Brave as a Bear

I made it 197 pages in and then could go no further. There were just many, many reasons this book did not work for me. 

 

Full review coming...soonish

I'm actualyu giving this one 3.75

well I finally had time to sit down and read the last few pages.

Such a great book. I just meant to finish the chapter I was reading but could not put it down because it was that good.

Review from my blog, The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia

Before my review starts, I just wanted to share with ya'll a quote that popped into my head while I was reading Peach Girl volume 1. Enjoy.

Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.

Sun-tzu Chinese general & military strategist (~400 BC)
Story:
When I first picked up Peach Girl I didn't know what to think, mainly because the cover was just kind of...icky 90s tastic, but the interior art wasn't nearly as bad (thank goodness).

One of the most interesting things (to me) in Peach Girl was the twisted frenemy-ish relationship between Momo (the MC) and Sae (her evil "bestie"). I thought it made for an interesting twist because usually the MCs "enemy" is not within the same social circle as the hero/heroine.

While the whole frenemy aspect was interesting, what I really enjoyed was how Peach Girl was more about Momo's struggle for people to realize that even though she may look like a party girl, she's not; along with how detrimental "poisonous friendship" can be.
Peach Girl was a nice mix between serious and laugh out loud funny.
The funny thing about Peach Girl was the lengths in which Momo went in her effort to become paler (she apparently tans really well). I just couldn't help but laugh, especially since she was doing it all because she over heard the boy she likes saying he doesn't like super tanned girls. Needless to say I found it funny.
Now, with that in mind you would think that there wouldn't really be any serious situations in Peach Girl, but there are because Momo has to deal with the petty barbs that her classmates make at her expense and with a best friend who main goal is to take everything/everyone she has her eye on.

Character(s):
Momo is definitely a miss understood character, and for that I liked her. She ended up being one of those characters for me that I couldn't help but like, especially since she had so much negativity directed at her and yet she continually tried to rise above.

If evil had a name it would be Sae from Peach Girl. She was down right rotten and horrible; frankly, she put most female antagonists to shame with her vindictiveness and the lows in which she'd sunk just to make poor Momo miserable.

Artwork:
I actually almost didn't pick up Peach Girl because I wasn't to hot on the cover art, but I decided to give it a go anyways.
The artwork was so so, not to spectacular, but then again not horrible. Although, once I finally got into the actual story it was easy to over look the slightly dated look of the characters hair and wardrobe and just enjoy an excellent read.

Final Verdict: Peach Girl knocked my socks (I finally found an excuse to say that *hehehe) off with how good it was.
I enjoyed Peach Girl 1 so much that I have already checked out the next two volumes. :)

Peach Girl 1 earns 5 out of 5 pineapples.

Review taken from my blog, The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia.


Jack Templar Monster Hunter was a surprisingly good read. I loved the combination of an ancient battle between creatures and humans with the story of the reluctant hero. It really made for quite the read and one that was pretty hard to put down.

I rare event has occurred, I, for once have no objections to the quirks and personality traits of the main character. I was quite surprised that there was nothing about Jack that irritated me or made me roll my eyes. I really liked that fact that the Jack did not immediately accept that he was in a monster hunter. It was definitely interesting to see his disbelief over what was happening; I also enjoyed seeing a character so unsure of himself and what he was doing because it made his story all the better because you got to see him mature into the role handed to him.

What really made this book an interesting read for me would have to be that it was action-packed from pretty much the first couple of pages. I really enjoyed that the author did not waste any time getting to the heart of the story-Jack's rough introduction into his role in the Black Guard's battle with the Creach.

Even though I really enjoyed reading Jack Templar, Monster Hunter, there was one thing I did not work for me in this book. What did not work for me was the way the main character gave warnings to the reader about how reading the book would involve them in the world of monster hunters. The reason it did not work for me was that half the time there was no space between these interjections and the actual story. Now, had it been a little aside at the end of a chapter it would have meshed with the story a little better. While I didn't like the way it was added into the story, I did enjoy the idea of it.

Final Verdict: Jack Templar, Monster Hunter is definitely one fast and thrilling read.

