The Elite (The Selection #2) by Kiera Cass REVIEW

Overall Rating


I know that I was not the only person that was super anxious for the release of this book. Seriously, it seemed like forever! I had to go back and read the first book in the series, The Selection, again so that my memory would be refreshed for the second installment. This book was everything I thought it would be, fantastic! However, throw a pinch or forty of “WTF” and a handful of wanting to strangle the main character America, and you have a recipe for a great book. This book delivers you the next part of the competition where America is “competing” for the heart of Prince Maxon. If you have read the first book, you will understand why I just put competing in quotes. It was an extremely good yet frustrating read but I highly recommend that you read this book and for those of you that have not read it, definitely pick up the first book and give this series a try.
Originality/Creativity


This book has some originality to it even though it sounds like a medieval version of the Bachelor. The times actually takes place in more modern day, however the dystopian society has a monarchy that seems to take you back to medieval times. It is the classic love triangle story with a girl that cannot quite decide her fate. And with the competition going on, you also learn about rebels that are trying to overthrow the monarchy which adds a bit of suspense to the story.

Complexity of Characters/Storyline


This book has more complexity to it than the first book in my opinion. You are seeing that the love triangle between America, Maxon, and Aspen is becoming quite scandalous. America is becoming more bold in her indiscretions and it is completely frustrating. You also see Maxon starting to drift off and that makes the story give the reader some anxiety, let me tell ya! The rebel situation is also more extreme, I believe it is setting up to become a very interesting read for the third book.

Quality of writing


This series is intended to be young adult so expect the writing to be quite good but not advanced vocabulary. It is extremely well edited which makes it a smooth read. If you read my reviews, you know I freakin HATE poorly edited books. That will literally be a deal breaker for me. This series is extremely popular so you know Kiera Cass has a great editing team behind her.

Action/Suspense


There is a decent amount of action in this book. You will see the action mostly from the rebels that are trying to overthrow Prince Maxon and his family. The suspense in this book is off the charts if you are as frustrated with America and her choices between Prince Maxon and Aspen. Personally, I am team Maxon. Not because he is a Prince (but that don’t hurt one bit), but because Aspen had his head up his ass and deserted America when she had her heart 100% devoted to him. That will always sway my decision on a man! At this point, you really can’t tell which way she might go and all the little situations and interactions in this book will have you screaming “WTF!!!!!”

WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK?

Hell yeah and then some. I usually like more action or even violent type books, but this book and the first are a great series. If you like a good love triangle, Prince & Princess themes, competitions, and a female lead character, you won’t go wrong with this series. The second book was an excellent read and set up for the third book. I literally cannot wait for the next book because of all the frustration this second book caused me! So pick it up and give it a try. Be forewarned, the third book is not set to be released until May 2014 so if you want to save yourself some frustration and anxiety from this cliff hanging book, you may want to wait to read this series. Or do what I do, just re-read the books close to the next release date. I can never wait to get my hands on book series that have long waits in between releases though, that’s just me.

In Darkness We Must Abide, Season 2, Dire Warning, by Rhiannon Frater REVIEW

Overall Rating


This review is for Season 2 of the “In Darkness We Must Abide” series. Even though it is titled as Episode 6, it is actually the first book in season 2 but the 6th book in the series. If you have not read my review for the first books in the series, scroll down and check that out first. You definitely need to read season 1 before hopping into the series. For those of you that are not familiar with serial series, they are book series that have basically a novella released weekly, monthly, or whatever just like tv series. This one has been my favorite serial series, although I admit it is torture waiting for the next part to be released because I want to know what happens next!
This book is a continuation of the first series. The main character, Vanora, is coping with her Vampire family drama. She is older in this book, and we get more insight into the death of her parents and the one that murdered him. You will learn more about the twisted “prophecy” and Vanora’s role in that as well as that psycho that obsesses over her.

Originality/Creativity


Nothing beats the creativity that Rhiannon uses in this series. Usually a book focuses on one genre. Well in this series, you get a little of everything. You get a hint of romance, personal conflict, supernatural (Vampires are HOT right now, as we all know), paranormal, action, suspense and mystery. You can’t go wrong with this series, it literally has it all! Although there are literally millions of vampire stories out there, this one is unique and Rhiannon is a very skilled author. You would be a fool not to like it, just check out the ratings on Goodreads if you don’t believe me.

