Just Finished Reading...The Son of Neptune

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan
book two of The Heros of Olympus

published ~ October 2011

Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,
To storm or fire the world must fall.
An oath to keep with a final breath,
And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death. 

Percy is confused. When he awoke from his long sleep, he didn't know much more than his name. His brain fuzz is lingering, even after the wolf Lupa told him he is a demigod and trained him to fight with the pen/sword in his pocket. Somehow Percy manages to make it to a camp for half-bloods, despite the fact that he has to keep killing monsters along the way. But the camp doesn't ring and bells with him. The only thing he can recall from his past is another name: Annabeth 

Hazel is supposed to be dead. When she lived before, she didn't do a very good job of it. Sure, she was an obedient daughter, even when her mother was possessed by greed. But that was the problem - when the Voice took over her mother and commanded Hazel to use her "gift" for and evil purpose, Hazel couldn't say no. Now because of her mistake, the future of the world is at risk. Hazel wished she could ride away from it all on the stallion that appears in her dreams. 

Frank is a klutz. His grandmother says he is descended from heroes and can be anything he wants to be, but he doesn't see it. He doesn't even know who his father is. He keeps hoping Apollo will claim him, because the only thing he is good at is archery - although not good enough to win camp war games. His bulky physique makes him feel like an ox, especially infront of Hazel, his closest friend at camp. He trusts her completely - enough to share the secret he holds close to his heart. 

Beginning at the "other" camp for half-bloods and extending as far as the land beyond the gods, this breathtaking second installment of the Heroes of Olympus series introduces new demigods, revives fearsome monsters, and features other remarkable creatures, all destined to play a part in the Prophesy of Seven.


My thoughts~ It's Rick Riordan...need I say more?


Like everyone else I waited a year for this book. The Lost Hero is one of my favorite books. I liked it more that any of the Percy Jackson books. I made major efforts to keep myself away form any of the hype prior to the release of The Son of Neptune. So wasn't I surprised to find out this book is about Percy. What happen to Leo, Jason and Piper? (we did get a little at the end) 


That disappointment faded quickly. Rick spins this tale like the seasoned professional he is. It is humorous as it is exciting. With its fast pace and numerous surprises its easy to keep the pages turning. I did think the book could of been a little shorter but every scene forwards the plot really packs a punch. 


I loved getting to meet Frank and Hazel. They are entertaining characters with unique personalities. I love getting to see the Roman camp. It put a fresh spin on the whole series. 

Waiting On Wednesday

 I have so many books waiting to be read in my Kindle and on my shelf I was getting ready to impose another book buying ban. That is until I looked ahead at what is coming our way in the next two months. In a five week period we get six, yes that's right six masterpieces.

Black Heart (Curse Workers) by Holly Black (Hardcover - Apr 3, 2012)

The Last Echo: A Body Finder Novel by Kimberly Derting (Hardcover - Apr 17, 2012)

The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden) by Julie Kagawa (Hardcover - Apr 24, 2012

Insurgent (Divergent) by Veronica Roth (Hardcover - May 1, 2012)

Destined (Wings) by Aprilynne Pike (Hardcover - May 1, 2012)

City of Lost Souls (Mortal Instruments) by Cassandra Clare (Hardcover - May 8, 2012)

It's like a book Christmas!!!!!!!!

Just Finished Reading...Everneath

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

published January 2012

from Goodreads

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever. 

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists. 

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen. 

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's.


My thoughts~ hmm....well... I will start with what I liked. The plot was very intriguing. It grabbed me enough the keep my interest all the way the end. The writing itself was also good. I like the word choices and I think the author has a bright future ahead of her.


What I didn't really care for was the character's. Nikki is very depressed and understandably so considering what she endured. But to me she was  boring. She was just going through the motions. She had no personality. The decisions she made were very irritating. I didn't see any character growth in Nikki or Cole and that made it kind of blah.  


