Review: Undead and Unreturnable

"Then, of course, he was dead, because Laura leaned down, picked up a chunk of wood off the pile, and broke his head in half."


Title: Undead and Unreturnable
Series: Undead #4
Author: MaryJanice Davidson
Reading Level: Adult
Source: Library
Date Finished: January 28, 2011
Rating: B - Amazing


Summary of Book:
Queen of the Vampires Betsy Taylor is in the middle of planning the perfect wedding to drop-dead gorgeous vamp Eric Sinclair. But all is not bouquets and bridal showers-Betsy is plagued by ghosts who demand her help in rectifying their past mistakes, and a serial killer is on the loose. With his victims all being tall, blond women, Betsy fits the profile exactly.


Review:
Like usual, there's a stick figure on the cover. Although I do love all the covers, the stick figure of Betsy is a little much.  But never the same, it's the actual book that matters. And as usual, this series delivered. I love all the books in Davidson's series so far. Of the four I've read, I'd have to say that Undead and Unappreciated(#3 in the series) is my favorite.
The series is hilarious and I can always read one of this series' books whenever I get bored with my other books. But, I have to say that this one in the series definitely isn't a favorite. I love reading Sinclair's smarty comebacks and there was barely any in this book(spoiler: because he found out about Betsy's being able to read his mind and he got mad at her, then didn't speak to her for a couple of days. :end of spoiler).
I do recommend that you read this series though. Adult or not, it is really funny and can usually be read within an afternoon. 

Review: The Body Finder

“Everything had just changed for Violet. Knowing this girl . . . and knowing what she was capable of doing to help, even if it was futile, and even if it turned out to be dangerous, she knew she could no longer just sit around and wait to see if--or when--they found Hailey.Violet was done waiting around for someone else to find the pyschopath who was preying on these girls. She was going to do something, even it she had to sneak around to get it done.”

Title: The Body Finder
Series: The Body Finder #1
Author: Kimberly Derting
Source: Library
Date Finished: January 23rd, 2011
Rating: A+ - Rarely given, only when a book could possibly make it into my top ten of the year.

Goodreads | Amazon
 
Summary of Book:
Violet Ambrose is starting her junior year in high school and faces problems shared by many teens. She is madly in love with Jay Heaton, her best friend since first grade, but does not know if he feels the same. She is trying to do well at school, but classes do not always hold her interest. Unlike others, however, Violet has the ability—or perhaps the curse—of sensing violent deaths around her. Every demise leaves a hint screaming to be discovered: sometimes a sheen of colors, other times a chorus of bells or even a specific smell. When Violet was eight, she discovered a girl's body in the woods behind her house. This same killer is now striking her community again, kidnapping and murdering teenage girls. He even seems to be getting closer to Violet with every kill. She must deal with her emotions for Jay at the same time as she tries to stop this vicious murderer before it is too late for both. Derting's first novel provides the reader with both Violet's and the killer's perspectives. Violet's fear is palpable and rises as her attempt to find the murderer leads her close to death and as she confronts her feelings for Jay. 

Review: 

Characters: Violet and Jay are names that you see every day, but no one EVER sees fit for character names. And it was a gutsy move for Derting to use those character names. But, in this story, they were brilliant! Violet was outgoing and she didn't care that she could find dead bodies(humans and animals). She was amazing, in a way. Jay was hot and smart. And...a guy! He was funny and sweet. Always caring about Violet. It was cute to read about!

Plot: I have to say this, and this is me actually admitting something, on Goodreads, I like to read the little stories they have on there. Everyone posts a story(their idea of a book) and I like to read them and criticize. And this book reminded me of so many different stories that I've read on there. All the stories were their steps towards becoming an author, and all the stories seemed simple. Original, even. And the love story in this book is a re-make of all of them. The girl loves the boy, and they're friends. She can't tell him, in case he doesn't like her, but it's always the same. He loves her. But, even being the romancey that I am, I couldn't concentrate on that. I just couldn't get my mind off how she was able to find dead creatures. I mean, I've NEVER read a book like this. It was absolutely marvelous! It's not an original, but it's just...different. In a good way. No, wait! Scratch that, in a great way.  Derting wrote an amazing novel, and I can't wait to read Desires Of The Dead.