Jack Templar, Monster Hunter earns 4 out of 5 pineapples.

Having had the chance to read a few volumes of Matsuri Hino's Vampire Knight I was quite excited when I found out that my library had the first volume of MeruPuri. I'm so glad that I took the chanced to read it because it had now become one of my favorites (now if only I can get my hands on the rest of the series).
I'll just start off by saying that I absolutely loved reading MeruPuri, it might just be one of my new favorite manga reads.

What really made this an enjoyable read was the characters and how they interacted with each other. I really liked how Airi and Hram's friendship kept evolving throughout the first volume. It was also quite funny to see how differently she would react to him based on whether he was little Hram or in his magically aged self (do to his brother's spell).

While I really like fantasy stories, I also like to reading books where the author brings a little bit of a fantasy world into the modern day, especially when it the story is as fascinating as MeruPuri was.

The thing I liked most about MeruPuri was the artwork. I loved how the majority of the artwork on the panels was so clean, and how easy it was to tell what was going on. The character designs were also some of my favorite to date.
Final Verdict: A delightfully funny read with just a dash of fantasy. In other words give me more!

MeruPuri earns 5 out of 5 pineapples.

Review taken from my blog, The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia

The Shadow of the Unicorn: The Legacy was perhaps one of the oddest books I have read in quite sometime. Odd because the two creatures that were found in the book were two that I would have never expected to see grace one book at the same time.

Suzanne de Montigny's The Legacy surprised me in so many ways. When I started reading it, there were a few things I was unprepared for, like, the presence of dinosaurs and a certain meteorite crash. While those two factors caught me off guard, I really enjoyed the way the author used them in her book and how it took the story on a whole new course.

One of the reasons I enjoyed reading Shadow of the Unicorn: The Legacy so much was that there was a lot of character development throughout the book and because I enjoyed the way the author used the events of the asteroid/meteorite strike to bring about the changes that would dictate whether or not the unicorns would learn to adapt to survive.
It was definitely interesting for me to see how Azaria went from a goofy colt more interested in proving his worth to his father to a solid and strong leader who would take his people down the next road in life. Azaria's evolved so much throughout the book that you would hardly recognize him from the first third of the book, but while he did change, you could still see the young colt that he started out as. Like I said, it was interesting to see all the character transitions in The Legacy and the fact that it was done so smoothly makes it all the better.

Below, I mention what I did not like about this book, but right now I want t tell y'all why I ended up enjoying The Legacy so much. What I really enjoyed about this book is that it was original because I don't think you are ever going to find another book that will have both unicorns and dinosaurs occupying the same time in history (although, we all know unicorns aren't real). What I liked about Suzanne de Montigny's use of unicorns and dinosaurs was that as characters they were written quite well. What really made them interesting though was the that as the book progressed you saw how the peril's predicted by Darius changed both groups...or what was left of both species.

While The Legacy ended up being quite an entertaining read, I must say that the only thing that kept me from fulling loving this one is because it was a little weird to be reading a book that had both unicorns and dinosaurs in it. Don't get me wrong I really enjoyed it because it was so different, but it was just a little weird when the dinosaurs were first brought into the picture. So, while it an an unexpected element to the story I found it to be interesting how the author made it work for the her book. This is definitely one book that you can not judge without at least giving it a shot. Who knows, it may just surprise you.

Final Verdict: Unicorns, dinosaurs, and potential destruction...need I say more.

The Shadow of the Unicorn: The Legacy earns 4 out of 5 pineapples

Since Fall In Love Like a Comic was only two volumes long I decided that I review them together instead of individually. Fall In Love Like a Comic was so good that it has now become one of my favorites.

What made it such a great read for me was that everything was tied up so neatly at the end with absolutely nothing left unfinished.

As I read more manga books I find that I am drawn more to the lighter shojo-ish ones...like Fall In Love Like a Comic. This manga was funny and even kind of sweet, especially at the end.