As a writer I learned a lot from this book. You see, I also have a very depressed character that does not show any emotion. After reading this it showed me that depressed characters still need to feel other emotions to avoid being dull. I don't mean to trash this book, I talked to several people that like it. I myself liked it enough to keep reading to find out what happened at the end. But I think the characters  needed a little pumping up. 


Also this had a cliff hanger. I know, they all do, but I got no closure or satisfaction.


If I rated books I would give this 3 out of 5 stars.  Like I said, I liked the plot enough to want to know the ending. I just could not get emotionally attached.

The Hunger Games Movie

First things first. I am not sure if I can give an unbiased review based on my attachment to the book. But I will try.

I love it. The beginning reminded of a World War 2 movie with the peoples clothing and being forced to go to the Reaping.  Showing us the controlled environment the citizens were forced to live in set the underlying tone. I think it added extra tension to whole thing. The movie was very intense and more graphic than I expected. We don't get a lot of blood splatter or anything like that but the violence is implied. Seeing what the kids were forced to endure was also a little sad.

Of course the seasoned professionals live up expectations. My favorite's were Josh Huthcherson as Peeta, his emotions were so real, I really felt his pain. I also love Woody Harrelson and the redeeming qualities of his character. All the actors filled their rolls well and if anyone ever questioned Jennifer's ability to portray Katniss...worry no more. She nailed it.

As a book to movie comparison...The movie followed the book very close. Of course it cannot be exactly the same, they never are, but we got all the main points. I purposely did not reread the book within the last year in efforts to keep the little details out of my mind. I learned that with Harry Potter. When the book is fresh I notice every little thing they leave out and get irritated. So I give my self lots of space in between and I think I enjoy the movies more because of it. We don't get as close to the characters as we do in the book but we gets lots of other things to make up for it. Like the visuals of the setting and the other character's.

I would of liked a little more Liam Hemsworth. Luckily his role will be bigger in the next installments.

This movie is defiantly worth the price of admission and I will see it again.


Spoiler alert !!!!!!!!!
Now for those of you that have already seen it and or read the book here are a few things that stood out to me.

When Peeta was riding in the car with Katniss on the way to the train after the Reaping... he was so distraught, you could tell he had just been crying. It broke my heart.

When Haymitch was watching the little boy playing with the sword and chasing the little girl, I'm assuming they were pretending to be Hunger Game participant's, you could see the anguish in his face. In my mind he was remembering when he was in the games and a little disgusted by the people's relaxed attitude toward the useless killing.

Then the entire scene with Rue. We all knew it was coming. I would of liked to have seen a deeper relationship between her and Katniss, like we get in the book. But after Katniss covered her with flowers and gave her salute to the camera...that was very powerful. The District 11 uprising really got to me too. I love the way they stood in silence, just before turning on the Peace Keepers and destroying the Capitol property. It showed us a group of under dogs who had taken enough. They took a stand.

What did you think or love? Do you know anyone that watched the movie and did not read the book? I would like to know what they thought about the film.

Just Finished Reading...The Ruins of Gorlan

The Ruins of Gorlan (The Ranger's Apprentice book 1)

Published 2006

He had always wanted to be a warrior. The Rangers, with their dark cloaks and shadowy ways, made him nervous. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now fifteen year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger's apprentice. What he doesn't realize yet is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And as Will is about to learn, there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is gathering his forces for an attack on the kingdom. This time, he will not be denied . 


My thoughts~ I really enjoyed this book.  These books have been on the shelves for years and I cannot believe it took me this long to finally start the series. There are ten books in the series.


The medieval setting is well thought out very believable. I am not sure if this is classified as fantasy, it has a few non-human species that I suspect will have a big impact on future stories, but we do not really get any magic. 


Will is extremely likeable and easy to root for. In fact all the characters have a great story arc, are well developed, and play their rolls well. 


In my opinion this is a compelling middle grade book that appeals to adults as well. I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you have a middle grade boy and are having a hard time finding books for him give this one a shot. 

