The Children of Men

I don't think I enjoyed this as much as I wanted to simply because it was an audiobook and I found the narrator to be kind of dull. That being said, I liked the dystopian nature of the story, and it makes you think what would happen if everyone in the world did suddenly become infertile. How would you react if you learned you couldn't have a child?

The way that Theo has to go through this time is interesting, but I didn't really enjoy his story until the second half of the book. The first half is more Theo meeting with a radical group that doesn't like the way the government is being run and wants to change it all. While this group has a point, it's five people coming up against the government and there really wasn't much that could be done.

Maybe I'll read this book again at some later point and actually read it as opposed to listening to it as an audiobook.

The Coven

This series is rather interesting. I just have this fascination with Wicca, and this series is just completely reigniting that interest.

Poor Morgan though. She discovers, suddenly at 16 years old, that she was adopted. Not only that, but she's a blood witch (which is kind of how she discovers that she's adopted). She lost her best friend because a guy they both liked chose Morgan instead. She just has a lot of ups and downs, and there is a lot for her to learn regarding her abilities as a witch.

I hated that it ended on a cliffhanger the way that it did, but it has definitely kept me interested so that I can't wait until I get the chance to enjoy the next book in the series.

Dandelion Wine

I don't think I've fully figured out how I feel about this book. I think it's some sort of coming to age story, but I'm not entirely sure. I do understand the title, since Doug and Tom's grandfather makes dandelion wine in the summer and the boys are able to point to a bottle and remember what happened on that day in the summer.

It was an ok book, but I didn't love it. I just couldn't get into it the way I really wanted to. I think it also bothered me a little that the story kept going off to other characters for their stories, but I really wanted to know more about Doug and Tom.

All in all, I didn't hate it, I just don't know that it's a book I'd come back to.

Dream Home

This series remains a pleasant ride. Even with this book having less of a mystery "whodunnit" storyline, it was a rollercoaster.

Sara and family move to a small town in New York so Sara can be the chief of pediatrics at the tiny hospital that is there. But her new coworkers are dreaming about her and basically despise her coming in and "taking over".

Not only that, but someone in the town is dreaming about a coming winter storm but nobody else in the town believes it will happen.

The book is slow to start, but it has an exciting conclusion.

I hope to continue to enjoy this series.

Book of Shadows

I have to admit, at the beginning of this book I was feeling rather ambivalent. The writing style seemed a little amateur compared to what I normally like. But I soon managed to completely overlook that in my enjoyment of the actual story.

It was an engaging story and I became increasingly interested in Morgan's journey from normal teenager to someone special as she learns about the wonders of Wicca. The ending was a tease that left me wanting more, so I look forward to getting into the next book in this series.

Anne of Green Gables

This book was extremely enjoyable. But poor Anne. She has some serious ups and downs in the five years that this book covers.

First off, she's an orphan. She ends up with Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert by sheer accident. They had requested a boy, but ended up with Anne. They talked about sending her back, but decided to keep her.

School has its good times and bad. Being friends occasionally creates strife. Even the end of the book has both happy and not so happy moments.

But I felt like I could really identify with Anne on some level. The book is really about her growing up into a young woman from a girl. Growing up isn't easy - it all has ups and downs. And I found that the young woman that Anne becomes over the course of this book is one that I hope my own girls can aspire to be. Selfless, polite, while still remaining relatively independent.

Dream Reunion

I have continued to thoroughly enjoy this series. Although, this book did leave me a little sad because Sara didn't get quite the resolution that she really wanted.

She dreams that one of her friends from college is planning to burn down his business, but she can't figure out who or what she can do to stop it from happening. I think she struggled a lot with her conscience in this book, both because of who she discovers the dreams are from and because of what she has to do to "help" him with his problem.

There were also a few interesting dreams about what Sara's life could have been like if she had chosen different paths. Those were definitely amusing.

Rebranding

So it's been a while. How have you guys been doing? Life kind of got away from me, although the reading didn't stop. The reading continued, but my posts here ceased. Now I want to get back to that.

But, in this comes a new decision with regards to this blog. I still want to write reviews of the books that I've read, but I also just want to write basic posts about my love of books and how this love affects my everyday life.

