. That being said, I was definitely disappointed. Beautiful Creatures is told from the perspective of Ethan Wate, living in a one horse textbook southern town. I have to say, I did really like the setting of the book. I think that Southern towns have such a rich history that a perfect for building a mystery around. All Ethan wants to do is escape Gatlin and not end up stuck there in the predictable like everyone else. In walks Lena and everything changes. He's drawn to her, despite her black sheep reputation in town, but all she wants is for him to stay away. Overall I thought it was decent, but nothing about the premise or the story pulled me in. I was uninterested in the characters and what happened to them, and I didn't think the love story was all that great. If you're really into these types of books you may find it worth reading, but otherwise I don't know if I would really recommend it. I definitely don't plan on reading on in the series.

This story had such a powerful start, I loved the first chapter and even got a ways into the story but then it kind of went sideways for me. The writing is good, there were some graphic, gruesome scenes but they held my attention and kept me wondering where the story was going - I'm always rooting for good to win over evil, and there was definitely some evil in this story. This story clearly outlined and gave a really good sense of the fanaticism and small mindedness of some. The characters were well crafted. Unfortunately I found myself about halfway through and felt disconnected from the story and from Xantara, well any of them really. I think the story idea is great but too many characters were constantly being introduced, almost right to the end. I'm a fan of thrillers and meeting lots of characters but not introduced so late. Also I lost touch with Xanatra who's story I thought this would be about as she was who it started with. There wasn't anyone who was present enough throughout to connect with. In some cases I also felt that resolving the issue was too rushed. The story which started out great seemed to become more about sharing a message then about the story. With some changes this would be a great read.

An easy read and very enjoyable. Set in Egypt during the reign of Hatshepsut. Mara is a slave girl who is bought by a man who serves Hatshepsut, but falls in love with a man who is the leader of the rebellion to over throw Hatshepsut and bring Thutmose to the throne. Mara has to decide whether to obey her master or support the rebellion. She has big adventures, some dangerous, and discovers that her love of Egypt is greater than her desire for freedom. She is clever, but likeable.

Keywords: dinosaurs, tea party, manners

Edva li niakoga shche mi omr'zne da cheta Roald Dal. Ili da go preprochitam. Ako niakoi den triabva da prepor'cham detski avtor na sina si, Roald Dal s's sigurnost shche e p'rviiat. Kuentin Bleik i tuk ni pomaga s prekrasnite si iliustratsii da pridobiem predstava za glavnite geroi. A na kraia na knigata p'k otkrivame porednite interesni fakti za zhivota na avtora, k'm kogoto az lichno veche s'm pristrastena. Khumor't na Roald Dal v'v "Fantastichniiat gospodin Foks"(izd. Enthusiast) e vse taka velikolepen. Toi otnovo s'bira razlichni kharakteri i ni gi opisva po nai-zhivopisniia i prev'zkhoden nachin s pomoshchta na dumichkite si, koito blestiat kato "raztopeno zlato". V'v "Fantastichniiat gospodin Foks" Roald Dal ni zavladiava s's svoiata istoriia za edna neobiknovena lisitsa- gospodin Foks, neinoto semeistvo i trima loshi fermeri- Bogis, B'ns i Biin. Bogis otglezhda pileta, B'ns- patitsi i g'ski, a Biin - puiki i iab'lki. Za tezi trimata detsata ot mestnostta si imat slednata pesnichka: Bogis, B'ns i Biin, plonder, klechka i dzhudzhe. Makar na vid razlichni, ednakvo zli sa te. Oshche ot reviuto - tuk: http://azcheta.com/fantastichniqt-gos...

Lack luster story in a short novella. Easy read with an intriguing last page to keep the reader in remembrance of Rachel's little sister.

This was a compelling mystery, a bit different than Grafton's earlier Kinsey stories. It had me engaged, but it took a while before I could get the two story lines pulled together. There is loose end related to the Boggerts that bothers me--they beat up Felix and he died, but they were never prosecuted. Read on my Kindle.

I can hear the giggles already, and the shouts, as young children interact with the story thinking they know more than the seemingly oblivious boy who is looking for bear. They are in for a surprise. In the meantime, they will be getting the subtlest lesson about prepositions: "Is bear under the sofa?" will get shouts of "No, he's behind the sofa." And giggles. Lots of giggles. Great fun. I read the new 2017 Doubleday edition with different cover art that I like even better than the one pictured here.

The translation are not as good as Stephen Mitchell's "The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke" which is, for me, the definitive translation of Rilke's work in English.

