Review ~ Nomansland by Lesley Hauge

TITLE: Nomansland
AUTHOR: Lesley Hauge
COPYRIGHT: 2010
TYPE: YA fantasy
PAGES: 256
SERIES: I am not for sure but I would assume it could be

REASON FOR READ: Saw it at http://www.lurvalamode.com/ and thought if she was interested then I should be too!

SUMMARY: {From Goodreads}
Sometime in the future, a lonely, windswept island is populated solely by women. Among these women is a group of teenaged Trackers—expert equestrians and archers—whose job is to protect their shores from the enemy. The enemy, they’ve been told, is men. When these girls come upon a partially buried home from the distant past, they are fascinated by the strange objects—high-heeled shoes, teen magazines, make-up—found there. What are they to make of these mysterious things? And what does it mean for their strict society where friendship is forbidden and rules must be obeyed—at all costs?

THOUGHTS/OPINION:.
I am actually conflicted on this book. Part of me really liked the thought behind it, the fact it wasn’t same old same old, and it had a nice little twist. That being said however, part of me didn’t like it and I can’t exactly tell you why.

Things I enjoyed:
I liked how she portrayed the future in such a different way it made you wonder some things.
I did like the main characters both old and new.
And I even have to admit that the YAs didn’t annoy me like they usually do. I thought all the YAs were well fleshed out and mature for their environment which has been a pleasant experience.
I did like how the author took time to let you get to know all the Trackers in the group and I really felt as if I was experiencing things fresh or if I hadn’t been exposed to all the media like current maybe that is how I would’ve reacted.

Things I didn’t care for:
Again I’m caught I can’t really place what it is about this book that I didn’t enjoy. Obviously I kept reading it. Obviously my interested was peaked so what is it about this particular book that leaves me indifferent? No idea but I found I just couldn’t really connect with anyone and I wonder if that’s b/c the world building and characterization was so good I just found it so difficult to really connect to someone.

Are you keeping it or passing it on? Keeping it until I can place where I want it to go.

Would you recommend this book? Yes I think I would to anyone who enjoys fantasy and YA.

Challenge
100+ book challenge

Boyfriend of the Week ~ Jake Gyllenhall

Rowena over at Everyday Wena has a Eye Candy Friday tradition. And every Friday she puts up her latest hottie of the week.

Today's Hottie in honor of Prince of Persia is.... Jake Gyllenhall

I can't determine if I like him clean shaved, long haired or just gruffy. Hell who am I kidding I'll take all of the above...

Here's a hint for next week our Eye Candy is in Sunshine (the movie I will be reviewing and he is also the next Capt. America!)

Dead Witch Walking

TITLE: Dead Witch Walking
AUTHOR: Kim Harrison
COPYRIGHT: 2004
TYPE: Urban Fantasy
PAGES; 416
SERIES: Yeah
1. Dead Witch Walking
2. The Good, The Bad, and the Undead
3. Every Which Way but Dead
4. A Fist Full of Charms
5. For a Few Demons More (DIK Challenge)
6. The Outlaw Demon Wails
7. White Witch Black Curse
8. Black Magic Sanction

REASON FOR READING: on my TBR pile and I figured since book 5 is in my DIK reading list I should start the series.

SUMMARY: {From Goodreads}
The underground population of witches, vampires, werewolves—creatures of dreams and nightmares—has lived beside humans for centuries, hiding their powers. But after a genetically engineered virus wipes out a large part of humanity, many of the "Inderlanders" reveal themselves, changing everything.
Rachel Morgan, witch and bounty hunter with the Inderland Runner Services, is one of the best at apprehending supernatural lawbreakers throughout Cincinnati, but when it comes to following the rules, she falls desperately short. Determined to buck the system, she quits and takes off on the run with an I.S. contract on her head and is reluctantly forced to team up with Ivy, Inderland's best runner . . . and a living vampire. But this witch is way out of her league, and to clear her name, Rachel must evade shape-changing assassins, outwit a powerful businessman/crime lord, and survive a vicious underground fight-to-the-death . . . not to mention her own roommate.

THOUGHTS/OPINION:
I have to say I did like this book. It took awhile to get sucked in but once I did I raced out and bought the rest in the series. (I only had book 1 and 2) Anywho I do like the world that Ms. Harrison has made and I have to admit I wish I had read it early. While I don't know where she is heading I am curious to see where Ms. Harrison will send us on this journey.

