Review: James Potter and the Vault of Destinies

James Potter and the Vault of Destinies by G. Norman Lippert

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Of the three James Potter books, this one took me the longest time to read. I liked the book but I wasn't absorbed by it. Of all the characters, Petra was one of my least favorites and I wasn't thrilled that this book would focus on her. However, I'm not a fan of Merlin, either, so it was an even trade.

This book made me realize what Lippert sacrificed to write these books. By associating with the Harry Potter series, I don't believe he can profit from any use of the characters or ideas...but this book, with someone else as the main character, could have been the start of a stand-alone series. He could have contrived an American magical world, swapped out the obvious references and built an entire series of his own. While the characters were born in Harry Potter, they could have been any other children and a new wizard world would be born. I wish that he had because the details that I don't like wouldn't be in place - for instance, the changes to the way houses at Hogwarts inter-relate in the future - and there would be new magical terms to learn.

I stopped reading the first time after the silver thread bit. I mean, here's this 13 year old kid and this unstable adult and he loves her enough to die for her? Creepy and weird. I picked it back up but quit reading again when the crimson thread was stolen and he covered up the eyewitness account of Petra's presence just because he "knew" she was innocent. I started reading again for the 3rd time and got caught up in clutchcudgel and enjoyed hearing more from Albus...and then the end stunned me. I am really, really shocked by the character loss and the torch event (trying to be vague to avoid spoilers) and now I'm ready to start the next book...but it's not out there yet!

I want to read number four and I'll keep checking back and hoping it gets written. And if the author sees this, I vote for more Albus and Scorpius - they are two of my favorite characters!



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Review: Vegan Lunch Box around the World: 125 Easy International Lunches Kids and Grown-Ups Will Love!

Vegan Lunch Box around the World: 125 Easy International Lunches Kids and Grown-Ups Will Love! by Jennifer McCann

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I'm not vegan...in fact, I'm not even vegetarian. That said, I didn't check out this book for specific recipes as I would sub in the ingredients that match my lifestyles. There are a few ideas I'll try but most of the ideas, in my opinion, aren't "easy" and they are a little too much for lunch. This wasn't a book that inspired me toward any new lunch box ideas for my kids or for me.



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Review: Dark Tort

Dark Tort by Diane Mott Davidson

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



This book, in non-audio form would have likely been on par with the Hannah Swenson series, which is a light reading, 3 star book. In audio form, though, it was horrible. Based on the reader's voice, I had a vision in my head of what the character would look like. The image didn't match the character, however. At one point, Goldy sees herself in a mirror and comments on her blond curls. She's described as being in her early thirties. The voice, though...it isn't. It distracted me from the story and I eventually googled her to see what she looked like in real life. She's not a 32-year old blond caterer :) If I were at the beach and looking for something that I could skim through as I soaked up some sun, it would be okay, though, which brought it up to 2 stars.



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Review: Manner of Death

Manner of Death by Stephen White

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



After the funeral of a former colleague, a man is approached by former FBI agents that want to warn him that his life might be in danger. Their reasoning? In the past 2 decades his old team has seen a few deaths. One was a murder (drive-by, bad part of time, gang-suggestive shooting) and the rest were the type of accidents that just happen. These deaths have occurred over YEARS and are not suspicious...but these former agents are convinced that a serial killer is targeting this random group of interns and doctors. It was so implausible, yet an entire book was written about it. I simply couldn't stand it and quit reading.



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