The 104 Book Challenge - 2011 discussion

The Host
Just finished The Host! Loved it! I did not want to love this book! And it took me a bit to get into it... but wow.. it is a roller coaster ride of emotions! Five + stars!!! :-)

It was an awesome book. One of my favorites I read in 2010. I saw somewhere that it was #1 in a series? Not sure if that's true...but I hope so!

I read this a couple of years ago, and I loved it! It does take a while to get into it, but it's so worth it, IMO.

Suzy,
Stephenie Meyer has said that this is the first in a series of 3. She's even named the sequels (The Seeker and The Soul if I'm not mistaken). But I have no idea if she has any plans on writing them right now (or anything else for that matter...).

Everytime I talk about The Host, I remember how much I liked it, and how much I want to read the sequel, but I just have to be patient. :S

Next we have The Official Guide for Twilight, which I've looked forward to for years, but I'd so love to read a new novel as well.

Thanks for the info. I wish she would move on and away from Twilight. And don't get me wrong...I loved the books. And one thing I've learned is that the older you get the easier it is to be patient. :)

Suzy,
I kind of wish the same, although I don't know if we have the same reason for wishing it. :-)
I love the Twilight books, and I think I want them to stay the way they are. I'm hesitant to add something that changes the integrity of the series, the way it stands. Although, I might feel differently about that in the future.

And, yes, it's certainly easier to be patient as you grow older. :-) It's just frustrating to not have anything, no knowledge of a future book, no release dates etc.

I'm anxious to read one of all the other stories she's said are floating around in her mind, mermaids and ghosts. I'd probably love those too.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella

I give this 3/5 stars! It was good but left me feeling.. incomplete! LOL I obviously knew Bree died in the end.. but they kind of make you love her & then you just want to hope she will live! LOL SM also introduces a few new characters where you are left hanging as to what really happens to them.. I didnt like that.. cuz now I'm wondering.. Hmmm what happened to Fred.. what really happened to Diego.. so.. yeah.. I'm glad I rented it from the library & didnt purchase this one.. ha ha If you are a true Twilight fan you must ck it out.. cuz thats what we do.. but dont expect to have super great warm fuzzy's towards the book like you did w/ the other parts of Twilight! :-)

Thanks for the honest review on this one. I've been tempted to read it, but haven't picked it up yet. I've heard The Host is the best one of hers yet.

I read this online when it first came out. (For those who may not know, Stephenie Meyer offered the opportunity for people to read the book for free online for a month. Also, if you buy the book, $1 per book goes to the Red Cross, and sales for the book have given donations of over 1 million dollars so far.)

I have been, and in some ways still am ;-) a huge Twilight fan, but I still haven't bought this book. I fully intend to, but one of the reasons why I haven't yet, is exactly what you say Rachel. The book is just okay, but not really great. It's a good book to read if you're a fan (and originally it was supposed to be part of the official guide, but it ended up being too long).

The book didn't really draw me in, and I have the exact same questions as you about Fred and Diego. Well, I guess we kind of know what happened to Diego, but what about Fred?

A Kiss of Shadows

2/5 stars! What a disappointment! I'm a huge Anita Blake fan.. but LKH really lost it w/ this series. I dont think I'll continue on.
If you are into super off the wall fantasy about goblins, fae, witches...all having sex with odd body parts & tentacles & what not.. than this would be the book for you! LOL I how ever... can not fathom having sex w/ any goul, goblin, whatnot that has tentacles wrapping around me! LOL
Ugh.. too off the wall for me! **dislike** thumbs down.

If I Stay

5/5! Loved it! Cant wait til April 2011 for the 2nd book to come out!
Beautiful story.. the ending surprised me! Characters are well developed. Loved the present/past flash backs!
Great book!

I Am the Messenger

5/5 Great book! I really enjoyed it & the characters in it! It has a feel good, make me wanna get out & do something for others message! The ending was a wee bit confusing for me.. and I've searched through others reviews & they seem to interpret it all different.. I'd love to hear your take on the ending..
Who was the guy who left the folder? Some say MZ inserted himself in the story?
Who orchestrated this whole thing? Was Ed crazy? Does he have split personalities & he sent the folder to himself while in one of his other persona's? :-)
Hmmm.. loved the book... just need some clarification on the ending..
Thanks! :-)

4/5! I recommend listening to it on audiobook! Its pretty intricate & technical in nature! Some compare it to the Davinci Code. You'll either hate this book or love it! I really enjoyed it! :-)

3.5/5 It was good...face paced.. kept my attn.. quick read.. a wee bit too much f'n-hymers for me! I am all for a cuss here & there.. but hearing it so much in a book... got to be a bit much for me! Good storyline & good ending though! :-)

4/5 Stars! Great beginning to a new series! Fast paced, easy read! Cant wait to get into the next one! RM does it again!!! I recommend! :-)

Rachel wrote: "A Kiss of Shadows

2/5 stars! What a disappointment! I'm a huge Anita Blake fan.. but LKH really lost it w/ this series. I dont think I'll continue on.
If you are into super off the ..."


