Friday, July 15, 2011

Review: What Happened to Goodbye

What Happened to Goodbye
What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I really liked this book and will look for another Sarah Dessen on my next trip to the library! McLean is a teenager without a home and with a habit of redesigning herself with every relocation. Even though we only hear about previous personas in passing, I was hooked by the idea. Who hasn't wanted a chance to reinvent themself at one time? As the story evolved and McLean changed, her relationships were able to change and the final result (the end of the book) was satisfyingly 'right' for her, her friends and her family. Excellent book!



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Review: The Lost Hero

The Lost Hero
The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I enjoyed the Percy Jackson series and was happy to see that there were more books about Camp Half-Blood residents. I was hoping it would be Percy Jackson-esque but the writing reminded me of the Kane Chronicles instead, which is unfortunate because I didn't enjoy KC. Or the 39 Clues series, actually.

I liked the heroes in this book, especially Leo. I missed the camp time, though, as the book is almost completely about a quest and included only 3 brand new campers and not enough info on the other camp.

I will read more in the stories as my kids enjoy the characters and stories and I like the exposure to Greek and Roman mythology. My son has dyslexia and ADHD and I like that they powerful, brave, strong, clever characters have similar challenges. It's nice to have positive images for him.



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Review: Midnight Angels: A Novel

Midnight Angels: A Novel
Midnight Angels: A Novel by Lorenzo Carcaterra

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



I had high expectations of this book. It sounded like it might be the art history version of Indiana Jones or The Librarian...but it wasn't. Implausible situations, unlikeable characters, unrealistic reactions to situations...and bad guys that simply can't understand the concept of 'kill the targets instead of chatting with them.' I tried to like this book but finally gave up and quit reading it after Edwards and Raven had a completely ludicrous conversation where they talked about killing each other but walked away instead.



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Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Review: Range of Motion

Range of Motion
Range of Motion by Elizabeth Berg

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This is my first Elizabeth Berg book and I'll definitely be reading more! It wasn't the plot that kept me reading, it was the language. There were so many places in the book that I wanted to read aloud or write down. There were passages I read multiple times simply because the words expressed some feeling that I would have considered unexpressable. I want to read more simply because her words were so moving.





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