Usually I get very irritated when the female MC gets all mushy over a guy (I find boring and an original) and does stupid things, like think that he's cheating on her, but Rena's antics didn't really bother me at all in this book. Why, because that's just the way the character was meant to be, plus it was totally funny (especially since it just made me laugh).

Best part of Fall In Love Like a Comic, um, that would most definitely have to be the chemistry between Rena and Tomoya. They were just such an odd couple, but oh so cute together.

While I loved it, I do have one thing that I didn't like about this manga, or to be more precise made me a bit uncomfortable. Well that would have to be the type of manga that Rena the MC drew (kind of glad there weren't any samples of her manga. They probably would have scared me from being to risqué).

Final Verdict: Fall In Love Like a Comic was well worth my time, and I'm hoping I can find it somewhere so that I can own it (especially since it's only two volumes long). While it had a couple of mature elements (nothing too much worse then what's found in YA these days), I'd definitely recommend it to older teens.

Fall In Love Like a Comic volumes 1-2 earns 5 out of 5 pineapples.

Review taken from my blog, The Haunting of Orchid Forythia

First Sentence:
"Robert Arthur was surrounded by strangers."

I am absolutely loving all the mid grade books this year. They just keep on getting better and better each year.

Professor Gargoyle ended up surprising me in a good way. I really enjoyed the author's, Charles Gilman, writing and his ability to make the main character such a likable little dude.

While the school with a crazy secret is nothing new, I really liked what the author did with his take on the theme. Charles Gilman definitely made it his own because even though there were similarities it had its on uniqueness to the theme.
I really enjoy books were things are not what the seem, especially if the-in this case- school is supposed to be the place to be and Professor Gargoyle did just that. I liked that the plot forced the characters to take a closer look at the way they acted and forced a new alliance between two unlikely kids. It definitely added to something to the story since the main character had to rethink his views and take the fate of the school into his hands.

Even though I enjoyed reading this book immensely, it was incredibly easy for me to unravel the plot and figure out what was going on. While I did guess things early on, I enjoyed reading about how the story came together and how the characters melded into a team to save the day. I definitely cannot wait to read the next one because the ending was definitely a lead up into the next installment.

Robert was just a little on the odd side, but I think that is what makes him such an interesting character to read about. What really made him a good character in my book would have to be that his curiosity wouldn't let him leave the mystery of Lovecraft School alone. He also reminded me of another character that I loved from another great MG read with how he made an unlikely ally. One that I think will prove to be a longtime friend that'll enhance the series.

I am going to go all nerdy on you with what I loved most about Professor Gargoyle. I am in love with the binding and high quality of Quirk Books and this book was just so perfect. While this may sound like an odd thing to love about a book I read, I just couldn't help but love the smallness of the book and how thick the pages felt beneath my fingers. Its bound so nicely that I don't think it is going to have any reading wear and tear for quite some time.

I really enjoyed reading Professor Gargoyle and the only thing that I did not like about this book would have to be the excerpt for book two. Why? Because it made me want the next book all the more and its not available til next year. *am impatient*

Professor Gargoyle earns 5 out of 5 pineapples.

Review taken from my blog, The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia

First Sentence:
"Prince Charming is afraid of old ladies."

Now this is the fairy tale re-telling I've been waiting for. The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom was an absolute treat to read.

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom has become one of my favorite fairy tale re-telling's. I loved the new angle that Christopher Healy brought to the book world by making a story about the princes from some of the most well known fairy tales, and that they now have names-which always bothered me when watching/reading the original stories. This is definitely one book that most be read for many reasons.

Christopher Healy's writing was one of the highlights of reading this book. I just could not get enough of the trouble he created for the princes and that he was able to weave in some hilarious dialogue. I don't generally like book with dialogue that tries to be funny, but The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom was totally funny...in a good way.
The Princes Frederick and Duncan, were the ones that constantly had me giggling because one or the other of them would do something that would cause trouble for the whole entire group thus reducing me to a state of giggles. *charming, I know*

One of the best things about the book were the female characters who managed to steal the show, again. I really liked what Mr Healy did with Ella (Cinderella), Snow White, and even Sleeping Beauty. I like that he gave them such a fresh spin on their personalities and that they were nothing like I expected them to be. I was most surprised by how much I enjoyed reading the scene with Ella because I am not a fan of Cinderella, especially the movie version. I liked that he gave her an adventurous spirit, and that she was just cool.

