Book Reviews by Genre: Fiction

Cline, Ernest
2 stars = Meh
Review:

I read most of it. I was listening to it on eAudio, but it was so long I just couldn't make it to the end. I think this book is aimed at an audience to which I do not belong. Mainly, gamers. I liked the 80s references, but I just couldn't get into the book. Meh. Others may like it, it just wasn't my taste.

Reviewer's Name: vfranklyn
Ruiz Zafón, Carlos
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

This book was amazing! Shadow of the Wind has something for everyone. It is a book within a book and has many parallel stories. It is shadowy, but not vulgar and emotionally disturbing. You will be transported to Barcelona and will be kept on your toes wondering at how the details will work out.
It is great for a book discussion group. Part thriller, mystery, historical fiction with much character development. Not too wordy or detailed.
Enjoy!

Reviewer's Name: Lisa
Young, William
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

The imagination of the author is awesome. After Mack gets an invitation to go to the shack, he encounters a turn-of-events that changed his outlook on life. He was raised with an abusive and left home at an early age. He joined the military got married and life began to happen for him in his senior years. This book has a touch of theology and a connection with God that speaks to anyone's heart. At times I had to keep looking at the fact that this is a fiction book. It made you want to get in touch with God yourself. It kept my attention and anticipation for what was going to happen. I recommend this book for people who need to heal from bad experiences and for those who just want to talk with someone about a good book they have just read.

Reviewer's Name: Gwen
Kingsbury, Karen
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

One Tuesday Morning was recommended to me from my hair dresser and I am thankful to her that she did. Although my husband is not a firefighter, he was an active military man (as a matter of fact reenlisted a month before this attack to the ARMY again) and I knew it would change our personal live very much.
This is the first book I've ever read by Karen Kingsbury, and it was a good one to start with. The story is EXCELLENT and absolutely captivating. It was probably the most heart-wrenching thing I have read in a VERY long time. I can't remember the last book that literally had me choking back tears through a good portion of it!

Set against the backdrop of 9/11, the story is fiction, but could very possibly have happened. In the wake of the 9/11 tragedy and a case of mistaken identity, two families’ lives are completely turned upside down and changed forever. Changed in a way for the worse, but so many ways for the better. Both families learn how to cope. One family must learn how to be a family, while the other family (a close knit family) must learn how to live with sudden and permanent loss. This book will have you giggling one minute and sniffling the next, and then send chills down your spine. I HIGHLY recommend you pick this one up and take the journey I did in a matter of just two weeks (which for me is a very fast read).

That said, I ran out right after the 1st sequel and crapped Beyond Tuesday Morning, and started it right ahead.

Reviewer's Name: Marion
Pötzsch, Oliver
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

Set in the mid-1600, this story revolves around young children who go missing from a small Bavarian village, turn up dead, and a local woman accused of being a witch. The hangman, his daughter, and a local physician become involved in solving this intriguing and suspenseful tale. I love mysteries, suspense, thrillers and historical novels, so this was a fast read that included all elements to my satisfaction. Very much recommend this book!

Reviewer's Name: Margaret
Evanovich, Janet
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

I really enjoy this series by Janet Evanovich. This book is easy to read and fun. Great humor and wit! Very fast paced and the characters are interesting. I'd recommend starting with the first book, One for the Money, and if you like it continue on to Two for the Dough, Three to Get Deadly, etc. etc. I tend to laugh out loud when reading the books. They make me smile! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Reviewer's Name: Bobbi
Genres:
Jackson, Lisa
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

This is a fantastic novel. It will keep you guessing and keep you reading.
Ava is crazy. She started losing her mind after the loss of her son, Noah, two years before the start of the novel. After a stay in a mental hospital, she is back at the family home and trying to put back together her memory. Is Noah still alive?

Reviewer's Name: Raluca
Kinkade, Thomas & Spencer, Katherine
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

In this final book from Thomas Kinkade's "Angel Island" series, Adele Morgans heart is heavy because of a family dispute that has torn her family apart.
She returns to Cape Light at Christmas with hopes of mending the broken relationship between her sons and bringing their families together for the holidays.

Grad student Jonathan Butler also arrive , determined to reveal the fraud surrounding Angel Island’s legend. He meets Tess Wyler, a local undergrad who helps him gather information but it’s only a matter of time before he too falls under the island’s spell and realizes that the proof of Angel Island and Cape Light’s magic lies within.

The Angel Island series is not as spell binding as the Cape Light series but nevertheless, it is an uplifting story that reminds us that God is in control and faith will carry us thru.

Reviewer's Name: Marsha
Quick, Matthew
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

A very well-written book from the perspective of a mentally disturbed man. I like how details gradually came to light about his life and the series of events that led to his current situation. I'm not the biggest football fan, so that storyline fell a little flat for me. I'm a bit peeved that he ruined the endings of A Farewell to Arms and other great literary works that I haven't read yet. Uncool, but I guess the writer has to freedom to do what he wants with his character. It's almost as if the author wanted to add spoilers for great works of literature as a twisted joke. I'm just sayin'...

Reviewer's Name: vfranklyn
Genres:
Walker, Shiloh
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

Stolen is a very emotional story with tons of suspense thrown in. Shiloh Walker is a terrific author and knows how to pull you into a book. I really enjoyed the interaction between the main characters Elliot and Shay.
If you like suspenseful thrillers then this is a great book for you.

