Lauraolsthoorn Ireland

After the first three or four chapters I was struggling, I really was. I thought that after all my trudging through most of this series I was going to end up abandoning it at the final hurdle but I persevered and I have to say it was one of the hardest things I’ve done in a while. The beginning was mind-numbingly stupid and was written so badly it’s amazing the publishers let her keep it in the book.

However, thank the book gods above, it did get better. After the initial mess up of the first few chapters the characters seem to find their feet somewhat and it becomes a little more readable. In fact there were many times in this book from that point on that I actually found that I was enjoying myself. Shocking, I know. I enjoyed the whole journey that Ever had to go on to find her eventual destiny, even though you knew what the ending was going to be about half way through the first book of the series, it was still interesting to see how she gets her eventual happy ending.

I enjoyed the flashback to their previous life and how their relationship began. It was nice to see how all the characters were always linked together somehow. I also was glad to see some resolve happen between all the previous bad guy characters and Ever. They needed closure as I always felt they were all got rid of way too quickly. Also thought her trip to the Tree of Life was okay, Rafe, Misa and Marco made it that bit more interesting.

Of course throughout this book there are parts where I actually cringed and thought to myself good God does this author ever read what she has written and not think ‘oh that sounds a little cliché maybe’? There are parts where I wanted to throw the book away and just give up, sure. But there were also parts where I thought ‘ah that clears that up abit’. So because of that I actually believe that this is one of the better Immortal Series books. It could just be because I’m so excited to be done with it though...

So this was a huge improvement on the first book in my opinion. In this book I actually totally fell in love with Odd and I couldn't get enough of his weird little ways. In the first instalment I thought it was difficult to warm to his character and I didn't really 'get' his weird humor and stuff but this has all changed. I now adore this character, he's so sweet and funny and refreshingly decent it's just fantastic.

The plot was so much better in this novel as well, I thought. I was hooked after the first couple of chapters whereas with the first in the series I found it took me ages to get into the story even a little bit. I felt the surroundings in Forever Odd made all the difference. The first setting when Odd begins his trip are the underground drainage system beneath Pico Mundo which are huge and cavernous and seem to be miles and miles long. They first instilled in us this sense of foreboding and anticipation that continued for nearly the whole book. They were a creepy place to be in and Odd, although he never faltered on his quest, felt as uncomfortable as the reader to be down there.

The second setting was the old Panamint Resort and Casino. It's basically an abandoned hotel that was partially destroyed by an earthquake and an ensueing fire that has never been restored or torn down. It just immediately had this creepy feeling as soon as Odd began to describe it's history. Buildings like these always fascinate me and if I'm ever near an old abandoned house, barn, castle, anything, I am compelled to go in and explore even if there is do-not-enter signs hanging omniously from the gates. I think this is why this setting intrigued me so much and it's definitely a huge part of why I enjoyed the story to the degree that I did.

The bad guy was a serious bad guy or gal as I should say. Datura was just plain evil and I wouldn't have liked to encounter her in any scenario. She was crazy and it was actually refreshing, weirdly enough, to have a certifiably insane bad guy! Odd handled her well however and I was glad to see her get her comeuppance in the end.

All in all this was thoroughly enjoyable and I'm now really looking forward to reading the next in the series and won't leave as much as a gap between books this time.

I just find that the Anita Blake books are genuinely getting better as I progress through the series. I found in the first one especially a bit confusing and it didn't grip me hugely but now... I'm addicted.

I love Anita's character. She is definitely not perfect and she has a skewed outlook on a few different parts of her life but she's just so gripping and it's the flaws in her personality that make you love her all the more. Jean-Claude, also, I've grown to really love as a character. He's so dangerous and mysterious but at the same time you can't help but feel like he definitely has a certain respect and even love for Anita that makes you think that he does have a softer side even if it may be buried deep within him. I'm also so glad that Larry was reintroduced in this book as I was really looking forward to seeing Anita's teaching methods and she sure didn't disappoint. He's a cutie though and even though he's new at his job and everything is hugely new to him he handles it surprisingly well and has strong morals that he tries desperately to hold onto even though Anita has let her's slide hugely.

The plotline was really interesting with first the whole graveyard of 300 year old bodies to raise and then the whole scary pedophile vampire murdering young boys. The parts with Serephina and the rest of her gang were scary to say the least. I feel like Hamilton really has a great method of pulling her audience into a scene and making it feel really tense and terrifying. I loved it!