Things I liked:
The world itself is pretty cool. I like how she explained Supernaturals coming out and living amoung humans. I also like how she focused on even though they out number the humans they have to live with them so of course you are going to get some dislike between the 2 groups. I do enjoy Rachel I think she is refreshing, she knows her limits and doesn't try to go further then that. I enjoy that she doesn't want to cross any limits by dabbling in things that she should avoid such as black magic.
I enjoy Ivy and Jinks and I am interested to see where Ms. Harrison takes these two characters and I have to admit I like how the story is focused on their growing and expanding friendship.

Things I didn't care for:
I hate that Rachel gets so focused on wanting to capture Trent and prove that he is evil that she allows her self to turn into the TSTL character. Her hatred is sending down the path that can not end well for her or her friends and when Trent is involved she stops listening to reason. SO when bad crap happens to her (like the rat fight) I kind of feel like she deserves it.

Are you keeping it or passing it on? This one surprised me and I have to admit that I will be keeping this series as long as Rachel can get over this whole Trent issue thing she has (although I am curious as to what he is)

Challenges:100+ Book

TBR

Review ~ Next by Michael Crichton

TITLE: Next
AUTHOR: Michael Crichton
COPYRIGHT: 2006
TYPE: Fiction
PAGES; 431
SERIES: no

REASON FOR READING: co-worker insisted

Summary (from Goodreads):
Is a loved one missing some body parts? Are blondes becoming extinct? Is everyone at your dinner table of the same species? Humans and chimpanzees differ in only 400 genes; is that why a chimp fetus resembles a human being? And should that worry us? There's a new genetic cure for drug addiction--is it worse than the disease? We live in a time of momentous scientific leaps, a time when it's possible to sell our eggs and sperm online for thousands of dollars and to test our spouses for genetic maladies. We live in a time when one fifth of all our genes are owned by someone else, and an unsuspecting person and his family can be pursued cross-country because they happen to have certain valuable genes within their chromosomes... Devilishly clever, Next blends fact and fiction into a breathless tale of a new world where nothing is what it seems and a set of new possibilities can open at every turn. Next challenges our sense of reality and notions of morality. Balancing the comic and the bizarre with the genuinely frightening and disturbing, Next shatters our assumptions and reveals shocking new choices where we least expect. The future is closer than you think.

FYI this isn't going to be a traditional Sarai review. Next is one of those books I never would've read if a co-worker had insisted I read it. I don't regret the decision but it is not one I would read normally. First off this book is hard to explain b/c in traditional Crichton fashion there are like 7 stories going all at once that all eventually tie in together but take a while to get you focused on it. I personally have a hard time reading different POVs that switch every 8th paragraph. But I managed to catch on to his flow about about mid-way through I realized who everyone was.

Would I suggest this book? Yeah if you like fiction and don't mind the POV switches. However, it is hard to pin down a plot b/c there are so many other things going.

Is this one of his best? I wouldn't know to be honest this is the first one I've read of his mainly b/c of his style of writing. That being said I do believe I would pick up another if I needed a change of pace or if I was in a reading slump.

Basic gist of the plot: In the future nay slash that right now we do not own our own blood, cells, and or skin once its been removed. Is this ethical? Should this be allowed? And why is it happening? Are the questions that Mr. Crichton presents in this ficitional tell of a man who has cancer then it is discovered that he actually holds the key to curing cancer. So the same company that was helping him fight the cancer has now won the rights to his cells in order to create a vacince against that same type/form of cancer.
Needless to say Mr. Crichton freaked me out with this book and made me start questioning some bills in the Congress going on.

Challenge:

100+ Book Challenge

Re-read Review ~ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

TITLE: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
AUTHOR: J K Rowlings
COPYRIGHT: 2001
TYPE: Fantasy/Young Adult Fantasy
PAGES: 435
SERIES: yes

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
6. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

REASON FOR RE-READ: No idea other than I felt the need to dive back into this amazing world.