Complexity of Characters/Storyline


The main character, Vanora, is extremely complex. She starts out very young in the beginning of the series and in Season 2, you get to have her POV as a young adult. It is refreshing to finally start to understand Vanora and there is still so much being unveiled about her even though one season is already out. Each book you see Vanora growing up and becoming a woman while struggling with herself over her Vampire family and the turmoil it causes to love and despise them all at once. You also have the other characters to consider, each with their own struggles and each playing a large role in Vanora’s life. There is Armando, Vanora’s tortured love interest and their tragic relationship. Roman, Vanora’s much older brother and leader of seemingly moral vampire clan he started and ruled according to “Roman’s Law.” Alisha, Vanora’s older sister, who supports Roman and viciously loves Vanora. And then there is the bad guy. The books do not reveal his name for quite some time and you actually don’t know too much about him until book 6. But what we know isn’t much so it will be interesting to learn more as the series progresses.

Quality of writing


This series is a young adult one, so don’t expect there to be a lot of fabulously large and intricate verbage. However, Rhiannon is an excellent writer so you will not think for a second that this book was written by a rookie. The characters and the story are extremely complex so it takes skill to keep it all organized and easy to follow. The author does that with ease. I can’t stand a poorly edited book and thank goodness this book is very well edited. That alone would mark the book down a few ratings for me. That is how much I loathe a crappy edited book.

Action/Suspense


There is a pretty decent amount of action in this book. Since it is a serial series, the books will vary with the level of action depending on where you are at in the storyline. But at all times, you have a sense of suspense and mystery which holds your interest throughout the book. I am an action junkie, so to keep me happy you need to keep me interested. Action and suspense is the way to do that. I do like other books like romance and what not, but suspense novels are my absolute favorite! Because the action varies in each book in this series, I rate this one as being 4 instead of 5 stars, I suspect it was setting up for some major action scenes for the rest of Season 2.

WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK?

Of FREAKIN COURSE I WOULD! This series is what I recommend. You definitely cannot just hop into this book and understand what is going on so you would have to read the first season before attempting this book. It is worth it and if you have never read a serial series, this one is a great one to start with. I am not sure how many seasons there will be but I can tell you I will be buying each book on the exact day it is released. That is how much I love this series. I won’t do a review for each and every book, just at the end of the season. I just wanted to get a review out for my fans to remind them to start this series. Take a chance, you might just enjoy it! Season 1 is available as one book right now so pick it up!

I'm BACK!

Hey everybody! Sorry for the long absence, but I am back! I have read like 20 books since my last post, so I will get on here and put up reviews for everything I read. So stay tuned! I also got a ton of free Kindle book listings, so check out my Free Kindle Books page within the next day or two so you can get in on the free book action. Stay tuned!

Hunted, Book #1 King Solomon's Wives by Holly McDowell

Hunted, Book #1
King Solomon's Wives by Holly McDowell

*I DO NOT RECAP THE BOOKS IN MY REVIEWS, THAT IS WHAT THE BOOK DESCRIPTION IS FOR. NOR DO I HAVE SPOILERS*

This book was provided for me by the author free in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to Holly McDowell for that privilege!



Overall Rating

This book was an incredible read. I was blown away by the storyline! It is so creative, I am impressed by the how the author created the ideas and wove it all together in this wonderful book. It takes place in modern day, however you get a few flashbacks into the past which makes the story so much more interesting. There are a few characters you will experience that you will definitely get attached to. Who doesn't like a group of seductive women? There is terrific action and I was not bored for one second of this book!

Originality/Creativity:

I definitely find there to be a strong element of creativity in this book and the series. I was very impressed by the story. I have never really been interested in King Solomon stories, although I am a very big history freak. This story was so unique. It has so many elements in it. The author creates a new legend of King Solomon’s wives, these incredible women that have the unique ability to seduce men. This is passed down through the bloodlines and they are dependant upon each other for their survival as they are being pursued by vicious hunters out to destroy them. I was fascinated by the story and you will be too!