"Haunting..It made me stay a wake and finish it. . .Hiding under my covers, as well." -Hannah 

Review: Undead and Unappreciated

"As you would say, this is so totally the opposite of thinking this over.

"Where is your spirit of adventure?"

"It wore off during World War Two," she replied dryly.”

Title: Undead and Unappreciated

Series: Undead #3

Author: MaryJanice Davidson

Source: Library

Date Finished: January 16, 2011

Summary of Book:

The third book in the hilarious Undead series.

 Reluctant vampire queen Betsy Taylor may rule the topsy-turvy world of the undead, but now Betsy's discovered that she has a long-lost half-sister who's the devil's daughter--and destined to rule the underworld. 

Review:

I flew through this book in a day. The series is an easy read series, but it's still hilarious and full of adventure. But I really, really liked this one :D I mean, helllllooooooooo? The vampire queen's half-sister is destined to be the ruler of the underworld..Who wouldn't want to read about that?

I have to say I was a little surprised when she started reading the book and went crazy. I thought she would be  like immune it to or something. But nooooooooooooo, she hurt Jessica(physically), Marc(emotionally) and ditto with Sinclair. 

And that was bbaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad(yes, I do realize I've been stretching out my words - lol). 
But, I really did enjoy this one and get to read #4 in the series soon(since I got this one and Undead and Unreturnable at the same time), so you guys will get to hear what I have to say about that one in a couple of weeks!

☺☺☺☺

Until next time. . .keep thinking about every little thing! 

Review: Runaway

Title: Runaway
Author: Wendelin Van Draanen
Source: Library
Date Finished: January 8th, 2011

Summary of Book: 
"It's a cold, hard, cruel fact that my mother loved heroin more than she loved me." Holly is in her fifth foster home in two years and she's had enough. She's run away before and always been caught quickly. But she's older and wiser now--she's twelve--and this time she gets away clean. Through tough and tender and angry and funny journal entries, Holly spills out her story. We travel with her across the country--hopping trains, scamming food, sleeping in parks or homeless encampments. And we also travel with her across the gaping holes in her heart--as she finally comes to terms with her mother's addiction and death. Runaway is a remarkably uplifting portrait of a girl still young and stubborn and naive enough to hold out hope for finding a better place in the world, and within herself, to be .

My Thoughts:
Many people think about running away at least one time in their life. But they don't think about what to bring with. They just...run. No clothes, no food, no nothing. They think about who or what they need to get away from.
But, Holly had run away before, she had food, some clothes and some other things, including her journal. She brought with her what she needed. That would last her a while, but she made it cross country and guess what? She got away! But she didn't have enough food for forever.
I'm glad she had a happy ending though. She got some people to take care of her. That doesn't happen every day you know!

☺☺☺

Review: Undead and Unemployed

Title: Undead and Unemployed
Author: MaryJanice Davidson
Series: Undead #2
Source: Library
Finished: December 12th(see how far behind I am??)

Summary of Book:
Being royally undead isn't all it's cracked up to be--there are still bills to be paid. Luckily, new Queen of the Vampires Betsy Taylor lands her dream job selling designer shoes at Macy's. But when a string of vampire murders hits St. Paul, Betsy must enlist the help of the one vamp who makes her blood boil: the oh-so-sexy Sinclair. Now, she's really treading on dangerous ground--high heels and all.

Review:
Oh I love the cover. Shoes, shoes, and more shoes. . .But seriously, the girl is like uber skinny! I'd be seriously scared O.o
“Wow! Me, working for Macy´s! That was like a fox working for a chicken farm. It just didn´t get any better.” I can't believe she was excited about working for Macy's! I mean, I don't think I could stand it. . .Some people just get crabby when they can't find what their looking for! Especially during Christmas time when it's all pushy-push, shovey-shove. Rude, rude, and more rude.
Now you know my feelings on shopping during the holidays is scary! I don't get scared very often, but I went shopping on Sunday and all stores were packed! People were practically running over each other. That's why you Christmas shop waaaay before the holidays hit.
As always, Sinclair was a pain in the butt! But it was kind of funny when he was getting jealous of Jon(hee-hee, kick his butt!!). But the vampire hunters were scary O.o People should not fall in love with vampires! It's a no-no. Talking to you Bella(Twilight) and Jon(Undead and Unemployed) and George(A Quick Bite) and all you vamp lovers! I know I can't talk any sense into you guys, but eh! I tried.
Show of hands(well comments in this place :P) who knew that Betsy wasn't dead? I mean! Hello..? There are like 6 other books or something and how could the series go on with a dead dead Betsy? *knocks on your head* Anyone in there?? Think! It just ain't logical!
Ok, now that I rambled on and on(I'm sure your sick of me by now) you guys are free to go :)

☺☺☺☺☺

I changed my rating thingie. Don't know what to call them..But I changed them to smiley faces! So, it should be easier to tell my rating now :) What do you think??