Good third book to the series. This book is more suspense than romance as the H and h are hardly together for this book. I am imagining a buildup to the 4th book. I so want Michael and Christina together, I am excited to see if this happens.

This is a book full of beautifully vivid poetry. I can't believe I haven't read poetry for so long. This has been a great reentry into the lush world of poetry and prose.

I managed to get a signed copy of The Girl when I attended the Festival of Writing in York recently. I was impressed by Jo Jo and had read Me Before You (which I still have to blog about) so decided to give this book a go. I looked up the reviews to see what people thought, since this book had not officially been released yet and was surprised to see a range of mixed reveiws. A lot of readers did not like it - they called it a book of two halves. They like the first, not the second. So, I decided to play it safe. I read the first part and then took a break of a week before I read the second. This was an excellent tactic! Part One: 1916 The first half is the story of Sophie, a woman who is trying to survive the hardships of the First World War. She meets a Kommandant who takes a fancy to a picture her beloved husband Eduoard painted. Sophie is feisty, sassy and determined. She will do what it takes to help others in the hope of one day being reunited with her love. The Kommandant takes a liking to Sophie, and I won't tell you the spoiler but stuff happens...read it. Can I say that I loved Sophie and felt sorry for the Kommandant. Yes, he had a job to do and was a bastard at times... but Jo Jo managed to make me see the other side. The way it ends leaves you on tenterhooks... what will happen? Part Two: 2006 Now meet Liv, the current owner of The Girl. A woman devasted by the lost of her husband 4 years earlier. A woman about to be involved in a lengthy legal challenge for the picture, now a picture valued in the region of millions - her husband bought it for 300 francs! And the one to challenge her for it is a man she accidentally meets...and falls in love with. I loved the way the relationship between these two characters develops. The descriptions are vivid, intense and sensual. The outcome is well thought out and for once, I did not see it coming... I highly recommend this book and would urge you to read it and ignore the critics... I look forward to the next and have got to go back to read some of her other boks! When will I find the time to read them all? Lol... Enjoy, I hope my review is useful Vanessa :)

really just an amazing book

It took me awhile to get into this, but I did not see parts 2 and 3 coming. Another "AMAZING" novel. Dark Places is still my favorite, but this was a great read.

Eloisa James manipulates my emotions is a most delightful way. There were a couple of humorous scenes that caused me to laugh until tears ran down my cheeks. Other parts of the book made me cry for different reasons. And her sex scenes are sizzling hot. Our heroine, Gabby Jerningham, has traveled from India to wed the younger son of a Viscount with whom her father has had business dealings. Gabby is a talkative, opinionated, messy, clumsy, voluptuous woman. She was originally promised to the older son but he fears that an accident has left him incapable of satisfying a bride or possibly even siring heirs. But Quill is immediately attracted to this most unconventional woman. And his younger brother, Peter, who is a fastidious fashion plate, is horrified by Gabby's lack of social skills and a presentable wardrobe. Throw in some political intrigue about the nefarious dealings of the East India Company and the plot thickens. Apparently there are at least two more books in this series and I will be seeking them out. Thank you Eloisa James for a thoroughly enchanting read.

I'm going to be honest (what else is new?)...I read spoilers for this one. Yes. I. Am. A. Pansy. Judge all you want, but I'd heard a lot of people didn't like it and I was going to be more pissed off if V didn't get his HEA than not, so I read the damn spoilers. That said...J.R., seriously? SERIOUSLY? Ugh. It's not even that I didn't like the ending, I did....unconventional, I get what you did there...but, seriously? Anyhow, like I said before, I am J.R.'s bitch, so guess who gives this a 4? This girl.

This is the first book I've read of this authors...& I did receive a free copy in advance from Netgallery to review. So these opinions are totally mine with no bias! Two siblings are separated during WW I and have just recently discovered they are related. So you have the sibling attempting to acquaint each other with themselves and their families. While doing this they are working on a garden and stumble upon a Skelton next to a fighter plane. As they attempt to solve who the body belongs to their are many twists as it appears someone or many, don't want the body identified.

well, let's see. Did you read the article in Vanity Fair a few years back about the female FBI agent who allegedly had an affair w/Patricia Cornwell ("Patsy") and then her lunatic husband (also FBI) went ballistic and abducted her, beat the crap out of her, then later on terrorized some poor minister, blah blah blah. And all this for what apparently was a VERY brief fling (as Patsy puts it, twice over the rug... anyway, as true crime it was OK. But the mess this woman's life became was just awful. Sexism galore in the FBI (wow, THERE's a surprise)and then the older daughter becomes a junkie, meth freak, unwed mother...the guy was convicted of a bunch of stuff but the judge was crazier than the guy and the upshot is the man will be out in another 8 years. If you are curious, I'd find the Vanity fair article and save your time.

