I Write What I Read

Plot:
Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice's life on the road, always a step ahead of the strange bad luck biting at their heels.

But when Alice's grandmother, the reclusive author of a book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate - the Hazel Wood - Alice learns how bad her luck can really get.

Her mother is stolen, by a figure who claims to come from the cruel supernatural world from her grandmother's stories.

Alice's only lead is the message her mother left behind: STAY AWAY FROM THE HAZEL WOOD.

To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother's tales began . . .

"My love he wooed me. My love he slew me. My love he buried my bones. His love he married. His love I buried. My love now wanders alone."

PLOT:

 

Augum, Bridget and Leera want only to study new spells and make their legendary mentor proud. But when she unexpectedly departs on a crucial quest, they run afoul of a devious old witch and are forced to make a hasty getaway-straight into the hands of a notorious maniac known as the Blade of Sorrows. Prisoners of the Blade and his sadistic apprentice, the trio must face their greatest challenge yet: escape using nothing but an ancient spell with some nasty side effects. But more than their lives are at stake, for an entire kingdom's hopes rest with their mentor-and she's heading for a deadly trap.

THOUGHTS:

I've thought long and hard on how to write a review of this book. It took me quite a long time to finish it as I was very distracted. It took me months and months on picking it up, putting it down and back again. It's not the book, I think it was the timing. There was a lot of things going on at that time and then the holidays, but finally I finished it on January.

First off, I forgot how long the Arinthian books were. As much as I enjoyed the first book, I don't think that I did on this one. Again, I don't think it's the book. I think it was just me being distracted and all. I'll probably read it again to really get down to it. One of these days I swear.

Lots of new characters were being introduced on this book and at times it was a little bit off putting, but definitely there were memorable ones, like Thomas and Oba Sassone. I cried over Thomas! TT_TT

Mrs. Stone sure was busy on this book. Always going somewhere and when she didn't show up for a long time, yup, that was worrisome. I couldn't handle it if something happened to her as well! She and Thomas are definitely couple goals.

The pacing of the story felt a little slow for me. Too much chatting was going on between the heroes. I get bored by their topics. Haha! I hate that they were diminished to a trio. But they were stronger because of it and character development thus ensued. Augum was definitely the most improved.

I still like the book, though I don't think I'll be picking up the third book anytime soon.

Rating:

★★★☆☆

PLOT:
Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed "Dumplin'" by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American-beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked…until Will takes a job at Harpy's, the local fast food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn't surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.

Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she'll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.

With starry Texas nights, red candy suckers, Dolly Parton songs, and a wildly unforgettable heroine—Dumplin' is guaranteed to steal your heart.

Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there's a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett's son, Davis.

Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.