So, because of that, I will be slightly changing the purpose of this blog. The name remains the same, because it is who I am.

The reviews remain. That part won't change because that's what this blog started as. But now there will also be posts about books to film that I've watched, memories about reading, posts about my kids (my oldest is just learning how to read and that's so exciting) and books/reading with them. Starting January, I'm also hoping to start personal challenges at the beginning of each month to help me reach my reading goal better every year.

For now, keep an eye out for some new posts this week, including some musings over what kind of challenges I want to attempt for my yearly goals. I'm hoping that this blog can better fit my personal desires of writing, while focusing on my passion for books.

Waking Dream

These books continue to thrill me. Sara Alderson and her powerful, mysterious dreams keep me coming back for more each time.

This book has more than just Sara's family dreaming. There is a new, threatening dreamer. This is a threat not only to Sara and her family but to Brian's career.

I spent most of the book pondering with Sara about who this mysterious threat was. Not only did I not expect the ending, but the new abilities that Sara discovered with the dreams were completely fascinating.

I hope that this series continues to be as intriguing and exciting as the first five have been.

Dream Family

Well, that made me feel all the feels. I spent a lot of this book tearing up. Plus, anger and outrage. Sara gets arrested for something she didn't do. Being in jail for 24 hours breaks her, and I can't blame her for completely shutting down. But reading how Sara  has to fix the part of her that broke was hard.

I have really gotten attached to all these characters.

Dream Child

This series is really addictive. Sara gets more interesting with each book. Not only that, but now her daughter Lizzie is having these same dreams about things that they have to fix, so everyone has to work together just to solve the mystery about the scary man in the big black car.

I'm interested in what happens in the next book, because it sounds really dramatic. Plus, it feeds my addiction for the books in this series.

Dream Doctor

The second book of this series wasn't as amazing as the first, but it was still enjoyable. I think because the dreams were all over the place and the characters were sort of struggling to fill new roles (or we were introduced to new characters altogether).

I'm still enjoying the characters, Sara in particular. She's witty and strong, while struggling through something that most people wouldn't even come close to understanding. I just hope that this series can keep up its track record and I can enjoy these characters for a little longer.

Dream Student

I often go into my free reads with low expectations. This was another. But it was a pleasant surprise.

This book was engaging and interesting without the inanity that I often find in books of similar structure. I'm looking forward to continuing with this series.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

This was an interesting little read. While it's short, it packs quite a powerful tale in just a handful of chapters.

The book is different than the many depictions of Jekyll and Hyde that are out there, but in a sense, somewhat the same. The story is above all the story of man's duality - the good and the evil. Hyde is purely evil. He is composed of all the evil impulses that Jekyll has, but instead of being able to rein those impulses in, Hyde fully feeds into them, going so far as to commit murder for no reason other than because he could.

I enjoyed reading this story.

A Tale of Two Cities

I really enjoyed this book. It's kind of hit and miss with these classic novels that have been popular for a crazy long time. This was a hit.

Granted, before I actually sat down to read it, the only thing I knew about the book was the famous opening line. I didn't know any of the story, what the plot was, who the characters were, none of it. I went into this book blind.

It did not disappoint me at all. Dickens created his characters in a way to make them endearing (or hateful depending on what character we're talking about). By the end of the book, I truly cared about Lucie, Doctor Manette, Charles Darnay, and even Miss Pross.

Not only where the characters amazing, the story was engaging. It takes place over two centuries ago, but the way the book was written made it feel like the events of the French Revolution and the Guillotine happened not too long ago.

Overall, a very satisfying book.

Moby Dick

I have to say, I did not particularly enjoy this book. In fact, the word I would use to best describe it would be tedious. I probably only really like 15% of the book total, while the other 85% could have easily been taken out to make the story actually passable.

There is so much of this book that is utterly unnecessary to the story of Ahab and Moby Dick. Heck, you don't even really have Moby Dick until the very end anyway. There is an insane amount about the anatomy of whales and the history of the whaling industry, but it really is unnecessary. It just had chapters that read very textbook to me instead of novel, to the point where I started wondering if I was going to be tested at the end about what I learned about whales and whaling.

