Book Review: American Female (Emily Carpenter)

American Female

by: Emily Carpenter

Genre: Adventure, Memoir

Middle-class, mid-career, and Midwestern, twenty-something Emily Carpenter walks into a new job that isn't middle anything. In only slightly more time than it takes to get a passport, this brave adventuress finds herself thrust into a world of lavish luxury, corporate hijinks, and personal scandal. Jet-setting around the globe with her sociopathic boss, she discovers the line between right and wrong is generally negotiable, and almost always in a language other than English. Forced to her breaking point, Emily has to decide what is more important: her old self-respect or her new career. But first - she'll have to survive.

**WE RECEIVED A FREE COPY OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR THE FOLLOWING HONEST REVIEW**

Gosh, I'm really having a hard time here, and that has everything to do with the main character, Emily Carpenter....who is also the author.  This book is a memoir, which means that the author didn't have to luxury of using past experiences..better judgement....creative writing, to turn this story as anything other than her personal experience.  In the back of my mind I know that, and I shouldn't hold that against her, but unfortunately judging others is what we do, and Emily (the character) got on my very last nerve!  

 The best way for me to review this one is to classify it as: good, bad, and ugly.  Let me tell you what I enjoyed about it before venturing to the dark side.  The story flowed nicely, making this book easy to follow.  The characters were, for the most part, well-developed and evolved as the story progressed.  

 Now for the bad/ugly.  I have a hard time relating to/empathizing with women who play the victim......and Emily Carpenter definitely plays the victim.  Her boss is a narcissistic egotistical douche that she should have cut ties with as soon as she realized his true nature.  BUT instead she let him abuse and manipulate her, simply because he could offer her experiences/things that she might otherwise never experience.  WHY?!?!?!?!?!?  See, this is where I have a problem.  Instead of leaving and finding another way to make a name for herself, Emily bitched and complained throughout the majority of the book about the way she was being treated.  Lovely.....

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Book Review: Capering On Glass Bridges (Jessica Hernandez)

Capering on Glass Bridges

by: Jessica Hernandez

Genres: Fantasy, Adventure

The Utdrendans have spoken, and everything has changed as a consequence. People normally avoid the fog surrounding the cursed Kingdom of Mar, but now they are asking sixteen-year-old Kaia Stone to venture into it. The Utdrendans implied that there is something special about Kaia. They claimed that she could help free the land; she need only carry out their instructions and deliver a message to the Marian king.

Mar, however, is a land in which dark secrets abound, and many will stop at nothing to ensure that it remains forever cursed. Determined to work against Kaia, unfriendly forces have already begun to gather.

Will Kaia choose to abandon the only life she’s ever known—perhaps indefinitely—in pursuit of the greater good…in pursuit of her purpose?

**WE WERE GIVEN A FREE COPY OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR THE FOLLOWING HONEST REVIEW**

Helloooooooo everyonnnnneeee!!! Today I will be reviewing Capering on Glass Bridges by Jessica Hernandez.  Firstly, I must apologize to the author of this book for not reviewing it soon enough and making her wait. I am very sorry for the wait and I have no excuses for not reviewing it sooner.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I loved the theme, it was magical and made you feel as though you were in the book yourself. I do wish that she had given more explanation to the characters. I didn't know how to picture Kaia or Elania, the only characteristics that were given is how old they were and towards the end of the book that Elania had dark curly hair.  I didn't know if Kaia had brown or black hair, there was no indication as to her eye color or if she was a petite person or tall. It seems silly but it helps to visualize the story. I still am unaware of how old Warrin is compared to Kaia. And speaking of Warrin and Kaia their chemistry din't come into play until the middle of the book and it was rather unexpected. I wish that the author would of given hints as to the dynamic between them but instead I was totally ambushed with it. I also wanted to see a bit more profession in their relationship, they danced and they held hands a few times but that's about it. And I know that this isn't a romance novel but if there is going to be a romance I would've liked to see into it a little more. Kaia seems like a brave, loyal, and courageous girl, but we didn't really get a glimpse into her personality which was kind of a bummer. The same goes for most of the other characters as well. It kind of left the story feeling empty, with no real description of the characters or their personalities. But I did really love this book, I thought it was original and interesting and i adored all of the creatures that came into play. I do hope that there will be a sequel because the author did leave it on a cliffhanger which I suspected from the beginning but didn't know if it was going to follow through. Anyway, I really liked this book and would recommend you read it if you like fantasy/ fiction. Jessica if you have a sequel or any other books please do send them in as I would like to read them too. Thank you for choosing us to review your book and I hope I did it justice. Again I apologize for the wait.