Reviewer's Name: Louise
Green, John
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

This is one of the best novels I have ever read, and is easily on my top 5 list of favorites. The author, John Green, earned my respect like Garcia Marquez, Faulkner, and Nabokov have. He is a brilliant writer and storyteller.
What struck me the most about this novel was Green's ability to blur the lines between intangibles that we typically think of as opposite, and clear-cut: pain and comfort, life and death, humor and sadness, rememberance and loss are all topics that Hazel and Augustus and me, myself, as a reader, ponder throughout the narrative. And I shouldn't forget love! What a beautiful and awkward, but intense and unique love. You might find yourself laughing and crying at the same time.
So the novel touched me emotionally...But too intellectually challenge me as well is something that most novelists have a hard time doing. This is the reason I liken Green to great authors whose works are cemented in our history. He questions inevitable death with wit and perception, and in doing that, he examines with a microscope the life that leads us to it.

Reviewer's Name: Mallory
Genres:
Reilly, Matthew
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

An exciting adventure that takes you all across the globe! A mix between Indiana Jones and The DaVinci Code. Discover ancient secrets and avoid deadly booby traps as you join Jack West Jr. in his search for the seven wonders.

Reviewer's Name: Sara
Collins, Suzanne
1 star = Yuck!
Review:

If I had not been pressured to finish the series, I would've never read this book. Seriously.
So the first book of the series was pretty good. I mean, the author could work on her descriptions and character development, but it really drew you in and had a good cliffhanger (though I've found way better ones).
Then there was the second book. Getting kind of...overdramatic, but it was okay. There was more action in it and there was another decent cliffhanger.
Then there just HAD to be the third novel. That just ruined it. The love affairs were WAY to overdramatized, the descriptions were TERRIBLE, and the storyline went everywhere. I constantly found myself reading entire chapters ten times over to at least get a sense of what was going on. It was totally cliche and repetetive and all these characters died for no reason at all. The epilogue was absolutely sappy and cheesy and way too predictable. Katniss is the worst herione ever and I don't respect anything about her.
Overall, a terrible book and not worth your time to read. Collins has made an extremely sloppy conclusion to her popular teen series and she should SERIOUSLY consider rewriting this novel, if not the whole series.

Reviewer's Name: Cardcaptor
Butcher, Jim
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

While not as good as previous Dresden adventures Cold Days is a welcome return to Harry's universe. It's always nice to visit with Harry and his friends. He always manages to find himself in the most precarious of situations. And even though it's no surprise that he always gets out of trouble it's still nice to see how he accomplishes it.

Reviewer's Name: Michael
Anaya, Rudolfo
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

This is a fantastic experience of Mexican American culture and the richness and differences it presents. Antonio shares his many "growing up" experiences and dificulties with Ultima, an old curandera (healer) who has insight, influence and wisdom.

Reviewer's Name: Lisa
Genres:
Kibler, Julie
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

When I finished this book, I just sat back and said "Wow." That pretty much sums up the entire novel. What an amazingly beautiful and sad love story, not only between Isabelle and Robert, but also the friendship between Dorrie and Isabelle. This is definitely a book I will be recommending!

Reviewer's Name: Krista
Genres:
McGuire, Seanan
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

The most recent in the October Daye series, Ashes of Honor was incredibly difficult to put down. Like all of the books in the series, McGuire keeps the action going with a mixture of faerie mythology and mystery with Shakespeare references thrown in. A great read for fans of urban fantasy with an awesome heroine. I also loved that the author includes a pronunciation guide at the beginning of each book.

Reviewer's Name: Becca
Genres:
Arvin, Nick
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

This book offers a interesting look into the terrifying world that young Americans encountered during WWII warfare. The story is told from a 18 year old small-town Iowa farm boy who is sent to combat in France. Fear quickly consumes George's world as he reacts to the unimaginable devastation around him. I immediately became intrigued with George's situation making it hard to put this novel down. The book is a short but powerful read, and there is much to be said about its honest look at the harrowing realities that people, turned soldiers, experience during wartime.

Reviewer's Name: Curtis
King, Laurie R.
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

After reading the classic Sherlock Holmes stories, Laurie R. King wondered what would a woman with a mind like Sherlock Holmes be like? Then she wondered what would happen if they met each other? And so the Mary Russell series of mysteries was born.... The story begins with Holmes retired from London and keeping bees in the country. Russell is walking across the fields with her face in a book, preparing for her university entrance exams. She very nearly steps on him. This is a wonderful book for anyone who enjoyed the original stories, but would like to consider how Holmes would function during the years before, during, and after World War I.

First in the Mary Russell series. Mystery--Historical Mystery--Psychological Suspense.

Reviewer's Name: Karen
Genres:
Heller, Jason
3 stars = Pretty Good
Review:

Timely in publication date if not when I read it, Taft explores politics and the state of America as seen through the eyes of a freshly woken William Howard Taft. The alternate reality aspects of the story are glossed over, which I was disappointed by, and the author seems to have a personal vendetta against processed foods, which seemed shoehorned into a story where it didn't belong, but overall, I don't want the time it took me to read this story back, which is fairly high praise.

Reviewer's Name: Dennis
Genres: