Review: My Unfair Godmother by Janette Rallison

Tansy Harris stopped using her father’s last name the day he and her mother divorced, and he abandoned them to move across the country. In the years that followed, she took second place to her father’s stepson. When fortune, or misfortune, smiles upon Tansy, she finds herself having to move across country to live with her father for a year.

Enter Bo, the small town’s bad boy. Tansy realizes she has a chance to reinvent herself to be whomever she wants. And at the moment, she wants to be a rebel.

When rebellion finds her at the police station being interrogated by detectives over a misunderstanding, Tansy’s life couldn’t get any worse. Could it?

She's about to find out when she meets Chrissy Everstar: Tansy’s Fair Godmother. Chrissy offers Tansy three wishes, and in true Chrissy form, promptly twists them until they're more nightmare than dream come true.

All Tansy wants is a little attention and to be loved by her father. She never thought that would bring Robin Hood and his…not-so-Merry Men to pillage the town. She also never expected to be thrust into the middle ages where she has to battle Rumplestiltskin himself.

With the help of her family, a handsome guy from her high school (another misunderstanding) and a whole lot of thinking, Tansy has to work her way through to see if her story ends up happily ever after.

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I am a huge fan of Rallison’s work. I have loved every book of hers I’ve ever read. My Unfair Godmother is no exception. The second installment in the Godmother series, My Unfair Godmother had large shoes to fill.

One of the things I love the most about Janette Rallison’s books are the humor. The dialogue usually has me in stitches because it’s so real. My Unfair Godmother only had two or three parts that were really funny. Tansy is more frustrating than lovable. Her attraction to Hudson seems to blossom overnight…or rather over three nights.

Those things aside, I was super impressed with the author’s creativity! I have no idea how she can read a fairytale and say, “what if this is what really happened?” and make it into a book. It was fascinating. I was literally turning the pages out of sheer amazement at how the story was unfolding.

I was quite satisfied with the ending.

I highly recommend this very clean, very entertaining, and sufficiently romantic book.

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers (April 12, 2011)
• Source: Local Library
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Review: Between Two Ends by David Ward

From Goodreads:  When Yeats and his parents visit his grandmother's creepy old house, Yeats reunites a pair of pirate bookends and uncovers the amazing truth: Years ago, Yeats's father traveled into The Arabian Nights with a friend, and the friend, Shari, is still stuck in the tales. Assisted by the not-always-trustworthy pirates, Yeats must navigate the unfamiliar world of the story of Shaharazad--dodging guards and tigers and the dangerous things that lurk in the margins of the stories--in order to save Shari and bring peace to his family. 


David Ward has created a fantasy rich with atmosphere and full of heart-stopping drama.

**

I have, like, 17 book reviews in my queue, but I HAD to bump this one up to the front. I started this book yesterday morning...and finished last night.

What a fantastic book! I loved it. The adventure was intriguing, the story was interesting, the details about magic, books and wishes were brilliant. It was clean, it was entertaining, it was awesome. I was not disappointed at all. The ending was a lead in to a sequel, and I can't wait to read it.

I was, however, a little confused by some things. I had a hard time understanding exactly where Gran's house is. It sounded like this was all set in Europe, but then Yeats mentions his Gran's address is in the US. Also, Yeats is not really described. His father (as a boy) is vaguely described, and we know he looks just like his father. Other than that, I guess the rest is up to the imagination.

Again, this was a fantastic book. It reminded me a lot of Inkheart, but not in an annoying way. It didn't feel like the author copied the Inkheart story, it just had the same adventure feeling, and they both happen to involve traveling into books. The reading level is middle grade, but I think YA readers will also enjoy this story.

Highly, highly recommended.

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Amulet Books (May 1, 2011)
• Source: Publisher for review (via NetGalley)
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Review: Meant to Be by Tiffany King

Krista Miller feels like she has lived her entire life in a glass box with her every emotion on display. She can’t help feeling like a defect as her sensitivities have made her socially inept. She doesn't even have any friends...except the boy that visits her every night in her dreams.

