Book Blog #44: Marked by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

Title: Marked
Authors: P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
# of Pages: 306 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Romance
Rating:★☆☆☆☆
Synopsis: The House of Night series is set in a world very much like our own, except in 16-year-old Zoey Redbird's world, vampyres have always existed. In this first book in the series, Zoey enters the House of Night, a school where, after having undergone the Change, she will train to become an adult vampire -- that is, if she makes it through the Change. Not all of those who are chosen do. It's tough to begin a new life, away from her parents and friends, and on top of that, Zoey finds she is no average fledgling. She has been Marked as special by the vampyre Goddess, Nyx. But she is not the only fledgling at the House of Night with special powers. When she discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school's most elite club, is misusing her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look deep within herself for the courage to embrace her destiny--with a little help from her new vampyre friends.
Review: I have no comment on the cover.

Let's start with Zoey, our five year old sixteen year old protagonist.

"'...It's been like a million years since Broken Arrow beat Union." 'Sixteen.' I'm crappy at math, but K's math impairment makes me look like a genius."

Based on the quote above (which is found on page two), it's obvious to the reader that Zoey doesn't know what a hyperbole is is SO much smarter than her friends. And Zoey's character is created so that she seems like a little, whinny baby who thinks it's her job to save vampires and humans a relatable outcast who's destined to be great.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Okay, enough with the sarcasm. I obviously don't like her. I find her really immature (which is why it really confused me when the Goddess of vampires or whatever told her that she was wise beyond her years). For example:

"'Huh?' I said. Speaking of boobs - I was totally sounding like one. (Boob...hee hee)."

I just don't get how that has anything to do with the story. At all. The author's concentrate on way too many insignificant details and made the plot really, really boring. I get that they were trying to make it funny (right?), but did you see me crack a smile? No.

Going back to the characters, the whole Erik and Zoey thing was really unbelievable. I don't feel the chemistry between them probably because THERE IS NONE!!! They just met each other for heaven's sake! There is no way that Erik could fall for her in that short amount of time yet he's already sharing spit!

I don't get the point of the book either. Like, Zoey becomes the leader of the Dark Daughters. Big whoop. And it's not like she had to try very hard to get the position.

What I really would have liked would be if the authors didn't make Aphrodite so...weak, I guess. She seems more like the person who would have better comebacks and more of a competitive side to her. I can't understand why she just doesn't, like, make Zoey have a little "accident". She'd be doing us all a favor if she killed Zoey.

Alright, maybe that would be taking that too far. Just because I hate Zoey to the point where I wish her dead doesn't mean that Aphrodite has to kill her. She can just ruin Zoey's life instead.

I think I'm getting a little off track, so I'll conclude this review for now. It's an awful book.

Book Blog #10 : Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

Title: Bitterblue
Author: Kristin Cashore
# of Pages: 563 (hardback)
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance
Rating: ★★★★☆
Synopsis: Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck's reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle--disguised and alone--to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past. 

 Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck's reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn't yet identified, holds a key to her heart.

Review: I'm not exactly sure how I want to start this review. Usually, I start with the cover, but I was hoping that I could start with something else, something more interesting. But no ideas come to mind, so I guess I will be starting with my thoughts on the cover, as usual.

At first glance, I didn't notice that there was a girl in the background, so you must imagine how I reacted when I was closely examining the blues and purples of the book to realize that a big, human eye staring straight at me. What's up with Cashore and her eyes? In the Graceling, there was an eye on the sword (but thankful there wasn't one on Fire's cover) and now this!

Second of all, why would the background be blue and purple (other than the fact that there is the word "blue" in Bitterblue's name)? The keys don't really match and, to me at least, make the cover really, really ugly.

The title's creativity annoy's me too. I didn't mention it at all in my Fire review because when I began the book, I was unaware that the main character was named Fire. But this is just getting ridiculous! I can't believe that Cashore couldn't think up a more creative name for her third book other than her protagonist's name. It's very disappointing.

Now onto the content.

When I finished the book, I didn't feel that fan-girl bubbliness that I felt with Graceling and Fire. To be frank, the ending was bland. But I almost fell in love with the story and I'll tell you why. Bitterblue's story has similarities to one of my favorite books; Cinda William Chima's Seven Realms series. Bitterblue sneaks around with a guy that's pretty much opposite to her in status, behavior, etc which is almost EXACTLY like what Raisa was doing! If I didn't love this forbidden love situation so much, I could be ranting on and on about the similarities between the two books. But I'm not going to waste your time with that if it's not exactly bugging me that the stories are so alike.

I don't think I actually like Bitterblue very much as a character. Sure, it's a relief that she's normal; she doesn't have a supernatural power, a grace, or considered a normal. But she's such a baby! She's suppose to be 18 and yet she's constantly crying! I'm glad she's not my Queen!

I think that Cashore should have put more about Fire and her story in the book. But what I'm glad about is that Fire actually got married. THANK GOODNESS!!! While I was reading this book, I couldn't help but think that Cashore had something against men (The bad guys in Graceling were Kasta's uncle and Leck, in Fire it was Leck and Fire's father, and in Bitterblue it was Leck's past advisors and Leck's memory). I'm glad that at least one couple that Cashore created settled down.

What I really wanted to see from Cashore was a book from a male point of view. She wrote all three books from a female point of view, but I think it would have been better if she did at least one (maybe Fire?) with a male protagonist.

The book was alright. If you've read Graceling and Fire, but don't really know if you want to read Bitterblue, then don't. It wasn't that great. Read something else, like The Demon King! If you read that, it's pretty much the same story as Bitterblue except better and stretched out into five books.