I used to be a huge Anita Blake fan back when it was about the characters and the mystery that she was solving. Around Obsidian Butterfly it just got all about the sex, though, and I stopped reading.

Rachel wrote: "The Host
Just finished The Host! Loved it! I did not want to love this book! And it took me a bit to get into it... but wow.. it is a roller coaster ride of emotions! Five + stars!!..."

You loved it really? I have owned it for almost 2years now and I haven't gotten past page 50. You're not the first one to tell me it was great but the beginning of the book is so horrible I just can't push through. When did it get good for you?

Amber wrote: "Rachel wrote: "The Host
Just finished The Host! Loved it! I did not want to love this book! And it took me a bit to get into it... but wow.. it is a roller coaster ride of emotions! ..."

I listened to it on audiobook... and I agree.. the beginning was tough.. I was like "what is w/ all this alien in body stuff.. ugh".. but push thru it...or audiobook it.. cuz it DOES pick up.. it was great!! :-)

Candace wrote: "Rachel wrote: "A Kiss of Shadows

2/5 stars! What a disappointment! I'm a huge Anita Blake fan.. but LKH really lost it w/ this series. I dont think I'll continue on.
If you are into..."

I am going to be starting Obsidian Butterfly pretty quick here.. I'll keep you posted on my thoughts! Thanks!! :-)

5/5! Loved, loved, loved this one in the series!! Zoey is barely in it.. which is actually okay.. the other characters had room to really grow & breathe life through out this story!

Rachel wrote: "

4/5 Stars! Great beginning to a new series! Fast paced, easy read! Cant wait to get into the next one! RM does it again!!! I recommend! :-)"

Love the Succubus series by Richelle Mead but than I love every book by her. The last book in this series comes out in the fall :) Can't wait for it!

3.5/5 It was good in the beginning.. middle was a bit drawn..good at the end... not a big fan of making out w/ siblings.. even if you dont know they are your siblings at the time.. just seems ushy to me. Think Clare could have cut that line out... I will probably continue on with the next book just to see what it has in store. :-)Most people I talk to rave about this book/series.. so I'll give it another try w/ book #2 :-)

Hahahaha, REN! "...not a big fan of making out with siblings..." I hope you do keep reading. It's a great series.

1.5/5
What a huge disappointment! Worst book in the series. It's like Hamilton went off the wall on this one. It's completely out of character for 'Anita Blake' & her story line. I can appreciate the relationship she developed w/ Edward. I like him. But he didnt seem himself in this book either. None of the same rules applied in this book as the past books. It was way too gory too.
I will continue on w/ the series cuz I do love this series. But if it continues like this book...Hamilton has lost me.
Stay tuned! ;-)

Blood Trinity

4.5/5! What a pleasant surprise this book was! I picked it up just as a filler while I was waiting for some other books to come in! I actually really enjoyed this book & cant wait for the next one to come out! :-)

Shiver
4/5!
It was good! I want my own wolf! LOL I look forward to the other 2 books!

Succubus on Top

3.5/5
Good.. not great.. hope the next one will pick up!

Evermore
2.5/5
Ugh. I really wanted to like this book.. it was so disappointing.. I hung w/ it thinking it just had to get better.. but then it got worse.. the twist at the end.. I don't even know what was going on. Cripes.

Rachel wrote: "Evermore
2.5/5
Ugh. I really wanted to like this book.. it was so disappointing.. I hung w/ it thinking it just had to get better.. but then it got worse.. the twist at the end.. I d..."


LMAO! You should NOT read another book in this series, Rach. I actually really liked Evermore and then things went waaaaaaay downhill for me. Blue Moon and Shadowland made me want to punch myself in the face just so I could feel better. You won't stand a chance if you didn't even like Evermore. On the upside, I DID like the fourth book (Night Star?) and will finish out the series.

Candace wrote: "Rachel wrote: "A Kiss of Shadows

2/5 stars! What a disappointment! I'm a huge Anita Blake fan.. but LKH really lost it w/ this series. I dont think I'll continue on.
If you are into..."

