Review: Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris

  Title: Bad Taste in Boys                                         Pages: 201
  Author: Carrie Harris                                              Source: Library
  Publisher: Delacorte Press                                     Published: July 12, 2011
  Series: Kate Grable #1                                           Purchase: Amazon
  Rating: 3.5/4 out of 5

Someone's been a very bad zombie.

Kate Grable is horrified to find out that the football coach has given the team steroids. Worse yet, the steroids are having an unexpected effect, turning hot gridiron hunks into mindless flesh-eating zombies. No one is safe--not her cute crush Aaron, not her dorky brother, Jonah . . . not even Kate!

She's got to find an antidote--before her entire high school ends up eating each other. So Kate, her best girlfriend, Rocky, and Aaron stage a frantic battle to save their town. . . and stay hormonally human.

Bad Taste in Boys was a random read for me, something I just picked up for something quick to read.

The characters weren’t as polished as some other novels I’ve read as of late. They seemed a little rushed, but still enjoyable. Kate Grable, the main heroine, was a very insecure girl, yet she didn’t get any sympathy from me for it. It seemed a tad bit overdone, with Kate constantly putting down herself as being a geek and generally not very pretty and also putting down her work, saying she wasn’t great enough to make it in medical school. This bothered me, because I didn’t feel that she needed to be insecure and it just wasn’t very believable for me.

The romance in Bad Taste in Boys wasn’t as plentiful as I would have liked, but what with all her running around trying to find a cure for the zombies – yeah, well she really didn’t have time for romance. What romance there was, however, was sweet and cute and made me go aww.

Now, the plot.. What can I say about the plot? The plot was like a teenage soap opera with zombies. It seemed overdramatic, yet it was still enjoyable and was more tongue in cheek, rather than serious.

Overall, Bad Taste in Boys is an entertaining read, despite some character flaws. It was light and fun and a great stepping stone to more heavier zombie novels.

Cover Thoughts: I’m not quite sure what the lips with sugar on them really have to do with the story, other than a bit of an oxymoron with the title. However, if I forget about the story, this cover appeals to me and I love the font and colors used.

I give Bad Taste in Boys a 3.5/4 out of 5.

Why a 3.5/4? Well.. I don’t have any half ratings made and am a bit too lazy to make any :).

The Secret Circle: Pilot free on iTunes

Hello everyone, I wanted to share with you all that the pilot for the new CW show based on the books by L.J. Smith, The Secret Circle is on iTunes for free. It also includes a sneak peek for The Vampire Diaries’ Season 3 first episode, “The Birthday.”

The video for The Vampire Diaries included in The Secret Circle’s pilot is posted below.  Edit: This video is NOT the sneak peek included with The Secret Circle pilot.

Review: Supernaturally by Kiersten White

  Title: Supernaturally                                             Pages: 336
  Author: Kiersten White                                         Source: Giveaway
  Publisher: Harper Teen                                         Published: July 26, 2011
  Series: Paranormalcy #2                                      Purchase: Amazon
  Rating: 5 out of 5

Evie finally has the normal life she’s always longed for. But she’s shocked to discover that being ordinary can be . . . kind of boring. Just when Evie starts to long for her days at the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she’s given a chance to work for them again. Desperate for a break from all the normalcy, she agrees.

But as one disastrous mission leads to another, Evie starts to wonder if she made the right choice. And when Evie’s faerie ex-boyfriend Reth appears with devastating revelations about her past, she discovers that there’s a battle brewing between the faerie courts that could throw the whole supernatural world into chaos. The prize in question? Evie herself.

So much for normal.

Supernaturally was an incredible sequel to Paranormalcy. I fell in love with Evie's world in Paranormalcy and fell even more in love with it in Supernaturally.

Evie is the perfect female main character in a novel, because not only is she written so perfectly, she's so easy to relate to. All she wants is a normal life in the paranormal world she lives in, but as we all learned in Paranormalcy, Evie just can't find normal.

The romance in this novel is superb, giving just enough to satisfy, but not too much to overwhelm. Evie and Lend's relationship is that perfect, adorable relationship you kind of wish you had with your boyfriend. He's so sweet and caring and not to mention absolutely HOT.

I absolutely loved Supernaturally and couldn't get enough of it. I loved reading about all the different paranormals such as selkies, sylphs, kelpies, vampires, faeries etc. that Evie’s world has to offer and loved how everything was connected in Supernaturally. I missed Evie and all her butt-kicking glory and was happily absorbed into her world for a second time. If you loved the first novel, certainly go pick this one up, you won't be sorry. If you haven't read either novel, what are you waiting for!?

I definitely can't wait to read more of Evie's life and world in Endlessly.

I give Supernaturally a 5 out of 5.

 

Author’s Note:

Do you like when I write out the summary myself, or do you not care as much? Also do you like shorter reviews or more in depth reviews? I’d love to hear everyone’s thoughts on these things or anything else! Thank you and don’t be afraid to be honest with me :).