Source: eARC for Honest Review via Penguin Group USA | Berkley | NAL There is just something about those Colter Men. For Lauren she is surrounded by the love and adoration of the Colter Men and wishes she too could have that kind of love. Lauren is made some shitty decisions in her life which caused her a world of trouble. After this, two hotties Liam and Noah have taken responsibility to take care of Lauren. Liam and Noah are best friends and are after the same woman. This could cause conflict until they learn of the Colter men and they realize that they have a chance with Lauren after all. For Lauren who is still recovering from an abusive relationship leans on Liam and Noah who want more than to protect her. For Liam and Noah they have the patience of saints to wait for Lauren to be ready for their kind of relationship but once she gives in it was worth the wait. In this installment of the Colter's Legacy I liked seeing all of the Colter's as well the growth of Lauren. Where I felt let down was the connection between Liam, Noah and Lauren felt kind of out of no where and escalated quickly for all the turmoil going on with Lauren. Also since the formula was the same in the other books I was hoping for maybe a M/M/F relationship instead of the typical Colter M/F/M ones. The story was a bit predictable at times but I love seeing the end of series and how they close it all off. With this series it felt like a good conclusion to the Colter Legacy. For more reviews, visit Live Read and Breathe Like us on Facebook Live Read and Breathe Facebook Follow along with Twitter Live Read and Breathe Twitter

the recipe for sane living is in this book

Read with my little one, her 1st "chapter book". Very age appropriate for her (she's 5), an older girl might find it a little boring, as not much happens. But it was enjoyable for a little girl who lives faeries as my daughter does.

I enjoyed this book a lot, though not quite as much as "Every Day". Rhiannon's struggle with figuring out whether and how to love someone who appeared in a different body every day wasn't quite as compelling to me as A's struggle to establish an identity and an existence while ethically inhabiting the bodies of others. Justin is even more of a jerk and even more unworthy of Rhiannon when seen at close range. I hate guys like that, who constantly make others doubt themselves and walk on eggshells around them. Rhiannon deserved better. I'm very interested to find out what will happen next in both A's and Rhiannon's lives, though I'm especially curious about what is in store next for A.

Quick plot, cliched writing but had it's strong moments. It's quite obvious between the lines, the dreams n hopes to turn this into a movie franchise.

I just finished reading Released in preparation for Chaos to come out!! (in one day!!!)Released had me hooked from the beginning to the end. I loved the characters in the book, especially Abby. Abby had all of the characteristics that I like. She was a bad ass, but still maintained her femininity. Her brother Carter and their friend Max were a great team. Later Taya was added into the mix. At first I didn't care for Taya's character, but she grew on me as the book went along. I was a little sad that a couple of the characters were killed off, such as Norah, I liked Norah and the potential I felt she could've brought out in the plot. I'm sure there will be more characters to love to come in the next book. Now that I'm finished with Released....I'm ready for some Chaos!!!!!!!!!

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See full review for Origin at: http://toomanybooksnotenoughshelves.w... After book 3's ending, I was desperate to get my hands on book 4 and even when I did - I caved and bought it of Apple's bookstore - it took me a few months to get around to reading it. When I finally did, I was instantly depressed. Kat was indeed captured by Daedalus, and they try to explain that what they're doing isn't as bad as the Luxen have made it out to be. And the killer thing was that Blake - yes, the same Blake who betrayed them - was actually working for Daedalus the whole time Kat and the others were planning their break in to the compound.

Really enjoyed this - that the forward was written by Greg Rucka is no coincidence. It's a bleak but compelling noir story that takes place on Everest, which adds a unique twist and some unexpectedly high stakes.

This author is a good writer. I am impressed....but he is definitely a man's writer...and maybe that is sexist, but what I mean is that he goes deep into detail for the sport's moves---and the games...and I find myself lost. The rest of the book is great (and I am sure the other part is good too). I grabbed this book because I am always looking for literature to share with my students. This writer is current, knows the dialog...knows what he is doing. This story is about a foster kid trying to survive in LA. He is obsessed with playing basketball--- and his obsession has helped him become a star. He has the every day struggles of a kid on the street...but people routing for him on the sidelines. His relationships are interesting---and realistic. I especially like how the men at the rec center watch over him. This book would not be good for my students because the story is not told in chronological order, so it would be confusing....but any kid would enjoy. Read if you like YA fiction. Or you are a YA. :)