Complexity of Characters/Storyline:

The characters were very complex. Each wife has their own struggles with themselves and the situation they are thrown in. To fall in love in their world is a death sentence. And each wife does not get to live that long so there are so many sacrifices each woman must make. It was heartbreaking to experience that with them. You get to see the point of view of many of the wives if you continue on to read book 2, which I of course did because I could not just stop with one book! Even though there was so much complexity in the series, the author did a beautiful job of having the story flow so that it was easy to follow.



Quality of writing:

I found this book to have a high quality of writing. Nothing pisses me off more then a book with a billion errors or an author that writes like a kindergartener. The author’s writing was easy to follow and use of vocabulary was fitting to the story.


Action/Suspense:

I am an action junkie so the best way to keep me extremely happy is to have non-stop action. This book definitely delivers that. I didn’t find myself bored or suffering through any part of this book. And it is hard to get me on the edge of my seat during suspenseful scenes, but I found myself doing exactly that during a couple of parts in this book. It was so good, I even purchased the second book immediately after I finished this one!


Would I recommend the series? Oh most definitely! If you love supernatural stories, ancient history, and seductive women, this book and the series will be an interesting read for you.


View all my reviews

In Darkness We Must Abide, Season 1, by Rhiannon Frater

In Darkness We Must Abide
Death Comes Home, Book #1-3
By Rhiannon Frater

*I DO NOT RECAP THE BOOKS IN MY REVIEWS, THAT IS WHAT THE BOOK DESCRIPTION IS FOR. NOR DO I HAVE SPOILERS*This review is for books #1-3 in the series, book 4 is set to be released tomorrow. I know for a fact that right now, you can get book #1 free on Amazon or Kobo right now so go get your free copy now!

Overall Rating

I have heard of serial series before and always wanted to try reading them, but have just put it off. Until I saw that Rhiannon Frater has released a serial series. I was like “Oh Hell Yeah Baby!!!!!” Rhiannon Frater is one of my all time top fav authors. She has style and imagination and this series shows it. For those of you that don’t know what serial series are, think of books released like your favorite tv show. It is a book series that contains typically a shorter book (like a novella) and each book or “episode” is released every 1-3 weeks depending on the series. This story is about a family that has had some serious tragedy befall them and they work together to persevere. Throw in some vampires, supernatural events, and some suspense and you have a winning series. I dove from one book to the next and as of 4-25-13, there are 3 books out and another release I believe tomorrow. And you know I am getting that one!!!

Originality/Creativity:

I definitely find there to be a strong element of creativity in this book and the series. My most favorite genre is supernatural/paranormal. And this author is one of my favorites, she is just bursting with creativity so I know that if I get a book by her, it will have the perfect amount of creativity and the most amazing storyline. This story isn’t just your typical vampire story, you can relate to the characters. Besides the existence of vampires, this story is about a family in peril and how they work together to overcome it and I think most of us can say that we have been through an event where we had to pull together with our family and try to get through it. That is why I loved this series so much.

Complexity of Characters/Storyline:

This story is definitely complex. It takes place in modern day, but you get to dip back every now and then and hear a bit of history. You also get to jump around and get the perspective of several characters, not just one. I always enjoy books like that so you can better have an understanding of how each character ticks. And there is a character in the story that has a sort of “coming of age” and it is spectacular to get to watch that character progress during the series. I believe that this series has great complexity but not so much that the reader is confused. You will have a fantastic time reading this series as the characters grow on you and you find your heart pulled in each direction during their hardships. The storyline is one of a kind!

Quality of writing:

Rhiannon Frater is one of my most favorite authors, as I have said over and over so far! Seriously, her style of writing is amazing. For a book to be great, not just good, I have to be able to see a clear picture in my mind of each character and their surroundings based on the descriptions the author gives. By the end of a great book, I should feel not that I just read a book, but that I watched a movie because I was able to so clearly see everything in my mind. That is what Rhiannon’s writing does for me. It is that amazing!

Action/Suspense:

I am an action junkie so the best way to keep me extremely happy is to have non-stop action. This series does that. There is barely a time where you are not reading some sort of crazy suspenseful scene. I freaking love that! I sped through thi series. Each book took me barely over an hour to read and so I jumped from one book to the next quickly and I was not bored for a second! Thank you Rhiannon, I loathe a boring read and I never get that from your books.

