Hana Kimi Vol 21

Today was volume twenty-one of Hana Kimi. A reminder of what the fluff manga criteria are: Do I enjoy the art? Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested? Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story? General silliness and frivolity?

Did I enjoy the art?

Of course! Always.

Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested?

In this volume they all go bowling, which was very cute. And SANO CONFESSES HIS LOVE! Mizuki is silly and says nothing. It is not until several pages later that she finally tells him that she loves him too.

Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story?

YES! And two pages of kissing made up for twenty books of slow waiting…kind of.

General silliness and frivolity?

Not too much, but I am totally okay with that since they kissed!

This manga scored 3.5/4.

Hana Kimi Vol 20

Today was volume twenty of Hana Kimi. A reminder of what the fluff manga criteria are: Do I enjoy the art? Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested? Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story? General silliness and frivolity?

Did I enjoy the art?

Of course! Always.

Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested?

In this volume Mizuki tells Sano that Natasku told her that he loves her and we get more of Natasku’s crazy mom.

Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story?

Yes! Mizuki buys Sano chocolates and almost confesses that she likes him.

General silliness and frivolity?

Not too much. But that’s okay, the chocolates bit made up for that!

This manga scored ¾.

Hana Kimi Vol 19

Today was volume nineteen of Hana Kimi. A reminder of what the fluff manga criteria are: Do I enjoy the art? Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested? Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story? General silliness and frivolity?

Did I enjoy the art?

Of course! Always.

Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested?

Finally we get to read more about Sano’s dad in the hospital. They make up, which was very cute. Then Natasku’s mom comes to visit, which causes Sano and Mizuki to sleep in the same bed. No one gets a lot of sleep…

Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story?

When they are lying in bed, both freaking out, that was cute. But other than that, not really.

General silliness and frivolity?

Not much.

This manga scored 3/4. I’m getting near the end though; I cannot wait for Sano and Mizuki to confess to each other!

Hana Kimi Vol 18

Today was volume eighteen of Hana Kimi. A reminder of what the fluff manga criteria are: Do I enjoy the art? Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested? Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story? General silliness and frivolity?

Did I enjoy the art?

Of course! Always.

Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested?

Sano’s dad goes to the hospital…but we don’t get to read about it during this book. Was. Not. Pleased. Instead we get another school-game plot. Yawn.

Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story?

No.

General silliness and frivolity?

Not much.

This manga scored 2/4.

Hana Kimi Vol 17

Today was volume seventeen of Hana Kimi. A reminder of what the fluff manga criteria are: Do I enjoy the art? Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested? Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story? General silliness and frivolity?

Did I enjoy the art?

Of course! Always.

Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested?

Sano’s father came in this volume. And he starts out being a JERK. Mizuki tries to make things better between Sano and his father. Things don’t really work out, as usual.

Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story?

Kinda, but not between Sano and Mizuki. Rather the Mizuki and Natasku relationship was cute in this one. He sees her crying and hugs her, tells her he will always be there for her. It was so cute, and it suddenly struck me how grown up Natasku has become!

General silliness and frivolity?

Mizuki makes lots of silly faces as she tries to fix everything.

This manga scored 3/4.

Hana Kimi Vol 16

Today was volume sixteen of Hana Kimi. A reminder of what the fluff manga criteria are: Do I enjoy the art? Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested? Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story? General silliness and frivolity?

Did I enjoy the art?

Of course! Always.

Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested?

This volume revolves around the three top high jumpers. So we get to see more of Shin and Izumi’s interactions. Mizuki tries to fix things, which is always funny and never works out just right.

Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story?

Not in this book :/

General silliness and frivolity?

Mizuki trying to fix things was quite humorous.

This manga scored 3/4.

Hana Kimi Vol 15

Today was volume fifteen of Hana Kimi. I need to hurry up and read them faster so I can get through the series! A reminder of what the fluff manga criteria are: Do I enjoy the art? Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested? Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story? General silliness and frivolity?

Did I enjoy the art?

Of course! Always.

Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested?

This volume revolved around Natasku realizing that Sano has feelings for Mizuki and being all jealous about it. It was a bit slower than the last two volumes.

Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story?

Not much :/

General silliness and frivolity?

Natasku freaking out was amusing, as always!

This manga scored 3/4.