Save Me is not an easy book to read. It deals with some tough subjects. Rose McKenna has just moved her family to a new town to help her daughter escape from school bullying. But the problems continue since Melly's facial birthmark makes her a target for the mean kids. After a favorite teacher tells her that Melly is hiding in the handicapped bathroom instead of eating her food, Rose volunteers to be a lunchroom Mom. There is an explosion in the cafeteria that causes injuries and loss of life. Rose is now the target of a campaign of misinformation and blame. As she strives to get to the bottom of the story, Rose finds herself deeply entangled in a web of corporate greed and murder. The book really took off for me in the second half and I was surprised to realize that it was 1:30 in the morning when I read the last page. Keep a box of tissues handy because Save Me will bring on the tears. But don't give up when the going gets hard. This is a roller coaster ride of a book that will stay with you after you finish it.

After reading the first book in the Parasol Protectorate series, I was eager for another Steampunk romance selection. The Iron Duke definitely seemed the way to go- 5 star reviews all over the place! After reading the book, I liked it, but nothing approaching the adoration every other reader seemed to achieve. Maybe I need to reread, after a little time and distance. We'll see....

This book is featured on Shabby Sunday @ https://readrantrockandroll.com/2017/... This book is one of our favorites to read around Halloween time. There are witch poems from multiple poets including Shakespeare, L.Frank Baum, Myra Cohn Livingston and a few anonymous. One of our favorites is written by Myra Cohn Livingston. It's titled "Lazy Witch." Lazy Witch Lazy witch What's wrong with you? Get up and stir your magic brew. Here's candlelight to chase the gloom. Jump up and mount your flying broom And muster up your charms and spells And wicked grins and piercing yells. It's Halloween! There's work to do! Lazy witch, What's wrong with you? -Myra Cohn Livingston What makes this book so atmospheric are the illustrations. They're all black and white and remind me of Pam Smy's illustrations in Thornhill. It sets the mood and makes this a perfect book for Halloween. There is actually one semi-nude illustration in the beginning of the book, but the book is labeled for children ages 3 and up. We enjoy all eighteen poems. My rating on this one is 5-stars.

Oh boy! Surprised to find The Fantod Pack on Goodreads. I adore Edward Gorey and lost my old pack of Fantod Cards. For the last several years on New Years Eve a group of neighborhood chicks get together for Pimm's No. 1 Cups and I read our fortunes for the coming year. As I have misplaced my deck I need to order one pretty damn quick. A ten star "read".

Really liked this book and while I see the similarities to Vampire Academy I feel like VA had more charm. Still, this book was kind of predictable but I really liked it.

Sadly disappointed. Not nearly as good as the Anita Blake books. It was good, but not great.

I loved, LOVED this book! It's the sort of thing that I think all women should read. It was hilarious yet informative. I've been menstruating for ten years now and there are a lot of points (some that can greatly affect your health!) that this book brings up that I've never even considered because the idea that menstruation is still (oddly) so taboo to talk about. More women should be open to having discussions that the book poses. It's the most natural thing in the world for women but we've somehow been conditioned to keep all our thoughts, questions, etc. locked away because it's "improper" to talk about, even among each other! My biggest takeaway from reading this is the idea of maybe switching from tampons to a menstrual cup. I've been doing some research and have come to the conclusion that with the all the benefits, it's really a no-brainer to at least give it a try. (Here's a fantastic youtube video to give you the basics if you'd like to know what it's all about https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qa97... )

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Loved it - especially when George comes into her own...

I think this is an adorable children's story and I love, love the illustrations. Also, the naming of the characters and islands. I love it. There are some good lessons tucked into the story and Elmer certainly is a clever little boy. Reading this with Wesley and seeing him react chapter by chapter really helped me to appreciate it more than I would have on my own.

A very interesting take on Marie-Antoinette's life, both well researched with a wealth and variety of resources as well as nicely paced with a passionate storytelling capacity that will make the 500+ pages go by smoothly. For the sociologically/anthropologically-angled-history enthusiast that I am, Fraser's biographies are quite enjoyable.

Borrrrrrrr-ing.

