Weave Posted August 26, 2009 Author Share Posted August 26, 2009 (edited) Marked (House of Night) by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast ~ Started: 23.08.09 ~ Finished: 26.08.09 Synopsis ~ When sixteen-year-old Zoey Redbird gets Marked as a fledgling vampire she must join the House of Night school where she will train to become an adult vampire. That is, if she makes it through the Change. But Zoe is no ordinary fledgling. She has been chosen as special by the Goddess Nyx and discovers her amazing new power to conjure the elements: earth, air, fire, water and spirit. When Zoey discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school's most elite group, is misusing her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look within herself to embrace her destiny - with a little help from her new vampire friends. 'Marked' is the first book in the House of Night series. It was an enjoyable read, I liked the main character Zoey, her life changes dramatically and she accepts it as best she can, she also finds out more about herself, her powers and her eventual full change to a vampire (if she survives) The teenage language was a bit annoying (because I am as old as the hills ) but as you read, you do not notice anymore. The only thing that I found a bit off putting was the one count of sexual content, I thought considering it is a YA book, it was a bit risky particularly for individuals of a certain age but I noticed today that the following has been added to the synopsis on amazon, 'Not suitable for younger readers.'. 'Marked' is a great start to a good series. Edited August 28, 2009 by Weave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 Nice little review there Paula. Glad you seemed to enjoy Marked - noticed a few people like it on here now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted August 26, 2009 Author Share Posted August 26, 2009 Nice little review there Paula. Glad you seemed to enjoy Marked - noticed a few people like it on here now. Thanks Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted August 28, 2009 Author Share Posted August 28, 2009 (edited) Betrayed (House of Night) by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast ~ Started: 26.08.09 ~ Finished: 28.08.09 Synopsis ~ It seems that (un)life is going pretty well for Zoey Redbird. Shea??s settled in at the House of Night finishing school and is coming to terms with the vast powers the vampyre goddess, Nyx, has given her. She even has a boyfriend...or two. Best of all, Zoey finally feels she has found somewhere she belongs. Then the unthinkable happens.Human teenagers are being killed, and all the evidence points to the vampires at Zoey's school. While danger stalks the humans from Zoey's past life, she begins to realise that the very powers that made her so unique might also threaten those she loves. Then, when she needs her new friends the most, death strikes the House of Night. Zoey finds herself facing a betrayal that could break her heart and jeopardise the very fabric of her world. Not suitable for younger readers. 'Betrayed' is the second book of the 'House of Night' series. 'Betrayed' had more action than 'Marked' and you are finding out more and more about the 'House of Night' which makes for interesting reading. The only thing that annoyed me was Zoey constant dilemmas over the men in her life, I did find myself thinking, 'oh just get it together' but apart from that it was a good story. Edited August 28, 2009 by Weave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephanie2008 Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 This is a series I'm going to have to get hold of now Thanks for the review. You know I had never read a single vampire book before this forum and now it's all I read Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted August 28, 2009 Author Share Posted August 28, 2009 This is a series I'm going to have to get hold of now Thanks for the review. You know I had never read a single vampire book before this forum and now it's all I read I hope you get the series real soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted August 29, 2009 Share Posted August 29, 2009 So, I'm in the bookshop today, and I see some book covers that look familiar, and I suddenly realise they're the House of Night books that you and Lexie have been saying good things about, and before I know it, I've bought the first two in the series! At least they were on special offer and it was buy one get one free, so I got the first two for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted August 29, 2009 Author Share Posted August 29, 2009 So, I'm in the bookshop today, and I see some book covers that look familiar, and I suddenly realise they're the House of Night books that you and Lexie have been saying good things about, and before I know it, I've bought the first two in the series! At least they were on special offer and it was buy one get one free, so I got the first two for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted August 29, 2009 Author Share Posted August 29, 2009 (edited) Chosen (House of Night) by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast ~ Started: 28.08.09 ~ Finished: 29.08.09 Synopsis ~ "I guess it had gone okay with Stevie Rae. I mean, she had agreed to meet me tomorrow. And she hadn't tried to bite me, which was a plus. Of course, the whole trying-to-eat-the-street-person thing was highly disturbing..." Zoey's best friend, Stevie Rae, is undead - in an eww! zombie! kind-of-way, not in a cool vampire kind-of-way. She's struggling to retain her humanity and Zoey doesn't have a clue how to help. But she does know that anything they discover must be kept secret. Trust has become a rare commodity. Sinister forces are at work at the House of Night, where the line between friend and enemy is becoming dangerously blurred. Not suitable for younger readers. 'Chosen' is the third book in the 'House of Night' series. I really enjoyed it, the story was a great read, especially with the recent changes within the House of Night, it was exciting because everything is not what it seems and Zoey is coping with it all which she learns is not the way to do things. Looking forward to the next book in the series 'Untamed', so I will leave you saying 'hurry up amazon', an easy read, enjoyable Edited August 30, 2009 by Weave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted August 31, 2009 Author Share Posted August 31, 2009 The Sound of Waves by Yukio Mishima ~ Started: 29.08.09 ~ Finished: 31.08.09 I finished 'The Sound of Waves' by Yukio Mishima Click here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted September 6, 2009 Author Share Posted September 6, 2009 Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith ~ Started: 01.09.09 ~ Finished: 05.09.09 Synopsis ~ ‘It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.’ So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton - and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she's soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers - and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield as Elizabeth wages war against hordes of flesh-eating undead. Can she vanquish the spawn of Satan? And overcome the social prejudices of the class-conscious landed gentry? Complete with romance, heartbreak, swordfights, cannibalism, and thousands of rotting corpses, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you'd actually want to read. I read the original ‘Pride and Prejudice’ last year (I think) and enjoyed it, however, I enjoyed ‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies’ more, due to the ‘stricken’, ‘sorry stricken’, ‘undead’, or ‘unmentionables’ and the fact that not only was Elizabeth Bennett a strong female character but she was a strong female character who had been trained in China under a Shaolin master and fought the ‘sorry stricken’ on a daily basis alongside her sisters and father. The plot follows the original, accept that in this universe, there is undead roaming around the countryside and other places. The funniest change in character for me was Lady Catherine de Bourgh, who was now the best fighter in England (she trained in Kyoto, Japan). All of the characters are memorable and there is no changes with them apart from the obvious change of being trained to fight in different styles with their favourite weapon of choice, I could not help but smile at the image of Jane and Elizabeth fighting off the ‘sorry stricken’ in the middle of a ball. A book not to be taken seriously, a fun read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 Sounds like you enjoyed it, Gyre! I'm still not sure about reading it myself. I don't mind the concept of it (Jasper Fforde also used Pride and Prejudice in one of his books, which was fantastic), but I just don't think this will be my cup of tea. If I see it in a charity shop, or very cheap somewhere, I might pick it up, but I don't think I'll be actively hunting it out. Great review though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 I just can't get past laughing at the cover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fi. Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith ~ Started: 01.09.09 ~ Finished: 05.09.09 I read the original Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 Great review Paula, I'm so glad you enjoyed it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 Complete with romance, heartbreak, swordfights, cannibalism, and thousands of rotting corpses.... Sounds like my kind of book! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NovaLee Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 Hi Gyre Just took a peak through all the books you've read this year ....gosh that's a lot of books and your reviews are fantastic. I will be putting a great number of these on my TBR pile ...thank you for the great suggestions. I see also that you have read a couple by Huruki Murukami ....I just finished KAFKA ON THE SHORE earlier this week and really enjoyed it, so will most certainly check out the ones in your review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted September 7, 2009 Author Share Posted September 7, 2009 If you enjoyed this look out for Sense & Sensibility & Sea Monsters which is being published roundabout September 15th Thanks ScarlettBella, I have added it to my wishlist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted September 7, 2009 Author Share Posted September 7, 2009 Sounds like my kind of book! It is very funny Nicola Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted September 7, 2009 Author Share Posted September 7, 2009 Hi Gyre Just took a peak through all the books you've read this year ....gosh that's a lot of books and your reviews are fantastic. I will be putting a great number of these on my TBR pile ...thank you for the great suggestions. I see also that you have read a couple by Huruki Murukami ....I just finished KAFKA ON THE SHORE earlier this week and really enjoyed it, so will most certainly check out the ones in your review. Hi NovaLee, how are you? Thanks for reading my reviews, I am glad everyone (including your good self) enjoy them. 'Kafka on the shore' was the first book I read by Haruki Murakami, what a great book, I hope to re~read it at some point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted September 9, 2009 Author Share Posted September 9, 2009 Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood ~ Started: 05.09.09 ~ Finished: 09.09.09 (re~read) Synopsis ~ Pigs might not fly but they are strangely altered, so, for that matter, are wolves, and raccoons. A man, once named Jimmy, lives in a tree, wrapped in old bedsheets, now calls himself Snowman. The voice of Oryx, the woman he loved, teasingly haunts him. And the green-eyed Children of Crake are, for some reason, his responsibility. This is my second time reading ‘Oryx and Crake’ by Margaret Atwood, the first time was back in 2007, I enjoyed it then and I enjoyed it even more the second time around. Click on the link if you want to read my original review ~ Click here Snowman (aka Jimmy) will always be a memorable character to me, he finds himself in a situation that he may or may not have been able to stop. Margaret Atwood is excellent at showing the insights of all of her characters, Snowman’s thoughts are erratic at times but they make sense, you identify with his thoughts, what would you do in the same situation? At times funny and sad, you experience everything that Snowman experiences, you share his thoughts, you find out more and more about the man who used to be called Jimmy. ‘Oryx and Crake’ finishes open ended and it’s up to the reader to make their own minds, does Snowman find what he wants, needs? Or does he face the world he is in and make his place in it. An excellent read that I know I will read again and again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted September 12, 2009 Author Share Posted September 12, 2009 The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood ~ Started: 09.09.09 ~ Finished: 12.09.09 Click on the link to read my review, thanks Click here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted September 15, 2009 Author Share Posted September 15, 2009 I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak ~ Started: 12.09.09 ~ Finished: 15.09.09 Synopsis ~ Meet Ed Kennedy—underage cabdriver, pathetic cardplayer, and useless at romance. He lives in a shack with his coffee-addicted dog, the Doorman, and he's hopelessly in love with his best friend, Audrey. His life is one of peaceful routine and incompetence, until he inadvertently stops a bank robbery. That's when the first Ace arrives. That's when Ed becomes the messenger. . . . Chosen to care, he makes his way through town helping and hurting (when necessary), until only one question remains: Who's behind Ed's mission? This is second book by Markus Zusak I have read, the first one being ‘The Book Thief’, which I enjoyed immensely. ‘I am the Messenger’ was a great story with the main character, Ed, trying to make his life and others better, it was interesting to see how the story progressed, I did not expect the ending, a great read and I am now about to start ‘Getting the Girl’, also by Markus Zusak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 I've read the same two Zusak books that you have, Gyre, so I'll be interested in your thoughts on Getting the Girl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted September 15, 2009 Author Share Posted September 15, 2009 I've read the same two Zusak books that you have, Gyre, so I'll be interested in your thoughts on Getting the Girl. Will do Kylie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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