Firstly, is this a contemporary or historical piece? what year is this story set in? Because they talk about new comers bringing the faith to the community as if they are living in the 17th century. But if it is present day, why do they live like that: with healers, magic bath and skinwalkers?

I wished Brothwell had explained in what kind of century this story was taking place, although I figured it to be present day because at some point I read Sarah drove a Honda Civic…

Also, Sarah is at a campsite when she hears a soft cry for help. She sprints into the woods chasing after the cry and after TEN MINUTES walk she gets to where the cry is coming from…
Nobody else sees anything wrong with this? Unless she has bionic hearing like Superman, how did she hear that cry from so far away?

Then Sarah meets Evan and every time they touch she feels like flying and has fainting spells that last mini-seconds. When she comes back to she reputedly asks “what did just happen”?
Well, didn’t you figure it out the first time?

What I liked: hhmmm… I guess her indigo eyes…..

This review is on my blog http://onlectus.blogspot.com/2012/07/three-stories-that-didnt-work-for-me.htmlTh... for visiting!Meredith and Mallory are mirror twins born on either side of midnight on New Year’s Eve. They also happen to have magical powers. Sounds interesting, right?The problem? Well, the story gets confusing when within a dialog the names change from Mallory to Mally to Mal (all the same person). At the beginning I couldn't make sense of Meredith - Merry - Mer but then I figured they were all the same twin.I got fed up with having to keep up with the names and the names of the other characters as well.I was really enjoying the book at the beginning but when I started to get mixed up with the nicknames I lost interest and put it down.

This review is on my blog http://onlectus.blogspot.com/2012/07/three-stories-that-didnt-work-for-me.htmlTh... for visiting!What a disappointment this book is. It started really catching: they year is 1692 and 14 children accused as witches in Salem were banished and sent to die in a harsh winter. But they didn’t (die, that is), they survived and gained strange powers that they passed on to their children.Present day: one of those children, Sadie, decides to leave the community and see the world. The problem? She is extremely beautiful, men can’t stop staring at her and women are jealous of her beauty. Yet, somehow, she can pass by "normal” amongst us. The book is totally insipid and the story is lame. I didn't have the stomach to finish this X-men-wanna be.

This review is also on my blog http://onlectus.blogspot.com/2012/07/three-stories-that-didnt-work-for-me.htmlI picked this book because some reviews compare it to Hunger Games. But I have to say that the only similarity between these two is that both books are about fighting/surviving for entertainment.In a decimated America, 17 year old Brooke survives hiding with her little sister. But when her sister is taken away, Brooke takes on a deadly path to rescue her.The problem? That Brooke is pretty much Xena, the warrior princes, in a small frame. Really, I would not have been surprised if at the end Brooke turned out not to be human.Not to say I couldn't finish the book! Come on, for a simple girl to kill like that without super powers? No way, at least Xena is in mythological times so anything can happen.This other review share my feelings exactly… minus the Twilight part, of course!

This is the link to the review on my blog http://onlectus.blogspot.com/2012/07/fault-in-our-stars-by-john-green.htmlMeet Hazel, diagnosed with thyroid cancer at 12 and ready to die.While reading the beginning of the book I felt a “click” with the story that ended when Hazel met Gus at Cancer Support Group (apparently people who suffer the cancer have a massive vocabulary, especially teenagers).Are you supposed to like a book just because it is about cancer and dying teenagers? Some readers love this book so much that they get offended if you don’t. I feel the book said too much and nothing at the same time.Sadly, the story didn’t work for me. I did not enjoy the story within the story of the book (the writer, the fictional book...). I feel it was too fast paced. I mean, not that the book had to be only about sickness and that, but I didn't get this "An Imperial Affection" mystery/conflict.I did feel sad and almost like crying at one point or two, but that wasn’t enough to make like the book.I’m including the links of some other readers who did not enjoy “the fault in our stars” either. Some of them express my sentiments perfectly; others add to it. But since I can’t just copy them, here and here is what they said.

I REALLY love the first three books. They kept me wanting more and more....But this 4th book kind of bored me. He keeps introducing new characters and making the story longer.

It is hard to think that a teenager can go through so much and not do anything about it. But then, she was taken at the age of 10, thus for five years Ray has been molding Alicia to be the way she is now.Some times I got frustrated and annoyed because I felt that Alicia should've had said something. And the people around her? Yes, we are like that, we see a kid on the street and we don't ask anything because we don't want to get involved. After reading this book I'm ready to not take appearances for granted anymore. Yes, the book is great, it made want to scream and yell at Alicia for being so numb; it made feel sad, enraged and vengeful. It also made realize I have to have a serious talk with my son about talking to strangers.