The last thing I would like to say about the story: the villain. I found it interesting to see the motive behind Zaubera's villainy, as well, as that she and the princes had a shared dislike for the way they were treated or should I say ignored by the bards. Plus, you've got to like a villain that thinks big when it comes to destroying their nemesis.

Oh gosh, were do I start when it comes to describing the princes in the book...
Prince Frederick, I thought it was interesting to start off with him and the fact that he was by far the most delicate of the princes. I was definitely intrigued by Frederick because he was the most unaccustomed to adventure and daring acts of bravery/stupidity, but it was perhaps his transformation that was the most drastic in the book. I really enjoyed how he went from being afraid of disobeying his parents and fearing his shadow to stepping out in the wide world to chase after the girl.
Prince Gustav, may be my favorite of the lot. There are just so many reason to like Gustav, and one of them is that he does not think twice about jumping into the middle of a fight even if there really is nothing to get involved in. I liked that no matter how much he may complain about being stuck with Frederick and the others that he always was there when needed.
Prince Liam, ah, the 'golden boy' of the princes. While at first he seems like the ideal prince brave, adventurous, and all that jazz he was obsessed with the way others viewed him. While he was a great character, I liked him more when he lost the limelight and hooked up with the other PC's to rescue Ella. What I liked about him would be that the trials and tribulations he went trough in the book actually made a difference in his personality.
Prince Duncan, ooh, I liked him and how he believed that anything was possible because he had all the luck in the world. While he may not have been the most serious of the princes, I liked him because he always believed that things would go his way and that everything would work out in the end. I find it incredibly hard not to like such a positive character, plus he was always getting the guys into crazy situations.

What did I love most about The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, well, that would have to be the 'Princes Charming'. They absolutely cracked me up through out the entire book, and I loved the way Mr Healy made each of them so different-from their mannerisms to their views on adventure. This book was just full of win.

The only thing that was disappointing about The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom would have to be that my copy was an ARC, and thus did not have the map of the kingdom or all of the artwork. I absolutely adore books with maps in them and to be denied the opportunity to gaze at one saddened me. It's all good though because I have a copy in route to me.

Final Verdict: The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom is pure genius! I loved every moment of this book and demand more 'Princes Charming'.

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom earns 5 out of 5 pineapples.

Review taken from my blog, The Haunting of Orchid Forythia

Story

So, if y'all visited my blog on Monday you'll have seen my review of Purity by Jackson Pearce...the book. After listening to Purity, I have further thoughts that came to me about this book that are not in the other review.

Honestly, the reason, other than Ms Pearce's writing, what really kept me listening/reading Purity would have to be the Princess Ball and the prep that Shelby and her dad went through for it. I loved how they slowly began to repair their missing father-daughter relationship as they were forced to spend more time together and how it forced them to reevaluate everything that thought they knew. It was just nice to see them going from being practically strangers to having a stronger bond.

Shelby, I found to be just a little on the annoying side. I was annoyed with her for a couple of reasons, one because she was narrow sighted when it came to thinking beyond her own problems and trying to bypass the promises that she had made to her mother before her death. My other cause of complaint against Shelby would have to be that
While I did not agree with her "Lovin' Plan", because it goes horribly against my own personal beliefs, I think that Shelby's struggle in Purity is one that most teens deal with and that it will resound with others trying to figure out for themselves whether they should wait or not.
Now Jonas I liked, especially since he reminded me of Michael from Meg Cabot's Princess Diaries. Besides, how can you not like the guy friend who will drive and pick you up after a failed date.

As in my review of the book, I am still quite saddened over the way Shelby's quest ended. Now, I don't mean to be a spoil sport for those who have not read it, so I'll refrain from mentioning why I was disappointed over the ending, but if you read the content section of my other review you'll know why.