Hana Kimi Vol 14

Today was volume fourteen of Hana Kimi. This one was one of the best I have read! A reminder of what the fluff manga criteria are: Do I enjoy the art? Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested? Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story? General silliness and frivolity?

Did I enjoy the art?

Of course! Always.

Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested?

Sano and Mizuki have to house a kid from another dorm. And he offers to come wash Mizuki’s back while she is in the shower…uhhh. Maybe it’s just my American sensibilities, but WHAT?! Anyway, Mizuki is almost caught, so it is exciting.

Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story?

YES! Sano gets all jealous about her relationship with Gilbert, so he asks to kiss her. But nothing happens, unfortunately.

General silliness and frivolity?

With the whole plot of making sure the kid from the other dorm doesn’t realize she is a girl, yes, lots of silliness.

This manga scored 3/4.

Hana Kimi Vol 13

Today was volume 13 of Hana Kimi. This one was exciting! A reminder of what the fluff manga criteria are: Do I enjoy the art? Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested? Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story? General silliness and frivolity?

Did I enjoy the art?

Of course! Always.

Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested?

Mizuki has to get a job because she has run out of money. There is a lot of randomness in this book, the photographer-helper job, the underwear thieves who leave flowers, and the appearance of Kayashima.

Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story?

There was one sleepy kiss where Mizuki kisses Sano on the cheek because she is asleep and thinks it is her dad, but oh well. STILL A KISS! It counts.

General silliness and frivolity?

Not much. There was just a lot of random characters being added to this volume.

This manga scored 3/4.

Hana Kimi Vol 12

Today was volume twelve of Hana Kimi. A reminder of what the fluff manga criteria are: Do I enjoy the art? Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested? Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story? General silliness and frivolity?

Did I enjoy the art?

Of course! Always.

Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested?

Mizuki and Sano danced together at the Christmas dance! It was so cute. And then they went outside in the snow, it was so adorable. Mizuki goes home for the holidays, and meets Gilbert again. I wasn’t a fan of that plot line, it was too easily pulled together in my opinion…

Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story?

Yes!! Sano and Mizuki’s relationship is definitely growing.

General silliness and frivolity?

Not much because it was more focused on developing Sano and Mizuki’s relationship.

This manga scored 3.5/4.

Hana Kimi Vol 11

Today was volume eleven of Hana Kimi. A reminder of what the fluff manga criteria are: Do I enjoy the art? Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested? Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story? General silliness and frivolity?

Did I enjoy the art?

I love the art, as always.

Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested?

Ehh, not really. This volume was all about the Christmas dance, which was nice and super silly at the same time! Nice because Sano and Mizuki are going to get to dance together, I know it!! But silly because they forced Mizuki to dress as a girl…really??? *rolls eyes*

Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story?

Ish. Not much happen in this volume.

General silliness and frivolity?

There was not much in this book, but that was okay because it’s leading up to things getting more tender with Sano and Mizuki.

This book got a ¾ rating.

Hana Kimi Vol 10

Today was volume ten of Hana Kimi. This volume did pick up a bit, but I feel like my interest in this series is waning. I need to hurry up and read them faster so I can get through the series. A reminder of what the fluff manga criteria are: Do I enjoy the art? Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested? Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story? General silliness and frivolity?

Did I enjoy the art?

Of course! Always. Especially in this book when we get to see Sano posing in front of a camera…all sexy-ified.

Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested?

The entire book had to do with high fashion photographer. Totally unrealistic that he would want these random four to do a photoshoot with him, and then the jealous, spurned professional model…ugh. So cliché. But Sano and Mizuki bits were cute, especially Sano being overprotective and blushing all the time.

Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story?

Ish. Sano and Mizuki seeing each other’s pictures was absolutely awesome. But other than that, this volume was a bit slow.

General silliness and frivolity?

Not much. I think the photographer guy is supposed to provide comic relief by his random hitting on everyone and their brother…but it’s not the level of fun I expected from the series.

This manga scored 3/4. I’ll still stick with it since I know how much one of my friends loves the series, and she says it picks up really soon.

Scorch Trials

I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I devoured it, loved it, it destroyed me. On the other hand, I do agree with some people’s analysis that this book could have been way trimmed down. With more of a point. And with more “Ah ha!” moments. We are in the dark almost as much as we were by the end of book one.