This is not a book about zombies, so if you are gonna read it because of that, you'll be disappointed. This book is about a girl so dead inside that she wishes to join those dead outside.I liked the way Summers kept focus on Sloane and the guys stuck in the school and did not add another story to the main story.Definitely a page turning with all the elements that make you love and hate (Trace) a book.

We all know that Chelsea Handler is a compulsive liar with delirious of big boobs. Why write her lies when she could have written much better herself? Seriously, everybody wants to make money with a book now?Don't waste your time reading it. I gave it two stars because Chelsea wrote the intro and she's on the cover.

Interesting but left a lot of things out that one would like to know... or maybe that was the point for a sequel?

And fine final book for this trilogy. I wasn't disappointed one bit.

This is a powerful world that Ness has created. I am totally drawn into the story and characters. This second book is even better than the first one. Suspenseful, thrilling. I am really looking forward for the third book and anything written by him.

I am ambivalent about this book. The story is good (escaping from the walking dead) but it bored me to death! I can't even quite explain why I was fed up with it. I reckon it will make a good movie, though; teenagers running away from the crazies (like that other movie).

As good as the first one!

I just looooove this book. I read it a long time ago and I'm reading it again. I haven't found another book that funy, well, except "Spud"

Chelsea is... well, Chelsea. I love her from all sides.

This is a classic. I was like "ok, another holocaust book" until I reached the end. I did not expect that! And afterwards I couldn't stop thinking about it over and over... and over.

Really lovely. I couldn't stop reading!

I read it because of the buzz around it. I did not "not like" it, but I didn't like it either. Now I can say, "that book? Yes, I read it". But really, I don't know what all the mayhem was about. I guess I wasn't "mature" enough to appreciate the soul searching journey.

I did enjoy the story but for God's sake! Did Jamie need to suffer sooo much? I would like to read the following books but I'm afraid of doing so because I cannot take his suffering any more.

You can read this review on my blog http://onlectus.blogspot.com/2012/07/messengers-handbook-by-pamela-dumond.html How to start reviewing a book you don’t like? There, I said it from the beginning so you don’t have to read through the end to find that out.The prologue starts promising, with Madeline (or Abigail) running in the forest trying to reach a spot that would take her time traveling. I just got excited with this opening … to become quickly bored with the rest of the book.Thanks to a “lucky” accident, Madeline travels 300 years back in time. “Outlander” by Diana Gabaldon, anyone? Unlike Gabaldon’s story, Madeline is no outlander as she lands in the Rhode Island, US, of 1675, the sole survivor of a massacre and a war going between the Wampanoag Natives and subjects of King Charles II. Oddly enough, once she’s kind of figured she has time traveled, you’d think she’d be discreet about it, but no, she tells everything to a woman that, also oddly enough, believes her flat out. Really, no questions of where are you coming from…?Oh, yes! There is a romance going on between a 300 years –younger?- boy and Madeline (now Abigail). So probably you will enjoy how they fell in love 300 years ago. Obviously, I fast forwarded the get it over with. Oh! Yes, the book also has other little mysteries such as the disappearance of Madeline’s mother during a car accident (however, it doesn’t take a genius to put 2 and 2 together). So, sadly, because I bought show more the book, I stopped reading at 34% (in my Kindle). No, I do not wish to know how it ends. Period. show less

This review is also on my blog http://onlectus.blogspot.com/2012/07/empty-chairs-by-stacey-danson.htmlThis book is not for the faint of heart. I was taken aback since the very third paragraph. I have read a couple of books on this topic but never felt what I felt while reading this book. I was enraged and not sure at whom (Gwen or the perverts?).If you can stomach reading about a 5-year old girl being abused (from all sides and forms) then by all means read the book. But if the very thought of child molestation infuriates and disgusts you, then just don’t.I literally had to read most sentences thrice to make sure that what I was reading was actually written. “He burnt the inside of my vagina with a cigarette butt…” Yes, that is what’s going on in this story. The language is real, without the euphemisms of words, and sometimes cruel.At age 11 she ran away and lived on the streets. How does an 11-year old girl survive on her own? Well, read the book.This book reminds of “Living dead girl” as regards the degradation of a young soul, however Danson’s story is real and Scott’s is fictional.Some Amazon reviewers gave one star to the book because “it has not ending.” Well, it does have an ending; I just don’t know how you missed it. If you are reading a book and all it has is about 10 pages left to end…, I think that is a pretty good indicator that the story is about to finish, and soon. It didn’t finish the way you expected? Well, that it’s a show more different story. But that is salvaged with “Faint Echoes of Laughter” Danson’s second book.Readers wanted to know what happened to Gwen and her friends and how she kept on. The answer is here. show less