Showing posts with label 4 hearts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 4 hearts. Show all posts

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Review: Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare for Everyone Else #1) by C.E. Wilson


Drama, Romance

Get the book here: Barnes & Noble | Smashwords

Blurb:


Shakespeare’s work features some of the most memorable stories and characters ever created, yet for too many curious readers the combination of ultra-dense dialogue and unfamiliar historical settings make tackling the Bard’s work something between a tedious chore and a confusing mess of bird-bolts and quondam carpet-mongers.

While it’s nearly impossible to replicate or improve on these works, it is (thanks to their timeless nature) possible to make them more accessible to a wider audience.
In this Young Adult retelling of one of William Shakespeare’s most iconic plays, join C.E. Wilson as she breathes new life into Much Ado About Nothing, the first in her series 
Shakespeare for Everyone Else.

Two couples.
Clark and Heaven.
Beatriz and Bennett.

After years of friendship Clark decides that his senior year is the time to finally profess his love to his long-time crush Heaven; a sweet and simple girl who her father knows to be loyal, trustworthy and caring. She returns Clark’s love because, like him, she has also seen her feelings blossom over time. Theirs is a cute love that differs a bit from the other couple in the play.

Beatriz and Bennett at first glance seem to want nothing to do with the other. Every conversation, every remark is a withering attack which reveals their lost history and similarities. It’s not long before their friends hatch a plan to set them up because everyone is convinced they still love and care for one another. Will either of them be able to resist the strong attraction between them?
As these two couples try to make it through their senior year, their friend Donnie does what he can to keep the group happy. The problem lies in Donnie’s half-brother Jason who wants nothing more than to spoil the fun – even at the cost of Heaven’s reputation.

When both couples are pushed to the limits, whose love will endure?
Find out in this modern retelling of Shakespeare’s memorable play Much Ado About Nothing.




My thoughts (spoiler-free):


This book was given to me by the author for a "Read-to-Review".
This hasn't affected my review in any way. 


Much Ado About Nothing is the first book of the Shakespeare for Everyone Else series.

I'm not a Shakespeare fan, or any classics, really. I prefer to read modern retellings or watch the movie/TV series/web series. 
So, this is a perfect book for me.
I won't be comparing this version to the original story, because I've never read Shakespeare's original one. Instead, I will be reviewing this book solely on what I've read.

Two words to describe this book?
High school.
High school at it's finest.
All the gossips and schemes are spot on. Everything about this book is relatable to the teens in this generation.
It was fast paced and direct to the point, which I loved.
Although, it was too short for my liking, I found myself wanting more. There were characters with full of personality (Bennett and Beatriz) while others lacked. I had to differentiate Sola between Meagan, at times.
I had fun reading this version. Looking forward to the second book of the series, Othello.


Rating: 4/5 hearts





About the Author



C.E. Wilson is currently living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her husband and her two dogs and two cats. They are all the loves of her life. When she’s not writing young adult fantasy novels, she enjoys writing short stories on her Deviant Art page. She loves to write stories involving giants and little people (also known as GT) and she can't decide what she loves more: horror movies or shoujo manga. On a side note, nothing helps her to write more than drinking some tea and watching The Twilight Zone.


You can find out more about C.E. Wilson here:

Blogspot       Goodreads        Deviant Art
Twitter        Smashwords      Facebook

Wednesday, April 09, 2014

Review: Fire by Heather James


Fantasy

Get the book here: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords

Blurb:


Is control over the elements a gift, or a curse?

Roxy thinks that she is in control of everything: with flames flaring at her fingertips and an equally fiery attitude, what more could she need? But then she meets Brae, a prince from a rival Realm, who turns her assumptions of superiority upside down.

Jasmine has none of Roxy’s confidence or intensity. But she does have a secret - and Brae - and she’s not going to give either up willingly.


My thoughts (spoiler-free):



This book was given to me by the author for a "Read-to-Review".
This hasn't affected my review in any way.

Fire was an entertaining and enjoyable read. 
Fans of Avatar: The last Air bender (holla at you!) will quickly get the concept of the book.

There are four Realms that have their specific elements. The Helian Realm had fire, Arcan Realm had Air, Brizan Realm had Water and the Sephan Realm had Earth. Not everyone has the power to control an element, so each realm had people called Protectors , they serve as soldiers for their respective realms.

There were two alternating perspectives, Roxy and Jasmine's. These two are complete opposites, Roxy from the Helian Realm is snarky and bad-ass, while Jasmine from the Arcan Realm is shy and meek.I usually root for heroines like Roxy, but this is the only book I've read that made me root for a heroine like Jasmine.
The story itself was short, but it took me a while to finish, I had to slowly take all the details of their world.
I would totally read the sequel, Water.


Rating: 4/5 hearts




About the Author


Heather James is a young-adult author who writes about heroines with amazing powers, heroes who will break your heart and fantasy realms that you will want to move to. 

She works as a librarian in a school and spends her school holidays writing, reading, playing flag-American football and baking.


You can find out more about Heather here:

Blogspot       Goodreads       Facebook
Twitter        Pinterest         Smashwords


Friday, April 04, 2014

Review: Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender


Horror & Romance

Get the book here: Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

Blurb:


Alexis thought she led a typically dysfunctional high school existence. 
Dysfunctional like her parents' marriage; her doll-crazy twelve-year-old sister, Kasey; and even her own anti-social, anti-cheerleader attitude. When a family fight results in some tearful sisterly bonding, Alexis realizes that her life is creeping from dysfunction into danger. Kasey is acting stranger than ever: her blue eyes go green sometimes; she uses old-fashioned language; and she even loses track of chunks of time, claiming to know nothing about her strange behavior. Their old house is changing, too. Doors open and close by themselves; water boils on the unlit stove; and an unplugged air conditioner turns the house cold enough to see their breath in.

Alexis wants to think that it's all in her head, but soon, what she liked to think of as silly parlor tricks are becoming life-threatening--to her, her family, and to her budding relationship with the class president. Alexis knows she's the only person who can stop Kasey -- but what if that green-eyed girl isn't even Kasey anymore? 



My thoughts (spoiler-free):


Horror-Romance. I didn't think it was possible for me to like this combination. You see, I cower easily. I may not have nightmares from scary books and movies, but I do get really paranoid. I am absolutely terrified of dolls. (I only owned 2 dolls in my lifetime) So I was reluctant to read this, but my curiosity of why the book had high ratings and good feedbacks won over my fear of dolls, so I finally decided to read it.

I don't really consider this book a horror story, but it was definitely creepy. I just felt like it was watered down for young readers. The horror factor was like R.L. Stine's Goosebumps series. 

The romantic part was cute, the way Katie Alender mixed romance and horror was impressive.


Rating: 4/5 hearts