But am I going to read book three? Absolutely! I have it on my bookshelf waiting for me to dive right on into.

****Warning: Spoilers****

Girl Problems:

I cannot even express how disappointed I am that Dashner brought in a love triangle. My respect for the books decreased by 30%. The moment Brenda started being all clingy and Thomas was feeling things for this slightly crazy girl he just met, I wanted to bash my head against the wall. I didn’t even want Theresa and Thomas to be “together” in book one. The books seemed so much stronger without them falling in love. Connection and emotion, okay, but not kisses, ect. Honestly, if I were in the Maze, or the Scorch, I wouldn’t be worrying about whose lips I was going to kiss! Priorities!

But the triangle is the least of Thomas’ problems. Turns out Theresa has betrayed him after all. I don’t hate her, I don’t NOT hate her. But I definitely don’t trust her. So then the question becomes: Why did Thomas have to feel betrayed? Why by Theresa?

Then there is Brenda. Why can she speak in Thomas’ mind? Did I miss something huge? Because I was really confused at the end when she spoke to him that things were going to get worse.

Prediction:

This could be so far off, but I really feel like the books are leading to Thomas being the leader of WICKED. The originals died, we know that, but what originals? I’m guessing the people who trained them died, and they were left in charge. They being Theresa, Avis, Rachael, and Thomas. Why else would Thomas’ memory be so completely missing? Because if it wasn’t, then the readers would know too much and we couldn’t have a huge epiphany moment.

Complaint:

I’m really agog and irritated with the amount of chaos Dashner is capable of pulling off. In the middle of National Novel Writing Month, one of my mottos is “What is the worst thing that could happen to your character right now? Do it.” James Dashner has this down pat. Killer lightning? Crazy monsters? Cranks who want to bite off your nose! Drugged drinks. Blistering killer heat. Silver stuff that consumes your head and kills you! Seriously, the amount of random nonsense that kills or injures boys is astounding. That being said, (and the jealousy reigned in) ¾ of the books seem to be horrific randomness and questions that are never answered. I put up with it in book one because it was book one. Obviously more things would be answered in book two, and then final reveal in three, right? Wrong.

This book was fantastic though, 4.5 stars. So hopefully all the questions will be answered in the next book, rather than Dashner killing and torturing more kids and introducing more questions.

Hana Kimi Vol 9

Today was volume nine of Hana Kimi. Unfortunately, this one was a bit slow. I was warned I probably wouldn’t like it as much, but I can’t skip volumes! A reminder of what the fluff manga criteria are: Do I enjoy the art? Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested? Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story? General silliness and frivolity?

Did I enjoy the art?

Of course!

Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested?

More of that random photographer guy…I can just imagine the troubles he or his photos will create in future books! Then there was this whole plot that had to do with a teacher framing Nakastu for cheating…which I was not interested in at all. I like Nakastu, but not serious Nakastu. I like him when he is freaking out about how he is in love with Mizuki…and how that must make him gay. The whole plot was supremely boring minus the Sakura Committee saving the day in their nice black, matching uniforms. That was pretty cool.

Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story?

Definitely not enough squeal worthy stuff in this volume. Need. More.

General silliness and frivolity?

No :/ My usual source of giggles (Nakastu) was being all serious because he was being framed by the teacher.

This manga scored 2/4. Hoping there is more development of the love story between Mizuki and Sano next volume.

Hana Kimi Vol 8

Today was volume eight of Hana Kimi! Another amazing volume!! A reminder of what the fluff manga criteria are: Do I enjoy the art? Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested? Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story? General silliness and frivolity?

Did I enjoy the art?

Of course!

Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested?

A lot of weird random things happened in this volume. I’m not sure a whole lot happened, but there was a whole lot of not a lot happening, if that makes sense. Julia and Sano talk about how he knows that Mizuki is a girl, but then NOTHING HAPPENS! And then there is that random photographer guy….I’m assuming he will be important in a few books?

Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story?

No :( I’m getting a bit frustrated by how long it is taking them to tell each other. We have beaten the not-knowing to death.

General silliness and frivolity?

As usual, yes, but not as much as the last volume :/ Plus Julia went back to the USA, so that is way sad!

This manga scored 4/4. Can’t wait to read more!.

Hana Kimi Vol 7

Today was volume seven of Hana Kimi! These are just flying by!! A reminder of what the fluff manga criteria are: Do I enjoy the art? Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested? Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story? General silliness and frivolity?

Did I enjoy the art?

Of course!

Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested?

Again a whole bunch of stuff happened in this volume! It was quite exciting. We find out about Sano’s home life, and Julia realizes that Sano knows Mizuki is a girl, and then the rice bath….ohhhh the rice bath.

Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story?

YES! The rice bath. Stupid chessy, and way call-able, but I loved it. Sano and Mizuki together in a rice bath, on accident, blushing, both stupid idiots for not admitting the truth to each other!

General silliness and frivolity?

As usual, yes!

This manga scored 4/4. Can’t wait to read more!.

Hana Kimi Vol 6

Today was volume six of Hana Kimi, and luckily this one was way more amazing than the last two! A reminder of what the fluff manga criteria are: Do I enjoy the art? Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested? Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story? General silliness and frivolity?

Did I enjoy the art?

I continue to love it.

Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested?

Yes, so much happened in this volume! Julia comes to stay in Japan, which was awesome because Julia is a bad ass. Nakastu confesses his love…and is hugely jealous over anyone around Mizuki. And further love happenings between Mizuki and Sano.

Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story?

YES! There was this bit on the train where he protects her from the other people, and he gets pressed against her. It was fantastic. And cheesy. But FANTASTIC!

General silliness and frivolity?

Abso-fruit-ery! Especially from Nakastu as he freaks out about everything….

This manga scored 4/4. Can’t wait to read more!.

Hana Kimi Vol 5

Today was volume five of Hana Kimi, and unfortunately that meant more festival stupidness. A reminder of what the fluff manga criteria are: Do I enjoy the art? Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested? Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story? General silliness and frivolity?

Did I enjoy the art?

I continue to love it.

Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested?

No. Again, I hate the whole “school festival” thing. It is tired and every manga that revolves around school students/love has one! Another entire book of school festival, because just one wasn’t enough?!

Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story?

Like zero. Too much school festival nonsense. Again.

General silliness and frivolity?

Again, not as good as the first two books.

This manga scored 2/4. I’m really, really, really, really hoping that the next volume is better.

Hana Kimi Vol 4

Today was volume four of Hana Kimi, and honestly I could not wait for this one to end. A reminder of what the fluff manga criteria are: Do I enjoy the art? Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested? Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story? General silliness and frivolity?

Did I enjoy the art?

I continue to love it. This likely will not change within this series as long as the same person is drawing!

Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested?

No. I hate the whole “school festival” thing that every manga does. It is so overused! And this was the entire book of JUST school festival. And…pause for effect…someone trying to hurt Mizuki because she is just so amazing! *rolls eyes*

Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story?

Like zero. Too much school festival nonsense.

General silliness and frivolity?

Yes, but it wasn’t as good as the first two books.

This manga scored 2/4. I’m really hoping that the next volume is better.

Hana Kimi Vol 3

Today was volume three of Hana Kimi, and while I still liked it, I did not enjoy it as much as the first two. A reminder of what the fluff manga criteria are: Do I enjoy the art? Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested? Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story? General silliness and frivolity?

Did I enjoy the art?

I continue to love it. This likely will not change within this series as long as the same person is drawing!

Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested?

I felt this book to be a bit lacking in interesting stuff. This may be because I was really irritated that Mizuki kept passing out and feeling sick from her “boobs growing”. Really? No. I have bound my boobs before, and I can assure you my boobs are way larger than hers…it doesn’t make you pass out. It may make you feel nauseous if you are trying to run a few miles, but walking around changing beds, ect? No. And it happened so many times. Also…no one’s boobs grow that fast without you putting on considerable weight. It just drove me nuts.

Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story?

Not enough for me. This volume actually got me really irritated, because she almost gets raped by some douche that everyone knows what he does with women, but they still keep him around. Come on now…

General silliness and frivolity?

Yes, although we did not see a lot of the doctor in this one, so I missed him.

This manga scored 3/4 because it was not as exciting as the last two.