All in all these books keep getting better and the Killing Dance is already winging its way to me in an envelope from somewhere!

Well haven't I been missing out by not reading any Cornwell books. This was an extremely good crime thriller. I'd go so far as to say it was one of the best I've ever read even.

Kay Scarpetta is a really solid decent character and you instantly warm to her from the beginning. I especially loved the parts with her and Lucy as it really showed the normal, human side to her. I also really loved Marino even though I don't think we, as readers, were supposed to as Kay really hates him but I think he was a really good, tough-guy cop character and I enjoyed all the parts with him in them.

The plotline is good with a really evil, sadistic killer on the loose and Kay and the rest of the team are on the hunt for him. I loved the way throughout the book the author has us suspecting all the different characters as the killer. I think at one point I thought about it being nearly every character in the book but then something would happen and you'd start to doubt yourself again.

The only flaw with the book and it really isn't anything that could have been improved as it was beyond the author's control but because it was written in the early nineties it's way behind in terms of the technology of today which can be a bit frustrating for the reader. For instance there is limited trust put in DNA evidence which as we all know from shows such as CSI and the like is the most indisputable bit of evidence that can be found at a crime scene. I found it mildly frustrating but I also found it really interesting to read a book written so long ago that you could see how they used to catch people old-school style! Great book will be investing in future installments in the Scarpetta Series.

I found myself disliking Rose in this book which disappointed me because I adored her in the first installment. She came across as so self-involved and vain and cocky that she wasn't likeable any more at all. Some of the comments she comes out with make me want to smash her face against a wall and I'm not usually a violent person... 'I looked good in this dress, so much better than Moroi. I have curves in all the right places. I know I looked good in a bikini.' I'm quoting loosely there but you get the idea, vain doesn't even cover it.

She irritated me for the most of this book and not just because of her over-the-top cockiness but because she completely failed during most of the book to think about anyone but herself. Since she is training to become (and kind of already is) a Guardian to Lissa this posed a problem to me. She clearly doesn't give a crap about Lissa. Yes she'll mention every now and again how she would do anything to protect her but all we actually see is some weird jealousy she has towards Lissa's boyfriend and a complete disregard for any rules that are in place so she doesn't slip up watching over Lissa. I suppose you could argue that she is young and immature (and boy is she that) but the point of being a Guardian is that you have to grow up quick and be mature enough to put your feelings aside for the sake of your Moroi. She clearly has not quite grasped this concept yet.

However there were also good sides to this book and although unfortunately the whole book mostly centers around Rose we do get introduced to new characters and some of the original favourites are still around. I like Adrian, he seems exciting and has an interesting approach to learning his way around spirit magic. I'm glad that Lissa has found someone like herself. I also liked the turn-around that we saw in Mia's character. She seems like she might turn out to be someone really interesting in future books. And as for Dimitri... He still turns me on thats for sure, however now I feel like he could definitely do a hell of a lot better than Rose as she really is way too immature for him.

The plot was good, some parts were a bit slow but the ending made up for it. I thought this was a much better ending than the first book in the series and I really found it exciting and gripping. And thankfully the ending made me warm to Rose a little bit more than I had during the entire book so at least I set it down thinking her character could improve some bit instead of feeling like this series is a lost cause two books in. Since I've already got all the books in the collection I will be reading on in this series and I hope and pray that they will improve as they really did start out so promising!

I was really looking forward to this book because John Matthew is one of my favourite characters in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series and boy did it live up to expectations...

Of course no one in this series has had an easy ride to their penultimate happy ending and John is no different. We begin the story where Lover Avenged left off with Xhex abducted and being held against her will by Lash, the new Fore-Lesser in the Lessening Society who also happens to be the first half-vampire, half-lesser ever created. And man is he a cruel, evil, son-of-a-bitch. He does the unspeakable to Xhex and tears her apart both physically and emotionally. However she remains strong by some amazing inner strength that seems to have a lot to do with her sympath side and eventually as Lash begins to weaken some bit she manages to escape. The scene where John is in the room where she is being held captive but is unable to see her is heart-breaking by the way, be prepared.

When Xhex escapes John brings her back to the Brotherhood compound where she begins to heal both physically and mentally. And inevitably the love affair between her and John ensues in dramatic form! They are a couple so evenly matched in physicality and shared histories that it seems obvious to everyone but them that they are meant to be together forever. I found it great seeing a female who was more than capable of looking after herself in the battlefield. It was quite refreshing actually. So far we've seen strong, independent women but they were for the most part physically frail but not Xhex. She's the full package.