Narrative

Purity is the first audiobook I have listened to with the author narrating their own book, and I must say that it was both interesting and a little odd.
It was interesting because who else can capture the voice of the character but the one who gave them life via words and paper. On the other hand it was odd because here you are listening to the book in the author's voice, while all the time you're thinking I had no idea she sounded like that. Or that could just be me.

While I do feel that Ms Pearce did a great job reading her own book, I did feel like at times she read a little fast like maybe she was a bit nervous. While her narration may have been a rapid and tongue, I do think she did an excellent job of reading Shelby's character and giving her not only a voice but life.

The only thing I did not really enjoy about the narration in Purity would have to be that she read a little fast, which when distracted by other things caused me to miss a little bit while listening to it (thankfully, I had already read the book).

Final Verdict: Purity, was at times hilarious and at other times sad and frustrating, yet well worth reading.

Purity earns 3.5 out of 5 pineapples

Review taken from my blog, The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia

Story
Born wicked was one of those books that you think will be awesome, but are afraid to actually give it a chance. In my case, I wanted to read or listen to it-because it sounded interesting- but was afraid that I wouldn't like it. I ended up loving it.

Ms spotswood's writing and the way the story unravels with more layers then one first expected is what makes Born Wicked such a fascinating read. I also enjoyed how the more you found out about the world, as well, as the how and why of the way things were. It was definitely nice the way she slowly unveiled the story behind the fall of the witches and the uprising of the brotherhood and how it affects Cate and her sisters.
The one thing I am most looking forward to in the next book is finding out is more on what makes the Cahill girls so special and how the end of Born Wicked will play into the next book.

Cate was definitely a likeable character because she had the dubious honour of trying to keep her sisters from catching the eye of the brotherhood, while still trying to figure out just what she wanted. even though at times she annoyed me with her lack of direction and indecisiveness, I still found her to be a capable character who slowly came into her own as the book progressed.
Moura, was the most infuriating character in the entire book.
Finn is the one character that I felt got the short end of the stick in this book and by the time I finsihed listening to it, I just wanted to give the poor dude a hug.

What I liked the most about Born Wicked would have to be the interaction between Cate and her sisters. I thought that Ms. Spotswood did brilliant job depicting the ups and downs of a relationship between sisters, especially when the sisters were at their worst. There are not many authors that can write a convincing clashing of the wills between sisters, yet Ms. Spotswood does exactly that with the friction between Cate and Maura over their future.

The only thing I did not like about Born Wicked would have to be the Brotherhood. Goodness, they were tyrannical, power hungry fiends. The thing that made me dislike them so-other than that they are evil- is that they were totally subscribed to the whole double-standard and how the girls were not allowed to do something while they themselves could, as well, as the fact that they then turned around and used that as motive to get rid of certain problems. So, while I may not have liked how they acted, it is definitely one of things that makes this such a great read. The Brotherhood was a good/bad thing in the book because they made an excellent antagonist for the characters.

Narration
The Narrator, Nicole Sudhaus, did an excellent job of narrating Born Wicked. I loved how she seemed to capture Cate's voice and personality so easily. This was one of the rare times were the reading was so spot on, that I was pulled into the story in the first track of the book.

What really sold me on Ms Sudhaus' reading would have to be the scenes of drama between Cate and one of her sisters. I thought she did really well when it came to voicing their argument with each other.

While I found Ms. Sudhaus' reading to pretty much impeccable, I do feel that she kind of missed the mark when it came to the occasional male voice. Generally, I don't enjoy listening to narrators trying to do the opposite sex (some times it just does not work for me).

Final Verdict: Born Wicked was a refreshing tale with new twist on historical book about witches.

Born Wicked earns 4 out of 5 pineapples.

Review taken from my blog, The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia

Purity was my first Jackson Pearce book and while I really enjoyed the author's writing and storytelling ability, I was disappointed with the way the book ended.

Besides the author's writing, what I really enjoyed while reading Purity was Shelby's friends. I liked the fact that they were pretty supportive of Shelby and that they tried to help her achieve the crazy goals on her list. It's always nice when the main character in a book has friends that can be counted on, especially when said friend(s) will get up in the middle of the night to pick them up from a bad date.