Hana Kimi Vol 2

Today was volume two of Hana Kimi, and I can honestly say I loved it just as much as the first volume! A reminder of what the fluff manga criteria are: Do I enjoy the art? Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested? Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story? General silliness and frivolity?

Did I enjoy the art?

I continue to love it. This likely will not change within this series as long as the same person is drawing!

Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested?

Absolutely! Mizuki gets into even more trouble! Boys falling in love with her and questioning their orientation, Sano protecting her, Mizuki trying not to get caught. It is chalk full!

Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story?

Yes! More adorable Sano and Mizuki action. Love it. Can’t wait until they stop pretending though!

General silliness and frivolity?

Absolutely. I still think that the doctor is my favorite though. His silliness is always amusing.

This manga scored 4/4! Can’t wait for the next one!

Hana Kimi Vol 1

I find it really hard to review manga. There is just a completely different range of criteria for what makes a manga good. Do I enjoy the art? Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested? Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story? General silliness and frivolity? If all of these are answered as yes, then usually I enjoy the manga.

But those are completely different criteria from what I would use to judge a book. So I will judge fluffy manga based on the above questions.

That being said, I have been bugging my friend for forever to read Ouran High School Host Club, because it is amazing. Guffaw-worthy amazing. But this post is about Hana Kimi, not Ouran…My friend suggested that I had to read Hana Kimi if I liked Ouran. So today I read volume one.

Did I enjoy the art?

Yes, I loved it. Sano is so hot... And Nakastu is hilarious! All his faces as he tries not to like Mizuki are just fantastic.

Does the plot line have sufficient action to keep me interested?

Absolutely! Mizuki gets into all sorts of trouble! Really, you are asking for it when you go to an all boys school to stalk someone you saw on tv and pretend you are a boy when you are not…but what ev.

Is there a sufficiently squeal-worthy love story?

Yes! Right off the bat Sano realizes that Mizuki is a girl, though no one else does. It makes for some pretty awesome situations where they both are trying to hide the truth from each other.

General silliness and frivolity?

Most certainly. The doctor is way awesome. He may be my favorite character. Here is his silly side, where he rips off all his clothes to reveal he is ready to go dancing on a beach:

And then he turns the tables and pulls out this hunk of deepness:

I am a huge supporter of gay rights, so this part was quite touching for me. That this manga can be frivolous, adorable, funny, AND serious is quite an accomplishment.

This manga scored 4/4! Volume one was fantastic, I expect great things from volume two!

Sorcery and Cecelia: Or the Enchanted Chocolate Pot

This book was recommended to be by a very good friend. Honestly, I have no idea how I have not found it before. This book was a delight. It was Jane Austen (whom I’m obsessed with…) and Howl’s Moving Castle all wrapped in an exciting little package!

The entire book is written in letters between Cecy and Kate. Normally I hate books that are all letters, but this was so artfully done that I didn’t feel like I was in a letter for most of the book. Only at the beginning and end of each letter did I feel the stamp of a letter.

The premise of the book started off with the Letter Game, a game where authors Wrede and Stevermer wrote each other letters with no idea of each other’s plot intentions. SUCH a cool idea! I want to do this Letter Game so badly. Good thing I know so many writers *rubs hands together evily*

Seriously, read this book if you like period romances, magic, and slight mystery. This book is awesome, five stars, and well worth the time. I definitely will be seeking out book two.

Firelight

I’ve never been a huge dragon or shape-shifter fan, so I was a bit hesitant to try this book, but I’m glad I gave it a chance.

I loved Will and Jacinda, they were awesome together. Obviously a YA paranormal romance right here… I also loved Jacinda’s determination to not let her draci die. What did drive me nuts was her sister Tamara who was always whining about how selfish Jacinda was being and how she needed to stop acting out. I’d love to give Tamara a good bite of a knuckle sandwich. Brat.

Firelight definitely deserves 4 stars. The book ended with such a huge climactic cliff hanger…litteraly…cliffs…I HAVE to read the next book.

The Secret Circle: The Initiation

Okay, so I’m a bit late jumping on this boat. But better late than never, right? But I watched the TV Show, so I figured it was finally time I see what inspired the series. My apologies if I compare the two a bit too much.