Would I recommend the series? Yes. Hell Yeah. F%#@ yeah I do! And if you have never read a serial series, this is the best one to start with! So go get it! I know for a fact that you can get the first book in the series free right now on Amazon and Kobo right now so there is no excuse not to get reading!


View all my reviews

The Elite by Kiera Cass is out!!!!

The Elite by Kiera Kass was released this Tuesday the 23rd! For those of you living on another planet that have not heard of The Selection series, it is one of the biggest YA book releases this year. I have my copy and am ready to cuddle up with the kindle and read it. I cannot wait to see what happens and I will give you guys a series review when I am done. The book better be bad ass because I have been dying to get it!

Mila 2.0 Origins & Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza Review

Mila: Origins: The Fire and Mila 2.0

by Debra Driza

*I DO NOT RECAP THE BOOKS IN MY REVIEWS, THAT IS WHAT THE BOOK DESCRIPTION IS FOR. NOR DO I HAVE SPOILERS*

Overall Rating

I just finished the first 2 books that are out in the series, The Origins and Mila 2.0. I flew through the first book which was more of a novella and immediately jumped into Mila 2.0. I have been anxiously awaiting the release of this series because I absolutely adore YA and genres such as supernatural, fantasy, and science fiction. This series is a fantastic example of science fiction and beautifully woven with a YA element. With true form for a successful series, I felt that the books got better with each one. Origins gives you a beautifully suspenseful opening and trust me when I say that you will want to read on to the next one so you better have both books ready! I very much enjoyed the books and if you like YA and science fiction, this series will be a hit for you too.

Originality/Creativity:

Obviously the idea of a part robot, part human book or movie has been done before several times. So the trick for any author that approaches this idea is to make it their own. Have their story stand out. I felt that the author did that. The story is unique and there are a couple of twists and turns in it that keep you guessing as to what will happen next. It was interesting to have the main character be simply a 16 year old “normal” girl and then to take the story and dramatically change it into non stop action and complexity. I give the author several points, or should I say PAWS for that.

Complexity of Characters/Storyline:

The most complex character is of course, the main character Mila. That girl is a whole bunch of WTF rolled into a teenage ball of mechanical wonder. You definitely have a huge evolution of who you think she is in the first book, to having your mind blown away in the second book. You see her mentality go from being a slightly ditsy teenager to becoming more of an adult with hints of teenage tendancies in the second book. The next most complex character is her “mom” which I won’t go into much because that would be spoiling it, and I don’t do spoilers! Just trust me when I say that her mom is all sorts of wacky.

Quality of writing:

The writing in this book is very well done. When you read science fiction novels, sometimes the authors get so complex in their descriptions that you start to wonder if it is a book you are reading or a how-to-guide on building futuristic space rockets. The author did a great job of keeping it fun, easy to understand, while still having science fiction elements. The story was easy to follow and flowed nicely. I had no problems picturing each scene in my mind which to me is the most important thing a good book should do.

Action/Suspense:

I am an action junkie so the best way to keep me extremely happy is to have non-stop action. This series does exactly that. The first novella gets you pumped up because it jumps right into a tragic event. It makes you want to run full speed into the second book. And the second book starts out not really slow, but takes just a few minutes to get into the action. Once it does, it is literally non-stop throughout the whole book. I absolutely loved and appreciated that. I read both books in one day so that should say a lot as to how much interest it generated for me.

Would I recommend the series? Oh hell yes! It is a great read! If you enjoy YA and science fiction, this is a good fit for you. It isn’t science fiction overload though so I think that will help generate interest to a wider audience. There is not much of a romance element to it, but you do see that there is potential to that in the next books to come in the series. I cannot wait to see what comes next for Mila and I am sure that you will feel the same way once you read the books.

Into the Dark #1-4 by Milly Silver Series Review

Into the Dark #1-4

By Milly Silver

*I DO NOT RECAP THE BOOKS IN MY REVIEWS, THAT IS WHAT THE BOOK DESCRIPTION IS FOR. NOR DO I HAVE SPOILERS*

This entire series was provided for me free of charge by the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Milly Silver, I appreciate all the hard work you put into this book series and for giving me the opportunity to read and review it for you.

