The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull

Today's book is The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull.

Disclaimer: No Disclaimer. I actually bought this book.

I read and thoroughly enjoyed all of the Fablehaven books. So, while waiting for the fifth one to come out (which I hear is in a few weeks), I decided to invest in Mull's other book.

This book is middle grade fiction, just like his other series. However, this books feels more MG. It still had the supernatural elements, the fast-paced action. But there's something missing. Some element of tension that I wanted and didn't find.

The story revolves around four children who  become secret agents for a candy-maker. This candy gives them magical powers while they are eating it, and it's also delicious. Yum. But then they realize they might be helping the wrong side. A bunch of chaos and mild, magical violence ensues while the children try to set things straight.

Mull is an excellent writer. There are no plot holes and the story is fun. Not quite as gripping as Fablehaven, but still very enjoyable. I highly recommend for the younger readers.

I'm going to have to give it a B.

A = Buy this book NOW
B = Buy this when you can
C = Check it out from the library
D = Don't bother reading it
F = Burn it

P.S. I recently joined The Hop. Hop on board if you review books and want your blog to get more attention, or if you are looking for books to review. 

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

Disclaimer: I get all my books from the library.

Today's book, The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, is not a new release. It was a book I often heard of in English classes, but I had never taken the time to read it.

Until now. You've probably all read this book, but it is fascinating. It follows the lives of several first-generation Chinese-American girls and their mothers. Each chapter is told from a different POV. While the book does have a happy ending, it is also hauntingly sad and painfully real.

Each of the daughters tries to find a new way of life, rejecting the traditional Chinese of their mothers and seeking to be fully American. They are not successful, however, and discover that in rejecting their mothers' ways of life, they've also rejected the wisdom and knowledge that come with age and experience. The girls experience heartache and failure as adults, struggling with self-identity.

Tan also gives a realistic view into the depraved lives each mother lived in China before making her way to the United States. The stories are horrifying and sad, especially when the loss of children is involved.

Overall, this book is definitely a classic. It has withstood the test of time. I'm going to have to give it a B.

A = Buy this book NOW
B = Buy this when you can
C = Check it out from the library
D = Don't bother reading it
F = Burn it

The Fatal Child by John Dickinson

Disclaimer: I get all my books from the library.  

Today's book is The Fatal Child by John Dickinson.

This book is the third in a trilogy, but it is also very much a stand-alone. I didn't read the other books. I felt no need to. I'm not sure how much information or history is pulled from them, but this book was quite clear.

It's medieval fantasy, though I couldn't tell if it was based on Earth or a fictional place. I found it in the library in the YA section, but I would consider this book adult.

I most liked Melissa, a main character in the book. She's a peasant girl whose parents are brutally murdered by knights. The king takes pity on her and she becomes the princess's maid. She is also in love with the king, and she stands by quietly while the princess marries him and then betrays him.

Though the story is only told from the princess, Atti,'s POV a few times, the book is about her. And this is probably why I didn't like it. There is nothing to like about Atti. Everyone loves her because she is beautiful, but she herself says she is poison. And she is. She destroys everything she touches.

The book was very brutal and uninspiring, though full of historical fascinations. It was interesting, though it took about halfway for it to grab me. And in the end I felt disappointed.

I give this book a D+.

A = Buy this book NOW
B = Buy this when you can
C = Check it out from the library
D = Don't bother reading it
F = Burn it

Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Disclaimer: I get all my books from the library. 

I haven't stopped reading; just took a break from reviewing.

Today's book is Wings by Aprilynne Pike.

Laurel is a very unique character who is attending public school for the first time, after having been home schooled her whole life. Everything appears quite normal, with her first crush on the horizon, and even a zit on her back.

But the zit grows until one day, Laurel sprouts wings.

That's when her life changes. She begins to realize that there have always been strange things going on, things that she forgot or her parents forgot. The suspense deepens when stinky, evil trolls decide they want Laurel's inheritance for themselves.

I really enjoyed this book. Aprilynne has just the right amount of romance and intrigue and reality! It was very enjoyable. You need to get your hands on this book!

I give this book an A.

A = Buy this book NOW
B = Buy this when you can
C = Check it out from the library
D = Don't bother reading it
F = Burn it

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Disclaimer: I get all my books from the library.

Today's book is The Forest of Hands and Teeth, by Carrie Ryan. 

This was my first zombie book, and I found it quite fascinating. It had a bit of an "I Am Legend" feel to it, but it's very different. I'd heard that zombies were the new rage, and I had wondered how on earth zombies could be interesting.

This book is definitely interesting. Mary and her village live in small clearing surrounded by zombies, people who have died from a zombie bite and come back to life, hungry for more people. Mary begins to uncover secrets from the Society of Sisters, and realizes that they're hiding something from her people. Besides that, she also falls in love--with someone who is not her betrothed.

The book started out with so much potential. There was so much going on. And then it all went flat. Without giving too much away, the secrets are never fully explored, nor is the love relationship. Well, it's explored, but Mary's character proves herself far too easily bored to maintain a relationship. Mary struck me as a self-centered person incapable of truly loving. I didn't like her. The elements of the story that reeled me in fell short of expectations.

Read it for yourself and see what you think. I give this book a C.

A = Buy this book NOW
B = Buy this when you can
C = Check it out from the library
D = Don't bother reading it
F = Burn it

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

Disclaimer: I get all my books from the library.
 
Today's book is City of Glass by Cassandra Clare, the last in her three book series. IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE FIRST TWO, THIS REVIEW WILL GIVE YOU SPOILERS.

Clary finally gets to the capital city, the secret home of her people. But things aren't right. Her brother (and would-be lover), Jace, acts strange around her and tries to keep her from staying. Her vampire friend Simon is in prison, and it looks like there might be more than one corrupt person in the city council.

But that's not the worst of it. Demons break down the barriers protecting the city, and the Shadow Guardians are thrown into a war where they must unite with the werewolves, faeries, and vampires if they think they'll have a chance to overthrow Valentine.

I could hardly put this book down. It was very good and had me riveted. And yet a part of that was because I kept waiting for something to resolve itself between Jace and Clary. It finally did...and was very anticlimactic. After all the tension, the passion that was built between them over the whole trilogy, I felt let down in the end. That was my only complaint about the book.

I give this book a B.

A = Buy this book NOW
B = Buy this when you can
C = Check it out from the library
D = Don't bother reading it
F = Burn it

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

Disclaimer: I get all my books from the library.

Today's book is City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare.

Warning: SPOILERS if you haven't read book 1!

Picking up right where City of Bones left off, City of Ashes continues with an action-packed adventure as Jace tries to prove his innocence. The forbidden love between Jace and his sister Clary is HOT, and even those of us who are absolutely not in favor of incense (like myself) find ourselves rooting for them to break all laws and be together.

Simon got on my nerves in this one--a little too much of Jacob from New Moon.

This book was even better than the first. It had me riveted. We see more of the werewolves and vampires and get to meet the fairies. But most importantly, we find out there is something special ability that Jace and Clary have--something that they gained through their common blood.

I give this book an B+.

A = Buy this book NOW
B = Buy this when you can
C = Check it out from the library
D = Don't bother reading it
F = Burn it