Shelby, the protagonist of Purity, had the potential to be a great character. But I found myself wanting to knock some sense into her because she was so very wrong in the way she interpreted her mother's last wishes for her and it just kind of made me mad. While I was frustrated with her and the choices she made, I do think that Ms. Pearce did a great job when it came to her main character. I loved how well she was able to write about character who was still grieving over the loss of her mother and the frail bond that she had wit her father. While it was no laughing matter over her sadness and that lack of communication between her and her father, I thought it was very well written.
What I really liked about this book that, even if I did not agree with some things, that the author took a chance to write about a topic that is rarely broached in books. Even though I admire the author for writing a book that dealt with the issue of virginity, I wish things could've turned out differently in the end of the book.

I would have to say that the only two things I did not enjoy about this book would have to be how horribly Shelby interpreted the three promises that her mother made her make and something that you'll have to read my *spoiler filled* thoughts on the content to find out about. I just think had the character reassessed the promises that she made to her mother she would not have been so confused or made some of the decisions that she did.

Content (will contain spoilers; highlight to see):
Sexual content: Let's see, Shelby is bound and determined to loose her virginity, so I'm guessing y'all can see why this is the top of the content list. While things don't necessarily go as planned in her plan at first, she sadly does succeed in her goal (my biggest disappointment while reading).

As y'all have probably learned from my reviews, I don't really enjoy books that have teens having sex, it just does not work for me. So, you can imagine my disappointment when Shelby sleeps with some guy she doesn't even know. Although, it was interesting to see that she did regret that she had done it afterwards.

Language: There, if memory serves, a little bit of swearing, but noting that sticks out too terribly much in my mind.

Final Verdict: Excellent writing, but the end of the book was a letdown.

Purity earns 4 out of 5 pineapples.

I really like the story and the narration, but I'm just not being pulled into the audio version. So I'm putting Out of the Easy on hold till I can read the book.

Review taken from my blog, The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia ( ).

First Sentence:
"Sela's art was dead inside, just like her hope."

The first page of the book can make or break a story for me. So, I was quite excited when I sampled the first three pages of Sela and found myself not wanting to put it down (definitely a sign that the book is going to be good).
While Sela is not about Riza and Kallon, her parents, I still found myself enjoying this read because there was more intrigue than there was in Redheart.
I liked the parallel between the Riza and Sela's stories and how they were both strong characters, even if at times they both seemed a little lost when it came to what they wanted and where they belonged. I thought it was interesting to see how they were both running away from their troubles, while still trying to find their...destiny.

I think have liked Sela more than Riza. Why, because I found her to be a fascinating character and was intrigued by the mystyer of how she transformed into a human, and why she couldn't change back into her natural form. I also liked her because she was plucky and was willing she felt was the right thing (even if she may have been wrong about what).
Out of all the new characters introduced in Sela, I think my favorite would have to be Drell. His story was one of the most interesting because of his heritage and why he was living with the dragons of the desert. I also found him interesting because of how he acted when presented with the option of killing a certain character that the Venur wanted dead.
The one character that surprised me the most in this book would have to be Jastin Armitage. I thought it was quite interesting to see the full story behind why he despised dragons so much. I would say more about it, but I won't since it's a pretty big part of the story and would be a major spoiler.

What really pulled me into the story was not the characters, which were most excellent, but the way that Ms Gamber explored the history of certain characters. I especially liked learning more about Jastin and the change that book two brought upon his character (you'll definitely see him in a different light). I thought it was interesting how there were all these little things from the first book that were cleared up and more thoroughly explained in the second book. My suggestion is, if you like books that have story lines that can carry over and be expanded upon from one book to the next, then this is definitely a series for you.

The only flaw I could find while reading Sela was that of my memory. It took me a couple of pages to recall the connections of some of the various cast members that made reappearances from Redheart, the first book in the series. So, all in all one excellent read.

Final Verdict: Sela delivers a rich cast of characters and an outstanding plot that will blow you away.

Sela earns 5 out of 5 pineapples