I bestow love and happiness among you all and wish you a beautiful day!!
 XoXo 

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Book Review: Stuck on Vacation with Ryan Rupert (P.S. Malcom)

Stuck on Vacation with Ryan Rupert

by: P.S. Malcolm

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Adventure

Aubany Winters' life soon becomes a nightmare when her mum gets cancer and has to leave for California with her dad. Left with her neighbours, the Ruperts, and to her displeasure, their son Ryan, she finds herself forced to tag along on their family vacation to Nula Island. There's just a few problems, like her fear of the ocean, her and Ryan's mutual hatred for each other, and the psycho girl who is trying to kill them.

Will Aubany overcome her fears? Will she and Ryan ever stop hating each other? Or will their flaws and disagreements lead them right into the enemy's hands?

**WE WERE GIVEN A FREE COPY OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR THE FOLLOWING HONEST REVIEW**

Stuck on Vacation with Ryan Rupert is the kind of book that is good for the soul.  P.S. Malcolm allows us to watch Aubany and Ryan's love-hate (mostly hate...a lot of hate) relationship grow in a beautiful and realistic fashion. It was so refreshing to read a romance novel that didn't have a plot that solely revolved around third party interference.  Yes, there is a crazy loon running around, trying reeking havoc, but she doesn't show up until Ryan and Aubany are well on their way to figuring each other out.  

I found the ending a bit lacking (this book isn't a cliffhanger)....like, I seriously wanted to know what was going to happen once the characters returned to Florida, so I was disappointed to learn that there wasn't at least an epilogue. THEN, I got word from the author that there will be TWO additional books in the series, so my feelings quickly shifted from disappointment to joy.  I can't wait to see what happens to their relationship once they're home, how Aubany's mom is doing, and what her friends think about her being in a relationship with Ryan! 

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Book Review: Delirium (Lauren Oliver)

Delirium
By: Lauren Oliver
Genres: Romance (Love), Young Adult, Sci-Fi (Dystopia), Adventure

Ninety-five days, and then I'll be safe. I wonder whether the procedure will hurt. I want to get it over with. It's hard to be patient. It's hard not to be afraid while I'm still uncured, though so far the deliria hasn't touched me yet. Still, I worry. They say that in the old days, love drove people to madness. The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don't.

Delirium has been on my list for AGES. I even got to the point where I bought the PHYSICAL book....and still, it sat on my desk/shelf for a good two months. I only picked it up because of an EpicReads' post about the best last lines of books. Delirium was obviously on the list/video lol.


I must say, I REALLY wasn't disappointed. Typically, when I hear about how good a book or movie is my expectations go through the roof....and then come crashing back down to earth and are shattered. I flew through the 400 something pages in less than 24 hours...and Sophie was staying with us. Thankfully, she understands my obsession and is basically at home in my house.....She feeds herself, plays Xbox with my brother, goes through my fridge, I mean, it's basically like having a part-time sibling.

Anyway, back to the review.

I loved this book and I can honestly see why it was graced with the pearl-glittery inside cover...It was so great. I can only take the time to read the first one (even though I've gotten the rest of the trilogy) because of a little thing called 'responsibility' and 'my mom is threatening my life if I don't get back on schedule'.  I thought it was fast-paced, but it may just have been the fact that I wanted there to be MORE pages.

