BabyCat's Book Critique

Linger Giveaway!!!

2010-02-14T14:50:00.001-08:00

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love -- the light and the dark, the warm and the cold -- in a way you will never forget.

Comes out in stores everywhere July 20th. Pre-order here.

Enter to win an advanced review copies of LINGER, Sisters Red, The Dead-Tossed Waves, and The Replacement on Maggie's blog.

The Trouble with Mark Hopper

2009-11-18T19:03:00.000-08:00

Synopsis: Mark Hopper is the smartest student in the sixth grade, and he knows it. When another Mark Hopper moves to town (the same age, with similar looks), Mark Hopper makes trouble for Mark Hopper. The Mark everyone knows isn’t very nice, so the other Mark finds no one will talk to him. The new Mark isn’t very brainy, so the other Mark worries that people will think he’s a dummy. When a teacher forces them to be study partners, they realize that they can benefit from one another’s strengths—and maybe win the Mastermind Challenge together. Trouble is, one of the Marks wants to win so badly that he’s willing to steal from Mark.

Review: This book's key market is for mainly middle school boys: with that said I am neither a boy or in middle school. So I'm going to try to give my opinion based with this in mind.

The storyline had a unique quality to it, maybe a bit unbelievable at times but it kept my interest. When you read this book you have to be paying attention, it's not one of those books you can quickly skim over.

You have to keep paying attention to little details, if you don't you won't know what Mark Hopper you're reading about. Yes, you heard me right There are two characters with identical monikers and physical characteristics, to the point each one has a sister sharing the same name. That's what made this book confusing and unbelievable, but it kept me on my toes, so to speak. The difference comes in their personality traits and this is what fuels the plot and drives the storyline.

The characters are a bit predictable at times but they're also well developed. I gave this book to my sister to read after I was finished and she agreed that the book was enjoyable also.

All around I would recommend this book to old 7th or 8th grade middle school student because of the journey each character takes.

I give it 3 stars.

The Eternal Kiss 13 Vampire Tales...

2009-11-06T07:39:00.000-08:00

Synopsis: There’s an allure to vampire tales that have seduced readers for generations. From Bram Stoker to Stephanie Meyer and beyond, vampire stories are here to stay. For those fresh-blooded fans of paranormal romance or for those whose hunt and hunger never dies, these stories have what readers want! This collection of original tales comes from some of the hottest, most popular, and best-selling YA writers, including:

• Holly Black (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Tithe)

• Libba Bray (A Great and Terrible Beauty)

• Melissa De La Cruz (Blue Blood)

• Cassandra Clare (City of Bones)

• Rachel Caine (Morganville Vampires)

• Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie (Wicked)

• Cecil Castellucci (Boy Proof, Queen of Cool)

• Kelley Armstrong (Women of Otherworld)

• Maria V. Snyder

• Sarah Rees Brennan

• Lili St. Crow

• Karen Mahoney

• Dina James

They will make everyone a sucker for eternal kisses.

The Review: If you love the paranormal genre than you will love this book. This is a collection of short stories by several talented writers , including Melissa De La Cruz (Blue Bloods), Rachel Caine (Morganville Vampires), and Cassandra Clare (City of Bones).

Each individual story takes a different unique view into the dark world of vampires. I'm usually not a compilation type girl. But the lure of reading Rachel Cane's short story made me want to buy it. By buying it for one story it exposed me to other author's literary style in the supernatural genre.

I found myself going to the bookstore with a list of books I wouldn't normally purchase. Each individual story was like an appetizer that left me craving more.

If your like me, constantly searching for new and better authors to read I highly recommend this book, just beware the title says "story's of blood and desire" but there was no desire...just blood.

How many paws:

Buy It Here

Listen to it here

The Van Alen Legacy by Melissa De La Cruz

2009-10-27T04:37:00.001-07:00

Synopsis:With the stunning revelation surrounding Bliss's true identity comes the growing threat of the sinister Silver Bloods. Once left to live the glamorous life in New York City, the Blue Bloods now find themselves in an epic battle for survival. Not to worry, love is still in the air for the young vampires of the Upper East Side. Or is it? Jack and Schuyler are over. Oliver's brokenhearted. And only the cunning Mimi seems to be happily engaged.Young, fanged, and fabulous, Melissa de la Cruz's vampires unite in this highly anticipated fourth installment of the Blue Bloods series.

