Review: The Merciless by Danielle Vega

The Merciless

Danielle Vega

Published: June 12, 2014

Length: 336 pages

Synopsis

Forgive us father, for we have sinned.

Review

I bought The Merciless yesterday evening because I couldn't wait another day without reading it! I read a few reviews on Amazon about it and I watched one or two videos from booktubers saying that they are scared to read it. I, personally am a horror fan. I absolutely love horror, so I didn't not hesitate before purchasing this book at all.

The book is mainly about a group of friends and this one outsider who was part of the group. A new girl attends their school and she becomes friends with the group of girls. Crazy things happen (that I can't say or I'll give the book away) and... you read a lot about the new girl's history and figure out that she isn't exactly who she seems and says she is. The group of girls are extremely religious and it's almost funny to me that they did not notice evil right under their noses. Amazing! I think Danielle Vega masterfully planned this book. It is incredible. 

In a few months, once I think everyone has read the book who desires to read it, I will give a more in depth review of the book because I believe there is so much to be learned from this book and everything isn't easily known. You have to read between the lines! All in all, I'm pleased with this book. I love the hot pink cover! So adorable. I will say that inside the cover there is a warning about the sensitivity of the book. It is for mature audiences only. A lot of dark.. and gory things things happen that wouldn't make it appropriate for a child. Mature teens and adults are okay. 

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Review: Holding Out For A Hero (A Short Story) by Stacey Joy Netzel

Holding Out For A Hero (A Short Story) 

Stacey Joy Netzel

Published: August 16, 2011

Length: 34 pages

Synopsis

Kelsie Newman meets the man of her dreams at the beginning of a really, really, bad day, so excuse her for not recognizing him. Good thing she's a smart girl and a quick learner. When he rescues her from her Good Samaritan act gone bad later that day, she doesn't make the same mistake twice.

Review

I thought the short story was okay. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary. There are so many movies about women who are having a really bad day and they meet their prince charming in the process. This isn't something I haven't seen before. I want to say I found it interesting and refreshing, but I didn't. It could be a good, short read for someone else. It isn't terrible; just unoriginal.

Review: Love Sucks and Then You Die by Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate

Love Sucks and Then You Die

Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate

Published: September 10, 2013

Length: 33 pages

Synopsis 

Fifteen-year-old E.V. (Evening) doesn’t know where she fits in to the universe. After a particularly disastrous school dance experience, she’s begins to wonder if she fits in at all. She did bloody the school heartthrob’s nose and all because he tried to kiss her. Having been accused of being a "frigid bitch," E.V. begins to question her place in the cosmic world of relationships and dating to little avail; her CEO mother is emotionally unavailable, her dad is dead, and her best friend thinks true love exists in the back seat of a used Honda. But then E.V. spots someone, a blip on her otherwise indifferent radar that suggests there just might be someone out there for her . . .

Review

I recently ordered Eve and Adam and I wanted to research it on Amazon (Like I do every book I order) and found a prequel, Love Sucks and Then You Die to the story that I was really excited about. I downloaded it immediately and read. I loved it. I can't wait to receive the book. It's pretty much about a girl, who's mom is the CEO at a large company and is able to make things.. possibly even people and Eve somehow was able to make the perfect boy. I don't want to give too much away, but in this book Eve created Adam. I think it's a really cool twist to the original Adam and Eve story.

I must say that I do not like books where the author designates chapters for different characters for us to read their own point of view because those books can get pretty confusing. However, I don't think this book will get me too confused because from first glance, the storyline is pretty simple and I'm hoping the book will be. The prequel has me begging for more, so I'm really glad I ordered the book. I must admit that reading the prequel has shortened my patience quite a bit that now I wish I would have paid for rush delivery!!

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Review: After by Francine Prose

After

Francine Prose

Published: March 11,  2004

Length: 352 pages

Synopsis

School has become a prison.

No one knows why.

There's no way to stop it.

Review

After is a young adult novel about a group of friends who attend a school that is 50 miles away from a school that had a shooting. ...and suddenly their classmates and best friends start disappearing. 

The book isn't terrible, but it could have been better. I won't say she's a terrible writer, but I think the book was longer than it should have been. It was as if the story was drawn out. By the time I got to the climax, I only had 2 chapters left which wasn't enough. She didn't build the climax enough... I don't know fit there really is a climax, to be honest. The story ended where it should have began. She spent too much time developing the introduction and background on the characters. 

It wasn't a terrible idea, but she spent too much time developing the wrong things. The ending could have been better. It could have been more developed. She spent too much time writing about the basketball game. I just wish she would have given more time towards the end of the book. Before you know it, the group of kids that are left got in a van and went on a super long vacation and were never heard from again............ I wish the parents would have gotten the principle in his office and done something terrible. I wish the whole school would have rebelled and the principal would have left town or something. I wish there was much more to it. This book left a lot to the imagination.

