A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

(103) Song of Ice & Fire #2

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

(102) Uglies #1

The Accidental Demon Slayer by Angie Fox

(101)

The Gathering Storm by Jim Butcher et al

(100)  The Dresden Files: Storm Front, Volume 1: The Gathering Storm

The List by J.A. Konrath

(99)

 

The Happy Ending by Jonathan Sturak

(98)

Overwritten at the beginning, poorly edited overall, the action sequence is unclear and difficult to read with a finale that is beyond unrealistic.

I admit, I went into this Amazon freebie thinking it was erotica.

I don’t mind that it’s not, but I wish it had proved to be good enough to be worth the 20 minutes I spent reading it.

Gregor and the Code of Claw by Suzanne Collins

(97) Underland Chronicles, book 5

Can I just take a second here to plug OverDrive and their integration with library systems to lend electronic books (audio or mobile reader)? This service is FANTASTIC! Instead of reserving the book, waiting for it to show up at my branch, then having to remember to drop it off and pick it up, I pulled it up on the catalog, and was listening in minutes Fabulous for the impatient reader in the middle of a series (like, oh, me!).

One caveat — I spent hours trying to find a way to get the WMA audio converted and on my iPhone, since the website said I should be able to do it. Never got it to work and ended up listening to the whole book on my computer, so watch your audio formats when you DL.

Now, on to the book!

Very dark, lots of adult themes here. By adult I mean musings on equality, war and its function in the world, peace and means to achieve it, deep thoughts on the nature of being human and society. I’m not sure how many of these currents were caught by my then 9yo when she read the book, but it resonated with me.

Well-written, thought provoking, and a tidy wrap-up that doesn’t really leave you longing for more. I’d like to know how things went on with Gregor and co — both Over- and Under-land, but the book ended nicely without me begging to know more or feeling unsatisfied. Like book four this one cannot really stand on its own — you need to know the whole backstory of the series for this book to really make sense.

5/5 — read it, y’all! (and get a copy of the series for the reluctant reader, 4th – 6th grade, in your life)

 

Gregor and the Marks of Secret by Suzanne Collins

(96) Underland Chronicles, book 4

So, so, so good.

The series starts to really grow up in this one, a lot darker (though the whole series is a bit dark) in preparation for the big finale in book 5. My only issue with this is that it leaves the reader hanging. Of all the books in the series, this one cannot stand alone — you have to read book 5 to make it all make sense.

Pole Dancer by Eric Wilder

(95)

This is so poorly written I don’t know where to begin. It’s not a complete story, it has no depth, and the writing is beyond atrocious. Formatting leaves a lot to be desired, too. All in all the sort of thing that gives indie authors such a bad reputation.

Destiny by Tallulah Grace

(94) Timeless Trilogy, book 3

This was by far the most disappointing of the three books in this trilogy.It was so upbeat and happy that I felt like I needed to brush my teeth after reading to make sure they don’t rot from all the sugary sweetness.  This was a wrap-up novel for a trilogy, I get that. But still, it had no tension, no suspense.  The characters of the love story in this one really got the short end of the stick in terms of character development and action. Having all the tension in the flashbacks just made the current era scenes that much flatter.

The biggest disappointment for me, though, was the fact that I expected an indie author to improve as she gained skill, and it just didn’t happen. By a vast margin the first book in this series is the best.  All in all, read the first one for some fluffy fun, but skip the rest of the series.

Spellbound by Tallulah Grace

(93) Timeless Trilogy, book 2

The formatting and spell checking on this one were even better than the first book in the series; the improvement is natural, but, honestly, unexpected in an indie book, and  I am again pleasantly surprised.

The story in this one was weaker than the first book and a bit less interesting. There simply wasn’t even danger/conflict and the MC’s acquisition of her magical abilities came way too easily.

The writing was still pretty good, but couldn’t overcome the weak plot. Another fluffy romance for fans of old-school Harlequin romances; sex is basically non-existent.

2.5/5

You Better Not Cry by Augusten Burroughs

(92)

Blech. Brain bleach needed to rinse away bitter man diatribes & unpleasant mental images of spoiled children who hate their children and grow up to be a lot like them. I friggin’ hate Christmas books.

Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods by Suzanne Collins

(91) Underland Chronicles, book 3

Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende

(90)

Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane by Suzanne Collins

(89) Gregor the Overlander, book 2

Had this on audio from the library, but it is apparently well-loved. To the point that the cds all skipped. Badly. Got through 3.5 of 6 cds and got frustrated and loaded my daughter’s copy up onto my Kindle and finished the book that way. And I have to say…

WOW. I totally did not see that coming. The twist near the end of this book totally surprised me — something that doesn’t happen too often, and even less so in kids’ books. Adventure, excitement, and some sneakily wrapped in morality lessons — all in all a great, fun series especially good for reluctant readers — mostly boys, but great for adventure-loving girls, too.