While I did guess a big plot detail, I was totally okay with it because this book makes you eager to turn the next page. It makes you skip paragraphs to get to the good parts, and then have to skip back because you missed something. It makes you fall in love and get frustrated and heartbroken and then fall in love again. It gives you hope and scares the crap out of you. It makes you remember why you ever loved reading in the first place. And I really hope that Grace comes back because she's one of my favorite characters.


I'm going to keep this review rather short because it WASN'T a requested book, but really, if you like dystopia/love/romance/Giver-ish books, buy Delirium....You will NOT regret it....

Delirium gave ME the disease. (I'm sorry, that was so cheesy).


A  bit of free advice: Buy this book online. I bought this book IN the Barnes and Noble store FOR TEN FREAKING DOLLARS, but when I was looking for the links for you guys they had it listed in paperback EVERYWHERE FOR SIX DOLLARS OR LESS! For two more dollars that I paid I could have purchased a HARD COVER! Nooo, whyyyy?! Still, #noregrets I loved this book. I shall ask for physical copies for an acceptable holiday.

I have to go before it gets any worse...Keep your noses in the pages and I will blog yeewww laterrr!

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Book Review: Sparrow (Grace Jelsnik)

Sparrow

by: Grace Jelsnik

Genre: Action/Adventure, Romance

Tasked with the care of her younger siblings and crippled grandfather, the last thing Nell needs is another dependent, but when she finds a dying man lying on the riverbank, she can’t walk away. She soon learns it’s no coincidence that FBI agent Connor chose to die on her turf, and once she gets him home, his presence serves as a catalyst to revelation after revelation regarding the hijacking of an Army munitions convoy two decades before. Everyone seeks the munitions hidden somewhere in the forest, and deadly secrets are exposed when Nell finds herself sucked into a vortex of deception, corruption, and treason. Her act of humanity may well culminate in her loss of humanity when her family is endangered by the specter of a 20-year-old crime. 

Nell’s woods, the woods she knows better than anyone, steadily fill with men who call themselves patriots but are in fact thugs and petty criminals. She’ll stop at nothing to protect her loved ones, and when her younger sister and then Connor are jeopardized, it’s up to her to mete out frontier justice. Armed with nothing more than a hunting bow and a knife, Nell settles into the task with a determination that leads to a surprising discovery regarding the source of the evil. 

**WE WERE GIVEN A FREE COPY OF THIS  BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR THE FOLLOWING HONEST REVIEW**

I finished reading Sparrow one day last week, and I've attempted to write this review several times a day since, but each time I find myself at a loss for words (which rarely happens). I honestly feel like this should be one of the easiest reviews that I've ever written!!

WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?!?!?!?!?!?  

Sparrow can very easily be referred to one of the best books I've ever read, and I've literally talked about the plot/characters to any and everyone who would listen. Sooooooo why can't I get my crap together and knock this review out?? Am I having a hard time putting my thoughts/feelings together because I'm afraid that I won't be able to adequately give this book the recognition that it deserves?  

ABSOLUTELY!! (but I have to give it a shot)

Here goes nothing.......

The first thing I noticed, and appreciated, was the way in which the characters were described.  I didn't feel the need to use my imagination to make up for the lack of personalities......they were perfect. I was able to forget that I was sitting in the comfort of my home, because I was immediately sucked in and transported to the Penniwick Hunting Lodge, where I watched this amazing story unfold. The plot was exciting, and engaging from the first page, until the very last.

My favorite authors are those whom write in a way that makes me feel like I'm part of the story...like I'm physically there. They write in such a way that I think about the story, and about the characters long after I've closed the book. They make it feel like I'm watching a movie, rather than, reading words off of a page. They make me want to remember their name. 

Grace Jelnsik delivered!

I am confident that Sparrow will become a favorite to anyone who reads it. I know that it will become one of the few books that I would be happy to read many times.  

Wow, what a story!!

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