June 2014: What's In My Kindle?

I've decided to start a string of blog posts, "What's In My Kindle?" I download books to my Kindle almost everyday, so I may just post updates once or twice a month. I've been finding very interesting books in the Kindle store, so I would like to share them and hopefully you'll read them, too. :)

The list of books that are currently living in my Kindle:

1. Glamour by Penelope Fletcher

2. The Accidental Hero by Joshua Graham

3. Holding Out For A Hero (A Short Story) by Stacey Joy Netzel

4. Dirty Little Secrets: A J.J. Graves Mystery by Liliana Hart (Adult Content)

5. Getting Dirty by Cheryl McIntyre (Adult Content)

6. The Housewife Assassin Handbook by Josie Brown

7. Murder on The Mind (A Jeff Resnick Mystery) by L.L. Barlett

8. The Art of War by Sunzi

9. Small Town Evil by Ken Berglund

10. Everflame by Dylan Peters

11. Game, Set, Match by Nana Malone

12. What She Saw (Forensic Handwriting Mysteries) by Shelia Lowe

13. The Girl In The Box Series by Robert J. Crane

14. The Beautiful Ones: A Vampire Romance by Lori Brighton

15. A Killer Thriller Collection - Eight The Hard Way by Nick Stephenson

16. The Descent Series by SM Reine

17. The Mind Readers (Book 1) by Lori Brighton

18. Rushed by Brian Harmon

19. The One You Love by Paul Pikington

20. Seduced by Innocence by  Karprov Kinrade

21. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurtson

22. Pink Ribbon Blues by Gayle A. Sulik

23. Waking Up Married by Mira Lyn Kelly

24. The Ancient East by D. G. Hogarth

25. I, Rigoberta Menchu: An Indian Woman In Guatamala by Rigoberta Menchu


Most of the books and series I listed are free in Amazon's Kindle bookstore. I will update my list when I download a considerable about of new books. Happy reading! 

WARNING! You Should Think First About Buying Books Within A Series

Warning! 

Do you know what you're getting yourself into?



I know a new book series can be enticing for those who enjoy reading them, but you should know that some are not worth your money! Particularly the ones that are in the form of ebooks. There are many ebook series out there written by independent authors that are available for download and some of them are very interesting reads (minus the grammar mistakes and misspelling). The catch is you will only get the first book of the series for free and the last two will cost you. I know you're wondering why I'm telling you this. A book is a book, right? You're also wondering why I'm telling you that some authors may not care how their books are delivered to the reader, as long as you pay. As with everything you buy, books are a consumer item and as authors, they should not try to "get over" on their customers. Why is this information so important? Well, let's get to the dirt!

First of all, there are authors out there who will sell their ebooks as if they are part of a series. Meaning the author will sell you the same book three times... with the first one being free (sometimes). They basically separated one book into three parts and selling them separately under the guise of it being a series. If you prefer reading ebooks over physical copies, then there is an easy way to know if it is a series you shouldn't be buying (or at least know how to detect them and decide to buy it or not). 

Always look at the number of pages before you buy an ebook and check to see if it is part of a series. If the first book is between 50-80 pages long (or under 100 pages), then you know it is one book the author is selling three times. The only books that should be that short are short stories, children's books (however, less likely), novellas, and samples. Those books will be described as such very clearly in the book description. I'd rather pay $2.99 for the whole book than thinking it is part of a series that doesn't really exist. 

On the other hand, if you are a reader who enjoys reading books in small doses and you're okay with buying each part of the book separately, then it shouldn't be a problem to you. As long as you know it is not a traditional book series. I know a lot of people won't notice what they're REALLY buying, so I hope this information will be helpful to you in your future browsing around in the ebook store. 

Why I (Most Likely) Won't Read Hilary Rodham Clinton's Memoir

As we all know, Hilary Rodham Clinton is the wife of  former President of the United States, Bill Clinton. She was also appointed the Secretary of State by Obama during his first term as President. Mrs. Clinton is an amazing woman. Regardless of your political affiliation, you have no choice but to give her what she's due! She is one of the most influential women that filled the role of being married to one the most important men in the United States in the 90s.

Mrs. Clinton's career in politics has been an impressive one and she recently released Hard Choices,  a memoir chronicling her life and professional accolades. However, her memoir is over 500 pages long (656 pages to be exact)! It is the Harry Potter book of nonfiction. I skimmed through the book at my local Barnes and Noble and I was highly taken aback by the length. It's so many pages that I don't want to begin reading in the fear of never finishing. I don't want to fight the book and lose! There is a perk to buying the book. B&N has the hardback copy for 30% and an extra 10% for members.  I more than likely will purchase the audiobook instead of purchasing the physical copy. Finishing the audio version seems more doable (and ego friendly) than reading.