I will always remember my experience with this book, but I am not likely to ever read it again.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

How can one not love this last book? The darkest book in the series, it also manages to clear up some burning questions from previous books. There ends up being new feelings for characters that have been known since the beginning, but who have not really been revealed as far as their true nature is concerned.

I have found myself feeling things that I often feel while I read a great book. I get connected to certain characters who don't make it to the end (not sharing who doesn't make it) and find myself crying over their loss.

I think this book shows Harry finishing the maturing process that he needed to do while finding a way to defeat Voldemort once and for all. His journey isn't easy and he has to make decisions that no 17 year old should have to make. He is essentially forced to be a man when he still very much wants to be a boy like some of his friends.

I'm sad to have finished this beloved series again, but I know that, like an old friend, it will always be waiting on the shelf for me when I need it the most.

Lost

I'm going to be honest here, this was a bit of a disappointing book. I'm a huge fan of other stories by Gregory Maguire, but this was just not up to what I expect of his writing.

I think my biggest problem with it was that it seemed like there were at least three separate story lines going on simultaneously, but none of them really meshed together. It was also really jumbled. Like you got thrust into the middle of the story and just had to figure out where you were.

The main character, Winnie, is said to be a descendant of the man who had inspired Ebenezer Scrooge in Dickins' A Christmas Carol. But her character in general bothered me. She was both a little whiny and a little scatter-brained. I wanted to like her because she obviously had a story to tell, but I think because she kept getting lost in her own head, I found that I was just annoyed with her.

Hell, none of the characters really made me feel anything but some annoyance or even disdain. Only one made me laugh - a supporting character by the name of Ritzy Ostertag, a medium who Winnie goes to regarding a ghost in her step-cousin's flat. He was the only character that I wanted to know more about.

Even finding out the back story on Winnie (which takes most of the book to really come out), I didn't feel anything for her but a mild annoyance that she couldn't get herself out of her own mind long enough to focus on what was happening.

Like I said, it was just a disappointment after the enjoyment I've found in Maguire's other books.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

I feel like each book of this series is my favorite book in the series. This is no exception.

While these books were marketed as children's, they got progressively darker as the series evolved. This book has some heavy points where you just sit back and go "whoa".

Harry is forced to grow up by the end of the book. Everything has changed since Order of the Phoenix when Sirius died and now he has to face a prophecy that was made years ago about him defeating Voldemort (or possibly Voldemort defeating him).

Dumbledore starts giving him extra "lessons" that could help him in his eventual pursuit of killing the greatest evil the wizarding world has. At the same time, he's exponentially improved in Potions thanks to a book by someone called the "Half-Blood Prince" who wrote all manner of tricks and tips in the margins that make potion brewing a lot easier. There are even some new spells that Harry gets to try that this Half-Blood Prince invented.

There are all sorts of struggles for the characters of this book. You even start to feel something other than hatred for Malfoy. Never would have expected that.

It's got another really hard ending like Order of the Phoenix did, but it's all for a reason. At least, that's what I tell myself. Off to read Deathly Hallows now.

Eat, Pray, Love

Ok. I have to admit that I am not really a fan of non-fiction. It just doesn't draw me in like fiction and all of its sub-genres do. But, I enjoyed this memoir.

Maybe it's because I listened to it as an audiobook and that Elizabeth Gilbert was the one reading it. Somehow I just felt like I was sitting in her house, listening to her recount tales of her travels through Italy, India, and Indonesia. She made it fun for me.

I did thoroughly enjoy her story in general though. I probably would have gotten bored if it had been an actual book in my hands, but I was able to sit back and listen to all these wild and occasionally humorous tales of this journey that she had to take to find peace and balance in her life after her mess of a divorce.

It also helps that it had a very positive ending that made me think that she had finally found happiness in her life after going through so many struggles just to get to the point where she could even begin her year-long trip through these three vastly different countries.

What the Dickens

Ok. This was just a fun story. I've read other books by Gregory Maguire, and they tend to leave me feeling generally happy. I think it's because he can take stories that we all know and love and make them into something new and different.

In the case of What-the-Dickens, he has transformed the basic idea of the tooth fairy and made it into an almost empowering story of someone different thinking he needs to conform, but discovering that what makes him different is the best thing in the world.