Overall Rating

I just finished the entire series, which consisted of four books. I am a pretty fast reader, I would say the entire series took me about 4 hours to read, 1 hour per book. With true form for a successful series, I felt that the books got better with each one. I felt that the fourth book was by far the best book in the series. Looking back on everything, I have to say that I did enjoy the series in its entirety. While the first books lacked a little bit of the usual luster I prefer, the ending delivers a satisfying finality.


Originality/Creativity:

I definitely find there to be a strong element of creativity in this book and the series. My most favorite genre is supernatural/paranormal/science fiction. My second most favorite genre is contemporary fiction. This book series has the best of both worlds since the main character Emily is constantly being ripped between our normal world and the supernatural parallel universes. Hats off to the author for putting the best of both genres together so well into one story. This last book in the series unravels the most secrets and so it contains the most complexity of all the other books. You finally understand the role each character has played in Emily’s life and most of the answers come together for you. I still had many more questions that needed answers, but I think that is just because I tend to crave more details when it comes to “other worlds” because I like to have a clear picture in my mind of the setting because I have a vivid imagination.

Complexity of Characters/Storyline:

The two most complex characters in this story are the main character Emily and her love interest/obsession Henry. Near the beginning, Emily commits a horrible act of betrayal that will stick with her through the entire series and constantly plagues her conscience. You see her trying to integrate into the complex social life at Oxford and then a completely different behavior when she is in the parallel universes. In the first 3 books, I decided that the two main characters, Emily and Henry, were the most complicated. In the final book, you realize that every character around Emily has played a critical role in her life to help her and have been around for quite some time. The complexity of the characters multiplies by tenfold in this book, giving it a much more interesting read.

Quality of writing:

This book is written in “British-English” which means that common spelling we use in the United States is a bit different. There is just the slight variation in spellings such as “favourite” instead of “favorite.” British-English is commonly found in the British Isles, Australia, Canada, etc. Not a big deal to me, I am used to reading books like this so it does not distract me in the least. It fits perfectly with the setting of where the story takes place. Some less literate Americans might have an issue reading this, which I find to be hilarious.

Action/Suspense:

I am an action junkie so the best way to keep me extremely happy is to have non-stop action. The first two books do not have as much action as the last two. And the fourth book has the most action of all. I felt that the author should have had Emily spend more time in the parallel universes, because that was the only place where there was any real action. In the last book, the very last trip into the parallel universe was more drawn out then the other books, which was delightful. I was actually on edge for a few moments so my crave for action was finally satisfied.

Would I recommend the series? Yes, under certain conditions. You have to be a patient reader. I felt that the first two books were not nearly as interesting as the final two books and because of that, a lot of people may lose interest. However, I consider myself to be a dedicated reader so I seldom abandon books before I finish them or the series. If I don't finish a book, they means that it must have really sucked rotten eggs, however this series does not fall in that category.

Dead Letter Office by Kira Snyder REVIEW

Dead Letter Office (Parish Mail #1)
Author: Kira Synder

Overall Rating

This book was interesting. The format took me back to my childhood days when I adored the Choose Your Own Adventure books. I have often thought over the years how wonderful it would be for those books to make a comeback only for us young adult to adult crowds. I am glad that this book did. I would suggest this book to be read for the younger age group, perhaps 14-18 years old would get the biggest kick out of it. I enjoy a good mystery and this book cleverly adds elements of mystery mixed with both present day and past. There is a splash of Voodoo magic and good old New Orleans spirit in this book and I just loved that! It was an enjoyable and light read for me.

Originality/Creativity:

Definitely a creative book because of the Choose Your Own Adventure element. I wish there would have been a few more choices and paths I could have taken but that did not take away from the essence of the book. What I love most about these types of books is that you can go back and read the book again and take the alternative choices you did not choose the first time. You will get a little more mileage out of this book then regular novels. The paranormal mix in this story just throws a little more bang into the mystery which I think added to the interest of the novel.