The plotline is good, you really fall in love with John and Xhex and by the end I needed them to be together for my mental health! I loved the Lash story too, even though he is an evil bastard, it was really interesting and I've a funny feeling we might not have seen the end of him and a teeny tiny part of me kind of hopes not. He's a really good evil characer if that makes any sense.

The more minor subplots included the love triangle between Blay, Qhuinn and Saxton which was my favourite of the lot. I also need Qhuinn and Blay to be together and the sooner Ward writes a gay sex scene the better. There was also the story of Payne who is trapped on the Other Side with the Chosen and the Scribe Virgin. She seems interesting enough but quite similar to Xhex in that she is a fighter and a tough woman with no interest in love but I'm still looking forward to her story. Then there was the little flashbacks of Darius and Thorment. These were interesting as you got to see where Thor came from and more of a back story to the Brothers.

All in all Ward can do no wrong in my eyes and the longer she keeps writing these books the better in my opinion. Can't wait for the next installment.

This is a sweet children's book and quite possibly one of the most long lasting story's ever told. Lewis Carroll has an imagination to rival Tolkien's just not quite as detailed. He sure knows how to create a world that's different from anything we're used to though and that can never be denied.

I've obviously read this years ago but thought I'd read it again and freshen my memory of the story. It's just as good as I remembered but the first time will always be the best as everything is so shocking and new. Alice is a lovely, little innocent girl but her character is not the one that stands out in this book surprisingly enough. It's actually all the minor characters that you can't wait to meet like the Cheshire cat and the Mad Hatter and the Queen of Hearts of course.

This is one of those storys that is implanted in everyone's childhood memories and I hope and pray that it remains that way for the kids of today and is never forgotten! Off with his head!!

Thank God this was much better than The Burning Girl. I had loved all of Billingham's Thorne books up til the last book and I was a more than a tad disappointed with it I will admit. It felt disjointed and there was too much going on at times.

However Lifeless is back to his best. It's gripping from the beginning and I just loved the insight that we get into life on the streets of London. In the beginning I wasn't all too sure about Thorne being pushed to the side slightly by his superiors as he fights through the grief of losing his father but as the book developed I realised how much I was growing to love Thorne even more by seeing this softer and more vulnerable side to him.

As Thorne, who is always quite unorthodox in his methods as a policeman, takes on the undercover role as a homeless man living on the streets of London you really get a great knowledge of life as a homeless person and for the most part it isn't pleasant. But there is a surprising community element too which I, at least, did not realise could be there.

The plotline was great too, really exciting and kept me gripped all the way through. Billingham back to his best!

So bought this over three years ago in a tiny shop in the middle of no where in west clare and it's been sitting on my shelf since then gathering dust. Why? Cos I forgot it was there basically. Every now and then my eye would pass over it thinking, I really must give that book a try and so (it took me awhile but I got there) eventually that's exactly what I've done and what a treat I've been denying myself. Karen Chance is a really good paranormal/fantasy author.

It took me a couple of chapters to warm to Dorina but boy by the end I loved her! She was slightly different to the JR Ward and Hamilton characters of the literary world by being both female and a dhampir (half vampire, half human). She was a strong, take-no-shit female who you grow to really, really love.

The whole plotline with finding Dracula and the introduction of characters along the way, I really enjoyed. My main favourites are, of course, Louis-Cesare, Radu and my all-time favourite character, Stinky! Louis-Cesare is irresistible to me like all vampires are inevitably, Radu is just hilarious with his inappropriate concern about completely mudane things during a chaotic battle scene (don't upset the chef!) and Stinky is the most adorably, stupid, loyal, cute Duergar that I've certainly ever come across (although can't say I've come across many)!

However (there's always something) I found the battle scenes towards the end a little too chaotic. I wasn't sure at some points what exactly was going on and I got totally confused by the whole Louis-Cesare thing, first he's dead, then he's alive and then he's dead again and then multiply that by at least three. I won't tell you the eventual outcome to prevent spoilers but it was a tad confusing to me!

Anyway I definitely enjoyed it and I will certainly be buying more of Chance's books. I always love to find a good paranormal romance novelist and she's definitely one.

Okay so finally a book that lives up to my expectations. I really, really enjoyed this. Apart from it's slightly strange title there are very few faults that I can think of. The characters are so well written and mature that you completely forget that they are only supposed to be twelve years old.