I think I just needed something fun after a bunch of books that are heavy in nature. But What-the-Dickens has just cemented my love for Gregory Maguire's books.

The Golem and the Jinni

It took me a while to warm up to this book. I liked it from the beginning, but it really wasn't until about halfway through the book that I started to really enjoy it.

I think it took me a while because it needed the chemistry between the two disparate main characters - Chava, the Golem and Ahmad, the Jinni. They're so different, but at the same time, they have similar stories. Both of them find themselves in New York, out of their element. The Golem is a clay woman, created for a man who dies on the passage to America. The Jinni comes out of a copper flask that a metalsmith is tasked with repairing. Neither of them really belongs in New York, but both of them have to find some way to survive.

The story has some interesting plot twists and characters that are necessary for the development of Chava and Ahmad.

The Count of Monte Cristo

This is like the epitome of revenge books. I'd never really known that about the story (mostly because I'd never read any part of it or even seen any of the movies based on the book). But a huge chunk of the story is the revenge that Edmond Dantes inflicts upon the three people who condemned him to 14 years in a dungeon of an island fortress for absolutely no reason.

While it took a while for me to get through, mostly due to craziness that limited my reading for a while, it's one of those books that, if you can power through, reveals some interesting details about human life in general. It's a timeless book that I hope never fades into obscurity. It is a powerful book and I appreciate that I took the time to read the unabridged version as opposed to an abridged copy that would have eliminated some parts that may seem pointless to the story, but which, in the end, truly have a purpose in the grand scheme of the story of Edmond Dantes and his personal revenge against Villefort, Danglars, and Fernand. Along the way he makes friends, he makes enemies. But in the end, he does what he feels is right to essentially return the favor to three (even four) people who he feels wronged him and stole his life.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

I still love this series, even after all these years. I love how the books themselves mature, like Harry through these years.

Order of the Phoenix is one of my favorites. You've got Harry essentially fighting a perpetual battle against Voldemort, the Ministry, even his fellow students. The story gets darker than it had been in previous books, and you can tell that the characters are dealing with things that are well beyond what their age should be putting up with.

Harry definitely has a hard time in this book, what with this mental connection with Voldemort that he has to deal with.

I'm not going to lie, I'm glad that Pottermore exists, because it gives so much more depth to a series that I loved as a teenager.

The Handmaid's Tale

I found this book confusing for a good chunk of it. It starts off (and really stays) rather disjointed. The main character/narrator, whose real name you never know and for a while you don't know is even called Offred, is obviously recounting this story. And it's a dark story.

It's dystopian in nature, since society has evolved in such a way that women are really just things. The narrator is a Handmaid, who has one main job: get pregnant. But she won't be allowed to keep whatever child she might bear. She's essentially a surrogate and her child with her Commander will belong to him and his wife.

I won't lie when I say that some of the story is disturbing. The female characters are so broken down that they've started accepting that they are nothing, even the narrator, who occasionally recounts times from "before". She remembers her husband Luke and their daughter, who remains nameless. But she is obviously becoming accustomed to her life as a Handmaid, which sort of bothers me because she seemed to be such a strong woman "before".

The book ends rather abruptly. It leaves you wondering or even making your own ending. But I think that ending is necessary to this book. It's needed from the darkness of the entirety of the story.

Grey

Ok, let's just say it. This is a polarizing book and a polarizing series. People love it, people hate it.

Then there are people like me. I read it, and I didn't think it was the most amazing book in the history of literature, but at the same time, I didn't immediately want to burn it. It was a book. I'll likely read it again. But it won't be on my favorite books list anytime soon.

Let's just cut to the chase. We all know what this book is. It's Fifty Shades of Grey from Christian Grey's point of view. Happy?

Now, here's what I'll say about it. Whenever a book is written in first person point of view, I always kind of wonder how the other characters are seeing these scenes. But usually authors don't care that there are readers that want to see these other sides of the same scenes. This book is my secret wishes made real.

Yes, it has the same dialogue that Fifty Shades has, but that's not the important part to me. I wanted the inner thoughts and the things that happened with Christian when they weren't together.

Plus, some small part of me really wanted to see at least some of the Christian/Elena relationship. I still don't like that woman.