Review:
Melissa De La Cruz’s Blue Blood series continues to deliver with the “Van Alen Legacy”. If you’re a fan of the fist three books your going to love this one. The story starts with Oliver and Schuyler on the run from the Venators in Paris, Mimi in Brazil looking for Jordan, and Bliss in the Hampton’s trying to figure out how to seize control back from the “Dark Passenger“. Basically just a little time after Revelations left off.

I personally love the Blue Blood series but this book did take some time to get into. The writing flowed really well, I just think the formatting of the book could have been planned better. Cruz is no stranger to writing a chapter focusing on one character and then the next chapter writing about another. It worked well in the previous books because the character interacted with each other more, in The Van Alen Legacy the group of characters didn’t cross paths until the end book. Each individual spent so much time apart in the beginning it was hard to focus on the plot. You jumped from Schuyler to Mimi, Mimi to Bliss, and Bliss back to Schuyler, it was infuriating. Just when you got into the chase in Paris, Cruz switched you to Brazil, and when you got into Brazil she switched you to New York. It drove me completely nuts flip-flopping between each one with a different story, different place, different thoughts. I just couldn’t connect. Finally I just sectioned off the chapters labeled Sky and read those completely through, Then I did the same for Mimi and Bliss. I sectioned the chapters off until their storylines crossed paths again then I read the book normally. Sectioning the stories made it a much easier read and I enjoyed it so much more.

It was amazing to visualize each character’s growth between the first book to this one, Mimi‘s not a total “Ice Queen“ anymore, Sky learned how much she would sacrifice for love, and Bliss learned to take control of the situation.

All in all a fantastic read! This is definitely one of those books that leaves you begging for more!

I can’t wait for Misguided Angel (Blue Bloods, #5)!!!

The Questions: (max 5*)

YA or Adult-- YA

Tearjerker -- ** I didn't cry but my sister did at the end of the book.

Comedy--* not so much in this one.

Action-- **** a lot of running and fighting.

Drama-- **** Drama, Drama , Drama!

Gruesome--N/a

Love-- *** The love triangle isn't the main focus in this book.

Worth the money to buy?--Yes buy it if you bought the first 3. If you haven't I suggest buying those first.

How many paws:

Buy it here:

Hush, Hush By Becca Fitzpatrick is a classic paranormal tale with suspense, mystery, and an out come you never saw coming.

2009-10-16T23:40:00.000-07:00

Summary:For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along.
With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.
But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

The Review: The summary and the cover art drove me to read this book. The cover is breathtaking and AMAZING!!!

Anyways down to the business at hand...

Patch’s mysterious and dangerous undertone drove the story to it’s full fruition. Lets face it if it wasn’t for him and his angst driven ways- I would’ve never finished. He was the binding that kept this book together. If you edited him out of it you just be left with a semi-heroic heroine who not only second guessed herself constantly, but deep down has a masochistic death wish. At one point I secretly yearned for the stalker/revenge seeker, to take her away… Maybe then I would’ve found out more about the mystery behind Patch and not the type of bra Nora picked up at Victoria Secrets.

As you can see Nora and I really never got along … Her friendship with Vee unnerved me. I just didn’t understand how she let her best friend drive her into certain situations. If my BBF didn’t listen to me or made me do something I didn’t want to do…they wouldn’t be my BBF for long.

I wasn’t a fan of some of the dialog but all around it was a well written story. The book wasn’t littered with too many sub-plot lines. The author did however make the mistake of putting too much suspicion on the wrong people, making it easier to for the reader to figure out who was behind the stalking/revenge plot.

The hype surrounding this book made my expectations too high and it just felt like a let down when they weren't met. I kept waiting for something more and when it never came, I became disappointed. But if your looking for a good YA mystery/suspense book to read, then pick up a copy… Just don’t buy it expecting it to be the next Twilight

The Questions:

YA or Adult--- YA

Tearjerker --- N/a

Comedy-- * There's a pinch of comedy between Nora and Vee but not a ton...