Hi Candace,
You were totally right about Obsidian Butterfly. UGH. What a train wreck! Worst book in the series yet. Didn't follow any of the rules the previous books did. I started the next one, Narcissus in Chains. I will keep you posted if it suddenly picks up again & is worth reading! :-)

Jennifer wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Evermore
2.5/5
Ugh. I really wanted to like this book.. it was so disappointing.. I hung w/ it thinking it just had to get better.. but then it got worse.. the twist a..."

Jen! ha ha "punch myself in the face".. cripes that's funny! Well.. I will keep it on my list for a "filler"...when every other book I want to read is check out.. I default to my "filler" list until a good book comes in! LOL

Crank

3/5
Sad. Depressing. Reality. Too common of a story. Every parent should read.
The story was a bit slow for my taste... I guess.. similar to an addict.. the highs were high & the lows were low.. I am curious to read the next one in the trilogy.

2.5/5
It was okay. Not great. Seemed really long & drawn out to me.

4.5/5! Love anything by Kay Hooper! She puts on a helluva psychic murder mystery! :-)

Narcissus in Chains
5/5! Loved it! Filled w/ crazy were-animals, crazy sex & crazy "adeur"....but LKH redeemed her self with this book after the last was such a crash! Life is getting pretty wild for Ms. Blake.. but I'm willing to run w/ it if she is! :-)

5/5!!! I can not praise this book enough! What a surprise! I picked this up as a "filler" book. I was completely hooked! At first I thought "oh great.. another highschool YA Paranormal..blah blah".. but man.. after the first few pages I was completely engrossed. I cant wait for the next book to come out in 2012! I highly recommend this book! It's a nice break from the vampire/werewolf/fae books I've been reading! Go check it out!!! :-)

Rachel wrote: "

1.5/5
What a huge disappointment! Worst book in the series. It's like Hamilton went off the wall on this one. It's completely out of character for 'Anita Blak..."


Yeah I've been reading ANita Blake books and they just seem to get worse! Somehow I'm still reading them though!
Lxx

Rachel wrote: "The Host
Just finished The Host! Loved it! I did not want to love this book! And it took me a bit to get into it... but wow.. it is a roller coaster ride of emotions! Five + stars!!..."

I started reading the Host when it was first released. I just could not get into the book! Never made it past chapter 5. I just might have to try reading it again

It took me a while to get into The Host too. The beginning of the book moves slowly, but I pushed through and I loved it. I'm going to pick up Nevermore based on your review sounds like a book I'd love.

4.5/5! Loved the connection w/ Asher! Hoping Anita stays away from Richard. I'm pretty much over him. Cant wait to pick up the next in the series!

4/5!
Man.. Ellen Hopkins just rocks realities world. If you are looking for fluffy light hearted books.. she is NOT the author for you! This book just got more intense & better & better as it went along. Cant wait for the next one! Cripes! ha ha :-)

Rachel wrote: "

5/5!!! I can not praise this book enough! What a surprise! I picked this up as a "filler" book. I was completely hooked! At first I thought "oh great.. another highsc..."

I liked that book too!

Rachel wrote: "

5/5!!! I can not praise this book enough! What a surprise! I picked this up as a "filler" book. I was completely hooked! At first I thought "oh great.. another highsc..."

I loved this book, too. It's one of my favorites so far this year.

I went out and bought Nevermore tonight so I hope I love it as much as you did.

I really liked Nevermore too. Can't wait for the next one!!

Tiffani wrote: "I went out and bought Nevermore tonight so I hope I love it as much as you did."

Oh I hope you like it! Keep me posted! ;-)

Jennifer wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Evermore
2.5/5
Ugh. I really wanted to like this book.. it was so disappointing.. I hung w/ it thinking it just had to get better.. but then it got worse.. the twist a..."

I'm just finishing up Blue Moon.. I actually liked this one.. much better than the first book.. I'm gonna give Shadowland a try! :-)

3.5-4/5! Definatly better than the first book! I am eager to read the next one! The story is getting good! :-) Glad I stuck w/ the series so far!

3/5 stars!
Disappointing sequel to Shiver. Sam basically whined about being human the whole time.. I found him annoying. I did like the whole Isabel & Cole scenario though! The ending was good.. only part of the book that had me at the edge of my seat!

4/5 stars! Georgina Kincaid is at it again! Great book! Cant wait for the next in the series! :-)

5/5 stars!
I love ANYTHING by Max Lucado! Highly recommend!