This doesn't have anything to do with the book, but when I was reading several gay/lesbian references, it got me thinking. It's funny how in our world, everyone is considered straight unless their not. ...I mean, it's assumed that you are straight, like everyone else, until you come to the realization that your gay (unless your not, of course). Isn't that peculiar? I'm sure that once the world gets used to people liking the same gender as themselves, it won't be like that. Parents will talk to their children and say that they wonder if he/she will end up liking a female or a male. This whole thought blew my mind, and I thought that I should share it with you all.

---

Read the original post here!

Book Blog # 7 : Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Title: Graceling
Author: Kristin Cashore
# of Pages: 471 (hardback)
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance
Rating: ★★★★★
Synopsis: "His eyes, Katsa had never seen such eyes. One was silver, and the other, gold. They glowed in his sun-darkened face, uneven, and strange. She was surprised that they hadn't shone in the darkness of their first meeting. They didn't seem human....

Then he raised his eyebrows a hair, and his mouth shifted into the hint of a smirk. He nodded at her, just barely, and it released her from her spell.

Cocky, she thought. Cocky and arrogant, this one, and that was all there was to make of him. Whatever game he was playing, if he expected her to join him he would be disappointed."  

In a world where people born with an extreme skill—called a Grace—are feared and exploited, Katsa carries the burden of the skill even she despises: the Grace of killing. She lives under the command of her uncle Randa, King of the Middluns, and is expected to execute his dirty work, punishing and torturing anyone who displeases him. 

When she first meets Prince Po, who is Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. 

She never expects to become Po's friend. 

She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away...a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.


Review: Wow.

Wow.

Wow.

That was so amazingly better than I expected it to be. Lately, I've been reading a bunch of books that I thought were pretty good, but, after reading this book, it would be like comparing a rock to a diamond. The diamond, of course, would be this book. Evertime I picked up this book, I found myself gasping in surprise because the author would throw in something that I was absolutely not expecting. And, besides the fact that the book is obviously fiction, the book's characters and their relationship with each other seemed VERY realistic.

One of my favorite....things about this book is that Katsa didn't end up marrying Prince Po in the end. Now, I'm sure that some of you are going to find this odd. I confess that I was practically screaming at this book (in my head, I don't want people to know that I'm crazy) because I really, really, really wanted them to get married. But they didn't. And, shortly after finishing the book, I realized that it was better that way. I felt that its not in Katsa's nature to marry someone; she said herself that she would not plan on it. And the fact that Cashore made her character stick to that is very admirable.

Whenever I write reviews, I always try my best to make it as negative as possible. Because, lets face it, it's easier to love something (in most cases) than to hate something. There are plenty of people who would be willing to give only praise to the book. And that's not going to help the author. But Cashire made it very hard for me to find something bad to say about the book. The one little complaint that I can think of off the top of my head is Prince Po's name. I know that Prince Po is named after some tree that turns silver and gold blah blah blah. But I hear Po and I think that he's some soft gentle guy. Or that he looks like a panda (I went to a zoo and there was a panda named Po). Po just doesn't seem manly enough though!

For anyone of you people who have not picked up this book and at least attempted to read it, DO IT NOW! Or I will personally come to your house and force you to read it (don't ask me how, I have my ways. [insert evil laugh])!

---

Originally posted on Goodreads. Read the first blog post here!

Book Blog #5 : Fire by Kristin Cashore

Title: Fire

Author: Kristin Cashore

# of Pages: 461 (hardcover)

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance

Rating: 5 Stars

Synopsis: It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. The young King Nash clings to his throne while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. The mountains and forests are filled with spies and thieves and lawless men. 

 This is where Fire lives. With a wild, irresistible appearance and hair the color of flame, Fire is the last remaining human monster. Equally hated and adored, she had the unique ability to control minds, but she guards her power, unwilling to steal the secrets of innocent people. Especially when she has so many of her own. 

Then Prince Brigan comes to bring her to King City, The royal family needs her help to uncover the plot against the king. Far away from home, Fire begins to realize there's more to her power than she ever dreamed. Her power could save the kingdom. 

 If only she weren't afraid of becoming the monster her father was.

Review:

My life is over. I can't go on. 

LIke most beginnings, this book had a bit of a rough start, but by the time I finished it...

HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN TO ME??!?!?!?!?!

I thought I was going to hate this book. It seemed too similar to Cashore's Graceling, and I couldn't stop ranting about it to every person that I saw. But I didn't pay attention to detail and kept getting slapped in the face with each surpise in the plot. And at first I really didn't like Brigan because his thoughts towards Fire changed too quickly, but the chemistry between the two of them felt so REAL....I forgive the author. Fire is perfection (because she's so beautiful), but is still like a real person. She isn't invincible (because she lost two of her fingers from frost bite and she still can get scars from being attacked) which makes me love her even more. I completely forgot my disappointment of Fire not being a boy.

Just read the frickin' book. Or I'll force you to.

Edit: 3/30/13

Alright, I've calmed down. Now I'll actually tell you the true review EXCLUSIVELY ON THIS BLOG! The book wasnt that great, especially in the beginning. Cashore pretty much wrote The Graceling with different characters in a different setting. And, truthfully, I hated the book in the beginning. I hate it when authors try to pass off a sequel when it's actually a bunch of crap. And she's pretty persistent with the same author's message as her first book.

But Cashore must have a Grace herself, perhaps one like Leck's. By the time I reached the end, no of the crappy stuff seemed to matter anymore because I THOUGHT THE ENDING WAS REALLY GOOD!!! But I've woken up from the daze her words had me in to tell you that the book should actually have been rated with 3 1/2 stars instead of 5. I'm not saying this to discourage you from reading the book because I still honestly think that the ending was pretty good, but the book wasn't as fantastic as I described it.

---

Read the original post here!