3 stars. Or 4 fluffy bunnies. (I'm not really sure whether to rate Oh. My. Gods. as a normal book or as a fluff book. In my head, when I first started reading it, it was a normal book, but now that I've finished it, I'm not sure why it couldn't be fluff.)
Proof that when a book makes it big, all the other publishers jump on the bandwagon, Oh. My. Gods. is very similar to The Lightning Thief. . . . Except it's written for girls.
Phoebe's mom goes to Greece to meet her late husband's extended family and comes back with a fiance. Against, her will, Phoebe is forced to move to a small island near Greece where said fiance is the headmaster of a small school.
Based on the title of the book and the book I compared it to, I'm sure you've already realized that the school is a school for the offspring of the Greek gods. Differing from the Percy Jackson series, Phoebe is not half-god (at least... not in the majority of the story), and therein lies the crux of the story. Everyone hates her because she's normal, and she has a crush on the most popular guy in school, who just happens to be dating the most popular girl in school, who just happens to be a spiteful bitch.
Despite its unsurprising storyline, this was a decent read. It only took a few hours, and it's entertaining. Finding out that Phoebe's crush has a heroes' complex and literally cannot pass up someone who needs help is a welcome and funny surprise for the reader. Seeing the stepsister and Phoebe settle their differences (but not become best friends) is refreshing (although perhaps outweighed by Phoebe's new best friend throwing aside her 10-year dislike of the Phoebe's crush in a matter of minutes).
Overall, as a fluff book, this is a good read. There's romance and betrayal. Lots of teen angst. An evil stepsister. Loyal best friends. New best friends. Perfect matches. A bet reminiscent of the late '90s (think She's All That.) All the components necessary for a good teen read. But if you're looking for something life-changing and mind-altering, you might want to keep looking.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Fame, Glory, and Other Things on My To Do List by Janette Rallison
3 fluffy bunnies -- It's okay for a fluff book
I agonized over whether I even wanted to post a review about Fame, Glory, and Other Things on My To Do List (besides the fact that there's a misspelling in the title, according to Merriam-Webster). See... I'm kind of embarrassed that I read it. It's one of those books that I knew was pure fluff. It took a couple hours to read, and there's nothing much to it.
So there's not much to say about it. Girl wants to be a famous actress. Famous actor's son moves into town. Of course he falls for her, even though she's self-centered and a complete ditz. They have a fight; they get over the fight. Happily ever after—ta-da!
If you want something to pass the time without getting too involved, feel free to grab this book! You won't spend hours thinking about its complexity once you put it down, and if you have to get up and do something useful during the reading, you won't agonize over having to set the book down. I certainly don't think you'll rush to pick it up again.
Several of Janette Rallison's book follow the same sort of theme. High school angst shown at only the most superficial level. None of the characters ever really get any depth added to them (not even the main character). They're pretty formulaic, and they all have the same sort of title. I would have thought they were part of series, but they're not.
Not to say Ms. Rallison is a bad writer... in fact, I enjoyed several of her other books not in this 'series': My Fair Godmother got several laughs for its witticisms; Just One Wish was rather sweet (though also rather unbelievable); and How to Take the Ex Out of Ex-Boyfriend was a adorable (though predictable). I think any of these three books would be a better pick for wasting your time with some fluff. Just avoid her books that have titles with lists of three.
I agonized over whether I even wanted to post a review about Fame, Glory, and Other Things on My To Do List (besides the fact that there's a misspelling in the title, according to Merriam-Webster). See... I'm kind of embarrassed that I read it. It's one of those books that I knew was pure fluff. It took a couple hours to read, and there's nothing much to it.
So there's not much to say about it. Girl wants to be a famous actress. Famous actor's son moves into town. Of course he falls for her, even though she's self-centered and a complete ditz. They have a fight; they get over the fight. Happily ever after—ta-da!
If you want something to pass the time without getting too involved, feel free to grab this book! You won't spend hours thinking about its complexity once you put it down, and if you have to get up and do something useful during the reading, you won't agonize over having to set the book down. I certainly don't think you'll rush to pick it up again.
Several of Janette Rallison's book follow the same sort of theme. High school angst shown at only the most superficial level. None of the characters ever really get any depth added to them (not even the main character). They're pretty formulaic, and they all have the same sort of title. I would have thought they were part of series, but they're not.