Continue with more Undead Betsy with Undead and Unappreciated!

Review: Undead And Unwed - MaryJanice Davidson

Title: Undead And Unwed
Author: MaryJanice Davidson

SUMMARY:
It's been a helluva week for Betsy Taylor. First, she loses her job. Then, to top things off, she's killed in a car accident. But what really bites (besides waking up in the morgue dressed in a pink suit and cheap shoes courtesy of her stepmother) is that she can't seem to stay dead. Every night she rises, with a horrible craving for blood. She's not taking too well to a liquid diet. Worst of all, her new friends have the ridiculous idea that Betsy is the prophesied vampire queen, and they want her help in overthrowing the most obnoxious, power-hungry vampire in five centuries- a badly dressed Bela Lugosi wannabe, natch. Frankly, Betsy couldn't care less about vamp politics, but they have a powerful weapon of persuasion: designer shoes. How can any self-respecting girl say no? But a collection of Ferregamos isn't the only temptation for Betsy. It's just a lot safer than the scrumptious Sinclair- a seductive bloodsucker whose sexy gaze seems as dangerous as a stake through the heart...

REVIEW:
I love Betsy! Funny, funny, funny! Undead And Unwed is one of ten books in the Undead - Betsy series. Here Betsy has her 30th birthday and then bites the big one...or rather it bites her. This is not your typical vampire lit. This is 98% hilarity and 2% detective mystery!! I don't usually enjoy books with shop-a-holics, but this one made me laugh. I might just give the other shop-a-holics' books a shot!
Betsy is having a tough week, first she lost her job then, she gets killed by some stupid car because of her cat. And to top it off, she awakes every night with a blood thirst. But when she turns out to be a queen, how can she handle anymore?

If you loved Undead And Unwed, you'll love Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris.

Review: The City Of Ember

SUMMARY:
This enrapturing tale begins when the City of Ember was built. Only a limited number of supplies were stocked in the underground civilization. The builders of this great city carefully counted each day that passed so people would know which day of the week it was. Everything was carefully planned... even the people's escape from Ember. But time passed by and the instructions for the leaving of the city were lost in the deep closets of scraps and thingy-ma-bobbers. 200 years have passed when our real story begins. The lights of Ember are flickering out and quick. Supplies are running out. Even simple things like oranges were long gone. Lina just graduated from her school and had just got her job as messenger. Soon she finds fragments of an ancient message... the map to the way out of Ember. Lina and her friend Doon try to unravel and untangle these twisted clues, for darkness was coming soon. "There is nothing out there. Nothing at all!" says everyone. No one believes that there is a world beyond their own. Will Lina and Doon find a way out of Ember? Or will they forever be in the darkness? ... Wandering the unlighted streets of ancient Ember!

REVIEW:
The story is one of those where you HAVE to finish the book and continue through the series. It starts out introducing the characters, the main characters anyway, Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow. Then continues when Lina finds the Builder's instructions and how they slowly, piece by piece, put it back together. It makes you think -- what if this happened in the future? Would the events be the same? You almost try to figure out the message yourself but always get stuck and have to wait until their figure it out. 
I had to read this book for school, but I still enjoyed it(not something I do a lot when it's a school project). I definitely recommend it to those who like books that keep you page-turning. This is your match!


Rating for book: ♥♥♥♥♥
Rating for cover: ♥♥♥♥♥


Overall: ♥♥♥♥♥


Challenges:
200+ Reading Challenge


Reading Level:
Ages 9-12


Series:
Book 1 of 4 in the series of: Book Of Ember
Followed by: People Of Sparks


If you like this one, you'll love The Giver by Lois Lowry.

