Review: The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Synopsis: In Mary's world there are simple truths.

The Sisterhood always knows best.
The Guardians will protect and serve.
The Unconsecrated will never relent.
And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth.

But, slowly, Mary's truths are failing her. She's learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future-between the one she loves and the one who loves her.

And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

Specs: YA fiction, dystopian, published February 2010, 320 pages, The Forest of Hands and Teeth #1.

I was looking forward to this one. The summary sounds really cool. But once I started it, I was not interested. I wasn't getting into the plot at all. Which is weird, because it has zombies (or "Unconsecrated") in it! How can it not be exciting? But somehow Carrie Ryan made it boring.

I'm confused as to why this series is popular.

Review: The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer

Synopsis: Fans of The Twilight Saga will be enthralled by this riveting story of Bree Tanner, a character first introduced in Eclipse, and the darker side of the newborn vampire world she inhabits. In another irresistible combination of danger, mystery, and romance, Stephenie Meyer tells the devastating story of Bree and the newborn army as they prepare to close in on Bella Swan and the Cullens, following their encounter to its unforgettable conclusion.

Specs: YA fiction, paranormal, published June 2010, 178 pages.

First of all, I don't think anything Stephenie Meyer writes can top the Twilight saga or The Host, and The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner is one of them. It was nice to have a completely different narrative outside of the Twilight characters. It was more harsh and raw than Twilight, but it didn't have the magic and enchantment that I experienced when I read the saga.

Another thing I didn't like about this novella is that it had no chapters, so there was no good place to stop!

However, I like books that show something hidden from the reader that you didn't know was there before. In Bree Tanner, we get to go back and see a whole scene told from someone else who fits in the pieces and reveals the complete story.





Don't forget, you can read this book for free online until July 5, midnight EST. LINK.

Review: A Summer Secret by Kathleen Fuller

With a twin brother and five younger brothers, Mary Beth Mullet's house is in constant chaos. Her parents don't seem to mind the noise, but she needs a break from all the pestering and babysitting.

It's the summer before eighth grade, and Mary Beth plans to escape to her secret place as much as possible. The old barn in the neighboring field is dangerous, and her parents have forbidden her to go there, but she escapes to it as often as she can.

Mary Beth soon discovers she is not alone in the barn. Someone is living there; someone who needs help. Can Mary Beth help the stranger without losing her secret place? And what if the barn is as dangerous as her parents say it is?

Specs: YA fiction, mystery, published May 2010, 288 pages, The Mysteries of Middlefield #1.

I have no idea why this book is labeled as "mystery." Only the first 50 or so pages were even remotely considered mystery. Just when Mary and Johnny were trying to figure out who was in the barn and eating their food, and even then it wasn't a mystery to the reader because it switched narratives, so I already knew who the boy was before the main characters did. I consider a "mystery" to be completely surprising and shocking to the reader, and A Summer Secret wasn't a secret at all. I think it should've been labeled as General Fiction or Drama.

I didn't like this book. It wasn't exciting enough for me and the writing was dull. I didn't like the Amish language throughout the book. I know that they don't speak like regular Americans and that there was a translator in the beginning, but I still didn't like it. I like to read through a book in English, not to have to refer back to a translator. I've read other Amish books where they don't do this.

I won't be continuing to read the series.

I received this book from Thomas Nelson via Book Sneeze.

Review: Temple of the Winds by Terry Goodkind

Synopsis: To fight a magical plague cutting a deadly swath across the land and slaying thousands of innocent victims, Richard Rahl and his beloved Kahlan Amnell will risk everything to uncover its source--the magic sealed away for three millennia in the Temple of the Winds.

Specs: Adult fiction, fantasy, published in 1997, 822 pages, Sword of Truth #4.

Temple of the Winds is my least favorite so far of the series. It dragged on and on without the excitement I've come to expect from Terry Goodkind. However, the last 150 pages, the mystery, plot twists, and edge-of-seat excitement greatly picked up. I loved the ending! I can't say any more than that because I would ruin it for you if you're planning on reading it, but let's just say it's a happy ending!

I'm glad Cara came back in the fourth book, and I hope she continues to be one of the main characters in the rest of the series.

Perhaps one of Goodkind's greatest flaws is that he repeats words and phrases. Many of the paragraphs in this series aren't necessary because they were already explained before. If you don't get it the first time, don't worry because it'll be explained again not once, twice, but usually three times! It would've been better if the author cut out the repeated stuff to make it a shorter book.

If you've heard of the TV show Legend of the Seeker, this series is the basis of it. While it takes a lot of liberties with the books (like making Darken Rahl Richard's brother instead of his father), it still makes for an excellent entertainment experience. It just finished it's second season and I can't wait for the third!

Library Loans (6)

Just got one this week. I'm trying to cut back on ordering books from the library because I have so many I own that I haven't read yet...I have an addiction to scouring my library's website and ordering every book I see that sounds good!

• Animal Farm by George Orwell