My first impression of this book was that it was going to be a crime novel. I girl is discovered dead just after our narrator encountered her one night. But, twists into something else half way into the book, something darker and more surreal. The book is about a man trying to uncover the truth behind a reclusive movie director after his daughter is found dead after an apparent suicide. With the help of two teenagers, Nora and Hopper who both have their own histories, they dig into the family's past. But what they find is nothing what they expected and has them questioning everything they know. This book really sucked me and at times I couldn't even put it down. I finished in 8 days which is fast for me for such a thick book. I read for 3 straight hours just to finish it. One of my favorite elements about it was that it has interactive pieces such as newspaper articles and website pages that you get to read for yourself. That way you can sort through the evidence and decide for yourself what you think of the mysterious Cordova and what happened to his equally mysterious daughter. There are even pages that are marked so that you can use you smartphone and go even deeper into the piece of information, which I thought was really unique and very cool. The characters were all great and played an equal part in the story. The supporting characters didn't feel like they were just supportive characters because they were all so bold and played such big parts in solving the mystery. As the story develops to go from a simple who done it to a story straight out of one of Cordova's horror films. The line between reality bends between reality and the unreal as magic and satanism is thrown into the mix. This is a good book to read at night with most of lights off because it really is scary and will have you question your sanity at some point. The reason I gave this 4 stars was because of the ending. I was expecting a little more. It does give you closure and answers, but leaves you wanting more at the same time. So I was slightly disappointed, but over all it was a great book, and it was really engaging and imaginative. I highly recommend it, especially if you're into horror/thrillers.

X-23: Innocence Lost (v1 #1-6). What if Weapon X were retold with a vulnerable girl taking the role of Wolverine? That's the basic premise of Innocence Lost by Kyle & Yost, but the story goes far beyond that. The scientific team is more amoral and manipulative, but with a few characters who we root for, creating a much more deeply textured story. And, it's really the characters and emotions that set this origin story apart: issue by issue, the tension ratchets up, and we can't believe the horribleness can continue ... but it does. A wonderful beginning to X-23's story that explains how she became the wounded girl that we saw in NYX. My only complaint is the captioned use of a letter spread out over the six issues, which ends up being distracting. Otherwise, this is a pitch-perfect story. [9/10] X-23: Target X. Kyle & Yost's follow-up nicely dovetails with the "Innocence Lost" series, picking up both the chronology and the characters. It's terrific seeing Laura interact with the real-est family that she has, while the battle against arch-nemesis Kimora is wonderful too. With all that said, there are some structural flaws in this volume: the scattered timeline of the first issue is very hard to follow and the frame sequence between Steve and Matt is mostly annoying. [7/10]. Captain Universe / X-23. An awful take on the uni-power, where it's an intelligent, talking, thinking entity. Combined with that we get a largely non-vocal Laura, who is a plot device, not an actual character. The result is dull and meaingless -- just a step toward the next event in the crossover [1/10]. [It's definitely worth rereading New X-Men: Childhood's End here, which I did, and perhaps worth rereading the first Kyle + Yost X-Force, which I didn't.] Women of Marvel. A better one-off, because it actually focuses on Laura's character, even if it gets too artsy-fartsy at times [6/10]. The Killing Dream (X-23 1-3). I love this comic's focus on Laura's full continuity. The contrast of her time with the New X-Men and with X-Force is particularly strong. It's also great seeing her interact with several different X-people and really be her own person. On the downside, this story is messily meshed with what I assume must have been the Wolverine-in-hell story, and it doesn't make as much sense without that. There's also a bit too much mind-meddling and dreams, much like in Liu's "Women of Marvel" one-off, and that's less than thrilling. Still, this is an interesting start. If Liu sticks with the great characterization and the great continuity and not with the annoying mind games and the annoying crossovers, this will be a strong series [6+/10]. Judgement. A short starring X-23 and Ghost Rider. They fight some racist thugs. Laura gets a tiny bit of characterization. [5/10] Overall, a varied but good collection. Kyle and Yost rock, which is no surprise given their track record on other X-Men comics. Liu is OK. A bunch of shorts are barely worth reading. The collection is definitely worth reading, though, and I look forward to the next.

Un tournoi ! Pas franchement mon ressort scenaristique prefere, mais l'auteur s'en sort admirablement bien ! Cette serie devient a chaque tome un peu plus l'une de mes chouchoutes...

not very interesting

Great! I liked it better than the Surrogate books ... would make a great move (unlike the Surrogates).

3.5 stars, 8th&up So...there are new characters and betrayals, deaths and shocking truths, the return of Valentine along with plenty of demons, battles and alliances, but mostly there's Clary and Jace and wanting them to be together and them thinking they're siblings but still not being able to stay away from each other and that being completely squiffy, but not really because you know they can't really be related...and oh, thank goodness! when the truth finally comes out.

I strugged witht he first book in this series, but heard that it got better - let me tell you it does. It took me a little while to get used to the way the book was written but once that happened I loved it. The pace is a little slow and some of the parts aren't as fleshed as I would like but the book was wonderful!