Action--- ** - Towards the end.

Drama--- **** - Tons of drama between Patch/Nora...

Gruesome--- N/a

Love---- **** -Teenage love/lust

Worth the money to buy?--- Uh, yea it was good enough to buy.... But I'll probably never re-read it....

How many paws:

Buy it Here

Listen to it Here

Intertwined by Gena Showalter

2009-09-28T13:34:00.000-07:00

Summary: Synopsis
Most sixteen-year-olds have friends. Aden Stone has four human souls living inside him:
One can time-travel.
One can raise the dead.
One can tell the future.
And one can possess another human.
With no other family and a life spent in and out of institutions, Aden and the souls have become friends. But now they're causing him all kinds of trouble. Like, he'll blink and suddenly he's a younger Aden, reliving the past. One wrong move, and he'll change the future. Or he'll walk past a total stranger and know how and when she's going to die.
He's so over it. All he wants is peace.
And then he meets a girl who quiets the voices. Well, as long as he's near her. Why? Mary Ann Gray is his total opposite. He's a loner; she has friends. He doesn't care what anyone thinks; she tries to make everyone happy. And while he attracts the paranormal, she repels it. For her sake, he should stay away. But it's too late….
Somehow, they share an inexplicable bond of friendship. A bond about to be tested by a werewolf shape-shifter who wants Mary Ann for his own, and a vampire princess Aden can't resist.
Two romances, both forbidden. Still, the four will enter a dark underworld of intrigue and danger—but not everyone will come out alive….

The Review:

The Good:

The reason why I picked this book to read was because I won it in a contest. I know not really a great reason to read it but once I read the first chapter I was captivated by the story. Plus, it contains almost everything supernatural- vampire, witches, faeries, and werewolves. You name it you could probably find it somewhere within the pages.

The story is very well written...The plot line of the four different souls was very unique.

The bad:

In the beginning I couldn't put the book down, mainly due to the characters- Each one so different but unique. But the pages stop turning fast as I fell upon the middle of the book. Everything just felt so long and drawn out. I had to really push to get through it. But eventually the plot picked up again.

The ending of this book is not complete. There's no plot resolution. Your just left hanging not knowing any answers. It's like they took one solid book and ripped it in half to make two.

The Questions?

YA or Adult---YA

Tearjerker --- No

Laugh worthy--Not really.

Action--- Yes there are a few fight scenes.

Gruesome--- Minor- there's some description that makes you cringe a bit.a

Love---- Yes but it's not presented as a deep everlasting love. (at least it was to me)

Worth the money to buy?
I'm a bit iffy... My advice is wait until the second book in the series comes out. ( If you can) Due to the fact there's no plot resolution in the first.

How many paws out of five?

Buy it here

Listen to it here

Living your Five...

2009-08-25T19:35:00.000-07:00

This post isn't a review... It is a post to inform you of a wonderful movement called Living Your Five. It is run by Kay Cassidy(YA author of soon to be released Cinderella Society) with help by Tera Lynn Childs (YA author of Oh.My.Gods. and Goddess Boot camp), Alyson Noel, (YA author of Evermore and Blue Moon), Becca Fitzpatrick (Ya author of Hush Hush) and last but certainly not least YOU. Yes you...

Here is an excert from the website:

Introducing our Five... with YA author Kay Cassidy
This is so exciting! Not just because it's been months in the making and we've finally launched, but because I get to launch this fun adventure with Tera, Alyson, and Becca. Friends really do make the world go 'round.I mentioned yesterday that I created my Five as a way to help me remember what matters most when life gets chaotic. But it's also a way for me to remember what to focus on when life isn't crazy. When I've got a bit of free time, how should I spend it? A quick run-down of my Five is a great place to start!As you'll see this week, the four of us have a lot in common. Some of our Fives will even overlap a bit, and that's awesome! Your Five doesn't have to be different than everyone else's. There are lots of people who share the same passions about how to make a difference. In fact, when those like-minds get together, amazing things can happen!

Be part of the Living your Five Movement!!!

Check it!

