Seeds of Rebellion by Brandon Mull

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Holy Hippo!

I sped through this book so quickly because I wanted to know what would happen so bad.

I was a little disappointed that the big baddy didn’t make an appearance – but I liked seeing the characters struggle against foes that were still challenging.

I also loved the zombies! Totally cool idea.

I’m anxiously looking forward to the next installment.



View all my reviews

The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m so mad! I need to read the rest of the “book” soon because I really want to know what is going to happen.

This book reads like it was originally one long story that was broken up because YA don’t want long books (a publisher-type decision). However, this does not work as well for this book because there are lots of open plot threads at the end of the book (hence my frustration).

I enjoyed the characters and plots that wound through this book, although I thought the main character was a little dense to not think that the magicians would come looking for the magic item.

I recommend reading this book when you have all (or at least most) of the series ready to read back-to-back.

View all my reviews

California Gold by John Jakes

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It was so much fun reading about early California (late 1800s to early 1900s), especially since part of the action happened in southern California and specifically in Riverside. I kept thinking – I know where that is – and it made the journey through this thick tome that much more exciting for me.

This is the story of a boy’s search for fortune and love.



View all my reviews

The Lost Saint by Bree Despain

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this sequel to Dark Divine and I am anxiously awaiting the next installment (which I believe is coming out this week or is already out).

There was lots of dramatic irony in this one that sometimes made me want to take the lead character and shake some sense into her.

But, I still didn’t see the ending coming, so that was great.



View all my reviews

Darkside by Tom Becker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a fun YA read. I liked the underworld take on London and the new views of vampires and monsters.



View all my reviews

The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I didn’t know how much I missed this world until I read this book.

It was great to see what happened hundreds of years after the last book.

This one felt almost like steam punk to me (maybe a little more Western though). And that made it very fun. We need more Westerns with magic. Especially if the magic is allomancy!

View all my reviews

Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Okay, so I’m a slacker with my review here. I read it about a month ago.

But, I still think about the characters and plot occasionally, so that is a good thing. And a bad thing because I really want to read the next one in the series. Waiting, waiting, waiting. I don’t think I’m getting any more patient.

Anyway, this was a fun story. Some reviews I’ve read indicate trouble with understanding the whole time travel thing. I didn’t really, but then I didn’t focus on it. The main point of the book for me was the character interactions and the way they dealt with all the problems thrown at them. It was an exciting read because Scott Card never let up on them or took it easy.



View all my reviews

All Around the Town by Mary Higgins Clark

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I couldn’t put this down and ended staying up too late to finish it.

I really wanted to know who killed the professor. And the parts with the emerging Multiple Personalities Disorder were fascinating.



View all my reviews

The Fourth Nephite by Jeffrey S. Savage

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a fun and quick read. I immediately gave it to my 14 year old.



View all my reviews