Review - Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins

Title: Spell Bound
Hex Hall #3
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Publisher: Hyperion
Publish Date: Mar 13, 2012
Hardcover, 327 pages

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Okay so I really enjoy this particular series. It is fun, imaginative, occasionally romantic, but really it is just a great break from reality. It is the epitome of a day off book; so light and airy. This one followed up nicely, but for the first time I had an inkling of where it was going and what was happening. It felt a little rush with less detail and story than the last couple books. Some really cool secrets were revealed in this book that kept it going for me. Didn't get to see as much of my favorite character, her vampire friend and roommate at Hex Hall. It also had less history and more everyday stuff which, I thought, took away from it a bit. The great thing about this series is reminds me of the books I read growing up like The Babysitters Club. They make me feel good, I like to research the secret and feel a part of the story. At this point, the books can go anywhere, it will be fun to see what happens to Sophie and whether or not they get more action packed and unexpected, though I do not see another one in the making as of yet.

Review of Hex Hall

Review of Demonglass

Summary -
Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?

Review - Hunger Games (book vs movie)

Title: Hunger Games
Hunger Games #1
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic
Publish Date: Oct 31, 2008
Paperback, 374 pages

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As many people have probably already said, I highly recommend this book to everyone. It is such a phenomenal read. So many wonderful lessons - Be yourself; Work smarter not harder; Make friends, but be cautious; Use your strengths; Sometimes surviving is more important.

I really loved Katniss. Her character is so strong and so amazing. It really makes the reader wonder if they too would be so courageous. She ends up taking care of her mother and sister when her father is killed. She is the food bearer, the mother, the provider and all the loving family members required. She has little to herself except the spare time she allows herself to hunt - outside the city allowed lines. That is where she talks and hangs with Gale, her secret friend. Katniss is an expert marksman with her bow and arrow. She can also climb trees like a monkey. She is skilled in the ways of the forest knowing the good and dangerous food, plants and sounds. She and Gale long to skip away and be lost in the forest, free and alive, but Katniss will not leave her family.

The city controls the entire twelve districts that provide for the city. Each district has a specialty, Katniss resides in District 12 known for coal mining. Where the city reigns in materials, food and wealth the outer districts are poor and rely on the city to provide for them. This way they always have allegiance to the city.

As a thank you to the city for providing, each year two children are chosen to lead their district in the hunger games. Games in which there is only one victor, or two if happen to come from the same district. All children who are in need may put their names in the drawing as many times as needed for food, clothing, etc, but their name gets a higher probability of being drawn. We learn later in the book that District 1 trains all their children from a very young age to be the best in the Hunger Games; to win and therefore provide the necessary food for their district each year.

I was completely disgusted by the amount of waste, lack of accountability and humor regarding the districts from the city. The city is so arrogant and clueless that they have no idea how sick the tributes feel being lavished in food and personal grooming only to be pawns before a televised audience as they die.

Surprisingly I felt the movie did a pretty spectacular job of sticking with the plot, feeling and overall quality of the book. Sadly, if a viewer did not read the book I feel they would be a bit lost as to why the city was so obviously colorful and brutally gaudy. I also fel they would not truly understand all the history of the hunger games, districts and the reason behind the actual need for each districts. They really skipped over that part, using the saying "May the odds be ever in your favor" as a way of explaining. I thought they could not have picked a better Katniss for the movie. She did embodied the character. I didn't care for the actor who played Petta, but I didn't like him the books either.

In the three books, the first in the series is my favorite. The newness of the idea, the rawness of the horror and the belief that Katniss will prevail is amazing. The second book was incredibly cruel and the third a bit lacking. But overall, I really love the series. It is insurmountably intelligent and reaches all levels of people.

Movie Trailer

Wordless Wednesday - Izabel and the red devil

Izabel playing with her toy I call the red devil because she picks it up and carries it in her mouth. I've seen her rip the hair out of it and toss it around too.

Wordless Wednesday

Review - Hunting Lila by Sarah Anderson

Title: Hunting Lila
Lila #1
Author: Sarah Alderson
Publisher: Simon and Schuster UK
Publish Date: Paperback, 318 pages

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I devoured this book so fast, I honestly felt like I had a bit of a stomach ache. I hate that I have to wait til Aug to find out what happens next. I really, really, really want to read the next book!! It was just that good!

Lila is a girl who has had a hard life. You know those moments that change you! Lila's mom was killed which resulted in her dad moving them out of the country and she lost her brother in the process since he stayed behind. She was so numb from all the change that by the time she came out of it, she had basically created a reputation at school as a weirdo. So she was friendless, familyless (as he dad is never home) and she then realizes she has a special power. One that could be considered dangerous, though she doesn't until she is mugged and this power shows it has a mind of it's own. She immediately freaks out, steals her father's credit card and flies to her brother. And his best friend, Alex, aka the love of her life.

Oh yes, this gets real juicy folks!!

Her brother and his best friend are living lives where they hunt down killers. There are people after them all the time. They have serious security setup at home and at the base. Unfortunately Lila is not sure she wants to tell them about her secret. She doesn't want them to see her differently. As she holds on to this secret, she is pulled in to their lives and their secrets as well. They may very well be hunting the same people as she is becoming. Those with special powers.

LOVE LOVE LOVED THIS BOOK!!

I am excited to check out Sarah Alderson's other book called Fated and when you visit her blog, read her bio. It is truly amazing. I am so envious of her life. How cool is it that she has traveled so far and lives on a beach in Bali??

The only thing I found disappointing, is the book is not available through Barnes and Noble, but we can't have it all, now can we?

Summary -
17-year-old Lila has two secrets she's prepared to take to the grave. The first is that she can move things just by looking at them. The second is that she's been in love with her brother's best friend, Alex, since forever. After a mugging exposes her unique ability, Lila decides to run to the only people she can trust - her brother and Alex. They live in Southern California where they work for a secret organisation called The Unit, and Lila discovers that the two of them are hunting down the men who murdered her mother five years before. And that they've found them. In a world where nothing and no one is quite as they seem, Lila quickly realises that she is not alone - there are others out there just like her - people with special powers -and her mother's killer is one of them…