Sorry

2009-08-13T19:28:00.000-07:00

the last review sounds like a book report....

Is 'Pride' worth the ride?

2009-08-13T18:26:00.000-07:00

Summary: I'm on trial for my life. Falsely accused of infecting my human ex-boyfriend--and killing him to cover up the crime. Infecting a human is one of three capital offenses recognized by the Pride--along with murder and disclosure of our existence to a human.
I'm two for three. A goner.
Now we've discovered a rogue stray terrorizing the mountainside, hunting a wild teenage tabbycat. It's up to us to find and stop him before a human discovers us. With my lover Marc's help, I think I can protect the vulnerable girl from both the ambitious rogue and the scheming of the territorial council.
If I survive my own trial...

The Review:
I read Pride, by Rachel Vincent and found it to be extremely entertaining. The evolvement in the characters from the original book Stray has made me become more fond of them. I feel as if the pride of werecats, known to us humans as the Sandars family, has become in some ways family. You care if Marc and Faythe end up together and if they make it through the prides life challenges. Some scenes I just wanted to grab Faythe shoulders and say “OMG what were you thinking!” Trust me, this series just makes you want to jump in and resolve some conflict because after three books (Stray, Rogue, and now Pride) the werecats must be running out of their nine lives. My favorite character in the series is Faythe’s brother Ethan. He is every girl’s dream brother (burberry_girl actually wrote lover here ), a fighter, and her one constant. I wish he could be in my family. Overall all the story continuously flowed. I can’t wait to get my claws into Prey and find out what mischief Faythes going to get into next...

The Questions:

YA or Adult: Adult

Tearjerker: Yes by the ending it plucked at my heart strings.

Action: Tons loved the meat tenderizer mallet scene.

Gruesome: You have to enjoy blood and bone crushing.

Love: Frustrated love.

Drama: Tons of drama.

How many paws out of five?

Buy it here

Buy audiobook here

Review by:

"Shiver" Do you give it the cold shoulder?

2009-08-12T14:24:00.000-07:00

Summary: For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever....

My Review:

The Good: This story had a unique chilling twist from the typical werewolf stories filling bookstore bookshelves today.
I really enjoyed the way the author used two voices to tell this story. You got to glimpse both characters minds in away most authors don’t do. Also how she used poetry and lyrics to describe the feelings zinging through Sam. I liked the love between Sam and Grace. The way they acted around each other was reminiscent of real life soul mates. It wasn’t a corny kind of romance.

The Bad: The author didn’t address some need to know questions until halfway through the book. I spent the first 100 plus pages going 'why doesn’t Sam just take Grace and move to the equator?' It was frustrating to find out the details later than sooner. The story also contained many subplots that really didn’t develop into anything or maybe I just missed them.

The Questions?

YA or Adult---YA

Tearjerker --- I have to admit a few tears rolled down my cheeks.

Laugh worthy--A character named Isabelle supplied most of the laughs.

Action--- Not a lot in this story.

Gruesome--- No sickening bone breaking descriptions in this book.

Love---- True love was written on every page...

Worth the money to buy? In the end, I would definitely survive the chill and grab a copy of this

book…

How many paws out of five?

Buy it here

Get audiobook here

My Soul To Take Critique

2009-08-02T19:39:00.001-07:00

She doesn't see dead people, but…
She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.
Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next…

In a sea of paranormal books about vampires, werewolves, and immortals, this story is unlike many young adult books released. The plot is a unique and surprising one. The main character, Kaylee, is a dynamic girl, who is trying to figure out her own identity. She is realistic and makes mistakes along her way but she doesn’t whine, about her circumstance, instead she tries to face her fears, and stand ups to what she believes. With help from Nash, she searches for the truth behind the mysterious deaths of teenage girls and finds it within herself to push forward.

So down to business, should you pick it up or stay away: Definitely get this book. You won’t regret it. It keeps you on the edge of your seat and wanting more. I can’t wait until the second book in this series comes out…

***** ( if I could give it more stars I would)

Buy it here at amazon.

or get the audiobook here.

Just starting out....

2009-08-01T15:48:00.000-07:00

Trying to weave my way around blogger... Will post later on....