Tag Archives: Bloomsbury USA Children’s

Book Review: The Wren Hunt by Mary Watson

Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Nov. 6th 2018
432 Pages

Every Christmas, Wren is chased through the woods near her isolated village by her family’s enemies—the Judges—and there’s nothing that she can do to stop it. Once her people, the Augurs, controlled a powerful magic. But now that power lies with the Judges, who are set on destroying her kind for good.

In a desperate bid to save her family, Wren takes a dangerous undercover assignment—as an intern to an influential Judge named Cassa Harkness. Cassa has spent her life researching a transformative spell, which could bring the war between the factions to its absolute end. Caught in a web of deceit, Wren must decide whether or not to gamble on the spell and seal the Augurs’ fate. – Goodreads

This book . . . can leave you on the fence. You literally can go either way with it and I am almost positive that most people will either love it or hate it. I loved it but I am adding a * to this.

Without a question, I loved reading about Wren. Yes, she was like a scared little bird a majority of the book but she didn’t exactly let her fear stop her from doing things. Her loyalty to her family stopped her from being anything more than a scared bird. But I liked her growth or what was there. The way she was, made sense, given her family and what she had went through. I liked her.

But I really liked the romance within this novel. Predictable? Slightly because it could have gone another way real fast and if it went that other way I would have been crushed. But I loved loved the interest. Do I think it could have used more deepness? It wouldn’t have hurt. The emotions that she feels doesn’t come overnight and at the same time, she is fairly honest. There are scenes where I just had to pause because they were just so beautiful.

However, my reasoning for giving this book an asterisk next to I loved it is because there wasn’t enough history and there wasn’t enough details in the setting. We are talking about two families at war. We are talking about secrets and betrayals that can change the course of everything and yet there wasn’t anything more than glimpses over the history of Judges and the Augurs. Because the book was generally slow, I was disappointed in the lack of richness and details in the scenery as well as the history. I mean come on, its Ireland.

Beyond this, I loved the book. I was captivated and wanted to dive head first into this book novel, even after I began reading it. There is so much promise and I am looking forward to a book two.

3 Pickles

What Tanya Wants: April 2016

 

April is going to be one expensive month.

NetGalley Review: A Curious Tale of the In-Between (Pram #1) by Lauren DeStefano

Bloomsbury USA Childrens Published Sept. 1, 2015 240 Pages
Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Published Sept. 1, 2015
240 Pages

Pram Bellamy can speak to ghosts. She lives with her aunts and doesn’t have any friends except for Felix, who is a ghost.  When Pram is forced to attend school, she meets a boy named Clarence, who like her has lost his mother.

Clarence wants to say good bye to his mother so with Pram they go to meet Lady Savant, a spiritualist for help. But Lady Savant isn’t exactly who she claims to be and takes a dangerous interest in Pram and her ability.

Wonderful, wonderful read! Perfect for middle schoolers or young adults that do not want fluff of romance and extra nonsense.

Pram is a straight forward character. There isn’t any real depth to her other than her ability to see ghost and the death of her mother. Surprisingly enough when she ask a question she gets an answer without any run around. It made for a uncomplicated situations for about half of the book. I was actually worried there wouldn’t be much going on.

However when Lady Savant the story takes for a creepy turn. I loved it. Lady Savant provides the complex character that I wanted from Pram. She is twisted and although at one point Pram feels bad for her, I don’t not even the slightest bit. By time I finished the book I got the feeling that this book wouldn’t be the last time we hear from Lady Savant. The ending didn’t seem easy but a bit too easy for the character.

As stated before the book is designed for middle schoolers because it doesn’t contain a romance or backstabbing or any of the other usual stuff you see in paranormal YA books. The pace was great but the lack of personality from Pram did make the book seem slower. When things got bad I was hoping from some intensity from Pram and it didn’t really come at all.

Overall I unexpectedly fell for this book. I impatiently look forward to book two.

4 Pickles

 

NetGalley Review: Insanity by Susan Vaught

Bloomsbury USA Childrens   Published Feb. 18, 2014                384 Pages
Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Published Feb. 18, 2014
384 Pages

 

*I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion. *

Never, Kentucky is a small town that is place for ghosts and humans that cannot find peace. 18 year old Forest, fresh out of foster care is working the graveyard shift at Lincoln Hospital, which is a mental institute.  

Forest took the job in hopes of saving money for college and getting out of Kentucky. But fate has other ideas for her when she sees a patient’s dead husband being chased by supposedly a devil agent named Levi. 

Caught in a situation Forest never thought she would be in, she must find information about her heritage and look at the bigger picture in life. 

This book isn’t just about Forest. It is actually told from the point of view of 3 other teenagers. The author did a horrible job of transitioning these point of views and for a big part of the book I was lost.  Vaught abruptly ended Forest’s story to talk about another one and it was bad. Most of the beginning of the book you only know about Forest and the agent. Even in the summary the focus is Forest and not the other teens.

I wasn’t able to finish the book. But I did read half way through before anyone decides to kill me.

However, I did enjoy some parts that I read. I liked Forest and was completely into her story. She was motivated, wasn’t hung up on the past (until it bit her in the butt) and she was realistic. I also liked the fact that she wasn’t a rebel or a jerk. She was a nice girl.

I didn’t like Levi. He didn’t really do anything for me to like him. He was a jerk who actually liked Forest, so when he began being nice to her I just threw some shade at him and called it a day. He wasn’t well rounded.

The book was boring and dull. In the opening you see Levi being killed but then for the next 6 chapters nothing weird or crazy happens to Forest minus the seeing ghosts. The story tries to come off creepy but it doesn’t ever really reach there. Overall the book (what I read) gets 1 Pickle I didn’t have huge expectations for this book but I still was hugely disappointed.

Book Review: Thorne of Glass (#1) by Sarah J. Maas

        Bloomsbury USA Children's     Published March 30, 2012              404 Pages
Bloomsbury USA Children’s
Published March 30, 2012
404 Pages

18 year old assassin Celaena Sardothien has been serving a year of hard labor for her crimes. That is until the Crown Prince Dorian offers her a chance to win her freedom; compete in a competition to become the King’s Champion for the next four years and then you are free.

Weary of the Prince and the King, Celaena accepts and strikes an interesting bond with the King’s captain. As easy as the competition sounds for Celaena when dead contestants begin popping up Celaena learns a thing or two about herself and what it takes to truly be a champion.

I loved this book. Maas did a great job of making you curious about Celaena and surprisingly enough not about what she did or how the greatest assassin got caught but curious about how the competition is going to turn out. For about six chapters you continue to hear about this competition as they essentially groom Celaena as a member of royalty and as a champion.   

Celaena was a very like able character. She was extremely head strong not too sassy, or blunt. She wasn’t cold either. She knew what she wanted and she fought to get it while also having some genuine warmth.  I really loved the fact that she wasn’t boy crazy even when things begin to turn for her heart she wasn’t stupid.

I also liked the fact that for a while Maas left room for the reader to judge Celaena’s relationship with the captain and the Prince before actually making it known. I was surprised by her choice and ultimately the final choice but it made me like Celaena even more.

When the dead bodies start showing up things being to get more exciting because there is a magic element to it. & no it isn’t cliché; it is done very well which is unexpected because the book didn’t necessarily need magic in it.

Through the entire story Maas was able to keep a pace in which you wanted to know more. The ending was perfect. It didn’t leave you hanging too long but just enough for you to want to read the next book.

Overall the book gets 9 out of 10.

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