Review: Fallen by Lauren Kate

There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.







Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.






Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.





Was This Book Worth My Time?
Not really. 

In defense of the book, the end of the book was great and full of action, danger, and one twist I didn't see coming.  I might be crazy in predicting that the next book in the series might be better as Kate does not need to spend another 200 pages setting up the story. 

What Bothered Me?
Somewhere between pages 50 and 75 I became really bored with the book.  I felt like it was taking to long to get to the real conflict.  Yeah, I knew that Luce and Daniel knew each other from another life, but I wanted to know how they met, and I also wanted to know why Daniel was avoiding her.  There wasn't must action, and absoutley no danger until the battle at the end.  Frankly, I am glad I did not spend any money on this book. 

Review: Trance by Linda Gerber

Synopsis from the book jacket:
It begins with a subtle vibration, a tingling. There is time to take only one breath.  The trance begins.  When it is through, Ashlyn is certain of two things.  Somone she knows is about to die, and .... she is powerless to stop it.

Was this book worth my time?
Yes. 

I was really worried that this book was going to be a lot like Num8ers.  However, I was pleasently surprised that this was not the case.  Although this book has some sadness, the romance between Jake and Ashlyn gives this book the uplift it needs to produce a perfect combination of light and dark. Gerber does a fantastic job of incorporating Ashlyn's trances into her everyday life.  As a reader, we realize how burdensome these trances are for her.  I also liked that Gerber had a valid reason for every single charcter she introduced to her readers.  They all held a big position in helping Ashlyn combat her trances. You will be sucked into a trance as you read this book.  It is an engrossing read.  I read this book in one sitting. 



What bothered me?
Nothing. 

Review: The Compound by S.A. Bodeen

Synopsis from the book jacket:
Eli and his family have lived in the Compound for six years.  The world they knew is gone.  Eli's father built the Compound to keep them safe.  Now, they can't get out.  He won't let them.


Was this book worth my time?
This is a fascinating book.  It is disturbingly good.  What I mean by that is the book introduces ideas that are far from ideas that would be presented in our world.  However, the point in bringing up these ideas is to pose the question, how far would we go to survive?

I liked how this novel was both full of action and mystery.  The protagonist, Eli is on a hunt for the REAL reason why they are stuck in an underground "prison." 

I think this book would be loved by those that liked the Hunger Games mainly because of the unsettling story line of both books. 

What bothered me about the book?
Honestly, I felt like there wasn't a true conflict.  Sure, they escaped from a nuclear explosion, but there anything else.  I was needing something more.  I found it about half way through the book.  After that, I was good to go. :)