Just Finished Reading...My Soul To Take

My Soul To Take by Rachel Vincent
book one of The Soul Screamers
published 2009

She doesn't see dead people. She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally. 

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next.


My thoughts~ I enjoyed reading the character's in this book. We get all the stereotypical teenager  roles that keep the story in motion, but at the same time it did not seem formulaic. 


The middle of the story was a little slow. It was all very intriguing information we received but it went on for a long time. I have noticed this in a few books I've read lately. I understand it is information that we need, the mythical creatures we are being introduced to some times need lengthy explanations. But it needs to come in moderation. Besides that the plot is interesting and fun to follow.  


Over all I enjoyed this story. I wouldn't say drop everything and go out and buy this book or the world is going to end, but if you are searching for something new, I'd say this is worth the read. Rachel Vincent is a great writer. 


I would love hear how the rest of the series rates. If you have read them, please let me know your thoughts. Should I continue on? Does it get better? Worse? 

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is brought to us by Breaking the Spine. Have an upcoming release your dying to talk about? Join in and make your own Waiting on Wednesday.

The Essence by Kimberly Derting

I know this is early, being that it is not scheduled to be released until January 2013, but I am really excited about it and wanted to share with you.

I just love Kimberly's books and they all get the best covers ever. The Essence is part two in the The Pledge Series.

The Last Echo, also by Kimberly Derting and part three in the The Body Finder series, comes out April 17th 2012. Yay for only having to one more month!

I cannot wait to read what's in store for Violet and Jay. Jay is one of very few human boys I love in books. What can I say...I love the paranormal boys.

In My Mailbox #2

In my Mailbox was inspired by Kristy at The Story Siren. Any one can join in, so if you have new books you want to share please do.

Books featured

The Night Circus
My Soul to Take
Faery Tales & Nightmares
Unearthly
Hallowed

It's Time For A Giveaway!

It's time to celebrate my 300 follower giveaway! It is a combination of the GFC and Feedburner followers. (Hey Blogger's, if you don't use Feedburner you should think about adding it. It lets your non-Google peeps follow your blog through the reader of their choice.)

If you have been following Words Escape Me this week I'm sure you have noticed a recurring theme. That would be the masterpiece known as Unearthly. It was my latest addition to my book recommendations and Tucker Avery is my latest Book Boyfriend.

As with all book's and swoon worthy boys that I love, I want everyone to know about them so they can read and love them too. Today I am giving you the opportunity to win a copy of Cynthia Hands Unearthly.

Already read it you say, well I got that covered. If you have already read Unearthly you can choose the next installment in the series, Hallowed, instead.

So here is the low down:
~This book giveaway is open internationally to any person that lives in a country The Book Depository ships to.
~ Or you can choose the ebook version from Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
~You must be 13 years old or over.

My Book Boyfriend #3

My Book Boyfriend is brought to us by the The Unread Reader. Have a swoon worthy literary character you want to talk about? Don't be afraid to share. Anyone can join in.

This week my Book Boyfriend is Tucker Avery from Unearthly.

He is a horse riding rodeo cowboy from Wyoming. He has some what of a brash exterior to those who do not know him, but once you break through the barrier he will capture your heart. He is an all around good person that always puts the others before himself. He is strong willed, so even though he could be considered the "nice guy", he is not one to be walked on.

 Now for those of you who do not know me so well, I will tell you this. I am obsessed with vampires, faerie's, werewolves and anything that possess powerful magic. So for an actual human to grab my heart...well that is saying something. Like I said in my review of Unearthly, it was his actions that sealed the deal.

Tucker kind of stays in the back ground. But when he sees a damsel in distress he swoops in and saves the day. Even if it is just to keep them from being embarrassed in front of the entire student body at prom.

Tucker is tall with light hair and steely blue eyes. I like to think of him looking like Chase Crawford.

Just Finished Reading...Unearthly

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
published January 2011

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.