Faye = bitch supreme. Like one of those chaulpa supremes at Taco Bell…Taco shell, ground bitch, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, and perhaps some hot sauce, if desired. No wait. Faye is hot. Definitely hot sauce. Comparing her to the Faye I’ve come to know and love on the show? Um, I might be friends with Faye on the show, but this Faye? Uh nooooooo way. No thanks. And then that stunt at the end….have I mentioned I really don’t like Faye in the books?

Cassie. Well what can I say about Cassie? BOOOORING. I liked her on the show. But here? She was just so timid and is pushed around so easily. I really don’t respect her as a main character at all. Fingers crossed this changes for other books.

Adam, wait, Adam has RED hair?! And they meet before New Salem?! Okay…But honestly, I liked this meeting better. It seemed more realistic that they could fall in love this way than the way the tv show handled it.

One thing I really didn’t like about the books were the random people and scene changes. One minute we would be deep into Circle talk, and then next she is talking to her mom and grandmother for like…three lines, and then back to Circle. Huh? Did Cassie teleport home real fast to ask about their BOS?

Overall, I liked the book, even though I knew the general premise of the story. But it was not fantabulous, so I’ll give it 3.5 stars.

Once Dead, Twice Shy

I have avoided this book like the plague…until today when I read it online. Honestly, I avoided it because I thought it was going to be another angsty, young vampire novel. After reading so many vamp trashy love stories, I just could not handle that…or so I thought.

Hey it turns out this book has NOTHING to do with vampires! Maybe if I had given the book half a chance before and actually read the description and not just judged it by its cover and title… (guilty! :/) But no vampires to be found. Score. Plus, amazing author whom love? Double score.

Once Dead, Twice Shy is amazing. Yeah the title is cheesy, and makes me think of an angsty vampire teen, but it has such a unique premise! The dead girl? Yeah she hangs out with dark and light reapers. As in the Grim Reaper. Cool huh?! Yes. Very cool. Because one of them killed her, only she grabbed their amulet, so her soul didn’t dissipate. And then…shenanigans go down. I shant tell you, because they are awesome, and you should be able to find them out for yourself!

The only thing I didn’t like was the whole ‘OMG epiphany!’ Madison has at the end about the reapers. Seriously woman, I called that around page ten. I think your synapses must have stopped firing when you died because um…DUH. I know that won’t make any sense to anyone who has not read the book. So read it, and then let me know if you called the “surprise” too!

Another 5 star YA! Read it, let me know what you think!

Old Magic

I think this has become one of my favorite YA magic books. It starts out so predictably, boy meets girl, they get together to stop a big bad evil. But then…THEN the story starts to get amazing. And they go back in time to reverse an evil curse. It is so gooooood. I have not read any of Curley’s other work, but I really think I need to. Man can that woman write!

And for once, it was the girl who was the brave, knight in shining armor type, not the guy. Yay for awesome strong heroines!

But I loved it, and read the entire book without once putting it down. 5 star book, highly recommended for those who like YA fantasy.

Blood Price

I feel rather bad, but reading Dresden and the Rachael Morgan series has ruined this book for me. I have wanted to read this book for a while, Tanya Huff is a huge name in the fantasy/paranormal world. But honestly, compared to Dresden and Rachael Morgan…Vicki had no life to her. And her quirks which were supposed to entice the reader into loving her, just irritated me. She is angry at the world, has a mouth on her, and has a troubled relationship with her old police partner, Celucci, whom she has rows with and then sleeps with. Sorry, I don’t find that to be an admirable relationship…

So many people were killed while everyone was running around, constantly denying that it could be a vampire. We get it. You don’t believe in vampires because this is an urban fantasy. Please don’t bash me over the head with it and force me to read nothing for chapters and chapters.

Honestly the only bit that excited me was the beginning. The character we are introduced to first, which usually indicates an important character, is killed right away. It was kind of awesome, seeing how he was so nervous to be late when meeting his ex…lover or whatever she was, and then BAM dead.

But then the excitement trickled to nothing. And I got real bored as the nothing dragged on and on and on… And I no longer cared who-dun-it.

This book gets one and a half stars, because I really didn’t enjoy it, but it did have some redeeming qualities. I always like when characters are flawed, rather than shiny marble statues of characters, and these characters were flawed to the max.