Review: Run for Cover by Eva Gray

  Title: Run for Cover                                                 Pages: 224 
  Author: Eva Gray                                                   Source: Luxury Reading
  Publisher: Scholastic                                             Published: July 1, 2011
  Series: Tomorrow Girls #2                                      Purchase: Amazon
  Rating: 4 out of 5

When Louisa, Rosie, Evelyn, and Maddie learn the truth about Country Manor School, Rosie finds herself running once again. This time, though, it's because CMS has a secret - it belongs to the Alliance, the opposing team to the War raging around them.

Now, self-appointed leader Rosie finds herself not only trying to protect herself, but three other girls as they flee the school. Rosie does perfectly fine surviving on her own, but can she also take care of three other girls?

And on top of that, the four girls run into three boys from the school across the pond, who want to go with them. Rosie has secrets - should she risk her secrets getting exposed to save them?

Run For Cover is told in first person perspective, through Rosie's eyes. I found this a great way to give each girl their own opinion and a great chance to elaborate further with each girls' personality.

Want to read the rest of this review? Head on over to Luxury Reading.

I give Run for Cover a 4 out of 5.

Review and Giveaway: Misfit by Jon Skovron

  Title: Misfit                                              Pages: 384 
  Author: Jon Skovron                                 Source: Publisher
  Publisher: Abrams Books                         Published: Sep 1, 2011
  Series: ?                                                 Purchase: Amazon
  Rating: 5 out of 5

Jael Thompson is no ordinary girl. And the fact that she's moved far too many times doesn't really help the situation. What makes Jael unique? Her mother was a five thousand year old demon, and her dad an ex-priest. That makes her half-demon, half-mortal. A half-breed.

But on her sixteenth birthday, her father gives Jael a necklace her mother wanted Jael to have. A necklace that just so happens to awaken the demon in her.

Coming with her new found self are powers that she has to learn to hone, because Belial, a demon who happens to hate half-breeds, is after her and she's tired of running from him.

I finished Misfit the day before I wrote this review, but wanted to let it "sink in" before I reviewed it. I wanted to make sure I still felt the same way. I do. I loved it.

Misfit is most of the time told in alternating chapters, traveling from present day and Jael's story, to the past and her parents' story. I found this a great way to tell both the prologue-ish side, and Jael's story, because I got to understand every angle of the story of how everything came to what it did.

Misfit also has a lot of mythology and exorcism talk involved, which 1) I love both of those things and 2) makes Jon Skovron sound really intellectual (I bet he is anyway!). So if one or both of those things appeals to you, read this.

The writing is absolutely phenomenal. Jon Skovron has a natural knack for telling a story that you want to keeping reading until you've devoured every last word. His dialogue is clever and witty and his descriptions crystal clear. This is especially important when you're describing paranormal creatures, which Skovron handled with ease.

The plot was mostly fast-paced. It didn't take too long to get into the action, nor did it happen too quickly. Skovron waits the perfect amount of time to drop each twist on you and delivers an incredible ending to top it all off like a cherry on a sundae.

The characters were solid. I want to know more about them, yet I'm not left feeling like I know too little. It seemed like each character Skovron brought in played a part in the story. Each character was needed in one small way or another big way.

That brings me to Jael. She's written amazingly, for being written from the eyes of a male. Sometimes when a female lead is written by a man, she doesn't get totally captured, as some men do not understand females. This also works vice versa sometimes with woman writing male leads. There are lots of other errors men make when writing females, though, like stereotyping them or putting a certain image on them.

That being said, Jael is perfectly female, and a tough one at that. She has her insecurities, sure, but she finds out that she really can do amazing things with the abilities she's acquired. She comes further than just thinking she's an evil demon. I found that she really grew as a character, for the better.

The romance in Misfit isn't as much as I hoped for, but frankly, there was quite a bit of action going on that romance might have just watered it down. In other words, I’m kind of glad that there wasn’t more romance! So, if what you're looking for is a straight up paranormal romance, Misfit might not be what you're looking for, but let that in no way stop you from reading it!

Overall, I absolutely loved Misfit. I'm guessing there's a sequel, which I cannot wait to read if there is. If there isn't, I'd be very disappointed. There is not one part I can complain about in this wonderful novel and I command you to read it! Please?

I give Misfit a 5(hundred) out of 5.

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I have two copies of Misfit to giveaway! Read on to learn the details!

You will have two optional extra entries: Following via GFC and tweeting the contest!

 

Rules/Information:

1. Must be 13 years or older or have parent permission.
2. Must fill out the form below, comments will not counted but are still welcome.
3. Giveaway ends on September 15th.
4. Giveaway is only open to entrants residing in USA.
5. I will contact the winners by email. You will have 48 hours to contact me back before I pick another winner.
6. One entry per person. All duplicated entries will be deleted.
7. Winners will be chosen via random.org.

 

Please fill out this FORM to enter

 

Disclaimer: Copies were provided by the publisher, free for my honest review and giveaway purposes. I am not being paid for either thing.