I feel like I'm able to give this particular review because I use books as an escape from real life. I forget about what other people think about certain books and I sit and read them and form my own opinions.

So, this is my opinion. I liked the book. I thought it was an almost fluffy read for me in the midst of some rather heavy classics that I've been reading lately. It was a book I didn't have to think about.

But if you don't like the book, don't read it. I won't judge you on that. I won't judge you if you think it's the greatest book ever. Because it doesn't matter to me and it doesn't change my opinion of the book.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

This is one of those books that I spent years always intending to read, but never did. I finally read it and I'm mad that I put it off for so long.

Now, mind you, I am slightly tainted because I have seen the movie a couple of times, but I think I'm saved a little bit due to the fact that it's been years since I've actually sat down to watch it. So, I had the movie in my mind, but it was one of those blurry and indistinct images that it didn't really sully my reading experience.

That being said, I have to admit that I enjoy reading books more than movies. I never would have guessed that this story was told from Bromden's point of view otherwise. Movies can't really portray that.

Bromden is definitely crazy, what with his thinking that people are machines and that there is a fog that traps the patients on the ward in a state of mindlessness. So, as a narrator, he's not the most reliable, and his story-telling tends to jump around from this story about McMurray and the psych ward they're on to tales from his own personal past, but he (as the narrator), tells an engaging set of stories.

While it may have some racist and sexist moments, I am also able to see that the time period that this story was written in and about tended to normalize those behaviors, so it doesn't bother me as much as it would if it were about today.

The ending was both expected (because, again, I've seen the movie), and touching in a way. I can definitely see why this is on the list of classic novels.

Fahrenheit 451

I can see why this is one of those classic books. But I'm surprised that it took me until I was 27 to read it. Especially since I'm such a bookworm.

I'd definitely put this in the dystopian category. The society is so messed up that firemen set fires, not fight them. They burn down houses where there are books. It's a society that burns all books, because you can't control people when they are intellectual and able to think for themselves. That's just a sad sort of society.

Guy Montag, the main character, is kind of an anomaly in this world. He's a fireman, but he has a curiosity about books that will eventually be his undoing. He begins to question society and how it has turned out. He doesn't like the wall televisions (full walls that you can eventually make a room of screens out of).

It's an innovative book which I feel is meant to bring to light the way society has been changing. It does seem more focused on active things than intellectual ones. Our society is becoming one that cuts arts programs but gives big funding to things like football programs. Something is wrong with that. Who's to say that we won't one day end up like Montag's society?

Ravenous

I don't know what to really say about this book. Honestly, I don't know what to say. I didn't really enjoy it. It's pegged as sci-fi, but the aliens are mostly just alluded to.

I guess it's supposed to be about this group of teenagers trying to survive this alien invasion that has resulted in most of the world frozen and then sucked dry. But really, that seems to be more of a subplot. The main plot seems to be more of a love triangle thing and a Bethany trying to figure out who she wants to be. It's disjointed.

The premise of the book that is presented on Goodreads made it seem like it would be this exciting adventure of this group of teens trying to survive, but it did not live up to that.

Hell, Bethany was making out with Cade (her not boyfriend in this love triangle thing) by the fifth chapter. And they were not long chapters. It was just a disappointing read.

The end gave me some hope, so I'll probably give the second book a try, but my expectations will definitely be lower for that one.

Divergent

Why did I put off reading this book for so long?

I think a lot of it came down to not wanting to read the "it book" of the time. Now it's not in the whole "you have to read this now!" stage, so I figure it's not just a fad. Anyway, I've finally read the first book (still have two more to go) and I'm mad that I waited so long.

I loved this book. Tris is a girl who is trying to find her place in the world. She's Divergent in a world where that's a bad thing to be. She's someone who can fully choose her own path in life without having it strongly suggested to her through the test that all children get when they're 16.

She chooses to follow a path that is dangerous. She goes Dauntless, the group that seems to have no concern for their own well-being. I mean, this is a group of people that jump from trains and off of tall buildings. I swear they all have death wishes.

But Tris does find herself. I think that's why I like her. She spends 16 years of her life feeling like she doesn't belong in the group she was born into because she isn't selfless enough, and then she finds she can go anywhere and she chooses the dangerous group.

