Tag: Book Review

Posted in Book Reviews

The Girl On the Train

Posted on by Little Bee

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The Girl on the Train, by Paula Hawkins

Goodreads Rating: 3 stars 

 

Even though I have given this book a rating of 3 stars, for me, it is more of a 2.5.

I have been wanting to read this book for a while, however, I felt myself having to push through it. I almost quit reading it. The writing style is not my type. I couldn’t get into Gone Girl for very similar reasons.

I figured out who the killer was, even though the author tries to throw you off. I figured out what ailed Morgan to end up getting her killed. It was, to me, predictable…which is a big reason I stopped reading mysteries.

This book was very slow and very hard to get into. I know a lot of people have given it rave reviews, and maybe my review will get tossed to the side and ignored. However, I read this with a few friends and we all felt the same way.

I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but this is a story about a drunk who rides a train to a job she no longer has so her roommate doesn’t start to worry about rent. The train stops outside houses where drunk used to live. Every day said drunk sees one couple at their home (sometimes just the woman). Every day train goes by, and drunk creates a life for the people she sees at that happy home. Then one day, drunk sees something else. At first, I the reader, thought maybe she witnessed the attack, but no, that is not it. The drunk also has many black out episodes, and she struggles hard with sobriety trying to figure out what exactly she saw during her last blackout. Did the drunk see something on the day that Morgan went missing and was killed? Will people believe her? Who do you think did it? The husband? An ex? The therapist? Some other random person in her life? Can you figure out who it was?

My least favorite character was Anna, the new wife of the ex-husband of the drunk. Rachel (the drunk) and Anna were at odds. The man in question, Tom, cheated on Rachel with Anna during the marriage and then Anna got pregnant, Tom divorced Rachel, and moved Anna in and got married rather quickly. Rachel tried stealing their baby once. She will call in her blackout states, email, etc. Struggling to hold on, struggling to let it go. Anna and Tom live on the same block as Megan, the girl who ultimately goes missing.

You will have to give it a try for yourself to see if it is enjoyable. If this is your kind of writing style, then there should be no problem. But if you need some excitement, through the whole story, and not just the last 50ish pages, then this book may miss it’s mark completely.

Posted in Book Reviews

Ready Player One

Posted on by Little Bee

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Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, Narrated by Will Wheaton

Goodreads rating: 4 stars

Narrator: 4 stars

 

My boyfriend and I listened to this book together on the way to Mississippi from good Ol West Texas during the Thanksgiving holiday. It is not typically a book I would read, or be interested in, (Between what he had said about the book and others who have heard about it, I did ultimately put it on my TBR list for a later date,) but my boyfriend had been wanting to listen to it (he is not big on any books really), so I decided to listen with him.

I want to admit, the entire time I was listening, I kept thinking about Sheldon Cooper and Will Wheaton’s issues on Big Bang Theory.

This book, in case you didn’t already know, is about video games. And not just any video game, but a video game that pretty much took over Real Life. There were actual jobs that people could get in the Oasis video game, and when the work day was over, they simply left the simulation. When the game’s creator died, he left a challenge for the players, a way to inherit EVERYTHING he owned. This story was about the Main Character, Wade Watts’ journey through the game to his ultimate winning of the game (no this is not a spoiler, he even talks about it in the beginning of the book).

Even though I knew Watts would win, I found myself anxious in some parts because it just didn’t seem probable for him to win. Watts had everything going against him. Including multiple near death experiences.

I can’t really compare this book to anything else I have ever read, because I haven’t read anything quite like it. I enjoy Science Fiction/Dystopian novels from time to time, most are usually overplayed, but this one is completely different. I liked that it is a gamer’s dystopian and not just the normal run of the mill rundown country that destroyed itself. Yes, the world in 2045 is not the same we know today, but it is still functioning in some capacity. I am not much into video games, but I probably would have gotten into this hoopla found in Oasis. Sounds like my kind of game!

