Book #21 - Poison Study (Study #1)

Poison Study (Study #1), Maria Snyder
409 pages
high fantasy
Started 2/22/12
Finished 2/24/12
4.5 STARS

High fantasy usually isn't my bag. Sometimes, they tend to get a bit too weird. The names and places are weird, and I generally have a hard time getting into a story with no frame of reference. Recently, I tried reading Graceling for my challenge, and I barely made it halfway through before I abandoned it. So, I approached Poison Study with not much hope that I would actually see it through to the end.

But, see, here was the difference for me between Poison Study and Graceling. Poison Study actually was interesting. Huh. Yelena is scheduled to be executed for murder. At the last minute, she's given a choice - either take her execution or get a job. As the Commander's food taster. Yelena does what any smart girl would do and gives herself a fighting chance. She takes the job. But, to ensure she doesn't run away, the captain of the guards gives her a deadly poison that can only be kept at bay if Yelena is given a dose of antidote every morning. Skip a morning, she dies a slow, agonizing death.

Thing is, Yelena is good at her job. And, she even makes friends and gains the respect and love of the people around her. She also discovers that she has other hidden abilities besides being able to distinguish between 50 different poisons.

This was a great book! I loved seeing Yelena come from a broken, scared girl into a strong, confident woman. It wasn't an easy journey for her. She was scared and didn't trust anyone - not even herself. But, she makes a conscious decision to put one foot in front of the other and to keep her eyes and ears open for any opportunity to better her situation. And, that opportunity comes, but not in any way that Yelena ever expected. If you want to read a good book that makes you want to stand up and say, " Yes, I'm a woman, but that doesn't mean I can't kick your patoot," then, this is it. Loved it.  

Book #20 - Demonglass (Hex Hall #2)

Demonglass (Hex Hall #2), Rachel Hawkins
359 pages
urban fantasy, paranormal romance
Started 2/21/12
Finished 2/21/12
5 STARS

Yay! A good book! I was starting to feel a little disheartened after the last few books I read didn't really live up to my expectations. But, I enjoyed Demonglass even more than Hex Hall, the first book in the Hex Hall series.

Sophie Mercer, having just found out that the love of her life is one of the bad guys who are trying to kill her, and that she's not really a witch, but a demon instead, which is WAY scarier, meets her dad for the first time in her life (who is also a demon) and finds out she betrothed to the hot campus healer. And, that's all in the first dozen pages or so. Her dad, wanting to not only get to know his daughter but also teach her how to harness and use her power, brings her with him to his mansion in England for the summer.

As much as she tries to remember that she's supposed to hate Archer, she can't - especially when he shows up and saves her life. Again. He tells Sophie how much he loves her, and then in true dramatic fashion, everything goes to crap after that. The book ends in a dramatic cliffhanger. Luckily, the final book in the series, Spellbound, comes out in just a few short weeks.

Rachel Hawkins is good at writing teenagers. They talk like teens, but it's not overdone. It's believable. They do things you'd expect teenagers would do. Many times I have a hard time believing these teen characters are the age their authors portray them as. They walk, talk and act like adults. These kids are different. And, that's refreshing. I can't wait for the final book in the series to come out. It should be a fun ending. 

Book #19 - Blue Moon (The Immortals #2)

Blue Moon (The Immortals #2), Alyson Noel
289 pages
Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
Started 2/19/12
Finished 2/20/12
2.5 STARS

Ugggghhhhhhhhh... That pretty much sums it up. Although I did finish Blue Moon, I felt totally unsatisfied, unfulfilled, and more than a little pissed off. Why did I torture myself like that? I suppose it was because I held out the hope that it would all turn around in the end. That even though the main chick was a complete and utter moron throughout the entire book, she could screw her head on straight, make some good choices and inspire some admiration and respect by the end. Right? RIGHT?

Um, no.

So, Ever and Damen are together and have no obstacles. She's free to be happy with him for the first time in hundreds of years. But, she just. Can't. Oh, I just want to smack her. And, then this new guy comes onto the scene, and Ever knows right away that there's something not right about him. Does she say or do anything about it? Nooooooo. She lets him swoop in and nearly completely destroy her life. Finally, she pulls herself enough to formulate a plan to save her love from the big bad guy. And, while she's decided to save Damen, at the same time, she also decides she'd rather not be with him after all. She'd rather try to go back to her old life when the opportunity presents itself. ARGH. This guy has done everything - EVERYTHING - for her. And, she's ready, willing and able to throw it away on a whim.

At the last minute, she sees the error of her ways - sort of. And, at a critical moment, she decides to listen to the big bad guy instead of the person trying to help her. And she totally screws herself and Damen forever. What. An. IDIOT.

You know, I had book #3 in this series already on deck. But, I returned it to the library today without opening it. If I wanted to read about overly emotional, wishy-washy, weak-minded, annoying chicks, I'd write an autobiography. I want the books that I read to inspire me to be better than I am. I want to be touched by a great love. I'd rather laugh and cry than swear and roll my eyes excessively. At the end of this book, I was so irritated that I found myself not caring about whether Damen and Ever make it. And, that is my signal to abandon ship.