Monday, August 6, 2012

Book Review(s)

I can't believe it's already been a month since Kadie and Jenny's last readalong linky party.  Time flies faster in the summer, don't you think?


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I wanted to read Game of Thrones but couldn't find it available at the library so I switched gears and decided to try out a Kelley Armstrong series that I just heard about (where have I been?).


I started with The Gathering.

Amazon link

This is a young adult book.  Our heroine is Maya.  She was adopted as a baby, has a birthmark that looks exactly like a paw print, and believes she has native blood. She lives in a very small medical research town with less than 200 people and lots of security and protocols.

The book starts with Maya's best friend (who is the captain of the swim team) drowning right beside Maya in a perfectly calm lake.  Weird things continue to happen as Maya starts to notice the animals in her sanctuary are healing extraordinarily quickly under her care, mountain lions seem to be appearing more often around her, and her friends are developing interesting skills and behaviours.

It seems that instead of answers about these strange events, Maya only ends up with more questions.  This novel ends with the group being caught in a huge forest fire and trying to escape.

This book was great.  It was fast-paced and believable with lots of action.  The characters were developed well so that they appeared fleshed out and real, and I cared about what happened to all of them.

This book took me two days to read.  I couldn't put it down without wondering what was going to happen next.  I immediately picked up the second book in the series.

The Calling.  

Amazon link
SPOILER ALERT - I can't figure out how to review this without revealing from the previous book.  :)

The book starts where The Gathering left off, with the teens trying to escape the forest fire.  They are whisked away on a helicopter only to find themselves kidnapped.  By whom? They're not sure.

They escape their would-be captors but have to use their knowledge of the forest landscape and their recently discovered skills to further evade capture.

As the group works together to avoid being caught, they learn more about themselves including that they all seem to have some sort of powers or skills.  Maya learns that she is a skin-walker and will one day shift into a mountain lion.

Again this is an action-packed thrill ride.  I found myself feeling genuine pangs of despair, fear and joy while reading.  This book I finished in one sitting.  I stayed up into the wee hours of the morning because, again, I couldn't stop thinking about what was going to happen next - what will they do now? how will they get out of this predicament? etc.

The next morning, I went back ran to the library to get the third book only to find out that it is not being released until 2013.  What? I couldn't believe it.  Really? 2013?

So, while I would DEFINITELY recommend these books, it is nearly going to kill me to have to wait until the third book comes out so I might suggest waiting until then before you start the series.  And when you do, block out 3 days with no plans but reading.  :)

For this month, I am tackling:

Chapters link

What are you reading right now?








9 comments:

Tina Bradley said...

I'm actually reading one I think you noted as a fave a while back--Writing the Bones Down (and, love it!). T.

Danni@SiloHillFarm said...

Sounds kind of interesting! I love a fast read, if it's a good read! Currently reading "What Alice Forgot"...it's pretty funny!

Carol-Anne said...

I loved Memoirs of a Geisha! The others you mentioned are too 'science fiction/fantasy' for me. I wish I did like those books, because EVERYONE is reading them, it seems.

I'm loving this new blog format of yours...

Unknown said...

Ooooh I have seen those books and thought about reading them! I think I need to go back to the library and check them out.:) I'm all for a quickie these days. ;0)

Magic Love Crow said...

These books sound great! I wish I could ease my mind, to read! I do have a few books on the go, but then I decide to paint instead of read! LOL! I have to find a balance ;o) Take Care ;o)

Macey said...

Alright, despite the girl on the second book cover looking like J. Lo I'm going to add them to my GoodReads. LOL
I have the Geisha book but need to read it still!
Also Game of Thrones is on my list. :)

Adrianne Surian said...

I sampled Game of Thrones on my Kindle... I don't know if I can get into it. I'm trying. I'm maybe 25 pages in, and I've put it down 3 times... doesn't bode well.

Your choices sound like something I might like, though! In all my free time, perhaps I'll check them out. ;)

Paper And Ponder said...

Terry, Hope you enjoy Memoirs Of A Geisha. It's been a while, but I enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing some of your other reads, too! One of our book club members mentioned the Game Of Thrones series last weekend, but they're too long for our club as we try to pick books around 300 pages or so. Next on our club's list is State Of Wonder by Ann Patchett. Sitting on my nightstand to read outside of book club are Midnight Cactus by Bella Pollen & The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton.

Jenny said...

I'm looking forward to reading your review Terry!! I absolutely LOVED this book!!