I loved this book. I have been in a reading slump lately and Unearthly pulled be right out of it. I really took my time reading this because I wanted it all to sink in. It took me a while to get attached to the story but once I did, it grabbed hold and didn't let me go. The beginning isn't exactly slow but we get a good amount of information given to us. It was not super exciting but a necessary set up.

Unearthly takes place in modern day Wyoming and the setting is beautiful. We do not get a ton of description, but just enough to get a clear picture in your head.

The characters are well developed and easy to get attached to. Clara is a strong girl who may not be exactly happy with her calling but she understands what she has to do and embraces it. Clara knows her purpose, but matters of the heart some times get in the way and that is what really touched me.

In this story we get to meet Tucker Avery. A local cowboy that Clara goes to high school with. I'm having a hard time  talking about this because if I say exactly why I loved him it would spoil a couple of scenes. Tucker must be a very special person. It is not very often I fall in love with the human boy in the story. For once it's not a guys supernatural power that attracted me. It was his personality and his actions that won me over. The ending of the book left with a lot open but it had a satisfying conclusion.

I fully recommend this book and cannot wait to read Hallowed. This book brought out real emotions. I felt happy, worried and I actually felt my heart break at one point. I loved this book. Come back on friday because I will be doing a giveaway in it's honor.

Kindle Versus Kindle

Kindle, Nook, iPad, Touch, Fire, Kobo, Sony AHHHHHHH! How is a person supposed to pick?

I've had hands on experience with three of these electronic devices. My own classic Kindle and iPad. Then my dad's Kindle Fire. I'm not going to cover the technical specifications, or all their features. I'm just pointing out the user (thats you and me) end of things. Here is my opinion for what it's worth.

First, the iPad 2 ~ You have the option to use iBooks, where you buy books from the Apple store. You can also download the Kindle or Nook app and buy books from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. So if you already have a Kindle you can read your book on both devices. It is a good way to share a book with a family member that you may share an account with.

The down side to using it as an ereader is the size and weight. It works good for a short amount of time but if you plan on kicking back for an all day read-a-thon it can get inconvenient. I use it as a part time ereader but mostly for surfing the web and working on my manuscript on the go. Keep in mind the iPad is marketed as a tablet. Being an ereader is not its primary focus, just a bonus.

The Kindle Fire ~ Like the iPad it has a color, back-lit screen, and can access the web. I love the Kindle Fire. It's light, easy to send your books to and fits in your purse. It is very comfortable to hold compared to the iPad.

The down side ~ This applies to both the Fire and iPad. These have glass screens, which gives us very clear, color pictures and video. But along with the clear picture you can also get a pretty bad glare depending on your light source. (notice the glare in the pictures) My favorite spot to read is my over sized chair that sits directly under a recessed light. When I read on my iPad I have to hold it at a certain, unnatural angle to avoid the glare and that gets old. Plus you cannot see the screens in the sun. So if reading outside is your thing these are not for you.

The plus side of the back-lit screen is if you like to read in bed or do not want to disturb anyone else in a room with minimal light, you can see your book perfectly fine. Plus they are touch screen so you can navigate through things with ease.

Kindle ~ The Kindle is lighter than the Fire and is the easiest to hold for long periods of time. It is the same size as the Fire but has a smaller screen. The screen is not back-lit so you need to sit where you would read a paper book. With this screen you can read in the sun. The battery on this work horse lasts about a month.

You can access the web but it not a touch screen so navigating through the web is very inconvenient.

But if I had none, and could only have one, I think I might go with the Fire. I like the screen better on my Kindle but the Fire also lets you access the web. Its fun to check Facebook, and Twitter on and you can even play Angry Birds. (Yes I am simple that way) I guess it depends on your personal needs.

If you have never seen or held an ereader in person head over to Best Buy, they have all of these plus about a hundred others to choose from, including the Nook. You can get hands on experience with them and give them a test run. I know I just scratched the surface on what these can do. I mostly wanted to point out what I consider the most and least convenient points.

If you already have an ereader, what kind is it? What do you like the most/least about it?