I don’t want to go much further into a review, one, I really don’t feel like I am capable of giving away much more than what I have due to possible spoilers; two, because I have never read this kind of book before, I am not sure how to address my feelings of the overall book. I enjoyed the book. I feel it deserves the rating provide by myself, but also the overall rating it has on Goodreads as well. I think Wheaton did a great job narrating it, made it worthwhile. I have been on the fence about another book Wheaton narrated, but now that I have heard his skills, I will give other books narrated by him a try.

Ultimately, it comes down to this. I enjoyed listening to this book with my boyfriend while we made the 30 hour round trip drive. It combined both of our loves, my love of reading, and his love of video games. It was something we could do together and talk about.

Posted in YA Book Reviews

The Little Prince

Posted on by Little Bee

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The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery

Narrated by Humphrey Bower

Goodreads rating: 5 stars

Audible rating: 5 stars

I read this book in French class YEARS ago (12 to be exact), so I couldn’t really remember much about the story. Also, some things were lost in translation. I have to say, I really enjoyed this book. I am not even sure how to write a review on it. There is a reason this is a beloved classic. The story the Little Prince tells to the narrator is amazing. I found myself laughing, smiling and even a bit teary-eyed throughout the course of this story. Humphrey Bower was believable in his narration. You could hear and feel the emotions through the story and his interpretation of the Little Prince. There isn’t much more I can really say for this book. It does not need a review to express it’s greatness.

Posted in Spicy Romance

Hunted By Herne

Posted on by Little Bee

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Hunted by Herne by Stella Inox

Goodreads rating: 3 Stars

I happened upon the second book in this series that was up for grabs for a review. So, I decided to read the first one so that maybe I could get my hands on a copy of the sequel. This book was a quick read and was very different. Herne the Hunter is a horned god of sorts in English Folklore.

Carin, a brilliant thief, prepared a job for weeks to get into a hidden vault in the basement of a museum. When she is finally able to crack the vault open, she sees a tree inside instead of the jewels and gold she had been hoping for. She goes in, and a golden collar is placed around her neck. As she continues walking through, Herne greets her. Herne is supposed to be gorgeous, Fae, loaded with the promise of sex until death. After some witty banter, wet panties, and Fae teasing, Herne explained that she was to run and he would catch her and kill her. He taunted her on this brief hunt. He chased her right up to his house. He convinced her to allow him to have his way with her until the sun came up, she did. The sex scene was pretty damn good to be honest. The next morning, he asked her to be his slave for the rest of her life. She eventually consented; she knew she was not getting out of this Otherworld ever.

I won’t give away the ending; you will have to experience that for yourself. I will warn you, it is a doozie.

I gave this book 3 stars because even though it was short, I felt there was too much emphasis on the beginning of the book in her preparations of robbing the museum vault and not other aspects of the story. I felt, as the title states Hunted, more would be included about the hunt. The hunt only lasted a chapter or two, followed by sex, sex and more sex, followed by an ending that will blow your brains out. A little more information and development on Herne would have been great as well. I felt like I knew Carin pretty well, but it was hard to understand Herne’s perspective aside from his arrogance and narcissism. Watching him taunt Carin wasn’t as fun when I didn’t know much about Herne to begin with. If you do know about English Folklore such as Herne, you may enjoy this book a little more. I just didn’t get it.

One last thing, I never usually judge cover art on a review, but that cover is just awkward. It looks like a bad photoshop of horns to a supposedly handsome man. If you read this book, the description of Herne does not match that cover. I found myself staring at it often trying to figure out what it was supposed to prove, show and why it was so awkward.

Posted in YA Book Reviews

City of Cruelty and Copper

Posted on by Little Bee

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City of Cruelty of Copper by Rhiannon Paille

Goodreads rating: 2 stars

A while ago, this book was free on Amazon (it still might be, I am unsure). I discovered its freeness on Facebook, when the author mentioned it in a group I follow. Said author then created a group for all of us to join should we want to. A fan type of thing. I want to say, I actually have never posted in the group since I had not yet read the books she has created. I finally got around to reading this particular story, it is not very long, but feels like it took me forever to read.

I feel like this story held promise. It is a dystopian novel. Some nuclear bombs happened, forced people underground, young girl found the Fountain of Youth; it only works on her but no one else. She lives eternally. Every year, on what has been designated as Temperance Day, the “government” of this little underground society arranges for a variety of obstacles, including zombie bears (yes, you read that correctly) to attempt to kill her in front of all of society for their enjoyment. Every day of the year, they keep her locked in a cell.