SUMMARY: {From Goodreads}
For most children, summer vacation is something to look forward to. But not for our 13-year-old hero, who's forced to spend his summers with an aunt, uncle, and cousin who detest him. The third book in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series catapults into action when the young wizard "accidentally" causes the Dursleys' dreadful visitor Aunt Marge to inflate like a monstrous balloon and drift up to the ceiling. Fearing punishment from Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon (and from officials at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry who strictly forbid students to cast spells in the nonmagic world of Muggles), Harry lunges out into the darkness with his heavy trunk and his owl Hedwig.
As it turns out, Harry isn't punished at all for his errant wizardry. Instead he is mysteriously rescued from his Muggle neighborhood and whisked off in a triple-decker, violently purple bus to spend the remaining weeks of summer in a friendly inn called the Leaky Cauldron. What Harry has to face as he begins his third year at Hogwarts explains why the officials let him off easily. It seems that Sirius Black--an escaped convict from the prison of Azkaban--is on the loose. Not only that, but he's after Harry Potter. But why? And why do the Dementors, the guards hired to protect him, chill Harry's very heart when others are unaffected?

THOUGHTS/OPINION:During my re-read I realized that I devoured these books way to quickly the first time around. I absolute love this series but once I discovered it I torn through the pages like a mad man looking for a fix. Now I am able to sit back and savor each and every page. I am reminded how much the movies (while the first couple still to the basic) are completely different from the books. And honestly the movies just can not give you the fullness or richness of this world. However, that being said without the movies I wouldn't have an idea on how to picture some of the characters.

Things I enjoyed:
Okay so I have to say this is one of my favorites, finally we see the pitfalls of Harry. He is arrogent, pigheaded, and completely irrational when it comes to his parents, he's also has a bit of a temper on him! And that excites me he's no longer poor Harry and I have to honestly say at times I rolled my eyes or yelled at him. I do like that we discover why the Minstery is taking it so easy on him all things considered. I also like that we didn't know where Sirius stood until the end and I have to admit I was happy for Harry's situation. Although I know he would've preferred that Sirius got off. I did enjoy that he didn't get his way completely. I am glad the Dursley's finally got their comeupins as my mom would say. And I have to say while not my favorite it is definately high up there!

Things I didn’t care for:There wasn't much in this one I didn't care for I managed to read it pretty quickly other than a few minor repeats I think this one is spot on.

Are you keeping it or passing it on? I will continue to keep this series who knows in a few years I may go back and re-read them again!

Challenges:

100+ Book

Re-Read

Re-read review ~ Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

TITLE: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
AUTHOR: J K Rowlings
COPYRIGHT: 1999
TYPE: Fantasy/Young Adult Fantasy
PAGES: 341
SERIES: yes

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
6. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

REASON FOR RE-READ: No idea other than I felt the need to dive back into this amazing world.
SUMMARY: {From Goodreads}
Ever since Harry Potter had come home for the summer, the Dursleys were so mean and hideous that all Harry wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he's packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike. And strike it does. For in Harry's second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor and a spirit who haunts the girls' bathroom. But then the real trouble begins--someone is turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects...Harry Potter himself!

THOUGHTS/OPINION:During my re-read I realized that I devoured these books way to quickly the first time around. I absolute love this series but once I discovered it I torn through the pages like a mad man looking for a fix. Now I am able to sit back and savor each and every page. I am reminded how much the movies (while the first couple stuck to the basic) are completely different from the books. And honestly the movies just can not give you the fullness or richness of this world. However, that being said without the movies I wouldn't have an idea on how to picture some of the characters.

Things I enjoyed:
I have to admit that this book was my least favorite and I blame the movie for it. I did like the book better than the movie but I hated the movie. Until I realized how important this book was in order to set up the Tom Riddle tie in with Harry's enemy He Who Must Not be Named. Now that I've read the whole series I have to admit I like it better. I did enjoy Dobby's character and how Harry helps him. I enjoyed watching the team getting back together and I seriously still love that Harry is still modest and hasn't let the fame get to him. Of course the way he is treated with the Dursley's helps. I did like that we got to see more of the Wizard world and of course the Weasley's whom I happen to really love.

Things I didn’t care for:
I'm a firm believer that if you are going to tell us what has happened in the first book do it quickly and move on. JK Rowlings however, is not a firm believer in this and while I dislike it I'm sure others don't care. So that's about it.

Are you keeping it or passing it on? I will continue to keep this series who knows in a few years I may go back and re-read them again!

Challenges:

100+ Book

Re-Read