Witch + Cat

Synopsis

Penny has a secret. 

Under the alias Girl Online, Penny blogs her hidden feelings about friendship, boys, her crazy family, and the panic attacks that have begun to take over her life. When things go from bad to worse, her family whisks her away to New York, where she meets Noah: a gorgeous, guitar-strumming American. Suddenly Penny is falling in love - and capturing every moment of it on her blog. 

But Noah has a secret, too, one that threatens to ruin Penny's cover - and her closest friendship - forever.

Review

 his is the type of book if you are in the mood for an easy read. A book that is so cheesy and predictable you want to facepalm and eye roll numerous times.

I'm not completely saying this book is terrible, at the time I wasn't looking for a book that was well written or in depth. 

So that is a warning if you are thinking about reading this book.

Before I continue I should bring up the controversial "ghost reader". 

I believe the main reason why everyone was upset about this was not because she got a ghost reader to write her book, many "famous" people have done that. It was more of the fact that she didn't mention it either in one of her YouTube videos or in her book. 

I'm not personally insulted because I frankly don't care. Of course she had help writing her book. In all honesty I don't think her ghost writer is a good writer anyway. She obviously doesn't know how to write in the person of a teenager girl or boy, a parent and even a grandmother. She wasn't very good at making the characters sound different no matter what age r gender they were. It was basically monotone.

Now the reason why I'm giving this two stars and not the one it truly deserves, is because of the mood I was in. 

All I felt like reading was a cheesy love story, something I didn't need to use my brain. Girl Online accomplished that for me.

What scares me is I already bought book two and I plan to read it.

I have nothing else to say about this, actually I do but there isn't any point. I could go on for days complaining about all the mistakes this book had, from the way Noah talks, how Penny's parents behave, her stereo-typical guy best friend, the mean girls at her school.....Okay I'm stopping myself right there before I get myself into a real rant.

ew

Wow, just WOW!!

This is my first graphic novel that I've read, and this definitely won't be my last.

The story, the artwork, everything about this has got me completely hooked.

I love the two main characters, Alana and Marko, who are in love even though they are from different planets at war against each other.

Both on the run for their lives with their newborn baby. And as someone who had a baby not that long ago, there was a few funny moments that I could relate to. (Of course not the part where someone is trying to kill me). 

This is definitely not a book for young people. The language and graphics of this book is definitely meant for mature audiences.  Basically anyone who isn't offended in seeing a graphic drawing of male and female parts.

What won this for me overall was the comedy, especially between Alana and Marko. I had a few laugh out loud moments where I got strange stares from people, but oh well.

I can not wait to pick up the next volume, because that ending....seriously. I've read books with cliffhangers before, but I think this tops it off.

Synopsis

Feyre’s survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price.

Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre’s presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.

Review

What can I say, considering I'm not a major fan of Sarah J. Maas' Throne of Glass series (okay I've only read two books of the series so far), I thorouhly enjoyed A Court of Thorns and Roses, first book in a whole new series.

There can be many reasons as to why this is the case. It could be I was just in the mood for a story like this one. A re-telling of a fairy-tale, Beauty and the Beast.

Another reason could be that unlike the Throne of Glass series that is young adult, this one is new adult. Which means the author is a bit mre free in the content and doesn't skim past the sex scenes.

I loved every character in this book, every one of them, including the 'bad guy' was well writen. You got to understand where they all came from and the reasons why they did the things they did. 

My favourite character would have to be Lucien. There is just something about a character who is so care-free, that you can't help but feel intrigued by.

The only down fall I have with ALL the characters is their names. Like seriously, Sarah J. Maas couldn't come up with simple easy to say names? I was getting to a point that I either skimmed over their name, not bothering to try and pronounce it. Or just simply changing it to something normal. 

For example, our female protaginist is Feyre....like seriously. I know at the back is a glossary on how to pronounce all the characters names, but I was still struggling with it.

I know this is a common this for Sarah. J Maas as I've read Throne of Glass, and there are odd names in their too.

The world this is set in is a mixture of magical and scary. Humans living isolated from the murderous fairies. Only seperating them is a five hundred year old peace treaty between the two. 

Even though there was a map (I usually find them helpful when an author is trying to explain the world they are creating), I found it easy to understand and immerse myself in this ancient world. Sarah J. Maas slowly and at a great pace introduced you to new creatures and the world around Feyre.

So now the wait begins for book two in the series, which is released in May. And from what I've heard, which I hope isn't true, that the next book in the series is going to give us a love triangle. In my opinion I don't think this needs it. You will see why once you've read it.

Actually I think Sarah J. Maas could of finished with this book as it ended without a real cliffhanger. But then again I'm really enjoying this world, so it will be a shame to leave.

Synopsis

Synopsis

Tell me your deepest, darkest secrets. I dare you.

Addiction comes down to one simple, primitive concept. Desire. 

My name is Dr. Dixon Mathews, and I’m New York’s finest shrink. For $500 an hour, people tell me their darkest, most sinful secrets. 

My own addiction? Sex. 

I might be certified in solving other people’s problems, but not mine – 
I know I’m a lost cause. I don’t do relationships. I don’t even do the same woman twice. 

But that’s all about to change, thanks to two entirely different women who awaken my deepest desires. 

Who will I choose? 

I know who I should choose, but I never said I was the hero of this story, or even the good guy. And besides, who wants to be good, when it feels so good being bad? 