Complexity of Characters/Storyline:

The complexity of the story is not too extreme. As I stated above, this book could be read and enjoyed most by the young adult crowd so there is not too many twists and turns. The main character, Celia, is a young teenager that has just lost her father in the war, and uprooted to New Orleans with her mother to live near her father’s parents (rich, stuck up old white folks). There are old families of high reputation with stuck up offspring that Celia has to deal with, being as she is an outsider of “ill breed” which is their assumption based on the fact her mother is covered in tattoos, piercings and is a chef. Throw in some ghosts and a Voodoo witch best friend, and of course a teenage love interest (maybe a strange love triangle) and you have yourself a PG-13 Jerry Springer show. But not in a dirty trans-sexual baby daddy sort of way. In a good entertaining way!

Quality of writing:

This book is an easy read and I found it to be extremely easy to follow. Because it is not intended for older audiences, I found that there was not a lot of advanced vocabulary. I did not find an abundance of errors which if you know me, really sets me off if the book is riddled with screw ups. Like I said, an easy read.

Action/Suspense:

When it comes to books, movies, hell life in general, I like action. I can take extreme suspense non-stop until the end. I didn’t find that there was a whole lot of adventure that got my blood pumping, but there were some good scenes in there. There was enough to hold my interest through the book. I could have taken some more, but I’m not complaining about this book. That is why I labeled it as an easy read.

Would I recommend this book? Sure. I would recommend it for young teenage to adults ages 14-18 years give or take a few years. It has a great mix of supernatural, southern magic, and mystery. And you can’t really go too wrong with a choose your own adventure book.

The Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

The Infernal Devices #3

I do not give a recap of the books in my reviews. That is what the book descriptions are so you can check that out on Goodreads. Nor do I have spoilers in my reviews, I want anyone to be able to read it, and especially for those that have not read the book, I do not want to be the jerk that ruins it for them. So read on for my honest review!

Overall Rating


When it comes to major book series that are wildly popular, I tend to be a little bit more critical with my reviews. It is hard to explain, I just hold the books to a higher standard because I have come across authors that have extremely popular books and I find them to be undeserving of the fame. This series and Cassandra Clare absolutely deserve every bit of popularity and fame that has been given. I adored the Mortal Instruments Series, but Infernal Devices completely surpasses Mortal Instruments in my opinion. Maybe it is because I am a sucker for the Victorian theme books that makes me favor Infernal Devices, but I really don’t think so. This series is packed with everything that I am obsessed with. You have action, romance, historical/Victorian era, steampunk, angels, demons, vampires, shapeshifters, just everything paranormal or supernatural you can think of. I get scared when it comes to the end of a great series. The author either nails it or they don’t. In my opinion, Cassandra Clare NAILED it! The ending was bittersweet and made me think, that is what a good ending should do to the reader.

Originality/Creativity


The creativity/originality of this book (the whole series in general) is off the charts. To be able to take every paranormal being and mix them all into a book series can be a tricky thing. Too much gets confusing, too little leaves you wanting. The author did a beautiful job of putting the story and characters together and giving it her own twist. The fact that the series can be grouped into so many different genres attests to the genius of the author. The book is rich and explosive with creativity and for that I am grateful!

Complexity of Characters/Storyline


Where the characters complex? Hell yes. Double Hell YES! There are so many characters and each one completely different from the others. You come to know the history, the physical looks, and the emotional makeup of each person in the story and it is just packed with the WOW factor. Each one has their paranormal story and the way that their stories weave together is exquisitely done. I am amazed at how this masterpiece was put together.

Quality of Writing


The quality of writing is exquisite. The story is set in Victorian times and the author did a perfect job of using the speech they used in those times. Many a times I have read a book that takes place in the 1800’s and the authors would consistently throw in words and terms used today. It makes the story so corny and artificial. In this book, I felt like I actually stepped out of 2013 and landed in the Victorian Era. I absolutely loved it! The author also uses more advanced vocabulary typically found in YA books which was refreshing. Not overly done so that you needed a dictionary to follow along, but enough to where I didn’t feel like I was reading a middle school book. The story and characters were incredibly complex and Cassandra Clare was excellent with her wording so that the story was easy to follow and flowed evenly from scene to scene.

