Celebrities read childrens books

My awesome sister found a cool site for me to put on here. It is a site where celebrities read childrens books. Some of the celebrities that read are Elijah Wood, Amanda Bynes, Camryn Manheim, and James Earl Jones.

Here is the site: storylineonline.net

Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison

Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison

published by EOS
Genre: Adult paranormal

$25.99 (hardcover)

FTC: I bought this book and will not be receiving compensation for reviewing this book

**Note** While I normally review mostly YA, this is an Adult book.

What it's about (from the book sleeve):
Rachel Morgan has fought and hunted vampires, werewolves, bandshees, demons, and other supernatural dangers as both witch and bounty hunter--and lived to tell the tale. But she's never faced off against her own kind...until now. Denounced and shunned for dealing with demons and black magic, her best hope is life imprisonment--at worst, a forced lobotomy and genetic slavery. Only her enemies are strong enough to help her win her freedom, but trust comes hard when it hinges on the unscrupulous tycoon Trent Kalamack, the demon Algaliarept, and an ex-boyfriend turned thief.

It takes a witch to catch a witch, but survival bears a heavy price.

My thoughts:

You can never go wrong with a Kim Harrison book. It is just not possible.

This is the 8th book in Harrison's Hollows series and it is by far the darkest, strangest, most exciting book in the whole series.

Rachel's character always seems to be in so much trouble. The second she finally gets out of a little trouble, she lands in even more. This book is all about Rachel and no one else. I don't think that has ever happened in any of the other books in the series. Rachel's character grows and developes more in this book than she has in all the other books combined.

I love Harrison's writing style. She's very descriptive but in a way that actually makes sense. I am always able to completely picture what all the characters and places look like and what is happening. I can't say that about all the authors I read. Harrison's writing is fun and imaginative. She adds in little things you wouldn't expect characters to say.

This book had everything in it: action, horror, laughter, sorrow, and love. I couldn't have asked for a better book.

my rating: 11/10. Yes, that's right, I loved it that much.

**Side Note** to anyone living around the Portland Oregon area, Kim Harrison will be doing a book signing at the Powells in Beaverton on March 25th. More information on her site.

Gone by Michael Grant

Gone by Michael Grant

published by Harper Teen
Genre: YA

$9.99 (paperback)

FTC: I'm not receiving compensation for reviewing this book

What it's about from the back of the book:

In the blink of an eye. Everyone disappears. GONE. Everyone except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not a single adult. no teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Gone, too, are the phones, internet, and television. There is no way to get help.

Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents--unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers--that grow stronger by the day.

It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen and war is imminent.

The first in a breathtaking saga about teens battling each other and their darkest selves, Gone is a page-turning thriller that will make you look at the world in a whole new way.

My Thoughts:

I can't decide if I like this book or not. I've thought about it and can not fully decide how I feel about it.

Most of the main characters I liked fairly well. This however does not include the best friend, Quinn. This character drove me nuts and most of the time I was hoping something would happen to him. He had his moments, but most of the time he was a frustrating character.

This book was not for the faint of heart. There was violent deaths, babies dying, kids having their arms sawed off, and so on. There was some parts of the book that I actually felt physically nauseous reading it. The book was so intense and horrifying during most parts.

I am extremely curious to why everyone disappeared and why the barrier was put up, but I am afraid that by the end of the book, it took a nasty turn into something I didn't like. While I want to know what happens, I am not willing to read six books (yes, the series is going to be six books long) at over 600 pages per book to find out the answer. I don't know if I will even continue the series past the first book or not.

My rating: 7/10?

Reincarnation by Suzanne Weyn

Reincarnation by Suzanne Weyn

Published by Scholastic Inc
Genre: YA

$8.99 (paperback)

FTC: I borrowed this book from a friend who did not receive it from a publisher.

Product Description:

From prehistory to the present, theirs was a love for the ages. It starts with a fight in a cave over an elusive green jewel...and then travels over time and lies to include Egyptian slaves, Greek temples, Massachusetts witch trials, Civil War battlefields, Paris on the eve of World War II, America in the 1960's... and a pair of modern-day teenagers. For readers who believe that love is stronger than time or death, this is an unforgettable novel from a wonderful storyteller.

My thoughts:

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about this book is "wow." some of the characters past lives were very strange, like the cave men. There were many times that I was confused to what was going on in the story. This was mostly after a death and before a reincarnation. The letters from people could be confusing and not needed. There were also some time framing errors in these letters as well. some of the life cycles that were there did not seem very important at all, but were there to fill up for longer periods of time. What I really did like about the story is how little pieces of what happened in past lives would affect the next life. Like how the boy always had headaches and the girl had a bad ankle and a fear of fire. having all the lives connected by simple things like the love of emeralds or a pair of earrings was precious. I would have liked to see the ending go on for alittle while longer. I felt that it was rushed and was disappointed that there wasn't any narration from the boys perspective.