Krista’s emotions are put to the test when a move to California triggers a devastating change to her fantasy world. The comfort of the boy's presence has now become a recurring nightmare as he is taken from her by an unseen force every night.

Struggling to appear normal, Krista enrolls in a new school and finds it to be nothing like she thought. Her new life is sent spiraling out of control from a strange connection with a boy, Mark, who claims to know all her secrets, as well as finally making a friend. One who understands her better than she though.

As Krista begins to explore the emotions that Mark evokes in her, secrets about their mysterious past and their predestined purpose threatens to separate them just when they have found each other.

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I thought this book had a fantastic concept. An awkward teenage girl with strange abilities and a true love she’d never met…except in her dreams. The characters were well-rounded, the climax was awesome, and I couldn’t put the book down. I had to know what was happening! I think I finished it in one day. Maybe two…

Although I was enjoying the story, I felt really confused during most of the book. I felt like I should have known what was happening, but I couldn’t figure it out.

At the end, I was left with a few questions, but I think that was on purpose. I’m excited for the release of the sequel.

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (March 28, 2011)
• Language: English
• Source: giveaway for review
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Review: Witch Song by Amber Argyle - Traveling ARC

From Goodreads: The world is changing. Once, Witch Song controlled everything from the winds to the shifting of the seasons-but not anymore. All the Witches are gone, taken captive by a traitor. All but Brusenna. As the echo of their songs fades, the traitor grows stronger. Now she is coming for Brusenna. Her guardian has sworn to protect her, but even he can't stop the Dark Witch. Somehow, Brusenna has to succeed where every other Witch has failed. Find the traitor. Fight her. Defeat her. Because if Brusenna doesn't, there won't be anything left to save.

**

Take what you think you know about witches, and throw it away. In Witch Song, witches, also called Chanters, are singers. They sing to make their magic work, and their gift is with elements. They make plants grow and steady the seasons, making them a friend to all…though not all have eyes to see what a blessing they are. I loved this book. I thought the writing was fantastic. The story was vividly interesting. Brusenna showed real character growth. The love story was perfect. There was almost constant danger and suspense.

There were a few things that were maybe not my favorite though. I hated how no one took Senna seriously, even after she’d proven herself time and time again. The other thing that I didn’t love was the passage of time. I think it was totally realistic for an untrained witch to take as long as Senna did to learn everything she needed. But I felt like it was one page she’d been at it for a week, and the next it’d been six months. Like I said, I think the timeline is realistic, but I felt like the transition could have been smoother.

Like I said, I loved this book! I highly recommend it to all readers.

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Paperback: 325 pages
• Publisher: Rhemalda Publishing (September 1, 2011)
• Source: Publisher for Review
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Review: Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder

From Goodreads: At Penford High School, Britney Taylor is the queen bee. She dates whomever she likes, rules over her inner circle of friends like Genghis Khan, and can ruin anyone's life with a snap of perfectly manicured fingers. Just ask the unfortunate few who have crossed her. For April Bowers, Britney is also the answer to her prayers. April is so unpopular, kids don't even know she exists. But one lunch spent at Britney's table, and April is basking in the glow of popularity. But Britney's friendship comes with a high price tag. How much is April willing to pay?

**

I have heard this book be compared to the movie Mean Girls. Oh boy, is that a perfect description! April is shy and invisible. When her best, and only, friend moves away before their sophomore year, April is left wondering how her fate will land among the popularity gods. On the first day of school, she is partnered with Britney Taylor, one of the most popular girls in school, in gym class. April thinks the gods have smiled on her.

She soon realizes that to be “friends” with Britney means being socially dominated and frequently thrown into awkward situations. It’s made clear that April isn’t accepted as she is. She, apparently, needs a total personality and physical makeover.

But April continues her journey to be popular by sticking with Britney and her followers. She is constantly put-down and belittled. Why she sticks around, I can’t figure out. Being popular is apparently the only thing these girls think of.

When April falls out of Britney’s social graces, she’s got to figure out who she really is: the mean girl they created, or the gentle April buried deep inside.

The writing was good, the dialogue interesting. I was just so disappointed in April that her redemption came so late in the story. I was constantly frustrated with different characters and felt like I really couldn't relate to any of them. It was like I was stuck in the middle of a teenage cat fight for 240 pages.