My tale isn’t for the faint-hearted. If you’re game, strap yourself in and expect the unexpected. But don’t say I didn’t warn you… 

Achingly sexy and highly addictive, the first in the Sinful Pleasures Series will have you hooked. Driven to Sin coming very soon… 

Review

I don't hate this book but I also didn't love it, and I can't put my finger on why this is.

I found it refreshing to read something in the point of view of a sex addict, lets face it, Dixon is a sex addict. And even though he seems to be enjoying himself, there is that sadness and uncertantiy in him, that self hate he has after he sleeps with a random woman.

You begin to feel sorry for him in a way because you understand why he has become this person. His so called "love of his life" cheats on him with his best friend. Enough said really.

When I first started reading Addicted To Sin I was surprised and shocked. For the life of me I did not expect a book to just jump right in there. You also get to see that Dixon doesn't really care what type of woman he gets aroused for, he's a sex addict, anything female would do for him.

Even though I felt sorry for Dixon in a way, I didn't like him over much. Okay yes he is addicted to sex, but he just keeps letting his dick do all the thinking for him. C'mon Dixon, it's not hard to decide which girl to pick.

So why three stars if I didn't love it....well I love Monica James' writing. Her story telling and characters I enjoyed the most. And because of that I would definitely pick up more of her books.

Synopsis

Lisbeth Salander gets under the skin of her targets like no-one else. Those who underestimate her live to regret it. If they are lucky....

Mikael Blomkvist-disgraced journalist, womanizer-is everything she ought to hate. But when she is hired by a security firm to investigate him, her report on his life reveals an integrity that fascinates her.

Then she discovers that Blomkvist, himself a brilliant investigator, is cracking open the cold case of a missing girl-uncovering secrets that have poisoned a family through generations.

And only one thing gives Salander greater satisfaction than exposing a liar:stopping a killer.

Review

The original Swedish title of this book is Men Who Hate Women. That's basically the book summed up in four words. It suits this story much better than the catchier The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, because it is in fact about men doing all kinds of horrid things to women. So here is the first warning to you, if you can't handle violence against women and children well, skip this novel. 

Normally I'm a person who reads the book before watching the movie adaption. But there does come a time when that isn't so, and this is one of them. Actually to be honest, before I saw the movie I did attempt to read the book but I put it down after reading the first chapter. I couldn't understand what was going on because they kept on telling you about the present then all of a sudden talking about a past event. 

Watching the movie and getting a good idea on what was going on, actually helped me begin the book again. 

So on that note, even though I knew the layout, I still was on the edge of my seat wondering what will happen to these characters.

I would also be giving you guys a review on the 2011 film adaptation, which stars Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara.

It's hard to give a short synopsis of the book, as it's long and detailed in every aspect. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo starts off as an investigation of a 40-year old disappearance of a teenage heiress, but gradually morphs into a tale of serial murder and corporate trickery spanning several continents and later takes in complicated international financial fraud and the buried evil past of a wealthy Swedish industrial family.

Actually just read the blurb, that gives you a better understanding then my miserable attempt.

I found this book extremely engaging and full of action, there rarely was a dull moment. I also enjoyed the immense details about everything, from corporate crime to a twisted Swedish family. A nail biting read that never stopped even when the murderer was identified.

The only problem I had with this book was the writing style. Not sure if it's because of the translation, but I found it a bit poor. I can't think of the right word for it, it was basically not a well written book even though I really loved the story. And because I can't read the book in it's original language, I don't know if it's the same or translation.

Throughout the book, which is in four parts, you get a little statistic knowledge of Sweden's violence against women. I found this disgusting and miserable. I don't think Stieg Larsson was on the board of tourism when he wrote this, because it didn't make me want to get on a plane and fly to Sweden.

Here are the four statistics dated in approx 2003:

1. 18% of the women in Sweden have at one time been threatened by a man

2. 46% of women in Sweden have been subjected to violence by a man

3. 13% of the women in Sweden have been subjected to aggravated sexual assault outside of a sexual relationship

4. 92% of women in Sweden who have been subjected to sexual assault have not reported the most recent violent incident to the police

I shouldn't be pointing the finger at Sweden and making assumptions because to be honest, in my opinion, I think those facts apply to the rest of the world.

This however didn't spoil my reading experience. I am eager to start reading The Girl Who Played with Fire and see what Mikael and Lisbeth are up to next. Hopefully, no more rapes and violence against women (and men too).

Synopsis

In the Australian bush, wildlife ranger Lisa Thomas must uncover the truth behind a giant white kangaroo and the strange deaths connected to it, while dealing with the return of her abusive ex, Ben, whose rage is quickly growing out of control.

Review

When Ashley Capes asked if I wanted to read another one of his books, I jumped at the chance. It's been a year since I've started reading his books, and to say that I'm obsessed with his work is a understatement. 

Crossings is a story of a wildlife ranger, Lisa Thomas, and her journey to uncover the mysterious killings of wildlife animals right at her door step. And to top if off, a strange giant white kangaroo that she isn't sure if it's real or not.

Lisa deals with a lot of serious issues, from the return of her abusive ex, to her father suffering from amnesia. Nothing seems to be going smoothly for her, but instead of backing down in a corner she continues to fight on.

I enjoyed reading Ashley Capes take on these topics, not a lot of authors can do this and be good at it.

The great thing about Ashley Capes story telling is  even though it has a fantasy element to it, it doesn't feel like it. It's not over the top or in your face. By doing this it becomes more realistic.

There are so many things thar I love about this book, but knowing me whatever I say I'm just going to be spoiling it for you. So do yourself a favour and pick this book up, you will not be dissapointed.

Crossings is dark, creepy and brilliant. Can not wait to read more of Ashley Capes.