Review: The Tiger Rising

SUMMARY:
The National Book Award finalist from the best-selling author of BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE - now in paperback Walking through the misty Florida woods one morning, twelve-year-old Rob Horton is stunned to encounter a tiger - a real-life, very large tiger - pacing back and forth in a cage. What’s more, on the same extraordinary day, he meets Sistine Bailey, a girl who shows her feelings as readily as Rob hides his. As they learn to trust each other, and ultimately, to be friends, Rob and Sistine prove that some things - like memories, and heartaches, and tigers - can’t be locked up forever.

REVIEW:
I loved this book! It's a short, easy read. Less than 200 pages and is so good!
At the beginning, I like how Rob is a normal kid(well almost) and gets bullied and then becomes friends with Sistine.
The tiger is a plus. I love cats, but i don't think I could handle a big cat haha.
It's sad that Rob's father kills the tiger though. I like how they have a funeral for him/her though. Sistine says the poem(most of it, anyways), Rob says he loved it, Willie May puts in her bird and Rob's father says that he shot him for his son. So pretty.
And the sun finally shines after 2 weeks, the day after the funeral.

What would you do, let the tiger go, or leave them in there?

Rating for book: ♥♥♥♥♥
Rating for cover: ♥♥♥♥♥
Rating for plot: ♥♥♥♥♥
Rating for characters: ♥♥♥♥♥

Overall Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

Challenges:
200+ Reading Challenge

Reading Levels Suggested For This Book:
10 and up

Dreamland - Review

Title: Dreamland
Author: Sarah Dessen
Pages: 250
Chapters: 15
Published: 2000
Published By: Penguin Putnam Books

First Sentence: My sister Cass ran away the morning of my sixteenth birthday.

"Dessen is an amazing author. One of my favorites, actually. She's written many of my favorites such as That Summer and The Truth About Forever. Her books are always excellent! I recommend her to you, a thousand times over."
-Bookaholic

Rating(for book): ♥♥♥♥♥
Rating(for cover): ♥♥♥♥

Remarks-
The girl on the cover looks too young to be Catalin, but it works.

Review: Dovey Coe

One of this week's books was Dovey Coe. I finished reading it last night, since I was addicted to the story.

Title: Dovey Coe
Author: Frances O'Roark Dowell
Publisher: Aladdin Paperbooks
Published: 2000
Pages: 181
Chapters: 17
Reading Level: YA
"My name is Dovey Coe and I reckon it don't matter if you like me or not. I'm here to lay the record straight, to let you know them folks saying I done a terrible thing are liars. I aim to prove it too. I hated Parnell Caraway as much as the next person, but I didn't kill him."

Dovey Coe says what's on her mind, so it's no secret that she can't stand Parnell Caraway. Parnell may be the son of the richest man in town, but he's mean and snobby, and Dovey can't stand the fact that he's courting her sister, Caroline, or the way he treats her brother, Amos, as if he was stupid just because he can't hear.
So when Parnell turns up dead, and Dovey's in the room where his body is discovered, she soon finds herself on trial for murder. Can the outspoken Dovey sit still and trust the city slicker lawyer who's still wet behind the cars to get her out of the biggest mess of her life?

 Review:
I thought it was amazing. You really feel like Dovey Coe in the book. It's sad to think about, but that makes this book all the better!
I can relate to Dovey. I don't act like a lady myself, I'm usually outside running around and making messes. I just hope I'm not put on trial for murder..
I love Amos, I don't know why, maybe it was because he saved Dovey or because I envy why he doesn't really say anything. I mean, he's deaf and hasn't heard a sound from anything or anyone since he was born, kind of crazy, right?
Caroline is really pretty, I get that. I was appalled when Parnell proposed and  she practically yelled no at him. It was a nice touch.
Parnell is a troubled boy. He gets what he wants and could have anybody, and he knows it. But there's one thing he can't have -- Caroline. And usually someone with that kind of power would be able to, but Parnell doesn't give up on the night he proposes and Caroline says no. His heart turned even colder from that. That's why he killed Tom, I bet. Mostly to get back at Dovey, saying she can't always watch out for Amos and his dogs. 
But Amos saves the day. Sure, sure, Tom may have died, but he still has Huck, and Dovey and the rest of his family.


The book is heart-warming and mysterious. My type of book.


Rating For Book:  *****
Rating For Cover: *****