So basically the plot centers around Todd, his pet dog Manchee and Viola. Todd is the last boy to live in Prentistown, a place where every thought is heard by everyone around you and all the women have died. They have begun to think of their thoughts as Noise because it is a constant stream of just that, noise. Todd's substitute parents force Todd to run away before he becomes a man, which in Prentistown is when you turn thirteen. He doesn't fully understand why he's running and when he meets Viola in the swamp, a girl who's plane has crash landed nearby, they decide to travel together. As they venture further away from the town Todd begins to learn bit by bit how false all his beliefs were and the true history of his town.

The characters are so gripping I just couldn't get enough of any of them and I put this book down wanting more which is always a good sign. Todd and Viola are slightly innocent but are brave decent people and Todd's dog Manchee is the most adorable dog ever. I love him, he's actually my favourite character! I loved the plot, thought it was really interesting and I was gripped throughout. I completely forgot this was a young adult book until I put it down and saw the quote at the back. It doesn't read like a young adult book and the characters have so much maturity and the plot so much depth that I think a young adult tag is detrimental to this book. Brilliant.

This was better than its predecessor that's for sure but unfortunately it still wasn't fantastic. I found myself gripped a good bit more by the characters and the plotline though so I'm hoping that this series is slowly getting better.

Basically the story follows Harper and Tolliver as they find themselves involved in another missing persons case which swiftly evolves into a murder investigation. The plot wasn't perfect and there were definitely some fairly unrealistic parts. However the minor characters were more relatable this time round and I found myself liking Harper a hell of a lot more.

I didn't see myself enjoying the whole love affair between Harper and Tolliver that you could sense from the first book was going to be inevitable but I'm actually kind of rooting for them to be together. I think because Harris put more emphasis on the fact that they are not real brothers and sisters in this book was one of the main reasons I started to believe in the storyline a lot more. Even so it's still a little bit icky...

Meh... This was okay, it's really aimed at hardcore fans. Funnily enough I would have put myself in or very close to that category but after reading this I realise maybe I was once but not so much any more. That's not to say I love me some Sookie but the series as a whole doesn't grip me as much as it used to.

The best thing about this book is the short story in the beginning, A Small Town Wedding where Sookie goes with Sam to his brothers wedding. Even though neither Sam's brother or his bride-to-be are shifters there is a lot of bad feeling in the town and so ensues a majorly upsetting riot-type situation on the wedding day. It's an interesting little story and although Eric isn't in it, Sam is and so is Quinn so that nearly makes up for it.

The rest of the book is a tad boring. Yep I said it people, it's boring. Come on I love a good recipe for casserole as much as the next person but it ain't what I'm expecting when I pick up a Sookie Stackhouse book. And trivia questions always bore me I'm not reading books so I can be tested on them later. The timeline was basically just a summary of everything that happened in every book so far but gave us dates which I didn't really need to know and the summaries were just summaries, nothing new involved. Then a few questions and answers by Charlaine herself and Alan Ball the producer of True Blood. The Charlaine ones were good but I'm not a fan of the show so the Ball ones didn't interest me. All in all it was a bit of a disappointment as a companion book. It did make me realise how good JR Ward's companion book is on the Black Dagger Brotherhood is in comparison though. Disappointing as it was something I was kind of looking forward to...

So this is my first read of 2012 and I liked it, that's always a good sign of the year to come! This took me longer than it should have beacuse of the time of year and because for some funny reason it took me awhile to get into this story. I didn't immediately love Rose or Lissa and it took me awhile to warm to any of the other minor characters too. Rose can be a total bitch sometimes and Lissa I thought was a little boring in the beginning.

However, if you stick with this book people, it gets better and better! By the end I couldn't put it down and I didn't want it to finish. I love Rose for the same reason I didn't like her in the beginning and Lissa is not boring we find out, far from it. The plotline is similar to the House of Night series, which I also love. It seems anything with a Hogwarts-like school is good enough for me. I love the whole boarding school atmosphere and setting so I was actually happy when they were sent back there.

Rose is a tough bitch and she can be pretty mean but she also has a soft side and her feelings for both Lissa and Dimitri show that. Aside from his dismally bad name, Dimitri (like really, did she just google Russian names and this was the first to come up?) is wonderful. I loved the whole tough guy, never wavers, can't show emotion thing he had going on. I need him and Rose to be together, I need it now!

The plotline was good and I'm really looking forward to the rest of the books which my boyfriend bought for me for Christmas. My boyfriend who has never read a book in his life and has only ever entered bookshops when being dragged behind me. Does he know me well or what?