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Graphia; First Edition, None edition (April 4, 2011)
• Source: Publisher (via NetGalley)
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I'm a huge fan!

Last week I got a phone call from my local library. A book I had put on reserve was ready for me to pick up.

Awesome. I always love getting those calls! Even though they never tell you what book it is you've got coming.

So, I hauled my two-year-old down to the library, stuck him in his stroller, and went to the reserve shelf. (I keep him in a stroller because I'm pregnant with twins, and since I've had complications, I'm not allowed to lift him.)

Imagine my surprise when this is the little gem I picked up:

Woohoo! That's MY book! And I just checked it out from the library!! On my way to the check out desk, I wanted to stop everyone in the library and say, "Have you ever read this book? It's really good. I'm a huge fan of the author." Which is true. I think I can be my biggest fan or my worst critic, depending on the day.

It was surreal walking out of the library with something I had written.

I even have my own call number!...sorta.

I'm not actually going to read it. I'll take it back tomorrow when I drop off my son's Winnie the Pooh VHS. Yes, VHS.

Anyway, if you happen to live in the same area as I do, you may now check out The Gifted from the local library.

I asked my husband if I should sign it before returning it. He told me probably not because they'd charge me for defacing library property.

And just because I thought it was funny that my darling dear took this picture, here is a photo of my pregnant belly...and only my belly. Apparently the rest of me doesn't matter in this whole pregnancy thing.

Can you believe I'm only 14 weeks? Me neither. Pin It

Review: Growing up Gracie by Maggie Fechner

Gracie is a middle child in a big family, trying to find her way and make an impression. She’s painfully plain, or so she thinks, and her crowning jewel is her beautiful eyebrows. Growing up in Cody, Wyoming, Gracie realizes that even in her ordinary life, she can be extraordinary.

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I loved this book. It’s pretty relaxed, but not boring. The beginning, with it’s strange timeline, threw me off just a bit, but once I settled in, it was great.

Gracie is a very real character with very real flaws. She has a temper and low tolerance for poor choices. She is LDS, but the religious themes throughout the book are not over-whelming. That is refreshing in an LDS book.

I thought Gracie’s talents were fantastic and I was totally impressed. I have an adopted child, so I sincerely appreciated a tender adoption moment in the book. I felt like Gracie’s ability to be true to herself and do what she felt she needed, even though it went against the norm, was brave and honest.

With a little bit of romance, a splash of heartbreak, and a whole lot of determination, Gracie kept me cheering for her. 

I am now a big fan of Maggie Fechner and can't wait for her next published novel.

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Paperback: 249 pages
• Publisher: Bonneville (November 2010)
• Source: Local Library
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Review: Gone with a Handsomer Man by Michael Lee West

Teeny finally has it together. She’s getting married soon to a handsome, well-to-do man. Nothing could go wrong. Except when she finds her fiancé playing badminton with two women. And they’re all forgot to get dressed. How could it get any worse? Well, her ex-fiancé is found dead a few days later. And she’s the prime suspect. But what do they have besides speculation? Try the fact that she was found at the scene of the murder.

What Teeny needs now is an amazing lawyer and a kitchen. Baking is her therapy and she needs it. At least, she’ll need it if she wants to survive what’s next. Her first love, Cooper, turns out to be the lawyer she needs, and they soon realize that the old flame never died.

With many questions swirling around her head, the most important is: Will Teeny survive or will the murderer finish the job and get Teeny?

--

This is a murder/mystery/comedy/romance/cookbook. Seriously. Complete with (amazing!) recipes in the back. There are a slew of colorful characters that, yes, might be hard to believe, but I think they just add to the spice of the book.

At times it seemed a little slow paced, but it wasn’t so bad I couldn’t just punch through it. I wasn’t totally satisfied with the semi-cliché ending, and I figured out the mystery early on (which I never do!). Overall, I thought the book was well written.

There is heavy language and sexual content.

• Reading Level: Adult
• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (April 12, 2011)
• Source: Goodreads FirstReads giveaway
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