Action/Suspense


I felt that the action was well spaced out in this book. You barely get a chance to calm down and recover from a battle or emotionally straining scene before you are thrust into another action sequence. It was not overdone though. I appreciate that I didn’t have to drag myself from chapter to chapter before something exciting happened. I felt like I was kept on my toes. And the way that the story was going, I truly didn’t know what to anticipate for the ending.

Would I recommend this book? HELL FREAKIN YEAH! I am sad that the trilogy has ended, but I go a sense of finality after I finished it. I know some people had a problem with the ending, but I felt it to be fair and actually pleasant. It was extremely well written and a perfect prequel for The Mortal Instruments Series. This series is definitely my favorite between the two and in my top ten of all time favorite trilogies.

No excuses! Go get the damn book! If you have not read any of Cassandra Clare’s book, you are missing out my friend.

The Host Book Review Book vs. Movie

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Overall Rating


I was very happy with this book. I knew that I would enjoy it, but I have to admit that reading how the story unfolded was heartwarming. I loved the writing and the character development.

Originality/Creativity:

This sort of story has been done before. Jet back in time, and some can remember the story of the Bodysnatchers, and this was the same sort of idea. The one thing that got me was the fact that the race of aliens, although brutal in their takeover of the human race, are powerful and yet docile at the same time. Most are not violent and they take great care to protect the earth and their “hosts”. That was a different sort of a take on aliens I think. I loved the idea of the Cave system as the setting, that was unique as opposed to where most stories would have had the characters running like crazed Nomads all over the place. I found the elements of creativity in this story refreshing.

Complexity of Characters/Storyline:

The main character is very complex I think. Her name is Melanie. Melanie is a strong and loving young woman that is fiercely protective of the ones she loved. The alien (Wanda, nickname short for Wanderer) a very calm and loving personality herself, you see her start as one of the aliens that believe in what they are doing. Then she forms these relationships with the ones that Melanie loves and it begins to change her. And she forms a deep relationship with her host body Melanie. That was a relationship that was strong by the end which had your heart wrenching for the both of them facing the dilemma of sharing the same body and loving each other. The characters around them and the relationships were complex as well. You have two men in love with two different girls, and those girls are in the same body. That is some Jerry Springer material right there, huh?! The villains indeed live up to that title. This book has a great balance of it all!

Quality of writing:

Although this author is extremely popular, the quality of writing is not mind blowing to me. However, the writing is clear and concise, I felt the story was easy to follow with no huge flaws. It bet it was tricky to correctly explain the detailed layout of the setting for which the story took place, but the author does well to throw in the details you need to get the picture flowing in your mind as you read.

Action/Suspense:

The action is pretty well spaced out. I like how it jumps right into the story. The book leaps straight into the action, Melanie running for her life and then doing the unthinkable. Read the book to find out what she does! I did enjoy the fact that not only do you have the physical action going on, but there always seemed to be some sort of conflict going on within Melanie and Wanda in their mind. That definitely keeps the story interesting. The action isn't all super overwhelming, nor did I find myself squirming with anticipation very much, but the book had a few intense moments. There may have been a part here or there that I felt dragged on a bit, but the book held my interest and I was a tiny bit sad when it ended.

BOOK VS. MOVIE

In my opinion, most books are going to be way better than the movie of course. I take into consideration the fact that the producers and script writers cannot fit all the elements of the novel into the movie. But I really felt like they changed a few big points of the movie. Points that would not have taken much more time to add. And they changed a lot of things that made no sense. Like how Melanie chose to try and get away from the aliens at the beginning. Really? You had to change that? And they shortened the trek Melanie/Wanda took into the desert dramatically as well. What about when Wanda began to teach everyone about other worlds, that was so important for how she formed her relationships with the people who hated her at first. I don’t get it. But if I separate the book from the movie and pretend that I didn’t read the book first, the movie was pretty good. My boyfriend has not read the book and he was able to follow it and said that the movie was great. I would recommend that you go see the movie. If you have not read the book, go see the movie before you read the book, otherwise you will feel a bit robbed as I did.

Would I recommend this book? Yeah I would! It is a pretty good book that will make you love the villain in the end. You will be wishing you had an alien friend by the end of the book.