My rating: 6.5/10

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

published by Graphia
Genre: YA

$8.99 (paperback)

FTC: I'm not receiving compensation for reviewing this book

What it's about from the back of the book:

Marrying a vampire definitely doesn't fit into Jessica Packwood's senior-year "get a life" plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth and he's her long-lost fiance. Armed with newfound confidence and a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Tenn Vampire's Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica makes a dramatic transition from average American teenager to glam European vampire princess. But Jessica has never even been kissed--how can she possibly commit herself to a long-term relationship? Or an eternal relationship, for that matter?

My thoughts:

This book was...special.

It took me until about half way through the book, if not longer, for me to even like Jessica's character. Her character acted like most teenage girls would, but it didn't mean that it didn't annoy the crap out of me. Lucius's character wasn't much better.

While I did root for Jessica and Lucius to get together, I never really did feel the love between them. It was more like Fantaskey was telling me they were in love, but never really showed it. One second Jessica hates Lucius, and the next she is madly in love with him. It was odd.

Another part that I wasn't buying was Frank "thick head." It was too easy for the bully of the school. Let's just say, I don't think his character could do the things he did and the vampires would not have made it so easy for him.

Jessica's Guide was pretty much a mix between Wuthering Heights and Dracula. I find that the mix of those two books did not really make a compelling story.

One thing I could not get over was all the vegan bashing this book did. It was a little over the top and something that Fantaskey does not seem to fully understand. Me being an ex vegan clouded my views on this and I took part of it personally.

My Rating: 6/10

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: the Lightning Thief Movie

Percy Jackson and the Olympians the Lightning Thief

The Movie

Directed by Chris Columbus
Some of the cast:
Percy Jackson: Logan Lerman
Grover: Brandon T. Jackson
Annabeth: Alexandra Daddario
Luke: Jake Abel
Zeus: Sean Bean
Chiron: Pierce Brosnan

I am a huge fan of the of the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan and couldn't believe how excited I was for this movie. Was the excitment worth it? Very much so. Did the movie stick very close to the book? No. I would give it about a 50% for sticking to the book.

Couple main things that are different:

1) Percy's age. In the book, Percy is 12 years old. In the movie he is in high school.
2)How Percy, Annabeth, and Grover get across the country.
3)Character descriptions. Besides the age difference, Annabeth does not have blonde hair, and the most obvious difference is that Grover is black.
I personally loved the people they picked to play the characters. Logan as Percy was the perfect pick along with Brandon as Grover. They really seemed to understand their characters and had fun with them.

While I was a little upset about a few of the things left out, I couldn't deny that they were not necessary for the movie. The movie probably wouldn't have worked as well if they had tried to keep everything in it. Chris Columbus seemed to be going for the main feel of the book without keeping it at the same age level. This is a movie that is both enjoyable for a younger audience just as much as it is enjoyable for an older audience.

I recommend that before seeing the movie, read the book. Everything will make more sense. Plus, the book is amazing and everyone should read it anyways.

here is the official trailer for the movie.

The Demon's Librarian by Lilith Saintcrow

The Demon's Librarian by Lilith Saintcrow

published by Imajinn books
Genre: Adult paranormal

$14 (paperback)

FTC: I bought this book blah blah blah, not getting money for my review, blah blah blah.

What it's about from the back of the book:

Demons are preying on schoolchildren in her city, so Francesca Barnes does what any red-blooded librarian would do--she does some research and goes hunting. But the books she finds in a secret cache don't tell her the whole story. Chess has no idea what she's just stepped into or just how special she is.

Orion is Drakul, part demon, and a loyal servant of the Order. he doesn't expect a motorcycle-riding librarian to be messing around with demonic forces, and he doesn't expect her to smell so damn good. But Ryan's got bigger problems. His partner has disappeared, and the forces of Darkness are rising.

Now Chess is Ryan's only hope of finding his partner, and Ryan is Chess's only hope of survival because the demons now know Chess exists and that she is the heir to a long-lost power that could push back their dark tide. If Ryan can keep her alive long enough, she just might be the key to destroying the demons completely. But Ryan doesn't know he's been betrayed by the very Order he serves. And if Chess does, by some miracle survive, he won't ever be able to touch her again...

My Thoughts:

After typing up what the book is about, I just realized it gives away almost everything.

The last thing I thought I'd say about this book is that it is cute, but it really is. It was totally adorable. The way Chess and Ryan are so protective of each other is gut renchingly cute. Their relationship is an odd one born from fear and forbiddenness.

I have read Lilith Saintcrow's YA series, Strange Angels, and had a hard time following what was going on. She would jump around and all the sudden a character would be somewhere and you'd be going "wait, I thought they were still at the mall?" and would have to reread the whole section. That was not a problem in this book. For the most part it was pretty easy to follow. I did have some trouble understanding why the Inkani wanted her, and why the Order doesn't want Drakul to be around women, but it wasn't that bad and I could still move on with the story. I think my not fully understanding those things was due to me reading the book too fast and not from the writing itself.

I loved the inner monologes the characters would say and the fact that the story was both from Ryan's and Chess's point of views. It would not have worked as well if it had only been from one of the characters point of views. After being in Ryan's head and moving to Chess's, it was hard not to yell at her character and say "what are you doing? He obviously loves you! kiss him for god's sake!"

I really enjoyed this book and wish that it was a series, but alas, it is not.

My rating: 9/10