I received a copy of this through early reviewers, but unfortunately I can't give it more than 2 stars. I was just so disappointed! :-( The first third or so of this book was amazing, I read it very quickly and it created enough suspense that I was rearranging my schedule so that I could read more. But then it just STOPPED.... Suddenly it was pages of slow dialog, description, and musings. It ended up being such a disappointment I had to struggle to finish it.

Sorry to give what seemed like such a great premise just 2 stars.

I'm finding it difficult to decide how many stars to give this book. I remember reading Archangel in '97, when it was first released, and it becoming one of my favorites to reread. However, that was a long time ago, and I was in high school and things have changed a *little* bit since then!

I remember loving the romance aspects of Archangel, aspects that I remember being somewhat disappointed with in the next two books of the trilogy. (Jovah's Angels and The Alleluia Files). And I remember loving the small trips into the philosophy of religion that Shinn included. Most of all, I think I was enamored with the cross of a fantasy and a romance, something that I must not have come across before Sharon Shinn.

Now, hundreds of books later, I feel as though I've read a completely different book! I don't hate it, or even dislike it, but the romance that I used to reread for seems to be old news to me! :-( However, as an older (and hopefully wiser!) reader, I think I enjoy Shinn's writing style much more. And the forays into the history and formation of religion? I wish there were more! (Which there are in the 2 sequels.)

Official opinion:
Younger readers or readers not as familiar to the fantasy/romance crossover genre should def. read Archangel.
More diverse readers might want to read Archangel as well, but more likely as a means to move onto Jovah's Angel and the Alleluia Files. The gem will be a combination of the 3 for you.

Sure to be a great seller for Cashore's first novel. It's gotten a lot of buzz from the ARCs that went out, but in my opinion, suffers from competing with The Hunger Games (Collins), which coincided both with the ARCs and pub date. Many people I speak to seem to be reading the two almost as a pair, and it defiantly does a disservice to Graceling.

Graceling was a great book to take me back to my childhood. Tamora Pierce's Song of the Lioness quartet seems to be an inevitable comparison. None-the-less, while I feel that Pierce's writing has taken a different turn in recent years, I'm glad to have found Graceling; A book the brings back a realistic, strong, female protagonist. It's a nice refresher to the Bella Swan's who've been dominating the YA scene for a while. Katsa is both physically and mentally strong, yet she knows she has room to grow in the mental sense. She can be entirely independent and her own woman, yet she doesn't fall into the trap of never being able to ask for help or rely on any man, (a trait which I find extremely counterproductive and unrealistic in many of the more feminist fantasy novels). He cast of supporting characters are diverse, and everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. In short, I believe Katsa is an attainable and realistic role model, and also a character that will be envied by many teens and adults alike!

....But really, go pick up a copy of The Hunger Games at some point, as well, ok?

I was looking for something more like Kathryn Harrison's books and was sorely disappointed with this one. This is a story that will definitely appeal to many true crime readers, especially those who have taken an interest in some of the recent polygamist sect/family controversies of which there are clear psychological and physical similarities to. However, I felt that a personal connection was missing. It's obviously a tragic story, and it is told in great graphic detail, but the author failed to relate the victims (or anyone for that matter!) back to either herself or someone the average person could relate to. The killer is one-dimensional and the surviving victims seem to be mostly without relatable characteristics.

So I suggest picking up Harrison's While They Slept instead.

Clearly written, informative, and mostly unbiased text. I did not, however, appreciate the "First Encounter" section of each chapter, which attempted to provide some sort of mystical, meditation on important aspects of each religion. The writing in these sections seemed overly wordy and cheesy to me; I felt as though the book was expecting me to be sitting on the floor and burning incense in order to start my own mystical, coming-of-age journey.

Probably one of the most comprehensive collections of quotations I have ever come across. Over 20,000 quotes organized by subject and then alphabetically by author. Subject headings also include "See Also" lists of other related subjects. For example the subject heading "Nobility" has the subject headings of "Aristocracy", "Class", and "Leaders" listed under it. Also includes both a subject and author index. Organizationally perfect but lacks some of the lighter, more humorous quotations.

Very humorous collection of quotations taken from a variety of people and whittled down to a very manageable number of the best. But don't look for any very serious or deeply metaphorical quotations here, this is strictly a book of off-the-cuff and/or witty one-liners. The most difficult thing to deal with was the "stream of consciousness" way that Robert Byrne chose to organize all of the quotations. There is an index at the end of the book, but those of us who hear the word "fluffy" and think "pillow", may be confused by Byrne's answering with "rabbits".

My first apartment cookbook. Previously I considered myself past the reach of help, but this cookbook made things very simple and comprehendible. Pros: Dishes are generally cheap, quick (with the exception of stews), and only have few steps. Various, short quick-reference chapters preface the recipes, which include tips on spices, substitutions, and cuts of meat. Cons: It's a fairly small book, there's a lot of international (esp asian style) cuisine and those whom are less into adventure may want to look elsewhere. There were also not a lot of sweets or desserts to satisfy my, perhaps overactive, sweet-tooth.

Great kid-friendly version of Lynne Truss' original!

I actually gave this abridged version a higher rating because I thought it was important to reward (in any small way I can!) a book that has the potential of positively effecting children's language and grammar skills.

I actually found this text to be extremely disorganized and difficult to comprehend. It seemed that in an effort to simplify the text and make it universally marketable, the author/editor tried to "dumb-down" much of the language. I found that some of the writing looked like it was marketed to a young high school audience, while other parts, although still using elementary language, were jumbled or repetitive or simply incomprehensible.

Could have benefited greatly from a better organized chapter and heading system, as well as a better editor in general!

Hilarious for all of us who go through the day mentally correcting the grammar and sentence structure of others! You're not alone!

That being said, I would also look into the children's version of this book. I felt it warranted a higher rating since it might actually influence kids' speech and writing.

A pretty straightforward intro text to music theory. Used in combination with the Listen DVD and 6 CD set for an elective undergraduate class, and was extremely helpful in demonstrating and explaining musical concepts to my unmusically inclined brain!