This story flips back and forth between her point of view and a great great great great young relative of hers. She’s been alive for over 1000 years, so I am sure it is hard to keep track. This young lad is apparently gay and has a crush on a boy from “across the tracks.” I couldn’t quite figure out the importance of his point of view. He rarely ever mentioned his great-whatever except for the fact that he didn’t like watching this particular yearly event. I believe the book spans over 2 Temperance Days, but it was hard to switch from one to the other.

I gave it 2 stars because, though the book held promise, it failed to deliver. It left way too many questions, but didn’t give enough assurances or reasons to continue with the story. I generally get mad at cliffhangers, but I just didn’t feel upset when this book ended the way it did. I may continue on with the series, but it will take a while and when I have spiked enough curiosity to really take the time to read the next installment. The books do have great cover photos, so that is a strength.

Posted in YA Book Reviews

Red Queen

Posted on by Little Bee

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Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Goodreads rating 5 Stars

This book is the first in a series and follows a young girl named Mare. I have wanted to read this book for a while, so when I found it on sale, I decided now was the time. This book will capture you from the very beginning. It is based in a dystopian type setting in which there is a separation between the Reds and the Silvers. The Silvers rule the world, they have silver blood and special powers. The Reds have red blood and are treated like scum. The Reds do not have powers and do not have wealth of any kind. The Reds are the first to be sent off to a war that has lasted over a hundred years. They are what keep the Silvers going. The Silvers like to exert their power and prestige over the Reds.

Like any good book, there are a couple of delicious guys involved that you don’t know who to root for. And of course, like any good book there is a female who can’t decide who she trusts and who she loves. And of course, there is a mass deception, but by who? I won’t give it away. I knew who would betray based on accidental Goodreads glimpses of a friend’s status update during her own adventure with these characters.

I found that Mare, the leading lady in this story, could sometimes be annoying. I understand that she was being forced to live in a different world due to her…interesting differences as a Red, but you could tell she secretly loved living the life of Silver, even if she was disgusted with them. She was getting to live in a life where she didn’t have to worry about stealing food to survive or items to sell at the black market.

I like that this book is different yet the same as all the other books out there. Mare is a strong, stubborn, resilient young lady who is forced to leave a world she knows because of some innate ability to create electricity out of thin air. This is a feat that should be impossible for a Red. This story follows her struggle to protect her family, save the Reds from the oppressive Silvers, bring about equality between the two groups and figure out if she loves either of the princes and if so, which one will help her bring about that which she wants most in the world…freedom. It is a wonderful read, beautifully written and will break your heart in ways you didn’t think possible. I highly suggest adding it to your book repertoire as soon as humanly possible.

Posted in Book Reviews

Beauty and the Billionaire

Posted on by Little Bee

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Goodreads Rating: 5 stars

Audiobook rating: 5 stars

I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for my honest review.

When I first received a copy of this book, I knew that the name Jessica Clare was familiar to me. I came to discover that Jessica Clare is the name of an author that uses the pen name Jessica Sims in the Midnight Liaisons series (see my post on Beauty Dates the Beast). Upon discovering that this is actually book 2 in a series, my mother (Who LOVED the Midnight Liaisons series) pretty much bought the entire series on audiobook. So, after I listened to the first one (review to come), I was finally able to give this one a go! I ended up listening to it on Audiobook since I was away for work and it was easier.

I want to point out first, that I LOVE Hunter. I do find it creepy that he set up the entire job for Gretchen to come live with him to work on a book. At the same time, I find it kind of sweet in that weird, creepy, stalker way. So far, this has been my favorite book in this series, though it is only book 2. I think Gretchen was very forward. She is definitely someone I would want to be friends with! The entire time I was listening to this book I kept thinking to myself that Hunter is the Ramsay of this series. Ramsay was one of my favorite characters in Midnight Liaisons, and I have found, even in Stranded with a Billionaire (book 1), Hunter  has become one of my favorite characters in the Billionaire Boys Club series!

I enjoyed the story line. I enjoyed watching Gretchen and Hunter become close. I am glad that the blowup didn’t take chapters on chapters to get through. I did find myself constantly wondering when the shoe would drop. There was a lot of build up with an overall predicable, yet enjoyable, conclusion. I look forward to continuing on with this series.

If I hadn’t won this book on Goodreads, I may never have known that Jessica Sims was really Jessica Clare, and may never have gotten to enjoy this other series!

Posted in Book Reviews

Meeting God or Something Like It

Posted on by Little Bee

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Rating: 3 stars

I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. This is my honest review. 

It has taken me a little while to get through this book, and now I find it hard to decide what to rate and how to rate it.

Overall, the stories were well written with beautiful imagery. Some stories really left me with a feeling of shock and awe. I like that in a story. However, I find it hard to really write a review.  The Lamb left me with a Holy. Shit. feeling when I was finished reading. I think The Conversation was entertaining. God in this story had a very humorous sense of humor. Podcasting Mercy  was probably one of my favorite stories in the book. It was a very intense conversation between a young man just out of prison and a clergyman. The young man had abducted the clergyman, blindfolded him, tied him up and over a bluetooth device, podcasted an entire history of abuse this clergyman inflicted upon numerous little boys.

Whether or not you are religious, you may or may not like this set of stories. I couldn’t really tell if if Ruvinsky is poking fun at religion, or pointing out how religion pops up randomly in people’s lives when they least expect it. Decide for yourselves if you give this book a go.

Posted in Spicy Romance

Fifty Shades of Alice

Posted on by Little Bee

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Rating: 3 stars

Where do I begin with this book? First, yes…you are looking at the cover correctly. The cover is what most enticed me to read this book (because I do in fact judge a book by it’s cover).  The description of this book held a little bit of promise and I was ready to give it a go.

The sex scenes in this book were pretty good. I thought the safewords were funny but inappropriate (which was the point).  I had serious issue with Alice. She was young, around 18 years old. Very “new” to everything in life, which is fine…however…even when I was 18, I wasn’t this naive. Alice was very annoying. She had a constant fear in every sex scene, very uncomfortable with her body. She even admitted a number of times that she never even touched herself because she felt dirty. It made me feel the shame she was feeling, like I was an intruder on the story. It almost seemed like Alice came from an overly religious home and she was finally discovering that sex was not evil and that she wouldn’t burn in hell for giving into her carnal desires!

This is a trilogy, I just haven’t finished it yet. I am not sure if it is at the top of my list to continue on at this time. I think that the witty humor of the other characters were enjoyable, Alice just ruined it for me.

Posted in YA Book Reviews

When Lollipop Ladies Attack!

Posted on by Little Bee

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Rating: 5 stars

Age group: 6-9

I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.

First, I want to say, that I did not know that a “Lollipop Lady” was a crossing guard. I am glad that the author included that tidbit of information when I received the book. I would have figured it out, but I had no clue that is what it was called in the UK and Australia 🙂

This book was short and sweet. It contained multiple messages within the text that I think would be enjoyable for it’s age range. We all have those mothers that we are often embarrassed by, but realize that they are actually pretty cool after a while.

For example, I was on a school trip with my brother in Barcelona and none of our luggage made it so we had to go do a little shopping to hold us over. One mother picked out this shirt that she thought was SUPER cute but neither of her girls liked it. One of the girls was 14 and the other was 24. I thought it was cute, so I bought it. When I wore it, the two girls couldn’t believe how cute it was and asked me where I got it. I told them it was the shirt their mother picked out earlier at the store. I can’t even begin to tell you how often I did that to my mom when I was younger! We don’t even give the object a passing glance because our mother picked it out.

This story touches on one of these moments, where kids are embarrassed about what their parents do for a living because their friends’ parents all have “important” jobs. Abby had to learn that a Lollipop Lady’s job is just as important, as say a doctor, because they keep children safe.

I like how each chapter is short and to the point and takes place on a specific day of the week. The font is big and well suited for the age group the story was written for. The language was age appropriate. I will be keeping this book for when I have kids one day 🙂