I received a copy of "The First Ones" from the author, Ageless. I love stories about vampires, especially love stories, so I was excited to read this one. This story is set in a world where humans actually know about vampires and take precautions to protect themselves. The vampires were sent to earth to be a punishment to mankind, and they won't be taken away until humans can prove themselves. 'The First Ones' are the first vampires that were created and they have special abilities and are more powerful than the other vampires. The main character, Thereticus, meets a human who instantly mesmerizes him and ultimately steals his heart. She is special and could change the future for both humans and vampires.
I definitely give the author points for imagination on this one. The story itself is very creative, but the way it is written takes away from the story line. There is a lot of repetitiveness throughout the book, and some discrepancies with the story. Some of the details don't match up from one page to the next and there are some spelling and grammatical errors. Which is distracting for the reader, and like I said, takes away from the story line. I definitely think that this author has a lot of potential, but I wouldn't recommend reading this one. I would wait for some of her future works when she has had a chance to work out some of the kinks. 2 out of 5 stars. If you do feel like reading this one, you can get a copy here. Or read more about the author here. Let me know what you think!
The title is what initially caught my attention for this book. "J". Such a simple unassuming letter. I didn't know what I was getting myself into when I picked up "J", by Howard Jacobson. I don't even know where to begin to tell you about it. Imagine living in a world where history doesn't really exist. You don't know who your ancestors are, you don't know much about the past, most people don't even know their real last names. There are a bunch of 'unwritten laws' that everyone follows - don't ask too many questions, don't read the wrong kind of books, don't keep any heirlooms, etc. You are expected to live every day as if everything is normal, and you have to say sorry to everyone.
This is what life is like for Kevern and Ailinn. They both try to live their lives unnoticed, without realizing that they have actually been watched for quiet a while. Forces seemingly beyond their own thrust them together and they find peace and comfort in each others quirks and superstitions. Towards the end they receive some information that turns their world upside down and forces them to make some tough decisions.
This book was confusing from beginning to end. After reading the whole thing and looking at it in retrospect, it makes a lot more sense. While reading it, however, I felt lost most of the time. The characters blurred together throughout the story and I had to keep rereading to make sure that I was thinking of the right person. I wonder if the author meant to be vague, thinking that the confusion would add to the story in a way. I suppose it does, the characters lives are filled with so much confusion and uncertainty and the reader really gets pulled in to that. It's really genius in it's own way. Genius or not, I did not enjoy this book. I fell in love with the main characters, but I didn't like the setting that the author wrote them in. This book will make the gears in your head turn and you will probably get confused and lost while reading it, but you just might enjoy it regardless. I wouldn't recommend this book unless you are in for some deep reading that will require your full attention. 3 out of 5 stars.
I received my copy of this book from Blogging for Books for this review. If you want to read "J" for yourself, you can get it here. Let me know what you think!
Okay, holy cow. Almost a full month later and I am finally getting another book review on here. If you are, or have ever been, a teenage girl...then this book is for you. It is the perfect light-read to snuggle up with this winter. "Playing For Love", by Dana Burkey, is an adorable depiction of what it is like to be a teenage girl trying to get a guy's attention. The teenage girl is Fiona, and this is her story told in a series of journal entries.
Fiona is a fun and spunky girl who, just like the rest of us at that age, is trying to get the attention of a specific boy. Jordan has been friends with Fiona's older brother Ross for a long time and they have always been just friends. Last summer though, something changed. Jordan became hot. Fiona paid attention through the school year to the girls that Jordan dated and took notes on his 'type'. She has been away over the summer and now that the school year is starting again, Fiona knows that this year is her year. She is going to get Jordan's attention and make him her boyfriend. The story goes from August to October and describes the ups and downs of Fiona's attempts to win the heart of her long time crush.
This book is so cute. Like I said at the top, the perfect light-read to snuggle up with this winter. Fiona is very easy to relate to and you will find yourself smiling while reading the things that she does and nodding your head because you totally did those same things too. This book will suck you back in to high school, make you feel like you are at a slumber party again, and give you a crush on the oh-so-charming Jordan. If you are in need of a fun, cute, romantic read then look no further. 4 out of 5 stars. I would recommend this to anyone jr high age and up. Plus it would make a fun gift this Christmas. :) You can get it here. Let me know what you think!
