Hush: An Irish princess tale by Donna Jo Napoli

I didn't finish this book. I read at the end that it was based on this old Icelandic tale about a Irish princess that gets taken as a slave, and then becomes the concubine of her master, and she never utters a word. Sounds interesting so I borrowed it.

So I started it anyway (even though I had doubts about a happy ending), I hadn't read a YA book in a while. I do know a lot about the 900th century, Iceland and Ireland, but does everyone? She could have explained more.

Then I got this bad feeling and decided to look at the end, and the middle. Violence and rapes, and this is meant for teens. Ok, perhaps, but when Melkorka learns to understand the man who did it, and like him.. No that is where I decided to stop reading. That is not right.

The end left you cold too, the worst most have been yet to come. Ok she could have followed the tale, but made exceptions or something. I just didn't have what it took to finish this book.

Dedication by Emma Mclaughlin & Nicola Kraus

Dedication

After hearing from her best friend back home, Kate jumps on a plane and heads back to her where she grew up. The reason is her long lost boyfriend, Jake Sharpe, one of the music industries most bright stars.

Eleven years ago, before prom, he disappeared without a trace or sound. What she was left with was songs on the radio, and all about her. Now he has returned to Vermont, with her celebrity girlfriend, and she has the chance to once and for all confront him on what he did.

She will soon turn 30, and to live fully as a grown-up and put Jake behind her she needs to visit her home town. And she is not the only one Jake let down those years ago, there is also his band. Can she put everything right?


First of all I read this one in Swedish and I was not that fond of the title, cos I guess the meant "My lost innocence", but that word is the same as virginity, and yes it will be read like that. It was one of those chick-lit titles they give when they translate that can look weird sometimes.

But to the book, it was ok, and I needed to know what was going to happen. I even stayed up late for it, but that didn't make it any better than ok in the end. It was kind of strange in a way. Of course I understood why she needed closure, I would have been pissed off, but couldn't she just have done it earlier, before he was a megastar? The same with his band.

The book also jumped from place to place, we saw like 6 years of her life go by as they first noticed each other, and the started dating. Between that was the present as she came back home to get a hold of him. That I liked in a way, cos we got to see how it all happened.

The bad things, was it meant to be funny or not? Because I didn't laugh, did I even smile? Maybe it got lost in translation.

The way the spoke in the book, now that was good, you could feel her grow up. Still I would have wanted more on why Jake was like he was, in the end, and her parents. No I never warmed up to them. What I did like was the end, I will say no more. But since most of the book could be cliché sometimes, then they did manage to surprise me once.

Even if it make me read on I will give it 3/5.
It makes you read, but I wanted more.

Blue Diablo by Ann Aguirre (ARC)

Blue Diablo by Ann Aguirre
A Corine Solomon Novel

18 months ago Corine Solomon left her lover and crossed the border to Mexico. She was fleeing her past and her gift, as a "handler". Which means that when she touch something she can know its past, and sometimes its future. She used it to find missing people - and that is now why people want to find her.

That is how her ex, Chance shows up in her store. He has an ability that gives him luck. Someone they both care about has gone missing and he needs her to find that someone, not to mention that he needs her too. Their search leads them into a world of dark magic, demons, zombies, witches and people that show her that she is not as alone as she first thought.



I really did enjoy this book, and I knew it from the start. It is that kind of book that makes you want to continue reading, you feel the urge to know what is going to happen. It's an easy book to read, and it was just what I needed. It sure lifted my spirits after reading some not so good books. i felt that good books are still being written and this is one of them.

First of all I liked Corine, she is colourful (and then I am not talking about her clothes). I didn't know what to think about Chance at first, just as she struggled with her own emotions for him. But then I did want to see them together. Though I do confess that sexy cop Jesse Saldana sure stirred the blood when he showed up. He was a lovely surprise in the book.

This book sure had a bit of everything thrown in and perhaps that is why I liked it. It did feel different, and a good book needs that to stand out. What is better than dark magic, and then zombies too. Yes even those fitted in.

I do like a book that makes me giggle, and smile. Oh it has some really good bits in it, one that involved a conversation about some cakes and ice-cream after dinner sure made me giggle while I read it.

So if you are on a lookout for a book invloving paranormal, romance, danger, and some fun times then this is the book for you.

How I am supposed to say something bad now..... ok, the cover, when Corine was described in the book I sure thought about her a certain way and that cover doesn't seem like her. The jeans, yes, but not the blouse. Lol, yes this really seems to be the only negative thing I can think of.


I will give this book 4/5 because I enjoyed it a lot, and I would recommend it to others.

It also made me want to read more of Aguirre's books since I haven't read her sci-fi books yet.

Blue Diablo comes out on April 7th

The Iron Tree by Cecilia Dart-Thornton

The Iron Tree by Cecilia Dart-Thornton
Book 1 in The Crowthistle Chronicles

In a desert land young Jarred lives with his mother. His father left long ago in search of something, or just to hide. And Jarred wants more out of his life so he leaves with a bunch of friends in search of adventure, and to find his father. Instead he find the love of a woman when he meets Lilith who lives in the marches of Slievmordhu. Now he wants to travel no further, instead he wants to win her love.

But she has a suitor, and a terrible curse over her that will make her go insane like her mother one day. But she cannot give up the love she feels for him.

It's hard to review this book since I read the first part 6 months ago and finished it this week. I was honestly not that impressed to continue.

She is a good write, and she creates good stories, countries and such. She puts in a lot of old fairy tales and things that we might know, so when a ghost or something shows up we might just know what they are and how to get rid of them. So I do like the marches, and she was a way of writing. It's good romance fantasy.

But then I did turn into a picky reader and this is not the fantasy for me. Nothing happens! They mostly sit in that march and wonder what to do, or we see her jealous suitor, or the march life continues.

I do need more things to happen, and the end didn't made me happy either. I even had a sneak peak at the next books ending, which didn't have me happy either. So who knows about the last book then.

Maybe she is trying to hard to put in every single element of fantasy in the book, and the results is just confusing at times. I did get lost if I stopped reading for awhile. There was to much of everything, and too many long boring descriptions. I read that she was compared to Tolkien, and I just thought blasphemy! He is not that boring.

And I couldn't connect to Jarred because he was too perfect, and Lilith, plainly boring again. The only one that seemed real was the crazed suitor.

Oh a warning! Read the beginning and you know the end. I hate that.

But if is does seem interesting, than do read it. There are all kinds of fantasy and this wasn't my cup of tea.

1/5 *

The rest of the series are:
The Well of Tears
The Weatherwitch
Fallowblade