Not to say Ms. Rallison is a bad writer... in fact, I enjoyed several of her other books not in this 'series': My Fair Godmother got several laughs for its witticisms; Just One Wish was rather sweet (though also rather unbelievable); and How to Take the Ex Out of Ex-Boyfriend was a adorable (though predictable). I think any of these three books would be a better pick for wasting your time with some fluff. Just avoid her books that have titles with lists of three.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Betrayals by Lili St. Crow
3.5 stars -- It's ok, but I don't know if I like it :)
The sequel to Strange Angels, Betrayals picks up exactly where the first book left off and does plenty of flashbacks, in italics, to bring you up to speed if you don't quite remember what the first book was about. Surprisingly enough, I did. Usually I don't. I read so many books that details tend to fade and blend together. That Strange Angels didn't should show that it's a worthwhile book. I rated Strange Angels 4 stars on Amazon. I remember being slightly put-off by the whole "She's a unique and special girl with a werewolf for a best friend and a potential vampire crush," but I liked the story line enough that I was looking forward to the sequel.
I thought that this book had a lot of potential, but in reading it, I realized that it didn't quite hit the target. On the other hand, it's possible that it could redeemed by further books in the series... of course, it could continue going downhill.
The majority of Betrayals flies by in a blur... literally for the main character. Dru spends the book--which covers, I believe, about a total of two or three weeks--in constant pain, frequently unconscious, and always completely unsure of what's going on and whom she can trust. She gets in battles every day, and she never comes out on top. That's not to say she doesn't win any, but there's always some caveat--she starts bleeding so the other character wants to eat her; the other character starts bleeding so suddenly she wants to eat him, etc.
I was a bit disappointed in the battle scenes. At one point, Dru runs away from the school she's been at for about a week and winds up entangled in a thorn bush. She hears screaming and sees a werewolf, and at one point (after running from the bush and slamming into a tree) sees the wolf tear apart a vampire. I left the scene believing Dru had been outside for, at the most, an hour, and that she had seen what was going on. But in the next chapter, it turns out that she had been outside most of the night, and there were three dead vampires, not just the one. Dru is described as shuddering and in shock and practically catatonic, though she had seemed fine in the descriptions of the actual battle. This left me saying, "Wait... what??"
Overall, this book wasn't as strong as the first book. Dru seems weak and stupid, whereas in the first book, she was the one who knew what was going on. She didn't necessarily know all of the pieces, but she was still able to defend and protect herself. Now she has to be protected by both of her "guardian angels" time and time again. In the climax, she is literally carried and dragged through the battle while she fades in and out of consciousness by one "angel," while the other is kicking ass for her.
I'm not going to say I didn't like it, but I can't really say that I did either. I guess I'm just waiting for third book to see if this is series is worth following any further.
The sequel to Strange Angels, Betrayals picks up exactly where the first book left off and does plenty of flashbacks, in italics, to bring you up to speed if you don't quite remember what the first book was about. Surprisingly enough, I did. Usually I don't. I read so many books that details tend to fade and blend together. That Strange Angels didn't should show that it's a worthwhile book. I rated Strange Angels 4 stars on Amazon. I remember being slightly put-off by the whole "She's a unique and special girl with a werewolf for a best friend and a potential vampire crush," but I liked the story line enough that I was looking forward to the sequel.
I thought that this book had a lot of potential, but in reading it, I realized that it didn't quite hit the target. On the other hand, it's possible that it could redeemed by further books in the series... of course, it could continue going downhill.
The majority of Betrayals flies by in a blur... literally for the main character. Dru spends the book--which covers, I believe, about a total of two or three weeks--in constant pain, frequently unconscious, and always completely unsure of what's going on and whom she can trust. She gets in battles every day, and she never comes out on top. That's not to say she doesn't win any, but there's always some caveat--she starts bleeding so the other character wants to eat her; the other character starts bleeding so suddenly she wants to eat him, etc.
I was a bit disappointed in the battle scenes. At one point, Dru runs away from the school she's been at for about a week and winds up entangled in a thorn bush. She hears screaming and sees a werewolf, and at one point (after running from the bush and slamming into a tree) sees the wolf tear apart a vampire. I left the scene believing Dru had been outside for, at the most, an hour, and that she had seen what was going on. But in the next chapter, it turns out that she had been outside most of the night, and there were three dead vampires, not just the one. Dru is described as shuddering and in shock and practically catatonic, though she had seemed fine in the descriptions of the actual battle. This left me saying, "Wait... what??"
Overall, this book wasn't as strong as the first book. Dru seems weak and stupid, whereas in the first book, she was the one who knew what was going on. She didn't necessarily know all of the pieces, but she was still able to defend and protect herself. Now she has to be protected by both of her "guardian angels" time and time again. In the climax, she is literally carried and dragged through the battle while she fades in and out of consciousness by one "angel," while the other is kicking ass for her.
I'm not going to say I didn't like it, but I can't really say that I did either. I guess I'm just waiting for third book to see if this is series is worth following any further.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