I liked Tris's personal journey through this book. Her self-discovery and growth. It was impressive, while still being an appropriate book for young adults.

The Book Chat

I've been excited to experience The Book Chat over at The Tangerine, but when I started following her blog (rather sporadically), it had been put on kind of a long hiatus. That made me sad. But, she has started it again, so I'm able to take part in this!

This week's topic is "what are you reading?" This is one of those topics that I am interested in seeing what other books are being read right now.

I'm currently only reading one book.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

I have had this on my to-read list for a long time. I've kept meaning to read it, and I've finally gotten to it. I'm not terribly far into it yet, but I'm already enjoying it. I find the main character - Tris - very intriguing. I am definitely looking forward to finishing this book and the rest of the series.

Part of the reason I'm only reading one book right now is because I'm taking a couple of poetry classes, so I'm spending a lot of time reading various poems for class. That isn't nearly as fun and exciting as reading for pleasure is, so I always make sure that I try to keep one pleasure book going during my classes.

To Love a Lady

Oh, what a fun little story. I went into it expecting some frivolous romance novel. You know - trite, overly written, and very much a bodice ripper. I was so glad to have that image destroyed. This was not that book. It was not a trite romance novel. It was actually a great piece of female empowerment.

I think it's because the main character - Cecily - goes from being a frivolous British noble to a rather strong, independent woman. All while trying to make her fiance fall in love with her (I know, but those arranged marriages with nobility are weird).

See, she goes all the way to Texas from the refined English countryside. This is in the 1800s. Not only that, but she does it without her parents' permission or even an appropriate escort for her class. She meets a trio of prostitutes and befriends them. She finds that her fiance, Charles, is trying to get out of their engagement, on his ranch.

It's just a fascinating book. Cecily learns to love herself and morphs from vacuous socialite to intelligent rancher's wife. She learns to depend on herself and provide support for her friends as well as her betrothed.

Beowulf

Ok. I'll admit this right now. I did not get this. I tried. I focused on the story, I read the entire thing (which was quite a feat since it was the third time it was assigned to me). I just did not get it.

I don't know exactly what tripped me up. Probably the language. Even translated, it has a style that is completely foreign to me. The story was a little not my style too. Totally what I'd describe as a man story. Battles, swordplay, just general mannish story-telling. Women had a super small and rather superficial role, so I think that might have been another reason I struggled with this story. No characters I could connect with and help me put myself into the story.

Anyway. Who knows if I'll try this one again or if I'll just chalk it up to not my style.

Grave Mercy

I love the historical fiction genre. What I love even more is when history is twisted in some interesting way. This book was an interesting twist on historical fiction.

Ismae has not had an easy life. But then, she was born female in the 1400s. She has a vivid scar on one side of her body because of a poison her mother used to try to abort her pregnancy.

At 14, Ismae's father essentially sells her to a local farmer. He is cruel, but once he sees her scar, he knows that she is marked by Mortain, the saint of death, himself. He intends to kill her, but she is rescued and shipped off to a convent. A convent where she is trained to be an assassin.

It's a very complex story where Ismae begins to question her convent's orders, especially once she realizes that they might not be getting accurate information. Her entire country is at risk because someone is a traitor at the duchess's court. The traitor could be anyone.

It's exciting. There's a love story, although Ismae tries to keep that romance from going anywhere. I just really liked this book. I'm going to read more.

The Breeders

This was a dark book. But I can say that I'm kind of a fan of dystopian stories. This fit the bill.

Riley is 16 and a rarity in the world. She's a girl. Most children born are boys or benders - boys with ultra feminine features. Girls that are found in the world are taken and sold to the Breeders. There are horror stories about what the Breeders do to the girls they get. The main story is that they impregnate them and do experiments on the girls.

Riley and her mother have managed to stay out of there. Or rather, Riley has never been to the Breeders, her mother seems to have escaped years earlier and is determined to keep both herself and her daughter from that life.

Then the worst happens. Riley and her little brother Ethan are saved from capture, but their mother and aunt are captured and Riley's stepfather (Ethan's father) is killed by the Sheriff of the local town.

What follows is an interesting adventure involving Riley, Ethan, and Clay - the Sheriff's son - going on a mission to rescue Riley's mother from the Breeders.

It may have been a dark story, but it was interesting. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

The Doorknob Society

Ok. I'm going to say something about this book. I loved the premise. I thought it was a brilliant story. My problem is that I felt like if I were to edit this book, it would be filled with red marks. There were spelling issues, grammar issues, punctuation issues. It just made the entire book a struggle.

That being said, I was able to look past all of that (mostly) to enjoy the actual story.

Chloe Masters is the daughter of a magician. Except not really. It turns out that Chloe, and her father, have powers. They have the ability to use doorknobs - any doorknobs - in order to create portals from one place to another. But her father is in trouble. Someone is trying to hurt him. Eventually, he just goes missing.

Chloe has to go to a special school for others like her. Except not everyone uses doorknobs. During her time, she has to work with students from the other societies, which don't always get along. She learns more than just how to control her powers. She learns how to trust others.

It's an intriguing story with suspense and just a hint of romance. I think I'll read the next book to give the series a chance to make up for the editing issues that this one had.

Days of Blood & Starlight

**Book 1**

Oh, book two in this trilogy was just as enthralling as book one was.

At the end of Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou finally learns who she is - a reincarnated demon. Brimstone saved her, even though she was killed for treason. Her former self was killed for falling in love with Akiva. Yes, their souls met through all of that. Brimstone saved her soul and placed it into a human infant body. He created a new her.

Karou wants to keep loving Akiva, but he shared a horrible story - all of her people are dead and he's the one who killed them.

So now Karou has sworn to never love Akiva again, and she is determined to avenge all of the demons who were killed by the angels. Of course, that ends with her being allied with someone who should be on her side but is beyond untrustworthy.

But Karou begins doing Brimstone's work anyway.

It's a much darker book than the first. The first book has a lightheartedness that is vanquished in this book. This is a war and death book.

But that ending. It has me wanting this third book now! I hope to read it soon because this series has been amazing so far.

The Accidental Demon Hunter

I genuinely enjoy getting books through BookBub, because I get introduced to different books that I would never have found otherwise. This was one of those books.

It's not an amazing book by any means, but it has an interesting story that makes me interested enough to give more of the series a chance.

Lizzie has spent the first 30 years of her life believing she was just a normal woman. She was adopted into a admittedly kind of boring family. She has a job at a preschool. She likes to schedule everything. She even has an adorable little dog. So, when her biological grandmother wants to meet her right before her 30th birthday, she's got a few reservations.

What she doesn't expect is for her grandmother to ride up on a Harley, wearing leather, and then locking Lizzie in her own bathroom.

Lizzie isn't a normal woman. She's a witch. She's not just a normal witch though. She's a demon hunter, a witch who is born once a generation to protect the coven from the legions of hell. And there's a big demon that she's being forced to fight.

Then she meets Dimitri, who is her protector - or is he? His character is called into question right up to the end. Especially after Lizzie's grandmother is taken by the big demon who wants to wipe out all the witch covens and Dimitri is the only one that Lizzie thinks she can trust.

It's a cute little book with some supernatural shenanigans. I look forward to reading the next book and determining my feelings on the series then.

Daughter of Smoke & Bone

What an interesting first book in a trilogy. It really pulled me in and made me want more.

Karou is an unusual girl. She has bright blue hair that grows that way. She is an art student with sketchbooks full of monsters. All her friends enjoy her stories about these monsters, thinking them just fiction. Except they're not. These monsters are real and the only family that Karou has.

The only life that Karou has known has been with Brimstone, her father for all intents and purposes. As she grew up, she began helping him with his business, even though she really does not understand what he does. All she knows is that she runs errands, meets with some rather unsavory characters, and collects teeth from Brimstone to work with.

While on one of these errands, she notices a hand-print burned into the doorway back to Brimstone's shop. Then it shows up again on another door. In Marrakesh, she comes face to face with Akiva, an angel. They come to blows, but what comes next is unexpected.

Karou and Akiva began a romance that can not be. But Karou's past, the void she has always felt in her life, lies with this angel and with Brimstone. But will Karou be able to handle the secret that has been kept from her for her whole life?

I really did enjoy this book. It ended with a teaser that made me want to read the next book.